InterMat Staff

MADISON, Wis. ­-- The Wisconsin wrestling team (4-2, 1-0 Big Ten) opened its conference season on a positive note Friday, toppling Michigan State (1-2, 0-1), 19-12, at the UW Field House. The victory ended an eight-dual conference losing streak for the Badgers, and was their first win over a Big Ten opponent since the 2010-11 season when they defeated the Spartans in East Lansing, Mich., on Feb. 20, 2011. Wisconsin head coach Barry Davis said that starting out the 2012-13 conference slate with a win is a huge boost for his guys and it shows just how far they’ve come over the past year. “These guys stepped up and this is a great way to start the Big Ten season,” Davis said. “The team is getting better and this is an exciting time for us.” Fast Facts • Wisconsin earns a Big Ten win for the first time since Feb. 20, 2011 and snaps an eight-game conference losing streak. • Jackson Hein (6-0) and Connor Medbery (5-0) each win to remain undefeated in dual meet competitions. • Tom Kelliher, Tyler Graff, Frank Cousins and Scott Liegel also notch victories for the Badgers. The dual was a back and forth affair throughout the night, and, according to Davis, it was the wins at 133 lbs. and 165 lbs., which gave the Badgers the boost they needed to win. In those matches, Tom Kelliher won at 133 lbs. in a 3-0 decision and Frank Cousins won at 165 lbs. in a 11-5 decision. “Those matches were the two we knew we needed to win coming into this dual meet and both guys stepped up really well,” Davis said of Kelliher and Cousins’s performances. Still, through eight matches the Badgers were clinging to a slim, 13-12, advantage, but were able to seal the win with wins from Jackson Hein and Connor Medbery at 197 lbs. and heavyweight, respectively. With the wins, both Hein and Medbery remain undefeated in dual competitions this season. Hein’s 4-0 decision win at 197 lbs., put Wisconsin up four points with a match to go, effectively sealing the win. Davis said Hein has made a lot of progress in his wrestling this season, which he in part credits to the work Hein has put in with assistant coach Trevor Brandvold. That hard work has paid off so far with an undefeated dual meet record as well as Friday’s dual-changing match win. “We needed that win to wrap things up a little bit,” Davis said of Hein’s victory. “Jackson is doing a great job. Trevor is doing a great job with him this year. He’s off to a good start and I couldn’t be happier for him.” Wisconsin needed an upset from No. 14 Medbery over the Spartans’ No. 10-ranked Mike McClure to seal the deal and Medbery didn’t disappoint, going on the offensive against McClure and coming away with the 6-2 win. Davis said that he has stressed offensive play with his team and it was good for the Badgers to see that pay off with Medbery’s upset win. “He went for the takedowns,” Davis said of Medbery. “He didn’t try to stall it out or win by easy go behind. He penetrated and finished his shots and that was a positive and good for our guys to see.” No. 9 Tyler Graff earned the only extra point win of the dual, scoring a major decision, 23-9, at 141 lbs. Scott Liegel also won for the Badgers at 174 lbs., to round out what was a total team effort win for Wisconsin. The Badgers return to action, and continue Big Ten competition, Sunday at 1 p.m. on the road against No. 9 Nebraska. Fans can watch the dual live on the Big Ten Digital Network at BTN.com. Results: 125 Josh Heinzer (MSU) dec. Matt Cavallaris (WIS), 11-7 3 0 133 Tom Kelliher (WIS) dec. Brandon Fifield (MSU), 3-0 3 3 141 #9 Tyler Graff (WIS) maj. dec. Nick Trimble (MSU), 23-9 7 3 149 Dan Osterman (MSU) dec. Cole Schmitt (WIS), 6-5 7 6 157 David Cheza (MSU) dec. Kalvin York (WIS), 8-3 7 9 165 Frank Cousins (WIS) dec. Ryan Watts (MSU), 11-5 10 9 174 Scott Liegel (WIS) dec. Jordan Wohfert (MSU), 6-5 13 9 184 John Rizqallah (MSU) dec. Ben Cox (WIS), 6-0 13 12 197 Jackson Hein (WIS) dec. Nick McDiarmid (MSU), 4-0 16 12 HWT # 14 Connor Medbery (WIS) dec. #10 Mike McClure (MSU), 6-2 19 12

ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. -- After falling into an early hole, the University of Wyoming wrestling team clawed its way back from a seven-point deficit to claim a 25-13 dual win over Oklahoma on Friday night. Looking at a 10-3 deficit after three matches, the 20th-ranked Cowboys (2-1 overall) cranked it up and went on a 22-3 run over the next seven matches to beat No. 10 OU (2-1) for only the second time in series history. The win gave Wyoming head coach Mark Branch his 50th dual victory in his fifth season, becoming just the fifth coach in UW history to achieve 50 or more wins. He now is 50-17 at Wyoming. Action began at 125 pounds as sophomore Tyler Cox took on Oklahoma's Kyle Garcia. Cox entered the final period down 6-5 but scored four points in the final session to earn the 9-6 decision to give Wyoming the 3-0 lead. The Sooners got on the board when UW senior Kasey Garnhart took on 10th-ranked Cody Brewer at 133 pounds, and Brewer secured a 16-6 major decision. That gave OU the 4-3 edge, and the Sooners added to that when Wyoming senior McCade Ford took on No. 1 Kendric Maple of OU in the 141-pound match. Maple's pin at 1:29 gave OU a 10-3 lead after three bouts. But shortly after, Wyoming sophomore Brandon Richardson got the biggest win of his career, beating No. 6 Nick Lester in a 4-3 decision at 149 pounds to draw Wyoming to within four points. Sophomore Andy McCulley then continued the hot start to his season, beating ninth-ranked Matt Lester at 157 pounds in an 8-1 decision to make it 10-9. McCulley, ranked 12th by Amateur Wrestling News, won his fourth match of the year over a ranked wrestler, and now has 14 total wins. "If we want to have a chance to upset a good team like OU, we can't give up bonus points," Branch said. "That put us in a big hole. We needed something to change the tide, and Brandon Richardson had a breakthrough. He had a huge win, but the way he won was by being really courageous in his match. That really shifted the momentum and Andy took advantage of that. It really gave some hope and some belief to those guys following them. They could see the possibilities. The attitudes were changing." Oklahoma padded its lead after sixth-ranked Bubby Graham won an 8-5 decision over UW sophomore Dakota Friesth at 165 to give OU a 13-9 advantage. But Cowboy senior L.J. Helbig got the momentum back, beating Matt Reed in a 5-2 decision at 174 pounds to cut the OU edge to 13-12. Sophomore Shane Woods tacked on three more UW points with a 4-2 decision over Greg Wilson, and Wyoming reclaimed the lead for good. "With L.J. and Shane, their opponents weren't ranked but those guys have struggled, and to come out and win when the dual was within reach, that was huge," Branch said. "Those guys wrestled smart and aggressively. Those wins were just as important as Brandon and Andy's." UW earned bonus-point wins when fourth-ranked senior Alfonso Hernandez won the 197-pound bout in a 19-6 major decision and redshirt freshman Tanner Harms pinned OU's Keldrick Hall to end the night. Hernandez got the 99th win of his career and with one more win, will become only the 15th wrestler in UW history to reach 100. The Cowboys continue the road trip Saturday when they travel to Stillwater, Okla., to take on second-ranked Oklahoma State. Matches begin at 6 p.m. MT. Results: 125 pounds: Tyler Cox (UW) dec. Kyle Garcia (OU), 9-6 / Wyoming 3, Oklahoma 0 133: No. 10 Cody Brewer (OU) maj. dec. Kasey Garnhart (UW), 16-6 / Oklahoma 4, Wyoming 3 141: No. 1 Kendric Maple (OU) fall (1:29) McCade Ford (UW) / Oklahoma 10, Wyoming 3 149: Brandon Richardson (UW) dec. No. 6 Nick Lester (OU), 4-3 / Oklahoma 10, Wyoming 6 157: No. 12 Andy McCulley (UW) dec. No. 9 Matt Lester (OU), 8-1 / Oklahoma 10, Wyoming 9 165: No. 6 Patrick Graham (OU) dec. Dakota Friesth (UW), 8-5 / Oklahoma 13, Wyoming 9 174: L.J. Helbig (UW) dec. Matt Reed (OU), 5-2 / Oklahoma 13, Wyoming 12 184: Shane Woods (UW) dec. Greg Wilson (OU), 4-2 / Wyoming 15, Oklahoma 13 197: No. 4 Alfonso Hernandez (UW) maj. dec. Brad Johnson (OU), 19-6 / Wyoming 19, Oklahoma 13 285: Tanner Harms (UW) fall Keldrick Hall (OU) / Wyoming 25, Oklahoma 13

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Trailing 5-1 after two periods, freshman J.T. Goodwin turned his 197-pound match around in the final period, pinning Paul Head in 6 minutes, 9 seconds, to lead Cal Poly to a 27-19 victory over Cal Baptist in a non-conference dual wrestling meet, the Mustangs’ home opener, Friday night inside Mott Gym. Goodwin earned an escape, takedown and three-point near fall early in the third period for a 7-5 lead, then pinned Head to give head coach Brendan Buckley’s Mustangs an insurmountable 27-13 advantage with one bout remaining. Cal Poly forfeited the 285-pound bout. Had Head held on to his lead entering the final round, Cal Baptist would have trailed 21-16 and picked up six points for the forfeit at 285 to win the dual meet by a single point. Instead, Goodwin raised his record to 4-7 with his second pin as a Mustang. "I'm just glad he won," said Buckley. Cal Poly won just three other bouts on the mat, picking up 12 points on forfeits by the visiting Lancers. Cal Baptist led 9-6 after the first three bouts before the Mustangs put together a three-bout winning streak. Mustang 149-pounder Damien Arredondo earned a 6-2 decision over Dylan Cataline, jumping to a 5-0 lead in the opening period and an escape in the final period. Arredondo is now 3-2 for the season. At 157, Mustang junior Kyle Chene was an 11-4 winner over Alec Smith, giving Cal Poly a 15-9 lead halfway through the 10-bout card. Chene scored the first eight points of the bout with a takedown and pair of two-point near falls in the first period and a takedown early in the second period, lifting his record to 9-4 on the year. And at 165, Mustang Connor King earned a 6-2 decision over Anthony Ballinger, scoring a takedown in each of the first two periods and an escape and riding time in the third period. King is now 4-7 for the season. King’s win gave Cal Poly a 15-9 lead. Cal Baptist sophomore Kenneth Tribble won by major decision at 174 and, after the Lancers forfeited at 184, Goodwin clinched the dual meet for the Mustangs with his come-from-behind victory at 197. "Overall, that definitely was not the performance we were expecting tonight, but we somehow found a way to win," said Buckley. "We've got a lot of things to work on before the Reno Tournament of Champions." Cal Poly, 1-2 in duals this season, will compete in the Reno Tournament of Champions on Sunday, Dec. 16, at the Reno Event Center. Results: 125 -- Taylor Hall, CB, pinned Evan McKirdy, CP, 2:26 133 -- Devon Lotito, CP, won by forfeit 141 -- Bradford Gerl, CB, dec. Brandan Rocha, CP, 7-1 149 -- Damien Arredondo, CP, dec. Dylan Cataline, CB, 6-2 157 -- Kyle Chene, CP, dec. Alec Smith, CB, 11-4 165 -- Connor King, CP, dec. Anthony Ballinger, CB, 6-2 174 -- Kenneth Tribble, CB, maj. dec. Mitch Woods, CP, 8-0 184 -- Sean Dougherty, CP, won by forfeit 197 -- J.T. Goodwin, CP, pinned Paul Head, CB, 6:09 285 -- Zach Merrill, CB, won by forfeit

PITTSBURGH -- The No. 16 Pitt Wrestling (2-2) team picked up six individual victories, including bonus points from Tyler Wilps and Nick Bonaccorsi to capture a 23-12 victory over No. 17 Maryland (4-2) this evening at Fitzgerald Field House. “In the second half of the match it was good getting Tyler Wilps and Nick Bonaccorsi out scoring bonus points and really setting the tone for us,” said associate head coach Jason Peters. “Overall, it was a good team performance. We would’ve liked to do a little bit better down low again but all-in-all it was a good performance in getting us back to .500.” After Maryland won the first two matches, Travis Shaffer got the Panthers on the board with an impressive 7-0 decision over Danny O’Malley at 141 pounds. Shaffer started the scoring when he got in on a double for a takedown and was quickly able to turn O’Malley for a pair of back points to take a 4-0 lead into the second. After the two wrestlers went scoreless in the second, Shaffer started on top and was able to get a pair of points for stalling en route to riding out O’Malley for the 7-0 decision. Following a Terps win at 149 pounds, Troy Reaghard sent Pitt into the intermission with momentum when he defeated Danny Orem, 4-2, at 157 pounds. Reaghard opened the scoring with a nice takedown on the edge of the mat near the end of the first. In the second, Reaghard started down and earned a quick escape to push his advantage to 3-0 heading into the final frame. Orem began the third down and was able to score two reversal points on a scramble near the edge of the mat. Orem then cut Reaghard loose to make the score 4-2 but Reaghard was able to keep Orem at bay and secure the decision and send Pitt to the lockerroom trailing 9-6. After the intermissions, Tyler Wilps earned a dominant 27-8 tech fall over Josh Snook at 165 pounds. Wilps started the first aggressively, scoring three takedowns and cutting Snook loose after the first two to take a 6-2 lead into the second. Wilps continued with his attacking style tallying another three takedowns after a quick escape to head into the third looking to secure bonus points for the Panthers. Wilps added four additional takedowns in the third and was able to secure the five-point tech fall when he tilted Snook near the end of the frame to earn three late near fall points and the 27-8 victory. Bonaccorsi kept the Pitt momentum going when he pinned Aaron Norris at 3:58 in his 174 pound bout. After beginning the first period in impressive fashion by scoring three takedowns, Bonaccorsi was able to tilt Norris near the end of the frame but could not secure the fall before the horn. Bonaccorsi would not miss his next opportunity for six points when he caught Norris in the middle of the second period and secured the pin at 3:58 to push the Panther advantage to 17-9. After Max Thoumusseit dropped a tough match at 184 pounds, Matt Wilps continued his strong season with a 7-2 decision over No. 13 Christian Bolley to clinch the match for the Panthers. Pitt was able to close out the dual on a high note when Zac Thomusseit earned a 7-0 decision against Carl Buchholz to give Pitt a 23-12 win. The Panthers return to action on Thursday, Dec. 20, when they open their EWL slate by hosting Cleveland State at 7 p.m. Results: 125: No. 12 Shane Gentry (M) dec. Godwin Nyama (P), 5-3; UM leads, 3-0 133: No. 13 Geoff Alexander (M) dec. No. 7 Shelton Mack (P), 3-2; UM leads, 6-0 141: Travis Shaffer (P) dec. Danny O’Malley (M), 7-0; UM leads, 6-3 149: Lou Mascola (M) dec. Donnie Tasser (P), 5-2; UM leads, 9-3 157: Troy Reaghard (P) dec. Danny Oren (M), 4-2; UM leads, 9-6 165: No. 11 Tyler Wilps (P) tech. fall Josh Snook (M), 27-8 (7:00); Pitt leads, 11-9 174: Nick Bonaccorsi (P) pins Aaron Norris (M), 3:58; Pitt leads, 17-9 184: No. 9 Jimmy Sheptock (M) dec. No. 14 Max Thomusseit (P) 3-2; Pitt leads, 17-12 197: No. 2 Matt Wilps (P) dec. No. 13 Christian Boley (M), 7-2; Pitt leads, 20-12 285: No. 9 Zac Thomusseit (P) dec. Carl Buchholz (M), 7-0; Pitt wins, 23-12

In its second Big Ten dual of the season, the No. 3 Minnesota Golden Gopher Wrestling team defeated the Northwestern Wildcats, 33-7, tonight at the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minn. With the win, the Gophers improve to 7-1, 2-0 B1G on the season, while the Wildcats drop to 3-1, 0-1 B1G. Northwestern was forced to forfeit two of the night's bouts, 133 lbs. and heavyweight, giving the Gophers an automatic 12-0 lead to start the match. After sitting out last week, David Thorn began the night at 125 lbs. and faced Dominick Malone to a 2-0 decision. Chris Dardanes received the forfeit win at 133 lbs. At 141 lbs., Nick Dardanes rectified a loss against Oklahoma State with a 14-10 comeback victory over Jameson Oster. Down 6-2 going into the third period, Dardanes made his move and notched five takedowns within a minute-thirty to pull ahead for the win. Seth Lange followed at 149 lbs. and tallied his first dual win of the season with a 4-2 decision over Dylan Marriott. The Wildcats marked their first points of the night in the 157 weight class when No. 2 Jason Welch defeated Brad Dolezal by a 13-2 major decision. Cody Yohn earned three points for the Gophers, edging Pierce Harger, 3-2, for the 165-pounders. Northwestern also took the 174-pound weight class. Lee Munster outlasted Alec Ortiz for an 8-2 decision. Kevin Steinhaus thrilled the crowd, scoring a 15-0 technical fall over Marcus Shrewsbury at the 3:48 mark. Steinhaus marked his first takedown 12 seconds into the first period. He followed with a near fall for two points then racked up three separate three-point near falls before time ran out. At 1:14 in the second, he moved for the reversal to end the bout. At 197 lbs., Scott Schiller defeated Alex Polizzi, 12-4 in what would be the final dual of the night. Tony Nelson received the second forfeit for six finals points to the Gopher total, ending the match 33-7. Minnesota will finish out the weekend tomorrow night when they host No. 15 Oregon State at 6 p.m. CT. Results: 125: No. 8 David Thorn dec. No. 18 Dominick Malone, 2-0 133: No. 5 Chris Dardanes wins by forfeit 141: No. 14 Nick Dardanes dec. Jameson Oster, 14-10 149: Seth Lange dec. Dylan Marriott, 4-2 157: No. 2 Jason Welch maj. dec. Brad Dolezal 165: No. 9 Cody Yohn dec. No. 10 Pierce Harger, 3-2 174: No. 9 Lee Munster dec. Alec Ortiz, 9-2 184: No. 4 Kevin Steinhaus tech. fall Marcus Shrewsbury, 15-0 (3:48) 197: No. 13 Scott Schiller maj. dec. Alex Polizzi, 12-4 285: No. 1 Tony Nelson wins by forfeit

Both No. 4 Apple Valley and No. 5 St. Michael-Albertville wrestled dual meets on Friday night at home against formidable, nationally ranked opposition. However, each earned victories against said teams at home, and won nine of the fourteen weight classes. Each of the dual meets had its bit of intrigue with lineup shifting and the like. For Apple Valley, they had their projected 106 to 126 group wrestling at 113 to 132. Additionally, Dayton Racer, a JJ Classic champion and Preseason Nationals champion, returned to the lineup after missing events of the opening weekend. The Eagles plugged him in at 152 and moved nationally ranked Mark Hall and Daniel Woiwor up a weight each to 160 and 170. In terms of Kasson-Mantorville, there was slightly less lineup shifting, but three of their wrestlers that have won state championships in the past: Nate Thomas, Brady, Berge, and Colton Laganiere: were one weight above their projected weight for the season. Looking at St. Michael-Albertville, nationally ranked Mitchell McKee did not wrestle tonight at 106 pounds. The projected group from 120-to-132 moved up one weight class each, competing at 126-to-138. Three-time state placer Cole Sladek weighed in up one weight class at 145, and shifted all the way to 152. There was also some movement within the back three weights of their lineup. For Simley, they were again without the services of state champion Juan Torres at 132. Two-time state champion Kyle Gliva is wrestling two weights above his projected weight for this season at 138. Nationally ranked Nick Wanzek for Simley seemed to chase Jordan Joseph up a weight class, as the pair of normal 170 pound wrestlers competed at 182. Two-time state champion Wanzek outlasted state placer Joseph 8-2. All four teams will be among the field at the Minnesota Christmas Tournament next weekend. No. 4 Apple Valley 39, No. 18 Kasson-Mantorville 20 106: Keaton Schorr (KM) dec. Kyle Rathman, 9-5 113: Gannon Volk (AV) dec. Gabe Shea, 6-3 120: Maolu Woiwor (AV) maj. dec. Ryan Erdman, 12-3 126: Brock Morgan (AV) pinned Alek Bernard, 0:37 132: No. 12 (at 126) Seth Gross (AV) dec. Nate Thomas, 8-7 138: Brady Berge (KM) maj. dec. Scott Mattison, 12-4 145: Colton Laganiere (KM) dec. Davionte Young, 10-5 152: Dayton Racer (AV) dec. Branden Schorr, 12-5 160: No. 1 (at 152) Mark Hall (AV) pinned Andy Bigelow, 1:43 170: No. 8 (at 160) Daniel Woiwor (AV) maj. dec. Corben Hansen, 9-1 182: David Johnson (AV) maj. dec. Harrison Barnes, 12-4 195: No. 2 Broc Berge (KM) maj. dec. Trom Peterson, 12-4 220: Paul Cheney (AV) pinned Hayden Sheeran, 1:18 285: No. 4 Sam Stoll (KM) pinned Lord Hyeamang 1:37 No. 5 St. Michael-Albertville 41, No. 8 Simley 21 106: Elliot Kirchert (SIM) pinned Zach Dehmer 113: Aaron Dick (STMA) dec. Cortez Arredondo, 4-2 120: Colton Schoen (STMA) pinned Kyle Nordstrom 126: No. 2 (at 120) Tommy Thorn (STMA) pinned Zach Spychalla 132: Tanner Mills (STMA) tech. fall Brad Rechzigal 138: Kyle Gliva (SIM) dec. Mark Voss, 2-1, TB 145: No. 1 Jake Short (SIM) pinned Talon Juusola 152: Mack Short (SIM) dec. Cole Sladek, 6-4 SV 160: Lincoln Mallinger (STMA) by forfeit 170: Thor Holstad (STMA) dec. Collin McCallister, 4-3 182: No. 4 (at 170) Nick Wanzek (SIM) dec. Jordan Joseph, 8-2 195: Jake Briggs (STMA) dec. Chris Baumann, 3-1 220: Michael Kessler (STMA) dec. Jackson Ryan, 7-3 285: Ricky Briggs (STMA) pinned Rashad Nixon

Team Standings: 1) No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. 90 (10 quarterfinalists), (2) No. 2 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. 76 (6), (3) No. 3 St. Edward, Ohio 67 (7), (4) No. 17 St. Paris Graham, Ohio 60.5 (5), (5) No. 30 Massillon Perry, Ohio 53.5 (6), Marmion Academy, Ill. 51.5 (3), (7) No. 10 Montini Catholic, Ill. 49.5 (5), (8) Robinson, Va. 49 (2), (T9) Brecksville, Ohio 44 (3), (T9) No. 33 Colonial Forge, Va. 44 (0) Other nationally ranked teams: (11) No. 27 McDonogh, Md. 41.5 (2), (12) No. 6 Canon-McMillan, Pa. 40 (4), (14) No. 28 Cincinnati Moeller 36 (0), (T23) No. 25 Kearney, Mo. 30 (1), (25) No. 35 Hermiston, Ore. 29 (1), (26) No. 34 Christiansburg, Va. 27.5 (4) Quarterfinal Pairings: 106: No. 1 Austin Assad (Brecksville, Ohio) vs. Jack Mueller (Trinity Christian Academy, Tex.) L.J. Bentley (St. Edward, Ohio) vs. No. 9 Jose Rodriguez (Massillon Perry, Ohio) Mario Guillen (Perrysburg, Ohio) vs. Anthony Bosco (Marmion Academy, Ill.) No. 20 Eli Stickley (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) vs. Alex Mackall (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio) 113: No. 1 Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) vs. Tanner Shoap (Chambersburg, Pa.) No. 11 Jaret Singh (Kearney, Mo.) vs. Eli Seipel (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) Tommy Pawleski (Montini Catholic, Ill.) vs. No. 13 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Park Hill, Mo.) No. 9 Chaz Tucker (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. No. 4 Aaron Assad (Brecksville, Ohio) 120: No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio) vs. David Bavery (Massillon Perry, Ohio) Jordan Laster (Montini Catholic, Ill.) vs. No. 10 (at 113) Coy Ozias (Christiansburg, Va.) No. 11 Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy, Ill.) vs. No. 20 (at 120) Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) Dalton Macri (Canon-McMillan, Pa.) vs. No. 6 Matthew Kolodzik (Blair Academy, N.J.) 126: No. 1 Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.) vs. Brock Ervin (Union County, Ky.) Anthony Tutolo (Lake Catholic, Ohio) vs. No. 11 Colton Adams (Scottsbluff, Neb.) No. 19 Ivan McClay (Massillon, Ohio) vs. No. 3 (at 126) Michael Kemerer (Franklin Regional, Pa.) Judson Preskitt (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. No. 18 Bryce Meredith (Cheyenne Central, Wyo.) 132: No. 1 Dean Heil (St. Edward, Ohio) vs. No. 10 P.J. Klee (Blair Academy, N.J.) No. 14 George Fisher (Marmion Academy, Ill.) vs. No. 4 Micah Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) No. 4 (at 126) Connor Schram (Canon-McMillan, Pa.) vs. No. 3 Aaron Pico (St. John Bosco, Calif.) Josh Decatur (CVCA, Ohio) vs. No. 10 (at 120) J.R. Wert (Christiansburg, Va.) 138: No. 1 Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.) vs. No. 11 (at 132) Josh Maruca (Franklin Regional, Pa.) Colin Heffernan (St. Edward, Ohio) vs. Isaac Bast (Massillon Perry, Ohio) Ryan Skonieczny (Akron SVSM, Ohio) vs. Chris Garcia (Montini Catholic, Ill.) No. 16 (at 145) Mason Manville (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. No. 16 Anthony Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 145: No. 5 (at 152) Dylan Milonas (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Jacob Danishek (Dayton Christian, Ohio) Josh Shields (Franklin Regional, Pa.) vs. No. 8 Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.) Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.) vs. Tyler Fahrer (Delta, Ohio) No. 12 Colt Cotten (Benton, Pa.) vs. No. 4 Edgar Bright (St. Edward, Ohio) 152: Chris Weiler (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Alex Marinelli (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) Tony Dailey (Massillon Perry, Ohio) vs. No. 9 Jack Bass (Robinson, Va.) No. 6 Austin Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.) vs. No. 14 Markus Scheidel (St. Edward, Ohio) Seth Williams (Tiffin Columbian, Ohio) vs. No. 6 (at 160) Russ Parsons (Blair Academy, N.J.) 160: No. 1 Bo Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) vs. Briar Shively (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) No. 10 (at 152) Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.) vs. No. 20 Abraham Rodriguez (Hermiston, Ore.) No. 5 Josh Llopez (St. Mary’s Ryken, Md.) vs. No. 12 Nicky Hall (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) Colton Jackson (The Villages, Fla.) vs. No. 2 Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.) 170: No. 3 Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.) vs. Luke Cramer (Oak Harbor, Ohio) No. 17 Keaton Subjeck (Oak Ridge, Calif.) vs. Quentin Hiles (Brecksville, Ohio) No. 18 Patrick Coover (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. No. 10 Peter Santos (Oakmont, Calif.) No. 19 Corey Griego (Sultana, Calif.) vs. No. 1 Cody Wiercioch (Canon-McMillan, Pa.) 182: No. 1 Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Jake Turk (Montini Catholic, Ill.) No. 18 Taylor Jackson (The Villages, Fla.) vs. No. 6 (at 170) Brett Harner (Norristown, Pa.) Addison Knepshield (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Immanuel Barber (Canyon Springs, Calif.) Travis Linton (Rootstown, Ohio) vs. No. 7 B.J. Toal (Troy Christian, Ohio) 195: No. 5 Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Nick Havener (CVCA, Ohio) Jimmy Szep (Lake Catholic, Ohio) vs. L.J. Barlow (Haverford School, Pa.) Adam Kluk (Medina Highland, Ohio) vs. Spencer Neff (Good Counsel, Md.) Gabe Dzuro (St. Edward, Ohio) vs. DJ Zissimos (Broomfield, Col.) 220: No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) vs. Parker Knapp (St. Edward, Ohio) Evan Rosborogh (Painesville Riverside, Ohio) vs. No. 19 Zane Krall (Wauseon, Ohio) No. 4 Garrett Ryan (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Edgar Ruano (Montini Catholic, Ohio) Alex Campbell (Canon-McMillan, Pa.) vs. No. 11 (at 195) Joe Tayse (Massillon Perry, Ohio) 285: No. 2 Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Dre’k Brumley (Akron SVSM, Ohio) Jemal Averette (Good Counsel, Md.) vs. Jake Moore (Rootstown, Ohio) Jake Pinkston (Robinson, Va.) vs. Zach DeLuca (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) Stefano Millin (Massillon Perry, Ohio) vs. No. 9 Michael Johnson, Jr. (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.)

Northwestern at Minnesota

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Related Links: Preview | Brackets The most recent updates will appear at the top of this page. Refresh to see the latest updates. 11:30 p.m. ET: For tomorrow morning, in the interest of efficiency, I'll be going twitter only (at minimum primariy). The twitter feed will embed through the InterMat front page. Biggest picture point for me tonight was the impressive performances by freshmen Marinelli and Weiler at 152, and they'll face off against each other in the quarterfinals. 8:30 p.m. ET: Nearing towards the end of our evening. No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. will lead the way with 10 in the quarterfinals. No. 3 St. Edward, Ohio has seven despite having Domenic Abounader out with injury at 182. Six each for No. 2 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. and No. 30 Massillon Perry, Ohio. Five each for No. 17 St. Paris Graham, Ohio and No. 10 Montini Catholic, Ill. Four each for No. 6 Canon-McMillan, Pa. and No. 34 Christiansburg, Va. 7:30 p.m. ET: We're done with front side action for tonight, consolation round still to go. 220 pound quarters are set with No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) vs. Parker Knapp (St. Edward, Ohio); Ohio natives Evan Rosborogh (Painesville Riverside) vs. Zane Krall (Wauseon); Garrett Ryan (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Edgar Ruano (Montini Catholic, Ill.); and Alex Campbell (Canon-McMillan, Pa.) vs. Joe Tayse (Massillon Perry, Ohio). 285 pound quarters are set with No. 2 Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Dane Mills (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), Jemal Averette (Good Counsel, Md.) vs. Jake Moore (Rootstown, Ohio), Jake Pinkston (Robinson, Va.) vs. Zach DeLuca (Pittsburgh CC, Pa.), and Stefano Millin (Massillon Perry, Ohio) vs. Michael Johnson (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) 7:20 p.m. ET: Quarters at 195 are set with Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy) vs. Nick Havener (CVCA, Ohio), Jimmy Szep (Lake Catholic, Ohio) vs. LJ Barlow (Haverfield School, Pa.), Adam Kluk (Medina Highland, Ohio) vs. Spencer Neff (Good Counsel, Md.), and DJ Zissimos (Broomfield, Col.) vs. Gabe Dzuro (St. Edward, Ohio). 7:00 p.m. ET: Quarters at 182 are set. Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Jake Turk (Montini, Ill.), nationally ranked wrestlers Taylor Jackson (The Villages, Fla.) vs. Brett Harner (Norristown, Pa.), Addison Kneppshield (Blair Academy) vs. Immanuel Barber (Canyon Springs, Calif.), and a battle of Ohio DIII stars in Travis Linton (Rootstown) and B.J. Toal (Troy Christian). 6:50 p.m. ET: Quarters at 160 are set. Bo Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) vs. Briar Shively (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), nationally ranked wrestlers Mark Martin (McDonogh, Md.) vs. Abraham Rodriguez (Hermiston, Ore.), nationally ranked wrestlers Josh Llopez (St. Mary's Ryken, Md.) vs. Nicky Hall (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), and Colton Jackson (The Villages, Fla.) vs. Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.). All six nationally ranked wrestlers in on the front side. 6:40 p.m. ET: Quarters at 170 start with Epperly (Christiansburg) and Luke Cramer (Oak Harbor, Ohio) against one another. The other quarter up top is Subjeck (Oak Ridge, Calif.) v Quentin Hiles (Brecksville). On the bottom half, it's nationally ranked wrestlers all on deck: Coover (Blair Academy) v Santos (Oakmont, Calif.), and Griego (Sultana, Calif.) v Wiercioch (Canon McMillan, Pa.) 6:25 p.m. ET: Quarters at 145 have super juniors Milonas (Blair Academy) v Jacob Danishek (Dayton Christian, Oh.), then Shields (Franklin Regional, Pa.) vs. Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.), Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.) vs. Tyler Fahrer (Delta, Ohio), and seniors Colt Cotten (Benton, Pa.) v Edgar Bright (St. Edward, Ohio). The other three quarters at 152 have Tony Dailey (Massillon perry, Ohio) vs. Jack Bass (Robinson, Va.), a pair of seniors Austin Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.) vs. Markus Scheidel (St. Edward, Ohio), and National Prep wrestlers Toby Hague (McDonogh, Md.) vs. Russ Parsons (Blair Academy, NJ). 6:20 p.m. ET: Crazy with a pair of freshmen in the quarters at 152 matching up Alex Marinelli (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) vs. Chris Weiler (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.). Marinelli just beat 2x CA placer - and 2x S32 placer, also Reno TOC champ - Shayne Tucker (Bella Vista) 5-4. 6:15 p.m. ET: A very impressive win for Josh Shields (Franklin Regional, Pa.) at 145 over Super32 champ Grant Leeth (Kearney, Mo.). Major props for an 8-3 win! 6:10 p.m. ET: 126 quarters: Dance (Christiansburg, Va.) v Ervin (Union County, Ky.), Anthony Tutolo (Lake Catholic, Ohio) v Adams (Scottsbluff, Neb.), Ivan McClay (Massillon, Ohio) v Kemerer (Franklin Regional, Pa.), Judson Preskitt (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) v Bryce Meredith (Campbell County, Wyo.) 138 quarters: Retherford (Benton, Pa.) v Maruca (Franklin Regional, Pa.), Colin Heffernan (St. Edward, Ohio) v Isaac Bast (Massillon Perry, Ohio), Ryan Skonieczny (Akron SVSM, Ohio) v Chris Garcia (Montini Catholic, Ill.), Mason Manville (Blair Academy, NJ) v Anthony Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 5:55 p.m. ET: We have seven quarterfinalists at each 126 and 138. Waiting on the last one and we'll unveil the pairings. 5:45 p.m. ET: 132 quarterfinal pairings: Dean Heil (St. Edward, Ohio) vs. P.J. Klee (Blair Academy, NJ), George Fisher (Marmion Academy, Ill.) v Micah Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), Connor Schram (Canon McMillan, Pa.) vs. Aaron Pico (St. John bosco, calif.), Josh Decatur (CVCA, Ohio) vs. JR Wert (C'Burg, Va.) 5:20 p.m. ET: 120 quarterfinal pairings: Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio) vs. David Bavery (Massillon Perry, Ohio), Jordan Laster (Montini Catholic, Ill.) vs. Coy Ozias (Christiansburg, Va.), Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy, Ill.) vs. Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.), Dalton Macri (Canon McMillan, Pa.) vs. Matthew Kolodzik (Blair Academy, NJ) 5:15 p.m. ET: 113 quarterfinal pairings: Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) vs. Tanner Shoap (Chamersburg), Jaret Singh (Kearney, Mo.) vs. Eli Seipel (Graham, Ohio), Tommy Pawleski (Montini Catholic, Ill.) vs. Ke-Shawn Hayes (Park Hill, Mo.), Chaz Tucker (Blair Academy, NJ) vs. Aaron Assad (Brecksville, Ohio). 5:00 p.m. ET: A coupe tight matches at 113 pounds in the round of 16. 3-1 overtime victory for Tanner Shoap (Chambersburg, Pa.) over Zach Fuentes (Norristown, Pa.). Eli Siepel (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) with a 4-3 victory over Drew Romero (Broomfield, Col.) 4:50 p.m. ET: Quarterfinals at 106 are Assad (Brecksville) v Mueller (Trinity CA, Tex), LJ Bentley (St Edward) v Jose Rodriguez (Massillon Perry), Mario Guillen (Perrysburg) v Anthony Bosco (Marmion Academy, Ill.), Eli Stickley (St. Paris Graham) v Alex Mackall (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio) 4:45 p.m. ET: Alex Mackall (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio) leading No. 2 in the nation Jordan Kutler (Blair Academy, NJ) 3-1 after two full periods at 106 downstairs. 4:30 p.m. ET: Austin Assad (Brecksville, Ohio) at 106 is the first quarterfinalist, as he won downstairs. Quarterfinal 106 has started downstairs. 113 upstairs will start shortly. 4:20 p.m. ET: Blair Academy, NJ already out to a dominant lead with 50 points after the bulk of the first full championship round. Wyoming Seminary, Pa. and St. Paris Graham, Ohio just under 15 points back. 4:05 p.m. ET: Did get confirmation that Tony Dailey (Massillon Perry, Ohio) upset nationally ranked Kevin Cooper (Simon Kenton, Ky.) by tech fall at 152 pounds. 3:50 p.m. ET: State placer Jeric Kasunic (Benton, Pa.) will withstand the charge of Ray Barr (St. Edward, Ohio) to win 9-6. Cadet double AA Xavier Montalvo (Montini Catholic, Ill.) falls to defeat, 3-2 against Dom Scalise (Kiski Prep, Pa.). Both of those at 160. 3:40 p.m. ET: Early team scores have St. Paris Graham, Ohio in the lead with 30, Blair Academy, NJ with 29, and then Wyoming Seminary, Pa. with 25. 3:25 p.m. ET: Big round for the freshmen at 152, Chris Weiler (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) beats top seed Garrett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) 10-8, and Alex Marinelli (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) beat state champion Jordan Marshall (Troy Christian, Ohio) 8-3. 3:05 p.m. ET: Nice upset win by fall for Andrew Mendel (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio) over Cadet freestyle All-American Jose Champagne (Montini Catholic, Ill.) - one of the nation's best freshman. That match at 132. 2:35 p.m. ET: I was downstairs, twitter had some stuff. That includes state champ David Bavery (Massillon Perry, Ohio) beating freshman sensation Brent Moore (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) 8-5 at 120. 2:05 p.m. ET: Nationally ranked Doyle Trout (Centennial, Neb.) - three seed - in a battle against freshman Garrett Lambert (Strongsville, Ohio). 4-4 after two, Lambert escapes to 5-4, which is the final. 1:55 p.m. ET: Ironman placer last year Troy Lang (Brecksville, Ohio) loses 3-1 in overtime at 182 in the last of the prelim matches against Daniel Mika (Robinson, Va.) 1:50 p.m. ET: Got action in the field house, weight class 113. Our first rd of 32 match in the main dome is Austin Assad (Brecksville, Ohio) - top seed at 106 - against T.K. Megonigal (McDonogh, Md.). Colbray looks good to hang on to the 6-3 win over Belaia. 1:45 p.m. ET: Tough prelim match for Super 32 placr Alex Belaia (N. Olmsted, Oh) against Cadet Greco champ Samuel Colbray (Hermiston, Ore.) at 182 on mat four - far end of the main facility. 1:30 p.m. ET: Starting to send some matches downstairs, which means the round of 32 will be upon us. 1:20 p.m. ET: Top seed Garrett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) gets the pin at 2:50 at 152 pounds. Joins fellow Penn State recruit Retheford as a top seed winning. 1:15 p.m. ET: Our first one seed has wrestled, and it was quick. A 58 second pin by Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.) at 138 pounds. Straight up beast. 1:03 p.m. ET: And we have one result already, pin by Jose Rodriguez (Massillon Perry, Ohio) over Jimmy Pawleski (Montini Catholic, Ill.) in the first period. 12:55 p.m. ET: Looks like we're a go for an on-time start at 1:00 et. 12:33 p.m. ET: Other scratches include Danny Boychuck (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) at 106 and Kevin Kinney (Kearney, Mo.) at 138. We're just under 30 minutes from the start. 11:38 a.m. ET: I've been told, but cannot confirm, Domenic Abounader (St. Edward, Ohio) is OUT of the Walsh Ironman. I am on my way there. See ya there. 11:36 a.m. ET: Thanks for reading the running notebook from the Walsh Ironman. There will also be Twitter updates, which will be similar to the updates posted on this running notebook.

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. Maybe the stress of the season is starting to wear on readers, but there has been a lot of passion in your emails. Many of your questions are just poorly disguised rants, but I enjoy your perspectives. Twitter is an excellent medium for questions, but it's just not the same as unleashing a 250-word evisceration via email. Keep it up, friends. Bring the heat! The Back Points podcast has a new intro. I love it, but we are going to expand on it. If you couldn't tell it's a weekly growth, so please subscribe on iTunes so you can keep up with all the guests and maybe even transfer some of our lines to bets with your pals. To your questions and comments ... Q: Glad I read your mailbag following a hectic weekend. Saw someone ask about Ronnie "The Spladle" Sribniak from Illinois. Ronnie was on my radar my last year I was at Neosho County Community College as an assistant during the 2009-2010 season. Ronnie was one heck of a pole vaulter too and was being looked at by several schools for his athleticism in track as well. Haven't talked with him in a while, but Ronnie was up in Rapid City, S.D., and was stationed at Ellsworth AFB there with the Air Force. Tough kid that with maturity would be a solid pickup following his military career for sure. -- Aaron "Swayz" Foley: The Spladle is flying high! Q: It seems like almost every year now we have some surprise true freshman like Megaludis, Dake, or Howe who make the NCAA finals. I know it's fairly early, but what true freshmen do you think have a chance at reaching the finals this year, if any? It seems like a rough rode this year for true freshmen, but in my opinion Nahshon Garrett has a chance if anyone does. I've seen a ton of his matches this year and he seems to be improving at a tremendous rate. He looked really good against a super tough Waters as well! -- Nick B. Foley: You said it. Nahshon Garrett is having a monster year! Do I think he's going to get past Waters, McDonough or Megaludis and sneak into the finals? No. However, I do think he'll be an All-American, maybe even a high placing AA. The freshman with the best chance of making the finals is Alex Dierenger of Oklahoma State. He's undefeated right now with four falls, two majors and 4-2 decision over Dannny Zilverberg of Minnesota. There is room at the top of 157 for more than just DSJ and Welch. Dierenger could present BOTH of those guys with a troublesome match. Q: B.J. Penn or Rory MacDonald? -- @bakeuzene Foley: B.J. Penn by submission. Though Rory MacDonald is a much larger human, the Canadian youngster lost his two-round advantage over Carlos Condit when he all but threw up a white flag after being swept to his back peppered with effective ground and pound. MacDonald took Condit down four or five times, something he absolutely will not do to Penn. Along with being a naturally gifted wrestler, Penn reinforced his wrestling this training camp by flying in Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley. Those men are big and studly grapplers. Should MacDaddy push the pace on Penn and try to overpower him with striking he could easily become the victim of Penn's boxing skills. Also, I just don't like MacDonald. Can that be a reason? I'm alone in picking Penn, but I think he's a good value. If it comes down to wrestling I'll be right. Q: Is Chance Marstellar back to wrestling? Should PSU be everybody's No. 1 now with the Minnesota loss? -- Bobby L. Foley: Two questions, I like it. Yes, according to Chance he's been getting back in the room, though his Facebook makes it sound like it's been a struggle to regain his form. The kid is nails and I'm sure he'll be back to prime form before he steps on the mats in Hershey. Yes, I think everyone can agree that Penn State is the best team in the land right now. We'll see how the rest of the season shakes out though, that Minnesota team was a little banged up. Be sure to pay attention to the Gophers at B1G and NCAAs. Q: I like to read online wrestling chats to gain additional facts, unsubstantiated rumors, opinions, and insights since participants are often uniquely connected to the college teams I follow. Oftentimes, within those chats a debate will arise from criticism of a particular wrestler's performance, of which there seems to be two types of thinking. One I'll call the cheerleader approach and includes comments that usually go "give him a break, he's working his tail off/handling some issues and deserves our support/trying some new things/changed weights for the team," etc. The other I'll call the a-hole approach and includes comments like "he was a top recruit and he sucks" or "he got his ass kicked and looks clueless out there," etc. Unfortunately, the a-hole approach sometimes gets vicious, and is usually supported by the added argument of "this isn't high school anymore" or "men his age are fighting wars," particularly if it's a scholarship athlete. If it were my son, I would absolutely want the cheerleader approach, and regardless think some vicious attacks are totally unnecessary. However, as a fan I feel that strictly cheerleading is a bad thing, especially when you think of more popular sports where a football or basketball players misfortunes are highlighted not only in online chats, but also in the sports page. And, if people aren't allowed to have honest discussions, then at some point they stop paying attention. What do you think? -- JH Foley: Not too much to add here. I agree that it can be discouraging to hear adults belittle kids and young adults when they are on the mat competing with good intentions. The only time I'll accept a tough ribbing of one of these wrestlers is when it's apparent that they aren't trying their best, or are acting well outside the ideals of sportsmanship. Not sure about you guys, but nobody in my life can make me feel guiltier about a bad performance than my mother. Moms can identify the effort of their son's more honestly than a father. Mama bears are impressed by dedication, where fathers tend to expect commitment as a given. Multimedia Halftime: By now we've all seen the clip, but just in case I've embedded it below. Wrestling is an inclusive sport. We don't rate our athletes on speed, height, skin color, or vertical leap. All we ask is that you have heart. Come one, come all. Q: What happened with Steve Bosak? I haven't seen him anywhere yet ... -- Dusty B. Foley: Word on the quad is that he'll be strapping them in time for the Southern Scuffle. True? I don't know. Most coaches won't talk about injuries with any detail. Will let you know if anything changes. Q: How good is Gilmer, Ga., since they defeated Christiansburg on Saturday at the Lake Norman Duals in North Carolina. Also, another North Carolina team gave Christiansburg all they could handle before losing 39-36. Does Christiansburg deserve their high ranking in the country? -- Mike Foley: C-Burg probably does. They are a very small school and think they are still waiting for some of their athletes to transition from football to the wrestling mats. Was their starting lineup out there? I think they were also pretty dinged up. All credit to Gilmer. Tough, tough squad! Q: I understand all of the attention that 165 is getting with Dake, Taylor and Caldwell, but isn't perhaps "toughest weight class in recent history" a bit of an overstatement? Do you think 184 this year is tougher/deeper? Check out the NCAA finishes of the top 8 ranked guys: Ruth 1st, 3rd Bosak 1st, 4th, R12 Hamlin 4th, 2nd, Q Steinhaus 5th, 8th Bennett 6th, 8th, 6th Ihnen 7th, R12, R12 Loder R12, R12 Ethen Lofthouse 7th, Q Kind of hard to believe that somebody who's already a 3-time AA is ranked fifth, and moreover that it seems like a reasonable ranking. -- Ron Foley: Embellishments get me nowhere. I should have changed that assertion after it was clear that Andrew Howe wouldn't be competing at 165 this season. I think you are right ... 184 might be the tougher weight top to bottom. Dake and Taylor are a better story, and should they become four-time finalists, the story of their matches this season will be retold for years. Add-in a game Tyler Caldwell and your top three is pretty gnarly. But, yes, you're right, 184 is much more competitive the further you move down the list. Reader Assignment Q: I think putting together a list of the best college wrestler nicknames would be fun. Since technology and recent events have brought me back into wrestling after a 30 year departure, I would love to hear some. -- C-Bart Foley: Alan "Running" Waters ... Ed "Baby" Ruth ... Kyle "Kid Dynamite" Dake Help me out, wrestling fans! --- Keitani Graham and Jake ClarkKeitani Graham, a Micronesian Greco-Roman wrestler who competed at 84 kilos in the 2012 Olympics, died earlier this week of undisclosed causes. The Chuuk native was home working as the executive director of a non-profit. Graham was a close friend and training partner of Minnesota native Jake Clark. The duo trained in Hawaii, where Clark had moved a few years ago to train and start the Hi-Flyers Wrestling Club. From Clark's Facebook:Nearly every photo I have of Keitani Graham is one of him talking to or working with kids. As you can see by the looks on everyone's face, Kei was an amazing person with such a kind heart! Gone way too soon... Miss you Buddy, Kinnisou (thanks in Chuukese) for all that you've done for our sport, and for all that you did in helping build the Hi Flyers!!!RIP, Keitani Graham.

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa wrestling team won seven of 10 matches to top No. 23 Lehigh, 26-9, Thursday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The fifth-ranked Hawkeyes scored 24 takedowns and surrender only seven, outscoring the Mountain Hawks 74-36 in match points. The win was Iowa’s 200th all-time at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Matt McDonough (125) kicked off the dual with a first period pin and Tony Ramos (133) and Mark Ballweg (141) followed with major decisions to help Iowa build an early 14-0 lead. McDonough recorded two takedowns and a pair of nearfall points before flattening Alex Abreu in 2:05. Ramos totaled four takedowns in the first period and piled up 4:47 in riding time to earn a 12-3 major decision. Ballweg erased an early takedown by putting together eight unanswered points and eventually earning a 15-5 win. Michael Kelly and Derek St. John followed Ballweg with a pair of wins. Kelly gave up a takedown in the first 30 seconds but scored an escape, one takedown and two nearfall points to end the first period up 5-3. He added a point for stalling in the second period and tacked on another takedown in the final frame to earn a 9-4 win at 149. St. John got on the legs of fourth-ranked Logan Molina to grab an early 2-0 lead in the day’s most anticipated match. He escaped in the first six seconds of the second period and added another takedown to build a 5-0 lead entering the third frame. He used 2:02 of riding time to eventually earn the 6-0 shutout at 157. Nick Moore stretched Iowa’s team lead to 23-0 with a 7-4 decision over No. 17 Eric Hess at 165. Moore scored a takedown right off the whistle and added two more takedowns in the final period to improve to 5-0. Nathaniel Brown won the first of three straight Lehigh matches when he scored a takedown in the final minute of a 3-2 win against Grant Gambrall at 174. Second-ranked Robert Hamlin followed with a 9-4 win over No. 7 Ethen Lofthouse at 184 before John Bolich topped Nathan Burak 3-2 at 197. “We were managing damage on our end and that can’t happen,” said UI head coach Tom Brands. “We need go out and be doing damage to our opponent. “You want good things to happen and in order for good things to happen you’ve got to do things that are in your control to make things open up. I don’t think we did that enough.” Bobby Telford closed the afternoon with an 11-4 win over Jack Delia at 285. Telford used four takedowns and 3:51 of riding time to improve to 7-0. “I think we’ve got to get going,” said Brands. “We need more than three points and we didn’t always have that tonight. Now we have to do something about it.” The Hawkeyes return to the mat at the inaugural Grapple at the Garden in New York City on Dec. 16. Iowa faces Hofstra and Bucknell beginning at 9:30 a.m. (CT) at Madison Square Garden. Notes: Attendance was 5,326… Iowa is 200-19 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since moving from the UI Fieldhouse in 1983… Iowa won 3-of-4 bouts featuring ranked competitors… Iowa is 24-0 all-time against Lehigh. Results: 125: #1 Matt McDonough (IA) pinned Alex Abreu (LU), 2:05; 6-0 133: #3 Tony Ramos (IA) major dec. Cody Kievman (LU), 12-3; 10-0 141: #11 Mark Ballweg (IA) major dec. #18 Anthony Salupo (LU), 15-5; 14-0 149: Michael Kelly (IA) dec. #19 Shane Welsh (LU), 9-4; 17-0 157: #1 Derek St. John (IA) dec. #4 Joey Napoli (LU), 6-0; 20-0 165: #19 Nick Moore (IA) dec. #17 Eric Hess (LU), 7-4; 23-0 174: #19 Nathaniel Brown (LU) dec. Grant Gambrall (IA), 3-2; 23-3 184: #3 Robert Hamlin (LU) dec. #7 Ethen Lofthouse (IA), 9-4; 23-6 197: John Bolich (LU) dec. #20 Nathan Burak (LU), 3-2; 23-9 285: #5 Bobby Telford (IA) dec. Jack Delia (LU), 11-4; 26-9

University of Northern Iowa head wrestling coach Doug Schwab announced junior Joe Colon has been dismissed from the Panther wrestling program. Joe Colon"Joe had previously been suspended during the fall semester as a result of not fulfilling the social and academic obligations of a student-athlete at the University of Northern Iowa,” Schwab said. “Subsequently, Joe failed to honor the conditions he agreed to in order to be eligible for reinstatement as a student-athlete. "The standard of excellence we demand in the wrestling room extends to every aspect of a student-athlete's life. The most important thing for Joe right now is to commit himself outside of wrestling the same way he committed to wrestling. If that happens, we would welcome Joe back for his senior season." Colon (Clear Lake, Iowa/Clear Lake HS/Iowa Central CC) was a 2012 NCAA national qualifier for the Panthers where he advanced to the quarterfinals in the 133-pound bracket. He posted a mark of 27-4 in the 2011-12 season. Colon was a perfect 11-0 in dual competition at 133 pounds for the Panthers.

WATERLOO, Iowa -- The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum and Mudd Advertising have partnered to release The Dan Gable Experience, an exclusive online auction. The winner of the auction receives a special opportunity to interact with Dan Gable, one of the greatest icons in all of sport. The Dan Gable Experience will take place during the Iowa versus Penn State wrestling dual meet on Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013, in Iowa City. Iowa and Penn State have combined for the last five NCAA team championships in wrestling, with Penn State winning the last two. “I am honored to showcase our sport of wrestling, especially in a championship atmosphere,” said Gable. Mudd Advertising, based out of Cedar Falls, Iowa, is a recognized leader in traditional and digital marketing across the nation. Mudd Advertising has seen great success over the last 31 years in business and partners with over 3,000 automotive clients across the nation each year. Mudd Advertising considers Gable to be a true mentor for effective leadership and success. “Mudd Advertising supports the efforts of Dan Gable to inspire students, athletes and businesses to rise to the highest levels of achievement,” said Gary Kroeger, a former cast member of Saturday Night Live who currently works for Mudd Advertising. “Gable’s message, as evidenced by his accomplishments, embodies the principles of hard work, dedication, commitment, goals and unwavering spirit. As a company we embrace these principles and we are proud to partner with Dan Gable and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum.” All proceeds from the auction will benefit the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum, a not-for-profit organization committed to advancing the sport of wrestling. The Gable Museum is located in Gable’s hometown of Waterloo, Iowa. Gable won three individual state wrestling titles at West Waterloo (1964-1966) and compiled a 64-0 career high school record. He went on to win two individual NCAA titles at Iowa State University with a career college record of 117-1. Gable won an Olympic gold medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics without surrendering a point. During his tenure as head wrestling coach, Gable led the University of Iowa to 15 NCAA championships and 21 consecutive Big 10 titles in 21 seasons (1977-1997). In 2000, Sports Illustrated named him the top sports figure in the state of Iowa. There are three statues throughout Iowa dedicated to Dan Gable’s legacy, including one outside of Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. On October 25, 2012, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad declared Dan Gable Day statewide. The Dan Gable Experience includes: 1. Four tickets to the Iowa dual on February 1, 2013, against Cael Sanderson and the two-time defending NCAA team champions Penn State. An extra ticket will be provided for a special guest appearance by an Iowa wrestling legend. 2. Tour with Dan Gable of his house in Iowa City, which includes his personal wrestling room, his trophy room, his workout facility in his cabin, his sauna, and his “Rocky-style” workout facility in his shed. 3. Dan Gable will provide a tour of the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex at Carver Hawkeye-Arena. 4. Four Caldera warm up jackets and four pairs of running shoes provided by ASICS. 5. Four autographed Dan Gable posters personalized by Dan Gable, plus other specialty items. 6. Four National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum t-shirts. 7. Four Dan Gable shirts from Ironside Apparel. This includes a meet and greet with Iowa’s two-time NCAA wrestling champion Mark Ironside at his all Hawkeye, all the time Iowa wrestling store. 8. Personal tour of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo. 9. Dinner for four the night of the dual meet. 10. Hotel stay courtesy of Kinseth Hospitality. Bruce Kinseth was an NCAA wrestling champion for Gable in 1979. He pinned his way through the Big Ten tournament and the NCAA tournament that year. People interested in bidding on this exclusive opportunity should click, here. For more information, email dgmstaff@nwhof.org. ABOUT THE NATIONAL WRESTLING HALL OF FAME DAN GABLE MUSEUM The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum is a not-for-profit organization based out of Waterloo, Iowa. The mission of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame is to preserve history, recognize excellence, and inspire future generations. ABOUT MUDD ADVERTISING Mudd Advertising is a leader in direct marketing, audio-visual production, media, digital marketing and point-of-sale advertising. Headquartered in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the Mudd campus features a 3,000 square-foot state-of-the-art production studio. Mudd partners with over 3,000 clients across the nation and is highly regarded for its results-driven advertising specializing in the automotive, academic, agricultural and entertainment industries. Mudd has been helping clients succeed since 1981.

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior Niko Brown was named the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Month for November the league office announced today. Brown opened the season with a 14-1 record in November, including a 5-0 mark in dual meets. A senior from Kissimmee, Fla., Brown turned in five pins at the 197-pound weight class in his first month of action. The Mocs opened the season with three duals at No. 16 Virginia on Nov. 3 and Brown notched wins over wrestlers from Ohio, Anderson and the host Cavaliers. At the Hokie Open the following day, Brown went 5-1 with a pair of pins, topping opponents from Virginia Tech, Indiana, Air Force and Rutgers. He bounced back from a loss to North Carolina's Antonio Giorgio in the quarterfinals to claim third place in his weight class. At the Wolfpack Open on Nov. 11, He went 4-0 to claim the 197-pound title, topping wrestlers from NC State, Virginia Tech and West Virginia before defeating Old Dominion's Kevin Beasley in the title match. Brown wrapped up his month with a pair of dual wins on Nov. 16, pinning Joe Gallegos from Cumberland in just 11 seconds and downing No. 2 Iowa's Thomas Kira at the Chattanooga Duals. Brown was the SoCon's Wrestler of the Week on Nov. 14. The Mocs are currently preparing for next week's road trip to Princeton on Dec. 14 and the Grapple in the Garden on Dec. 16. The Grapple in the Garden will pit Chattanooga against Rutgers and No. 2 Oklahoma State in the first collegiate duals held in New York City's Madison Square Garden. UTC returns home for the Southern Scuffle in McKenzie Arena on Jan. 1-2. Five of the top-10 teams in the country will visit the Scenic City for the two-day tournament. The next home dual is scheduled for Jan. 6 against No. 6 Illinois. Tickets are on sale now on GoMocs.com or by calling the UTC Ticket Office at (423) 266-MOCS (6627).

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- For the first time since 2002 the Lehigh wrestling team heads to Iowa as the 23rd-ranked Mountain Hawks meet the fifth-ranked Hawkeyes Thursday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Mountain Hawks are coming off an up-and-down weekend at home where they posted an impressive 34-7 win over Hofstra before stumbling 24-12 against Penn in their EIWA opener. Senior Robert Hamlin, junior Joey Napoli and sophomore Nathaniel Brown were the only three wrestlers to post 2-0 marks last weekend. Three Mountain Hawks are ranked in the latest Amateur Wrestling News rankings, led by Hamlin, a two-time defending EIWA Champion and All-American, who comes in at No. 2. Hamlin is also ranked third by InterMat and W.I.N. Magazine. Napoli shot into the top ten with wins over top-six opponents from Penn State and Bloomsburg. Sophomore Anthony Salupo moved into the rankings at 141 following his win over Luke Vaith of Hofstra. Brown is not ranked by A.W.N. but is ranked 19th at 174 by InterMat. One of college wrestling’s most storied programs; Iowa has won 23 national championships and 34 Big Ten titles. The Hawkeyes boast another strong team in 2012-13. Iowa has won its first six duals to open the season, including a 32-3 throttling of rival Iowa State Saturday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa also owns wins over Cumberland, Virginia, Chattanooga, SIU-Edwardsville and Cornell College. Iowa’s projected lineup features eight nationally-ranked wrestlers including three men ranked either first or second. The Hawkeyes are led by two-time national champion Matt McDonough at 125, while returning finalist Derek St. John (157) is also ranked No. 1 at his weight class. Returning All-American Tony Ramos comes in at No. 2 at 133, while heavyweight Bobby Telford is also coming off an All-America season and is currently ranked fifth. Iowa finished third at last year’s NCAA Championships and recently won three straight national team titles in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Thursday’s dual marks Lehigh’s first trip to Iowa since the 2002-03 season. Lehigh has not had a great deal of success in the state of Iowa, winning just twice in 18 road dual meets against Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa and Cornell College. The Mountain Hawks posted a 40-0 win over Cornell College back in 1972 and also won 21-12 at Iowa State in 2002. Lehigh is 0-13 all-time versus Iowa in Iowa City. Lehigh and Iowa meet for the 24th time Thursday and the first time since December 2002. The Mountain Hawks have never defeated the Hawkeyes, dropping the previous 23 duals, including all 13 matches contested in Iowa. Lehigh and Iowa met once in 21 consecutive seasons from 1972 to 1992. Iowa is one of eight schools that Lehigh owns zero all-time wins against, but it is the only school in the group Lehigh has wrestled more than two times. Thursday’s match gets underway at 5 p.m. (ET) from Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. The match will be broadcast on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 as well as Lehighsports.com with pre-match coverage beginning at 4:45. The match will be Lehigh’s final dual of the fall semester. The Mountain Hawks will compete at the Midlands Championships December 29-30 in Evanston, Illinois before returning home to host Cornell on Sunday, January 6 at 2 p.m.

The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten), ranked No. 1 nationally in Intermat's TPI, will host the Indiana Hoosiers (5-2, 0-0 Big Ten) in the Big Ten dual meet opener for both teams. Action is set for 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 9, in already sold out Rec Hall. A limited number of Standing Room Only tickets are available by calling 1-800-NITTANY. Penn State is coming off an outstanding performance in the 2012 Nittany Lion Open last Sunday. Head coach Cael Sanderson's crew crowned five champions and had five other finalists at the event. In all, The Nittany Lions ended the event with 18 placers and a 97-34 overall record. Penn State put on a pinning clinic, tallying 23 falls at the event, led by Andrew Alton with five. Winning titles for Penn State were Andrew Alton at 149, David Taylor at 165, Matt Brown at 174, Ed Ruth at 184 and Quentin Wright at 197. Penn State's other finalists were Nico Megaludis at 125, Jimmy Gulibon at 133, Dylan Alton at 157, Morgan McIntosh at 197 and Jimmy Lawson at 285. The Nittany Lions are being led by a balanced line-up featuring ten talented grapplers, eight of whom are ranked nationally. Ruth is ranked No. 1 at 184 with a 7-0 mark, Taylor is No. 2 at 165 with a 7-0 mark, Megaludis is No. 3 at 125 with a 6-1 record, Brown is No. 3 at 174 with a 7-0 record, Wright is 7-0 at 197 with a 7-0 mark and Lawson is No. 15 at 285 with a 7-1 record. Red-shirt freshman Jordan Conaway is 3-2 at 133 with a 1-0 mark in duals and senior Bryan Pearsall, ranked last week, is 7-2 at 141 with a 2-0 record in dual meets. Indiana is coming off 3-0 run at its own Hoosier Duals last weekend, beating SIU-Edwardsville, Bucknell and Gardner Webb. The Hoosiers are 5-2 overall and are being led by junior heavyweight Adam Chalfant, who is ranked No. 8 with a 15-1 mark. Junior Ryan LeBlanc is also ranked, sitting at No. 18 at 165 with a 15-3 record. Sophomore Tyler Walsh is 15-3 at 157 as well while freshman Quin Murphy sports a 15-5 mark at 133. Penn State leads the all-time series between the two schools, having never lost and holding a 14-0-1 lead. Penn State won last year, 36-8 in Bloomington on Jan. 23, 2012. The Lions won the last meeting in Rec Hall, 25-9, on Jan. 27, 2008. The lone tie was a 19-19 draw on Jan. 23, 2009, in Bloomington. Penn State will close out December wrestling next Saturday, hosting neighbor Lock Haven on Saturday, Dec. 15, at 2 p.m. The dual is, like all other Penn State home events, is at capacity. Penn State's full season of home duals is sold out. For information on which duals have a limited number of SRO tickets available and to purchase tickets, fans can call 1-800-NITTANY or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office windows beginning at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 6. Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstateWREST and on Penn State Wrestling's facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2012-13 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. POSSIBLE STARTERS #1 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (2-0, 0-0 B1G) WT NAME EL HT/HS REC 125 #3 Nico Megaludis So. Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional 6-1 133 Jordan Conaway Fr. Abbottstown, Pa./New Oxford 3-2 141 Bryan Pearsall Sr. Lititz, Pa./Warwick 7-2 149 #5 Andrew Alton So. Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain 6-0 James English Sr. York, Pa./Central York 7-1 157 #5 Dylan Alton So. Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain 5-2 165 #2 David Taylor Jr. St. Paris, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 7-0 174 #3 Matt Brown So. West Valley City, Utah/Cyprus 7-0 184 #1 Ed Ruth Jr. Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township 7-0 197 #3 Quentin Wright Sr. Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area 7-0 285 #15 Jimmy Lawson So. Tom's River, N.J./Manchester Township 7-1 Jon Gingrich So. Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area 8-2 INDIANA HOOSIERS (5-2, 0-0 B1G) WT NAME EL HT REC 125 Joe Duca So. Gibbstown, N.J. 8-7 133 Quin Murphy Fr. Holley, N.Y. 15-5 141 Eric Roach Fr. Crown Point, Ind. 12-5 149 Geno Capezio Sr. Carol Stream, Ill. 4-6 157 Tyler Walsh So. Cherry Hill, N.J. 15-3 165 #18 Ryan LeBlanc Jr. Morrisville, N.Y. 15-3 174 Cheney Dale So. Westpoint, ind. 6-8 184 Luke Sheridan So. Concord, Calif. 11-5 197 Tarek Alaruri Sr. Ann Arbor, Mich. 1-10 285 #8 Adam Chalfant Jr. Winchester, Ind. 15-1 All Rankings are Intermat as of 12/4/12 HEAD COACH Cael Sanderson Cael Sanderson, last year's Intermat National Coach of the Year, is in his fourth season as head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team. The veteran head coach now has two straight NCAA and Big Ten titles in hand as the 2012-13 season unfolds. THE PENN STATE YEARS... In his first year at Penn State (2009-10), he guided the Lions to a 13-6-1 dual meet mark, 5-3 in Big Ten action, and crowned his first Big Ten Champion. The Lions finished No. 10 in the final USA?Today/Coaches dual meet poll and placed ninth at NCAAs. In 2010-11, Sanderson guided the Nittany Lions to its first-ever Southern Scuffle Co-Championship and its first Virginia Duals Championship since 1991. In guiding Penn State to a 6-1-1 conference mark, Sanderson equaled the most Big Ten dual meet wins in Penn State history in just his second year at the helm of the Nittany Lions (Penn State won six Big Ten duals in 1998). Sanderson led Penn State to the school's first ever Big Ten Championship on March 5-6 and was named 2011 Big Ten Coach of the Year. Saving the best for last, he led the Nittany Lions to the 2011 NCAA?National Championship in Philadelphia on March 17-19, Penn State's first since 1953 and Sanderson's first as a collegiate head coach. Last year, Sanderson led Penn State to a school record 7-1 Big Ten dual record and a share of the 2012 Big Ten dual meet championship. Sanderson then made it two in a row by leading Penn State to the 2012 Big Ten Championship at Purdue on March 3-4 and was named 2012 Big Ten Coach of the Year, earning the honor for the second straight season. Two weeks later, Sanderson led Penn State to a second straight NCAA crown, helping Penn State to become just the fourth team in NCAA history to win back-to-back titles. In three years as Penn State's coach, Sanderson has led the Nittany Lions to two-straight conference titles, two straight national titles, collected 14 All-Americans, three national champions, two Gorriaran winners, one NCAA tourney OW and one Hodge Trophy winner. This year, Penn State is 2-0 overall. Coach Sanderson now sports an 89-18-2 dual meet mark in this, his seventh year as a head coach. He is 45-8-2 and in his fourth year at Penn State. THE IOWA STATE YEARS... Sanderson came to Penn State after three extremely successful years as the head coach at his alma mater. Sanderson's teams did not finish any lower than fifth at the NCAA Championships and never had a wrestler not qualify for nationals, getting 30 of 30 grapplers through to the championship tournament. In 2007, Sanderson's rookie campaign, he led ISU to a 13-3 dual meet record and the first of three straight Big 12 Championships. An NCAA Runner-Up finished in Detroit capped off a wildly successful year as the Cyclones crowned one national championship and Sanderson was honored as Big 12 Coach of the Year, National Rookie Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year. The next year, Sanderson led ISU to a 16-4 dual meet mark, another Big 12 title and a fifth place finish at nationals. Iowa State's seven All-Americans in 2008 were the most at the school since 1993. In his final year at ISU, Sanderson's team went 15-3 in duals, won its third straight Big 12 title and took third place at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis (just 12 points out of first place). The Cyclones also crowned another national champion. In three years, Sanderson's teams went 44-10, won three conference crowns, qualified all 30 wrestlers for nationals, and earned 15 All-America awards and two individual national titles. Andrew Alton, TAYLOR, BROWN, RUTH AND WRIGHT WIN NITTANY LION OPEN TITLES Sophomore Andrew Alton made a stellar return to the mat after missing Penn State's first two duals, posting a 6-0 mark at 149 with five pins to win the title. Four of Alton's five pins were in the first period, including two in the first minute. Junior All-American David Taylor was Penn State's next champion, going 5-0 with three pins and two tech falls to win the title at 165. Taylor pinned No. 13 Mark Lewandowski of Buffalo in the finals. Sophomore Matt Brown stormed through 174 to win his first NLO title. Brown went 5-0 on the day with a tech fall and two majors. He downed No. 11 Greg Zanetti of Rutgers in the finals. All-American Ed Ruth was untouchable at 184 as well. Ruth went 5-0 win the 184-pound crown with a pin, a tech fall and two majors. He downed No. 10 Jimmy Sheptock of Maryland in the finals. All-American Quentin Wright met teammate Morgan McIntosh in the finals at 197. Wright grabbed a hard-fought 5-3 (sv) win to claim the crown while McIntosh, who is red-shirting, placed second. Wright went 5-0 with three pins, including two first period falls. MEGALUDIS, GULIBON, Dylan Alton, McINTOSH AND LAWSON RUNNERS-UP AT NLO All-American Nico Megaludis went 4-1 at 125, advancing to the finals before losing a 3-2 decision to red-shirting Pitt Panther upperclassman Anthony Zanetta in the finals, taking second place. True freshman Jimmy Gulibon lost a hard-fought 3-2 decision on riding time to Lehigh's Mason Beckman in the finals at 133. Gulibon went 4-1 on the day. All-American Dylan Alton, ranked No. 5 at 157, was 4-1 on the day, advancing to the finals before dropping a tough sudden victory decision (9-4) to No. 3 James Fleming of Clarion. Sophomore Morgan McIntosh lost to teammate Quentin Wright in the finals at 197 to take second. McIntosh was superb with a 4-1 mark, including two majors. Sophomore Jimmy Lawson had a good run to the finals at 285, going 4-1 on the day, his only loss in the finals. Lawson had a major and a pin to take second place. LAWSON CLAIMS MAT-TOWN TITLE Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Jimmy Lawson was the lone Penn Stater competing at the 2012 Mat-Town Open at nearby Lock Haven University. Lawson stormed through the field to claim the heavyweight title at the event. The sophomore heavyweight began the day with two wins over unattached non-collegiate wrestlers (meaning the results do not count towards his official record). Lawson posted a first period pin (1:11) and a quick tech fall in those two bouts. He then downed Penn's Steven Graziano 5-1 in the semifinals before beating Lock Haven's Harry Turner 4-1 in the finals. Lawson went 2-0 on the day officially plus picked up a pin and tech fall against non-collegiate wrestlers. PENN STATE USES FOUR PINS TO HAMMER WEST VIRGINIA 44-3 IN ROAD DUAL The Nittany Lion wrestlers used four pins to coast to a 44-3 road dual win at West Virginia on 11/18. Penn State got falls from Nico Megaludis at 125 (5:53), Dylan Alton at 157 (2:28), Matt Brown at 174 (4:10) and Quentin Wright at 197 (0:25). The Lions also got majors from Jimmy Lawson at 285, Ed Ruth at 184 and James English at 149 as well as a tech fall from David Taylor at 165. PEARSALL TAKES DOWN #19 PENNESI IN WIN AT WVU Senior Bryan Pearsall picked up an impressive win in Penn State's 44-3 dual victory at West Virginia on 11/18. The 141-pounder used an impressive third period ride-out (along with a second period escape) to post the 2-0 win over #19 Nathan Pennesi in the win. LAWSON WINS IN NITTANY LION DEBUT AT WVU Sophomore heavyweight Jimmy Lawson was impressive in his first bout in the Blue and White singlet. Lawson beat West Virginia senior Phil Mandzik handily in PSU's 44-3 win at WVU on 11/18, posting a convincing 9-0 major to cap off Penn State's lopsided win in Morgantown. BROWN AND RUTH LEAD NITTANY LIONS OVER #24 LEHIGH IN SEASON OPENER The top-ranked Penn State wrestling team won eight of ten bouts on its way to a 29-6 win over #24 Lehigh in the season opener for Cael Sanderson's Lions. Wrestled in front of a sold-out Rec Hall crowd over nearly 6,500, Penn State got two tech falls (Nico Megaludis and David Taylor) and a major (Matt Brown) in the win. All-American Ed Ruth posted a strong 11-9 win over #3 Robert Hamlin and Brown majored #18 Nathaniel Brown 12-1 at 174. CONAWAY WINS DUAL MEET DEBUT Red-shirt freshman Jordan Conaway made his Penn State dual meet debut against Lehigh on 11/16 and grabbed an impressive win in the process. Conaway got a takedown with just :07 left to post a 3-2 win over Laike Gardner in Penn State's 29-6 win over Lehigh in front of a sold-out Rec Hall crowd. ENGLISH DOWNS #18 WELSH IN SEASON OPENER Senior James English got the nod at 149 in Penn State's season opening dual against Lehigh on 11/18 and answered with a strong performance. English dominated #18 Shane Welsh of Lehigh on his way to a 5-2 win, helping spur Penn State on to a 29-6 win in Rec Hall. McINTOSH WINS TITLE AT ESU OPEN Fifteen members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team took part in the East Stroudsburg Open, which concluded late last evening. Red-shirting sophomore Morgan McIntosh claimed the title at the event in which most Lions wrestled unattached. McIntosh was unstoppable, going 4-0 with three majors and a technical fall to win the 197 pound crown. Junior James Vollrath went 3-1 at 157 with a pin and a major to finish second at 157. True freshman Jimmy Gulibon took second at 133, going 4-1 with two majors. Red-shirt freshman James Frascella had an outstanding tournament, going 4-1 with a tech fall to place second at 174. Also placing for Penn State were the Beitz brothers. Sophomore Seth Beitz went 5-2 with a major to take fourth at 149 while true freshman Zack Beitz was 7-2 with two majors at 141 to take fifth. GINGRICH WINS HWT CROWN AT BINGHAMTON OPEN The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team sent 17 wrestlers to the Binghamton Open at Binghamton University. Seven Nittany Lions placed at the event, which featured over 300 wrestlers, led by sophomore heavyweight Jon Gingrich who won the crown at 285. Most of the Nittany Lions competing were wrestling unattached. Gingrich was a perfect 4-0 on the day, including a 9-1 major decision over Lock Haven's Harry Turner in the finals. Gingrich was one of seven Nittany Lions to place. Penn State had champ (Gingrich), four third-place finishers, a fourth-place finisher and a fifth-place finisher. True freshman Jimmy Gulibon went 6-1 with two majors at 133 to take third place. Sophomore Seth Beitz was 6-1 with two pins and two majors at 149 and also placed third. Junior James Vollrath went 7-1 with a major, a tech fall and a pin, and finished third at 157. Sophomore Morgan McIntosh posted a 4-1 mark at 197 with a pin and a major and finished third as well. Senior Nick Fischer was 6-1 with a tech fall and two majors and placed fourth at 165 and red-shirt freshman James Frascella was 5-2 with a pin to finish fifth at 174. REGULAR SEASON SOLD OUT! ONLY LIMITED SRO TIX ARE AVAILABLE HEADING INTO 2012-13 SEASON The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team has, for the first time in school history, sold out its entire season in advance of the first dual. A limited number of Standing Room Only tickets will go on sale, on a single dual basis, beginning Tuesday at 10 a.m. for select events. For information on which duals have SRO tickets available and to purchase tickets, fans can call 1-800-NITTANY or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office windows from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Penn State, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, will host seven home duals in front of what will be sold out Rec Hall crowds. The Nittany Lions host Indiana on Dec. 9 at 2 p.m., Lock Haven on Dec. 15 at 2 p.m., Michigan State on Jan. 13 at 2 p.m., Wisconsin on Jan. 18 at 7 p.m., Nebraska on Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. and Rider on Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. FOUR LIONS COMPETE AT CLARION KNIGHT POINT OPEN Four members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team opened up the 2012-13 open tournament season at the Knight Point Open at Clarion University on Sunday. Each grappler wrestled unattached at the event which concluded late yesterday evening. Junior Andrew Church (Erie, Pa.) posted a 4-2 record at 174, advancing to the consolation quarterfinals. True freshman Wes Phipps (Grove City, Pa.) debuted at 184 and 2-2, advancing to the consolation semifinals. Phipps tallied two majors. Red-shirt freshman David Owens (Derry, N.H.) wrestled at 149 and went 0-2 and true freshman Caleb Livingston (Drexel Hill, Pa.) went 1-2 at 165 with a pin (a 2:59 pin over Kent State's Mike Crawford). EIGHT NITTANY LIONS RANKED BY INTERMAT AS PENN STATE HOLDS #1 SPOT IN TEAM TPI Seven members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team remain ranked nationally by Intermat, all of whom now appear in the top six at their respective weights. In addition, head coach Cael Sanderson's two-time defending NCAA and Big Ten Champions are the No. 1 team on Intermat's Tournament Power Index (TPI). The full list of national rankings is available at www.intermatwrestle.com. Sophomore Nico Megaludis is No. 3 at 125, sophomore Andrew Alton is No. 5 at 149, sophomore Dylan Alton is No. 5 at 157, junior David Taylor is No. 2 at 165, sophomore Matt Brown is No. 3 at 174, junior Ed Ruth is No. 1 at 184, senior Quentin Wright is No. 3 at 197 and sophomore Jimmy Lawson is No. 15 at 285.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Former Oklahoma State two-sport All-American John Ward died of cancer Tuesday at the age of 64. The Enid, Okla., native was a tackle for the Cowboy football team from 1967-69 and received All-America status in 1969. That same year, he was named All-American as a heavyweight for the OSU wrestling team after finishing third at the NCAA Championships. In his two years as a starter for the wrestling squad, Ward compiled a 35-5 overall record. Ward went on to play professionally for the Minnesota Vikings in the 70s, making two Super Bowl appearances.

NORMAN, Okla. -- Kendric Maple of the 10th-ranked University of Oklahoma wrestling team has been chosen as the Big 12 Conference Wrestler of the Month, announced Wednesday by the Conference office in Irving, Texas, for his 4-0 start to the 2012-13 wrestling season. It is the fourth career honor for Maple -- who was also named November’s Wrestler of the Month in 2011. Last season, Maple became one of three Big 12 wrestlers in conference history to take home three honors in one season after being named Wrestler of the Month on top of two Wrestler of the Week selections (Jan. 30 and Jan. 2). Maple remained undefeated in 2012-13 with a 4-0 record in dual competition when he topped Binghamton’s Dan Riggi Sunday evening with a 22-5 tech fall in 3:32 en route to an Oklahoma victory. The redshirt junior built a 17-4 lead in the first period and scored his final five points with a takedown and near fall points to take home the win. The junior started 2012 dual competition at the Journeymen/Asics Northeastern Duals with a 3-0 slate. He began the Dual with a 7-3 decision over No. 8 141-pounder Luke Vath of Hofstra. Next, he topped Cornell’s Mike Nevinger with a 13-1 major decision and ended the competition with a 1:33 pin over Central Michigan’s Matt Lavingly. He led Oklahoma to its 14th-straight Brockport/Oklahoma Invitational when he took home the 141-title after pinning Buffalo’s Andrew Schutt in 1:17. He began the Invitational by downing American’s Matt Dorf with a 0:13 pin -- the fastest at the Invitational -- then topped Army’s Tyler Rauenzahn with a 17-2 major decision. With his 3-0 mark on the weekend and fastest pin of the Invitational, he was named Most Outstanding Wrestler for the second consecutive year at the event. Maple began 2012 at the NWCA All-Star Classic where he topped pre-season No. 5 141-pounder B.J. Futrell from Illinois, who finished fourth at last year’s NCAA Championships (133-pounds), with a 6-3 decision. For his efforts, Maple was awarded the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. The Sooners are back in action this weekend with a neutral-site match against Wyoming in Arkansas City Friday night at 7 p.m. CT. OU then returns home to McCasland Field House to face No. 3 Oklahoma State in the annual Bedlam Dual Sunday at 2 p.m. CT.

Bo Nickal will be looking to repeat as champion at Mid-America Nationals (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) Tulsa Union will host its annual Mid-America Nationals this Friday and Saturday, and always it will be an excellent showcase of the elite talent that resides in the Sooner State, along with some excellent wrestlers from Kansas and Texas. Though the host team has won the last two titles and at least five of the last six, they lost a lot due to graduation, so there is likely to be a new champion. Three nationally ranked teams will enter the field -- No. 13 Collinsville, Okla., last year's runner-up No. 16 Tuttle, Okla., and No. 22 Allen, Texas. Unranked Edmond North, Okla., is also a team likely to make significant noise in this field. Unfortunately for wrestling fans, the football success of Allen means that three of their better wrestlers, including nationally ranked competitors Oliver Pierce and Nick Cobb will be competing in the state football quarterfinals this weekend instead of grappling on the mats. A full one-half of last year's champions will be seeking to repeat as tournament champions this coming weekend. They are No. 14 Davion Jeffries (Collinsville) at 113 pounds, Gunner Laffoon (Tuttle) at 132, Gary Wayne Harding (Collinsville) at 138, No. 4 Bo Nickal (Allen) at 160, No. 5 Zach Beard (Tuttle) at 170, Solomon Vanover (Westmoore, Okla.) at 195, and Andrew Dixon (Edmond North) at 220. Defending champion Nickal is one of six nationally ranked wrestlers in the tournament, and he appears in the only weight with a pair of nationally ranked competitors. At 160 pounds, Nickal is joined by No. 7 Keilan Torres (Altus, Okla.), who is a two-time state champion and Oklahoma State bound after this season. Another pair of wrestlers in this weight class placed at the Preseason Nationals: two-time third in the state Isaac Beard (Tuttle) and 2011 state champion Levi Berry (Norman North, Okla.) Another defending champion, Zach Beard, is ranked No. 5 nationally at 170 pounds, which is probably the toughest weight class in this tournament. His primary challengers include a trio of state champions -- Matt Meyer (Allen), Ricky McCarty (Lawton McArthur, Okla.), and Nathan Marek (Southmoore, Okla.). Two-time state placer Zach Abkemeier (Collinsville) and state qualifier Derek White (Edmond North) will aim to spoil things for the above four. Another nationally ranked wrestler in this field is two-time state placer Lance Dixon (Edmond North), who is ranked 8th nationally at 182 pounds. However, a pair of state champions in Drake Martel (Altus, Okla.) and Levi Eck (Andale, Kan.) are among the challengers in this weight class. The other two nationally ranked wrestlers -- No. 14 Davion Jeffries (Collinsville) and No. 6 Andrew Dixon (Edmond North) are defending tournament champions -- and strong favorites to repeat as title winners in the 113 and 220 weight classes. Three other defending champions in the Mid-America Nationals tournament field are Gunner Laffoon (Tuttle) at 132, Gary Wayne Harding (Collinsville) at 138, and Solomon Vanover (Westmoore, Okla.) at 195. Lafoon is looking at a battle of state champions with Will Steltzen (Collinsville) within his weight class. Two-time state champion Harding is a slight favorite over state champion Isaac Dulgarian (St. Thomas Aquinas) and Preseason Nationals third place finisher A.J. Hinkle (Allen). State placer Vanover is in the most open weight class among these three -- with likely challenges coming from state champion Jadon Davenport (Sallisaw), state placers Joel Dixon (Edmond North) and Riley Fielder (Tuttle), as well as two-time state qualifier Keegan Priddy (Collinsville).

Bo Jordan, the nation's No. 1 recruit, will be in search of his third Walsh Ironman title (Photo/Rob Preston) Professional golf has The Masters, NASCAR has the Daytona 500, and high school wrestling has the Walsh Ironman. Though extremely uncommon, these three sporting activities have what is clearly the biggest event of their seasons very early in the schedule. The 19th annual edition of the Walsh Ironman Tournament features thirteen nationally ranked teams, including the top three overall; as well as 71 nationally ranked wrestlers, including ten ranked at the pinnacle of their weight class at the start of the season. The following wrestlers enter the 2012 Walsh Ironman ranked first in the nation: Austin Assad (Brecksville, Ohio) at 106 pounds, Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) at 113, Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio) at 120, Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.) at 126, Dean Heil (St. Edward, Ohio) at 132, Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.) at 138, Bo Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) at 160, Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) at 182, Domenic Abounader (St. Edward, Ohio) at 195, and Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) at 220. Note that Abounader will actually be competing at 182 this season, so there is a potential showdown of No. 1 vs. No. 1 at 182 pounds. Wrestling will start at 1 p.m. ET on Friday and go through the round of 16 on the championship side on Friday afternoon, which will set up the quarterfinals on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. ET. Consolation wrestling on Friday will eliminate about half the field so that 16 overall wrestlers remain in each weight class. Semifinals will follow the Saturday morning quarterfinals, with all matches but those first, third, and fifth occurring in said session. Top six medal matches to occur Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. InterMat will be providing a running notebook article with periodic updates. There will also be Twitter updates (@JoshMLowe). Updated quarterfinal pairings and team scores will be provided after Friday's competition with a recap story being published after the completion of the event. Brackets and tournament updates will be available on either the tournament website or through TrackWrestling.com. The following is a look at each of the weight classes, their key components, and the key dynamics for how the tournament might play out. Information is based on participants as of Wednesday evening. 106: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 1 Aaron Assad (Brecksville, Ohio), No. 2 Jordan Kutler (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 5 Danny Boychuck (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 9 Jose Rodriguez (Massillon Perry, Ohio), No. 16 Doyle Trout (Centennial, Neb.), and No. 20 Eli Stickley (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: Alex Mackall (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio), 2012 junior high state champion at 108; Darek Huff (Broomfield, Col.), fourth at Preseason Nationals and 2011 Cadet double All-American; Brendan Price (Canon-McMillan, Pa.), 36-10 as a sophomore at 106 Key potential round of 16 matchups: Rodriguez vs. L.J. Bentley (St. Edward, Ohio); Anthony Bosco (Marmion Academy, Ill.) vs. Jack Mueller (Trinity Christian Academy, Tex.), battle of Preseason Nationals placers Commentary: Many (historically) great wrestlers have won opening weights at the Ironman -- Harry Lester, Cory Cooperman, Ryan Lang, Robbie Preston, David Taylor, and Hunter Steiber for instance. While there are six nationally ranked wrestlers, including those ranked first and second, there is not THAT GUY in the field this year. At present it is a balanced bracket with three ranked wrestlers in each half of the draw, including the top four seeds. The top seed is Austin Assad, ranked first in the nation. His path to the final would likely involve having to face Super 32 placer Stickley in the quarterfinal, and then Rodriguez or Bentley in the semifinal. The second seed Kutler is ranked second nationally. His path to the final would likely involve the Bosco/Mueller winner in the quarterfinal, and then a National Prep finals rematch against Boychuck, who was on the Cadet Greco-Roman World Team. The softest path in the draw is the 5/12 portion with Junior freestyle All-American Payton Gutierrez (Pickerington North, Ohio) and Jake Vosburgh (St. Mary's Ryken, Md.). If you're a non-seed, hope to be in this pod. Predicting a finals match: Assad over Kutler The rest of the top eight: Boychuck, Rodriguez, Trout, Stickley, Mueller, and Bentley 113: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 1 Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.), No. 4 Aaron Assad (Brecksville, Ohio), No. 9 Chaz Tucker (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 11 Jaret Singh (Kearney, Mo.), and No. 13 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Park Hill, Mo.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: Jeremy Schwartz (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), 2011 Super 32 Challenge placer; Armando Torres (Elyria, Ohio), 2010 Cadet freestyle All-American Key potential round of 16 matchups: Zach Fuentes (Norristown, Pa.) vs. Tanner Shoap (Chambersburg, Pa.), pair of two-time state placers; Tucker vs. Cameron Kelly (Bellbrook, Ohio); Singh vs. Jared Ganger (Troy Christian, Ohio) Commentary: For being the nation's top sophomore -- and a wrestler that won titles at the Ironman, California state tournament, FloNationals, and Cadet freestyle -- there is skepticism about how truly great Zahid Valencia is entering his sophomore season. While that might be perceived as disrespectful given his results, there is some merit, because of the some-to-many tight matches he faced along the way. Two key questions to watch with respect to Valencia: (1) how does he manage the weight class, as he seems big for it (2) can he separate matches in the way a grade-level number one customarily does. This Ironman field is solid, but not stellar, in comparison to those at national events like the Ironman, Super 32, Fargo, etc. If the seeds hold, Valencia is looking at a quarterfinal against one of two Pennsylvania two-time state placers -- Fuentes or Shoap; Shoap being a wrestler that extended Valencia to sudden victory at the Super 32. The likely semifinal would be against one of two senior two-time state champions in Singh or Drew Romero (Broomfield, Col.). The bottom half of the draw is led by senior three-time state placer Aaron Assad, a Junior National freestyle All-American. Despite being the second seed, he comes into the event with a red flag after losing 6-0 in a dual meet last week to a non-factor on the national landscape, Ohio state qualifier Dustin Warner. Unfortunately for him, the next best wrestler in this field looms as the quarterfinal opponent -- Cadet National freestyle runner-up Chaz Tucker, though Tucker projects to face state champion Kelly on Friday. The third seed is two-time Junior National runner-up Tommy Pawleski (Montini Catholic, Ill.), who failed to place in last year's 106 pound weight class despite being the fourth seed, and was pinned in both of his losses. The sixth seed, who lines up in the quarter with Pawleski is the nationally ranked Hayes, a wrestler that has twice placed third in Cadet freestyle. The softest relative landing spot for a non-seed would be in the pods with Pawleski or Romero. Predicting a finals match: Valencia over Tucker, which would make it repeat titles at the Ironman for Valencia The rest of the top eight: Assad, Hayes, Singh, Fuentes, Shoap, and Ganger 120: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio), No. 4 Isaiah Locsin (Live Oak, Calif.), No. 6 Matthew Kolodzik (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 11 Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy, Ill.), No. 10 (at 113) Coy Ozias (Christiansburg, Va.), No. 19 Seth Brayfield (Kearney, Mo.), and No. 20 (at 113) Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) Notable non-seeded wrestler: Brent Moore (St. Paris Graham), No. 17 overall in the Class of 2016 Key potential round of 16 matchups: Locsin vs. Dalton Macri (Canon-McMillan, Pa.); Brayfield vs. Jordan Laster (Montini Catholic, Ill.), battle of two-time state placers; Jimenez vs. Will Crisco (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), two-time state champion against a returning New England champion Commentary: Even though two-time defending Ironman champion Tomasello enters this weight class as the favorite -- and it would be a surprise to see him beat -- this is still an intriguing weight class with seven nationally ranked wrestlers. If the seeds hold to form, Tomasello has a very manageable quarter with a likely Saturday morning match against Wyatt Scribner (Hermiston, Ore.), a two-time Greco-Roman All-American in Fargo, or defending state champion David Bavery (Massillon Perry, Ohio). The likely semifinal is also one Tomasello should win as well, be it against two-time Super 32 placer Ozias, Junior freestyle All-American Brayfield, or two-time state placer Jordan Laster (Montini Catholic, Ill.). Last year's 106 pound runner-up Kolodzik has found his way to Blair, he competed as a single-entry from the Miami Valley School in Dayton, Ohio last year, and is the second seed after a Cadet freestyle championship this summer. However, the two seed doesn't mean much, as he's looking at a quarterfinal date against Locsin, a two-time California state finalist and state champion this past year. In the other quarter of the same half is two-time state champion Jimenez, who is looking at a likely quarterfinal date with Joseph, a returning Ironman placer and Cadet National Greco-Roman runner-up. The one soft landing pod is with the eight seed in terms of where a non-seed could make some true noise. However, any seed that sees Brent Moore next to them should be concerned. Keep in mind, this is a wrestler who split matches with Kolodzik at the Ohio ToC in April and beat Luke Pletcher in a junior high tournament just under eleven months ago. Predicting a finals match: Tomasello over Locsin, and this would be his third Walsh Ironman title The rest of the top eight: Kolodzik, Jimenez, Ozias, Brayfield, Moore, and Joseph 126: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 1 Joey Dance, No. 3 (at 120) Michael Kemerer (Franklin Regional, Pa.), No. 11 Colton Adams (Scottsbluff, Neb.), No. 18 Bryce Meredith (Cheyenne Central, Wyo.), and No. 19 Ivan McClay (Massillon, Ohio) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: Vincent Turk (Montini Catholic, Ill.), Cadet Greco-Roman national champion; Joseph Dominguez (St. John Bosco, Calif.) Key potential round of 16 matchups: Meredith vs. Austin Riggs (Robinson, Va.), Junior freestyle All-American against NHSCA freshman nationals champion; Judson Preskitt (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Tommy Zeigler (St. Ignatius, Ohio), two-time Naitonal Prep placer against two-time state placer Commentary: One of the few things that Joey Dance has not done in his high school wrestling career is win the Walsh Ironman (or for that matter the Beast of the East). He's won state titles, Super 32 Challenge titles, Junior National freestyle titles, FILA Junior freestyle titles, et al -- but never here at the Ironman. However, this is a weight class that he quite frankly should win. There is one, maybe two, authentic challengers to him. He'd see the first of those in a likely semifinal match against three-time Preseason Nationals champion Colton Adams. That presumes Dance clears three-time state champion Brock Ervin (Union County, Ky.) and Adams beats likely opponent Anthony Tutolo (Lake Catholic, Ohio), a 2010 Ironman placer, in their respective quarterfinal matches. The other half of the draw features three nationally ranked wrestlers, the favorite of which is the sixth seed in this weight class Kemerer, a two-time Super 32 Challenge finalist. To hit the finals match, he is likely going to have to beat returning Ironman placer McClay in the quarterfinal and Junior National freestyle All-American Meredith in the semifinal. Predicting a finals match: Dance over Kemerer, which is a rematch of the Super 32 Challenge final The rest of the top eight: Adams, McClay, Ervin, Meredith, Judson Preskitt (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), and Anthony Tutolo 132: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 1 Dean Heil (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 3 Aaron Pico (St. John Bosco, Calif.), No. 4 Micah Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 4 (at 126) Connor Schram (Canon-McMillan, Pa.), No. 10 P.J. Klee (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 10 (at 120) J.R. Wert (Christiansburg, Va.), and No. 14 George Fisher (Marmion Academy, Ill.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: Jose Champagne (Montini Catholic, Ill.), ranked No. 12 overall in the Class of 2016; Walter Gibson (Akron SVSM, Ohio) and Brandon Egnor (Elyria, Ohio), both with state tournament experience Key potential round of 16 matchups: Klee vs. Michael Kostandaras (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio); Fisher vs. Tyler Smith (Franklin Regional, Pa.) Commentary: Like at 120, this weight class has seven nationally ranked wrestlers. Unlike at 120, the defending champion is not a clear favorite. Top seed in this weight class is Heil, who was the Outstanding Wrestler at last year's Ironman, and was also runner-up in this tournament as a freshman. However, right on his neck is the freshman sensation Pico, a two-time Cadet National double champion who extended Heil to the brink in the Super 32 Challenge final before Heil won in overtime. Though not the top seed, good news here is that Pico at present is the six seed, which means the two could meet in the final. Just because Heil is the top seed does not mean life will be easy. In fact, he will be challenged from the quarters on in, starting with a projected quarterfinal against returning placer Klee -- who also is a 2010 Cadet freestyle All-American and 2011 FILA Cadet freestyle All-American. The other quarter of the top half features a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers in two-time state champion Jordan, who has been one match away from placing at the Ironman each of the last two years, and 2011 state champion Fisher -- champion at the Preseason Natonals last month. Pico is looking at a quarterfinal date with three-time Pennsylvania state finalist Schram, who was fourth in Junior freestyle this summer; and then a semifinal match against three-time state champion Wert, who has placed twice at the Super 32 and Ironman. The softest landing spot for a non-seed here is with the seven seed Beau Gleed (Hermiston, Ore.), a three-time state placer in Washington. Predicting a finals match: Heil over Pico, which is a rematch of the Super 32 Challenge final, and it would be back-to-back Ironman titles for Heil in his third finals appearance The rest of the top eight: Jordan, Schram, Klee, Fisher, Wert, and Champagne 138: Nationally ranked wrestlers: Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), No. 16 (at 145) Mason Manville (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 16 Anthony Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.), No. 18 Tyler Berger (Hermiston, Ore.), and No. 11 (at 132) Josh Maruca (Franklin Regional, Pa.) Notable non-seeded wrestler: Kade Kowalski (Tri-Valley, Ohio), NHSCA freshman nationals champion Key potential round of 16 matchups: Dallas Smith (Robinson, Va.) vs. Colin Heffernan (St. Edward, Ohio); Chris Garcia (Montini Catholic, Ill.) vs. Manville, two-time state placer and returning Ironman placer against Cadet double finalist and FloNationals placer; Kevin Kinney (Kearney, Mo.) vs. Maruca, state champion against Super 32 placer Commentary: If one was to have started time from the last week of March this year, there would be absolutely zero argument that Retherford was the best high school aged wrestler in America. Going forward from that point, he has won titles at the NHSCA Junior Nationals, FILA Cadet Nationals in freestyle, Junior Nationals in freestyle, FILA Cadet Worlds in freestyle, and the Super 32 Challenge. None the less, that is not the case; however, he is still extremely talented and the strong favorite to win yet another title come Saturday night. Looking at Retherford's half of the draw, if the seeds hold, extremely manageable would be a fair way to assess things. The likely quarterfinal opponent would be two-time National Prep placer Xavi Ramos (McDonogh) or three-time state placer Tyler Richards (Parkersburg South, W.Va.). The semifinal opponent is likely to be one of state placer Colin Heffernan (St. Edward, Ohio) or state champions Dallas Smith (Robinson, Va.) and Jayce Carr (Union County, Ky.). On the other hand, the met of this bracket is in the bottom half based on the present seeds, with four of the five nationally ranked wrestlers residing here. The likely semifinal here is Cadet freestyle champion Valencia against Cadet Greco-Roman champion Manville, both of whom have more than robust resumes. Valencia is looking at a quarterfinal against either Kinney or Maruca, while Manville likely has to clear both Garcia and two-time FloNationals placer Berger to hit the semifinal. Predicting a finals match: Retherford over Manville The rest of the top eight: Valencia, Berger, Heffernan, Kinney, Maruca, and Garcia 145: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 4 Edgar Bright (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 5 (at 152) Dylan Milonas (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 8 Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.), No. 12 Colt Cotten (Benton, Pa.), and No. 14 Grant Leeth (Kearney, Mo.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: Tony Neis (Colonial Forge, Va.) and Ryan Roth (Perrysburg, Ohio), both of whom are state placers Key potential round of 16 matchups: Phil Downing (Broomfield, Col.) vs. Jacob Danishek (Dayton Christian, Ohio), battle of juniors who already have a pair of state titles; Cotten vs. Tyrel White (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), both wrestlers were Junior Greco-Roman All-Americans; Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.) vs. Zach Kelly (Kiski Prep, Pa.) Commentary: Though only five nationally ranked wrestlers here, the dynamics in this weight class will be extremely interesting to follow. It is led by representatives from the two perennial national powers, Blair Academy and St. Edward. The top seed here is defending Ironman champion Milonas, who is a two-time National Prep runner-up and was a Junior National freestyle All-American this summer. Seeded second in this weight is returning Ironman runner-up Bright, who is also a two-time state runner-up. Setting up the path to the finals for Milonas, if the seeds hold it would start with a Saturday morning quarterfinal against either Downing or Danishek. The likely semifinal is then against Clark, whom he beat in the quarters of the Ironman but lost to in the National Prep final. This presumes Clark is able to beat Super 32 champion Leeth in his quarterfinal match. In the bottom half of the draw, Bright is looking at a likely quarterfinal against three-time state placer Cotten, who also placed at the NHSCA Junior Nationals and Junior National Greco-Roman tournaments in the last year. The quarter opposite of Bright is relatively the softest of the four with key seeds being three-time state champion Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.), who placed fifth at FloNationals but failed to place at last year's Ironman or the Super 32 just over six weeks ago; three-time state runner-up Russell Coleman (Park Hill, Mo.), and National Prep placer Kelly who is also a Super 32 placer and Cadet freestyle All-American. Predicting a finals match: Bright over Milonas The rest of the top eight: Clark, Cotten, Leeth, Downing, Lavallee, and Josh Shields (Franklin Regional, Pa.) 152: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 6 Austin Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.), No. 6 (at 160) Russ Parsons (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 8 Garrett Hammond (Chamersburg, Pa.), No. 9 Jack Bass (Robinson, Va.), No. 13 Shayne Tucker (Bella Vista, Calif.), No. 14 Markus Scheidel (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 17 Kevin Cooper (Simon Kenton, Ky.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: Alex Marinelli (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), ranked No. 15 overall in the Class of 2016; J.P. Newton (Perrysburg, Ohio), Cadet freestyle All-American; Ben Schram (Bellbrook, Ohio), NHSCA freshman nationals champion; Tony Dailey (Massillon Perry, Ohio) Key potential round of 16 matchups: Tucker vs. Jordan Marshall (Troy Christian, Ohio), pair of two-time state placers with Marshall having won state this past year; Hague vs. Seth Williams (Tiffin Columbian, Ohio), pair of juniors both of whom have placed twice at state/national preps Commentary: For those who place a friendly wager on this tournament using a confidence scale for champions, this weight might represent one that you want to use a lower number on. It is extremely wide open with seven nationally ranked wrestlers, who on any given day could stand atop the podium. Additionally, there are a couple excellent candidates just outside the national rankings and a potential ninth grade bracket buster. The on-paper favorites, a loose term, would be the second and third seeds in Parsons and Matthews. That means they would meet in the semifinal round. Parsons, a National Prep champion and Junior freestyle All-American, is the two seed; while two-time state runner-up Matthews, a runner-up at last year's Ironman, is the three seed. Parsons is looking at a quarterfinal against National Prep runner-up Toby Hague (McDonogh, Md.) or NHSCA sophomore nationals runner-up Seth Williams (Tiffin Columbian, Ohio). Matthews is likely to face fellow nationally ranked competitor Scheidel, a state runner-up last year and placer at both the Ironman and NHSCA Junior Nationals. Leading the top half of the draw is state champion Hammond, who placed third at the Ironman last year and was a Super 32 runner-up this fall, and is the top seed. He is looking at a tough quarterfinal against two-time state placer and Super 32 placer Tucker, presuming Tucker upends state champion Jordan Marshall (Troy Christian). The four-five quarterfinal places nationally ranked wrestlers against one another in FILA Cadet freestyle national champion Bass and FloNationals third place finisher Cooper. Predicting a finals match: Matthews over Hammond, a battle of wrestlers that have finished second at the Super 32 The rest of the top eight: Parsons, Bass, Tucker, Schidel, Cooper, and Marshall 160: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 1 Bo Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 2 Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.), No. 5 Josh Llopez (St. Mary's Ryken, Md.), No. 10 (at 152) Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.0, No. 12 Nicky Hall (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), and No. 20 Abraham Rodriguez (Hermiston, Ore.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: Jack Wedholm (Blair Academy, N.J.); Ray Barr (St. Edward, Ohio); Bruno Millin (Massillon Perry, Ohio), finally at an optimal weight class Key potential round of 16 matchups: Hall vs. Xavier Montalvo (Montini Catholic, Ill.) Commentary: As good as the top six portion of this weight class is, all nationally ranked wrestlers, there is that steep a gap between those six and the rest of the field. The nation's top two wrestlers in this weight class are the top two seeds and favorites to make the final yet again. Jordan, the nation's number one overall senior is the top seed and looks at a likely semifinal against either Cadet freestyle runner-up Martin or Super 32 placer Rodriguez. The other semifinal is a potential matchup of Junior freestyle champions, Martinez and Llopez, who also met up as the FloNationals and Super 32 Challenge finals pairing in the last year; however, two-time New York state placer Hall will try and spoil that match in a likely quarterfinal against Llopez. The most relevant name outside the top six is sophomore Xavier Montalvo (Montini Catholic), a Cadet National double All-American. He is seeded 11th. The nature of this weight class yields extreme opportunity for a lesser known wrestler to earn an Ironman placement. Predicting a finals match: Jordan over Martinez in a rematch of last year's finals matchup at 152 pounds, which would be his third Ironman title in all The rest of the top eight: Llopez, Martin, Hall, Rodriguez, Montalvo, and Jeric Kasunic (Benton, Pa.) 170: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 2 Cody Wiercioch (Canon-McMillan, Pa.), No. 3 Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.), No. 10 Peter Santos (Oakmont, Calif.), No. 17 Keaton Subjeck (Oak Ridge, Calif.), No. 18 Patrick Coover (Blair Academy, N.J.), and No. 19 Corey Griego (Sultana, Calif.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: Nick Rumple (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio), state qualifier; Anthony McLaughlin (St. Ignatius, Ohio), beat Rumple in last weekend's Solon Comet Classic final Key potential round of 16 matchups: Luke Cramer (Oak Harbor, Ohio) vs. Terrell Forbes (St. Benedict's, N.J.), state placer against National Prep placer; Dakota Sizemore (Moeller, Ohio) vs. Quentin Hiles (Brecksville, Ohio), battle of state placers Commentary: Six nationally ranked wrestlers makes this yet another stellar weight class in this year's Walsh Ironman -- then again almost every weight could have that sentence applied to it. The two lead wrestlers in this weight are three-time state champion Epperly and three-time state finalist Wiercioch. Seeded first, Epperly is also a two-time Super32 placer and placed third in last year's Ironman. If the seeds hold, he is looking at a path featuring a quarterfinal date with Cramer or Forbes and then a semifinal with state placer Santos, who placed at FloNationals and won the NUWAY Vegas tournament last month. Despite being a two-time Super 32 champion and three-time state finalist, twice coming home with state titles, Wiercioch is seeded third in this weight. His path to the final likely entails a quarterfinal against two-time state placer Subjeck, who placed seventh at the Super 32 this year, and then a semifinal against either Coover or Griego; Coover is already a two-time Ironman placer and was a National Prep champion last year, while Griego placed at state last year and was a match away from placing at the Super 32. Predicting a finals match: Wiercioch over Epperly The rest of the top eight: Santos, Subjeck, Coover, Griego, Forbes, and Hiles 182: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 1 (at 195) Domenic Abounader (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 1 Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 6 (at 170) Brett Harner (Norristown, Pa.), No. 7 B.J. Toal (Troy Christian, Ohio), and No. 18 Taylor Jackson (The Villages, Fla.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: Alex Belaia (North Olmsted, Ohio), Super 32 placer; Quention Rosser (Moeller, Ohio), Matt Williams (Sultana, Calif.), and Rocco Caywood (Perrysburg, Ohio) -- all of whom are returning state qualifiers Key potential round of 16 matchups: Toal vs. Samuel Colbray (Hermiston, Ore.), Super 32 runner-up against Cadet double All-American; Addison Knepshield (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Tyler Patrick (McDonogh, Md.); Jackson vs. Garrett Conner (Centerville, Ohio), Disney Duals gold medalist against Disney Duals silver medalist Commentary: This is a remarkably robust weight class with five nationally ranked wrestlers, including two ranked first in the country. In addition there are five other state placers, a returning Ironman placer, a Super 32 placer, a Cadet Greco-Roman national champion, and multiple others with state tournament experience. There will be some very high level matches wrestled on Friday in this upper-weight, as well as just to place on Saturday. Leading the way here are Morris and Abounader, the top two seeds, who both were runners-up at the Ironman last year. The seedings have yielded likely semifinals that are all-Pennsylvania and all-Ohio in nature; Morris and three-time state placer Harner on the top, Abounader and Super 32 runner-up Toal on the bottom. Morris is looking at a quarterfinal against one of two state placers -- Travis Linton (Rootstown, Ohio), also a NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion, or Jake Turk (Montini Catholic, Ill). Harner's likely quarterfinal is against two-time Ironman placer Knepshield. Toal, assuming he clears Cadet Greco-Roman champion Colbray on Friday, has a probably quarterfinal against either state placer Conner or two-time state champion Jackson. Lastly, Abounader is looking at a quarterfinal against one of two state placers -- Immanuel Barber (Canyon Springs, Calif.) or Zach Martinez (Colonial Forge, Va.). Predicting a finals match: Abounader over Morris The rest of the top eight: Harner, Toal, Jackson, Linton, Conner, Knepshield 195: Nationally ranked wrestler: No. 5 Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy, N.J.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: Cody Snodgrass (Marmion Academy, Ill.), returning state qualifier Key potential round of 16 matchups: L.J. Barlow (Haverford School, Pa.) vs. Josh Murphy (Brecksville, Ohio), National Prep placer against state qualifier Commentary: Rare is a weight in the modern-day Ironman this soft. There are only seven wrestlers with seeding criteria points (Fargo All-American, state placer, or Ironman placer), and there is one singular nationally ranked wrestler. That wrestler, Mattiace, is the defending champion and was a National Prep champion. He is an extreme favorite, and should the seeds hold, would have a nominal test in the semifinal against either National Prep third placer Barlow or state third placer Jimmy Szep (Lake Catholic, Ohio). The second seed at present is returning Ironman placer Thornberry, who placed eight at state in 2011 as a freshman but did not make state last year. However, he is coming straight off of football, so his presence in the tournament is a question. National Prep placer Matt Doggett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) is the likely quarterfinal opposition at present. In the de facto semifinal of the bottom half, if the seeds hold, you'll have two-time two-time state placer Adam Kluk (Medina Highland, Ohio) wrestling National Prep and Super 32 placer Spencer Neff (Good Counsel, Md.) Predicting a finals match: Mattiace over Neff The rest of the top eight: Barlow, Kluk, Szep, Doggett, Murphy, and Thornberry 220: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.), No. 4 Garrett Ryan (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 11 (at 195) Joe Tayse (Massillon Perry, Ohio), and No. 19 Zane Krall (Wauseon, Ohio) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: none in particular, which of course knowing my luck means one will place Key potential round of 16 matchups: Edgar Ruano (Montini Catholic, Ill.) vs. Parker Knapp (St. Edward, Ohio), battle of past Cadet National All-Americans; Ryan vs. Lucas Warren (Marmion Academy, Ill.), Junior double All-American against a freshman sensation Commentary: Defending champion Snyder, who is also ranked second overall in the Class of 2014, is the strong favorite in this weight due to his extreme athleticism and solid strength as well as excellent wrestling acumen. However, he will be somewhat tested along the way to the final -- a likely quarterfinal (if seeds hold) would be against state placer Alex Campbell (Canon-McMillan, Pa.); then, the semifinal against either two-time state placer Chalmer Frueauf (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio), a returning Ironman placer who is coming right off of football, or state runner-up Krall. The bottom half of the draw features the other two nationally ranked wrestlers -- state champion and Ironman placer Tayse, as well as state champion and Junior National double All-American Ryan. That is the likely semifinal, though Ryan would have to clear state placer Evan Rosborogh (Painesville Riverside, Ohio) and Tayse needs to navigate through state placer Edgar Ruano (Montini Catholic, Ill.) Predicting a finals match: Snyder over Ryan, marking Snyder's second straight Ironman title The rest of the top eight: Tayse, Krall, Campbell, Rosborogh, Frueauf, and Ruano 285: Nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 2 Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.) and No. 9 Michael Johnson Jr. (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) Notable non-seeded wrestlers: Alex Fritz (Marmion Academy, Ill.), two-time state qualifier Key potential round of 16 matchups: none truly pique my interest Commentary: Where 195 was as clear a champion as this tournament will yield, this weight class gives us an extremely likely, almost prohibitively likely, championship match. It would be a rematch of the National Prep final this past year between Black and Johnson, an extremely tight match that Black won. Black is the top seed and looks at a likely semifinal against state placer Jake Moore (Rootstown, Ohio), while Johnson is the two seed and looks at a semifinal against state runner-up Jake Pinkston (Robinson, Va.) Predicting a finals match: Black over Johnson Jr. The rest of the top eight: Pinkston, Moore, Fritz, Jemal Averette (Good Counsel, Md.), Dre'kBrumley (Akron SVSM, Ohio), and Zach DeLuca (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) Team: Blair Academy, N.J., is the perennial power when it comes to high school wrestling. They are the defending national champions, 32-time consecutive National Prep Tournament champions, and winners of ten Ironman titles including three of the last four. For an excellent read about the program, check out The Standard of Excellence written by David Ritterspusch. Despite the transition from Jeff Buxton to Charles Danhof, the Buccaneers start the season No. 1 in the nation with ten members of their team nationally ranked -- and that is with Cadet World Team representative Joey McKenna essentially out for the season due to injury. This team is crazy stacked and could reach the rarified air of the 1999-2000 St. Edward, Ohio (297-1/2) and 2001-2002 Blair (287-1/2) teams for points at the Ironman. The star power from those two teams is staggering. From St. Edward you're talking about Ryan Lang, Mark Moos, Mason Lenhard, Mark Jayne, Ryan Bertin, and Matt Koz. On the Blair Academy side of the ledger that list includes Robbie Preston, Max Meltzer, Ryan Davis, Mark Perry, Matt Palmer, and Kurt Backes. Entering the season second nationally is not St. Edward, but instead it is Wyoming Seminary, Pa. An excellent team the last three years, including top four finishes at the Ironman, they have reached a new kind of good this year. The Blue Knights are aided by six upper-class newcomers to the program, which augment an existing core that included a National Prep champion, two runners-up, and another pair of placers. They have five wrestlers nationally ranked within their weight class. Instead, the Eagles of St. Edward start the season third in the Fab50 with four Class of 2013 wrestlers in that group's top 100. They also return an additional senior that placed at state and a sophomore who made the state tournament. Behind that group, it is very open in terms of how the Ironman team race will turn. No. 6 Canon McMillan, Pa. features four returning state placers; however, that does not include arguably their second best wrestler in Solomon Chishko, who is out this weekend due to an injury sustained in the Super 32 Challenge. No. 10 Montini Catholic, Ill., does not have a single nationally ranked individual, but has an extremely balanced squad. The Broncos will need to thrive through volume -- having multiple wrestlers elevate their performance level into placement finishes. On the other hand, No. 17 St. Paris Graham, Ohio is a rather top-heavy squad. They have three nationally ranked wrestlers, another returning state placers, a pair of freshmen that are top 25 nationally in their class, but little else behind that. The Falcons could soar here, especially if their two freshmen sensations make their names even more known than they are now. Similarly constructed is No. 34 Christiansburg, Va., with four nationally ranked wrestlers but little to augment that quartet. Also in that vein is St. John Bosco, Calif., which has three ranked wrestlers -- the Valencia brothers and Aaron Pico -- then maybe a solid soph in Joseph Dominguez, and a lot of total unknowns. Rounding out the nationally ranked teams in this field is No. 25 Kearney, Mo., No. 27 McDonogh, Md., No. 28 Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio, No. 30 Massillon Perry, Ohio, No. 33 Colonial Forge, Va., and No. 35 Hermiston, Ore.

Beat the Streets-LA executive director Yero Washington discusses his program's expansion in LA, and the excitement about Jordan Burroughs' upcoming clinic. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

After breaking down most of the UFC on FOX 5 card taking place on Dec. 8, Richard and John take a detailed look at lightweight champion Benson Henderson's title defense against Nate Diaz. Can Henderson use his size and wrestling to defeat one of the division's most dangerous challengers, or will Diaz take the title with his unrelenting boxing skills? After that, the show welcomes back bantamweight prospect Jimmie Rivera, a competitor from season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter making his Bellator debut on December 7. The former King of the Cage champion talks about his recent wins since losing to Dennis Bermudez on TUF 14 and his hopes for getting into Bellator's next 135 pound tournament. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

Cincinnati Moeller's Chalmer Frueauf (Photo/The Guillotine) Normally one goes to Rivals, Scout, or ESPN's Recruiting Nation to get good high school football coverage. However, for one last time this year, we'll mention the football success of some elite wrestling teams. No. 22 Allen, Texas has its football team playing in the Division 5A1 state quarterfinals this weekend. In all likelihood, this will preclude three of the key wrestlers -- No. 3 Oliver Pierce (160), No. 18 Nick Cobb (195), and state placer Stone Drulman (220) -- from participating in their four most important national-level competitions this year. Thursday night, Allen travels to No. 21 Broken Arrow, Okla., for a triangular meet with No. 16 Tuttle, Okla., and the host Tigers. Then the Eagles will compete in the Mid-America Nationals hosted by Tulsa Union on Friday and Saturday. The succeeding two weekends see Allen making trips to the Kansas City Wrestling Classic and the Zinkin Invitational hosted by Buchanan, Calif. Two nationally ranked New Jersey wrestling squads -- No. 39 Bergen Catholic and No. 43 Don Bosco Prep -- had their football teams meet up in the state semifinals on Friday night; it was Bergen Catholic avenging a regular season loss, and ending an 11-game losing streak in the rivalry, with a 28-14 victory. Bergen Catholic's state title game is this weekend, with wrestling seasons in New Jersey beginning next weekend. It becomes highly unlikely that No. 5 Johnny Sebastian (182) and state qualifier Carmine Goldsack (285) will be with Bergen Catholic for their season-opening tournament at Pittsburgh Central Catholic. More importantly, it is an open question that the two will be a part of the team for their December 18 dual at No. 27 South Plainfield, N.J., or at the Beast of the East that weekend. For Don Bosco, it makes it much more likely that they'll have the services of state champion Razohn Gross (195/220) and Zach Chakonis (220/285) for their opening tournament and the Beast of the East. Finally, let's recognize No. 28 Cincinnati Moeller, who had six starting wrestlers as part of a state championship winning football team in Ohio's big-school division this past weekend. Without those wrestlers, the Crusaders went 3-1 at the Moeller Duals suffering a 35-32 defeat against a Marysville, Ohio squad that returns five state qualifiers. Winning that event was Marmion Academy, Ill., with match victories in the "top" round-robin: 43-24 over Marysville and 33-24 over Oregon Clay, Ohio. Online registration for the Walsh Ironman this weekend lists all of those young men -- 2011 state placer Dean Meyer (160), state placer Dakota Sizemore (170), state qualifier Quinton Rooser (182), 2011 state placer Jerry Thornberry (195), two-time state placer Chalmer Frueauf (220), and Max Swoboda (285) -- being slated to compete, which would qualify as a surprise to me. Events to watch this coming weekend There are many key events with multiple national ranked teams on the docket for this weekend. Most will have some combination of a separate event preview article on the InterMat feed or be mentioned within the course of this column. Arguably the best in-season tournament in the nation will be held this Friday and Saturday at Walsh Jesuit High School just southeast of Cleveland, Ohio. Thirteen nationally ranked teams are among the field: No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J., No. 2 St. Edward, Ohio, No. 3 Wyoming Seminary, Pa., No. 6 Canon McMillan, Pa., No. 10 Montini Catholic, Ill., No. 17 St. Paris Graham, Ohio, No. 25 Kearney, Mo., No. 27 McDonogh, Md., No. 28 Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio, No. 30 Massillon Perry, Ohio, No. 33 Colonial Forge, Va., No. 34 Christiansburg, Va., and No. 35 Hermiston, Ore. In addition, the following top ranked wrestlers in their respective weight classes will be in the field: Austin Assad (Brecksville) at 106, Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) at 113, Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio) at 120, Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.) at 126, Dean Heil (St. Edward, Ohio) at 132, Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.) at 138, Bo Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) at 160, Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) at 182, Domenic Abounader (St. Edward, Ohio) at 195, and Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) at 220. Note that Abounader will actually be competing at 182 pounds this season, which sets up a No. 1 vs. No. 1 matchup in that weight; Abounader ranked No. 20 overall in the senior class, Morris 21st. A pair of dual meets on Friday night in Minnesota will showcase the Gopher State's four Fab 50 teams. No. 18 Kasson-Mantorville travels to No. 4 Apple Valley, while No. 8 Simley travels to No. 5 St. Michael-Albertville. It is opening weekend for wrestling in the state of Michigan. No. 15 Detroit Catholic Central was scheduled to host No. 46 Davison on Wednesday afternoon; however, the death of a student at Detroit Catholic Central overnight Monday into Tuesday caused that to be postponed indefinitely. Then on Friday and Saturday, Davison and No. 9 St. Johns appear in the same tournaments. On Friday, both teams are slated to compete in the Owosso Invitational; while on Saturday each team will send competitors to a pair of tournaments, one of which for each is the East Kentwood Tournament. No. 11 Clovis, Calif., is the main attraction in the Clovis West Shootout on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, each of 16 teams will compete in five dual meets. The eight "home" teams include squads such as Clovis, Clovis West, and Buchanan; while the eight "away" teams include teams such as Collins Hill, Ga., and Henley, Ore. The home and away teams will compete against teams from the other cluster. Then on Saturday, there will be an individual bracket event. The top 8 wrestlers compete in a gold bracket, while the bottom eight in a silver bracket. The featured weight of that competition could be at 120 pounds with No. 5 Ronnie Bresser (Henley), No. 12 Jonas Gayton (Clovis), and No. 18 Ryan Millhof (Collins Hill) all potentially in this class. It's also a big weekend for wrestling in the Sooner State. On Thursday night, No. 21 Broken Arrow will host No. 16 Tuttle, Okla., and No. 22 Allen, Texas. Then, on Friday and Saturday, Tulsa Union hosts its annual Mid-America Nationals tournament -- an event which features Tuttle, Allen, and No. 14 Collinsville, Okla. among other teams including a very solid but unranked Edmond North, Okla., squad. No. 32 Bettendorf, Iowa and No. 36 West Delaware Manchester, Iowa will be among the 16 teams competing in the Cedar Rapids Duals on Saturday. A couple of non-ranked teams to watch in this event are Linn-Mar, Iowa and Waverly-Shell Rock, Iowa. Saturday also marks the Cleveland Duals in Tennessee, an always excellent showcase of some of the best wrestling talent in the southeastern United States. That field includes two nationally ranked teams -- No. 46 Pope, Ga., and No. 49 Christian Brothers, Tenn. Welcome back to the rankings, Southeast Polk Despite ending the 2011-12 season ranked No. 13 in the Fab 50 rankings, Southeast Polk, Iowa was excluded from the initial team rankings of this season. The Rams made their position about that loud and clear with a championship at the GEHS Invite in Kansas on Saturday in which they out-pointed previous No. 20 Broken Arrow, Okla. 252-234. It is evident that they have bounced back from having to replace superstars Cory Clark and Will Miklus, as well as state finalist Bud Smith, due to graduation. The Rams were led by a trio of champions on Saturday in Nolan Hellickson (106), Bryce Fisher (220), and Jacob Scanlan (285). Runners-up included Briar Dittmer (132), Tim Miklus (160), and Dylan Blackford (170); while Dylan Buchheit (138) and Colin Strickland (145) finished third. Their balance was enough to upend the seven finalists for Broken Arrow, including five championships coming from Markus Simmons (120), Zach Edwards (132), Tanner Bailey (145), Paden Bailey (152), and Brock Warren (182); while Nathan Clark (126) and Christian Vaverka (195) finished as runners-up. However, the Tigers did not have a wrestler entered in the 220 or 285 weight classes. National team rankings: Balancing act As always, the results of the first "true" weekend lead to conclusions being made about the team rankings. Some of these questions do come with merit -- certain teams are "under-ranked" and others are clearly "over-ranked". However, certain situations have a bit of nuance to them. Is a team missing wrestlers from their lineup? Are they "key" ones? What is the format of the event: dual meets, small tournament, medium tournament, mega-tournament, etc.? A couple of these scenarios showed up in the opening weekend: Broken Arrow remains above Southeast Polk despite finishing second to them at the GEHS Invite, partly because the Tigers had five champions to the Rams three, and the Tigers did not have a wrestler in the upper two weight classes. For example, in a bigger field event -- the GEHS Invite had just 16 teams -- those champions would be more likely to relatively maintain performance, while the Rams' "success by volume" approach may not hold up. Bettendorf, Iowa -- now ranked No. 32 nationally -- finished second at the Keith Young Invitational -- to unranked North Scott, Iowa by 1.5 points. However, the Bulldogs were missing three starters from their lineup in the 16-team field event. They also led the tournament in terms of champions with four from five finalists, while North Scott only had a pair of champions. Christiansburg, Va. -- now ranked No. 34 nationally -- lost a dual meet 45-26 against unranked Gilmer, Ga. at the Lake Norman Duals. However, the Blue Demons have a quartet of nationally ranked wresters in Coy Ozias (113), J.R. Wert (120), Joey Dance (126), and Zach Epperly (170). They are a squad that will more than thrive at the Walsh Ironman and Beast of the East this month. However, with the relative inexperience and youth around them, there will be some growing pains in dual meets and/or small tournaments. Ranked Wrestlers Results Analysis The "true" opening weekend of high school wrestling saw a series of matchups involving nationally ranked wrestlers that merited further attention. No. 4 Aaron Assad (Brecksville, Ohio) was upset 6-0 in dual meet action at 113 pounds by Dustin Warner (Claymont, Ohio). Warner was a state qualifier last year at 120 pounds, which was up two weights due to the presence of multiple-time state placers in the lineup at 106 and 113. Also at 113 pounds, No. 13 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Park Hill, Mo.) upended No. 11 Jaret Singh (Kearney, Mo.) in the final dual meet at the Park Hill Duals. Also in that meet, No. 19 Seth Brayfield (Kearney) outlasted two-time state placer John Erneste 5-3 in overtime at 120, and No. 14 Grant Leeth (Kearney) defeated three-time state runner-up Russell Coleman 10-3 at 140. In terms of the dual meet, No. 24 Kearney defeated Park Hill 31-27 with a pin from Dillon Grime at 285 even with the absence of two key starters. The Ray Oliver Invitational finals offered a pair of interesting results. At 160 pounds, No. 6 Josh Llopez (St. Mary's Ryken, Md.) left with a 6-5 overtime victory over No. 10 (at 152) Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.). Then at 182 pounds, it was an upset as Tyler Patrick (McDonogh, Md.) upended No. 16 Troy Murtha (Georgetown Prep, Md.), 5-3. No. 4 Garrett Ryan (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) was upended by post-graduate McZiggy Richards (St. Benedict's Prep, N.J.) 8-5 in the 220 pound final at the Caruso Invitational on Saturday. Richards was a state placer as a senior at 182 pounds in New York State last year and placed in Fargo on multiple occasions. Marist: The Schedule Warriors Through the first two weekends in Illinois, Marist has already competed in dual meets against a pair of nationally ranked teams. Thanksgiving weekend, the Red Hawks lost to No. 12 Oak Park River Forest 26-25, while this past weekend they lost to a short-handed Montini Catholic team 31-27. Marist was without state placer Peter Andreotti (160) in both matches and two-time state placer Mark Duda (120) against Montini. Over the next two weekends, they have dual meets against solid teams like Lockport, Ill., Lowell, Mich., and Marmion Academy, Ill. Then, before Christmas they'll be in the Dvorak Memorial Tournament, and the Red Hawks travel to The Clash National Wrestling Duals after Christmas.

BOONE, N.C. -- Propelled by a Dominic Parisi pin and key decisions by Zack Strickland, Colin Hedash and Paul Weiss, Appalachian State University wrestling captured its first Southern Conference victory of the season, defeating Gardner-Webb, 21-19, Tuesday evening at Varsity Gym. The narrow victory keeps the Mountaineers perfect, improving to 4-0 on the young season and 15-0 against the Runnin' Bulldogs, all-time. Gardner-Webb drops its second straight conference match and moves to 2-5 overall. "We competed hard tonight and gave a much better effort than in the opening duals of the season," head coach JohnMark Bentley said. "We have a lot of young guys on this team and I'm proud of them." The experienced on the roster showed as Parisi, Strickland, Hedash and Weiss have combined for 42 wins this season. Parisi, Strickland and Hedash all remained perfect in dual meets this season. "The effort was there tonight," Bentley said. "As long as the effort is there, the rest will take care of itself." The focus for the Mountaineers shifts towards this weekend, as the Apps host Ohio on Saturday, Dec. 8. That dual is set for 6:30 p.m. at Varsity Gym. Results: 125: Dominic Parisi (APP) pinned Tyler Ziegler (GWU) (4:09) (APP 6-0) 133: Robbie Golde (GWU) dec. Brett Boston (APP), 6-3 (APP 6-3) 141: Davante Andujar (GWU) dec. Chris Johnson (APP), 5-4 (Tied 6-6) 149: Zach Kechter (APP) won by forfeit (APP 12-6) 157: Alex Medved (GWU) maj. dec. Aaron Scott (APP), 15-5 (APP 12-10) 165: Zack Strickland (APP) dec. Justin Guthrie (GWU), 5-3 (APP 15-10) 174: Colin Hedash (APP) dec. Aaron Rabin (GWU), 10-6 (APP 18-10) 184: Gary Jones (GWU) dec. Jesse Johnson (APP), 6-3 (APP 18-13) 197: Paul Weiss (APP) dec. Blake Salyer (GWU), 8-2 (APP 21-13) HWT: Travis Porter (GWU) pinned Joe Cummings (APP) (6:22) (APP 21-19) BOUT-BY-BOUT 125: Parisi controlled at the beginning of the opening period, tallying two takedowns in the first two minutes. Parisi took a 4-1 lead into the second period where he added another takedown to lead, 6-2. With 59 seconds left in the second period, Parisi closed out the bout with his third pin of the season, giving the Apps a 6-0 lead. 133: After suffering an injury at the Hokie Open in early November, senior Brett Boston returned to the Appalachian lineup to face Gardner-Webb's Robbie Golde. Boston jumped out the gate quickly, earning a takedown just 26 seconds into the first period. Golde responded with an escape and a late takedown to lead after the opening period, 3-2. After Boston evened the score in the second period, Golde received an escape point and a takedown to earn the 6-3 decision. 141: After a scoreless first period, Chris Johnson and Davante Andujar battled in a tightly contested second period. Anjdujar got the best of Johnson, earning two takedowns and despite two late escapes by Johnson; Andujar grabbed his tenth victory of the season with a 5-4 decision. 157: Being slotted at 149 in the projected lineup, Scott moved up to 157, but was unable to keep up with GWU's Alex Medved. Medved took an 11-4 lead into the final period and maintained the lead, winning by majority decision, 15-5. 165: Strickland started strong with a takedown within the first 30 seconds. GWU's Justin Guthrie made a late charge at the start of the third period, but Strickland held off the rally, earning the 5-3 decision. 174: Hedash looked to command the bout, taking a 7-2 lead in the final period. Gardner-Webb's Aaron Rabin fought himself back into the bout with two takedowns, but came up short as Hedash nabbed his 12th victory on the young season with a 10-6 decision. 184: Followed by a scoreless first period, a controversial foul was called on Jesse Johnson for touching the opponent's headgear, as a point was award to Gary Jones. Johnson never recovered after the foul, falling 6-3. 197: Weiss fell behind early after Blake Salyer dialed up a takedown just 26 seconds into the bout. Weiss scratched himself back into the bout, scoring six unanswered points in the second period, including a three-point near fall. Weiss commanded the final period, adding another point to capture the 8-2 decision. HWT: Cummings never found a groove against GWU's Travis Porter, going down 6-0 after two periods. Porter closed the bout with a pin at the 6:22 mark.