My Opinion
'Fearsome foursome' rides high despite dismal season

Don't count out Penn State's wrestling team -- not just yet.

The Lions have been taken down repeatedly and forced to use much injury time.

But the wrestlers are on the verge of a reversal that will give the team's problem-filled and injury-plagued 5-12 season a positive ending.

With the Big Ten Championships March 4-5 and the NCAA Championships March 16-18, the Lions still have an ample opportunity to make this season a success.

And they will capitalize on their chances.

While the team finished with its first losing season since 1979, it boasts four wrestlers who have the ability to win individual Big Ten and NCAA crowns.

During a dual meet, four out of 10 individuals could win their matches and the team could still lose the match. But if those four wrestlers are among the best in the country, they will lead their squad to tournament titles. Wrestling is strange that way.

Penn State has just that type of team, its own "Fearsome Foursome." Sanshiro Abe, John Hughes, Glenn Pritzlaff and Kerry McCoy are exceptional wrestlers with the ability to win Big Ten and NCAA titles.

-- Sanshiro Abe, 126 pounds Abe (26-2) is ranked No. 2 and is a two-time returning All-American. His health is the only question -- an injured knee forced Abe to miss the team's final five matches of the season. But when he is healthy, and he should be for tournament action, he is a technician who uses his quickness to outpoint his opponents.

-- John Hughes, 142 pounds Hughes (23-3) has been ranked in the top five all season. Hampered by knee problems, he was forced to miss last weekend's matches. But Hughes should be healthy for the postseason and is as good as any other wrestler in his weight class.

-- Glenn Pritzlaff, 158 pounds Pritzlaff (26-7) is only a freshman, but he wrestles like a veteran and is ranked No. 7 at his weight.

Expecting a freshman to win an individual title may be rare, but the poise and confidence Pritzlaff wrestles with makes him a worthy candidate.

-- Kerry McCoy, heavyweight There isn't much to say about the best collegiate heavyweight in the country. McCoy (34-0) won last season's Big Ten and NCAA heavyweight championships and currently has an 81-match winning streak.

"This is our chance to show teams what we are really made of," McCoy said about Big Tens.

And Penn State boasts more quality wrestlers.

Freshman Clint Musser has shown signs of excellence at 134 pounds. He can place at Big Tens and NCAAs, but he has been suffering from leg problems.

This season's wrestling team has validated Murphy's law. Virtually each weight class has been victimized by some type of ailment.

At 118 pounds, highly-touted freshman Eddie Jayne has had trouble making weight all season. He has also suffered from similar knee problems that have plagued Abe.

John Hughes' twin brother Russ, projected as the team's 150-pound wrestler for the second half of the season, has been sidelined because of academic problems.

Rob Neidlinger, at 177 pounds, injured his knee. Frank Morici, who won the 190-pound championship at the Penn State Open on Dec. 4, injured his arm at Midlands and hasn't wrestled since.

Despite the countless injuries and other problems, Coach John Fritz has done an admirable job leading his team. It seems all of the close calls have gone against the Lions. Penn State is due some of these breaks.

Fritz has remained positive with his wrestlers. While the team has lost many close matches this season, the Lions have gained valuable experience.

The measure of a team is how well it finishes. Penn State did not enjoy a successful dual-meet season, but either did North Carolina State's men's basketball team when it won the 1983 NCAA Championship.

Penn State can do the same.

Here comes the reversal. And the pin.