InterMat Staff

Luke Hampton, a top-ranked 182-pound wrestler from Sparta, N.C., was left paralyzed Saturday night after an off-the-mat collision during the semifinals of a tournament in Lenoir, a town 50 miles west of Winston-Salem. Hampton suffered his injury during an attempt to finish a double leg during the first thirty seconds of a match. According to Alleghany High School head wrestling coach Derek Calloway the match was typical for Luke who he says was looking forward to a matchup with another top-ranked wrestler in the finals of the tournament. Luke Hampton"He went out there looking to get in a good blow," said Calloway, who overseas a high school program that has won nine state titles. "He got a takedown in five seconds, cut the guy and circled him back in, putting him in line with the wall." Luke shot a double from far away, but when his opponent stuffed the shot he re-gripped into a single and pulled it to his feet. With the forward motion of Luke's shot driving them out-of-bounds his opponent was able to once again sprawl at the edge of the mat. Luke stumbled overtop his opponent and hit his head on the padded wall just a few feet from the competition space. "We knew he was hurt bad, but you kinda think he'll be alright," said Coach Calloway. "But his mom came back about 15 minutes before her other son was going to wrestle and gave us the news that he was being flown to Winston-Salem." Her youngest son Jake Hampton was about to step on the mat at 160 lbs. against the top-ranked opponent in the state. Coach Kenney said that Jake could go with his mother, but he refused, insisting that he wanted to wrestle for his brother. In a match that coach could only describe as "incredible" and "remarkable" Jake was able to upset his top-ranked opponent. Jeremiah, the eldest Hampton boy, is on leave from the Marine Corps and was also able to join the family. Luke's injures are serious, he's suffering from a fractured C-5 and C-6 vertebrae that affected his spinal cord. In an effort to speed his recovery doctors recommended he be flown to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, which specializes in recovery for patients suffering from spinal cord injuries. To pay for the flight the family needed $10,000, money the coach said appeared from within their tiny North Carolina community inside a day. Sparta has only a few thousand residents and Alleghany High School, where Luke is a senior, has 400 students. According to Coach Calloway Luke's injury has brought the community together in their support of the family, and each other. "The local community, the wrestling community here, and all over the country is special. We have a small town, but it's all about wrestling. They came up with the money for Luke's flight in no-time and no questions asked, they just did it." The legal issues surrounding the setup of mats is still in question, meaning that the flight had to be fronted by the family and donors, but will likely be repaid at a later date, said Coach Calloway. A local wrestling coach reached out to Wisconsin head wrestling coach Barry Davis, who was able to get in touch with Green Bay Packers wide receiver Corey Matthews. The wide out sent signed jerseys, footballs and other memorabilia to be auctioned off on behalf of Luke's care. Those interested in helping Luke and his family can send donation to the high school care of Coach Calloway. Checks can be made out to "The Luke Hampton Fund." The Luke Hampton Fund C/O Head Wrestling Coach Derrick Calloway Alleghany High School 404 Trojan Avenue Sparta, NC 28675

Super Bowl weekend just got a little more interesting. Capitalizing on the opportunity to make the most of being the Super Bowl's Saturday night lead-in, the UFC is lining up some of its most marketable stars for their pre-pigskin performance. Former title challenger Scott Jorgensen (13-4 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is scheduled to meet Renan Barao (27-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who is looking for his 28th straight victory inside the cage. Also confirmed is Mike Pierce (13-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) who will meet fellow welterweight and former title contender Josh Koscheck (16-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) whose original opponent, Carlos Condit, was inserted in the main event to fill in for an injured Georges St-Pierre. Condit will now headline the evening matching up against Nick Diaz for the interim welterweight belt UFC 143 takes place Feb. 4 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

UFC fighters Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans and Miguel Torres have each made inappropriate comments about rape in the last few months. Griffin and Evans stayed employed; Torres was fired last night by the UFC. UFC President Dana White explained the decision in an exclusive interview with MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani last night explaining in part that Griffin's and Evans' comments were immediately met with contrition appropriate for their comments. White also explained the Griffin met with rape crisis professionals to explain the error of his comments. Torres' apparently didn't meet White's baseline for forgiveness, resulting in the bantamweight and former WEC champion's expulsion from the largest fight promotion in the world. White went on to tell Helwani that no action would be taken against Evans.

West Point, N.Y. -- Steve Bonanno, P.J. Gillespie and Paul Snyder each posted major decisions as Hofstra won eight of 10 matches in a 27-6 victory over Army at Christl Arena Thursday night. The Pride improved to 2-0 on the season while the Black Knights of Army slipped to 3-4. Pride junior Steve Bonanno (Wantagh, NY), ranked 11th in the nation, opened the match with a 14-5 major decision over freshman Scott Filbert at 125 pounds. Bonanno jumped out to a 4-1 lead after one period and never looked back to improve to 9-2 on the season. Sophomore Jamie Franco (Monroe, NY) boosted the Pride lead to 7-0 with a 2-1 victory over Jordan Thome at 133 pounds. Franco, who improved to 7-5 on the year, posted his takedown with 48 seconds remaining in the third period. Sophomore Luke Vaith (Hastings, MN) improved to 7-3 on the season with a 6-2 win over Connor Hanafee at 141 pounds. Vaith posted a three-point third period and the riding time point for the victory. Junior Justin Accordino (Wilkes-Barre, PA), ranked 17th by Division I College Wrestling, won his seventh match of the season with an 8-3 decision over Casey Smith at 149 pounds. Accordino had a big second period to turn a 2-1 lead into a comfortable 7-2 lead at the end of the period. At 157, Army's Jimmy Rafferty posted the Black Knights first takedown of the contest on the way to a 4-0 victory over Pride junior Tyler Banks (Griswold, CT). Banks is now 5-5 on the season. But Hofstra senior All-American P.J. Gillespie (Long Beach, NY), ranked fourth in this week's 165-pound poll, posted two takedowns in each period on the way to a 15-7 major decision over Cole Gracey. Gillepie, who is now 11-1 on the year, boosted the Pride lead to 17-3. Army won its second match of the contest at 174 pounds as Ryan Thompkins recorded an escape and got a penalty point on a stalling call in the third period to post a 4-3 win over Hofstra freshman Jermaine John (Brooklyn, NY). John slipped to 3-6 on the season as Army closed to 17-6 in the contest. But Hofstra senior Ben Clymer (Germansville, PA) clinched the win for the Pride with a 2-1 victory over Michael Gorman on the riding time (1:55) point. Clymer improves to 8-3 on the season and gave the Pride a 20-6 lead. At 197 pounds, sophomore Matt Loew (Wantagh, NY) posted his third win of the season with a 6-5 victory over Army's Wil Brown to give the Pride a 23-6 lead in the contest. Junior Paul Snyder (Greensburg, PA) closed out the match with a 12-2 major decision over Curtis Garner at 285 pounds. Snyder is now 8-3 on the season. Results: 125- Steve Bonanno (H) maj. Scott Filbert (A), 14-5 133- Jamie Franco (H) dec. Jordan Thome (A), 2-1 141- Luke Vaith (H) dec. Connor Hanafee (A), 6-2 149- Justin Accordino (H) dec. Casey Smith (A), 8-3 157- Jimmy Rafferty (A) dec. Tyler Banks (H), 4-0 165- P.J. Gillespie (H) maj. Cole Gracey (A), 15-7 174- Ryan Thompkins (A) dec. Jermaine John (H), 4-3 184- Ben Clymer (H) dec. Michael Gorman (A), 2-1 197- Matt Loew (H) dec, Wil Brown (A), 6-5 285- Paul Snyder (A) maj, Curtis Garner (A), 12-2

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa wrestling team defeated Northern Iowa, 38-4, Friday night on Mediacom Mat inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes won nine-of-10 matches to extend their streak of unbeaten duals to 83. Iowa also recorded a 29-5 edge in takedowns. “We saw some good things and we saw some areas that need improvement,” said head coach Tom Brands. “We saw some situations where the other guy is not really trying to score. We can't allow that. We're going to have to work harder and push through it.” The dual started at 184 pounds where Northern Iowa's fifth-ranked Ryan Loder scored the Panthers' lone win with a 13-2 major decision over senior Vinnie Wagner. Wagner scored the first takedown of the night 21 seconds into the bout, but Loder scored the next 13 points to give UNI a 4-0 lead. It would take UNI six more matches to score another takedown as Iowa strung together eight straight wins and benefited from a forfeit at 174 to run off 38 unanswered team points. Junior Grant Gambrall put the Hawkeyes on the board with a 7-3 decision over UNI's Taylor Kettman at 197. Gambrall started the scoring with a first period takedown and took the lead for good by opening the third frame with an escape. He added a pair of takedowns in the final frame to improve to 2-0 this season and cut into the Panther lead, 4-3. Redshirt freshman Bobby Telford accumulated 4:20 of riding time to dominate Blayne Beale in the battle of heavyweights. Telford scored three takedowns and added three nearfall points to earn a 12-0 major decision and give Iowa a 7-4 advantage in the team score. Junior Matt McDonough stretched the Hawkeye lead to 11-4 with a 10-1 major decision over Cruse Aarhus at 125. McDonough scored three takedowns, piled up 3:04 of riding time, including the entire third period, and added two nearfall points to record his eighth bonus-point win of the year. Sophomore Tony Ramos fired six takedowns en route to a 15-5 major decision over Ryan Jauch at 133. Ramos scored one takedown in the first period, two in the second, and three in the third to wear down Jauch and extend Iowa's team lead to 15-4 at the intermission. Senior Montell Marion, the nation's top-ranked 141-pounder, answered the intermission with eight takedowns to record an 18-8 major decision over Seth Noble. The four-point win was Marion's team-high sixth major decision of the season and extended Iowa's lead to 19-4. Redshirt freshman Josh Dziewa, the third Hawkeye to suit up at 149 in six duals this season, electrified the crowd with two takedowns and five nearfall points while building a 9-1 first period advantage. Dziewa added a third takedown in the second frame and withstood a rally from UNI's Clay Welter to secure a 14-6 major decision in his Carver-Hawkeye Arena debut. Sophomore Derek St. John recorded Iowa's seventh straight win with a 3-1 decision over Northern Iowa's David Bonin. St. John, the nation's second-ranked 157 pounder, scored a takedown midway through the first period before giving the crowd a scare with a medical timeout 26 seconds into the second period. St. John returned to the mat and allowed Bonin to escape and cut into his lead, 2-1. St. John then started the third period in the down position and extended his lead to 3-1 with an escape midway through the period. He eventually held on for the win to improve to 11-0 on the year and extend Iowa's lead to 26-4. Redshirt freshman Mike Evans made quick work of what turned out to be the final bout of the night. Evans put UNI's Riley Banach on his back early in the 165-pound match and recorded three nearfall points before flattening the Panther in 1:10. It was the fastest pin of Evan's career and extended Iowa's team lead to 32-4. Northern Iowa forfeited the final match of the night against Iowa's Ethen Lofthouse at 174 to make the final team score, 38-4. The Hawkeyes return to the mat Dec. 29-30 to compete at the Midlands Championships on the campus of Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. Welsh-Ryan Arena will host the 49th annual event. The Midlands Championships will be broadcast live on AM-800 KXIC and streamed live on btn.com via Hawkeye All-Access, a subscription service committed to providing quality coverage of University of Iowa athletic events. Steven Grace and Mark Ironside will have the call live from Welsch-Ryan Arena. Fans interested in tickets can call 800-GO-PURPLE. Match Notes: Attendance was 7,078… Iowa extended its streak of unbeaten duals to 83, one shy of tying the Oklahoma State record… Iowa won at least nine matches for the third time in six duals this season… the win was Iowa's 38th in a row at home. Results: 184 - Ryan Loder (UNI) major dec. Vinnie Wagner (I), 13-2 197 - Grant Gambrall (I) dec. Taylor Kettman (UNI), 7-3 Hwt. - Bobby Telford (I) vs. Blayne Beale (UNI) 125 - Matt McDonough (I) major dec. Cruse Aarhus (UNI), 10-1 133 - Tony Ramos (I) major dec. Ryan Jauch (UNI), 15-5 141 - Montell Marion (I) dec. Seth Noble (UNI), 18-8 149 – Josh Dziewa (I) major dec. Clay Welter (UNI), 14-6 157 - Derek St. John (I) dec. David Bonin (UNI), 3-1 165 - Mike Evans (I) pinned Riley Banach (UNI), 1:10 174 - Ethen Lofthouse (I) won by medical forfeit

Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Event: UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida Venue: Air Canada Centre (Toronto, Canada) Date: Dec. 10, 2011 As Rev Wrestling Corporation has now launched InterMatFight.com, I am honored to be able to continue making predictions on the outcome of UFC fights for this website. It has been my mission to find and expose the betting edge in mixed martial arts fighting, in order to take advantage of these weaknesses to earn money from Las Vegas bookmakers. The UFC Monster's record on this website is documented below. After a few years of picking winners, we decided to apply those winners to a "fictitious" $1000 bankroll to track for success. We are not endorsing sports betting as anything other than a recreational hobby for those able to manage their money. In looking for value on the betting line, it starts and stops with the featured match of the UFC light heavyweight between Jon "Bones" Jones (14-1 with only loss a DQ illegal elbow against Matt Hamill) and Lyota "Dragon" Machida (17-2), who not too long ago looked unbeatable. Now Machida is a ridiculous +400 underdog. Wow. That's how dominant Jones has become. If Machida can't beat him, who will? Dan Henderson? Perhaps, but I think Machida has the perfect style to end Bones' run. His feinting, counter-punching style baits most opponents into a stand-up affair, which Machida usually turns into a karate kicking clinic. He won ALL rounds in his first seven UFC fights! He won his first eight UFC fights. Only Anderson Silva has done better (13). Think about that. He not only was winning, but he won every single round of every single fight ... and now he's a +400 'dog against a rising, young, star? Why? I'm betting Machida until they stop printing bet tickets. Lyoto shocks the world with a stunning second-round KO! And, for one brief moment, I look smart. The Nogueira brothers are legendary. They are old Pride Fighting legends, who have never been submitted. EVER. These Brazilians have few weaknesses other than age, but in today's UFC arena, age can be fatal to success. Tonight, Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira, aka Big Nog, (33-6-1) will have his hands full with a rematch from a previous KO loss he had to Frank Mir (15-5, all losses by KO). Despite the fact that Big Nog is coming off an impressive KO of Brendan Schaub, that was only the third KO of his career! Mir is living on KOs now. Both are brilliant jiu-jitsu fighters, especially for heavyweights. I see a repeat of the first fight. Mir KOs an old-looking Nogueira in the second round. Lay the -260. Mir, da Man. Light heavyweight "Little Nog," Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-5) has struggled with good wrestlers recently, losing to Phil Davis and Ryan Bader. Tonight he fights UFC HOF'er, legendary "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz (16-9-1). Tito made a career of outwrestling and bullying his opponents, usually winning by elbow strikes delivered from a dominate ground-and-pound position. But, that was then, and this is now. Tito has won one fight in the past five years! Yes, one. His fighting days are numbered, and it's not likely he will be able to beat Little Nog here, who has a much better striking game, and has takedown defense good enough to stay off the mat. And, if he is put there, he owns a prestigious black belt that will keep him from getting submitted. This is easy. Take Nogueira and lay the -200. If Tito beats me, I deserve to lose. Old veteran, welterweight Brian Ebersole (48-14-1) has been on a late career roll, winning his last nine fights! His opponent is Canadian Claude Patrick (14-1), who has won 13 straight, including the last three in the UFC. In an even fight that could go either way, I lean towards the crowd support, youth, and momentum of Patrick to win by close decision. Take the +120 with a small play. Anyone who saw Mark Homminick's (20-9) tennis ball-sized hematoma on his forehead in his fight with Jose Aldo knows this dude does not quit. He went toe-to-toe against the champion for the full five rounds. Saturday night he starts his climb back into contention with a strikefest against Chan Sung Jung (11-3), the Korean Zombie, whose best bet is to drag Homminick to the mat and try to submit him. But that is not going to happen, and Homminick has too precise of a striking game with his pin-point accuracy and nice setups to lose this one, unless he gets caught early with a game changer. This one should be easy. That's why the price at -400 is so steep. Homminick wins by second-round KO. Let's call this a small bridge jump. You need to know how to swim if you make such plays. Now lets' take a look at the seven-fight undercard, The following four fights can be seen for free on ION TV for those interested, who can find that obscure channel. Try saying Krzysztof Soszynski (26-11-1) and Igor Pokrajac (23-8) ten times quickly without getting tongue-tied. Good luck. Soszynski, the Polish Experiment, wins this by brutal second-round TKO. The -225 price is more than fair. Scary dude. Canadian Yves Jabouin (16-7) has been winning fights by KO. He wins another one here at -160 in beating Walel Watson (9-2), who is making his UFC debut. Dennis "Superman" Hallman (50-14-2) is another MMA vet who has been at it for more than a decade. He is very formidable and always ready to fight. His opponent, John "The Bull" Makdessa sports an unbeaten 9-0 record with seven KOs. I think the years have taken their toll here, so I'm on Makdessa -155 to win a unanimous decision. Middleweight Jared Hamman (13-3) should beat Constantino Philippou (8-2). I'll take the favorite and lay the -250. Hamman wins by third round KO. Mark Bocek (9-4 with eight submissions) is quick and devastating on the mat. Minnesota's Nik "Carny" Lentz (21-3-2) is a relentless, scrappy wrestler who gives you every ounce of sweat he has ... Fight of the Night? Could have some value there. In a coin flip, I'm making a small play on Bocek at -130 to win by split decision. Rich "The Raging Bull" Attonito (10-4) is 3-1 in the UFC and appears to have more weapons than Jake "Hitman" Hecht (10-2). Let's try the favorite again and lay the -220. Toe-to-toe until someone drops. John Cholish (7-1) is from Hackettstown, N.J., and trains with the Renzo Gracie jiu-jitsu camp. That's enough for me against Canadian Mitch Clarke (9-0), who is most likely on the card for local interest and in over his head based on his limited portfolio in small venues. Cholish at -300 finishes by rear-naked choke in the second round. OK, now let's look at what we can do with our "fictitious" $1000 bankroll ... Let's lay $100 to win $400 on Lyota Machida to end Bones Jones' streak. Let's lay $130 to win $50 on Frank Mir to beat Big Nog again. Let's lay $120 to win $60 on Little Nog Nogueira. Let's lay $50 to win $ 60 on Claude Patrick. Let's lay $120 to win $30 on Mark Homminick. Let's lay $90 to win $40 on Krzysztof Soszynski. Let's lay $48 to win $30 on Yves Jabouin. Let's lay $62 to win $40 on John Makdessi. Let's lay $75 to win $30 on Jared Hamman. Let's lay $52 to win $40 on Mark Bocek. Let's lay $60 to win $20 on John Cholish. Let's lay $88 to win $40 on Rich Attonito. In total we are risking $995 to win $840. We will use the other $5 to save towards an InterMat Platinum subscription. In just six short months, you will have enough to enjoy the best wrestling writing anywhere (see any Mark Palmer article for proof). Good luck, and don't forget to give some of your profits to your local youth wrestling program where tomorrow's champions are born. Enjoy the fights. I know I will.

The most recent updates will appear at the top of this page. Refresh to see latest posts. Also be sure to follow me on Twitter: @JLowe_intermat 7:10 p.m. ET: Evans (Graham) wins 3-2 over Abounader (St. Edward) first place 3-2. Third went to Toal (Troy Chr., Oh.) 3-1 overtime over Mocco (Blair). Fifth was Krawuslki (Collins Hill, Ga.) by default. 7:00 p.m. ET: Catch up on things after awards. Mark Martin (St. Edward, Oh.) won 2-1 with a very late double leg against Eric Morris (Wyo Sem., Pa.) for first. Riddick (BECA, Pa.) for third on default. Kneppshield (Blair, N.J.) wins over Blum (Moeller) 4-2 for fifth. Miles (C'Burg, Va.) took fourth. 6:30 p.m. ET: Bo Jordan (Graham) with a second period takedown to beat Martinez (Lemoore) 2-0 at 152, both went neutral. Sizemore (Moeller, Oh.) beat Klosz (Holy Name, Oh.) 5-3 overtime for fifth. Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) over Parsons (Blair) 8-6 for third. 6:20 p.m. ET: Three impressive wins for Dylan Milonas (Blair, N.J.) over ranked wrestlers. 5-3 in overtime over Kastl (Graham, Oh.) Third went to Dailey (M. Perry, Oh.) 1-0 over Faust (Lexington, OH.). Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.) won 3-1 over Scheidel (St. Edward, Oh.) 6:10 p.m. ET: Finals have begun. Nate Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit, Oh.) with a fall over Austin Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.) - marginal control from neutral. 4-3 lead at the time. Third was Preston (Blair), fifth was Barber (St. Edward). 3:15 p.m. ET: Greg Kuhar (St. Edward, Oh.) wins 3-2 in the ultimtae tiebreaker over Mimmo Lytle (Swanton, Oh.). Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.) pins Nino Majoy (Huron, Oh.) We'll get a team score update and be done. 7/8 up here, consi semis downstairs. St. Edward has 5, Graham has 5, Graham has 4 in the finals. No other school with more than one. 3:05 p.m. ET: AJ Vizcarrando (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) wins 5-3 with two counter takedowns in the third period over Ty Walz (St. Edward, Oh.). Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) wins 3-2 over Matt Meadows (CVCA, Oh.). Those were the 215 semis. For all the work St. Edward pulled pulled early, Blair is winning 208 to 206-1/2. 2:55 p.m. ET: Seth Calvert (Broken Arrow, Okla.) beats James Suvak (St. Edward, Oh.) 4-1 ... second period near falls, third period reversal. Frank Mattiace (Blair, N.J.) with a 3-2 win over Kevin Marvel (McDonogh, Md.) 2:40 p.m. ET: Huston Evans (Graham, Oh.) wins 5-2 over BJ Toal (Troy Christian, Oh.) ... Domenic Abounader (St. Edward, Oh.) wins 7-1 over Michael Mocco (Blair, N.J.). St. Edward plus 19-1/2 over Blair ... both schools have a grappler on the mat here at 195. 2:30 p.m. ET: Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) wins 4-2 in the ultimate tiebreaker on a reversal over Elliott Riddick (Beth. Catholic, Pa.) after both wrestlers rode out in the :30-:30. Mark Martin (St. Edward) wins 10-2 major over Addison Kneppshield (Blair Academy, N.J.) 2:20 p.m. ET: Geordan Speiller (Pine Castle Chr., Fla.) wins 9-2 over Jacob Davis (St. Edward, Oh.); Isaac Jordan (Graham, Oh.) wins 4-2 over Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.). 160 semis. 170 has a Eds/Graham head-on, Eds is prohibitively favored and down 5-1/2 now, 11 points plus bonus on the line in this one (also at 182). 2:10 p.m. ET: Bo Jordan (Graham, Oh.) wins 11-2 over Ross Parsons (Blair, N.J.). Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.) with a big lead and then Garrett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) had Martinez on his back when time run out - Martinez wins 13-9. 2:00 p.m. ET: Kastl (Graham, Oh.) survives against Faust (Lexington, Oh.) Up 3-1 late, stopped wrestling, Faust hit a duck but evidently Kastl's hands weren't down beyond reaction time. We're going to overtime in Dailey (M. Perry, Oh.) vs. Milonas (Blair, N.J.) with a 5-5 score. Milonas gets a reversal in the second :30-:30 countering a merkle after he rode Dailey out in the first portion. 7-5 the final there. 1:45 p.m. ET: And the afteroon of disaster for Blair continues with Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.) gets the late takedown in a scramble against Preston (Blair, N.J.) - 3-1 final there. Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit, Oh.) wins 4-2 on a third period takedown against Newhouse (Massillon Perry, Oh.) 138. 145 is now. 1:40 p.m. ET: St. Eds plus 3-1/2 on Blair. Only going to increase as the upper weights progress on 138 now. 1:35 p.m. ET: Moments that will live in team race infamy. Randy Cruz (Beth. Catholic, Pa.) wins 9-4 over Grey (Blair, N.J.) in an entertaining. Bright (St. Edward) wins 5-2 in the tiebreaks over Cisneros (Selma, Calif.) No. 1 and No. in America goes down. St. Edward has a TON of MOMENTUM! 1:15 p.m. ET: 4-2 Heil is the winner on a reversal and near falls in the third. Gulibon wins 10-3 at 126. 1:10 p.m. ET: Taylor wins 7-3, DiCamillo 1-0 after third period escape on second period rideout. Last year final rematch. Jeske (Cox, Va.) against Heil (St. Edward, Oh.) at 126 ... Gulibon (Derry Area, Pa.) gets the takedown against Kraisser (Centennial, Md.) 1:05 p.m. ET: Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. kids get shafted at 106 and 113 - 106 for sure, 113 not as sure. DiCamillo (St. Igatius, Ohio) down position in a scoreless match against McClay (Massillon, Oh.). Taylor (Graham, Oh.) gets two near falls to make it 7-3 over Nyama (Brashear, Pa.) with 1:10 left in the match. 12:55 p.m. ET: Tomasello down 5-0 early comes back to take 10-9 lead late and GET THE PIN!!! McKenna wins 4-3 over Assad. 120 next. 12:50 p.m. ET: Valencia (SJB, Ca.) hung on for 5-4 win over Mai (N. Torrence, Calif.). Kolodzik (MV School, Oh.) 3-2 win over Cruz (BECA, Pa.) though Cruz got the only takedown. Moisey up 5-3 after a five point move in the second period (Tomasello cut from 5-1 to 5-3). Assad (Brecksville, Oh.) trails McKenna (Blair, N.J.) 4-2 late second period. 12:30 p.m. ET: Semis about to start - mats 1 and 3 only. Btw, in consolation activity, Brent Fickel (Padua, Oh.) beats Kagan Squire (Wadsworth, Oh.) with a late takedown - Squire will DNP after placing the first three years of his career. I'll update semi results on notebook, in match on twitter. 12:15 p.m. ET: Updated team before semis start: Blair 1st with 146-1/2 (9 semis). St. Edward with 141-1/2 (8 semis). Graham third with 99, Beth. Catholic (Pa.) 80, TIED Broken Arrow, Okla. and Moeller, Ohio 79-1/2. That's the top six. C'Burg, Va. with 79 and Wyo Sem, Pa. with 78, Massillon Perry (Oh.) 72 and Collins Hill, Ga. with 67 round out the top ten. 12:10 p.m. ET: 285 pounds semis - Black (Blair, N.J.) vs. Majoy (Huron, Ohio), Lytle (Swanton, Ohio) vs. Kuhar (St. Edward, Ohio). Kuhar majors the freshman sensation Johnson, Jr. (Wyo Sem, Pa.) 10-1 in the quarters. Matches to start shortly with 106 and up on two mats in the main gym. 12:05 p.m. ET: 220 bottom semi - Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) vs. Meadows (CVCA, Ohio). 13-3 major for Snyder, 7-4 decision for Meadows in the quarters. 12:00 p.m. ET: 195 semis - Calvert (Broken Arrow, Okla.) vs. Suvak (St. Edward, Ohio), Marvel (McDonogh, Md.) vs. Mattiace (Blair, N.J.) 11:55 a.m. ET: Abounader closed out the win, at 195 Mattiace (Blair) closed out a win. Tayse (Mass Perry, Ohio) v Suvak (St. Edward, Ohio) is scoreless third period. AJ Vizcarrando (Wyo Semi) closes out the 4-3 victory. Semi pairings for the last three weights shortly. Abounader did win. 11:50 a.m. ET: BJ Toal (Troy Christian, Ohio) with a fall at 182, he'll face Evans in the top semi. Abounader (St. Edward, Ohio) leads 3-1 against Krawulski (Collins Hill, Ga.) after two periods for the right to face Mocco (Blair, N.J.) in the bottom semi at 182 after Gresham (Goshen, Ohio) scratched due to injury last night. 11:45 a.m. ET: Riddick (Beth. Catholic, Pa.) majors 17-8 at 170, faces Morris up top semi. Ty Walz (St. Edward) majors Stone (SVSM, Oh.) 20-7 at 220 - he'll face the winner of the next match on mat one b/n Vizcarrando (Wyo Sem, Pa.) and Lobsinger (West Valley, Calif.). Calvert (Broken Arrow, Okla.) with a fall at 195 over Alpha (Beth. Catholic). 11:40 a.m. ET: 6:00 finals at the Ironman, as opposed to 6:30 p.m. Evans (Graham) wins 18-5 at 182 against Wasson (Wyo Seminary, Pa.) 170 has two matches up, 220 one, and we have 182 coming up where 182 ended. Kneppshield (Blair, N.J.) gets 4-3 win having ridden out the last three-plus minutes of the match, and advances to face Martin in the bottom 170 semi. 11:35 a.m. ET: Gresham did scratch this morning, injury last night. Michael Mocco (Blair, N.J.) has a free pass to the 182 semis. 160 top semi is Speiller vs. Davis. 11:30 a.m. ET: Morris wins 1-0 final. Isaac Jordan gets 4 NF to go up 5-0 over Pereira. Martin (St. Edward, Oh.) up big on Gray (CVCA, Oh.) 9-2 lead second period late. Speiller (PC Christian, Fla.) up 2-1 on Coover (Blair, N.J.) middle second period at 160. 160 bottom semi is Isaac Jordan v Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.) 11:25 a.m. ET: Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) won 6-2 at 152, faces Martinez in semis; Parsons v Bo Jordan. Isaac Jordan (Graham, Oh.) almost with a takedown agaisnt Pereira (Newark Memorial, Calif.) after the escape and leads 1-0 after two at 160. Morris (Wyo Seminary, Pa.) and Coniker (Pitt CC, Pa.) tied 0-0 late thrid period - Coniker on top after being ridde in second ... Morris escapes and leads 1-0 at 170. 11:20 a.m. ET: TWOOOOO for Davis on the counter takedown. Friday upset last year, Saturday upset this year. Van Curen (St. Edward) 4-4 tie with Parsons (Blair, N.J.) third period .. Van Curen stalls, Parsons down. Big head on match. Parsons escapes off the stall, hit for a stall with :10 left, Parsons takedown off of Van Curen's force ... Blair wins 7-4 buffers the Eds storm. 11:15 a.m. ET: Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.) with fall at 152, Bo Jordan (Graham, Ohio) with a major. That's the two and one seed. OVertime at 160 - Reel (Washington, Ill.) vs. Davis (St. Edward, Ohio) 5-5. 11:10 a.m. ET: 145 - Clark (McDonogh, Md.) trails Milonas (Blair, N.J) 1-0 after two, Clark is down third period. Battle of Nat Prep runners-up from last year. Dailey (Massillon Perry, Oh.) wins by 17-2 tech and advances to semis. Milonas 1-0 final, faces Dailey in the semis. Kastl (Graham) about to close out 9-4 victory and faces Faust in the other 145 semi - could be Ohio DII finals preview. 11:05 a.m. ET: 138 semis - Skonieczny v Newhouse, Preston v Matthews. 11:00 a.m. ET: Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.) PIN over Ferman (Broken Arrow, Okla.). Faust 7-1. Preston (Blair, N.J.) up 3-0 second period in prep champ battle with Yankowich (Germantown, Pa.). Newhouse (Mass. Perry, Oh.) up 12-7 on Barber (St. Eds, Oh.) late third period. 10:55 a.m. ET: TIEBREAK ULTIMATE. 3-3 Bright v Squire. Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio) wins at 138. Bright wins with near falls. Tfree 138, one at 145 - Faust (Lexington, Ohio) leads Lavallee (Reno) 2-0 after one #breakthrough? 10:45 a.m. ET: OVERTIME Malone v Kraisser with 1-1 score ... Kraisser in deep ... TWO and the win! 10:40 a.m. ET: BIG BIG BIG team race win for Heil, 3-1 over Dance. Grey up 5-3 on Ward minute left third period. Jeske wins it 6-3 over the Blair wrestler. Malone (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) and Kraisser (Centennial, Md.) scoreless after one. Heil v Jeske a semi at 126. Grey closes out the 5-3 victory, and is a 4x placer at the Ironman. Malone up 1-0 after two against Kraisser. 10:35 a.m. ET: McClay wins 5-4, faces DiCamillo. Jeske (Cox, Va.) lead Hvolbek 4-2 after two, Heil up 3-1 one minute left. At 132, Grey (Blair, N.J.) leads Ward (Moeller, Oh.) 4-2 late second period. 10:30 a.m. ET: Ryan Taylor (Graham, Ohio) wins his quarter at 120 by 2-1 score on third period reversal. McClay (Massillon, Ohio) up 4-0 in the other quarter at that weight. Taylor v Nyama semi. McClay's quarter feeds into DiCamillo. Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area, Pa.) closes out victory in quarters at 126, took it to the opponent. Technical fall . Big quarters at 126 in progress ... Heil (St. Edward, Oh.) up 2-0 on Dance (Christiansburg, Va.) end of one, Jeske (Cox, Va.) up on Hvolbek (Blair, N.J.) 2-1 after one as well. 10:25 a.m. ET: DiCamillo gets a 13-5 major decision. Nyama about to get a woodshed victory here in the quarters over Lemaire (C. Rodney, Del.) ... big time leap here for Nyama this year. 15-0 tech for the wrestler of Nigerian descent, his parents are profs at Pitt. DiCamillo now a 4x Ironman placer. 10:22 a.m. ET: Assad wins 2-1 on a second stall and escape, upset there over the 7th ranked Wert. Moisey/Jimenez 4-4 third period. DiCamillo (St. Ignatius, Ohio) is up 4-1 midway through the second at 120. Nyama (Brashear, PA) up 2-0 midway first period. Moisey gets the takedown to close that out 6-4. 10:20 a.m. ET: Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio) closes out 6-2 quarterfinal victory at 113. Joey McKenna (Blair, N.J.) closes out 5-2 quarterfinal. Jimenez (Marmion, Ill.) writhing in pain after Moisey called for a penalty point, but up 4-2. Wert (Christiansburg, Va. up 1-0 trying to ride out in the third. Acutally 1-1 now with an Aaron Assad (Brecksville, Ohio) escape 10:10 a.m. ET: Johnson Mai (N. Torrence, Calif.) wins by a 13-2 score at 106. Darian Cruz (Beth. Catholic, Pa.) wins his quarter 11-2, and will face Matt Kolodzik (Miami Valley, Ohio) in the semis after his 5-0 win. Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) wins 6-5 and will face Mai in an all Calif. semifinal. 10:00 a.m. ET: Quarterfinals about to start - 106 first. Check the pairings link. Joseph takedown, 2-0 over Valencia; Mai takedown, 2-0 over Bavery, Cruz takedown, 2-0 over Ozias. Kolodzik takedown, 2-0 over Fleetwood. 9:20 a.m. ET: Quarterfinals going to start in about 40 minutes here in the main gym on four mtas. A couple items to close out Day 1, and help fans follow the first part of Day 2. Quarterfinal pairings: http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/9298 Team Standings: http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/9299 From a team standings standpoint: Quarterfinal wins are worth five points plus bonus (two for winning, three for guaranteed 6th place). Semifinal wins are worth eleven points plus bonus (two for winning, nine for the jump from 6th to 2nd place). Quarterfinal round is also a big round in the No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. vs. No. 2 St. Edward, Ohio team race. Blair with 11 in the quarters has six quarters that they are favored to win (113, 132, 138, 152, 195, and 285); three in which they are the on paper underdog (126, 160, 182); and two that are swing matches (145, 170). St. Edward has four quarters in which they are favored (170, 182, 220, 285); three in which they are the underdog (138, 152, 160); and three swing matches (126, 132, 195). The lone head-on quarterfinal is at 152 pounds between Russ Parsons (Blair) and Matt Van Curen (St. Edward). 7:40 p.m. ET: All consolation wrestling now. Winners finish top 16. 7:35 p.m. ET: 220 Quarterfinal - Walz (St. Edward, Ohio) vs. Stone (Akron SVSM, Ohio), Vizcarrando (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Lobsinger (West Valley, Calif.); Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) vs. Freauf (Moeller, Ohio), Linton (Rootstown, Ohio) vs. Meadows (CVCA) 7:30 p.m. ET: 285 Quarterfinal - Black (Blair, N.J.) vs. Boddy (Germantown Academy, Pa.), Majoy (Huron, Ohio) vs. Gray (Oregon Clay, Ohio); Lytle (Swanton, Ohio) vs. Pinkston (Robinson, Va.), Johnson, Jr. (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Kuhar (St. Edward, Ohio) 7:25 p.m. ET: AJ Vizcarrando (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) beats Zach DeLuca (Pittsburgh CC, Pa.) 4-3 with a late takedown in the third period. 7:15 p.m. ET: 195 Quarterfinal - Calvert (Broken Arrow, Okla.) vs. Alpha (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), Tayse (Massillon Perry, Ohio) vs. Suvak (St. Edward, Ohio); Marvel (McDonogh, Md.) vs. Lehner (Lexington, Ohio), Thornberry (Moeller, Ohio) vs. Mattiace (Blair Academy, N.J.) Also have a back-and-forth slug fest here at 220 with Daley (Fort LeBoeuf, Pa.) vs. Stone (Akron SVSM, Ohio) - Stone takes 4-2 lead with :25 left second period. 7:00 p.m. ET: 182 Quarterfinal - Evans (Graham, Ohio) vs. Wasson (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), Brogle (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) vs. Toal (Troy Christian, Ohio); Abounader (St. Edward, Ohio) vs. Krawulski (Collins Hill, Ga.), Mocco (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Gresham (Goshen, Ohio) 6:55 p.m. ET: 170 Quarterfinal - Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Coniker (Pittsubrgh Central Catholic, Pa.), Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) vs. Miles (Christiansburg, Va.); Kneppshield (Blair, N.J.) vs. Warren (Broken Arrow, Okla.), Gray (CVCA, Ohio) vs. Martin (St. Edward, Ohio) 6:50 p.m. ET: 160 Quarterfinal - Reel (Washington, Ill.) vs. Davis (St. Edward, Ohio), Coover (Blair, N.J.) vs. Speiller (Pine Castle Christian, Fla.); Isaac Jordan (Graham, Ohio) vs. Pereira (Newark Memorial, Calif.), Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.) v Arrendale (Massillon Perry, Ohio) 6:40 p.m. ET: We have our first MEGA UPSET! Josh Arrendale (Massillon Perry, Ohio) beats three-time state champion No. 2 Cody Allala (Hopewell, Va.) 7-4. Arrendale never made the state tournament career to date. 6:25 p.m. ET: 152 Quarterfinal - Bo Jordan (Graham, Ohio) vs. Bergman (Oak Harbor, Ohio), Parsons (Blair, N.J.) vs. Van Curen (St. Edward, Ohio); Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) vs. Klosz (Holy Name, Ohio), Forbes (St. Benedict's Prep, N.J.) vs. Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.) 6:20 p.m. ET: Grey (Blair, N.J.) vs. Ward (Moeller, Ohio), Randy Cruz (Beth. Catholic, Pa.) vs. Garcia (Montini Catholic, Pa.); Squire (Wadsworth, Ohio) vs. Bright (St. Edward, Ohio), Jablosnki (Cox, Va.) vs. Cisneros (Selma, Calif.) 6:15 p.m. ET: Van Curen (St. Edward, Ohio) upsets Nick Babcock (Broomfield, Colo.) 8-7 in a back-and-forth affair at 152, Alex Bergman (Oak Harbor, Ohio) takes out Tyler Manion (Pittsburgh CC, Pa.) in overtime also at 152 in the round of 16. 6:00 p.m. ET: 145 Quarterfinals - Lavallee (Reno, Nev.) vs. Faust (Lexington, Ohio), Kastl (Graham, Ohio) vs. Fulk (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.); Milonas (Blair, N.J.) vs. Clark (McDonogh, Md.), Zeman (Avon, Ohio) vs. Zack Dailey (Massillon Perry, Ohio) Zeman won a 3-1 overtime match over Markus Scheidel (St. Edward, Ohio) despite lost teeth and stitches ... though not as bad a memory as "Bo Jordan destroying me in the state final." 5:55 p.m. ET: 138 Quarterfinals - Nate Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio) vs. Amenta (Oregon Clay, Ohio), Barber (St. Edward, Ohio) vs. Newhouse (Massillon Perry, Ohio); Preston (Blair, N.J.) vs. Yankovich (Germantown Academy, Pa.), Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.) vs. Ferman (Broken Arrow, Okla.) 5:50 p.m. ET: 126 Quarterfinals - Gulibon (Derry, Pa.) vs. Kostandaras (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio), Kraisser (Centennial, Md.) vs. Malone (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.); Jeske (Cox, Va.) vs. Hvolbek (Blair, N.J.), Heil (St. Edward, Ohio) vs. Dance (Christiansburg, Va.) 5:45 p.m. ET: 120 Quarterfinals - DiCamillo (St. Ignatius, Ohio) vs. Campbell (Lexington, Ohio), McClay (Massillon, Ohio) vs. Stainbrook (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio); Nyama (Brashear, Pa.) vs. Lemaire (Caesar Rodney, Del.), Ferguson (Collins Hill, Ga.) vs. Taylor (Graham, Ohio). 5:45 p.m. ET: Max Hvolbek (Blair) with a bar-tilt in the third period to beat Micah Jordan (Graham) 4-2. Weak mat wrestling kills the Falcons there. 5:25 p.m. ET: Quarterfinals 106 - Mai (N. Torrence, Cal.) vs. Bavery (Massillon Perry, Ohio), Z Valencia (St John Bosco, Cal.) vs. Joseph (PCC, Pa.); Fleetwood v Kolodzik, Ozias (Christiansburg, Va.) vs. D. Cruz (BECA, Pa.) 5:15 p.m. ET: Quarterfinals 113 - Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio) vs. Shoap (Chambersburg, Pa.), Jimenez (Marmion, Ill.) vs. Moisey (BECA, PA.); McKenna (Blair, N.J.) vs. Laster (Montini, Ill.), Assad (Brecksville, Oh.) vs. Wert (Christiansburg, Pa.) 5:10 p.m. ET: part two ... Amenta (Oregon Clay, Ohio) beats Angelo Silvestro (Marmion Academy, Ill.) 3-1 in the round of 16. Godwin Nyama (Brashear, Pa.) with the major decision over Kevon Powell (Montini Catholic, Ill.). Joseph takes a 4-2 lead there, was up 3-2 and riding hard, Hayes hit for third caution. And that's a final for Vincenzo Joseph. 5:10 p.m. ET: Kolodzik closes out a 7-4 victory over Russell. He'll have Fleetwood in the Saturday morning quarterfinal round. 5:05 p.m. ET: Fleetwood beats Simmons 2-1 to avenge Cadet FS loss, tilt in the third to win. 4:55 p.m. ET: Three huge 106 rd16 matches coming .. Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.) vs. Simmons (Broken Arrow, Okla.); Hayes (Park Hill, Mo.) vs. Joseph (Pitt CC, Pa.); and Kolodzik (Miami Valley, Ohio) vs. Russell (Collins Hill, Ga.) 4:50 p.m. ET: Colton Adams (Scottsbluff, Neb.) gets pinned with :30 left in the match despite a 4-0 lead against Calvin Campbell (Lexington, Ohio) ... Campbell very good with the big moves. 4:40 p.m. ET: We've started the join consolation, championship rd16. Upset with 11 Shoap (Chambersburg, Pa.) defeating Millhof (Collins Hill, Ga.) 6-4 at 113 pounds. 3:40 p.m. ET: From 6-2 down middle third period, Dakota Sizemore (Moeller, Ohio) with the pin over freshman Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.) at 152. 3:25 p.m. ET: Broken Arrow, Okla. with the lead now! 3:15 p.m. ET: Order restored, Blair in the lead. Cisneros (Selma) with the tech. 3:08 p.m. ET: Big statement win for Ross Parsons (Blair) against solid frosh Paden Bailey (Broken Arrow, Okla.) 15-2. 2:50 p.m. ET: Edgar Bright (St. Edward, Ohio) on the mats against Ryan Skonieczny (Akron SVSM, Ohio) - first period was scoreless ... final is 11-1 Bright, huge third period for the Eagle junior. 2:38 p.m. ET: Couple results here, Godwin Nyama (Brashear, Pa.) beats PJ Klee (Blair) 2-0; Dominick Malone (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) wins 7-2 over Anthony Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.). 2:20 p.m. ET: Big early match here between Zane Heller (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) and Micah Jordan (Graham, Ohio). 3-0 lead for Jordan here early second period though on mat 4. 2:10 p.m. ET: Lance Hill (Park. South, W. Va.) with the 2-1 win over Jordan Kutler (Blair Academy, N.J.). Also, Junior free runner-up Tommy Pawleksi (Montini Catholic, Ill.) loses by fall to Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh CC, Pa.). First round at 106. 2:00 p.m. ET: Take a picture of the board Fort LeBoeuf fans, you guys are in FIRST PLACE! 1:35 p.m. ET: Wheeling back to round of 32 matches, starting with Johnson Mai (North Torrance, Calif.) at 106 pounds on mat four. Other mats should follow shortly hereafter. Bout numbers in the 360's and higher. 1:26 p.m. ET: Overtime here between No. 11 seed George Fisher (Marmion, IL) and Clay Archer (Broken Arrow, OK) ... 6-6 score. Archer knocks him off 8-6 in the tiebreakers with a reversal. 1:05 p.m. ET: Gulibon with a fall. Darian Cruz (Beth Catholic, PA) with a fall. Two No. 1 wrestlers in America already wrestling, both with falls. 1:02 p.m. ET: Wrestling has started, Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area, PA) got the first takedown in front of us at the head table. Pigtail matches here involving weights with more than 32 wrestlers in them. Then round of 32 in all weights. 12:58 p.m. ET: About to get started here!! Still need a bracket in my hand, and access to the bout board. 11:50 a.m. ET: Looking live at the main gym of the Walsh Ironman. About 70 minutes away from action.

Iowa State third-year coach Kevin Jackson has plenty of critics after the Cyclones finished 20th at the NCAAs last season, which was the program's worst finish since 1963, and have started this season 0-6 in dual meets. Jackson, though, chooses to focus on other things. Kevin Jackson is in his third season as head coach at ISU (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)"If I paid attention to my critics, I would lose my mind," said Jackson, who served as National Freestyle Coach for USA Wrestling from 2001 to 2008. "If I read message boards, I would probably respond in a way that would hurt some of my fan base a little bit. But I understand because we're spoiled in a sense. I think for the most part many people don't recognize where we were at when I landed." When Jackson landed in Ames in 2009 and was introduced as the program's seventh head coach, Cyclone Nation was still coping with the sudden loss of Cyclone icon Cael Sanderson, who left his coaching job at Iowa State to become head coach at Penn State. Not only did the program lose its head coach, but also lost All-American Cyler Sanderson, as well as top incoming recruit David Taylor, to Penn State, at a time when many believed the Cyclones were on the brink of winning a national championship. Jackson led the Cyclones to a third-place finish at the 2010 NCAAs in his first season at the helm, even without contributions from Nick Gallick, a potential NCAA champion who suffered a season-ending injury. In addition, Cyclones Jake Varner and David Zabriskie won NCAA titles at 197 pounds and heavyweight respectively, while Andrew Long finished as an NCAA runner-up as a freshman at 125 pounds. Jackson was named Rookie Coach of the Year in 2010. But unfortunate circumstances and injuries have caused Iowa State to take a step back over the past two seasons. Andrew Sorenson"I think if someone were to look at our program subjectively and look at where we are as a program now and where we were when I got here, a logical person would understand our situation, especially when you're talking about the injuries," said Jackson. "But we are Iowa State. We have a culture of winning. We have a culture of performing. We have a history of being very, very good. When you have a season like we had last year and are having this year, obviously there is going to be concern and there are going to be people who are going criticize." The Cyclones are young and inexperienced this season. Against Iowa this past Sunday, Iowa State started seven freshmen or sophomores. Fifth-ranked Andrew Sorenson (165) was the lone senior in the lineup for Iowa State. The Hawkeyes won the first five matches against the Cyclones and cruised to a 27-9 victory at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. So what was Jackson's message to the team after the loss to Iowa? "The message was, understand what you are representing when you put on that Iowa State singlet and that 'I' is on your chest," said Jackson. "You are representing more than just yourself. We've got to have a better effort. I think they took that to heart. I saw it the next day in the practice room. We just need to carry it over to the matches." It has been baptism by fire for Jackson's young wrestlers. In addition to facing No. 1 Iowa, Iowa State has already battled No. 2 Oklahoma State and No. 14 Oklahoma. Next on the schedule: No. 4 Minnesota tonight in Minneapolis. J Robinson with Jayson Ness and Dustin Schlatter (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)"Minnesota will be in the hunt for the national championship," said Jackson. "They have all the pieces from top to bottom to give them a chance to contend for the title if they wrestle accordingly. J Robinson has been there many years and has built a dynasty, a powerhouse of a program, and a tradition that is second to none." According to Jackson, Iowa State is battling some injuries and the Gophers will see a little bit different lineup tonight than the Hawkeyes saw on Sunday. "We've got some injuries, some guys who are just trying to get healthy," said Jackson. "I see at least one or two changes in the lineup. That's just part of the game. We have to keep them healthy for the entire season." Iowa State has five ranked wrestlers: No. 10 at Ryak Finch at 125 pounds, No. 5 Andrew Sorenson at 165 pounds, No. 7 Chris Spangler at 174 pounds, No. 14 Boaz Beard at 184 pounds, and No. 20 Matt Gibson at heavyweight. Finch, a redshirt freshman, is coming off a 6-0 loss on Sunday to NCAA champion and two-time NCAA finalist Matt McDonough of Iowa. Tonight he is expected to face No. 1 Zach Sanders of Minnesota. "Zach Sanders creates as much of a challenge as anyone because he has a high level of skill and has a lot of diversity in his attacks," said Jackson. He wrestles with aggressiveness. He is always trying to score points and wrestles for seven minutes. It is a very strong challenge for Ryak." The Iowa State wrestling program has benefited from having some of the nation's top senior-level freestyle wrestling talent training in Ames. Iowa State alums Trent Paulson, Travis Paulson, Jon Reader, and David Zabriskie are all training under Jackson at Iowa State as they prepare for the 2012 Olympic Team Trials, which take place April 21-22 in Iowa City, Iowa. Cael Sanderson defeated Jon Reader at the 2011 Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)"It's a steel-sharpening-steel mentality," said Jackson. "My collegiate guys are facing better, bigger, stronger, and more experienced wrestlers than they'll face in live competition, therefore giving them added confidence when they face anyone." Jackson, a 1992 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle, coached Cael Sanderson to an Olympic gold medal in 2004. Now Jackson has an athlete, Reader, an NCAA champion last season, who he expects will have to go through Sanderson to make the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team at 84 kilos (185 pounds). Sanderson defeated Reader in two straight periods at the 2011 U.S. World Team Trials. "I foresee it coming down to Cael and Jon for that spot," said Jackson. "I really do. I predict that." Jackson felt Reader was "ahead of schedule" last spring and summer with his freestyle development and is pleased with his athlete's progression and dedication to the sport. "Jon Reader trains as hard, if not harder, than anyone I have ever been around," said Jackson. "His focus is as strong, if not stronger, than anyone I have ever been around. He loves the sport. He loves to train. He loves to compete. That's what makes him special." Despite Iowa State's struggles over the past two seasons, Jackson remains both excited and optimistic about the future of Iowa State wrestling. The Cyclones have landed two InterMat Top 100 recruits from the Class of 2012, No. 10 John Meeks (Des Moines Roosevelt, Iowa) and No. 60 Gabriel Moreno (Urbandale, Iowa), plus nationally ranked wrestlers Dakota Bauer (Iowa City West, Iowa), Kyle Larson (West Des Moines Valley, Iowa), and Jesse Doyle (Wheatmore, N.C). Destin McCauley battles Dustin Schlatter at the Olympic Trials Qualifier in Las Vegas (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)But Jackson's biggest recruiting breakthrough this fall came when Destin McCauley (Apple Valley, Minn.), former No. 1 overall recruit from the Class of 2011, announced that he will be joining the Iowa State wrestling program next year. "Destin McCauley is a special kid," said Jackson. "We expect him to come into our program and have an immediate impact. He is taking a year off to train for the Olympics, so he is training with much better competition than he's going to face in college. That is going to springboard him into a position where he can wrestle as a true freshman for us." Jackson understands the expectations that come with leading a program with such a rich wrestling tradition and remains confident that Iowa State will be back in the national title hunt sooner than later. "My confidence has not wavered with what we can do and what we can accomplish," said Jackson. "The goals have not changed about what we can accomplish and what our expectations are ... and they never will. I am confident that we will get to that point. I think it is going to be a lot sooner than everyone thinks. When it does happen, just realize how it happened and the process. Everything is a process."

There was bound to be some follow-up questions for UFC President Dana White following yesterday's UFC on Fox 2 presser and today in Toronto he heard 'em all. The promotion's pitchman denied reports that Rashad Evans would be fined or suspended for making pre-fight remarks that compared "putting hands" on his opponent Phil Davis' worse than that of alleged child abuser and former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. For now Evans' comments have been relegated to the ambiguous weigh station of wait-and-see "What do you want me to do? You want me to have our lawyers draw something up, and I'll come out and read it to you guys?" he said. "[Evans] said something stupid. It's probably one of the dumbest things you can say. "He gets it, and he knows it was a stupid thing to say. We'll see what happens." White's beliefs were more clear when it came to the health of UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and the future of Strikeforce on Showtime. Silva, who Chael Sonnen and Dan Henderson both accuse of having ducked competition due to phantom injuries, was defended by a sharp-tongued White in an interview with MMAJunkie.com. "First of all, just to clear this up, and these guys – Dan Henderson knows it, Chael knows it, and every other fighter that fights in the UFC knows it – you can't fake an injury," "He is injured," White said. "He's out until the summer. That's just those guys yapping." The Showtime deal with Zuffa-owned Strikedforce was expected to expire in February, but the premium cable channel and the parent company of the UFC have appear to have a new deal in place with White saying that details should be made available sometime next week.

"Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine" rumored for Jan. 7 is now official. The main event features a middleweight title fight between champion Luke Rockhold (8-1 MMA, 7-0 SF) and Keith Jardine (17-9-2 MMA, 0-0-1 SF). The other main card bouts include middleweights Robbie Lawler (18-8 MMA, 2-4 SF) vs. Adlan Amagov (9-1-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), light heavyweights Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (8-1 MMA, 3-1 SF) vs. Lorenz Larkin (12-0 MMA, 3-0 SF), and welterweights Tarec Saffiedine (11-3 MMA, 3-1 SF) vs. Tyler Stinson (22-7 MMA, 1-0 SF). Former EliteXC and UFC standout Robbie Lawler will look to get back on the winning track against Adlan Amagov, who is currently in the midst of a 10-fight undefeated streak. Meanwhile Lawlor has lost four of his last six fights, including his last two. King Mo is back after a first-round KO of Roger Gracie in September. Lawal, once the title holder at light heavyweight is in his second fight since becoming injured in his August 2010 title defense loss to Rafeal "Feijao" Calvacante. His opponent Lorenz Larkin is arguably Strikeforce's hottest fighter winning all three of his promotional appearances in 2011. The event takes place The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and will be Strikeforce's first event of 2012.

CHICAGO -- No one needs to tell Jon Koppenhaver what it means to hit rock bottom. After being raised by a substance-abusing mother and spending over a year in state prison, "War Machine" has seen it all. Only 29 years old and coming off a dominating TKO victory over former Bellator and UFC fighter Roger Huerta, the talented welterweight is ready to resurrect his MMA career by joining Bellator Fighting Championships. Jon Koppenhaver (Photo/Bellator)"Jon's not had an easy road," said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. "And there's no doubt he's made some poor choices, but after having had conversations with him since his release, he really seems to understand where and why things went wrong and wants to make them right. And, when he's focused on nothing but training and fighting, he's a talented and exciting fighter. I hope he's able to turn this second chance into something positive." Born and raised in California, Koppenhaver has dealt with personal demons nearly his entire life. Watching his mother abuse drugs was common for Koppenhaver, which eventually led to him leaving home to live with his biological father. Soon after the move was made, Koppenhaver's father suffered a heart attack and died in his son's arms. "My past has kind of shaped and molded who I've become, but the mistakes I've made in the past have definitely made me realize that I have to avoid certain situations in order to be the type of person I want to be," War Machine said. Fighting certainly has shaped Koppenhaver's life, both in and out of the cage. After a 5-1 start to his professional MMA career, War Machine began a downward spiral that included numerous altercations in bars and nightclubs, which eventually led to his year-long incarceration. Originally signed by Bellator in 2009, War Machine made disparaging political comments that led to his release before he could step foot inside the Bellator cage. Now back with Bellator, War Machine realizes this is a chance not everyone gets. "It's like I hit the rewind button," War Machine said. "I pressed rewind and now I have a chance to get my life back on track. It feels great. Not everyone gets this kind of opportunity. I'm just stoked to be back in the mix here with Bellator. I didn't get released from Bellator because I sucked. I got released because I was making poor decisions in my life. Right now I'm just out to show the world that I do belong here fighting the best with Bellator." With the recent win over Huerta, War Machine is aware of what is on the line with Bellator, and is ready for this opportunity. "I feel like I belong fighting with the best fighters in the world and Bellator has a bunch of them," said War Machine. "I'm ready to fight the best guys again, and now I have that chance. I'm excited for the chance to prove myself and make up for a lot of the stupid stuff I've said and done in the past. I love my family and my teammates and I want to make them all proud of me. I want to show them what I'm truly capable of. I know there are a lot of kids and people I care about there watching me so I need to be a lot more careful about some of the choices I make. I just want to make everyone proud of me."

BRISTOL, R.I. -- The Roger Williams University Wrestling team (1-0) crushed the U.S.Coast Guard Academy 37-6 in the Pilgrim League opener for both teams. In the night's first match, Coast Guard's Nate Giorgio, ranked sixth in the nation at 125-pounds, earned six points for the Bears with a pin at 6:03. However, this would be the only scoring for the Bears as the Hawks would go on to sweep the remaining weight classes. At 165-pounds, sophomore Collin Crowell (Hampstead, N.H.) won 13-4. Junior 197-pounder Philip Ernst (Succasunna, N.J.) won by tech fall, 19-3. In the closest match of the evening, junior Jack DiBurro (Haverhill, Mass.) and Virgil Moreno would battle at 174-pounds to a 1-1 stalemate but DiBiurro would claim the victory for the Hawks with 2:31 of riding time. After the match Coach Jon Egan was proud of his team and stated, “It was a great start to our dual meet season. Coast Guard had beaten us last year and we had a bit of a chip on our shoulder since then. It was nice to see our guys getting after it and raising the level of intensity.” The Hawks travel to Norwich on Saturday, December 10 for a non-league contest. The Bears (0-1) conclude their first semester schedule and will resume with the North/South Duals at Ursinus College on January 7, 2012. Results: 125: Nate Giorgio (CGA) pins Anthony D'Anton (RWU) at 6:07 133: Michael Ehlinger (RWU) wins by forfeit 141: Michael Forlenza (RWU) defeats Anthony Signorello (CGA) 8-3 149: Conor Hayes (RWU) defeats Micheal Giorgio (CGA) 6-1 157: Kevin Edward (RWU) defeats Ben Greeen (CGA) 10-2 165: Collin Crowell (RWU) defeats Vaughn Gehman (CGA) 13-4 174: Jack DiBurro (RWU) defeats Virgil Moreno (CGA) 2-1 184: Shane Parcel (RWU) defeats Nolan Salyer (CGA) 8-1 197: Philip Ernst (RWU) defeats Matt Waskiewicz (CGA) 19-3 (tech fall) Heavyweight: Williams Salovitch (RWU) wins by forfeit

Fight Now TV Presents Takedown Wrestling from the Brute studios in Des Moines, Iowa at 1460 KXNO. Takedown Wrestling is brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! Join Scott Casber, Jeff Murphy, Steve Foster, Chad Kriz, Ryan Freeman and Brad Johnson with the Takedown Wrestling Headline News this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. CT/ 10 a.m. to noon. This week we take a behind the scenes look at wrestling and sports on television with Doug Brooker. One of the most prolific wrestling and sports producers of our time, Brookers resume includes our sports biggest events and some of its most intimate moments. Doug is slated as the World Feed producer for the 2012 Olympics. We'll look for answers on what the networks look for from sport, how best to showcase wrestling to an audience and what it'll take to get more wrestling on TV. Brooker's hand selected expert guests are broken down into two groups. 9:01 Doug Wren, Television Director, Tulsa, Oklahoma Janice Devine, TV Graphics Designer & Graphics Operator, Chicago, Illinois Vic Thomas, Television Audio, San Jose, California 9:26 Takedown Wrestling Headline News with Brad Johnson 9:40 Jeff Murphy, Kemin's Top 20 Report 9:50 Ty Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update 10:01 Doug Wren, Television Director, Tulsa, Oklahoma Carol Peterson, Television Camera Operator, Lake Tahoe, Nevada Tim Johnson, Television Play by Play Announcer, Champaign, Illinois Vic Thomas, Television Audio, San Jose, California Olaf Bahr, Olympic Broadcasting 10:40 Ken Kraft on the 49th Edition of the Ken Kraft Midlands 10:50 Amy Ruble, Wildrose Casino and Resort Report 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.

ERIE, Pa. -- The Gannon wrestling team won nine of ten bouts en route to a 39-6 win over Penn State DuBois Wednesday evening at the Hammermill Center. In addition to the results on the mat, the event was also a success as fundraising efforts produced more than $1,200 to be used for a scholarship in the name of head coach Don Henry's wife Diane who passed away earlier this week. Matt Turek (Painesville, Ohio / Madison) gave the Golden Knights a 6-0 lead after the 125-pound match, earning a technical fall (22-7) at the 4:02 mark of the bout. Turek recorded six takedowns and six back points during the first period. Adam Weinell (Blairsville, Pa. / Blairsville) recorded his third pin of the season in the 133-pound bout. He pinned Trenton Bowers two minutes and 37 seconds into the match, giving Gannon an 11-0 lead. Scott Bulzan (Chardon, Ohio / Chardon) earned a 4-2 decision in the 141-pound match before Ethan Swope (Luthersberg, Pa. / DuBois Area) recorded a 12-3 major decision at 149. Swope picked up two takedowns in the first period, a reversal in the second and a takedown with three back points in the third. Keith Stoerr (Lancaster, N.Y. / Lancaster) and Zack Zelcs (Ridgway, Pa. / Ridgway) also recorded pins during the Gannon win. Stoerr pinned Ryan Terwilliger in 5:51 to end the 174-pound bout while Zelcs recorded the win via pin at the 4:15 mark of the 184-pound match. Sam Brehm (Wexford, Pa. / Pine-Richland), Adam Greenman (Port Allegany, Pa. / Port Allegany) and Jimmy Martz (Hookstown, Pa. / Southside Beaver) all added three points to Gannon's total with decisions in their respective weight classes. The Golden Knights moved to 1-0 with the win in their opening dual. Penn State DuBois fell to 5-2 for the season. Gannon will next compete at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Championships this weekend at Mercyhurst. Competition will take place all day Saturday, December 10.

The 14th-ranked Mountain Cat wrestlers raced out to a 16-0 lead after four matches, including No. 3 Jack Bachman's (Greensburg, Pa.) decision over No .4 Adam Hluschak at 141 lbs., on their way to a 25-15 victory at Super Region I rival East Stroudsburg University, Wednesday night. Pitt-Johnstown improved to 2-1. The Mountain Cats, also ranked fourth in the region, started fast. Dave Fogle (125 lbs.) (Summerhill, Pa.) opened the night with an 11-0 major decision over Zach Jones, before NCAA No 3-ranked Ryan Link (Cresson, Pa.) improved to 7-0 on the year by pinning Chris Davis at 1:44 in the 133-lb. bout. Then, in a battle of two of the top-four ranked wrestlers in the country at 141lbs., No. 3 Bachman won a 5-3 decision over No. 4 Adam Hluschak to increase the Pitt-Johnstown lead to 13-0. The Mountain Cats made it four straight wins to start the match with No. 6 Nathan Link's (Cresson, Pa.) 12-6 win over Andrew Ritchie at 149 lbs. East Stroudsburg battled back to cut it to 16-9 with three straight wins of its own. Braden Turner's defeated Joel Paolo (Weirton, WV), 1-0, and Thad Frick followed with an 8-5 decision over Zach Lundgren (Dubois, Pa.). The Wariors then got a 6-4 win in three overtimes by Brandon McKeown over Travis McKillop at 174 lbs. to pull to within seven with three matches remaining. However, Gary Lantz (Delta, Pa.) came up big for Pitt-Johnstown and ended the East Stroudsburg run. Lantz pinned James Gonzalez at 3:25 at 184 lbs. to rebuild the Mountain Cat lead to 22-9 and seal the victory. With the outcome already determined, East Stroudsburg's No. 7-ranked Ed Ebewo won by medical forfeit over Zak Newton (Cresson, Pa.) at 197 lbs., to make it 22-15, before Pitt-Johnstown Josh Krupa (Bedford, Pa.) closed out the match with a 5-3 win over Joe Blaes at heavyweight. With the loss, East Stroudsburg, ranked 10th in Super Region I, fell to 2-3. The Mountain Cats travel to Ohio Valley (WV) University on Saturday and to the University of Buffalo Quad-Match on Saturday. Pitt-Johnstown will host its next home match on January 6 when Kutztown University visits the Sports Center for a 7 p.m. start. Results: 125 - Dave Fogle (UPJ) Major Decision Zach Jones (ESU) 11-0 4-0 UPJ 133 - #3 Ryan Link (UPJ) Fall Chris Davis (ESU) 1:44 10-0 UPJ 141 - #3 Jack Bachman (UPJ) Decision #4 Adam Hluschak 5-3 13-0 UPJ 149 - #6 Nathan Link (UPJ) Decision Andrew Ritchie (ESU) 12-6 16-0 UPJ 157 - Braden Turner (ESU) Decision Joel Paolo (UPJ) 1-0 16-3 UPJ 165 - Thad Frick (ESU) Decision Zach Lundgren (UPJ) 8-5 16-6 UPJ 174 - Brandon McKeown (ESU) Dec. Travis McKillop (UPJ) 6-4 OT3 16-9 UPJ 184 - Gary Lantz (UPJ) Fall James Gonzalez (ESU) 3:25 22-9 UPJ 197 - #7 Ed Ebewo (ESU) Medical Forfeit Zak Newton (UPJ) 22-15 UPJ HWT. - Josh Krupa (UPJ) Decision Joe Blaes (ESU) 5-3 25-15 UPJ

Photo/Lucas Noonan In a year where many 20-somethings are caught in a listless hunt for employment, John Cholish has managed to attract and sustain two lucrative, high-energy careers. The 28-year-old former Cornell University wrestler lives in Manhattan where he spends his daylight hours making markets around energy commodities and his evenings training as a mixed-martial artist, though the former pays much more than the latter. Jobs in the financial sector have recently fallen under populist scrutiny, but some, like Cholish's function as an essential part of a healthy economy. As a market maker Cholish gets buyers in touch with sellers, and because he works with larger companies, he can profit handsomely from even slim margins. By knowing the habits of sellers and buyers, he carves out a living by profiting from the margin. Finance and fighting couldn't be much more disparate functions, but Cholish ties them together by scheduling his time efficiently and working with a team of intellectuals to find and exploit weaknesses in the game plan of his opponents. Cholish's workday begins before 7 a.m. with a reverse commute from his apartment in Manhattan to his office in Stamford, CT. A full day of selling energy commodities and by 4 p.m., he's hopping back in his car to pick up a training session back at Renzo Gracie's in the Manhattan. What's unique about Cholish is that unlike most men punching a clock to pay for their fighting habit, he says he doesn't daydream of the Octagon while at work -- he actually loves his job. "I don't have time to think about fighting when I'm at the office," says Cholish, who enters the Octagon for the first time this Saturday at UFC 140 in Toronto against fellow newcomer Mitch Clarke, an undefeated Canadian. "It's a full day of work and that's the way I like it. The guys at the office depend on me to do a job. But when I leave the office, I'm just as committed to getting better in the cage and becoming the best fighter in the world." Cholish's time management skills are thanks in part to the time he spent as college wrestler in Ithaca, N.Y., where practice schedules and the rigors of an Ivy League curriculum competed for his attention. "The mentality that Coach [Rob] Koll instilled was that you needed to get your work done outside of practice, because practice was scheduled around class. Outside of class and practice you need to find time to study and get extra work in with the coaches." Doing his homework and finding the time to wrestle weren't options for Cholish during his four years as a Big Red wrestler -- they were self-imposed mandates that ensured he could make the starting lineup and help them team achieve their end-of-the-year goals. By end of Cholish's senior season the hard work had paid off for him and the team, Cholish earned second-team All-Ivy and the Big Red finished fourth in the NCAA tournament. The same time-management skills that became essential for success in college has helped Cholish become a 7-1 UFC fighter. With only a few hours a day to train three days a week, Cholish only gets fifty percent of the workload most of his competitors enjoy. John Cholish (Photo/Lucas Noonan)"I don't have a lot of time to train, but if I work smart I don't have to work out for as long," says Cholish. "I don't need grueling three-hour workouts if my technique is better and my training plan is correct." Instrumental in orchestrating Cholish's cage success, particularly his ground techniques and training regiment, has been John Danaher, the quixotic Brazilian Jui-Jitsu black belt who teaches alongside Renzo Gracie at Gracie's NYC studio. The two met when Cholish first went to Renzo's Academy in 2007. Cholish was interested in continuing his grappling career, maybe hitting the mats to stay in shape between the partying and the long work hours; what developed was a close relationship with one of the sport's emergent minds. "I loved [John's] approach to jui-jitsu," says Cholish who after their first meeting in 2007 immediately started prepping for his first fight (he lost). "He's an absolute student, working on one move for a long time and learning from beginners. He's got the type of approach that I had in wrestling. He wants to think about it like a chess match. He wants to get better by working smarter than everyone else." Despite his jaw-line, Cholish is considered a lithe stock of college wrestler. Many of the most dominant wrestlers, especially those who have transitioned into MMA, have utilized their physical presence and strength to secure wins on the mat and inside the cage (Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, Matt Hughes, Chad Mendes). Cholish wasn't engineered for a slugfest, so meeting Danaher was perfect because he found in a coach the only style that would have made him successful -- the one that actively sought a margin to exploit. For Cholish, the gray matter began to matter. At the center of Cholish's strategy is a hybrid of collegiate wrestling and jiu-jitsu, which by its nature gives smaller men the tools to combat larger and more brutal opponents. Cholish has expanded his grappling base into a well-rounded MMA game with the help of Danaher and training partner, UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and Erik Owings, another of Renzo's black belts. Together the group is exploring the webbing that binds the mixed disciplines of MMA. Danaher can direct Cholish to capitalize on his opponents' weaknesses by working together to study the transitional moments of a fight, where opponents tend to see scoring as secondary to scrambling. Cholish exploits those margins, with little risk to his overall position. It's a method that's worked well in his last seven fights, all decisive victories. "It's kind of the thing Danaher looks at from an educational outlook -- the student's perspective," says Cholish. "He's always focusing on how to evolve sport for the overall benefit of the sport. Everything we work on is looking at MMA as its own sport as opposed to a conglomerate of skills." Cholish won his last fight by submission, a guillotine against veteran fighter Jameel Massouh, but it was his previous fight (a debut performance on Strikeforce's Hendo vs. Fedor) that garnered him the attention of fight fans, a complete domination of Marc Stevens that ended with a knee bar -- a submission most fighters wouldn't attempt because of the perceived positional risk. "Danaher has us drilling one move over and over, and the knee bar was there so I went for it and I wasn't concerned about losing my dominant position, because we understood how he'd probably react, and that I'd find the submission," says Cholish. "I don't want to get into it too much, because I think we are in the cutting edge with our techniques and approach to training, stuff that gives us an edge, but Danaher understands the fight game better than most an these transitional areas, whether it's striking out of a clinch or controlling an opponent on the mat are things that will continue to make his fighters successful." Maybe there can never be another GSP, but Cholish has trained enough with St. Pierre and Firas Zahabi to understand that mimicking the champ's smooth movements and slick transitions, or capturing the darting quickness of his jabs, could further his fight career and be the margin he's looking for at UFC 140. "Clinch to strikes, proactively and reactively enter into his striking game. I think George is at the forefront of the sport and I want to learn from the best," says Cholish. According to his former coaches, Cholish doesn't just have the acumen for conceptualizing MMA in a newer way, he also posses the intangibles that allow him the energy to top off a ten-hour workday with punches to the face. "Cholish hates to lose," said Steve Garland, head wrestling coach at the University of Virginia and Cholish's former assistance coach at Cornell. "It's a dumb cliché that every kid says because they hear it on television or whatever, but not with Cholish. Doesn't matter if he's fighting dudes or baking brownies, the guy wants to win." Cholish's desire to win has wedded well with the patience needed to understand the expanding technical game within MMA. Though he will likely never be a full-time fighter (the money that he makes from his day job is too lucrative) Cholish says he enjoys fighting and wants to create a legacy, even if it's just a legacy born from a hobby. "I want to be the best, but I have to get there with a little less time on my schedule. But believe me, no matter the time commitment, I'm willing to put in the work." "I love my job and I love fighting."

Nationally Ranked Teams No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. No. 2 St. Edward, Ohio No. 7 St. Paris Graham, Ohio No. 9 Christiansburg, Va. No. 12 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. No. 14 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. No. 19 Massillon Perry, Ohio No. 21 Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio No. 25 Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa. No. 26 Broken Arrow, Okla. No. 29 Montini Catholic, Ill. No. 32 Collins Hill, Ga. No. 46 McDonogh, Md. No. 47 Caesar Rodney, Del. Nationally Ranked Wrestlers 106: No. 1 Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) No. 4 (at 112) Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) No. 11 (at 112) Johnson Mai (North Torrence, Calif.) No. 5 Matthew Kolodzik (Miami Valley School, Ohio) No. 6 Sean Russell (Collins Hill, Ga.) No. 8 Coy Ozias (Christiansburg, Va.) No. 9 KeShawn Hayes (Park Hill, Mo.) No. 11 Markus Simmons (Broken Arrow, Okla.) No. 13 Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.) No. 14 David Bavery (Massillon Perry, Ohio) 113: No. 2 Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio) No. 5 Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, N.J.) No. 7 J.R. Wert (Christiansburg, Va.) No. 14 Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) No. 19 Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy, Ill.) 120: No. 3 George DiCamillo (St. Ignatius, Ohio) No. 4 Ryan Taylor (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) No. 16 Godwin Nyama (Brashear, Pa.) No. 17 Colton Adams (Scottsbluff, Neb.) 126: No. 1 Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area, Pa.) No. 5 (at 132) Bradon Jeske (Cox, Va.) No. 3 Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.) No. 5 Nathan Kraisser (Centennial, Md.) No. 8 Dean Heil (St. Edward, Ohio) No. 9 Dominick Malone (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) No. 19 Max Hvolbek (Blair Academy, N.J.) 132: No. 1 Mark Grey (Blair Academy, N.J.) No. 2 Alex Cisneros (Selma, Calif.) No. 7 Kagan Squire (Wadsworth, Ohio) No. 14 Joey Ward (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio) No. 14 (at 138) Brent Fickel (Padua, Ohio) No. 18 (at 126) Randy Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) 138: No. 1 Nate Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio) No. 5 Todd Preston (Blair Academy, N.J.) No. 9 Chase Ferman (Broken Arrow, Okla.) No. 16 Austin Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.) 145: No. 11 (at 152) Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nevada) No. 9 Zack Dailey (Massillon Perry, Ohio) No. 19 Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.) No. 20 Blake Kastl (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) 152: No. 2 (at 160) Bo Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) No. 2 Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.) 160: No. 2 (at 170) Cody Allala (Hopewell, Va.) No. 3 Isaac Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) No. 4 Geordan Speiller (Pine Castle Christian, Fla.) No. 10 (at 170) Dylan Reel (Washington, Ill.) No. 13 Victor Pereira (Newark Memorial, Calif.) 170: No. 8 (at 160) Mark Martin (St. Edward, Ohio) No. 10 (at 160) Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) No. 20 Elliott Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) 182: No. 3 (at 195) Huston Evans (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) No. 6 Chaz Gresham (Goshen, Ohio) No. 11 Domenic Abounader (St. Edward, Ohio) 195: No. 19 Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy, N.J.) 220: No. 2 Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) No. 6 A.J. Vizcarrando (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) No. 8 Ty Walz (St. Edward, Ohio) No. 11 Matt Meadows (CVCA, Ohio) No. 16 Austin Lobsinger (West Valley, Calif.) 285: No. 1 Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.) No. 7 Greg Kuhar (St. Edward, Ohio) No. 12 Mimmo Lyttle (Swanton, Ohio) Nationally Ranked Scratches: No. 18 (106) Austin Assad (Brecksville, Ohio) No. 20 (126) Jake Smith (Newark Memorial, Calif.) No. 10 (138) Case Garrison (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) No. 14 (160) Jason Luster (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) No. 13 (195) Perry Hills (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) No. 2 (285) Doug Vollaro (Pine Castle Christian, Fla.) No. 4 (285) Nick Tavanello (Wadsworth, Ohio) Ranked in InterMatWrestle Top 100 Seniors: 120: No. 37 DiCamillo, No. 49 Taylor 126: No. 3 Gulibon, No. 32 Kraisser, No. 45 Malone 132: No. 4 Grey, No. 6 Cisneros, No. 30 Squire, No. 83 Ward 138: No. 8 Skonieczny, No. 36 Preston, No. 74 Ferman 145: No. 86 Dailey 160: No. 39 Allala, No. 41 Isaac Jordan, No. 51 Speiller, No. 95 Reel, No. 98 Pereira 170: No. 52 Martin 182: No. 25 Evans, No. 42 Gresham 220: No. 88 Vizcarrando 285: No. 66 Kuhar Ranked in InterMatWrestle Top 50 Juniors: 113: No. 38 Tomasello 126: No. 4 Jeske, No. 10 Dance, No. 16 Heil 132: No. 28 Edgar Bright (St. Edward, Ohio) 138: No. 35 Matthews 145: No. 18 Lavallee 152: No. 1 Bo Jordan, No. 5 Martinez 170: No. 17 Morris 182: No. 19 Abounader 285: No. 3 Black Ranked in InterMatWrestle Top 50 Sophomores: 113: No. 9 McKenna, No. 23 Moisey, No. 47 Jimenez 120: No. 22 Adams, No. 27 PJ Klee (Blair Academy, N.J.) 126: No. 19 Micah Jordan (St. Paris Graham) 145: No. 7 Clark, No. 12 Dylan Milonas (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 26 Tanner Bailey (Broken Arrow, Okla.) 160: No. 15 Patrick Coover (Blair Academy, N.J.) 220: No. 2 Snyder Ranked in InterMatWrestle Top 25 Freshmen: 106: No. 1 Zahid Valencia, No. 5 Kolodzik, No. 8 Hayes, No. 13 Simmons 126: No. 7 Anthony Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 152: No. 20 Paden Bailey (Broken Arrow, Okla.) 285: No. 2 Michael Johnson, Jr. (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.)

The 18th edition of the Walsh Ironman yet again features a star studded field. Five wrestlers ranked number preseason No. 1 in their weight class are scheduled to compete, along with six that are ranked second in the nation, a total of 62 in all. Six of the nation's top 14 (four of the top nine) teams are in the field, as are 14 of the Fab 50 What: The 18th Walsh Ironman Where: Walsh Jesuit High School -- Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio When: Friday, Dec. 9 and Saturday, Dec. 10 Schedule: Preliminary rounds (up to the quarterfinals) start at 1:00 p.m. ET on Friday afternoon, Saturday morning wrestling starts at 10:00 a.m. with the quarterfinals, the semifinals will follow, as will all consolation matches including those for seventh place, matches for first, third, and fifth will be wrestled Saturday evening starting at 6:30 p.m. Tournament Website: http://www.walshironman.com Special Honoree: Bobby Douglas will be honored as the Ironman Legacy Award winner this year. Douglas was a long-time head coach at Arizona State and Iowa State, and served as a coach on four different United States Olympic squads. As a wrestler, he represented the United States in two Olympic Games, was an Ohio state champion in 1959 and 1961, and was runner-up in the 1963 NCAA Division I championships. InterMat Coverage: InterMat will be providing a live updating notebook of all three sessions, available from the InterMat home page, as well as a social media presence on twitter (@JLowe_intermat). In addition, a wrap-up will be provided on Friday night, with a finals game story to be published on late Saturday night/early part of Sunday. Please note: Commentary and analysis is based on seeding information as of 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday night. Any changes in terms of participants or seedings may make some aspects of the content immaterial. 106: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 1 Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), No. 4 (at 112) Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.), No. 11 (at 112) Johnson Mai (North Torrence, Calif.), No. 5 Matthew Kolodzik (Miami Valley School, Ohio), No. 6 Sean Russell (Collins Hill, Georgia), No. 8 Coy Ozias (Christiansburg, Va.), No. 9 KeShawn Hayes (Park Hill, Mo.), No. 11 Markus Simmons (Broken Arrow, Okla.), No. 13 Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.), No. 14 David Bavery (Massillon Perry, Ohio) Commentary: Arguably the deepest and toughest weight of the whole Walsh Ironman is the opening weight class. By the number of nationally ranked wrestlers it is for sure the toughest with ten in all. Though the distribution of nationally ranked wrestlers is four to the top half and six to the bottom, there is relatively balance. The top quarter of the draw features state champion and Junior double finalist Mai, state runner-up David Bavery (Massillon Perry, Ohio), and 2010 Cadet freestyle All-American and Ironman placer Armando Torres (Elyria, Ohio). The second quarter includes Junior freestyle runner-up Tommy Pawleski (Montini Catholic, Ill.), a Cadet freestyle All-American in freshman sensation Hayes, state champion and Junior double All-American Drew Romero (Broomfield, Colo.), as well as the nation's number one pound-for-pound freshman in Valencia. At present the third quarter is absolutely loaded with four nationally ranked wrestlers, three of whom placed at the Super 32 (three-time Cadet All-American Fleetwood, state champion Russell, and Cadet freestyle All-American Kolodzik). Also in this quarter is another freshman star in Simmons. Finally, the bottom quarter of the draw includes returning Ironman runner-up and Cadet double All-American Cruz as well as Super 32 and FloNationals placer Ozias. Look for semifinal matchups to place Mai against Valencia in a battle of old against young from the Golden State, and Cruz against Kolodzik in a rematch from Fargo. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.), Danny Boychuck (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) Friday Matches to Watch: How about two that would involve a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers going up against one another -- Fleetwood vs. Simmons and Russell vs. Kolodzik, both of them comprising the third quarter of the draw. Finals Prediction: Zahid Valencia over Darian Cruz 113: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 2 Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio), No. 5 Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 7 JR Wert (Christiansburg, Va.), No. 14 Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), No. 19 Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy, Ill.) Commentary: Junior freestyle champion Tomasello is the top seed in this weight class, and seeks to repeat at the Walsh Ironman after winning last year's 103 pound weight class. Standing in his way in the top half of the draw is likely to be a quarterfinal match against NHSCA freshman champion Ryan Millhof (Collins Hill, Georgia) and then a semifinal date against one of two nationally ranked sophomores who placed at the Ironman last year as freshmen -- Jimenez or Moisey. The bottom half of the draw is more clearly a two person battle between two-time Cadet Greco-Roman champion McKenna, who also won National Preps this past year, and Beast of the East champion Wert who placed fourth in this weight class last year. State runner-up and FloNationals placer Aaron Assad (Brecksville, Ohio) also resides in Wert's quarter bracket. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Jordan Laster (Montini Catholic, Ill.), Alex Moore (St. Edward, Ohio), Ian Moritz (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) Friday Match to Watch: A battle of state champions, as Jimenez would face off against Cody Stageberg (Cox, Va.) in a four vs. thirteen match. Finals Prediction: Nathan Tomasello over Joey McKenna 120: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 3 George DiCamillo (St. Ignatius, Ohio), No. 4 Ryan Taylor (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 16 Godwin Nyama (Brashear, Pa.), No. 17 Colton Adams (Scottsbluff, Neb.) Commentary: By standards of the Walsh Ironman in a lower-weight, this is a pretty clear final. All signs point to a rematch between DiCamillo and Taylor, who met in an awesome finals match last year at 112 pounds -- one that DiCamillo won with a last second takedown. DiCamillo is looking at a quarterfinal match against either two-time state runner-up Calvin Campbell (Lexington, Ohio) or Cadet freestyle All-American and two-time Preseason Nationals champion Colton Adams (Scottsbluff, Neb.). Then, the likely semifinal would be a rematch of the FloNationals final from this past year against Cody Stainbrook (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio). Stainbrook placed fifth at the Ironman last year, with a win over Evan Botwin (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) in that consolation match -- and opponent he could see in the quarterfinal round this year. Taylor is looking at a likely quarterfinal match against two-time state finalist, and 2010 NHSCA Sophomore champion Drew Ferguson-Mitchell (Collins Hill, Georgia). The other quarter of that bottom half is a total cluster of balance featuring Powell, Nyama, Lemaire, and Goodwin, the lone nationally ranked wrestler being Nyama, who took seventh at state this past year. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: P.J. Klee (Blair Academy, N.J.), who could place a wrench in the dynamic of the bracket flow above, but is not likely to spoil the DiCamillo vs. Taylor final. Friday Matches to Watch: How about both round of 16 matches in the third quarter of the draw -- FloNationals and Super 32 placer Nyama battling two-time state finalist and 2009 Ironman placer Kevon Powell (Montini Catholic, Ill.) as well as another Super 32 placer Jacob Goodwin (Bishop Lynch, Texas) doing battle with two-time state champion Kaleb Lemaire (Caesar Rodney, Del.). Finals Prediction: George DiCamillo over Ryan Taylor, a rematch of last year's championship match at 112 pounds 126: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 1 Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area, Pa.), No. 5 (at 132) Bradon Jeske (Cox, Va.), No. 3 Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.), No. 5 Nathan Kraisser (Centennial, Md.), No. 8 Dean Heil (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 9 Dominick Malone (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 19 Max Hvolbek (Blair Academy, N.J.) Commentary: Even though there are only seven nationally ranked wrestlers in this weight class, the top end quality present in this weight class -- as well as the strength of the non-seeds -- gives this weight significant argument for being the toughest in all the tournament. This weight class has four wrestlers that have appeared in an Ironman final during their career. The top seed is defending champion Gulibon, who is also a three-time state and Powerade champion. He should be rather unfettered heading into the semifinals. The quarterfinal opponent, based on seeds, would be a returning Ironman placer and state champion in either David Jeffrey (Parkersburg South, West Va.) or Micah Hight (Caesar Rodney, Del.). Seeded fourth is Malone, a National Prep champion and runner-up to Gulibon in last year's Ironman. However, he is looking at a quarterfinal match against three-time state champion Nathan Kraisser (Centennial, Md.), who was a Junior National double All-American this past summer and scored a win over Malone in the Mount Mat Madness finals last January. The third seed in this weight class is last year's runner-up at 130 Jeske, who was a Junior freestyle runner-up this past summer and a Cadet double finalist (freestyle champion) the summer before. He is looking at a quarterfinal match against either Hvolbek or Jordan, which should be an intriguing one to watch. Finally, the second seed in this weight is Junior freestyle champion Dance, a three-time Super 32 finalist (runner-up the last two years). He has wrestled Gulibon very tough in their last two meetings, the epic semifinal at the Ironman last year that Gulibon won in the ultimate tiebreaker and a similar Gulibon victory in the Powerade final. However, Dance projects to face two-time state champion Heil in the quarterfinals this year, Heil was an Ironman runner-up in 2009, and beat Dance in the semifinals at the FloNationals this past April on the way to his championship. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Anthony Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.), Zane Heller (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), Dylan Good (Brecksville, Ohio), Mikey Konstandaras (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio) Friday Match to Watch: A matchup involving wrestlers from two of the nation's preeminent programs, as Junior freestyle All-American, and two-time Ironman placer, Hvolbek matches up against sophomore sensation, and 2011 state champion, Micah Jordan (St. Paris Graham). Finals Prediction: Jimmy Gulibon over Brandon Jeske 132: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 1 Mark Grey (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 2 Alex Cisneros (Selma, Calif.), No. 7 Kagan Squire (Wadsworth, Ohio), No. 14 Joey Ward (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio), No. 14 (at 138) Brent Fickel (Padua, Ohio), No. 18 (at 126) Randy Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) Commentary: Like the weight before, this also has lots of top-end talent with six nationally ranked wrestlers, however, the quality of depth in the lower seeds and non-seeds pales in comparison. The simplistic analysis here is to suggest this as a two horse race between Grey and Cisneros, neither of whom has ever won the Ironman. Despite never winning the Ironman (twice a runner-up), Grey has a very robust wrestling resume with three National Prep titles, three Beast of the East titles (seeking to become the first to ever win four at the Beast), and a whole book of successes in USA Wrestling events. Likewise Cisneros, second and third in his two Ironman appearances, has a c.v. that includes two Super 32 championships and three California state titles (seeking to become only the second four-time state champ ever). However, it's never as easy as expected. Looking through Grey's path from the top line of the draw, it includes a projected quarterfinal against returning Ironman placer Ward, who took Cisneros right to the bitter wire in a semifinal at the Super 32 before losing 4-3 and taking third place. Ward was a state champion, Junior Greco-Roman All-American, and Ironman placer this past calendar year. All of that assumes Ward gets past two-time state runner-up Dallas Smith (Christiansburg, Va.) in the round of 16. Then, a semifinal against either Fickel or Randy Cruz looms in front. Fickel is a three-time state placer, and has twice placed at the Ironman and Super 32, while Cruz is twice a state runner-up, placed fourth at the Super 32 after falling short in an epic semifinal against Joey Dance, and placed at both the Ironman and Beast last year. Cisneros is looking at a quarterfinal against returning Ironman placer Chris Caton (Northside Christian Academy, North Carolina), a returning Ironman placer, who also placed at National Preps and was a NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up. In the semifinal, Cisneros is looking at either facing Squire or Edgar Bright (St. Edward, Ohio). Squire has placed at the Ironman three times in his career, and is twice a state runner-up. Last year, he lost twice to Cisneros in placing fourth at the Ironman, however, both were by razor thin margins. Bright is a two-time state placer, finishing second this past year, and was a Cadet freestyle champion this past summer. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Xavi Ramos (McDonogh, Md.), Clay Archer (Broken Arrow, Okla.), Ryan Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio) Friday Match to Watch: Cadet freestyle champion Bright matches up against state champion George Fisher (Marmion Academy, Ill.), which is a rematch of a three period match in Fargo that Bright won by fall. Finals Prediction: Mark Grey over Alex Cisneros in the battle of Cornell recruits. 138: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 1 Nate Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio), No. 5 Todd Preston (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 9 Chase Ferman (Broken Arrow, Okla.), No. 16 Austin Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.) Commentary: Skonieczny seeks a second Ironman title to go with the one he got at 130 pounds in 2009. Last year, he ran a rigorous gauntlet to take third place, though he lost by a single point to Hunter Stieber (the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler) in the semfinal round. He also added a state title and FloNationals title to his resume during the last year. At present, his half of the draw is rather manageable with the likely quarterfinal coming against either Junior freestyle All-American Angelo Silvestro (Marmion Academy, Ill.) or state and Ironman placer Angelo Amenta (Oregon Clay, Ohio). His semifinal opponent would most likely be returning Ironman placer and 2010 state runner-up Mitch Newhouse (Massillon Perry, Ohio), though state champion Tyler Nation (Scottsbluff, Neb.) or state placer Nick Barber (St. Edward, Ohio) would like to disagree. After last year, Skonieczny earned a bracketing break, and he got one as the bottom half of the draw is much more challenging with the three other nationally ranked wrestlers residing in it. Two-time Junior National All-American Ferman, a state champion who placed fourth in the Ironman last year, is the second seed in this weight class. His challenges start with a pesky quarterfinal against either state runner-up Matthews or Reno TOC champion Shayne Tucker (Bella Vista, Calif.) The projected semifinal is then against two-time National Prep champion and Junior freestyle seventh-place finisher Preston - who is the second seed, and seeks to improve upon sixth and fourth-place finishes from the last two Ironman tournaments. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Santiago Valdez (Robinson, Va.) Friday Match to Watch: Two-time Super 32 placer, NHSCA grade-level champion, and state placer Matthews clashes with Reno TOC champ, state placer, and 2009 Super 32 placer Tucker. Finals Prediction: Nate Skonieczny over Todd Preston 145: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 11 (at 152) Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.), No. 9 Zack Dailey (Massillon Perry, Ohio), No. 19 Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.), No. 20 Blake Kastl (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) Commentary: Though there are four nationally ranked wrestlers present in this weight class, none would be characterized as a true anchor. However, that is more than compensated by the balance that is present -- both in terms of seeds and non-seeds. The top seed in this weight is Lavallee, a Junior freestyle All-American who is also a two-time state champion and won a FILA Cadet freestyle title this past April in Akron. He faces a legitimate quarterfinal against either state runner-up Zane Zeman (Avon, Ohio) or state champion Brooks Martino (Robinson, Va.) -- a pair of wrestlers that fell one match short of placement in the Super 32 held six weeks ago. The other quarter bracket of the top half is anchored by two-time California state placer Kastl, who also placed fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals. Sophomore sensations Clark and Milonas reside in the third quarter of this weight class, and each was a National Prep runner-up last year. This summer, Clark was third in Cadet freestyle at 140, while Milonas was champion at 145 pounds. The bottom quarter is anchored by state champion Dailey, who also placed at the Ironman and in Junior freestyle this past year. He is joined by two-time state placer Jake Faust (Lexington, Ohio), who is off a virtuoso performance at the Super 32 where he placed third with an impressive list of quality wins. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Mitch Baran (Brecksville, Ohio), Xavier Montalvo (Montini Catholic, Ill.), Dean Meyer (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio) Friday Match to Watch: It's a projected matchup of Cadet freestyle All-Americans in National Prep runner-up Clark and state placer Markus Scheidel (St. Edward, Ohio). Finals Prediction: Joey Lavallee over Zack Dailey 152: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 2 (at 160) Bo Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 2 Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.) Commentary: There's no need to pretend about things here, this is a two person weight class, and a colossal one at that with two of the nation's top juniors anchoring the field. Bo Jordan is a two-time state champion, defending Ironman champion, and is ranked No. 1 in the class of 2013. On the other hand, Martinez is a two-time state placer, winning state this past year, with a strong off-season resume that includes Cadet double All-American status in 2010, and a FloNationals runner-up finish along with a NUWAY Vegas title this year. The other two projected semifinalists by seed are Garrett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) and three-time state placer Nick Babcock (Broomfield, Colo.). Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Paden Bailey (Broken Arrow, Okla.) Friday Match to Watch: State runner-up and Cadet National double All-American Hammond is projected to wrestle sophomore Dakota Sizemore (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio), a state qualifier last year who was named Outstading Wrestler of the Community Division at the Disney Duals. Finals Prediction: Bo Jordan over Isaiah Martinez 160: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 2 Cody Allala (Hopewell, Va.), No. 3 Isaac Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 4 Geordan Speiller (Pine Castle Christian, Fla.), No. 10 (at 170) Dylan Reel (Washington, Ill.), No. 13 Victor Pereira (Newark Memorial, Calif.) Commentary: Though the depth in this weight class is questionable by Ironman standards, there is a very impressive top group of wrestlers that include five of the nation's top 100 prospects from the Class of 2012. The top seed in this weight class is two-time state champion Reel, who earned All-American honors in both styles at the Junior Nationals and was a Preseason Nationals champion after falling short of a state title this past year. Additionally, he was a Junior Greco-Roman champion in 2010. He should be challenged starting in the quarterfinals by Jacob Davis (St. Edward, Ohio), a state placer last year who burst onto the scene with a giant upset over Isaac Jordan on Ironman Friday last year. In the other quarter of the top half is a fellow “Greco head” in two-time state champion Speiller, who beat Reel in Fargo this year on the way to a Junior Greco-Roman championship. Speiller was is also a two-time state champion, FloNationals champion, finished third at the Super 32 this year, and took fifth in last year's Ironman. He's looking at a likely quarterfinal 2010 Cadet Greco-Roman champion Patrick Coover (Blair Academy, N.J.), who placed fifth at National Preps and sixth in last year's Ironman. The bottom half of the draw is where one can find the other three nationally ranked wrestlers. It starts with third seed Isaac Jordan, a two-time state champion who failed to place at last year's Ironman while competing despite an injury that kept him out the rest of the regular season. This spring, without much freestyle experience, he won the Central Regional title over Zach Brunson and Justin Koethe. He is looking at a likely quarterfinal against returning Ironman placer and state runner-up Pereira, who placed fourth at the recently completed Super 32. The second seed in this weight is returning Ironman placer, and three-time state champion, Allala who finished as runner-up at the Super 32 this year. He's looking at a likely quarterfinal against fellow Va.n Zach Epperly (Christiansburg). Friday Match to Watch: Two-time state champion and 2011 Super 32 placer Epperly matches up with state runner-up Zach Boyles (Smyrna, Del.). Finals Prediction: Cody Allala over Geordan Speiller 170: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 8 (at 160) Mark Martin (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 10 (at 160) Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 20 Elliott Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) Commentary: Starting somewhat this weight, and into the next two weights, the implications of adding an additional upperweight class rear its head -- namely there is less depth than in past year. In the way the seeds play out, the number two seed Martin has the edge over top seeded Morris. After winning his first state title in March, Martin added a FILA Junior freestyle title and Junior freestyle All-American finish to the resume this off-season, and he should be relatively unchallenged heading into the final, with only a likely semifinal against either Ironman and National Prep placer Addison Knepshield (Blair Academy, N.J.) standing in his way. On the other hand, Morris is looking at a likely quarterfinal against state placer Austin Coniker (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) before a likely semifinal date with state placer and Super 32 runner-up Riddick. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Michael Blum (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio) Friday Match to Watch: Coniker matches up against State runner-up Pierce DeMarreau (Caesar Rodney, Del.). Finals Prediction: Mark Martin over Eric Morris to avenge a loss from last year's consolation semifinal round 182: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 3 (at 195) Huston Evans (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 6 Chaz Gresham (Goshen, Ohio), No. 11 Domenic Abounader (St. Edward, Ohio) Commentary: This year's top seed Evans was a very impressive runner-up in last year's tournament, with a semifinal win over the formidable Alex Utley before wrestling a valliant match against Morgan McIntosh, who would be named InterMat's High School Wrestler of the Year at season's end, in losing by just a 2-1 score. In looking through the path to the final, there is no one that should be within a major decision of the Virginia Tech bound Evans. The other half of the draw is similarly lopsided, however, it involves two key figures -- state champions Gresham and Abounader. Gresham took fourth at the Ironman, suffering defeats to both McIntosh and Evans, before winning a state title in March, and he has added a Disney Duals gold medal and Super 32 third-place finish to the resume in the interim. Abounader missed last year's Ironman due to his role on a state title football team. After winning state, Abounader finished third in freestyle at both the FILA Cadet Nationals and Cadet Nationals. Finals Prediction: Huston Evans over Chaz Gresham in a rubber match of sorts, Evans beat Gresham in the district finals last year, while Gresham exacted revenge in the state final. 195: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 19 Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy, N.J.) Commentary: In the average tournament, this is a very solid weight class, and one of much intrigue. However, in the Ironman, this is clearly the tournament's weakest weight class. It has the double whammy of lacking anchors and depth. The lone ranked wrestler is the second seed Mattiace, who finished third at National Preps and had an excellent off-season despite failing to All-American at both the FILA Cadet Nationals and Junior Nationals in freestyle. Looking through his draw, the projected quarterfinal is against state placer Jerry Thornberry (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio), and the semifinal would be against Ironman and National Prep placer Kevin Marvel (McDonogh, Md.). The top seed in this weight is state champion Seth Calvert (Broken Arrow, Okla.), who is looking at a projected semifinal against one of two state placers - James Suvak (St. Edward, Ohio) or Joe Tayse (Massillon Perry, Ohio). Suvak beat Tayse in the consolation semifinals this past year at state, and is a two-time NHSCA grade level All-American. Finals Prediction: Frank Mattiace over James Suvak 220: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 2 Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.), No. 6 AJ Vizcarrando (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 8 Ty Walz (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 11 Matt Meadows (CVCA, Ohio), No. 16 Austin Lobsinger (West Valley, Calif.) Commentary: Despite being an upperweight, this is a very solid weight class, as it both has high caliber kids in the top of the weight and some solid depth through the rest of it. Even though the top five seeds are the five best wrestlers in the weight, the seeding order does not reflect the rankings. The top seed in the tournament is state runner-up Walz, who finished fifth at the Ironman last year and had a highly accomplished off-season with runner-up finishes at NHSCA Junior Nationals and FILA Cadet freestyle to go with a seventh-place finish in Junior freestyle. He's looking at a likely quarterfinal against one of two state placers Ray Stone (Akron SVSM, Ohio) or Evan Daley (Fort LeBoeuf, Pa.), and then a semifinal date with either Lobsinger or Vizcarrando. Lobsinger was a state runner-up, who placed fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals, while Vizcarrando was runner-up at National Preps and placed sixth in Junior Greco-Roman. The bottom half of the draw is anchored by the second seed Snyder, a sophomore sensation that won three major tournaments last year as a freshman at 215 pounds -- Beast of the East, Mount Mat Madness, and National Preps. This summer, the second ranked sophomore in the nation was a double Cadet National finalist, winning a title in freestyle. Life won't be easy for him at the Ironman with a pair of solid fellow sophomores in Cadet Greco All-American Edgar Ruano (Montini Catholic, Ill.) and state placer Chalmer Freauf (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio) in his quarter bracket. However, one should expect Snyder to pass the challenge with flying colors on the way to a semifinal match against FloNationals runner-up Meadows, who placed seventh at the Ironman last year and third at state. Meadows is coming off a dual meet victory over Walz last week, and is looking at a likely quarterfinal match against state placer Garrett Linton (Rootstown, Ohio), who was a Disney Duals gold medalist this summer and placed third at the Super 32. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: David Farr (Blair Academy, N.J.) Friday Match to Watch: A battle of wrestlers that placed sixth in the state last year, as Super 32 runner-up Stone matches up against Daley. Finals Prediction: Kyle Snyder over AJ Vizcarrando in a rematch of this past year's National Prep final. 285: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 1 Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 7 Greg Kuhar (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 12 Mimmo Lyttle (Swanton, Ohio) Commentary: The absence of No. 2 Doug Vollaro and No. 4 Nick Tavanello from this weight class removes some of the respected luster, and turns this into a Black against the Ohio undercard. Black is the clear favorite to win a second consecutive Ironman title, adding to a rich resume that in the last year alone includes a Beast of the East title, National Prep title, FILA Cadet freestyle title, and Junior National double All-American honors. The next chunk of this field is four wrestlers from the Buckeye State that aspire to wrestle on the raised platform at the Schott on the first Saturday of March in the state final. Kuhar and Lytle are the second and third seeds in this weight class. Kuhar did not compete in the Ironman last year, since he was part of a state title-winning football team -- he's going to Northwestern on a football scholarship as a defensive tackle, but he did place seventh in the 2009 Ironman. Additionally, he is a two-time state placer, finishing second last year. Lytle is a three-time state placer in the small-school division, winning his initial state championship last year. The other wrestler to note in the bottom half is freshman sensation Michael Johnson, Jr. (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), who would hit Kuhar in the quarterfinal round based on the seedings. Johnson, Jr. was a double All-American at the Cadet Nationals last summer, and is ranked second in all the Class of 2015. Majoy is the fifth seed in this weight class, and placed third in the small-school division last year before taking fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals. He is looking at a likely quarterfinal date with Junior Greco-Roman All-American Garrett Gray (Oregon Clay, Ohio) -- also a state placer -- before a semifinal collision with Black. Finals Prediction: Brooks Black over Greg Kuhar

Anderson Silva wasn't in the building, the city, or even the country, but today's presser for UFC on FOX 2 revolved mostly around who was next in line to compete for his belt. Other top contender spots were also highlighted during the two-hour presser at the United Center in Chicago. The event was open to the public. UFC president Dana White confirmed that the winner of Mark Munoz (12-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) vs. Chael Sonnen (26-11-1 MMA, 5-4 UFC) will fight against middleweight champ Anderson Silva, and the winner of Rashad Evans (16-1-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC) vs. Phil Davis (9-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) will face the winner of this weekend's light-heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Lyoto Machida. Also, it was confirmed that the winner of the Michael Bisping (22-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) vs. Demian Maia (15-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) fight will be second in line for a title shot. Even with all the business swirling about and news of Georges St. Pierre's blown ACL making the rounds, the day still belonged to Chael Sonnen's who continued his vitriolic attacks of UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who he claims is ducking competition. "... Anderson's not going to fight me in America, in Brazil, in Antarctica, in his kitchen while I'm trying to get a decent Brazilian steak. He is not going to fight me, and don't fall for the hype that he is." The steak was a reference to an early joke he'd made about asking Silva's wife cook him a steak. Sonnen, a 1999 NCAA All-American at the University of Oregon, also answered questions about his fight upcoming fight with middleweight contender and former Oklahoma State standout Mark Munoz, answering Munoz's earlier statements that in their one collegiate matchup Sonnen used an illegal knee bar. "I can assure you it was a calculated and premeditated event, and I offer no apology," Sonnen said. "I assure you on Jan. 28, I will be ready. It will be one more in the win column, one more above the mantle, and one more for the bad guy. "I think everybody up here is grateful to be on FOX. They'd probably say, 'FOX, thanks.' Everybody but me. I would say, 'FOX, you're welcome. You've been telling everybody for years you've got the American Idol, and now you finally do.'" Trying not to be outclassed by the wit and charm of Sonnen's quips, Davis and Evans also exchanged barbs at the end of the presser, with Evans referencing the Jerry Sandusky child rape accusations. "I guarantee you'll be the first one to take a shot," he said. "Guarantee. Because I'm going to put my hands on you worse than that dude did them other kids at Penn State."

The UFC was dealt another promotional blow this afternoon when it was revealed that UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre has a torn ACL and will miss his Feb. 4 title defense. Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz will now square-off for rights to the interim belt. UFC President Dana White announced the news via twitter: "GSP blown acl will be out for 10 mos. Now Condit vs Diaz for the interim welterweight title on Feb 4 in Las Vegas!!"

Michael "The Count" Bisping has been added to the UFC on FOX 2 card, where he is scheduled to face Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia. Bisping (22-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) is only days removed from his destruction of Jason "Mayhem" Miller at the 'TUF 14' finale Saturday in Las Vegas. The English fighter didn't receive a long medical suspension; Miller was given six months for a broken nose. Maia (15-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) is coming off a UFC 36 victory against Jorge Santiago and is 3-1 in his last four UFC bouts. The "UFC on Fox 2" card is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in the last 12 months. MAIN CARD (FOX): Phil Davis vs. Rashad Evans Mark Munoz vs. Chael Sonnen Michael Bisping vs. Demian Maia PRELIMINARY CARD: Demetrious Johnson vs. Eddie Wineland Evan Dunham vs. Paul Sass Michael Johnson vs. Cody McKenzie George Roop vs. Cub Swanson Jon Olav Einemo vs. Mike Russow

ATHENS, Ohio -- Ohio Wrestling is pleased to announce an impressive group of signees, the program declared on Thursday. The Bobcats will be welcoming Kagan Squire, Chaz Gresham and KeVon Powell to the team for the 2012-13 season. These three wrestlers will bring significant levels of success to the program, as they've combined for 371 wins and 51 losses, two state championships and nine top-eight finishes at state championship competitions. Kagan Squire A native of Wadsworth, Ohio, Kagan Squire has posted a very impressive 134-14 record through three seasons at Wadsworth High School. Projected to wrestle at 133 or 141 pounds, Squire has finished in the top three at the state tournament in each of his three years, picking up second place as a junior and sophomore while earning third as just a freshman. He is a three-time Ironman place-winner, the 2011 Flonationals Champion, a Northeast Ohio Junior Regional Champion and a Cadet National champion. Ranked as the No. 26 recruit in the nation by Intermat, a well-respected wrestling news source, Kagan will also bring a sharp intellect to campus next fall. The future Bobcat has posted an impressive 3.5 grade-point-average to this point in his high school career. Chaz Gresham The second 100-bout winner in Joel Greenlee's signing class, Chaz Gresham will join the Bobcats from Goshen, Ohio. He is ranked as the No. 42 recruit in the nation by Intermat and projects to wrestle at 184 pounds for the Green and White. Gresham has posted a 142-14 record through three years of wrestling at Goshen High School, winning the state championship as a junior. He finished in the top eight during all of his season to this point, taking fourth place as a sophomore and eighth as a freshman. Gresham is also a two-time Super 32 place-winner. KeVon Powell Set to join the Bobcats from Romeoville, Illinois, KeVon Powell is ranked as the No. 25 recruit in the country by Wrestling USA. He projects to wrestle at 125 pounds for the Green and White once he completes his senior season at Montini Catholic High School. Powell has wrestled very well on some of the biggest stages throughout his high school career, winning a state championship as a sophomore and placing in the top three during both his freshman and junior campaigns. He has posted a career record of 95-23 and is both a Junior National All-American and a NHSCA All-American.

OREM, Utah -- University of Wyoming 184-pound senior Joe LeBlanc (Meeker, Colo./Meeker HS) has been named the Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week after winning a title at the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational this weekend. The conference award was announced Tuesday by the league. LeBlanc, a three-time All-American, won his first title at the CKLV Invitational on Saturday by going 5-0 through the 184-pound bracket. He began the event by pinning Cody McAninch (Northern Colorado) and Zachariah Jimenez (San Francisco State), then won a 17-1 technical fall match over 10th-seeded Cody Magrum of Ohio State to advance to the semis. On Saturday, LeBlanc continued his dominating run by beating 10th-ranked Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) in the semifinal bout and third-ranked Steve Bosak of Cornell in the finals. The Wyoming senior was solid in the title match, defeating Bosak in a 7-3 decision. With the impressive showing, LeBlanc improved his season record to 11-0 and jumped one spot in the national rankings, going from fourth to third. LeBlanc's effort helped his Cowboy squad finish third in Vegas in the team score race behind Ohio State and Michigan. LeBlanc earned the honor for the first time this season and it is the fourth of his collegiate career. The Western Wrestling Conference, which is in its sixth year of competition, is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming.

Heath Hertel and Rob Koll will go “On the Mat” this Wednesday, Dec. 7. "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 PM Central 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. Hertel authored the high school wrestling fiction novel "To Be The Best" in 2008. The book's success led to the publication of a sequel, "Rematch" last month. Hertel will discuss both books and the possibility of making it a trilogy. Koll is the head wrestling coach at Cornell University. He led his team second place finishes at the 2010 NCAA tournament and 2011 NCAA tournament. Koll was an NCAA champion for North Carolina in 1988.

ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. -- Rev Wrestling Corporation, the owner of InterMatWrestle.com, a leading amateur wrestling website, announces the launch of a companion website, InterMatFight.com, to provide the same scope and quality of coverage for mixed martial arts (MMA). InterMatFight.com was unveiled today. The new website provides fighter profile stories, Q&As, results, analysis, top 20 rankings, and live chats. Among the initial features at InterMatFight.com: a profile of former Boise State wrestler Scott Jorgensen and a profile on Nik Lentz, who will fight Mark Bocek at UFC 140 on Saturday. "It's impossible to deny the impact that wrestling and wrestlers have had on mixed martial arts," said Andrew Hipps, senior editor and one of the principals for Rev Wrestling Corporation. "MMA has become an exciting new career option for top-flight wrestlers, and an incredible opportunity for these great athletes to demonstrate their skills, conditioning and tenacity in a whole new venue." "With our years of experience in covering amateur wrestling at InterMatWrestle.com, it only makes sense for us to continue to inform the wrestling community about these great athletes as they move into their new careers," said Jeremy Hipps, President of Rev Wrestling Corporation. "We believe our loyal InterMatWrestle.com readers will welcome and enjoy the additional MMA coverage that will be available at the new, separate website, InterMatFight.com." The original website, InterMatWrestle.com, will continue to provide the wrestling community with the latest news, rankings, athlete profiles, historical features, live chats, and analysis and opinion, as it relates to all aspects of the sport, from youth, high school and college wrestling, through international freestyle and Greco-Roman competition. In the future, InterMatFight.com will include premium InterMat Platinum features similar to InterMatWrestle.com. InterMat Platinum subscriptions will be valid across the two websites which means that current subscribers will have access to all InterMatFight.com premium content at no additional cost.