PITTSBURGH -- One year after the much ballyhooed Pennsylvania senior Class of 2010 was knocked off in the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic, 30-13 (only winning four of 13 matches), not so much was expected out of this year's senior group from the Keystone State. Though it is a good group, as it always is in Pennsylvania, it was nowhere near as star-studded as last year's.
In fact, many dismissed their chances against a United States squad that featured ten wrestlers ranked first in the country. Quite frankly, they were an afterthought. And that perspective was most personified in the evening's open match, as Destin McCauley (Apple Valley, Minnesota) faced off against Mike Ottinger (Parkland). McCauley is ranked first in the nation in his weight class, and first in all the Class of 2011. He was a five-time state champion, and six-time state finalist in high school; and won a Junior National freestyle title in Fargo, North Dakota this past summer.
On the other hand, prior to two weekends ago, Ottinger had never placed at state before winning the title at 160 pounds in somewhat of upset fashion - with a 3-2 in the ultimate tiebreaker over 2010 National Prep champion Jason Luster (Pittsburgh Central Catholic). However, in this match, Ottinger used takedowns in the second and third period to score a 6-4 upset victory.
"I had nothing to lose," said Ottinger about wrestling McCauley. "I just went out to wrestle hard and have fun." The Parkland wrestler is undecided about his college plans, and quite frankly remains unsure if he is going to wrestle or play soccer. As a soccer player, Ottinger was a three-year starter at forward, where he scored 40 career goals -- which is sixth most in school history; he was also an all-area and all-conference first team selection on the pitch.
The next three matches also featured top-ranked wrestlers in the nation for the United States taking to the mats. At 285 pounds, Donny Longendyke (White Bear Lake, Minnesota) rallied back from giving up a first period takedown to No. 15 Terrance Jean-Jacques (Wyoming Seminary) to emerge with a 3-2 victory after an escape and takedown in the third period. The 215 pound match featured Andrew Campolattano (Bound Brook, New Jersey) facing No. 16 Garth Lekitsky (Tamaqua). Campolattano got the first takedown of the match, before Lekitsky scored a four-point move off a reversal in the first period and a reversal in the second period to take a 6-3 lead. While riding hard in the top position, Campolattano took his third injury time, and that was the match. Lekitsky -- an undefeated state champ this year -- won by injury default, and the Keystone State seniors took a 9-3 lead in the dual meet.
Six-time state champion Logan Storley (Webster, South Dakota) upended No. 19 John Michael Staudenmayer (Plymouth Whitemarsh), 3-1, keyed by a second period takedown. After four matches, Pennsylvania led 9-6, as the 135 pound wrestlers took to the mat. This would be the fifth of nine consecutive matches to open the dual meet where the United States sent out a No. 1-ranked wrestler to the mats.
In last year's Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic, Logan Stieber (Monroeville, Ohio/Ohio State) earned an 11-5 victory over Mitchell Port (Bellefonte/Edinboro) at 125 pounds. In this 135 pound match, younger brother Hunter Stieber -- also ranked No. 1 in the nation -- would be facing event alternate Travis Shaffer (Derry). Shaffer, ranked No. 20 at 140 pounds, was originally slated to compete in the undercard at 140 pounds; but when No. 6 Dan Neff (Solanco) sustained an injury, Shaffer answered the bell.
And he did so in superlative fashion. After fending off a deep leg attack by Stieber at the end of the first period, Shaffer scored a tilt in the second period, which combined with a ride out gave him a 3-0 lead. An escape to start the third period made it 4-0 for Shaffer. After Stieber scored a takedown to cut the deficit to 4-2, an escape and subsequent counter takedown closed the deal in a 7-2 victory for the Class AA state champion at 140 pounds.
"It means a lot to me," said Shaffer of winning this match. "The only ones believing that I could win this match were my family, those close to me, and me." After finishing fifth, fifth, and fourth in the state prior to this past year, "this year's state tournament was my last chance, and I put it all together to have a great weekend."
"The Pennsylvania team was counting on me to pull off the upset and I did," Shaffer further observed. "I knew I was one of the best in the country pound-for-pound (just like Hunter Stieber, who ranked No. 6 in the Class of 2011), and I was able to step it up tonight."
This performance earned him Outstanding Wrestler honors for the Pennsylvania team. Shaffer said, "I couldn't have dreamed a better scenario to end my high school career. It was just perfect."
And a fourth upset of a number one ranked wrestler came in the next match, as No. 12 Jordan Conaway (New Oxford) upended Evan Silver (Blair Academy, New Jersey) 3-2, which extended the Pennsylvania lead to 15-6. The Liberty University bound Conaway just "waited for an opportunity to capitalize" against Silver, which he did midway through the third period.
The Pennsylvania momentum came to a temporary screeching halt in the next match, when yet another No. 1 ranked wrestler took to the mats at 189 pounds for the United States. The Penn State bound Morgan McIntosh (Calvary Chapel, California) -- ranked No. 2 in all the Class of 2011 -- earned a fall at the 2:59 mark against Ryan Hembury (Muncy). McIntosh, a three-time state champion, opened the match with four takedowns in the first period and a fifth in the second period before taking Hembury to his back for the fall with the match's sixth takedown.
"I like taking people down and dominating," said McIntosh about the match and his wrestling style. "I want to keep the match on my feet and make it fun." In response to wrestling in the same state that he will over the next four-to-five years, he said, "I didn't know that this many people would show up. It just shows how great Pennsylvania is as a wrestling state, though I'm sure it will be different in the future when they're fully in support of me."
The first of a pair of No. 1 vs. No. 2 matches in the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic was next on the mat, as No. 1 Jesse Thielke (Germatown, Wisconsin) upended Zach Horan (Nazareth) 8-3. Thielke scored a takedown and near fall points in the first period and a reversal in the third period to go up 6-3. Then, he scored the final takedown while countering an attempted cement mixer by Horan.
"I knew it was coming, I just tried to bounce it off," said Thielke of Horan's attempted late match move. "It resulted in a good scramble, which there was a lot of (in the match), and I wasn't going to let him score."
An accomplished international styles wrestler, which includes being a two-time representative on the FILA Junior World Greco-Roman team, Thielke observed that those styles "teach me the positions, and moves from those positions."
Being in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 match was no added pressure for Thielke. "The matchups and numbers mean nothing. The rankings can't be in my mind, it all has to stay on the match on the mat." If seeing four numbers one's going down before his match doesn't affirm that belief, then nothing will.
With the score tied at 15-15 in the dual meet, the second of the two matchups featuring No. 1 and No. 2 wrestlers battling it out took to the mats. Scoreless after one period for the fifth time in the evening's first nine matches, No. 1 Alex Dieringer (Port Washington, Wisconsin) would open the scoring with a choice escape. However, Nick Hodgkins (Wyomissing) answered back with a takedown before period end. Then, an escape to open the third period would make it 3-1. Two takedowns later, Hodgkins would emerge with a 7-2 victory. That result was selected for the "Turning Point Award," as Pennsylvania took an 18-15 lead in the dual meet that would never be relinquished.
"I wanted my team to win badly," said Hodgkins, which provided him with further motivation to win the match. "In addition, I wanted to win it for myself. It's been a goal all year to end the season number one in the country." This result will go a long way in earning this Super32 Challenge and Beast of the East champion such honors.
Mason Beckman (Reynolds), ranked No. 2 in the nation at 125 pounds, wrestled in the Dapper Dan at 119 pounds and took to the mats next. Takedowns in the first and third period propelled the Lehigh-bound Beckman to a 5-2 victory against No. 13 Earl Hall (South Dade, Florida).
In a rematch of the Walsh Ironman final from early December, No. 6 Evan Henderson (Kiski Prep) would defeat No. 2 Cam Tessari (Monroeville, Ohio). A key sequence in that match came late in the first period with Tessari working deep on a leg attack finish against Henderson while leading 2-1. Henderson would successfully counter out of that position to score a takedown of his own. After a great scramble to close the period, with no change in position, Henderson took a 3-2 lead into the second period though one could argue Tessari had the better period.
"Actually in the Ironman final I had a 2-0 lead after one period, so I knew I needed to get more points somewhere," said Henderson about his thoughts after that opening period. "However, I didn't worry about it, I just kept wrestling, and something did happen."
That something came in the form of a reversal during the second period. After riding Tessari out the remainder of the period, the North Carolina bound two-time National Prep champion carried a 5-2 lead heading into the last period. Tessari would choose the neutral position, and despite a late takedown, Henderson exited the match with a 5-4 victory.
"We gave the fans a good show, lots of oohs, aahs, and claps," observed Henderson. "Though I would have liked things to be a little more comfortable."
In discussing the pre-match approach, Henderson said, "I cared about (the match), but didn't want to care too much, so I could go out and have some fun. While our group of seniors wasn't perceived to be the top (like the opponents we were facing), we just wanted to get there."
His victory extended the Keystone State advantage to 24-15 with two matches remaining. No. 1 Bryce Hammond (Bakersfield, California) upended Travis McKillop (Burrell) 4-2 with a takedown in the first period and in the overtime session. Then, in the last match, No. 1 Nico Megaludis (Franklin Regional) officially clinched the Pennsylvania victory with a 9-3 victory over No. 4 (at 119) Conor Youtsey (Mason, Michigan) -- who wrestled up a weight class at 125 pounds.
After falling short last year, the Keystone State seniors emerged victorious with a 27-18 victory, which bucked a 1-9 stretch in the previous ten Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic main events.
Results:
152: Mike Ottinger (Parkland) dec. No. 1 Destin McCauley (Apple Valley, Minnesota), 6-4
285: No. 1 Donny Longendyke (WBL, Minnesota) dec. No. 15 Terrance Jean-Jacques (Wyoming Sem.), 3-2
215: No. 16 Garth Lekitsky (Tamaqua) inj. def. over No. 1 Andrew Campolattano (Bd. Brook, New Jersey)
171: No. 1 Logan Storley (Webster, South Dakota) dec. No. 19 J.M. Staudenmayer (PW), 3-1
135: No. 20 (at 140) Travis Shaffer (Derry) dec. No. 1 Hunter Stieber (Monroeville, Ohio), 7-2
112: No. 12 Jordan Conaway (New Oxford) dec. No. 1 Evan Silver (Blair Academy, New Jersey), 3-2
189: No. 1 Morgan McIntosh (Calvary Chapel, California) pinned Ryan Hembury (Muncy), 2:59
130: No. 1 Jesse Thielke (Germantown, Wisconsin) dec. No. 2 Zach Horan (Nazareth), 8-3
145: No. 2 Nick Hodgkins (Wyomissing) dec. No. 1 Alex Dieringer (Port Washington, Wisconsin), 7-2
119: No. 2 (at 125) Mason Beckman (Reynolds) dec. No. 13 Earl Hall (South Dade, Florida), 5-2
140: No. 6 Evan Henderson (Kiski Prep) dec. No. 2 Cam Tessari (Monroeville, Ohio), 5-4
160: No. 1 Bryce Hammond (Bakersfield, California) dec. No. 3 Travis McKillop (Burrell), 4-2 OT
125: No. 1 Nico Megaludis (Franklin Regional) dec. No. 4 (at 119) Conor Youtsey (Mason), 9-3
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