While Zack Mills looks to be firing bombs to Nittany Lion wideouts against Virginia, the Penn State boxing club will be throwing some bombs of its own in its first home contest of the year tomorrow night.
The Penn State Invitational showcases eight Penn State fighters, three of them stepping between the ropes for the first time this season. In all, twenty fighters from three different schools fill out the card for a night of pugilism that features two former national champions.
The action kicks off at 7 p.m. at the main gym of the White Building. The first bout has Penn State's undefeated Pat Sullivan squaring off against Gus Pugliese of Lock Haven at 147 pounds.
An outside boxer with quick hands, Sullivan will have to step up his game against Pugliese, an aggressive veteran with 10 fights under his belt, if he wants to win his third in a row.
Other Penn State boxers looking to remain unbeaten are Chris Hill (1-0) and Alex Komlev (1-0), who steps in against the 2000 national champion, Lock Haven's Commanche Garcia. However, being undefeated does not mean much to Penn State coach Bill Wrable.
"A lot of coaches say, 'My guy is undefeated.' All undefeated means is you haven't fought anyone that can beat you yet," he said. "We set these matches up. I try and find guys who can beat our guys. I don't want any easy ones. . .you don't learn anything fighting easy ones."
Two fights that are certainly not going to be easy are Nathan Labuda of Penn State againt Mansfield's Steven Quigley at 156 pounds and Komlev's fight with Garcia at 150 pounds.
Komlev is a returning national champion and won fairly easily in his only match of the year two weeks ago. He will certainly have more of a challenge tomorrow in a battle of champions with the hard hitting Garcia.
"I'd have to say that of all the guys I have been in the ring with, he's the one that will go punch for punch with you all the way until the final bell," Labuda said of Garcia. "He just never quits."
In another highly anticipated matchup, Miles Rivas, one of only three returning fighters from last year's squad, looks to even his record at 1-1 against Lock Haven's Jeff Raymond at 160 pounds. Rivas said listening to his coach's instructions and fighting his fight are essential if he is to be successful.
In other action, three Penn State fighters will get their first taste of competition this weekend when David Bringley, Jim Neely, and Luke Runion step into the squared circle.
The young fighters' grasp of technical skills impresses Wrable, but he also fears that they may freeze up once the bell sounds as often happens with first-time boxers. Although they have been active in sparring during practices, fighting the same fighters and perhaps not having that rush of adrenaline that comes with a competitive fight may disadvantage them in their bouts.
Tomorrow night proves to be a notable evening for Penn State boxing no matter who is left standing when the dust settles. With a team as young as it has ever seen, the boxing club needs a shot of experience more than anything else, and tomorrow night will provide that even if it comes packaged with some rights and lefts.
"This match is so important for all of us. The new guys who are fighting need to step up so the other first year guys see how well they are doing, and the vets on the team need to perform well too," Labuda said. "Saturday is going to go a long way as far as establishing who this team is going to be this year."
