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