1. California 113-pound semifinal: Sean Williams (Lemoore) dec. No. 1 Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco), 3-2
The nation's number one overall sophomore, and top ranked in the 113 pound weight class, Valencia fell to his first career scholastic defeat against Williams. This was the same opponent that Valencia had earlier pinned in the finals of the Battle for the Belt and beaten 6-3 in the semifinal of the Doc Buchanan Invitational. Williams would go on to lose 5-3 in the final against No. 18 Israel Saavedra (Modesto).
2. Minnesota Class AA 195-pound final: No. 10 Lance Benick (Totino Grace) dec. No. 6 Broc Berge (Kasson-Mantorville), 2-1 TB
The two returning state champions traded escapes during regulation, while during the tiebreaker, the sophomore Benick was able to score an escape and also hold down the two-time state champion and Iowa recruit Berge in order to emerge victorious. This outcome reversed an earlier Berge victory in the finals of the Minnesota Christmas Tournament.
3. Ohio Division I 106-pound final: No. 5 Jose Rodriguez (Massillon Perry) dec. No. 3 Austin Assad (Brecksville), 6-5
This match also ended up being the deciding factor in the race for runner-up in the team race as well. Both wrestlers were state runners-up last year, Rodriguez at 99 pounds in New York and Assad in this weight class to fellow Massillon Perry wrestler David Bavery. Assad opened the match with a takedown, but Rodriguez countered before the period was over to tie the match at 3-3 after Assad's late escape. Assad opened the second period with an escape, Rodriguez countered with a takedown, and Assad escaped late to tie it at 5-5. Rodriguez got an escape early in the third period, and was able to fend off two deep leg attack shots from Assad in the last thirty seconds to earn the victory.
4. Minnesota Class AAA 195-pound final: No. 13 Tommy Petersen (Lakeville South) dec. No. 20 Chase Morlock (Moorhead), 3-2
This was also a battle of state champions, both of whom are seniors. It was the North Dakota State signee Petersen who scored the match's only takedown and emerged victorious with a second consecutive state title.
5. California 120-pound final: No. 9 Mason Pengilly (Porterville) dec. No. 12 Isaiah Locsin (Live Oak), 5-3
The junior Pengilly, now a three-time state placer, upended the senior Locsin -- a defending champion and in his third consecutive state finals appearance. Pengilly scored the only two takedowns of the final to cap off a dominant weekend in which he had two pins, a 13-0 major decision, and other decisive outcomes of 6-2 and 5-0 prior to the final.
Gopher State wrestling tournaments provide for entertainment
Both the team and individual bracket state wrestling tournaments this past weekend in St. Paul provided for much intrigue. In Thursday's dual meet championships, No. 10 St. Michael-Albertville and No. 13 Apple Valley were joint champions in Class AAA, No. 23 Kasson Mantorville earned the Class AA title, while Jackson County Central won the title in Class A.
In Class AAA, Apple Valley rallied back from a 19-7 deficit after Cole Sladek's win by injury default for the Knights at 138 pounds to take a 28-22 lead after David Johnson scored a 6-5 win over Jake Briggs at 195 pounds. In winning five of those six matches, Dayton Racer (145) scored a technical fall; reserve wrestler Davlonte Young (152) earned an 11-2 major decision; while Mark Hall (160), Daniel Woiwor (170), and David Johnson (195) scored a pin, 2-0 decision, and 6-5 decision up one weight class each from where they competed in Friday and Saturday's individual tournament. St. Michael-Albertville was able to tie the dual meet with a 5-4 victory from Michael Eull over indiviudl state champion Paul Cheney at 220 before Michael Kessler scored a 2-0 victory over Lord Johsua Hyemang at 285. The teams were declared co-champions, though if it came down to criteria, the Knights would have won, as they had two six-point victories (pin/injury default) to the one pin for Palle Valley.
In Class AA, Kasson-Mantorville held a 17-6 lead after 138 pounds before Simley would win five consecutive matches to take a 27-17 lead after Nick Wanzek bumped up a weight class to secure a pin at the 4:35 mark in the 182 pound weight class. Kasson-Mantorville responded by bumping up Corbin Hansen to secure a 1-0 victory at 195 pounds, bumping up Broc Berge to score a 12-4 major decision at 220 pounds, and having Sam Stoll receive the match-ending forfeit at 285 pounds in a 30-27 victory.
Jackson County Central would take home the unofficial individual state tournament title with 109 points to augment its dual meet title. The margin was 20 points back to second place ACGC in Class A. The small-school "double champions" were led by weight class titles from Elliott Jurries (132) and Darick Vancura (170), as well as four other state placers.
No. 39 Simley would counter Kasson-Mantorville's team title with the unofficial title in the Class AA individual state tournament, 144.5 to 143.5 over No. 23 Kasson-Mantorville. Five finalists led the way for the Spartans, including weight class titles won by Kyle Gliva (132), No. 1 Jake Short (145), and No. 4 Nick Wanzek (170); while Juan Torres (126) and Mack Short (145) took third. Kasson-Mantorville had three champions of their own: Nate Thomas (126), Colton Laganiere (138), and No. 4 Sam Stoll (285); while No. 6 Broc Berge (195) finished as runner-up, and third place finishes were accrued by Brady Berge (132) and Corbin Hansen (170).
To fully validate their recovery from a dreadful Clash and Cheesehead tournaments, Apple Valley made a statement with eight finalists and seven state champions on the way to the unofficial Class AAA individual state title with 210 points. Winning titles were Maolu Woiwor (113), Seth Gross (132), Dayton Racer (145), No. 3 Mark Hall (152), No. 19 Daniel Woiwor (160), David Johnson (182), and Paul Cheney (220); while Gannon Volk (120) finished second. St. Michael-Albertville countered with a pair of champions in Tommy Thorn (120) and Jordan Joseph (170), along with seven other state placers, to amass a very respectable 164-1/2 points.
Star squads and individuals dominate at the Schott
One of the major stories at the Ohio State Wrestling Tournaments this past weekend was the standout performances by four elite teams within Division I, as each scored over 90 points in the tournament. Winning a third straight state title, and 15th in 16 years, was No. 4 St. Edward despite a disappointing tournament by their own high standards. The Eagles only placed six wrestlers and scored 117 points. Leading the way were weight class titles won by No. 3 Dean Heil (132) and No. 2 Domenic Abounader (182); it was the fourth state title for Heil and third for Abounader. Additional placers were No. 9 Markus Scheidel (152) in second, No. 4 Edgar Bright (145) and No. 17 Colin Heffernan (138) in third, along with Chance Driscoll (126) in sixth.
Finishing runner-up for the third consecutive year in the big-school division, and ninth time in eleven years, was No. 16 Massillon Perry with 105 points. The Panthers were led by state title efforts from No. 5 Jose Rodriguez (106) and a repeat title from Joe Tayse (195), defending state champion David Bavery (120) placed third, while four others placed inside the top eight. Finishing third with 99-1/2 points was Brecksville, who moves up to No. 19 in the nation after their seven placers at state was joint-most for any team. The Bees were led by a state title from No. 11 Aaron Assad (113), runner-up finishes from No. 3 Austin Assad (106) and Quinton Hiles (160), as well as four other state placers. Fourth place in the standings was No. 21 Cincinnati Moeller with 94 points, as the Crusaders were led by state titles from Dakota Sizemore (160) and No. 10 Chalmer Frueauf (220). Quinton Rosser (182) placed second, while four other wrestlers for Moeller finished on the podium this weekend.
In Division II, it was a 13th consecutive state championship for No. 5 St. Paris Graham, who finished with 155-1/2 points on the strength of four state champions and seven state placers. No. 1 Bo Jordan (160) pounds won his fourth state title to pace the Falcons -- who also had gold medal performances from No. 2 Micah Jordan (132), which was his third, Eli Seipel (113) and No. 10 Alex Marinelli (152). Third place finishes from No. 8 Eli Stickley (106) and Brent Moore (120) and fifth place finish from Lane Thomas (170) were also notable. Second place, almost 70 points back, was Perry with 87-1/2 points. This was the highest finish for the Pirates in their program's history, as they had five wrestlers finish in the top five -- including Billy Miller (285) earning the program their first state champion after seven others had lost in the finals before him.
The Division III tournament was won by Troy Christian for the third time in six years, this time with 95-1/2 points scored by four wrestlers. The Eagles did qualify six to state, but two of the wrestlers went two-and-out. Their three champions were Jared Ganger (113), Garrett Hancock (120), and No. 11 B.J. Toal, while defending state champion Jordan Marshall (152) came in third place. Dual meet state champions Delta finished second with 82-1/2 points on the strength of five state placers led by state champion Jake Spiess (106).
Heil and Bo Jordan were joined by No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (120) of CVCA in winning fourth state titles this past weekend. Micah Jordan and Abounader were joined by No. 18 Brandon Thompson (120) of Solon, No. 9 Jacob Danishek (145) of Dayton Christian, and No. 6 Anthony Collica (145) of Solon in winning third state titles; next year Jordan and Danishek could win their fourth.
A Golden State three-peat for Clovis
No. 8 Clovis made it a third consecutive state title, fourth in six years, and eleventh in program history this past weekend in dominating the California state tournament with 174 points. The Cougars were led by weight class titles from No. 19 Adrian Salas (182) and No. 3 Nick Nevills (285); along with placement finishes from Kristian Olivas (113), No. 13 Jonas Gayton (120), and Jason Ladd (145) who finishes fourth, third, and fifth respectively.
Runner-up Poway, ranked No. 23 nationally, was a good way's back with 109-1/2 points led by their four state placers. The Titans had Victor Lopez (145) and Steve Cervantes (170) finish third, Ralphy Tovar (132) in fifth, and Tirso Lara (106) take seventh. Third in the standings with three state placers and 97 points was No. 49 Vacaville, who was led by state champion Jeramy Sweany (195), state runner-up No. 11 Gionn Peralta (106), and sixth place finisher Chris Lai (182). Finishing fourth was St. John Bosco with their trio of superstars -- state champion Aaron Pico (132), who is ranked No. 1 nationally, runner-up Anthony Valencia (145), and No. 1 Zahid Valencia (113) who was upset in the semis and finished third.
Another highlight performance of the weekend in Bakersfield saw No. 2 Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore) win his third state title at 160 pounds with a pin in the finals to cap off a sensational career. Nationally ranked wrestlers among the state champions included No. 18 Israel Saavedra (Modesto) at 113 pounds, No. 9 Mason Pengilly (Porterville) at 120, No. 1 Pico at 132, No. 12 Nikko Villarreal (Gilroy) at 138, No. 2 Martinez at 160, No. 9 Peter Santos (Oakmont) at 170, No. 19 Salas at 182, and No. 3 Nevills at 285.
Dominant programs make "The Palace" theirs
Michigan's three nationally ranked squads were the dominant forces in this past weekend's four division individual state tournament, though the event is unscored. No. 3 St. Johns dominated the Division 2 state meet in absurd fashion, as they had eleven state placers including seven weight class champions. Winning titles for the Redwings were No. 4 Zac Hall (125), No. 7 Jacob Schmitt (130), No. 7 Logan Massa (135), No. 1 Ben Whitford (145), Josh Pennell (152), Angus Arthur (171), and No. 12 Payne Hayden (189). Other notable champions in Division 2 were No. 16 Brian Moran (215) and No. 1 Adam Coon (285) of Fowlerville, each of whom went their senior seasons without a loss.
No. 18 Detroit Catholic Central led the way in Division 1 with four state champions, second most for any team in the overall meet: No. 12 (at 126) Ken Bade (135), Malik Amine (140), No. 17 Andrew Garcia (171), and Robert Coe (285). The Shamrocks also had four other wrestlers place second or third. No. 43 Davison countered with nine state placers in Division 1, which was second most for any team in the overall meet. Leading the way for the Cardinals were state titles won by Lincoln Olson (113) and Jordan Cooks (160). Also in the big-school division, a pair of champions from Holt, Benny Gomez (103) and Shayne Wireman (119) finished the year undefeated.
Four squads in Division 3 combined for ten of the individual weight class champions. Dundee and Whitehall had three each: Doug Rojem (140), Teddy Warren (189), and John Merogen (285) winning for Dundee, while Zack Cooper (125), Steven Sika (160), and Joe Sika (171) won for Whitehall. Leslie had titles from the Storr brothers, Kanen (103) and Zehlin (135), while Devin Schroder (112) and Nate Limmex (130) won titles for Grand Rapids Catholic Central. Also of note was the undefeated title won by Gage Hutchison (215) from Buchanan.
Half the titles in Division 4 were won by three squads. Hudson led the way with a trio of titles coming from Roddy Hamden (103), No. 10 Cole Weaver (130), and J.D. Waters (135). Jacob Perrin (140) and Josh Wendling (145) were champions for New Lothrop, while Gallory Thurston (171) and Joe Ostman (215) won titles for St. Ignace. Also, an undefeated season was had by state champion Logan Griffin (112) from Erie Mason.
Other state tournaments from this weekend
Hawaii
Kamehameha-Kapalama won the state tournament with 178 points, which was enough to outlast three other teams that scored over 100 points; Campbell (144), Lahainaluna (132), and Punahou (120). The state championship team was led by four weight class champions: Jonathan Kamaka at 135 pounds, Keamalu Richardson at 145, Ikea Ikehara at 189, and No. 8 Dane Pestano at 215. The squad also featured four other state placers.
Maryland
Despite not having a state champion in Class 4A/3A, Urbana won their first ever state championship with 97.5 points, as they were led by a tournament-high six total placers. That included a pair of runner-up finishes from Morgan Way (120) and Mike Vimelson (182). Undefeated titles included those won by Brant Leadbeter (Northern County) at 113, Thierno Diallo (Duvall) at 126, Eric Hoffman (Northern County) at 160, No. 20 Garrett Linebarger (Thomas Stone) at 182, Cory Daniel (River Hill) at 195, Luis Beteta (Northwest) at 220, and Matt Green (Perry Hall) at 285.
Dominating their way to a three-peat with a tournament-high three state champions in Class 2A/1A was Winters Mill with 121 points; back in second was Owings Mills with 87.5 points, while Glenelg on 87 and Catoctin on 85 were right on their heels. Champions for Winters Mill included Wes Cook (145), Cody Sharkey (152), and Chase Cullison (170). The lone undefeated champion in this classification was senior Steven Schmitz (182) from South Carroll.
New England Regional
Mt. Anthony Union, Vt. dominated the proceedings at this event held in Providence, R.I. this past weekend with 109 points. They were led by weight class champions in Miguel Calixto (132) and Jesse Webb (285), while two other wrestlers earned placement finishes -- Troy Gassaway (113) in second place and Austin Price (182) in fourth place. The lone other team with multiple champions was Exeter/West Greenwich, who had the LaBrie brothers (Christian at 145 and Andrew at 152) win titles.
North Carolina
Parkland won the Class 4A state title by just about 20 points over Jack Britt, 133 to 112, despite not having a single individual champion, but was led by runner-up finishes from Jeremy Ward (132) and Marcus Cross (145). Orange won a narrow battle for the Class 3A title with 106.5 points, which were 8.5 points ahead of Robinson and 20 points ahead of North Gaston. Yet again, the state championship team did not have an individual champion, but were led by runner-up finishes from Joe Scott (106), Jack Twomey-Kozak (138), and David Peters-Logue (160).
The Class 2A title was won by Croatan with 120.5 points, while Newton Conover took second with 100. Finally, it was a tight team race as four teams were within 20 points in Class 1A with North Rowan (88.5) outlasting West Wilkes (85.5), Ayden-Grifton (74), and Robbinsville (70.5).
Wisconsin
Wausau West won the Division 1 title with a 28-27 victory over Kaukauna. In Division 2, it was Luxemburg-Casco with a 45-21 victory over Mauston, while the Division 3 title went to Lancaster with a 38-21 victory over Coleman
This weekend in scholastic wrestling
This Thursday through Saturday is the state tournament in Pennsylvania. InterMat previewed that event yesterday. While come Friday through Sunday marks the last of the state tournament, as New Jersey will crown its champions, and InterMat will preview that event tomorrow.
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