InterMat Staff

Ken Kraft, the tournament director of the 2009 Midlands Championships, has announced the pre-tournament rankings for the event, which takes place at Northwestern University on Dec. 29-30. Although the final seeds for Midlands may extend beyond the top eight at each weight class, the tournament rankings reflect only the first eight wrestlers and are subject to change. Final seeding for the event will be determined on Monday, Dec. 28. 125: 1. Brandon Precin, Northwestern (UN) 2. Jarrod Garrett, Virginia Tech 3. Matt McDonough, Iowa 4. Andrew Long, Iowa State 5. Matt Steintrager, Central Michigan 6. Ben Kjar, Utah Valley State 7. Jason Lara, Oregon State 8. Jasen Borshoff, American 133: 1. Daniel Dennis, Iowa 2. Nick Fanthorpe, Iowa State 3. Scotti Sentes, Central Michigan 4. Steve Bell, Maryland 5. Tyler Graff, Wisconsin 6. Lou Ruggirello, Hofstra (UN) 7. Kyle Hutter, Old Dominion 8. Kelly Kubec, Oregon State 141: 1. Jimmy Kennedy, Illinois (UN) 2. Daniel LeClere, Iowa 3. Joey Slaton, Iowa (UN) 4. Alex Krom, Maryland 5. Tyler Nauman, Pittsburgh 6. Seth Ciasulli, Lehigh 7. Ryan Prater, Illinois 8. Montell Marion, Iowa 149: 1. Brent Metcalf, Iowa 2. Kyle Ruschell, Wisconsin 3. Kyle Borshoff, American 4. Kevin LeVally, Bucknell 5. Mario Mason, Minnesota 6. Anthony D’Alie, Central Michigan 7. Mitch Mueller, Iowa State 8. RJ Pena, Oregon State 157: 1. Steve Fittery, American 2. Jake Patacsil, Boiler Elite 3. Steve Brown, Central Michigan 4. Keegan Davis, Oregon State 5. Kyle John, Maryland 6. Conrad Polz, Illinois 7. Jake Deitchler, Minnesota 8. Colton Salazar, Purdue 165: 1. Andrew Howe, Wisconsin 2. Jon Reader, Iowa State 3. Ryan Morningstar, Iowa 4. Nick Marable, Missouri 5. Andy Rendos, Bucknell 6. Scott Winston, Rutgers (UN) 7. Nick Amuchasteui, Stanford 8. Bekzod Abdurakhmanov, Wash. WC 174: 1. Jay Borschel, Iowa 2. Ben Bennett, Central Michigan 3. Mike Letts, Maryland 4. Luke Manuel, Purdue 5. Jordan Blanton, Illinois 6. Duke Burke, Iowa State 7. Dorian Henderson, Missouri 8. Shane Riccio, Bucknell 184: 1. Max Askren, Missouri 2. Mike Cannon, American 3. Phillip Keddy, Iowa 4. John Dergo, Illinois 5. Mike Miller, Central Michigan 6. David Craig, Lehigh 7. Jerome Ward, Iowa State 8. Zach Giesen, Stanford 197: 1. Jake Varner, Iowa State 2. Hudson Taylor, Maryland 3. Travis Brandvold, Wisconsin 4. Wynn Michalak, Chippewa WC 5. Chad Beatty, Iowa 6. Brent Haynes, Missouri 7. Logan Brown, Purdue 8. Chad Hanke, Oregon State 285: 1. Aaron Anspach, Nittany Lion WC 2. Zak Rey, Lehigh 3. Dom Bradley, Missouri 4. David Zabriskie, Iowa State 5. Ryan Tomei, Pittsburgh 6. Mark Ellis, Missouri 7. DJ Russo, Rutgers 8. Ed Bordas, Rider

LAS VEGAS, NEV. -- Wartburg increased its Desert Duals win streak to 28 straight and improved to 7-0 on the 2009-10 season with four wins Sunday, Dec. 20, inside the ballrooms of the Flamingo Las Vegas. The No. 5-ranked Knights toppled No. 14-ranked Elmhurst College of Illinois 30-9, Southern Maine 50-3, No. 8-ranked UW-Stevens Point 31-3, and No. 6-ranked Concordia College of Minnesota 28-12. Junior 165-pounder Carrington Banks of Stockbridge, Ga., and sophomore 174-pounder Dylan Azinger of DeWitt each picked up four wins to lead the way individually. Wartburg’s II team was just as impressive. They rolled up wins over Embry-Riddle of Arizona 32-4, Concordia College of Minnesota’s II squad 37-13, and North Central of Illinois’ II team 39-15. The Knights now break from competition to observe the Christmas holiday. Head coach Jim Miller’s squad returns to the mat for the Cornell College of Mount Vernon Matman Invitational Saturday, Jan. 2.

RENO, Nev. -- For the second year in a row the Edinboro wrestling team turned in a strong showing at the Reno Tournament of Champions at the Reno Events Center. The Fighting Scots finished second in the field of 25 teams with 85.5 points, edging Penn State. The Nittany Lions finished with 83 points. Oklahoma State had five champions and finished with 154 points to repeat as the tournament champion. Arizona State and Ohio tied for fourth with 77 points. A pair of Fighting Scots – Eric Morrill (125 lbs.) (below right) and Jarrod King (165 lbs.) (left) -- came away with individual championships, with a total of five Boro wrestlers placing. Making the showing even more impressive was that Edinboro did not have anyone competing at 141 lbs., and freshman John Greisheimer was competing as the starter at 157 lbs. for the first time and lost both of his matches. King repeated as the champion at 165 lbs., and in the process the sixth-year senior picked up his 100th career win, including his time at Oklahoma. King, the top-ranked wrestler at 165 lbs. and the defending national champion, won all five of his matches to improve to 18-0 on the season and 100-25 for his career. His title came thanks to a 2-1 decision over second-seeded Dan Vallimont of Penn State. It marked the second win for King over Vallimont, ranked eighth by Amateur Wrestling News and ninth by InterMat. He earlier won a 4-3 decision over the Penn State All-American in a dual match. King breezed through the rest of a very difficult field, winning his first two matches by fall, the defeating North Carolina’s Kyle Kiss in the quarterfinals by a 5-1 decision. In the semifinals he posted a 12-4 major decision over Nick Amuchastegui of Stanford, the fifth seed and ranked 16th by InterMat. Morrill, meanwhile, came away as the champion at 125 lbs. thanks to the biggest win of his career, a 4-3 decision over All-American Anthony Robles of Arizona State. Robles came in as the number one seed and was ranked second by Amateur Wrestling News and third by InterMat. A year ago Robles reached the semifinals at Nationals before losing to Edinboro’s Paul Donahoe. Morrill, ranked seventh and the number three seed, improved to 17-2 with four straight wins, three of those against seeded opponents. In the quarterfinals he won a 10-4 decision over Alan Bartelli of Boise State, the sixth seed and ranked 14th by Amateur Wrestling News and 15th by InterMat. That was followed by a 10-8 upset of Penn State’s Brad Pataky, the second seed and ranked sixth, in the semifinals via a 10-8 decision. Pataky had defeated Morrill in the earlier dual match. Three other Fighting Scots placed, led by an impressive showing by Phil Moricone (below left). He came in unseeded after wrestling for the first time since November 2008 with a pair of matches last weekend in the CSU Open. Since that time he had been out with a back injury, followed by a knee injury. Moricone quickly served notice that he was back with an 11-0 major decision over Chance Litton of West Virginia, the number one seed, in his opening match. He would lose to eventual champion Mike Benefiel of Oklahoma State, the fourth seed, in the semifinals by a 13-6 decision, but won twice more in the consolation round to go 5-1 on the day. In the third place match he won an 11-3 major decision over Ohio’s Jacob Ison. Pat Bradshaw brought home fifth place at 184 lbs. The fourth seed, the senior finished with a 5-2 record to improve to 17-7. He is ranked 20th by Amateur Wrestling News. He captured the fifth place match with a 6-2 decision over North Carolina’s Nick Tenpenny, the sixth seed. Torsten Gillespie finished sixth at 149 lbs. for the second straight year. The junior is now 14-9 after winning three of five matches. Arizona State’s Vicente Varela was awarded a medical forfeit in the fifth place match. His wins included a 4-1 decision over Navy’s Glen Shober, the sixth seed. Gillespie came in seeded seventh.

Clarion, Pa. -- Trailing 15-7 at the midway point, No. 14 Kent State (5-0) won the final five matches to secure a 24-15 comeback victory over Clarion Sunday at Tippin Gym. Ross Tice started the rally at 165 to help give the Golden Flashes their 12th straight dual meet victory. "It was a little nerve racking for a while" Head Coach Jim Andrassy said of the first five matches. "You're going to have ups and downs with a young team, but as long as everyone isn't down on the same day we're going to be fine. And our upper weights were pretty solid today." Tice ignited the comeback with a 6-0 shutout of Nick Milano. A redshirt sophomore, Tice (15-5) turned Milano with a tilt and never let him free. Redshirt freshman Keith Witt (174) followed with a 4-2 win over Steven Cressley to cut Clarion's lead to 15-13. Witt improved to 13-7 on the year. Momentum completely swung back the Flashes' way when Dustin Kilgore tore apart Clint Podish with an 18-1 technical fall in just two periods. Kilgore, a redshirt sophomore, jumped out to an 8-0 lead after the first period and put Podish on his back four different times. Now 13-0 on the season, Kilgore has totaled seven pins, two tech falls and one major decision. "They had wrestled three other times prior to this season and each time it got closer," Andrassy said of Kilgore and Podish. "So you can tell how much better Dustin's gotten. He was dominant again." Redshirt freshman Adam Cogar (197) worked his front headlock to perfection in an 8-4 win over Alex Thomas. Cogar improved to 12-3, while Thomas fell to 10-4 as the Flashes took a 21-15 advantage into the final match. Redshirt sophomore Brendan Barlow (285) never let Quintas McCorkle threaten in a 6-1 victory, the Flashes fifth straight win of the afternoon. Barlow improved to 16-3 as McCorkle dropped to 9-6. Sophomore Troy Opfer (125) gave KSU an early lead with a 4-0 blanking of Joe Waltko.Senior Danny Mitcheff (13-0) extended the team lead to 7-0 with a 13-5 major decision over Jay Ivanco at 133. "Danny & Dustin are really the strong part of our lineup," Andrassy said. "They've been leaders for us no matter who we're facing." Redshirt freshman Chase Skonieczny (141) led by as many as three and trailed by only a point before getting pinned by Cameron Moran with just one second left in the match. Moran's pin brought the crowd to life and cut the lead to 7-6. Freshman Tommy Sasfy (149) then had his seven minutes cut short in a 15-0 technical fall loss to James Fleming. Redshirt freshman Mallie Shuster (157) suffered the Flashes third straight setback, a 9-1 major decision to Hadley Harrison. The Golden Eagle senior improved to 14-3, dropping Shuster to 10-4. "This has traditionally been a tough week for us following finals," Andrassy said. "We only practiced three times, but now this team can concentrate more on wrestling for the next few weeks." The Golden Flashes now have over a week to prepare for their toughest test of the season at the Southern Scuffle Dec. 29-30 in Greensboro, N.C. Results: 125- Troy Opfer (KS) dec. Joe Waltko, 4-0 3-0 133- Danny Mitcheff (KS) maj. dec. Jay Ivanco, 13-5 7-0 141- Cameron Moran (CL) pin Chase Skonieczny, 6:59 7-6 149- James Fleming (CL) tech fall Tommy Sasfy, 15-0; 6:25 7-11 157- Hadley Harrison (CL) maj. dec. Mallie Shuster, 9-1 7-15 165- Ross Tice (KS) dec. Nick Milano, 6-0 10-15 174- Keith Witt (KS) dec. Steven Cressley, 4-2 13-15 184: #2 Dustin Kilgore (KS) tech. fall Clint Podish, 18-1, 4:59 18-15 197: Adam Cogar(KS) dec. Alex Thomas, 8-4 21-15 285: #14 Brendan Barlow (KS) dec. Quintas McCorkle, 6-1 24-15

Zach Bridson (Timberlane, NH) -- Sophomore, 103-Pound Champion About wrestling as the top seed but being an underdog in the last two matches: "I put no pressure on myself coming into the event. My coaches just told me to wrestle the best I could and give it all I had. Just let my results (on the mat) do the talking." Thoughts about winning the Beast of the East: "It's the best Christmas present I could ever receive." Evan Silver (Blair Academy, NJ) -- Junior, 112-Pound Champion On his improvement from last week at the Ironman to this week at the Beast: "I worked all week on riding my opponent better and not giving up quick escapes, and made opponents earn every point they got." Thoughts about the performance in becoming a two-time Beast champion: "It wasn't as dominant as I hoped, but I got it done, and that's what it's about." Mark Grey (Blair Academy, NJ) -- Sophomore, 119-Pound Champion This was a second title at the Beast of the East for Grey in as many seasons, and no wrestler has ever won four titles at the Beast of the East. Any thoughts about becoming the first to ever win four titles at the Beast: "Nothing yet. Just take it one match at a time, one tournament at a time. Maybe if I get the three-peat next year it will come into my mind." On the difference between last week, taking sixth, and this weekend's title: "Just tried to get more movement going on my feet, push the opponent to get them off balance, and capitalize for scores off their mistakes." Devin Carter (Christiansburg, VA) -- Senior, 125-Pound Champion About what was the most impressive aspect of his performance over the two days: "I was always trying to score, regardless of the score. Everything was aggressive, no thoughts about holding on for wins." On getting that elusive Beast title after two previous runner-up finishes: "The previous two years I felt under-matched, and was just ‘happy to be there.' This time, I felt better about things and just wrestled my match." Nick Schenk (St. Mark's, DE) -- Senior, 130-Pound Champion This was also his third Beast of the East final and second title -- as he was champion at 103 pounds as a freshman, second at 119 as a sophomore, and third at 130 as a junior. About wrestling during the tiebreaker: "I just hit a 'quick sit' to get that reversal early in the first tiebreak. Then did what I had to do to ride out the (first tiebreak set and all but two seconds of the second tiebreak). (It was) all about heart, prayer, and confidence." Jason Bastianelli -- Head Coach -- St. Mark's, DE On the sudden victory period and Schenk's overall tournament: "Nick just funked his way out of the Sherlock takedown attempt. The ref originally called it a takedown as an anticipatory reaction, but (correctly) waved it off. Beating two ranked wrestlers is a testament to his hard work, overall performance, and taking the next step." Simon Kitzis (Wyoming Seminary, PA) -- Senior, 135-Pound Champion On becoming a two-time champion at the Beast: "I feel successful in my performance. It was the goal going into the weekend, and it was accomplished." Coping with the physicality and superior strength of his finals opponent: "I used my technique and overall knowledge of the sport to create advantages and opportunities." Chris Villalonga (Blair Academy, NJ) -- Senior, 140-Pound Champion Villalonga becomes the fifth wrestler to ever win three titles at the Beast of the East, and has not lost a scholastic match since very late December of his freshman year. About wrestling with the high expectations that come with his successes to date: "It's obviously an honor to win a third title in such a prestigious event. The results reflect my hard work, as well as growth and learning from previous matches. On recovering from some early match struggles: "Giving up the early scores serves as a wake-up call me. I'm just coming out for matches too tight, and I have to work on starting the matches like I wrestle in the second and third period. The good thing is that I get more confidence and rhythm as the match progresses. Ben Dorsay (Cox, VA) -- Senior, 145-Pound Champion About beating a defending champion, Anthony Baldosaro (Eastern Regional, NJ): This was my first time I had ever wrestled him. I let it all hang out, and wanted to end my (Beast of the East) career with a boom." Goals for the rest of the season: "Just to keep on winning, this is one piece of the puzzle. I want to win a state title and possibly a national title on the back end of the year." Jesse Shanaman (Blair Academy, NJ) -- Senior, 152-Pound Champion The difference in performance from last year to this year: "I'm down one weight from last year (wrestling at 160). I feel much stronger in this weight class, as opposed to last year." About the continual improvement that comes with the Blair Academy program: "I'm always growing as a wrestler, competing against the best. I'm closing out matches much better, and poaching the close victories (unlike last year)." Marshall Peppelman (Central Dauphin, NJ) -- Senior, 160-Pound Champion Peppelman joins Villalonga as a three-time Beast champion, the sixth in history; and like Villalonga, will be headed to Cornell in the fall of 2010. On winning three Beast titles: "It's really exciting, and took a lot of hard work to get there. While the match was a nail-biter, closer than I hoped, I'm still ecstatic." About that crucial third period ride out: Peppelman and Visicaro were tied at 2-2 after two periods with Visicaro scoring one takedown to two Peppelman escapes. "Honestly, I didn't think Visicaro would choose down. Then, I knew I had to either ride him out or turn him to win. Almost got the tilt, but couldn't finish. I also was able to resist the (Visicaro) stand up attempts." Explaining the match winning takedown in overtime: "I shot in on the hi-crotch, almost got it but he fended it off; though he then rolled right into a great re-score position for me. My concern was just making sure to stay in bounds because I wanted the match to end right there." Kenny Courts (Central Dauphin, PA) -- Junior, 171-Pound Champion Strategy for wrestling Tristan Warner (Cumberland Valley, PA) for the fourth time, and what could be four times after this: "The last match, I was able to separate the margin a little bit. This match, just wanted to build off that and keep on the attack. I know what he does well, how to counter that, and the keys to winning the matches." About battling varying injuries: "Haven't really been able to wrestle as much (as desired) in the offseason. But I feel the healthiest I've felt in awhile right now. Just have to try and keep in shape, continue to improve, and finally get that elusive PIAA state title." Michael Evans (Blair Academy, NJ) -- Senior, 189-Pound Champion On repeating as Beast of the East champion: "It's pretty sweet. Didn't dominate as much as hoped, but wins are wins." Looking ahead to the Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic: There is potential for matches with Andrew Campolattano (Bound Brook, NJ) and/or Antonio Giorgio (Warwick, PA). Campolattano, a junior, is undefeated for his career; Giorgio hast not lost prior to the state tournament since his freshman year, but is currently recovering from injury. "Just have to keep getting better, improving in neutral, and actually finishing (more of) my shots." Matt Idelson (Garnet Valley, PA) -- Junior, 215-Pound Champion He is the first unseeded wrestler ever to become champion in the 17-year history of the Beast of the East. About being a rather obscure and unexpected champion: "I just wanted to come here this weekend, wrestle the best I could, and see what happened." Discussing the fact that the Beast of the East was his first ever high school tournament title: "It feels great, and it's overwhelming." Thoughts on the rest of the season: "Just keep training hard, building upon this victory, and hoping to win many more." Mike McMullan (Wyoming Seminary, PA) -- Senior, 285-Pound Champion On beating two wrestlers ranked in the top four to win the title: "I just took it to the opponent right from the start. I'm in it to win it." About the last thirty second scramble and flurry to end the championship finals: "I got the reversal with a merkle, just tried to hang on to the position. At the end, I didn't know if I won or lost. I'm thankful that the refs made the right call." Winning the Most Outstanding Wrestler award: "I've never been MOW before. I've got lots of hardware and woodwork to take home with me (also the Major Ray Mendoza Award for most team points scored in the tournament). It wasn't expected (not with Villalonga and Peppelman winning third titles), but I'm totally pumped but drained." John Gordon -- Head Coach -- Wyoming Seminary, PA "There's some good and bad. We don't train to finish in third place, but we also aren't afraid of facing this high level of competition. It's truly a privilege to be among the best and competing against the nation's best. We're growing as a team with the tough schedule. The younger kids (seven freshmen and sophomores in the lineup) are starting to come into their element, and the veterans (Kitzis, Moon, and McMullan in particular) stepped it up and were leaders this weekend." Jeff Sweigard -- Head Coach -- Central Dauphin, PA "I'm pretty happy overall, even though we came here to win a title. The tournament's a meat-grinder. Wins are wins, losses are losses; and we had more wins than losses with placing about half the lineup. We'll diversify the attacks overall, as we can't hide our (go-to moves) forever." Jeff Buxton -- Head Coach -- Blair Academy, NJ Jeff Buxton's quotes came from a Flowrestling.com interview following the finals. "You get excited about each individual person. You try to perform at the highest level for each individual person. If they do their job, they're going to take care of the team. That's the one thing that we focus on ... You do your job and you'll take care of the team score." "We have some great events coming up where I think the team is going to get challenged, so it's going to be important for our good guys to really step up. That's the one thing I'm going to focus on. "

RENO, Nev. -- The Oklahoma State wrestling team won its second straight team title at the Reno Tournament of Champions by storming through the field on Sunday. The fourth-ranked Cowboys finished with 154 team points, a total that was 68.5 points greater than second-place Edinboro. Sophomore 174-pounder Mike Benefiel was singled out as the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler. In addition to Benefiel, individual champions for Oklahoma State included 133-pounder Jordan Oliver, 141-pounder Jamal Parks, 197-pounder Alan Gelogaev and heavyweight Jared Rosholt. No Cowboy was more overwhelming Sunday than Benefiel, who pinned second-seeded Ryan DesRoches of Cal Poly in the first period of the championship bout. Benefiel hit a fireman's carry early in the bout that led to a five-point move, then cut DesRoches loose before continuing his domination and eventually getting DesRoches into a front headlock, forcing him to back, locking in a cradle and recording a pin just 2:33 in. The title bout was indicative of Benefiel's day as a whole, as the Cowboy sophomore recorded two falls and two major decisions in his conquest of the bracket. Not counting his two falls, Benefiel racked up at least 13 points in each of his bouts in Reno. At 133 pounds, Oliver's finals matchup with No. 9 Boris Novachkov of Cal Poly started slow but picked up steam as it went on. After a scoreless first period, Oliver mounted up over a minute of riding time before Novachkov wiggled free for the escape and the only point of the second period. Oliver escaped quickly to start the third then added a double-leg takedown to go up, 3-1. A Novachkov escape trimmed Oliver's advantage to 3-2, but when the clock hit zeroes and Oliver's 1:37 riding time advantage was factored in, the Cowboy was a 4-2 winner. Oliver racked up pins in two of his three bouts leading up to the finals, and won the third bout when Eastern Michigan's Sean Clair was disqualified. Parks won his championship bout over Ohio's Germane Lindsey by medical forfeit. The Tulsa Union graduate punched his ticket into the finals with an impressive win over No. 10 Chris Drouin of Arizona State in the semifinals. After a scoreless first period, Drouin escaped immediately to start the second for the only scoring of that stanza. The third period started with a Parks escape, then the Cowboy sophomore took the Sun Devil All-American down with 1:30 left for the decisive moment of the match. The win was Parks' third straight over a ranked opponent and avenged a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Drouin earlier in the year. Gelogaev was never in trouble during his 14-5 major decision win over North Carolina's Dennis Drury in the 197-pound title bout, racking up five takedowns and a reversal to claim the crown. Gelogaev posted OSU's quickest pin Sunday when he needed only 19 seconds to dispose of Southern Oregon's John Harrison in the quarterfinals. Rosholt pinned his first two opponents before claiming decisions over North Carolina's Ziad Haddad in the quarterfinals and Arizona State's Erik Nye in the semifinals. After a scoreless first period, Alcala and Rosholt traded escapes to open the second and third periods, respectively. Both wrestlers had good takedown opportunities in the third, but neither was able to finish their respective attempts and the bout went into overtime deadlocked at one. The first sudden victory period yielded no scoring and Rosholt finally broke the ice when he escaped in the first tiebreak period. He then rode Alcala out to seal his second-straight Reno tournament individual title. At 125 pounds, senior Chris Notte took third by pinning No. 8 Michael Martinez 3:50 into the consolation final. It was the second time that the underdog Notte recorded bonus points over Martinez Sunday, as Notte was a 13-3 major decision winner over Martinez in the championship quarterfinals. With Notte starting the second period of the third-place bout on top, Martinez tried to sit out, but Notte threw him down onto his back then ended the bout by finishing the pin. Notte came within only moments of earning a spot in the finals, but No. 3 Anthony Robles of Arizona State took Notte down with only eight seconds left in the third period to hand the Cowboy senior a 2-1 defeat in their semifinal bout. In an interesting matchup in the consolation finals at 149 pounds, junior Quinten Fuentes was pinned by No. 18 Barrett Abel of UC Davis in the second period. The bout was a rematch of Fuentes's win by fall over Abel just two nights earlier in a dual between the Cowboys and the Aggies. Sunday's bout went Abel's way, however, as the Aggie locked up Fuentes's upper-body and threw him down to his back and pinned him. Leading up to the consolation final, Fuentes recorded three pins on the day, most notably over Edinboro's Torsten Gillespie in the consolation semifinal. Redshirt freshman 165-pounder Alex Meade was one second away from a berth in the championship round, but instead suffered a disappointing defeat at the hands of Penn State's Dan Vallimont in the semifinals. Trailing, 3-2, in the third period, Meade took Vallimont down to go up 4-3. Vallimont, however, was able to escape with only one second remaining to even the score. Making the escape even more significant is the fact that when the clock hit zeroes, Meade had 59 seconds of riding time. Nevertheless, the two wrestlers went into overtime, where Meade sealed his own fate when he was slapped with two different penalty points for false starts. He then suffered an injury in his consolation bout and was forced to injury default The Pokes return to action when they host Cal Poly at 7 p.m. on Jan. 2 at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Final Team Standings (Top 10 teams only) 1. Oklahoma State - 154 points 2. Edinboro - 85.5 points 3. Penn State - 83 points T4. Arizona State - 77 points T4. Ohio - 77 points 6. Cal Poly - 70.5 points 7. Wyoming - 69.5 points 8. Boise State - 57 points 9. North Carolina - 54 points 10. Cal State Fullerton - 50.5 points

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Sixth-ranked Central Michigan improved to 7-0 overall with a pair of dual wins at Nebraska on Saturday. The Chippewas opened the day with a 37-3 win over Neb.-Kearney, the nation's No. 3-ranked team in Division II, before posting a 29-6 victory over No. 12 Nebraska. CMU is now 3-0-1 in its last four duals against Big 12 Conference opponents. The Chippewas own wins over Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Missouri since the start of the 2008-09 season. CMU scored bonus points in six of its nine individual wins over Neb.-Kearney, including a pair of victories by fall. Scotti Sentes, competing at 141 pounds for the first time in his career, pinned Kazuhiro Fujinawa in the third period, and Steve Brown pinned Jordan Gienger in the second period at 157 pounds. The Lopers' lone victory came at 174 pounds. Marty Usman, ranked No. 1 nationally in Division II, defeated Ben Bennett, 5-4, in the first tiebreaker. Bennett was called twice for stalling in the first 30-second tiebreaker and could manage only an escape in the second 30-second tiebreaker. CMU improved to 3-0 this season against ranked opponents with its 29-6 decision over No. 12 Nebraska. Highlighting the win was Steve Brown's 3-2 decision over defending national champion Jordan Burroughs at 157 pounds. Both individuals scored escapes in regulation and in the first set of 30-second tiebreakers. Brown chose down for the second sudden victory period, and his third escape of the match provided the decisive point and ended Burroughs' 44-match winning streak. CMU and Nebraska split the other two matchups of ranked individuals. No. 3 Stephen Dwyer (Nebraska) was a 4-1 winner over No. 5 Ben Bennett at 174 pounds, while No. 15 Jarod Trice (CMU) defeated No. 12 Tucker Lane, 3-2, at heavyweight. The Chippewas scored bonus points at 141 and 149 pounds. Sentes posted a 13-3 major decision at 141, while Tony D'Alie won by fall at 149. The Chippewas close the calendar year at Midlands Dec. 29-30. No. 6 Central Michigan 37, Neb.-Kearney 3 125: No. 14 Matt Steintrager (CMU) maj. dec. Jordan White, 10-2 133: Conor Beebe (CMU) maj. dec. Josh Smith, 13-4 141: No. 6 Scotti Sentes (CMU) pin Kazuhiro Fujinawa, 6:50 149: No. 13 Tony D'Alie (CMU) dec. T.J. Hepburn, 9-7 157: No. 13 Steve Brown (CMU) pin Jordan Gienger, 3:54 165: No. 20 Tyler Grayson (CMU) maj. dec. Taylor May, 13-3 174: Marty Usman (UNK) dec. No. 5 Ben Bennett, 5-4 184: No. 8 Mike Miller (CMU) maj. dec. Derek Ross, 17-4 197: Eric Simaz (CMU) dec. Justin McKain, 6-4 285: No. 15 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. Ben Hohensee, 4-2 No. 6 Central Michigan 29, No. 12 Nebraska 6 125: No. 14 Matt Steintrager (CMU) maj. dec. David Klingsheim, 9-1 133: Conor Beebe (CMU) dec. C.J. Napier, 3-0 141: No. 6 Scotti Sentes (CMU) maj. dec. Mike Koehnlein, 13-3 149: No. 13 Tony D'Alie (CMU) pin Chris Hacker, 3:57 157: No. 13 Steve Brown (CMU) dec. No. 1 Jordan Burroughs, 3-2 165: No. 20 Tyler Grayson (CMU) dec. James Nakashima, 6-2 174: No. 3 Stephen Dwyer (NU) dec. No. 5 Ben Bennett, 4-1 184: No. 8 Mike Miller (CMU) dec. Josh Ihnen, 6-5 197: No. 2 Craig Brester (NU) dec. Eric Simaz, 11-4 285: No. 15 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. No. 12 Tucker Lane, 3-2

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The second-ranked Iowa State wrestling team scored its biggest-ever victory over Northern Iowa Saturday, beating the Panthers 42-0 in West Gym. ISU’s first shutout of UNI in 43 years came via bonus-point victories in seven of the 10 bouts. A boisterous contingent of visiting Cyclone fans urged the ISU squad on to its second dual victory of the 2009-10 campaign, to improve to 2-1. UNI drops to 3-6. The dual victory was ISU’s first shutout of the Panthers since 1966 (35-0). ISU is 52-16 all-time against UNI. “Having our guys winning in all 10 of the matches is important,” said ISU head coach Kevin Jackson. “To be where we want to be in March, we want the team to be wrestling like how we are training them.” Sophomore Dalton Jensen, a native of Missouri Valley, Iowa, had to wait until the end of the dual to score the most points for the Cyclone squad. Jensen, filling in for two-time All-American Nick Gallick at 141 pounds, cradled UNI’s Alec Hoffman in 1:17 to notch a pin and six team points for Iowa State. “To have Dalton (Jensen) get out there and pin the guy is just awesome,” Jackson said. “He’s a pinner and if he gets on top of a guy, he’s looking for it. He was filling in for a good wrestler in Gallick so that is saying something for him to go out there and get the fall.” To begin the event, ISU senior 149-pounder Mitch Mueller scored the first victory with a 22-8 major decision showing against UNI’s Jamal Lawrence. Mueller recorded six takedowns in the third period to power his way to the bonus-point victory. Another gutsy third-period performance was turned in by Cyclone 157-pounder Andrew Sorenson. The sophomore hailing from Woden, Iowa recorded three takedowns and a three-point nearfall in the final period to distance himself from Panther Tyson Reiner by major decision, 13-3. Three Iowa Staters turned in technical falls for the team effort. Jon Reader (165) won over UNI’s David Bonin, 19-4 (5:51). At 125 pounds, freshman Andrew Long was victorious over Terrance Young of Northern Iowa, 19-4 (6:46). Following Long’s win, senior Nick Fanthorpe turned in his own five-team point performance with a 22-5 (6:47) victory over UNI’s Ryan Jauch. Cyclone three-time NCAA finalist Jake Varner major decisioned Northern Iowa’s Dustin Bauman, 13-4. Varner, the returning NCAA champion at 197 pounds, notched over four minutes of riding time in the victory. ISU heavyweight David Zabriskie notched an escape, a takedown and a two-point nearfall in the first tiebreaker overtime period to outpace Panther Christian Brantley, 6-1 (TB1). Senior 174-pounder Duke Burk notched a decision for the Cyclones with a 7-5 win over Jarion Beets of Northern Iowa. Sophomore Jerome Ward followed Burk’s victory with his own decision over UNI’s Andy O’Loughlin, 8-2. The Cyclones hit the road Dec. 29-30 for the prestigious Midlands Championships on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. The first session kicks off at 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 29. ISU will then travel for a dual meet Jan. 3 at Minnesota. Mat action begins at 2 p.m. Results: 149 – Mitch Mueller (ISU) major dec. Jamal Lawrence (UNI), 22-8 157 – Andrew Sorenson (ISU) major dec. Tyson Reiner (UNI), 13-3 165 – Jon Reader (ISU) tech. fall David Bonin (UNI), 19-4 (5:51) 174 – Duke Burk (ISU) dec. Jarion Beets (UNI), 7-5 184 – Jerome Ward (ISU) dec. Andy O’Loughlin (UNI), 8-2 197 – Jake Varner (ISU) major dec. Dustin Bauman (UNI), 13-4 HWT – David Zabriskie (ISU) dec. Christian Brantley (UNI), 6-1 (TB1) 125 – Andrew Long (ISU) tech. fall Terrence Young (UNI), 19-4 (6:46) 133 – Nick Fanthorpe (ISU) tech. fall Ryan Jauch (UNI), 22-5 (6:47) 141 – Dalton Jensen (ISU) pinned Alec Hoffman (UNI), 1:17

Dorian Henderson

Todd Schavrien

Jacob Volkmann

Phil Davis

Jason Peters

Facing an improved Stanford team on Friday night on the road, the University of Wyoming wrestling team showed up with a big effort and walked away holding a 25-9 dual victory. Wyoming improves to 3-1 in dual matches this season, while Stanford drops to 5-2. The Cowboys are now 5-0 all-time versus the Cardinal. The dual was a good measuring stick for the `Pokes since Stanford had beaten fellow Western Wrestling Conference member, and reigning league champion Northern Iowa earlier this season by a score of 19-12. UW got a major decision victory from sophomore Chase Smith at 141 pounds to begin the match and never looked back. Earning decisions for the `Pokes were sophomores Alfonso Hernandez at 197 pounds, Joe LeBlanc (184), Michael Martinez (125) and Brock Smith (174). Juniors Cole Dallaserra (149) and Matthew McLaughlin (Hwt.) also got wins for the Cowboy team. "I am proud of our effort tonight," UW head coach Mark Branch said. "This was a dual that concerned us, following up finals week and against a much-improved team. I think that ultimately our advantage was that we have already seen a lot of tough competition this year and this dual did not faze our guys. We had watched film in preparation for Stanford and focused on keeping pressure on their guys. I saw improvement in that area, it made a difference and was good to see. "With Shane (Onufer) out, Ernie (Alex Rieder) was asked to cut some weight over the last two weeks and make 165 pounds for this dual. Even though he lost tonight, his effort was incredible and he really sacrificed for the good of the team. Brock's (Smith) win was a big swing for us and certainly a turning point. After having some struggles early on in his match, he really fought back, stayed tough and pulled out an important win." The evening began at 141 pounds where UW got a dominant 12-2 major decision from Chase Smith. That win would prove to be the only bonus-point victory for Wyoming, but did set the pace for the rest of the team. Dallaserra then earned a workmanlike 6-3 decision in the Cowboys' favor at 149 pounds to put the team score at 7-0. Next, Stanford won two straight, Lucas Espericueta over Mikah Kadera, 7-2 at 157 pounds, and No. 16 Nick Amuchastegui by a slim margin over Alex Rieder, 8-6 at the 165 pound weight class. That brought the team score to 7-6 in favor of the `Pokes. The Cowboys then won five straight to leave no doubt and put the dual out of reach. That run started with a comeback victory for Brock Smith at 174 pounds. With the score tied 4-4 late in the third period and down over a minute in riding time to Stanford's Jake Johnson, Smith dug in his spurs and got a two-point takedown on the edge of the mat with 10 seconds remaining. Smith would win 6-5 despite Johnson tacking on the riding time point. In the marquee match-up of the night, No. 5-ranked LeBlanc out-muscled No. 13 Zack Geisen at 184 pounds and won handily, 8-1. LeBlanc narrowly missed out on an eight-point major decision which would have earned UW an additional team bonus point, however he did rack up over four minutes of riding time and kept the pressure on Geisen the entire match. Following suit for the Cowboys was Hernandez at 197 pounds with a solid 7-1 decision and McLaughlin, who won by injury default at heavyweight. McLaughlin was leading 2-1 after two periods, with a riding time advantage, in his match when Dylan Rush was forced to bow out with a shoulder injury sustained from twice being slammed to the mat by Wyoming's big man. No. 9-ranked Martinez out-lasted a formidable opponent in Ryan Mango at 125 pounds, scoring two third period takedowns to win 8-4. The Cardinal did pick up another win at 133 pounds, when Justin Paulsen beat Kasey Garnhart 10-3, but ultimately that bout played little role in the final team tally of 25-9 in favor of the Cowboys. Wyoming will now travel to Reno, Nev. for the Reno Tournament of Champions which will take place all day on Sunday, Dec. 20. Results: # 141 pounds - Chase Smith (WYO) by major decision over Bret Baumbach (STAN), 12-2, 4-0 WYO # 149 pounds - Cole Dallaserra (WYO) by decision over Mike Kent (STAN), 6-3, 7-0 WYO # 157 pounds - Lucas Espericueta (STAN) by decision over Mikah Kadera (WYO), 7-2, 7-3 WYO # 165 pounds - No. 16 Nick Amuchastegui (STAN) by decision over Alex Rieder (WYO), 8-6, 7-6 WYO # 174 pounds - Brock Smith (WYO) by decision over Jake Johnson (STAN), 6-5, 10-6 WYO # 184 pounds - No. 5 Joe LeBlanc (WYO) by decision over No. 13 Zack Giesen (STAN), 8-1, 13-6 WYO # 197 pounds - Alfonso Hernandez (WYO) by decision over Richard Kessler (STAN), 7-1, 16-6 WYO # Hwt. (285) - Matthew McLaughlin (WYO) by injury default over Dylan Rush (STAN), 5:00, 22-6 WYO # 125 pounds - No. 9 Michael Martinez (WYO) by decision over Ryan Mango (STAN), 8-4, 25-6 WYO # 133 pounds - Justin Paulsen (STAN) by decision over Kasey Garnhart (WYO), 10-3, 25-9 WYO

DAVIS, Calif. -- The fourth-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team stormed to a 43-0 win over UC Davis at The Pavilion on Friday. With the win, the Cowboys improved to 3-0-1 on the year, while the Aggies dipped to 0-2-0 overall in defeat. The most impressive OSU win came at 149 pounds, where Cowboy junior Quinten Fuentes erased a 7-0 first-period deficit to take an 18-11 lead in the third period before pinning No. 18 Barrett Abel at the 5:42 mark. The win was Fuentes's first ever over a ranked opponent. Fuentes started the third period in the down position but scored a quick reversal, then got Abel in a hammerlock and recorded the fall. Cowboy 141-pounder Jamal Parks continued his strong wrestling of late, pinning Justin Arredondo in a tidy 1:09. Parks scored a quick takedown, then turned Arredondo to his back for a two-point nearfall. Arredondo tried to sit out, but Parks got him in a reverse headlock and threw him on his back again and turned that into a pin. Parks's last three matches have resulted in two wins over opponents ranked higher than himself and Friday's win by fall. Making his varsity debut for the Cowboys Friday was 174-pound sophomore Mike Benefiel, who pinned UC Davis's Alex Darkhovsky in just 50 seconds. Benefiel strung together a 13-1 record on the open tournament circuit during the first semester and continued that positive momentum by getting Darkhovsky in an upper-body tie-up then sweeping his legs to set up his quick pin. Also in his first varsity action was 185-pounder Elliott Hellwege, who claimed a 6-4 win over Stephan Hampton on the strength of a takedown in the second period and another takedown in the third period. Senior 125-pounder Chris Notte set the tone with a 22-5 technical fall win over Kody Klaus to start the dual. Notte bagged eight takedowns, a reversal, a three-point nearfall and a riding time point in his domination of the Aggie freshman. Also impressive for OSU was redshirt freshman 165-pounder Alex Meade, who racked up 11 first-period points on the way to his 15-6 major-decision win over Joey Wilson. Meade's win improved his season record to 13-1. Senior heavyweight Jared Rosholt added an 8-0 major decision win over Ricky Alcala to cap the dual. The shutout win was the first of the year for the Cowboys and the first since the Pokes pounded Clarion, 44-0 at last year's Virginia Duals. The Cowboys drive to Reno to compete in the Reno Tournament of Champions Saturday. The action begins at 11 a.m. Central time with the finals slated to begin at 8 p.m. Central time. Results: 125 pounds: No. 12 Chris Notte (OSU) tech fall Kody Klaus (UCD); 22-7; 7:00 133 pounds: No. 7 Jordan Oliver (OSU) dec. No. 14 Brandon Low (UCD); 6-4 141 pounds: No. 3 Jamal Parks (OSU) fall Justin Arredondo (UCD); 1:09 149 pounds: Quinten Fuentes (OSU) fall No. 18 Barrett Abel (UCD); 5:42 157 pounds: No. 8 Neil Erisman (OSU) dec. Trevor Machado-Ching (UCD); 8-4 165 pounds: No. 8 Alex Meade (OSU) MD Joey Wilson (UCD); 15-6 174 pounds: Mike Benefiel (OSU) fall Alex Darkhovsky (UCD); 0:50 184 pounds: Elliott Hellwege (OSU) dec. Stephan Hampton (UCD); 6-4 197 pounds: No. 8 Alan Gelogaev (OSU) dec. Abe Otrambo (UCD); 7-4 285 pounds: No. 2 Jared Rosholt (OSU) MD Ricky Alcala (UCD); 8-0

InterMat is providing a running notebook for Day 1 (Saturday) at the 2009 Beast of the East. The most recent updates are listed at the top. Cover-It-Live blogging will occur on Sunday focusing on quarterfinal, semifinal, and placement round activity. A recap of the tournament will be published on Monday. 9:41 p.m. EST: Heading towards the end of our evening here. Consolation round four in progress. 100th win just occurring for Rob Jillard (Delsea Regional, NJ) -- a 119 pound wrestler. There will be only 16 wrestlers alive in the tournament after tonight -- quarterfinalists and eight in wrestleback. 8:35 p.m. EST: Team score race is interesting. Blair Academy, NJ is in third right now with 82.5 points; nine in the quarters and one in consi. Those nine in the quarters will start racking up points in the money rounds -- quarters and then semis. First place is Central Dauphin, PA with 88.5 points; the Rams have 5 in the quarters, and five in consolation. Wyoming Seminary, PA is in second with 83.5 points; six in the semis, and the rest of the lineup (8 total) alive in wrestleback. Rounding ou the top five is St. Mark's, DE with 66.5 (7 QF/2 CON) and Cox, VA 65 (3/7). The top ten has a two-way tie for sixth at 55 points - Eastern Regional, NJ (5/1) and Jackson Memorial, NJ (1/9). The three-way tie for eight at 54.5 points involves Boyertown, PA (1/8); Bethlehem Liberty, PA (2/6); and Northampton, PA (1/11). 8:20 p.m. EST: And that is an end of the round of 16 with Karl Green (Mt St Joseph, MD) winning 4-0 at the 285 pound weight class. Updated team scores and QF pairings to come later tonight. 8:03 p.m. EST: A third relatively lukewarm win for the third seed at 189 pounds, Billy George (Long Branch, NJ), by a 3-1 score. He'll move on to competition on Sunday moring. 7:59 p.m. EST: Interesting matchup at 171 just comes to an end with an upset as the 12 seed David Melnick (Caesar Rodney, DE) upends fifth seed Cody Allala (Hopewell, VA) 7-6. 7:31 p.m. EST: Tiebreakers match at 152 - a battle of New Jersey state place winners between Eric Reger (Delsea Regional) and Dave Newcomer (Eastern Regional). Actually, ultimate tiebreaker, Reger chose down; Newcomer rode him out in one continuous sequence! 7:03 p.m. EST: And another quarterfinal defeat for Central Dauphin. This time it's Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, PA) with the 4-0 win over Tyler Buckman at 130. The third ranked freshman in the nation advances to tomorrow's quarterfinal against Vinny Fava (Elmwood Park, NJ), who survived with a 6-4 overtime win. 7:00 p.m. EST: Zach Horan (Nazareth, PA) after being down 5-0 early against Kevin Gooding (Central Dauphin, PA) came back to win 13-10 at 125 pounds. The third seed and two-time state runner-up advances to the quarterfinal tomorrow morning. 6:49 p.m. EST: Hard luck loss for the second straight week in the round of 16 for Kyle Johnson (Wyoming Seminary, PA) at 119 pounds; this week it's a 3-1 loss to the one seed Robert Deutsch (Eastern Regional, NJ). Last week he lost a one-point affair to Mark Grey (Blair Academy, NJ) at the Ironman in this round. And fourth-seed Joe Orecchio (Don Bosco Prep, NJ) hangs on for a 3-2 win over Shane Arechiga (Good Counsel, MD). 6:30 p.m. EST: It was a tilt-a-thon at the start of that round as the fifth-seeded Evan Botwin (Wyoming Seminary, PA) earned a 15-0 technical fall in 2:54 against Andrew Viera (Long Branch, NJ) to advance to the quarterfinal round. The top seed Zach Bridson (Timberlane, NH) joins him in the quarters with his third fall of the day. 6:15 p.m. EST: 16's about to start on ALL ELEVEN MATS! 5:35 p.m. EST: Things going slower than expected. We're about two-third through the second consolation round. Maybe 6:00 p.m. EST for the round of 16. Team scores through all of consi1: Central Dauphin 69.5 (8/5), Blair Academy 61 (10/3), Wyoming Seminary 55 (9/5), Cox 45.5 (6/6), Christiansburg 42 (4/7), Boyertown/Bethlehem Liberty/St Mark's 40.5 (4/9, 4/8, 7/5), Long Branch 40 (6/5), Eastern Regional 39.5 (5/4) Team scores after two rounds of championship (and part of consi 1) Central Dauphin, PA 69.5 (8 RD16/5 CON); Blair Academy, NJ 61 (10/3); Wyoming Seminary, PA 51.5 (9/5); Boyertown, PA 40.5 (4/9); Eastern Regional, NJ 39.5 (5/4) and St. Marks, DE (7/6); Long Branch, NJ 39 (6/6); Christiansburg, NJ 38 (4/8); Bethlehem Liberty, PA 37.5 (4/9); Cox, VA 37 (6/8) 3:20 p.m. EST: We're fully done with that round of 32 and now into the first consolation round, which is a partial round. Then there is a full second consolation round before the round of 16 -- which should have many seeded wrestlers going HEAD-TO-HEAD! Team scores coming. 2:55 p.m. EST: Highest seed of the tournament to fall to defeat so far is the third seed at 215 pounds Dillon Hoffman (Blair Academy, NJ). Earning the upset victory -- if you wish to call it such -- is Matt Idelson (Garnet Valley, PA) by a 4-0 score. 2:30 p.m. EST: Five seed going down at 160, that is a win for Mike Brown (Bethlehem Liberty, PA) over Nick Lawrence (Timberlane, NH) 4-3. Central Dauphin, PA still leading the tournament with 62 points; but Blair Academy, NJ has surged back to second place with 53 points. Third place is Wyoming Seminary, PA with 45.5 points. Rounding out the top five is Eastern Regional, NJ at 39.5 and St Mark's, DE with 35.5 points. The Rams have nine alive on the championship side, while Blair and Wyoming Seminary have 11 each. 2:10 p.m. EST: Yikes that was quick. Marshall Peppelman (Central Dauphin, PA) with the fall at 160 pounds in SIX SECONDS! That's your No. 1-ranked wrestler in America at the weight class. The top seed Bo Candelaria (Middletown, PA) at 152 survives 5-3 against Matt Huffstickler (Skyline, VA). As a scheduling note, after this round is two rounds of consolation wrestling with a projected start for the round of 16 at about 4:30 p.m. EST. 2:00 p.m. EST: Top seeds seem to be advancing with relative ease. In terms of that 119-pound match, still not sure which kid won -- though the brackets have Orecchio winning. Apologies for the error. Brandon Rolnick (Lawrenceville, NJ); Ben Dorsay (Cox, VA); Chris Villalonga (Blair Academy, NJ); and Codey Combs (Sussex Central, DE) all winning big within the last ten minutes. We are around the 152 weight right now in the round of 32. 1:01 p.m. EST: Upset special here with returning runner-up Joe Orecchio (Don Bosco Prep, NJ) going down to defeat 4-2 in the tiebreakers to Greg Rinker (Northampton, PA). Orecchio is the four seed in this tournament. 12:14 p.m. EST: Still in our first round of wrestling, second round (of 32) wrestling abouto to start in 5 minutes. Central Dauphin, PA your early team leader with 35 points; Boyertown, PA in second with 25-1/2; Bethlehem Liberty, PA third with 23-1/2; Christiansburg, VA in fourth with 23; and a three-way tie for fifth at 22 points between Connellsville, PA, Council Rock North, PA, and Eastern Regional, NJ. Blair Academy, NJ tied for tenth at 18-1/2 points. 11:14 a.m. EST: Bo Candelaria gets win No. 100 with a 15-0 technical fall in 4:00. Colton Peppelman (Central Dauphin, PA) with a win by fall in 3:01 -- the freshman doing it like his two older brothers early in this event. 11:09 a.m. EST: Ultimate tiebreaker, first of those today ... 145 pounds, Matt McBride (Camden Catholic, NJ) is your winner against David Miller (Cumberland Valley, PA). 5-5 the match score, McBride with a rideout to win. 10:23 a.m. EST: Brackets are up. Brackets will be updated one time per hour. 9:55 a.m. EST: First overtime activity of the day! Russ Parsons (Blair Academy, NJ) with the 5-3 overtime win against the No. 8 seed Ryan Hunsberger (Fauquier, VA) at 125 pounds. 9:32 a.m. EST: The No. 5 seed at 119 pounds goes down! Rob Jillard (Delsea Regional, NJ) with the 7-3 win over No. 5 Greg Flournoy (Fauquier, VA). 9:11 a.m. EST: The first seed of the tournament to go down, No. 8 seed Matt Kibblehouse (Salesanium, DE) loses 2-1 on a third period reversal to Cody Stageberg (Cox, VA) at 103 pounds. 9:04 a.m. EST: WE HAVE ACTION -- it's a fall by Zach Bridson (Timberlane, NH), the No. 1 seed at 103 pounds. 9:00 a.m. EST: Due to the weather, there was a 30 minute delay in the start of the tournament and the national anthem is being played right now. Notable team to scratch was Colonial Forge, VA.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team (6-5, 1-0 SoCon) opened its Southern Conference schedule with a 34-7 win over The Citadel (1-3, 0-1 SoCon) in Charleston, S.C. tonight. Sophomore Demetrius Johnson opened the match up with a 7-3 decision over Richard Alacron. Johnson scored two takedowns and a reverse while improving his record to 12-6. Senior Josh Statum followed that up with an 8-0 major decision over Jordan Dix. Statum had a takedown, near-fall and reverse in his eighth win of the season, giving the Mocs a 7-0 lead. The Citadel got on the board when Nick LeFevre scored a 10-0 major decision at 141 over freshman Chanse Hayes. The Bulldogs closed the lead to 7-4 with the win. The 149 match was full of action with The Citadel's Derek Royster scoring a takedown and a nearfall in the opening minutes against freshman Dean Pavlou. Pavlou recovered with an escape and a takedown of his own to end the first period. Pavlou added an escape and a takedown in the second period take a 6-5 lead. Pavlou added two takedowns in the final period to post a 10-8 decision and extend the Mocs' lead to 10-4. Citadel closed the gap to 10-7 when Turtogtokh Luvsandorj recorded a 3-1 decision at 157 over junior Bond Davis. UTC went back up 16-7 when sophomore Brandon Wright answered with pin in the first period against Justin Sparrow at 165. Another great match took place at 174 when No. 16 Jake Young took on James Oddo. Oddo was primed for the upset, leading 5-1 in the third period. However, Young turned the tables on Oddo and scored a Fall at 5:55. The match was put out of reach when sophomore Jason McCroskey recorded the Mocs' third consecutive pin over Kelby Smith at 184, giving UTC a 28-7 lead. Freshman Niko Brown and junior Matt Lettner both won by decisions in their matches at 197 and 285. Brown scored an 11-9 win over Andrew Delaney, the defending SoCon Champion at 197. The Mocs are back in action tomorrow at Davidson. The match begins at 5:00 p.m. (E.S.T.) and can be followed via live stats on GoMocs.com. Results: 125 - Demetrius Johnson (UTC) - Dec. 7-3 - Richard Alacorn (CIT) - UTC, 3-0 133 - Josh Statum (UTC) - MD 8-0 - Jordan Dix (CIT) - UTC, 7-0 141 - Nick LaFevre (CIT) - MD 10-0 - Chanse Hayes (UTC) - UTC, 7-4 149 - Dean Pavlou (UTC) - Dec. 10-8 - Derek Royster (CIT) - UTC, 10-4 157 - Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (CIT) - Dec. 3-1 - Bond Davis (CIT) - UTC, 10-7 165 - Brandon Wright (UTC) - Fall 2:53 - Justin Sparrow (CIT) - UTC, 16-7 174 - No. 16 Jake Young (UTC) - Fall 5:55 - James Oddo (CIT) - UTC, 22-7 184 - Jason McCroskey (UTC) - Fall 1:27 - Kelby Smith (CIT) - UTC, 28-7 197 - Niko Brown (UTC) - Dec. 11-9 - Andrew Delaney (CIT) - UTC, 31-7 285 - Matt Lettner (UTC) - Dec. 3-2 - Ivan Muller (CIT) - UTC, 34-7

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Bumped up from his typical spot at 197 pounds, John Schoen led off NU's night with a pin at heavyweight and Northwestern never looked back, dominating Cleveland State to the tune of a 42-6 dual victory in Cleveland Thursday night. The high-scoring affair marked the first time since Dec. 8, 2007, that the Wildcats scored more than 40 points in a dual match. Northwestern (2-3-1) can now set its sights on hosting and competing in the 2009 Midlands Championships, which get underway at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 29. With starting heavyweight Ben Kuhar sidelined due to injury, the sophomore Schoen filled the gap admirably, leading CSU's Chris Weber throughout the bout before notching the six-point fall with less than 30 seconds remaining in the third period. Schoen is off to an impressive 7-3 start in his second season as a starter. Cleveland State was forced to forfeit the ensuing match at 125 pounds, giving NU's Levi Mele the chance to have his hand raised and extend the 'Cats' team lead to 12-0. Up next at 133 pounds was senior Eric Metzler, who continued the momentum he gained in his last outing by posting a first-period pin of Cleveland State freshman Zech Huff (2:38). Very quickly, Northwestern had control of the match, leading 18-0. For the second straight match, Robert Joyce slid up from his previous spot at 125 pounds to 141, where he battled but eventually lost a 7-1 decision to the Vikings' Mike Mencini. Junior Andrew Nadhir quickly turned the tide back in Northwestern's favor, coasting to a 23-9 tech fall win over Dan Castillo and putting another five points on NU's side of the scoreboard in the process. Nadhir is now 9-2 on the young season and a perfect 6-0 in dual matches. True freshman Kevin Bialka registered the first victory of his career as a dual meet starter at 157 pounds, ringing up Corey Carlo for a 12-3 major decision. After an NU loss at 165 pounds, the 'Cats were bolstered at 174 by the return from injury of redshirt freshman Brian Roddy, Jr., wrestling just down the road from his hometown of Highland Heights, Ohio. Earning his first career dual start, Roddy squared off with CSU senior and two-time NCAA qualifier Marcus Effner but quickly proved he belongs, edging Effner 7-6 to extend Northwestern's lead to 30-6. In addition to Bialka, another true freshman posted a career-first on the night as Marcus Shrewsbury notched the inaugural pin of his collegiate career, doing so in the third period of his bout with Nick Anthony. Junior Aaron Jones emphatically slammed the door on the Vikings, pinning Jeff Schuller early in the second period to win his third straight match and give NU the 42-6 victory. The victory was the 151st in the career of head coach Tim Cysewski. Complete results from Thursday's win are available below. Visit the official Web site of the 47th Midlands Championships and watch a video tracing the origin and history of one of the nation's premier amateur wrestling tournaments! Results: HWT John Schoen Pin 6:35 Chris Weber (6-0 NU) 125 Levi Mele (NU) forfeit (12-0 NU) 133 Eric Metzler (NU) Pin 2:38 Zech Huff (CSU) (18-0 NU) 141 Mike Mencini (CSU) 7-1 Dec. Robert Joyce (NU) (18-3 NU) 149 Andrew Nadhir (NU) Tech Fall 23-9 vs. Dan Castillo (CSU) (23-3 NU) 157 Kevin Bialka (NU) 12-3 Maj. Dec. Corey Carlo (CSU) (27-3 NU) 165 Rob Michaels (CSU) 12-5 Dec. Robert Kellogg (NU) (27-6 NU) 174 Brian Roddy (NU) 7-6 Dec. Marcus Effner (CSU) (30-6 NU) 184 Marcus Shrewsbury (NU) Pin 6:05 Nick Anthony (CSU) (36-6 NU) 197 Aaron Jones (NU) Pin 3:23 Jeff Schuller (CSU) (42-6 NU)

This weekend marks the 17th annual Beast of the East, the 15th of which has been held in December. Blair Academy, NJ is the strong favorites to win the tournament for a tenth consecutive year, and for the fourteenth time overall. The only other teams to win the Beast are Brick Memorial, NJ in January 1994; Bald Eagle Area, PA in 1998; and St. Edward, OH in 1999. The Bucs have also never finished below third in the event (1998). While first place is likely locked, there should be a pretty strong battle for second place between Wyoming Seminary, PA; Central Dauphin, PA; and St. Mark's, DE. Other teams in the field to watch include Long Branch, NJ; Eastern Regional, NJ; and Cox, VA. Seeking third consecutive titles at the tournament this year are Chris Villalonga (Blair Academy, NJ) at 140 pounds and Marshall Peppelman (Central Dauphin, PA) at 160; both wrestlers have also committed to compete at Cornell next fall. In addition, Devin Carter (Christiansburg, VA) and Anthony Baldosaro (Eastern Regional, NJ) seek a third finals appearance -- they compete at 125 and 145 respectively. The following wrestlers seek to defend titles from the 2008 Beast of the East: Mark Grey (Blair Academy, NJ), competing at 119 pounds; Evan Silver (Blair Academy, NJ), competing at 112; Simon Kitzis (Wyoming Seminary, PA), competing at 135 pounds; Villalonga; Baldosaro; Peppelman; Michael Evans (Blair Academy, NJ), competing at 189 pounds; and Boby Telford (St. Mark's DE), competing at 285 pounds. Austin Ormsbee (Blair Academy, NJ) will not be defending his title this year, as he was scratched from the tournament. What: 17th annual T.G.I. Friday's Beast of the East When: Saturday 12-19-09 and Sunday 12-20-09 Where: Bob Carpenter Center, University of Delaware; Newark, DE 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 six mats and consolations on five mats, a second consolation round will then be wrestled; at approximately 11:30 a.m., the tournament will break down to only six mats with the semifinals on two of them. The consolation semifinals should end at approximately 2:15 p.m., with the finals matches for first through eighth place slated to being at 3:15 p.m. Tournament Web site: http://www.beastwrestling.com InterMat Coverage: Periodic updates through a notebook occur throughout the day on Saturday. Live blogging will occur on Sunday focusing on quarterfinal, semifinal, and placement round activity. A recap of the tournament will be published on Monday. 103: Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 10 Tyson Dippery (Central Dauphin, PA); No. 15 Max Hvolbeck (Blair Academy, NJ). Commentary: Unlike in past years, the opening weight is without true superstars. That said, two wrestlers stand out above the field. Both are in their first year as starters, and both earned All-American honors in the Cadet National freestyle competition this past summer. Hvolbeck enters as the two seed after finishing third at 98 pounds, and third at the Ironman last weekend. Dippery enters the tournament as the four seed after earning sixth at 105 pounds, and then placing fourth at the Super 32. The toughest challenge for Hvlobeck looks to be Will Mason (Cape Henry Collegiate, VA), who finished fourth at National Preps last year. For Dippery, it looks to be the winner of a quarterfinal bout between Zach Bridson (Timberlane, NH) and freshman sensation Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, PA); Bridson was second at the New England Championships last year. Top Match on Saturday: Evan Botwin (Wyoming Seminary, PA) vs.. Max Rogers (Delbarton, NJ). Unseeded Wrestler to Watch: Cody Stageberg (Cox, VA) Predicting a Finals Match: Dippery (Central Dauphin) over Hvolbeck (Blair Academy) 112: National Ranked Wrestlers: No. 1 Evan Silver (Blair Academy, NJ); No. 13 Dominick Malone (Wyoming Seminary, PA); No. 1 (at 103) Joey Dance (Christiansburg, VA); No. 14 John Fahy (Louisville Trinity, KY); No. 19 Shyheim Brown (Central Dauphin, PA); and No. 20 Caleb Richardson (Cox, VA). Commentary: The Beast of the East starts to become beastly in this weight class with six nationally ranked wrestlers, and those individuals are balanced three per side. Coming off an Ironman title last week, Silver is a clear favorite in defense of his Beast championship this weekend. Life will not be that easy, starting with a projected quarterfinal against two-time Super 32 placer Jake Smith (Robinson, VA); Smith was also a state runner-up and NHSCA Freshman Nationals runner-up last year. The semifinal bout is likely to be against either Richardson or Fahy, though Fahy would have to get past a New Jersey state placer -- and Super 32 placer -- to reach the quarters. Looking on the other side of the draw, one of the quarterfinals is projected to feature a rematch of last year's fifth place bout at 103 pounds; Brown defeated Pendergast 6-4 in that meeting and is projected to replicate that result here. In the other quarterfinal of the bottom half look for a matchup between Malone and Dance for the third consecutive weekend; Malone has won the past two meetings between these Cadet National freestyle All-Americans. Top Match on Saturday: Fahy vs. Kyle Casaletto (Southern Regional, NJ). Unseeded Wrestler to Watch: Curt Delia (Delsea Regional, NJ) Predicting a Finals Match: Silver (Blair Academy) over Malone (Wyoming Seminary) 119: Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 10 Sean Dolan (St. Mark's, DE); No. 11 Mark Grey (Blair Academy, NJ); No. 13 Robert Deutsch (Eastern Regional, NJ); No. 15 Bryan Whitt (Cox, VA); No. 5 (at 112) Brandon Jeske (St. Christopher's, VA); and No. 18 (at 112) Matt Sausman (Camden Catholic, NJ). Commentary: Yet another weight with six nationally ranked wrestlers present. However, unlike the 112 pound weight class, things are totally wide open here -- as they seem to be across the nation with this weight. The top seed in this weight is the two-time New Jersey state finalist Deutsch; however, he has finished fifth and sixth respectively in two appearances at the Beast. He is likely to have a very tough quarterfinal against either Eric Friedman (St. Paul's, MD) or Sausman, both of whom are up two weight classes from last year. A pair of wrestlers also up two weight classes from last year's tournament -- where they finished second and fourth respectively -- is likely to lead the other quarter in the top half; Joe Orecchio (Don Bosco Prep, NJ) and Greg Flournoy (Fauquier, VA). Grey and Dolan anchor the bottom half of the bracket as the two and three seeds respectively. Grey won this tournament last year at 103 pounds, while Dolan was runner-up at 112 two seasons ago. However, both wrestlers have unkind paths to a potential semifinal matchup. Dolan is looking at a quarterfinal date against Whitt -- a runner-up to Silver at National Prep last year; after having to get past a Saturday match against jujitsu star Shane Arechiga (Good Counsel, MD). Grey projects to face the freshman sensation Jeske, a two-time Super 32 placer and a tremendous talent in Greco-Roman in the quarterfinal round. Top Matches on Saturday: Friedman vs. Sausman and Matt Malfaro (Boyertown, PA) vs. Jeske. Friedman placed seventh in the Beast last year and second at National Prep, while Sausman was third in New Jersey and at NHSCA Sophomore Nationals. Malfaro is a returning Beast placer though he failed to place at the Pennsylvania state tournament. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Rob Jillard (Delsea Regional, NJ), eighth at state; Kyle Johnson (Wyoming Seminary, PA), third at National Prep in 2008. Predicting a Finals Match: Dolan (St. Mark's) over Deutsch (Eastern Regional) 125: Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 2 Devin Carter (Christiansburg, VA); No. 13 Zach Horan (Nazareth, PA); No. 14 Sean Boylan (St. Mark's, DE); and No. 20 Pat Prada (DeMatha Catholic, MD). Commentary: Carter has finished runner-up at the Beast each of the last two years, and is favored to break through with a championship this weekend. However, that path will not necessarily be easy starting with a quarterfinal against either Hunsberger or Marino. The other quarterfinal in Carter's half of the draw features Prada and Aaron Runzo (Kellam, VA), a battle of Junior National All-Americans. Prada placed seventh in freestyle, while Prada was fourth in Greco-Roman. A point of interest here is that Runzo knocked off Boylan in the finals at War on the Shore two weekends ago. Anchoring the bottom half of the bracket is Boylan and Horan. Boylan won the Beast in 2007 at 103 pounds, but was sixth last year at 112, while Horan has taken fourth twice in this event. Both wrestlers have favorable paths to a semifinal bout, with Horan having to most likely clear Ryan Ponte (Northfield Mt. Hermon, MA) -- third at last year's National Prep tournament; while Boylan is looking a match against fellow Beast placer Brandon Shultie (Sussex Central, DE). Top Matches on Saturday: Ryan Hunsberger (Fauquier, VA) vs. Anthony Marino (Bethlehem Liberty, PA); Hunsberger is a state runner-up, who placed seventh at last week's Ironman, while Marino placed fifth at state last year. Unseeded Wrestler to Watch: Garrett Hammond (Wyoming Seminary, PA); the freshman placed eighth at the Ironman last weekend. Predicting a Finals Match: Carter (Christiansburg) over Horan (Nazareth) 130: Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 2 Sam Sherlock (West Mifflin, PA); No. 6 (at 135) Nick Schenk (St. Mark's, DE); and No. 7 Vinny Fava (Elmwood Park, NJ). Commentary: Three elite wrestlers stand out ahead of the rest of the field; however, there is much for storylines among the rest of this field. Both Sherlock and Schenk have finished second at the Beast during the course of their careers, while Fava was champion at NHSCA Junior Nationals this past spring at 135 pounds. The projected semifinal between Schenk and Fava could be one of the highlights -- if each is able to reach that point. Schenk has a potentially tough match on Saturday with NHSCA Junior National All-American Andrew Cornell (Long Branch, NJ). Fava is looking at a quarterfinal against either Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, PA) or Tyler Buckman (Central Dauphin, PA). Life is slightly easier for Sherlock up in the top half of the draw. His likely quarterfinal is against BJ Young (Jackson Memorial, NJ) -- who has placed at the Super 32, Beast of the East, and NHSCA Junior nationals over the years but never in the New Jersey state tournament. The semifinal bout would project to be against one of two super sophomores -- Jacob Crawford (Millbrook, VA) or Todd Preston (Blair Academy, NJ) Top Matches on Saturday: Buckman vs. Morris, featuring the freshman sensation Morris seeking to make a statement on the high school scene against a returning state placer; Schenk vs. Cornell. Predicting a Finals Match: Sherlock (West Mifflin) over Fava (Elmwood Park) 135: Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 7 Simon Kitzis (Wyoming Seminary, PA). Commentary: With Austin Ormsbee (Blair Academy, NJ) out of his second straight major event, the field is absolutely ripe for a Kitzis torpedo. His quarterfinal bout is likely to be against the sophomore Devon Gobbo (Delbarton, NJ) -- who placed eighth in the Super 32 at 130 pounds. While the caliber of opponent improves in the semifinal, Kitzis is not likely to be challenged by either Alex Pelliciotti (Boyertown, PA) or Scott Festejo (Long Branch, NJ). Pelliciotti was third in the preseason Super 32 at this weight after placing fifth at the Beast and seventh in the state down at 130 last year, while Festejo was third in the state at 125 last year. The bottom of this weight bracket is a two-horse race between state champion Wendell Cannon (Sussex Tech, DE) and state third Shawn Greevy (Cumberland Valley, PA). Unseeded Wrestler to Watch: Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, VA) -- ranked 24th among freshmen nationally by InterMat. Predicting a Finals Match: Kitzis (Wyoming Seminary) over Cannon (Sussex Tech) 140: Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 2 (at 145) Chris Villalonga (Blair Academy, NJ); No. 12 (at 145) Taylor Walsh (Camden Catholic, NJ); No. 17 (at 145) Codey Combs (Sussex Central, DE); No. 13 Hank Stinson (Eastern Regional, NJ). Commentary: Seeking a fourth final at the Beast of the East, and a third title, Villalonga should have two matches against ranked competition. It is very likely that he will dominate his way into a semifinal match against Stinson, who was a state champion in 2008 but sustained an injury in the Beast last year and could not compete by season's end. However, Stinson is looking a tough quarterfinal bout against Cody Broomall (Smyrna, DE), who was a state champion last year with an upset victory over Schenk in the state final. The bottom half of the draw is anchored by a pair of state champions, Taylor Walsh (Camden Catholic, NJ) and Codey Combs (Sussex Central, DE). Walsh is a two-time finalist in the Garden State headed into his senior season, while Combs has won state titles in his first two years of high school. Combs could have a tough quarterfinal against Roman Perryman (Robinson, VA), a top three finisher at state in all three years of high school including a state title as a freshman. Saturday Match to Watch: Broomall vs. Charlie Packard (Brecksville, OH). Packard has a very funky style, which is very Jekyll-and-hyde, and finished fifth in the state last year. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Devin Biscaha (Jackson Memorial, NJ) -- fifth at NHSCA Junior nationals; Cohl Fulk (Wyoming Seminary, PA); and Colton Peppelman (Central Dauphin, PA). Predicting a Finals Match: Villalonga (Blair Academy) over Walsh (Camden Catholic) 145: Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 3 Anthony Baldosaro (Eastern Regional, NJ); No. 13 Ben Dorsay (Cox, VA); No. 16 Blake Roulo (Matoaca, VA); and No. 20 Alex Smith (Timberlane, NH). Commentary: Like Villalonga, Baldosaro is an InterMat top 10 recruit in the Class of 2010 seeking to repeat as champion at Beast of the East.; he also is after a third finals appearance in the event. The two-time New Jersey state champion should clear his way to the final with relative ease, as only a semifinal against either the Super 32 placer Smith or Ironman placer Conner Miller (Fauquier, VA) stands in his path. The bottom half of the draw a pair of top wrestlers from the Commonwealth of Virginia -- Dorsay and Roulo; Dorsay is a two-time state champ, while Roulo has finished second and third the last two years. Both wrestlers are returning Beast placers, with Dorsay placing third at this year's Super 32 and Roulo third in the Junior National Greco-Roman competition. Saturday Match to Watch: Roulo vs. Joseph Marino (Garnet Valley, PA); Marino is a returning state qualifier. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Shane Robinson (Absegami, NJ); Erik Gobbo (Delbarton, NJ) Predicting a Finals Match: Baldosaro (Eastern Regional) over Dorsay (Cox) 152: Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 3 Brandon Rolnick (Lawrenceville, NJ); No. 14 Jesse Shanaman (Blair Academy, NJ). Commentary: Kind of a surprise the way the seeding works out with Bo Candelaria (Middletown, PA) as your top seed. He was runner-up at the Beast last year, fourth at state, and fifth at this fall's Super 32. As a result, that means the two nationally ranked wrestlers -- Rolnick and Shanaman -- would be projected to meet in the semifinal round. While each is expected to have legitimately credentialed opposition in the quarterfinal, look for them to advance through the match. Rolnick is looking at either Eric Reger (Delsea Regional, NJ) or Dave Newcomber (Eastern Regional, NJ); while Shanaman is looking at Rich Eva (Christiansburg, VA) or Issah Meade (Caesar Rodney, DE). In the top half of the draw, Candelaria is expected to have a tough quarterfinal against either Bobby Burg (Mercerburg Academy, PA) or Ryan Krecker (Nazareth, PA). His projected semifinal opponent would be Old Dominion signee Matt White (Woodward, OK), who is was Junior National freestyle All-American. However, that is no guarantee, as he has a likely quarterfinal match against either Austin Sommer (Northampton, PA) or Kenny Boyles (Smyrna, DE). Saturday matches to watch: Given the amazing amount of quality depth in this weight class, this is one of those to keep your eye on all day. Burg vs. Krecker -- Burg is a National Prep runner-up, while Krecker placed fourth at state. Sommer vs. Boyles -- Sommer placed third at the Beast and seventh at state, while Boyles was a state runner-up and Junior National Greco-Roman All-American. Reger vs. Newcomer is a battle of returning state place finishers in the Garden State. Eva and Meade is a battle of returning state champions. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Doug Hamann (Jackson Memorial, NJ) is a returning Beast of the East placer, and Kyle Roddy (Brecksville, OH) is a state qualifier. Predicting a Finals Match: Rolnick (Lawrenceville) over White (Woodward) 160: Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 1 Marshall Peppelman (Central Dauphin, PA); No. 5 Nick Visicaro (Long Branch, NJ); and No. 13 Preston Keiffer (Eastern Regional, NJ). Commentary: Though there are three nationally ranked wrestlers, the depth behind that trio is somewhat lacking. Like Villalonga, Peppelman is seeking to win his third Beast of the East championship and is strongly favored to at least reach the final. Standing in his way is a likely semifinal date with Chris Moon (Wyoming Seminary, PA), who placed seventh in the Beast last year and placed the same in last weekend's Ironman. The other side of the bracket features Visicaro and Keiffer, both of whom were Junior National freestyle All-Americans this past summer. Visicaro won a state title and NHSCA Junior National title, while Keiffer has placed fifth and fourth at state the last two years. Saturday Match to Watch: Moon vs. Will Resnick (Penncrest, PA), Resnick is a returning state qualifier seeking a statement upset victory. Predicting a Finals Match: Peppelman (Central Dauphin) over Visicaro (Long Branch) 171: Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 7 Kenny Courts (Central Dauphin, PA) Commentary: In what along with 103, 135, and 215 are clearly the thinnest weights of this tournament -- both in terms of quality at the top and in depth -- Courts seeks a second Beast title in three seasons. However, it is very likely a local rival -- Tristan Warner (Cumberland Valley, PA) -- will be standing in his way. Should the two wrestlers reach the final, it would be the first of what could be five matchups this year. Warner, who placed seventh at the Beast last year, enters the bracket seeded third after failing to place at state but winning the Super 32 this fall. He is also likely to have the toughest of the four quarter brackets, with either Omar Akel (Long Branch, NJ) or Jay Wieller (Wyoming Seminary, PA) as a quarterfinal opponent. The likely semifinal is against a state champion Brad Hitchings (Trinity, KY) who placed fifth in this weight at the Beast last year. Courts -- the top seed in this weight -- should clear his half of the bracket with limited problems. A quarterfinal against either Bobby Bowman (Mt. St. Joseph, MD) or Joey Grainger (Great Bridge), and a semifinal against either Jamie Westwood (Queen of Peace, NJ) or Clint Allala (Hopwell, VA) stand in the way. Westwood placed seventh at state, is a two-time Super 32 placer, and was sixth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals this past spring. Saturday Match to Watch: Akel vs. Wieller -- Akel placed sixth at state this past year, while Wieller was fourth at National Preps. Unseeded Wrestler to Watch: Zach Agostino (Egg Harbor Township, NJ). This state qualifier finished top three in both styles at Cadet Nationals in 2008. Predicting a Finals Match: Courts (Central Dauphin) over Warner (Cumberland Valley) 189: Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 3 (at 171) Michael Evans (Blair Academy, NJ); No. 7 (at 215) Patrick Callender (Council Rock North, PA); and No. 13 Billy George (Long Branch, NJ). Commentary: The last scratch of Antonio Giorgio (Warwick, PA), who had not lost a match prior to the state tournament the last two seasons, does remove a little bit of the luster off of this weight class. However, the presence of three nationally ranked wrestlers, as well as two other Beast place finishers, makes for a pretty solid weight class. Leading the way is defending Beast champion Evans, who was champion at the Ironman last weekend. In his quarterfinal, he is projected to face Nick Kidd (Northfield Mount Hermon, MA) -- a returning New England champion. Then, the other quarterfinal up top is likely to place a pair of returning Beast placers against one another. Andrew Petroski (Springfield Delco, PA) placed fifth at the Beast, is a two-time state place finisher, and was fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals; while Nick Ruggear (Oxford, PA) was eighth at Beast and failed to place at state. The bottom half of the bracket features the pair of wrestlers that appeared in the NHSCA Junior Nationals final at this weight class last year -- Callender and George. The winner on that occasion was George, who finished third in his state tournament. Callender was a state runner-up, and also champion of the Super 32 in the 215 pound weight class. It is very likely that this will be your semifinal at around noon on Sunday. Unseeded Wrestler to Watch: Matt Mullet (Mt. St. Joseph, MD) placed eighth in this event last year, including a major upset pin of Ed Ruth in the opening round Predicting a Finals Match: Evans (Blair Academy) over Callender (Council Rock North) 215: Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 8 Nate Gaffney (Connellsville, PA) Commentary: Along with the 135 pound weight class, this one is the most lopsided to one individual; and it would be a shock for someone other than Gaffney win the title. Gaffney is a defending state champion, who placed fifth in the event last year. His quarterfinal is most likely going to be against either Joey Spicer (Sussex Central, DE) or Conor O'Hara (Cox, VA). The semifinal bout could be against Dillon Hoffman (Blair Academy, NJ) -- who placed eighth at the Ironman last week. The bottom half of the draw is totally wide open. One quarterfinal is a likely battle of state qualifiers involving Ironman placer Spencer Willet (Brecksville, OH) and AJ Mott (DePaul Catholic, NJ). The other bottom quarterfinal projects to involve state placer Demetri Cox (Colonial Forge, VA) against National Prep placer Chris Gill (St. Christopher's, VA). Saturday Match to Watch: A battle of fifth place finishers at state between Spicer and O'Hara. Predicting a Finals Match: Gaffney (Connellsville) over Mott (DePaul Catholic) 285: Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 2 Bobby Telford (St. Mark's DE); No. 4 Karl Green (Mt. St. Joseph's, MD); and No. 6 Mike McMullan (Wyoming Seminary, PA). Commentary: Beyond the top three of this weight, there is painfully little here worth noting. However, this top three is all in the top six nationally of the weight class. Defending Beast champion Telford has smooth sailing to the finals as the top seed. His semifinal bout is likely to be against either the freshman Brooks Black (Blair Academy, NJ) or Billy Vaughan (Brecksville, OH); Black was third at the Ironman last week, while Vaughan finished a match away from placing. One note of interest is that Vaughan was the backup to Jeremy Johnson last year, an Ohio state champion that finished third at the Beast. The bottom semifinal featuring Green and McMullan is a rematch of the National Prep final won by McMullan 6-5. However, this summer Green was an All-American in both styles at the Junior Nationals. Predicting a Finals Match: Telford (St. Mark's) over Green (Mt. St. Joseph)

Happy Holidays wrestling fans- TDR returns to the Brute adidas home studios for our 2nd show of December. Steve Foster takes the helm as I take a personal day to attend my sons graduation. Steve has a great roster of guests. Join him 9:05 AM CST Steve's Guests on TDR This week: 9:05 Ken Kraft- Founder of the Midlands Tournament of Champions at Northwestern University. This is the event of the holiday season. Ken is the founder and we'll happily present this addition to the wrestling public. The date of this years Midlands Dec 29th and 30th 9:20 Tony Ersland- Assist. Head Coach of Nebraska- Jordan Burroughs is on everyone's mind. How has he done since breaking off his teeth at MN. Also, Tony and his wife are expecting... Twins! 9:40 Max Askren- 184 pound standout at Missouri. This is a good kid and a tremendous wrestler. he dropped down a weight to compete this year and looks to be on track to challenge for a title. 10:05 Jake Herbert- 2009: U.S. World Team Trials champion… U.S. Nationals champion… 2008: Bronze medalist at World University Championships… Fifth in Alexander Medved International… Dave Schultz Memorial International champion… 2007: Hargobind International (Canada) champion… Second in Sunkist Kids International Open… 2006: Bronze medalist at World University Championships… University Nationals champion… College: Four-time All-American at Northwestern University, where he was coached by Tim Cysewski… 2007 and 2009 NCAA Champion… 2009 Hodge Trophy winner… Took an Olympic Redshirt in 2008… Compiled 32-0 record in 2007… Second in 2006 NCAA Championships… Third in 2005 NCAA Championships… Three-time Big Ten champion in 2006, 2007 and 2009… 10:20 Joe LeBlanc- Wyoming Cowboy A returning All-American at 184 pounds, LeBlanc has handled an eventful past year maturely and has come back working harder than ever. He enters his sophomore year ranked in the top-five of multiple preseason national polls. LeBlanc has blossomed under the guidance of head coach Mark Branch and his goals consist of nothing less than an NCAA title. He continued to gain high-level experience this past summer when he wrestled at the FILA Junior World Team Trials. 10:40 Kurt Kinser- Indiana Hoosier Qualified for the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year after placing sixth at Big Tens ... moved up to the 157-lbs. weight class and posted a 19-10 record overall, 5-3 in the Big Ten ... finished the regular season ranked 15th nationally, ranking as high as ninth earlier in the year ... compiled five pins, a tech fall and two major decisions throughout the season ... tallied four wins over nationally-ranked opponents on the year ... earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Week laurels after beginning his season with a 5-0 weekend and individual title at the Michigan State Open ... defeated #8 Matt Moley (Bloomsburg) in the second overtime en route to his MSU Open crown ... followed that up by going 5-2 at the Las Vegas Open for a seventh place finish that included wins over #17 Matt Dragon of Penn and #13 Jason Johnstone from Ohio State ... also topped Northwestern's Jason Welch twice, once when he was unranked early in the season and again during the dual match when Welch was slotted #14 in the national rankings ... picked up a win at NCAAs, eliminating Jess Dong of Virginia Tech from the competition with a 10-2 major decision. 10:40 Steve Kinser- Proud Dad of Kurt- Kinser was a high school wrestler and kung fu expert. He finished second in state as a junior, and won state as a senior. Both of his sons wrestled in high school, the youngest Kurt also won state as a senior, capping off the Bloomington High School South team's excellent season. In 2008, Kurt was a redshirt sophomore at Indiana University, competing at the 149 and 157-pound weight classes. Steve Kinser had high expectations entering the 2009 season as he does every year, in search of another championship to add to his record 20 World of Outlaws titles. He began the season by recording Top-10 finishes in 14 of the first 15 races and took the series point lead for the first time since 2005 following a win in his home state of Indiana at Tri-State Speedway. He would hold the top spot for a couple of weeks as he entrenched himself as one of the drivers to beat each and every night. Though some bad luck befell him throughout the year, Kinser turned in yet another consistent season that saw him pick up 49 Top-10 finishes, with 32 of those being Top-Fives to finish the year fourth in the World of Outlaws championship standings. It marked the 26th time in his illustrious career that he has finished fourth or better in points. He was also a state champion Please note that Episode 36 of TDR TV is now up on all the top web sites around the country and is available for your viewing. TDR every week! It's appointment Radio and TV! Join us at Takedownradio.com. America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show airs on Supertalk 1570 in Michigan, AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa and on a radio station near you or on line at many of our broadcast partners around the world including Livesportsvideo.com. TDR "the Radio Program" airs 9 AM to 11 AM CST every Saturday morning we look forward to having you listen. Thanks and Happy Holiday's!

It seems hard to believe that people could be surprised to discover that Jahwon Akui is pretty good at wrestling. After all, he is the No. 9-ranked 160-pounder in the country by InterMat. He was a Cadet Nationals double champion in 2008 and a FILA Cadet Nationals double champion in 2009. But St. Rita, a parochial school on the south side of Chicago, is a football school, and Akui, its football star. Jahwon Akui was named Outstanding Wrestler at the 2009 Reno World of Wrestling ChampionshipsA diminutive but powerfully built running back at 5'5", the junior ran for 1,493 yards and 25 touchdowns with no fumbles on 196 carries despite missing five games with a high ankle sprain this season. He led the Mustangs -- a top-ranked team coming into the season -- to an 11-3 record and a Prep Bowl title on his way to winning the game's MVP award. "We're a football school," says Mike Murphy, Akui's teammate, "and people are surprised to hear that he's a really good wrestler!" Conversely, many wrestling people might be surprised to learn that Akui, an accomplished wrestler on both the state and national levels, excels first on the football field before he takes his show of explosive power and quickness to the mat. For all his natural, physical athletic ability, however, St. Rita wrestling coach Dan Manzella feels that Akui's inner strength is the key to success. "His willingness to compete," Manzella says of Akui's best attribute. "He just has no fear of any of his opponents. He wants to wrestle all the top competitors. I think it's partly because of his competitive nature, and also because he knows he can win." Perhaps it's that kind of attitude that has Akui charging toward a future on the gridiron in college like it was an orange pylon, despite some concerns about his lack of size. "I haven't made a final decision, but I hope I play football," Akui says. "[I'll play] whatever sport gives me the best opportunity to succeed. But if I had to pick one, I'd say football." Though shorter players like Maurice Jones-Drew and Reggie Bush have excelled in college and pro football, the general consensus amongst recruiting experts is that Akui would be a good fit at either a Division I school with an offense like Purdue's or Missouri's, or at a smaller FBS school. As a junior, Jahwon Akui ran for 1,493 yards and 25 touchdowns despite missing five games"A lot has to happen for him," Illinois football recruiting guru "Edgy Tim" O'Halloran says. "I don't think he has the size to be an every-down back. I think he'd be a good fit for someone; I just think he'll be more of a system type of back." Akui claims that he loves both sports equally, but he has no doubt about which is the more arduous activity. "Wrestling is easily more demanding," Akui said. "It takes 24 hours of work, every day of the week. You can't really relax ... it's a continuous strive to [improve]. You can get by in football with born athleticism, but wrestling takes a lot of determination and work, you have to be mentally tough." Akui got his start in wrestling with the Maywood Gladiators Wrestling Club when he was six. It wasn't until he was 11 and began winning matches on a national level that he truly fell for the sport. He chose to attend an athletic powerhouse in St. Rita's where two of the most legendary programs are the wrestling (state titles in 2003 and 04) and football teams (state title in 06). Notable wrestling alumni currently making their mark on Division I include Oklahoma State's Albert White (12th at 149, according to InterMat) and Iowa State's Jerome Ward (12th at 184). "It's pretty awe-inspiring," Akui says of wrestling for the Mustangs. "You walk past the wrestling room and you see Albert White's singlet, Jerome [Ward's] ... those are some pretty big shoes to fill. I appreciate it every time I get to put the blue St. Rita singlet on." As a sophomore last season, Akui was top-ranked entering the state tournament, but finished third with a 37-3 record. He rolled through the regular season despite St. Rita's always-difficult schedule, but suffered a heartbreaking 9-8 OT loss in the 160-pound state semifinals to Michigan State-bound Nick Proctor of Neuqua Valley (ranked No. 8 by InterMat at 171) -- an opponent he had beaten earlier that season. He still has two years left to bring home another state title to the South Side, but it's an experience that he knows he's learned from. Jahwon Akui hasn't made a final decision as to whether he will wrestle or play football in college, but says that he hopes play football"I've just got to stay hungry," Akui says. "Things happen sometimes and don't go your way, [but] you just got to keep wrestling. I think the toughest test was going from the semifinal match to the third place match, knowing that I couldn't get first place." It's that kind of maturity and perspective that led Coach Manzella to approach Akui with an unusual request last season. Manzella felt the Mustangs lacked bold, vocal leadership from his seniors. So midway through the year, he took the 15-year-old sophomore aside, and asked if he felt up the challenge of being a captain. "[Jahwon] stepped up and ran the wrestling room," Coach Manzella said. "He's a real fun-loving guy, but when he walks into the room, he gets right down to business. He's an unbelievable leader, and the heart and soul of this team." Akui enters the 2009-2010 season a bit hobbled after missing five football games with a reported high ankle sprain, but nearly 100 percent again. Currently the No. 2-ranked wrestler at 160 pounds in Illinois by Illinoismatmen.com, he says he plans on wrestling at 171 for now, but could easily drop down to 160 again if he wants to. But if Akui stays at 171, it will set a couple interesting Catholic League clashes with 2009 Walsh Ironman champ Charles Argue of Mt. Carmel.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The Purdue wrestling team got into the holiday spirit last week, helping out in the West Lafayette community over three days. They rang the Salvation Army bells and sang Christmas carols outside Walmart last Wednesday, went to the Jubilee Christmas at Faith Presbyterian Church on Saturday and volunteered at Harrison High School’s wrestling tournament on Sunday. “I think it’s important that we do our part in the community,” said Boilermaker third-year head coach Scott Hinkel. “The holiday season is a great opportunity for our whole team to get out there and give a little back, getting out of their comfort zones and helping out those in need.” On Wednesday, the Boilermakers battled freezing temperatures outside of the West Lafayette Walmart, encouraging everyone passing by to give a little bit. The Purdue wrestlers rewarded those who did give with renditions of a variety of Christmas carols. The squad followed with a trip to Faith Presbyterian Church, attending their annual Christmas Jubilee on Saturday. The team spent the day with local families in need, wrapping presents, sharing stories and doing their best to spread some of the holiday spirit. Sunday returned the team a little closer to their element, heading over to Harrison High School to help out with an all day wrestling tournament. They officiated matches and worked tables throughout the day, working in waves to help out. The Boilermakers have their next competition on Sunday, Dec. 20, hosting four teams for the Purdue Duals. Purdue is scheduled to compete in four dual matches, starting at 10 a.m., in Holloway Gymnasium in the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Needing a victory in the final match, Cal Poly 149-pounder Eric Maldonado earned a technical fall as the Mustangs beat Cal State Bakersfield 22-18 in a Pacific-10 Conference dual wrestling meet Wednesday night at the Icardo Center. The Mustangs, who at 3-0 have already equalled their dual meet win total of a year ago, received victories from Maldonado, Chase Pami, Ryan DesRoches and the Novachkov brothers, Boris and Filip. Cal Poly sent four nationally ranked wrestlers into the dual meet while the Roadrunners had a pair. None of the six met each other and all six were winners. Pami, Cal Poly’s lone returning NCAA All-American, opened the dual meet with a 15-4 major decision against Andrew Balch at 157 pounds. Pami, ranked Nos. 4, 5 and 6 by various publications, improved to 11-2 on the year. DesRoches continued his mastery pinning opponents, earning a fall in 7 minutes, 13 seconds, over Troy Goodban at 174 pounds. DesRoches, ranked for the first time this season at No. 25 by D1CollegeWrestling.net this week, scored a reversal for a 21-7 lead 15 seconds into the final period and pinned Goodban shortly thereafter for his 13th fall of the season. He is 16-4 on the year. Cal State Bakersfield won the next four matches to take an 18-10 lead. The victories included a 9-4 decision by No. 15-16-18 Riley Orozco over Mustang Ryan Smith at 197 and a 3-1 decision by Nos. 9-10 Mitch Monteiro against Jim Powers at 285. Cal Poly rallied with wins in the final three bouts for the dual meet victory, avenging last year’s 24-10 loss to the Roadrunners in Mott Gym. Sophomore Boris Novachkov, ranked Nos. 7-8-9 this week, blanked Justin Durham with a 9-0 major decision at 133, scoring three takedowns, one escape, one penalty point and riding time. Novachkov is now 12-0 on the year. His brother, Filip Novachkov, followed with a 7-5 win over Elijah Nacita at 141, improving to 12-2. Novachkov, ranked Nos. 3, 4 and 8, led all the way with three takedowns and an escape as Cal Poly closed the gap to 18-17. Finally, Maldonado wrapped up the Mustang dual meet victory with his 22-7 technical fall against Calvin Miller at 149. Maldonado, now 3-2 this season, led 2-1 after the first period and 7-2 after the second period before posting six takedowns and a two-point near fall in the final period to win going away. Cal State Bakersfield had won five of the last six meetings between the two schools after the Mustangs earned three straight wins from 2001-03. The Roadrunners still lead the all-time series 25-15-2 against Cal Poly. The Mustangs, ranked as high as No. 16 this week, beat Cal State Fullerton 26-13 on Nov. 14 and upset then-No. 10-ranked Missouri 22-15 on Nov. 20. Cal State Bakersfield, which fell 31-9 to No. 4 Minnesota in November, is now 0-2 on the year. Both teams will compete in the 15th Annual Reno Tournament of Champions on Sunday at the Reno Downtown Convention Center in Reno, Nevada. Results: 125 – Frank Lomas (CSUB) fall Micah Ferguson (CP), 5:00 133 – No. 9 Boris Novachkov (CSUB) maj. dec. Justin Durham (CSUB), 9-0 141 – No. 8 Filip Novachkov (CP) dec. Elijah Nacita (CSUB), 7-5 149 – Eric Maldonado (CP) tech. fall over Calvin Miller (CSUB) 22-7 157 – No. 6 Chase Pami maj. dec. Andrew Balch (CSUB), 15-4 165 – Joey Granata (CSUB) dec. Travis Rasmussen (CP), 10-3 174 – Ryan DesRoches (CP) fall Troy Goodban (CSUB), 5:13 184 – Mike Larson (CSUB) dec. Tyler Holt (CP), 9-5 197 – Riley Orozco (CSUB) dec. Ryan Smith (CP), 9-4 285 – No. 10 Mitch Monteiro (CSUB) dec. Jim Powers (CP), 3-1 Note: Dual meet started with 157-pound match.

Park Ridge, Ill. -- University of Minnesota wrestling heavyweight Ben Berhow was named Big Ten Wrester of the Week on Dec. 15, after posting a 2-0 mark last week. The honor is the first of his career for the junior, and he is the first Golden Gopher of the season named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week. A native of Hayward, Minn., Berhow's week began when Minnesota hosted Nebraska on Dec. 10. With Minnesota trailing 3-6 early in the match, the 11th ranked Berhow came up against seventh ranked Tucker Lane. In his previous two matches Berhow faced two wrestlers also ranked in the top-10, dropping narrow decisions in each. Berhow and Lane also matched up earlier in the season, with Lane earning a 3-1 overtime win. This time, Lane again took charge early, and held a 6-5 lead in the third period. A third period takedown by Berhow gave him a 7-6 lead as time began to wind down. Before the end of the third period, Lane was able to gain one last point on an escape, and regulation ended with the score tied 7-7. In the first overtime period, Berhow scored a takedown to end the match and earn the 9-7 win. The win also tied the match at 6-6, and the Gophers would not trail again on their way to the 28-14 victory. Three nights later, on Dec. 13, Berhow capped the Gophers dominating 41-3 win with a pin in the final match. The third-period fall was his second of the season, and his first in dual meet action. Berhow is now 7-3 on the season and 2-2 in duals. Berhow and the Gophers are currently ranked No. 6 in the country and are 3-1 in dual meets. They next compete at the Southern Scuffle on Dec. 29 and 30, hosted by the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Their first dual is against the current No. 2 team in the nation, Iowa State, and is in the Sports Pavilion on Jan. 3 at 2:00 p.m.

Jake Herbert