No. 1 Evan Toth (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) pinned Derek Humphrey (Davison, Mich.), 5:25, 125-pound state dual meet final
This was the last match of the Division 1 dual meet state championship match, and entering this match, Davison held a 26-22 lead in the dual meet. When these teams competed in a mid-December match, Detroit Catholic Central won 44-23. However, three key factors enabled Davison to be in position to win this meeting: (1) two-time state champion Justin Oliver made a late season return from injury at 130 pounds (2) Dominic Russ scored an unexpected first period pin against No. 12 (at 126) Ken Bade in the 135-pound match (3) Jordan Cooks scored a 5-3 decision at 160 over Logan Marcicki in a battle of past state champions, a match in which Marcicki won by fall two months before.
In this particular match, Humphrey had a big lead with under a minute to go in the match. However, Toth came up with a miracle move to get the fall and ensure Detroit Catholic Central repeated as team state champions. After-effects of this dual from a ranking standpoint are the Shamrocks slide back a couple of positions to No. 17, while Davison returns into the Fab50 at No. 43.
No. 2 Chris Pajak (Carl Sandburg, Ill.) dec. No. 17 Joe Ariola (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.), 2-1, 182-pound state dual meet quarterfinal
Heading into this match the teams split the first eight matches of this state quarterfinal dual meet (120 through 170). It was Oak Park River Forest hanging on to an 18-16 lead, which was the closes the match had been since the Huskies led 5-4 after Isaiah White's technical fall victory at 126 pounds. They were also favored in this key match, as undefeated state champion Ariola stepped on the mat to face an opponent he had beaten 5-2 in the opening round of the state tournament and 7-3 in their mid-January dual meet.
However, this time around it was Pajak pulling off the upset, which gave the Eagles a 19-18 lead, their first since Sebastian Pique scored an 11-3 major decision in the opening match of the dual meet. Though the Huskies did respond with a technical fall in the next match from Andre Lee against a reserve wrestler, Carl Sandburg got a technical fall and pin at 220 and 285 from Ricky Robertson and Bill Gore, who each bumped up one weight class from normal. A decision victory from Christian Robertson at 106 then gave the Eagles an insurmountable 33-23 lead as the teams double forfeited the last match.
Though this match was the de facto state final, Carl Sandburg had to earn a 36-23 victory over previously ranked Glenbard North in the semifinal, and then a 38-17 victory over No. 24 Marmion Academy in the actual finals match. The results of this weekend move Carl Sandburg up three spots to No. 10 nationally, while Oak Park River Forest drops two spots down to No. 11 in the nation.
No. 3 Keegan Moore (Putman City, Okla.) dec. No. 12 Joseph Smith (Stillwater, Okla.), 13-12, 132-pound state final
Defending state champion Joseph Smith, the son of Oklahoma State head coach John Smith, entered this state final with an undefeated mark of 62-0 through two years of high school wrestling. He was also a Cadet National freestyle runner-up last summer. His opponent, a fellow sophomore in Moore, placed third at state last year and entered this match with a 75-3 record. In a high scoring shootout, it was Moore who scored the upset victory to end the undefeated streak of the starlet Smith.
No. 4 Jack Mutchnik (St. Paul's School, Md.) dec. No. 20 Judson Preskitt (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), 5-4, 126-pound National Prep final
This match featured a pair of wrestlers who had already placed twice at the National Prep tournament prior to this year. Walsh Ironman runner-up Preskitt, who is a senior, entered this match as the nationally ranked wrestler and the number one seed; while the junior Mutchnik was the second seed in the weight class. Trailing 4-3 and facing a fresh start sequence with less than five seconds remaining, Mutchnik was able to somehow launch an attack and secure the match-winning takedown before time expired.
No. 5 No. 20 Rendaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) dec. Tristan Rifenburg (Norwich, N.Y.) 2-1, 132-pound final
Despite possessing prodigal levels of talent, the junior Rodriguez-Spencer had not put it together in the form of a state championship until this past Saturday night, though he finished as state runner-up last year. It was an extremely tight finals battle against the sophomore Rifenburg, who placed sixth at state last year, but was a two-time finalist before even entering high school.
No. 1 Blair Academy, superstar wrestlers dominate show at National Prep Championships
In winning their 33rd consecutive National Prep title this past weekend, Blair Academy, N.J. put their final mark on yet another No. 1 team ranking as they crowned six champions: Charles Tucker (113), No. 2 Matthew Kolodzik (120), No. 6 Joey McKenna (132), No. 5 Russ Parsons (152), No. 3 Frank Mattiace (195), and No. 2 Brooks Black (285). All fourteen Buccaneer wrestlers earned placements, as the six champs were joined by runner-up finishes from Walker Dempsey (138) and No. 6 (at 138) Mason Manville (145); third place finishes form Alex Rinaldi (126) and Addison Knepshield (182); while Patrick Coover (170) was fourth, Matt Deehan (106) and David Showunmi (220) were sixth, and Jack Wedholm (160) finished seventh. The Buccaneers amassed 324.5 points.
Second place with a rather impressive 236 points was the nation's third ranked team, Wyoming Seminary, Pa. Leading their effort was championships won by Nicky Hall (170) and No. 1 Eric Morris (182), who did not give up a single point in his five victories (2 pins, 2 technical falls, and a 10-0 major decision in the final); while No. 20 Judson Preskitt (126), No. 11 Garrett Ryan (220), and No. 8 Michael Johnson (285) added runner-up finishes. Six other Blue Knights wrestlers finished in the top six: third place finishers Will Crisco (120) and Tyrel White (145), fifth place finishers Danny Boychuck (113) and Chris Weiler (160), along with sixth place finishers Tyler Ponte (132) and Matt Doggett (195).
Despite six wrestlers finishing in the top three, it was not enough to keep No. 31 McDonogh, Md. from finishing any higher than fourth in the team race. The Eagles were led by weight class champions No. 14 Jack Clark (145), who beat Manville 7-2 in the championship match; and No. 8 Myles Martin (160), who won his final by injury default over No. 10 Josh Llopez (St. Mary's Ryken, Md.). Tyler Patrick (182) finished as runner-up, while third place finishes came from T.K. Megonigal (106), Xavi Ramos (138), and Toby Hague (152). That performance yielded them 152 points.
However, third place as a team went to Good Counsel, Md., which scored 160.5 points. This performance merits the Falcons inclusion in the Fab50 national team rankings in the No. 42 position. Like clockwork their effort was led by the dominance of No. 1 Kyle Snyder, who won the 220-pound weight class with four pins and a 21-6 technical fall over No. 11 Ryan in the final. Six other wrestlers earned placement finishes: Kevin Budock (120) and Spencer Neff (195) were runners-up; Adam Whitesell (106), Jhared Simmons (126), and Jemal Averette (285) finished fourth; while Phillip Robliotto (170) earned sixth place.
Additional weight class titles were won by No. 12 Jack Mueller (Trinity Christian Academy, Tex.), 15-13 in overtime against Ethan McCoy (Kiski Prep, Pa.) at 106; Jack Mutchnik at 126; and No. 5 Alfred Bannister (Bishop McNamara, Md.) at 138, who was named the tournament's Oustanding Wrestler.
Championships this coming week
Individual bracket championships start on Thursday in Michigan, North Carolina, and Ohio; while Friday sees the start to championships in California, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, and the New England Regional. Minnesota will decide its dual meet champions on Thursday, while Wisconsin conducts its dual meet tournament on Friday and Saturday.
Dual meet tournament recaps
Illinois
As mentioned previously, Carl Sandburg moves up to No. 10 nationally after repeating as Class AAA dual meet state champions. In Class AA, No. 12 Montini Catholic dominated their three opponents on the way to the title; 52-9 over Lincoln-Way West in the quarters, 43-25 over Sycamore in the semis, and 49-10 over Geneseo in the final. Winning the Class A title was Dakota with a 35-25 victory over Aledo in the final, and prior 41-25 win over LeRoy in the quarterfinal and 57-19 over PORTA in the semifinal.
Michigan
Detroit Catholic Central and Davison both reached the Division 1 championship match via dominant quarterfinal and semifinal victories: for the Shamrocks, it was a 62-7 win over Grandville followed by a 48-13 victory over Rochester, while the Cardinals accrued wins of 50-12 over Holt and 44-15 over Hartland. No. 4 St. Johns won yet another Division 2 championship, their only remotely close match being the 42-20 finals victory over Lowell. The Division 3 final went to Dundee, 35-25 over Richmond; while Division 4 was won by Hudson, 32-24 over Hesperia.
Nebraska
In Class A, Omaha Burke defeated Grand Island 30-27 to win the title, which reversed the order of their finish in the individual tournament the week before. Eventual champions Omaha Burke jumped out to a 30-12 lead after 170 pounds, and though the Islanders won the last four matches, they could not amass the bonus points necessary to rally back for the victory. As a result, the Islanders dropped out of this week's Fab50 national team rankings.
Other dual meet champions were Skutt Catholic in Class B, 33-27 over Nebraska City; Madison in Class C, 31-28 over Central City; and Amherst in Class D, 52-21 over Pender.
Other individual tournament recaps
Arkansas
Bentonville won the Class 6A/7A title with 254 points, while Catholic High and Rogers were just over 60 points back in the standings. The big school champions were led by three individuals -- Ryan Flynn (113), Aaron Grigsby (120), and Jeff Bizzle (132) -- who stood on top of the podium in their weight class. In the 1A-5A classification, it was Maumelle winning the title with 288.5 points, which were just over 90 more than runner-up Beebe and third place Central Arkansas Christian.
Colorado
Pomona won the big school Class 5A title with 125 points, with the state title won by Archie Colgan (160) highlighting their seven state placers. Finishing close behind in the standings were Ponderosa (107.5) and Greeley West (103.5). It was even closer for the Class 4A title, which was won by Broomfield with 140.5 points, while Discovery Canyon (129.5) and Windsor (129) were right on their heels. Weight class titles from Phil Downing (145) and Zach Stodden (170) led the way among Broomfield's eight state placers.
Four teams went over 100 points in Class 3A, which was won by Alamosa with 136.5 points. Bennett finished runner-up with 118, Centauri was third at 115.5, while fourth place went to Valley with 108 points. Neff Malouff's title at 120 pounds, three runner-up finishes, and two third place finishers were among the seven Alamosa wrestlers to place. Extreme dominance came in small school Class 2A where Paonia led the way with 205.5 points, though Jesse Reed (120) was the lone champion among 11 placers; finishing in second and third were Highland and Baca County with 148 and 130 points respectively.
Delaware
This is an unscored individual tournament, as team titles were decided in a dual meet format. However, as usual, it was Smyrna and Caesar Rodney that showed their might. Smyrna had six finalists, with five winning titles: Alebbo Monsanto (106), No. 3 Brent Fleetwood (113), Tyler Carney (126), Jarred Wilson (160), and Zach Boyles (170). Caesar Rodney was right behind with four finalists, three champions in Micah Hight (120), Tony Scarfo (132), and Zach Parker (285).
Idaho
Centennial was absolutely dominant in the big school Class 5A tournament with 318 points, with second place Post Falls over 80 points back. The big school champions were led by a trio of state champions -- No. 3 Hayden Tuma (138), Jon-Jay Chavez (145), and Jon Fisher (220) -- among their litany of state placers. In Class 4A, it was Columbia winning the title with 306.5 points, while Kuna was the only team within even 100 points by tournament's end, as they scored 267. Six weight class titles -- those coming from Tomaz Gonzalez (138), Tristian Jarobe (145), Garrett Grigsby (160), Olin Vickers (170), Austin Schaffer (182), and Tim McDonald (195) -- led the way among a slew of placers for Columbia.
It was Weiser winning the Class 3A title with 227.5 points, which second place Fruitland was 45 points back in the standings. Among the many placers for Weiser, Lionel Perez (126) was their lone champion. Finally, in the small school Class 2A tournament, Declo was on top of the closest team race with 176.5, while second place Melba (156) was about 20 points back. Kage Osterhut (220) was the only state champion for the small school team champions.
Kansas
Garden City dominated their way to the big school Class 6A title with 173.5 points, while Junction City was in second with 125.5 points. Leading the champs' eight placers were a pair of state champions in Michael Prieto (106) and Tevin Briscoe (132). Similarly dominant in Class 5A was Arkansas City, who won the title with 177-1/2 points, while St. James Academy was in second with 141, and St. Thomas Aquinas was third with 128. Among their ten state placers, Arkansas City had a trio of champions in Logan Terrill (106), Cody Eastman (145), and Wyatt Villres (152).
The proceedings were much close in Class 4A, as four teams finished within 15 points, with Holton earning the title on 104.5 points; Colby with 96, Andale at 90.5, and Bonner Springs with 90 points were right on their heels. Holton won the title on volume, as Hunter Price (120) was the lone champion with six other placers (one in fourth and five in fifth). Finally, the small school Class 3/2/1A was won by Norton Community with 129.5 points, which was just over thirty more than second place Hoxie. John Risewick (132) was the lone state champion among Norton's eight state placers.
New Mexico
It was a joint championship in the big school Class 5A tournament as Cleveland and Rio Grande tied with 196 points, while Rio Rancho took third with 175 points. Cleveland and Rio Rancho had the joint most champions with three each. No. 15 Paul Mascarenas (113), Arturo Vigil (170), and Clayton Parkey (220) won for Cleveland; while Orlando Gutierrez (132), Miguel Barreras (152), and Jordan Lara (160) were champions for third place Rio Rancho. Cleveland also had a tournament-high ten placers, while Rio Grande and Rio Rancho had nine each. For Rio Grande, their sole title came from Nick Chavez (195); however, they had six other top three finishers, three each in second and third.
Piedra Vista dominated the Class 4A tournament with 314.5 points, winning by almost 140 points. Their champions were Jacob Palmgren (120), Anthony Juckes (132), Ryan Rino (152), Wyatt Hardy (160), and Christian Acosta (220). While, the small school Class 3A title went to St. Michael's with 204 points, while Silver was second with 198 points. Leading the way for St. Michael's were state champions Geno Palermo (113), Mario Olivas (126), Jose Ocampo (138), Korey Windham (160), and Andres Blea (285).
New York
The two Long Island sections (XI and VIII) dominated the happenings in the Division I event, as they accounted for ten of the 15 weight class champions, while team champions Wantagh are a Section VIII squad. For the team leaders, Kyle Quinn (106) was the lone champion; other placements came in the form of a runner-up finish from James Corbett (182), third place finish from Dan McDevitt (170), and fourth place finish for Vinny Turano (132).
Notable weight class champions included eighth grader Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton) at 99 pounds; No. 19 Nick Piccinnini (Ward Mellville) at 113, who dismantled two-time state champion Kyle Kelly (Chenango Forks) in earning a 14-4 major decision; Junior freestyle All-American Nick Kelly (Shenendehowa) getting a maiden title at 138; Cory Rahseed (Longwood), who dominated four opponents on the way to his title at 152; and No. 13 Tyler Grimaldi (Half Hollow Hills West) at 160.
Division II joined the Division I tournament in having all fifteen of its weight class champions come from different schools. Highlight champions included John Aslanian (Edgemont) improving upon two previous runner-up finishes to win the title at 120; William Koll (Lansing) at 126, as he regained the state champion status he earned in 2011; No. 19 Rodriguez-Spencer with his title at 132; Nick Tighe (Phoenix) earning a second title, 3-1 over fellow defending champion Connor Lapresi (Lansing) at 138; as well as those from nationally ranked wrestlers in No. 11 Burke Paddock (Warsaw) at 160, No. 8 Zach Zupan (Conastota), for whom is was a second straight title, and No. 18 Zack Bacon (Hornell) at 220.
Oklahoma
No. 30 Edmond North ended the reign of No. 36 Broken Arrow on top of the Class 6A standings, as they out-pointed the Tigers 125.5 to 98.5 for the title. The Huskies were led by four state champions in the upper-weights from Derek White (170), No. 14 Lance Dixon (182), No. 18 Joel Dixon (195), and No. 6 Andrew Dixon (220); along with a runner-up finish from Jordan Prince (106) and third place finishes from Cy Trindle (113) and Josh Breece (126). Broken Arrow responded with a pair of titles from Tanner Bailey (145) and Carlos Taylor (285), a runner-up finish from Markus Simmons (120), and third place finishes from Zack Edwards (132), Paden Bailey (152), and Brock Warren (170).
No. 13 Collinsville led an assault on the Class 5A field with 174 points, which was just over 50 points more than second place Lawton McArthur. Leading the way for the champion Cardinals were five state gold medalists: No. 4 Christian Moody (106), No. 6 Davion Jeffries (113), Will Steltzen (132), Gary Wayne Harding (138), and Dylan Helm (145). Another four wrestlers finished as runners-up, while an additional grappler placed fourth.
No. 40 Tuttle won yet another Class 4A state title with 193 points, which was almost as many as the next three teams in the standings amassed. Six wrestlers earned titles for Tuttle: Blake Dauphin (113), Gunner Laffoon (132), Dakota Head (145), No. 5 Zach Beard (170), Dustin Mason (220), and Nathan Jackson (285). Four additional wrestlers earned placements, one in second and three finishing third.
Rounding out the champions was Perry in Class 3A with 104 points, led by just one state champion in David Thomas (160), though they had four wrestlers take home second place.
Oregon
David Douglas won the big school Class 6A title, which was their first since 1966. They were led by three state champions -- Vagif Afrasov (138), Elijah Taylor (160), and Ihoghama Odighizuwa (195) -- on the way to scoring 146 points. Three-time defending state champions Roseburg were third with 120 points, while Oregon City took second with 126.5 points.
No. 46 Hermiston made it a sixth title in seven years when they took the Class 5A title with 246 points, while defending state champions Dallas settled for second with 181.5 points. Four Bulldogs wrestlers led the way with state championships: Beau Gleed (132), No. 14 Tyler Berger (138), Abraham Rodriguez (160), and Samuel Shields-Colbray (195).
Crook County won the Class 4A title, which was their first team title since 1975. They dominated the event with 290 points, which was almost 100 points more than second place Henley. Collban Meeker (138) and Jason Williams (285) were the squad's only champions out of 21 state qualifiers. Rounding out the state team champions were Glide with 205 points in Class 3A and Lowell with 115 points in Class 2A/1A.
South Carolina
Lexington won the big school Class 4A tournament with 93 points, while Beaufort took second with 78; the state champions were led by three state champions, Jackson Myers (113), Andrew Szlawinski (120), and Nate Meagher (220). Eastside was the dominant squad in Class 3A with 128 points, which it was about 50 points back to second and third place squads in Emerald and Socastee. Leading the way for Eastside were their four state champions: Cole Anderson (126), Clay Walker (138), Michael Fernandez (182), and Zach Lake (195). Finally, in small school Class 2A/1A, Bramberg-Ehrhardt was the dominant squad with 103 points, as second place Newberry was more than 40 points back. Three wrestlers won titles for the small school champions: Malcolm Jones (120), Player Long (152), and Mark Moody (182).
Texas
It was the first year for a two class format in the Lone Star State, and it was an unmitigated disaster in Class 5A, as No. 14 Allen ran laps around the big school field scoring 251.5 points. Things were so bad that it took the next four teams in the standings to out-point the dominating Eagles, and that was just by like ten points. Six Allen wrestlers were state champions: Daniel Cartagena (138), No. 4 Oliver Pierce (152), No. 3 Bo Nickal (160), Matt Meyer (182), Nick Cobb (195), and Stone Drulman (220).
Things were much closer in Class 4A, as Canyon Randall won with 95 points, with Frisco (88) and Highland Park (76.5) close behind. State titles from Jacob Rubio (132) and Beau Henson (195) led the way for the small school state champions.
West Virginia
Huntington earned the state title in Class AAA with 200 points, while it was Parkersburg taking second with 160.5 points. Leading the way for Huntington were weight class championships won by Logan Grass (106), No. 16 Jordan Allen (113), and Jordan Arthur (145). In the small school Class A/AA tournament, it was much closer as Greenbrier West won with 131.5 points, while Independence was second with 119.5 points. The championship team had a trio of champions in Dustin Yoakum (132), Malik Boatwright (152), and Tyler Parker (170).
Wisconsin
The Division 1 team race was tightly contested with the champions from Wausau West finishing at 98 points, and two other teams within ten points of first place (Bay Port on 98 and Merrill with 88). Wausau West had Colin Baine (126) as their sole state champion with four other wrestlers finishing inside the top four; Bay Port had six total placers, but went 1-5 in their medal matches; and Merrill was led by state champion Tyler Schmidt (220), with three others finishing in the top three.
Similarly, Division 2 had a tight team race with Luxemburg-Casco outlasting Oconto Falls 85 to 82-1/2, as each team had just four state placers. Oconto Falls finished second despite their trio of state champions -- Dewey Krueger (132), Mitch Friedman (183), and Jacob Morrissey (170); Luxemburg-Casco countered with a pair of champs of their own in Luke Distiche (220) and No. 16 Newton Smerchek (285), with two others finishing second and fourth.
Division 3 was a relative blowout with the top three teams with 14 points of one another -- state champion Lancaster was on 99, Coleman at 91.5, and Edgar with 85.5 points. Despite a tournament high seven placers, Coleman was stuck in second as they had one champion in Mason Megener (152), with five of their placers finishing fourth or sixth. Lancaster and Edgar had three champs each with two other placers. For the champions, Lancaster, they were led by gold medals from Cole Martin (120), Trenton Carrell (145), and Ethan Soderstrom (160); while team bronze medalists Edgar got titles from Devin Lemanski (126), Matt Nowak (170), and Luke Nowak (182).
Wyoming
In Class 4A, Campbell County won the big school title by about 100 points over second place Cheyenne East, 324 to 229. Leading the way for Campbell County were championships from Trent Olson (106), Taylor Jeffries (113), Alex Lacasse (138), Dani Fischer (145), Jordan Fischer (152), Lukas Poloncic (160), Taylor Bigelow (170), and Taylor Barbour (285).
Powell won the Class 3A title with 241.5 points, while close behind was runner-up Star Valley on 233, with third place was another 45 points back. Interestingly Kyle Catlin (138) and Zach Thompson (195) were the lone state champions for Powell. Finally, in Class 2A, Moorcroft/Hulett dominated their way to the small school title with 263 points -- a total that was over 90 points more than second place Cokeville. The small school champions were led by gold medals from Dallas Taylor (106), Kole Schell (113), and Tanner Allison (285).
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