Articles: Articleshttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/page/6/?d=1Articles: ArticlesenServices for Concordia wrestler, high school coach Steve Petersonhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/services-for-concordia-wrestler-high-school-coach-steve-peterson-r83376/
Peterson, who had been battling brain cancer for the past 18 months, passed away last Friday, Nov. 10. He was 35.

The funeral will be held this Saturday at 11 a.m., at the gym of his alma mater, Chisago Lakes High School, 29400 Olinda Trail, Lindstrom, Minn. just north of Minneapolis-St. Paul. There will be a wrestling mat at the services -- half Chisago Lakes, half Centennial -- to represent the schools where he wrestled and where he coached, respectively.

A reception will take place immediate following burial at Chisago Lake Township Hall, 12400 316th Street in Lindstrom.

Steve Peterson wrestled at Concordia
Steven "Stu" Peterson was born March 30, 1982 in St. Croix Falls, Wis. to Mike and Karen Peterson. He graduated from Chisago Lakes High School in 2000. Peterson headed west to Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. where he played football and wrestled at 157 pounds. He graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education.

Peterson had coached at Centennial High for nearly a dozen years, first as an assistant to John Begeland, then as head coach for the past two years. In both positions, his wrestlers affectionately called him "Coach Petey."

If that weren't enough, Peterson was employed as an operations manager at Peterson Companies, the family business.

Despite his cancer battle, Peterson had every expectation to return to coaching yet another season, his family told Brian Hegseth, Centennial's activities director.

"They asked us to be patient, because he was still hoping to be back on the job when the season started," Hegseth said.

"By mid-October, they said we should be making contingency plans."

Peterson is survived by his parents; grandfathers Curtis Peterson and Maurice Peterson; his siblings and their spouses Jenny and Steve Farr, Jon and Candyce Peterson, Curt and Kristen Peterson, and Kristi and Brad Pitlik; his girlfriend Mariah Stoeckman; nieces and nephews, and aunts.]]>83376Fri, 17 Nov 2017 19:43:41 +0000Key events on 2017-18 high school wrestling calendarhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/key-events-on-2017-18-high-school-wrestling-calendar-r83354/The Walsh Jesuit Ironman in December is one of the premier in-season events (Photo/Sam Janicki)
With the regular season of high school wrestling coming upon us in just over two weeks, in some states the regular season actually starts this week or next, here is a list of some of the key events and dates of the 2017-18 season. The list was compiled based on there being multiple nationally ranked teams present at the event.

Dec. 1:
  • Dual meet: No. 26 Broken Arrow (Okla.) at No. 11 Park Hill (Mo.)

    Dec. 1-2:
  • Independence (Iowa) Invitational: No. 23 Fort Dodge (Iowa), No. 24 Christian Brothers College (Mo.)

    Dec. 2:
  • Gardner-Edgerton (Kansas) Invitational: No. 26 Broken Arrow (Okla.), No. 27 Southeast Polk (Iowa)

  • Dual meet: No. 9 St. Edward (Ohio) vs. No. 33 Wadsworth (Ohio), part of a quad meet

    Dec. 8-9:
  • Council Bluffs (Iowa) Wrestling Classic: No. 21 Apple Valley (Minn.), No. 23 Fort Dodge (Iowa)

  • Walsh Jesuit Ironman, Cuyahoga Falls (Ohio): 21 nationally ranked teams are present in the field, including four of the top five and seven of the top ten. Anchoring the field are Blair Academy (N.J.), Wyoming Seminary (Pa.), Montini Catholic (Ill.), St. Paris Graham (Ohio), Malvern Prep (Pa.), Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), and St. Edward (Ohio)

    Dec. 9:
  • Clovis West (Calif.) Shootout: No. 15 Poway (Calif.), No. 20 Gilroy (Calif.)

    Dec. 15:
  • Dual meet: No. 4 Montini Catholic (Ill.) at No. 44 Marmion Academy (Ill.)

    Dec. 15-16:
  • Kansas City (Mo.) Stampede, Hale Arena: No. 11 Park Hill (Mo.), No. 23 Christian Brothers College (Mo.), No. 32 Tuttle (Okla.), No. 36 Staley (Mo.), No. 50 Goddard (Kansas)

  • Minnesota Christmas Tournament, Rochester (Minn.): No. 21 Apple Valley (Minn.), No. 34 Simley (Minn.), No. 40 Anoka (Minn.)

  • Reno (Nev.) Tournament of Champions: No. 3 Buchanan (Calif.), No. 15 Poway (Calif.), No. 16 Choctaw (Okla.), No. 18 Allen (Texas), No. 20 Gilroy (Calif.), No. 42 Pomona (Colo.), No. 48 Wasatch (Utah)

    Dec. 16:
  • Dual meet: No. 41 Erie Cathedral Prep (Pa.) at No. 9 St. Edward (Ohio), part of a tri-meet

    Dec. 16-17:
  • Beast of the East, Newark (Del.): 11 nationally ranked teams, including six of the top 14. Field anchors include No. 1 Blair Academy (N.J.), No. 6 Bergen Catholic (N.J.), No. 7 Malvern Prep (Pa.), No. 8 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), No. 13 Brecksville (Ohio), and No. 14 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.)

    Dec. 19:
  • Dual meet: No. 27 Southeast Polk (Iowa) at No. 46 West Des Moines Valley (Iowa)

    Dec. 20:
  • Dual meet: No. 14 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.) at No. 49 Northampton (Pa.)

    Dec. 22-23:
  • Zinkin Classic, Buchanan (Calif.): No. 3 Buchanan (Calif.), No. 12 Clovis (Calif.), No. 28 Selma (Calif.)

    Dec. 23:
  • IHSWCA Duals, Fort Wayne (Ind.): No. 22 Brownsburg (Ind.), No. 35 Portage (Ind.)

    Dec. 27-28:
  • Medina (Ohio) Invitational Tournament: No. 33 Wadsworth (Ohio), No. 43 Massillon Perry (Ohio)

    Dec. 28-29:
  • Bethlehem (Pa.) Holiday Classic, Liberty High School: No. 29 Nazareth (Pa.), No. 49 Northampton (Pa.)

  • Red Schmitt Invitational, Granite City (Ill.): No. 23 Christian Brothers College (Mo.), No. 36 Staley (Mo.)

    Dec. 29-30:
  • Brecksville (Ohio) Holiday Invitational Tournament: No. 13 Brecksville will be joined by No. 10 Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.), No. 30 Lowell (Mich.), No. 35 Portage (Ind.), and No. 38 Elyria (Ohio)

  • Powerade Wrestling Tournament, Canon-McMillan (Pa.): No. 2 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.), No. 8 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), No. 31 Kiski Area (Pa.), No. 39 St. Paul's (Md.), and No. 41 Erie Cathedral Prep (Pa.)

  • The Clash XVI National High School Wrestling Duals, Rochester (Minn.): No. 4 Montini Catholic (Ill.), No. 9 St. Edward (Ohio), No. 11 Park Hill (Mo.), No. 21 Apple Valley (Minn.), No. 34 Simley (Minn.), No. 40 Anoka (Minn.), No. 44 Marmion Academy (Ill.), No. 48 Wasatch (Utah), and No. 50 Goddard (Kansas)

    Jan. 4:
  • Dual meet: No. 26 Broken Arrow (Okla.) at No. 16 Choctaw (Okla.)

    Jan. 5-6:
  • Cheesehead Invitational, Kaukauna (Wis.): No. 4 Montini Catholic (Ill.), No. 21 Apple Valley (Minn.), No. 27 Southeast Polk (Iowa), and No. 34 Simley (Minn.)

  • Doc Buchanan Invitational, Clovis (Calif.): No. 3 Buchanan (Calif.), No. 6 Bergen Catholic (N.J.), No. 12 Clovis (Calif.), No. 20 Gilroy (Calif.), No. 28 Selma (Calif.), No. 42 Pomona (Colo.), No. 45 St. John Bosco (Calif.)

  • Geary (Okla.) Invitational: No. 1 Blair Academy (N.J.), No. 16 Choctaw (Okla.), No. 26 Broken Arrow (Okla.), No. 32 Tuttle (Okla.)

    Jan. 6:
  • Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) Invitational: No. 10 Shamrocks will be joined by No. 19 Davison (Mich.), No. 22 Brownsburg (Ind.)

    Jan. 10:
  • Dual meet: No. 11 Park Hill (Mo.) at No. 36 Staley (Mo.), part of a triangular meet

    Jan. 11:
  • Dual meet: No. 3 Buchanan (Calif.) at No. 25 Delbarton (N.J.)

    Jan. 12-13:
  • Battle for the Belt, Temecula Valley (Calif.): No. 15 Poway (Calif.), No. 20 Gilroy (Calif.), No. 45 St. John Bosco (Calif.)

  • Virginia National Duals, Hampton (Va.) Coliseum: No. 29 Nazareth (Pa.), No. 39 St. Paul's (Pa.), No. 41 Erie Cathedral Prep (Pa.)

    Jan. 13:
  • Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) Super Duals: No. 10 Shamrocks will be joined by No. 5 St. Paris Graham (Ohio), No. 9 St. Edward (Ohio), No. 19 Davison (Mich.), and No. 30 Lowell (Mich.) in an eight-team event

  • Who's Number One Duals, hosted by No. 6 Bergen Catholic (N.J.): Event will feature five of the nation's top eight teams with No. 1 Blair Academy (N.J.), No. 3 Buchanan (Calif.), No. 7 Malvern Prep (Pa.), and No. 8 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.) joining the host Crusaders

    Jan. 13-14:
  • Escape the Rock Tournament, Council Rock South (Pa.): No. 14 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.), No. 17 Cincinnati LaSalle (Ohio), No. 25 Delbarton (N.J.), and No. 49 Northampton (Pa.)

    Jan. 18:
  • Dual meet: No. 33 Wadsworth (Ohio) at No. 13 Brecksville (Ohio)

  • Dual meet: No. 49 Northampton (Pa.) at No. 29 Nazareth (Pa.)

    Jan. 19:
  • Dual meet: No. 2 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) at No. 1 Blair Academy (N.J.)

  • Dual meet: No. 19 Davison (Mich.) at No. 10 Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.)

    Jan. 19-20:
  • Chicago Catholic League Meet, Mt. Carmel (Ill.): No. 4 Montini Catholic (Ill.), No. 44 Marmion Academy (Ill.)

  • Jay Hancock Invitational, Yukon (Okla.): No. 16 Choctaw (Okla.), No. 18 Allen (Texas)

  • Winnetonka (Mo.) Invitational: No. 11 Park Hill (Mo.), No. 36 Staley (Mo.)

    Jan. 20:
  • Dual meet: No. 14 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.) at No. 2 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.)

  • Dual meet: No. 5 St. Paris Graham (Ohio) at No. 9 St. Edward (Ohio)

  • Ed Winger Invitational, Urbandale (Iowa): No. 27 Southeast Polk (Iowa), No. 46 West Des Moines Valley (Iowa)

  • Gary Rivers Duals, Lowell (Mich.): No. 30 Red Arrows will host No. 19 Davison (Mich.) among other teams

    Jan. 25:
  • Dual meet: No. 3 Buchanan (Calif.) at No. 12 Clovis (Calif.)

    Jan. 26:
  • CIML Invitational, Southeast Polk (Iowa): No. 27 Rams host field that also includes No. 23 Fort Dodge (Iowa) and No. 46 West Des Moines Valley (Iowa)

  • Dual meet at Easton (Pa.): No. 1 Blair Academy (N.J.) vs. No. 9 St. Edward (Ohio)

    Jan. 26-27:
  • Mid-Cals Invitational, Gilroy (Calif.): No. 20 ranked team in country host field that includes No. 15 Poway (Calif.), No. 28 Selma (Calif.), and No. 32 Tuttle (Okla.)

  • Rocky Welton Invitational, Garden City (Kansas): No. 42 Pomona (Colo.), No. 50 Goddard (Kansas)

    Jan. 27:
  • Dual meet: No. 33 Wadsworth (Ohio) at No. 5 St. Paris Graham (Ohio), part of a triangular meet

  • East Penn Conference crossover duals, most likely will include match between No. 14 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.) and No. 29 Nazareth (Pa.)

  • Lowell (Mich.) Duals: No. 30 Red Arrows will host teams including No. 10 Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) and No. 17 Cincinnati LaSalle (Ohio)

  • Triangular meet: No. 2 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) hosts No. 6 Bergen Catholic (N.J.) and No. 9 St. Edward (Ohio)

    Jan. 30:
  • Dual meet: No. 18 Allen (Texas) at No. 26 Broken Arrow (Okla.)

    Feb. 2:
  • Dual meet: No. 21 Apple Valley (Minn.) at No. 34 Simley (Minn.)

    Feb. 2-3:
  • Mission San Jose (Calif.) Tournament: No. 3 Buchanan (Calif.), No. 12 Clovis (Calif.)

    Feb. 3:
  • Dual meet: No. 25 Delbarton (N.J.) vs. No. 2 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.)

  • Dual meet: No. 9 St. Edward (Ohio) at No. 17 Cincinnati LaSalle (Ohio) as part of a triangular meet

  • Suburban League Tournament, Barberton (Ohio): No. 13 Brecksville (Ohio), No. 33 Wadsworth (Ohio)]]>83354Wed, 15 Nov 2017 08:00:37 +0000Ex-Minnesota high school coach Schmoker passeshttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/ex-minnesota-high-school-coach-schmoker-passes-r83336/
    Ken Schmoker
    Schmoker was head wrestling coach at Bemidji High School from 1958-1976, leading the team to 10 district championships, nine Region 8 titles, and two Northwest Conference crowns. He coached three Minnesota state wrestling champs: brothers Jerry and Rick Lee, and Nestle Grimes. Schmoker compiled a 129-83-10 record in 19 seasons.

    For his coaching accomplishments, Schmoker was inducted into the Bemidji High School Lumberjack Hall of Fame in 1996, the Minnesota State Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in 2002, the BHS Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003 and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2009.

    Despite spending nearly 60 years of his life in the north woods of Minnesota, Kenneth John Schmoker was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa in Aug. 1926. Raised on a farm, Schmoker was allowed to drive the family Ford Model A to deliver milk pails, attend school and sports practice, then return to the farm with the empty milk pails.

    While at Fort Dodge High School, Schmoker participated in football, track and wrestling. He was a runner-up at 145 pounds at the Iowa high school state wrestling championships. Schmoker's coach described his wrestler as being "the sparkplug of the team."

    After graduating from Fort Dodge in 1944, Schmoker served in the U.S. Air Force until 1946. He then enrolled at what is now Iowa Central Community College, later transferring to Colorado State (now University of Northern Colorado) in Greeley, where he was a three-time Rocky Mountain Conference champion and two-time NCAA competitor at 145 pounds (1949 and 1950).

    Upon graduation from the Greeley school, Schmoker launched his teaching and coaching career in Colorado, first at Trinidad High School, then at Pueblo Centennial High School, leading that wrestling program to the Colorado State Championship in 1954. Ken was the President of the Colorado Coaches & Officials Association and Member of the National High School Wrestling Rules Committee.

    While in Colorado, Schmoker met his eventual life partner Maedel, the woman who he would marry in 1953, and remain a couple until his passing. The two discovered Bemidji, Minn., deciding to relocate there. In 1958, Schmoker accepted a job as industrial arts instructor and head wrestling coach… positions that he held until 1976.

    "Ken was a long-time advocate for wrestling and the people who participate in the sport," according to his obituary. "As a coach, he was known as a taskmaster who molded young people to stand on their own two feet and strive to become the best possible individuals they could. Many of his wrestlers gave him full credit for pointing them in the right direction in their lives. He organized and directed many wrestling tournaments, including District and Regional Tournaments."

    Darrell Bahr, who wrestled for Schmoker in 1958 and 1959 -- his last two years at Bemidji High, and Schmoker's first two -- confirmed those sentiments to the Bemidji Pioneer, saying, "He liked to help people. He'd go out of his way to help people. He wanted to make sure the kids had a good time, graduated and did the best they could."

    "He was one hard-working, hard-nosed guy, but he had a heart like a teddy bear," said Howie Schultz who became an assistant to Schmoker at Bemidji High. "He was very driven, and he took some kids that probably never would have finished high school. (They) not only finished high school, but became very, very respected citizens once they left Bemidji High School."

    "I learned so much about being who I am and what I could do. And I was like anybody else," Schultz said. "That's what he did. He brought the best out of people."

    Schmoker is survived by his wife Maedel, son David, daughter Mary Ann (Rod Anttila) and grandson Kenneth.

    No services will be held, per Ken Schmoker's request. Memorials may be made to a charity of the donor's choice.]]>    83336Sun, 12 Nov 2017 04:09:30 +0000    A look at nation's No. 1-ranked high school wrestlershttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/a-look-at-nations-no-1-ranked-high-school-wrestlers-r83312/Mason Parris is the nation's top-ranked 220-pounder (Photo/Paul Tincher, IndianaMat)
    With the major preseason tournaments all but done, and official scholastic season practices either having started already or about to start, it is now time for the presentation of the preseason national high school weight class rankings. The top 20 wrestlers in each weight class are recognized, with the most elite wrestler named as the No. 1 wrestler in the country.

    To start the 2017-18 season, here are the top ranked wrestlers in each weight class.

    106 pounds: Jacob Decatur (CVCA, Ohio)

    The junior finished last season ranked No. 6 nationally at 106 pounds after winning his first state title. Decatur went 38-2, while giving up less than five takedowns (if that many) during those 40 matches. Both losses came against Cadet World team member Julian Tagg in December, 3-2 in the ultimate tiebreaker in the Walsh Ironman quarters and 3-2 in the semifinals at Brecksville; Decatur had the lone takedown scored within those two matches.

    113 pounds: Kurt McHenry (St. Paul's, Md.)

    The junior is a two-time Cadet World champion, having won titles at 42 and 46 kilograms the last two summers. He was third at National Preps in his freshman campaign as a rather undersized 106 pound wrestler, while last season he did not compete at the National Prep tournament. The highlight match of 2016-17 for him was a decisive 4-2 decision victory over fellow Cadet World team member Julian Tagg in the Beast of the East final.

    120 pounds: Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.)

    The junior is now a three-time Super 32 Challenge champion and a three-time state champion (includes a state title at 99 pounds in eighth grade). Busiello finished his freshman season as the nation's No. 1 ranked wrestler at 106 pounds, while ending this past season No. 12 in this weight class.

    126 pounds: Patrick Glory (Delbarton, N.J.)

    The senior verbal commit to Princeton ended last season ranked No. 1 in the nation at 120 pounds after winning his first state title, was runner-up the previous two seasons. This summer Glory finished third in Junior freestyle at 120 pounds, while last month he earned a win over Gavin Teasdale in the Who's Number One showcase event.

    132 pounds: Joey Silva (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.)

    When it comes to folkstyle productivity, this Michigan commit is unmatched for this year's pool of wrestlers. Four state titles (including one at 106 pounds as an eighth grader), three NHSCA grade level titles, and three Super 32 Challenge titles.

    138 pounds: Jacori Teemer (Long Beach, N.Y.)

    Three-time state champion Teemer made a profound leap this spring when he dominated fellow national No. 1 Sammy Sasso to win the Cadet World team spot at 63 kilograms. The Arizona State commit would go on to win a bronze medal at the World Championships in Greece. Other 2016-17 resume highlights included a third-place finish at the Super 32 Challenge (Silva won the weight class), a NHSCA Junior Nationals title, and a FloNationals title.

    145 pounds: Sammy Sasso (Nazareth, Pa.)

    This Ohio State commit had a perfectly clean junior season in 2016-17. Highlights included a Super 32 Challenge title, an undefeated state championship that included tournament championships at the Ironman and Beast of the East, along with a FloNationals title (a repeat in that event).

    152 pounds: Brayton Lee (Brownsburg, Ind.)

    This two-time state champion enters his senior season with a career record of 130-1, including 89 straight wins. His lone high school loss came by fall in the semi-state quarterfinals as a freshman, which due to the asinine state series structure in Indiana precluded him from state tournament qualification. Subsequently, Lee's offseason resume includes a pair of third place finishes in Fargo freestyle (2015 Cadet, 2017 Junior) and a pair of Super 32 Challenge placements (5th in 2015, 3rd in 2016).

    160 pounds: David Carr (Massillon Perry, Ohio)

    The Iowa State commit has already won four state titles, which includes one in eighth grade over Trae Blackwell while competing in Kentucky; the last two have also come in high profile state finals bouts against defending state champions, beating Dominick Demas as a sophomore and Jaden Mattox this past season. Carr is also a 2015 Super 32 Challenge champion, a 2015 Walsh Ironman champion, a 2016 Cadet World bronze medalist, and a Junior National freestyle champion this summer.

    170 pounds: Patrick Kennedy (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.)

    The lone wrestler that is not a junior or senior among those ranked No. 1 nationally is this sophomore from Minnesota, who won a state title this past season and was third at both the UWW Cadet Nationals and Cadet Nationals in freestyle this past offseason. Catalyzing his leap to the top of this weight class is a Sunday at the Super 32 Challenge where he beat wrestlers ranked 6th, 2nd, and 7th in succession on the way to a championship.

    182 pounds: Travis Wittlake (Marshfield, Ore.)

    A 2016 Cadet World bronze medalist at 76 kilograms, this Oklahoma State commit was a repeat UWW Cadet National freestyle champion in June. However, injury would preclude him from competing in Greece, and subsequently domestic runner-up Aaron Brooks would go on to win the gold medal. Wittlake is also a three-time state champion and five-time Cadet National champion (two folkstyle titles, two Greco titles, and 2016 freestyle title).

    195 pounds: Gavin Hoffman (Montoursville, Pa.)

    The two-time state champion is also a two-time Super 32 placer (2016 runner-up), two-time FloNationals placer (2017 champion), three-time NHSCA grade level chamion, and a two-time Cadet freestyle All-American (2016 runner-up). Hoffman was a Cadet world bronze medalist this summer at 85 kilograms, and the Ohio State commit upended Michael Beard at the Who's Number one showcase to propel into this top position.

    220 pounds: Mason Parris (Lawrenceburg, Ind.)

    The two-time state champion, with both titles coming in this weight class, has a career record of 159-1 (including 106 consecutive wins). The Michigan commit was a FloNationals champion this past spring, and passed up on many "power five" division I football offers as a linebacker to wrestle collegiately; he was a three-star recruit and a top ten overall player in Indiana's football Class of 2018.

    285 pounds: Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn.)

    The nation's top overall wrestler without any argument is a three-time state champion, and was a state runner-up in eighth grade. He has won world-level titles in freestyle each of the past three summers. In 2015 and 2016, he won Cadet titles at 100 kilograms, while this year it was a Junior title at 125 kilograms. It should be noted Steveson was in his first year of Junior eligibility, and was still eligible to compete at Cadet Worlds in terms of age.

    Wrestlers ranked by state (high school attending), 37 states in all:

    34: Pennsylvania
    32: New Jersey
    26: Ohio
    24: California
    19: Illinois
    15: Iowa, Missouri
    12: New York
    11: Minnesota
    9: Colorado, Wisconsin
    8: Michigan
    7: Florida, Indiana, Oklahoma
    5: Maryland
    4: Georgia
    3: Utah, Texas, Washington
    2: Arizona, Idaho, Kentucky, Nebraska, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virgnia
    1: Alabama, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Virginia]]>    83312Wed, 08 Nov 2017 09:11:56 +0000    Blair Academy begins season No. 1 in Fab 50https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/blair-academy-begins-season-no-1-in-fab-50-r83308/Blair Academy coaches at the Walsh Ironman (Photo/Sam Janicki)
    We're into the second week of November. The preseason national high school tournaments are done. The official start to the high school wrestling season -- at least practice -- in some states has already happened, while in other states it's right on the brink. With that being the case, it's time for the initial national rankings of the 2017-18 season, both in terms of teams and weight classes.

    There is no change at the top of the team rankings for the start of the 2017-18 season. Champions last year wire-to-wire, Blair Academy (N.J.), will also start this season as the No. 1 team. The Buccaneers seek to win a sixth national title in seven seasons. They are anchored by a national high for any team eight wrestlers in the weight class rankngs, led by No. 3 Julian Ramirez (170). Also ranked are Trevor Mastrogiovanni (113) and Andrew Merola (160) at No. 4, Chris Cannon (126) is No. 5 in his weight class, Ryan Miller (106) and Malcolm Robinson (145) start the season at No. 7, Michael Colaiocco (120) is ranked No. 8, and Leonardo Tarantino (182) rounds it out at No. 14.

    Ranked second to start the season is Wyoming Seminary (Pa.), which was able to muster a dual meet victory over Blair Academy during the course of last season. However, they finished No. 8 in the Fab50 most notably due to a sub-standard performance at the Walsh Ironman. This year's edition of the Blue Knights features six nationally ranked wrestlers, which is joint second in terms of most ranked wrestlers on a team. Super 32 runner-up Beau Bartlett (126) leads the way at No. 3 in the rankings, while No. 6 Jack Davis (138) and No. 10 Carson Manville (132) find themselves in the top ten; also ranked are No. 15 Drew Munch/Zeke Escalera (113), No. 17 Jake Hendricks (170), and No. 18 Austin Cooley (195).

    Third to start the season is Buchanan (Calif.), which ended last season ranked No. 2 in the country after a season that concluded with a record-setting performance at the California state tournament. The vast majority of that squad returns, and five Bears will start the season inside the national rankings, though No. 10 Ethan Leake (126) is the highest ranked wrestler of that group. Others within the rankings are No. 11 Anthony Montalvo (182), Matthew Olguin (138) and Brett Villarreal (145) at No. 14, and No. 15 Joel Romero (160).

    The newbie to the top ten is Montini Catholic (Ill.), sitting at No. 4 to start the season with four nationally ranked wrestlers. While the Broncos have finished all seven seasons of the Fab50's existence as a ranked team, their high-water mark was No. 12 in 2013, the start of a three-year stretch of top 20 finishes. The 2016-17 team finished as the No. 24 team nationally. Anchoring this team is three top five wrestlers at their weight class: No. 2 Will Lewan (152), No. 4 Real Woods (132), and No. 5 Joey Melendez (120); while No. 16 Fidel Mayora (138) is also ranked.

    National champions in 2014-15, St. Paris Graham (Ohio) starts the season ranked No. 5 nationally with five nationally ranked wrestlers of their own. The Falcons have won seventeen straight state titles in Ohio's medium-school division. Four wrestlers ranked inside the top ten anchor the squad: No. 2 Mitch Moore (145), No. 5 Rocky Jordan (170), No. 6 Ryan Thomas (160), and No. 9 Jordan Crace (126); while also ranked is No. 19 J.D. Stickley (138).

    Sixth nationally is Bergen Catholic (N.J.), who feature six wrestlers in the individual rankings, joint second most with Wyoming Seminary. The Crusaders have been ranked as New Jersey's top team in six consecutive seasons, and are strongly favored to make it seven in a row. Anchoring the squad are three previous Super 32 finalists: No. 3 Shane Griffith (160), No. 4 Robert Howard (113), and No. 7 Chris Foca (170); while also ranked are No. 9 Nick Kayal (106), No. 10 Josh McKenzie (220), and No. 17 Gerard Angelo (152).

    Rounding out the top ten are three teams that were all ranked in the top six nationally last year -- Malvern Prep (Pa.), Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), and St. Edward (Ohio) -- and then Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.).

    Anchoring the rankings are seven teams each from Pennsylvania and Ohio. The top two Keystone State teams are National Prep participants Wyoming Seminary and Malvern Prep, while the next two are District XI powers Bethlehem Catholic and Nazareth; round that group out are Kiski Area out of the WPIAL, Erie Cathedral Prep from the northwest (District 10), and Northampton also out of District XI.

    Ohio teams are led by perennial anchors St. Paris Graham and St. Edward. Fellow ranked teams Brecksville and Elyria will exit the same big-school district tournament as the Eagles, who have won 19 of 21 state titles; Cincinnati LaSalle is a big-school team out of southwest Ohio; while Wadsworth and Massillon Perry are also big-school teams, but exit the all-Northeast district tournament.

    It's an extremely strong year for power teams in the state of California, as six teams appear in the preseason rankings. Clovis and Selma join Buchanan as squads that exit the Central Section masters tournament, with Buchanan and Clovis perennial arch-rivals; Poway is out of San Diego, Gilroy is out of the San Joaquin section, while St. John Bosco is out of the southern section (Los Angeles metro area).

    Four teams from New Jersey are ranked. Blair Academy obviously competes in the National Prep tournament; Bergen Catholic and Delbarton both compete for the Non-Public Class A title in the NJSIAA, with Howell in one of the public classification, though all three compete together in a single-class individual state tournament.

    Five states have three nationally ranked teams: Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Oklahoma; in the case of Iowa and Missouri, all three ranked teams compete in the big-school classification. A pair of ranked teams are from Illinois and Indiana, while seven other states have a ranked team.]]>    83308Wed, 08 Nov 2017 08:44:38 +0000    Takeaways from Super 32 Challengehttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/takeaways-from-super-32-challenge-r83272/
    With only three top 15 seniors in the field, none ranked higher than No. 9 Joey Silva (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), and just two others within the top 25 -- there was clear opportunity for some of the younger talents across the country to shine. Shine is what they did, with seven of the 14 weight classes being won by non-seniors; while eight other underclassmen finished as runners-up. That is compared to the approximately nine weight class titles won by seniors during each of the previous three editions of the tournament.

    History was made when Ryan Crookham (Pennsylvania) won the 113-pound weight class, as he became the first wrestler still in Junior High to win a high school division Super 32 title. In the recent past, Spencer Lee was runner-up at 106 pounds as an eighth grader in 2012, while Luke Pletcher was a semifinalist as an eighth grader at 106 the previous year.

    After winning the middle school division the previous three years, Crookham beat five very accomplished opponents on the way to his championship. It started with a 1-0 decision over UWW Cadet freestyle runner-up Isaac Salas (St. John Bosco, Calif.) in the round of 32; in the round of 16 it was a 5-1 win over Junior National double All-American Cody Phippen (Platte County, Mo.); his first match Sunday morning was a 5-2 quarterfinal victory over NHSCA Junior Nationals champion Dylan Ryder (Half Hollow Hills West, N.Y.); the semifinal match was a 1-0 victory over returning Super 32 runner-up Greg Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.); while it was a 2-0 victory over Eric Barnett (Hortonville, Wis.) in the final. The last four of those opponents were state champions in high school last season.

    Another three-time middle school division champion made history in the high school division, as Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.) won his third title in the high school division, this one coming at 120 pounds. Busiello is now 34-0 across six years of competing at the Super 32. Should he emerge as champion again next year, Busiello would be the first wrestler to win four high school division Super 32 titles; nine wrestlers have now won three championships, most notable among them is two-time Cadet World champion Yianni Diakomihalis.

    Patrick Kennedy (Photo/Mary Christen, The Guillotine)

    The underclass champion to boost his "stock" the most was Patrick Kennedy (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.). Though he is already ranked No. 5 overall in the sophomore class, he had the best Sunday of any wrestler in the field to win the 170-pound weight class. The quarterfinal match was an 8-5 victory over No. 61 senior Emil Soehnlen (Massillon Perry, Ohio), then it was a 3-1 tiebreaker decision over No. 25 senior Trent Hidlay (Mifflin County, Pa.), before a 10-6 finals victory over No. 19 junior Chris Foca (Bergen Catholic, N.J.). It was a performance that earned him co-Outstanding Wrestler honors with Joey Silva (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), who joined Busiello in winning a third Super 32 high school division title.

    Sophomores shined this past weekend, with Cullan Schriever (Mason City, Iowa) and Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) joining Kennedy in winning weight class titles; while Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), Jesse Vasquez (Santiago Corona, Calif.), and Dustin Plott (Tuttle, Okla.) finished as runners-up.

    Out of those performances the run to the championship match by No. 6 overall sophomore Vasquez was most impressive. Up three weights from a state championship in the past high school season, he advanced to the quarterfinals with two pins (including one over a state champion) and then a 10-0 major decision and 6-3 decision, each over Pennsylvania big-school state qualifiers. His quarterfinal victory came over No. 4 junior Julian Chlebove (Northampton, Pa.) by 5-1 decision, while the semifinal was a 3-1 overtime decision over No. 7 sophomore Josh Saunders (Christian Brothers College, Mo.). The finals defeat was 3-2 against Silva, though Vasquez was in deep on a leg attack right as the match ended.

    No. 4 overall sophomore Bartlett beat three eventual tournament placers on the way to the championship bout at 126 pounds. In the round of 16 it was an 8-3 victory over 2016 state champion Asa Garcia (Avon, Ind.), the quarterfinal bout was a 7-4 win over Junior freestyle All-American Aaron Schulist (Mukwanago, Wis.), while the semifinal was a 4-1 defeat of No. 8 sophomore Sam Hillegas (North Hills, Pa.).

    No. 18 overall sophomore Plott had three notable wins of his own on the way to the 160-pound final. In the round of 16, it was 9-2 victory over state champion Kenny O'Neil (Prior Lake, Minn.); the quarterfinal was an 8-4 win over No. 33 sophomore Mason Reiniche (Baylor School, Tenn.); while it was a 12-8 semifinal defeat of state champion Danny Braunagel (Althoff Catholic, Ill.). The championship match was against No. 63 senior Ryan Thomas (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), one in which Plott led 4-2 after a period scoring two takedowns, but he then lost 7-7 in a tiebreaker rideout.

    Joining Busiello as juniors to win titles were Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) and Brevin Balmeceda (South Dade, Fla.). Other underclass runners-up were freshman Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.), along with juniors Eric Barnett (Hortonville, Wis.), Travis Ford-Melton (Marian Catholic, Ill.), Jaden Abas (Rancho Bernardo, Calif.), and Chris Foca (Bergen Catholic, N.J.).

    The other narrative in the lede was one of unheralded seniors having the chance to emerge given the nature of this field, which though loaded was missing the extreme high end of seniors. From outside the top 100 of the Class of 2018, Mason Phillips (Stanwood, Wash.) won the 145-pound weight class; while Quincy Monday (Carrboro, N.C.), Peter Acciardi (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.), and Max Darrah (Whitfield, Mo.) finished as runners-up.

    Out of that group, the run of Flo Nationals placer and three-time state champion Monday impressed most. He beat a pair of state fourth place finishers by a 5-2 score to reach the quarterfinals on Sunday morning, Sam Webster (Shakopee, Minn.) in the round of 32 and Lawrence Saenz (Vacaville, Calif.) in the round of 16. Then to reach the finals on Sunday, Monday beat a pair of top 100 seniors, 5-3 over No. 51 Brock Mauller (Father Tolton Catholic, Mo.) in the quarterfinal and then 2-1 over No. 69 Jake Silverstein (Hauppauge, N.Y.) in the semifinal.

    One last observation about the tournament is the nature of the field's depth. Just to merely place in this tournament is a true accomplishment. This is just a flavor for some of the notable matches that occurred in the consolation bracket prior to placement being confirmed.

    113: battle of top 40 overall sophomores, Anthony Clark (Delbarton, N.J.) vs. Dylan Cedeno (Fair Lawn, N.J.); NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion Sam Latona (Thompson, Ala.) vs. NHSCA Junior Nationals champion Dylan Ryder (Half Hollow Hills West, N.Y.); Latona vs. UWW Cadet freestyle runner-up Isaac Salas (St. John Bosco, Calif.); Cedeno vs. National Prep champion Drew Munch (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.); Latona vs. No. 12 overall freshman Vincent Zerban (Christian Brothers College, Mo.); Salas vs. Sammy Alvarez (St. Joseph Montvale, N.J.).

    126: Cadet double All-American (Greco champ) Phillip Moomey (Kearney, Neb.) vs. Junior freestyle All-American Aaron Schulist (Mukwanago, Wis.).

    132: Flo Nationals placer Jackson Henson (Penn Foster, W.Va.) vs. No. 3 overall sophomore Nick Raimo (Hanover Park, N.J.); Raimo vs. three-time state champion Sam Stuhl (Ellsworth, Wis.)/

    138: Jeremy Schoenherr (Stratford, Wis.) vs. Michael Blockhus (New Hampton, Iowa), rematch of a semifinal from the Junior National freestyle tournament this summer.

    152: Battle of top 50 overall seniors, both were returning Super 32 placers, Josiah Rider (Grand Junction, Colo.) vs. Justin Ruffin (Union Grove, Ga.).

    160: No. 33 overall junior Mason Reiniche (Baylor School, Tenn.) vs. No. 77 overall senior Erich Byelick (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.); No. 49 overall junior Robert Kanniard (Wall Township, N.J.) vs. No. 39 overall senior Phil Conigliaro (Belmont Hill, Mass.).]]>    83272Wed, 01 Nov 2017 14:18:21 +0000    Montana high school wrestling coach killed in crashhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/montana-high-school-wrestling-coach-killed-in-crash-r83261/
    Marjerrison, who also served as information technology director for the Plains School District for about 15 years, was killed when his car crossed the centerline on U.S. 93 near Arlee -- a small community north of Missoula -- at approximately 4:30 p.m, Wednesday and struck an oncoming pickup truck. Montana State Police are still investigating.

    "Our thoughts and prayers are with Kenny's immediate family and friends, as well as his extended family of the Montana wrestling community," said Plains Schools superintendent Tom Chisholm.

    "We [Plains School] have allowed faculty members some time this morning to grieve, then we will slowly move into the school day and week. We have also organized outside staff and counselors to assist students and staff should they need grief assistance as it may necessitate," he added.

    Chisholm described Marjerrison as a coach and staff member whose life touched many throughout Montana.

    "If you looked at the concentric rings, he was the center of many rings that overlapped," the superintendent told KRTV.com. "I've witnessed phone calls where he touched wrestling communities, he touched private industry, he touched education, all simultaneously sometimes. And being a family man, and coming from a strong nuclear family and a generational family, in the community, that's not withstanding. It's a tragedy."

    Marjerrison leaves behind a wife and two young children.

    A funeral service will be held Saturday, Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. at Plains High School, 412 Rittenour St. in Plains, according to a post on the Facebook page of John Scott Stiegler, superintendent at Lone Rock School.]]>    83261Mon, 30 Oct 2017 17:03:20 +0000    Medal match results from Super 32 Challengehttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/medal-match-results-from-super-32-challenge-r83259/
    106:
    1st: Cullan Schriever (Mason City, Iowa) dec. Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.), 4-2
    3rd: Jeremiah Reno (Liberty, Mo.) maj. dec. Jakason Burks (Omaha Burke, Neb.), 15-4
    5th: Nic Bouzakis (Lake Highland Prep, Fla. - 8th grade) dec. Nicholas Babin (Emerson, N.J.), 7-1
    7th: Anthony Noto (HFL, N.Y.) dec. C.J. Composto (Westfield, N.J.), 3-1

    113:
    1st: Ryan Crookham (Pa. - 8th grade) dec. Eric Barnett (Hortonville, Wis.), 2-0
    3rd: Noah Surtin (Edwardsville, Ill.) dec. Antonio Lorenzo (St. John Bosco, Calif.), 1-0
    5th: Anthony Clark (Delbarton, N.J.) dec. Greg Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.), 4-2 SV
    7th: Sam Latona (Thompson, Ala.) maj. dec. Brandon Kaylor (Bonney Lake, Wash.), 8-0

    120:
    1st: Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.) dec. Travis Ford-Melton (Marian Catholic, Ill.), 4-2 SV
    3rd: Patrick McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) dec. Brody Teske (Fort Dodge, Iowa), 5-1
    5th: Malyke Hines (Osceola, Fla.) dec. Kyle Gollhofer (Woodland, Ga.), 5-1
    7th: Brendon Fenton (Elyria, Ohio) dec. Julian Sanchez (Genoa, Ohio), 1-0

    126:
    1st: Jakob Camacho (Danbury, Ct.) dec. Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), 6-4
    3rd: Connor McGonagle (Timbelane, N.H.) dec. Sam Hillegas (North Hills, Pa.), 2-1
    5th: Dylan D'Emilio (Genoa, Ohio) dec. Tyler Hunt (Sonoraville, Ga.), 1-0
    7th: Asa Garcia (Avon, Ind.) dec. Aaron Schulist (Mukwanago, Wis.), 6-4

    132:
    1st: Joey Silva (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) dec. Jesse Vasquez (Santiago Corona, Calif.), 3-2
    3rd: Quinn Kinner (Kingsway, N.J.) dec. Andrew Alirez (Greeley Central, Colo.), 3-2
    5th: Julian Chlebove (Northampton, Pa.) dec. Josh Saunders (Christian Brothers College, Mo.), 3-0
    7th: Jackson Henson (Penn Foster, W.Va.) dec. Jordan Crace (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), 6-4

    138:
    1st: Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) dec. Jaden Abas (Rancho Bernardo, Calif.), 3-2 UTB
    3rd: Mitch Moore (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) pinned Marshall Keller (Christiansburg, Va.), 0:17
    5th: James Whitaker (St. Johns, Mich.) over Jojo Aragona (Pope John, N.J.) by forfeit
    7th: Ryan Vulakh (Pope John II, Pa.) dec. Jeremy Schoenherr (Stratford, Wis.), 7-2

    145:
    1st: Mason Phillips (Stanwood, Wash.) maj. dec. Quincy Monday (Carrboro, N.C.), 13-4
    3rd: Alex Lloyd (Shakopee, Minn.) dec. Alex Facundo (Davison, Mich.), 6-4
    5th: Kasper McIntosh (Portage, Ind.) pinned Jake Silverstein (Hauppauge, N.Y.), 6:16 SV
    7th: Brock Mauller (Father Tolton Catholic, Mo.) dec. Tyler Eischens (Anoka, Minn.), 4-3

    152:
    1st: Brevin Balmeceda (South Dade, Fla.) dec. Joshua Kim (Santiago Corona, Calif.), 4-0
    3rd: Justin Ruffin (Union Grove, Ga.) dec. Farouq Muhammed (Elyria, Ohio), 11-9
    5th: Cameron Amine (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) over Josh Humphreys (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) by forfiet
    7th: Gabriel Dinette (Lakewood, Colo.) pinned Joshua Otto (Arrowhead, Wis.), 1:27

    160:
    1st: Ryan Thomas (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) dec. Dustin Plott (Tuttle, Okla.), 7-7 UTB
    3rd: Carson Kharchla (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio) dec. Erich Byelick (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), 8-2
    5th: Layne Malczewski (Dakota, Mich.) pinned Danny Braunagel (Althoff Catholic, Ill.), 0:47
    7th: Phil Conigliaro (Belmont Hill, Mass.) dec. Michael Vernagallo (Cape Fear, N.C.) 7-3

    170:
    1st: Patrick Kennedy (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) dec. Chris Foca (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), 10-6
    3rd: Emil Soehnlen (Massillon Perry, Ohio) dec. Trent Hidlay (Miffin County, Pa.), 2-1 UTB
    5th: Grant Cuomo (Brewster, N.Y.) over Michael O'Malley (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.) by forfeit
    7th: Joseph Mazzara (Bishop Gorman, Nev.) dec. Jackson Turley (St. Christopher's, Va.), 7-2

    182:
    1st: Cody Mulligan (Saegertown, Pa.) dec. Josh Stillings (Pennridge, Pa.), 4-3
    3rd: Jared Krattiger (Waterford, Wis.) dec. Anthony Montalvo (Buchanan, Calif.), 3-2
    5th: Jake Logan (New Rochelle, N.Y.) dec. Dalton Group (Susquenita, Pa.), 8-6
    7th: Ashton Eyler (Claymont, Ohio) dec. Darrien Roberts (Wyomng Seminary, Pa.), 11-7

    195:
    1st: Jared Ball (Hilliard Darby, Ohio) dec. Lucas Davison (Chesterton, Ind.), 5-1
    3rd: Tyrie Houghton (Weddington, N.C.) dec. Thomas Penola (Zionsville, Ind.), 8-6 SV
    5th: Konner Doucet (Comanche, Okla.) dec. Yaroslav Slavikouski (Northfield Mt. Hermon, Mass.), 12-8
    7th: Blake Barrick (Big Spring, Pa.) over Tony Wuest (Smyrna, Del.) by forfeit

    1220:
    1st: Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) dec. Peter Acciardi (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.), 3-1
    3rd: Colin Lawler (Kinkaid School, Texas) dec. Isaiah Perez (Pitman, Calif.), 7-0
    5th: Ben Goldin (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) over Lewis Fernandes (Voorhees, N.J.) by forfeit
    7th: Daniel Conley (Chaminade, Mo.) dec. Cole Forrester (Shippensburg, Pa.), 5-0

    285:
    1st: Anthony Cassioppi (Hononegah, Ill.) maj. dec. Max Darrah (Whitfield, Mo.), 8-0
    3rd: Eli Pokorney (Chesterton, Ind.) dec. Paul Robinson (Bremen, Ga.), 2-1 UTB
    5th: Michael Kramer (Wilson Central, Tenn.) pinned Jordan Pryor (Dunbar, Md.), 1:28
    7th: Michael Wolfgram (Central York, Pa.) dec. Bishop McCoy (South Side, Pa.), 8-2]]>    83259Mon, 30 Oct 2017 05:59:05 +0000    Busiello, Silva capture third Super 32 Challenge titles; Kennedy named OWhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/busiello-silva-capture-third-super-32-challenge-titles-kennedy-named-ow-r83256/
    The shining stars of this year's tournament were Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.) and Joey Silva (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), champions at 120 and 132 pounds. They became the eighth and ninth wrestlers to win three titles in the tournament that started in 2000; four having done so under the two-day format, while a fifth won a trio of titles in the single-day Greensboro era.

    Ranked as the No. 13 overall junior, Busiello's first three matches came were dominant. He won by pin, major decision, and technical fall. He advanced to Sunday's quarterfinal round with an 8-5 round of 16 win over returning state champion Kai Orine (Seckman, Mo.); that quarterfinal match was a 7-3 decision over 2015 Super 32 placer Christian Nunez (St. John Bosco, Calif.). Busiello advanced to the final with a 9-5 win over state champion Malyke Hines (Osceola, Fla.).

    The championship match against Travis Ford-Melton (Marian Catholic, Ill.), who is ranked No. 26 overall in the junior class, was his tightest match yet at the Super 32. Ford-Melton scored regulation's only takedown in the second period, but Busiello earned two escapes in that period and rode his opponent out in the third period to force overtime. In that period, Busiello scored a beautiful takedown via a duck-under. Those three high school division titles are augmented by three prior in the middle school division, for a total record of 34-0 across six years in Greensboro.

    Also winning a third title was Silva, the No. 9 overall senior. He won five matches on Saturday to reach the quarterfinals, the first four in dominant fashion -- two pins, a technical fall, and a major decision, while the round of 16 was a 4-2 decision over Frankie Tal-Shahar (American Heriage, Fla.), the No. 24 ranked sophomore. Silva advanced to the semifinals with a 9-4 win over FloNationals placer Jackson Henson (Penn Foster, W.Va.) before beating No. 55 overall senior Quinn Kinner (Kingsway, N.J.) 4-2.

    His finals match was also tightly contested, a 3-2 victory over Jesse Vasquez (Santiago Corona, Calif.), the No. 6-ranked sophomore. Silva needed a takedown with 30 seconds left in regulation to break a 1-1 tie, while having to fend off a very deep Vasquez attack right at the end. On his way to the final, Vasquez beat a top five junior in the quarterfinal and a top ten sophomore in the semifinals.

    However, the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler award went to Patrick Kennedy (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.), ranked No. 5 overall in the sophomore class, and champion of the 170-pound weight class. He reached Sunday's quarterfinal round with a technical fall, pin, and 13-2 major decision. It was on Sunday where he ran the proverbial gauntlet, beating three returning Super 32 placers on the way to his title.

    In the quarterfinals it was an 8-5 decision over Emil Soehnlen (Massillon Perry, Ohio), who is ranked No. 61 overall among seniors. Then the semifinals match was an absolute barn-burner against Trent Hidlay (Mifflin County, Pa.), with Kennedy emerging victorious over the No. 25 senior by 3-1 decision on a reversal in the tiebreaker. In the championship match, Kennedy gave up the first takedown against Chris Foca (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), the nation's No. 19 overall junior. However, Kennedy answered with a takedown in the first period, two in the second period, and one in the third period to win 10-6.

    Five other wrestlers were milestone champions on Sunday afternoon, as they were the first wrestlers from their state to win a Super 32 Challenge title; champions have now emerged from 24 states in total.

    State champion and two-time Cadet freestyle All-American, 2016 champion Cullan Schriever (Mason City, Iowa) won the 106-pound weight class. His finals match was a 4-2 victory over fellow Cadet freestyle All-American Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.), the No. 14 overall freshman. Schriever scored the winning points in this battle of previous Super 32 middle school division champions via a takedown with eight seconds left in the bout.

    No. 60 overall senior Jakob Camacho (Danbury, Ct.) rallied back from deficits in both the semifinals and finals to win the title at 126 pounds. In the semifinals, it was a 4-3 victory over No. 21 overall junior Connor McGonagle (Timberlane, N.H.); while in the finals, No. 4 overall sophomore Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) scored the first takedown, but Camacho countered with takedowns later in the first period and second period to win 6-4.

    Mason Phillips (Stanwood, Wash.), a Cadet World Team member in Greco-Roman, won the 145-pound weight class. His semifinal became notable, as it involved a replay challenge reversal to decide the match. Facing No. 4 overall freshman Alex Facundo (Davison, Mich.), the match entered the tiebreaker tied at 5-5.

    In said period, Phillips was thought to be close to an escape at the edge of the mat. However, on the mat, it was called out of bounds; upon review, it was determined to be an in-bounds escape and a match victory. The championship match was a dominant 13-4 major decision over three-time state champion Quincy Monday (Carrboro, N.C.), who beat top 100 seniors in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.

    No. 3 overall sophomore Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) earned the title at 220 pounds with a 3-1 finals victory over NHSCA Junior Nationals champion Peter Acciardi (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.). Key in the victory was a second period rideout and a reversal midway through the third period. He had another pair of low scoring bouts to reach the final on Sunday after winning by pin and technical fall in his two matches on Saturday; a 3-0 decision over a California state medalist, and a 3-2 decision on a late locking hands call against Cadet National double All-American Lewis Fernandes (Voorhees, N.J.)

    Iowa commit Anthony Cassioppi (Hononegah, Ill.), ranked No. 27 in the senior class, arguably had the tournament's most dominant performance in running through the 285 pound weight class. In four matches prior to the final, he had four pins in a combined 4:26, the longest of those a quarterfinal pin in 2:45 over Cadet Greco-Roman champion Eli Pokorney (Chesterton, Ind.). Cassioppi's championship match was an 8-0 major decision in which he secured a takedown in each period to beat two-time state champion Max Darrah (Whitfield, Mo.), who also was a Junior National double All-American this summer.

    An additional milestone champion was Ryan Crookham at 113 pounds, who became the first junior high eligible wrestler (i.e. eighth grader) to win a high school division title; he is currently ranked No. 4 among Junior High wrestlers, though that will almost assuredly change in the next update. It was a 15-0 technical fall and 5-0 decision before the gauntlet began. Crookham beat No. 8 overall freshman Isaac Salas (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 1-0 in the round of 32 and then it was a 5-1 round of 16 victory over Junior National double third place finisher Cody Phippen (Platte County, Mo.) prior to Sunday's competition.

    In the quarterfinal round, Crookham upended NHSCA Junior Nationals champion Dylan Ryder (Half Hollow Hills West, N.Y.) 5-2. Then it was a 1-0 victory over No. 14 overall sophomore Greg Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.), which was keyed by a second period rideout. The championship match saw Crookham ride out state champion Eric Barnett (Hortonville, Wis.) in the second period before scoring a reversal with 15 seconds left in the bout to win 2-0; Barnett's key win on the way to the final was a 2-1 tiebreaker victory over defending champion Antonio Lorenzo (St. John Bosco, Calif.)

    Round out the eight non-seniors to win Super 32 titles on Sunday were No. 18 overall junior Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) at 138 and No. 9 overall junior Brevin Balmeceda (South Dade, Fla.) at 152.

    Anderson beat a state champion, two state runners-up, and a two-time state champion prior to the championship match. In that finals bout, he won despite No. 12 overall junior Jaden Abas (Rancho Bernardo, Calif.) scoring the only takedown of the bout in the second period. Anderson countered with an escape in the second period and then forcing a second stall against Abas during a third period rideout to force overtime; despite a pair of deep opportunities for Anderson to score in sudden victory, it went to the tiebreaker, where Anderson earned an escape to win 3-2.

    Balmeceda reached the semifinal round without giving up a point from four bouts, including a technical fall and major decision over 2016 state placers from Ohio and New Jersey. In the semifinal, he needed a late second stall against three-time state champion Josh Humphreys (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) to tie the bout 1-1 late in regulation before also scoring the match-winning takedown in regulation. He also won via a shutout in the championship match, 4-0 over No. 79 overall senior Joshua Kim (Santiago Corona, Calif.), keyed by a two-point near fall late in the second period.

    Rounding out the weight class winners were a trio of top 100 seniors: No. 63 Ryan Thomas (St. Pairs Graham, Ohio) at 160 pounds, No. 62 Cody Mulligan (Saegertown, Pa.) at 182, and No. 89 Jared Ball (Hilliard Darby, Ohio) at 195.

    Thomas rallied back from giving up two first period takedowns against No. 18 sophomore Dustin Plott (Tuttle, Okla.) to force overtime via single takedowns in each the second and third periods. Thomas was able to fend off deep attacks by Plott late in regulation and during the overtime, and then rode out Plott during the tiebraker period to win a 7-7 decision.

    Mulligan gave up the match's only takedown in the second period against FloNationals placer Josh Stillings (Pennridge, Pa.). However, Mulligan countered with a reversal late in that second period and then a reversal just past the halfway mark in the third period to win 4-3.

    Ball won a battle of top 100 seniors against No. 93 Lucas Davison (Chesterton, Ind.) by 5-1 decision. While he did not score a takedown, Ball used a second period reversal and a three-point near fall in the third period to win the bout.]]>    83256Mon, 30 Oct 2017 02:57:58 +0000    Semifinal results from Super 32 Challengehttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/semifinal-results-from-super-32-challenge-r83258/
    106 pounds:
    Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.) dec. Jeremiah Reno (Liberty, Mo.) 3-1
    Cullan Schriever (Mason City, Iowa) dec. Jakason Burks (Omaha Burke, Neb.) 4-1

    113:
    Eric Barnett (Hortonville, Wis.) decision Noah Surtin (Edwardsville, Ill.) 6-2
    Ryan Crookham (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. - 8th) decision Greg Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.) 1-0

    120:
    Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.) decision Malyke Hines (Osceola, Fla.) 9-5
    Travis Ford-Melton (Marian Catholic, Ill.) decision Kyle Gollhofer (Woodland, Ga.) 5-3

    126:
    Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) decision Sam Hillegas (North Hills, Pa.) 4-1
    Jakob Camacho (Danbury, Ct.) decision Connor McGonagle (Timberlane, N.H.) 4-3

    132:
    Joey Silva (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) decision Quinn Kinner (Kingsway Regional, N.J.) 7-5
    Jesse Vasquez (Santiago Corona, Calif.) decision Josh Saunders (Christian Brothers College, Mo.) 3-1, overtime

    138:
    Jaden Abas (Rancho Bernardo, Calif.) pin Mitch Moore (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) 3:57
    Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) decision Marshall Keller (Christiansburg, Va.) 5-1

    145:
    Mason Phillips (Stanwood, Wash.) decision Alex Facundo (Davison, Mich.) 6-5, (ultimate) tiebreaker
    Quincy Monday (Carrboro, N.C.) decision Jake Silverstein (Hauppauge, N.Y.) 2-1

    152:
    Joshua Kim (Santiago Corona, Calif.) decision Cameron Amine (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) 2-1, (ultimate) tiebreaker
    Brevin Balmeceda (South Dade, Fla.) decision Josh Humphryes (Parkersburg South, W.Va) 3-1

    160:
    Dustin Plott (Tuttle, Okla.) decision Danny Braunagel (Althoff Catholic, Ill.) 12-8
    Ryan Thomas (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) decision Layne Malczewski (Dakota, Mich.) 6-3

    170:
    Patrick Kennedy (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) decision Trent Hidlay (Mifflin County, Pa.) 3-1, (ultimate) tiebreaker
    Chris Foca (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) decision Michael O'Malley (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.) 8-4

    182:
    Josh Stillings (Pennridge, Pa.) decision Anthony Montalvo (Buchanan, Calif.) 5-3
    Cody Mulligan (Saegertown, Pa.) decision Jared Krattiger (Waterford, Wis.) 4-0

    195:
    Jared Ball (Hilliard Davidson, Ohio) decision Thomas Penola (Zionsville, Ind.) 11-6
    Lucas Davison (Chesterton, Ind.) major decision Tyler Houghton (Weddington, N.C.)

    220:
    Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) decision Lewis Fernandes (Voorhees, N.J.) 3-2
    Peter Acciardi (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.) decision Ben Goldin (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) 3-1

    285:
    Anthony Cassioppi (Hononegah, Ill.) pin Michael Kramer (Wilson Central, Tenn.) 0:46
    Max Darrah (Whitfield, Mo.) decision Jordan Pryor (Dunbar, Md.) 2-1, (ultimate) tiebreaker]]>    83258Sun, 29 Oct 2017 15:39:31 +0000    Quarterfinal results from Super 32 Challengehttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/quarterfinal-results-from-super-32-challenge-r83257/
    106 pounds:
    Jeremiah Reno (Liberty, Mo.) decision Jacob Moran (Portage, Ind.) 5-1
    Richard Figueroa (Selma, Mo.) fall Anthony Noto (HFL, N.Y.) 2:56
    Jakason Burks (Omaha Burke, Neb.) decision Nic Bouzakis (Lake Highland Prep, Fla. - 8th) 8-6
    Cullan Schriever (Mason City, Iowa) major decision C.J. Composto (Westfield, N.J.) 12-4

    113:
    Eric Barnett (Hortonville, Wis.) decision Antonio Lorenzo (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 4-1 tiebreaker (ultimate)
    Noah Surtin (Edwardsville, Ill.) pin Brendan Kaylor (Bonney Lake, Wash.) 5:38
    Greg Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.) decision Anthony Clark (Delbarton, N.J.) 3-1
    Ryan Crookham (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. - 8th) decision Dylan Ryder (Half Hollow Hills West, N.Y.) 5-2

    120:
    Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.) decision Christian Nunez (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 7-3
    Malyke Hines (Osceola, Fla.) decision Julian Sanchez (Genoa, Ohio) 5-0
    Travis Ford-Melton (Marian Catholic, Ill.) decision Patrick McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) 10-7
    Kyle Gollhofer (Woodland, Ga.) decision Brendon Fenton (Elyria, Ohio) 2-1

    126:
    Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) decision Aaron Schulist (Mukwanago, Wis.) 7-4
    Sam Hillegas (North Hills, Pa.) decision Dylan D'Emilio (Genoa, Ohio) 7-6
    Connor McGonagle (Timberlane, N.H.) decision Ryan Moore (Walton Verona, Ky.) 6-4
    Jakob Camacho (Danbury, Ct.) decision Joseph Heilmann (South Plainfield, N.J.) 3-1

    132:
    Joey Silva (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) decision Jackson Henson (Penn Foster, W.Va.) 9-4
    Quinn Kinner (Kingsway Regional, N.J.) decision Garrett Kloeppel (Parkway South, Mo.) 8-2
    Jesse Vasquez (Santiago Corona, Calif.) decision Julian Chlebove (Northampton, Pa.) 5-1
    Joshua Saunders (Christian Brothers College, Mo.) major decision Dawson Sihavong (Bullard ,Calif.) 11-3

    138:
    Mitch Moore (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) decision Jojo Aragona (Pope John, N.J.) 4-3
    Jaden Abas (Rancho Bernardo, Calif.) decision Michael Blockhus (New Hampton, Iowa) 8-3
    Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) decision Kris Rumph (Portage, Ind.) 3-1
    Marshall Keller (Christiansburg, Va.) decision Ryan Vulakh (Pope John II, Pa.) 5-1

    145:
    Mason Phillips (Stanwood, Wash.) decision Thayer Lawrence (Frazier, Pa.) 7-4
    Alex Facundo (Davison, Mich.) decision Tyler Eischens (Anoka, Minn.) 6-4 overtime
    Jake Silverstein (Hauppauge, N.Y.) decision Kasper McIntosh (Portage, Ind.) 3-2
    Quincy Monday (Carrboro, N.C.) decision Brock Mauller (Father Tolton Catholic, Mo.) 5-3

    152:
    Cameron Amine (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) decision Derrick Smallwood (North Hardin, Ky.) 3-1 overtime
    Joshua Kim (Santiago Corona, Calif.) major decision Matthew Grippi (Fox Lane, N.Y.) 11-3
    Brevin Balmeceda (South Dade, Fla.) major decision Cole Corrigan (Toms River South, N.J.) 11-0
    Josh Humphreys (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) decision Justin Ruffin (Union Grove, Ga.) 3-2

    160:
    Danny Braunagel (Althoff Catholic, Ill.) major decision Michael Vernagallo, Jr. (Cape Fear, N.C.) 14-6
    Dustin Plott (Tuttle, Okla.) decision Mason Reiniche (Baylor School, Tenn.) 8-6
    Layne Malczewski (Dakota, Mich.) decision Carson Kharchla (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio) 9-7
    Ryan Thomas (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) decision Robert Kanniard (Wall Township, N.J.) 10-6

    170:
    Trent Hidlay (Mifflin County, Pa.) decision Robert Patrick (Ligonier Valley, Pa.) 5-3
    Patrick Kennedy (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) decision Emil Soehnlen (Massillon Perry, Ohio) 8-5
    Michael O'Malley (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.) decision Jackson Turley (St. Christopher's, Va.) 7-5 overtime
    Chris Foca (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) pin Noah Liles (Bremen, Ga.) 1:35

    182:
    Xavier Montalvo (Buchanan, Calif.) decision Darrien Roberts (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) 3-2
    Josh Stillings (Pennridge, Pa.) technical fall Grant Parrish (Forest Lake, Minn.) 15-0, 4:23
    Jared Krattiger (Waterford, Wis.) decision Ashton Eyler (Claymont, Ohio) 7-2
    Cody Mulligan (Saegertown, Pa.) major decision Dalton Group (Susquenita, Pa.) 10-2

    195:
    Jared Ball (Hilliard Darby, Ohio) major decision Kevin Makosky (Urbana, Md.) 9-1
    Thomas Penola (Zionsville, Ind.) decision Joey Miller (McQueen, Nev.) 7-1
    Tyler Houghton (Weddington, N.C.) decision Miles Nuessle (Liberty, Ariz.) 11-7
    Lucas Davison (Chesterton, Ind.) major decision Blake Barrick (Big Spring, Pa.) 8-0

    220:
    Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) decision Isaiah Perez (Pitman, Calif.) 3-0
    Lewis Fernandes (Voorhees, N.J.) decision Josh Heindselman (Piedmont, Okla.) 3-0
    Ben Goldin (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) decision Colin Lawler (Kinkaid School, Texas) 3-2
    Peter Acciardi (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.) decision Dean Conley (Chaminade, Mo.) 5-0

    285:
    Anthony Cassioppi (Hononegah, Ill.) pin Eli Pokorney (Chesterton, Ind.) 2:45
    Michael Kramer (Wilson Central, Tenn.) pin Jordan Earnest (Wadsworth, Ohio) 3:52
    Max Darrah (Whitfield, Mo.) decision Paul Robinson (Bremen, Ga.) 2-1 tiebreaker (ultimate)
    Jordan Pryor (Urbana, Md.) decision Keaton Kluever (Kaukauna, Wis.) 5-3]]>    83257Sun, 29 Oct 2017 13:13:49 +0000    Quarterfinal matches set for 8 a.m. Sunday at Super 32 Challengehttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/quarterfinal-matches-set-for-8-am-sunday-at-super-32-challenge-r83255/
    Favorites to go down were Alex Lloyd (Shakopee, Minn.) at 145 pounds, Josiah Rider (Grand Junction, Colo.) at 152, and Phil Conigliaro (Belmont Hill, Mass.) at 160. Each is ranked among the top 40 wrestlers in the Class of 2018. An additional top 40 senior to suffer defeat was Brody Teske (Fort Dodge, Iowa) at 120; while a pair of top 15 juniors were knocked off, NIck Raimo (Hanover Park, N.J.) and Andrew Alirez (Greeley Central, Colo.) at 132 pounds.

    Below are the quarterfinal matches:

    106 pounds:
    Jeremiah Reno (Liberty, Mo.) vs. Jacob Moran (Portage, Ind.)
    Richard Figueroa (Selma) vs. Anthony Noto (HFL, N.Y.)
    Nic Bouzakis (Lake Highland Prep, Fla. - 8th) vs. Jakason Burks (Omaha Burke, Neb.)
    C.J. Composto (Westfield, N.J.) vs. Cullan Schriever (Mason City, Iowa)

    113:
    Antonio Lorenzo (St. John Bosco, Calif.) vs. Eric Barnett (Hortonville, Wis.)
    Noah Surtin (Edwardsville, Ill.) vs. Brendan Kaylor (Bonney Lake, Wash.)
    Gianni Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.) vs. Anthony Clark (Delbarton, N.J.)
    Dylan Ryder (Half Hollow Hills West, N.Y.) vs. Ryan Crookham (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. - 8th)

    120:
    Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.) vs. Christian Nunez (St. John Bosco, Calif.)
    Malyke Hines (Osceola, Fla.) vs. Julian Sanchez (Genoa, Ohio)
    Patrick McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) vs. Travis Ford-Melton (Marian Catholic, Ill.)
    Kyle Gollhofer (Woodland, Ga.) vs. Brendon Fenton (Elyria, Ohio)

    126:
    Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Aaron Schulist (Mukwanago, Wis.)
    Dylan D'Emilio (Genoa, Ohio) vs. Sam Hillegas (North Hills, Pa.)
    Connor McGonagle (Timberlane, N.H.) vs. Ryan Moore (Walton Verona, Ky.)
    Joseph Heilmann (South Plainfield, N.J.) vs. Jakob Camacho (Danbury, Ct.)

    132:
    Joey Silva (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) vs. Jackson Henson (Penn Foster, W.Va.)
    Quinn Kinner (Kingsway Regional, N.J.) vs. Garrett Kloeppel (Parkway South, Mo.)
    Julian Chlebove (Northampton, Pa.) vs. Jesse Vasquez (Santiago Corona, Calif.)
    Joshua Saunders (Christian Brothers College, Mo.) vs. Dawson Sihavong (Bullard ,Calif.)

    138:
    Mitch Moore (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) vs. Jojo Aragona (Pope John, N.J.)
    Michael Blockhus (New Hampton, Iowa) vs. Jaden Abas (Rancho Bernardo, Calif.)
    Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) vs. Kris Rumph (Portage, Ind.)
    Marshall Keller (Christiansburg, Va.) vs. Ryan Vulakh (Pope John II, Pa.)

    145:
    Thayer Lawrence (Frazier, Pa.) vs. Mason Phillips (Stanwood, Wash.)
    Alex Facundo (Davison, Mich.) vs. Tyler Eischens (Anoka, Minn.)
    Jake Silverstein (Hauppauge, N.Y.) vs. Kasper McIntosh (Portage, Ind.)
    Quincy Monday (Carrboro, N.C.) vs. Brock Mauller (Father Tolton Catholic, Mo.)

    152:
    Derrick Smallwood (North Hardin, Ky.) vs. Cameron Amine (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.)
    Matthew Grippi (Fox Lane, N.Y.) vs. Joshua Kim (Santiago Corona, Calif.)
    Brevin Balmeceda (South Dade, Fla.) vs. Cole Corrigan (Toms River South, N.J.)
    Josh Humphreys (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) vs. Justin Ruffin (Union Grove, Ga.)

    160:
    Michael Vernagallo, Jr. (Cape Fear, N.C.) vs. Danny Braunagel (Althoff Catholic, Ill.)
    Dustin Plott (Tuttle, Okla.) vs. Mason Reiniche (Baylor School, Tenn.)
    Layne Malczewski (Dakota, Mich.) vs. Carson Kharchla (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio)
    Robert Kanniard (Wall Township, N.J.) vs. Ryan Thomas (St. Paris Graham, Ohio)

    170:
    Trent Hidlay (Mifflin County, Pa.) vs. Robert Patrick (Ligonier Valley, Pa.)
    Patrick Kennedy (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) vs. Emil Soehnlen (Massillon Perry, Ohio)
    Michael O'Malley (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.) vs. Jackson Turley (St. Christopher's, Va.)
    Noah Liles (Bremen, Ga.) vs. Chris Foca (Bergen Catholic, N.J.)

    182:
    Xavier Montalvo (Buchanan, Calif.) vs. Darrien Roberts (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.)
    Grant Parrish (Forest Lake, Minn.) vs. Josh Stillings (Pennridge, Pa.)
    Jared Krattiger (Waterford, Wis.) vs. Ashton Eyler (Claymont, Ohio)
    Dalton Group (Susquenita, Pa.) vs. Cody Mulligan (Saegertown, Pa.)

    195:
    Jared Ball (Hilliard Darby, Ohio) vs. Kevin Makosky (Urbana, Md.)
    Joey Miller (McQueen, Nev.) vs. Thomas Penola (Zionsville, Ind.)
    Tyler Houghton (Weddington, N.C.) vs. Miles Nuessle (Liberty, Ariz.)
    Blake Barrick (Big Spring, Pa.) vs. Lucas Davison (Chesterton, Ind.)

    220:
    Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) vs. Isaiah Perez (Pitman, Calif.)
    Josh Heindselman (Piedmont, Okla.) vs. Lewis Fernandes (Voorhees, N.J.)
    Ben Goldin (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) vs. Colin Lawler (Kinkaid School, Texas)
    Dean Conley (Chaminade, Mo.) vs. Peter Acciardi (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.)

    285:
    Anthony Cassioppi (Hononegah, Ill.) vs. Eli Pokorney (Chesterton, Ind.)
    Michael Kramer (Wilson Central, Tenn.) vs. Jordan Earnest (Wadsworth, Ohio)
    Paul Robinson (Bremen, Ga.) vs. Max Darrah (Whitfield, Mo.)
    Jordan Pryor (Urbana, Md.) vs. Keaton Kluever (Kaukauna, Wis.)]]>    83255Sun, 29 Oct 2017 01:26:20 +0000    Super 32 Challenge Previewhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/super-32-challenge-preview-r83243/
    Year-to-year this field is absolutely loaded. The October 2016 edition of the tournament had over 100 wrestlers that would be nationally ranked by InterMat in their respective weight classes at the end of the 2016-17 season. In addition, over 300 participants in the even won a state-level tournament title (i.e. state tournament, New England regional, or National Preps). From a past participant standpoint, approximate one-half of the qualifiers for the 2017 NCAA Division I wrestling tournament competed in the high school division of the Super 32 at least once; the same applies in terms of All-Americans.

    Looking back at the Super 32 Challenge high school division from five years ago, the list of champions is illustrious. It includes three-time World/Olympic champion Kyle Snyder; two-time NCAA champions Dean Heil, Zain Retherford, and Isaiah Martinez; NCAA champion Mark Hall; along with another pair of wrestlers that would earn All-American distinction in Ryan Millhof and Joey Dance. The electric finals bouts of that year included Nick Suriano facing Spencer Lee at 106 and Heil facing Aaron Pico at 132.

    Joey Silva will be looking to capture his third straight Super 32 Challenge title (Photo/Juan Garcia)

    Anchors for this year's field include two-time defending champions Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.) at 120 pounds and Joey Silva (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) at 132. The other returning champion in this year's field is Antonio Lorenzo (St. John Bosco, Calif.) at 113.

    To show the depth of talent in this year's field, over 200 wrestlers won a state-level tournament title at the end of the 2016-17 high school season. The field also features approximately 100 wrestlers that are ranked in their respective grade levels by InterMat, and over 50 that ended the 2016-17 season in the national weight class rankings.

    The event takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center in Greensboro, N.C.

    Below is a weight-by-weight preview for this year's tournament, based on entries (and weight classes) as of Wednesday evening.

    106: On paper, the pre-tournament favorite would appear to be two-time UWW Cadet National freestyle runner-up Jeremiah Reno (Liberty, Mo.). Last year's freshman campaign ended in a state title, and finishing as the No. 8 ranked 106-pound wrestler nationally; he is ranked No. 27 overall in the Class of 2020. Six other registered wrestlers are ranked in their respective grade levels: No. 2 Nic Bouzakis (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) and No. 10 Gavin Brown (Legacy Christian Academy, Ohio) in Junior High; No. 8 Isaac Salas (St. John Bosco, Calif.), No. 12 Vincent Zerban (Christian Brothers College, Mo.), No. 14 Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.), and No. 19 Jet Strickenberger (Discovery Canyon, Calif.).

    At least five other wrestlers in this weight class won state titles last season, including Cullan Schriever (Mason City, Iowa) and Sam Latona (Thompson, Ala.), who each have Cadet National freestyle titles on their resume. Also fitting the billing are Blake Jackson (Omaha Burke, Neb.) and Anthony Noto (HFL, N.Y.) Others to watch include state medalist Kurtis Phipps (Norwin, Pa.), Cadet National double finalist Andrew Chambal (Davison, Mich.), Junior National freestyle champion Will Guida (St. Paul's, Md.), and Cadet National freestyle champion Drake Ayala (Fort Dodge, Iowa).

    113: Two-time state placer Lorenzo won the belt last year down a weight class at 106 pounds, and will seek to defend in this weight class, where he is joined by four other returning placers from last year's 106-pound weight class: No. 14 overall sophomore Greg Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.), Junior National double finalist Brandon Kaylor (Bonney Lake, Wash.), two-time state champion Ryan Chauvin (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), and state medalist Logan Agin (Lancaster, Ohio). Also in this weight class are five additional wrestlers that ended last season ranked nationally at 106: No. 25 overall sophomore Anthony Clark (Delbarton, N.J.), NHSCA Junior Nationals champion Dylan Ryder (Half Hollow Hills West, N.Y.), state runner-up Sammy Alvarez (St. Joseph Montvale, N.J.), No. 36 overall sophomore Zach Redding (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.), and two-time state medalist Dante Mininno (Gateway Regional, N.J.).

    Another four participants are ranked within their respective grade level: No. 4 overall Junior High wrestler Ryan Crookham (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.); No. 40 overall sophomore Dylan Cedeno (Fair Lawn, N.J.), a NHSCA Freshman Nationals champion; No. 10 overall freshman Zeke Escalera (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), a Cadet National freestyle champion; and No. 23 overall freshman Brock McMillen (Glendale, Pa.). Other notables include Junior Nationals double third place finisher Cody Phippen (Platte County, Mo.), state champion Kai Orine (Seckman, Mo.), Junior freestyle All-American Andrew Lucero (Pueblo East, Colo.), state champions Eric Barnett (Hortonville, Wis.) and Jacob Lindsey (Providence Catholic, Ill.), Cadet National freestyle champion Noah Surtin (Edwardsville, Ill.), and Junior double All-American Jacob Cardani (Champaign Central, Ill.).

    120: Two-time defending champion Busiello, ranked No. 13 overall among juniors nationally, is among a quartet of primary contenders at this weight class. Three others are all ranked inside the top 50 overall seniors nationally: No. 35 Brody Teske (Fort Dodge, Iowa), an undefeated three-time state champ; No. 45 Patrick McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.), Junior National freestyle champion this summer; and No. 46 Tommy Hoskins (Legacy Christian Academy, Ohio), a two-time Junior freestyle All-American. Joining Busiello and McKee in placing down a weight class at last year's Super 32 are Antonio Mininno (Gateway Regional, N.J.), a state champion ranked No. 82 overall among seniors; state medalist Logan Macri (Canon-McMillan, Pa.); along with FloNationals champion and two-time state champ Ben Kamali (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.).

    Six others in this weight class are ranked within their respective grade level: No. 26 overall junior Travis Ford-Melton; No. 17 overall sophomore Dominick Serrano (Windsor, Colo.), a Cadet freestyle runner-up; No. 38 overall sophomore Vincent Mannella (Woodward Academy, Ga.); No. 49 overall sophomore Caleb Tanner (Collinsville, Okla.); No. 15 overall freshman Alek Martin (St. Paris Graham, Ohio); and No. 17 overall freshman Reid Ballantyne (Stillwater, Minn.), a high school state champion this past season. Additional wrestlers to watch include three-time Fargo freestyle All-American Aden Reeves (Albia, Iowa); two-time Junior Greco champion Jaret Lane (Southern Columbia, Pa.); state champions Cayden Rooks (Columbus East, Ind.), Kyle Gollhoffer (Woodland, Ga.), and Malyke Hines (Osceola, Fla.); two-time state placer Michael Kelly (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.); along with two-time state champion Brendon Fenton (Elyria, Ohio).

    126: Even with the scratch of Patrick Glory (Delbarton, N.J.), last year's champion own a weight class, this field is absolutely loaded. Nine wrestlers ended the 2016-17 season ranked nationally in their respective weight classes: No. 4 overall junior Julian Chlebove (Northampton, Pa.), a two-time state champion; No. 4 overall sophomore Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.); No. 54 overall senior Jarrett Trombley (Lake Fenton, Mich.), a three-time state champion; returning Super 32 placer Jakob Camacho (Danbury, Ct.), No. 60 overall in the senior class; No. 8 overall sophomore Sam Hillegas (North Hills, Pa.); No. 29 overall junior Dylan D'Emilio (Genoa, Ohio), a four-time Fargo freestyle All-American; No. 34 overall junior Jordan Crace (St. Paris Graham, Ohio); No. 37 overall junior Cleveland Belton (Temescal Canyon, Calif.); and Chris Wright (Central Dauphin, Pa.), a NHSCA Junior Nationals champion.

    The field in addition features four other nationally ranked sophomores: No. 7 Joshua Saunders (Christian Brothers College, Mo.), a returning Super 32 placer; No. 26 Keegan O'Toole (Arrowhead, Wis.), a two-time Cadet freestyle All-American; No. 41 Peyton Hall (Oak Glen, W.Va.), a NHSCA Freshman Nationals champion; and No. 46 Mick Burnett (Elyria, Ohio). Other notables include Junior freestyle All-American Aaron Schulist (Mukwanago, Wis.), two-time state placer Joseph Heilmann (South Plainfield, N.J.), FloNationals placer Ryan Moore (Walton Verona, Ky.), National Prep placers Mosha Schwartz (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) and Mark Salvatore (Malvern Prep, Pa.), NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion Gabe Hixenbaugh (Thompson, Ala.), along with Cadet Greco-Roman champ Phillip Moomey (Kearney, Ala.).

    132: Silva is a two-time defending tournament champion, winning titles the last two years at 120 and 126, both times beating March 2017's "giant killer" Austin DeSanto in the final. The No. 9 overall senior is favored for a third title, though it won't be easy with five others that ended the 2016-17 season ranked nationally: No. 3 overall junior Nick Raimo (Hanover Park, N.J.), returning Super 32 placers in No. 11 overall junior Andrew Alirez (Greeley Central, Colo.) and No. 18 overall junior Ryan Andreson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), No. 1 overall freshman Carson Manville (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), and No. 6 overall sophomore Jesse Vasquez (Santiago Corona, Calif.). It should be noted that prior to this year, only seven have won three Super 32 titles, with just three coming since the tournament moved to Greensboro.

    Five additional wrestlers in this weight are ranked in their respective grade level: No. 21 overall junior Connor McGonagle (Timbelane, N.H.), a returning Super 32 placer; No. 40 overall junior Colton Yapoujian (Pomona, Colo.); No. 21 overall sophomore Aidan Medora (Brookfield Academy, Wis.), a Cadet freestyle runner-up; No. 24 overall sophomore Frankie Tal-Shahar (American Heritage, Fla.), and No. 33 overall sophomore Manzona Bryant (Culver Academies Ind.). Others in the weight include FloNationals placers Jackson Henson (Penn Foster, W.Va.) and Sam Stuhl (Ellsworth, Wis.); 2015 Super 32 placer Andrew Wert (Central Dauphin, Pa.); a pair Junior National freestyle All-Americans in Alex Cruz (Orting, Wash.) and Chase Zollmann (Poway, Calif.); 2015 Super 32 runner-up Jojo Aragona (Pope John, N.J.); along with state champions Matt Fields (Brunswick, Ohio) and Justin Vines (Wantagh, N.Y.).

    138: Three-time Super 32 placer Mitch Moore (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) was runner-up in this tournament last year down a weight class, and the No. 13 overall senior enters this year's event as the pre-tournament favorite. It's a rather robust weight class with six other ranked wrestlers in either the junior or senior classes. Among the juniors it's No. 12 Jaden Abas (Rancho Bernardo, Calif.); No. 16 Ryan Vulakh (Pope John II, Pa.), a returning Super 32 placer in this weight class; and No. 27 Kevon Davenport (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), a Cadet National double finalist this summer. While among seniors you have No. 41 Grant Aronoff (St. Thomas Aquinas, Fla.), a returning Super 32 placer in this weight class; No. 55 Quinn Kinner (Kingsway Regional, N.J.), a three-time FloNationals placer; and No. 96 Jeremy Schoenherr (Stratford, Wis.), a Junior National freestyle runner-up.

    Additional notable wrestlers in this weight class include Junior freestyle All-Americans Michael Millage (New Hampton, Iowa) and Gabe Miller (Pequea Valley, Pa.); state champions Jacob Greenwood (Poudre, Colo.) and J.D. Stickley (St. Paris Graham, Ohio); state runners-up Marshall Keller (Christiansburg, Va.), Gage Grunden (Wauseon, Ohio), and Kris Rumph (Portage, Ind.); state medalist Jarred Papcsy (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.); along with Cadet freestyle All-American Luka Wick (San Marino, Calif.), ranked No. 22 overall among freshmen.

    Anthony Artalona (Photo/Jim Thrall)

    145: Junior National freestyle champion Anthony Artalona (Tampa Prep, Fla.), ranked No. 20 overall in the senior class, is joined by five other top 100 seniors in this very deep weight class: No. 23 Alex Lloyd (Shakopee, Minn.), a four-time Fargo freestyle All-American; No. 51 Brock Mauller (Father Tolton Catholic, Mo.); No. 69 Jake Silverstein (Hauppauge, N.Y.), a returning Super 32 placer; No. 80 Tyler Eischens (Anoka, Minn.), a Junior National double All-American this summer; and No. 94 Kendall Coleman (Mt. Camrel, Ill.). Three others in this weight are ranked nationally in their grade level: No. 4 overall freshman Alex Facundo (Davison, Mich.), a Cadet National freestyle champion; along with a pair of Walsh Ironman placers last season as freshmen, No. 12 Kai Bele (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) and No. 43 Alfonso Martinez (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.).

    Others in this weight include FloNationals placers Kasper McIntosh (Portage, Ind.) and Quincy Monday (Carrboro, N.C.), Junior National Greco-Roman champion Mason Phillips (Stanwood, Wash.), two-time state runners-up Sandro Ramirez (Wauseon, Ohio) and Ben Pasiuk (Carrollton, Ohio), two-time state placer Tony Mendoza (Selma, Calif.), state placer Lawrence Saenz (Vacaville, Calif.), state champion Jacob Mariakis (Ridgeland, Ga.), and Cadet freestyle All-American Michael Kistler (Northampton, Pa.).

    152: Wrestlers that placed second through fifth down a weight class at last year's Super 32 anchor this weight class. No. 11 overall senior Brayton Lee (Brownsburg, Ind.) lost 7-1 to eventual champion Jarod Verkleeren in the semifinal on the way to a third place finish; No. 15 overall senior Josiah Rider (Grand Junction, Colo.) was the tournament's runner-up losing 5-2 in the championship match; No. 42 overall senior Justin Ruffin (Union Grove, Ga.) placed fourth, also placing fourth in both styles at this summer's Junior Nationals in Fargo; while No. 6 overall junior Connor Brady (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio) placed fifth.

    Seven additional wrestlers in this field enter the tournament ranked within their grade level. NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion Brevin Balmeceda (South Dade, Fla.) is the No. 9 overall junior nationally, Junior freestyle All-American Joshua Kim (Santiago Corona, Calif.) is No. 79 among seniors, Matthew Grippi (Fox Lane, N.Y.) is No. 87 among seniors, FloNationals placer Cameron Amine (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) is No. 32 among juniors, Cadet freestyle runner-up Aaron Gandara (Cibola, Ariz.) is No. 15 among sophomores, Grayden Penner (Liberty, Mo.) is the No. 29 overall sophomore, while Cole Rees (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) is No. 20 among freshmen.

    Additional wrestlers to watch include 2016 state placer Jake Marsh (Marysville, Ohio), three-time state champion Joshua Humphreys (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), two-time state placer Joey Sanchez (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), Journeymen Classic champ Cole Corrigan (Toms River South, N.J.), state placer Brian Meyer (Phillipsburg, N.J.), along with state champions Ryan Luth (Foran, Ct.), and Peter Enos (Francis Howell, Mo.). Among those not listed, at least four others were Cadet freestyle All-Americans this summer.

    160: A trio of top 100 Class of 2018 wrestlers anchor this weight class, No. 39 Phil Conigliaro (Belmont Hill, Mass.), No. 63 Ryan Thomas (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), and No. 77 Erich Byelick (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.). National Prep champion Conigliaro was a Junior freestyle All-American in 2016, two-time state champion Byelick is a returning Super 32 Challenge placer, while state champion Thomas beat Byelick in the finals of the Grappler Fall Classic earlier this month. Another trio of wrestlers are ranked within the top 50 of the Class of 2019: No. 33 Mason Reiniche (Baylor School, Tenn.), No. 44 Carson Kharchla (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio), and No. 49 Robert Kanniard (Wall Township, N.J.); Reiniche was champion at the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals, Kharchla a Junior freestyle All-American, and Kanniard a Cadet National freestyle champion.

    Another trio of contenders were state champions this past season: Kenny O'Neil (Prior Lake, Minn.), Danny Braunagel (Althoff Catholic, Ill.), and Edmond Ruth (Susquehanna Township, Pa.); Braunagel and Ruth both also were FloNationals placers. Other contenders include 2016 National Prep placer Noah Chan (Kinkaid School, Texas), NHSCA Junior Nationals placer Lucas Cordio (Neshoba Regional, Mass.), No. 18 overall sophomore Dustin Plott (Tuttle, Okla.), along with state runners-up Drew Hoselton (Prairie Central, Ill.) and Diego Lemley (Chesterton, Ind.).

    170: This is a very robust weight in terms of title contenders with six wrestlers that are nationally ranked for their respective grade level. Four of those wrestlers are returning Super 32 placers: Trent Hidlay (Mifflin County, Pa.), Emille Shannon (Christian Brothers College, Mo.), Chris Foca (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), and Emil Soehnlen (Massillon Perry, Ohio); No. 25 Hidlay, No. 37 Shannon, and No. 61 Soehnlen are all seniors, while Foca is No. 19 in the junior class. Three-time state placer Michael O'Malley (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.) is ranked No. 57 overall among seniors, while No. 5 overall sophomore Patrick Kennedy (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) placed third at both the UWW Cadet Nationals and Cadet Nationals in freestyle.

    Zach Glazier won an InterMat Classic title this past weekend (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)

    Another pair of challengers were state champions this past season, Junior National freestyle All-American Zach Braunagel (Althoff Catholic, Ill.) and Jared Lough (Colonial Forge, Va.). Additional wrestlers to watch include a quartet of state (level) tournament runners-up in FloNationals placer Grant Cuomo (Brewster, N.Y.), NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up Robert Patrick (Ligonier Valley, Pa.), NHSCA Sophomore Nationals runner-up Jackson Turley (St. Christopher's, Va.), and champion at this past weekend's InterMat Classic Zach Glazier (Albert Lea, Minn.).

    182: Three top 100 overall seniors lead the proceedings at this weight class, No. 44 Anthony Montalvo (Buchanan, Calif.), No. 62 Cody Mulligan (Saegertown, Pa.), and No. 71 Jared Krattiger (Waterford, Wis.). Primary challengers include Junior National double All-Americans Victor Marcelli (Massillon Jackson, Ohio) and Christian Knop (Alexandria, Alba.), FloNationals placer Josh Stillings (Pennridge, Pa.), state medalists Nathan Tausch (Poway, Calif.) and Ashton Eyler (Claymont, Ohio), along with two-time FloNationals placer Dalton Group (Susquenita, Pa.).

    Others to watch include Cadet freestyle runner-up Jake Logan (New Rochelle, N.Y.), Cadet double All-Americans Darrien Roberts (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) and Grant Parrish (Forest Lake, Minn.), NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), along with state medalists Julian Gorring (Fort LeBoeuf, Pa.) and David Heath (Akron SVSM, Ohio).

    Gavin Hoffman after winning bronze at the Cadet World Championships (Photo/Richard Immel)

    195: The clear headline wrestler in this weight class is No. 14 overall senior Gavin Hoffman (Montoursville, Pa.), last year's runner-up in this weight class and a Cadet World bronze medalist this summer. Two other top 100 seniors also are in the field, No. 89 Jared Ball (Hilliard Darby, Ohio) and No. 93 Lucas Davison (Chesterton, Ind.); Ball placed at the FloNationals this spring, while Davison was a Junior National double All-American this summer.

    Others to watch in this weight class include state champions Tony Wuest (Smyrna, Del.) and Joey Miller (McQueen, Nev.), both also NHSCA Junior All-Americans in this weight class; National Prep runner-up Yarislau Slavikouski (Northfield Mt. Hermon, Mass.); state medalist Elijah Jones (Boyertown, Pa.); state champions Miles Nuessle (Liberty, Ariz.), Konner Doucet (Comanche, Okla.), Jacob Henderson (Armuchee, Ga.), and David Jones (King William, Va.); along with Cadet double All-American Wyatt Hendickson (Newton, Kansas).

    220: No. 3 overall sophomore Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) has sandwiched a pair of Cadet National double championships around a missed 2016-17 due to injury last September. His run to sweeping titles in Fargo this summer showed a clear return to form after said injury, and he seeks to augment those titles with another one in this weekend's Super 32 Challenge. His primary challenger will be Josiah Jones (Bishop McCort, Pa.), the No. 52 overall senior nationally, a two-time state runner-up and two-time FloNationals placer. Also in this field are state runner-up and returning Super 32 placer Peter Acciardi (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.) along with two-time state champion Ben Goldin (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), the participants in this spring's NHSCA Junior Nationals final for this weight class; Junior freestyle All-American Antonio McCloud (Cincinnati Elder, Ohio); state runner-up Josh Heindselman (Piedmont, Okla.); National Prep placer Colin Lawler (Kinkaid School, Texas); state champions Daniel Conley (Chaminade, Mo.) and Tarik Sutkovic (Ironwood, Ariz.); along with state medalists Isaiah Perez (Pitman, Calif.) and Tyler Cook (Brookville, Pa.).

    Anthony Cassioppi after winning a Fargo title in freestyle (Photo/Jim Thrall)

    285: Junior National double champion Anthony Cassioppi, an Iowa commit and the No. 27 overall senior nationally, is the clear favorite in this weight class. Among the challengers are three placers from last year's tournament in this weight class: FloNationals placer Keaton Kluever (Kaukauna, Wis.), NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion Michael Kramer (Wilson Central, Tenn.), and NHSCA Junior Nationals third place finisher Paul Robinson (Bremen, Ga.).

    Others of note include Junior National double All-American Max Darrah (Whitfield, Mo.), UWW Cadet freestyle champion Jordan Earnest (Wadsworth, Ohio), NHSCA Sophomore Nationals runner-up Jordan Pryor (Dunbar, Md.), No. 45 overall sophomore Andy Garcia (Pueblo East, Colo.), along with Cadet National double All-Americans Eli Pokorney (Chesterton, Ind.) and Louden Haga (Pakersburg South, W.Va).]]>    83243Thu, 26 Oct 2017 06:31:29 +0000    New high school wrestling coach fired after arresthttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/new-high-school-wrestling-coach-fired-after-arrest-r83224/
    The contract for Andy Hackenmueller, who was hired as head coach at Minnesota's Albert Lea High School in September, was rescinded this week after his arrest at a casino on Oct. 8.

    "As the result of a recent investigation, Albert Lea Area (Schools) has withdrawn its offer to Andy Hackenmueller to be Albert Lea High School's head wrestling coach," said Superintendent Mike Funk Wednesday afternoon in an email. "Mr. Hackenmueller will not be associated with the program in any manner."

    Hackenmueller was arrested after a Worth County deputy was dispatched Oct. 8 to Diamond Jo Casino for three intoxicated people who were kicked out from the casino and were going to drive. Surveillance video reportedly showed Hackenmueller drinking out of a can in the parking lot. The deputy described the coach as having "bloodshot, watery eyes, slurred speech and an odor of an alcoholic beverage." Hackenmueller reportedly had a .152 blood-alcohol level -- more than twice the legal limit -- and was arrested for public consumption.

    The Albert Lea Tribune reported Thursday that the district had offered the head coaching job to math teacher and baseball coach Paul Durbahn. "We expect that coach Durbahn will uphold the high standards we have come to expect in our historically successful ALHS wrestling program," Funk said.

    Hackenmueller had been named head wrestling coach to replace Larry Goodnature, who announced his retirement during the offseason after 25 years at the helm of the Albert Lea High School Tigers. Thirty months ago, Goodnature had hired Hackenmueller -- who had been a head coach at Rush City for two seasons -- as an assistant coach, with the idea that Hackenmueller would eventually take the reins of the Albert Lea mat program.

    Prior to coming to Albert Lea, Hackenmueller had served as an assistant coach at La Crosse (Wis.) Central High School, then was head coach at Rush City in Minnesota for two years. As a wrestler, Hackenmueller competed at the successful St. Michael-Albertville High School - where he was a three-time qualifier for the Minnesota state championships for the Class AA team title-winning program -- then at North Dakota State University where he continued his wrestling career.

    As an individual wrestler, Hackenmueller qualified for the individual state wrestling tournament three times (2004-2006) before wrestling collegiately at North Dakota State University. As a wrestler, Hackenmueller understands the performance part -- but he's learned a lot about what it takes to be a great coach away from the mat from Goodnature.

    Hackenmueller was slated to take over an Albert Lea wrestling program with a long, strong tradition. In the 25 seasons Goodnature was head coach, the ALHS Tigers 519-161 in dual-meet competition, but had not won a state title since 1981.
    Albert Lea High School is an 8-12 grade school located in the city of Albert Lea in south-central Minnesota, about 90 miles south of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The school has an enrollment of approximately 1,300 students.]]>    83224Mon, 23 Oct 2017 13:46:51 +0000    Wrestling to return to St. Joseph High Schoolhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/wrestling-to-return-to-st-joseph-high-school-r83205/MyCentralJersey.com reported Sunday.

    The school revealed its decision to reinstate the sport -- eliminated after the 1992-93 season -- at an open house event on Sunday. The program will return to the mats during the 2018-19 school year.

    Back in the early 1990s, St. Joseph axed the wrestling program because of low participation numbers, especially in the upper weight classes, according to the school's last head wrestling coach, Don Bryner, who has taught English at the school for 36 years.

    "At that point I wish we had football because I could always feed off of that," said Bryner, who noted that St. Joseph had since added football to its sports roster, making it easier to recruit multi-sport athletes to participate in wrestling.

    "We were a small team. I mean that literally and figuratively," Bryner explained. "We were heavier in the lighter weights. We did what we could do with what we had."

    Ron Mazzola, longtime chair of the GMC Wrestling Tournament seeding committee and Region V ranking chairman, said he recalls St. Joseph fielding competitive teams on the mats in the mid to late 1980s before the school's participation numbers in the sport began to decline.

    "I knew St. Joe's wrestling when they were really strong and I know that in the early 1990s they canceled the program," Mazzola said.

    Now that a successful football program is in place the time appears to be right for wrestling's return to St. Joseph.

    "We've been toying with the idea and it's kind of been coming down the road," St. Joseph athletics director Mike Murray said, noting students have expressed an interest in participating in the sport. "There's definitely a percentage of kids in the building who would certainly be willing to pick it up or are interested in picking it up. We want to make sure we are providing everything our kids want to be competing in."

    One individual who's eager to see the reinstatement of the wrestling program at St. Joseph is none other than Scott Goodale, head wrestling coach at nearby Rutgers University.

    "Any time you can bring wrestling into the curriculum at the high school level, it's a really big deal," Goodale said. "I'm assuming they (the Falcons) are bringing it back because there's interest. It's a great sport -- obviously I'm biased -- for so many reasons including the discipline and character that are built. Everybody, at some point in their lives, should partake in wrestling."

    Goodale speaks from experience, having coached both wrestling and football at Jackson Memorial High before moving into the college coaching ranks.

    "Football and wrestling go hand-in-hand," according to the Scarlet Knights head wrestling coach. "I'm speaking from experience. When I was at Jackson, that's the way it was. There's no coincidence we had really successful programs (in both sports) because of it."

    Wrestling's return to St. Joseph bucks a trend that has seen fewer individuals participate in the sport at the high school level over the past four years, both at the national and statewide levels.

    St. Joseph High School is a Roman Catholic, all-boys school located in Metuchen, N.J., between New York City and New Brunswick, N.J. Founded in 1961, St. Joseph has an enrollment of approximately 700 students.]]>    83205Mon, 16 Oct 2017 08:39:55 +0000    No. 35 Teske, undefeated for high school career, commits to Penn Statehttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/no-35-teske-undefeated-for-high-school-career-commits-to-penn-state-r83200/Three-time state champion Brody Teske (Fort Dodge, Iowa), who has yet to lose a high school match in his career to date, verbally committed to Penn State on Friday morning. The No. 35 overall wrestler in the Class of 2018 also finished third at the UWW Cadet Nationals in freestyle this spring, and was a Cadet National freestyle runner-up in the summer of 2016. He ended the 2016-17 season ranked No. 3 nationally at 120 pounds, and projects to compete collegiately as a 125/133.83200Fri, 13 Oct 2017 14:33:09 +0000Iowa's Heelan High School hires co-head wrestling coacheshttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/iowas-heelan-high-school-hires-co-head-wrestling-coaches-r83183/
    That maxim may extend to two head coaches. At least that appears to be the thinking at Bishop Heelan High School, which has named co-head wrestling coaches who already have strong ties to the mat program.

    Matt Pugh and Jordan Langley
    The Sioux City, Iowa high school has announced Matt Pugh and Jordan Langley as head coaches for the season about to get started.

    Pugh has been Heelan's head assistant coach for the past two seasons, while Langley wrestled for Heelan as a freshman and sophomore before transferring to another high school school.

    Pugh and Langley replace Scot Davis, the nation's winningest high school wrestling coach, who announced in mid-August that he had accepted the head coaching job at Westwood High School in Sloan, Iowa, about a dozen miles south of Sioux City. Davis had headed up the Heelan wrestling program for one season. Prior to Davis' arrival, Pete DiPol was head coach of the Crusaders for one season.

    Although the Heelan mat program tallied a 29 victories in 2016-17 -- a single-season record for the school -- a primary concern was maintaining winning momentum in the face of having the third coaching change in as many seasons… a concern expressed by Heelan's athletic director.

    "I've had the occasion to speak with a significant number of student-athletes, parents and Heelan wrestling supporters who repeatedly emphasized the importance of stability in a program that has seen a bit too much turnover recently at the head coach level," Heelan AD Jason Pratt told the Sioux City Journal. "Matt and Jordan are both experienced coaches with a passion for the sport and a commitment to Heelan and its wrestlers. With the two of them at the helm, I am convinced that they will continue to build upon the significant progress our wrestling team has made over the last couple of seasons."

    Heelan's two new head coaches have deep roots within Iowa wrestling.

    Pugh, who is a native of Columbus Junction, Iowa, wrestled collegiately at Coe College in Cedar Rapids.

    After two seasons wrestling at Heelan, Langley transferred to Sergeant Bluff-Luton where he placed eighth in the state as a junior at 145 pounds. Langley went on to wrestle for Morningside College where he finished as an NAIA All-American placing seventh at 157 pounds his senior year.

    The past three seasons, Langley has served as the coach of the Sergeant Bluff youth wrestling program which finished last season with seven AAU state finalists and crowned three individual state champions. In addition to his duties at Heelan, Langley will also take over the Western States PRIDE youth wrestling program for young athletes in kindergarten through eighth grade.

    Bishop Heelan is a private, Catholic co-ed high school serving grades 9-12 in Sioux City on the Iowa-Nebraska border.]]>    83183Mon, 09 Oct 2017 06:25:07 +0000    Oklahoma high school wrestler dies at homehttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/oklahoma-high-school-wrestler-dies-at-home-r83174/
    Alex Morgan
    The Oklahoman newspaper reported Wednesday on the death of Alex Morgan, 17, was a two-year starting wrestler at Putnam City West High School in metropolitan Oklahoma City.

    The GoFundMe page was established to help Morgan's family with funeral expenses.

    News of his death was posted on the Putnam City West Patriot Wrestling Facebook page on Wednesday.

    "It is with great sadness, that we say goodbye to one of our own. Alex Morgan a two-year starter who was about to start his junior year passed away this past weekend. He will be missed and never forgotten by his wrestling family. Our condolences go out to his wonderful family. He was loved by all who knew him. He represented Patriot wrestling well always. We will miss you."

    The school has not revealed a cause of death.

    "Out of respect to the family we don't have a cause yet," said Jeff Hock, Putnam West's athletic director. "I can tell you that we did have a young man pass away over the weekend. Other than that, I don't have any details at this time.

    "Everything is being held closely to the family. Even my wrestling coach doesn't have any of the details."

    There was no explanation provided at the Putnam West wrestling program's Facebook page, nor at the school's official website.

    Despite the mystery surrounding the cause of death of the junior-class wrestler, Morgan's passing has hit the school hard.

    "It's certainly shaken us at the core," Hock told The Oklahoman. "We lost a teacher a week into the school year, so anytime you're dealing with a loss … we consider each other family -- students, faculty, coaches, administrators. We spend in many cases more time with each other this year than our families. It's difficult. As a father of two young boys it's difficult to process."

    According to the GoFundMe page, Alexander Nicholas Morgan was born August 10, 2000. The son of David and Sherrie Morgan was early in his junior year at Putnam City West High. "His teammates and coaches were a second family to him," according to the GoFundMe posting.

    Putnam City West High School is located in the northwest portion of the metropolitan area of Oklahoma's state capital. Established in 1968, Putnam West has a total enrollment of approximately 1,500 students. The wrestling team and all other sports teams are the Patriots.]]>    83174Thu, 05 Oct 2017 20:44:23 +0000    High school programs on brink of national prominencehttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/high-school-programs-on-brink-of-national-prominence-r83156/
    Since there is for sure to be turnover in the rankings, let's take a look at ten of the teams that could provide a degree of "newness" to the national team rankings.

    Christian Brothers College, Mo.

    This is a top-heavy squad that features some high-impact wrestlers, though their balance -- one through fourteen -- is a question mark. The Cadets will be anchored by returning state champions Malik Johnson, Joshua Saunders, and Emille Shannon; all of whom are elite wrestlers within their respective grade levels nationally.

    Additional high impact wrestlers include nationally elite freshman Vincent Zerban and returning state runner-up Cevion Severado, a Junior World runner-up in Greco-Roman. Returning state placer Kyle Prewitt along with upper-weight state qualifiers Charlie Cadell and Faze Thomas provide additional breadth for the Cadets.

    Columbia, Idaho

    This past season, the Wildcats took back supremacy in Idaho's big school division from Post Falls, who ended the 2015-16 season as a nationally ranked team. Headed into 2017-18, Columbia will return four of their five state champions from last season: Angel Rios, Kekana Fouret, Kade Grigsby, and Nathan Clements. Five additional state placers from last year will be on this year's Wildcats squad: fourth place finisher Michael Scott; fifth place finishers Levi Cluff, Michael Cox, and Skylar Hughes; along with sixth place finisher Daniel Ivko.

    Davison, Mich.

    One has to go back more than ten years to see the peak of the Cardinals wrestling program under Roy Hall when a quartet of future NCAA qualifiers were assembled on the same team: Paul Donahoe, Brent Metcalf, Trevor Perry, and Jon Reader. Even with that the case, they've been a high-level contender for state titles over the subsequent years, and have ended a pair of recent seasons ranked nationally (2012-13 and 2013-14).

    This year's team returns ten state qualifiers, and an eleventh with state tournament experience. Davison will be led by returning state champion A.J. Facundo, returning state third place finishers Andrew Chambal and Brian Case, along with freshman phenom Alex Facundo. Additional returning state placers include Steven Garty, Jaron Wilson, Cal Stefanko, and Brian Gilmore; returning state qualifiers include Marc Shaeffer, Jay Nivison, and Trevor McGowan; while Gabe Ellis qualified for state in 2016.

    Nicolas Aguilar is the nation's No. 90 senior recruit (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

    Gilroy, Calif.

    While the Mustangs have been ranked at various points over recent seasons, they have never ended a season as a nationally ranked team. This year's squad is positioned to make that change. Three top 100 seniors -- Nicolas Aguilar, Alex Felix, and Tony Andrade -- anchor the lineup, while Joseph Barnes is a returning state place finisher and Juan Villarreal placed at state in 2016. Additional returning state qualifiers include Chase Saldate, Daniel Viczarra, John Fox, Nathan Villarreal, and Nicholas Villarreal; with Joseph Delgado having qualified for state the two previous seasons.

    Howell, N.J.

    This program on the rise has advanced to the state final four in three of the last four years, including this past season's state dual meet title. The Rebels won the Shore Conference Tournament (dual meet format) this past season for the second time in four years; and on the individual side of things repeated as district champions, a fifth title in six years. Headed into this season, they return a pair of state medalists in state runner-up Kyle Slendorn and Darby Diedrich; Slendorn is a top 100 overall senior nationally. Five others advanced to state last year: Luke Roda, Daniel Esposito, Xavier Kelly, Christian Murphy, and Shane Reitsma.

    LaSalle, Ohio (Cincinnati)

    The Lancers made their names known nationally in late January of last season when they upset St. Edward in a dual meet up in the Cleveland area, even though the Eagles had a short-handed lineup. They cracked the national rankings after advancing to the state dual meet quarterfinals, but dropped out of the rankings after a somewhat disappointing ninth place finish at the individual state tournament.

    Ryan Root moves over from Mason, who was nationally ranked last season, to take over for Avery Zerkle as head coach. This year's squad will be anchored by two-time state placer Lucas Byrd, a Cadet World team participant in Greco-Roman. Five other wrestlers return with state experience: state placers Blake Wilson and Garrett Bledsoe along with state qualifiers Antoine Allen, Trey Sizemore, and Michael Baker; another pair of wrestlers to watch are Cadet freestyle All-American Dustin Norris and Flo Nationals placer Elan Heard.

    Parkersburg South, W.Va.

    Those around the Patriots wrestling program thought last season would be the year that national rankings contention became reality. However, that was not to be as early season injuries put that out of the question. While three state champions were lost to graduation, this team brings in two star wrestlers that were not part of the state championship team last year: two-time Cadet double champion Braxton Amos (injured last year) and three-time state champion Josh Humphreys (transfer in).

    Two of last year's five state champions return for the Patriots, Luke Martin (a two-time champ) and Mikey Shamblin. Three additional state runners-up from last year return: Brayden Roberts, Zane Hinzman, and Louden Haga. Additional returning state medalists are Tucker Windland, Ian Irizarry, and Drew Dunbar; while state qualifier Jarritt Flinn placed at state in 2016.

    Portage, Ind.

    The Indians started the 2016-17 season as a nationally ranked team, but dropped out within the season's first month. This year's team led by head coach Leroy Vega features four returning state placers, led by Kris Rumph and Kasper McIntosh, who have state finals appearances to their credit; while Brock Peele and Colin Poynter placed fourth this past season. Jacob Moran placed at state in 2016, but was ineligible this past season; while Jeremy Torres and Anthony Maceo are upper-weights who qualified for state last season.

    Simley head wrestling coach Will Short at Minnesota's state tournament (Photo/Mary Christen, The Guillotine)

    Simley, Minn.

    Before Kasson-Mantorville won Class 2A state the last two seasons, the Spartans were on a run of seven state titles in eight seasons. Simley also was a nationally ranked team at the end of the 2011, 2012, and 2013 seasons. Anchoring this year's squad are three returning state champions, Jake Gliva, Anthony Jackson, and Daniel Kerkvliet; Gliva is a top 100 senior, while Jackson and Kerkvliet are inside the top ten nationally in the junior class.

    Another pair of Spartans return as state placers, incoming freshmen Cael Berg and Ryan Sokol; Sokol is the No. 2 overall Class of 2021 wrestler nationally. Four others were state qualifiers last year: Luis Fierro and Quayin Short, along with upper-weights Brad Dohmen and Luke Zaiser; while Anthony Dawson was a state qualifier in 2015 and 2016.

    South Dade, Fla.

    The Buccaneers are one of the best programs in the Southeastern United States, but have just ended one of the last seven seasons ranked nationally, No. 35 in the 2015. This past season marked a fourth straight state title, and 12th in all for the perennial power. Leading this year's squad are returning state champions Bretli Reyna and Brevin Balmeceda, who is a top ten overall junior nationally. Five other wrestlers return as state placement finishers: runner-up Todd Perry, fourth place finisher Mikaelle Fundara, fifth place finishers Christian Morales and Corey Harvey, along with sixth placer Tyler Orta-Khawly.]]>    83156Wed, 27 Sep 2017 13:13:21 +0000    James Mohney, oldest Pennsylvania high school mat champ, passeshttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/james-mohney-oldest-pennsylvania-high-school-mat-champ-passes-r82966/
    James Mohney
    Mohney went on to win a conference title for Penn State, and later crafted a long teaching and coaching career in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

    James D. Mohney was born March 1, 1925 in Clearfield, Pa. It was there he launched his decades-long career in wrestling as a competitor and coach. At Clearfield High School in north-central Pennsylvania, Mohney wrestled for legendary head coach Art Weiss, where he was a two-time District champion and twice a state champ, winning the 85-pound crown at the 1941 and 1942 PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) state finals.

    In an interview four years ago with WeAreCentralPa.com, the then-88-year-old Mohney recounted his come-from-behind victory to grab his first state title.

    "I had nine seconds to go and I was two points behind," Mohney recalled. "And I got my favorite takedown. And we went into overtime. I just was able to dominate those two periods."
    Mohney compiled a 31-3 record as a Bison. He graduated from Clearfield in 1942.

    During World War II, Mohney served with the US Army Air Corps, completing 35 combat missions in the South Pacific as an Engineer Gunner.

    At the end of the war, Mohney then enrolled at Penn State. As a Nittany Lion, he won an EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) conference title in 1947, and qualified for the 1947 NCAA championships. He also wrestled at numerous AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) and YMCA events. Mohney graduated from Penn State in 1950.

    Mohney began his teaching career in Pennsylvania at Tyrone High School where he also served as the wrestling coach. After nine years, he moved to Long Branch, NJ where he taught for 19 years. At Long Branch, he started the wrestling program and was admitted to the NJ Shore Conference Coaching Hall of Fame. Mohney then moved back to Clearfield and was a teacher and became Vice Principal at Clearfield High School until his retirement in 1987. Throughout his coaching career, Mohney also served as a wrestling official for twenty-five years on both the high school and collegiate levels.

    Mohney has been welcomed into a number of Halls of Fame. He was admitted to the Clearfield Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame along with being a member of the Pa. Coaching Hall of Fame, Pa. District 9 Coaching Hall of Fame, Tyrone Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Penn State University Hall of Fame.

    Mohney is survived by his wife of nearly 67 years, Betty Lou; four children; eleven grandchildren; and fifteen great grandchildren, as well as a brother and a sister.

    Visitation will take place at the Kevin A. Beardsley Funeral Home in Clearfield on Saturday from 1-3 p.m. with the funeral service taking place at 3 p.m. with Mr. Gary V. Mohney, son, officiating. Interment will be in the Crown Crest Memorial Park, Hyde at a later date, to be determined by the immediate family.

    Military honors will be accorded at the funeral home by the Honor Guard detail from Andrews Air Force Base.

    In lieu of flowers the family suggests that memorial contributions be made to Clearfield Wrestling Club, PO Box 30, Clearfield, PA 16830.

    To sign the on-line guest book go to www.beardsleyfuneralhome.com.]]>    82966Thu, 21 Sep 2017 17:53:32 +0000    High school builds on wrestling program, brick by brickhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/high-school-builds-on-wrestling-program-brick-by-brick-r83099/
    Former Absegami High School athletes are seeking to create a 75-foot concrete walkway from the auxiliary gym that will be bordered by 200 bricks that can carry the engravings of Braves sports fans.

    "The sale of historic, personalized engraving bricks will raise money for the wrestling program," Frank Rudisill, a member of the Absegami Class of 1979 and former athlete, told the Shore News Today.

    The bricks will be personally and permanently engraved to suit the wishes of Braves fans for a $50 fee, according to Rudisill, raising a total of $10,000 for Absegami wrestling.

    The 200 paving bricks will serve as a decorative border for the 10-foot-wide concrete walkway which will link the school's auxiliary gym to the parking lot, replacing a dirt path that's dusty when dry, muddy and slippery when wet… and an eyesore no matter the weather.

    Absegami Athletic Director and Class of 1987 alum Steve Fortis suggested the walkway project to Rudisill as a fundraiser for the wrestling program.

    The idea received the backing of Absegami wrestling coach and the Braves' 1996 state wrestling champion Shawn Scannell, along with wrestling Booster Club President and 1987 Region 8 wrestling champion Joe Martin.

    "This is a historic opportunity for Braves fans," according to Frank Rudisill. "Never before has anything been done on campus that will allow people to permanently mark achievements by past Absegami teams, honor current and past Braves, memorialize lost Braves or just leave a positive message about anything they wish."

    He added the brick owners will finance the project, raise money for the wrestling team and make capital improvements, all without burdening the taxpayers, he said.
    "The path will guide Braves athletes to and from practice and, depending on the sport, out to games," Rudisill said.

    Wrestling coach Scannell weighed in on the significance of the fundraising project.

    "This is all happening because we have people who care," said Scannell. "We have people who care about Absegami wrestling and the Absegami community as a whole. This is how you win. This is how you succeed. We have people who have come together here for a common purpose."

    Order forms for the Path to Excellence bricks are found on Facebook at Absegami Wrestling Fan and Booster Club and on Twitter @gamiwrestling.]]>    83099Thu, 07 Sep 2017 19:00:23 +0000    Services for former Pennsylvania high school coach Leymanhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/services-for-former-pennsylvania-high-school-coach-leyman-r83086/
    Visitation for the former North Star coach and superintendent will take place Wednesday, Sept. 6 at Hoffman Funeral Home, 409 Main Street, Boswell, Penn. from 2-8 p.m., with a vigil for the deceased at 2 p.m. that day. Funeral Mass will take place Thursday at 10 a.m. at All Saints Church in Boswell, with Rev. Fr. John Voytek as celebrant.

    Dennis P. Leyman started as an assistant wrestling coach at North Star High under Marshall Policicchio, Leyman became the head coach in 1982, a position he held until 2000. His teams went 162-100-4 in dual meets and won four District 5 championships. As Cougar head coach, Leyman had two wrestlers earn individual PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) wrestling titles: Gary Kaltenbaugh in 1983 and Kyle Szewczyk in 1997.

    One of his Leyman's state champs weighed in on his coaching style.

    "He would get the most out of anyone," Szewczyk told Eric Knopsnyder of the Tribune-Democrat. "He could maximize someone's potential, regardless of what that potential was. If it was to be a one-time regional qualifier or a state champion, he made sure you got there."

    The current Waynesburg Central assistant coach added, "He was authoritative every day. He was intense. Practice was extremely organized, and he was very old school. There was no messing around. What he said was rule."

    "He was one of the (North Star) coaches, along with Marsh Policicchio, that set the standard," said Tim Rosa, the Cougars current head coach. "They set the standard for what we are trying to achieve. He is in the hall of fame as a coach. He really continued that North Star tradition and is one of the guys that I look up to as a coach."

    "My observation was that Dennis was a quiet, no-nonsense kind of guy who always got the most out of his talent," said Pennsylvania wrestling writer Tom Elling. "He coached in District 5, which produced many great coaches including Ed Clark, Rod Hoover, Bill Creps, to name a few. He was well-respected across the state."

    For those reasons, Leyman was named the state's Class AA coach of the year in 1990 and was inducted into the District 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2015.

    Born March 30, 1952 in Bridgeston, N.J., Leyman went to Bridgeston High School and then to Glassboro State College in New Jersey. He then came to southwest Pennsylvania in 1977 to teach industrial arts. Leyman later became principal at North Star Middle School while continuing to coach wrestling at the high school. In 2002, he became superintendent of the district located in Somerset County in southwest Pennsylvania until his retirement in 2010.

    Leyman is survived by his wife of 28 years, Martha; three sons; and ten grandchildren.]]>    83086Sun, 03 Sep 2017 04:54:25 +0000    Services for New York high school wrestler killed in rolloverhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/services-for-new-york-high-school-wrestler-killed-in-rollover-r83058/
    Johnny Fiebelkorn
    A funeral service for Johnathan R. "Johnny" Fiebelkorn will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday in the Ross Funeral Home, 10 Eckerson Ave., Akron, N.Y.

    Fiebelkorn was just starting his senior year at Akron Central High School just east of Buffalo, where was continuing as Tiger wrestling team captain.

    Johnny Fiebelkorn had been a rear passenger in a vehicle being driven by his older brother Matt Fiebelkorn at 1 a.m. Saturday. The Buffalo News reported that the vehicle hit a set of railroad tracks and rolled over, causing the unbelted wrestler to be partially ejected from the rear window. He reportedly died at the scene. The other two occupants – his brother, and a cousin -- survived the crash without serious injuries.

    Fiebelkorn's coach since the seventh grade, Danny Klonowski, said Johnny held records for most wrestling wins at the school and still had his senior year ahead of him. He also had been to the wrestling state tournaments three times, had been voted most valuable wrestler on the team in his junior year and had been the captain for four years.

    "This was going to be our best season in the history of the school. He was by far our most accomplished and best wrestler, but it was not just his wrestling," said Klonoski. "He really had the character you'd want your son to have."

    In addition to wrestling, Johnny Fiebelkorn had been captain of the football team, a Student Council member and a member of the 2015 Homecoming Court. He also enjoyed four-wheeling and deer hunting.

    Counselors will be available Monday and Tuesday at Akron Central High for classmates, family and friends.]]>    83058Mon, 28 Aug 2017 12:40:04 +0000    Nation's winningest high school wrestling coach Davis takes over Westwood programhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/nations-winningest-high-school-wrestling-coach-davis-takes-over-westwood-program-r83029/Sioux City Journal reported Thursday.

    Scot Davis
    Davis, 66, who had coached high school and college wrestling in Minnesota and Montana, takes the Westwood job after coaching at Bishop Heelan in Sioux City, Iowa for one year.

    "I really appreciate the people at Heelan and made many friendships there," Davis said of his previous assignment at the Catholic school in Sioux City, where he helped Heelan establish a new school record for dual wins in a season in his lone campaign at 29-6. The old record was 26 victories set the prior season.

    However, Davis expressed some frustration, saying, "There was some disappointments with coaches I wanted to hire and people I wanted to get there and it wasn't (Heelan's) fault but it just didn't work out.”

    Davis welcomes the challenge awaiting him at Westwood High.

    "This is a great opportunity at this small town that has a program that is already successful. Talking with their coaching staff and athletic director there is nothing but positives there and they have 40 kids out in grades nine through 12."

    Westwood High is located in Sloan, Iowa, a town of less than 1,000 residents about a dozen miles south of Sioux City.

    Davis previously had a 25-year coaching tenure at the high school in Owatonna, Minnesota, before stops at Kalispell, Montana and Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

    "Some of the best times I have had have been as a small school in a little town," Davis said. "I have been a college coach, I have coached at a school of 3,000, but some of my best memories are at a small school."]]>    83029Thu, 17 Aug 2017 20:39:05 +0000    Two-time Olympian Foy new coach at Leo High Schoolhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/two-time-olympian-foy-new-coach-at-leo-high-school-r83021/Beverly Review reported Tuesday.

    Foy will take the helm of the Lions wrestling program, replacing former head coach Mike Anderson, who will remain on staff as an assistant coach.

    Michial Foy and Mike Anderson
    The 55-year-old Foy represented the United States in Greco-Roman competition at 96 kilograms/198 pounds at back-to-back Olympics, first at the 1988 Games in Seoul where he did not place… then, four years later, where he placed sixth as captain of the U.S. Greco-Roman team at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.

    In addition to the Olympics, Foy earned a gold medal in Pan-American Games competition, and was a silver medalist at the World championships, both in 1989. The Chicago area native also won five U.S. national championships, a bronze medal in the 1990 World Cup and a fifth-place finish at the 1994 World championships, all in Greco-Roman.

    Prior to launching his international mat career, Foy wrestled collegiately at the University of Minnesota.

    In addition to his experience as a wrestler, Foy brings coaching expertise to his new position at Leo. Foy served as an assistant coach at Minnesota; more recently he worked at Crete-Monee High School as a volunteer coach with his sons, James and Michial Jr., as they competed in the program.

    Foy discovered the sport in high school. He originally planned to play basketball but decided to check out the school's wrestling room where his brother competed.

    "Wrestling saved me," Foy told the Beverly Review. "I was able to travel all over the world and get my education, and it was all through wrestling. As a coach, I want to give that back to the community and the student-athletes at Leo. I want to help them develop like I did."

    The Leo wrestling program was revived three years ago after a lengthy absence. In its short time back, the Lions program saw heavyweight James Britten Jr. qualify for state in 2015. The following season, Leroy Henry reached the sectional finals in 2016.

    Leo High School is a four-year, all-male Catholic school located in southwestern Chicago. The school, which celebrated its 90th year last year, has approximately 200 students.]]>    83021Wed, 16 Aug 2017 07:13:06 +0000    Ex-PSU coach Sunderland leaves high school coaching jobhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/ex-psu-coach-sunderland-leaves-high-school-coaching-job-r82963/Troy Sunderland
    Former Penn State head wrestling coach Troy Sunderland has handed in his resignation as coach at Manheim Central High School after eight seasons.

    Sunderland came to the school located in Lancaster County in southeastern Pennsylvania after having left the helm of the Nittany Lions mat program at the end of the 2008-09 season. He was replaced by Cael Sanderson, who earlier this week signed a multi-year contract to continue his successful career at Penn State.

    Under Sunderland, the Barons captured two L-L Section Two crowns -- the second coming just last season -- and went a combined 41-11 in the league and 67-52 overall.
    The shift from collegiate to high school coaching seemed to suit Sunderland, according to his boss at Manheim Central.

    "Sunderland wanted to escape the hype up there and get down to this level," athletic director George Derbyshire told LancasterOnline.com. "He was good at it. He was really good with the kids. You could tell he was refreshed by being part of Manheim Central as compared to being in the Big Ten."

    Meanwhile, Derbyshire needs to find a wrestling coach.

    "We're not going to rush in the hiring process," said the Manheim Central AD. "We won't get into that until after the school year starts. You won't hear anything at least until September."
    Troy Sunderland has deep wrestling roots in the Keystone State.

    A two-time PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) champion at Mount Union High School, Sunderland became a three-time All-American and two-time NCAA runner-up wrestler for Penn State, winning 100 individual matches. A 1993 Penn State grad, Sunderland coached the Nittany Lions to a 115-90-2 dual meet record and directed four top-10 finishes at the NCAA Division I championships before leaving Happy Valley in 2009.

    What's next for Sunderland?

    He's not saying. However, he has two daughters who run track at Manheim Central, and a wife who is a teacher in a nearby school.]]>    82963Fri, 28 Jul 2017 13:48:35 +0000    Kansas high school wrestler Tanner Asper killed in truck crashhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/kansas-high-school-wrestler-tanner-asper-killed-in-truck-crash-r82936/
    Asper, a rising junior at Chaparral High School, was a passenger in a pickup truck that rolled over late Sunday night, July 9 about 15 miles southeast of Anthony, Kan., one hour south of Wichita, near the Kansas-Oklahoma border. Asper was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene. No charges were filed against the driver, who was not injured.

    Harper County undersheriff Tom Burns described the crash as "just a tragic accident."

    Asper wrestled at 145 pounds for Chaparral. He compiled a 34-12 record this past season. In addition, Asper played football and baseball.

    "Dedicated, hard- working and driven are all words that describe how passionate Tanner was about anything he did,” according to the obituary for Tanner Andrew Asper Angle in the Anthony Republican-News. "He was involved in wrestling, football, and baseball. His dream was to go to OSU [Oklahoma State] for D1 wrestling and become a national champion. He was proud to be a state qualifier for Kids Club 6 years in a row. While in high school he earned a trip to state both his freshman and sophomore year. He was loved by all of his coaches and teammates and always jumped, screamed and yelled for his teammates to do their best. No other wrestler could run the spladel and banana split like Tanner could. Most wrestlers knew that it was coming. Tanner was working very hard this summer to get his weight up to 165 pounds and was ready to pound someone on the field this week at camp."

    "He left an impact because he was so good to so many kids," head football coach Justin Burke told Wichita's KAKE-TV. "He was just a good kid to pick people up around him."

    Funeral services have already been held. Memorials may be given in Tanner's memory to the Tanner Asper Memorial Fund and mailed to Prairie Rose Funeral Homes, 602 E. Main, Anthony, KS 67003.]]>    82936Wed, 19 Jul 2017 19:56:24 +0000    Pennsylvania high school coach Chris Bentley dead at 46https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/pennsylvania-high-school-coach-chris-bentley-dead-at-46-r82916/
    Chris Bentley (Photo/Sean Simmers, PennLive)
    According to the school's athletic director, Gary Bricker, Bentley was at work at Clarks America when he collapsed and could not be resuscitated. Bricker told PennLive.com cause of death appears to have been a heart attack.

    "He was a wonderful individual and outstanding leader to our program, and he was a great role model to our kids," Bricker told The Sentinel.

    "Coach Bentley was a much loved and respected husband, father, friend, and coach to everyone who knew him," Trinity principal John Cominsky said in an email to the school community. "He was a man of deep faith."

    Bentley is survived by his wife Lara, and two sons, Devin and Caleb, both who wrestled for their father at Trinity.

    Bentley played football and wrestled in high school and college. He was named head coach of the Trinity Shamrocks just weeks before the start of their inaugural season in 2010-11. Although that first season was a bit of struggle for the team -- having compiled a 0-3 record -- there were high points for Trinity throughout Bentley's coaching career. That first season, Adam Geiger won the program' first District 3 Class AA individual championship. One year later, Ryan Diehl claimed the Shamrock's first individual Pennsylvania state title.

    Bentley's influence spread beyond Trinity.

    "He was a great coach and I think that's how a lot of people will remember him, as a coach, but I think it's also equally important to remember that he was a father and a husband and I ultimately feel for those people that were left behind," said Dave Heckard, Cumberland Valley wrestling coach. "I feel for us and the wrestling community, who are a close group and a tight knit bunch."

    "Coach Chris was much more than a wrestling coach," according to Cole Forrester, Shippensburg rising senior and wrestler. "He was a mentor and hero to me and many other wrestlers who got to wrestle under him. For my freshman year at Trinity, he took me under his wing and treated me like a son. Coach was truly invested in all of his athletes and the sport. I can't thank him enough for all he has done for me and for help shaping me into the man I am today."

    Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.]]>    82916Fri, 14 Jul 2017 14:55:28 +0000    Iowa high school wrestler Logan Luft dies in ATV accidenthttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/iowa-high-school-wrestler-logan-luft-dies-in-atv-accident-r82868/
    Logan Luft
    As a designated organ donor, Luft was kept on life support at Mayo Clinic-St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, Minn. until Friday as his recipients were being chosen.

    "We know that God has a plan and has had a plan for him his whole life but maybe, just maybe, he has another plan for somebody else," Logan's mother Wendy Luft told KAAL-TV.

    In an interview with the Des Moines Register, Wendy Luft described the two passions that defined her eldest son: fishing and wrestling. She added that Logan was incredibly committed to everything from wrestling to school, saying, "He was a very dedicated person."

    In that same newspaper, Heath Grimm, head wrestling coach at Upper Iowa University and family friend of the Lufts, used the words "smile," "determination" and "energy" as major aspects of Logan Luft that he will remember, describing him as a wrestler who was "second to none."

    Logan Luft was a top-flight wrestler, as demonstrated by this post to his Facebook page on May 11: "Last weekend I qualified to represent the state of Iowa at Fargo Nationals and Cadet duals in Pennsylvania. Would you be willing to support me on my trip? I'm selling raffle tickets for either cash prize or an all-inclusive trip to Mexico. Thank you for your support!!"

    The Facebook page for IAWrestle.com -- a website that covers the sport within the state of Iowa -- featured this tribute: "We are incredibly saddened to hear about the passing of young wrestler Logan Luft who would have been a freshman next season at Charles City. He was a very good wrestler and by all accounts an even better young man! Gone too soon but not forgotten."

    The citizens of Charles City paid tribute to Logan Luft with a twilight vigil which concluded with the lighting of a Chinese lantern.

    The wrestling community plans to honor Logan with a "Funk, Flash and Throws" benefit wrestling camp to be held Monday, July 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the West Gym at University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. The already-scheduled camp promises that "every dime" will go to the Luft family. Online registration is available.

    Update 07/10/17

    The Mason City (Iowa) Globe-Gazette reported Monday that five individuals have received organs from Logan Luft. Others will benefit from tissue donations in the future.

    A visitation for Logan Christian Luft will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 at the new Charles City Middle School competition gym. The Celebration of Life service will take place immediately following the visitation at 2 p.m. Burial will follow at Riverside Cemetery. Everyone is welcome for a celebration of Logan's life with fellowship and food at the Enrichment Center at the Floyd County Fairgrounds following the burial.

    Online condolences may be left for the family at www.hauserfh.com.]]>    82868Sat, 08 Jul 2017 18:14:42 +0000    Services for Ohio high school wrestler Chipper Grogghttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/services-for-ohio-high-school-wrestler-chipper-grogg-r82867/
    William "Chipper" Grogg
    Visitation will take place Sunday, July 9, 2017 from 1-3 p.m. in the Kreighbaum-Sanders Funeral Home on South Cleveland Ave. in Canton, Ohio.

    Grogg was a passenger in a car that crashed on State Route 171 in Carroll County, Ohio, according to the Canton Repository.

    William G. "Chipper" Grogg II was born May 26, 2002 in Canton, Ohio. He was about to start his junior year at Sandy Valley High where he played football and wrestled.

    "We're gonna miss him," said Sandy Valley Superintendent David Fischer. "Whether you saw him out there wrestling ... or as No. 35 on the football field, he's going to be missed."

    The Sandy Valley wrestling team posted this message on its Facebook page:

    "I sorrowfully report that one of our brothers has passed. SV Wrestler and Football player Chipper Grogg passed away last evening due to injuries sustained from a car accident. Our program sends out prayers and condolences to all of his family and friends. Chipper will be dearly missed by everyone in our program. I cannot explain how unique of an individual he was. Everyone knew Chipper and Everyone loved Chipper. He had a huge heart and if you are one of the individuals to experience knowing Chipper you are very lucky. The SV Wrestling Community loves you to the fullest and you will never be forgotten. REST IN PEACE CHIPPER GROGG!!!!"

    A GoFundMe page has been established to help the Grogg family with funeral expenses for their son.]]>    82867Sat, 08 Jul 2017 17:24:52 +0000    One school district, seven new high school wrestling programshttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/one-school-district-seven-new-high-school-wrestling-programs-r82847/
    When one public school district brings the oldest and greatest sport to at all seven of its high schools, that's something to celebrate.

    The only thing that could make that kind of news even bigger? When that school district is in South Carolina, not necessary on most wrestling fans' lists of the nation's "high school wrestling hotbeds."

    The great news worth celebrating is from South Carolina's Aiken County Public Schools, a 25,000-student district located in the southern part of the state, along the South Carolina-Georgia border. (In fact, the nearest big city to Aiken County is Augusta, Ga.)

    Aiken County was the fourth-largest in South Carolina not to have wrestling. Until now.

    The rollout of wrestling at Aiken County's seven public high schools is taking place over a two-year period. The wrestling programs at four high schools just completed their first season; the remaining three schools will have wrestling for the first time this fall.

    Sean Alford
    The effort has been driven by Aiken County Schools Superintendent Dr. Sean Alford, who made sure all seven programs had a brand-new wrestling mat as well as home and away singlets at the beginning of the 2016-17 school year.

    Alford believes in wrestling. He coached youth wrestling. Two of his sons wrestled in high school (in another district) and went on to post-secondary mat careers -- one at The Citadel, the other, A.J., currently wrestling at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

    "They were lucky to gain the core principles that wrestling offers to its participants," Alford told InterMat.

    "Aiken County has a great tradition of producing athletes in various sports, some who have had success in pro sports," Alford continued.

    "When I came here, I was surprised, given the track record of sports success, that this district did not have wrestling in its high schools."

    Why a two-year plan to bring wrestling to Aiken County's seven high schools, rather than launching all the programs in a single season?

    "I wanted to make sure to get these programs off to a solid start," said Alford. "It was the most cost-efficient way to do this."

    "The first four to get wrestling were the largest schools in the district. They are located near each other. Their athletic programs compete in the same class."

    One of Aiken County's first four wrestling programs is at Midland Valley, a 1,500-student high school. Its head wrestling coach is Kevin Emily, a South Carolina native who grew up in one of the hottest of the wrestling hotbed states, Iowa ... in Waterloo, Iowa, to be exact, Dan Gable's hometown. In fact, Emily coached at Waterloo West High, Gable's prep alma mater.

    Coach Emily describes Midland Valley High students and the surrounding community as being "hard-working, blue collar." The school has been successful in sports, especially basketball and football; "a lot of kids around here go play football in the SEC (Southeast Conference) and on to the NFL," according to Emily.

    Given that hard-working background and passion for excellence in sports, Kevin Emily thought that wrestling would appeal to local athletes, their parents, and the community.

    "No other sport can teach you what wrestling does. None," Emily told the Aiken (S.C.) Standard. "This is the toughest sport in the world. The toughest athletes, the hardest working athletes at any school are the wrestlers. Hands down."

    "We started out this summer with four guys," Kevin Emily said to the Augusta Chronicle in mid-November 2016, just as the Midland Valley program was getting started. "The four seniors, as soon as I got here, they were waiting on me. They were calling me. The second day I got here, we practiced. Bit by bit, it started growing."

    The Midland Valley Mustangs first-year wrestling team quickly galloped to double-digit participation numbers.

    Another one of the first four Aiken County high schools to have wrestling last fall was North Augusta. Its mat program is headed up by Matt Franklin.

    "I think being a part of the first wrestling program in North Augusta is big to these kids," Franklin told the Augusta Chronicle. "Our motto is, 'The tradition starts today with you.' North Augusta is based on tradition. You want to set a good example, and I think that's what motivates them to show up every day."

    Midland Valley's Kevin Emily echoes that sentiment. Although he recently coached at Iowa's Waterloo West -- truly a legacy program with a long, rich history of on-the-mat success -- this was the first time he launched a new wrestling program from scratch.

    "Most of the kids here had never wrestled a match in their lives, but were completely gung-ho," Emily told InterMat.

    "The kids are like sponges. They absorbed all the info."

    "There's none of that 'That's not the way we did it before' attitude here."

    So ... how did that first season go for Emily and his first-time wrestlers?

    "My team Midland Valley HS cracked the top 4A 20 rankings with kids who had never wrestled a day in their lives," Coach Emily told InterMat. "We got ranked 17th"

    "I had one kid, a junior, end up being ranked sixth in the state, beat a ranked wrestler, beat an eventual state place winner earlier in the season and Raekwon (Jackson) came one match from placing at state. All of that with less than three months of wrestling experience.

    "I know my kids think I'm crazy but they know I care about them."]]>    82847Wed, 28 Jun 2017 17:23:30 +0000    Sunday's ESPN E:60 to feature Wisconsin high school wrestler Anglinhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/sundays-espn-e60-to-feature-wisconsin-high-school-wrestler-anglin-r82833/
    The 13-minute, 40-second story, titled "Underdog," will be the feature segment on this Sunday's telecast of E:60, ESPN's premier newsmagazine, to be shown at 9 a.m. Eastern on the flagship ESPN channel.

    Here's how ESPN describes the feature:

    "On February 23, 2017, Zack Anglin, a high school senior wrestler from Bayfield County in Wisconsin, headed to the state wrestling tournament looking to be the first state champion from his school in more than 30 years. It would be the last chance for Zack to become a champion, someone who has been the underdog his entire life after being born without hands or feet and given up for adoption by his birth parents. The story is narrated by 2011 National Champion from Arizona State University Anthony Robles, who like Zack, had a chance to become a champion in his last match as a senior, and has more in common with Zack than meets the eye."

    Immediately after "Underdog" airs towards the end of the telecast, Robles and E:60 host Jeremy Schaap will have an on-air chat in the studio about Zack Anglin and his story.

    Zack Anglin
    Anglin was the subject of a Feb. 2016 InterMat story when Bayfield/Washburn's Zack Anglin -- then a junior -- faced Stratford's Macey Kilty in the 106-pound Division 3 semifinals match at the 2016 Wisconsin Individual State Wrestling Championships ... an epic-length bout (weighing in at 8 minutes, 30 seconds) that was described as "an epic thriller," generating media coverage well beyond the borders of America's Dairyland.

    "Underdog" feature producer Dan Lindberg was drawn to Anglin's story for a number of reasons.

    "I love wrestling," Lindberg told InterMat. "I grew up in Milwaukee. Our family would spend summer vacation in northern Wisconsin, where Zack and his family live."

    "I like finding stories about athletes in parts of the country that don't normally get covered."

    "In 2016 I saw a very brief clip online of Zack wrestling, and immediately thought I had to tell Zack's story."

    Lindberg, the staff producer for E:60, reached out to Zack and his family ... and, after some thoughtful consideration, gave the project a green light.

    "Zack wanted to tell his story, to help break barriers," said Lindberg. "I'm glad he and his family agreed to do it."

    A considerable amount of time and effort went into making "Underdog."

    "I approached Zack's mother in early 2016," said Lindberg. "She said she'd think about it, then said, 'Why don't you come to the state tournament to see him in action.'"

    "We kept our distance (at states), got some photos."

    "We really started talking about it with Zack and his mom in October 2016. I said, 'Why don't I come out and meet with you?'" Lindberg continued. "I flew to Minneapolis-St. Paul, then to Duluth (Minn.), then drove two hours to their home in the Northwoods of Wisconsin."

    In addition to filming Zack Anglin in the practice room and in action during a meet -- as well as incorporating interviews -- "Underdog" incorporates existing footage of Zack, including video of him wrestling in eighth grade.

    "There's so much we couldn't include," Lindberg admitted to InterMat. "I wish we could've added an additional ten minutes." (At just shy of 14 minutes in length, "Underdog" is the feature of this weekend's E:60 episode, and, therefore, the show's longest segment.)

    As for the title ...

    "After filming was complete, we realized that Zack referred to himself as an underdog," said Lindberg. "He said, 'The underdog is viewed as the person who's going to lose, and has everything to prove."

    What does producer Dan Lindberg hope viewers take away from "Underdog"?

    "This is not a story about winning and losing. Our goal is to emphasize who Zack is, on and off the mat."

    "People often look at him and see what's missing," Lindberg continued. "He sees himself for what he has."

    "He's a good person first, a good wrestler second."

    Want to know more about "Underdog"? Watch a brief trailer ... and a one-minute segment.

    Want to meet other wrestlers who might be labeled "handicapped" by some, yet overcame physical challenges to become winners on the mat, and beyond? Check out this InterMat feature which profiles, among others, NCAA champs and Olympic medalists ... even a Dan Hodge Trophy winner. https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/8826]]>    82833Fri, 23 Jun 2017 13:33:46 +0000    Ottinger to take helm at Parkland High Schoolhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/ottinger-to-take-helm-at-parkland-high-school-r82574/Mike Ottinger battles Te'Shan Campbell at the NCAAs in 2016 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    Mike Ottinger, two-time Mid-American Conference champ for Central Michigan University, is expected to be named wrestling coach at Parkland High School in Pennsylvania, the Express-Times reported at its LehighValleyLive.com website Monday.

    "Multiple sources have confirmed to LehighValleyLive.com that Mike Ottinger will be the new head wrestling coach at Parkland subject to school board approval," according to the website.

    Ottinger's name has been submitted for the position, pending approval at the board's next meeting June 20.

    It would be a homecoming for Ottinger, who won the PIAA 3A championship at 160 pounds for Parkland in 2011, his senior year.

    Ottinger would replace Ryan Nunamaker, his coach at Parkland, who announced in late March his retirement from coaching after 13 years.

    A 2016 graduate of Central Michigan, Ottinger built a successful career as a Chippewa. In addition to winning back-to-back MAC titles at 165 pounds in 2012 and 2013, Ottinger was a four-time NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships qualifier.]]>    82574Tue, 06 Jun 2017 16:32:23 +0000    Ohio high school wrestler with cerebral palsy named Presidential Scholarhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/ohio-high-school-wrestler-with-cerebral-palsy-named-presidential-scholar-r82729/
    Now the senior at St. Charles Preparatory School in suburban Columbus can add another accomplishment to his already impressive resume: being named a U.S. Presidential Scholar for 2017.

    Weaver is one of just 161 high school seniors nationwide selected for this award this year, and one of a handful in the state of Ohio.

    Of the 3.5 million students expected to graduate from high school this year, more than 5,100 candidates qualified for the 2017 awards determined by outstanding performance on the College Board SAT and ACT exams, or through nominations made by school officials or organizations.

    The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars selects honorees based on their academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership, and demonstrated commitment to high ideals.

    Weaver is the dictionary definition of "involved student." In addition to being on the St. Charles wrestling team -- where he was named "most inspiring" by his teammates this year -- the Westerville native is also on the school's cross-country squad. Weaver is also a member of National Honor Society, the engineering team, student council, and student newspaper. He also earned a 36 -- the highest possible score -- on the ACT. If that weren't enough, he also plays golf and ultimate Frisbee for fun.

    Weaver does all this, despite dealing with cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder caused by a non-progressive brain injury or malformation that occurs while the child's brain is under development, according to the official website for the disorder. Cerebral Palsy primarily affects body movement and muscle coordination.

    When asked by the Columbus Dispatch about the impact cerebral palsy has had on his academic and athletic success, Weaver said that hard work helped him overcome those challenges. "Not that I don't think other people work hard," Weaver said. "But I think I had to work much harder than other people to stay at the same level."

    Prior to entering high school, Weaver had participated in sports through local Special Olympics organizations. He wanted to continue in sports at St. Charles, but was concerned the prep school teams would be "too intense." However, Weaver said, "I'd made a lot of friends and it made me a lot more confident about sports."

    Weaver will be attending University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this fall.

    Weaver and the other 2017 honorees will be presented with the U.S. Presidential Scholar awards in Washington, D.C. in June.]]>    82729Tue, 23 May 2017 19:07:13 +0000    Services for ISU alum, high school coach Haizliphttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/services-for-isu-alum-high-school-coach-haizlip-r82681/
    Visitation will take place Wednesday, May 10 from 5-7 p.m. at Eastside Christian Church, 331 West Bennett Ave., Council Bluffs, Iowa. The funeral service will be Thursday at 11:00 a.m. at Eastside Christian Church.

    Beauford E. Haizlip was born in Loveland, Iowa in August 1933. He was a graduate of Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson High School, where, as a junior, he reached the Iowa state finals at 123 pounds. In the 1950s Haizlip wrestled at Iowa State before and after serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, but an injury cut short his career on the mat. He graduated from Iowa State with a bachelor's degree, then earned a Master's from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

    After graduating from ISU, Haizlip began his wrestling coaching at Colby, Kan. where he coached three state champions in two seasons. He then took the helm at Omaha South High School in 1960, replacing Mickey Sparano who had accepted the head coaching job at the Nebraska Cornhusker wrestling program.

    Haizlip guided the Omaha South Packers to state titles in 1962, 1963, 1966 and 1967. His record in 31 seasons was 233-72-2 with 21 state champion wrestlers.

    In addition to his coaching career, Haizlip served as president of the Nebraska Scholastic Wrestling Coaches Association, conducted rules clinics for the Nebraska School Activities Association and served on the national high school rules committee.

    "The early success of the NSWCA was largely due to Beau's contributions as a coach and mentor to our organization," said Norm Manstedt, the association's CEO.

    Haizlip was named the National High School Athletic Coaches Association's Region 6 coach of the year in 1985. He was inducted into the NSWCA, Metro Wrestling Coaches and Officials, South High Packer Greats and Omaha Public Schools Athletic Halls of Fame.

    When he received the Packer Greats honor, Haizlip said, "This honor is really a tribute to the many fine students and athletes I have had over the many years. I am especially proud of those who have gone on to be teachers, coaches, referees and in many ways followed in my footsteps. No one could ask for a better legacy than that."

    Haizlip is survived by his wife of 65 years, Barbara; a daughter, two sons, ten grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.]]>    82681Wed, 10 May 2017 21:05:44 +0000    What two-piece high school uniforms mean for wrestlinghttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/what-two-piece-high-school-uniforms-mean-for-wrestling-r82667/Wrestlers wore two-piece uniforms at Who's Number One (Photo/Juan Garcia)
    After nearly a half-century as being the one-and-only uniform in amateur wrestling, the singlet is about to get some competition, at least on the high school level, as the National Federation for State High School Associations has approved rule changes which will allow scholastic wrestlers the option to wear two-piece uniforms on the mat.

    The NFHS announced on Tuesday that its Wrestling Rules Committee approved the uniform option, which includes compression shorts or shorts designed for wrestling, and a form-fitted compression shirt. The new two-piece uniform will be legal for the 2017-18 season and beyond.

    What will the new two-piece uniform option to the traditional singlet -- the standard uniform for high school and collegiate wrestling in the U.S. since first gaining widespread use in the late 1960s and early 1970s -- mean for the sport overall?

    "The committee approved use of the alternate two-piece uniform in the hopes of increasing boys' and girls' participation in the sport after receiving favorable results from experimentation and positive comments from schools, students, coaches and officials," the NFHS said in its announcement.

    Presently, just over a quarter-million high school students participate in wrestling, with 250,653 boys and 13,496 girls involved in the sport, according to the 2015-16 NFHS Athletics Participation Survey.

    Some within the wrestling community have shared concerns from would-be wrestlers who have said that the one-piece singlet is "too revealing" and may serve as a "deal-breaker" to keep some out of the sport.

    Two-piece uniforms: a winning alternative to singlets?

    Will the new two-piece uniform answer these concerns ... and actually help boost participation?

    Two-piece uniforms have already made an appearance at the college level ... most notably, this past season at the NCAA Division I program at Edinboro University in Pennsylvania.

    Rutgers University head coach Scott Goodale, who previously coached at Jackson Memorial High School in New Jersey, said that if the two-piece uniform option helps more prospective student-athletes come out for the sport, he's in favor of the rule change, according to MyCentralNewJersey.com.

    "I think it's great for the sport," said Marcus Ivy, head wrestling coach at Sayreville High in New Jersey. "I'm fine with the singlet, but the fact of the matter is some people are deterred (from competing) by singlets. I understand there are purists that say that if (the singlet) is what keeps you from wrestling, you shouldn't wrestle anyway. But if we can make our sport grow, why would you not do it? We're not going to lose kids because of this."

    "I think most coaches will agree, our sport is a numbers game, and we are always looking to improve our numbers," Monroe High head coach Billy Jacoutot told MyCentralNewJersey.com. "In wrestling, we are always trying to find different ways to get kids interested. If there's anything to be done to get more bodies in the room, great."

    Susquehanna Township coach Dee Evans pointed out that most sports don't require revealing uniforms to compete. In talking about the new two-piece wrestling uniforms just approved by the NFHS, Evans told PennLive.com, "That's for kids who are going through the most changes with their body and how they fit in with their teams. It becomes a big deal for them. Most sports don't have tight-fitting clothes like wrestling has. This gives us an avenue to something they'd wear in basketball or football."

    Clayton Smith, who has been on the coaching staff at New Jersey's Mainland Regional High for 15 years, told the Press of Atlantic City that it's not just upper-weight wrestlers who have complained about how they look in a singlet ... but he's also heard grumbling from lower and middle-weight wrestlers too.

    Smith likes that the new two-piece uniform gives off "more of a mixed martial arts look" which could help tie wrestling to the growing popularity of MMA especially among young people.

    "That's how they perceive it," Smith said. "When that proposal about MMA-style shorts and compression shirts came out, a lot of kids said they would try out if they wore that."

    Even some traditionalists may be coming around to seeing the potential benefits of offering a two-piece wrestling uniform option for those uncomfortable with the idea of pulling on a singlet.

    "If you asked me when I first started coaching 11 years ago, I'd say no," Michael Carbone, head coach at Woodbridge High School, told MyCentralNewJersey.com. "I had a hard line in the sand. It should be a singlet. But the college coaches have tinkered with it, and a lot of the wrestlers that I know, they actually like it. So, in my opinion now, rather than back when I was young and didn't understand it, whatever is better for the sport, I think we should do. If the two-piece is going to get a kid who is having body-image issues on the mat, I think it's the right thing to do for that kid. If another kid is built like he is made out of stone and he wants to wear a singlet, then great, carry on."

    Cost may be a challenge

    A potential impediment for the two-piece compression-style uniform may be money.

    "We're going to have to look at the cost and see," said first-year Lower Cape May Regional coach Billy Damiana.

    "If it helps grow the sport, I don't have a complaint," Damiana told the Press of Atlantic City. "I don't care about the uniforms, I just want the kids wrestling."

    "My kids are getting excited about it," Harrisburg High School coach Domineak Commodore told PennLive.com. "The biggest concern I have is the quality of the uniform. Is it going to be more expensive? It's easy to keep track of 25 singlets, but I have to worry about 50 pieces now."

    Cost may be an issue even with high school wrestling coaches whose athletes had positive feelings after wearing the shirts-and-shorts look at special competitions.

    Michael Carty of Florida's Satellite High School coached an all-star team sponsored by the National Guard at the Disney Duals in 2008. The wrestlers wore a two-piece uniform and loved them.

    Carty says he's "all for the additional option," telling the Orlando Sentinel that he hopes the uniform rule will be expanded to include modified fight shorts in the future, but for now his team will likely remain in the one-piece singlets.

    "We've gotten new singlets the last two years," Carty said. "Tough to justify getting more new ones with the AD, but we might make it a special-order option for the guys."

    The singlet has not always been the uniform for amateur wrestling. To see photos of past wrestling uniforms, check out this November 2016 InterMat feature.]]>    82667Thu, 04 May 2017 14:18:10 +0000    High schoolers who excelled at UWW Junior Nationalshttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/high-schoolers-who-excelled-at-uww-junior-nationals-r82665/
    Given that those still to be in high school next year are among the youngest of the competitors in this event, being a shining star in the tournament would be impressive, though in some cases it is very expected. Let's take a look at five such individuals from the events of this past weekend. It's going to be a heavy read indeed.

    Gable Steveson defeated Jordan Wood 9-2 in the finals (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)

    Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn.)

    The nation's top-ranked Class of 2018 wrestler, and the No. 1 wrestler this past season at 285 pounds in the country, showed why he's worth all the buzz. The two-time Cadet World freestyle champion at 100 kilograms made his UWW Junior debut, and showed the form that everyone knows is within him as Steveson won gold at 120 kilograms.

    Four shutout technical falls propelled Steveson to the final, the fourth of those came in the semifinal round against returning Junior National freestyle runner-up Anthony Cassioppi (Hononegah, Ill.). In the championship match, Steveson upended 2014 Cadet World silver medalist Jordan Wood 9-2; Wood redshirted this past season at Lehigh University, and is their likely starter in 2017-18 at 285 pounds. It should be noted that Steveson beat Wood in the UWW Cadet National semifinal in 2015 on his way to qualifying for his first Cadet World team and title.

    Steveson would still be age-eligible for the Cadet World team this year, though there is no weight class above 100 kilograms - a weight that he has already surpassed - at the world championships. It might not be crazy to suggest that the future Golden Gopher is a viable NCAA title contender in 2020 (if not as a true freshman in 2019) and legitimately in the hunt to be the Olympic representative for the United States in freestyle that same year.

    Cohlton Schultz earned a spot on the Junior World Team in Greco-Roman (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)

    Cohlton Schultz (Ponderosa, Colo.)

    Like Steveson, Schultz is the top ranked wrestler in his class and age eligible for the Cadet World team. The nation's No. 2 ranked wrestler at 220 pounds this past high school season, he sits atop the Class of 2019. Schultz won the UWW Junior National title in Greco-Roman at 120 kilograms, after last year qualifying for Cadet Worlds in Greco-Roman at 100 kilos.

    Schultz won his opening match of the trials by hitting a five-point move during the first period (it happened to be the first points of the bout), while he advanced to the championship match with a 9-0 technical fall. In the championship series he swept two-time Fargo third in Greco-Roman (2016 Junior, 2015 Cadet) Anthony Cassioppi; the first match was an 8-7 victory, while the second bout was a 13-4 technical fall victory within the first period.

    Joe Lee reached the finals at 69 kilograms before losing to Griffin Parriott (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)

    Joe Lee (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.)

    The current junior Lee was ranked No. 16 overall in the most recent rankings for the Class of 2018. The two-time high school state champion is also a very seasoned freestyle wrestler, earning a runner-up finish at 69 kilograms in last spring's UWW Cadet Nationals and winning a Cadet National freestyle in Fargo during the summer of 2015. His older brother Nick was a Junior National freestyle champion last summer, and the No. 5 overall wrestler in the Class of 2017. Both Lee brothers will be headed to Penn State, Nick this coming fall and Joe the following year.

    The first four matches of the UWW Junior Nationals tournament in freestyle at 70 kilograms for Lee were technical fall victories. The first three were 10-0 shutouts, while the fourth was a 19-9 victory. That set up a semifinal rematch of last year's UWW Cadet Nationals final against David Carr (Massillon Perry, Ohio), who is ranked No. 8 overall in the Class of 2018; Carr swept last year's series. However, on this occasion, Joe Lee came through with a 14-5 victory. Lee's tournament did end in a runner-up finish, as he fell 9-0 to Purdue's redshirting freshman Griffin Parriott, a 2016 Junior National freestyle champion.

    An interesting question to watch is if Joe Lee will take the same path as older brother Nick in forgoing his senior season of high school to train at/near the Penn State campus. However, Joe does have the chance to be a three-time state champion and four-time finalist, while Nick had just one state title (3-1-2) in his first three seasons of high school.

    Malik Heinselman (Castle View, Colo.)

    Heinselman is one of the most talented "little guys" in the country, finishing the 2016-17 season ranked No. 1 in the country at 106 pounds. The Ohio State verbal commit is ranked No. 47 overall in the Class of 2018. He is also a three-time Fargo freestyle champion (Cadet 88 and 94 in 2014 and 2015, Junior 100 in 2016).

    The two-time Cadet World team member in freestyle (42 kilograms in 2015 and 46 kilos in 2016) won the under 50 kilogram weight class at the UWW Junior Nationals this past weekend. His tournament included a 13-2 technical fall over nationally ranked 113 pound wrestler Brandon Kaylor (Bonney Lake, Wash.) and a 12-2 technical fall against Junior National freestyle runner-up Brendon Garcia (Pueblo County, Colo.) on the way to the final.

    In that championship match, Heinselman upended nationally ranked 120 pound wrestler Dack Punke (Washington, Ill.) by a 4-0 decision. Punke is a two-time Junior National champion in Greco-Roman in Fargo, along with a two-time scholastic state champion.

    Anthony Cassioppi (Hononegah, Ill.)

    Though lost in the midst of the very talented Steveson and Seth Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), Cassioppi is also a very talented Class of 2018 projected 285 pound wrestler. The Northwestern verbal commit ended the 2016-17 season a state champion and ranked No. 5 nationally in his weight class; Cassioppi commit is also ranked as the No. 33 overall wrestling prospect in his graduating class.

    This year's Junior National folkstyle champion, a title won last month in Cedar Falls, Cassioppi has been most excellent in Fargo the previous two years. Third in Greco and runner-up in freestyle at the Junior level last year and double third as a Cadet in 2015.

    The UWW Greco-Roman tournament for Cassioppi started with a shutout technical fall and a 13-2 technical fall before a 7-0 decision over returning UWW Junior Greco runner-up Nick Boykin (Riverdale, Tenn.) advanced him to the final against Schultz; Boykin also won both Cadet titles in Fargo back in 2015 when Cassioppi was double third. In freestyle, Cassioppi reached the semifinal with a 13-2 technical fall over Brandon Metz (West Fargo, N.D.); Metz was ranked No. 4 nationally at 285 at the end of the most recent high school season.]]>    82665Wed, 03 May 2017 15:49:31 +0000    Two-piece uniform approved for high school wrestlinghttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/two-piece-uniform-approved-for-high-school-wrestling-r82660/
    This revision to Rule 4-1-1 was one of 11 rules changes recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Wrestling Rules Committee at its April 2-4 meeting in Indianapolis, and all changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

    The compression shorts or shorts designed for wrestling shall be school-issued and shall have a minimum 4-inch inseam that does not extend below the knee. The form-fitted compression shirt shall not cover or extend below the elbow and shall have a minimum 3-inch tail. The shirt may be worn under a singlet or with compression shorts or shorts designed for wrestling.

    Specific language was developed regarding undergarment requirements for female contestants wearing a one-piece singlet or a form-fitted compression shirt, as well as for male contestants wearing shorts designed for wrestling.

    The committee approved use of the alternate two-piece uniform in the hopes of increasing boys and girls participation in the sport after receiving favorable results from experimentation and positive comments from schools, students, coaches and officials.

    The committee approved several rules related to minimizing risk of injury in the sport. Rule 4-5-3 now prohibits any activities that promote weight loss or weight gain when an athlete misses weight on his or her first attempt on the scale. In addition to activities that promote dehydration or drinking fluids to gain weight, the rule now prohibits activities such as cutting hair, modifying clothing, etc.

    Another change designed to reduce risk of injury was elimination of the straight-back salto, regardless of which body part (head, neck or shoulder) hits the mat first. The straight-back salto in the rear-standing position that brings the defensive wrestler straight back with feet in the air is intended to have the defensive wrestler's head, neck or shoulder(s) hit the mat first, and is now an illegal move.

    In addition, added to the list of illegal holds/maneuvers in Rule 7-1-5 was a front flip and/or front hurdle over an opponent in the standing position.

    "The attempt to flip or hurdle an opponent from a neutral position is not only an elevated risk to the wrestler attempting the maneuver, it also places the opponent in a disadvantage position as he or she is not only left to counter the scoring attempt, but is placed in a position of responsibility for not reacting in a manner that may cause a slam or unsafe return to the mat of the wrestler who actually initiated the maneuver," said Elliot Hopkins, NFHS director of sports and student services.

    The committee approved two changes in Rule 5-11 related to falls and near falls. In 5-11-1, the shoulders or scapula of the offensive wrestler no longer must be inbounds to earn a fall. The committee agreed that wrestling should continue if the offensive wrestler's supporting parts remain inbounds and no body part of the defensive wrestler goes off the mat. In 5-11-5, "unless any part of the shoulders or both scapulae of the defensive wrestler is inbounds" was eliminated. If wrestling is continuing during a match, near falls and falls will be awarded/earned regardless of the out-of-bounds line.

    In a related rule, Rule 5-15-2b, c was changed as follows: "Near-fall points or a fall shall be earned while the supporting points of either wrestler are inbounds."

    "The committee agreed that offensive wrestling should be rewarded," Hopkins said. "If wrestling is continuing, as allowed by current rules, and points for escapes and reversals are allowed, the ability to earn a fall or near fall should be there as well, with no deference to the out-of-bounds line."

    Other changes approved by the committee include the following:

  • Rule 5-19-10: The referee no longer may be behind the contestants when starting the wrestlers from the down position, which has led the false starts by one or both wrestlers.

  • Rule 6-6-4a(1) and 6-6-5a(1): Errors by the timekeeper, official scorer or referee must be corrected prior to the offended contestant leaving the mat area and before the start of the next match on that mat.

    7-6-4d: Stalling occurs when the contestant in the advantage position stays behind the opponent while on his/her feet, making no attempt to bring the opponent to the mat.

    "The wrestling rules committee did another phenomenal job in taking the necessary strides to promote participation by approving a two-piece alternate uniform to be worn," Hopkins said. "The committee also continued its commitment to reducing risk by making the straight-back salto and suplay illegal maneuvers, as well as prohibiting weight loss or gain in the weigh-in area. In addition, scoring a fall or near-fall is strengthened by the modifications to the definition and location of fall and near-fall in our rules book."

    Wrestling ranks seventh in popularity among boys at the high school level with 250,653 participants, according to the 2015-16 NFHS Athletics Participation Survey. In addition, 13,496 girls participate in the sport throughout the nation.]]>82660Tue, 02 May 2017 17:42:05 +0000Arujau named InterMat High School Wrestler of the Yearhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/arujau-named-intermat-high-school-wrestler-of-the-year-r82576/Vitali Arujau (Photo/Josh Conklin)
    The 2016-17 scholastic wrestling season has come to an end. We've gone through the postseason national tournaments, state tournament series across the country, regular season, and the spring/summer/fall offseason. At this time, we reflect upon what has happened over the past "cycle" and recognize the top wrestler in each high school weight class as well as the Wrestler of the Year with First Team All-American recognition by InterMat.

    Wrestler of the Year: Vitali Arujau (Syosset, N.Y.), 138 pounds

    After delaying his collegiate matriculation one year for freestyle training, this four-time state champion will be headed to Cornell, where he is projected to compete at 141 pounds. In five years of high school wrestling, Arujau went 216-1, the lone loss coming via a 3-2 defeat in the tiebreakers against Yianni Diakomihalis during their eighth grade seasons. The approximately 170 bouts subsequent to that state finals defeat went without a loss for Arujau. His resume in the 2016-17 wrestling year includes a UWW Cadet National freestyle title at 58 kilograms, Cadet World silver medal in that same weight class, Super 32 Challenge title at 132 pounds, and an undefeated state championship season at 138.

    Previous career accomplishments for Arujau include a third-place finish at the Super 32 Challenge in 2015 (victory over Daton Fix in the third-place match), NHSCA Sophomore Nationals title in the spring of 2015, FloNationals runner-up finish in 2014, UWW Cadet National freestyle runner-up finish in 2015 (to Diakomihalis), and a Cadet National freestyle title in 2015.

    Previous Wrestler of the Year winners

    2016: Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.)
    2015: Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.)
    2014: Chance Marsteller (Kennard-Dale, Pa.)
    2013: Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.)
    2012: Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, Ind.)
    2011: Morgan McIntosh (Calvary Chapel, Calif.)

    Other top-ranked wrestlers

    106: Malik Heinselman (Castle View, Colo.)

    During the 2016-17 wrestling period, Heinselman earned a second consecutive state title, this time going an undefeated 44-0, while also making the Cadet World team in freestyle for a second straight year (this time at 46 kilograms, after qualifying at 42 kilos in 2015). In addition, he earned a third straight freestyle title in Fargo, this time at the Junior level after winning the previous two summers as a Cadet. Heinselman has a career mark of 122-7, including over 80 straight wins, and has verbally committed to Ohio State.

    113: Aaron Cashman (Shakopee, Minn.)

    The junior won his first state title after placing second and fourth the previous two seasons. Cashman qualified for the Cadet World Team in freestyle at 50 kilograms last spring, while also earning in-season tournament victories at the Minnesota Christmas Tournament (second consecutive) and Rumble on the Red. His lone loss in a 39-1 campaign came up at 126 pounds, off a 120 weigh-in, against now two-time state runner-up Cael Carlson. Cashman has a three-year record of 121-7.

    120: Patrick Glory (Delabrton, N.J.)

    The three-time state finalist earned an initial first state title in stellar fashion, as he went an undefeated 43-0 as a junior. It included tournament titles at the Beast of the East (second straight year) and Escape the Rock. Glory has a career mark of 118-7, and was also a Super 32 Challenge champion this past fall after finishing second in 2015.

    126: Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, Pa.)

    The three-time state champion and University of Iowa signee ended his career with a 144-1 record, losing only his last match 6-5 on a last second takedown in the state final against Austin DeSanto (Exeter Township), despite competing with a torn ACL. Lee was a Junior world champion in freestyle at 50 kilograms for the second straight summer in 2016, and also won a Cadet world title in 2014. He finishes his high school career also as a three-time Walsh Ironman and Powerade champion.

    132: Daton Fix (Sand Springs, Okla.)

    The Oklahoma State signee is now a four-time state champion after going undefeated with a 47-0 record during his senior season, which included titles at the Kansas City Stampede and Geary Invitational. Fix finished his career with a record of 168-0, becoming just the fifth wrestler in the Sooner State to be undefeated for their scholastic career. He also picked up a UWW Junior world bronze medal in freestyle over the summer to go with the Cadet world bronze he earned the previous summer.

    145: Jarod Verkleeren (Hempfield Area, Pa.)

    The 2015 Cadet world gold medalist earned an elusive high school state title during a senior season in which he went 25-1, including a Powerade finals victory over second-ranked Frankie Gissendanner. Verkleeren also was champion at the Super 32 Challenge in October with a finals victory over third-ranked Josiah Rider. Also on the resume for this uncommitted senior is a Junior National freestyle runner-up finish this past summer.

    152: Cameron Coy (Penn Trafford, Pa.)

    The University of Virginia signee ends his career as a four-time state finalist and three-time champion with a career mark of 148-11. This includes 75 consecutive wins to end his career since a loss in the state championship match his sophomore season. Most notable wins for Coy this season came over top five in the nation Stephan Glasgow in the Powerade final, an in-season dual meet victory over Verkleeren, and then beating second-ranked Quentin Hovis in the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic.

    160: Brady Berge (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.)

    The Penn State signee won a fourth state title in six seasons of high school wrestling during which he won approximately 280 bouts while losing just four that were contested (one in seventh grade, three in eighth grade); that is to say not counting the injury default down to sixth that occurred during the state semifinal his junior season. A 2015 Cadet World team member in freestyle, Berge is a five-time champion of the Minnesota Christmas Tournament and three-time champion of the Cheesehead, in addition to winning the Super 32 Challenge this past fall.

    170: Michael Labriola (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.)

    The Nebraska signee was a four-time state placer with a career record of 158-17, including an 86-3 mark during his last two seasons, in which he won a pair of state titles. Labriola was champion at the Walsh Ironman and Beast of the East during a senior season in which he went 44-0. Prior to the season, he beat third-ranked Travis Wittlake at the Who's Number One event, while after the season he beat second-ranked Kaleb Romero at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic.

    182: Louie DePrez (Hilton, N.Y.)

    The Binghamton signee is a three-time state champion, and was undefeated during his last two seasons of high school winning an Eastern States Classic title each year. DePrez is also a two-time finalist at the Super 32 Challenge, winning that title this fall with a victory over third-ranked Nino Bonaccorsi. In the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic, he defeated second-ranked Travis Stefanik. DePrez is also a two-time FloNationals placer.

    195: Jacob Warner (Washington, Ill.)

    The Iowa signee was undefeated during his senior season on the way to a third state title and fourth state finals appearance. Warner was a Cadet World bronze medalist in freestyle during the past off-season, and was champion at the Walsh Ironman during the season. In addition to the UWW Cadet National title in freestyle last spring, he also won the Greco-Roman event. Also on the resume for Warner is a Cadet National double title in 2015 along with UWW Cadet National freestyle All-American finishes in 2014 and 2015.

    220: Chase Singletary (Blair Academy, N.J.)

    The Ohio State signee now has a pair of National Prep titles to go with the Florida state championships earned in seventh and eighth grade. Singletary was also a runner-up at National Preps as a sophomore, third in Florida as a freshman, and runner-up in Florida in sixth grade. He had an undefeated senior season, which included titles at the Walsh Ironman, Beast of the East, and Geary Invitational.

    285: Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn.)

    After his junior season, he has four state championship match appearances as junior high wrestlers can compete in varsity competition in Minnesota. Steveson's last loss came in the state final at 195 pounds during the eighth grade season, and subsequent to that, he has won 131 straight matches without defeat the last three seasons. All but three of his 42 wins during this past season were pins or forfeits, two others were pins, while his only match against a nationally ranked opponent came in a 16-3 major decision over Kayne Hutchison. Steveson, a verbal commit to Minnesota, is now a two-time Cadet World freestyle champion at 100 kilograms.]]>    82576Tue, 11 Apr 2017 06:44:20 +0000    Services for Minnesota high school coach Joe Traenhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/services-for-minnesota-high-school-coach-joe-traen-r82563/
    Joe Traen
    Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at the Watertown-Mayer High School Gymnasium. Visitation will take place prior to the Mass from 3 to 6 p.m.

    Coach Traen's wife Deborah told WCCO-TV -- the CBS affiliate for Minneapolis-St. Paul -- that her husband left Wednesday morning for his daily three-mile run around the neighborhood, saying that he usually ran or biked every day, other than in wrestling season, when he worked out with his student-athletes. However, a neighbor knocked on the Traen's front door to say that the coach had collapsed near the driveway.

    Traen had spent 27 years working as a wrestling coach at Watertown-Mayer High School in Watertown, Minn. west of the Twin Cities. He had also worked as a physical education teacher at the district's elementary school.

    One of Traen's former wrestlers at Watertown-Mayer, Cole Schrupp, wrote on Facebook: "It was a privilege to have Joe in my corner for four years. His attitude and wisdom have been passed down to countless athletes and students. Lots of life long memories on and off the mat with Joe. He'll be missed."

    Joseph "Joe" Anton Traen was born January 27, 1958 in Canby, Minn. He wrestled throughout his academic career, first at Canby High School (where he graduated in 1976), then at Willmar Community College and St. Cloud State University. His hobbies outside of the school consisted of anything with the outdoors, especially fishing and hunting, along with riding his motorcycle, according to his funeral home obituary.

    Traen is survived by his wife of 27 years, two sons, siblings, and other relatives.

    Grief counselors will be available Monday at Watertown-Mayer High School.]]>    82563Fri, 31 Mar 2017 18:30:40 +0000    Services for Michigan high school wrestler Dante Latorahttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/services-for-michigan-high-school-wrestler-dante-latora-r82536/
    Dante Latora
    Visitation for the Portage Central High School senior will take place at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, 1150 W. Centre Avenue, Portage, Mich. on Tuesday, March 28, from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Funeral Mass will be on Wednesday, March 29 at noon with visitation from 11 a.m.-noon. In lieu of flowers, a scholarship fund is being established in Dante's name. Details will be available at the visitation. Friends and family may leave condolences at the funeral home website.

    Latora was driving the 800-mile trip from western Michigan to Virginia Beach when his car veered off the road, hit a sign, then a tree at about midnight Wednesday, according to Virginia State Police.

    Bob Ferraro, the CEO of the NHSCA, issued the following statement:

    "The news of Dante's death has broken out hearts. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and close friends. We will be honoring Dante at this year's national wrestling championships with a moment of silence."

    Before school Friday, hundreds of Portage Central students came together in the cafeteria, to sing and say a prayer. Many chose to wear blue and yellow in his honor.

    "You know it was really beautiful to see such a natural outpouring of love for Dante," said youth pastor Jeff Fernandez of The Bridge Church, one of a half-dozen area pastors who reached out to the school to offer support. The pastors joined grief counselors at the school, helping dozens of students through the difficult week.

    Dante Vincenzo Latora was born August 9, 1999 in Middletown, Ohio, the son of Anthony (Tony) and Kim (Justus) Latora. His here described the student-athlete as "an exceptionally gifted student, excelling academically and on the national wrestling level. He was a kid that had a zest for life, which shown through in his artistry and his friends. Anyone who knows wrestling knows the legacy he represented so well and to the highest level."

    Dante is survived by his parents, Kim and Tony of Portage and his older brothers Angelo of Ann Arbor and Dominic of Portage. (His father and brother Angelo both wrestled at the University of Michigan.) He also leaves behind his maternal grandparents, Diane and Jim Schelb, of Galesburg, Mich.; his paternal grandparents Carl and Dian Latora of Mattawan and Margaret Latora of Portage and numerous other relatives.]]>    82536Sun, 26 Mar 2017 14:43:37 +0000    Blair Academy wins fifth national title in six yearshttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/blair-academy-wins-fifth-national-title-in-six-years-r82503/Blair Academy repeated as national champion
    Only one team in the entirety of the Fab 50 national high school team rankings went the whole season without losing a dual meet or finishing outside of first in a bracketed event, and that was No. 37 Camden County, Ga. Said team also did not compete in a tournament or dual meet with another nationally ranked team. Given that paradigm, how should one go about determining the No. 1 team?

    Three obvious components come to mind: roster talent, dominance, and performance against other elite competition. This year's top ranked team certainly meets and exceeds those three standards. Blair Academy, N.J. has seven wrestlers in the top 20 of their respective weight classes as of the most recent rankings. Only one other team has even four, which multiple other squads have a trio of nationally ranked wrestlers.

    When it comes to dominance and performance against other elite competition, take a look at their performances at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman, Beast of the East, Geary Invitational, and National Prep Championships. All of those events featured multiple other nationally ranked teams in the field. In addition, look at their 3-1 dual meet record against other teams ranked in the top 11 of the country. The wins were 40-18 over No. 4 Lake Highland Prep, 42-8 over No. 6 Malvern Prep, and 46-9 over No. 11 Bergen Catholic (N.J.). Even in the 30-27 defeat against No. 8 Wyoming Seminary, Blair Academy earned victories in eight of the fourteen weight classes.

    This marks a fifth national title in six years for the Buccaneers. Unlike last year, this title is also a "wire-to-wire" crown for Blair Academy. Below is a listing of the previously crowned national champions by InterMat, since the website has compiled the Fab 50 national high school team rankings:

    2016-17: Blair Academy (N.J.)
    2015-16: Blair Academy (N.J.)
    2014-15: St. Paris Graham (Ohio)
    2013-14: Blair Academy (N.J.)
    2012-13: Blair Academy (N.J.)
    2011-12: Blair Academy (N.J.)
    2010-11: Apple Valley (Minn.)

    Rounding out the top ten of the national rankings are the following squads:

    No. 2 Buchanan (Calif.): Champions of the Zinkin Classic and Doc Buchanan Invitational; champions of The Clash National High School Duals (lost to No. 25 Park Hill (Mo.) but earned victories over No. 3 St. Edward, No. 4 Lake Highland Prep, and No. 43 Anoka (Minn.); dual meet victory over No. 7 Clovis; state tournament champions

    No. 3 St. Edward (Ohio): Walsh Jesuit Ironman runners-up, runners-up at The Clash National High School Duals, went 9-1 in dual meets against members of the final Fab 50 rankings (includes wins over No. 4 Lake Highland Prep and No. 5 St. Paris Graham, the lone loss against No. 2 Buchanan), state dual meet tournament champions, state tournament champions

    No. 4 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.): Walsh Jesuit Ironman third place, third place at The Clash National High School Duals (beat Park Hill (Mo.), lost to Buchanan and St. Edward), runners-up at Who's Number One Duals (beat Bethlehem Catholic, lost to Blair Academy), state tournament champions

    No. 5 St. Paris Graham (Ohio): Walsh Jesuit Ironman fourth place, split weight classes in dual meet loss against St. Edward, state dual meet champions, state tournament champions

    No. 6 Malvern Prep (Pa.): Walsh Jesuit Ironman sixth place, Beast of the East fourth place, Escape the Rock Tournament champions, Who's Number One Duals third place (beat Bergen Catholic (N.J.) and Bethlehem Catholic, lost to Blair Academy), National Prep third place

    No. 7 Clovis (Calif.): Runners-up of the Zinkin Classic and Doc Buchanan Invitational, split weight classes in dual meet loss against Buchanan, state tournament runners-up

    No. 8 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.): Walsh Jesuit Ironman tenth place, Powerade champions, dual meet victories over Blair Academy and Bethlehem Catholic, National Prep runners-up

    No. 9 Nazareth (Pa.): Walsh Jesuit Ironman ninth place, Beast of the East seventh place (no Stefanik), state dual meet champions (went 2-1 in dual meets against Bethlehem Catholic), state tournament champions

    No. 10 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.): Walsh Jesuit Ironman fifth place; Beast of the East runners-up; regular season dual meet losses against Lake Highland Prep, Malvern Prep, and Wyoming Seminary); state dual meet runners-up (went 1-2 in dual meets against Nazareth), state tournament runners-up (though beat Nazareth at the district and regional meets)

    Teams from 20 states were represented in the rankings to start the season, while only 18 states have teams represented in the end of season rankings. Leading the way with nine Fab 50 teams is the Buckeye State of Ohio, while the Keystone State of Pennsylvania is next in line with seven. Five teams from the state of Illinois are ranked, while it's four each from Oklahoma, Minnesota, and Iowa. Three teams from California crack the rankings, all among the top thirteen. New Jersey, Colorado, and Missouri have a pair of teams are ranked. Single teams from Florida, Michigan, Texas, Georgia, Indiana, New York, Oregon, and Kansas round out the rankings.

    From the preseason to end of season rankings, there was a turnover of 10 teams, which is much less than last year's 18 team switch-over. Nine of the teams switched out were ranked 40th to 50th in the preseason rankings, while the other team started the season 31st in the rankings.

    The two highest positioned teams that were not ranked in the initial rankings are No. 22 Kiski Area (Pa.) and No. 23 Wadsworth (Pa.), while No. 28 Massillon Perry (Ohio) was also not in the initial rankings. Three other teams within the top 40 are new from the start of the season, as are four of the last seven teams in the rankings.

    Final Fab 50 Rankings of 2016-17

    No. 1 Blair Academy, New Jersey
    No. 2 Buchanan, California
    No. 3 St. Edward, Ohio
    No. 4 Lake Highland Prep, Florida
    No. 5 St. Paris Graham, Ohio
    No. 6 Malvern Prep, Pennsylvania
    No. 7 Clovis, California
    No. 8 Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania
    No. 9 Nazareth, Pennsylvania
    No. 10 Bethlehem Catholic, Pennsylvania
    No. 11 Bergen Catholic, New Jersey
    No. 12 Elyria, Ohio
    No. 13 Poway, California
    No. 14 Tuttle, Oklahoma
    No. 15 Detroit Catholic Central, Michigan
    No. 16 Olentangy Liberty, Ohio
    No. 17 Allen, Texas
    No. 18 Sand Springs, Oklahoma
    No. 19 Lockport, Illinois
    No. 20 Pomona, Colorado
    No. 21 Pueblo County, Colorado
    No. 22 Kiski Area, Pennsylvania
    No. 23 Wadsworth, Ohio
    No. 24 Montini Catholic, Illinois
    No. 25 Park Hill, Missouri
    No. 26 Kasson-Mantorville, Minnesota
    No. 27 Southeast Polk, Iowa
    No. 28 Massillon Perry, Ohio
    No. 29 Apple Valley, Minnesota
    No. 30 Shakopee, Minnesota
    No. 31 Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
    No. 32 Choctaw, Oklahoma
    No. 33 Oak Park River Forest, Illinois
    No. 34 Mason, Ohio
    No. 35 Staley, Missouri
    No. 36 Brecksville, Ohio
    No. 37 Camden County, Georgia
    No. 38 Chicago Mount Carmel, Illinois
    No. 39 Brownsburg, Indiana
    No. 40 Fort Dodge, Iowa
    No. 41 West Des Moines Valley, Iowa
    No. 42 Long Beach, New York
    No. 43 Anoka, Minnesota
    No. 44 Northampton, Pennsylvania
    No. 45 Washington, Illinois
    No. 46 Roseburg, Oregon
    No. 47 New Hampton, Iowa
    No. 48 Goddard, Kansas
    No. 49 Reynolds, Pennsylvania
    No. 50 Cincinnati Elder, Ohio]]>    82503Tue, 21 Mar 2017 17:38:19 +0000    Where were DI All-Americans ranked in high school?https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/where-were-di-all-americans-ranked-in-high-school-r82491/Zahid Valencia was ranked No. 3 in 2015, and finished behind No. 1 recruits Mark Hall and Bo Jordan (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)
    One of the big keys for team success at the NCAA tournament is having a talented roster that can then perform at peak levels during the event. A tool available to assess the raw talent of the wrestlers is to see where they were ranked as high school prospects.

    Here is a look at where the All-Americans were ranked during their senior year in the season-end graduating class rankings (NOTE: WC = weight class but not graduating class, NR = ranked in neither).

    It is also of interest to note that of the five NCAA champions that Penn State had over the weekend, all were "can't-miss" recruits out of high school, the lowest being a pair ranked No. 7 in their graduating class (Jason Nolf and Vincenzo Joseph).

    125:
    1. Darian Cruz (Lehigh) -- No. 50 in Class of 2013
    2. Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) -- No. 73 in Class of 2014
    3. Thomas Gilman (Iowa) -- No. 10 in Class of 2012
    4. Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) -- No. 26 in Class of 2015
    5. Joey Dance (Virginia Tech) -- No. 8 in Class of 2013
    6. Jack Mueller (Virginia) -- No. 25 in Class of 2016
    7. Sean Russell (Edinboro) -- No. 54 in Class of 2014
    8. Nathan Kraisser (Campbell) -- No. 42 in Class of 2012

    133:
    1. Cory Clark (Iowa) -- No. 15 in Class of 2012
    2. Seth Gross (South Dakota State) -- No. 58 in Class of 2014
    3. Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) -- No. 15 in Class of 2013
    4. Stevan Micic (Michigan) -- No. 19 in Class of 2014
    5. Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) -- No. 23 in Class of 2015
    6. Eric Montoya (Nebraska) -- NR in Class of 2012
    7. Zane Richards (Illinois) -- No. 21 in Class of 2012
    8. Scott Parker (Lehigh) -- No. 66 in Class of 2014

    141:
    1. Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) -- No. 17 in Class of 2013
    2. George DiCamillo (Virginia) -- No. 20 in Class of 2012
    3. Kevin Jack (North Carolina State) -- WC in Class of 2014
    4. Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) -- NR in Class of 2014
    5. Jaydin Eierman (Missouri) -- No. 52 in Class of 2015
    6. Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) -- No. 7 in Class of 2013
    7. Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton) -- No. 9 in Class of 2015
    8. Tommy Thorn (Minnesota) -- No. 21 in Class of 2014

    149:
    1. Zain Retherford (Penn State) -- No. 3 in Class of 2013
    2. Lavion Mayes (Missouri) -- NR in Class of 2012
    3. Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) -- No. 62 in Class of 2013
    4. Micah Jordan (Ohio State) -- No. 6 in Class of 2014
    5. Max Thomsen (Nothern Iowa) -- No. 14 in Class of 2015
    6. Solomon Chishko (Virginia Tech) -- No. 11 in Class of 2014
    7. Ken Theobold (Rutgers) -- NR in Class of 2012
    8. Alex Kocer (South Dakota State) -- NR in Class of 2012

    157:
    1. Jason Nolf (Penn State) -- No. 7 in Class of 2014
    2. Joey Lavallee (Missouri) -- No. 72 in Class of 2013
    3. Michael Kemerer (Iowa) -- No. 11 in Class of 2015
    4. Joseph Smith (Oklahoma State) -- No. 16 in Class of 2014
    5. Tyler Berger (Nebraska) -- No. 29 in Class of 2014
    6. Dylan Palacio (Cornell) -- No. 64 in Class of 2012
    7. Paul Fox (Stanford) -- No. 92 in Class of 2014
    8. Sal Mastriani (Virginia Tech) -- WC in Class of 2012

    165:
    1. Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) -- No. 7 in Class of 2015
    2. Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) -- No. 5 in Class of 2013
    3. Logan Massa (Michigan) -- No. 2 in Class of 2015
    4. Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) -- No. 19 in Class of 2012
    5. Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State) -- No. 20 in Class of 2014
    6. Daniel Lewis (Missouri) -- No. 34 in Class of 2014
    7. Chad Walsh (Rider) -- No. 91 in Class of 2014
    8. Brandon Womack (Cornell) -- WC in Class of 2014

    174:
    1. Mark Hall (Penn State) -- No. 1 in Class of 2016
    2. Bo Jordan (Ohio State) -- No. 1 in Class of 2013
    3. Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) -- No. 3 in Class of 2015
    4. Myles Amine (Michigan) -- No. 40 in Class of 2015
    5. Brian Realbuto (Cornell) -- No. 18 in Class of 2012
    6. Zac Brunson (Illinois) -- No. 47 in Class of 2012
    7. Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State) -- No. 22 in Class of 2012
    8. Jake Residori (SIU Edwardsville) -- NR in Class of 2012

    184:
    1. Bo Nickal (Penn State) -- No. 5 in Class of 2014
    2. Gabe Dean (Cornell) -- WC in Class of 2012
    3. T.J. Dudley (Nebraska) -- No. 17 in Class of 2012
    4. Sam Brooks (Iowa) -- No. 14 in Class of 2012
    5. Myles Martin (Ohio State) -- No. 4 in Class of 2015
    6. Nolan Boyd (Oklahoma State) -- No. 100 in Class of 2012
    7. Drew Foster (Northern Iowa) -- NR in Class of 2014
    8. Nate Jackson (Indiana) -- NR in Class of 2012

    197:
    1. J'den Cox (Missouri) -- No. 6 in Class of 2013
    2. Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) -- NR in Class of 2012
    3. Kollin Moore (Ohio State) -- No. 32 in Class of 2015
    4. Jared Haught (Virginia Tech) -- No. 68 in Class of 2013
    5. Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska) -- NR in Class of 2012
    6. Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State) -- WC in Class of 2014
    7. Ryan Wolfe (Rider) -- NR in Class of 2012
    8. Kevin Beazley (Old Dominion) -- WC in Class of 2012

    285:
    1. Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) -- No. 1 in Class of 2014
    2. Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) -- No. 59 in Class of 2011
    3. Tanner Hall (Arizona State) -- No. 10 in Class of 2011
    4. Ty Walz (Virginia Tech) -- WC in Class of 2012
    5. Nick Nevills (Penn State) -- No. 4 in Class of 2014
    6. Jacob Kasper (Duke) -- NR in Class of 2013
    7. Michael Kroells (Minnesota) -- No. 41 in Class of 2012
    8. Denzel DeJournette (Appalachian State) -- NR in Class of 2012

    All-Americans by high school graduating class:
    2011 = 2
    2012 = 29
    2013 = 13
    2014 = 22
    2015 = 12
    2016 = 2

    All-Americans by final grade rank:
    Top 10 = 19 (of the 80 total)
    Top 20 = 33
    Top 30 = 40
    Top 50 = 47
    Top 100 = 60
    Not in Top 100 = 20 (7 were ranked in weight class, 13 not ranked at all)]]>    82491Tue, 21 Mar 2017 00:24:17 +0000    No. 1 recruit Lee suffers first high school losshttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/no-1-recruit-lee-suffers-first-high-school-loss-r82453/Spencer Lee, arguably the No. 1 recruit in high school wrestling, suffered the first loss of his high school career in the finals at the 2017 Pennsylvania state wrestling championships at Giant Center in Hershey Saturday night.

    Lee, a senior from Franklin Regional High going for his fourth PIAA crown, lost to fellow senior Austin DeSanto of Exeter in the PIAA Class 3A 126-pound finals, 6-5.

    It was Lee's first loss in 145 matches in high school.

    DeSanto scored two takedowns in the last half-minute, the final one at the buzzer after releasing Lee to go for the winning takedown, the Reading Eagle reported. DeSanto gave the unbeaten Lee a battle throughout the match, then tied the score with 29 seconds left with a takedown to become Exeter's first state champ. DeSanto, who has committed to Drexel University, finished his senior year 53-0 and completed his prep career with a 188-7 record.

    DeSanto avenged a loss to Lee by technical fall in the 120-pound finals at last year's PIAA championships.

    Lee committed to University of Iowa for the 2017-18 season after having considered Penn State, Ohio State, North Carolina State, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford. He is seeking a career in Sports Administration.

    Just three days ago -- prior to the start of the 2017 PIAA championships -- PennLive.com wrote a feature article on Spencer Lee with the attention-getting headline: "Is Spencer Lee the world's best wrestler?"citing these accomplishments in the opening paragraph -- a four-time WPIAL champion, three-time world champion, three-time Pennsylvania State champion -- concluding with "and undoubtedly one of the greatest wrestlers in the world."

    Update: As seen on the video, Lee was wearing a leg brace, having suffered a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) prior to the finals.

    "I'm excited but at the same time I wrestled a hurt Spencer Lee," DeSanto said. "You could see his knee, he was favoring it the whole time. I just kind of feel bad for him. But at the same time, I'm excited for myself. I worked every day after that tech fall [loss in the 2016 PIAA finals] to beat him and I got my dream I guess."

    DeSanto was named the event's Outstanding Wrestler.

    Meanwhile, Spencer Lee's father offered an explanation of his son's injury and how it did not stop him from wrestling.

    "He didn't want his career to end in a doctor's office," Larry Lee said. "I'm proud of him for making that call. We have an appointment next week to see what type of damage was done to (his knee) the last three weeks and just to see what the answer is. But no excuses, he wrestled the best he could on this day."]]>    82453Sun, 12 Mar 2017 02:17:52 +0000    Services announced for Wisconsin high school wrestling coach Scott Markohttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/services-announced-for-wisconsin-high-school-wrestling-coach-scott-marko-r81885/
    Scott Marko
    Scott Marko died of an apparent heart attack Monday morning after returning from the Wisconsin high school state wrestling championships in Madison. He was 43.

    Visitation for Scott Marko will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 1 at the Amery High School gymnasium, and for two hours prior to Thursday's funeral services at Alliance Church of the Valley in St. Croix Falls, Wis. A private family internment will be held at a later date.

    Marko was long-time wrestling coach and special education instructor at Amery High School in Amery, Wis., located near the Minnesota border, and northeast of Minneapolis-St. Paul. Prior to joining the staff at Amery High, Scott Marko wrestled at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

    Students were informed of Marko's death Monday morning at school. Later that same morning, their parents received a recorded phone message from Amery Superintendent James Kuchta, which asked them to "please keep our school and community in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."

    Kuchta added, "Trained staff have been available for students at all school buildings and will be available throughout the week. We are providing this information for you to assist your child as needed."

    Scott Marko leaves behind a wife, Brooke, and five children: Kole, Griffin, Zander, Abby, and Hunter, who is a freshman on the wrestling team at the University of Minnesota, in the 141-149-pound weight class. Hunter was a four-time Wisconsin state champion, wrestling for his father at Amery High.

    In a May 2013 profile of a then-15-year-old Hunter, Scott Marko told the St. Paul Pioneer Press, "When you have kids, you just hope they find an activity or sport they'll like. I'm not a dad who pushes. I'm along for the ride here. It's kind of mind-blowing to see how well he's done."]]>    81885Tue, 28 Feb 2017 02:57:00 +0000    Six high school wrestling matchups to watch this weekendhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/six-high-school-wrestling-matchups-to-watch-this-weekend-r82345/
    New York Division I 106 pounds: No. 19 Dylan Ryder (Half Hollow Hills West) vs. No. 20 Zach Redding (Eastport-South Manor)

    This pair of wrestlers has split matches against one another on the season, with Ryder winning the most recent meeting two weeks ago by a 3-0 decision in the Section XI final; Redding won by 2-1 decision in the ultimate tiebreaker at the Eastern States Classic in the championship match six weeks ago. The junior Ryder was runner-up at 99 pounds last season, and finished eighth at 106 pounds in Cadet freestyle this past summer; while the freshman Ryder does have two other losses on the season, though those both came in the opening weekend bumping up to 120 pounds off a 113 weigh-in.

    However, should the wrestlers meet, it would be in the semifinal as they are the second and third seed respectively. In what has to be a baffling decision, the top seed is Matt Griffin (Jamesville Dewitt), a junior who placed third last year at 99 pounds. He placed seventh at the Eastern States Classic in this weight class, while the two nationally ranked wrestlers met in the finals.

    National Preps 126 pounds: No. 14 Jack Davis (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. No. 15 Chris Cannon (Blair Academy, N.J.)

    Both wrestlers were National Prep champions one year ago, Davis winning at 120 pounds, while Cannon earned gold at 113 pounds. When the pair met this season in the early January dual meet, it was Davis coming away with the 3-2 decision. However, Cannon placed seventh at the Walsh Ironman the previous month, while Davis failed to place. Both wrestlers have also earned All-American honors in Cadet freestyle in previous years.

    Other notable wrestlers in this weight class include three-time National Prep placer Daniel Planta (St. Paul's, Md.), along with returning National Prep placers in Ray Kable (McDonogh, Md.) and Nathaniel White (DeMatha, Md.)

    New York Division I 138 pounds: No. 1 Vitali Arujau (Syosset) vs. No. 16 Jake Silverstein (Hauppauge)

    The Cornell-bound Arujau is after a fourth state title, and is seeking to cap off yet another undefeated season. One that included a 3-1 victory over Silverstein in the Eastern States Classic final. Prior to the high school season, Arujau was a Cadet World silver medalist and a Super 32 Challenge champion. Silverstein was runner-up at state in the 106 pound weight class two years ago as a freshman before missing out on placement last year at 120 pounds; however, he bounced back nicely with a seventh place finish at the Super 32 Challenge prior to the start of the season in this weight class.

    For Arujau, the most likely semifinal opponent would be returning state fourth place finisher Christian Gramuglia (Burnt Hills), while Silverstein is looking at a semifinal date with another returning state fourth place finisher in Kyle Mosher (South Side).

    National Preps 170 pounds: No. 12 Khamari Whimper (Baylor School, Tenn.) vs. No. 20 Dale Tiongson (St. Paul's, Md.)

    Whimper placed third last year up a weight class at 182 pounds, while Tiongson was runner-up at 160 pounds losing a 3-2 finals decision against Ryan Karoly. In the off-season, Whimper placed fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals and fifth at the Super 32 Challenge, both of those at 182 pounds; while Tiongson was eighth at the FloNationals in the 152 pound weight class.

    Other notable contestants include returning National Prep placers Isaiah Bailey (Tabor, Mass.) and Justin Henry (Mt. St. Joseph, Md.), along with three-time Florida state placer Leonardo Tarantino (Blair Academy, N.J.) and Cadet National double All-American Jake Hendricks (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.)

    Ryan Karoly, ranked No. 6 at 182 pounds, was a Fargo double champion this past summer (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)

    National Preps 182 pounds: No. 6 Ryan Karoly (Malvern Prep, Pa.) vs. No. 12 A.J. Pedro (Phillips Exeter, N.H.)

    Karoly is the returning National Prep champion at the 160-pound weight class, and this past summer was a Cadet National double champion at 182 pounds. In addition, the Northwestern-bound junior was runner-up at the Walsh Ironman in the 170-pound weight class earlier this season. The Brown-bound Pedro missed last year's event due to injury but placed third at National Preps as a freshman and sophomore. Pedro was sixth in Junior freestyle at this weight class over the summer, and placed third at the Beast of the East in this weight class two months ago. Two other notable contestants in this weight class are returning New England placer Austin Cooley (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), who also was a Cadet freestyle All-American this past summer, and Beast of the East placer Jack Parr (St. Paul's, Md.)

    Oklahoma Class 6A 285 pounds: No. 16 Gage Johnson (Norman North) vs. No. 17 Trenton Lieurance (Broken Arrow)

    Two years ago in the consolation semifinals at the state tournament, Lieurance beat Johnson 2-1 in the tiebreaker to earn a top four podium finish. However, in the four meeting since then (two each season), it has been Johnson earning the victory. In the 2015-16 season, there was a pin at the Geary Invitational and a 3-2 win in the state semifinal; while this season, Johnson won in overtime at the Geary Invitational and in the tiebreaker at the regional tournament.

    Lieurance placed third last year and fourth the year before, while Johnson was second last year. This season Lieurance has lost four times, twice to Johnson and twice in December to nationally ranked opposition; while Johnson has one loss on the season. It would come as significant surprise if they did not meet Saturday night with the title on the line.]]>    82345Thu, 23 Feb 2017 07:37:23 +0000    Wyoming Seminary to add girls wrestling clubhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/wyoming-seminary-to-add-girls-wrestling-club-r82189/
    The girls wrestling pilot program will begin in the fall of 2017, and its members will train alongside its championship boys wrestling program. The expansion of the wrestling program to include a girls club is due to the burgeoning nationwide popularity of the sport, particularly after Helen Maroulis won the first-ever U.S. gold medal in the sport at last summer's Olympics. "By adding girls wrestling to the Sem athletic lineup, we will be the only school in the northeast where girls can wrestle competitively. This is an up-and-coming sport and we are thrilled to offer this opportunity to students," said head wrestling coach Scott Green. A coach for the girls wrestling club will be announced soon.

    For more information contact head wrestling coach Scott Green at sgreen@wyomingseminary.org, or call the admission office at 570-270-2160.]]>    82189Tue, 07 Feb 2017 07:16:39 +0000    Kickstarter campaign for new high school wrestling documentaryhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/high-school/kickstarter-campaign-for-new-high-school-wrestling-documentary-r82105/Despite growing up legally blind, a high school wrestler overcomes great odds and attempts to win a New Jersey state championship
    A filmmaker has kicked off a Kickstarter fundraising campaign to generate funding to complete his feature documentary about a blind high school wrestler.

    "I need your help to raise $40,000 to finish post production on my film 'A Shot in the Dark,'" filmmaker Chris Suchorsky wrote in his introduction to his Kickstarter page established this past week. "I actually need $51,350, but I'm trying to be realistic. This is my first attempt at Kickstarter and I'm hoping my film and rewards will motivate you to help me finish the film."

    "A Shot in the Dark" is about Anthony Ferraro, a blind high school wrestler in New Jersey who had been coached by a former wrestling teammate Seton Hall University in the late 1990's. Suchorsky had reconnected with his ex-teammate, who introduced the filmmaker to the story by sharing a two-minute "sizzle reel" about Anthony Ferraro by his brother Ollie, who wanted to make an 8-10 minute film about the wrestler. (That original sizzle reel, along with a trailer put together by Suchorsky, are both available for viewing at the Kickstarter page for "A Shot in the Dark.")

    After meeting with Ollie Ferraro, Suchorsky agreed to take on the project, with one change: the film would be a feature-length documentary. Suchorsky traveled to New Jersey to start filming, while Ollie stayed in Los Angeles for his job.

    "Over the next year, I spent every free moment I had pointing the camera at Anthony and the St. John Vianney wrestling team," Suchorsky wrote on the Kickstarter page. "Ollie and I would talk every few days about the project. He'd tell me who to interview, what questions to ask, etc. He would also periodically fly back to New Jersey to help film."

    "After a year of shooting, the film ended up in the proverbial can. Work, marriage, and a mortgage became priorities for me. Ollie left Hulu, moved back to New Jersey, and took a job as a producer. Life essentially got in the way of finishing the film."

    "In the summer of 2015, I decided to pull the film off the shelf," Suchorsky continued. "The film had been hanging over my head for two years. By late August, I had found enough free time to rough out the first 15 minutes of the film. Ollie and I had been working on a number of projects since he had moved back to New Jersey. I was trying to set up a time for us to sit down and watch what I had cut together. Sadly, on August 28th, 2015, Oliver Ferraro passed away. He never saw what I had cut together."

    At Oliver's funeral, his mother said she would do what she could to get the documentary about Anthony Ferraro finished. That propelled Suchorsky to continue working on his film. Now he needs financial help to complete post-production, and has established his Kickstarter page to reach out to the wrestling community (and others) to generate the funds he needs to finish "A Shot in the Dark."

    Of interest to wrestling fans -- and fans of wrestling films: Suchorsky said he had contacted singer/songwriter Tom Cochrane of Red Rider, seeking permission to use the band's classic song "Lunatic Fringe" as featured in the 1985 movie "Vision Quest" in his documentary. Cochrane said yes ... apparently making the song available to Suchorsky "for pennies on the dollar."

    To learn more about "A Shot in the Dark" (and see the trailer and Ollie Ferraro's original sizzle film) -- and make a donation -- click here.]]>    82105Mon, 30 Jan 2017 16:49:48 +0000