InterMat Staff

Fight Now USA Presents Takedown Wrestling from the Brute studios in Des Moines, Iowa at 1460 KXNO. Takedown Wrestling is brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! Happy New Years Wrestling Fans. The Midlands Championships take place this week. Join us there or listen on TheMat.com! This Saturday it's Takedown Wrestling Radio. Join Scott Casber and Brad Johnson with the Takedown Wrestling Headline News this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. CT/10 a.m. to noon ET. This week's guests: 9:01 Mark Matzek, Augsburg head wrestling coach 9:20 Mark Perry, Illinois associate head coach 9:40 Doug Schwab, Northern Iowa head wrestling coach 9:50 Ty Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update 10:01 Mark Branch, Wyoming head wrestling coach 10:20 Greg Randall, Boise State head wrestling coach 10:40 Marty Strayer, Penn State Wrestling Alumn 65' 10:50 Amy Ruble, Wildrose Casino and Resort Takedown Wrestling is available on radio on AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa, online at Livesportsvideo.com, or on your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeart Radio app.

Hard-hitting middleweights Court McGee and Constantinos Philippou are heading Down Under. UFC officials today announced that both fighters have verbally agreed to the contest, and bout agreements are expected to be finalized shortly for the UFC on FX 2 affair. Featuring Thiago Alves vs. Martin Kampmann and the semifinals of the UFC's four-man flyweight tournament, UFC on FX 2 takes place March 3 at Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia. Read Story

Strikeforce veteran Chad Griggs is set to make his UFC debut against Travis Browne at UFC 145. Read Story

Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem may seem like a striker vs. wrestler battle, but the latter says there's more to the bout than surface comparisons. Read Story

Gegard Mousasi is still his biggest critic. Following a decision over up-and-comer Ovince St. Preux at Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal earlier this month, he is blunt about his shortcomings during the fight. Or rather, the end of the fight. But he's now got his eye on a Strikeforce title shot and a possible move to the UFC. Read Story

Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Donald Cerrone has had a pretty great year so far. He started off with a bang on Feb. 5, defeating Paul Kelly by rear-naked choke at UFC 126 and earning the Fight of the Night bonus. (Kelly was subsequently released from the UFC.) The Cowboy followed this up in June, defeating BJJ black belt Vagner Rocha by unanimous decision at UFC 131. He then defeated Charles Oliveira via TKO at UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle on Aug. 14 (earning Knockout of the Night), and followed that up by defeating Denis Siver via rear-naked choke at UFC 137, walking away with the Submission of the Night bonus. That's four fights in one year and $215,000 in bonuses alone, not to mention that Cerrone is on a six-fight winning streak. He will try to finish the year off as strong as he started it at UFC 141 on Friday night by winning his fifth fight in 2011. Standing in his way is Nate Diaz, who is only 1-3 for the year due to back-to-back losses to Dong Hyun Kim and Rory MacDonald. Diaz most recently rebounded with a win over Takanori Gomi, who he defeated handily via first-round armbar at UFC 135 in September. This was the BJJ brown belt's return to the lightweight division. The betting lines are out and Cerrone is clearly the favorite, but betting lines don't have much say. Here are five areas that will determine who walks away with the win on Friday night. Standing If Cerrone has the best kickboxing in the division, Diaz probably has the best boxing. And the two both have chins of steel -- Cerrone has shown that he can definitely take a punch, and we saw Nate Diaz get hit flush by Melvin Guillard and keep moving forward, and what will happen in a standup war is anyone's guess. "On the feet, he better knock me out, if not, he's gonna be in trouble," Diaz said in a pre-fight interview. But neither Diaz nor Cerrone have ever been knocked out. Diaz has seven losses; six by decision and one by submission. Cerrone holds two decision losses and one by submission. The chances of this fight going to a decision seem pretty slim. Ground Grey Maynard had no difficulty taking Diaz to the ground, so Cerrone shouldn't either. Diaz is a brown belt under Cesar Gracie, though, so despite Cerrone's submission victories, Diaz probably has the edge as far as submission attempts go. Will Cerrone be able to neutralize these with an effective ground game of his own? Or will he get careless throwing bombs in the ground-and-pound battle and leave himself open for a quick finish? Size and Strength Cerrone may very well have a strength advantage, but it's worth noting that Diaz has long fought bigger and stronger opponents as a welterweight and did quite well for himself. Now that he is fighting in his natural weight class, size and strength may not be as much of an issue as one would think. Gas Tank Would this fight go to the later rounds? If so, the advantage would be Cerrone's. While Nick Diaz is incredibly conditioned and does not gas out, the same cannot be said for his brother. Camps It is hard to compare the highly-touted Team Jackson with the more mysterious Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu. The champions coming out of Jackson's camp are too many to name, and Cerrone (along with fellow fighter Leonard Garcia) actually owns the TapOut Ranch, a 10-acre ranch with a wing devoted to fighters who want to live and train full time, and there is something about the full immersion experience that can help take your game to the next level. Cesar Gracie, however, is a world-renowned MMA coach in his own right. And although the Pleasant Hill Academy is perhaps less publicized than Greg Jackson's camp, many fighters coming out of the gym have made waves in the national MMA scene, including Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez and former Strikeforce middleweight champ Jake Shields, to name just a few. Fightin' Words Cerrone has a bit of a bone to pick with Diaz, who did not respond favorably to the Cowboy introducing himself. The last time Cerrone was as ticked off as he seems to be now was before his rematch with Jamie Varner. Despite the plethora of middle fingers given, as well as shoves both between rounds and after the fight, Cerrone fought in a controlled way and handily avenged his loss, though it was clear that his vendetta had him training harder. It looks like this is happening again. On the other side, the Diaz brothers both have a tendency of getting under people's skin, which can throw their opponents off during a fight. How will emotion come into play in this fight? Who will stay calm and cool and win the mental war? A win for Donald Cerrone could catapult him into another title shot, whereas Nate Diaz will likely need a few more fights to find himself in top contender status. This co-main event has Fight of the Night potential written all over it.

Please note: All times are Central Thursday, Dec. 29: Session I: 9:30 a.m. Session II: 7 p.m. (Championship and consolation matches) Friday, Dec. 30: Session III: Noon (Semifinals, consolation rounds, 7th place matches) Session IV: 7 p.m. (1st, 3rd and 5th place matches)

I once heard that former Pittsburgh NCAA finalist Carl Fronhofer ate a 12 oz. steak and drank a glass of milk the night before weigh-ins. I assumed it was an apocryphal story about a wrestler that most fans recognized as being especially tough (and don't tough guys eat steak and drink whole milk?). I have gotten to know Fronhofer over the years and he is a witty and engaging conversationalist, but I still have never asked him if it is true. I don't want a silly thing like facts to ruin a good story. In the offseason Fronhofer was named the head wrestling coach at Columbia University and already some of his wrestlers have started mimicking his mentality on the mat: moving forward, hands in good position and solid technique. Fronhofer not only looks like a guy who slid down the back of a Brontosaurus, he teaches his wrestlers to follow his lead. T.R. Foley gets in deep on a high crotchI would like to eat a steak and drink a glass of milk before weigh-ins Thursday, and after coaching I also know the benefit of staying in good position. However, I'm no Carl Fronhofer. My style, whatever it was in 2004, will just have to work in 2011. Competing in seven-minute wrestling matches over two days in a style built for younger men with stronger backs would mean tears to three letter ligaments all over my body. I won't be attempting lateral drops or Jordan Burroughs' open doubles. I enjoy watching these moves, but my style is less aggressive and athletic, more opportunistic and controlling. Outside the padded rectangular cell of a college wrestling room, I have only seen a handful of grapplers competent and conditioned enough to make it a full go in one wrestling match, much less a half-dozen. For my friends and family, it is an important reminder in tempering expectations according to my overall level of physical conditioning. But there is room for compensation, instead of doing just what I did in college, I will use my time at Midlands to be ever-more the wrestler I was in college, essentially caricaturing my wrestling style in the hopes of creating more scoring opportunities and catching my breath through efficiency rather than stall techniques. T.R. Foley was an NCAA Division I All-American and Midlands placewinner while wrestling at the University of VirginiaSo how will my early-aughties style match up to today's techniques and strategies? Where do my techniques, especially from top and bottom, fall into this muddle? I don't know, but I have theories. Yesterday's most popular moves are often countered by tomorrow's -- where the fireman's carry was once a dominant takedown used by millions of wrestlers over several decades, it has now been mostly neutralized by college coaches who acknowledge the need for a dependable counter. However, that ignorance can also open an opportunity for validation of the theory that "all that's old is new again." Rob Rohn and the cement-mixer, Scott Moore and the headlock, guys have made careers by perfecting moves of the old guard. History is an indicator of where moves might be going, but there are persistent techniques that almost never leave our physical heritage, primary among them in American wrestling is the head-and-elbow tie -- a moved seen in recreational leagues in southern California and the best of college wrestling in the northeast. T.R. Foley recently held his own against Mongolian wrestlers, but will he be able to hold his own against college wrestlers?The collar-and-elbow tie is seen in styles around the world (e.g. Indian Kushti), but it was the collar-and-elbow wrestling that migrated from Ireland that influenced our current folkstyle wrestling heritage. Like we do with food and drink, housing and art, Americans simply expanded on that tradition. More than 160 years after the first Irish Scufflers faced each other on the hay-strewn floors of Vermont barns, we still reach one arm out for our opponents' neck, the other for their arm and pull them tight -- as impossible to eradicate as the use of wrestling shoes or weight classes. Physical style is always primary, but a secondary style I have committed to understanding is why we have adopted the singlet and headgear as part of our nation's uniform. Dan Sayenga can speak to the sartorial history of American history better than I can, but it has not always been lycra and headgear. Look back little more than half a century and you're transported to a time when knobby ears were accepted collateral damage for competition and shirtless chest bumping an innocuous condition of participation. I reached out to Jeff Pape, owner of WrestlingGear.com, for recommendations on how to get a singlet made in time for Midlands. (I had less than two weeks.) He referred me to his partners at Brute, but with only 10 days before the tournament, he warned me that the chances were better that I'd be recycling a Team Virginia singlet, rather than strapping into a Wrestling Roots-specific model. Jeff "Peanut" Bowyer, former head wrestling coach at James Madison University (and coincidentally the first college coach I met as a prep wrestler living in Virginia) was my contact within the Henson Group Sports and set similarly low expectations, "It's the holiday's and we have to get these things sublimated and have all the artwork on our desk in a few days." "Sublimated?" I asked. I'm still not clear on exactly how the paneling works, or what material is used (I'll save those details for post-Midlands), but Peanut described it by saying, "Remember those garbage bags you wore in college? These aren't those." Now that I knew what they weren't I moved onto to asking about Doublets, the two-piece uniforms that were seen a few years ago in college matches primarily by The Citadel and the Univ. of Tennessee at Chattanooga. I've been doing all my grappling for jiu-jitsu in a similar rash guard and spandex combination, and had grown to feel comfortable in the combination. At 30 years old I'm less excited to show off my body as I was when I was 21. It's a sentiment I'm certain is shared by middle and high school wrestlers across the country. A few days after our initial conversation I received from Peanut the mock-ups for both the sublimated singlet and the Doublet. It looked incredible and they had done the job in little less than a week. I have chosen to wrestle my style in the fashions of the day. But what about the traditions that immediately precede a college wrestling tournament, will I relive and recount those? Shouldn't I be trimming a few extra pounds? Running around the gym in plastics, finding the nearest exercise bike, climbing into an illegal sauna, drilling for an hour longer than I would like, stressing about my starting role, watching film, reading scouting reports, or at the very least walking around the floor of my hotel with a bucket of ice? Maybe I should, but I am not. Tonight I will watch some television, eat sushi, and enjoy a few glasses of wine before heading to bed around 10 p.m. Tomorrow I will weigh in, eat a breakfast scramble, and have a cup of coffee. I like steak and milk, good head position, and cutting weight, but I think a plate of chicken, some funky scrambling, and a new singlet are much more my style.

Please note: Entrants are subject to change 125: Ranked Wrestlers (8): No. 2 Matt McDonough (Iowa), No. 5 Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma), No. 6 Jesse Delgado (Illinois), No. 8 Levi Mele (Northwestern), No. 16 Trent Sprenkle (North Dakota State), No. 18 Joe Roth (Central Michigan), No. 19 Jared Germaine (Eastern Michigan), No. 20 Shane Gentry (Maryland) Other Wrestlers to Watch: Garrett Frey (Princeton), Nick Smith (Northern Illinois), Tyler Iwamura (CSU Bakersfield), Jarrod Garnett (Virginia Tech) 133: Ranked Wrestlers (9): No. 2 Tony Ramos (Iowa), No. 4 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech), No. 6 Cashe' Quiroga (Purdue), No. 7 B.J. Futrell (Illinois), No. 8 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro), No. 9 Steven Keith (Harvard), No. 10 Ryan Mango (Stanford), No. 12 Jordan Keller (Oklahoma), No. 13 Brian Ortenzio (Penn) Other Wrestlers to Watch: Tyler Clark (Iowa), Geoffrey Alexander (Maryland), Tom Kelliher (Wisconsin) 141: Ranked Wrestlers (7): No. 1 Montell Marion (Iowa), No. 2 Zack Kemmerer (Penn), No. 4 Boris Novachkov (Cal Poly), No. 7 Kendric Maple (Oklahoma), No. 8 Stephen Dutton (Lehigh), No. 9 Matt Mariarcher (American), No. 17 Mitchell Port (Edinboro) Other Wrestlers to Watch: Zach Neibert (Virginia Tech), Frank Goodwin (Maryland), Jimmy Kircher (Rider), Billy Ashnault (Rutgers), Bebeto Yewah (UW-La Crosse), Adam Krop (Princeton), Scott Mattingly (Central Michigan) 149: Ranked Wrestlers (7): No. 3 Mario Mason (Rutgers), No. 6 Eric Terrazas (Illinois), No. 8 Ivan Lopouchanski (Purdue), No. 9 Cole Schmitt (Wisconsin), No. 10 David Habat (Edinboro), No. 12 Nick Lester (Oklahoma), No. 13 Josh Wilson (Utah Valley) Other Wrestlers to Watch: Derek Valenti (Virginia), Stephen Robertson (Penn), Kaleb Friedley (Northwestern), Kevin Tao (American), Zac Cibula (Rider) 157: Ranked Wrestlers (7): No. 3 Jason Welch (Northwestern), No. 4 Ganbayar Sanjaa (American), No. 8 James Fleming Clarion), No. 11 Matt Lester (Oklahoma), No. 12 Kyle John (Maryland), No. 14 Steven Monk (North Dakota State), No. 17 Jackson Morse (Illinois) Other Wrestlers to Watch: Donnie Corby (Central Michigan), Joey Napoli (Lehigh), Aaron Sulzer (Eastern Michigan), David Bonin (Northern Iowa), John Greisheimer (Edinboro), Dillon Bera (UW-Parkside) 165: Ranked Wrestlers (9): No. 2 Josh Asper (Maryland), No. 4 Andrew Sorenson (Iowa State), No. 7 Scott Winston (Rutgers), No. 8 Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (Clarion), No. 9 Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh), No. 13 Peter Yates (Virginia Tech), No. 14 Mike Evans (Iowa), No. 15 Ben Jordan (Wisconsin), No. 18 Bubby Graham (Oklahoma) Other Wrestlers to Watch: Steve Fittery, Luke Manuel, Pat Smith, Lester France (Eastern Michigan) 174: Ranked Wrestlers (8): No. 3 Ryan DeRoches (Cal Poly), No. 6 Chris Spangler (Iowa State), No. 8 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa), No. 9 Jordan Blanton (Illinois), No. 10 Greg Zannetti (Rutgers), No. 12 Jim Resnick (Rider), No. 13 Lee Munster (Northwestern), No. 16 Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland) Other Wrestlers to Watch: John Martin-Cannon (Buffalo), Phillip Joseph (Eastern Michigan), Chase Nelson (Oklahoma), Luke Rynish (UW Parkside) 184: Ranked Wrestlers (6): No. 1 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh), No. 6 Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa), No. 7 Ben Bennett (Central Michigan), No. 16 Erich Schmidtke (Oklahoma), No. 19 Brad Dieckhaus (Northern Illinois), No. 20 Braden Atwood (Purdue) Other Wrestlers to Watch: T.R. Foley, John Dickson (Virginia Tech), Vinny Wagner (Iowa), Cameron Croy (Harvard) 197: Ranked Wrestlers (9): No. 3 Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro), No. 7 Grant Gambrall (Iowa), No. 8 Joe Kennedy (Lehigh), No. 9 Micah Burak (Penn), No. 10 Christian Boley (Maryland), No. 14 Mario Gonzalez (Illinois), No. 15 Daniel Mitchell (American), No. 17 A.J. Kissel (Purdue), No. 20 Alex Thomas (Clarion) Other Wrestlers to Watch: Byron Tate (Wartburg), Ryan Smith (Cal Poly), Nick Vetterlein (Virginia Tech), Dan Rinaldi (Rutgers) 285: Ranked Wrestlers (7): No. 1 Ryan Flores (American), No. 3 Zack Rey (Lehigh), No. 6 Peter Sturgeon (Central Michigan), No. 9 Bobby Telford (Iowa), No. 13 Spencer Myers (Maryland), No. 17 Atticus Disney (Cal Poly), No. 20 Ernest James (Edinboro) Other Wrestlers to Watch: Blake Rasing (Iowa), John Helgerson, Quintas McCorkle (Clarion), Mike McMullan (Northwestern)

InterMatWrestle will be providing a live chat from the 49th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, which take place Thursday and Friday at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill. The first session gets underway on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. CT. The second session, which includes the quarterfinal matches, begins at 7 p.m. CT. The third session, which includes the semifinal matches, takes place on Friday at noon CT. The final session, which includes first, third, and fifth-place matches, is slated for 7:20 p.m. CT on Friday.

Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Here are seven wishes for 2012 ... More psychodrama between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen He should have been in sales. Chael Sonnen has peppered the reigning pound-for pound best fighter in the world with challenges, insults, ultimatums and decrees, with nothing seeming to stick. Now the former top contender is giving his Brazilian nemesis the cold shoulder, insisting that rather than a rematch of their 2010 battle, he would prefer to fight Junior dos Santos or Jon Jones, fighters he feels match his caliber of competition. Like his prior instigations Sonnen only hopes to get Silva energized enough to make a mistake, while also creating a media storm (it worked) that will induce the UFC to give him the rematch they have promised the former University of Oregon All-American wrestler, should he defeat Mark Munoz on Jan. 28 at UFC on FOX 2 in Chicago. That might not be a given; Sonnen has not faced a wrestler of Munoz's caliber since entering the UFC. For his part "Spider" has remained distant from the drama as he rehabs a recent injury. Should the fight take hold, and should that fight take place in Brazil, you can guarantee that Silva will have a nation on his side, and that Sonnen will hear and feel the insults of as many as 100,000 fans. An Octagon appearance by Chuck Norris Chuck Norris had a fever once, now we have global warming. The man behind the roundhouse kick of justice (Walker, Texas Ranger) became an Internet sensation a few years ago when late night television host Conan O'Brien began performing a skit where he would pull a lever causing segments of the television show to air during the broadcast. People swooned, and soon an underground movement began in the hopes of accrediting the whole of ridiculous, heroic behavior to the native Oklahoman. Opposite Norris' good humor has been the self-important career of Steven Seagal, who waxes philosophical about justice on "Steven Seagal Lawmen." The akido black belt is also the lead in On Deadly Ground, the greatest movie ever written about an eskimo war hero exacting revenge on the proprietors of a mostly legal oil platform in Alaska. Never mind that Seagal's character blows up a pipeline, likely causing incalculable environmental damage - he saves a town from the ire of a greedy oil tycoon! He then gives a speech to congress about the harmful effects of oil. Seagal has recently been seen in the corner of Brazilians Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida, leaving the door open for Norris to make an Octagon appearance of his own. Should he reach new heights and come to the cage, it will no doubt be in the entourage of Chael Sonnen, or Mark Munoz, men who will need to fight the forces of Seagal's sensei vibes with the badass potential of the only man in the world capable of curing cancer with his tears; only he's never cried. New York State overturning MMA ban I live in Chicago and shouldn't care all to much about the legalization of MMA in New York. However, I do and mostly because the ridiculous ban is costing athletes their safety and some of the top moneymaking promotions an opportunity to ply their trade. Taking it a step further, according to document filed by Zuffa in New York Court, fighters are also being denied the ability to express themselves in an artistic form. The entire resistance is centered on a few legislators in the New York State Assembly who get voter traction by having their name be associated with anti-barbarism. These politicians maintain their position in spite of that fact that boxing is potentially the deadliest of the contact sport in the world (sanctioned in New York) and that the cash-strapped state could stand to earn millions in tax revenue from the proliferation of MMA. If the next year brings about one realistic change to the financial and legal landscape of MMA, let us hope that it means we can see a raised eight-sided fence in the middle of Madison Square Garden. And isn't that better than a day pass to the Guggenheim? Zuffa going worldwide Expansion has its costs, is the highly profitable UFC willing to make the leap? There are currently no UFC champions from outside the Americas; this despite the fact that there is no scarier place on the planet than a wrestling tournament in Dagestan, Russia. Should the UFC attempt massive global expansion and introduce regional financial incentives, and possibly a tiered belt system, fans should expect to see new talent emerge from some of the world's toughest pockets of bad-asses. In-particular the Caucuses of Russia. A Mongolian heavyweight, an Indian middleweight and a Filipino lightweight all holding belts legitimizes the sport of MMA as a worldwide phenomenon and validates the fan's perspective that the sport is the truest and most compelling athletic contest on the planet. Bellator offering sustained competition to Zuffa brands Viacom purchased Bellator in October with the plan to beginning airing the promotion's content on Spike in 2013. That makes the company's 2012 fights some of the most important in promotional history. Should Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney retain his talented pool of fighters and intrigue more fans into his tournament format, the promotion could build momentum coming into its expanded deal, something that could offer sustained competition to Zuffa brands UFC and Strikeforce and certify its place as the world's second-best promotion. Comcast picking up FuelTV I don't get it in Chicago. Do you? The UFC's Mizzou prejudice How could current Strikeforce contender Tyron Woodley and Bellator champions Ben Askren and Michael Chandler all be shunned by the UFC? As a fan of MMA and college wrestling, it is tough not to see a bias, even though they're commitment to those organizations is indicative of their managers contacts. Too much of a coincidence that three of the best fighters in the world, who all trained together in college, are left out of the biggest promotion? Woodley, undefeated and set to face Jordan "Young Gun" Mein on Jan. 7, might be bound for the UFC if he keeps up his winning and compels audiences with finishes. Askren will likely stay in Bellator until his striking and marketability improves, or he finishes enough opponents to antagonize the UFC brand into a buyout. Chandler, ever the upstart, will certainly spend a few more years in Bellator showing ownership over his recently acquired strap. The best/worst case scenario might be if Woodley and Askren end up in the same promotion at the same weight, it is a fight neither would be likely to take but that everyone in the wrestling community would love to see.

Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine The 10th edition of The Clash National High School Wrestling Duals is shaping up to be the best one yet. Come this Friday and Saturday, the 32-team field featuring 14 teams in the InterMat Fab 50 -- as well as 38 nationally ranked wrestlers -- will showcase its talents at the UCR Regional Sports Center in Rochester, Minn., the same venue in which the InterMat JJ Classic is held. Given all that is present, there are sure to be some dynamic matchups, both from a team and individual perspective. Nationally Ranked Teams No. 2 St. Edward, Ohio, No. 4 Apple Valley, Minn., No. 5 Brandon, Fla., No. 6 Clovis, Calif., No. 7 St. Paris Graham, Ohio, No. 8 Simley, Minn., No. 13 Christiansburg, Va., No. 19 Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio, No. 31 Carl Sandburg, Ill., No. 33 Colonial Forge, Va., No. 36 St. Michael-Albertville, Minn., No. 46 Kasson-Mantorville, Minn., No. 48 Marist, Ill., and No. 49 Vacaville, Calif. Nationally Ranked Wrestlers 106: No. 14 Coy Ozias (Christiansburg, Va.), No. 16 Dylan Lucas (Brandon, Fla.) 113: No. 10 Tommy Thorn (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.), No. 14 J.R. Wert (Christiansburg, Va.) 120: No. 4 Ryan Taylor (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) 126: No. 1 Dean Heil (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 6 Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.), No. 7 Rossi Bruno (Brandon, Fla.), No. 19 Daniel Gayton (Clovis, Calif.) 132: No. 5 Kevin Norstrem (Brandon, Fla.), No. 9 Edgar Bright (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 10 Ben Morgan (Forest Lake, Minn.), No. 11 Dakota Trom (Apple Valley, Minn.), No. 12 Joey Ward (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio) 138: None 145: No. 4 Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), No. 5 Jake Short (Simley, Minn.), No. 15 Blake Kastl (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 20 Colin Holler (Carl Sandburg, Ill.) 152: No. 1 Bo Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) 160: No. 4 Isaac Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 6 Brandon Kingsley (Apple Valley, Minn.), No. 7 Clark Glass (Brandon, Fla.), No. 10 Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.) 170: No. 3 Mark Martin (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 4 Zach Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), No. 12 Kyle Begin (Anoka, Minn.), No. 14 Ricky Robertson (Carl Sandburg, Ill.) 182: No. 5 Huston Evans (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 10 Micah Barnes (Simley, Minn.), No. 12 Domenic Abounader (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 18 David Reck (Colonial Forge, Va.), No. 19 Daniel Woiwor (Apple Valley, Minn.) 195: No. 19 James Suvak (St. Edward, Ohio) 220: No. 14 Ty Walz (St. Edward, Ohio) 285: No. 4 Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), No. 7 Greg Kuhar (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 9 Sam Stoll (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.), No. 15 Tanner Lowe (Coon Rapids, Minn.) For Day 1 competition on Friday, the field is split into four 8-team brackets, and will wrestle three dual meets each to determine their placement into round-robin mini-tournaments to be held on Saturday. Those teams winning first round matches on Friday will finish in the top four, while those losing can finish as high as fifth. Competition on Saturday features eight 4-team pools involving teams that finished in the same position in their bracket on Friday. Each day includes two sessions, which will feature one-half of the field respectively. Wrestling in the morning session begins at 9 a.m. CT each day, and continues with rounds at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The evening session commences at 4 p.m. CT daily, with subsequent round at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. On Friday, brackets A and B wrestle in the morning, while brackets C and D compete in the evening. On Saturday, top four teams wrestle in the evening, with teams finishing fifth through eighth competing in the morning. No. 2 St. Edward, Ohio, is the anchor team of Bracket A that goes off on Friday morning. The Eagles should have zero problems with Punahou, Hawaii. In fact it would be no surprise if St. Edward swept all 14 matches in this dual meet, which means they would advance to face either Hastings, Minn., or Jefferson, Ga. Hastings features five wrestlers ranked in the top 10 in Class 3A in the most recent rankings from The Guillotine, and Jefferson just dominated the WRAL Tournament in North Carolina with three champs from six finalists. Jefferson is led by two-time state champion Forrest Przybysz (170), who has placed at the Super 32 and NHSCA Junior Nationals in the last year, and state runner-up Jake Sherman (160), who also placed at NHSCA Sophomore Nationals this past April. Hastings is anchored by three-time state placer Eric Bauer (132) and returning state runner-up Isaac Eichmann (220). In reality, one can move St. Edward onto the championship final in Bracket A against either No. 13 Christiansburg, Va., or No. 31 Carl Sandburg, Ill. Even though Arrowhead, Wisc., has three higher profile wrestlers in state champion and Cadet freestyle runner-up Andrew Crone (120), state placer Mitch Berenz (138), and state champion Adam Yde (145), they should pose minimal problem for Christiansburg. The most attractive matches would place Crone against state champion Kyle Dulaney and Berenz against Gabe Lumpp in a battle of wrestlers that took fourth in the state last year. Similar things can be said about ACGC, Minn., and its five wrestlers ranked in the top four of Class 1A facing Carl Sandburg. Two matches of some interest feature Tyler Berghuis (120) facing state champion and Cadet freestyle All-American Sebastian Pique, as well as Larry Bomstad (145) facing state placer and Cadet freestyle champion Colin Holler. The pool semifinal between Christiansburg and Carl Sandburg is one that should be tightly contested. The Blue Demons are favored in four of the first five weight classes with Ozias, Wert, Dance, and Dallas Smith (132). The question becomes if they can find two or three other wins in the back portion of the lineup, other than the expected one from Beast of the East champion Zach Epperly. Remember that Carl Sandburg was a giant killer last year, unexpectedly advancing to the Day 2 championship round-robin. Either way, one would expect St. Edward to advance to the championship pool this year. Bracket B is home to the other team in this field with supreme balance and talent in No. 4 Apple Valley, Minn. Also, the Eagles, they have a comprehensive lineup that should dominate Mitchell, S.D., in the opening round, though two middleweight matches could be of some intrigue. State champion Jason Greenaway going against Kingsley at 160, along with two-time state champion Brent Havlik facing off with NHSCA Junior National runner-up Ben Sullivan at 170. The second round match for Apple Valley would be another one they should dominate against either Coon Rapids, Minn., or Baylor, Tenn. Coon Rapids has two wrestlers ranked first in Class 3A by The Guillotine in Michael Burckhardt (195) and Tanner Lowe (285), while Blaine Tschida (106) is ranked second. Baylor most notably features multiple-time state champions Zach Watson (126) and Brandon Brunner (132); Watson is nationally ranked, having placed at the Super 32 and NHSCA Junior Nationals this year. Again, Apple Valley can be penned into the championship match against one of two teams -- No. 19 Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio, or No. 33 Colonial Forge, Va. Both the Crusaders and Eagles should advance out of the first round with minimal problem before facing off in a tight semifinal match. Colonial Forge draws Owatonna, Minn., in the first round, featuring six wrestlers that are ranked in the top ten of their Class 3A weight class according to The Guillotine. However, none ranks higher than fifth. The best match would have to be at 138, where Colonial Forge features three-time state placer Gary Woods, and Owatonna has Ben Anderson. Moeller should have virtually no problems with Corona del Sol, Ariz. The semifinal should feature multiple tossup matches, including those at 126, 170, and 195. At 126 for Colonial Forge is two-time state placer Michael Hayes, who also placed at the Beast of the East, facing state alternate Tyler Ziegler, who made the second day at the Walsh Ironman. At 170 pounds, it is a battle of state qualifiers with Zach Martinez representing the Eagles, and Michael Blum competing for the Crusaders. Finally at 195, it is a battle of state placers as Beast placer Michael Garrity competes against Moeller's Jerry Thornberry. Either way, look for three-time defending Clash champion Apple Valley to advance to the championship pool for a sixth consecutive year. On the other hand, the two afternoon brackets do not possess a clear favorite. Instead these brackets feature joint favorites, each that should reach the finals with limited challenge. Bracket C has No. 6 Clovis, Calif., and No. 7 St. Paris Graham, Ohio; while Bracket D features No. 5 Brandon, Fla., and No. 8 Simley, Minn. These two brackets also feature another pair of nationally ranked teams -- No. 46 Kasson Mantorville, Minn., and No. 48 Marist, Ill., reside in Bracket C, while No. 36 St. Michael-Albertville, Minn., and No. 49 Vacaville, Calif., reside in Bracket D. Clovis draws a first round match against Anoka, Minn., ranked No. 10 in Class 3A by The Guillotine. Expect this dual meet to be a blowout. However, arguably the highlight match of the 4 p.m. CT session should come from this dual meet at 170 pounds. It will be a battle of nationally ranked wrestlers as three-time state placer Zach Nevills (Clovis) faces state champion Kyle Begin. The other match in the top half of Bracket C places Marist against Luxemburg-Casco, Wis., in what could be a very intriguing dual meet. Marist comes into The Clash after a runner-up finish at the Dvorak, where they had 10 wrestlers earn placement finishes; while Luxemburg-Casco is the top team in Wisconsin's Division 2, and earlier this season out-pointed No. 23 Wisconsin Rapids in a medium-field tournament and has beaten them in a 7-7 match count dual meet. Key swing matches in this dual meet include Peter Andreotti (Marist) against state placer Mike Ullana at 152, freshman Alex Benoit (Marist) against Matt Zellner at 170, and Dvorak runner-up Ethan Benoit (Marist) against Jordan Padonsky at 182. St. Paris Graham draws a first round match against Prior Lake, Minn., which is anchored by state runner-up Tanner Johnshoy (113). There is little in the way of key matches in this dual meet, and this is one that the Falcons should win as handily that a team with some key lineup holes can win. They are looking at a semifinal date with Kasson-Mantorville, after the Komets upend Pierre, S.D., in the first round. The lone real match of interest in that one could be at 120 pounds, with state champion Tanner Monfroe facing off against 2010 state champion Nate Thomas, presuming he is back in the lineup. The St. Paris Graham vs. Kasson-Mantorville semifinal features little in the way of intriguing matchups, with the closest being at 120 pounds -- Nate Thomas against two-time state champion Ryan Taylor. Additional key wrestlers for the Komets are seventh-grader Brady Berge (106), state champion Broc Berge (195), and Cadet National double champion Sam Stoll (285). The showdown between Clovis and St. Paris Graham most likely will come down somewhat to lineup strategy, and somewhat to swing matches. Neither team has proven commodities at 106, 113, 132, or 138. Ryan Taylor should give Graham a win at 120; Daniel Gayton should do the same at 126, though it is a battle of state champions with Micah Jordan wrestling for Graham; two-time California state placer Blake Kastl should be able to give Graham a win at 145 against state qualifier Jason Ladd; two-time state champions Bo Jordan (152) and Isaac Jordan (160) should help the Falcons continue the momentum; three-time placer Zach Nevills turns things around for Clovis temporarily at 170, with Ironman champion Huston Evans set to turn it back for the Falcons at 182 against Ryan Davies; and then look for Clovis to win the back three matches with state placer Dakota Gordon, M. Weiss, and sophomore state champion Nick Nevills. In Bracket D, Brandon opens with Ironwood Ridge, Ariz. The Eagles should advance to the semifinal round with very limited challenge, the only question being how many wins Brandon is able to muster. Their opponent will be the winner of a first round match between nationally ranked Vacaville and Forest Lake. Forest Lake is excellent in the front-to-middle portion of the lineup, as they have six wrestlers ranked in the top ten of their Class 3A weight class according to The Guillotine from 106 to 152. However, their back end is a total liability, one that can get exposed by Vacaville; who has state qualifier Chris Lai, Cadet Greco-Roman All-American Jeremy Sweany, and nationally ranked state placer Johnny Schupp within the last four weights. The best matchup in looking at base lineups is at 106, where Vacaville has state placer Gionn Peralta going against Minnesota Christmas Tournament placer Luke McCord. Brandon should be able to get through either Forest Lake or Vacaville with limited problem; though if it is Forest Lake, the battle between Kevin Norstrem and Ben Morgan would be of high intrigue, while the best individual match against Vacaville would either be Peralta against Dylan Lucas at 106 or Lai against Kyle Koziel at 182. In the other half of Bracket D, Simley should likewise have minimal first round problems with Rapid City Central, S.D. The best wrestler for Rapid City Central would be Evan Weiler (132), returning state placer Aero Amo at 170 pounds, and Jake Weber (285). Against Simley, that makes the most intriguing match for Weber against two-time state qualifier Matt Kadrlik. The other opening dual in the bottom half is also one of limited intrigue with St. Michael-Albertville facing Lewiston, Idaho. However, the individual match at 126 could place state champion Josh Carlton for Lewiston against two-time state placer and Cadet freestyle All-American Cole Sladek. While Simley would be favored against St. Michael-Albertville in the semifinal of this bracket, there are some matches of interest, starting at 113 pounds where state champions and Cadet freestyle All-Americans Tommy Thorn (STMA) and Kyle Gliva would take to the mats. At 126, it would be Sladek against 2010 state placer Juan Torres. Three additional matches of interest that involve Minnesota Christmas Tournament placers against each other take place at 132, 138, and 285 ... Mark Voss vs. Stephen Mincey at 132, Lincoln Mallinger vs. Mack Short at 138, Michael Kessler against Matt Kadrlik at 285. Even though Brandon has more high-profile national level wrestlers, their lack of quality in the back three weights could adversely affect them in the championship match as Simley has two very solid wrestlers in those weight classes -- state qualifier Cody Hazlett (195) and two-time state qualifier Kadrlik. In addition, three swing matches matches merit attention, as Brandon will probably need two of them to make it a 7-7 dual meet. At 113 pounds, the match between James Flint (Brandon) and Kyle Gliva features a pair of wrestlers that were state champions and Cadet All-Americans in the last year; 138 pounds features freshman state placer Troy Joyce (Brandon) against sophomore state qualifier Mack Short; while it is a pair of unproven wrestlers at 220. On paper, Brandon should get wins from Dylan Lucas (106), Rossi Bruno (126) over Torres, Kevin Norstrem (132) over Mincey, Clark Glass (160), and Jacob Haydock (170); while Simley is favored with Pedro DeLao (120) over Victor Fugate, Jake Short (145) over Dakota Greene, Nick Wanzek (152) over Travis Berridge, Micah Barnes (182) over Koziel, Hazlett, and Kardlik. Predicted Day 2 (Evening) Pools Teams are listed by predicted order of finish 1st: St. Edward, Apple Valley, Clovis, Simley 2nd: Brandon, St. Paris Graham, Christiansburg, Cincinnati Moeller 3rd: Carl Sandburg, Colonial Forge, St. Michael-Albertville, Marist/Luxemburg-Casco/Kasson-Mantorville 4th: Marist/Luxemburg-Casco/Kasson-Matorville, Vacaville, Hastings, Coon Rapids/Baylor

Note: Recap items use the previous rankings (team updated Dec. 21, and individual updated Dec. 14). Preview items use the new rankings (team and individual) published today. 45th Annual POWERade Christmas Wrestling Tournament Dates: Thursday, Dec. 29 and Friday, Dec. 30 Location Canon-McMillan High School (Canonsburg, Pa.) Key Note: The quarterfinals (Thursday 7:30 p.m.), semifinals (Friday 11:30 a.m.), consolation finals (5:00 p.m.), and championship finals (7:30 p.m.) will be streamed live at the following link -- http://www.wrestlingreport.com/stream/combined.htm Top Teams (Pennsylvania unless noted): No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J., No. 11 Canon McMillan, No. 26 Central Dauphin, No. 50 Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Norristown, Solanco, and Walsh Jesuit, Ohio Notable Wrestlers (Pennsylvania unless noted): 106: No. 10 Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic), Zach Elvin (Central Dauphin), Ricky Cavallo (Hempfield), A.C. Headlee (Waynesburg) 113: No. 3 Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 19 Michael Kemerer (Franklin Regional), Brandon Thompson (Solon, Ohio), Sam Krivus (Hempfield), Dalton Macri (Canon McMillan), Jeremy Schwartz (Central Dauphin), Zach Fuentes (Norristown) 120: No. 15 Godwin Nyama (Brashear), No. 18 P.J. Klee (Blair Academy, N.J.), Cory Stainbrook (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio), Thomas Traxler (Bellefonte) 126: No. 2 Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area), No. 14 Corey Keener (Blue Mountain), No. 17 Max Hvolbek (Blair Academy, N.J.), Eric Friedman (St. Paul's, Md.), Colton Shorts (Canon McMillan), Michael Kostandaras (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio) 132: No. 3 Mark Grey (Blair Academy, N.J.), Tyson Dippery (Central Dauphin), Colt Cotten (Benton), Mack McGuire (Upper St. Clair), Dennis Gustafson (Forest Park, Va.) 138: No. 1 Nate Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio), No. 5 Todd Preston (Blair Academy, N.J.), Shyheim Brown (Central Dauphin), Fox Baldwin (Oscoela, Fla.), Justin Arthur (Huntington, W.Va.) 145: No. 8 Solomon Chisko (Canon McMillan), No. 9 Anthony Collica (Solon, Ohio), No. 10 Dylan Milonas (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 11 Matt Cimato (LaSalle), No. 19 Ty Lydic (Greater Latrobe) 152: No. 20 Garrett Peppelman (Central Dauphin), Russ Parsons (Blair Academy, N.J.), Casey Kent (LaSalle, Pa.), Peter Galli (St. Paul's, Md.), Kevin Johnson (Forest Park, Va.), Tyler Manion (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) 160: No. 1 Chance Marsteller (Kennard Dale), No. 17 Brett Harner (Norristown), Patrick Coover (Blair Academy, N.J.), Zack Zavatsky (Greater Latrobe) 170: No. 5 Cody Wiercioch (Canon McMillan), Tyler Rill (Mt. St. Joseph, Md.), Shane Springer (Norristown), Connor Moran (Solanco), Adam Bicak (Ripley, W.Va.) 182: Dakota DesLauriers (Burrell), Ryan Burnheimer (Westmont Hilltop), Michael Mocco (Blair Academy, N.J.) 195: No. 13 Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy, N.J.), Scott Mohring (Greater Latrobe) 220: No. 9 Thomas Haines (Solanco), David Farr (Blair Academy, N.J.), Alex Campbell (Canon McMillan), Zack DeLuca (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) 285: No. 1 Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 16 Cody Klempay (Canon McMillan), Josh Duplin (Westmont Hilltop) History made and upsets abound in Land of Lincoln's showcase event Last week's high school notebook lead was about the extreme depth of the 113 pound weight class. Even with a pair of nationally ranked state champions scratching from the tournament -- No. 10 Matt Garelli (Oak Park Fenwick, Ill.) and No. 12 Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy, Ill.) -- as well as 2010 state champion John Wells (Milton, Wis.) moving up one weight class, the 113 pound weight class remained one of the tournament's main story lines. It included arguably the tournament's most impressive performance in the championship run of Jordan Northrup (Machesney Park Harlem, Ill.), who made it three consecutive years in which the host school would earn a weight class title. He advanced to the semifinals with a pair of pins, including one against returning state placer Mark Duda (Marist, Ill.). In that semifinal, Northrup earned a 6-4 upset victory over No. 5 Phillip Laux (Iowa City West, Iowa) on the strength of a first period takedown and third period reversal. The championship final saw Northrup upend yet another state placer in Jordan Laster (Montini Catholic, Ill.) 11-5, one round after Laster defeated defending Dvorak champion Jared Parvinmehr (Barrington, Ill.) by a 2-1 decision in the semfinal. Things went from not good to worse for Laux, as he would lose in the third place match as well, 9-6 to Duda. It was also that kind of tournament for No. 20 Iowa City West, as the Trojans placed only six wrestlers to finish third in the standings with 178.5 points. No. 12 Dakota Bauer, competing at 132 pounds, was their sole champion, and even his journey was imperfect -- struggling to win 4-3 over Chris Garcia (Montini Catholic, Ill.) in a somewhat controversial semifinal match. Two nationally ranked Iowa City West wrestlers were also upended in the championship round. No. 13 Jack Hathaway fell to defeat against No. 5 (at 132) Eddie Klimara (Providence Catholic, Ill.) by a 7-2 score. With that result, Klimara became just the second four-time Dvorak champion joining former teammate Edwin Cooper who won his fourth just last year. Then for the second straight year, No. 7 Justin Koethe was knocked off in the finals at 160 pounds -- coming in to the match with an undefeated record, and facing an unranked wrestler that also had an undefeated record. This year, Koethe entered the match 23-0, the vast majority of those wins coming by first period fall (including three earlier ones in this tournament). However the final was a different story, as returning state runner-up Shaun'Qae McMurtry (Lockport, Ill.) came through with the 6-3 victory. McMurtry would not be the lone champion for Lockport to win a battle of undefeated wrestlers, as No. 7 Brad Johnson did the same at 195 pounds. However, both competitors in this match were nationally ranked, having won state championships and Junior National freestyle All-American honors in the last calendar year. Johnson earned the 6-4 victory over No. 3 Gage Harrah (Crystal Lake Central, Ill.), and was also named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler. From the team standpoint, No. 29 Montini Catholic, Ill. made it three Dvorak Memorial championships in four years, as the Broncos scored 205.5 points on the strength of nine placers, including seven in the top three. The lone champion was Kevon Powell (120); Laster and Drew Vrebenec (138) finished in second place; while Tommy Pawleski (106), Chris Garcia (132), Conor Winel (170), and Edgar Ruano (220) earned third place finishes. Second in the standings was Marist, Ill. with 182.5 points. Despite having no champions, the Red Hawks had a tournament-high ten placers, including a pair of runner-up finishes from juniors Ethan Benoit (182) and Tom Howell (220). In addition, only one of those place finishers was a senior, Joe Galason who finished seventh at 160 pounds. Fourth in the standings went to Barrington, Ill. with 171 points, eight placers, including a pair of champions in Adrian Gonzalez (106) and Cameron Thomson (170), while fifth went to No. 35 Glenbard North, Ill. with 157 points on the strength of a championship from No. 4 Brian Murphy (152) and seven placers despite the absence of No. 5 Jered Cortez at 120 pounds. Additional weight class champions were Clayton Lutzow (Crystal Lake Central, Ill.) at 138 pounds, No. 7 Bryce Brill (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) at 145, Ian Johnson (Milton, Wis.) at 182, Mike Swider (Wheaton North, Ill.) at 220, and Rob Bain (Bolingbrook, Ill.) at 285. Medina Invitational Wrestling Tournament Dates: Wednesday, Dec. 28 and Thursday, Dec. 29 Location Medina High School (Medina, Ohio) Top Teams (Ohio unless noted): No. 15 Detroit Catholic Central, Mich., No. 27 Massillon Perry, Lexington, CVCA, and Richmond, Mich. Notable Wrestlers (Ohio unless noted): 106: David Bavery (Massillon Perry), Cody Burcher (Claymont), Ruben Victoria (Mason), Trevor Zdebski (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) 113: No. 2 Nathan Tomasello (CVCA), Ryan Hornack (Medina) 120: Calvin Campbell (Lexington), Luke Langdon (Claymont), Stephen Ireland (Richmond, Mich.) 126: Ken Bade (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), Trevor Fiorucci (Olentangy), Ryan Murdock (Dublin Coffman) 132: Malik Amine (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), Josh Decatur (CVCA), Logan Strope (Lancaster), Devin Skataza (Richmond, Mich.) 138: No. 20 Mitch Newhouse (Massillon Perry), Logan Marcicki (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), Anthony Fosco (Olentangy), Garrett Edwards (Richmond, Mich.) 145: No. 16 Jake Faust (Lexington), Alec Mooradian (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), Kyle Warner (Claymont), Matt Hammer (Medina), Matt Dobben (CVCA) 152: No. 11 Zack Dailey (Massillon Perry), Alex Bergman (Oak Harbor), Nick Mason (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), Colin Rininger (Medina Highland), Justin Stitzlein (West Holmes) 160: Andrew Garcia (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), Nick Corba (Beavercreek) 170: No. 7 Felipe Martinez (Genoa), Vince Pickett (Grove City Central Crossing), Garrick Montgomery (Ashland Crestview) 182: Kevin Beazley (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), Adam Kluk (Medina Highland) 195: Joe Tayse (Massillon Perry), Josh Lehner (Lexington), Evan Rosborogh (Painesville Riverside) 220: No. 10 Matt Meadows (CVCA), Greg Sebastian (Richmond, Mich.) 285: Mike Brown (Sandusky), Bryan Young (Olentangy) South Plainfield rallies to set tone in the Garden State The top two nationally ranked teams that compete in NJSIAA wrestling (No. 1 Blair Academy competes in the National Prep championships, not sponsored by the state association) met this past Thursday night, as No. 34 South Plainfield made their way to No. 40 Bergen Catholic's house for a dual meet. With the starting weight being 160, things were set up for Bergen Catholic to start out strong. The match started with Beast of the East runner-up Johnny Sebastian (160) and state alternate Alex Kruklinski (170) securing major decisions for Bergen Catholic. The train would continue rolling with decisions from Luke Iorio (182), Christian Jenco (195), Hunter Kiselick (220), and Carmine Goldstack (285) before a 17-7 major decision from Tyler Casamenti (106) gave them a 24-0 lead heading into the meat of the South Plainfield lineup. Sophomore Ray Jazikoff (113) buffered the momentum and got the Tigers on the board with a 14-4 major decision, before state runner-up No. 10 Troy Heilman (120) scored a pin and two-time undefeated state champion No. 5 Anthony Ashnault (126) earned technical fall to reduce the South Plainfield deficit to 24-15 heading into arguably the key match of the evening at 132 pounds between two-time state qualifier Scott Del Vecchio and two-time state placer Connor Melde, who placed third at the recently completed Beast. With the score tied 2-2 in the second period, the wrestlers butted heads, and Melde was unfortunately not able to continue as he was diagnosed by medical staff to have a concussion. Momentum was firmly with South Plainfield, and the Tigers sealed the dual meet with a first period pin from state placer Tyler Hunt (138), a 7-2 decision from Super32 placer Corey Stasenko (145), and a 13-0 major decision from Dylan Painton (152) to earn the 34-24. The dual meet victory establishes South Plainfield as the early team to beat in the Garden State, and shows the continued relevance that Bergen Catholic will have this year -- especially if/when Melde is able to return to the mats. In addition, they should get back three-time regional qualifier Charlie Mitchell (126) from injury and state qualifier James Dawson (152/160) transitioning back from football at some point during the season. Lowell, Mich. at Glenbard North, Ill. -- nationally ranked teams collide This coming Thursday at noon ET a pair of nationally ranked teams will take to the mats at Glenbard North High School just outside of Chicago, Illinois. The Red Arrows from Lowell, Mich. -- ranked No. 45 nationally -- travel to take on the No. 39 Panthers in a dual meet. Below are the projected matchups. 106: Jack Bailey, L (7th at state) vs. Richard Browne, GN (No. 2 in 3A per IM) 113: TBD, L vs. Chris Gonzalez, GN (No. 9 in 3A per IM) 120: TBD, L vs. No. 5 Jered Cortez, GN (state champion, Junior freestyle All-American) 126: Nate Limmex/Jordan Hall, L (No. 2/10 in D2 at 125 per MG) vs. Jon Marmolejo, GN (state qualifier, Cadet Greco-Roman All-American) 132: Hall/Limmex, L vs. Johnny Gosinski, GN (4th at state) 138: TBD, L vs. Cody Brandle, GN 145: Gabe Morse, L (state champion, FloNationals 8th) vs. Dan Johnson, GN (Dvorak placer) 152: No. 13 Andrew Morse, L (state champion, FloNationals 3rd) vs. No. 4 Brian Murphy, GN (state runner-up, Junior freestyle runner-up) 160: Angus Arthur, L (No. 5 in D2 at 152 per MG) vs. Davis Jimque, GN 170: Kamron Dean, L (state qualifier) vs. David Johnson, GN 182: Jake Stehley, L (state qualifier) vs. Dan Fierro, GN (Dvorak placer) 195: No. 2 Gabe Dean, L (state champion, FloNationals runner-up) vs. Dan Eldridge, GN 220: Garrett Stehley, L (4th at state) vs. Cezar Vega, GN 285: Luke Stephens (state qualifier) vs. Dan McHale, GN **Glenbard North also has junior Mario Rodriguez who could fit in the lineup between 145 and 160, though he did not compete in the Dvorak **MG = Michigan Grappler, IM = Illinois Matmen Brandon asserts superiority in the southeast with Kyle Maynard Duals title This past Wednesday's Kyle Maynard Duals hosted by Collins Hill featured some of the best teams that the southeastern United States brings to the table. However, when the day was said and done, No. 5 Brandon, Fla. stood out as best of them all. Brandon dominated three dual meets in their preliminary pool -- 58-20 over Woodland, Ga., 58-18 over Bremen, Ga., and 45-24 over McCallie, Tenn. -- to advance to a semifinal collision with Soddy Daisy, Tenn., which the Eagles won 45-24. The other standout team of the duals was No. 25 Collins Hill, Ga., who likewise dominated their preliminary pool with three victories -- 54-21 over Manatee, Fla., 69-6 over Cass, Ga., and 60-16 over Peachtree Ridge, Ga. They advanced to the finals with a 43-30 semifinal victory over Baylor, Tenn. In the championship match, Collins Hill scored victories in the three opening matches -- Sean Russell with a forfeit at 106 pounds, Ryan Millhof upending James Flint 3-2 at 113 in a battle of Super32 placers, and Drew Ferguson knocked off Victor Fugate 4-2 at 120. Brandon righted the ship with dominant victories from two of their anchor wrestlers -- No. 7 Rossi Bruno with a pin at 126 and No. 6 Kevin Norstrem with a 12-4 major decision victory over state runner-up Steven Bradtmuller at 132. Collins Hill got a first period pin from Spencer Rickman at 138 before the Brandon barrage of seven straight victories began -- Dakota Greene with a 10-5 victory at 145, Travis Berridge with a first period pin at 152, No. 6 Clark Glass with an 11-3 major decision at 160, Jacob Haydock with a first period pin at 170, Kyle Koziel with a 7-2 victory over Ironman placer Andrew Krawulski at 182, Robert Enmon with the 9-5 win at 195, and Jonathan Sumitt with the 8-2 victory at 220. Super32 placer Zach Carmin did get Collins Hill a victrory at 285 with a first period pin, but by then it was too little and too late. Rumble on the Red Dates: Thursday, Dec. 29 and Friday, Dec. 30 Location Fargo Dome (Fargo, N.D.) Top Teams: No. 35 Scott West, Minn.; Foley, Minn.; West Fargo, N.D.; Jackson County Central, Minn.; Skutt Catholic, Neb. Notable Wrestlers: 106: No. 17 Jared Oftedahl (Benilde St. Margaret's, Minn.), Zach Siegle (Scott West, Minn.), Trevor Westerlund (Albert Lea, Minn.), Thomas Walton (Fargon North, N.D.) 113: Jordan Shearer (West Fargo, N.D.), Tristan Manderfield (Foley, Minn.), J.T. Sloboth (Skutt Catholic, Neb.) 120: Brett Stolarzyk (Stewartville, Minn.), Nick O'Brien (Wayzata, Minn.), Griffin Parriott (New London, Minn.), Luke Betchwars (Scott West, Minn.) 126: No. 8 Mitch Bengtson (St. Cloud Apollo, Minn.), Mitch Lexvold (Kenyon-Wanamingo, Minn.), Luke Zilverberg (Scott West, Minn.), Jake Walker (Skutt Catholic, Neb.), Keith Thell (Foley, Minn.) 132: No. 4 Thomas Gilman (Skutt Catholic, Neb.), Evan Hietpas (Kaukauna, Wis.), Oakley McClain (Kenyon-Wanamingo, Minn.), Ryan Becker (Napoleon, N.D.) 138: Nate Lynn (Adrian, Minn.), Drake Borsgard (Windom, Minn.), Andrew Fogarty (Scott West, Minn.), Anjelo Shepard (West Fargo, N.D.) 145: Gabe Fogarty (Scott West, Minn.), Grant Nehring (St. Cloud Apollo, Minn.), Adam Cooling (Madelia-Truman, Minn.), Brad Maas (Medford, Minn.) 152: No. 8 Jared Reis (Napoleon, N.D.), Curt Maas (Medford, Minn.), Adam Jackson (Rosemount, Minn.), Charlie Pesch (Scott West, Minn.), Zane Sackett (Skutt Catholic, Neb.), Travis Holt (Cambridge-Isanti, Minn.) 160: Taylor Lewandowski (Foley, Minn.), Cody Skog (Cambridge-Isanti, Minn.), Darik Vacura (Jackson County Central, Minn.), Grant Randall (Skutt Catholic, Neb.) 170: No. 9 Cooper Moore (Jackson County Central, Minn.), Trey Hable (Albert Lea, Minn.), Nick Dvorak (Scott West, Minn.), Tommy Longendyke (White Bear Lake, Minn.), Scott Van De Loo (Kaukauna, Wis.) 182: No. 16 Preston Lehmann (West Fargo, N.D.), Clayton Jennisen (Cambridge-Isanti, Minn.), Lance Benick (Totino-Grace, Minn.), 195: No. 16 Nathan Rotert (Spearfish, S.D.), Tom Peterson (Lakeville North, Minn.), Adam Josephson (Minneota, Minn.), Jarren Jensen (Rapid City Stevens, S.D.), Drew Johnson (West Fargo, N.D.) 220: No. 4 Michael Kroells (Scott West, Minn.), Josh Overbecke (Minneota, Minn.), Alex Howard (Skutt Catholic, Neb.), Andrew Beine (Napoleon, N.D.) 285: Jerrad Nieland (St. Cloud Tech, Minn.), Kyle Weimann (Elk River, Minn.), Tommy Doeden (Hillsboro, N.D.) Scott West with mild upset over STMA in Gopher State showdown Thursday night also marked a showcase of top 40 teams in the Gopher State, as No. 36 St. Michael-Albertville collided with No. 39 Scott West in a dual meet. St. Michael-Albertville came in having out-pointed Scott West by four points for third place at last weekend's Minnesota Christmas tournament. The dual meet started at 106 pounds, where David Flynn (Scott West) upended Aaron Dick by a 6-4 decision. However, the rest of the lower weights went the way of St. Michael-Albertville, as they won the next five matches, but were only able to get one bonus point victory. No. 11 Tommy Thorn defeated Zach Siegle 8-4 in a match of Cadet freestyle All-Americans at 113 pounds. Then, Scott West gambled and lost, as they moved up two state placers in the lineup. The resulting match between unproven wrestlers at 120 went in favor of STMA, as Colton Schoen earned a 9-1 major decision victory over Phillip Dvorak. The next two matches would now feature four wrestlers that placed in the state tournament, but were matches in which STMA had an on-paper advantage. That advantage held up, as Cole Sladek scored a 10-5 victory over Luke Betchwars at 126, and Mark Voss beat Luke Zilverberg by a narrow 3-2 score at 132. The final result in the five-match win string was a 1-0 decision for Lincoln Mallinger over Andrew Fogarty at 138 pounds, which gave STMA the 16-3 lead through six matches heading into the meat of the Scott West lineup. Scott West would answer with five consecutive wins of their own starting at 145 pounds, where they dropped 152 pound Minnesota Christmas Tournament runner-up Gabe Fogarty into the lineup to get a pin against 2010 state placer Wayne Voss. That reduced the deficit down to 16-9. At 152 pounds, Patrick Dvorak entered the Scott West lineup after not wrestling in the MCT, and earned a 13-2 major decision victory. Then, at 160, state placer Charlie Pesch won 9-4; state qualifier Nick Dvorak scored a second period pin at 170; and Jake Deweese scored a 16-1 technical fall at182 pounds to extend the lead to 27-16. At 195 pounds, St. Michael-Albertville would stem the momentum with a third period pin from MCT placer Mitchell Eull, as Scott West sent out a reserve wrestler in order to bump starters up into the last two weight classes. At 220 pounds, STMA did not have MCT placer Nick Edling, but his backup Bennie Wilson still scored a 6-2 victory over Mike Riker who placed eight at 195 pounds in last week's MCT. Then, in the evening's last match, with a 27-25 dual meet lead, No. 4 (at 220) Michael Kroells sealed the deal for Scott West with a second period pin over MCT placer Michael Kessler.

Oliver Pierce (Allen, Texas), one of the nation's top juniors, has given a verbal commitment to the University of Oklahoma. Oliver Pierce was a Junior National double AA (Photo/Dave Jedlicka, jedicheetah.com)He is ranked No. 8 nationally at 160 pounds and 11th overall among juniors. Pierce reached the bronze medal match at the 2011 FILA Cadet World Championships in freestyle at 69 kilos (152 pounds). Pierce was a Junior National double All-American this past summer in Fargo, finishing runner-up in Greco-Roman and fifth in freestyle. He was a Cadet National freestyle champion in 2010, and a Cadet National Greco-Roman champion in 2009. Pierce entered his junior season with a career record of 84-1. He was an undefeated state champion as a freshman in 2010.

Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images There are doubles. There are blast doubles. And then there are Brock Lesnar train wreck doubles. You can witness the difference, but only those who have felt the shoulder of a 265-pound man crunching their rib know the pain. In college it was dozens upon dozens of opponents each falling victim to the NCAA champion's mat-crossing, high amplitude feats. In the Octagon it has been a smattering of fighters, but if Lesnar is hoping to for another shot at the UFC title he will need to do it at least one more time. Next up for the former UFC heavyweight champion is Alistair Overeem, who Lesnar will meet in the Octagon on Dec. 30 at UFC 141 in Las Vegas. Overeem is one of the most feared strikers in the heavyweight division, leveling opponents with heavy fists and quick kicks. It is a skill set Lesnar will hope to counter with his powerful double leg. Both fighters showed latitude this week at the UFC press conference by acknowledging that given their matrix of mass and aggressiveness, that the fight was unlikely to reach a five round decision. "This is a heavyweight fight that we're both going in to finish," said Lesnar. "I don't foresee it going five rounds." The key to Lesnar's success next Saturday will be finding the correct timing to land a big takedown without being clipped by the Dutchman's array of kicks and punches. It's a gamble that the UFC brass seems willing to take with their most marketable star, Lesnar is the promotion's largest pay-per-view draw. Lesnar's biggest lesson about what not to do in Saturday's fight might come from the last opponent to defeat him inside the Octagon, former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. Velasquez fought current champ Junior dos Santos on UFC on FOX 1, where many expected that the former All-American wrestler from Arizona State would attempt to move the fight to the ground, where he would feel more comfortable issuing a ground and pound and avoiding the superior boxing of the Brazilian. However, instead of a horizontal hip shuffle, Velasquez inexplicably opted to stand and trade with JDS. It was Velasquez's first defeat. Though wrestling as a sport and training ground has proven to be the most powerful asset in MMA, it's the double leg that has been the most utilized and transferable skill, even picked up by Just ask Josh Koscheck, who gave up several double legs in his first loss to uber technique-minded Georges St. Pierre. Even though wrestlers in MMA were once decried by basement bloggers more interested in stand-and-trade boxing than mixed martial arts, the wrestling-first approach is becoming more successful for more fighters. At the core of that guiding skill set is the ability to hit an open double, a skill that this year won America's Jordan Burroughs a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the World Championships. Overeem, the Strikeforce transplant with 10 kickboxing wins, including a TKO in the finals of the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix, has been a stand-up expert in his last four fights -- finishing three of those with his feet, hands and knees. It is a powerful combination of skills but lost in the exultation of his striking ability is his solid submission game, which includes four straight submission victories in 2008 and 2009. Lesnar's not without some wrestler-based jiu-jitsu, withstanding submission attempts by Frank Mir in their second fight and tapping former top contender Shane Carwin with an arm triangle at UFC 116 in 2010 - a submission set up by a double leg. For Lesnar to navigate the potent pugilism and adept submission game, and for the UFC to retain its hottest commodity, the former Minnesota wrestler will have to trust the most dependable of his skills. Should Overeem land shots like Velasquez did against Lesnar then the former WWE star might be headed back to the bright lights of the organization that propelled him into stardom. And that is whole different type of train wreck.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern hosts the 49th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships Dec. 29-30 at Welsh-Ryan Arena and today the tournament committee announced the top contenders for this year's event. Although the final seeding for Midlands may extend beyond the top eight at each weight class, the pre-tournament contenders are subject to change. Final brackets for the event will be released the morning of Thursday, Dec. 29. A complete list of tournament contenders is as follows: 125: 1. Jesse Delgado, Illinois 2. Matt McDonough, Iowa 3. Jarrod Patterson, Oklahoma 4. Levi Mele, Northwestern 5. Ryak Finch, Iowa State 6. Trent Sprenkle, North Dakota State 7. Joe Roth, Central Michigan 8. Jared Germaine, Eastern Michigan Other Contenders: Shane Gentry, Maryland Garrett Frey, Princeton Nick Smith, Northern Illinois Tyler Iwamura, CSU Bakersfield Jarrod Garnett, Virginia Tech (Unattached) 133: 1. Tony Ramos, Iowa 2. Devin Carter, Virginia Tech 3. AJ Schopp, Edinboro 4. BJ Futrell, Illinois 5. Cashe' Quiroga, Purdue 6. Brian Ortenzio, Penn 7. Steven Keith, Harvard 8. Ryan Mango, Stanford Other Contenders: Tyler Clark, Iowa Jordan Keller, Oklahoma Geoffrey Alexander, Maryland Tom Kelliher, Wisconsin 141: 1. Montell Marion, Iowa 2. Boris Novachkov, Cal Poly 3. Zach Kemmerer, Penn 4. Kendric Maple, Oklahoma 5. Stephen Dutton, Lehigh 6. Matt Mariarcher, American 7. Zach Neibert, Virginia Tech 8. Mitchell Port, Edinboro Other Contenders: Frank Goodwin, Maryland Jimmy Kircher, Rider Billy Ashnault, Rutgers Bebeto Yewah, UW Lacrosse Adam Krop, Princeton Scott Mattingly, Central Michigan 149: 1. Mario Mason, Rutgers 2. Jake Patacsil, Notre Dame WC 3. Eric Terrazas, Illinois 4. Ivan Lopouchanski, Purdue 5. Nick Lester, Oklahoma 6. David Habat, Edinboro 7. Cole Schmitt, Wisconsin 8. Josh Wilson, Utah Valley Other Contenders: Derek Valenti, Virginia (Unattached) Stephen Robertson, Penn Kaleb Friedley, Northwestern Kevin Tao, American Zac Cibula, Rider 157: 1. Derek St. John, Iowa 2. Jason Welch, Northwestern 3. Ganbayar Sanjaa, American 4. James Fleming, Clarion 5. Matt Lester, Oklahoma 6. Steve Monk, North Dakota State 7. Kyle John, Maryland 8. Donnie Corby, Central Michigan Other Contenders: Joey Napoli, Lehigh Aaron Sulzer, Eastern Michigan David Bonin, Northern Iowa John Gresheimer, Edinboro Dillon Bera, Wisconsin Parkside 165: 1. Steve Fittery, DCAC 2. Josh Asper, Maryland 3. Scott Winston, Rutgers 4. Andrew Sorenson, Iowa State 5. Bekzod Abdurakhmanov, Clarion 6. Brandon Hatchett, Lehigh 7. Peter Yates, Virginia Tech 8. Mike Evans, Iowa Other Contenders: Luke Manuel, DCAC Ben Jordan, Wisconsin Pat Smith, Minnesota (Unattached) Lester France, Eastern Michigan 174: 1. Ryan DeRoches, Cal Poly 2. Chris Spangler, Iowa State 3. Ethen Lofthouse, Iowa 4. Jordan Blanton, Illinois 5. Greg Zannetti, Rutgers 6. Jim Resnick, Rider 7. Lee Munster, Northwestern 8. Jimmy Sheptock, Maryland Other Contenders: John Martin-Cannon, Buffalo Phillip Joseph, Eastern Michigan Chase Nelson, Oklahoma Luke Rynish, Wisconsin Parkside 184: 1. Robert Hamlin, Lehigh 2. Ryan Loder, Northern Iowa 3. Ben Bennett, Central Michigan 4. Boaz Beard, Iowa State 5. Erich Schmidtke, Oklahoma 6. Brad Dieckhaus, Northern Illinois 7. Braden Atwood, Purdue 8. Tony Dallago, Illinois Other Contenders: John Dickson, Virginia Tech Vinny Wagner, Iowa Cameron Croy, Harvard 197: 1. Chris Honeycutt, Edinboro 2. Joe Kennedy, Lehigh 3. Micah Burak, Penn 4. Christian Boley, Maryland 5. Byron Tate, Wartburg 6. Daniel Mitchell, American 7. Grant Gambrall, Iowa 8. Mario Gonzalez, Illinois Other Contenders: Ryan Smith, Cal Poly Alex Thomas, Clarion Nick Vetterlein, Virginia Tech Dan Rinaldi, Rutgers AJ Kissel, Purdue 285: 1. Ryan Flores, American 2. Jarod Trice, Central Michigan (Unattached) 3. Zach Rey, Lehigh 4. Peter Sturgeon, Central Michigan 5. Bobby Telford, Iowa 6. Spencer Myers, Maryland 7. Ernest James, Edinboro 8. Blake Rasing, Iowa Other Contenders: John Helgerson, Wartburg WC Quintas McCorkle, Clarion Mike McMullan, Northwestern Atticus Disney, Cal Poly

Whether it's a movie or a book, folks love sequels. After all, it's fun to revisit a cast of characters we've come to know, spend more time with them, and experience new adventures together. That's the case with To Be The Best: Rematch, the latest novel from former wrestler H.L. Hertel ... sequel to his first book, To Be The Best, published three years ago, which focused on the lives of Ron and Nick Castle, Midwest high school wrestlers, their teammates, and the assistant coach at their school, Sean MacCallister. Both books are published by HH Castle-Mac Publishing. At the website for his books, Hertel cited the strong support from readers of the original To Be The Best as a significant incentive for finishing the sequel, saying that readers from various ages and walks of life -- not just wrestlers -- contacted the author to tell him how the first novel had a positive impact on their lives. "I've been working on this project for about 17 years, working on the sequel along with the first one," Hertel said in the most recent interview for InterMat. Hertel's original intent, according to a 2008 interview with InterMat, was to write a screenplay, which then took on a new life as a book ... then, eventually, two. Tackling tough topics not covered in most wrestling novels Weighing in at 234 pages, Rematch returns to Riverside High School for another school year. Older brother Ron Castle is a gifted athlete who made the state finals as a sophomore; his brother Nick may not have the natural wrestling talent of his sibling, but makes up for it with hard work and undeniable competitive spirit. The Castle brothers symbolize a long-standing argument in all sports that's a variation of nature vs. nurture: "Which is better: innate, natural talent ... or can training and perseverance overcome any shortcomings in talent?" Despite the differences in talent, both boys share the dream of being a state champion. Readers of Rematch can't help but notice the author's introduction, in which he shares his wife's reaction after her initial read-through of the book: "'Wow, this is dark,' was her first comment," Hertel writes. The author continues in the book's introduction, "Her first impression about sums up the tone set for the second installment of the To Be The Best series. The first novel dealt the characters several challenges but, by and large, the high schoolers all came from homes that remind me of my own growing up -- stable, with two loving parents. With that firmly in place, I turned to the background story of the assistant coach [Sean MacCallister] to create a home life that is the antithesis of my own." H.L. HertelAs Hertel points out at the website for the two books, MacCallister has to deal with more than his fair share of challenges ... and that's apparent from the opening pages of Rematch, and throughout the new book, as the likeable assistant coach battles alcohol dependence, a recurring health issue, unfair allegations of unlawful behavior, and job loss, among other difficulties. "At the end of the day, I am confident that the values inherent in Sean MacCallister, along with his ability to persevere and learn from some poor choices, will not only capture the minds and hearts of school-aged readers but serve as a guidepost for capturing their potential to be the best," Hertel said of the assistant coach character. When asked about these elements -- and the overall grittiness of Rematch, especially compared to many other wrestling novels -- Hertel responded, "The new book is a step more mature than the original. I would say that the first book was geared to readers seventh grade and up, while the sequel is more for ninth grade and up." Addressing one recurring element throughout Rematch, Hertel said, "I wanted to portray alcohol abuse in a realistic way, and show what it can do to damage relationships." Another mature aspect of the new book that is rarely addressed in most high school wrestling novels is what could be called the politics of coaching. Rematch hits these elements head-on, with battles among the coaches at Riverside (including an assistant -- not Sean MacCallister -- who seems to put career advancement ahead of good relations with other staff members), and how coaches treat young athletes, for example, how to motivate wrestlers to do well, and whether the coaches recognize hard work. "Politics, whether at work or school, is something humans bring to the table," said Hertel. "Just because you're the best person for the job doesn't mean you'll get it. Someone with an agenda gets in the way -- I thought that would be an interesting plot device." In addressing the more adult issues addressed in Rematch, the author concluded, "I would urge parents that they might want to take a spin through the book first." Response from test readers ... and those in the real world All that said, Rematch has been read -- and reread -- by Hertel, his wife, and a team of test readers. "I felt like I read the book 15 times, with all the test readers commenting on it," said Hertel. "We had a team of about ten test readers and editors, including a wrestling coach, a high school phys ed teacher, a doctor, wrestling parents. Each one brought a different perspective from their reading of the book. I took their comments into consideration during the writing process of the book." In addition to these test readers, H.L. Hertel also had extensive comments from readers of the original To Be The Best book that helped shape its sequel, Rematch. "What I found in promoting my [first] book, is the wide range of readers. I get comments from girls who read it. It floors me the array of readers of all ages and interests. It's not just wrestlers and their families." Hertel continued, "High school boys and girls are all dealing with physical and emotional challenges -- relationships, bullying, being accepted. These are universal themes; you don't have to be an athlete to understand." The author continued, "High school athletes -- particularly boys -- aren't big readers. As videogames have become more prevalent, reading has been on a decline." "If I can come up with a story that's compelling, that they can relate to, perhaps that can get them do more reading, which is ultimately a good thing." "The story I'm trying to tell addresses the pursuit of a dream while dealing with life's complications," Hertel continued. "The books have high school characters which makes them appealing to high school readers, but I do want to also appeal to adults, too." Because it takes on tough issues such as alcohol abuse, To Be The Best: Rematch is a bit grittier than many other high school wrestling novels, which makes it appropriate to a more mature reader, high school age and up. But don't be put off by that. Rematch is even more appealing than the original, with surprising plot developments that will keep readers turning the pages to see what happens next. (Note: You can read Rematch without having read the original, in that Hertel does a good job bringing first-timers up-to-speed on the characters and their pasts.) Wrestlers and fans will especially appreciate Hertel's ability to realistically portray action in the wrestling room and on the mat. The author's description of the climatic rematch between one of the Castle brothers and a much-feared rival for the state title is especially compelling for its rich detail and intricate plot twists. To learn more about To Be The Best: Rematch, visit the official website www.hhcastle-mac.com, which includes a segment of the book to read online. The book may be purchased at that website, or from www.amazon.com. It is also available for sale at wrestling events, where it can be used as a fundraiser for local wrestling programs. For details, visit the official website.

Fight Now USA Presents Takedown Wrestling from the Brute studios in Des Moines, Iowa at 1460 KXNO. Takedown Wrestling is brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! Merry Christmas Wrestling Fans. One week away from the annual Midlands Championships. Join us there or listen on TheMat.com! It's time for our annual Holiday Special. Join Scott Casber, Marine Lt. Col. Kipp Wahlgren, Jeff Murphy and Brad Johnson with the Takedown Wrestling Headline News this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. CT/10 a.m. to noon ET. This week's guests: 9:01 Jeff Murphy: Kemin's Top 20 Report 9:20 Dan Wirnsberger, head coach at Bucknell 9:50 Ty Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update 10:01 John Hangey, coach at Rider 10:20 J Robinson, head coach at Minnesota 10:40 Dustin Kilgore, Kent State NCAA champion 10:50 Amy Ruble, Wildrose Casino and Resort Takedown Wrestling is available on radio on AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa, online at Livesportsvideo.com, or on your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeart Radio app.

DEKALB, Ill. -- Kent State swept a pair of dual meets in dominant fashion Wednesday at Northern Illinois' Convocation Center. The Golden Flashes opened Mid-American Conference competition with a 29-6 victory over the host Huskies followed by a 43-6 thumping of Cleveland State. In all, Kent State won 17-of-20 matches on the day. Seniors Nic Bedelyon (Lewistown, Pa.) and Brendan Barlow (Westerville, Ohio) each joined the Flashes' 100-victory club with a pair of wins on Wednesday. Bedelyon got the day started with a 13-5 major decision over No. 19 Nick Smith of Northern Illinois, while Barlow put an exclamation point on the Flashes' afternoon with a first period pin of Cleveland State's Rock Davis. "It's great having two guys earning 100 wins together," Head Coach Jim Andrassy said. "As they move forward, they'll have a little battle to see who gets more wins by the end of the season." The Flashes also got a pair of pins from freshman Ian Miller (Graytown, Ohio). In his MAC dual debut, Miller stuck NIU's Matt Smith 15 seconds into the second period and CSU's Tyler Green two minutes into match with half nelsons from the top position. Miller leads Kent State starters with seven falls on the season. Sophomore Brandonn Johnson (Middletown, Md.) also notched a first period pin against the Vikings and topped NIU's Caleb Busson 5-1. Junior Tommy Sasfy (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) has continued to put on weight and prove his worth at 165 pounds, with a 2-0 day. "He's done a great job filling in for Ross and has given us a little more depth at a weight that we struggled at in the beginning of the year," Andrassy said of Sasfy. Junior Mallie Shuster (Newville, Pa.) came up with bonus points in both of his matches. Shuster earned a 12-3 major decision against NIU's Tyler Loethen and a 19-0 technical fall over Cleveland State's Tanner Lemon. Junior Keith Witt (Oak Harbor, Ohio) and sophomore Tyler Small (Littlestown, Pa.) also had 2-0 days. In a battle of the MAC's No. 1 & 2 ranked wrestlers at 197, Witt needed overtime to finish off NIU's Mike Lukowski 4-2. Junior Casey Newburg (Union, Ohio) tore apart the Vikings' Corbin Boone 17-1, but fell to defending MAC champion Brad Dieckhaus 7-4. "It's good to hit our break in the season with two wins and get our record back to .500 (4-4)," Andrassy said. The Golden Flashes return to action Thursday, Dec. 29, at Lock Haven's Mat Town Invitational. Kent State 29, Northern Illinois 6 125: Nic Bedelyon (KSU) maj. dec. Nick Smith (NIU), 13-5 133: Rob Jillard (NIU) dec. Steve Mitcheff (KSU), 6-5 141: Tyler Small (KSU) dec. Kevin Fanta (NIU), 7-3 149: Ian Miller (KSU) pins Matt Smith (NIU), 3:15 157: Mallie Shuster (KSU) maj. dec. Tyler Loethen (NIU), 12-3 165: Tommy Sasfy (KSU) dec. Matt Mougin (NIU), 8-6 174: Brandonn Johnson (KSU) dec. Caleb Busson (NIU), 5-1 184: Brad Dieckhaus (NIU) dec. Casey Newburg (KSU), 7-4 197: Keith Witt (KSU) dec. Mike Lukowski (NIU), 4-2 (OT) 285: Brendan Barlow (KSU) dec. Jared Torrence (NIU), 5-2 Kent State 43, Cleveland State 6 125: Nic Bedelyon (KSU) dec. Ben Willeford (CSU), 6-0 133: Nick Flannery (CSU) pins Troy Opfer (KSU), 2:45 141: Tyler Small (KSU) wins by forfeit 149: Ian Miller (KSU) pins Tyler Green (CSU), 2:00 157: Mallie Shuster (KSU) tech. fall Tanner Lemon (CSU), 19-0 165: Tommy Sasfy (KSU) dec. Koort Leyrer (CSU), 3-0 174: Brandonn Johnson (KSU) pins Aric Thurn (CSU), 2:09 184: Casey Newburg (KSU) tech. fall Corbin Boone (CSU), 17-1 197: Keith Witt (KSU) dec. Nick Anthony (CSU), 15-8 285: Brendan Barlow (KSU) pins Rock Davis (CSU), 1:57

Andy Hamilton and Pete Bush will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, Dec. 21. Andy Hamilton“On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. CT on AM 1650, The Fan. An archive of the show can be found on www.themat.tv. E-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Hamilton covers wrestling for the Des Moines Register. He was named journalist of the year by the National Wrestling Media Association and by W.I.N. Magazine. Hamilton will provide a mid-season wrestling report. Bush was an NCAA champion for the University of Iowa in 1982. He is the current head wrestling coach at Davenport Assumption in Iowa. Bush's team is currently ranked third in 2A.

DeKALB -- Following a long break from competition, the Northern Illinois wrestling team returns to action Wednesday afternoon when they face Kent State, Cleveland State and Cumberland in a quadrangular meet inside Victor E. Court. The meet gets underway at 11 a.m., when the Huskies face MAC rival and No. 23 Golden Flashes, while Cleveland State faces Cumberland. At 1 p.m., NIU takes on Cumberland and KSU goes against CSU. The meet concludes with a 3 p.m. dual between the Huskies and CSU. "There will be some outstanding matchups not only within the conference with Kent State, but throughout the day in all three duals,” said Huskie head coach Ryan Ludwig. “This will be a good day of action for all three teams. Several nationally ranked individuals will be going head to head on Wednesday, so intensity will be high." The Huskies enter the meet with a 3-3 record after dropping a close 19-15 decision to Purdue in the annual Showcase Meet. Trailing 16-9 late, NIU mounted a comeback to get within one point before falling in the final match. Nick Smith, Kevin Fanta, Brad Dieckhaus and Mike Lukowski each recorded victories against the Boilermakers. Kent State, meanwhile, enters the meet with a 2-4 record and a No. 23 ranking nationally. Led by Nic Bedelyon at 125 and Tyler Small at 141, the Golden Flashes boast five wrestlers who are nationally-ranked. So far this season, KSU has recorded wins against nationally-ranked Edinboro and Navy, while dropping duals against Nebraska, Illinois, Missouri and Ohio State. Cleveland State also owns a 2-4 mark so far in 2011-12 after toppling The Citadel and John Carroll early in their schedule. However, the Vikings have dropped their last two duals, falling to Eastern Michigan Dec. 1, 33-9, and No. 9 Pittsburgh on Dec. 11, 39-3. The Vikings are led on the mat by Ben Willeford, who holds a 9-6 record at 125 after winning that weight class at the Cleveland State Open Dec. 18. Cumberland, a member of the NAIA, is 0-4 in 2011-12. All four of their losses, though, have come against the NAIA's best in Campbellsville, Lindsey Wilson, Shorter and McKendree. This meet will be their first against a Division I program this season and the first since Nov. 14, 2010, when the Bulldogs lost to Chattanooga and Liberty. CU is led on the mat by senior Eddie Ortiz at 125, who is 8-8 this season, and freshman Michael Gonzalez at 149. "We've had a good training phase and the guys are ready to compete," Ludwig said.

Note: Recap items use the previous rankings (team and individual updated Dec. 14). Preview items use the new rankings (team only) that were updated today. Bulldogs prevail in balanced KC Wrestling Classic The USA/Dollamur Kansas City Wrestling Classic is a tournament that prides itself on being about the whole team with its pool-to-bracket format. The 37-team field started out in eight pools with four or five wrestlers each. After 3 or 4 matches in preliminary wrestling, the top two in each pool advanced to a 16-man bracket, which actually is a single-elimination "umbrella" format with everyone getting four more matches regardless of placement. Seven teams in the Fab 50 were featured in this stellar field that had no team placing more than seven wrestlers in the top nine, which meant a top two finish in preliminary pool followed by a first round win or three consecutive wins after a first round loss. Tops in the standings were No. 9 Bettendorf, Iowa with 555.5 points. Fredy Stroker (113) and No. 17 Nate Shaw (220) won titles, Colby Vance (170) and Bryan Levsen (182) finished as runners-up, while a single wrestler placed fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively. Second place in the standings was No. 27 Collins Hill, Ga., with 494 points and a pair of champions in Sean Russell (106) as well as Drew Ferguson (120). Russell earned his title with victories over ranked wrestlers in the semifinal and final, 3-1 in overtime against No. 19 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Park Hill, Mo.) and a 15-5 major decision over No. 20 Davion Jeffries (Collinsville, Okla.). Ferguson upended No. 14 Calib Freeman (Claremore, Okla.) by a first period fall in the semifinals, before getting a major decision in the finals over Matt Manley (Perry, Okla.) 15-5. The Eagles also had a pair of wrestlers take third, one in fifth, and another pair in sixth. Third place went to No. 31 Blue Springs, Mo. with 467.5 points, anchored by a title from Daniel Lewis (126). Darick Lapaglia (138) finished as a runner-up, including a 5-3 semifinal victory over No. 18 Connor Ryan (Bettendorf, Iowa). A pair of Wildcats placed fourth and fifth respectively, while another took seventh. Fourth in the standings went to No. 26 Tuttle, Okla. as they scored 446 points, anchored by championships from Sterling Hawkins (152) and No. 12 Zach Beard (170). Additional key placers took third, fifth, sixth, and ninth respectively. Despite the absence of two impact wrestlers, two-time state champion Nick Cobb (195) and state runner-up Matt Meyer (170), No. 19 Allen, Tex. earned fifth place with 440.5 points. The Eagles had a pair of champions in Jack Bass (138) and No. 8 Oliver Pierce (160). On the way to Bass's title, he reversed a loss in the Cadet freestyle final with a 5-4 quarterfinal victory over Grant Leeth (Kearney, Mo.), then an 8-7 semifinal victory over No. 20 Jake Marlin (Creston, Iowa), and the 7-5 finals victory over Lapaglia. Jarrod Trotter (126) was a runner-up for Allen, while the Eagles also had grapplers take third, fourth, and fifth. Unranked Christian Brothers, Tenn., was sixth in the standings with 391 points, as Kaleb Baker (145) came home with a championship while two others took seventh and eighth respectively. No. 33 Kearney, Mo., earned a seventh place finish with 358 points led by a runner-up finish from Tanner Minder (145), losing 4-3 to Baker, and a third place result for Morgan Fitzgerald (170). Two other Bulldogs took fifth, while a single individual took eighth and ninth each. The last of the ranked teams, No. 45 Connellsville, Okla., struggled a bit in finishing 18th with 233 points, though the absence of sophomore Will Stelzen (138) did not help the cause. The Cardinals were anchored by a runner-up finish from No. 20 Davion Jeffries (106) and third place result for Gary Wayne Harding (126). Rounding out the weight class champions were No. 4 Thomas Gilman (Skutt Catholic, Neb.) at 132 pounds, Shelby Krout (Ponca City, Okla.) at 182, No. 19 Hashem Omari (Oak Park, Mo.) at 195, and Collin Bevins (Creston, Iowa) at 285. Of note, Gilman was champion of arguably the tournament's deepest weight class. In the bottom half of the draw, three-time state champion Kyle Garcia (Choctaw, Okla.) upended Cadet freestyle All-American Kevin Kinney (Kearney, Mo.) 6-4 in the quarterfinals. In the next round, Gilman knocked off Garcia 7-5. While in the top half of the draw, two-time state champion Matt Kraus (Seckman, Mo.) took out state champion Dylan Helm (Collinsville, Okla.) 6-0 in the quarters, before three-time state champion Skyler Wood (Platte County, Mo.) beat Kraus 1-0. The championship final saw Gilman defeat Wood 4-3, while Garcia defeated Kraus 8-5 for third, Kinney took fifth, and Helm forfeited down to eighth. Dvorak Memorial Invitational Date: Thursday, December 22 and Friday, December 23 Key Item: Semifinals and finals will be streamed live on Friday through http://www.illinoismatmen.com (10:00 a.m. ET and 3:00 p.m. ET) Location: Harlem High School (Machesney Park, Ill.) Top Teams (Illinois unless noted): No. 20 Iowa City West, Iowa, No. 29 Montini Catholic, No. 32 Oak Park River Forest, No. 35 Glenbard North, Lockport, Marist Notable Wrestlers (Illinois unless noted): 106: Tommy Pawleski (Montini Catholic), Adrian Gonzalez (Barrington), Richard Browne (Glenbard North), Brian Rossi (Lockport) 113: No. 5 Phillip Laux (Iowa City West, Iowa), No. 10 Matt Garelli (Oak Park Fenwick), No. 12 Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy), John Wells (Milton, Wis.), Jared Parvinmehr (Barrington), Jordan Laster (Montini Catholic), Mark Duda (Marist), Jordan Northrup (Harlem) 120: No. 5 Jered Cortez (Glenbard North), Kevon Powell (Montini Catholic), Nick Fontanetta (Crystal Lake South), Landon Shea (Milton, Wis.) 126: No. 13 Jack Hathaway (Iowa City West, Iowa), Eddie Greco (Marmion Academy), Jon Marmolejo (Glenbard North), Michael Sepke (Montini Catholic), Nick Gil (Crystal Lake South) 132: No. 5 Eddie Klimara (Providence Catholic), No. 12 Dakota Bauer (Iowa City West, Iowa), Chris Garcia (Montini Catholic), George Fisher (Marmion Academy), John Gosinski (Glenbard North), Mike Mizaur (Mt. Carmel) 138: Angelo Silvestro (Marmion Academy), Clayton Lutzow (Crystal Lake Central), Kegan Wakefield (Iowa City West, Iowa), Garrett Whitehead (Milton, Wis.), Tim Corse (St. Rita), Jake O'Mara (Oak Park River Forest) 145: No.7 Bryce Brill (Mt. Carmel), Gradey Gambrall (Iowa City West, Iowa), Connor Bass (Yorkville), Aaron Thoman (Springboro, Ohio) 152: No. 4 Brian Murphy (Glenbard North), Jason Fugiel (Crystal Lake Central), Devonte Mahomes (Oak Park River Forest) 160: No. 7 Justin Koethe (Iowa City West, Iowa), Shan'Que McMurtry (Lockport), Dan Rowland (Willowbrook), Joe Cortese (Notre Dame), Hunter Rollins (Hersey) 170: Ricky Robertson (Carl Sandburg), Cameron Thomson (Barrington) 182: No. 3 Sam Brooks (Oak Park River Forest), Brandon Walker (Springboro, Oh.), Connor Swier (Neuqua Valley), Kevin Stahmer (Notre Dame); Steve Congenie (Willowbrook), most likely out due to injury 195: No. 3 Gage Harrah (Crystal Lake Central), No. 7 Brad Johnson (Lockport), Ian Johnson (Milton, Wis.), Jordan Ellingwood (Plainfield Central), Mickey Pelfrey (Iowa City West, Iowa), Blake Bair (Edwardsville) 220: Tom Howell (Marist), Edgar Ruano (Montini Catholic), Mike Swider (Wheaton North), Alex Fritz (Marmion Academy), Vince Ambrose (Providence Catholic) 285: Ben Calamari (Barrington), Andrew Geers (Neuqua Valley) Apple Valley makes statement in Rochester Read Story Battle for best in the Garden State Tomorrow night is an early marker for determining the best team in New Jersey (among those schools that compete in the state athletic association tournament). The two teams currently ranked highest in the Fab 50 from the Garden State -- No. 34 South Plainfield and No. 40 Bergen Catholic -- will be competing in a dual meet. Below are the projected lineups for each squad. 106: Ryan Walsh, SP vs. Tyler Casamenti, BC (state qualifier, 2010 Cadet double All-American) 113: Ray Jazikoff, SP vs. Matt Rose, BC 120: No. 10 Troy Heilman, SP (FILA Cadet freestyle All-American, state 6th/2nd) vs. J.P. Ascolese, BC 126: No. 5 Anthony Ashnault, SP (2x state champion, 2x Super32 champion) vs. Charlie Mitchell/Harrison Utter, BC 132: Scott Del Vecchio, SP (state qualifier) vs. Connor Melde, BC (2x state 4th, Beast of the East 4th) 138: Tyler Hunt, SP (state 4th) vs. Michael Maye, BC (state qualifier) 145: Corey Stasenko, SP (state qualifier, Super32 4th) vs. Matt Mangini, BC (state qualifier) 152: Dylan Painton, SP vs. James Dawson (state qualifier)/Johnny Sebastian (state 5th, Beast of the East 2nd), BC 160: Inan Sikel, SP vs. Dawson/Sebastian 170: Alex Lundy, SP vs. Alex Kruklinski, BC (state alternate) 182: Mike Molinaro, SP vs. Luke Iorio 195: Sam Burmudez, SP vs. Christian Jenco, BC (Cadet freestyle All-American0 220: Luigi Geraci, SP vs. Hunter Kiselick, BC (state qualifier) 285: Tyler Calderone, SP vs. Carmine Goldsack, SP Poway pulverizes Reno TOC field with volume Despite just one champion, and five top four placers, No. 30 Poway, Calif. dominated the field at the Reno Tournament of Champions. The Titans had twelve total placers (one first, one second, two third, one fourth, two fifth, three sixth, and two seventh) in amassing 270.5 points. The lone Poway champion was No. 20 Connor King (170), Tiso Lara (106) took second, Victor Lopez (132) and Richard Burr (220) took third, while Tim Chassen (195) took fourth. Additionally, multiple Poway backup wrestlers placed inside the top eight as non-point scorers. Second in the standings was the team with the most oomph in the field, No. 17 Tulsa Union, Okla. with 211.5 points. That was still close to 60 points ahead of third place Easton, Pa. Their six placers were second most in the tournament, and the fact they all were in the top four was a tournament high. Josh Walker (120) and No. 4 Kyle Crutchmer (182) earned titles, Brian Crutchmer (132) and No. 18 (at 160) Kyle Ash (152) finished as runners-up, Blasé Walser (195) took third, and Justin Lombardo (113) took fourth. Kyle Crutchmer was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament, as the Oklahoma State recruit had five falls prior to a 24-13 major decision over Westley Ruffer (Chester, Calif.) in the championship match. The only other team with multiple champions was Reed, Nev., who had titles from Broc Westlake (195) and No. 20 Spencer Empey (220). Other nationally ranked teams in this tournament finished outside the top five. No. 48 Maple Mountain, Ut. was tied for eighth with 118 points, with Brittain Carter (113) taking third and No. 19 Grant LaMount (138) earning fifth place. No. 20 Bakersfield was tenth with 117.5 points. However, No. 18 Silas Nacita (170) was entered in the brackets but had to forfeit out of the tournament in his first match. Additionally, state placer Micah Cruz placed fourth at 138 as an extra, but should be down in weight as the season progresses. Finally, No. 36 Columbia, Idaho, was 14th in the standings with 94.5 points. Nationally ranked weight class champions included No. 13 Isaiah Locsin (Live Oak, Calif.) at 113 pounds, No. 9 Hayden Tuma (Centennial, Idaho) at 132, No. 16 Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.) at 145, No. 6 Coleman Hammond (Bakersfield, Calif) at 152, and No. 2 (at 170) Zach Brunson (Churchill, Ore.) at 160. Tuma had three pins during the tournament with decisions during the quarterfinal and final. Hammond was dominant with two technical falls, a pin, a 15-3 major decision, and then a 10-4 victory over No. 18 (at 160) Kyle Ash from Tulsa Union in the final. Brunson was dominant in his own right with three pins and then a pair of major decision victories in the semifinal and final. Rounding out the weight class champions were Sean Cannon (Green Valley, Nev.) at 106 pounds, Mike Dahlstrom (Pleasant Valley, Calif.) at 126, Shayne Tucker (Bella Vista, Calif.) at 138, and Fernando Herrera (Lowry, Nev.) at 285. Tucker won the tournament's best weight class at 138 pounds. His path to the final started with a pin and two technical falls, then got much tougher starting with a 3-2 quarterfinal victory over No. 5 Natrelle Deminson (Bakersfield, Calif.), followed by a 3-2 victory over Deminson's teammate and fellow state placer Micah Cruz, and capped it off with a 4-2 victory over sophomore state placer Nikko Villareal (Gilroy, Calif.). In the other half of the draw, Villareal reached the final with a 6-5 victory over LaMont in the semifinal round. Dual meet showdown in the Gopher State Tomorrow night will also feature a showdown of a pair of nationally ranked teams in the state of Minnesota, as No. 36 St. Michael-Albertville and No. 39 Scott West collide on the mats. Below are the projected lineups for each squad. 106: Aaron Dick, STMA (2010 Cadet freestyle All-American) vs. David Flynn, SW (MCT 4th) 113: No. 11 Tommy Thorn, STMA (state champion, Cadet freestyle champion, MCT champion) vs. Zach Siegle, SW (2010 Cadet freestyle All-American, MCT 7th) 120: Colton Schoen, STMA vs. Luke Betchwars (state 4th, MCT 3rd) 126: Cole Sladek, STMA (state 5th/2nd, Cadet freestyle All-American, MCT champion) vs. Luke Zilverberg, SW (state 5th, MCT 7th) 132: Mark Voss, STMA (state 5th, MCT 3rd) vs. Phillip Dvorak, SW 138: Lincoln Mallinger, STMA (2010 state qualifier, MCT 2nd) vs. Andrew Fogarty, SW (MCT 6th) 145: Wayne Voss, STMA (2010 state 6th, MCT 7th) vs. Derek Dahlke, SW 152: Ryan Rostamo, STMA vs. Gabe Fogarty, SW (state champion, MCT 2nd) 160: Owen Gammell, STMA vs. Charlie Pesch, SW (state 6th) 170: Jake Briggs, STMA vs. Nick Dvorak, SW (state qualifier, MCT 5th) 182: Ben Haller/Ryan Briggs, STMA vs. Jake DeWeese, SW 195: Mitchell Eull, STMA (MCT 3rd) vs. Mike Riker, SW (MCT 8th) 220: Nick Edling, STMA (MCT 2nd) vs. No. 4 Michael Kroells, SW (state 6th/2nd/1st, FloNationals 3rd, MCT champion) 285: Michael Kessler, STMA (MCT 5th) vs. TBD, SW Surprising Kings of the Mountain Even with their clear anchor wrestler, No. 11 Steve Spearman (138) going down to defeat in the semifinal round, Erie McDowell, Pa. still came through with a team title at the King of the Mountain. It was a close battle with No. 22 Massillon Perry, Ohio, but they won by three points, 190-187. Each team had two champs, two other top three place finishers, and nine total placers in all. However, McDowell won the title due to having three fourth place finishers, while Massillon Perry had just one. Champions for McDowell were Nick Gibson (126), Khlique Harris (182); while Paul Deitz (113) and Steve Spearman (138) took third. Fourth place finishers were Shawn (132) and Tyree (152) Spearman, along with Cory Nolan (145). Massillon Perry earned titles from No. 12 Zack Dailey (152) and Joe Tayse (195), while David Bavery (106) and Mitch Newhouse (138) took second place. The tournament's most loaded weight class was clearly at 138 pounds, where the Saturday semifinal round was full of fireworks. In the top semifinal, No. 8 Austin Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.) upended Laike Gardner (Biglerville, Pa.) 9-4 in an overtime match featuring state runners-up and Super32 placers. The lower bracket semifinal resulted in a 5-3 overtime victory for 2010 state runner-up Newhouse over 2010 state champion Steve Spearman. The championship match between Matthews and Newhouse was tied 6-6 after regulation. With Newhouse in deep on a takedown, Matthews was up in the air and attempted a counter move. Then, when Matthews hit the mat, he evidently hit hard and Newhouse did not bring him down in control so he got hit with an illegal slam to lose the match. That was the second of two titles won by Reynolds, who also saw three-time state placer Dylan Durso upend 2009 state champion Arty Walsh (Schuylkill Valley, Pa.) 6-4 at 132 pounds. Third in the team standings, about 30 points back of second place, was Parkland, Pa. with 159 points and a single champion in No. 16 Ethan Lizak (106), an 8-4 winner over Bavery. A battle of state champions emerged in the 120 pound final between No. 6 (at 113) Jason Nolf (Kittaning, Pa.) and No. 20 Billy Rappo (Council Rock South, Pa.). Winning a 3-2 decision, and being named Outstanding Wrestler, was the Class AA champ Nolf as he beat the AAA champ Rappo. Two more terrific finals saw No. 17 Ty Lydic (Greater Latrobe, Pa.) win at 145 pounds, while No. 10 Brian Brill (Central Mountain, Pa.) did the same at 160. Lydic upended three-time state placer Zach Beitz (Juniata, Pa.) 3-1 in overtime, after Beitz had knocked off No. 138 (at 138) Mikey Racciato (Pen Argyl, Pa.) 7-4 I the semifinals. Racciato was a state champion this past year. Additionally, Brill dominated in front of his home crowd with four pins prior to a 9-2 victory over No. 15 Geno Morelli (DuBois, Pa.). Rounding out the state champions were David Sheesley (113) and Nazar Mironeka (285) for Mifflinburg, Pa., Zach Towers (Meadville, Pa.) at 170, and Tyson Searer (220) for Mifflin County, Pa. Kyle Maynard Duals feature some elite teams from across SE USA Date: Wednesday, December 21 Location: Collins Hill High School (Suwanee, Ga.) Top Teams: No. 5 Brandon, Fla.; No. 25 Collins Hill, Ga.; The Baylor School, Tenn.; Osceola, Fla.; and Soddy Daisy, Tenn. Notable Wrestlers: 106: No. 13 Dylan Lucas (Brandon, Fla.), Sean Russell (Collins Hill, Ga.), Ariel Dominguez (Osceola, Fla.) 113: James Flint (Brandon, Fla.), Ryan Millhof (Collins Hill, Ga.), Cole Holloway (The Baylor School, Tenn.), Jacob Stevens (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) 120: Drew Ferguson (Collins Hill, Ga.), Victor Fugate (Brandon, Fla.), Adam Connell (McCallie,Tenn.) 126: No.7 Rossi Bruno (Brandon, Fla.), No. 20 Zach Watson (The Baylor School, Tenn.), Steven Bradtmuller (Collins Hill, Ga.) 132: No. 6 Kevin Norstrem (Brandon, Fla.), Brandon Brunner (The Baylor School, Tenn.), Tim Locksmith (Osceola, Fla.) 138: Fox Baldwin (Osceola, Fla.), Spencer Rickman (Collins Hill, Ga.), Alex Ward (McCallie, Tenn.), Campbell Lewis (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) 145: Turbo Smith (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.), Bryson Popp (The Baylor School, Tenn.) 152: Travis Berridge (Brandon, Fla.), Kenny Martin (Osceola, Fla.), Matthew Cate (The Baylor School, Tenn.) 160: No. 6 Clark Glass (Brandon, Fla.), Matthew Connell (Collins Hill, Ga.), Spencer Lacey (Osceola, Fla.) 170: Jacob Haydock (Brandon, Fla.), Spencer Craig (TheBaylor School, Tenn.), Chris Pagan (Osceola, Fla.) 182: Kyle Koziel (Brandon, Fla.), Andrew Krawulski (Collins Hill, Ga.), Jahlen Flounders (Osceola, Fla.) 195: Brett Ervin (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.), Ben Cruz (Osceola, Fla.) 220: Billy Swanson (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) 285: Joe Bexley (Bremen, Ga.), Zach Carmin (Collins Hill, Ga.), Alex Seeley (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.), Tye Youngblood (McCallie, Tenn.), Barrett Gouger (The Baylor School, Tenn.) Mead makes statement at Tri-State Many of the best wrestlers from the northwest portion of the United States came together for the Tri-State Invitational at North Idaho College this past weekend. However, at the end of the tournament, it was Mead, Wash. making the greatest impression. First and foremost, No. 1 Jordan Rogers had four matches over the two-day tournament, with none getting out of the first period (all pins) at 182 pounds. In addition, three other teammates earned championships -- Jeremy Golding (145), Chandler Rogers (160), and Sam Voigtlander (170). The team also won the title with 204 points with eight total placers. Despite no champions for Lewiston, Idaho, Post Falls, Idaho, and Lake Stevens, Wash., they were the next three teams in the standings close to 40 points back of Mead. They scored 171, 170.5, and 165 points respectively. The lone team other than Mead to have multiple champions was Hermiston, Ore., as Tyler Berger (132) and Joey Delgado (138) came home with titles. The sophomore Berger had three pins, a 9-1 major decision in the quarterfinal round, and then a 7-6 victory in the finals over No. 18 Joey Palmer (Tahoma, Wash.). Other weight class champions included Tristan Moran (Chandler, Ariz.) at 106 pounds, Josh Newberg (Kelso, Wash.) at 113, Steve Hopkins (Tahoma, Wash.) at 120, Drew Templeman (Orting, Wash.) at 126, Nico Moreno (Moses Lake, Wash.) at 152, Garrett Demers (Cour d'Alene, Idaho) at 195, Derrick Bender (Riverside, Wash.) at 220, and Dan Schaultz (Central Valley, Wash.) at 285. Merry Christmas to those that celebrate ... And look forward to updated weight class rankings right after the holiday, as well as a preview of some of the major competitions on the docket for the week between Christmas and New Year's.

Photo/Forza LLC via Getty Images When Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker took the podium last week to announce his promotion's new deal with Showtime, there should have been little doubt that MMA fans were going to get more of what they wanted to see: top-level fighters on television. After Saturday's "Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal" card, the promotion's future seems more, not less, troubled. Fight fans are unique in the modern sports culture. Where other sports fans gorge themselves on end zone dances and Tebowing; MMA fans value authenticity above flash, valor above showmanship. The UFC has maintained its fan base by prioritizing the courage and humanity implicit in combative struggle, alongside doses of extended storylines. It is a fundamental component of the organization, and one that they ironically might've stripped from their Strikeforce cousin over the past year. The Zuffa banner has meant a free one-way exchange between the two promotional subsidiaries (may we call it poaching?), the best fighters in Strikeforce feel they deserve to be in the UFC where the best money can be made and the best fights taken. Strikeforce's Gilbert Melendez, ranked 16th in the InterMatFight pound-for-pound rankings, showed disgruntled disinterest when defeating top Strikeforce contender Jorge Masivdal. The 155-pound fighter said after the fight that he would love a chance to test himself against the best in the world; that he would like to challenge the class of the UFC's lightweight division. It is a chance we have been guaranteed will not be handed the 20-2 fighter. Just a few days earlier, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, who seems to be co-piloting his promotion from lost luggage counter at JFK, assured fans that Strikeforce would be retaining the services of Melendez for the foreseeable future. This was an abrupt end to Melendez's flirtation with the king-making organization, and unlike other top Strikeforce talents Allistair Overeem, Nick Diaz, and Dan Henderson who had already fled for the big money fights of the UFC. Others cashed out but Melendez was retained, leaving fans to wonder what to make of half-assed cards with potentially insubordinate fighters. The Strikeforce problem is based in a fan's perception about the validity of MMA. Fans want to avoid the scandals of boxing and protect competitive parity no matter the cost to individual promotions. And this is the problem that Strikeforce can't seem to avoid: the promotion is being brought along as nothing more than a testing facility for future stars of the UFC, and that's not a business model that can profit when genuine competition is at a premium value. When opportunities for fighters like Melendez are restricted, fans naturally devalue and discredit the overseeing organization. It's the same principle of competitive validation that has led to a moderate jump in the value of the Bellator name. Any fan who watched the epic four-round battle between Mike Chandler and Eddie Alvarez, saw first hand the positive aspects of parity within a second-tier MMA promotion. Alvarez, who many thought to be the best or second-best lightweight in the world, was dispensed by a plucky upstart with cement-filled fists and opportunistic jiu-jitsu. The fight became a leading candidate for fight of the year for the in-cage action, but it was the Bellator belief in allowing everyone a chance at the title, that afforded Chandler the opportunity. Bellator is a meritocracy, whereas Strikeforce is limited by the Zuffa banner and the subjectivity of its ownership. The Chandler-Alvarez fight won't be the last to garner mainstream attention, because as each tournament passes and fighters like Cole Konrad and Ben Askren defend their title, the objective nature of the tournament remains intact and gains credibility. Compelling fights always make for happy fans and giving your top eight athletes a "fighter's chance" absolves you of their contempt for ownership. MMA is a sport built on hawking realness to a perceptive, well-informed fan base. If die-hards were interested in representative conflict they would be caught watching the NBA players push, claw and slap each other on Christmas morning. Fans of the UFC appreciate that while they are sometimes given the most marketable fights rather than the most deserving, there is little doubt that the best in the game find their way to the top of the promotion. Fans appreciate Bellator because heart and scrappiness are left to flourish, not fade behind the directives of Zuffa brass. No matter the financial incentives included in the agreement with Showtime the Strikeforce model is not sustainable. The deal was a Pyrrhic victory for an organization who will continue to lose competitive reach within an intelligent fan base interested in competitive transparency, more than the two-stepping, self-promotion of Zuffa string-pullers. Intentions as apparent as Zuffa's, invalidate the psychology of the promotion and fight fans have been the first to recognize the incongruity; last week's Melendez card drew just 460,000 viewers and a poor 1.35 household share. The future of Strikeforce will be contingent on their ability to rehab their poor PR and recruit top-flight talent. If they can then engineer fights that fans believe to be bona fide representation of available talent, they might save the promotion. If not, Strikeforce will be just another promotion lost to the insubordination by fighters, disinterest of fans and the ire of the media.

Gilbert Melendez and Gegard Mousasi earned the largest disclosed paydays at this past weekend's "Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal" event, with each netting $150,000. MMAjunkie.com today obtained the figures from the California State Athletic Commission. The total disclosed payroll for the Dec. 17 event was $580,000. Read Story

A heavily anticipated featherweight contest between Erik Koch and Dustin Poirer has been scrapped. UFC officials today announced that Koch was injured in training and has been forced to withdraw from the planned UFC 143 matchup. Poirer, who requested the matchup, now waits on a new opponent. Read Story