GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Stars served, legacies livened. The 2014 edition of the Super 32 Challenge came to a conclusion Sunday afternoon in Greensboro, North Carolina. Four wrestlers defended their titles from last year's edition of the Super 32, while a fifth wrestler also became a multi-time champion in the event.
Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, Pa.), Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.), and Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe, Pa.) each earned championship belts for a second straight year, and could make it three straight next year.
The finals mat at the Super 32 ChallengeThough the score-line would have you believe otherwise, things were much harder for Diakomihalis in the 120 pound final, a match that placed top five sophomores against one another. It was Daton Fix (Sand Springs, Okla.) that started the match on the attack. However, Diakomihalis countered Fix's deep attack into a takedown of his own, and rode out the first period for a 2-0 lead. Then, Diakomihalis rode Fix for the duration of the second period. A third period escape, and winning another scramble situation would give Diakomihalis the repeat title in a 5-0 victory.
The converse happened in Pletcher's 4-2 victory over Mike D'Angelo (Commack, N.Y.). Pletcher, ranked third nationally in the junior class, scored two takedowns in the first period against the top 100 senior. Though there were no offensive points scored outside of the first period, D'Angelo never truly challenged the repeat champion's grip on the match.
Also winning a second Super 32 title was Michael Kemerer (Franklin Regional, Pa.), who also was in a record-tying fourth championship match at the tournament. The 16th overall senior dominated Max Thomsen (Union, Iowa) -- ranked No. 40 overall in the Class of 2015- during the championship bout. A pair of opening period takedowns for Kemerer set the match's tone, and it remained that way through the duration. Single takedowns in the second and third period for Kemerer would yield him bookend titles at the Super 32 with a 9-4 finals victory.
Fellow Pittsburgh-area native Sam Krivus (Hempfield Area, Pa.) became just the sixth wrestler to win three Super 32 Challenge titles in the 16-year history of the event, but only the second to do so in the ten years the event has been held in the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center (2005-to-present). As is always the case in his title runs, it is never easy.
Just to get to Sunday's quarterfinal round, Krivus had to beat a pair of state champions: 4-1 over Bo Pipher (Paonia, Colo.) and 7-2 against Richard Screptock (Oregon Clay, Ohio). Those came after seven-point victories against a two-time Missouri state placer and a two-time Ohio state qualifier.
In that quarterfinal round, it was a 7-4 victory over Brent Moore (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) in a battle of Flo Nationals champions; before a 4-2 overtime win against Cadet National freestyle champion Jared Verkleeren (Belle Vernon, Pa.) placed him in the final. That championship bout showed the best of Krivus. Takedowns in both the first and second periods, off of attacks that he initiated sparked a 5-2 victory over fellow top 50 senior Davion Jeffries (Broken Arrow, Okla.)
The other two standout stars for the tournament came all the way from the Golden State, St. John Bosco teammates Cade Olivas and Zahid Valencia. Olivas dominated his way to the 106 pound title, including a 16-2 major decision against Thomas Cox (Deer Park, N.Y.) in the finals match. The nation's top freshman scored two takedowns and a turn in the first period to establish clear supremacy in the bout, including an opening takedown that essentially came off the opening whistle. Two more takedowns in the second period would stretch the advantage to 12-2, before another takedown and two-point near fall capped off the scoring.
Valencia was similarly dominant during his tournament run, cutting through the 182 pound field like a hot knife through butter. His championship bout had a takedown in each period on the way to a 9-4 win over two-time state runner-up Kollin Moore (Norwayne, Ohio), who beat a top 50 junior and top 50 senior on the way to the final.
Three wrestlers from the Southeast region of the United States earned championship belts on Sunday, as that region of the country continues to emerge in the wrestling prism. Those titles came in consecutive weight classes from 152-to-170 pounds.
Despite not scoring a single offensive point, Thomas Bullard (Archer, Ga.) upended Dayton Racer (Bettendorf, Iowa) 5-4 in the tiebreaker at 152. Racer scored takedowns during the first and second periods of the match; however, two Bullard escapes, along with an unnecessary roughness penalty in the first period, and locking hands technical violation in the third period forced overtime. After a scoreless overtime, Racer chose down in the ultimate tiebreaker, but was called for a penalty from the bottom position to lose the match.
Fox Baldwin (Osceola, Fla.), ranked No. 6 overall in the senior class, capped off a Super 32 career that had included two previous placement finishes with an 8-6 championship victory over Alex Marinelli (St. Paris Graham, Ohio). Marinelli, ranked 9th in the junior class nationally, scored the match's opening takedown. However, Baldwin countered with a reversal and then got a takedown of his own along with a late two-point near fall to end the first period leading 6-3. Marinelli scored a takedown in the second period, and escape in the third period; but Baldwin had a pair of escapes in the second period to maintain the advantage for the match's duration.
After finishing as runner-up to Chance Marsteller in last year's tournament at 170 pounds, Taylor Lujan (Carrollton, Ga.) won this year's title in totally dominant fashion. Despite giving up a match-opening takedown in the final against fellow Flo Nationals placer Brett Donner (Wall Township, N.J.), it was Lujan who controlled most of the proceedings.
He then countered with a reversal and takedown to lead 4-3 after one period. An escape and takedown in the second period stretched the advantage to 7-3 for Lujan. Then, a pair of takedowns in the third period confirmed the championship for Lujan, coming by an 11-5 score.
Rounding out the weight class champions in the 2014 Super 32 were Chad Red (New Palestine, Ind.) at 126 pounds, Hunter Ritter (John Carroll, Md.) at 195, Patrick Grayson (Colonial Forge, Va.) at 220, and Andrew Dunn (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) at 285.
Two-time state champion Red, a Cadet freestyle champion this summer, upended now three-time Super 32 placer Jose Rodriguez (Massillon Perry, Ohio) by 7-0 decision in the final. A tournament marked by total dominance for Red was reflected in the final – where he opened with a first period takedown, rode out Rodriguez in the second period when he chose down, then scored an escape, takedown, and two-point near fall in the third period.
It was a similarly dominant finals performance for FILA Cadet freestyle world team member Ritter in his final aganst Junior National freestyle All-American Kevin Mulligan (Bergen Catholic, N.J.). Ritter scored an opening takedown in the first period, and then almost scored a fall when locking up a deep cradle. However, it was not to be; but Mulligan never truly got into match, while Ritter cemented the 8-2 final margin with a third period takedown.
It was a battle of Junior National freestyle All-Americans at 220 pounds, as Nebraska commit Patrick Grayson (Colonial Forge, Va.) upended Maryland commit Yousef Hemida (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) in an 8-6 decision. Grayson scored takedowns during each period; while Hemida countered with a late second period takedown and late third period reversal.
The tournament's last match saw Dunn condemn Ian Butterbrodt (St. John's Prep, Mass.) to a second consecutive runner-up finish by scoring an 8-5 victory. All of Dunns's points would come in the first two periods, as he scored a pair of takedowns in each period to earn the decisive victory.
Finals Results:
106: Cade Olivas (St. John Bosco, Calif.) maj. dec. Thomas Cox (Deer Park, N.Y.), 16-2
113: Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, Pa.) pinned Noah Baughman (Wadsworth, Ohio), 0:26
120: Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.) dec. Daton Fix (Sand Springs, Okla.), 5-0
126: Chad Red (New Palestine, Ind.) dec. Jose Rodriguez (Massillon Perry, Ohio), 7-0
132: Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe, Pa) dec. Mike D'Angelo (Commack, N.Y.), 4-2
138: Sam Krivus (Hempfield Area, Pa.) dec. Davion Jeffries (Broken Arrow, Okla.), 5-2
145: Michael Kemerer (Franklin Regional, Pa.) dec. Max Thomsen (Union, Iowa), 9-4
152: Thomas Bullard (Archer, Ga.) dec. Dayton Racer (Bettendorf, Iowa), 5-4, tiebreaker
160: Fox Baldwin (Osceola, Fla.) dec. Alex Marinelli (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), 8-6
170: Taylor Lujan (Carrollton, Ga.) dec. Brett Donner (Wall Township, N.J.), 11-5
182: Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) dec. Kollin Moore (Norwayne, Ohio), 9-4
195: Hunter Ritter (John Carroll, Md.) dec. Kevin Mulligan (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), 8-2
220: Patrick Grayson (Colonial Forge, Va.) dec. Yousef Hemida (Mamaroneck, N.Y.), 8-6
285: Andrew Dunn (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) dec. Ian Butterbrodt (St. John's Prep, Mass.), 8-5
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