InterMat Staff

125: 1. Anthony Zanetta (Pitt, Redshirt) 2. No. 6 Jarrod Garnett (Virginia Tech) 3. Cory Clark (Iowa, Redshirt) 4. No. 3 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) 5. No. 5 Trent Sprenkle (North Dakota State) 6. Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma, Redshirt) 7. No. 12 Nathan Kraisser (North Carolina) 8. No. 11 Christian Cullinan (Central Michigan) 9. No. 16 Dom Malone (Northwestern) 10. Joe Roth (Central Michigan) 11. No. 17 Mark Rappo (Penn) 12. No. 14 Shane Gentry (Maryland) 133: 1. No. 2 Scotti Sentes (Central Michigan) 2. Dan Dennis (Hawkeye WC, Postgrad) 3. No. 9 (at 141) Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) 4. No. 4 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro) 5. Ryan Mango (Stanford, Redshirt) 6. Mason Beckman (Lehigh, Redshirt) 7. No. 9 Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) 8. No. 15 Levi Mele (Northwestern) 9. No. 10 Daryl Thomas (Illinois) 10. No. 11 Geoff Alexander (Maryland) 11. No. 12 Shelton Mack (Pittsburgh) 12. No. 13 Levi Wolfensperger (Northern Iowa) 141: 1. No. 1 Kendric Maple (Oklahoma) 2. Devin Carter (Virginia Tech, Redshirt) 3. No. 3 B.J. Futrell (Illinois) 4. No. 4 Mitchell Port (Edinboro) 5. No. 5 Evan Henderson (North Carolina) 6. No. 7 Michael Mangrum (Oregon State) 7. No. 8 Zach Neibert (Virginia Tech) 8. Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern, Redshirt) 9. No. 13 Luke Vaith (Hofstra) 10. No. 16 C.J. Cobb (Penn) 11. Anthony Salupo (Lehigh) 12. Tyler Small (Kent State, Redshirt) 149: 1. Montell Marion (Unattached, Postgrad) 2. No. 3 Donnie Vinson (Binghamton) 3. No. 15 Steve Santos (Columbia) 4. No. 8 Nick Brascetta (Virginia Tech) 5. No. 11 Nick Lester (Oklahoma) 6. No. 12 Eric Grajales (Michigan) 7. No. 16 David Habat (Edinboro) 8. Josh Wilson (Utah Valley) 9. Shane Welsh (Lehigh) 10. Mike DePalma (Edinboro) 157: 1. No. 2 Jason Welch (Northwestern) 2. No. 3 James Fleming (Clarion) 3. No. 4 Joey Napoli (Lehigh) 4. Walter Peppelman (Harvard) 5. No. 9 R.J. Pena (Oregon State) 6. No. 6 Jesse Dong (Virginia Tech) 7. No. 12 Matt Lester (Oklahoma) 8. No. 13 Jake O'Hara (Columbia) 9. Tommy Churchard (Purdue) 10. Taylor Walsh (Indiana) 11. Ian Miller (Kent State, Redshirt) 12. Dillon Bera (UW-Parkside) 165: 1. Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (Golden Eagle WC, Postgrad) 2. No. 3 Peter Yates (Virginia Tech) 3. No. 5 Bubby Graham (Oklahoma) 4. No. 6 Steven Monk (North Dakota State) 5. No. 8 Conrad Polz (Illinois) 6. No. 11 Pierce Harger (Northwestern) 7. No. 12 Tyler Wilps (Pittsburgh) 8. No. 17 Mark Lewandowski (Buffalo) 9. No. 16 Taylor Massa (Michigan) 10. No. 18 John Greisheimer (Edinboro) 11. Ramon Santiago (Rider) 12. No. 20 Mike Ottinger (Central Michigan) 174: 1. No. 5 Jordan Blanton (Illinois) 2. No. 8 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) 3. No. 9 Lee Munster (Northwestern) 4. No. 12 Dan Yates (Michigan) 5. No. 18 Stephen West (Columbia) 6. No. 17 John-Martin Cannon (Buffalo) 7. Bryce Hammond (CSU Bakersfield) 8. Cody Caldwell (Northern Iowa) 9. No. 19 Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) 10. Nick Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) 11. Kyle Kwiat (Ohio Northern) 12. Austin Gabel (Virginia Tech) 184: 1. No. 3 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) 2. No. 5 Ben Bennett (Central Michigan) 3. No. 6 Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland) 4. Travis Rutt (Oklahoma) 5. No. 10 Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa) 6. No. 11 Tony Dallago (Illinois) 7. No. 16 Boaz Beard (Iowa State) 8. Joe Rau (Elmhurst) 9. No. 17 Mac Stoll (North Dakota State) 10. No. 18 Alex Utley (North Carolina) 11. Vic Avery (Edinboro) 12. Ty Vinson (Oregon State) 197: 1. No. 1 Dustin Kilgore (Kent State) 2. No. 2 Matt Wilps (Pittsburgh) 3. Hudson Taylor (Lions WC, Postgrad) 4. No. 5 Mario Gonzalez (Illinois) 5. No. 6 Nate Schiedel (Binghamton) 6. No. 11 Taylor Meeks (Oregon State) 7. No. 15 Braden Atwood (Purdue) 8. No. 17 Christian Boley (Maryland) 9. No. 19 Max Huntley (Michigan) 10. No. 16 Kyven Gadson (Iowa State) 11. Jackson Hein (Wisconsin) 12. Alex Polizzi (Northwestern) 285: 1. No. 4 Jarod Trice (Central Michigan) 2. No. 9 Mike McMullan (Northwestern) 3. No. 6 Zac Thomusseit (Pittsburgh) 4. No. 8 Chad Hanke (Oregon State) 5. No. 12 Adam Chalfant (Indiana) 6. Matt Meuleners (Northern State) 7. No. 11 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) 8. No. 20 Ernest James (Edinboro) 9. Eric Thompson (Grand View) 10. No. 18 Matt Gibson (Iowa State) 11. Ben Apland (Michigan) 12. David Marone (Virginia Tech)

InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account. Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives. This week's mailbag is a hybrid of your questions, links I'd like to share, and a list of the top moments from 2012. The end of the year necessitates list making of all kinds, but with so many big end-of-year tournaments underway we here at InterMat don't have the editorial space to dedicate an entire column to a recap of 2012. It's fine by me, onward and upward, folks. I trust that everyone had a wonderful holiday break and enjoyed time with their families. If your family is anything like mine, then brothers, fathers and friends were wrestling on the hardwood floors between sips of spiked nutmeg and the ripping open of Santa-themed wrapping paper. All holidays are wonderful, and though Thanksgiving is more of the contact-heavy holiday, I always like testing new moves on unsuspecting blood relatives. If you ever needed a reason to learn jiu-jitsu, try handling a 220-pound younger brother with alien-length fingers and a catcher mitt palm. To your questions ... Q: Do you know if Austin Ormsbee will be back to wrestle for the Cowboys or is he done? -- Raed K. Foley: He will not. I wrote on Oct. 12 that according to Kutztown assistant coach Kriss Bellanca, "Austin Ormsbee, Blair Academy, 2011 has signed a scholarship letter and enrolled in school at Kutztown University, PA ... and will have 4 years of eligibility left." Good luck to Austin and Kutztown! Q: Which do you prefer, Midlands or Southern Scuffle? Are you wrestling this year? -- Eric P. Foley: Absolutely not. I loved competing at Midlands as an undergrad, and even enjoyed the chance to coach my wrestlers, but in two attempts at post-graduate competition I've come away with a torn MCL and week-ruining amount of soreness respectively. The Midlands have always been special to me, and though the Southern Scuffle has a better collection of top teams, I'm partial to the Evanston tournament. I know the guys running the tournament well and can see the hard work they put towards making a quality product. I think there are several incredible matches in Chattanooga, but I also see that there are equally marketable matches being wrestled at Midlands. In addition to 197 with Dustin Kilgore and Matt Wilps, there are several post-grad appearances to follow, including Montel Marion, Dan Dennis and Hudson Taylor. Maybe the most intriguing element of the tournament is the progress of redshirt Cory Clark (Iowa) earning the top pre-seed in a loaded 125-pound weight class. Like every wrestling fan I'll have my eyes on what happens in Chattanooga, and I'm actually so intrigued that there is at least a fifty percent chance I make last minute plans to visit. Dake vs. Taylor II ... Q: Which school has had the most Hodge Trophy winners? Has anyone one it two years or more in a row? Has any freshman won it? -- @gapyonks Foley: The Hodge has been in place since 1995 when WIN Magazine decided to match the hub-bub around the Heisman with an award for college wrestling's most dominant competitor. The first winner was T.J. Jaworsky from North Carolina, who remains the only ACC wrestler to ever win the honor. No freshman has won the award (we're still waiting for our "Johnny Wrestling"), but there have been two back-to-back winners, Cael Sanderson (2000, 2001) and Ben Askren (2006, 2007). Cael won a third award in 2002, and might have been the first freshman winner in 1999 were it not for Stephen Neal's second NCAA title for CSU Bakersfield. Cael's third award gave Iowa State the lead in overall Hodge awards with three. Schools with two include Penn State, Iowa, and Missouri. I've grown partial to InterMat's Wrestler of the Year. We've run it a few years and last year awarded it to Ed Ruth, who our staff believed was the most dominant in the country. We'll need to find a good name to attach to our award. Any ideas? Q: Basically, what are your thoughts on MSG and New York as a host venue for the NCAA tourney? -- @BrantleyHooks Foley: Doable, but unlikely. There are plenty of media opportunities in NYC, but wrestling needs to stay honest about who is traveling to the NCAA tournament and how much we all can budget for a three-day weekend of wrestling. There is probably only a slight difference in the cost of hotel rooms (St. Louis engages in price-gouging that weekend), but food, transportation and entertainment are much more expensive. You won't find me making excuses for adults who "can't handle" NYC, because it is one of the easiest cities in the world to navigate, but I will show some caution is endorsing sending out 330 newly-freed wrestlers into a city of booze and temptation. Atlanta, Boston and Washington DC are all excellent options for the 2015 tournament. My hope is Atlanta. Multimedia Halftime and Links I was interviewed by the Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, and was able to discuss several topics you might normally find in a mailbag. It's always odd to be interviewed, and the process refreshed my perspective on the process. The Back Points podcast picks up Jan. 3 with a recap of Midlands, the Scuffle and POWERade tournaments. We've been flattered and humbled by the response of our audience. We are trying to book more guests willing to talk honestly about the state of wrestling and share some stories from their days on the mat. We'll be cutting into some big topics over the next couple of weeks with some A-List guests so be sure to

This weekend Takedown Radio will be live from the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, the 50th anniversary of this historic event. For the 14th consecutive year we'll present our whistle-to-whistle broadcast of the Ken Kraft Midlands. Saturday live audio coverage -- 11 a.m. to first day end. Sunday live audio coverage -- 11 a.m. to finals. The broadcast crew for the coverage will be Scott Casber, Steve Foster, our own Jeff Murphy, Brad Johnson and Greg Zafros. It will be hosted on TheMat.com and TheMat.tv. Below is the Midlands schedule (Central Time): Saturday, Dec. 29 9:30 a.m. -- Session I 7:00 p.m. -- Session II Sunday, Dec. 30 12:00 noon -- Semifinals, Consolations, 7th Place Matches 6:30 p.m. -- Parade of Champions 7:00 p.m. -- Finals (1st, 3rd and 5th Place Bouts) In addition, this Saturday's Fight Now TV Presents Takedown Wrestling's regular radio broadcast is from the mobile Brute studios in Evanston, Ill. Join Scott Casber, Steve Foster, our own Jeff Murphy, Brad Johnson and Greg Zafros.Takedown Wrestling is proudly presented by Kemin, Inspired Molecular Solutions! We'll break it down from 9 to 11 a.m. including The Kemin report with Jeff Murphy. At 11 a.m. the play-by-play presentation starts on TheMat.com.

Seeds | Brackets Midlands Championships

Below is a weight-by-weight look at ranked wrestlers potentially competing at the Midlands Championships (Dec. 29-30) and Southern Scuffle (Jan. 1-2). Midlands Championships 125: No. 3 Jesse Delgado (Illinois) No. 5 Trent Sprenkle (North Dakota State) No. 6 Jarrod Garnett (Virginia Tech) No. 11 Christian Cullinan (Central Michigan) No. 12 Nathan Kraisser (North Carolina) No. 14 Shane Gentry (Maryland) No. 16 Dom Malone (Northwestern) No. 17 Mark Rappo (Penn) No. 18 Camden Eppert (Purdue) No. 19 Steve Bonanno (Hofstra) No. 20 Ryak Finch (Iowa State) 133: No. 2 Scotti Sentes (Central Michigan) No. 4 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro) No. 9 (at 141) Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) No. 9 Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) No. 10 Daryl Thomas (Illinois) No. 11 Geoff Alexander (Maryland) No. 12 Shelton Mack (Pitt) No. 13 Levi Wolfensperger (Northern Iowa) No. 14 Cashe Quiroga (Purdue) No. 15 Levi Mele (Northwestern) No. 17 Joey Ward (North Carolina) 141: No. 1 Kendric Maple (Oklahoma) No. 3 B.J. Futrell (Illinois) No. 4 Mitchell Port (Edinboro) No. 5 Evan Henderson (North Carolina) No. 7 Michael Mangrum (Oregon State) No. 8 Zach Neibert (Virginia Tech) No. 12 Steven Keith (Harvard) No. 13 Luke Vaith (Hofstra) No. 16 C.J. Cobb (Penn) No. 17 Luke Goettl (Iowa State) No. 19 Ridge Kiley (Nebraska) 149: No. 3 Donnie Vinson (Binghamton) No. 6 Justin Accordino (Hofstra) No. 8 Nick Brascetta (Virginia Tech) No. 9 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska) No. 10 Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State) No. 11 Nick Lester (Oklahoma) No. 12 Eric Grajales (Michigan) No. 13 Ivan Lopouchanski (Purdue) No. 15 Steve Santos (Columbia) No. 16 Dave Habat (Edinboro) 157: No. 2 Jason Welch (Northwestern) No. 3 James Fleming (Clarion) No. 4 Joey Napoli (Lehigh) No. 6 Jesse Dong (Virginia Tech) No. 7 James Green (Nebraska) No. 9 R.J. Pena (Oregon State) No. 12 Matt Lester (Oklahoma) No. 13 Jake O'Hara (Columbia) No. 20 David Bonin (Northern Iowa) 165: No. 3 Peter Yates (Virginia Tech) No. 5 Bubby Graham (Oklahoma) No. 6 Steve Monk (North Dakota State) No. 8 Conrad Polz (Illinois) No. 11 Pierce Harger (Northwestern) No. 12 Tyler Wilps (Pitt) No. 13 Ryan LeBlanc (Indiana) No. 16 Taylor Massa (Michigan) No. 17 Mark Lewandowski (Buffalo) No. 18 John Greisheimer (Edinboro) No. 20 Mike Ottinger (Central Michigan) 174: No. 5 Jordan Blanton (Illinois) No. 6 Josh Asper (Maryland) No. 8 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) No. 9 Lee Munster (Northwestern) No. 12 Dan Yates (Michigan) No. 17 John-Martin Cannon (Buffalo) No. 18 Stephen West (Columbia) No. 19 Nathanial Brown (Lehigh) 184: No. 3 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) No. 5 Ben Bennett (Central Michigan) No. 6 Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland) No. 7 Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) No. 10 Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa) No. 11 Tony Dallago (Illinois) No. 15 Max Thomusseit (Pitt) No. 16 Boaz Beard (Iowa State) No. 17 Mac Stoll (North Dakota State) No. 18 Alex Utley (North Carolina) 197: No. 2 Matt Wilps (Pitt) No. 5 Mario Gonzalez (Illinois) No. 6 Nate Schiedel (Binghamton) No. 8 Micah Burak (Penn) No. 11 Taylor Meeks (Oregon State) No. 15 Braden Atwood (Purdue) No. 16 Kyven Gadson (Iowa State) No. 17 Christian Boley (Maryland) No. 19 Max Huntley (Harvard) No. 20 James Fox (Harvard) 285: No. 4 Jarod Trice (Central Michigan) No. 6 Zac Thomusseit (Pitt) No. 8 Chad Hanke (Oregon State) No. 9 Mike McMullan (Northwestern) No. 11 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) No. 12 Adam Chalfant (Indiana) No. 18 Matt Gibson (Iowa State) No. 20 Ernest James (Edinboro) Southern Scuffle 125: No. 2 Nico Megaludis (Penn State) No. 4 Alan Waters (Missouri) No. 7 David Thorn (Minnesota) No. 8 Matt Snyder (Virginia) No. 9 Nick Soto (Chattanooga) No. 10 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) No. 15 Jerome Robinson (Old Dominion) 133: No. 5 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota) No. 6 Nathan McCormick (Missouri) No. 7 Jon Morrison (Oklahoma State) No. 8 Nick Arujau (Cornell) No. 16 George DiCamillo (Virginia) 141: No. 6 K. Undrakhbayar (The Citadel) No. 11 Mike Nevinger (Cornell) No. 14 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) No. 15 Justin LaValle (Old Dominion) 149: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) No. 2 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) No. 5 Andrew Alton (Penn State) No. 7 Cole VonOhlen (Air Force) No. 17 Daniel Young (Army) No. 18 Derek Valenti (Virginia) No. 19 Chris Villalonga (Cornell) No. 20 Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) 157: No. 5 Dylan Alton (Penn State) No. 8 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) No. 14 Jedd Moore (Kent State) No. 15 Josh Kreimier (Air Force) No. 16 Bobby Barnhisel (Navy) No. 19 John Nicholson (Old Dominion) 165: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) No. 2 David Taylor (Penn State) No. 4 Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma State) No. 7 Nick Sulzer (Virginia) No. 10 Cody Yohn (Minnesota) No. 15 Zach Toal (Missouri) 174: No. 1 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) No. 3 Matt Brown (Penn State) No. 4 Logan Storley (Minnesota) No. 13 Cole Gracey (Army) No. 14 Blake Stauffer (Arizona State) No. 15 Matt Miller (Navy) No. 16 Jon Fausey (Virginia) No. 20 Cody Walters (Ohio) 184: No. 1 Ed Ruth (Penn State) No. 2 Steve Bosak (Cornell) No. 4 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) No. 9 Mike Larson (Missouri) No. 13 Chris Chionuma (Oklahoma State) No. 19 Kevin Radford (Arizona State) 197: No. 3 Quentin Wright (Penn State) No. 7 Blake Rosholt (Oklahoma State) No. 9 Jake Meredith (Arizona State) No. 12 Brent Haynes (Missouri) No. 13 Scott Schiller (Minnesota) 285: No. 1 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) No. 2 Dom Bradley (Missouri) No. 3 Alan Gelogaev (Oklahoma State) No. 14 Levi Cooper (Arizona State) No. 15 Jimmy Lawson (Penn State) No. 16 Odie Delaney (The Citadel) No. 17 Jeremy Johnson (Ohio)

The winter months are long and dreary, but in the midst of snow and sleet come two of the country's best tournaments, Midlands and Southern Scuffle. Though both tournaments are loaded. It's the Southern Scuffle that will be headlined by two-time defending NCAA champion and top-ranked Penn State as well as No. 2 Oklahoma State, No. 3 Minnesota, and No. 7 Cornell. The Midlands will also have several Top 25 programs, including wrestlers from No. 2 Iowa and No. 6 Illinois. Regardless of the teams attending, both tournaments are filled with provocative individual matchups that will give coaches and fans a better perspective on what will happen in March. Below are the ten best matchups from these winter classics, along with point spreads by Brian Muir. (It'll help you make bets your friends will want to take.) I'm trusting you won't gamble anything more than a few dollars, or one very large bar tab. No. 2 Nico Megaludis (Penn State) vs. No. 4 Alan Waters (Missouri) Weight Class: 125 Event: Southern Scuffle Nico Megaludis (Photo/Bill Ennis)Analysis: Matt McDonough leads the pack at 125 pounds, but with Iowa sitting a majority of their starters this break, it will be Megaludis and Waters headlining the lightweight showdown. Megaludis is the favorite against Waters coming off an NCAA runner-up performance in 2012. His flexibility has allowed him to defend shots in a totally unique way, and increasingly he's finding ways to score from his own offense in addition to his counter offense. As he develops and keeps opponents from getting off good shots, that flexibility will play an even more crucial role in his success by becoming a secondary line of defense, as opposed to a primary. Waters is undefeated on the season with wins over No. 12 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) (twice) and 2011 All-American Nikko Triggas (Ohio State). However, Waters has yet to face off against a top ten opponent and his side of the bracket could include as many as three top ten wrestlers, like Jarrod Garnett (Virginia Tech), David Thorn (Minnesota), Matt Snyder (Virginia), and Nick Soto (Chattanooga) spread across both sides of the bracket. Waters needs the best tournament of his life to make it past the early opposition with enough gumption left to give Megaludis a run in the finals. Line: Megaludis -1 No. 2 Scotti Sentes (Central Michigan) vs. No. 4 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro) Weight Class: 133 Event: Midlands Analysis: Two-time All-American Scotti Sentes comes into his senior season only ranked behind returning NCAA champion Logan Stieber (Ohio State). Sentes hasn't seen much action this season having wrestled a paltry four times. However, you can expect that his top game and creative defense will be on display for all of Midlands and take him into the finals. Schopp's closest match of the season came in the All-Star Classic when he won a hard fought 2-1 decision over Chris Dardanes (Minnesota). Outside of that decision and a 6-0 performance over Johnni DiJulius (Ohio State), the Edinboro sophomore has won by either fall or major decision. Can he dominate Sentes? Will Schopp's top work neutralize Sentes' mat work? Great questions and we'll get answers in what is sure to be one of the week's most exciting matchups. Line: Sentes -3 No. 1 Kendric Maple (Oklahoma) vs. No. 3 B.J. Futrell (Illinois) Weight Class: 141 Event: Midlands Analysis: One of the two rematches on the list. The first meeting at the NWCA All-Star Classic was dominated by Maple who came away the 6-2 winner. Maple's attacks have stayed solid this season and without the pressure of the NCAA tournament he'll perform well and will likely come away with a result similar to the duo's first outing. Futrell has been dominant this season, winning six of his 12 matches by fall. (He actually holds the all-time pin record for the Illini.) It will be interesting to see how the Illini coaching staff prepares for Maple. Will they be able to slow down his attacks, or create counter offense? If not it will be another lopsided affair. But if adjustments work, these two guys are evenly matched. Line: Maple -4 No. 1 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 2 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) Weight Class: 149 Event: Southern Scuffle Analysis: He's back! Dylan Ness is scheduled to wrestle at the Southern Scuffle, and should he make his way through the Scuffle field he'll face off with the bigger and better Jordan Oliver. The match will be a good measuring point for both wrestlers and help us answer where Ness stands after a long layoff from competition. And yet he'll be facing Oliver, who might be the best wrestler in the country, winning eight matches by fall and another four by major decision. The Okie State senior has not been challenged, and though it's tough to imagine Ness will beat him, the Gophers' squirrelly style presents the stiffest competition for Oliver at this point in the season. It might also lead to some great viewing. Line: Oliver -4.5 No. 2 Jason Welch (Northwestern) vs. No. 4 Joey Napoli (Lehigh) Weight Class: 157 Event: Midlands Jason Welch enters the Midlands with 93 career wins (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Analysis: Joey Napoli is having himself a nice little season. Though he suffered a six-point loss to top-ranked Derek St. John (Iowa), Napoli has registered wins over Frank Hickman (Bloomsburg) and Dylan Alton (Penn State) and seems poised for a high All-American finish at NCAAs. Welch absolutely destroyed No. 3 James Fleming recently, winning by major decision, 10-1. Should he meet up with Napoli, the undefeated Welch and his funky defense and focus on point scoring should overpower Napoli's more reserved approach to offense. It will be a fun style matchup that we could very easily see again in March. Line: Welch -2 No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) vs. No. 2 David Taylor (Penn State) Weight Class: 165 Event: Southern Scuffle Analysis: Yes, Kyle Dake won their first collegiate matchup, but for many it was not the type of decisive victory that would end the discussion of who is favored in their rematch. Dake's defensive scramble against Taylor in the All-Star Classic was vintage stuff, but could he do it again? Has Coach Cael and company now figured out some weaknesses in Dake's defense that could lead to a Taylor win? What about Dake, does he now understand which angles are open to attack? Does he feel supremely confident in his top game? There are still lots of questions to answer, which means that the wrestling world will be watching. Line: Dake -1.5 No. 1 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 3 Matt Brown (Penn State) Weight Class: 174 Event: Southern Scuffle Analysis: Penn State's Matt Brown comes into the Scuffle undefeated. The sophomore has been one of the most talked about wrestlers since his freshman performance at the tournament the year before, where he bested Logan Storley (Minnesota) on his way to a finals appearance against teammate Ed Ruth. On the other side is Chris Perry who took third at 174 at the 2012 NCAAs and has been winning with ease this season. Most wrestling fans want to see what the guy smashed between David Taylor and Ed Ruth can do with his workout room upper hand. Will he be able to produce in-season results as the starter and become the best in the country? To do that Brown will likely have to make it past Storley in the semifinals. Assuming he repeats his performance from last year, Penn State will either pick up another top-seeded wrestler for NCAAs, or Perry will eliminate doubts about his ability to hold the top spot at 174. Line: Perry -1.5 No. 1 Ed Ruth (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Steve Bosak (Cornell) Weight Class: 184 Event: Southern Scuffle Ed Ruth has been crushing opponents (Photo/Bill Ennis)Analysis: Arguably the most anticipated matchup of the week outside of Dake-Taylor, these two NCAA champions should be facing off in the finals of the Scuffle. Standing in the way is Minnesota's Kevin Steinhaus, who could derail the Big Red senior's quest for a finals matchup against Ruth. Should Bosak make it, fans will likely be treated to the second finals match to feature two returning NCAA champions, which is normally a rarity for even the NCAA tournament, much less a holiday tournament. Ed Ruth has been crushing opponents in 2012, looking every bit the type of wrestler that could win the Hodge Trophy in the spring and repeat as InterMat Wrestler of the Year. Last week, Bosak struggled to get past Okie State's Chris Chionuma in his return to action, winning a close 4-3 match. It's hard to imagine what Bosak will do to slow down Ruth, but seeing him try will be all many fans need in order to make this matchup one of the semester's best. Line: Ruth -3.5 No. 1 Dustin Kilgore (Kent State) vs. No. 2 Matt Wilps (Pitt) Weight Class: 197 Event: Midlands Analysis: The much-anticipated matchup between undefeated and as yet unchallenged Kilgore and the on-fire Wilps, may never happen. That's because entering this year's Midlands is three-time Maryland All-American and current Columbia assistant wrestling coach Hudson Taylor. Though Taylor hasn't competed in a few years, he claims to be in good shape and ready to compete as a method of bringing attention to his non-profit Athlete Ally. Wilps will likely face Taylor in the semifinals. As for the potential Kilgore-Wilps matchup, it's a battle of similar styles. Unlike Wilps versus Quentin Wright, which pitted opposing styles, Wilps the strict positional aggressor and Q the hip tossing and scramble producing counter wrestler. Kilgore and Wilps are much the same on the mat. It shouldn't be hard for the NCAA champion to find his edge and exploit it, but don't count out Wilps, who is as hard-nosed and tough as anyone in the country and is having an excellent season. Line: Kilgore -4 No. 1 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) vs. No. 2 Dom Bradley (Missouri) Weight Class: 285 Event: Southern Scuffle Tony Nelson defeated Alan Gelogaev earlier this season (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Analysis: Assuming Dom Bradley gets by Alan Gelogaev, the matchup between Bradley and returning NCAA champion Tony Nelson should give wrestling fans a good vantage point on how the rest of the season might play out at heavyweight. Bradley's build could present problems for Nelson, but like most all heavyweight matchups this match will likely go into overtime where it will become a battle to see which wrestler can hold down the other wrestler the longest. Good money has it on the NCAA champion, but don't count out Bradley, who if he's in the match will be coming off a big win against Gelogaev. Line: Nelson -1

Dan Lefebvre is in his seventh season as head wrestling coach at STMA (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Dan Lefebvre is in his seventh season as head wrestling coach at St. Michael-Albertville and 24th season on the coaching staff. During his time at STMA, the Knights have won six state wrestling championships and finished runner-up eight times, including the past three seasons. InterMat caught up with Lefebvre and talked to him about the Minnesota Christmas Tournament, The Clash, Apple Valley, Thorn brothers, Chas Betts, national rankings, and more. St. Michael-Albertville recently won the Minnesota Christmas Tournament, finishing nine points ahead of Apple Valley. How important was that tournament title to the program? STMA won the Minnesota Christmas Tournament, finishing in front of Apple Valley (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Lefebvre: We've won it one other time, which was during the 2005-06 season when we had a real senior-dominated team. Guys like Mike Thorn and Joe Grygelko were on that team. It's a fun thing. It wasn't one of our goals that we put down, but it's nice. We didn't have a heavyweight in the tournament, so we went with 13 weights. Our heavyweight had a concussion, but now he'll be back for The Clash. Apple Valley was without two starters, so that kind of evens out. To be honest with you, we kind of expected to win based on the seeds. We have the guys to do it and we did it. What are your thoughts on the pairings for The Clash? Lefebvre: We figured if we won the Christmas Tournament we would be a No. 1 seed. We have been a No. 1 seed in the past, but we have never made the final bracket. That final bracket is brutal. When you get there it's tough. We could go 3-0, 0-3, 1-2 ... There will be some close duals. We have Oak Park-River Forest (Ill.) if we get to the finals of our pool. They beat Carl Sandburg (Ill.), and yet Carl Sandburg got a No. 1 seed, so that was a little confusing. It will be tough getting there. In the semis we'll probably face either Collins Hills (Ga.) or Lake Stevens (Wash.). Collins Hills beat us a couple years ago, so I know they have a good program. It's fun. I like wrestling out-of-state teams. Different styles. Good challenge for our kids. Do you plan for specific teams or matchups at The Clash? Lefebvre: We do some research on them and see where teams are strong. But we're not going to move guys. We have a solid guy at every weight. If we move a guy that means we're opening up a hole, and we really can't move guys out of the lineup. We're pretty well set. We have a real balanced team. We put out a really, really good kid at almost all the weights. I expect in 12 out of the 14 weights the other teams better bring a top-level guy, otherwise we feel that we have a chance to win most of those weights. Earlier this season you defeated Simley 41-21. What did you learn about your team in that dual meet? Lefebvre: We learned that we're catching up. The past few years we have wrestled them, and even last year, physically we couldn't compete. Our guys put in a lot of time weight training and they've gotten stronger. We have a lot of guys that work hard in the offseason. They're battle-tested and know what it takes to mentally and physically get through duals like that, and get through tournaments like the Christmas Tournament and The Clash with top-level competition round after round after round. Guys are now used to wrestling in pressure situations more than ever. I would say that victory legitimized our program. It gives your kids more confidence when they can beat a team like Simley. At the start of the 2009-10 season your program moved up from Class AA to Class AAA, a class that has been dominated by Apple Valley the past couple decades. You lost to Apple Valley in the state finals the past three seasons. How would you characterize the rivalry between St. Michael-Albertville and Apple Valley? Lefebvre: It's intense. They have a great program. When kids are at Apple Valley they get better. That's why I think kids go to Apple Valley. We feel when kids are in our program they get better year after year too. Each year we have wrestled Apple Valley we've lost by large margins. But last year was the first year I thought that we really competed, and our guys learned that they could physically compete with them, even though we still lost by 25 points. We scored some points on them and we didn't back down. It's been tough. They have been one of the top teams in the nation the last three years. There has been such a disparity in our state in the levels when you go from Apple Valley and then down to the No. 2 team, which happened to be us the last three years. And then there were only about two or three teams that were about at our level, and then there was a big drop again. People didn't want to come and watch the state tournament because they knew the outcome before the tournament started. I think people are now getting a little more excited because we don't know the outcome. It should be exciting. Currently Minnesota has its dual state tournament the day before the start of the individual state tournament. It used to be mixed in with the individual competition. Do you have an opinion on the current structure? Lefebvre: I don't like it the way it is now because mainly it's unfair for all the teams competing. If the wrestlers are also in the individual portion of the tournament it's not a fair setup because the guys are competing in three tough duals on Thursday, and then they have to come back right away the next day and start competing in their individual tournament against guys who are not in the dual tournament who have just been worrying about making weight and worrying about the individual tournament. It's not fair physically or mentally. They need to go back to the way it was or they need to move the dual tournament to Saturday. The reason they're not moving it to Saturday is because of money. They don't think they'll have the attendance. The Minnesota State High School League didn't like when we had the state team finals on Saturday after the state individual finals. Almost the entire arena would empty out and go home. They didn't like that. But we're not really looking out for the kids. I just don't think it's a good system for those individuals. The dual state tournament is now seeded to four teams. Do you feel the individual state tournament should be seeded? Lefebvre: Yes, I do think the individual tournament should be seeded. We just did it for the Christmas Tournament. It's a similar thing. You have some criteria. Most of the top guys wrestle each other at some point or have some common opponents. At least it separates some of the top guys out, at least in the semifinals, and it doesn't have them meeting in the quarterfinals. It needs to happen. It's time. Several of your wrestlers compete in the spring, summer, and fall. How important is that to your team's success? Lefebvre: It's very important. It's a commitment the parents make and the wrestlers make. You can't compete at the top level without that. We've had more and more kids doing that in the last ten years. We won a couple of state titles in 1996 and 1997 with one or two kids doing it, and now we consistently have eight to ten kids doing it. When you get at least half your varsity weights doing that and the other half are playing football or doing other things, we can compete with that. But if they weren't doing that, it would make it difficult to compete at the top level. It's a big commitment for the parents and the wrestlers. Tommy Thorn won a Junior National freestyle title in Fargo (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)One of your wrestlers, Tommy Thorn, has developed into one of the nation's top lightweights. What's it like coaching Tommy? Lefebvre: It's a pleasure. Tommy is one of our hardest workers in our wrestling room. Tommy has had some of the best training in the world. He has gone to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. He has been trained by some of the best guys here. His brothers and dad are all phenomenal technical wrestlers. A lot of the stuff we teach, particularly at the beginning to the whole team, is stuff he knows. It's basic. It's our STMA stuff that we do. But he gets back and drills it harder than anybody else in the room. He doesn't say, 'Well, I know this stuff.' He knows the basic things that we do win championships. He has become our leader in the way he goes about his business to be a champion. When everybody else comes in the room and looks around and says, 'If our best wrestler works this hard, then that's what we do here.' So we're lucky in that way. And he's talented. He's physically talented and works extremely hard. People like to compare brothers that compete in the same sport, so it's natural that people compare Tommy to his older brothers Mike and David. Having coached all three brothers, what are some differences you see in Tommy compared to his older brothers? Lefebvre: Tommy has a little bit of both of those guys. Mike was a creative wrestler. You would be watching him wrestle and you'd go, 'Wow, we never practiced that and I've never seen him do that before, but it worked.' It would be like, 'No, no ... wow, way to go.' He was creative. David was extremely technical. He did things by the book and was very successful with it. Mike was a better mat wrestler. David was more of a takedown wrestler. Tommy has both. He is creative and very technical. David Thorn moved down to 125 pounds this season for the University of Minnesota. He is currently 6-1 and ranked No. 7. Do you feel 125 pounds is a better fit for him? Lefebvre: I don't know. Boy, he has to show a lot of discipline to do it. I don't know ... It's tough to say. Yes, if he wins the national title it's the right decision. If not, I don't know. If he becomes an All-American it's probably the right decision. I think it's too early to tell. It's difficult. It's a tough weight cut for him. Hopefully it works out. Mike Thorn has returned to Minnesota after spending some time in New York. Has he been able to work much with Tommy and/or your team? Lefebvre: Mike is trying to get his career started in financial advising, so he just comes up once in a while afterwards and wrestles around with the guys. That's kind of his role. He's going to kind of take on a different role with some of our youth kids for now. He's not officially on our coaching staff. Just when it works into his schedule he comes in, kind of like any other alumni for the time being. He might do some offseason things with our guys. He has a young family. Going forward I project that he'll be part of our coaching staff soon. He's valuable. He teaches wrestling really well and works well with kids. But right now he's not officially on our coaching staff. He's trying to get his career started. Chas Betts, a former STMA wrestler, represented the U.S. at the 2012 Olympic Games (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)One of your former athletes, Chas Betts, represented the United States at the Olympic Games in Greco-Roman this past summer in London. When you coached Betts at the high school level, did you envision that he could someday become an Olympian? Lefebvre: I could. Greco was his thing. He has always loved it. He is a great athlete. He would want to do Greco-Roman at all times. Particularly when he won a Junior National Greco-Roman title I thought he could do it. He had the drive and enthusiasm for it, but yet the patience for it. His temperament is 'I'm going to keep working and be patient until my time comes.' He had all those things going for him. So it was real exciting. It's neat for our town and our school to have an Olympian. They really got behind him. We had a lot of support for him at his going-away party. It was a neat deal. St. Michael-Albertville is currently ranked in the top five nationally. What do national rankings mean to your program? Lefebvre: National rankings give us some notoriety. It's neat. We work with the kids all the time and help them understand that rankings are based on what we have done and what we are predicted to do. We try to keep them level-headed and help them understand that rankings are not exact predictors of our success. We are going to determine that by the way we prepare to win. How will success be measured this season? Lefebvre: Our first goal that we have as a team every year is to maximize our abilities and effort every time we step on the mat. If we do that, we think we're good enough to win a state title. However, there are a lot of factors that go into that. We're not going to say our season was a total loss if we don't do that. But if everyone is doing everything they can to prepare to reach that goal, then I think that's a successful season, as we do any year. It gets old being runner-up three years in a row. So, yeah, we would like to win a state title. But that's not going to be the end-all either. This story also appears in the Dec. 28 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. Subscribe to The Guillotine.

Cody Wiercioch recently won a Walsh Ironman title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The POWERade Christmas Wrestling Tournament celebrates its 45th edition on Friday and Saturday at Canon-McMillan High School just to the south of Pittsburgh. For a tournament that has always been superb, in fact ranked the fourth best in the country according to InterMat, some aspects this year make it even more special than normal. It is extremely likely that the most anticipated regular season matchup of the 2012-13 season will happen during Saturday night's finals that start at 7:30 p.m. Junior Chance Marsteller from Kennard-Dale, Pa., is ranked No. 1 in the nation at 170 pounds, and No. 1 overall in the Class of 2014. He also is a two-time state champion, a two-time POWERade champion, yet to lose a match in his high school career. However, in senior Cody Wiercioch from the host school Canon-McMillan, Marsteller might see a true equal. Wiercioch is ranked No. 2 in the nation at 170 pounds, a two-time state champion (three-time finalist), a two-time POWERade champion (three-time finalist), and a two-time Super 32 Challenge champion. His career record is 137-4, with all those losses coming to one wrestler: Travis McKillop, a Burrell graduate who earned NCAA Division II All-American honors as a true frosh at Pitt-Johnstown in 2012 -- as part of a seven match series over two years. Headed into the POWERade this weekend, Wiercioch is working on a 60-match winning streak. Joining Marsteller as top-ranked wrestlers in their weight classes are Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.) at 138 pounds and Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) at 220. Retherford, ranked third overall in the Class of 2013, will be joined by another pair of nationally ranked wrestlers in his weight class: No. 6 Mason Manville (Blair Academy, N.J.), who scored the first takedown against Retherford in the Ironman final but still lost 4-2, and No. 14 Joseph Galasso (Father Judge, Pa.), a FloNationals runner-up and Super 32 placer. Also in the weight class are additional Pennsylvania state placers in Josh Maruca (Franklin Regional), Ethan Kenney (Connellsville), and Brock Zacherl (Brookville). Snyder, ranked second to Marsteller in the Class of 2014, is also undefeated in a high school career that includes two National Prep titles, two Ironman titles, and three Beast of the East titles. His weight class features three other nationally ranked wrestlers: fellow junior Thomas Haines (Solanco, Pa.), a two-time state champion seeking to win back-to-back titles in this event, who is No. 3 in the weight class and No. 6 overall in the Class of 2014; as well as No. 10 Alex Campbell (Canon-McMillan, Pa.), runner-up in this event last year, and No. 20 Chalmer Frueauf (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio). The nation's top-ranked team, Blair Academy, N.J., is in the tournament for a second straight year and is a strong favorite to repeat as team champion. Their anchor wrestler Brooks Black, ranked No. 2 in the nation at 285 pounds and No. 6 overall in the Class of 2013, will most likely have to battle defending state champion Nazar Mironeko (Mifflinburg, Pa.) in order to win a repeat POWERade title on Saturday night. The other defending Buccaneer champion at the POWERade is senior Russ Parsons, ranked No. 6 in the nation at 152 pounds. However, he will face an extreme challenge from No. 5 Anthony Collica (Solon, Ohio), a two-time state champion, Junior National freestyle champion, and three-time POWERade placer (5th/3rd/4th). Also present here is state placer Heath Coles (Norwin, Pa.), who is likely to meet Collica in the semifinal round. Two past POWERade champions, both of whom are ranked inside the top ten nationally, are featured at 126 pounds. No. 4 Connor Schram (Canon-McMillan, Pa.) won the 112 pound weight class in 2010, and is a three-time state finalist; No. 8 Michael Kemerer (Franklin Regional, Pa.) was champion at 113 last year, finished as a state runner-up, and was runner-up at the Super 32 in October. Joining them in this weight are No. 3 Ryan Diehl (Trinity, Pa.), a three-time state champion, and Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, N.J.). McKenna, a two-time National Prep champion and Junior National freestyle runner-up this summer, is a top ten prospect in the Class of 2014; it is his season debut, as he is back earlier than expected from a major injury that occurred while competing at the FILA Cadet freestyle World Championships in August. This quartet at 126 is joined by fellow state placers Cole Walter (Mifflinburg, Pa.) and Matt Welliver (Benton, Pa.). A total of ten past POWERade champions will be competing in this year's event, with an eleventh in Solomon Chishko (Canon-McMillan, Pa.) unable to seek a repeat title at 145 pounds due to an injury sustained during the championship match of the Super 32 Challenge in late October. Already mentioned were Schram, Kemerer, Parsons, Wiercioch, Marsteller, Haines, and Black. Rounding out this group are Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) at 120 pounds, Dakota DesLauriers (Burrell, Pa.) at 182, and Jacob Hart (Hampton, Pa.) at 195; DesLauriers and Hart won their titles last year in the same weight class. Joseph, last year's winner at 106 pounds, faces an absolutely stacked field at 120 pounds with four nationally ranked wrestlers present. No. 3 Matthew Kolodzik (Blair Academy, N.J.) was a Cadet National freestyle champion this summer, and has already finished runner-up at the Ironman and Beast of the East this year; No. 5 Sam Krivus (Hempfield Area, Pa.) finished third at both the POWERade and state tournaments last year, and won the Super 32 Challenge two months ago; No. 11 Dalton Macri (Canon-McMillan, Pa.) was runner-up at 113 here last year; while No. 18 Brandon Thompson (Solon, Ohio) is a two-time state champion and two-time POWERade placer (3rd and 5th). DesLauriers, a state champion last year and three-time state placer, is the top seed in a weight class with No. 19 Addison Knepshield (Blair Academy, N.J.), who placed fourth at both the Ironman and Beast of the East earlier this month, as the sixth seed. Also present in this weight is state fourth placer Nicholas Shawley (Bellefonte, Pa.). Hart finished runner-up at state last year in Class AAA and placed in the Super 32 two months ago. However, it is No. 3 Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy, N.J.), a National Prep champion last year, and two-time Ironman placer who enters this tournament the favorite. In last year's event, Mattiace was upset the round before he would have met Hart, and reversed that result in consolation on the way to a third place finish. Also present here is National Prep and Super 32 placer Spencer Neff (Good Counsel, Md.). The remaining five weight classes -- 106, 113, 132, 145, and 160 -- also feature nationally ranked wrestlers, meaning that every single weight in this tournament features a genuinely elite level of competition. Two nationally ranked freshmen are featured in the 106 pound weight class: No. 2 Luke Pletcher (Greater Labrobe, Pa.), a two-time Super 32 placer and five-time PJW champion, and No. 8 Alex Mackall (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio), who placed fourth at the Ironman. However, neither is seeded, as they do not have a high school based criterion. The top two seeds here are Devon Brown (Saegertown, Pa.), who placed third in Ohio last year and is a Cadet Greco-Roman All-American, and state runner-up Tommy Aloi (Forest Park, Va.) who also was a NHSCA Junior runner-up. State champ, and two-time state finalist, Ethan Lizak (Parkland, Pa.) is ranked No. 7 nationally to anchor the 113-pound weight class. Based on the draw, the other two nationally ranked wrestlers are slated to meet in the quarterfinal round as the two and seven seeds respectively: No. 13 Chaz Tucker (Blair Academy, N.J.), runner-up at the National Prep and Cadet National freestyle championships, and No. 19 Jordan Allen (Huntington, W.Va.), a state champion and POWERade placer. The two nationally ranked wrestlers at 132 are seeded to the top half of the draw: No. 5 Jason Nolf (Kittanning, Pa.), third at the Super 32 and a junior with the only loss in his high school career coming to Diehl in the state semifinals last year, and No. 11 Dennis Gustafson (Forest Park, Va.) who placed fifth in the Super 32 and was a runner-up at the NHSCA Junior Nationals. Three-time state champion Brandon Brunner (Baylor School, Tenn.) is seeded to hit Nolf in the quarterfinal, while the bottom half of the draw is led by state placer Tyler Smith (Franklin Regional, Pa.), who was a match away from placing at the Ironman; and two-time state placer Mikey Kostandaras (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio). Two-time National Prep runner-up Dylan Milonas (Blair Academy, N.J.), runner-up last year in this 145-pound weight class, is ranked No. 8 nationally and the favorite. He also was a Junior Naitonal freestyle All-American this past summer and has finished third at the Ironman and Beast of the East earlier this month. He is joined by No. 15 Colt Cotton (Benton, Pa.), a three-time state placer and NHSCA Junior runner-up, as a nationally ranked wrestler in this weight class. Also in this weight class is NHSCA Junior National champion Justin Arthur (Huntington, W.Va.), who was a Junior National freestyle All-American this summer. Finally at 160 pounds, No. 11 Zack Zavatsky (Greater Latrobe, Pa.) is the lone ranked wrestler. He placed third at the POWERade and placed eighth at state in this weight class last year. He is joined by a pair of Pennsylvania state placers in Zach Voytek (Greensburg Salem, Pa.) and Jeric Kasunic (Benton, Pa.), as well as 2011 state placer Ty Walter (Mifflinburg, Pa.), a two-time Super 32 placer. The robust nature of this field is also reflected in the excellence of the programs that will assemble this weekend. In addition to No. 1 Blair Academy, two other nationally ranked teams are present: No. 6 Canon-McMillan, Pa., and No. 34 Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio; No. 12 Clovis, Calif., and No. 39 Hermiston, Ore., had to pull out of the tournament due to travel logistics. Other teams meriting attention include Franklin Regional, Pa., Good Counsel, Md., Huntington, W.Va., and Parkland, Pa.

Daniel Woiwor and the Apple Valley Eagles finished runner-up at The Clash X (Photo/The Guillotine) The Clash XI National High School Wrestling Duals represent a truly unique event in high school wrestling. It is a tournament of dual meets where nationally elite squads will have at least three, and possibly even five, competitive dual meets over a two-day period. Day 1 is three dual meets for each squad using an eight-man bracket team advancement concept, while the second day is three dual meets in a round-robin setting based on their position in Day 1 (i.e. the four first-place teams are in one pool, those that take second in another, etc.). Since predicting when and where the elite individual matchups will take place is going to be imperfect, let's instead list the nationally ranked wrestlers from all 32 teams in the event below: 106: No. 9 Mitch McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) 113: No. 5 Sean Russell (Collins Hill, Ga.) and No. 14 Jaret Singh (Kearney, Mo.) 120: No. 2 Tommy Thorn (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.), No. 6 Ryan Millhof (Collins Hill, Ga.), and No. 17 Jordan Laster (Montini Catholic, Ill.) 126: No nationally ranked individuals 132: No. 18 Seth Gross (Apple Valley, Minn.) 138: No. 2 Kevin Norstrem (Brandon, Fla.) and No. 9 Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.) 145: No. 1 Jake Short (Simley, Minn.) and No. 14 Darick Lapaglia (Blue Springs, Mo.) 152: No. 1 Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) and No. 12 Cain Salas (Blue Springs, Mo.) 160: No. 8 Daniel Woiwor (Apple Valley, Minn.) and No. 17 Davonte Mahomes (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) 170: No. 4 Nick Wanzek (Simley, Minn.) and No. 14 Colin Holler (Carl Sandburg, Ill.) 182: No. 3 Brooks Climmons (Pope, Ga.), No. 5 Ricky Robertson (Carl Sandburg, Ill.), No. 13 Michael Pixley (Blue Springs, Mo.), and No. 18 Ryder Newman (Green Valley, Nev.) 195: No. 5 Broc Berge (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) 220: No nationally ranked individuals 285: No. 4 Sam Stoll (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) Thirty-two teams will assemble at the UCR Regional Sports Center on Friday for Day 1 of competition in either the morning or evening. Brackets "C" and "D" will compete in the morning session, with matches at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m. Central Time (10/noon/2 ET); while Brackets "A" and "B" will compete in the evening session, with matches at 4 p.m., 6 p.m., and 8 p.m. (5/7/9 ET). Teams losing in their first match will compete for fifth through eighth place in their brackets during the two remaining Day 1 rounds, and reconvene for pool competition in the Saturday morning session at 9 a.m. Those winning the first match on Friday will finish top four in the bracket, their last two matches determining exact placement, and assemble for their pool competition on in the Saturday evening session starting at 4 p.m. For coverage of the dual meets as they happen, check out the direct link from Track Wrestling. The following represents an analysis of each of the four Day 1 brackets with some projection involved. Bracket C: Three nationally ranked teams are featured: No. 4 Apple Valley, Minn., No. 10 Montini Catholic, Ill., and No. 33 Kearney, Mo. Apple Valley is the top seed and perennial participant in the championship pool on Day 2. They are prohibitive favorites in the opening match against Arrowhead, Wis., with the only remotely interesting matchups coming at 132 and 152; at 132 it is likely to be a 2011 Cadet freestyle final rematch between Seth Gross (Apple Valley) and Andrew Crone, while at 152 it is likely to be two-time state placer Mitch Berenz (Arrowhead) against either No. 1 Mark Hall or state runner-up Dayton Racer. Also prohibitively favored in their opening matchup is fourth-seed Bound Brook, N.J., who draws Pierre, S.D. Guessing Apple Valley's lineup for the Clash with any degree of intelligence has been an exercise in absurdity on a year-to-year basis, since they always have some sort of adjustment up their sleeves. The Eagles will additionally be strong favorites in their semifinal against Bound Brook, a balanced team with five returning state qualifiers but no true anchor, with only Craig De La Cruz (113) even a state placer. Down in the lower half of the bracket, Montini Catholic is the second seed, looking at an opening round walkover against Zumbrota-Mazeppa, Minn. Third seed Kearney will be just slightly more challenged by Hastings, Minn., though this is not a dual meet whose outcome is truly in doubt. There is potential for one interesting match though, as Hastings' best wrestler Luke Rowh (132), a returning state placer, matches up against state runner-up Blake Clevenger who placed at the Ironman earlier this month. This sets up a somewhat intriguing semifinal between Montini Catholic and Kearney, though the 10th-ranked Broncos are clear favorites in at least seven weight classes. High profile individual matches abound in the lower half of the lineup with two-time state champion Jaret Singh (Kearney) against state champion Tommy Pawleski at 113 pounds, Junior National freestyle All-American Seth Brayfield (Kearney) against two-time state placer Jordan Laster at 120, Ironman placer Clevenger against Cadet freestyle All-American Jose Champagne at 132, state champion Kevin Kinney (Kearney) against two-time state placer Chris Garcia at 138. The result is a much anticipated final between Apple Valley and Montini Catholic. Much of the dynamic here will be driven by lineup strategy. The opening four weight classes could help to set a tone, as even a split for Apple Valley should be a sufficient path to victory; the Broncos need three wins here for a probable victory path, while a sweep would assuredly signal victory. Part of that may involve strategic placement of Laster and Cadet Greco-Roman champion Vince Turk between 120 and 126. At 132, it is advantage Apple Valley with Gross, while Montini should have the advantage at 138 and 145. Apple Valley looks to be favored in the next three weights if they place Racer at 152 to face state qualifier Luke Fortuna, bump Hall up to 160 for a match with Cadet double All-American Xavier Montalvo, and bump Daniel Woiwor to 170 to face state placer Mike Maduko. The four upper-weight matchups all seem to be rather even, and could set a tone for the match if the dual meet starts in the middle-to-back based on random weight class draw. In conclusion, the safest pick is Apple Valley, as they are less dependent on "swing" matchups. Bracket D: Four nationally ranked teams are present, listed in seeding order: No. 16 Carl Sandburg, Ill., No. 17 Kasson-Mantorville, Minn., No. 49 Vacaville, Calif., and No. 50 Pope, Ga. Carl Sandburg is prohibitively favored in their opening dual meet against Forest Lake, Minn. The fourth seed Pope, Ga. has an extremely dangerous opening match against Green Valley, Nev., which could include a showdown between nationally ranked 182 pound wrestlers in Brooks Climmons and Ryder Newman. The Bulldogs are suspect in the lower half of the lineup, while Green Valley has three Reno TOC placers in that segment with champion Sean Cannon (113), sixth placer Jared Brathur (126), and eighth place finisher Zack Perry (145) along with state placer Josh Temple (120) who was one match away from placing. On the other hand, Pope stars in the upper half of the lineup with state champion Jake Hensen (152), state runner-up Billy Meek (170), Junior National freestyle runner-up Brooks Climmons (182), two-time Super 32 placer Trevor Stevens (195), and two-time state placer Joey Tabachino (220). Third seed Vacaville is a solid favorite to beat Owatonna, Minn., in the opening round, the match feels like one of those 9-5 type deals; while second seed Kasson-Mantorville is clearly favored to upend Corona del Sol, Ariz., in the opening round. The semifinal match involving the two squads looks like one where Kasson-Mantorville has the much clearer path to victory. They have six wrestlers who made the finals at the Minnesota Christmas Tournament two weekends ago -- freshman Gabe Shea (106); 2010 state champion Nate Thomas (126); state champions Brady Berge (132), Colton Laganiere (138), and Broc Berge (195); as well as 2011 state runner-up Sam Stoll (285). Vacaville responds with four who placed at the Reno Tournament of champions: two-time state placer Gionn Peralta (113), two-time state qualifier Kasey Klaus (120), senior Zach Dawson (152), and state placer Jeremy Sweany (195); as well as additional state qualifiers in Cameron Bailey (126) and Chris Lai (182). The featured match would be at 195 with No. 5 Berge facing Sweany. In the upper semifinal, Carl Sandburg's extreme lineup balance should be able to upend either Pope or Green Valley. Green Valley provides a better challenge in being less susceptible to pins or a significant run of Eagle victories, while Pope can make it a battle with their upper-weight strength. The absence of two-time state finalist Sebastian Pique (120) should not that much of an issue on Day 1, as the net outcomes should not change. Looking forward to the championship match, it should be an interesting one between Carl Sandburg and Kasson-Mantorville. It seems that Kasson-Mantorville is clearly favored in the five matches involving their best wrestlers, while clear underdogs in the five matches involving wrestlers that did not place at the Minnesota Christmas Tournament (113, 120, 152, 160, and 182). It seems likely to come down to a combination of bonus points and the other four matches: a battle between freshmen Gabe Shea (Kasson-Mantorville) and Christian Robertson) at 106, the 145 pound match between two-time state qualifier Branden Schorr (Kasson-Mantorville) against either state placer Mitch Cook or junior Alante Walter, a match at 170 pounds between two-time state qualifier Corben Hansen (Kasson-Mantorville) and three-time state placer Colin Holler, and at 220 where Bryce Seljan (Kasson-Mantorville) and state qualifier Bill Gore project to meet. It would seem that Carl Sandburg has the advantage. Bracket A: Three nationally ranked teams present themselves in this bracket: No. 5 St. Michael-Albertville, Minn., No. 14 Oak Park River Forest, Ill., and No. 35 Blue Springs, Mo. In a somewhat humorous first round pairing, St. Michael-Albertville goes against Kimball, Minn.; three key starters for the top-seeded Knights were competing for Kimball last year. Though there is no doubt St. Michael-Albertville will win the dual, there are a few interesting matchups: at 113 pounds, state placer Blaine Tschida (Kimball) will go up against either state qualifier Aaron Dick or state runner-up Mitch McKee, who was formerly at Kimball; at 126, state placer Quentin Berres (Kimball) is likely to wrestle state placer Tanner Mills, another wrestler who was at Kimball last year; while at 138, state placer Marcus Hamer (Kimball) competes against three-time state placer Cole Sladek. In the four-five match, it will be Collins Hill, Ga. against Lake Stevens, Wash. This should be a competitive dual meet, though neither team has a chance of beating St. Michael-Albertville in the next round. Collins Hill features a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers in Russell (113) and Millhof (120), while much of the rest of their squad is inexperienced and unproven. Lake Stevens features state champion Eric Soler (132/138) and NHSCA Junior runner-up Brandon Johnson (285). Therefore, for individual matchup purposes, one would like to see Collins Hill advance -- enabling a Thorn vs. Millhof match to occur at 120. The lower half of the bracket will features a non-competitive match with second seed Oak Park River Forest a strong favorite to dominate Rochester Mayo, Minn. However, the match involving third seed Blue Springs and Port Washington, Wis., may be closer than expected, with an upset even possible because the Wildcats lack depth behind their four nationally ranked wrestlers, all of whom were Kansas City Stampede champions two weekends ago. Assuming a Blue Springs first round win, the semi with Oak Park River Forest represents a situation where the tournament vs. dual meet dynamic comes into play. Despite starting five freshmen, including two in the middle-weights, the Huskies have extreme lineup balance; only one nationally ranked wrestler, but no holes except for 220 and 285. If the 32 teams in this event were to form a bracket tournament, one could see how Blue Springs finishes ahead of OPRF -- their four stars place very high, while the Huskies extreme lineup balance gets lost in the volume of talent. However, in this dual meet, finding seven Blue Springs wins is a tall order, one that could be compounded if lower weights wrestle early in the dual meet. OPRF is strongly favored in this dual meet because of having seven matches in which they are favored (106-132, 160, 170), and likely to get bonus points in all of them. Interestingly that would mean four of the five freshman starters for the Huskies win their matches. In addition, three of the four Blue Springs stars find themselves against credible opposition: Lewis at 138 facing Jake O'Mara, a Junior Greco-Roman All-American, Lapaglia at 145 facing state qualifier Johnny Gahagan, and Pixley at 182 going against state qualifier and NUWAY Vegas champion Joe Ariola. The resulting championship dual involves a pair of extremely balanced squads, St. Michael-Albertville and Oak Park River Forest. However, the scenarios in which STMA win this dual meet are easier to generate. Key parts of the equation are likely wins with bonus points from state placer Mitch Eull (220) and state qualifier Michael Kessler (285); getting at least one win from McKee and Dick at 106 and 113 against a pair of OPRF freshmen; Thorn (120) earning a win -- potentially with bonus points -- against state runner-up Matt Rundell; and getting at least two wins in the 132-145 area from state runner-up Mark Voss, three-time state placer Sladek, and state placer Lincoln Mallinger. That already establishes six wins for STMA, with two additional wins noted in the above paragraph; plus there are four other swing matches in the dual meet: 126 between Mills (STMA) and freshman Isaiah White, 152 between Thor Holstad (STMA) and freshman Kamaal Bey, 170 between Joseph (STMA) and freshman Alan Stallings, and 195 between state placer Ricky Briggs (STMA) and Andre Lee. The only two sure-fire wins for OPRF in this dual are with Davonte Mahomes at 160 and Ariola at 195. Bracket B: Like Brackets "A" and "C," three nationally ranked teams present themselves here: No. 7 Brandon, Fla., No. 20 Simley, Minn., and No. 29 Marist, Ill. Brandon will blow out their opening round opponent Burnsville, Minn., who has no state ranked wrestlers in Class 3A per The Guillotine. In the four-five match, it will be Jefferson, Ga. against Prior Lake, Minn. This should be a competitive dual meet, though neither team has a chance of beating Brandon in the next round. Like with Brandon, the opening round matches for Simley and Marist should be non-competitive as well. Simley is slated to face Thompson, Ala., which does feature Super 32 placer Nick Hall at 152; while Marist faces Rapid City Central, S.D. This results in a semifinal match between Simley and Marist, two teams that have not performed up to their pre-season expectations in the early part of the season; maybe this dual meet can help give these squads the necessary impetus to right the proverbial ship. Even though the national rankings have Simley higher, based on "base lineups," it is easier to create a scenario in which Marist wins this match than one in which Simley wins. Marist's strength in the upper-weights makes it highly likely they win five of the last six weight classes, losing only wherever Nick Wanzek competes for Simley. Those figures for the Red Hawks are state placers Peter Andreotti (160), Alex Benoit (170), Josh Pruitt (195), and Josh Hickey (285), along with senior Ethan Benoit (182) and two-time state qualifier Tom Howell (220). Simley can get to five wins pretty easily, as they are very strong in the middle-weights where Marist is weak. Those key figures would be two-time state champion Kyle Gliva (132), 2010 state placer Wayne Voss (138), three-time state champion Jake Short (145), and state placer Mack Short (152). However, that leaves the four lower-weight classes as the likely deciders, and Marist is better in that portion of the lineup with Cadet freestyle runner-up Nick Lukanich (106), two-time state placer Mark Duda (113), and state placer David Kasper (120) present in that segment. For Simley to win this dual, they are going to need some combination of upsets, lineup strategy working in their favor, and/or winning the bonus point battle. Since it could be either Simley or Marist in the final against Brandon, one should take a look at both dual meet scenarios. Against Simley, it is easy for Brandon to get to five wins. Lower-weight anchors Kyle Norstrem (113), James Flint (120), and Dylan Lucas (126) have all won state titles and look very likely to be after bonus points; Kevin Norstrem (138) is one of the nation's best wrestlers, and even against Wayne Voss could be chasing bonus; and two-time state champion Jacob Haydock (160) is also chasing bonus. In turn, Simley is looking at assured wins from Gliva and the Shorts, though bonus points are less assured. In order to reduce the burden on their upper-weights, it would behoove Brandon to win the 106 pound matchup and find a way to flex Super 32 placer Travis Berridge away from Wanzek. The hypothetical Brandon vs. Marist matchup has a similar dynamic, though the path to a Marist victory is more plausible, as their back half of the lineup is stronger, and the last four weights are virtual locks to win and bring major bonus points into play. In turn, Brandon is heavily favored in four of the lower-to-middle matches, with Flint, Lucas, Kevin Norstrem, and Super 32 placer Troy Joyce (145). The result would be six matches that swing this dual meet; winning four should be enough, while a split makes it come down to bonus point. There are three "strength-on-strength" matches in that sextet: Norstrem against Duda at 113, Haydock against Andreotti at 160, and Berridge against Alex Benoit at 170. Day 1 Predictions Bracket A: STMA, OPRF, Blue Springs, Lake Stevens, Collins Hill, Port Washington, Kimball, and Rochester Mayo Bracket B: Marist, Brandon, Simley, Jefferson, Prior Lake, Thompson, Rapid City Central, and Burnsville Bracket C: Apple Valley, Montini Catholic, Kearney, Bound Brook, Hastings, Arrowhead, Pierre, and Zumbrota-Mazeppa Bracket D: Carl Sandburg, Kasson-Mantorville, Pope, Vacaville, Green Valley, Owatonna, Forest Lake, and Corona del Sol. Day 2 Predictions Just going to offer orders of finish, since analyzing pools that may or may not happen makes rather limited sense. Championship Pool: Apple Valley, STMA, Carl Sandburg, and Marist Second Pool: Montini, OPRF, Brandon, and Kasson-Mantorville Third Pool: Simley, Kearney, Blue Springs, and Pope Fourth Pool: Vacaville, Bound Brook, Lake Stevens, and Jefferson Fifth Pool: Green Valley, Prior Lake, Collins Hill, and Hastings Sixth Pool: Owatonna, Port Washington, Arrowhead, and Thompson Seventh Pool: Kimball, Forest Lake, Rapid City Central, and Pierre Eighth Pool: Corona del Sol, Rochester Mayo, Burnsville, and Zumbrota-Mazeppa

Martinez beats Nickal, Clovis upends Allen in California On a Saturday in which their high school football team won a Division 5A-1 state football title in Texas, those on the No. 13 Allen wrestling team competed in the second day of the Zinkin Classic hosted by Buchanan High School just outside of Fresno, Calif. Despite being short-handed, with state placer Stone Drulman as well as nationally ranked wrestlers Oliver Pierce and Nick Cobb making key contributions to that state football title, the rest of the Eagles finished in second place with 192 points. Winning the tournament was No. 12 Clovis, Calif., with 266-1/2 points. They had three titles coming from Tristan Gilliand (106), Jonas Gayton (126), and No. 3 Nick Nevills (285); runner-up finishes from Hexton Coronado (220) and Adrian Salas (182), who fell out of the rankings after his 7-2 loss to now No. 19 Ryder Newman (Green Valley, Nev.); two others finished third, another in fifth, and two more took eighth. In addition, the Cougars were without state placer Jason Ladd at 145. Second place Allen was led by No. 3 Bo Nickal (160), who took second place suffering a 14-8 defeat to No. 2 Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.) in the finals. A.J. Hinkle (145) and Matt Meyer (182) earned third place finishes, another pair was fourth, another pair was seventh, and a single wrestler took eighth. When one nets out the three missing for Allen and the one for Clovis, the margin would be rather close as the team ranking positions would suggest. Other ranked outcomes in the event included No. 14 Javier Gasca (Kinsburg, Calif.) with a title at 132 pounds, and Christian Pagdilao (Santiago Corona, Calif.) upending No. 20 Nikko Villarreal (Gilroy, Calif.) 4-2 at 145. Also notable was the championship at 113 for Sean Cannon, which made Green Valley, Nev. the only team other than Clovis to have multiple champions. That squad finished third with 173-1/2 points. Medina Invitational hosts three top 15 teams on Friday and Saturday Three of the nation's best 15 teams will convene as part of a 40-team field in Medina, Ohio for the 38th annual Medina Invitational Tournament. Defending tournament champion Detroit Catholic Central, Mich. is ranked No. 11; No. 3 St. Edward, Ohio won the two previous years, while No. 15 Massillon Perry, Ohio has been runner-up each of the last three years. Eleven nationally ranked wrestlers are in the tournament, with the 195 pound weight featuring both No. 16 Josh Lehner (Lexington, Ohio) and No. 20 Joe Tayse (Massillon Perry, Ohio). Eight wrestlers, including Tayse, have won this tournament previously. A potential battle of returning champions could happen at 120 pounds with No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio) and David Bavery (Massillon Perry, Ohio) both in the weight class. Separate coverages -- the week ahead, and the week that was No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J., was absolutely dominant at the Beast of the East placing 12 wrestlers and scoring 309 points on the way to their 13th title in a row at the tournament. The second and third place teams combined for 301 points and 12 placers, with No. 2 Wyoming Seminary, Pa (157) and No. 15 Massillon Perry, Ohio (144) having six placers each. Outstanding Wrestler honors went to No. 5 Alfred Bannister, the champion at 138 pounds, who had a pin in the finals. One of two true showcase individual matchups, outside of those at the Beast of the East, this weekend happened at the Dvorak Memorial where No. 2 Bryce Brill (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) upended No. 3 Edgar Bright (St. Edward, Ohio) 2-0 with a takedown in the first period. The two 145 pound wrestlers traded ride-outs in the second and third period. With four champions, No. 3 St. Edward, Ohio upended No. 10 Montini Catholic, Ill. 265-1/2 to 230-1/2 for the team title. Outstanding Wrestler honors went to No. 7 Josh Alber (Dakota, Ill.), who defeated No. 8 Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy, Ill.) 3-2 in a battle of two-time state champions. Come Friday and Saturday, the POWERade is likely to feature a showdown between the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 170 pound wrestlers. Career undefeated Chance Marsteller (Kennard Dale, Pa.), only a junior, and senior Cody Wiercioch (Canon-McMillan, Pa.), already a three-time state finalist, are projected to be here. Both wrestlers are after a third title in this event. A separate preview for this tournament will be posted tomorrow. Also Friday and Saturday is the Clash XI National High School Wrestling Duals with 13 nationally ranked teams in the field, including eight inside the top 20. Friday's competition involves four eight-team brackets to set up Saturday's eight four-team round-robins that are based on placement in the Friday brackets. Competition in these dual meets is extremely fierce with many excellent individual matchups. A preview for the event will be posted tomorrow. Brandon over Pope for Kyle Maynard Duals title, both preparing for The Clash The Kyle Maynard Duals were hosted by Collins Hill, Ga., on Saturday with No. 7 Brandon, Fla., upending No. 50 Pope, Ga. 46-22 in the championship match. Neither the Eagles nor Bulldogs were challenged in four dual meets prior to the championship final; Brandon's closes dual meet was a 58-12 semifinal victory over North Gwinnett, Ga., while Pope's closes was a 51-15 victory over Holy Innocents, Ga. in the quarterfinal. The match of the day had No. 3 Brooks Climmons (Pope, Ga.) defeat No. 18 Chip Ness (Buford, Ga.) 6-4 at 182 pounds. Bakers' dozen of nationally ranked wrestlers at Bethlehem Holiday Thirteen nationally ranked wrestlers across ten weight classes will convene at Liberty High School for the Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic this Friday and Saturday. The field features 28 teams, including a pair appearing in the InterMat Fab 50 -- No. 2 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. and No. 26 Central Dauphin, Pa. Three weight classes have potential showdowns between nationally ranked opposition: 145 with No. 7 Mikey Racciato (Pen Argyl, Pa.) and No. 8 T.J. Miller (Camden Catholic, N.J.), which would be a rematch of last year's final in this tournament where Racciato upended 2010 tournament champion Miller; 195 with No. 2 Ryan Solomon (Milton, Pa.) and No. 6 Raymond O'Donnell (Saucon Valley, Pa.) both present in the field, and Solomon just earning a 3-1 victory on Sunday in the Beast of the East final; and at 285 with No. 7 Aaron Bradley (Nazareth, Pa.) and No. 9 Michael Johnson, Jr. (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), both of whom are seeking repeat titles in this tournament. Perry Meridian superior in Indiana yet again Westfield hosted the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association (IHSWCA) State Duals this past Saturday. Despite the individual tournament not being classes, and with there no longer being a state association sponsored dual meet event, the IHSWCA implemented this mid-season event. Eight teams in three different enrollment-based classifications convened. In the Class 3A (big-school) tournament, No. 27 Perry Meridian dominated. Their wrestlers went 31-11 for the day. None of the Falcons' three dual meets were remotely competitive, though Mishawka Penn did pick up five weight class victories in a 40-15 semifinal defeat. Other results were a 57-13 first round defeat of Indianapolis Cathedral and then a 46-11 trouncing of Franklin Community for the title. Yorktown won the Class 2A title with a 28-14 record on the day, two of the dual meets where they won nine matches. Then, in the Class 1A (small-school) tournament, Adams Central won the title with a 29-13 record on the day; one dual meet was as close as 9-5 in terms of match count. Rumble on the Red, Bengtson after fifth title in the event Prior to a 2-1 loss to Sam Brancale in the state final this past March, senior Mitch Bengtson (St. Cloud Apollo, Minn.) was on an extremely long undefeated streak going back to the first weekend of his eighth grade year in December 2008. As part of that spell, Bengtson -- ranked No. 5 nationally at 145 pounds -- has won four straight championships at the Rumble on the Red in Fargo, N.D. He is an extreme favorite to make it five in a row come Saturday night. In addition to this "drive for five," the tournament features two potential head-to-head matches between nationally ranked opposition, with No. 3 Paul Mascarenas (Cleveland, N.M.) and No. 18 Jared Oftedahl (Benilde St. Margaret's, Minn.) in the field at 113 pounds, while No. 10 Lance Benick (Totino-Grace, Minn.) and No. 19 Chase Morlock (Morehead, Minn.) are both present at 195. Should Morlock drop down to 182, it would mean a match with No. 6 Preston Lehmann (West Fargo, N.D.). Dual Meet Trifecta Three big dual meets involving nationally ranked teams happened in the mid-week period of this past week. A week ago Tuesday, No. 32 South Plainfield, N.J. used victories in eight weight classes to beat No. 41 Bergen Catholic, N.J. 40-26. Then on Thursday night, No. 16 Carl Sandburg, Ill. defeated No. 46 Glenbard North, Ill. 49-26, as the Eagles won nine of fourteen weight classes in a dual that had ten pins. No. 18 Collinsville, Okla. upended now No. 42 Neosho, Mo. 33-28, winning eight of the weight classes; the dual meet was 33-9 with the last four weights to, but Neosho stormed back in the upper-weights. No. 25 Brecksville seeks title as holiday tournament hosts Coming off a ninth place finish at the Walsh Ironman, followed by this past weekend's fourth-place finish at the Beast of the East, Brecksville, Ohio has moved up all the way to No. 25 in the nation. This Friday and Saturday, the Bees host the Brecksville Holiday Tournament seeking their first title in the event since 1996. Standing in the way will be 44 other teams, most notably defending tournament champion Oregon Clay, Ohio and excellent teams from Davison, Mich. and Marysville, Ohio. The tournament field is very balanced, featuring over 100 wrestlers with state tournament experience. Where else will the ranked teams be competing? As mentioned in this column, 13 Fab 50 teams will be at The Clash in Rochester, Minn., this weekend. An additional five teams will be among 46 squads convening at Canon-McMillan High School outside of Pittsburgh, Pa. for the 45th annual POWERade Christmas Wrestling Tournament. No. 8 St. Paris Graham, Ohio competes in the GMVWA Tournament hosted at Wright State University. No. 9 St. Johns, Mich., competes in the Goodrich Tournament of Champions. No. 24 Marmion Academy, Ill., travels to Lakes Community H.S. for a quad. No. 27 Perry Meridian, Ind., competes at the Northmont Tournament No. 30 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa., and No. 31 McDonogh, Md., both host tournaments; Bethlehem Catholic hosts the Christmas City Tournament, while McDonogh hosts their winter duals. No. 32 South Plainfield, N.J. has quads on Thursday and Saturday, with a dual meet on Monday. No. 41 Bergen Catholic, N.J., and No. 48 Don Bosco Prep, N.J., both compete at the Bergen County Coaches Association Tournament this weekend. There is a potential matchup between No. 1 Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic) and No. 11 Kyle Bierdumpfel (Don Bosco Prep) at 106 pounds. No. 42 Neosho, Mo., travels to Granite City, Ill., for the Red Schmitt Holiday Tournament. No. 44 Bakersfield, Calif., and No. 45 Glenbard North, Ill., both have dual meets on Saturday; for Glenbard North that dual meet is against Lowell, Mich.

This week's roundup is, to say the least, puny. But let us take this time of joy and cheer to remember that the holiday season is the very thing which makes wrestling, particularly college wrestling, so intensely challenging. While the rest of the country is engaged in light-hearted and joyful festivities, often nestled deeply within the cushy inner sanctums of family, wrestlers are only afforded but the most meager respite. Many are allowed only the briefest visits back home, to be snatched away indifferently by the callous hand of their wrestling obligations. Christmas parties are fun, sleeping late is nice, and eggnog (properly mixed) makes you feel so warm and delightful on the inside. College wrestlers must sacrifice these pleasures to a great degree, and often times denying oneself during the holidays proves unbearable. Do not forget that the vast majority of college wrestlers do forgo all this in spite of the fact that they won't ever be an All-American and that they receive little to no scholarship money. Nothing keeps these wrestlers in competition save their love for the sport. All they must do is say, "I quit" and they can return to a normal and comfortable existence; nobody should think less of any of them for taking this route. However, many trudge on with their mouths shut, backs bent against their burden. Writers and fans rarely pay attention to these brave souls, and it is to them that I would most whole heartedly wish a Merry Christmas, may the joy of this holiday find them despite all the pleasures they have had to spurn. Dual Meets Friday, Dec. 21: Old Dominion 23, American 9 Pitt 26, Clarion 15 Thursday, Dec. 20: American 23, George Mason 9 Pittsburgh 38, Cleveland State 6 By the way, I think I should point out that Pitt is an awfully good wrestling team. Coach Stottlemyer has been producing standout individuals for some time, but now he has developed a very impressive lineup, top to bottom. Tuesday, Dec. 18: Bloomsburg 18, Buffalo 15 At 133, Nick Wilcox of Bloomsburg knocks off 18th-ranked Erik Galloway. At 165, Bloomsburg's Josh Veltre continues to quietly excel, beating 17th-ranked Mark Lewandowski, 3-2. I bet readers are sick of me crowing about how impressed I am with Bloomsburg, so I'll stay silent on that account. Kent State 29, Northern Illinois 9 Tuesday, Dec. 17: Iowa 39, Buffalo 3 Mark Lewandowski, ranked 17th at 165, beats Iowa's 19th-ranked Nick Moore. But there is good news for Hawk fans as Mike Evans looks like a terror at 174. Evans, ranked seventh, puts it on 17th-ranked John-Martin Cannon, 14-1. Corey LearOklahoma State 37, Bucknell 6 Super-duper deluxe upset here as Bucknell's Corey Lear (then-No. 16) sends shockwaves with his victory over then-third-ranked Tyler Caldwell. Here's wishing a wonderful holiday to all of my readers, I have appreciated the wonderful feedback. Now, on to that eggnog ...

Related Content: Results Two-time InterMat JJ Classic champion Josh Alber earned OW at the Dvorak (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) MACHESNEY PARK, Ill. -- No. 3 in the nation St. Edward, Ohio traveled north of Chicago to Machesney Park, Ill., for the 25th annual Dvorak Memorial Invitational this weekend. With a field having four other Fab 50 teams and many excellent wrestlers from the Land of Lincoln, the Eagles soared high. Twelve wrestlers placed in the top eight, seven were finalists, as St. Edward won the tournament with 265-1/2 points. Winning titles for St. Edward were L.J. Bentley (106), No. 3 Dean Heil (132), No. 19 Colin Heffernan (138), and No. 2 Domenic Abounader (182). Heil's championship victory came over No. 14 George Fisher of Marmion Academy, Ill. by a 6-4 score. Runner-up finishes for the Eagles came from No. 4 Edgar Bright (145), No. 12 Markus Scheidel (152), and Parker Knapp (220). Five additional wrestlers placed -- two in fifth, one in seventh, and two in eighth. The losses for Bright and Scheidel came against nationally ranked opposition, each of whom won their third titles at the Dvorak. Bright lost 2-0 to No. 2 Bryce Brill (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) in the tournament's most anticipated matchup. Brill used a first period takedown in the championship final to win the 145 pound weight class after the wrestlers traded ride-outs in the second and third periods. Next year, Brill can join Providence Catholic alumni Edwin Cooper and Eddie Klimara as the only four-time champions in Dvorak history. For Scheidel, it was a 6-4 loss to No. 3 Brian Murphy (Glenbard North, Ill.) in the 152-pound final. Murphy was one of two champions for the Panthers, as he joined No. 2 Jered Cortez with a title; two-time state champion Cortez won the 126 pound weight class with a 14-2 major dec. victory over state champion Jordan Northrup (Machesney Park Harlem, Ill.). Glenbard North, ranked No. 45 nationally, finished fifth in the tournament with 135-1/2 points despite only having four wrestlers place period. That is because Cortez and Murphy won, while Jon Marmolejo and Johnny Gosinski placed third at 120 and 132 respectively. Second place in the team table was No. 10 Montini Catholic, Ill. with 230-1/2 points on the strength of 11 place-winners. However, the Broncos had but a single finalist in Jake Turk, who finished second at 182 pounds. Five wrestlers did take third, with three more taking fourth. They were joined by a single wrestler taking fifth, sixth, and seventh respectively. Third place finishers were No. 19 (at 120) Jordan Laster at 126, Chris Garcia (138), Michael Sepke (145), Xavier Montalvo (160), and Edgar Ruano (220); while Tommy Pawleski (113), Vince Turk (120), and Jose Champagne (132) took fourth place honors. Led by a duo of champions, and eight placers in all, No. 28 Marist, Ill. took third with 179-1/2 points. Winning titles were Mark Duda (113) and Peter Andreotti (160), Alex Benoit (170) finished second, Nick Lukanich (106) finished third, with three in sixth and one taking seventh. Fourth in the team standings was No. 24 Marmion Academy, Ill., who was short-handed without most notably freshman sensation Lucas Warren at 220 pounds. The Cadets were led by five top four placers and seven overall placers, and scored 157-1/2 points. Finishing fourth were Dylan Duncan and Alex Frtiz at 106 and 285, third place went to Cody Snodgrass (195), while runner-up finishes came from No. 14 Fisher and No. 6 Johnny Jimenez at 132 and 120. In that 120 pound final, it was a battle of juniors that have already won state titles, as No. 14 Josh Alber (Dakota, Ill.), a two-time InterMat JJ Classic champion, came up with the 3-2 upset over Jimenez. That weight class title earned Alber the Most Outstanding Wrestler honor at the tournament. He was also joined by teammate Daniel Zimmerman (220) as a weight class champion. One additional final involving nationally ranked wrestlers occurred at 195 pounds, where No. 9 Jordan Ellingwood (Plainfield Central, Ill.) earned a 13-5 major dec. over No. 15 Blake Blair (Edwardsville, Ill.). Rounding out the weight class champions were Dan Rowland (Willowbrook, Ill.) at 170 and Andrew Geers (Neuqua Valley, Ill.) at 285. Team Standings (Top Ten): 1. No. 3 St. Edward, Ohio 265.5 2. No. 10 Montini Catholic 230.5 3. No. 28 Marist 179.5 4. No. 24 Marmion Academy 157.5 5. No. 45 Glenbard North 135.5 6. Machesney Park Harlem 130 7. Lincoln-Way Central 123.5 8. Hononegah 121 9. Libertyville 118 10. Lockport 114.5 Finals Results: 106: L.J. Bentley (St. Edward, Ohio) dec. Jake Silzer (St. Rita), 5-0 113: Mark Duda (Marist) dec. Ronald Triche (Providence Catholic), 3-1 120: No. 14 Josh Alber (Dakota) dec. No. 6 Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy), 3-2 126: No. 2 Jered Cortez (Glenbard North) maj. dec. Jordan Northrup (Machesney Park Harlem), 14-2 132: No. 3 Dean Heil (St. Edward, Ohio) dec. No. 14 George Fisher (Marmion Academy), 6-4 138: No. 19 Colin Heffernan (St. Edward, Ohio) dec. Manny Silva (Hononegah), 5-0 145: No. 2 Bryce Brill (Mt. Carmel) dec. No. 4 Edgar Bright (St. Edward, Ohio), 2-0 152: No. 3 Brian Murphy (Glenbard North) dec. No. 12 Markus Scheidel (St. Edward, Ohio), 6-4 160: Peter Andreotti (Marist) dec. Hunter Rollins (Hersey), 5-3 170: Dan Rowland (Willowbrook) dec. Alex Benoit (Marist), 4-2 SV 182: No. 2 Domenic Abounader (St. Edward) over Jake Turk (Montini Catholic) 195: No. 9 Jordan Ellingwood (Plainfield Central) maj. dec. No. 15 Blake Blair (Edwardsville), 13-5 220: Daniel Zimmerman (Dakota) dec. Parker Knapp (St. Edward, Ohio), 3-0 285: Andrew Geers (Neuqua Valley) dec. Chris McDermand (Libertyville), 1-0

Related Content: Results NEWARK, Del. -- It was a baker's dozen for No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J., this weekend at the Beast of the East, as they won a 13th consecutive team title and 17th in the 20 years this event has been held. The Buccaneers scored 309 team points with 12 placers, 152 points more than second placer Wyoming Seminary, Pa., who is ranked No. 2 in the nation. Even with that level of dominance, it could have been more. Blair Academy only won two weight class titles -- No. 6 Russ Parsons at 152 pounds and No. 2 Brooks Black at 285. They had a trio of runner-up finishes, those coming from No. 3 Matthew Kolodzik at 120, No. 11 P.J. Klee at 138, and No. 6 Mason Manville at 138. Four wrestlers finished third, another pair in fourth, and one took eighth. "Yeah (we were the dominant team), but (it could have been better)," said Blair Academy head coach Charles Danhof. "There are always things to work on, and we can get even better going forward." Parsons made it an Ironman/Beast double with his 7-6 finals victory over Chad Walsh (Camden Catholic, N.J.). He jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two periods with a first-period takedown and second-period reversal. However, midway through the third period, Walsh hit a headlock toss and put Parsons on his back in danger of getting pinned. "You have got to be kidding me," was the reaction of Parsons to being put on his back. "I didn't come all the way to the finals just to be pinned (especially from ahead)." He rolled his way through, got an escape, and an immediate go ahead takedown. Walsh did get a late match escape, but couldn't muster further scoring as Parsons earned the victory. "It feels great," said Parsons about winning both the Ironman and Beast this year. Black became the eighth wrestler in Beast of the East history to be a three-time champion, with Mark Grey last year being the only one to win four titles in this tournament. This victory was a very tight match, 2-1 in the tiebreaker over No. 7 (at 220) Aaron Bradley (Nazareth, Pa.). It also was a third Ironman/Beast double for Black. "It feels good," said Black about the accomplishment. "However, the finals match was a bit frustrating." Bradley and Black had grown up wrestling each other, so Black said that might have been part of it as well. Kyle Snyder (Photo/Rob Preston)Joining Black as a three-time Beast of the East champion was junior Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.), the nation's No. 1-ranked wrestler at 220 pounds. He was the seventh three-timer in tournament history, and won all of his matches by pin (three) or technical fall (two). That gave him the honor of being the wrestler who scored the most team points in the tournament with 35 in all. The championship match was a 22-6 technical fall victory in 4:27 over Zach Chakonis (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.). Snyder had ten takedowns in the match, including a barrage of six in the second period. "It's the same story for me, just score points and have fun," said Snyder about his performance in this tournament." Now having a third title, the thought of joining Grey as a four-timer at the Beast crept into his mind. "I guess I'm excited about it, but there's a lot of this season ahead; however, it's a great goal to have for next season." However, it was a fellow junior from Maryland who earned the Oustanding Wrestler honor, that being No. 7 Alfred Bannister (Bishop McNamara, Md.), who tossed No. 6 Mason Manville (Blair Academy, N.J.) to his back for the pin at the 1:50 mark of the final at 138 pounds. This came after Manville had given up zero points in five matches to get to the final, including a 1-0 semifinal victory over No. 5 Tyson Dippery (Central Dauphin, Pa.). Bannister had scored on an earlier takedown as well in the match against Manville, so he was showing the ability to get his offense going against even an elite positional and defensive wrestler. "I've got a unique style on my feet, unlike anyone else, and I have supreme confidence in that ability." When asked about the pin in the final, and then getting Outstanding Wrestler, Bannister laughed in shock and elation. It was hard to express into words, but he said, "It's the greatest feeling ever." No. 1 in the nation Eric Morris (182) was the lone champion for Wyoming Seminary, he beat No. 4 Brett Harner (Norristown, Pa.) 5-1 in overtime -- a rematch of a 3-1 overtime victory for Morris in the semifinal of the Ironman. It was also a repeat title for Morris in his third straight Beast finals appearance. "It feels great, a huge accomplishment, couldn't be happier," said Morris about being a repeat Beast of the East champion. "Though it was a tough match in the final, it was good to face (Harner) again so I could execute the stuff I worked on coming off the last match (against him)." The Blue Knights had five other wrestlers join Morris as place finishers to score 157 points in a second place effort. "We went 5-1 in the medal round, which is always a good feeling," said head coach Scott Green. "However, there are things to address going forward between lineup issues, injuries, and continuing to step up in the big spots." Morris and Snyder were joined by three other top-ranked wrestlers to win titles this weekend: Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) at 106 pounds, Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio) at 120, and Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.) at 126. Suriano was untested in four of his five matches, though the final was relatively tight 4-2 victory over No. 3 Austin Assad (Brecksville, Ohio). He scored a first-period takedown and second-period reversal to really take the match out of play. "It's kind of the same, the goal is always first place," said Suriano about being a freshman in his first major in-season tournament after a litany of titles coming through youth, junior high, and even the Super 32 two months ago. "I'm always training to win, and I never quit." It was a quarterfinal match against Tommy Aloi (Forest Park, Va.) that was Suriano's toughest. He was down 4-1 after the first period, as he was caught in a headlock toss for two-and-two, but rallied for a 9-7 win getting the last takedown right at the horn in the third period. "It was a wake-up call," said Suriano of Aloi's headlock toss, "I had wrestled him before (a 9-3 victory in the first day of the Super 32), and knew it was coming, but he still got it." Unlike the Ironman of two weekends ago, which was all domination, the Beast of the East was a different story for Tomasello. In both the semifinal, a 6-5 victory over No. 4 Sam Krivus (Hempfield Area, Pa.), and the 8-7 win over No. 3 Kolodzik in the final he gave up the first takedown. "Though I don't want to ever be scored on, it kind of helped me to relax," said Tomasello. "I was able to then get it going on the attack." In fact, both matches were tied at 3-3 after the first period, as Tomasello countered the early takedown against with a takedown of his own within the first two minutes. Against Kolodzik, whom he pinned in the second period of the Ironman final two weekends ago, he led 8-5 midway through the third before a penalty point and escape cut it down to 8-7. Then Kolodzik was in extremely deep on a shot, and then almost scored in short time on the resulting scramble. "I knew I had to fight through the situation, if I gave up I would most likely lose," said Tomasello about the scramble. "Just didn't want to have all my work in the match going for naught." After finishing runner-up each of the last two years, and getting the elusive Ironman title two weekends ago, all that was left for Dance was to pick up that Beast title. For two-plus periods against No. 3 Ryan Diehl (Trinity, Pa.), it looked like things were in cruise control with a 7-3 lead as Dance had racked up three takedowns. However, in one sequence it all changed, as Diehl got a takedown and roll through tilt to force overtime at 7-7. Dance then answered back with championship form to get the takedown in overtime for the 9-7 victory. "I've been training harder (this year) than last year," said Dance about the difference in getting those elusive Ironman and Beast titles. "I felt really good about the first four-plus minutes, but just let a bit when Diehl capitalized, though I'm relieved to have then recovered." The host state of Delaware was able to have a champion in back-to-back years and for the sixth time in the last seven years when No. 5 Brent Fleetwood (Smryna) won the 113-pound weight class with an 8-1 victory over No. 14 Aaron Assad (Brecksville, Ohio), but it was the semifinal and round of 16 matches were the much tighter ones. "There was some added pressure trying to win ‘at home'," said Fleetwood, "but I'm so glad to have brought it home for Delaware and Smyrna High School (first champ in 16 years)." In terms of the finals match, "I opened up and just went after it, forgetting about the previous matches." No. 10 Garrett Peppelman (Central Dauphin, Pa.) won the 160 weight class with a 3-2 victory over No. 6 Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.) keyed by a takedown midway through the third period. Garrett joins older brother Marshall, now at Cornell, as a Beast of the East champion -- though Marshall won three of them. "It was great to win in front of my whole family. Marshall and Walter (a 2007 Beast runner-up) were coaching me up the whole time," said Garrett Peppelman, whose other older brother Colton placed seventh at 170 pounds this weekend. "I remembered my brother (Marshall) always hanging up his ornament (one of the awards given for winning a Beast title) on the family Christmas tree, and now I can hang one of my own up." Rounding out the weight class champions were repeat weight class champions No. 4 Brandon Jeske (Cox, Va.) at 132 and No. 3 Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.) at 170. No. 8 (at 138) T.J. Miller (Camden Catholic, N.J.), and No. 2 Ryan Solomon (Milton, Pa.) won maiden Beast titles at 145 and 195 respectively. Jeske became a repeat champion with the 7-2 victory over No. 11 Klee, keyed by a first-period takedown and near falls in each of the opening two periods. He also went more or less untested over the six matches this weekend. "I won the title in training before the tournament, putting in all the work beforehand," he said. "It shows a lot of character (to repeat). The second one is harder and more difficult mentally, because (the opposition) is all after you." Epperly was unchallenged, but for a 3-2 victory in the quarterfinal round over Joey Balboni (David Brearley, N.J.). The finals match though was total domination from start to finish in a 9-0 victory over Quentin Hiles (Brecksville, Ohio). Takedowns in the first and third augmented by near falls in the first and second got the job done for Epperly. "It's even better than last year," was his comment about being a repeat champion. "The matches last year were much closer, but this year I feel so much better and have been working so much harder, and was prepared to do what I did this weekend." Miller opened his Beast tournament with four pins heading into a semifinal date with defending champion Dylan Milonas (Blair Academy, N.J.), who is ranked No. 8 nationally. Though Milonas got the first takedown, it was Miller who responded back with a headlock toss by the end of the first period on the way to a 12-6 victory, which was a clear domination. "I love this tournament, it gets me excited to come here," said Miller, who placed sixth here at 125 pounds as a freshman in his previous appearance. "I was glad to be back here." Then, the final was kind of a tough thing for Miller, as he had to face long-time practice partner Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.), both wrestlers being natives of the Philadelphia metro area. However, it was Miller who came home with the 4-1 victory keyed by a second-period cradle. "It feels great," added Miller about winning the title. "It's been a long time since I won one of these big tournaments, glad to be back on the top step of that podium." In his first Beast appearance, Solomon defeated No. 8 Raymond O'Donnell (Saucon Valley, Pa.) 3-1 keyed by a first-period takedown to get his school's first ever title in this event. "It's great to have our team be invited to this (prestigious) event, and for me to be our school's first champ in this event is just awesome." Team Standings (Top Ten): 1. No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. 309 2. No. 2 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. 157 3. No. 17 Massillon Perry, Ohio 144 4. No. 49 Brecksville, Ohio 142 5. No. 25 Central Dauphin, Pa. 120.5 6. No. 30 McDonogh, Md. 113.5 7. No. 41 Bergen Catholic, N.J. 109.5 8. No. 42 Christiansburg, Va. 101.5 9. No. 47 Don Bosco Prep, N.J. 100 10. Good Counsel, Md. 99 Other ranked teams: 11) No. 29 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. 87, 19) No. 38 Colonial Forge, Va. 68 Finals Results: 106: No. 1 Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) dec. No. 3 Austin Assad (Brecksville, Ohio), 4-2 113: No. 5 Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.) dec. No. 14 Aaron Assad (Brecksville, Ohio), 8-1 120: No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio) dec. No. 3 Matthew Kolodzik (Blair Academy, N.J.), 8-7 126: No. 1 Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.) dec. No. 3 Ryan Diehl (Trinity, Pa.), 9-7 SV 132: No. 4 Brandon Jeske (Cox, Va.) dec. No. 11 P.J. Klee (Blair Academy, N.J.), 7-2 138: No. 7 Alfred Bannister (Bish. McNamara, Md.) pinned No. 6 Mason Manville (Blair Academy, N.J.), 1:50 145: No. 8 (at 138) T.J. Miller (Camden Catholic, N.J.) dec. Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.), 4-1 152: No. 6 Russ Parsons (Blair Academy, N.J.) dec. Chad Walsh (Camden Catholic, N.J.), 7-6 160: No. 10 Garrett Peppelman (Central Dauphin, Pa.) dec. No. 6 Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.), 3-2 170: No. 3 Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.) maj. dec. Quentin Hiles (Brecksville, Ohio), 9-0 182: No. 1 Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) dec. No. 4 Brett Harner (Norristown, Pa.), 5-1 SV 195: No. 2 Ryan Solomon (Milton, Pa.) dec. No. 8 Raymond O'Donnell (Saucon Valley, Pa.), 3-1 220: No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) tech. fall Zach Chakonis (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.), 22-6 (4:27) 285: No. 2 Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.) dec. No. 7 (at 220) Aaron Bradley (Nazareth, Pa.), 2-1 TB

1. No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. 128 (12 QF/1 consolation) 2. No. 49 Brecksville, Ohio 93 (3/3) 3. No. 17 Massillon Perry, Ohio 89 (7/0) 4. No. 2 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. 77 (6/0) 5. (tie) No. 41 Bergen Catholic, N.J. 72-1/2 (2/2) No. 30 McDonogh, Md. (3/5) 7. No. 25 Central Dauphin, Pa. 66-1/2 (3/1) 8. St. Peter's Prep, N.J. 66 (1/3) 9. Owen J. Roberts, Pa. 62 (0/6) 10. Ocean Lakes, Va. 61 (0/3) Other nationally ranked teams: 11. No. 29 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. 60 (3/3); 16. No. 38 Colonial Forge, Va. 56 (1/4); 19. No. 42 Christiansburg, Va. 49-1/2 (3/0); T27. No. 47 Don Bosco Prep, N.J. 41-1/2 (4/1)

Team Standings: 1. No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. 128 (12 QF/1 consolation) 2. No. 49 Brecksville, Ohio 93 (3/3) 3. No. 17 Massillon Perry, Ohio 89 (7/0) 4. No. 2 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. 77 (6/0) 5. (tie) No. 41 Bergen Catholic, N.J. 72-1/2 (2/2) No. 30 McDonogh, Md. (3/5) 7. No. 25 Central Dauphin, Pa. 66-1/2 (3/1) 8. St. Peter's Prep, N.J. 66 (1/3) 9. Owen J. Roberts, Pa. 62 (0/6) 10. Ocean Lakes, Va. 61 (0/3) Other nationally ranked teams: 11. No. 29 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. 60 (3/3); 16. No. 38 Colonial Forge, Va. 56 (1/4); 19. No. 42 Christiansburg, Va. 49-1/2 (3/0); T27. No. 47 Don Bosco Prep, N.J. 41-1/2 (4/1) 106: No. 1 Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) vs. Tommy Aloi (Forest Park, Va.) No. 13 Brandon Olsen (Indian River, Va.) vs. Logan Harvich (Cape Henry Collegiate, Va.) No. 6 Jose Rodriguez (Massillon Perry, Ohio) vs. Pat D’Arcy (Holy Spirit, N.J.) No. 3 Austin Assad (Brecksville, Ohio) vs. No. 12 Kyle Bierdumpfel (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.) 113: No. 5 Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.) vs. Ryan Friedman, (St. Paul’s, Md.) Chaz Tucker, (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. A.C. Headlee (Waynesburg, Pa.) Tanner Shoap (Chambersburg, Pa.) vs. Steven Simpson (St. Mary’s, Ryken Md.) No. 14 Aaron Assad (Brecksville, Ohio) vs. No. 12 Zach Fuentes (Norristown, Pa.) 120: No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio) vs. Micah Hight (Caesar Rodney, Del.) No. 10 Coy Ozias (Christiansburg, Va.) vs. No. 4 Sam Krivus (Hempfield, Pa.) No. 5 Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) vs. David Bavery (Massillon Perry, Ohio) No. 3 Mattew Kolodzik (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Robert Trombetta (Nutley, N.J.) 126: No. 1 Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.) vs. Matt Davis (Delbarton, N.J.) David McFadden (DePaul Catholic, N.J.) vs. No. 14 Judson Preskitt (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) No. 15 Anthony Giraldo (North Bergen, N.J.) vs. Matt Grossmann (Manheim Township, Pa.) No. 3 Ryan Diehl (Trinity, Pa.) vs. Zach Valley (Northampton, Pa.) 132: No. 4 Brandon Jeske (Cox, Va.) vs. Hunter Starner (Tabb, Va.) Matt Raines (Faquier, Va.) vs. Courtland Schuyler (Manheim Township, Pa.) No. 9 Dennis Gustafson (Forest Park, Va.) vs. Daniel Sanchez (Georgetown Prep, Md.) No. 11 P.J. Klee, Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Clay Walker (Eastside, S.C.) 138: No. 7 Alfred Bannister (Bishop McNamara, Md.) vs. Xavi Ramos (McDonogh, Md.) Patrick Duggan (Cumberland Valley, Pa.) vs. Brian Hamann (Jackson Memorial, N.J.) No. 6 Mason Manville (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Isaac Bast (Massillon Perry, Ohio) No. 5 Tyson Dippery (Central Dauphin, Pa.) vs. Travis Vasquez (Delbarton, N.J.) 145: No. 8 Dylan Milonas (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Casey Sparkman (Massillon Perry, Ohio) No. 8 (at 138) T.J. Miller (Camden Catholic, N.J.) vs. Tyrel White (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) Chris Vassar (Cedar Cliff, Pa.) vs. Mike Sprague (Georgetown Prep, Md.) George Weber (John Carroll, Md.) vs. Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.) 152: No. 6 Russ Parsons (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Zach Kelly (Kiski Prep, Pa.) Tony Dailey (Massillon Perry, Ohio) vs. No. 11 Wayne Stinson, (North Burlington, N.J.) Chad Walsh (Camden Catholic, N.J.) vs. Sean Murphy (Colonial Forge, Va.) Taylor Misuna (Grassfield, Va.) vs. No. 9 Garrett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) 160: No. 4 Josh Llopez (St. Mary’s Ryken, Md.) vs. Dylan Wisman (Millbrook, Va.) No. 6 Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.) vs. John Balboni (David Brearley, N.J.) No. 17 TC Warner (Cumberland Valley, Pa.) vs. Jack Wedholm (Blair Academy, N.J.) Nicky Hall (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. No. 10 Garrett Peppelman (Central Dauphin, Pa.) 170: No. 3 Zack Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.) vs. Joey Balboni (David Brearley, N.J.) Joey Krulock (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) vs. Brett Stein (Forest Park, Va.) Quinton Hiles (Brecksville, Ohio) vs. Colton Peppelman (Central Dauphin, Pa.) No. 19 Patrick Coover (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Luke Farinaro (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.) 182: No. 1 Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Daniel Mika (Robinson, Va.) Troy Murtha (Georgetown Prep, Md.) vs. No. 19 Addison Knepshield (Blair Academy, N.J.) No. 4 Brett Harner (Norristown, Pa.) vs. Jose Ortiz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) No. 7 Johnny Sebastian (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) vs. Michael Silano (Mt. St. Joseph, Md.) 195: No. 2 Ryan Solomon, Milton, PA vs. Spencer Neff (Good Counsel, Md.) LJ Barlow, Haverford School, PA vs. No. 19 Razohn Gross (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.) No. 11 Joe Tayse (Massillon Perry, Ohio) vs. No. 8 Ray O’Donnell (Saucon Valley, Pa.) No. 3 Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Zach Roseberry (Brentsville, Va.) 220: No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) vs. Jake Anderson (Malvern Prep, Pa.) Armond Cox (St. Peter’s Prep, N.J.) vs. David Showunmi (Blair Academy, N.J.) Lucas Chestnut (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) vs. Zach Chakonis (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.) Thomas Ott (Cape Henlopen, Del.) vs. No. 11 Garrett Ryan (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) 285: No. 2 Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Jamelle Averette (Good Counsel, Md.) Jake Pinkston (Robinson, Va.) vs. Zach Dawe (Pleasant Grove, Utah) No. 7 (at 220) Aaron Bradley (Nazareth, Pa.) vs. Stefano Millin (Massillon Perry, Ohio) No. 9 Michael Johnson, Jr. (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Andrew Dunn (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.)

EVANSTON, Ill. -- The Midlands Tournament Committee has announced the top contenders for the 50th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. The contenders list does not represent the final seeds and are subject to change. Final brackets for the event will be released the morning of Saturday, Dec. 29. Make your plans now to attend the historic 50th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships at Welsh-Ryan Arena! Tickets for the Dec. 29-30 event are available by calling 888-GO-PURPLE. A complete list of tournament contenders is as follows: 125: 1 Cory Clark, Iowa, Unattached 2. Jesse Delgado, Illinois 3. Jarrod Patterson, Oklahoma, Unattached 4. Trent Sprenkle, North Dakota State 5. Jarrod Garnett, Virginia Tech 6. Anthony Zanetta, Pittsburgh, Unattached 7. Nathan Kraisser, North Carolina 8. Christian Cullinan, Central Michigan 9. Shane Gentry, Maryland 10. Dominick Malone, Northwestern 11. Mark Rappo, Penn 12. Steve Bonnano, Hofstra Other Contenders: Sean Boyle, Michigan Jared Germaine, Eastern Michigan Joe Roth, Central Michigan Thomas Gilman, Iowa , Unattached Joey Palmer, Oregon State Patrick Rollins, Oregon State Dylan Peters, Northern Iowa Tyler Iwamura, Cal St. Bakersfield Evan Silver, Stanford 133: 1. Scott Sentes, Central Michigan 2. Dan Dennis, Hawkeye WC 3. AJ Schopp, Edinboro 4. Ryan Mango, Stanford, Unattached 5. Mason Beckman, Lehigh, Unattached 6. Cody Brewer, Oklahoma 7. Levi Wolfensperger, Northern Iowa 8. Shelton Mack, Pittsburgh 9. Levi Mele, Northwestern 10. Daryl Thomas, Illinois 11. Geoffrey Alexander, Maryland 12. Cashe’ Quiroga, Purdue Other Contenders: Tom Kelliher, Wisconsin Val Rauser, Utah Valley John Meeks, Iowa State Joey Ward, North Carolina 141: 1. Kendric Maple, Oklahoma 2. BJ Futrell, Illinois 3. Devin Carter, Virginia Tech, Unattached 4. Michael Mangrum, Oregon State 5. Mitchell Port, Edinboro 6. Zach Neibert, Virginia Tech 7. Tyler Graff, Wisconsin 8. Evan Henderson, North Carolina 9. Jason Tsirtsis, Northwestern, Unattached 10. CJ Cobb, Penn 11. Camryn Jackson, Michigan 12. Luke Goettl, Iowa State Other Contenders: Tyler Small, Kent State, Unattached Luke Vaith, Hofstra 149: 1. Montell Marion, Unattached 2. Donnie Vinson, Binghamton 3. Scott Sakaguchi, Oregon State 4. Ivan Lopouchanski, Purdue 5. Nick Lester, Oklahoma 6. Nick Brascetta, Virginia Tech 7. Steve Santos, Columbia 8. Eric Grajales, Michigan 9. David Habat, Edinboro 10. Justin Accordino, Hofstra 11. Shane Welsh, Lehigh 12. Tanner Hiatt, Northern Iowa Other Contenders: Josh Wilson, Utah Valley Cole Schmitt, Wisconsin Donnie Corby, Central Michigan 157: 1. Jason Welch, Northwestern 2. James Fleming, Clarion 3. Joey Napoli, Lehigh 4. Walter Peppelman, Harvard 5. RJ Pena, Oregon State 6. Jesse Dong, Virginia Tech 7. Matt Lester, Oklahoma 8. Jake O’Hara, Columbia 9. David Bonin, Northern Iowa 10. Taylor Walsh, Indiana 11. Tommy Churchard, Purdue 12. Dillon Bera, Wisconsin Parkside Other Contenders: Ian Miller, Kent State, Unattached Aaron Sulzer, Eastern Michigan Lucas Smith, Central Michigan 165: 1. Peter Yates, Virginia Tech 2. Bekzod Abdurakhmonov Golden Eagle WC 3. Bubby Graham, Oklahoma 4. Steve Monk, North Dakota State 5. Conrad Polz, Illinois 6. Pierce Harger, Northwestern 7. Mark Lewandowski, Buffalo 8. John Gresheimer, Edinboro 9. Tyler Wilps, Pittsburgh 10. Ryan LeBlanc, Indiana 11. Taylor Massa, Michigan 12. Jackson Morse, Illinois, Unattached Other Contenders: Mike Ottinger, Central Michigan Mike Moreno, Iowa State Ramon Santiago, Rider 174: 1. Jordan Blanton, Illinois 2. Josh Asper, Maryland 3. Robert Kokesh, Nebraska 4. Lee Munster, Northwestern 5. Dan Yates, Michigan 6. Stephen West, Columbia 7. Nathaniel Brown, Lehigh 8 John Martin-Cannon, Buffalo 9. Bryce Hammond, CSU-Bakersfield 10. Cody Caldwell, Northern Iowa 11. Nick Bonaccorsi. Pittsburgh 12. James Brundage, Rider Other Contenders: Kyle Kwiatt, Ohio Northern Tanner Weatherman. Iowa State Austin Gabel, Virginia Tech Kurtis Julson, North Dakota State 184: 1. Robert Hamlin, Lehigh 2. Ben Bennett, Central Michigan 3. Jimmy Sheptock, Maryland 4. Travis Rutt, Oklahoma, Unattached 5. Ryan Loder, Northern Iowa 6. Josh Ihnen, Nebraska 7. Max Thomuseitt, Pittsburgh 8. Tony Dallago, Illinois 9. Joe Rau, Elmhurst College 10. Boaz Beard, Iowa State 11. Lorenzo Thomas, Penn, Unattached 12. Alex Utley, North Carolina Other Contenders: Mac Stoll, North Dakota State Ty Vinson, Oregon State 197: 1. Dustin Kilgore, Kent State 2. Matt Wilps, Pittsburgh 3. Hudson Taylor, Lions WC 4. Mario Gonzalez, Illinois 5. Nate Schiedel, Binghamton 6. Taylor Meeks, Oregon State 7. Braden Atwood, Purdue 8. Christian Boley, Maryland 9. Max Huntley, Michigan 10. Kyven Gadson, Iowa State 11. James Fox, Harvard 12. Alex Polizzi, Northwestern Other Contenders: Derrick Borlie, Virginia Tech Jackson Hein, Wisconsin Antonio Giorgio, North Carolina Caleb Kolb, Nebraska Angelo Malvestuto, Buffalo 285: 1. Jarod Trice, Central Michigan 2. Adam Chalfant, Indiana 3. Mike McMullan, Northwestern 4. Chad Hanke, Oregon State 5. Zach Thomusseit, Pittsburgh 6. Connor Medbery, Wisconsin 7. Pat Walker, Illinois 8. Ernest James, Edinboro 9. Matt Meuleners, Northern State 10. Matt Gibson, Iowa State 11. Eric Thompson, Grandview 12. Ben Apland, Michigan

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Clarion, Pa. -- The No. 13 Pitt wrestling team (4-2, 2-0 EWL) won the last five matches, including pins from P.J. Tasser and Zac Thomusseit, to rally past EWL rival Clarion, 26-15, this evening at Tippin Gym. After dropping the opening bout, No. 11 Shelton Mack got the Panthers on the scoreboard when he earned an 8-5 decision over Joe Waltko at 133 pounds. Mack jumped out to an early 5-4 lead after the first and pushed his advantage to 8-4 following an escape and takedown in the second. In the third, Mack was able to hold Waltko at bay after an escape to secure the win. Clarion (1-4, 0-2 EWL) took the momentum after it took the next three matches including a pin a 149 pounds but the Pitt upper weights answered the bell and helped the Panthers get back into the match. No. 10 Tyler Wilps got Pitt back in the contest when he earned a major decision over Nick Milano at 165 pounds. After a scoreless first, Wilps went on the aggressive scoring a pair of takedowns in the second off of high singles. In the third, Wilps was able to secure three additional takedowns, including a late double on the edge to take an 11-4 lead in the waning seconds of the match. Wilps secured the12-4 major with a bonus point thanks to over two minutes of riding time to keep the Panthers in striking distance. At 174 pounds, Nick Bonaccorsi continued his stellar December when he earned a major decision over Ryan Darch. Bonaccorsi used five takedowns, a reversal and a bonus point for riding time to secure the 13-4 victory. Making his second-consecutive start at 184 pounds, P.J. Tasser earned his second win by fall in as many nights, sticking Steven Cressley 1:53 in to give Pitt their first lead of the evening. After Matt Wilps picked up a decision at 197 pounds, Zac Thomusseit closed the night on a high note when he pinned Phil Catrucco with 20 seconds remaining in his match to secure the 26-15 victory. The Panthers return to action when they travel to Chicago for the 50th Midlands Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 29, and Sunday, Dec. 30, on the campus of Northwestern. Results: 125: Tyler Fraley (C) dec. Godwin Nyama (P), 6-0; Clarion leads, 3-0 133: No. 11 Shelton Mack (P) dec. Joe Waltko (C), 8-5; Match tied, 3-3 141: Joe Matacic (C) dec. Corey Bush (P), 11-4; Clarion leads, 6-3 149: Tyler Bedelyon (C) pins Ronnie Garbinksy (P), 5:36; Clarion leads, 12-3 157: No. 3 James Flemming (C) dec. Donnie Tasser (P), 3-0; Clarion leads, 15-3 165: No. 10 Tyler Wilps (P) maj. dec. Nick Milano (C), 12-4; Clarion leads, 15-7 174: Nick Bonaccorsi (P) maj. dec. Ryan Darch (C), 13-4; Clarion leads, 15-11 184: P.J. Tasser (P) pins Steven Cressley (C), 1:53; Pitt leads, 17-15 197: No. 2 Matt Wilps (P) dec. Justin Ortega (C), 4-3; Pitt leads, 20-15 285: No. 7 Zac Thomusseit (P) pins Phil Catrucco (C), 6:40; Pitt wins, 26-15

NORFOLK, Va. -- The Old Dominion University wrestling team dominated American University on its way to a 23-9 victory on Friday night. The dual meet started out with Rob Deutsch facing American’s No. 26 David Terao. Deutsch was able to score two points off a takedown with 49 seconds left in the first period. Terao then escaped to pull the match to 2-1. In the second period, Deutsch escaped with 40 seconds remaining to take a 3-1 lead. Besides a riding point for Deutsch, the third period remained scoreless and Deutsch ended up beating Terao 4-1. In the 133 pound match, Esteban Gomez-Rivera of American took an early 2-0 lead on Scott Festejo off a takedown with 20 seconds remaining in the first period. Festejo escaped with 55 seconds remaining in the second period to cut the lead to 2-1. In the third period, Festejo escaped then took Gomez-Rivera down and followed that by 3 back points all within 30 seconds to win the match 9-3. ODU took an early 6-0 lead over American University. In the 141 pound bout, ODU's Chris Mecate faced American's John Boyle. Mecate got an early takedown in the first period to take a 2-0 lead. Both Boyle and Mecate got an escape point in the second period to make the score 3-1 after two periods. Boyle got another escape point early in the third period to cut Mecate’s lead to 3-2 with 1:40 remaining in the match. Boyle then escaped to tie the match 3-3 with 45 seconds left; however, Mecate’s riding time was enough to win the match 4-3 and give the Monarchs a 9-0 lead over American. The 149 pound match featured ODU's Alexander Richardson and American's No. 26 Kevin Tao. Tao went up 2-0 off a takedown in the first period. Richardson would cut the lead in half with an escape to end the first period. With 30 seconds left in the second period, Richardson escaped again to tie the match at 2-2 after the second period. Tao started off the third period with an escape and ending up beating Richardson 4-2. ODU now led American 9-3. In the 157 match, ODU's Brennan Brumley faced American's Mark Cirello. Brumley scored first with a two-point takedown in the first period. Brumley followed that up with three takedowns and an escape in the second period to take a 9-1 lead over Cirello going into the third period. Brumley went on to major decision Cirello 10-2 and gave ODU a 13-3 lead over American. At 165 pounds, ODU’s Brett Miller wrestled Phillip Barriero. Barriero got off to an early 2-0 lead, before Miller escaped and got a takedown of his own to take a 3-2 lead. Barriero would escape to tie the match 3-3 after the first period. Barriero escaped in the second period to take a 4-3 lead into the third period. Miller started the third period with a takedown which gave him a 5-4 lead. Barriero then escaped to tie the match at 5-5. Barriero ended up taking Miller down and then nearfalled him to cruise to a 10-5 victory. ODU still held onto a 13-6 lead. In the 174 pound match, ODU's Billy Curling faced American's Keithen Cast. After two periods, Curling held onto a 1-0 lead. Cast cut the lead to 2-1 with an escape, but Curling got another takedown to beat Cast 3-1 and give ODU a 16-6 lead over American. In the 184 pound match, ODU's Austin Coburn faced American's Thomas Barriero. With two minutes remaining in the first period, Coburn took a 2-0 lead off a takedown. Coburn then escaped to take a 3-0 lead into the third period. Barriero escaped early in the third period to cut the lead to 3-1. Coburn followed that up with another takedown and a 5-1 lead over Barriero. Barriero would later escape in the third period, but Coburn proved to be too much as he won 6-2 and gave ODU a 19-6 lead over American. In the 197 pound match, ODU's Jacob Henderson faced American’s Devon Bradley. Henderson started off the match with an early takedown to take a 2-0 lead. In the second period, Henderson escaped, got two points for a takedown and then nearfalled Bradley to take an 8-0 lead into the third period. Henderson got another takedown and points for an escape and riding time to finish off to a 12-0 victory over Bradley. Henderson’s major decision gave ODU a 23-6 lead. In the final match of the night, ODU's No. 24 Matt Tourdot faced American's No. 30 Blake Herrin. Herrin scored first with a two-point takedown. Tourdot followed that with an escape to going into the second period down 2-1. Herrin started off the second period with an escape to take a 3-1 lead. Herrin ended the second period with another takedown and took a 5-1 lead into the third period. Tourdot started the third period off with an escape to cut the lead to 5-2, but Herrin went on to beat Tourdot 7-2. Results: 125: Rob Deutsch dec. #26 David Terao 4-2; ODU: 3 AU: 0 133: #16 Scott Festejo dec. Esteban Gomez-Rivera 9-3; ODU: 6 AU: 0 141: Chris Meacte dec. John Boyle 4-3; ODU: 9 AU: 0 149: #26 Kevin Tao dec. Alexander Richardson 4-2; ODU: 9 AU: 3 157: Brennan Brumley MD Mark Cirello 10-2; ODU: 13 AU: 3 165: Phillip Barriero dec. Brett Miller 10-5; ODU: 13 AU:6 174: Billy Curling dec. Keithan Cast 3-1; ODU: 16 AU: 6 184: Austin Coburn dec. Thomas Barriero 6-2; ODU: 19 AU: 6 197: Jacob Henderson MD Devon Bradley 12-0; ODU: 23 AU: 6 HWT: #30 Blake Herrin dec. #24 Matt Tourdot 7-2; ODU: 23 AU: 9

Assuming we get past the Mayan Apocalypse on Friday, come Saturday and Sunday the 20th anniversary Beast of the East presented by Silvestri Mushrooms will take place. Year-to-year, this tournament has provided an elite level of competition between excellent wrestlers and perennial powerhouse programs. No. 1 in the nation Blair Academy, N.J., has attended each and every edition of the Beast, and is after a 13th consecutive title, 17th in all. That status is not for a lack of excellent teams in the field. Ten other squads in the InterMat Fab 50 national high school team rankings are among the approximate 100 squads in the tournament, they include: No. 2 Wyoming Seminary, Pa., No. 17 Massillon Perry, Ohio, No. 25 Central Dauphin, Pa., No. 29 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa., No. 30 McDonogh, Md., No. 38 Colonial Forge, Va., No. 41 Bergen Catholic, N.J., No. 42 Christiansburg, Va., No. 47 Don Bosco Prep, N.J., and No. 49 Brecksville, Ohio. For excellence among individuals, five No. 1 in the nation wrestlers are entered in this tournament: Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) at 106 pounds, Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio) at 120, Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.) at 126, Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) at 182, and Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) at 220; with another seven wrestlers are either ranked second or third Josh Lowe, InterMat high school analyst, will be covering the tournament with a live notebook article as well as updates on his personal twitter account (@JoshMLowe). Updated quarterfinal pairings and team scores will be provided after Saturday's competition with a recap game story being published after the completion of the event. Brackets and tournament updates will be available on either the event website, or through TrackWrestling.com. Wrestling starts each day at 8:30 a.m. ET at the Bob Carpenter Center on the campus of the University of Delaware in Newark, Del. Competition on Saturday will involve three full championship rounds to set up the quarterfinals and four consolation rounds to narrow the field down to 16 overall. Expect the round of 16 on Saturday to start at around 5:30 p.m. Competition on Sunday will start with the quarterfinals, semifinals starting at approximately 11:30 a.m., and all consolations rounds up to the medal matches. Medal matches for the top eight places will start at about 3:15 p.m. The following is a weight-by-weight breakdown of the tournament (please note all analysis assumes that the seeds hold and/or there are no changes in participants from Thursday night): 106: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 1 Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), No. 3 Austin Assad (Brecksville, Ohio), No. 6 Jose Rodriguez (Massillon Perry, Ohio), No. 12 Kyle Bierdumpfel (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.), and No. 13 Brandon Olsen (Indian River, Va.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: freshmen T.K. Megonigal (McDonogh, Md.) and Ethan McCoy (Kiski Prep, Pa.) Key potential round of 16 matchups: Joey Prata (St. Christopher's, Va.) vs. Bierdumpfel, a battle of Cadet National double All-Americans Commentary: Five nationally ranked wrestlers are present in this weight class; however, the overall depth in this weight behind the elite group is not present. Leading the way here is the nation's number one ranked wrestler, Suriano, who won the Super 32 Challenge two months ago. His path to the finals involves a likely quarterfinal against state runner-up Tommy Aloi (Forest Park, Va.), who was also a NHSCA Junior runner-up. The likely semifinal is against Brandon Olsen, a state placer that took fifth at the Super 32; presuming Olsen gets past state placer Tyler McBridge (Camden Catholic, N.J.) in his probable quarterfinal match. Two-time Cadet freestyle All-American Assad likely has the toughest path to the final coming from the two seed. He is looking at the winner of the Prata/Bierdumpfel match in the quarterfinal, and then a match against New York state runner-up, and a fourth place finisher at the Super 32, Rodriguez in what could be a state finals preview in Ohio's big-school division come March. Predicting a finals match: Suriano over Assad The rest of the top eight: Rodriguez, Bierdumpfel, Olsen, McBride, Aloi, and Prata 113: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 5 Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.), No. 12 Zach Fuentes (Norristown, Pa.), and No. 14 Aaron Assad (Brecksville, Ohio) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: Bryce Gentry (Colonial Forge, Va.), who has twice finished fourth at state; state qualifier Tyrone Klump (Nazareth, Pa.); and two-time state qualifier Tyler Casamenti (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) Key potential round of 16 matchups: Fuentes vs. Ryan Friedman (St. Paul's, Md.), who was third at National Preps; A.C. Headlee (Waynesburg, Pa.) vs. Sean Badua (Osbourn Park, Va.), Cadet freestyle All-American and Super 32 placer against a state champion; and Chaz Tucker (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Ricky Cavallo (Hempfield Area, Pa.), Cadet freestyle runner-up against a Powerade runner-up. Commentary: Though there are only three nationally ranked wrestlers, along with two additional competitors who are returning Beast placers, this is an extremely deep and well-balanced weight class. The top seed is Fleetwood, a two-time Super 32 placer and a Junior National freestyle All-American this past summer. His path to the final will not be easy, starting with a quarterfinal against either Fuentes or Friedman; and then the winner of the Headlee, Badua, Tucker, Cavallo pod in the semifinal round. Looking at the bottom half of draw, it is led by three-time state placer Aaron Assad, a Junior National freestyle All-American and returning Beast placer. His path to the final involves a possible round of 16 match against state champion Kyson Levin (Pleasant Grove, Utah), a quarterfinal against two-time Beast placer Jeremy Schwartz (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), and then a possible semifinal against either state champion Anthony Cefolo (Hanover Park, N.J.) -- also a Beast placer last year -- or two-time state placer Tanner Shoap (Chambersburg, Pa.) Predicting a finals match: Fleetwood over Assad The rest of the top eight: Fuentes, Tucker, Headlee, Shoap, Cefolo, and Cavallo 120: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio), No. 3 Matthew Kolodzik (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 4 Sam Krivus (Hempfield Area, Pa.), No. 5 Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), No. 10 Coy Ozias (Christiansburg, Va.), and No. 10 (at 113) Luis Gonzalez (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: two-time Beast placer Zach Ulerick (Middletown, Pa.), New England regional champion Will Crisco (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), and notable freshman Kevin Budock (Good Counsel, Md.) Key potential round of 16 matchups: two-time state champion Micah Hight (Caesar Rodney, Del.) vs. Gonzalez; state champion David Bavery (Massillon Perry, Ohio) vs. Super 32 placer Christian Innarella (Delbarton, N.J.), Innarella beat Bavery 5-2 at the Super 32; Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) vs. Robert Trombetta (Nutley, N.J.) in a battle of statate placer Commentary: A tournament-high six nationally ranked wrestlers are present here, and the six past Beast placers is also a tournament high. Those two buckets capture ten wrestlers. That, combined with the quality of the lower seeds and non-seeds, make this an extremely strong weight class. Competition will be fierce from the word “go” and upsets are likely. The top seed in this weight is three-time state champion and two-time Junior National freestyle champion Tomasello. His path the final likely involves either Hight or two-time state placer Gonzalez in the quarterfinal, and then either Krivus or Ozias in the semifinal (this pair of two-time Super 32 placers are likely to meet in the quarterfinal round). The bottom half of the draw has extreme depth, led by the second seed Kolodzik, who was a Cadet freestyle champion this summer, and the three-seed Cruz who has won the Beast each of the last two years. These two wrestlers met in a hotly contested Ironman semifinal match last year that Kolodzik won 2-1. However, they'll have to battle to meet in the semis. For Kolodzik, he's looking at a quarterfinal date against either Joseph, who was runner-up here at 106 last year, or Trombetta; while Cruz will likely see returning placer Sean Button (Kellam, Va.) in the round of 16 before facing either Bavery or Innarella if the seeds hold. Predicting a finals match: Tomasello over Cruz The rest of the top eight: Kolodzik, Krivus, Ozias, Joseph, Bavery, and Hight 126: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 1 Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.), No. 3 Ryan Diehl (Trinity, Pa.), and No. 14 Judson Preskitt (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 15 Anthony Giraldo (North Bergen, N.J.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: NHSCA Freshman nationals champ Austin Riggs (Robinson, Va.) Key potential round of 16 matchups: David McFadden (DePaul Catholic, N.J.) vs. Billy Ward (Buena Regional, N.J.), state runner-up against 2011 state third; and Zach Valley (Northampton, Pa.) vs. Tyler Carney (Smyrna, Del.), state fifth against state runner-up. Commentary: The simple story in this weight is to say that we'll get the final here that we missed out on in the Super 32 with Dance and Diehl battling it out for a title. Even if we end up at that point, there are at least nine other pretty accomplished wrestlers in this weight to make earning placement here an accomplishment. The top seed here is Dance, who is seeking an elusive Beast title after placing sixth as a freshman and second the last two years. He is looking at a quarterfinal against either state champion Zeke Salvo (Mt. St. Joseph, Md.) or state placer Jeff Stone (Colonial Forge, Va.), and then a semifinal against the one who emerges from the pod of Preskitt, McFadden, and Ward. Preskitt was runner-up to Dance two weekends ago at the Ironman, and is a two-time National Prep placer. Three-time state champion Diehl, who won his first two titles in West Virginia before transferring into Pennsylvania for his junior season, is the second seed in this weight class; he placed third in the Super 32 after losing in overtime in the semis. His path to the final involves a quarterfinal against either Valley or Carney, and then a semifinal against either two-time state placer Giraldo -- who took fifth at the Super 32 after losing 7-1 to Diehl in the consolation semis -- or state runner-up Matt Grossman (Manheim Township, Pa.) Predicting a finals match: Dance over Diehl The rest of the top eight: Preskitt, Giraldo, McFadden, Ward, Grossman, and Valley 132: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 4 Brandon Jeske (Cox, Va.), No. 9 Dennis Gustafson (Forest Park, Va.), and No. 11 P.J. Klee (Blair Academy, N.J.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: state qualifier Connor Burkert (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.) Key potential round of 16 matchups: Geoff Verallis (Northfield Mt. Herman, Mass.) vs. Bryce Killian (Middletown, Pa.), Beast and National Prep fifth place-finisher against 2011 Super 32 placer; Nick Anderson (Delbarton, N.J.) vs. Cortland Schuyler (Manheim Township, Pa.), state placer against state qualifier Commentary: Even with five wrestlers that have placed in past Beast tournaments -- which is tied for second most in the tournament -- including three nationally ranked, the depth behind the projected placers is not as solid as in some of the surrounding weight classes. Leading the way here is defending champion Jeske, who is one of six wrestlers seeking to become a four-time Beast of the East placer, with additional placements of third as a sophomore and second as a freshman. He is the top seed and is looking at a path to the finals that involves state placer Chase Zemenak (Nazareth, Pa.) in the quarterfinal, and then the survivor of the Verallis, Killian, Anderson, and Schuyler pod in the semifinal. The bottom half of the draw features Beast of the East runner-up Klee as the two seed and NHSCA Junior runner-up Gustafoson -- also a two-time Beast placer -- as the third seed. Klee has a rather clear path to the semifinal, while Gustafson is looking at a quarterfinal date with two-time National Prep placer Daniel Sanchez (Georgetown Prep, Md.), who also was a Junior Greco-Roman All-American this past summer. Predicting a finals match: Jeske over Gustafson The rest of the top eight: Klee, Sanchez, Verallis, Killian, Anderson, and Zemenak 138: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 5 Tyson Dippery (Central Dauphin, Pa.), No. 6 Mason Manville (Blair Academy, N.J.), and No. 7 Alfred Bannister (Bishop McNamara, Md.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: state qualifier Ryan Burkert (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.), New England regional fourth placer Jake Savoca (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), Justin Alexander (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.), and Alvonte Drummond (Milford, Del.) Key potential round of 16 matchups: Brian Hamann (Jackson Memorial, N.J.) vs. Isaac Bast (Massillon Perry, Ohio), two-time fourth in the state against state placer; Patrick Duggan (Cumberland Valley, Pa.) vs. Max Good (Cedar Cliff, Pa.), Cadet freestyle runner-up and state placer against two-time state qualifier; and Clay Walker (Eastside, S.C.) vs. Ethan Kenney (Connellsville, Pa.), two-time state champion against two-time state placer Commentary: The top four seeds are either nationally ranked, or have placed previously at the Beast of the East, three in each category. There is also solid depth of competition among the projected placers, and those likely to make the second day. Top seed in this weight class is National Prep runner-up Bannister, who also placed second at the Beast last year and was a NHSCA Sophomore national champion. His path to the final is likely to involve two-time National Prep placer Xavi Ramos (McDonogh, Md.) in the quarter, whom he already beat at the Ray Oliver Invitational three weekends ago, and then the survivor of the Duggan, Good, Hamann, and Bast pod in the semifinal round. The bottom half of the draw features second seeded Dippery, who has placed third three times and is seeking an elusive Beast finals appearance (and then title). His path to the final involves an interesting quarterfinal against either Walker or Kenney, and then a potential semifinal date with the freshman sensation Manville. Manville was a Cadet National double finalist this summer, a runner-up at the Ironman, and placed third at state up at 152 last year while competing for Apple Valley as an eighth grader. He is looking at a quarterfinal match against either state champion Dallas Smith (Robinson, Va.) or state runner-up Chase McDaniel (Cave Spring, Va.) Predicting a finals match: Dippery over Bannister, which is a battle of NHSCA champions (junior over sophomore) The rest of the top eight: Manville, Duggan, Hamann, Kenney, Bast, and Walker 145: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 8 Dylan Milonas (Blair Academy, N.J.) and No. 8 (at 138) T.J. Miller (Camden Catholic, N.J.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: freshman Joe Grello (Bergen Catholic) and open wheel racing star Sage Karam (Nazareth, Pa.) Key potential round of 16 matchups: Mikey Springer (Norristown, Pa.) vs. Beau Donahue (Westfield, Va.), state placer against two-time state champion, and George Weber (John Carroll, Md.) vs. Daniel Downes (St. Mark's, Del.), three-time National Prep placer against state champion. Commentary: Even though only two wrestlers are ranked nationally in what is the deepest weight class in the nation, the presence of five past Beast placers -- tied for second most in the tournament -- reflect the quality within this group. Defending champion Milonas, a two-time National Prep runner-up and Junior National freestyle All-American, is the top seed. His path to the final likely involves a quarterfinal match against either Springer or Donahue, and then a semifinal against three-time state placer Miller who placed sixth at the Beast as a freshman in 2009. Miller is looking at a path to the semi that includes a round of 16 match against state placer Will Davis (Woodbridge, Del.) and a quarterfinal against National Prep placer Tyrel White (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), who was third in Junior Greco-Roman this summer. The bottom half of the draw is anchored by National Prep champion Clark, a two-time Beast placer -- including third last year. He has a very tough quarterfinal against Weber, though it is a wrestler that he has outplaced in previous tournaments; and then looks at a semifinal date against either Chris Vassar (Cedar Cliff, Pa.) or Ryan Todora (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), both of whom are two-time state placers. Predicting a finals match: Milonas over Clark, avenging his National Prep finals loss for the second time this season The rest of the top eight: Miller, Weber, Vassar, White, Donahue, and Todora 152: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 6 Russ Parsons (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 9 Garrett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.), No. 11 Wayne Stinson (North Burlington, N.J.), and No. 17 Jack Bass (Robinson, Va.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: Super 32 placer Austin Rose (Central Dauphin, Pa.) and two-time state placer Max Wilt (Caesar Rodney, Del.) Key potential round of 16 matchups: Toby Hague (McDonogh, Md.) vs. Chris Weiler (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), National Prep runner-up and Super 32 placer against Cadet double All-American and Ironman placer; Tony Dailey (Massillon Perry, Ohio) vs. Taylor Misuna (Grassfield, Va.), Ironman placer against state runner-up; and Robert Janis (St. Christopher's, Va.) vs. Zach Kelly (Kiski Prep, Pa.), battle of National Prep placers, Janis placed sixth at Beast last year while Kelly was sixth at the Super 32. Commentary: The presence of four nationally ranked wrestlers does not indicate how deep the field is in this weight class. The pool of wrestlers that could place top six here goes into the double digits. The top seed in this weight is National Prep champion Parsons, a two-time Beast placer who also was a Junior freestyle All-American this summer. His path to the final involves a quarterfinal against either Hague or Weiler, and then a semifinal against either Stinson or Chad Walsh (Camden Catholic, N.J.). Stinson placed seventh at the Beast last year, is a three-time state qualifier, and placed third at the Super 32 but is yet to place at state; while Walsh is a three-time state placer, and finished eighth at the Super 32 two months ago. In the bottom half of the draw, state champion and Super 32 runner-up Hammond is the second seed. His path to the final involves a quarterfinal date with either Janis or Kelly; and then a semifinal date with Bass, Dailey, or Misuna. Bass placed at the Beast as a freshman, is a two-time state runner-up, and was a Junior freestyle All-American this past summer. He is the three seed, and has a likely quarterfinal date with either Janis or Kelly. Predicting a finals match: Parsons over Hammond The rest of the top eight: Stinson, Bass, Weiler, Walsh, Hague, and Misuna 160: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 4 Josh Llopez (St. Mary's Ryken, Md.), No. 6 Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.), No. 10 Garrett Peppelman (Central Dauphin, Pa.), and No. 17 T.C. Warner (Cumberland Valley, Pa.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: Connor Hedash (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.); Dom Scalise (Kiski Prep, Pa.) and John Grossi (Germantown Academy, Pa.), both who were a match away from placing at the Ironman Key potential round of 16 matchups: Greg Bacci (Malvern Prep, Pa.) vs. Dylan Wisman (Millbrook, Va.), National Prep placer against state runner-up; and Jack Wedholm (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. John Faugno (Glen Ridge, N.J.), Ironman placer against state qualifier Commentary: Four wrestlers are nationally ranked in this weight class, and this quartet stands out as the head of the class. Based on the draw, it should make for an intriguing semifinal round. In the top half, Llopez and Martin project to meet for a third time this season, and they could meet at least three more times as they both go through the National Prep series; while Peppelman and Warner would meet up for the first time of what could be many on the way to a state finals match, as they both reside in Pennsylvania's district 3. Llopez, a two-time Super 32 finalist (2011 champion) and a Junior National freestyle champion this summer, is looking at a quarterfinal match with either Bacci or Wiseman. Cadet freestyle runner-up Martin, who also was a runner-up at National Preps last year, is looking at a quarterfinal against most likely NHSCA Junior runner-up John Balboni (David Brearley, N.J.). State runner-up Warner, who placed fifth at Beast last year, is looking at either Wedholm or Faugno in his quarterfinal. State champion Peppelman, a two-time Super 32 placer and third at the Beast last year, possibly has two-time New York state placer Nicky Hall (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) looming in his quarterfinal match. Predicting a finals match: Peppelman over Llopez, reversing the Super 32 semifinal match result The rest of the top eight: Martin, Warner, Balboni, Hall, Faugno, and Hedash 170: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 3 Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.) and No. 19 Patrick Coover (Blair Academy, N.J.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: National Prep placer Terrell Forbes (St. Benedict's Prep, N.J.) Key potential round of 16 matchups: Zach Boyles (Smyrna, Del.) vs. Luke Farinaro (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.), state champion against state qualifier Commentary: This weight has tied for the least nationally ranked wrestlers with two; and tied for the second least past Beast placers, also with two (Coover and Epperly). Defending champion Epperly -- the top seed - is an extreme favorite to repeat. He is a three-time state champion, two-time Super 32 placer, and finished fourth in Junior freestyle this past summer, and has an extremely manageable path the top final, most likely involves a semifinal against either Brett Stein (Forest Park, Va.) or Joey Krulock (Mechanicsburg, Pa.). Stein placed third at state, and was fifth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals, while Krulock placed seventh at state. In the bottom half of the draw, National Prep champion and returning Beast placer Coover is the second seed. His path to the final starts with a quarterfinal against either Boyles or Farinaro, and then a likely semifinal against state placer Quentin Hiles (Brecksville, Ohio), who placed sixth at the Ironman two weeks ago; this presumes Hiles is able to clear Colton Peppelman (Central Dauphin, Pa.) in his projected quarterfinal bout. Predicting a finals match: Epperly over Coover The rest of the top eight: Krulock, Stein, Hiles, Farinaro, Boyles, and Peppelman 182: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 1 Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 4 Brett Harner (Norristown, Pa.), No. 7 Johnny Sebastian (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), and No. 19 Addison Knepshield (Blair Academy, N.J.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: state qualifier James Kellner (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.) Key potential round of 16 matchups: none in particular Commentary: Morris seeks a second Beast title and fourth placement finish in this tournament, having finished fifth as a freshman and second as a junior to augment last year's title. The nation's number one wrestlers is looking at a quarterfinal date against state placer Zach Martinez (Colonial Forge, Va.) before a likely semifinal against either Knepshield or Troy Murtha (Georgetown Prep, Md.). Knepshield placed fourth at the Ironman two weeks ago and was fourth at National Preps in 2011, while Murtha placed eighth at the Beast last year, third at National Preps, and fifth at the Super 32. The bottom half of the draw is anchored by Sebastian and Harner, who finished second and third at the Beast last year in the 160 pound weight class. They occupy those seeds respectively this year. State champion Sebastian is extremely likely to advance to the semis, while three-time state placer and Super 32 runner-up Harner has a match against returning Beast placer Jose Ortiz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) looming in the quarterfinal round; Ortiz was also a state qualifier last year, and has finished second at both the NHSCA freshman and sophomore nationals. Predicting a finals match: Morris over Harner, rematch of an Ironman semifinal that went to overtime The rest of the top eight: Sebastian, Knepshield, Ortiz, Murtha, Martinez, and Kellner 195: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 2 Ryan Solomon (Milton, Pa.), No. 3 Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 8 Raymond O'Donnell (Saucon Valley, Pa.), No. 11 Joe Tayse (Massillon Perry, Ohio), and No. 19 Razohn Gross (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: two-time state qualifier Josh Alpha (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.); state qualifier Josh Murphy (Brecksville, Ohio); state placer Anthony Mancini (Salesanium, Del.); Cadet double third place-finisher, and Super 32 third place-finisher Christian Jenco (Bergen Catholic); and Jordan Fox (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.) Key potential round of 16 matchups: none in particular based on the top 12 seeds; however, some of the non-seeds can most certainly create some Commentary: While the Ironman was not very strong in this weight class, the Beast of the East is extremely strong here with five nationally ranked wrestlers, and a quality wrestler list that creeps into double digits. Extremely impressive for a weight class -- that along with 182 -- is the one people argue was the “added weight” in the NFHS configuration change effective last year. The top seed in this weight class is three-time state placer Solomon, a state champion this past year and a three-time Fargo double All-American. His path to the final will not be easy, as if the seeds hold, it would entail a quarterfinal against Spencer Neff (Good Counsel, Md.) who placed third at the Super 32 and fifth at National Preps. Then the semifinal would likely be against state champion Gross or National Prep third place finisher L.J. Barlow (Haverford School, Pa.) The bottom half of the draw features three nationally ranked wrestlers, led by two-time Beast placer Mattiace, who was a National Prep champion last year. His path to the finals involves a likely quarterfinal against state placer Zach Roseberry (Brentsville, Va.), who also was a NHSCA Junior runner-up; and then a semifinal against either Super 32 runner-up O'Donnell, who is also a two-time state placer, or state champion Tayse. Predicting a finals match: Solomon over Mattiace The rest of the top eight: O'Donnell, Tayse, Gross, Jenco, Roseberry, and Neff 220: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.), No. 11 Garrett Ryan (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: state qualifier Austin Linden (Brecksville, Ohio) Key potential round of 16 matchups: none in particular Commentary: Only four wrestlers are captured from the list of two that are nationally ranked (tied for least in the tournament) and three past placers, which makes this among the least deep weights of the tournament. However, there is a clear anchor in the junior Snyder, who is after a third consecutive Beast title. Should he win this year, which is extremely likely, next year he could become on the second wrestler ever to win four titles at the Beast. Obviously he is the top seed, and is looking at a semifinal date against either Ironman seventh placer David Showunmi (Blair Academy, N.J.) or state qualifier Armond Cox (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.). Second seed in this weight is Arizona state champion Ryan, a Junior National double All-American this past summer. He is looking at a semifinal match against one of two returning Beast placers -- either Zach Chakonis (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.), who placed sixth at state; or Marshall Hollerith (St. Christopher's, Va.), who finished eighth at the Ironman two weeks ago. Predicting a finals match: Snyder over Ryan The rest of the top eight: Chakonis, Showunmi, Hollerith, Linden, Cox, and Brandon Dennison (Pleasant Grove, Utah) 285: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 2 Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 7 (at 220) Aaron Bradley (Nazareth, Pa.), and No. 9 Michael Johnson, Jr. (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: Ironman placers Jemal Averette (Good Counsel, Md.) and Stefano Millian (Massillon Perry, Ohio) Key potential round of 16 matchups: Jake Pinkston (Robinson, Va.) vs. Carmine Goldsack (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), state runner-up against state qualifier Commentary: Brooks Black is seeking to become a three-time Beast champion, just as he earned that status at the Ironman two weeks ago; and to become a four-time placer in both tournaments (every year at heavyweight), placing third in each as a freshman. His path to the final likely involves a quarterfinal against Ironman placer Zach DeLuca (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.), and a semifinal against either Pinkston or Zach Dawe (Pleasant Grove, Utah), who was fifth at the Beast last year and won a title at the Reno TOC last week. The bottom half of the draw is led by two seed Johnson, Jr. -- a National Prep runner-up who placed third here as a freshman last year. He is looking at a likely semifinal against Bradley, who was a state runner-up at 220 last year. Predicting a finals match: Black over Johnson, Jr. -- repeating the matchup from the Ironman final two weeks ago The rest of the top eight: Bradley, Dawe, Pinkston, DeLuca, Averette, and Jeff Miller (Camden Catholic, N.J.) Fun facts, figures, and history Last year, Mark Grey (Cornell/Blair Academy, N.J.) became the first wrestler in event history to win four titles, while five others are three-timers at the Beast of the East. This weekend, three wrestlers have the chance to win a third title at the event: Darian Cruz at 120, Kyle Snyder at 220, and Brooks Black at 285. Snyder is only a junior, and should he win this weekend, he would have the chance to join Grey at the December 2013 edition of the Beast. Other returning champions include Brandon Jeske at 132; Dylan Milonas at 145; Zach Epperly at 170; and Eric Morris at 182. Defending champion Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, N.J.) is not competing this weekend due to injury, nor is 2010 champion J.R. Wert (Christiansburg, Va.). In addition, six wrestlers are seeking to become four-time placers this weekend at the Beast: Darian Cruz at 120, Joey Dance at 126, Brandon Jeske at 132, Tyson Dippery at 138, Eric Morris at 182, and Brooks Black at 285. This past summer at the Olympic Games in London, England, four Beast of the East alumni competed in the freestyle event. Gold medalist Jordan Burroughs failed to place during his senior year in December 2005 at 135 pounds; bronze medalist Coleman Scott was a two-time finalist, winning the 125 pound weight class in December 2003 of his senior season; Jake Herbert finished as runner-up at 160 in December 2001 during his junior season, which happened to be his last loss in high school; and Franklin Gomez was a champion at 119 pounds in December 2004 of his senior season.

Fight Now TV Presents Takedown Wrestling from the Brute studios in Des Moines, Iowa at 1460 KXNO. Takedown Wrestling is proudly presented by Kemin, Inspired Molecular Solutions! This Saturday it's Takedown Wrestling Radio from 9 to 11 a.m. CST/ 10 AM to noon ET. Join Scott Casber, Steve Foster, our own Jeff Murphy and Brad Johnson. Special guest host: Eric Voelker, three-time All-American for Iowa State, winning NCAA titles in 1987 and 1989. This week's guests: 9:03 Brian Smith, Missouri head wrestling coach 9:15 Kendrick Maple, Oklahoma wrestler 9:35 Kyven Gadson, Iowa State wrestler 9:50 Tyler Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update 10:03 Kyle Dake, Cornell wrestler 10:10 David Taylor, Penn State wrestler 10:30 Tony Ramos, Iowa wrestler 10:40 Jeff Murphy, Kemin Report 10:50 Amy Ruble-Wildrose Casino and Resort Emmettsburg, Iowa Fans, athletes, coaches: This is your sport. Join in the conversation live. Ask questions. Call 866-333-5966 or 515-204-5966. Takedown Wrestling is available on radio on AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa, online at Livesportsvideo.com, or on your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeart Radio app. (Click on KXNO under Sportsradio.)

InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account. Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives. There's no avoiding Newtown and the topic of gun violence in America. The week has been too filled with images of a town still in mourning to simply sidestep the discussion. This ordeal has been gut-wrenching television, a New England town reeling from the loss of 20 first-graders and six adults at the hands of deranged gunman. The individual and collective losses are almost inconceivable, and yet a week removed we're starting to actualize the damage to our national psyche and searching for remedies to prevent future acts of mass violence. Let me start by stating that I don't have kids. I know that I'd love to have a few one day, but for now it's playing uncle to a handful of half pints. What would it be like to lose one of them? What would they be like in twenty years? How would my life be better by having them around in twenty years? What kind of uncle could I be? It's a selfish thought, but connecting to the emotional magnitude of this tragedy necessitates personalization. To really comprehend the loss you have to reduce the victim pool to one, twenty-six is too many lives to imagine. Jack PintoJack Pinto was a Newtown wrestler and member of USA Wrestling. He was a sports-loving kid, who may have one day become a household name for his talents on the mat. He could have been Connecticut's version of Robert Hamlin, a stud from an unlikely state, the standout with a cool nickname. Or maybe he was out next Jordan Burroughs. There's no telling what could have been in Jack's future. It's just as likely that he would have stopped wrestling and pursued lacrosse and gone on to John Hopkins where he'd captain their national championship team. It's all unknown, because his life's story won't be written, it was cut short by the insane actions of a gun wielding lunatic. The loss of every child is a tragedy, but even more so when it comes as the result of a preventable action. I don't own guns, and I don't really enjoy shooting them. If I did, I'd probably see this tragedy as a cause to stand my ground. Defending constitutional rights is an American past time, and keeping the 2nd intact is as selfish as wanting to personalize a tragedy. After a mass shooting, gun owners buy more guns, larger clips of ammunition, and launch offensive riffs on nighttime TV (Smith & Wesson, Glock, and others have all reported massive profits in 2012). In the Meta sense it's puzzling that death by guns would cause people to want more guns, but on a personal level it's a defensible reaction. You are taught that gun ownership is a right, and now there is a hint that it might be taken away. Preparation is the best defense. Guns control is a divisive issue, and I know that the wrestling community is filled with avid hunters, including Oklahoma State head wrestling coach John Smith all the way down to my high school coach. But across the spectrum of opinions on gun control from "more is better" to "Melt 'em all" we can probably agree on a few simple and broad statements. There should be fewer military style weapons on the street, elimination of secondary gun sales, and increased penalties for gun-related crimes. They're all important first steps to take. I'm not a zealot. I live in Chicago, a city soaking in the blood of gun violence, and if I had children I can't say that I wouldn't consider owning a gun for my home. Many proponents of gun control would agree too -- guns are necessary for home protection and rifles are an integral aspect of preserving our country's hunting culture. But AR-15's and semi-automatic rifles with 100 bullet clips? Those are less-defensible, since they're mostly used in military combat, for self-amusement and in the case of Newtown, the mass slaughter of children. What can be done? As always, innovation should be the answer. Gun technology has stayed primarily unchanged since the 18th century. The guns have gotten way bigger and more advanced, but the simple technology of pulling a trigger to drop a hammer on a bullet has remained static. Could some modernization of the weaponry result in fewer accidental deaths, suicides, crimes of emotion, and mass killings? What if every gun purchased could only ever be fired by the person who purchased that gun? Like in James Bond you could develop a palm print recognition, or other identification techniques. When you want to sell that weapon you have to send it back to the manufacturer before it could be put back onto the market. The killing sin Newtown would have been prevented if that technology was in use. There are other ideas as well. Make the waiting period for guns 28 days. Mandate two personal references on every application. Broaden the mental health network to include restricting gun sales to those who've shown signs of increased instability. There are plenty of workable solutions to allow for law-abiding gun owners to keep their weapons, but to limit the number of deaths occurring due to gun violence. I just keep thinking about watching a high school-aged Jack Pinto wrestling. What would he look like? What would be his style? Aggressive and dominating, or tricky and great on top? Would he dye his hair the same color as all his teammates for districts and states? Would he be the team leader, a guy that all his buddies wanted to be like? Would he be popular? We'll never know. But in the meantime we can work to make something productive come from the tragedy, we can work to become better friends to those in need, and to those who might have lost their grip on reality. We could sacrifice just a touch of our personal freedom in the hopes of saving thousands of lives a year. If we all agree that something has to change, and that we all would prefer to see Jack Pinto winning a state title than being buried this week along with 19 of his classmates then now is the time to create productive conversations about gun control and mental health. Think about new technologies, new outreach programs, new, new, new. Leave comments below, but stay reasonable and respectful. We're here to create a positive dialogue, not tear each other down. Hudson TaylorQ: I remember a few years back Hudson Taylor had and GLBT sticker on his headgear to show his support for equal rights. That got me thinking ... Has any other wrestler to your knowledge made a social or political statement during competition? -- Anon Foley: I don't recall if there were any bold political or social statements made in recent years. However, Taylor has kept with the promise to see equal rights for the LGBT community. He recently established the non-profit "Athlete Ally," which uses the athlete community on campus to create a welcoming atmosphere for LGBT students. You can check out his site, or his twitter at @hudsonism. You can also check out Taylor at this year's MIdlands where he'll be competing at 197. Q: Who came up with these matchups for the Grapple at the Garden? Why weren't the upper-ranked teams wrestling other teams of the same caliber? Sure there were a few good duals, but why was Iowa wrestling Bucknell and Hofstra? Or Ohio State vs. Maryland and Hofstra? I feel that the powers that be really wasted a great chance to showcase top notch wrestling. -- Jefferson T. B. Foley: The other most emailed topic of the week was the Grapple at the Garden. I wasn't able to make it out of Chicago for Sunday's meet, though many who went reported the same criticism. But let's first look at the positives. We wrestled in Madison Square Garden. Regardless of the critiques the wrestling community was able to put on an event inside the country's most famous arena. That's just cool. The event showcased some of the best teams, and was able to generate good amount of secondary media coverage, most notably a front-page write-up in the New York Times of Kyle Dake and his pursuit of four titles at four weight classes. Again, that's the NYT and MSG all rolled into one weekend in the middle of the collegiate wrestling season. Very, very good stuff. I wrote this last week, but wrestling is in its Golden Era. We've never had better access to information, or larger, brighter, more fulfilling events. Just this calendar year we'll have the NWCA All-Star Classic, Grapple in the Garden, Grapple in the Big Apple, Midlands and Southern Scuffle, in addition to the NCAA Tournament. That's an incredible amount of hard work that is resulting in marketable events that have undoubtedly grown our fan base. Wrestling is heading into uncharted territory, and I couldn't be more excited. As for the critiques ... Yes, the matchups could have been a touch more compelling. I think everyone would have loved to see Okie State and Iowa face off, or Cornell take on Iowa. But these matchups are the ones we were given and while not the VERY best that we could have scheduled there were some exciting matchups. Others were a little salty about the production value once the matches started. There was difficulty figuring out who was wrestling on which mat, when and what the score was. I think the Olympics have is pegged by displaying a few big screens. I think we should adopt for all out big matches, including the Grapples and NCAA. Some were a little concerned about the blandness of the interviews being broadcast during the event. I wasn't there, but I assume it's not easy to get compelling, dynamic answers for 9k people from a media-trained athlete on the big screen in MSG. I'm sure that the committee that ran the event saw some of their own flaws, or places where improvements could be made. The Grapple series will (hopefully) be an annual event and as we grow use to its existence we'll increase attendance and the operators will increase the quality of the product. But out of the gate, I think they're onto something wonderful. As for the NCAA tournament heading to NYC? That might be too much sticker shock for many fans, though I agree it would be worthwhile to see this guy coaching his team towards a national title. Happy holidays, wrestling fans. Your questions and comments have made this an exciting and challenging time to be a writer for the wrestling community. Stay present.

The American University wrestling team won seven of 10 bouts on Thursday night in Bender Arena on its way to its first dual meet victory of the season, 23-9, over George Mason. "I was happy with our overall performance," said Head Coach Teague Moore. "Ultimately throughout the 10 bouts I felt that we outperformed their athletes which is big, especially coming off the break for finals week." George Mason picked up the first win of the match as John Boyle ended up on the short end of a 3-0 decision at 141 lbs. before Kevin Tao put American on the board with a 10-2 major decision over Greg Flournoy. Tao earned the first takedown of the bout and took a 5-0 lead after the second. Flournoy picked up a pair of escapes to put the score at 7-2 in the third period, but Tao was able to add another takedown with seven seconds left and held the advantage in riding time. The Patriots won the next bout at 157 lbs. to retake the lead but the Eagles bounced back with victories in the next three matches. Phillip Barreiro registered the 5-2 decision over George Mason's Tyler Knepp at 165 lbs. to get American rolling. Knepp posted the first takedown with 20 seconds remaining in the first but Barreiro tied it with a pair of escapes and took a 4-2 lead with his first takedown of the bout, winning it in the third building up riding time throughout the period. Keithen Cast gave American an 11-6 lead in the match with a 16-6 major decision over Ryan Hembury at 174 lbs. Cast dominated the entire match, registering seven takedowns in the bout. Thomas Barreiro earned a decision over Corey Smith at 184 lbs., taking a 3-0 lead in the second after a scoreless first period and earning the riding time advantage for the 4-0 final score. George Mason cut American's lead to 14-9 after earning a decision at 197 lbs., but the Eagles closed out the dual winning the final three matches of the night. Blake Herrin earned a 5-2 decision over Jake Kettler at heavyweight followed by a pair of decisions from David Terao and Esteban Gomez-Rivera. Terao posted a 14-8 decision over Richard Lavorato at 125 lbs. while Gomez-Rivera recorded his first win in Bender Arena with a 7-2 decision over Zachary Isenhour at 133 lbs. American will return to action tomorrow to take on another CAA opponent, Old Dominion, on Friday, December 21 at 5 p.m. in Norfolk, Va. Results: 141: Sahid Kargbo (GMU) dec. John Boyle (American), 3-0; George Mason, 3-0 149: Kevin Tao (American) major dec. Greg Flournoy (GMU), 10-2; American, 4-3 157: Jaaziah Bethea (GMU) dec. Mark Cirello (American), 11-6; George Mason, 6-4 165: Phillip Barreiro (American) dec. Tyler Knepp (GMU), 5-2; American, 7-6 174: Keithen Cast (American) major dec. Ryan Hembury (GMU), 16-6; American, 11-6 184: Thomas Barreiro (American) dec. Corey Smith (GMU), 4-0; American, 14-6 197: Matt Meadows (GMU) dec. Devon Bradley (American), 9-5; American 14-9 HWT: Blake Herrin (American) dec. Jake Kettler (GMU), 5-2; American 17-9 125: David Terao (American) dec. Richard Lavorato (GMU), 14-8; American 20-9 133: Esteban Gomez-Rivera (American) dec. Zachary Isenhour (GMU), 7-2; American 23-9

PITTSBURGH -- The No. 13 Pitt wrestling team (3-2, 1-0 EWL) earned bonus points in seven of its eight individual wins to drop Cleveland State, 38-6, this evening at Fitzgerald Field House. After the Vikings (1-2, 0-1 EWL) captured the opening match at 125 pounds, Pitt was able to take the lead on a major decision victory by 11th-ranked Shelton Mack at 133 pounds. After taking a 7-3 lead into the final period, Mack started down and earned a quick escape and takedown. Mack then cut CSU's Mike Carlone lose and earned a takedown on a double to secure the 12-4 victory and the major. CSU regained the lead with a win at 141 pounds but Ronnie Garbinsky gave the Panthers a lead that they wouldn't relinquish when he majored Mike Mencini, 13-5, at 149 pounds. Garbinsky, making his dual debut for Pitt, jumped on Mencini from the get go earning a pair of takedowns in the first period. In the second, the redshirt freshman started down and quickly earned an escape and takedown to extend his lead to 7-1 entering the final period. In the third, Garbinsky was able to overcome a late takedown by Mencini and earn the major thanks to the bonus point for 3:49 of riding time. After Troy Reaghard kept the Panther momentum going with a 10-3 decision over Matt Donohoe at 157 pounds, No. 10 Tyler Wilps continued his impressive season when he defeated Corey Carlo by a 14-4 major decision. Nick Bonaccorsi earned his second-consecutive victory by fall when he pinned Xavier Dye at 4:06 of his 174 pound match. Bonaccorsi controlled the match throughout earning two takedowns, and three three-point nearfalls en route to his victory. Making his season debut at 184 pounds, P.J. Tasser earned Pitt's second fall of the night at 3:12 against Bobby Blankenship. After a finishing the first with a 4-1 lead, Tasser started down in the second and earned a quick escape, followed by a takedown and a stick a mere 12 seconds into the frame to push the Panther lead to 27-6. Second-ranked 197-pounder Matt Wilps and seventh-ranked heavyweight Zac Thomusseit both earned convincing victories to remain undefeated on the season. Wilps used a takedown, a reversal, three two-point nearfalls and a pair of three-point nearfalls to collect a 16-0 technical fall over Nick Anthony at 4:35, while Thomusseit pinned Riley Shaw at 2:35 to wrap up the 38-6 win. The Panthers return to action tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 21, when they travel to EWL rival Clarion for a 7 p.m. dual at Tippin Gym. Results: 125: Ben Willeford (C) dec. Godwin Nyama (P), 8-5; CSU leads, 3-0 133: No. 11 Shelton Mack (P) maj. dec. Mike Marlone (C), 12-4; Pitt leads, 4-3 141: Nick Flannery (C) dec. Corey Bush (P), 6-1; CSU leads, 6-4 149: Ronnie Garbinsky (P) maj. dec. Mike Mencini (C), 13-5; Pitt leads, 8-6 157: Troy Reaghard (P) dec. Matt Donohoe (C), 10-3; Pitt leads, 11-6 165: No. 10 Tyler Wilps (P) maj. dec. Corey Carlo (C), 14-4; Pitt leads, 15-6 174: Nick Bonaccorsi (P) pins Xavier Dye (C), 4:06; Pitt leads, 21-6 184: P.J. Tasser (P) pins Bobby Blankenship (C), 3:12; Pitt leads, 27-6 197: No. 2 Matt Wilps (P) tech falls Nick Anthony (C), 16-0 (4:35); Pitt leads, 32-6 285: No. 7 Zac Thomusseit (P) pins Riley Shaw (C), 2:35; Pitt wins, 38-6

"Obstacles cannot crush me." Those words, uttered by Leonardo da Vinci 500 years ago, have served as a foundation for the life of Antonio Russo, whose Italian family put him alone on a ship bound for the U.S. as a ten-year-old. In his new homeland, Russo overcame numerous obstacles to not only raise a family, but also to make a name for himself as a wrestler in high school in Portland, Oregon and at Arizona State, then in an enduring coaching career. This inspirational story is now told in a new book, "Wrestling with the Devil," by Antonio Russo and his daughter Tonya Russo Hamilton, published by Gemelli Press. A story of solo journeys You're probably wondering why Antonio Russo's family would be willing to part with their eldest son, sending him alone on a journey from Naples, Italy to New York City, to live with relatives he had never met, in a country where he did not know the language. Born in a small village south of Naples in October 1940, Antonio "Tony" Russo actually had dual citizenship in both Italy and the U.S. His mother was born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania; however, after job opportunities dried up, her parents returned to their native Italy with their young daughter who eventually married and had three children, Tony being the oldest. Laws at the time stated that, in order to retain their U.S. citizenship, youngsters such as Tony had to come to America and establish residence no less than five years before his 18th birthday. As Russo states in "Wrestling with the Devil," "The laws on this have since changed, but, as far as my parents were concerned, to secure my U.S. citizenship, they knew they had to get me to America soon." So, in August 1951, Russo said goodbye to his parents and his younger brother and sister, boarded a ship all by himself, accompanied only by a suitcase and pockets stuffed with Italian meats and cheeses. After a week battling loneliness and seasickness on board the ship that transported him to the new world, life didn't become any easier for the 4' 3" tall boy who only spoke Italian. After months of being shuttled among four different sets of relatives in New York, Tony took another long solo trip -- this time by airplane across the U.S. -- to live with his aunt and uncle in Portland, where he found a loving home ... and was ultimately introduced to the sport of wrestling. As a native of Italy, Tony Russo struggled with the English language in school, which led to fights with other kids. The school's football coach thought involvement in that sport would help Russo deal with his anger and aggression in a positive way. One of the assistant football coaches happened to be head coach of the school's fledgling wrestling program, where Russo found his true home away from home ... and a true passion in his life that continues to this day as a coach, more than a half-century after first stepping onto the mat. How the book came to life When asked how "Wrestling with the Devil" came about, Tonya Russo Hamilton replied, "We grew up hearing stories about wrestling and Italy from my father." "I had always wanted to write down his stories, to preserve these memories," Hamilton continued. "I wrote up one of those stories -- what became the chapter titled "Horse and Cart" -- emailed it to him, and his reaction was so positive." (InterMat readers will find that chapter, which describes a near-tragic accident in Russo's childhood, eerily reminiscent of a similar incident involving former Oklahoma State wrestling champ and 1932 Olympic gold medalist Jack VanBebber, as told in his memoir A Distant Flame reviewed in an earlier InterMat feature.) "Once I got my dad on board, we wrote an outline, then used a tape recorder to capture his stories." Hamilton, an elementary school teacher, turned her father's audio recollections of his life into a written document ... which ultimately became a published book. It was a challenging process for Hamilton, one that took three years from initial idea to printed page ... and required a lot of thoughtful consultation with the book's subject. "As I wrote it, I'd call dad dozens and dozens of times," Hamilton disclosed. "I wanted to be sure to get every detail right." Incorporating the flavor of Italy As a memoir, "Wrestling with the Devil" is a first-person account of an Italian immigrant's life in the U.S. that took some direction from a popular historical novel about Japanese culture. "It made sense to do the book in first person," said Hamilton. "I read Memoirs of a Geisha and thought that approach would work well for telling my dad's story." "The idea was to put it in his voice, trying to make it authentic to the stories he had told us when we were kids." The authenticity extends to incorporating Italian into the text in a seamless way that adds richness to the story, without slowing down readers whose only language is English. (An example from the book: "She told us that in America, "gli alberi d'oro" lined the streets. Trees that bloomed with gold.") "A challenge was changing his dialect to standard Italian," said Hamilton. "I wrote to Dianne Hales, author of La Bella Lingua, and sent her a printed version of my manuscript. She liked the way I handled the dialogue ... She also said, ‘There's publisher, Gemelli Press, that is interested in all things Italian.' I sent them my story on a Monday, and heard back from them on Friday." A taste of the mat, too Antonio RussoTrue to its title -- and the life of its subject -- "Wrestling with the Devil" incorporates plenty of stories from the wrestling mat, starting with Tony Russo's mat career at David Douglas High School (with stops along the way at the Oregon state championships), the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland, and, later, at Arizona State. As a Sun Devil, Russo wrestled for coach Ted Bredehoft, and counted among his teammates Charlie Tribble and Curley Culp, 1967 NCAA heavyweight champ who went on to a successful NFL career. Russo also recounts his experience at the 1964 U.S. Olympic Trials, held at the World's Fair in New York. The first-person presentation works to great advantage as Russo describes his on-the-mat exploits, from wrestling practice to actual matches, in vivid detail that any fan of the oldest-and-greatest sport will appreciate. An added bonus: plenty of photos of Russo as a wrestler in high school and as a Sun Devil. The first-person perspective also makes Antonio Russo's life story all the more compelling and moving, providing the reader with an emotional you-are-there point-of-view that truly tugs at the heartstrings. It is impossible not to read "Wrestling with the Devil" and imagine how you'd react to the various challenges that confronted a young Tony Russo. Tonya Russo Hamilton nd Antonio Russo are joined by editors Sally Carr and Kari Hock (Photo/Connie Russo)"Dad had anger issues in the past," according to Tonya Russo Hamilton. "He's very much a survivor, someone who survived various traumatic events, especially in his young life. Yet my dad is so positive. He 'stays the course' and sees good in everything. He has a good sense of humor." Russo's personality and positive spirit comes shining through in "Wrestling with the Devil." It's a true-life tale of redemption, of overcoming daunting odds, of making your way in a new world, and, of particular significance to mat fans, finding life-shaping success from a life in wrestling. "Wrestling with the Devil" is available for purchase online at the Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites. To see Antonio Russo in action as a coach, check out the video at www.tonyrussotakedowns.com.