Takedown Report

Perfect dual season behind them, Pitt-Johnstown turns focus to tournaments

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – When Pat Pecora talked about his Pitt-Johnstown wrestling team prior to the start of the season, he raved about how much he liked his Mountain Cats as people.

They’re good students, he’d say. They don’t need a schedule to get in the weight room or the mat room for an extra workout.

They do it on their own. As he looked over his starting lineup, his assessment was peppered with comments such as “He’s a good kid,” and “You couldn’t ask for a better young man.”

To the outsider, that might have sounded like coachspeak for “We’re producing impressive young men, but we might not be a great wrestling team.”

By the end of the dual meet season, which wrapped up on Feb. 10 with a 34-7 rout of PSAC rival Mercyhurst, Pecora had a new superlative for the Mountain Cats: perfect.

Pitt-Johnstown went 15-0 in dual meets for the school’s first unbeaten season in 25 years.
After the victory against Mercyhurst, Pecora was asked if he expected his team to win every dual.

“No. Never. If somebody said to me at the beginning of the year, would you take an undefeated season? I’d have said, ‘Oh, yeah, right!’ ” Pecora said.

“There are so many times in a match that one or two things can go wrong – someone gets caught in a throw, you get a pin, people staying healthy, missing matches.”

Everything didn’t go Pitt-Johnstown’s way … rest of story at Tribdem.com/sports/perfect-dual-season-behind-them-pitt-johnstown-turns-focus-to-tournaments

February 21, 2023 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized