Grapplers Win Two, Lose One, Trounced by Hofstra Dynasty

The Crimson grapplers quashed the Georgia Tech and the Merchant Marine Academy matmen before bowing to host squad Hofstra in a marathon quadrangular meet on Saturday afternoon at Hofstra.

The squad was hindered by a twelve-man roster limit, which forced most of the wrestlers to persevere through three grueling bouts or incur a forfeit.

The Crimson's Murderers' Row of Milt Yasunaga at 126 pounds followed by Bill Mulvihill, George Baker, Tom Bixby, Jim Corcoran, Jon Franklin and Captain Jim Strathmeyer piled up a 33-0 margin against hapless Georgia Tech. Corcoran pretzled his man with a cradle to score a second round pin. The Crimson ended up swamping the Yellowjackets 39-3 after heavyweight Kip Smith flattened his man.

Franklin and Gang Clean Up

Against a Merchant Marine Academy squad that hails from Kings Point, Yasunaga and Mulvihill upended their opponents, while Jim Cocoran also cruised to an 8-1 win on the way to a 3-0 sweep of his matches. A healthy Jon Franklin, who had been plagued by two shoulder fractures in two years, shellacked his Kings Point opponent. Lee termed the opposition "a rugged bunch of kids" but the Commanders were erased 28-11 by the Crimson.

Frame of Mind

The two decisive victories put the matmen in the right frame of mind to square off with the Hofstra wrestling juggernaut. After a grinding schedule that included a 24-20 win over nationally ranked Michigan, the Flying Dutchmen, in the words of Tom Bixby, "wanted someone to beat on." The Crimson proved handy whipping boys but after their two convincing wins the 6-6 loss was not too bitter a pill to swallow.

The Crimson's hopes for an upset were deflated at the outset. After James Kaller had been outpointed in the 18 class, Yasunaga was pinned by his Hofstra opponent, who is ranked third nationally. The matmen were then successively cut down up to the 158 pound slot held down by Corcoran. In a show-stopping clash Corcoran racked up a pin with only two seconds left in the match, while trailing 2-1.

His Hofstra opponent outlasted Freshman Ed Bordley 5-4 in the 167 pound bout after clinging to a 4-3 lead until the last 10 seconds of the match. Bordley received a rousing ovation from the appreciative crowd.

The Crimson's sole win over Hofstra was a show stopping clash in which Jim Corcoran, trailing 2-1, racked up a pin with only two seconds lift in the match.