MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - Millersville, riding a wave of six bonus point wins, opened PSAC dual action with a convincing 35-13 win over East Stroudsburg Wednesday night in Pucillo Gymnasium.
 
The 35 points were the most scored by Millersville against East Stroudsburg since 1982 and its second-largest margin of victory in series history. The Marauders, ranked No. 1 in the NWCA Super Region 1 team rankings a week ago, have now won four in a row over East Stroudsburg.
 
The Marauders' underclassmen were particularly impressive, accounting for six of seven wins. Sophomore Nick Cottone (141) and freshmen Richie DeFulvio (149) and Chase Bish (174) scored falls. Redshirt freshman Cole Dubois (184) and sophomore Riley O'Boyle (197) won handily with major decisions. Sophomore Nick Bennet (165) was in full control with a 7-2 first-period lead when he won by a medical forfeit.
 
"Bryce (Beatty) didn't wrestle his best match, Taylor (Robinson) was cramping up, and after he came off the mat, I said to Coach (Ryan) Whittle, 'It's time to let the young dogs eat,'" said Millersville head coach Jerry Boland. "They did. It was a lot of fun watching them get after it."
 
ESU started quickly with a decision at 125, and Elijah Bundro raced to a 6-1 lead over Millersville's nationally ranked 133-pounder, Taylor Robinson. But Robinson rallied, tying the match with a reversal and one-point penalty on Bundro for a second injury stoppage. He moved into the lead early in the third on a stall warning and then managed an escape with 40 seconds left to preserve a narrow 8-6 win.
 
But the momentum fully shifted for the Marauders with the aggression of Cottone at 141 pounds. As Cottone and ESU's Thomas Fierro scrambled for control on the mat, Cottone locked in a cradle, turned Fierro and scored the fall at the 1:31 mark. DeFulvio followed with a second-period pin in 3:24. He led 5-0 to start the second period and after a neutral start, he scored a quick takedown and transitioned it quickly into six points for the Marauders.
 
"That (pin) was huge," said Boland. "In a tight match like that, with a 1-1 match split, for Nick to get the pin like that, it was huge."
 
A pin from ESU made the team score 15-9, but Bennet notched six points at 165 points. Bennet's second-period reversal gave him a five-point advantage, but Anthony Lawrence hit the mat hard and was forced to retire. Bish followed with a pin in 3:55. He opened the second period with an escape and takedown, immediately turning Robert Burke to his back.
 
DuBois clinched the match-up for the Marauders with his 16-3 major decision, outlasting ESU senior Isaiah Reinart. It was an ultra-physical first period that Dubois weathered. He picked up a point on a Reinart unsportsmanlike penalty and then dominated to the finish. O'Boyle polished off the Marauders' triumph with a 17-4 major over Matthew Richardson, improving to 4-0 in duals this season.
 
"What stood out is that we didn't stop wrestling in any match," said Boland. "Even (Bishop McCoy) after he got down early, he got off his back twice, got a takedown, showed a lot of heart. You don't see many heavyweights do that. It says a lot for the kind of pace we talk about in the room, and we are going to continue to get better."
 
RESULTS
125: Joshua Jasionowicz (ESU) over Bryce Beatty (MILL) (Dec 5-1)
133: Taylor Robinson (MILL) over Elijhah Bundro (ESU) (Dec 8-6)
141: Nick Cottone (MILL) over Thomas Fierro (ESU) (Fall 1:41)
149: Richie DeFulvio (MILL) over Brian Lombardi (ESU) (Fall 3:25)
157: Parrish McFarland (ESU) over Tim Uhler (MILL) (Fall 1:49)
165: Nick Bennet (MILL) over (ESU) (M. For.)
174: Chase Bish (MILL) over Robert Burke (ESU) (Fall 3:56)
184: Cole Dubois (MILL) over Isaiah Reinert (ESU) (MD 16-3)
197: Riley O'Boyle (MILL) over Matthew Richardson (ESU) (MD 17-4)
285: Layton Schmick (ESU) over Bishop McCoy (MILL) (MD 14-4)
 
UP NEXT
Millersville is off until Dec. 22 when it travels to West Liberty.