InterMat Staff

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Scoring bonus points has been the theme for the Tiger wrestling team as of late, and Sunday afternoon was no different. No. 12 Missouri (5-1, 1-1 Big 12) won seven of the 10 matches against Iowa State in front of 1,239 fans, scoring bonus points in five of those wins to pace their 31-10 victory Iowa State took the early lead at 174 pounds, as No. 7 Chris Spangler pulled the upset on No. 3 Dorian Henderson, winning 7-4. However, No. 19 Mike Larson registered a fall at 184 pounds to give the Tigers the 6-3 advantage. Larson took down Mikey England with 33 seconds left in the first period and quickly got him to his back, sticking him in 2:36. Junior Brent Haynes extended that lead to 11-3 with a technical fall in the next match, shutting out Cole Shafer by a 15-0 score. Haynes hit a takedown and a two near fall in the first period, and scored a reversal a minute into the second. In the third, after Shafer chose neutral, Haynes landed a takedown and two three point near falls before the buzzer. At heavyweight, Devin Mellon won his seventh straight match with a 3-2 victory over Matt Gibson. Mellon scored a takedown in the first and an escape in the third while surrendering just two escapes. For the first time this year, Alan Waters found himself trailing in a match, as he was down 4-2 after giving up two takedowns in the first to No. 10 Ryak Finch. However, after starting the second on bottom, Waters reversed Finch to tie the score, then used his strong riding skills to turn Finch to his back for three points. In the third, Waters took Finch down with less than a minute left, and turned him again for another three with just seven seconds left to score a 13-4 major decision. Now 9-0 on the year, all of Waters' victories have come with bonus points. No. 11 Nathan McCormick moved to 9-1 on the season and 5-1 in duals with a 9-5 victory over RJ Hallman at 133 pounds, pushing Mizzou's lead to 21-3. However, Iowa State broke Missouri's four-match winning streak at 141, with Luke Goettl pulling out a 6-5 win over Brandon Wiest. Wiest was deep on several shots in the third period, any of which would've given him the victory, but Goettl was able to fight him off and secure the win for the Cyclones. At 149 pounds, Kyle Bradley registered his third straight win by fall, all of which have come with short time left in the match. Up 10-3 in the third and looking for the major decision, Bradley took Joe Cozart down to his back with eight seconds left, and was awarded the pin with just one second left on the timer. The win put Missouri up 27-6 and improved Bradley to 8-3 on the season, as he's riding an eight-match winning streak. Two weeks ago, Bradley pinned his opponent in the Kaufman-Brand Open finals with just 17 seconds left, while last week he stuck Ian Miller of Kent State with 35 seconds remaining. Redshirt freshman Drake Houdashelt closed out the scoring for Missouri with a 13-3 major decision over Michael Moreno. Houdashelt scored three takedowns in the first two periods and scored two takedowns and two escapes in the third to go along with his riding time. At 165 pounds, No. 4 Andrew Sorenson won by major decision over No. 12 Zach Toal, 12-4. The Tigers will have a week and a half off for the holidays before returning to action on Jan. 1-2 with their first major tournament of the season, as Missouri will head to Chattanooga, Tenn. for the Southern Scuffle. Other teams competing in the tournament include No. 3 Minnesota, No. 4 Cornell and No. 5 Penn State. For more information, stay tuned to mutigers.com. Results: 125: No. 3 Alan Waters (MU) major dec. No. 10 Ryak Finch (ISU), 13-4 133: No. 11 Nathan McCormick (MU) dec. RJ Hallman (ISU), 9-5 141: Luke Goettl (ISU) dec. Brandon Wiest (MU), 6-5 149: No. 14 Kyle Bradley (MU) fall Joe Cozart (ISU), 6:59 157: No. 18 Drake Houdashelt (MU) major dec. Michael Moreno (ISU), 13-3 165: No. 4 Andrew Sorenson (ISU) major dec. No. 12 Zach Toal (MU), 12-4 174: No. 7 Chris Spangler (ISU) dec. No. 3 Dorian Henderson (MU), 7-4 184: No. 19 Mike Larson (MU) fall Mikey England (ISU), 2:36 197: No. 18 Brent Haynes (MU) tech. fall Cole Shafer (ISU), 15-0 (7:00) 285: Devin Mellon (MU) dec. Matt Gibson (ISU), 3-2

Also view finals results at Josh Lowe's Twitter: @JLowe_intermat. 106: No. 3 Darian Cruz (Beth. Catholic, Pa.) maj. dec. No. 12 V. Joseph (Pitt. Central Catholic, Pa.), 9-1 113: No. 3 Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, N.J.) won by forfeit over No. 9 Zeke Moisey (Beth. Catholic, Pa.) 120: Will Mason (Cape Henry Collegiate, Va.) dec. No. 17 P.J. Klee (Blair Academy, N.J.), 7-6 126: No. 4 Brandon Jeske (Cox, Va.) dec. No. 6 Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.), 5-4 UTB 132: No. 3 Mark Grey (Blair Academy, N.J.) dec. No. 7 Randy Cruz (Beth. Catholic, Pa.), 4-2 138: No. 7 Todd Preston (Blair Academy, N.J.) dec. Alfred Bannister (Bishop McNamara, Md.), 1-0 145: No. 12 Dylan Milonas (Blair Academy, N.J.) dec. No. 9 Matt Cimato (LaSalle, Pa.), 6-2 152: No. 16 Salvatore Mastriani (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.) dec. Russ Parsons (Blair Academy, N.J.), 5-3 160: No. 11 Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.) pinned Johnny Sebastian (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), 3:31 170: No. 7 Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) dec. No. 13 Elliott Riddick (Beth. Catholic, Pa.), 1-0 182: Ryan Wolfe (Caravel Academy, Del.) dec. No. 15 David Reck (Colonial Forge, Va.), 3-2 195: No. 10 Perry Hills (Pitt. Central Catholic, Pa.) dec. No. 15 Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy, N.J.), 3-1 220: No. 2 Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) dec. No. 5 (at 285) John Rizzo (Richland, Pa.), 2-1 285: No. 1 Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.) dec. Dink Purnell (A.I. DuPont, Del.), 3-0

BROOKINGS, S.D. -- A streak of five major decision victories and nine total dual wins propelled the No. 16 Nebraska wrestling team to a 37-3 win over the South Dakota State Jackrabbits Saturday night in Brookings, S.D. The Huskers improved to 6-0 in dual competition and have now won all five road duals they have competed in this season. SDSU dropped to 3-3. True freshman James Green (157) kicked off NU's streak of major decision victories with his 15-4 win over Nick Flynn (SDSU) to extend Nebraska's lead to 16-3. The Willingboro, N.J., native tallied nine third-period points to put away the Jacks' leading wrestler. A week after winning Big Ten Wrestler-of-the-Week honons, No. 5 Robert Kokesh (165) won his 14th match of the season with his major decision victory over Dillon Reid (SDSU). Kokesh jumped out to a 7-0 lead after the first period and cruised to the 17-4 victory. Junior Tyler Koehn (174) defeated Joe Rasmussen (SDSU), 18-6, before junior Josh Ihnen returned to his winning ways with his 17-5 win over Troy Morisette (SDSU) to make the team score 28-3. James Nakashima (197) beat Nick Mart (SDSU), 17-4, and marked the sixth Husker wrestler to score over 15 points. No. 17 Ridge Kiley picked up NU's first win of the dual with his forfeit victory at 133 pounds, before No. 11 Jake Sueflohn (141) picked up his fifth dual victory of the season, defeating Dustin Walraven (SDSU) by decision. Brandon Wilbourn (149) won his second straight daul match when he beat Andrew Youngblom (SDSU), 9-2. No. 10 Tucker Lane (Hwt) closed the dual out with his first win by technical fall this season when he took down Joe Skow (SDSU), 18-3. The Huskers will return to the mat tomorrow, Sunday, Dec. 18, when they take on the North Dakota State Bison in Fargo, N.D., at 1 p.m. Sunday's dual can be viewed on Huskers.com, but a subscription is required. Chack back to Huskers.com for more coverage of the Husker wrestling team. Results: 125- Aaron Pickrel (SDSU) by dec. over Shawn Nagel (NU), 13-7 (NU 0, SDSU 3) 133- #17 Ridge Kiley (NU) wins by forfeit (NU 6, SDSU 3) 141- #11 Jake Sueflohn (NU) by dec. over Dustin Walraven (SDSU), 6-2 (NU 9, SDSU 3) 149- Brandon Wilbourn (NU) by dec. over Andrew Youngblom (SDSU), 9-2 (NU 12, SDSU 3) 157- #14 James Green (NU) by major dec. over Nick Flynn (SDSU), 15-4 (NU16, SDSU 3) 165- #5 Robert Kokesh (NU) by major dec. over Dillon Reid (SDSU), 17-4 (NU 20, SDSU 3) 174- Tyler Koehn (NU) by major dec. over Joe Rasmussen (SDSU), 18-6 (NU 24, SDSU 3) 184- #10 Josh Ihnen (NU) by major dec. over Troy Morisette (SDSU), 17-5 (NU 28, SDSU 3) 197- James Nakashima (NU) by major dec. over Nick Mart (SDSU), 17-5 (NU 32, SDSU 3) Hwt- #10 Tucker Lane (NU) by tech. fall over Joe Skow (SDSU), 18-3 (NU 37, SDSU 3)

MOUNT PLEASANT -- Junior 184-pounder Ben Bennett dominated his competition Saturday as No. 18 Central Michigan went a perfect 3-0 at the Bison Duals with wins over Sacred Heart, Princeton and Bucknell. Bennett claimed pins in all three of his bouts and three other Chippewas, sophomore Joe Roth (125), freshman Joey Kielbasa (149) and senior Peter Sturgeon (285), went a perfect 3-0 on the day. Head Coach Tom Borrelli earned his 300th career win in the process, as the Maroon and Gold improved to 10-2 on the season. Borrelli is now 302-127-8 all-time and 256-102-7 as the head coach of the Chippewas. The Maroon and Gold got things rolling with a shutout of the Pioneers (0-10), 49-0, behind pins by No. 18 Roth, Scott Mattingly (141), Mike Ottinger (165) and No. 8 Bennett. The Chippewas also picked up bonus points with a major decision by Tyler Keselring (133) and two forfeit victories. Redshirt freshman Dakota Cooley also earned his first career collegiate dual victory, defeating the Tigers' Jonathon Rizzitello by decision at 174 pounds, 3-2. The Chippewas jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead on the Tigers (2-6) with decisions by Roth and freshman Zach Horan. Roth defeated No. 20 Garrett Frey, 8-2, and Horan picked up his first career dual victory at 133 pounds by defeating Christopher Perez, 4-2. After the Tigers pulled it within three, 9-6, Ottinger picked up bonus points with a major decision over Richard Eva and Bennett claimed his second pin of the day, over Daniel Santoro, to give the Chippewas a comfortable lead, 19-9. Senior Chad Friend (197) earned a 6-1 decision and No. 6 Sturgeon closed the match with a pin to give the Chippewas the decisive 28-9 victory. Bennett picked up his third pin of the day in the Chippewas' victory over the Bison (2-6), sparking a late push for the 21-12 win. After Roth and Keselring earned decisions to put CMU up, 6-0, Bucknell claimed three of the next five bouts to pull within three, 12-9. The junior then put Jamie Westwood on his back 2:42 into the match, earning six bonus points and his seventh fall of the season. The Bison got a key overtime win at 197 pounds to keep the match alive, but Sturgeon was able to earn a decision over Tyler Lyster, 5-2, to secure the Chippewa win. CMU will next compete at the Midland Championships in Evanston, Ill., Dec. 29-30. No. 19 Central Michigan 49, Sacred Heart 0 125: No. 18 Joe Roth (CMU) pin Joe Harris, 4:55; CMU 6-0 133: Tyler Keselring (CMU) maj. dec. Andrew Polidore, 17-4; CMU 10-0 141: Scott Mattingly (CMU) pin Robert O'Neill, 2:21; CMU 16-0 149: Joey Kielbasa (CMU) win by forfeit; CMU 22-0 157: Jared Porter (CMU) dec. Joseph Evangelista, 9-5; CMU 25-0 165: Mike Ottinger (CMU) pin Sam Sheppard, 5:53; CMU 31-0 174: Dakota Cooley (CMU) dec. Jonathon Rizzitello, 3-2; CMU 34-0 184: No. 8 Ben Bennett (CMU) pin Zachary Moran, 1:22; CMU 40-0 197: Chad Friend (CMU) dec. Sam Morison, 4-0; CMU 43-0 285: No. 6 Peter Sturgeon wins by forfeit; CMU 49-0 No. 19 Central Michigan 28, Princeton 9 125: No. 18 Joe Roth (CMU) dec. No. 20 Garrett Frey, 8-2; CMU 3-0 133: Zach Horan (CMU) dec. Christopher Perez, 4-2; CMU 6-0 141: Richard Krop (Princeton) dec. Scott Mattingly, 7-1; CMU 6-3 149: Joey Kielbasa (CMU) dec. Zachary Bintliff, 4-1; CMU 9-3 157: Daniel Kolodzik (Princeton) dec. Donnie Corby, 3-1; CMU 9-6 165: Mike Ottinger (CMU) maj. dec. Richard Eva, 12-4; CMU 13-6 174: Ryan Callahan (Princeton) dec. Dakota Cooley, 5-0; CMU 13-9 184: No. 8 Ben Bennett (CMU) pin Daniel Santoro, 2:47; CMU 19-9 197: Chad Friend (CMU) dec. Kurt Brendel, 6-1; CMU 22-9 285: No. 6 Peter Sturgeon pin Stephen Turner, 4:34; CMU 28-9 No 19 Central Michigan 21, Bucknell 12 125: No. 18 Joe Roth (CMU) dec. Austin Miller, 8-2; CMU 3-0 133: Tyler Keselring (CMU) dec. Shawn Armato , 9-3; CMU 6-0 141: Derrik Russell (Bucknell) dec. Scott Mattingly, 6-3; CMU 6-3 149: Joey Kielbasa (CMU) dec. Alex Pellicciotti, 4-0; CMU 9-3 157: Donnie Corby (CMU) overtime Ray Schlitt, 8-6; CMU 12-3 165: Corey Lear (Bucknell) dec. Mike Ottinger, 3-2; CMU 12-6 174: Stephen McPeek (Bucknell) dec. Dakota Cooley, 8-2; CMU 12-9 184: No. 8 Ben Bennett (CMU) pin Jamie Westwood, 2:42; CMU 18-9 197: Joe McMullan (Bucknell) overtime Chad Friend, 3-1; CMU 18-12 285: No. 6 Peter Sturgeon dec. Tyler Lyster, 5-2; CMU 21-12

Charleston, S.C. -- Odie Delaney scored the only fall of the match and four other Citadel wrestlers scored decision victories as the Bulldogs captured their opening home dual meet of the season with 19-18 victory over North Carolina State at McAlister Field House Saturday afternoon. Delaney scored a pin over the Wolfpack's Josh Davis at the 1:53 mark of the 285-pound bout to improve to 5-0 on the season. The six-point win turned a 11-9 deficit into a 15-11 advantage for the Bulldogs (1-3) that they would not relinquish. Kelby Smith improved to 4-0 in dual-meet action with a 5-2 decision over KaRonne Jones, while No. 17 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj improved to 10-4 on the season with a 5-2 decision over Quinton Godley in a rematch of their bout at the Nittany Lion Open on Dec. 4. After David Ivashchenko dropped a close 7-6 decision in the opening match at 149 pounds, Pierre Frazile evened the score at 3-3 with a 5-3 decision over Colton Palmer at 157 pounds. A major decision victory by NC State's Nijel Jones at 165 gave the Wolfpack a 7-3 lead, but Luvsandorj cut the deficit to 7-6 with his decision. Another major decision for the Wolfpack at 184 pounds opened an 11-6 lead before Smith and Delaney won back-to-back matches, posting nine points and giving the Bulldogs a 15-11 advantage. Coltin Fought's 19-6 major decision at 125 pounds for NC State knotted the score at 15-15, but Kyle Casaletto's 4-2 decision at 133 pulled the Cadets ahead 18-15. Darius Little closed out the meet with a 5-1 decision over Jordan Dix at 141, but the Bulldogs emerged victorious on the afternoon with the 19-18 victory. The Bulldogs return to action at the Southern Scuffle on January 1-2 in Chattanooga, Tenn. Results: 149 Matthew Nereim (NCST) over David Ivashchenko (CIT) Decision 7-6 157 Pierre Frazile (CIT) over Colton Palmer (NCST) Decision 5-3 165 Nijel Jones (NCST) over Michael Harper (CIT) Major Decision 12-1 174 #17 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (CIT) over Quinton Godley (NCST) Decision 5-2 184 Robert O`Neill (NCST) over John Duane (CIT) Major Decision 19-8 197 Kelby Smith (CIT) over KaRonne Jones (NCST) Decision 5-2 285 Odie Delaney (CIT) over Joshua Davis (NCST) Fall 1:53 125 Coltin Fought (NCST) over Richard Alarcon Jr. (CIT) Major Decision 19-6 133 Kyle Casaletto (CIT) over Adam Matthews (NCST) Decision 4-2 141 Darius Little (NCST) over Jordan Dix (CIT) Decision 5-1 2nd Tie-breaker Criteria (Total Falls 1-0 CIT)

106: 1st: Doug Miner (Spirit Lake Park) pinned Brady Berge (Kasson-Mantorville), 3:41 3rd: Trevor Westerlund (Albert Lea) dec. David Flynn (Scott West), 5-3 5th: Maolu Woiwor (Apple Valley) pinned Adam Blees (Bismarck), :44 7th: Luke McCord (Forest Lake) inj. def. Blane Tschida (Coon Rapids) 113: 1st: No. 11 Tommy Thorn (St. Michael-Albertville) dec. Jordan Shearer (West Fargo), 9-3 3rd: Luke Rowh (Hastings) dec. Tanner Johnshoy (Prior Lake), 3-2 5th: Garrett Wangsness (Albert Lea) dec. James Pleski (Forest Lake), 5-0 7th: Zach Siegle (Scott West) pinned Kael Knowlen (Bismarck), 5:42 120: 1st: Seth Gross (Apple Valley) dec. No. 18 Kyle Gliva (Simley), 8-3 3rd: Luke Betchwars (Scott West) dec. Nick OBrien (Wayzata), 5-3 OT 5th: Matt Elsenpeter (Watertown-Mayer) dec. Evan Green (Owatonna), 7-6 7th: Dustin Weinmann (Irondale) dec. Zach Skopec (Spirit Lake Park), 7-3 126: 1st: Cole Sladek (St. Michael-Albertville) dec. Pedro DeLao (Simley), 10-6 3rd: Shamar Williams (Apple Valley) dec. Austin Leibel (St. Francis), 5-2 5th: Tyler Tischer (Cambridge-Isanti) maj. dec. Brett Stolarzyk (Stewartville), 14-4 7th: Luke Zilverberg (Scott West) maj. dec. Devin Wolf (Irondale), 8-0 132: 1st: No. 12 Ben Morgan (Forest Lake) dec. No. 11 Dakota Trom (Apple Valley), 5-3 3rd: Mark Voss (St. Michael-Albertville) dec. Stephen Mincey (Simley), 3-2 5th: Ben Rock (Prior Lake) dec. Branden Schorr (Kasson-Mantorville), 11-4 7th: Aaron Sweeney (Watertown-Mayer) dec. Tyler Sorenson (Owatonna), 6-5 138: 1st: Dayton Racer (Apple Valley) tech. fall Lincoln Mallinger (St. Michael-Albertville), 15-0 3rd: Coltan Laganiere (Kasson-Mantorville) dec. Tyler Isaacson (Forest Lake), 6-5 5th: Mack Short (Simley) dec. Andrew Fogarty (Scott West), 2-1 7th: Anjelo Shepherd (West Fargo) pinned Bowen Schultz (Owatonna), 3:15 145: 1st: No. 9 Mark Hall (Apple Valley) dec. No. 3 Jake Short (Simley), 3-0 3rd: Weston Droegemueller (Wayzata) dec. Ryan Blees (Bismarck), 7-4 5th: Ty Torgerson (Cambridge-Isanti) dec. Jeremy Beaman (Anoka), 6-5 7th: Wayne Voss (St. Michael-Albertville) dec. Darren Gagne (Coon Rapids) 0-0 DOT 152: 1st: Mason Manville (Apple Valley) dec. Gabe Fogarty (Scott West), 4-2 3rd: No. 11 Nick Wanzek (Simley) dec. Travis Holt (Cambridge-Isanti), 9-2 5th: Ben Cousins (Bloomington Kennedy) pinned Austin Boniface (Forest Lake), 1:31 7th: Zach Jaeger (Stewartville) dec. Ryan Norton (Anoka), 5-2 160: 1st: No. 5 Brandon Kingsley (Apple Valley) pinned Darick Vancura (Jackson), 3:38 3rd: Cody Skog (Cambridge-Isanti) maj. dec. Cody Anderson (White Bear Lake), 16-5 5th: Tyler Berdahl (Coon Rapids) pinned Isaac Florell (Totino Grace), 3:42 7th: Shelby Schulz (West Fargo) dec. Ryder Paggen (Forest Lake), 13-7 170: 1st: No. 14 Cooper Moore (Jackson) dec. No. 11 Kyle Begin (Anoka), 10-3 3rd: Trey Hable (Albert Lea) pinned No. 19 Ben Sullivan (Apple Valley), 2:40 5th: Nick Dvorak (Scott West) pinned Kip Jangula (Bismarck), 3:50 7th: Jordan Zeman (Owatonna) dec. Tommy Longendyke (White Bear Lake), 4-1 182: 1st: No. 9 Micah Barnes (Simley) dec. No. 20 Preston Lehmann (West Fargo), 7-6 3rd: No. 17 Daniel Woiwor (Apple Valley) dec. Clayton Jennissen (Cambridge-Isanti), 6-3 5th: Richard Carlson (Mounds View) dec. Jake Swenson (Hastings), 3-1 7th: Beau Bibeau (White Bear Lake) dec. Dalton Westerlund (Albert Lea), 3-2 195: 1st: Broc Berge (Kasson-Mantorville) tech-fall Paul Cheney (Apple Valley), 20-5 3rd: Mitchell Eull (St. Michael-Albertville) pinned Clay Wherley (Anoka), 1:57 5th: Drew Kary (Bismarck) pinned Casey Jones (Spirit Lake Park), 5:17 7th: Drew Johnson (West Fargo) dec. Mike Riker (Scott West), 9-2 220: 1st: No. 4 Michael Kroells (Scott West) maj. dec. Nick Edling (St. Michael-Albertville), 8-0 3rd: Coyte Kuefner (Owatonna) inj. def. Gjullian Flemister-King (Champlin Park) 5th: Michael Burckhardt (Coon Rapids) dec. Isaac Eichmann (Hastings), 4-2 7th: Joe Schiller (Totino Grace) pinned Justin Carr (Rochester Mayo), 3:25 285: 1st: No. 10 Sam Stoll (Kasson-Mantorville) dec. No. 15 Tanner Lowe (Coon Rapids), 7-0 3rd: Matt Kadrlik (Simley) dec. Tim Twohey (Stewartville), 1-0 5th: Michael Kessler (St. Michael-Albertville) dec. Andrew Gustafson (Centennial), 5-2 7th: Zach Martens (Apple Valley) dec. Tyler Custard (Henry Sibley), 5-3

1. No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. 139-1/2 (12/1) 2. No. 10 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. 110 (6/4) 3. No. 14 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. 88-1/2 (4/3) 4. No. 40 Colonial Forge, Va. 86 (3/2) 5. No. 12 Christiansburg, Va. 83 (4/1) 6. Mechanicsburg, Pa. 74 (1/4) 7. No. 47 McDonogh, Md. 72-1/2 (3/3) 8. No. 38 Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa. 71 (4/3) 9. No. 28 Central Dauphin, Pa. 69 (3/4) 10. Jackson Memorial, N.J. 66-1/2 (2/4) Other nationally ranked teams: 12 – Bergen Catholic, N.J.63, 22 - No. 34 Timber Creek, N.J. 50

Related Content: Brackets Related Content: Placement Match Results Related Content: Photos Related Content: Videos ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Apple Valley, Minn., ranked fourth nationally in the Fab 50, made a statement at the Minnesota Christmas Tournament on Saturday night in Rochester, Minn., winning the team title by 94 points over No. 8 Simley, at an event that included four nationally ranked teams. Apple Valley's Mark Hall defeated Simley's Jake Short in the finals at 145 pounds (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Five Eagle wrestlers captured titles: Seth Gross (120), Dayton Racer (138), Mark Hall (145), Mason Manville (152), and Brandon Kingsley (160). Gross, a Cadet National freestyle champion, registered an 8-3 victory over nationally ranked Kyle Gliva of Simley in the finals. Gross was taken down early in the match and trailed 2-0, but came back to pick up a takedown in each of the three periods, without surrendering another one, to take the victory. Racer, a freshman, was dominant at 138 pounds, going 5-0 with two pins and outscoring his other three opponents by a combined score of 24-2. In the finals Racer won by technical fall, 15-0, over Cadet National folkstyle All-American Lincoln Mallinger of St. Michael-Albertville. Hall, the nation's No. 1 junior high wrestler, claimed his second Minnesota Christmas Tournament title in as many years with a 3-0 shutout victory over Simley's Jake Short, a Junior National folkstyle champion and Junior National freestyle runner-up. Hall led 1-0 in the third after Short chose to give up the escape. With 40 seconds left, Hall scored a takedown off a lighting quick duckunder to go up 3-0, which is how the match would end. Manville, the nation's No. 4 junior high wrestler, put together a very impressive weekend, beating Junior National folkstyle champion Nick Wanzek of Simley, 8-5, in the semifinals, before winning 4-2 over state champion Gabe Fogary of Scott West in the finals. Manville led 4-0 in the third period of his finals match before giving up a late reversal, but it was too little too late for Fogarty. Kingsley, a three-time state champion and one of the nation's top seniors, was untested throughout the weekend, going 5-0 with four pins and a technical falls. His victory in the finals came by pin over Darick Vancura of Jackson Country Central. Gross, Hall, and Kingsley were all InterMat JJ Classic champions this year, while Manville placed third. Forest Lake's Ben Morgan defeated Apple Valley's Dakota Trom at 132 pounds in a battle of future Big Ten wrestlers (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Forest Lake's Ben Morgan was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament after beating Apple Valley's Dakota Trom, 5-3, to claim the title at 132 pounds in a battle of future Big Ten wrestlers. (Morgan has signed with Nebraska; Trom with Minnesota.) Morgan used two nearfall points in the second period and a reversal in the third period to pace him to the victory. St. Michael Albertville, ranked 39th nationally, crowned two champions, Tommy Thorn (113) and Cole Sladek (126), which helped the Knights to a third-place finish, 16.5 points behind runner-up Simley. Thorn's victory in the finals came over InterMat JJ Classic runner-up Jordan Shearer of West Fargo, 9-3. Thorn, a Cadet National freestyle champion, picked up an early takedown and whipped Shearer to his back to go up 4-0 and never looked back. Sladek, a Cadet National freestyle All-American, topped state champion Pedro DeLao of Simley, 10-6, in the finals. Sladek registered two takedowns in the first and third periods and controlled the bout from the onset. Kasson Mantorville's Broc Berge took the title at 195 pounds (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Kasson-Mantorville's Broc Berge (195) and Scott West's Michael Kroells (220), both returning state champions, repeated as Minnesota Christmas Tournament champions. Berge was dominant all weekend, going 5-0 with four pins and a technical fall victory, 20-5, over Apple Valley's Paul Cheney in the finals at 195 pounds. Kroells, an InterMat JJ Classic champion, had four pins and an 8-0 major decision victory in the finals over Nick Edling of St. Michael-Albertville. Kroells, who is ranked fourth nationally at 220 pounds, signed with the University of Minnesota. Spirit Lake Park's Doug Miner, a state champion last year, improved upon his third-place finish last year to take the title at 106 pounds, pinning seventh-grader Brady Berge of Kasson-Mantorville using a cradle in the finals. Berge is the nation's fifth-ranked junior high wrestler. Jackson County's Cooper Moore won the 170-pound weight class that included three nationally ranked wrestlers. Moore, who signed with Northern Iowa, proved to be too much for Anoka's Kyle Begin in the finals, coming away with a 10-3 victory. Begin defeated nationally ranked Ben Sullivan of Apple Valley, 10-4, in the semifinals. Individual Champions (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Simley's lone champion was Micah Barnes at 182 pounds. Barnes, a Junior National freestyle All-American, edged West Fargo's Preston Lehmann, 7-6, in a battle of nationally ranked wrestlers. Kasson-Mantorville's Sam Stoll, a Cadet National double champion, claimed the heavyweight title by blanking Coon Rapids' Tanner Lowe, 7-0, in the finals. Finals Results: 106: Doug Miner (Spirit Lake Park) pinned Brady Berge (Kasson-Mantorville), 3:41 113: No. 11 Tommy Thorn (St. Michael-Albertville) dec. Jordan Shearer (West Fargo), 9-3 120: Seth Gross (Apple Valley) dec. No. 18 Kyle Gliva (Simley), 8-3 126: Cole Sladek (St. Michael-Albertville) dec. Pedro DeLao (Simley), 10-6 132: No. 12 Ben Morgan (Forest Lake) dec. No. 11 Dakota Trom (Apple Valley), 5-3 138: Dayton Racer (Apple Valley) tech. fall Lincoln Mallinger (St. Michael-Albertville), 15-0 145: No. 9 Mark Hall (Apple Valley) dec. No. 3 Jake Short (Simley), 3-0 152: Mason Manville (Apple Valley) dec. Gabe Fogarty (Scott West), 4-2 160: No. 5 Brandon Kingsley (Apple Valley) pinned Darick Vancura (Jackson County Central), 3:38 170: No. 14 Cooper Moore (Jackson County Central) dec. No. 11 Kyle Begin (Anoka), 10-3 182: No. 9 Micah Barnes (Simley) dec. No. 20 Preston Lehmann (West Fargo), 7-6 195: Broc Berge (Kasson-Mantorville) tech. fall Paul Cheney (Apple Valley), 20-5 220: No. 4 Michael Kroells (Scott West) maj. dec. Nick Edling (St. Michael-Albertville), 8-0 285: No. 10 Sam Stoll (Kasson-Mantorville) dec. No. 15 Tanner Lowe (Coon Rapids), 7-0 Team Standings (Top 10): 1. No. 4 Apple Valley 291.5 2. No. 8 Simley 197.5 3. No. 39 St. Michael-Albertville 181 4. Scott West 177 5. No. 42 Kasson-Mantorville 148.5 6. West Fargo 127 7. Forest Lake 125.5 8. Albert Lea 121.5 9. Cambridge-Isanti 117.5 10. Jackson County Central 108

106: No. 3 Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) vs. Anthony Cefolo (Hanover Park, N.J.) Sean Badua (Osbourn Park, Va.) vs. No. 14 Coy Ozias (Christiansburg, Va.) No. 14 Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.) vs. Alec Huxford (Jackson Memorial, N.J.) Hunter Manley (South County, Va.) vs. No. 12 Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) 113: No. 3 Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Zach Fuentes (Norristown, Pa.) Zach Bridson (Timberlane, N.H.) vs. Aaron Assad (Brecksville, Ohio) No. 15 J.R. Wert (Christiansburg, Va.) vs. Luis Gonzalez (North Bergen, N.J.) Cody Stageberg (Cox, Va.) vs. No. 9 Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) 120: No. 17 P.J. Klee (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Evan Botwin (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) Korbin Levin (Pleasant Grove, Ut.) vs. Ricky Carter (Timber Creek, N.J.) Will Mason (Cape Henry Collegiate, Va.) vs. Anthony Giraldo (North Bergen, N.J.) Michael Marino (Garnet Valley, Pa.) vs. Kaleb Lemaire (Caesar Rodney, Del.) 126: No. 4 Brandon Jeske (Cox, Va.) vs. Michael Hayes (Colonial Forge, Va.) Kyle Loeb (Garnet Valley, Pa.) vs. No. 17 Max Hvolbek (Blair Academy, N.J.) No. 9 Dominick Malone (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Eric Friedman (St. Paul's, Md.) Clay Walker (Eastside, S.C.) vs. No. 6 Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.) 132: No. 3 Mark Grey (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Demetri D'Orsaneo (Owen J. Roberts, Pa.) No. 19 Jeffrey Ott (Belmont Hill, Mass.) vs. Tyson Dippery (Central Dauphin, Pa.) Connor Melde (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) vs. Dennis Gustafson (Forest Park, Va.) Patrick Duggan (Cumberland Valley, Pa.) vs. No. 7 Randy Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) 138: No. 7 Todd Preston (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Mike Springer (Norristown, Pa.) Ross Benzel (Kellam, Va.) vs. John Fahy (Trinity, Ky.) Shyheim Brown (Central Dauphin, Pa.) vs. Derek Arnold (Westfield, Va.) Alfred Bannister (Bishop McNamara, Md.) vs. Jorge Lopez (Delbarton, N.J.) 145: No. 12 Dylan Milonas (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Justin Staudenmayer (Plymouth-Whitemarsh, Pa.) No. 6 Alenick Richardson (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.) vs. Brooks Martino (Robinson, Va.) No. 9 Matt Cimato (LaSalle, Pa.) vs. Max Smith (C.E. Smith, Del.) Cohl Fulk (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.) 152: No. 18 Peter Galli (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.) vs. Wayne Stinson (Northern Burlington, N.J.) Kirk Johnson (Forest Park, Va.) vs. Russ Parsons (Blair Academy, N.J.) Garrett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) vs. Garrett Peppelman (Central Dauphin, Pa.) Tyler Manion (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) vs. No. 16 Salvatore Mastriani (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.) 160: No. 9 Jacob Crawford (Millbrook, Va.) vs. Toby Hague (McDonogh, Md.) Johnny Sebastian (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) vs. Patrick Coover (Blair Academy, N.J.) Brett Harner (Norristown, Pa.) vs. Patrick Davis (Woodbridge, Del.) Rustin Barrick (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) vs. No. 11 Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.) 170: No.7 Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Tanner Tinsley (Hanover, Va.) Greg Bacci (Malvern Prep, Pa.) vs. Anthony Pafumi (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.) Shane Springer (Norristown, Pa.) vs. Tyler Rill (Mt. St. Joseph's, Md.) Robert Shade (Timber Creek, N.J.) vs. No. 13 Elliott Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) 182: Scott Gibbons (Archbishop Rummel, La.) vs. Spencer Neff (Good Counsel, Md.) Michael Mocco (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Ryan Wolfe (Caravel Academy, Del.) No. 15 David Reck (Colonial Forge, Va.) vs. Tyler Wood (West Chester Rustin, Pa.) Matt Hoare (Cumberland Valley, Pa.) vs. No. 11 (at 195) Dallas Winston (Jackson Memorial, N.J.) 195: No. 10 Perry Hills (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) vs. Razohn Gross (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.) Kevin Marvel (McDonogh, Md.) vs. Joe Jessen (Millbrook, Va.) Dylan Devine (DeMatha, Md.) vs. Matt Garrity (Colonial Forge, Va.) Mike Green (St. Paul's, Md.) vs. No. 15 Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy, N.J.) 220: No. 2 Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) vs. Harry Mauk (Malvern Prep, Pa.) Zach DeLuca (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) vs. Nick Grossi (Germantown Academy, Pa.) No. 7 A.J. Vizcarrando (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Marshall Hollerith (St. Christopher's Va.) David Farr (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. No. 5 (at 285) John Rizzo (Richland, Pa.) 285: No. 1 Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Zach Dawe (Pleasant Grove, Ut.) Jake Pinkston (Robinson, Va.) vs. Michael Johnson, Jr. (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) Daquante Timbers (Freedom, Va.) vs. Dink Purnell (A.I. DuPont, Del.) Chuck Boddy (Germantown Academy, Pa.) vs. No. 16 Avree Robinson (Susquehanna Township, Pa.)

Siyar Bahadurzada's loss is WEC veteran Carlo Prater's gain. After announcing Bahadurzada scratched due to an injury, UFC officials today announced Prater as his replacement. He now meets fellow welterweight Erick Silva at next month's UFC 142 event in Brazil. The bout currently is scheduled for the pay-per-view main card. Read entire story...

The most recent updates will appear at the top. Refresh to see the latest posts. Also be sure to follow me on Twitter: @JLowe_intermat. Check the tournament website, http://www.beastwrestling.com, periodically for updated brackets. 2:25 p.m. ET: Finals at 3:15 p.m., or thereabouts. View finals pairings/results. 2:20 p.m. ET: 1-1 overtime in the last semi between Avree Robinson (Susq. Twp., Pa.) and Dink Purnell (A.I. DuPont, Del.) Hospitality room food/lunch awaits when this match ends. 2:10 p.m. ET: John Rizzo (Richland, Pa.) with the ultimate tiebreaker rideout victory over A.J. Vizcarrando (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.). Wyoming Seminary went 0-for-4 in semifinal matches. Last semi coming up - thank god. 2:00 p.m. ET: Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.) made it an 8th Buccaneer in the finals with a 6-0 victory over freshman Michael Johnson, Jr. (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) at 285. John Rizzo (Richland, Pa.) will take A.J. Vizcarrando (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) to overtime with the score tied 3-apiece. 1:50 p.m. ET: The nation's No. 2 sophomore Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) wins 4-0 against Nick Grossi (Germantown Academy, N.J.) to move onto the 220 pound final. Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy, N.J.) advances to face Hills in the final with a 2-1 tiebreak victory over Dylan Devine (DeMatha, Md.) 1:40 p.m. ET: David Reck (Colonial Forge, Va.) uses a early takedown to win 3-2 against Dallas Winston (Jackson Memorial, N.J.). Winston had a late takedown that was waved off. Reck v Wolfe at 182. Perry Hills (Pitt. CC, Pa.) wins 3-2 over Joe Jessen (Millbrook, Va.) due to a first period takedown at 195 pounds. 1:30 p.m. ET: The homestate kid Ryan Wolfe (Caravel Academy, Del.) upends top seed Scott Gibbons (Archbishop Rummel, La.) 7-3 to make his cheering section happy as all heck at 182 pounds. David Reck (Coloial Forge, Va.) takes the early 2-0 lead against Dallas Winston (Jackson Memorial, N.J.) in the other semifinal - a match of nationally ranked wrestlers. Now 2-1 after the Winston escape. 1:25 p.m. ET: Morris closes out an 11-2 major decision victory. Elliott Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) uses a third period takedown and then hangs on against a tough scramble from Tyler Rill (Mt. St. Joseph, Md.) to win 3-2 setting up a finals match that rematches an Ironman semifinal. 1:15 p.m. ET: Consolation semifinal wrestlebacks have begun, not tracking those, but it serves as a refence point. Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) leads 8-2 early third period against Anthony Pafumi (St. peter's Prep, N.J.) in the top 170 pound semi. 1:10 p.m. ET: And down goes another nationally ranked No. 1 seed, this time it's Johnny Sebastian (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) - only a sophomore - upended Jacob Crawford (Millbrook, Va.) 3-2 on a second period takedown. Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.) with an impressive comeback to win 9-7 in overtime on a takedown right at the end of regulation against Brett Harner (Norristown, Pa.) in a battle of juniors. 12:55 p.m. ET: Russ Parsons (Blair Academy, N.J.) knocks off the No. 1 seed Peter Galli (St. Pauls, Md.) 3-1 with a late takedown. That is the first No. 1 seed to get knocked off. Salvatore Mastriani (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.) survived at the end of regulation on a deep Garrett Peppelman (Central Dauphin, Pa.) shot but scored the takedown to win 5-3 in overtime. 12:45 p.m. ET: Dylan Milonas (Blair Academy, N.J.) wins an entertainig match with Alenick Richardson (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.) 7-5. Matt Cimato (LaSalle, Pa.) used a late third period takedown to seal up the 8-4 victory over Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.) at 145 pounds. 12:35 p.m. ET: Todd Preston (Blair Academy, N.J.) with a clear 6-2 victory over John Fahy (Trinity, Ky.). Sophomore Alfred Bannister (Bishop McNamara, Md.) advaces to the final from the ten seed on a five-point scramble win 7-2 over Shyheim Brown (Central Dauphin, Pa.) 12:25 p.m. ET: Mark Grey (Blair Academy, N.J.) took it to Tyson Dippery (Central Dauphin, Pa.) in the form of a 8-3 win at 132 pounds. Randy Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) wins 1-0 over Connor Melde (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) with second period rideout and third period escape. I'll take Grey to reverse last week's semifinal loss in this afternoon's final. 12:15 p.m. ET: It'll be an all Commowealth final at 126. Brandon Jeske (Cox, Va.) majors Max Hvolbek (Blair Academy, N.J.) 9-1. Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.) wins 4-3 over Dom Malone (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) on an early third period escape. 12:05 p.m. ET: P.J. Klee (Blair Academy, N.J.) with a 16-1 technical fall over Korbin Levin (Pleasant Grove, Ut.) at 120. The other semi had Will Mason (Cape Henry Collegiate, Va.) surge to an early 7-1 lead, then Kaleb Lemaire (C. Rodney, Del.) had two third period scores - takedown and reversal - but still lost 8-5. Mason v Klee an all Nat Prep final. 11:55 a.m. ET: Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, N.J.) wins 5-0 on a second period reversal and near falls against Aaron Assad (Brecksville, Oh.). Lots of mat wrestling in the other 113 semi as Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) wins a 4-4 ultimate TB RO over J.R. Wert (Christiansburg, Va.) 11:40 a.m. ET: Darian Cruz domiates to a 12-6 victory over Ozias, and Joseph rallies back with 3 unanswered takedowns to win 6-5. 106 final is a rematch of last week's Ironman consolation semi. 11:35 a.m. ET: Notebook will update end of the semis at each weight, twitter for in-match stuff. 11:30 a.m. ET: Semis are on. Cruz (Beth. Catholic, Pa.) leads 4-2 against Ozias (C'Burg, Va.) - Ironman quarter rematch that Cruz won. Fleetwood (Smryna, Del.) up 2-0 agaist Joseph (Pitt. CC, Pa.). Actually 6-2 Cruz, all still first period. 10:35 a.m. ET: Time for a break, it's called consolation wrestling. These matches are winners place inside the top 8. 10:30 a.m. ET: Joe Jessen (Millbrook, Va.) with 6-4 win over Kevin Marvel (McDonogh, Md.) - he'll face Perry Hills (Pitt. CC) in one semi, and in the other semi Dylan Devine (DeMatha, Md.) won a 2-1 tiebreak to face Mattiace. Bottom 220 semi will be a battle of ranked wrestlers in AJ Vizcarrado (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) and John Rizzo (Richland, Pa.) Semis at 285 are Black (Blair, N.J.) against freshman Michael Johnson, Jr. (Wyoming Seminary), along with Dink Purnell (A.I. DuPont, Del.) against Avree Robinson (Susq. Twp., Pa.). Purnell PINNED Junior free AA Daquante Timbers (Freedom, Va.) 10:25 a.m. ET: Riddick does win 9-4, and he'll face Tyler Rill (Mt. St. Joseph, Md.) in the 170 semi that rematches a quarter from the Super32 - Riddick won that narrowly. Nick Grossi (Germantown Acad, Pa.) advances to the semis with a 3-1 win over unseeded Zach DeLuca (Pitt CC, Pa.) at 220, where he'll face sophomore sensation Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) - who is up big in the quarters against Harry Mauk (Malvern Prep, Pa.), closes it out with a 25-10 tech at 5:50. 10:20 a.m. ET: Wolfe advaces to the semis 17-11, he'll face Gibbons. Frank Mattaice gets the Blair train back in order with a first period pin over Mike Green (St. Paul's, Md.). Elliott Riddick (Beth. Catholic, Pa.) starting to separate things here in the third period, it's a 7-4 lead against Robert Shade (Timber creek, N.J.) 10:15 a.m. ET: Bottom semi at 182 is set with nationally ranked wrestlers earing major decisions - David Reck (Colonial Forge, Va.) and Dallas Winston (Jackson Memorial, N.J.). Scott Gibbons (Archbishop Rummel, La.) advanced in the top half of the draw, and he'll face the winner of Ryan Wolfe (Caravel Academy, Del.) and Michael Mocco (Blair) - Wolfe leads 17-11 :40 left in the third period. 10:05 a.m. ET: 160 semis are set. Joining Crawford up top will be Johnny Sebastian (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) after a 1-0 win agaisnt Patrick Coover (Blair) with a third period rideout. First loss for Blair today. Harer (Norristown, Pa.) and Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.) the other semi - C'Burg with four in the semis, 4-0 quarterfinal round. Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) and Anthony Pafumi (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.) advace to the top semi at 170 - Morris 4-2 over Tinsley (Hanover, Va.) and Pafumi rallies back to beat Bacci (Malvern Prep, Pa.) 9:55 a.m. ET: Cimato (LaSalle, Pa.) with the 5-1 to advacne to the semis against Clark at 145. 152 semis are set with Galli (St. Paul's, Md.) vs. Parsons (Blair, N.J.) and G. Peppelman (C. Dauphin, Pa.) vs. Manion (Pitt. CC, Pa.). UNC recruit Crawford (Millbrook, Va.) with the 15-3 major over Hague (McDonogh, Md.) to hit the semis at 160. 9:40 a.m. ET: Klee continues the Blair-a-thon with the 10-1 major at 120 to face Levin in the semi. Fahy (Trinity, Ky.) with the 14-6 major at 138, and he'll face Preston. Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.) with a 6-1 win over Cohl Fulk (Wyoming Sem., Pa.) in his 145 semi. Dylan Milonas (Blair, N.J.) wins 4-0 in his semi in the opposite half at 145. Randy Cruz (BECA, Pa.) beats freshman Patrick Duggan (Cumb. Valley, Pa.) 3-0 to face Melde in his semi. And it will be Milonas against Alenick Richardson (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.) who milked an early lead to hang on 10-8 against Brooks Martino (Robinson, Va.) 9:35 a.m. ET: Got some more results here - Will Mason (Cape Henry, Va.) rallies back to win 8-4 against Giraldo (N. Bergen, N.J.) at 120, faces Lemaire in the semis. Dance (C'Burg, Va.) with a pin to set up a semifinal rematch with Malone. Connor Melde (Bergen Cath., N.J.) advances to the 132 semis with a 3-1 win over Gustafson (Forest Park, Va.). 138 has three semifinalists determined with Todd Preston (Blair) up top and down low having Shyheim Brown (C. Dauphin, Pa.) - who survived 7-5 against Dylan Arold (Westfield, Va.) - and Alfred Bannister (Bishop McNamara, Md.) set to face off. 9:25 a.m. ET: Wert gets the 1-1 rideout victory in ultimate to set up finals rematch from last year with Moisey, semifinal at 113. Kaleb Lemaire (C. Rodney, Del.) won 6-0 in the bottom quarter at 120. Jeske (Cox, Va.) won 3-1 in the top quarter at 126 to set up match with Hvolbek. Malone (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) with a major over Eric Friedman (St. Paul's, Md.) in his quarter at 126. Dippery (C. Dauphin, Pa.) advances to face Grey at 132 semi with 10-2 win over Ott (Belmont Hill, Mass.). 9:20 a.m. ET: Moisey (BECA, Pa.) gets the fall trailing 5-0 against Stageberg (Cox, Va.) with a cement mixer. He'll face the winner of Wert (C'Burg, Va.) and Gonzalez (N. Bergen, N.J.) - a match tied 1-1 1:00 left third period. Max Hvolbek (Blair, N.J.) with a pin at 126, Grey (Blair, N.J.) winning big at 132, 8-1 middle second period, I missed Klee's match at 120 - Blair-a-thon 2011 BOE quarters. 9:10 a.m. ET: Top semi at 113 is McKenna (Blair, N.J.) 5-0 win and Aaron Assad (Brecksville, Oh.) with 5-1 win over 2009 Beast champion Zach Bridson (TImberlane, N.H.). Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.) and Darian Cruz (BECA, Pa.) the last two semis at 106. 9:05 a.m. ET: Pair of pins already at 106 - Ozias (C'Burg, Va.) and Joseph (PCC, Pa.). Cruz (BECA, Pa.) has a 2-1 lead, while Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.) has a 3-0 lead - those in the second period. 9:00 a.m. ET: And we got whistles! 8:50 a.m. ET: We've gotten a "clear the mats" call, though the extent to which people are listening is debatable. Ten minutes until an on-time start. 8:20 a.m. ET (day two: And we're back, wrestling starts in about 40 minutes. Quarters on 6 mats, consol rd16 on the other 5; then an all consolation round on all mats to determine placers; pare down to six mats for semis, consi quarters, and consi semis. Focus yet again on front side matches. 9:05 p.m. ET: We're done for the day! Notebook will be back up in the morning. Team scores to be posted on the front page shortly (portion of it), full list will be on Beast website. 8:35 p.m. ET: Getting towards the close of the last round of consolation wrestling tonight. Quarterfinal pairings -- http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/9347 -- we'll try and get a team score list posted as well by night's end. 7:20 p.m. ET: Team scores updated: No. 1 Blair 136.5 (12 QF), No. 10 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. 99 (6), No. 14 Beth. Catholic, Pa. 80.5 (4), No. 40 Colonial Forge, Va. 80 (3), No. 12 Christiansburg, Va. 79 (4) are the top five. Other nationally ranked teams - 6th No. 38 Pittsburgh C.C., Pa. 64 (4), 8th No. 41 Bergen Catholic, N.J. 59 (2), 9th No. 28 Central Dauphin, Pa. 58.5 (3), 12th No. 47 McDonogh, Md. 55.5 (3), tied 16th Timber Creek, N.J. 50 (2) 6:35 p.m. ET: And that is the conclusion of the round of 16. I'll be back with random updates tonight, very limited, moreso 9:00 a.m. tomorrow for quarters. Team scores and quarterfinal pairings up on front pages at some point. 6:30 p.m. ET: Blair Academy concludes 13-1 round of 16 with a 1-0 win by David Farr at 220 over Brandon Taylor (Christiansburg, Va.) - second period rideout, 3rd period escape. 6:10 p.m. ET: Shane Springer (Norristown, Pa.) - No. 3 seed at 170 - survives 13-10 against Joe Balboni (David Brearley, N.J.) to advacne to quarters. Scores a lot from headlock, but gives up a lot in neutral too. 5:55 p.m. ET: Jorge Lopez (Delbarton, N.J.) knocks off No. 2 seed Chris Yankowich (Germantown Academy, Pa.) 3-1 in overtime at 138 pounds. alenick Richardson (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.) with a late reversal at 145 to win 3-2 over T.C. Warner (Cumberland Valley, Pa.) 5:40 p.m. ET: It was literally a bloodbath, but we ended up with a 4-2 overtime victory for No. 10 seed Michael Marino (Garnet Valley, Pa.) over No. 7 seed Corey McQuiston (West Chester Rustin, Pa.) at 120. 5:30 p.m. ET: Order restored, four straight wins for Blair, including a 2-0 victory for Max Hvolbek over Brian Hamann (Jackson Memorial, N.J.) at 126 with 3+ minutes of riding time. Also wins for McKenna (113), Klee (120), and Grey (132). 5:20 p.m. ET: Stop the presses, Blair lost a match! Alec Huxford (Jackson Memorial, N.J.) upended Jordan Kutler 2-1 in the round of 16 at 106 pounds. 5:00 p.m. ET: Round of 16 here we go!! 4:40 p.m. ET: Just received a clarification that this next round will be championship only, which means there will be two rounds of consolation to end the eveing. Round of 16 losers will wrestle in the last of those rounds, round of 16 winners advance to the quarterfinals which start at 9:00 a.m. 4:25 p.m. ET: Towards the back end of wrestleback round 2 here, rd16 coming shortly. I'm not sure if they're doing this as an all championship or a joint champ/consi round. If it's a joint round, a little easier to provide updates; then one more consi round. If it's a champ only round, we'll have two more consi rounds tonight after the champ rd16. 2:50 p.m. ET: Team scores through two rounds of championship - http://beastwrestling.com//beast2008/team_scores.pdf No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. in the lead with 101 points, all 14 are into the round of 16. No. 12 Christiansburg, Va. second place with 64. No. 10 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. in third with 62. No. 40 Colonial Forge, Va. fourth with 58-1/2, and No. 14 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. rounds out the top five with 53. Other nationally ranked teams - seventh is No. 41 Bergen Catholic, N.J. with 44-1/2, eighth is No. 28 Central Dauphin, Pa. with 44, ninth is No. 38 Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa. with 42, 13th is No. 34 Timber Creek, N.J. with 35, and 19th is No. 47 McDonogh, Md. with 31. 1:50 p.m. ET: Lunch time for me as the rd32 is in the upper weights. Two rounds of consolation to come then rd16 somewhere in the 4:30 p.m. range. I'll be back for that with limited updating in the interim. 1:45 p.m. ET: Both seeds in the 7-10 quarter at 182 pounds go down. 1:35 p.m. ET: It's a ridiculous takedown explosion - yet again - for Elliott Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) as he closes out the technical fall over Dylan harrington (Jackson Memorial, N.J.). 26-11 at 170 pounds. 1:20 p.m. ET: State placer Ryan Todora (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) - No. 14 seed at 152 - is upended by Logan Breitenbach (Archbishop Spalding, Md.) 4-2. Second straight week that Todora gets upended early despite a low seed. 1:10 p.m. ET: And so goes down the No. 6 seed at 152, as Cole Sheptock (Northampton, Pa.) upends Beau Donahue (Westfield, Va.) 7-6. 1:00 p.m. ET: Career victory No. 100 for Lopez (Delabrton, N.J.) at 138. In addition, it's an upset special for Josef Johnson from the same team at 145 over No. 6 seed Will Switzer (Archbishop Spalindg, Md.) 6-4. 12:55 p.m. ET: No. 4 seed John Fahy (Trinity, Ky.) narrowly advances to the rd16 with a 6-4 ultimate tiebreak victory against Chris Nuss (Pitt CC, Pa.) 12:45 p.m. ET: More Blair churning, four more wins - Hvolbek, Grey, Preston, Milonas. Pair of unseeded Keystone State grapplers at 132 in the round of 16 to face each other - Justin Alexander (Pitt CC, Pa.) and Patrick Duggan (Cumberland Valley, Pa.) 12:25 p.m. ET: No. 2 seed Kaleb Lemaire (Caesar Rodney, Del.) drew a Super32 placer in the second round. Bryce Killian (Middletown, Pa.) extended him to overtime with great top position wrestling. However, the match's fourth takedown was enough for Lemaire to prevail 9-7 in sudden victory at 120 pounds. 12:10 a.m. ET: North Bergen, N.J. sophomore sensation duo of Luis Gonzalez (113) and Anthony Giraldo (120) domiate their way to the round of 16. 12:05 a.m. ET: After very few first round matches, Blair has went back-to-back-to-back with wins in the second round. Kutler (106) a decision, then pins from McKenna (113) and Klee (120). 11:50 a.m. ET: Actually, it's two champ, two consi, champ/consi, consi today. My bad. All champ second round right now. A little chaotic with all 11mats of championship. Limited updates here, sorry. 11:25 a.m. ET: Joint championship/consolation round matches about to be called. This is the round of 32 on the front side, and first consolation matches on the back (four consol rounds today). Champ, Champ/Consi, Consi, Champ/Consi, Consi 11:20 a.m. ET: Upset there involving the No. 7 seed at 170 Austin Coniker (Pitt. CC, Pa.) falling to Zach Martinez (Colonial Forge, Va.) 2-1 in the ultimate tiebreaker. 11:10 a.m. ET: Brackets are up on the Beast site, through some of 132 in the round of 64 (First round). 11:05 a.m. ET: Trailing 4-1 midway through the match, it was eight unanswered for No. 9 seed Zach Boyles (Smyrna, Del.) to upend Terrell Forbes (St. Benedict Prep, N.J.) 9-4 at 160 pounds in the first round. 10:55 a.m. ET: The Peppelman tilt-a-thon just came to a conclusion for Central Dauphin, Pa. Garrett (152) earned a major over Ryan Fairbee (Grassfield, Pa.) by something like 11-0, while Colton (160) did the same agaist Cory Case (Southern, N.J.) 10:45 a.m. ET: Two-time state qualifier Wayne Stinson (North Burlington, N.J.) upends No. 8 seed Casey Kent (LaSalle, Pa.) 4-3 at 152 pounds in the first round. Kent placed third at state two years ago. Tough draw for a first round match - as you would know if you read the preview. 10:30 a.m. ET: Two of McDonogh, Md. high profile young wrestlers took to the mats. Sophomore Jack Clark won 12-1 at 145, while freshman Myles Martin had two late takedowns against No. 9 seed Brett Hitchings (Trinity, Ky.) but it was not enough as Hitchings won 6-5. In a battle of excellent unseeded wrestlers as Josef Johnson (Delbarton, N.J.) upended Nick Varndell (Central Dauphin, Pa.) 3-2 in overtime. Johnson needed a late escape to tie the score in regulation and then Varndell was hit with a second stall in overtime. 10:00 a.m. ET: Another seed going down at 138 pounds is No. 14 Daniel King (Suquehanna Township, Pa.). He lost 4-3 to Jake Campana (Southern Regional, N.J.) on takedown inside the last five seconds. Barely surviving was No. 12 seed Ross Benzel (Kellam, Va.), a 1-0 win against Garrett Smith (Cape Henelopen, Del.) on a third period rideout after a very late second period escape. 9:55 a.m. ET: Taylor Misuna (Grassfield, Va.) gets a 21-6 tech fall over No. 16 seed Ethan Kenney (Connellsville, Pa.) at 138 pounds in the first round. And the first overtime match I saw today had Tyler Frame (Arch. Rummel, La.) with a 5-0 victory agaist Colten Arnold (Chambersburg, Pa.) at 132 pounds. 9:45 a.m. ET: nationally ranked freshman Patrick Duggan (Cumberland Valley, Pa.) gets the fall in 1:15 against Bruno Geradi (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.) to set up a second round match with no. 10 seed Matt Kibblehouse (Salesanium, Del.) at 132 pounds. Should be a good one there! 9:40 a.m. ET: Top 15 finishers at the Ironman, Brecksville, Oh. just had three wrestlers in a row go down to defeat (120, 126, 132) - all nonseeds losing to seeds. Most recently Christian Olanowski (Kellam, Va.) upended Austin Strnad at 132 pounds, 3-1 riding out the whole third period in the top position. 9:20 a.m. ET: No. 12 seed Brett Campbell (Westfield, Va.) goes down 6-5 to Austin Marsico (Kiski Prep, Pa.) at 120 pounds. 8:55 a.m. ET: 2009 champion Zach Bridson (Timberlane, N.H.) is off to a good start at 113 pounds with a pin at 2:35 against Brady Reilly (Germantown Academy, Pa.) 8:45 a.m. ET: Early match of interest at 106 had five seed Sean Badua (Osbourn Park, Va.) upending freshman Danny Boychuck (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) 7-3. Also, had a key pin late in the third period for Zach Elvin (Central Dauphin, Pa.) against Ryan Friedman (St. Paul's, Md.). Elvin was trailing 4-3 when he applied a tilt and go the fall at the 5:20 mark at 106. 8:35 a.m. ET: We're off and wrestling on 11 mats. Every weight (mercifully) has 64 or less this year, so we should be out a little quicker. 8:15 a.m. ET: We've gotten the "clear the mat" call, and there's going to be an Air Force ceremony before things begin at 8:30 a.m. I can see 4-8 mats well, the other 3-7 not so well, but I'll be scooting around to try and capture the action most effectively. 12:04 a.m. ET: I will be providing a running notebook with regular updates throughout the two-day tournament. Thanks for following our coverage of the Beast of the East! Wrestling today gets underway at 8:30 a.m. ET with the round of 64 and will end with eight in the quarterfinals and eight in the consolations for Sunday.

Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Twenty-four-year-old Jim "The Kid" Hettes has had nine professional MMA fights and four amateur bouts, and he has finished every single one of them by submission, all in the first or second round. A former high school wrestler, Hettes started boxing at the age of 14 and began training in jiu jitsu at 16 at Northeast Jiu-Jitsu in Swoyersville, Pa. "As soon as I first discovered it, I just fell in love with it and spent hours and hours on the mat and just really became obsessed with it," he said. Hettes' first coach was Pat Maloney, a purple belt at the time. "After a while, I took over teaching classes and just carried on from there," Hettes recalled. He started training in judo shortly after discovering BJJ. "I really liked it, just about as much as jiu jitsu, just the different throws and really because it was more laid back and just easy for me to pick up on," he said. Hettes was unable to compete in as many jiu jitsu tournaments as he may have liked due to financial constraints, but he is a two-time Keystone State Games judo gold medalist, and also had some other opportunities to test out his skills on resisting opponents. "Me and my friends would always have backyard fights growing up," he remembers. And although he did not begin training in order to beat up his buddies, he admits it was a definite motivator. His strategy utilized his ground game due to size. "I was always way too small to really just stand in front of them and throw punches, so I would just go forward guns blazing and go for the takedown and from there it was pretty easy ... but it was always a battle to try to get that first takedown," he explained. "A lot of my friends were on the football team and the wrestling team, and I was always real skinny; I was the smallest one by far. So once I started winning most of the backyard fights, they used to think I was a ninja ... In school, they'd always ask me what would happen if someone would attack me with a crowbar or could I stop a bullet or just dumb stuff like that, that was associated with the old kung fu flicks." Hettes made his professional MMA debut in 2009, earning his nickname "The Kid" when people who didn't know his name started commenting on how "The kid, the real young-looking kid" was tearing it up in the cage. Following the success of his amateur record (where he won all four of his bouts via first-round submission), Hettes scored six first-round submissions and two second-round submissions in the local circuits before he was able to fight in the UFC. He was originally supposed to fight Tyler Toner on Dec. 4, 2010, at the UFC Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale in Las Vegas, Nevada, but could not take the contract due to a verbal agreement with a local promoter. However, he was able to step in for an injured Leonard Garcia and fight Alex "Bruce Leroy" Caceres at UFC Live 5: Hardy vs. Lytle. Hettes only had a few days' notice. "When the UFC calls and asks you if you want to take a fight, you can't really say no," he points out, "so I was happy to take the fight." Hettes said his training definitely paid off despite the nerves, which were unexpected. "When you're at home and you hear of people suffering from the first UFC jitters, I remember I'd always hear that at home and think it was a bunch of crap, [that] guys weren't fighting good because they weren't good fighters. And then when I actually got there, I was as nervous as if it was my first fight in my whole entire life," he said. "The first round with Caceres, I was real hesitant and I was almost tired before the fight began, so it really took me at least until the second round to fight like I normally would. Being nervous, you can't really think steps ahead, so everything was just instinct. That whole first round was just me reacting off of what he did." Hettes went for submission after submission after submission in the bout, attempting a leg lock and foot lock in the first round and trying to land a D'arce choke, arm triangle, guillotine and triangle choke in the second before finally finishing the fight by rear-naked choke. Hettes will be facing Nam Phan in his next fight, and he certainly has his work cut out for him. Describing Phan's strengths, Hettes says, "He's definitely heavy-handed, so I always have to watch out for his right, and then his really good body shots, too. He's definitely a tough guy. Anyone that's seen him fight knows that he has a ton of heart and he always shows up to fight. Those are the types of guys I like to fight. I'm just happy to have the opportunity to get in the cage and test myself against him." Hettes has been training for the fight under Ricardo Almeida and Renzo Gracie in Toms River, N.J., alongside fighters such as Frankie Edgar and Kris McCray. "The good part about being at a relatively well-known camp in New Jersey is that I get to train with some of the really good fighters here," said Hettes. "Frankie Edgar obviously keeps a crazy pace, but he's always real tough and his takedowns are phenomenal. And Kris McCray, his upper body takedowns are just unlike anyone's I've ever trained with. Obviously, Ricardo Almeida and Renzo, their jiu jitsu is phenomenal. I've learned to really appreciate a lot of the local guys here and what they're capable of." To see what Hettes is capable of, tune in to UFC 141 on Dec. 30. Fans can follow Jim Hettes on twitter at @jimhettes.

Fight Now USA Presents Takedown Wrestling from the Brute studios in Des Moines, Iowa at 1460 KXNO. Takedown Wrestling is brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! Wrestling Fans: Join Bob Selby, Steve Foster, and Brad Johnson with the Takedown Wrestling Headline News this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. CT/10 a.m. to noon ET. This week's guests: 9:01: Barry Davis, head coach at University of Wisconsin 9:17: Takedown Wrestling Headline News with Brad Johnson 9:26: Archie Randall, head coach at Oklahoma City 9:40: Jim Heffernan, head coach at Illinois 9:50: Ty Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update 10:01: Mark Cody, head coach at Oklahoma 10:26: Jeff Murphy, Kemin's Top 20 10:40: John Oostendorp, head coach at Coe 10:50: Maureen Roshar, 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.

This weekend marks the 19th annual Beast of the East, the 17th of which has been held in December. Blair Academy, N.J. -- ranked first nationally -- is the strong favorite to win the tournament for a 12th consecutive year, and for the 16th time overall. The only other teams to win the Beast are Brick Memorial, N.J., in January 1994; Bald Eagle Area, Pa., in 1998; and St Edward, Ohio, in 1999. The Bucs have also never finished below third in the event (1998). Though the Buccaneers are prohibitive favorites, there is a formidable field featuring nine other nationally ranked teams. Leading the way are fellow members of the top 15 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. (ranked No. 10), No. 12 Christiansburg, Va., and No. 14 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. Other nationally ranked teams include No. 28 Central Dauphin, Pa., No. 34 Timber Creek, N.J., No. 38 Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa., No. 40 Colonial Forge, Va., No. 41 Bergen Catholic, N.J., and No. 47 McDonogh, Md. Mark Grey (Blair Academy, N.J.) seeks to become the first wrestler to ever win four titles at the Beast of the East, having won championships at 103, 119, and 125 the previous three years. However, he comes in off a fourth place at the Ironman in the 132 pound weight class, which included a semifinal loss to Randy Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.). The wrestlers could meet again this weekend. Other defending champions include Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa), competing at 106 pounds; J.R. Wert (Christiansburg, Va.) at 113; Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) at 220; and Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.) at 285 pounds. In addition, 2009 champion Zach Bridson (Timberlane, N.H.) will seek to add another Beast title to his resume, this time at 113 pounds. Unfortunately a pair of defending champions will be unable to compete in this weekend's tournament, as they are out for the season with injuries -- Devon Gobbo (Delbarton, N.J.) and Jason Luster (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.). What: Silvestri Mushrooms presents the 19th annual Beast of the East When: Saturday, Dec. 17 and Sunday, Dec. 18 Where: Bob Carpenter Center, University of Delaware; Newark, Del. Schedule: Wrestling on Saturday starts at 8:30 a.m. ET on 11 mats with 3 championship and 4 consolation rounds; the round of 16 is projected to start at about 5:30 p.m., and day one should end at around 9:30 p.m. Competition on Sunday starts at 9:00 a.m. on 11 mats with the quarterfinals on 6 mats and consolations on 5 mats, a second consolation round will then be wrestled; at approximately 11:30 a.m., the tournament will break down to only 6 mats with the semifinals on 2 of them. The consolation semifinals should end at approximately 2:15 p.m., with the finals matches for 1st through 8th place slated to being at 3:15 p.m. Tournament Website: http://www.beastwrestling.com InterMatWrestle Coverage: During the day on Saturday, and for the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds on Sunday, there will be periodic updates of a live notebook article. The link will be available from the front page of the InterMat site. In addition, high school analyst Josh Lowe will be providing complimentary updates and perspective through his Twitter account (@JLowe_intermat). During the finals, updates will be posted on the Twitter accounts of Josh Lowe, as well as the InterMatWrestle twitter feed (@InterMat). Quarterfinal pairings and team scores will be posted late on Saturday night, with a game story focusing on the championship finals published late Sunday/early Monday on the InterMatWrestle front page. Please also note that commentary and analysis for each weight is based on entry information as of Thursday night. Tournament Updates: Check the tournament website periodically for updated brackets. Semi-live updated results will be posted through the NWCA Online program, http://www.nwcaonline.com 106: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 3 Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), No. 12 Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.), No. 14 Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.), No. 17 Coy Ozias (Christiansburg, Va.) Commentary: Returning champion Darian Cruz is the anchor wrestler of this weight class, and the clear favorite though three other nationally ranked wrestlers reside within the weight class. However, Cruz outplaced these three wrestlers at the Ironman, including head-to-head wins over Joseph and Ozias. It is likely that Cruz and Ozias will meet in a semifinal on Sunday, which would rematch the Ironman quarterfinal that Cruz won by 11-2 major decision. The lower semifinal is likely to feature a pair of Ironman placers in the freshman Joseph and three-time Cadet All-American Fleetwood. Top Match on Saturday: State placers Bryce Gentry (Colonial Forge, Va.) and Gabe Gibson (Cox, Va.) taking to the mats in a seven-ten match. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Tommy Aloi (Forest Park, Va.), a Junior National double All-American; Tyler Casamenti (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), was a Cadet double All-American in 2010; Cadet Greco-Roman All-Americans Tyler Klump (Nazareth, Pa.), Danny Boychuck (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), and Anthony Cefolo (Hanover Park, N.J); along with freshman Travis Vasquez (Delabrton, N.J.), who made the second day of the Super 32. Predicting a Finals Match: Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic) over Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic), rematch of a consolation semifinal at the Walsh Ironman won 1-0 by Cruz 113: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 3 Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 9 Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), No. 15 J.R. Wert (Christiansburg, Va.) Commentary: This is a rather deep weight class featuring seven returning or former Beast placers, which is tied for most in the tournament. It also features the defending champion of this weight, Wert, along with 2009 champion at 103 pounds Zach Bridson (Timberlane, N.H.); along with two runners-up from last year in McKenna and Moisey. Top seed in this weight class is two-time Cadet Greco-Roman champion McKenna, who was also a National Prep champion last year. He is looking at a quarterfinal match against one of two returning state placers -- Zach Fuentes (Norristown, Pa.) or Tanner Shoap (Chambersburg, Pa.) -- and then a semifinal against either Bridson or two-time state placer Aaron Assad (Brecksville, Ohio). Should McKenna match up against Assad in the semis, it would be a rematch of last week's Ironman semi that he won 4-3. All signs in the bottom half point to a Moisey vs. Wert semifinal match, which would be a repeat of last year's final in this weight that Wert won 3-0; however, last week in the consolation semifinals at the Ironman, Moisey won 5-1. Moisey is looking at a quarterfinal date against either state champion Cody Stageberg (Cox, Va.) or Beast placer Zach Ulerick (Middletown, Pa.), while Wert is looking at a possible quarterfinal against either state runner-up Luis Gonzalez (North Bergen, N.J.) or returning Beast placer Jeremy Schwartz (Central Dauphin, Pa.) Top Matches on Saturday: Fuentes against Shoap in a battle of returning state placers, along with Zach Bridson (Timberlane, N.H.) and Matt Calcote (Archbishop Rummel, La.) in a match featuring wrestlers that have placed at the Beast. Predicting a Finals Match: McKenna (Blair Academy) over Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic) 120: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 17 P.J. Klee (Blair Academy, N.J.) Commentary: By standards of the Beast of the East, this is a thin weight class in that it lacks anchor wrestlers. It is one of only two weight classes with a single nationally ranked wrestler -- all other weights have two or more. The top seed in this weight is FILA Cadet freestyle All-American Klee, who also was a 2010 Cadet freestyle All-American. He is looking at a likely quarterfinal against returning National Prep placer Evan Botwin (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), and then a probable semifinal against returning state placer Ricky Carter (Timber Creek, N.J.). Things in the bottom half of the draw are a little less clear with returning Beast placers Kaleb Lemaire (Caesar Rodney, Del.) and Will Mason (Cape Henry Collegiate, Va.) occupying the second and third seeds; Lemaire is a two-time state champion, while Mason is a three-time National Prep placer (champion in 2010). Lemaire is looking at a likely quarterfinal against either state qualifier Corey McQuiston (West Chester Rustin, Pa.) or Beast placer Michael Marino (Garnet Valley, Pa.). Mason is looking at either Anthony Giraldo (North Bergen, N.J.) or Kyle Dulaney (Christiansburg, Va.) in the quarterfinal round. Top Matches on Saturday: Carter and Zach Wilhelm (Southern Regional, N.J.) in a battle of state placers from last year; as well as a pair of sophomores in state placer Giraldo and state champion Dulaney. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Super 32 placer Bryce Killian (Middletown, Pa.) Predicting a Finals Match: Klee (Blair Academy) over Lemaire (Caesar Rodney), which happened in the consolation quarterfinals at the Walsh Ironman 126: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 4 Brandon Jeske (Cox, Va.), No. 5 Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.), No. 9 Dominick Malone (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 17 Max Hvolbek (Blair Academy, N.J.) Commentary: The four nationally ranked wrestlers and seven returning or previous Beast placers are tied for most of any weight in the tournament, which is indicative of the quality depth that resides in this weight class. The top seed Jeske is a two-time Beast placer, runner-up in 2009, a four-time Super 32 placer, and was runner-up in Junior freestyle this summer. He has the more favorable half of the bracket, with a likely semifinal against whoever emerges from the quarter including Junior freestyle All-American Hvolbek, 2010 state placer Brian Hamann (Jackson Memorial, N.J.), returning placer Micah Hight (Caesar Rodney, Del.), and National Prep runner-up Charlie Saunders (The Hill School, Pa.). Though all signs point to a bottom half semi between Dance and Malone, which would be a rematch of last year's Beast semi at 119 pounds won by Dance in the tiebreaker, each wrestler has credible quarterfinal opposition. Dance is looking at a match NHSCA Freshman national champion Clay Walker (Eastside, S.C.), while Malone projects to face former Beast placer Eric Friedman (St. Paul's, Md.), who also is a three-time placer at National Preps and a 2010 Junior freestyle All-American. Top Matches on Saturday: Hvolbek, a returning Beast placer and 2010 National Prep runner-up, matches up against; while it's a battle of sophomores between Hight and Saunders. Predicting a Finals Match: Jeske (Cox) over Dance (Christiansburg) in a rematch of the third place match at the Walsh Ironman 132: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 3 Mark Grey (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 7 Randy Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), No. 19 Jeffrey Ott (Belmont Hill, Mass.) Commentary: Three-time National Prep champion Grey is seeking to become the first wrestler to ever win four titles at the Beast of the East. However, standing in his way is two-time state runner-up Cruz, who beat Grey last week on his way to an Ironman title, and is twice a state runner-up. Those wrestlers should meet in the tournament final; however, four returning Beast placers will be among those seeking to spoil. Grey is the top seed in the weight class, and is looking at a semifinal date against either two-time state placer Tyson Dippery (Central Dauphin, Pa.) or two-time National Prep placer, and 2010 champion, Ott. The pair of wrestlers placed in last year's Beast, and also met in Fargo, a match that Ott won on the way to a third place finish in Junior freestyle. The bottom half of this draw points to a semifinal match between Cruz and two-time state fourth place finisher Connor Melde (Bergen Catholic, N.J.). Top Matches on Saturday: A battle of state runners-up between C.J. Jablonski (Cox) and Dallas Smith (Christiansburg), along with a battle of state champions between Jayce Carr (Union County) and Matt Kibblehouse (Salesanium), as well as a match between National Prep placers Jeffrey Ott (Belmont Hill) and Daniel Sanchez (Georgetown Prep) Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Freshman Patrick Duggan (Cumberland Valley, Pa.), this summer a Cadet freestyle All-American, and NHSCA Junior All-American Brad Royle (Jackson Memorial, N.J.) Predicting a Finals Match: Grey (Blair Academy) over Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic) 138: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 7 Todd Preston (Blair Academy, N.J.) Commentary: Along with 120, this is the lone weight to have a single nationally ranked wrestler, and that is returning Beast runner-up Preston, a two-time National Prep champion and Junior freestyle All-American. He is the strong favorite in this weight class, though a semifinal against three-time state champion and returning Beast placer John Fahy (Trinity, Ky.) or two-time state placer Brandon Keller (Timber Creek, N.J.) could post some intrigue. The two seed in this weight class is National Prep champion Chris Yankowich (Germantown Academy, Pa.), who could have an interesting quarterfinal against returning Beast and national Prep placer Alfred Bannister (Bishop McNamara, Md) -- who also was a NHSCA Freshman national champion. The more likely candidate to hit the final from the bottom half is returning Beast placer Shyheim Brown (Central Dauphin, Pa.), also a two-time state and Super 32 placer. Brown is looking at a quarterfinal against returning Beast placer Jason Stephen (Northampton, Pa.). Top Matches on Saturday: Derek Arnold (Westfield, Va.) against Santiago Valdez (Robinson, Va.) in a battle of returning state third place finishers; Keller wrestling against returning Beast placer Ross Benzel (Kellam, Va.); and a battle of state placers between Brown and Derek King (Susquehanna Township, Pa.) Predicting a Finals Match: Preston (Blair Academy) over Brown (Central Dauphin) 145: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 6 Alenick Richardson (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.), No. 9 Matt Cimato (LaSalle, Pa.), No. 12 Dylan Milonas (Blair Academy, N.J.) Commentary: There are six excellent wrestlers in this weight class, who could do anything from win this weight class to barely make it onto the placement podium. The two highest returning returning place finishers in this weight are second seed Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.) and third seed Cimato, each finishing fourth last year at the Beast. Those two wrestlers should meet in the bottom semifinal. Clark was a National Prep runner-up and Cadet freestyle All-American, and is looking at a quarterfinal matchup against one of two National Prep placers -- Robert Janis (St. Christopher's, Va.) or Cohl Fulk (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.). Cimato is a two-time Junior freestyle All-American, finished third in the state, and fourth at the Super 32. He is looking at a quarterfinal matchup against two-time National Prep placer Will Switzer (Archbishop Spalding, Md.), who has placed twice at the NHSCA grade level tournament, including a championship as a sophomore. Top seed in this weight class is National Prep runner-up Milonas, who was a Cadet freestyle champion this summer and won the Ironman last week. He is looking at a semifinal matchup against either state champion and returning Beast placer Brooks Martino (Robinson, Va.) or state placer and NHSCA Junior national champion Alenick Richardson (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.). My pick to clear the top half of the draw is Richardson, who was runner-up at the Super 32 in late October. Top Matches on Saturday: State champion Stephen Jackson (Caesar Rodney, Del.) faces two-time National Prep placer George Weber (John Carroll, Md.), while 2011 National Prep placer Janis faces 2010 National Prep placer Fulk. Unseeded Wrestler to Watch: Two-time state qualifier Mitch Baran (Brecksville, Ohio), who was a match away from placing at the Ironman last week and Beast last year Predicting a Finals Match: Richardson (St. Peter's Prep) over Cimato (LaSalle) 152: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 16 Sal Mastriani (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.), No. 18 Peter Galli (St. Paul's, Md.) Commentary: The pair of nationally ranked wrestlers are the top two seeds in this weight, with the top seed being National Prep runner-up (and three-time placer) Galli, who was runner-up at Preseason Nationals in late October and finished fifth in the Beast last year. He is looking at a tough quarterfinal against returning Beast placer Casey Kent (LaSalle, Pa.), who placed third at state in 2010. The other top half quarterfinal is likely to feature some combination of Kevin Johnson (Forest Park, Va.), Tito Onyekweli (DeMatha, Md.), Fracisco Colom (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.), and Russ Parsons (Blair Academy, N.J.) . State placer Mastriani anchors the bottom half of the draw as the two seed, and he also placed fourth at the Beast last year. He is looking at a likely quarterfinal against state placer Tyler Manion (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.), while the other quarterfinal on the bottom is likely to feature a pair of state and Super 32 placers in Garrett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) and Garrett Peppelman (Central Dauphin, Pa.). The junior Hammond was second at state last year after placing seventh at National Preps as a freshman, and was a Cadet double All-American this past summer, while Peppelman placed fifth at state as a freshman. Top Matches on Saturday: State champion Beau Donahue (Westfield, Va.) matches up against Peppelman; Johnson against Onyekweli; and Colom against Parsons. Unseeded Wrestler to Watch: Two-time state qualifier and 2010 Cadet freestyle All-American Wayne Stinson (North Burlington, N.J.) Predicting a Finals Match: Mastriani (Don Bosco Prep) over Galli (St. Paul's) 160: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 9 Jacob Crawford (Millbrook, Va.), No. 11 Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.) Commentary: The favorite in this weight class is the top-seeded Crawford, a three-time state champion, NHSCA Junior champion, and a Super 32 champion. His quarterfinal matchup would be against most likely National Prep placer Toby Hague (McDonogh, Md.), who placed at the Ironman last week. The other top half quarterfinal features a match of superlative sophomores in National Prep placer and 2010 Cadet Greco-Roma champion Patrick Coover (Blair Academy, N.J.) and state placer Johnny Sebastian (Blair Academy, N.J.). The second seed in this weight is two-time state champion and Super 32 placer Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.), whose projected quarterfinal opponent is the formidable Rusten Barrick (Mechanicsburg, Pa.). The other quarter of the bottom half should feature state placer Brett Harner (Norristown, Pa.) against state champion and Super 32 placer Patrick Davis (Woodbridge, Del.). Top Match on Saturday: Two-time Cadet freestyle All-American Hague faces state runner-up Zach Boyles (Smyrna, Del.), where Hague won a 9-7 meeting two weeks ago in the semifinals at the Ray Oliver Invitational. Predicting a Finals Match: Crawford (Millbrook) over Epperly (Christiansburg) 170: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 7 Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 13 Elliott Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) Commentary: The two nationally ranked wrestlers occupy the top positions in the seedings, with the first seed being two-time Beast placer Morris, who was runner-up last year at the Beast, at the Ironman last week, and at National Preps the last two years. He is looking at a quarterfinal matchup against state champion Tanner Tinsley (Hanover, Va.), and then a semifinal date with either state placer Anthony Pafumi (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.) or National Prep placer Addison Knephsield (Blair Academy, N.J.). Second seed in this weight is state placer and Super 32 runner-up Riddick, who projects into a quarterfinal with state placer Austin Coniker (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.). The other quarter of the bottom half features returning Beast placer Shane Springer (Norristown, Pa.), who is a two-time state placer (2010 runner-up) and Disney Duals gold medalist, and National Prep placer Tyler Rill (Mt. St. Joseph, Md.). Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: State runner-up Pierce DeMarreau (Caesar Rodney, Del.) Predicting a Finals Match: Morris (Wyoming Seminary) over Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic) in a rematch of a semifinal at last week's Walsh Ironman 182: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 15 David Reck (Colonial Forge, Va.), No. 11 (at 195) Dallas Winston (Jackson Memorial, N.J.) Commentary: After the top three wrestlers in this weight class, there is a significant drop off in the quality of this field. With the top seed, two-time state champion and returning Beast runner-up Scott Gibbons (Archbishop Rummel, La.) is a strong favorite to reach the final. The Junior Greco-Roman All-American is looking at a likely semifinal with either state runner-up Ryan Wolfe (Caravel Academy, Del.) or National Prep placer Michael Mocco (Blair Academy, N.J.).The pair of nationally ranked wrestlers occupy the second and third seed positions. State runner-up and returning Beast placer Winston is the second seed, while Super 32 placer and two-time state placer Reck is the third seed. Predicting a Finals Match: Reck (Colonial Forge) over Gibbons (Archbishop Rummel) 195: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 10 Perry Hills (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.), No. 15 Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy, N.J.) Commentary: There are three returning Beast placers in this weight class, the two nationally ranked wrestlers and Joe Jessen (Millbrook, Va.). Hills is the top seed in this weight having placed third at the Beast and at state; however, he did not compete at the Ironman last week due to an official visit to the University of Maryland, where he has verbally committed to play QB. He is looking at a semifinal match against one of two National Prep placers, Kevin Marvel (McDonogh, Md.) or Dylan Devine (DeMatha, Md.). The second seed is Mattiace, a National Prep placer who won the Ironman last week, while the third seed is Jessen, a state champion and NHSCA Junior placer. However, Jessen was upset in the War on the Shore final last week by Devine. State placer Mike Garrity (Colonial Forge, Va.) could pose a nominal challenge for Jessen in the quarterfinals. Predicting a Finals Match: Hills (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) over Mattiace (Blair Academy) 220: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 2 Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.), No. 5 (at 285) John Rizzo (Richland, Pa.), No. 7 A.J. Vizcarrando (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) Commentary: Snyder won the Beast and National Preps last year as a freshman, and is the nation's second best wrestler in the Class of 2014. This summer, he was a Cadet freestyle champion, and he won the Ironman last week. He should go unchallenged all the way to the final, the path featuring National Prep placer Harry Mauk (Malvern Prep, Pa.) in the quarters and semifinal opposition coming from National Prep placer Nick Grossi (Germantown Academy, Pa.) or state runner-up Branagh Cohen (Archbishop Rummel, La.). The bottom half of the draw should be much more interesting with two-time state champion Rizzo and National Prep runner-up Vizcarrando occupying the second and third seed positions. Rizzo is looking at a quarterfinal against Ironman placer David Farr (Blair Academy, N.J.), while Vizcarrando -- a Junior Greco-Roma All-American projects to face state placer Brandon Dennison (Pleasant Grove, Utah) in that round. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Sophomore Zach DeLuca (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) placed in the Powerade last year before his season ended due to injury. Predicting a Finals Match: Snyder (Good Counsel) over Rizzo (Richland) 285: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 1 Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 16 Avree Robinson (Susquehanna Township, Pa.) Commentary: Defending champion Black enters the tournament a strong favorite to repeat having one of the most robust resumes of any wrestler in the nation. He is looking at a semifinal against freshman sensation Michael Johnson, Jr. (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), who placed at the Ironman last week and was a double Cadet All-American this past summer. This assumes Johnson upends fellow Ironman placer, and state runner-up, Jake Pinkston (Robinson, Va.) in the quarterfinal round. The two key names in the bottom half of the draw should meet in the semifinal round -- state champion Robinson, who also placed sixth at state in 2010 and was a NHSCA Junior placer last year, and Junior National freestyle All-American DaQuante Timbers (Freedom, Va.) Predicting a Finals Match: Black (Blair Academy) over Robinson (Susquehanna Township)

Starting in 2012, UFC parent company Zuffa and Showtime Networks are wiping the slate virtually clean and rebranding a promotion that was until recently thought to be dying. The companies today announced a new broadcast partnership they hope will not only revive Strikeforce in the coming year but bring it to parity with the UFC as the industry-leader continues to beef up its 2012 schedule. "This thing is dialed in perfectly now for success," UFC president Dana White told MMAjunkie.com. "When we had the Challengers series and all these other fights that had to be done, the thing was set up to fail." Read entire story...

Women's Freestyle seeds 48 kg/105.5 lbs. 1. Clarissa Chun, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) 2. Whitney Conder, Colorado Springs, Co (Gator WC) 3. Victoria Anthony, Huntington Beach, Calf (New York AC) 4. Alyssa Lampe, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) 63 kg/138.75 lbs. 1. Elena Pirozhkova, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC) 2. Alli Ragan, Carbondale, Ill. (New York AC/King College) 3. Kristie Davis, Mustang, Okla. (Gator WC/OCU) 4. Othella Feroleto, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) Greco-Roman seeds 55 kg/121 lbs. 1. Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 2. Jermaine Hodge, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 3. Max Nowry, Wheeling, Ill. (USOEC/New York AC) 4. Nate Engel, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 60 kg/132 lbs. 1. Joe Betterman, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) 2. Jeremiah Davis, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 3. Marco Lara, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 4. Donovan DePatto, Monticello, N.C. (U.S. Marines) 66 kg/145.5 lbs. 1. Glenn Garrison, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 2. C.P. Schlatter, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 3. RaVaughn Perkins, Omaha, Neb. (Ready RP Nationals) 4. Josh Castellano, Wood Dale, Ill. (USOEC) 74 kg/163 lbs. 1. Ben Provisor, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) 2. Andrew Bisek, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Minnesota Storm) 3. Justin Lester, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 4. Aaron Sieracki, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)

NEW YORK -- Showtime Networks Inc. and world championship mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion STRIKEFORCE® have entered into a new broadcast agreement to continue producing live MMA events on the premium television network, SHOWTIME. The agreement was announced jointly today by Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports®, Dana White, UFC® President, and Scott Coker, STRIKEFORCE CEO. Under the new agreement, SHOWTIME will produce and televise up to eight live events. STRIKEFORCE athletes such as lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, women's featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Santos, women's bantamweight championMiesha Tate and other world-class MMA fighters will continue to compete for the organization on SHOWTIME. The new deal kicks off during the network'sFree Preview Weekend, Saturday, Jan. 7, as champion Rockhold defends the STRIKEFORCE 185-pound title against dangerous veteran Keith Jardine at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Notable STRIKEFORCE contenders such as Robbie Lawler, “King Mo” Lawaland Tyron Woodley are also set to compete on the televised card, which, as part of Free Preview Weekend, will be available in more than 60 million households nationwide across SHOWTIME, SHOWTIME HD™ and SHOWTIME On Demand®. Beginning with the Jan. 7 card, SHOWTIME will also televise undercard fights for all STRIKEFORCE events live on SHOWTIME EXTREME. The live SHO Extreme preliminary telecasts will afford network subscribers with expanded live fight coverage by up to two hours and provide invaluable exposure for the sport's next generation of STRIKEFORCE contenders. Under the new deal, the World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament champion will be determined when Josh Barnett battlesDaniel Cormier. The winner will compete again on SHOWTIME under the STRIKEFORCE banner in the months to follow. “Since its advent on SHOWTIME in 2007, live mixed martial arts has always performed well with our subscribers, particularly in the younger demographics,” said Espinoza, who now heads the division of the network responsible for programming live boxing, studio shows from National Football League and NASCAR as well as multiple sports documentary series. “As the one and only premium network in the MMA business, we are proud to renew our commitment to the sport and to our partners at Strikeforce. This agreement ensures that we can continue to deliver the edge-of-your-seat programming that each live MMA event produces in the New Year and beyond. “This exciting announcement could not have come at a better time,” he continued. “During our nationwide Free Preview Weekend a whole new crop of MMA fans will have the opportunity to sample the Strikeforce brand free of charge.” “We're excited about this renewal with SHOWTIME and I expect to put on some big STRIKEFORCE events next year,” White said. “I never thought I would say this, but I am very much looking forward to building STRIKEFORCE and working very closely with SHOWTIME.” “SHOWTIME has been a great TV partner for us and we're happy to renew our agreement with them,” Coker said. “Together, we've put on some really amazing events and we're going to keep doing that with this new deal. We have a great core of talented fighters on our roster and MMA fans are in for a real treat.”

As expected, Strikeforce and Showtime have inked a new deal that will keep the Zuffa-owned fight promotion on the premium-cable station. Officials today announced the deal, which calls for up to eight events, though no timeframe was disclosed for the shows. As part of the deal, main-card bouts will continue to air on Showtime, and preliminary-card fights now will be broadcast on sister channel Showtime Extreme. Read entire story...

Omaha will once again be host to some of the nation's top combatants. The host city for the 2009 NCAA Wrestling Championships will once again be the showcase for modern gladiators when the UFC on FUEL TV comes to the 18,000-seat CenturyLink Arena. The UFC recently added two bouts to the night's card: Aaron Simpson (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) vs. Ronny Markes (12-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and featherweights Jonathan Brookins (12-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) vs. Rani Yahya (16-7 MMA, 1-1 UFC). UFC on FUEL TV 1 card as of 12/15: Jake Ellenberger vs. Diego Sanchez Dave Herman vs. Stefan Struve Ronny Markes vs. Aaron Simpson Jonathan Brookins vs. Rani Yahya

It's a study in contrasts and personalities. Ben Whitford is 145 pounds of constant energy and movement. Taylor Massa, around 30 pounds heavier, is always so calm and composed that you wonder if his pulse ever changes during a big match. "I'm pretty good at masking my emotions, and Ben is a lot more hyper and outwardly confident," says Massa. Massa isn't used to being scored upon, especially by someone smaller than him, and Whitford has just taken him down. Not surprisingly, Massa is not happy. Ben Whitford was a Junior National double champion this past summer in Fargo (Photo/Dave Jedlicka, jedicheetah.com)Whitford has supreme belief in his own skills. "I'm really confident, and sometimes people might mistake that for cockiness, but I don't wrestle as well unless I think I'm going to dominate," he says, but he knows he's about to pay the physical toll of angering the No. 1 recruit in the country. All he needs to do is look at the narrowing of Massa's eyes, and the realization that the next "go" won't be very pleasant is obvious. And so the laid back Massa pounds the more emotional Whitford into the mat, works him over a bit, and that's that. "He can take me down once in a while, it's good. It keeps me on my toes," says Massa, cracking a smile. "Little guy is quick enough to do it now and then, but it's fun to punish him after he gets that takedown." So goes life for the extremely close friends within the walls of the Massa wrestling room in St. Johns, Michigan. It is here that two of the best high school wrestlers in the country have done a large amount of their training. Taylor Massa, the nation's No. 1 overall recruit, won the Super 32 Challenge title in October (Photo/Rob Preston)Massa, InterMatWrestle's No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2012, is undefeated in his prep career. Whitford is the No. 2 overall recruit in the Class of 2013 and has only one blemish on his prep record. They are two of the most decorated high school wrestlers nationally, with nine Fargo titles, five state championships, a Walsh Ironman title, and a Junior World Team spot between them, among their many accolades. And now, for the first time, they will wrestle together on the same high school team. Their excitement is obvious, perhaps more so because it could have easily never happened. It all started nearly a decade ago. Massa and Whitford met when Whitford's father, Pat, brought him the 40 minutes from Holt, Mich., to St. Johns, to train with Taylor's father Rodger. Rodger Massa is a name that has been synonymous with Michigan wrestling over the past decade, as many Michigan kids seeking out the toughest practices will visit what is now simply referred to as "The Room." The two fathers bonded immediately over their similar styles. "There's not a lot of people that have the same philosophy and mindset we have, so Pat and I clicked," says Rodger Massa. "We really preach doing things the right way above winning and losing, and believe if you do that, good things will happen. We wanted our practices real intense, and sometimes when we held them in the school we couldn't do that, so we decided to build The Room about seven years ago." L-R: Rodger Massa, Ben Whitford, Pat Whitford, Taylor MassaRodger and Pat began running practices together, and the rest, as they say, is history. Taylor and Ben became close friends because of their similar mindsets regarding wrestling. They wrestled together at national tournaments, where their fathers would be in their respective corners, and they trained together constantly. With Massa being a year older, he served as something of a role model and big brother figure for Whitford. "When we were younger, I didn't hang out as much with Taylor, but he was the guy I looked at a lot of the time as far as what I wanted to be like," says Whitford. Perhaps the turning point in the friendship of the two young wrestlers came at a difficult moment. Whitford was going into his ninth grade year in St. Johns, and was geared up to join Massa, who had won his first state title as a freshman. But that would never come to fruition, as a job opportunity for Pat necessitated the Whitfords move to Illinois. Ben was understanding of the change, knowing he would be getting a good education and joining an up and coming program at Marmion Academy. But at his grandmother's lake house right before he left Michigan, he finally realized what he was going to miss most. "Before we moved, I wasn't very emotional about leaving," says Whitford. "But then we said our goodbyes, and when it came to Tay, I got really emotional. We have a bond that's hard to explain, so it was tough." The irony is that while the two were close friends, this moment made them realize they were even closer than they thought. The news hit the usually even-keeled Massa hard as well. "Ben and I have a special connection," says Massa. "It was really hard for me when Ben left because I felt like I was losing a friend, a brother, and a workout partner. When you're around someone that much, they become like part of you." But so goes life, and the friends spent the next two years dominating high school wrestling in different states. The two kept in touch, and got to see each other at big tournaments and over the summer. If anyone wondered whether the bond had been weakened at all because of the distance, Pat Whitford tells a story which answers that clearly. "Ben went to Junior Duals with Team Illinois and they were wrestling the Michigan guys," says Pat Whitford. "Taylor got taken to his back by a real good Illinois kid, and the whole Illinois bench jumped up, because the best kid in the country just got taken down ... everyone except for Ben, who just sat in his chair, not knowing how to react. You could tell from the look on his face how hard it was for him and where his loyalty was." Meanwhile, Massa held out hope that the two friends would be reunited at some point, but that hope was waning earlier this year after he finished up his junior season with a third state title. And so, when he got the news that the Whitfords would be returning to St. Johns in May, his response was atypical for the laid back grappler. "When I first heard he was coming back I just got fired up," says Massa. "I just thought 'Wow.' That was the vision I always saw going into high school me and him on a team with all of our great partners around us, building up our program and taking it to the next level. We definitely have a shot to be the best team in the country and we couldn't do it without Whitford by any means." In the seven months since Whitford's return, their friendship has only strengthened. Whereas this relationship was once Massa as the big brother and Whitford as the little brother, the dynamic has changed. "Since he's been back, I see him more as a best friend," says Massa. "I feel like there's a huge transformation between eighth grade and junior year in terms of maturing and that definitely happened with Ben. It's obvious he's matured a ton since he's been gone and it's another thing that's helped us get closer. I think we both started learning how to self motivate once we got into high school. We have so much in common that we understand each other and have a better connection than most people." For Whitford, it is having someone who he truly trusts at his side that makes it special, and it has helped him grow as a person and leader. Ben Whitford (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)"He understands my situation as well as anyone," says Whitford. "He takes care of me and doesn't think about it ... He just does it. That's the kind of person I've realized I need to be around more because of how rare it is. That's why he's a role model. He's trying to help us achieve our goals as he achieves his. I've learned a lot from him, and so now I try and work with some of the other guys in the room to try and help them like Taylor's helped me." It's a credit to both young men that their hypercompetitive nature does not impact their friendship, but in fact helps their development as wrestlers and people. "We both have such high goals for ourselves that having someone with the same goals and understanding for how to achieve them is just going to push you," says Massa. "It's good to have someone that can slap you in the face to get you going if you're not working as hard as you need to. But we also love hanging out off the mat and realize that there's more to life than wrestling." According to Whitford, whether it is on a micro level -- "I'm always trying to push myself higher than his limits, and that pushes him back, that's why we scrap and go at it sometimes" -- or a macro level -- "Just to see him make the Junior World team pushes me to want to get to that point" -- the motivation to stay on the same level with Massa is obvious. Massa relishes the competition, and waxes poetic when asked what a great training partner and friend means to him. "You can shoot hoops all day by yourself and get amazing at that," says Massa. "You can throw a ball and become extremely accurate. With wrestling, you can't become good by yourself. You need a good partner. A good partner isn't just a good wrestler, but someone who understands you and knows you and your emotions and what they have to do to help you get through the practice that day. Because you can't have your best practice every day of your life, it just won't happen. So you need to have your partners there that can push you through on those tough days. And you put a little bit of yourself into the other person every practice, and it's how I think wrestlers become so close. You have to trust and believe in the other person if you're going to become great, and that's one thing Ben has helped me with for sure." Nothing illustrates how close they are more than the first big national tournament the two went to together after the Whitfords moved back to Michigan, Super 32 Challenge, at the end of October. "I was really pumped for that tournament, our first time being back together," recalls Whitford. "I was so excited to watch him wrestle and for me, having him there in my corner made me work that much harder." Taylor Massa (Photo/Rob Preston)Their bond was never more apparent, as the two helped coach one another with a passion normally reserved for family. "The only thing better than winning is having your teammates and best friends win too," says Massa. "You win, and 'good for you' and you feel good, but when you can have other people you care about winning, it makes it that much better. When I'm watching Ben wrestle at Super 32 and coaching him in his corner, you feel like part of you is out there because of all the training we've done together and how hard we've worked." They each breezed their way to a title at a tournament where dominance is a rarity. Whitford rolled through the tough 138-pound class with five pins, a technical fall, and a major decision in the finals. Massa was dominated in similar fashion at 170 pounds, winning a major decision in the finals as well, after four pins and a 12-5 decision earlier in the tournament. This set up a great season ahead for the St. Johns high school team, just reaffirming how alike their mentalities are. "The desire to be the best, I think about it all the time," notes Whitford. "We want to wrestle the best kids. Our mindsets are the same ... We don't care about rankings, we just want to find the other kids around the country who are tough, and we want to be dominant every match, no matter who we wrestle. It brings us closer as friends and training partners because we know the hard work we've put in and the sacrifices we've made to get to this point." A lot of stories would end here. Friends and teammates gearing up for a national title run, while appreciating everything they have been through. But for these two friends, the journey is just beginning. Ben Whitford and Taylor Massa will be teammates at MichiganInstead of this being their final season together, the two will eventually be reunited, as Whitford has given his verbal commitment to the University of Michigan, where he will join the already-signed Massa in Ann Arbor. It was a perfect fit for so many reasons. "I've been a big fan of Michigan since I've been a little kid," says Whitford. "When they added the new assistants, that was huge for me because I learned so much from Coach Bormet in Illinois and Coach Pritzlaff is awesome as well. What Coach McFarland and the assistants are building with the program and Regional Training Center is great. Having the senior level guys around is going to help me a lot, I want to make the World Team and Olympics eventually." All those reasons would be enough to entice any star wrestler, but his friendship and respect for Massa is among the most important reasons Whitford chose Michigan. "Taylor committing was as big as anything," Whitford says. "He's a great role model for me and we've talked a lot about this being a good fit for both of us in college and I couldn't be happier that I get to be with him for the next 5 years." When Massa hears the news, he can't conceal a huge grin. "It's gonna be great," says Massa. "It's awesome that we're going to have the chance to be together for another few years. I never thought this far ahead -- it was exciting to just know we'd have a year together in high school, and now this. I'm just pumped." For Whitford, this is a dream come true. "Having the combination of a best friend and a brother is pretty awesome, and that's what he is," says Whitford. "And now I get to watch him wrestle and be with him for the next five years. It doesn't get any better than that."

LEBANON, Tenn. -- Shorter University won five matches by fall en route to a dominating 46-9 victory over Mid-South Conference rival Cumberland University (Tenn.) in a conference dual Wednesday afternoon in Lebanon, Tenn. Nate Galloway (133), Robbie Collum (149), Dalton Lane (157), Raleigh Abbott (174) and Bret Haley (285) each pinned their opponent for the 17th-ranked Hawks, who improved to 4-2 in dual meets this season and bounced back nicely after a close defeat at the hands of sixth-ranked Lindsey Wilson on Sunday. Galloway, who upset the No. 8-ranked wrestler at 133 pounds just days ago, pinned Cumberland's Ethyn Holbrook in 3:50. Collum, the defending Mid-South Conference champion at 149, pinned Michael Gonzalez in 2:13. Lane won his match by fall at 6:25 over Cumberland's Jacob Shirley. Abbott, ranked No. 5 at 174, made quick work of Scott Stewart, pinning him in 3:54 and Haley pinned Joseph Hill in 5:43 to wrap up Shorter's impressive victory. Freshman Wally Figaro, ranked No. 6 at 165 pounds, won a major decision (11-2) over Zeke Hunt to continue his fast start to his first collegiate campaign. Shorter will take several weeks off for the Christmas holiday before returning to the mat on Jan. 10 when it travels to Spartanburg Methodist for a 12 pm non-league dual. The Hawks then travel to Millersville, Penn., for the Shorty Hitchcock Open on Jan. 15. Results: 125 - Eddie Ortiz (CU) def. Jonathan Rodriguez (SU), fall, 5:28 (CU 6-0) 133 - Nate Galloway (SU) def. Ethyn Holbrook (CU), fall, 3:50 (6-6) 141 - Colby Rinehart (SU) def. Matt Scheve (CU), FOR (SU 12-6) 149 - Robbie Collum (SU) def. Michael Gonzalez (CU), fall, 2:13 (SU 18-6) 157 - Dalton Lane (SU) def. Jacob Shirley (CU), fall, 6:25 (SU 24-6) 165 - #6 Wally Figaro (SU) def. Zeke Hunt (CU), major decision, 11-2 (SU 28-6) 174 - #5 Raleigh Abbott (SU) def. Scott Stewart (CU), fall, 3:54 (SU 34-6) 184 - Cody Linton (CU) def. Joe Hinchman (SU), decision, 3-0 (34-9) 197 - Gunny Hoyt (SU) won by FOR (SU 40-9) 285 - Brett Haley (SU) def. Joseph Hill (CU), fall 5:43 (SU 46-9)

PAINESVILLE, OHIO -- Pins in the first two matches fueled the Lake Erie College wrestling team to a 25-12 upset of 13th-ranked West Liberty University Wednesday night (Dec. 14) in the team's home opener at the Jerome T. Osborne Family Athletic and Wellness Center. Freshman Austin Gillihan (Corry, Pa./Corry Area) opened the night with a pin of Joe Wagstaff early in the second period and sophomore Tom McVicker (South Fork, Pa./Forest Hills/Penn Highlands C.C.) followed with a fall of Dillon Nolte 1:29 into the match to make it 12-0 and give the Storm (5-4) a lead it would never relinquish. "Those two pins were so big tonight," said second-year head coach Kevin Hoogenboom. "They really got us going, really got the crowd into it. That is a very good wrestling team we beat tonight and we needed to have a big night from a lot of guys and we got that." The Hilltoppers (3-1) briefly closed the gap with a pair of close decisions at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively. Nate Ball, ranked fifth nationally, got all he could handle from Storm freshman Nate Ball (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth) before prevailing 6-3 at 141 pounds and Art Hobley followed with a 5-4 win at 149 over sophomore Zak Vargo (Stow, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Acadmey) who was making his season debut. But after the two setbacks, the Storm responded in big fashion. Sophomore Tyler Tesny (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Cuyahoga Falls) defeated Jarrod Shaw convincingly at 157 pounds, 9-3, and freshman Matt Vandermeer (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) edged Ohio University transfer Jordan Nolan, 4-3, on riding time. Those two victories put the Storm ahead 18-6. After Matt Littleton edged Zev Green (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) 4-3 at 174 pounds, freshman Jon Schafer (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel) clinched the match with a major decision over Derrick Williams, 16-7, at 184 pounds. Redshirt freshman Mike Samilenko (Parma, Ohio/Normandy) earned an 8-7 decision over Jacob Donely for the Storm's sixth victory of the night. "I thought coming in that those middle matches between 149-184 could go either way, and we won three of them," Hoogenboom said. "Those 10 points, along with Mike's win at 197 pounds, were big and proved to be the difference." Freshman Bobby Zappitelli (Painesville Twp., Ohio/Lake Catholic) battled sixth-ranked heavyweight J.D. Ramsey into overtime before dropping a 4-1 decision. The win was the third straight in dual competition for the Storm and second in three matches over a ranked foe. Lake Erie defeated 17th-ranked Limestone College, 29-12, on Saturday (Dec. 10). Lake Erie now travels to Indianapolis, Ind. on Sunday and Monday, Dec. 18-19 for the annual Midwest Classic at the University of Indianapolis. That tournament will be the Storm's final event of 2011. Results: 125 Austin Gillihan (LEC) pinned Joe Wagstaff (WL), 3:48 133 Tom McVicker (LEC) pinned Dillon Nolte (WL), 1:29 141 Nick Wykoff (WL) dec. Nate Ball (LEC), 6-3 149 Art Hobley (WL) dec. Zak Vargo (LEC), 5-4 157 Tyler Tesny (LEC) dec. Jarrod Shaw (WL), 9-3 165 Matt Vandermeer (LEC) dec. Jordon Nolan (WL), 4-3 (RT) 174 Matt Littleton (WL) dec. Zev Green (LEC), 4-3 184 Jon Schafer (LEC) maj. dec. Derrick Williams, 16-7 197 Mike Samijlenko (LEC) dec. Jacob Donley, 8-7 285 J.D. Ramsey (WL) dec. Bobby Zappitelli (LEC), 4-1 (OT)

WAYNESBURG, Pa. -- The Mercyhurst wrestling team won its first dual meet of the 2011-12, recording a 21-18 victory at Waynesburg Wednesday night. Fred Hale pinned Brandon Fedorka in the heavyweight bout to give the Lakers the win. Hale and Fedorka entered the night's final contest with the Yellow Jackets ahead 18-15. Hale controlled the match, pinning his opponent at the 2:46 mark for the team victory. Alex Crown took a 4-3 decision from Ryan Bohince in the 125-pound match for a 3-0 Waynesburg lead. Kody Young won the 133-pound bout in a 10-4 decision to tie the dual. The Yellow Jackets won the next three contests, highlighted by a Garett Johnston pinfall victory over Ryan Martini in the 157-pound match. Josh Shields earned a 7-4 decision in the 165-pound bout, getting the Lakers within 15-6. In the 174-pound match, August Mizia won a 12-1 major decision to pick up four points for the visitors. Michael Pollard posted a technical pinfall in the 184-pound contest, garnering five points to tie the dual meet. However, Patrick Jennings won a 7-1 decision over Chaz Sheaffer in the 197-pound match, giving the Jackets an 18-15 edge. Hurst returns to the mat this weekend. It will compete in the Mercyhurst North East Quad Saturday, December 17. Results: 125 – Alex Crown (W) 4-3 Ryan Bohince (M) 0-3 133 – Kody Young (M) 10-4 Jake Vitolo (W) 3-3 141 – Aaron Mills (W) 8-4 Levi Smeltzer (M) 3-6 149 – Chris Milligan (W) 8-4 Michael Griffith (M) 3-9 157 – Garett Johnston (W) pin 1:24 Ryan Martini (M) 3-15 165 – Josh Shields (M) 7-4 Sam Lombardo (W) 6-15 174 – August Mizia (M) 12-1 maj. Cameron Fine (W) 1 10-15 184 – Michael Pollard (M) 17-2 (6:48) Anthony Bonaventura (W) 15-15 197 – Patrick Jennings (W) 7-1 Charles Sheaffer (M) 15-18 285 – Fred Hale (M) pin 2:46 Brandon Fedorka (W) 21-18 Exhibition: 174 – Sam Guidi (W) 10-2 maj. Grant Chase (M)

BUIES CREEK, N.C. -- In the first duals of the 2011-12 season, the Northern Colorado wrestling team split matches at the Fighting Camel Duals. The Bears lost 26-11 to Drexel in the afternoon bout, then bounced back for a 20-19 win over host Campbell. Sophomore Cody McAninch started the Bears off on the right foot in both matches. Against Drexel, he won an 8-3 decision over Niccolo Becattini and then had a major decision win over TeShaun Johnson to begin the Campbell dual. Seniors Casey Cruz and Gabe Burak also won both bouts. Cruz won a 6-3 decision over Drexel's Frank Cimato, who is ranked #20 this week by Intermat and won a 6-5 decision against Jordan Tolbert. Burak, ranked 11th by Intermat, had a pair of bonus point wins for the Bears. He posted a tech fall over Anson Worrell in 5:16 (23-11) and then a major decision win against Nick Rex, 11-0. Those three were the only victors against the Dragons, but freshman Jesse Meis pinned Grabiel Soto in 1:23 at 125 pounds and sophomore Sam Bauer won a 6-0 decision over Tanner Bidelspach at 133 pounds for the nightcap team win. The Bears take a break for the holiday season, returning to the mat on Jan. 6 at Northern Iowa in the Western Wrestling Conference opener. Drexel 26, Northern Colorado 11 184: Cody McAninch (NC) dec. Niccolo Becattini (DU) 8-3 (0-3) 197: Brandon Palik (DU) major dec. Nick Bayer (NC) 9-1 (4-3) 285: Kyle Frey (DU) major dec. Henry Chirino (NC) 9-1 (8-3) 125: Michael Gomez (DU) major dec. Jesse Meis (NC) 6-2 (11-3) 133: Josh Yurasits (DU) dec. Sam Bauer (NC) 10-9 (14-3) 141: Casey Cruz (NC) dec. #20 Frank Cimato (DU) 6-3 (14-6) 149: Shane Fenningham (DU) dec. Jacob Milewski (NC) 6-3 (17-6) 157: Austin Sommer (DU) pinned Nick Alspaugh (NC) 3:55 (23-6) 165: #11 Gabe Burak (NC) tech fall Anson Worrell (DU) 5:16 (23-11) 174: Alex Rinaldi (DU) dec. Patrick Gomez (NC) 5-2 (26-11) Northern Colorado 20, Campbell 19 184: Cody McAninch (NC) major TeShaun Johnson (CU) dec. 8-0 197: John Weakley (CU) pinned Mark Morrill (NC) 0:29 285: Joe Nolan (CU) dec. Henry Chirino (NC) 4-1 125: Jesse Meis (NC) pinned Grabiel Soto (CU) 1:23 133: Sam Bauer (NC) dec. Tanner Bidelspach (CU) 6-0 141: Casey Cruz (NC) dec. Jordan Tolbert (CU) 6-5 149: Mark Hartenstine (CU) dec. Justin Gonzalez (NC) 2-0 157: Ryan Krecker (CU) dec. Nick Alspaugh (NC) 14-9 165: #11 Gabe Burak (NC) major dec. Nick Rex (CU) 11-0 174: James Cook major dec. Patrick Gomez (NC) 19-10

Fabricio Werdum has made his long-awaited, much-rumored jump to the UFC. Werdum (14-5-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) will face Roy Nelson (16-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) in his first Octagon appearance since leaving the Octagon in 2008. The Brazilian is best known for his 2010 armbar submission of Fedor Emelianenko which ended the champ's 27-fight winning streak. Nelson is coming off a third-round TKO of Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic at UFC 137 in October. "The Ultimate Fighter 10" season winner lost his two previous bouts to Junior dos Santos and Frank Mir. UFC 143 takes place on the eve of the Super Bowl, Feb. 4, at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The fight will be available on pay-per-view.