InterMat Staff

Come 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, the two top programs in the Buckeye State will take to the mat as No. 2 St. Edward travels to take on No. 12 St. Paris Graham for a dual meet. The visiting Eagles have won 15 of the last 16 Division I (big school) state titles, while the Falcons have won 12 consecutive championships in Division II. The Saturday night dual meet will feature nine nationally ranked wrestlers between the teams, with the likelihood of two matches where both wrestlers are ranked. Below are the likely matchups and some information about each of the participants. 106: L.J. Bentley (St. Edward) vs. No. 5 Eli Stickley (St. Paris Graham): Bentley qualified for state last year as a freshman, was a NHSCA grade-level champion, and finished seventh at the Ironman; while Stickley placed fifth at state during his freshman campaign, finished sixth at the Super 32 Challenge, and won the Ironman. 113: Sal Corrao vs. Eli Seipel: The senior Corrao is in his initial season as a starter for the Eagles, while the sophomore Seipel placed fourth at state last year and sixth at the Ironman. 120: Kurt Wysocki/Austin Hiles vs. Brent Moore: This weight class has been a struggle for St. Edward all year, as Wysocki did not place in any of their three December tournaments; however, we could see the initial appearance for the freshman Hiles in this weight, as the junior high state runner-up has been in reserve at 126. For the host Falcons, the freshman Moore was a junior high state champion last year. 126: Chance Driscoll vs. Mario Kastl: The senior Driscoll is in his first year as a starter, and placed seventh at the Dvorak and third at Medina; while the freshman Kastl was a junior high state runner-up, having stepped into the lineup with the injury to senior Chase Crabtree. Dean Heil and Micah Jordan are expected to meet on Saturday in a rematch of the Ironman semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)132: No. 3 Dean Heil vs. No. 2 Micah Jordan: Five state titles will be on the mat between these two potential four-time state champions, when three-time state champion Heil takes on two-time state champion Jordan. The senior Heil went 2-0 against Jordan in each of the prior two years, before Jordan pulled off a 6-5 victory in the semifinal of the Walsh Ironman with a last second takedown. 138: No. 17 Colin Heffernan vs. Nate Henkle: The senior Heffernan placed fourth at state last year, and has titles at both the Dvorak and Medina to his credit this year. For Graham, it's the junior Henkle, who was a state alternate last season. 145: No. 3 Edgar Bright vs. Garrett Jordan: Bright is a three-time state placer, finishing as runner-up each of the last two years, and was champion of the Walsh Ironman this year. For Graham, it's a rather unproven freshman taking to the mat. 152: No. 9 Markus Scheidel vs. No. 8 Alex Marinelli: The Columbia-bound Scheidel has placed twice at state, including last year's runner-up finish, and was seventh at the Ironman in his second placement at this prestigious tournament. The freshman Marinelli stormed onto the high school scene with his runner-up finish at the Walsh Ironman, and this multi-time junior high state champ has not looked back since. 160: Robbie Rogers/Ray Barr vs. No. 1 Bo Jordan: Graham sends out arguably the best wrestler in the country regardless of weight class in Bo Jordan, a three-time state champion and three-time Ironman champion who is bound for Ohio State. St. Edward may choose to shift Rogers up to 170, as he's better equipped to win the tossup match in the next weight class. 170: Rogers/Barr vs. Lane Thomas: Both Rogers and Barr have placed eighth in one tournament this year, Rogers at the Dvorak and Barr at Medina. For Graham, the junior Thomas went 1-2 at the district tournament last year, but has shown decently this year winning two matches at the Ironman and placing third at the GMVWA over the Christmas holiday. 182: No. 2 Domenic Abounader vs. Josh Couchman: This starts the back four portion for the Falcons where they are relatively weak; this weight features a sophomore who did place a respectable fourth at the GMVWA. However, facing off against two-time state champion Abounader, who is bound for Michigan next year is a very tough road to hoe. 195: Gabe Dzuro vs. Cole Thedor: The junior Dzuro finished second at the Ironman and fourth at Medina in his first year as a starter at St. Edward, while the sophomore Thedor went two-and-out for Graham at the Ironman. 220: Parker Knapp vs. Anthony Welty: The sophomore Knapp, Cadet freestyle All-American this past summer, was runner-up at the Dvorak with two wins over Illinois state placers and finished third at Medina. On the other hand, the senior Welty went 1-2 at the Ironman and placed sixth at the GMVWA. 285: Ralph Nichols vs. Cabel Courtwright: The junior Nichols was champion at Medina and fifth at the Dvorak, while the sophomore Courtwright went two-and-out at the Ironman and failed to place at the GMVWA. InterMat contributor Dan Ransick will be providing coverage of this dual meet with updates during the match and a recap afterwards.

EDMOND -- Cody Dauphin wasted little time with the outcome on the line in the final match, scoring a first-period fall to propel Central Oklahoma to a dramatic 22-16 victory over defending national champion Nebraska-Kearney Thursday night before a rowdy Hamilton Field House crowd. Ben Morgan’s stunning final-period fall at 141 pounds helped stake the No. 3-ranked Bronchos to a big 16-0 lead after four weights, but the No. 13 Lopers won the next five matches to pull even at 16-all and set the stage for Dauphin at heavyweight. The 270-pound junior needed just 30 seconds to take Zach Anderson down, then hooked up a half-nelson and drove the overmatched Loper to his back to get the dual-winning fall at the 1:16 mark. “Cody came out and did what he needed to do,” UCO coach David James said. “He was aggressive from the start and really did a great job taking advantage of his size advantage. He came through when we needed him. “We had several guys wrestle really well, particularly in the early weights, but I was disappointed with how we wrestled in some of the later matches. We knew it was going to be a tight one and fortunately we came out on top.” The Bronchos opened the dual like they were going to run away from UNK, taking the first four weights to open up the 16-0 lead. Ryan Brooks started things with a 4-3 overtime win at 125, escaping 12 seconds into the first tiebreaker to go ahead and then controlling Jake Gentzler in the final 30-second tiebreaker to hang on. Casy Rowell pushed the lead to 7-0 with an overwhelming 22-8 major decision at 133, racking up an amazing 10 takedowns – including five in the third period alone – in rolling to his 14th straight win. Morgan’s fall at 141 made it 13-0, though it looked for the longest time that UNK was going to get their first win at that weight. Andrew Riedy led 7-2 entering the final period, but Morgan got a takedown early in that stanza and then turned Riedy for the fall at 5:49. Jordan Basks capped UCO’s opening surge with a 6-3 triumph over defending national champion and top-rated Raufeon Stots. The second-ranked Basks led 3-2 after the first three minutes, added a second-period near-fall to make it 5-2 and tacked on a riding time point to offset Stots’ third-period escape. UNK finally got on the scoreboard at 157 with Chase White’s 3-1 sudden-victory win over Cory Dauphin that ignited a five-match winning streak to tie the score. UCO has little time to rest, with the Bronchos traveling to Arkadelphia, Ark. Friday for a 7 p.m. dual against No. 20 Ouachita Baptist. Results: 125: Ryan Brooks, UCO, dec. Jake Gentzler, 4-3 (TB). 133: Casy Rowell, UCO, major dec. Ryan Bauer, 22-8. 141: Ben Morgan, UCO, pinned Andrew Riedy, 5:49. 149: Jordan Basks, UCO, dec. Raufeon Stots, 6-3. 157: Chase White, UNK, dec. Cory Dauphin, 3-1 (SV). 165: Chase Nelson, UNK, major dec. Chris Watson, 15-6. 174: Patrick Martinez, UNK, dec. Kelly Henderson, 5-1. 184: Mark Fiala, UNK, dec. Tanner Keck, 5-3. 197: Matt Lenagh, UNK, dec. Znick Ferrell, 3-2 (TB). 285: Cody Dauphin, UCO, pinned Zach Anderson, 1:16.

ERIE, Pa. -- The Mercyhurst University wrestling team used two technical fall victories in the opening two bouts by freshmen Willie Bohince and Dylan D'Urso and then held off #9 West Liberty State over the final eight bouts to complete the upset of the Hilltoppers, 20-15, on Thursday night at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. The win kept the Lakers unbeaten on the season as they improved to 7-0. The Hilltoppers dropped to 2-1 on the season. The freshmen duo of Bohince and D'Urso, who were a combined 31-7 entering action Thursday, were up to their old tricks, spotting Mercyhurst a 10-0 advantage after the opening two bouts. Bohince jumped out to an 8-0 lead after the opening period on West Liberty's Joe Wagstaff. The freshman from Level Green, Pa. added a takedown in the second period and then got a late takedown in the third period to take a 15-1 lead. Bohince added his riding time point at the end for the 16-1 victory and a 5-0 Mercyhurst lead. It was Bohince's first win by technical fall this season as he improved to 17-4 on the year. D'Urso, meanwhile, made quick work of West Liberty's Dillon Nolte at 133 pounds. The freshman from Greenville, Pa. jumped out to a 14-0 advantage after the opening period with four nearfalls and a pair of takedowns. He added a takedown 44 seconds into the second period, and, coupled with the riding time, cruised to a 17-0 victory. D'Urso leads the team with eight technical fall victories this season and improved to 16-3 on the season. The 141-pound match proved to be, arguably, the best match of the night. It featured redshirt sophomore Nick Hannan of Mercyhurst against Daniel Carpenter of West Liberty. The two went back-and-forth for the entire bout, but Hannan prevailed, thanks to exactly one minute of riding time to give him the one-point decision. Hannan led 2-1 after one period and 4-3 after two periods before Carpenter outscored him 3-2 in the third. The riding time gave Hannan the extra point at the end, the victory, and a 13-0 advantage after the opening three bouts. Hannan improved to 8-4 on the season, including a 3-0 mark in duals. West Liberty would cut the Laker lead to 13-6 with victories at 149 and 157. Nick Wykoff, ranked second in the region, held off sophomore Michael Griffith, 9-5, in the 149-pound bout, and Art Hobley, ranked third in the region, would do the same to junior Ian Grecco in the 157-pound match, 10-4. Redshirt junior Clint Schaefer would get four of those points back in the 165-pound bout. Schaefer, pitted against Eric Antesberger, jumped out to a 5-1 lead after the opening three minutes. Schaefer would add three points in the second period and four more in the third (including riding time) to earn a 12-1 major decision over his counterpart from West Liberty. It was Schaefer's fifth victory by major decision this season. He improved to 15-3 on the year. The battle at 174 was also a good one, featuring Matt Littleton of West Liberty, ranked sixth in the region, and redshirt freshman Angelo Bortoluzzi of Mercyhurst. After a scoreless first period, Bortoluzzi would score the only point of the second with an escape. Both grapplers would exchange escapes to start the third, but a late takedown by Littleton gave him the victory by a 3-2 final and helped cut the Mercyhurst lead to 17-9. The 184-pound bout featured two regionally-ranked wrestlers - redshirt senior Eric Lundgren of Mercyhurst, ranked sixth in the region, and Derrick Williams of West Liberty, ranked third in Super Region I. Lundgren would score the only two points of the first period with a takedown and then extended his lead to 5-1 after two periods. Lundgren would add a pair of takedowns in the third period to offset a pair of escapes by Williams and to earn a 9-3 victory. Lundgren improved to 11-7 with the victory. Senior Seth Stonis battled Danny Doyle of West Liberty at 197 pounds, and despite losing the bout 3-1 in sudden victory one, clinched the victory for the Lakers. Mercyhurst led 20-12 after Stonis' setback, who dropped to 2-3 on the season, and 1-2 in duals. Stonis has wrestled in the last three duals for the Lakers, coming back from an injury he suffered at the W&J Inviational in the first weekend of the season. West Liberty's Mike Carpenter defeated redshirt senior Jeffrey Pollard 7-2 in the heavyweight bout for the final margin. Mercyhurst improves to 9-3 lifetime against West Liberty. It doesn't get any easier for the Lakers, as they will host Kutztown at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Bears, ranked fifth in Super Region I, and seventh in the country, will come to Erie for a 1:00 p.m. start. The teams have split six previous meetings in the all-time series. Results: 125 – Willie Bohince (Mercyhurst) tech. fall over Joe Wagstaff (West Liberty) – 16-1 (7:00) [MU 5-0] 133 – Dylan D'Urso (Mercyhurst) tech. fall over Dillon Nolte (West Liberty) – 17-0 (3:44) [MU 10-0] 141 – Nick Hannan (Mercyhurst) dec. over Daniel Carpenter (West Liberty) – 7-6 [MU 13-0] 149 – Nick Wykoff (West Liberty) dec. over Michael Griffith (Mercyhurst) – 9-5 [MU 13-3] 157 – Art Hobley (West Liberty) dec. over Ian Grecco (Mercyhurst) – 10-4 [MU 13-6] 165 – Clint Schaefer (Mercyhurst) maj. dec. over Eric Antesberger (West Liberty) – 12-1 [MU 17-6] 174 – Matt Littleton (West Liberty) dec. over Angelo Bortoluzzi (Mercyhurst) – 3-2 [MU 17-9] 184 – Eric Lundgren (Mercyhurst) dec. over Derrick Williams (West Liberty) – 9-3 [MU 20-9] 197 – Danny Doyle (West Liberty) dec. over Seth Stonis (Mercyhurst) – 3-1 (SV-1) [MU 20-12] 285 – Mike Carpenter (West Liberty) dec. over Jeffrey Pollard (Mercyhurst) – 7-2 [MU 20-15]

St. Cloud, Minn. -- The #1 St. Cloud State University wrestling team moved to 12-0, 2-0 NSIC on the season with a convincing 34-3 win over NSIC rival Minnesota State, Moorhead (6-3, 1-1 NSIC) on Thursday, Dec. 17 at Halenbeck Hall in St. Cloud, Minn. This was SCSU's 38th consecutive dual match victory. The Huskies opened the match with a 5-2 win by #8 Clint Poster at 157-pounds, which pushed his season mark to 22-2. The Huskies then rolled with six consecutive wins to ice the victory. At 165-pounds Gabe Fogarty gained an 8-2 win for SCSU and Kurt Salmen posted a 6-3 win at 174-pounds to give the Huskies a 9-0 lead in the match. #2 Shamus O'Grady added some extra points to the tally with a big 16-4 major win at 184-pounds and then Mic Berg hit hard and hit fast with a 1:19 fall at 197-pounds. In the match for 285-pounds, SCSU's Caleb White coined a 9-3 win for the Huskies before teammate Eric Forde received a forfeit win at 125. The Huskies lone loss of the night was at 133-pounds as Eric Ellington lost an exciting 9-8 tiebreaker in OT. SCSU got right back on track at 141-pounds with a 4-3 win by Jay Hildreth and then SCSU capped the evening with a 10-5 win by Josh Howk at 149-pounds. SCSU will continue its 2013 season on Jan. 19 with a trip to Kenosha, Wis. for the Ranger Duals. SCSU is schedule to face Findlay, Indianapolis and McKendree at the tournament hosted by Wisconsin-Parkside. Results: Match Summary SCS MSM 157 Clint Poster (St. Cloud State) won by decision over Jacob Bennett (Minnesota State Moorhead) 5-2. 3.00 0 165 Gabe Fogarty (St. Cloud State) won by decision over Kerron Williams (Minnesota State Moorhead) 8-2. 3.00 0 174 Kurt Salmen (St. Cloud State) won by decision over Jesse Munos (Minnesota State Moorhead) 6-3. 3.00 0 184 Shamus O`Grady (St. Cloud State) won by major decision over Matthew Lewellen (Minnesota State Moorhead) 16-4. 4.00 0 197 Michael Berg (St. Cloud State) won by pin over Lucas Moderow (Minnesota State Moorhead) 1:19. 6.00 0 285 Caleb White (St. Cloud State) won by decision over Gerad Fugleberg (Minnesota State Moorhead) 9-3. 3.00 0 125 Eric Forde (St. Cloud State) won by forfeit over Unknown (Unattached) . 6.00 0 133 Philippe Walker (Minnesota State Moorhead) won in tie breaker 1 over Eric Ellington (St. Cloud State) 9-8. 0 3.00 141 Jay Hildreth (St. Cloud State) won by decision over Angel Vega (Minnesota State Moorhead) 4-3. 3.00 0 149 Josh Howk (St. Cloud State) won by decision over Mariano Portillo (Minnesota State Moorhead) 10-5. 3.00 0

The 2013 Las Vegas/ASICS Senior Open, the national championships for athletes in the three Olympic styles, will return to the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev. April 18-20. This will be the 21st time USA Wrestling has hosted a U.S. Open event in Las Vegas. The first U.S. Open in Las Vegas was in freestyle wrestling in 1986, and the most recent U.S. Open held in the city was for all three styles in 2009. The nation's best Olympic-caliber wrestlers in men's freestyle, Greco-Roman and women's freestyle will be on display, competing for national titles and All-American honors. Numerous past World and Olympic medalists are expected to participate As has become a tradition, USA Wrestling will also host four other major competitions during the week in Las Vegas, bringing together a large portion of the wrestling community in an amazing showcase for the sport. The nation's top men's freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers from 17-20 years old will compete at the ASICS Junior Nationals. The event features young college stars, top high school talents and outstanding young military athletes competing in the Olympic styles. This will be the eighth time that this event has been hosted in Las Vegas. The Veterans National Championships, featuring athletes 25-years-old and above, will also return to Las Vegas. Competition will be held in five different age divisions, with men's freestyle and Greco-Roman competitions. The United States is one of the world's most successful nations on the Veterans level. This will be the 14th time this event has been hosted in Las Vegas. Also returning to the city will be the U.S. Grappling World Team Trials. This will be the qualifying event for the U.S. teams which will compete at the 2013 FILA Grappling World Championships in London, Canada. There will be a men's and women's division in both No-Gi and Gi Grappling. This event was also hosted in Las Vegas in 2007 and 2011. Another great event during the week will be the Western Junior Regionals, featuring top high school wrestlers competing in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. When this event has been hosted in Las Vegas, it has been one of the largest and most competitive Junior Regional events on the USA Wrestling schedule. Traditionally, athletes from across the nation enter, and often go on to success at the ASICS Junior/Cadet Nationals in the summer. For the first time, a Junior women's division will be included in the Western Junior Regionals. This year, there is an exciting new opportunity concerning hotel reservations and entry fees. Participants in all five USA Wrestling tournaments in Las Vegas will receive their event registration fee at half price if they book their hotel room through VEGAS.com. You must go through the USA Wrestling event websites first to get the proper location on Vegas.com and receive a discount code for registration. This is a tremendous value for all who use this option. VEGAS.com offers extremely low prices at a large variety of hotels in Las Vegas and offers a price guarantee. If you can find a lower price at that hotel property somewhere else, VEGAS.com will match the rate. YOU MUST BOOK A ROOM THROUGH VEGAS.COM FIRST IN ORDER TO RECEIVE A DISCOUNT CODE TO USE LATER FOR TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION. Do not go directly to Vegas.com to book your room. Use the link on the USA Wrestling event websites to Vegas.com to order your room and receive the discount code for event registration Online registration is available for all five USA Wrestling tournaments in Las Vegas, with a deadline of Tuesday, April 16 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific time. For the U.S. Senior Open only, all participants MUST register online, due to seeding and pairing needs. For the other four tournaments, onsite late registration will be permitted with an additional late entry fee. For complete information, visit the official websites for each tournament: LAS VEGAS/ASICS U.S. OPEN WEBSITE ASICS MEN'S JUNIOR NATIONALS WEBSITE (Ages 17-20) U.S. GRAPPLING WORLD TEAM TRIALS WEBSITE WESTERN JUNIOR REGIONALS/VETERANS NATIONALS WEBSITE FAN-FRIENDLY EVENT SCHEDULE FOR USA WRESTLING EVENTS IN LAS VEGAS (Competition times only) Wednesday, April 17 9:00AM-2:00PM - Veterans Greco-Roman Nationals Preliminaries, Medal Matches and Finals 9:00AM-1:00PM - Western Junior (High School) Regional Greco-Roman Preliminaries 3:00PM-Conclusion - Western Junior (High School) Regional Greco-Roman Preliminaries, Medal Matches and Finals 3:00PM-Conclusion - Western Junior (High School) Regional Woman's Preliminaries, Medal Matches and Finals Thursday, April 18 9:00AM-1:00PM - Senior Women's Freestyle- Championship Tournament Preliminaries (51KG, 59KG, 67KG) . 9:00AM-1:00PM - Senior Greco-Roman – Championship Tournament Preliminaries (74KG and 84KG) 9:00AM-1:00PM - Senior Men's Freestyle – Qualification Tournament - Non-seeded Athletes and weights of Nineteen (19) or more at Men's FS (66KG, 84KG, 120KG) 9:00AM-1:00PM - Veterans Freestyle Nationals Preliminaries 9:00AM-1:00PM - Western Junior (High School) Regional Freestyle Preliminaries Session I 2:00PM-6:00PM - Veterans Freestyle Nationals Preliminaries, Medal Matches and Finals 2:00PM-6:00PM - Western Junior (High School) Regional Freestyle Preliminaries Session II 7:00PM-Conclusion - Senior Women's Freestyle - Championship Tournament Finals and Medal Matches (51KG, 59KG, 67KG) 7:00PM-Conclusion - Senior Greco-Roman – Championship Tournament Finals and Medal Matches (74KG and 84KG) Friday, April 19 9:00AM-1:00PM - Senior Women's Freestyle- Championship Tournament Preliminaries (48KG and 63KG) 9:00AM-1:00PM - Senior Greco-Roman – Championship Tournament Preliminaries (55KG and 96KG) 9:00AM-1:00PM - Senior Men's Freestyle – Qualification Tournament - Non-seeded Athletes and weights of Nineteen (19) or more (55KG, 60KG, 74KG, 96KG) 9:00AM-1:00PM - Senior Men's Freestyle – Championship Tournament (66KG, 84KG, 120KG) - through semi-finals 9:00AM-1:00PM - U.S. Grappling World Team Trials Preliminaries and Medal Matches - No Gi (Men and Women) all weights 9:00AM-Conclusion - Western Junior (High School) Regional Freestyle Preliminaries, Medal Matches and Finals 2:00PM-4:00PM - U.S. Grappling World Team Trial Finals- Raised Mat - No Gi (Men and Women), all weights 2:00PM-Conclusion - FILA Junior Greco-Nationals Preliminaries, Medal Matches and Finals 7:00PM-Conclusion - Senior Women's Freestyle- Championship Tournament Finals and Medal Matches (48KG and 63KG) 7:00PM-Conclusion - Senior Men's Greco-Roman – Championship Tournament Finals and Medal Matches (55KG and 96KG) 7:00PM-Conclusion - Senior Men's Freestyle – Championship Tournament Finals and Medal Matches (66KG, 84KG, 120KG) Saturday, April 20 9:00AM-1:00PM - Senior Women's Freestyle- Championship Tournament Preliminaries (55KG and 72KG) 9:00AM-1:00PM - Senior Greco-Roman – Championship Tournament Preliminaries (60KG, 66KG, 120KG) 9:00AM-1:00PM - Senior Men's Freestyle – Championship Tournament (55KG, 60KG, 74KG, 96KG) 9:00AM-2:00PM - FILA Junior Freestyle Nationals Preliminaries 3:00PM-6:00PM - U.S. Grappling World Team Trial Preliminaries, Medal Matches and Finals - Gi (Men and Women), all weights 3:00PM-Conclusion - FILA Junior Freestyle Nationals Preliminaries, Medal Matches and Finals 7:00PM-Conclusion - Senior Women's Freestyle- Championship Tournament Finals and Medal Matches (55KG and 72KG) 7:00PM-Conclusion - Senior Men's Greco-Roman – Championship Tournament Finals and Medal Matches (60KG, 66KG, 120KG) 7:00PM-Conclusion - Senior Men's Freestyle – Championship Tournament Finals and Medal Matches (55KG, 60KG, 74KG, 96KG) Saturday, April 20 9:00AM-1:00PM - Senior Women's Freestyle- Championship Tournament Preliminaries (55KG and 72KG) 9:00AM-1:00PM - Senior Greco-Roman – Championship Tournament Preliminaries (60KG, 66KG, 120KG) 9:00AM-1:00PM - Senior Men's Freestyle – Championship Tournament (55KG, 60KG, 74KG, 96KG) 9:00AM-2:00PM - FILA Junior Freestyle Nationals Preliminaries 3:00PM-6:00PM - U.S. Grappling World Team Trial Preliminaries, Medal Matches and Finals - Gi (Men and Women), all weights 3:00PM-Conclusion - FILA Junior Freestyle Nationals Preliminaries, Medal Matches and Finals 7:00PM-Conclusion - Senior Women's Freestyle- Championship Tournament Finals and Medal Matches (55KG and 72KG) 7:00PM-Conclusion - Senior Men's Greco-Roman – Championship Tournament Finals and Medal Matches (60KG, 66KG, 120KG) 7:00PM-Conclusion - Senior Men's Freestyle – Championship Tournament Finals and Medal Matches (55KG, 60KG, 74KG, 96KG)

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. -- Wrestling its first dual in two months, Elizabethtown College made it a good one. The Blue Jays won each of the last four weight classes to knock off Stevens Institute of Technology, 22-16, in a non-conference match at Thompson Gymnasium Wednesday evening. E-town (2-1) held a 6-3 lead heading to the 149-pound match on decisions by Chad Lammer (133) and Jesse Meaney (141), but the visitors responded with three straight wins at 149, 157 and 165 to go in front 16-6. Mike Polizzi won by major decision over Mike Lammer (13-0) at 149 to start the Ducks' (3-5) run. Conner Bass followed with a 5-2 win over Zack Sheridan at 157, and returning All-American and third-ranked Joey Favia pinned Woodie Hermann at 5:15 of their 165-pound match for Stevens' largest lead of the night. Favia, who recently earned his 100th career victory, would have the only fall of the night for the visitors. From there on, it was all Elizabethtown. Zeke Zimmer added to his team-leading wins total with No. 14 courtesy of a 13-5 major decision win against Will Sharkey at 174. Julian Meaney made it two wins in a row for the Jays at 184 and Phil Landis collected his seventh pin of the season in 6:38 over Chris Florek at 197 to put the homestanding Blue and Gray back in front 19-16. With 10th-ranked Jeremy Rieth heading to the mat in the final bout of the night, the Blue Jays had every reason to be confident that they would grab a 'W'. Rieth didn't let them down. The sophomore from Philadelphia clawed out a 3-2 win, his 10th of the year, for the final margin of victory. The victory was Elizabethtown's fifth in a row against their counterparts from Hoboken, N.J. dating back to the 2007-08 season. The Jays now hold a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series. Saturday, E-town will travel to Centenary College in Hackettstown, N.J. for the Metropolitan Wrestling Conference Duals. They'll take on King's (Pa.) at 11 a.m., followed by Hunter at 1 p.m. Results: 125 Anthony Geiger (SI) dec. Kyle McNulty (EC), 4-2 0 3 133 Chad Lammer (EC) dec. Ryan Wilson (SI), 4-3 3 3 141 Jesse Meaney (EC) dec. Cody Curtiss (SI), 2-0 6 3 149 Mike Polizzi (SI) maj. dec. Mike Lammer (EC), 13-0 6 7 157 Conner Bass (SI) dec. Zack Sheridan (EC), 5-2 6 10 165 #3 Joey Favia (SI) pinned Woodie Hermann (EC), 5:15 6 16 174 Zeke Zimmer (EC) maj. dec. Will Sharkey (SI), 13-5 10 16 184 Julian Meaney (EC) dec. Mike Otsuka (SI), 5-2 13 16 197 Phil Landis (EC) pinned Chris Florek (SI), 6:38 19 16 285 #10 Jeremy Rieth (EC) dec. Brian Schmalz (SI), 3-2 22 16 Exhibition Matches: 157 Keith Cays (SI) dec. Matt McAndrew (EC), 7-3 - - 184 Jared Weaver (EC) dec. Kalen Gans (SI), 5-3 - -

MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Pins from junior Angel Vega and redshirt freshman Jesse Puncochar helped the Minnesota State University Moorhead wrestling team earn a 30-16 win over Northern State in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference dual Wednesday night at Alex Nemzek Hall in Moorhead, Minn. Jacob Bennett The Dragons (6-2, 1-0 NSIC) have won four of five duals since returning from the holiday break, while Northern State fell to 3-1 overall and 0-1 in the league. MSUM won seven matches on the night, and earned bonus points in four of them. "I'm very proud that the guys went out there and got bonus points in those matches," MSUM head coach Kris Nelson said. "That's something I've been stressing." The dual started at 157 pounds, and senior Jacob Bennett, a national qualifier a year ago, got the Dragons off on the right note with an impressive win by technical fall (18-3 in 5:00) over Weston Resmen. "Jake Bennett started the match great for us," Nelson said. "You go out there and get a technical fall off the bat, and there's five points. He set the pace and the guys continued to follow after that." Senior Kerron Williams won a hard-fought 3-2 decision over Northern's Blake Lundgren to stretch the Dragon lead to 8-0. Puncochar then extended his winning streak to five with a pin of Northern's Anthony Navarro in just 53 seconds at 174. "Jesse's on a great streak," Nelson said. "He is doing great things for us." MSUM, which won the first five matches wrestled, got a solid 6-1 win from junior Matt Lewellen at 184 to stretch the lead to 17-0. At 197, redshirt freshman Lucas Moderow pushed the Dragon lead to 20-0 with a 5-3 win over Northern's Baker Haar. "It was good to see Lucas go out there and get a win," Nelson said. "He just out-conditioned the guy." Northern got on the board with a major decision at heavyweight and a pin at 125 to cut the Dragon lead to 20-10. However, MSUM won the next two matches to put the match out of reach. Sophomore Philippe Walker won the 133-pound match with a 9-1 major decision win over Northern's Tyler Frost to give the Dragons a 24-10 lead. Vega then recorded the Dragons' second pin of the match, a win by fall in 4:47 over Northern's Ian Muirhead. "Vega continúes to keep going strong," Nelson said. The Wolves won by fall at 149 but were down 30-10 entering the match as the outcome was decided. The Dragons are right back in action on Thursday at No. 1-ranked St. Cloud State, which is 11-0 in duals this season. "Overall we wrestled a good match," Nelson said. "We were a little flat at some weights, but going into the St. Cloud State match, it's a good match to have. They're No. 1 in the nation. We've got to pick it up another notch and get after them." Results: 157-Jacob Bennett (MSUM) tech. fall Weston Resmen (NSU), 18-3 165-Kerron Williams (MSUM) dec. Blake Lundgren (NSU), 3-2 174-Jesse Puncochar (MSUM) pinned Anthony Navarro (NSU), 0:53 184-Matt Lewellen (MSUM) dec. Jeb Clay (NSU), 6-1 197-Lucas Moderow (MSUM) dec. Baker Haar (NSU), 5-3 285-Matt Meuleners (NSU) maj. dec. Gerad Fugleberg, 8-0 125-Anthony Bruno (NSU) pinned Mitch Dunlap (MSUM), 4:30 133-Philippe Walker (MSUM) maj. dec. Tyler Frost (NSU), 9-1 141-Angel Vega (MSUM) pinned Ian Muirhead (NSU) 4:47 149-Grant Steen (NSU) pinned Mariano Portillo (MSUM), 2:39

ST. LOUIS -- Oklahoma City University held off Missouri Baptist 20-18 on Wednesday at the Carl and Deloris Petty Sports and Recreation Complex in a battle of top 20-ranked teams in NAIA wrestling. Cody Sivertsen's victory at 197 pounds proved the difference for the Stars. Sixth-ranked OCU moved to 6-6, while 13th-ranked Missouri Baptist went to 3-4. In the premier matchup of the night, Kidd Gomez of the Stars rolled to a 21-8 win over Detorius Prayther in the 125-pound match. Gomez, ranked eighth at 125, topped the fourth-ranked individual at his weight, Prayther. Gomez is a senior from Noble, Okla. OCU tied the dual 9-9 on Mark Meyer's pin at 157. Meyer, a senior from Midwest City, Okla., tacked on another fall to bring his OCU career record mark to 65, Meyer, ranked third in the NAIA, pinned Alejandro Wajner in 1:03. Zach Skates provided the Stars a 14-9 advantage with his victory at 165. Skates, a redshirt freshman from Broken Arrow, Okla., ripped Davis Keleher 22-7 in a technical fall. Skates holds the No. 3 national rating at his weight. Teagan Franco increased OCU's lead to 17-9 with his win in the 174-pound bout. Franco, a junior from Spanaway, Wash., nipped Andrew Carter-Johnson 6-4. Franco stands 11th in the NAIA's 174-pound rankings. Weston Keleher earned a fall in the 184-pound match to cut Missouri Baptist's deficit to 17-15. Sivertsen answered for the Stars, edging Michael Hahn 3-1 at 197. Stanley Lattimore held off the 11th-ranked 285-pounder in the NAIA, Julius Anglikas, falling 11-9 to secure the victory for OCU. OCU competes next in the Missouri Valley Invitational at 9 a.m. Saturday in Marshall, Mo. Results: 125: Kidd Gomez, OCU, maj. dec. Detorious Prayther, 21-8 133: Gabriel Roman, MBU, dec. Tyler Espitia, 4-1 141: Chris Padilla, MBU, dec. Trevor Sterling, 6-3 (Unsportsmanlike conduct, OCU, dual point deducted) 149: Esmond Ford, MBU, dec. Hunter Muskrat, 4-3 157: Mark Meyer, OCU, pinned Alejandro Wajner, 1:03 165: Zach Skates, OCU, tech. fall Davis Keleher, 22-7 174: Teagan Franco, OCU, dec. Andrew Carter-Johnson, 6-4 184: Weston Keleher, MBU, pinned Jared Bass, 5:52 197: Cody Sivertsen, OCU, dec. Michael Hahn, 3-1 285: Julius Anglikas, MBU, dec. Stanley Lattimore, 11-9

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- The Eastern Michigan University wrestling team defeated Olivet College, 34-9, Wednesday evening, Jan. 16, at Bowen Field House in its final tune-up before Mid-American Conference action resumes. The Eagles (6-9; 0-1 MAC) toppled their Division III foe for a sixth straight time dating back to the 2005-06 season. EMU took eight matches on the evening and jumped out to a 14-0 lead before the Comets (5-7) got on the scoreboard at 149 lbs. In five matches, the Green and White registered bonus points by recording a major decision or better. After the Eagles were awarded six team points due to an Olivet forfeit at 125 lbs., redshirt sophomore Jake Byers improved to 4-1 in the regular season when he shutout Michael Gancer, 9-0, at 133 lbs. for a 10-0 EMU edge. Redshirt freshman Michael Shaw notched the Eagles' second straight major decision by an 11-2 tally over Kenneth Richmond at 141 lbs. Redshirt senior Aaron Sulzer posted the only pin of the evening at 157 lbs. when he took down Kyle Witgen at the 1:49 mark. Sulzer's fall came between a pair of Olivet victories at 149 lbs. and 165 lbs. to put the Eagles at a 20-6 advantage with four matches to decide. Each of the final four bouts went to the Eagles, with freshman Jacob Davis (174 lbs.) and redshirt junior Khodor Hoballah (heavyweight) winning by decision, and redshirt juniors Phillip Joseph (184 lbs.) and Nick Whitenburg (197 lbs.) claiming major decisions. The Eagles head on the road for their second-of-five MAC regular-season bouts Friday, Jan. 18, when they battle the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, N.Y. The match is slated for a 7 p.m. start. Results: 125: Alexander Calandrino (EMU) forfeit, EMU 6 OC 0 133: Jake Byers (EMU) maj. dec Micheal Gancer (OC), 9-0 EMU 10 OC 0 141: Michael Shaw (EMU) maj. dec. Kenneth Richmond (OC), 11-2. EMU 14 OC 0 149: Gage Pederson (OC) dec. Chris Rau (EMU), 5-3 EMU 14 OC 3 157: Aaron Sulzer (EMU) fall Kyle Witgen (OC) 1:49 EMU 20 OC 3 165: James Myers (OC) dec Jaylyn Bohl (EMU), 9-3 EMU 20 OC 6 174: Jacob Davis (EMU) dec. Nicholas Allen (OC), 4-1 EMU 23 OC 6 184: Phillip Joseph (EMU) maj. dec. Jeff Holm (OC), 10-2 EMU 27 OC 6 197 Nick Whitenburg (EMU) maj. dec. Logan Renas (Olivet), 12-2 EMU 31 OC 6 285 Khodar Hoballah (EMU) dec. Jack Griggs (OC), 6-0 EMU 34 OC 6

EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. -- The Shippensburg University wrestling team won five of its first six bouts of Wednesday night's road matchup at East Stroudsburg -- finished off with a first-period pin from redshirt-freshman Bobby Scheivert at 165 pounds -- en route to a 24-17 road victory from the Warriors' Koehler Fieldhouse. The Raiders (4-3) jumped out to a quick lead through four matches with decisions from sophomore Dave Calambas, senior Tyler Erdman and sophomore Ean Starner. Calambas won 6-2 at 125 pounds and Erdman won 10-5 at 133 pounds before the fifth-ranked 141-pounder in Super Region 1, junior Cody Myers, earned a forfeit victory. Starner then earned his first win this season with a 4-1 decision at 149 pounds to put Shippensburg up 15-0 through four bouts. A matchup of two ranked 157-pounders in Super Region 1 ensued in the next bout, as East Stroudsburg's (1-4) No. 2-ranked Braden Turner bested No. 4-ranked sophomore Neal Grudi with a 5-0 shutout decision. Scheivert, the fourth-ranked 165-pounder in Super Region 1, pushed Shippensburg's lead up to 21-3 with a pin in 1:25 -- his fourth win by fall this season and the second in the last three matches. East Stroudsburg then turned on the heat with two major decisions and an injury default victory over the next three bouts that cut the Raiders' lead to just 21-17 heading into the final heavyweight matchup. Senior Dan Estricher -- who held a nearly 60-pound advantage over his East Stroudsburg opponent, Joe Blaes -- locked up the SU victory, however, with a 5-3 decision to close out the match. Shippensburg returns to action on Saturday at the Mid-Penn Duals hosted by Millersville. Results: 125: Dave Calambas (SU) dec. Nick Kaiser (ESU) 6-2 [3-0] 133: Tyler Erdman (SU) dec. Devin Holmes (ESU) 10-5 [6-0] 141: Cody Myers (SU) wins by forfeit [12-0] 149: Ean Starner (SU) dec. Joseph Hoy (ESU) 4-1 [15-0] 157: Braden Turner (ESU) dec. Neal Grudi (SU) 5-0 [15-3] 165: Bobby Scheivert (SU) pins Colin Martucci (ESU) 1:25 [21-3] 174: Brendan McKeown (ESU) maj. dec. John Lindquist (SU) 16-5 [21-7] 184: Luke DeLuise (ESU) injury default Luke Etter (SU) 5:20 [21-13] 197: Tyson Searer (ESU) maj. dec. Francis Slover (SU) 8-0 [21-17] 285: Dan Estricher (SU) dec. Joe Blaes (ESU) 5-3 [24-17] Exhibition: 184: Frank Marinucci (ESU) dec. Jimmy Knapp (SU), 8-5

Hempstead, NY -- Each team recorded five victories but Pride senior Steve Bonanno and junior Luke Vaith each posted major decision wins to lead Hofstra to a 17-15 Colonial Athletic Association victory over Rider at the Mack Sports Complex Wednesday night. The victory gives the Pride their first victory of the season and evens their CAA record at 1-1. Rider falls to 5-5 overall and 0-1 in conference action. Opening up at 174 pounds, Hofstra sophomore Jermaine John's third period escape was the difference in a 3-2 victory over Rider's James Brundage. John improved to 11-9 on the season. Senior Taras Luzhnyy gave the Pride a 6-0 lead in the contest with a 6-4 decision over Ryan Wolfe. Luzhnyy (2-13) jumped out to a 5-1 lead after the first period and held on for his second victory of the season. Rider's Donald McNeil put the Broncs on the board at 197 with a 10-6 decision over junior Tim Murphy (2-13). Tied at 5-5 after two periods, McNeil posted a takedown, a nearfall and took the riding time point for the victory. Pride senior Paul Snyder boosted the Hofstra lead to 9-3 with a 5-1 decision over Greg Velasco at 285. Snyder gave up only a first period escape to improve to 13-7 this year. Bonanno increased the lead to 13-3 and notched a key bonus point with a 20-8 major decision win over Patrick Skinner at 125. The 2012 All-American tallied seven points in the second period and eight in the third to boost his season record to 8-7. It was also his third major decision of the season. Rider's Jimmy Morris brought the Broncs closer at 13-6 with an 8-2 win over Pride junior Jamie Franco (8-12) at 133. Hofstra junior Luke Vaith notched his fourth major win of the year with a 17-9 victory over Vinny Fava at 141. Leading 2-1 after one period, Vaith (12-9) blew the match open in the second with 12 points to give the Pride a 17-6 advantage. Rider closed out the match with three victories as Curt Delia tallied a 7-2 decision over red-shirt sophomore Cody Ruggirello (1-8) with five points in the second period at 149 pounds, Zac Cibula edged senior Tyler Banks (1-2) in the first tie-breaker, 3-2 at 157 and Ramon Santiago rallied in the third period with a takedown and a nearfall to edge Pride sophomore Nick Terdick, 8-6 at 165 as the Broncs fell short, 17-15.Wednesday's match marked the Pride return of Banks, who had been sidelined since the second match of the year with an injury. The Pride will return to action on Saturday, January 19 when they travel to Fairfax, Virginia for the CAA Duals. Hofstra (1-11) will face Boston University at 11:15 a.m., Old Dominion at 12:30 p.m. and George Mason at 1:45 p.m. at the GMU Field House. Results: 174 Jermaine John (Hofstra) won by decision over James Brundage (Rider), 3-2. 184 Taras Luzhnyy (Hofstra) won by decision over Ryan Wolfe (Rider), 6-4. 197 Donald Mcneil (Rider) won by decision over Tim Murphy (Hofstra), 10-6. 285 Paul Snyder (Hofstra) won by decision over Greg Velasco (Rider), 5-1. 125 Steve Bonanno (Hofstra) won by major decision over Patrick Skinner (Rider), 20-8. 133 Jimmy Morris (Rider) won by decision over Jamie Franco (Hofstra), 8-2. 141 Luke Vaith (Hofstra) won by major decision over Vinny Fava (Rider), 17-9. 149 Curt Delia (Rider) won by decision over Cody Ruggirello (Hofstra),7-2. 157 Zac Cibula (Rider) won in tie breaker 1 over Tyler Banks (Hofstra), 3-2. 165 Ramon Santiago (Rider) won by decision over Nick Terdick (Hofstra) 8-6.

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. -- Mule wrestling (4-6, 1-2 MIAA) won seven of ten bouts en-route to a 24-9 victory over Truman (4-2, 0-2 MIAA) at Pershing Arena Wednesday night in Kirksville. The win marked the Mules first MIAA dual win of the season. Mitchell Bradley picked up the Mules first win of the night, defeating the Bulldog's JJ Dorrell 9-4 in the 125 pound bout. Luke McClure followed up Bradley's win with another victory, this time a 7-6 decision over Truman's Tyler Stanley in triple overtime, extending the overall Mule lead to 6-0 heading into the 141 pound bout. Eric Mateo made quick work of the Bulldog's Nick Shea at 141, rolling to a 13-4 major decision to widen the UCM advantage to 10-0. The Bulldogs won the next two bouts though, 149 and 157, to cut the Mule lead to just 10-6 but Ty Loethen answered at 165 pounds, defeating TSU's Luke Knocke via a 6-3 decision to expand Central Missouri's lead to 13-6. Truman took a decision victory at 174 to narrow the lead to 13-9 but again the Mules answered, this time at 184 pounds when Mule newcomer Clarence Neely posted an impressive 22-6 tech. fall win over the Bulldog's Nate Seiler to increase the overall dual lead to 18-9 with just two bouts remaining. Both Todd Brier and Tim Tuaquoi took decision wins at 197 and 285 pounds to seal the Mules 24-9 victory. The Mules return to action this Saturday, January 19th when they travel to Marshall, Mo. to participate in the Missouri Valley Invitational beginning at 9 a.m. Results: 125: Mitchell Bradley (UCM) dec. JJ Dorrell (Truman), 9-4, UCM 3-0 133: Luke McClure (UCM) dec. Tyler Stanley (Truman), 7-6, 3 SV, UCM 6-0 141: Eric Mateo (UCM) maj. dec. Nick Shea (Truman), 13-4, UCM 10-0 149: Ryan Maus (Truman) dec. Nick Viterisi (UCM), 6-3, UCM 10-3 157: Colton Schmitz (Truman) dec. Michael Boyd (UCM), 2-0, UCM 10-6 165: Ty Loethen (UCM) dec. Luke Knocke (Truman), 6-3, UCM 13-6 174: Dustin McClintlock (Truman) dec. Jake Hawks (UCM), 10-6, UCM 13-9 184: Clarence Neely (UCM) tech. fall Nate Seiler (Truman), 22-6, UCM 18-9 197: Todd Brier (UCM) dec. Helmut Rentschler (Truman), 9-6, UCM 21-9 285: Tim Tuaquoi (UCM) dec. Ryan Ward (Truman), 5-1, UCM 24-9

The Belmont Abbey wrestling erased a 22-16 deficit by scoring wins in the final two bouts to tie the match at 22, and by virtue of winning six individual bouts to four, the Crusaders earned the tiebreaker point to claim a 23-22 win at Anderson this evening. The victory improves the Abbey's dual meet record to 4-5. Belmont Abbey won six of the ten individual bouts to earn the win, as Patrick Mestrez (125), Clemente Narviaz (141), Brandon Wilkins (157), Joseph Maumoynier (174), Jeff Lamer (197) and Kellly Baker (285) all scored wins. The Crusaders trailed 22-16 with two bouts remaining, but Lamer and Baker's wins turned out to be the difference. Lamer earned a 6-2 win over Bryan Glance to cut the deficit to 22-19, and Baker earned a 9-6 win over Zach Newton to earn a 22-22 stalemate, but the six wins put the Abbey on top. Results: 125 Patrick Mestrez BAC Greg Williams AU BAC MajDec 3-11 0-4 133 Mark Almeida BAC Zak Hale AU AU MajDec 13-1 4-4 141 Clemente Narviaz BAC Eric DeAngelis AU BAC Dec 2-6 4-7 149 Trey Alley BAC Ian Harper AU AU Forfeit 6-0 10-7 157 Brandon Wilkins BAC Kevin Johnson AU BAC Dec 4-8 10-10 165 Varilek or Cromwell BAC Jamal Lackey AU AU Pin (6:47) 6-0 16-10 174 Joseph Maumoynier BAC Robbey Pye AU BAC Pin (6:27) 0-6 16-16 184 Westley Ruffer BAC Zach Farmer AU AU Pin (6:37) 6-0 22-16 197 Jeff Lamer BAC Bryan Glace AU BAC Dec 2-6 22-19 285 Kelly Baker BAC Zach Newton AU BAC Dec 6-9 22-22

UFC on FX 7 goes down this Saturday headlined by a matchup of middleweight contenders Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort. But the most interesting card might be Bellator's Thursday offering, which includes two title fights and represents the promotion's Spike TV debut. At the very least, it'll be in HD. Richard and John give a detailed preview of all the action and make fun of each other vociferously. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

Immediately preceding the University of Michigan Wolverines' dual meet against the University of Iowa on Friday night, one could catch the two top high school programs in the state of Michigan take to the mat at Cliff Keen Arena in Ann Arbor when No. 8 St. Johns does battle with No. 14 Detroit Catholic Central at 4 p.m. These two squads did compete in a dual meet on December 15th, with the squads splitting matches seven apiece in a 33-31 upset victory for the Shamrocks. Zac Hall (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Come Friday night, the lineup dynamics are likely to be different, in particular for St. Johns who has slid their key wrestlers all down a weight class since the mid-December contest at Holland High School. However, the Redwings will likely be without Ben Whitford, who is ranked No. 1 in the nation at 145 pounds. On the plus side for Detroit Catholic Central is that Ken Bade -- ranked No. 13 at 126 pounds nationally -- will be able to compete on Friday night, he was out in that dual meet creating a lineup void at 135 pounds. The following are projected possible lineups for the two squads on Friday afternoon. 103: Ian Parker (St. Johns) vs. Tommy Herrmann (Detroit Catholic Central): Parker, just a freshman, is ranked fourth across all classifications per Michigan Grappler at this weight class; while the sophomore Herrmann is arguably the weakest link in the Shamrocks' lineup. 112: Dillon Cornell/Derek Droste vs. Zack Prater/Parker O'Brien: the 112 and 119 combo of Cornell and Droste represents the crater within the Redwings lineup; Prater is ranked No. 10 in Division 1 per Michigan Grappler. 119: Cornell/Droste vs. Trevor Zdebski: For the Shamrocks, returning state placer Zdebski -- who ranks No. 5 across divisions in this weight class -- must capitalize on this weak spot in the St. Johns lineup. 125: No. 5 Zac Hall vs. Evan Toth: Two-time state champion Hall is just a junior, and was a Junior freestyle runner-up this past summer, while Toth qualified for state in 2011 and is ranked No. 9 in Division 1 at the present time. 130: No. 6 Jacob Schmitt vs. No. 13 (at 126) Ken Bade/Myles Amine: Whether it's Bade or Amine for the Shamrocks, two-time state champion Schmitt is the probable favorite in this match; however, if it's two-time state champion Bade, he can pull off the mild upset, as he did so in last year's dual meet between the teams. The sophomore Amine qualified for state last year and is No. 10 across divisions in this weight class. 135: No. 7 (at 138) Logan Massa/Mark Bozzo vs. Bade/Myles Amine: The St. Johns strategy in this match will probably depend on what the Shamrocks do at 130 pounds, and how the dual meet is flowing at the time. If Myles Amine goes 130, it's almost assured St. Johns puts out sophomore star Logan Massa; however, if Bade goes 130, one could see the junior Bozzo, who ranks No. 6 in Division 2 at this weight class. 140: Massa/Bozzo vs. Malik Amine: Malik Amine is a two-time state placer for Detroit Catholic Central, and was a state runner-up last year, and is ranked No. 4 across divisions in this weight. 145: Drew Wixson/Josh Pennell vs. Chris Naubert: Yet again, St. Johns has flexibility depending on how this dual meet is going. Wixson is a sophomore for St. Johns, and Naubert is a senior for the Shamrocks. 152: Wixson/Pennell/Brant Schafer vs. Mike Babicz: The senior Pennell was runner-up at state as a freshman, and has finished third each of the last two years; at present, he is ranked No. 2 at 145 across divisions to Whitford. For Detroit Catholic Central, the senior Babicz qualified for state in 2011. 160: Pennell/Schafer vs. Logan Marcicki: The Indiana-bound Schafer is a three-time state placer and was a state champion last year. The 2011 Junior freestyle All-American is ranked No. 3 across divisions at 152. For the Shamrocks, having 2011 state champion Marcicki in the lineup is a must if they hope to win. This is a concern, as the state's top-ranked 160 pound wrestler was unable to compete this past Saturday after the first dual meet. 171: Angus Arthur vs. No. 18 Andrew Garcia: When the two teams met in December, these top two wrestlers statewide at 171 pounds competed to a 3-1 decision result in favor of defending state champion Garcia. Arthur was a Cadet double All-American this past summer, while Garcia did the same in 2011. 189: No. 11 (at 195) Payne Hayden vs. Nick Giese: In the December dual meet, it was the three-time state placer Hayden coming up with a 12-4 major decision victory against the sophomore Giese. Hayden is ranked tops at this weight class across divisions, while Giese is fifth in Division 1. 215: Blake Cooper vs. Jay Peterson: The December dual meet resulted in a pin for Peterson, who is ranked ninth in Division 1. His opponent, Cooper, is ranked seventh in Division 2. 285: Ben Proctor vs. Robert Coe: The December dual meet resulted in a pin for the senior Coe, a returning state placer who was third at the Super 32 Challenge. Coe currently ranks fifth across divisions at the weight class, while fellow senior Proctor is unranked within Division 2. Even with Whitford likely out of the lineup, the path to victory for St. Johns is a clearer one to pave, as they have more high-level wrestlers. However, there is hope for the Shamrocks, as they come in with the confidence of last month's dual meet victory.

Two weekends after No. 9 Clovis, Calif., finished first in a loaded field at their home tournament, the Doc Buchanan Invitational, the Cougars travel down south right between Los Angeles and San Diego for the Clinch Gear Battle for the Belt at Temecula Valley High School this Friday and Saturday. It is again a loaded field featuring three other Fab 50 teams -- No. 19 Poway, Calif., No. 33 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa., and No. 43 Vacaville, Calif., -- along with thirteen nationally ranked wrestlers covering nine of fourteen weight classes. Isaiah Locsin (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Arguably the tournament's featured weight class is at 120 pounds where a pair of state champions, both of whom are nationally ranked; an additional ranked wrestler; as well as three other state placers will do battle. The state champions are No. 3 Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) and No. 11 Isaiah Locsin (Live Oak, Calif.), while the other ranked wrestler is two-time third in the state No. 14 Micah Perez (Central Union, Calif.). Joshua Temple (Green Valley, Nev.) placed third at state, Jordan Gurrola (North Torrance, Calif.) placed seventh, and Arnulfo Olea (Exeter, Calif.) is a two-time state placer. The other two weight classes with multiple nationally ranked wrestlers are 113 and 170. At 113, it is a pair of sophomores who won state championships last year in No. 1 Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) and No. 20 Sean Cannon (Green Valley, Calif.). Others present in this weight include two-time state placer Gionn Peralta (Vacaville, Calif.), state placers Julian Gayton (Clovis, Calif.) and Matt Smull (Shasta, Calif.), as well as two-time state qualifier Sean Williams (Lemoore, Calif.) who also placed at the Ironman. The 170-pound weight features a trio of state placers: No. 13 Corey Griego (Sultana, Calif.), champion of the Doc Buchanan, and Ray Lomas (Central Catholic, Calif) who both placed fifth; along with No. 17 Steve Cervantes (Poway, Calif.), who was seventh at state but a runner-up at the Reno TOC losing to No. 2 Cody Wiercioch (Canon McMillan, Pa.) in overtime. Additional nationally ranked wrestlers in the field include No. 12 Ali Naser (El Camino Real, Calif.) at 132 pounds, No. 14 (at 138) Anthony Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) at 145, No. 2 Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.) at 160, No. 20 Adrian Salas (Clovis, Calif.) at 182, No. 4 Spencer Empey (Reed, Nev.), and No. 3 Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.) at 285. Naser, Martinez -- though fellow state champion Drew Smith (Damonte Ranch, Nev.) is in his weight class, Empey, and Nevills should go relatively untested in their weight classes. In the 145 weight class, four other wrestlers present formidable alternatives to Valencia: two-time state placer Victor Lopez (Poway, Calif.), state placer Jason Ladd (Clovis, Calif.), three-time state finalist Alex Aniciete (Las Vegas, Nev.), and two-time state finalist Zack Perry (Green Valley, Nev.). Notable alternatives to Salas at 182 include state runner-up Kyle Pope (Bakersfield, Calif.) and state qualifier Jose Ortiz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa), a NHSCA sophomore Nationals runner-up. Nationally ranked wrestlers are absent at 106, 126, 138, 152, and 195 but that does not mean a lack of quality competition. The 106 weight class features three of the top eight in the state of California -- state placer Adrian Camposano (Central), Reno TOC champion Tirso Lara (Poway), and state qualifier Nico Colunga (Oakdale) -- as well as freshman Luke Karam (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), a 2011 Cadet freestyle finalist. The 126-pound weight class features a pair of wrestlers that have taken fifth and second each of the last two years at the state tournament. Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) is one of the nation's top juniors, and would be nationally ranked, but made his season debut just last week as the FloNationals champion recovers from an injury. The Kent State bound Jonas Gayton (Clovis, Calif.) also placed fifth at the FloNationals last spring. The 138-pound weight class is led by three-time state finalist Geordan Martinez (Pine Creek, Colo.), who also is a two-time state champion and was a Cadet National double All-American in 2011. Two others to watch here are two-time state placer Ryan Todora (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) and Doc Buchanan finalist Sergio Enloe (Poway, Calif.). The 152-pound weight class features a trio of California state placers. First is two-time state placer Coleman Hammond (Bakersfield), who was fourth as a freshman and third last year as a junior. Next is Kyle Perreault (Clovis East), who placed seventh at state but was a NHSCA Junior National champion last spring. Finally in the trio is Luke Wilson (Righetti), who placed eighth at state, eight at the NHSCA Junior Nationals, but had a pair of wins over Perreault at the Doc Buchanan two weekends ago. Additionally, the field also includes two-time state placer Alex Smith (Pine Creek, Colo.) Finally, at 195 pounds, there are three notable title contenders. Reno TOC champion Jeremy Sweany (Vacaville, Calif.) placed eighth at state last year and was third at the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals, Immanuel Barber (Canyon Springs, Calif.) placed third at state and third at the NHSCA Junior Nationals, while Josh Alpha (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) is a two-time state qualifier.

The Yellow Jackets of Baldwin Wallace University visited Seiberling Gymnasium to open Ohio Athletic Conference dual match competition for the Heidelberg University wrestling team. The Yellow Jackets were in search of redemption after the Berg dropped Baldwin Wallace, 44-3 in Tiffin a year ago. However, the Student Princes and second year head coach Ned Shuck had different plans as they allowed only two Yellow Jackets victories and cruised to a 36-6 win. The Berg began the night with a Ryan Hornack (Medina) loss to national contender, Jesse Gunter, at 125-pounds, but the Student Princes would take three consecutive weight classes from the Yellow Jackets. First freshman 133-pounder Colin McDemitt (Lima/Lima Shawnee) pinned his BW counterpart in 0:58. The McDermitt pin was followed by a Chris Osborne (McComb) technical fall at 141-pounds and an Andrew Johnson (Weston/Otsego) 2:40 fall at 149-pounds. The final Heidelberg loss of the evening came at 157-pounds when Aaron Banko (Garfield Heights) dropped his match by decision, 8-2. The Student Princes closed out the match by taking the last five weight classes. 165-pounder, senior Justin Wharton (Orgeon/Clay) began the Berg's late charge with a 14-5 major decision, which was followed by Jeremy Stepp's (Cincinnati/Princeton) 10-5 decision over Ben Lebrun. Sophomore 184-pounder, Brennan Kelly (Clinton Township/De La Salle) kept the Berg's winning streak alive with his 9-3 decision, extending the Heidelberg lead to 27-6. Returning OAC Champion, senior 197-pounder Andy Lovins (Clinton Township/Lake Shore) opened OAC competition with a 3:33 fall over Wesley King, which was followed by freshman Nino Majoy's (Huron) 2-0 decision at 285-pounds. The Heidelberg wrestling team will return to the mat next Tuesday, January 22, 2013, when they travel to Concord, Ohio and the campus of Muskingum University. The Student Princes are set to battle the Muskies at 7:30 p.m.

ALLIANCE, Ohio -- No. 27 ranked Mount Union's wrestling team scored a 31-7 win over John Carroll in the first Ohio Athletic Conference Dual for both teams, Tuesday Jan. 15th at the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex. With its win, the Purple Raiders improves to 4-2 overall and 1-0 in the OAC. The Raiders won six out of eight contested matches highlighted by a major decision from senior Nick Terifaj (Brook Park/Strongsville) winning 13-0 at 285 over John Carroll's junior Will Porter. The Raiders got five decisions from freshman Jeremy Border (Caldwell/Caldwell) at 133, sophomore Bryant Roby (Westchester, Ill./St. Joseph) at 141, sophomore Jon Garrison (Fairlawn/Copley) at 157,sophomore Brent Kirk (Adena/Buckeye Local) at 174 and senior Jeremy Hathaway (Cuyahoga Falls/Woodridge) at 184 won in an overtime match 5-1. The Blue Streaks(3-5, 0-1 OAC) freshman duo Mike Buckiso won by a major decision over junior Brad Kress (Louisville/Louisville) at 125 gaining four points and gained three points from Jordan Victor who won by a decision over junior Tyler Johnston (Lyndhurst/Brush) at 149, totaling out their seven points. Mount Union hosts Niagara County C.C., Saturday Jan. 19th for a dual matchup at 7:00 pm at the MAAC. Results: 125: Mike Buckiso (JCU) won by major decision over Brad Kress (Mount Union) 13-2 133: Jeremy Border (Mount Union) won by decision over Jeff Holy (JCU) 8-1 141: Bryant Roby (Mount Union) won by decision over Doug Hayes) 9-3 149: Jordan Victor (JCU) won by decision over Tyler Johnston (Mount Union) 7-4 157: Jon Garrison (Mount Union) won by decision over John Connick (JCU) 7-6 165: Jeremy Regula (Mount Union) won by forfeit. 174: Brent Kirk (Mount Union) won by decision over Danny McNamara (JCU) 3-1 184: Jeremy Hathaway (Mount Union) won by decision over Bryan Steinmetz (JCU) 5-1 OT 197: Nick Rajcsak (Mount Union) won by forfeit 285: Nick Terifaj (Mount Union) won by major decision over Will Porter (JCU) 13-0.

ASHLAND, OHIO -- Down three starters and trailing by five points with three matches to go, the Lake Erie College wrestling team got a late spark to get two pins and a decision to upset 18th-ranked Ashland University Tuesday night (Jan. 15) at Kates Gymnasium, 27-17. Trailing 17-12, junior Tom McVicker (South Fork, Pa./Forest Hills/Penn Highlands), wrestling in just his third dual match at 141 pounds this season, pinned Daniel McNulty just 43 seconds into their match. That moved to be the match the swung the team scoring, as Lake Erie (8-3, 1-1 GLIAC) took an 18-12 lead it would not relinquish. Sophomore Nate Ball (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth) followed with a 7-1 decision victory over Jacob Garringer at 149 pounds and junior Zak Vargo (Stow, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy) ended the night by overwhelming Michael Hummer for a pin at 2:25 of the first round, putting an exclamation point on the Storm's second win over a ranked team this season. The Storm jumped out to a 9-0 lead after two matches. Sophomore 165-pound All-American Matt Vandermeer (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) pinned Randall Perkins midway through the second period to record his 12th consecutive win. Classmate Dylan Zivcic (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor) followed with a 6-1 decision over Jake Piatt at 174 pounds. Ashland (6-3, 0-1 GLIAC) closed in as Bryson Hall edged junior Zev Green (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville), 3-2, at 184 pounds and Brandon O'Neill followed with a major decision against Devin Smith (Salem, Va./Salem) at 197 to make it a 9-7 score. Almonte Patrick (Maple Heights, Ohio/Maple Heights) got the Storm back into the win column, just missing out on a major decision but earning a 7-0 victory at heavyweight over Kurt Schaefer. The lead would be short-lived, however, as Max Byrd broke a 3-3 tie with sophomore Mike November (Chesterland, Ohio/West Geauga) with a quick takedown and pin to put the Eagles up 13-12. Fourth-ranked Michael Labry remained perfect on the season with a 12-4 major decision over sophomore Austin Gillihan (Corry, Pa./Corry Area) that made the score 17-12. The eight dual victories for Lake Erie already match the Storm's school record total set last season. The Storm has a week off until hosting Gannon University on Wednesday night, Jan. 23, for the annual Youth Wresting Night at the Jerome T. Osborne Family Athletic & Wellness Center in Painesville. Results: 125: Max Byrd (AU) pinned Mike November (LEC), 133: Michael Labry (AU) maj. dec. Austin Gillihan (LEC), 12-4 141: Tom McVicker (LEC) pinned Daniel McNulty (AU), 0:43 149: Nate Ball (LEC) dec. Jacob Garringer (AU), 7-1 157: Zak Vargo (LEC) pinned Michael Hummer (AU), 2:25 165: Matt Vandermeer (LEC) pinned Randall Perkins (AU), 4:20 174: Dylan Zivcic (LEC) dec. Jake Piatt (AU), 6-1 184: Bryson Hall (AU) dec. Zev Green (LEC), 3-2 197: Brandon O'Neill (AU) maj. dec. Devin Smith, 14-6 285: Almonte Patrick (LEC) dec. Kurt Schaefer (AU), 7-0

The No. 12-ranked Mountain Cat wrestlers clawed back from an early 7-0 deficit to win eight straight bouts, including NCAA eighth-ranked Travis McKillop's (Lower Burrell, Pa.) technical fall over Super Region No. 2-ranked Zack Zelcs, to lead Pitt-Johnstown to a 27-7 victory at Gannon University on Tuesday. The Mountain Cats made it five straight dual meet wins and improved to 6-2. Gannon jumped out to a 7-0 lead after two bouts in a pair of matches that featured regionally-ranked wrestlers. In the opener at 125 lbs., Super Region I No. 3-ranked Matthew Turek won a 12-3 major decision over fifth-ranked Evan Link (Cresson, Pa.), and in a battle of the top-two wrestlers in the region, No. 2 Jose Matos upset top-ranked and national No. 8 Dave Fogle (Summerhill, Pa.), 5-3, at 133 lbs. However, the Mountain Cats took control and won he final eight matches to take home the victory. Dave Cawley (Pittsburgh, Pa.) shutout Adam Weinell, 4-0, at 141 lbs., and Jack Bachman (Greensburg, Pa.) earned a 6-4 win over Michael Krysiak, before Joel Paolo (Weirton, WV) used a third period takedown to hold off Casey Page, 2-1, at 157 lbs. to give Pitt-Johnstown its first lead of the night at 9-7. Decision wins by Keith Ryan (Shirleysburg, Pa.) (165 lbs.) and Gary Lantz (Delta, Pa.) extended the Mountain Cat lead to 15-7, and McKillop scored a 15-0 technical fall over Zelcs at 184 lbs. to put the match away. Pitt-Johnstown closed it out and set the final at 27-7 with Nikos Garafola's (Greensburg, Pa.) 13-3 major decision over Kristopher Rahn at 197 lbs., and Josh Duplin's (Johnstown, Pa.) 5-3 overtime win over Charles Lear at 285 lbs. With the loss, Gannon slipped to 1-1 on the year. The Mountain Cats host No. 18 Ashland (OH) University on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Sports Center, before traveling to the 2013 Super Region Duals at Newberry (SC) College on January 25-26. Results: 125 - Matthew Turek (GU) Major Decision Evan Link (UPJ) 12-3 4-0 GU 133 - Jose Matos (GU) Decision #8 Dave Fogle (UPJ) 5-3 7-0 GU 141 - Dave Cawley (UPJ) Decision Adam Weinell (GU) 4-0 7-3 GU 149 - Jack Bachman (UPJ) Decision Michael Krysiak (GU) 6-4 7-6 GU 157 - Joel Paolo (UPJ) Decision Casey Pace (GU) 2-1 9-7 UPJ 165 - Keith Ryan (UPJ) Decision Adam Greenman (GU) 6-3 12-7 UPJ 174 - Gary Lantz (UPJ) Decision Jermaine Easter (GU) 3-2 15-7 UPJ 184 - #8 Travis McKillop (UPJ) Tech. Fall Zack Zelcs (GU) 15-0 20-7 UPJ 197 - Nikos Garafola (UPJ) Maj. Dec. Kristopher Rahn (GU) 13-3 24-7 UPJ HWT. - Josh Duplin (UPJ) Decision Charles Lear (GU) 5-3 OT 27-7 UPJ

BOONE, N.C. -- By picking up his second major decision in the last three bouts, redshirt freshman Zack Strickland's 11-3 victory at 165 pounds was the deciding factor in Appalachian State University wrestling's 16-15 win over Southern Conference foe, Campbell, Tuesday night at Varsity Gymnasium. With the narrow victory, the Mountaineers improve their conference winning streak to 11 straight and move to 6-2 overall and 3-0 in the SoCon. After facing setbacks at 149 and 157 pounds to begin the dual, Strickland gave Appalachian some momentum, cruising to an 11-3 major decision over Campbell's Paul Duggan. For Strickland, it was his 18th win of the season as he remains perfect in duals (8-0). Following the Strickland win, redshirt freshman Colin Hedash (174 pounds), sophomore Jake Johnson and redshirt sophomore Paul Weiss each tallied decisions, propelling the Mountaineers to a 13-6 lead. Campbell made its way back into the dual, stringing together two hard-fought decisions. Redshirt sophomore Nick Vetell, who is listed at 174 pounds, matched up with Campbell's heavyweight, Joe Nolan. Vetell hung with Nolan, earning a late escape to allow Nolan to gain just three points for the Camels. At 125 pounds, redshirt sophomore Dominic Parisi suffered his first defeat in dual matches this season, falling for the second time this year to CU's Eric Montoya, 8-5. Parisi remains the only attached Mountaineer with 20 wins on the season. Senior Brett Boston gave the Mountaineers some breathing room at 133 pounds with a 6-1 decision over Campbell's Tanner Bidelspach. With the win, the Apps controlled the dual heading into the last bout of the night, 16-12. Needing at least a major decision to force a tiebreak, Campbell's Michael Dahlstrom was unable to earn the four or more points against App State's Chris Johnson, tallying a 5-4 decision over Johnson. Nevertheless, the Mountaineers came away the tightly contested 16-15 victory. Appalachian takes a short break, but returns to Varsity Gymnasium on Friday, Jan. 18, as the Apps host The Citadel. First bout is slated for 6:30 p.m. Results: 149: Brent Jorge (CU) dec. Zach Kechter (APP), 11-4 (CU 3-0) 157: Nick Rex (CU) dec. Aaron Scott (APP), 3-2 (CU 6-0) 165: Zack Strickland (APP) maj. dec. Paul Duggan (CU), 11-3 (CU 6-4) 174: Colin Hedash (APP) dec. Cody Ryba (CU), 11-6 (APP 7-6) 184: Jake Johnson (APP) dec. Matt Cox (CU), 3-0 (APP 10-6) 197: Paul Weiss (APP) dec. John Merickel (CU), 3-1 (APP 13-6) 285: Joe Nolan (CU) dec. Nick Vetell (APP), 10-3 (APP 13-9) 125: Eric Montoya (CU) dec. Dominic Parisi (APP), 8-5 (APP 13-12) 133: Brett Boston (APP) dec. Tanner Bidelspach (CU), 6-1 (APP 16-12) 141: Michael Dahlstrom (CU) dec. Chris Johnson (APP), 5-4 (APP 16-15) BOUT-BY-BOUT: 149: Jorge dec. Kechter, 11-5 Jorge jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead within the first minute of the opening period, which included a three-point near fall. Kechter tried to fight his way back into the bout, earning an escape point within the first three seconds of the second period. Jorge closed the bout scoring a quick escape, followed by another near fall to give Campbell its first points. 157: Rex dec. Scott, 3-2 After a scoreless opening period, Scott earned an escape point in the second period and held the 1-0 lead into the final period. Rex struck quickly with a two-point takedown and accumulated enough riding time to capture the 3-2 decision. 165: Strickland maj. dec. Duggan, 11-3 Strickland earned a takedown in the opening period and took a 2-0 lead into the second period. After earning an escape, Strickland looked to have a pin on Duggan, but could only manage two near fall points to lead 7-0 after two periods. In the final period, Strickland added to his lead with two stalls, an escape and the riding time point to win, 11-3. 174: Hedash dec. Ryba, 11-6 Hedash and Ryba traded takedowns in the first period, but Hedash notched his second takedown of the period and took a 4-3 lead into the second period. With an escape, followed by his third takedown, Hedash led, 7-4, heading into the final period. Scoring did not come until 17 seconds remained in the dual, as Hedash earned two more takedowns and a riding time point for the 11-6 decision. 184: Jake Johnson dec. Cox, 3-0 Johnson grabbed the lead with a minute left in the second period with a two-point reversal and controlled riding time for the 3-0 decision. It was the first victory in a dual in the sophomore's career. 194: Weiss dec. Merickel, 3-1 Scoring broke early in the second period, as Merickel escaped six seconds into the period. Weiss got back on track with a takedown with just 30 seconds left in the second period. Weiss closed the scoring with an escape to take the 3-1 decision. 285: Nolan dec. Vetell, 10-3 As Vetell tried to tire Nolan throughout the bout, Vetell found himself down 9-2 and facing the riding time point with 50 seconds left in the match. The redshirt sophomore found some room and was able to escape Nolan's hold, giving Nolan the 10-3 win, but allowing CU to earn just three points. 125: Montoya dec. Parisi, 8-5 In the most anticipated bout of the night, Montoya and Parisi were even through the first two periods with a 5-5 score. Montoya was able to grab an escape point early, as Parisi tried to put Montoya on his back many times. Montoya clinched his 25th win of the season; as he notched a takedown with 17 seconds remaining, giving Parisi his first loss in a dual this season. 133: Boston dec. Bidelspach, 6-1 Boston earned his first takedown with 27 seconds left in the second period and controlled for the remainder, earning another takedown early in the final period for the 6-1 victory. For Boston, it was his sixth win of the season. 141: Dahlstrom dec. Chris Johnson, 5-4 Dahlstrom opened scoring with a takedown, as Johnson quickly escaped to close the first period, 2-1. Dhalstrom added another takedown, but Johnson quickly bounced by with a two-point reversal. Johnson drew the bout even with an early escape but could not finish on top as Dahlstrom accumulated enough riding time for the 5-4 decision.

InterMat has released updated grade (recruiting) rankings. The Top 100 seniors, Top 50 juniors, Top 50 sophomores, Top 25 freshmen, and Top 15 junior high wrestlers are ranked. InterMat Platinum is required to view all the rankings. Below is a sneak peek at the top wrestlers in each grade. Seniors (Top 10): 1. Bo Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) 2. Adam Coon (Fowlerville, Mich.) 3. Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.) 4. Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.) 5. Ben Whitford (St. Johns, Mich.) 6. Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.) 7. J'den Cox (Hickman, Mo.) 8. Jake Short (Simley, Minn.) 9. Cody Wiercioch Canon-McMillan, Pa.) 10. Anthony Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) Juniors (Top Five): 1. Chance Marsteller (Kennard Dale, Pa.) 2. Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) 3. Bryce Brill (Mount Carmel, Ill.) 4. Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.) 5. Solomon Chisko (Canon McMillan, Pa.) Sophomores (Top Five): 1. Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 2. Fox Baldwin (Osceola, Fla.) 3. Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.) 4. Michael Kemerer (Franklin Regional, Pa.) 5. Matthew Kolodzik (Blair Academy, N.J.) Freshmen (Top Five): 1. Aaron Pico (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 2. Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) 3. Mason Manville (Blair Academy, N.J.) 4. Alex Marinelli (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) 5. Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) Junior High (Top Five): 1. Spencer Lee (Pennsylvania) 2. Brady Berge (Minnesota) 3. Cade Olivas (California) 4. Jelani Embree (Michigan) 5. Nick Lee (Indiana)

Showdowns of elite headline Escape the Rock This Saturday and Sunday at Council Rock South High School outside of Philadelphia, Pa., will be the Escape the Rock Wrestling Tournament. Even though the field is bereft an elite team, there are many excellent individuals in the field, including four weight classes featuring a pair of nationally ranked individuals. The 113-pound weight class features No. 4 Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.), a two-time state champion, and No. 5 Ethan Lizak (Parkland, Pa.), state champion this past year. A pair of wrestlers ranked No. 19 and No. 20 in the nation are present at 138 pounds -- Cadet freestyle All-American Ronnie Gentile (Paulsboro, N.J.) and John Dutrow (Council Rock North, Pa.), a three-time state qualifier who placed fourth last year. Then at 182 pounds, there is a possible Class AAA finals preview between a pair of wrestlers who placed third at state last year in No. 4 Brett Harner (Norristown, Pa.) and No. 7 Jacob Taylor (Bald Eagle, Pa.); it was a third state placement for Harner who also was a Super 32 runner-up this fall, and a first placement for Taylor who also has titles at the Super 32 and FloNationals in the present cycle. Finally, at 220 pounds it will be two-time state champion Thomas Haines (Solanco, Pa.), ranked No. 3 nationally, likely to battle two-time state placer Raymond O'Donnell (Saucon Valley, Pa.), who is ranked No. 3 nationally at 195 but is bumping up to 220 for the rest of the season. Clovis builds upon Doc Buchanan title with pair of dual meet victories Coming off of last weekend's big tournament victory at the Doc Buchanan Invitational, No. 9 Clovis, Calif. traveled to De La Salle, Calif. for a pair of dual meets. The Cougars came home with victories in both bouts, 60-6 over the host squad and 43-24 over No. 43 Vacaville, Calif. However, the match with Vacaville was highly competitive, as the Bulldogs won six of the weight classes. The margin reflects Clovis earning six of their wins by fall, while Vacaville had only one fall to go with three major decisions and two decisions. To open the dual meet, Vacaville's Kasey Klaus earned a 12-4 major decision victory at 120 pounds. Two-time state placer Jonas Gayton responded back for Clovis with a pin at 126. Then, a pair of Vacaville decisions from Cameron Bailey, 5-4 at 132 pounds, and Bobby Ehman, 6-2 at 138 pounds, gave the Bulldogs their last lead of the dual meet at 10-6. In the next match, state placer Jason Ladd gave Clovis the lead with a pin at 145 pounds. However, said lead was almost short-lived, as Vacaville's Hayden Fry jumped out to a 4-1 third period lead at 152 pounds. However, Dominic Kincaid from Clovis responded with an escape and takedown to force the overtime, where Kincaid secured a fall to extend the Cougars lead to 18-10. The teams traded pins at 160 and 170, before No. 20 Adrian Salas earned an 8-3 decision over Chris Lai to boost the Clovis lead to 27-16. Responding back with a major decision for Vacaville was Reno TOC champion Jeremy Sweany at 195 pounds. However, three consecutive bonus point victories for Clovis -- two pins and a major decision at 285 pounds by No. 3 Nick Nevills -- turned a competitive dual meet into a 43-20 margin before Vacaville's Gionn Peralta earned a 10-1 major decision victory to yield the 43-24 final dual meet score. Big week ahead for No. 35 Park Hill, Mo. Coming off a championship at the Capital City Wrestling Invitational, the Trojans will be put to the test this coming week. It starts Thursday night with a home dual meet against No. 39 Kearney, Mo. These squads wrestled in an opening weekend dual meet, with the Bulldogs taking eight matches in a 31-27 victory. From that match, Kearney adds state runner-up Blake Clevenger to the lineup at 132 pounds. The 132-poundmatch in December was a tech fall victory for Park Hill freshman Canten Marriott, but Clevenger scored a 6-1 decision at the Kansas City Stampede two weeks later. Other key matchups in the dual meet at 113, 120, 145, and 170. At 113, No. 3 Ke-Shawn Hayes faces No. 9 Jaret Singh, a match won 4-3 by Park Hill's Hayes in the dual meet; the 120-pound wrestlers have split overtime matches this season, with Seth Brayfield giving Kearney a 5-3 victory in the dual meet, but John Erneste winning 11-6 at the Ironman; Kearney state champion No. 18 Grant Leeth earned a 10-3 dual meet victory over three-time state runner-up Russell Coleman in the dual meet at 145; while Kearney state runner-up Blain Drescher scored a 7-5 overtime victory over state placer Malik Colding at 170. Come Friday and Saturday, Park Hill is joined by No. 37 Blue Springs, Mo. in the Winnetonka Invitational Blair dominates to title, while Robinson a total unexpected runner-up at NHSCA Festival Over the four dual meets that No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J., wrestled on the way to winning the championship at the NHSCA Final Four Festival, the Buccaneers went a combined 50-6. This included a 66-6 victory over Emmaus, Pa., a 73-3 victory over Timberlane, N.H., a no contest against Pennsbury, Pa., a 65-3 semifinal victory over Springfield Central, Pa., and a 61-6 finals victory over Robinson, Va. It was quite frankly a total "Cinderella" story for Robinson, Va., to make the championship match. In the tournament's opening match against Don Bosco Prep, N.J. the Rams needed to significant upsets to earn a 37-29 dual meet victory. At 120 pounds, Ralph Mpanu scored a first period pin against two-time state placer Luis Gonzalez; while Cole DePasquale earned a 5-4 victory over Luke Farinaro, who was fourth at the Beast of the East, in the 170-poundclass. That result, combined with a 60-17 victory over Souderton, Pa. propelled Robinson to the semifinal round against No. 3 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. In that semifinal, the Blue Knights were still forfeiting the 106 class, as they have done all year, and also were without No. 1 Eric Morris at 182 and No. 8 Michael Johnson, Jr. at 285 (which cost Wyoming Seminary a pair of victories in context of the dual meet). In splitting seven matches to win 33-32, the Rams also benefitted from two very unexpected pins -- Austin Riggs at 126 scored a late first period fall against No. 18 Judson Preskitt and Cole DePasquale earned a third period fall over Chris Weiler at 170. Victories for Robinson in the championship match came from No. 19 Jack Bass, 3-2 over Brandon Pallavia at 152, and Zak DePasquale with a 6-2 victory over Jack Wedholm at 160. Upcoming weekend quick hits No. 10 Allen, Texas and No. 17 Collinsville, Okla., headline the Crossroads National Duals in El Reno, Okla. on Friday and Saturday. No. 15 Massillon Perry, Ohio headlines an excellent field at the Top Gun Wrestling Tournament in Alliance, Ohio on Friday and Saturday. A notable weight class showdown could occur at 106 pounds, where No. 6 Jose Rodriguez (Massillon Perry, Ohio) and No. 11 Alex Mackall (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio) are in the field. Additionally, No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio) is looking at a third match this season against state champion David Bavery (Massillon Perry, Ohio) in the 120-poundfinal. Squads in the hunt for second place include Marysville, Ohio; Claymont, Ohio; CVCA, Ohio; Walsh Jesuit, Ohio; and Uniontown Lake, Ohio. No. 16 Southeast Polk, Iowa and No. 44 Bettendorf, Iowa will headline a 16-team field in the Ed Winger Invitational at Urbandale High School on Saturday. No. 23 McDonogh, Md., is looking at a test in dual meet competition against Don Bosco Prep, N.J. on Saturday night at the University of Maryland. Edmond North wins tournament at Sapulpa, flips last week's runner-up finish Traveling to the Jerry Billings Invitational this past weekend in Sapulpa, Okla., No. 29 Edmond North, Okla. sought to reverse the runner-up finish behind No. 24 Broken Arrow, Okla. at the prior weekend's Geary Invitational. And that is what they did with six finalists and an additional third place finisher in scoring 191 points. Winning titles in Sapulpa for Edmond North were the Dixon triplets -- No. 16 Lance (182), Joel, and No. 5 Andrew -- while Cy Trindle (113), Josh Breece (126), and Derek White (170) finished second place. Despite wrestling without two-time state placer Zach Edwards, who earned a title at Geary last weekend in the 132-poundclass, Broken Arrow was still able to win four titles but finished second with 161-1/2 points. Tigers' weight class champions were Markus Simmons (120), Paden Bailey (152), Brock Warren (170), and Carlos Taylor (285). Outstanding Wrestler honors went to three-time state champion Davey Dolan (Berryhill, Okla.), champion of the 145-poundweight class, who has won over 100 consecutive matches since the middle of his freshman season. Teammate Jonce Blaylock was champion in the 138-poundweight class. In addition, a pair of nationally ranked Stillwater, Okla. wrestlers won titles -- No. 10 Kaid Brock (113) and No. 13 Joe Smith (132). Rounding out the weight class champions were Dustin Hayes (Vinita, Okla.) at 106, Luke Wolfensberger (Tulsa Union, Okla.) at 126, and Jacobe Smith (Muskogee, Okla.) at 160. Quick hitters from the past weekend No. 26 South Plainfield, N.J., won their maiden Virginia Duals National High School Division title this past weekend. The Tigers dominated all three of their duals prior to the championship match: 81-0 over Cave Spring, Va., 45-22 over Nazareth, Pa., and 48-18 over Camden Catholic, N.J. The championship match against No. 32 McDonogh, Md., saw the South Plainfield jump out to 32-3 lead after seven matches; however, the Eagles responded with six successive wins to cut the deficit to 32-24, and with the dual clinched, Dan Maltsev received a forfeit at 285 to make the final score 32-30. Five Tigers wrestlers went 4-0 in the event: Daniel Hedden (113), Raymond Jazikoff (120), No. 14 Corey Stasenko (126), No. 7 Scott Delvecchio (132), and No. 2 Anthony Ashnault (138). Missing two nationally ranked wrestlers -- No. 4 Christian Moody (106) and No. 8 Davion Jeffries (113) -- No. 17 Collinsville, Okla., finished fourth Bobcat Classic with 154-1/2 points despite placing eight wrestlers (one second, four in third, two fourth, and one sixth). The lone Cardinal finalist was Zach Abkemeier, who lost an 8-0 major decision at 170 pounds to Bryan Guillen, who was the lone titlist for team champion Topeka Seaman, Kan. That squad scored 177-1/2 points in placing nine wrestlers (five in fifth, with one champ, runner-up, fourth-placer, and eighth-placer). Finishing second in the event with 172 points despite having their four nationally ranked wrestlers -- No. 9 Daniel Lewis (138), No. 16 Darick Lapaglia (145), No. 10 Cain Salas (152), and No. 13 Michael Pixley (182) -- win titles was No. 37 Blue Springs, Mo. In earlier recaps and soon-to-come previews Over the weekend, No. 11 Oak Park River Forest, Ill., traveled to No. 13 Carl Sandburg, Ill., and secured a 27-24 victory in winning eight weight classes. The Huskies were keyed by successive victories in the 126-145-poundweight classes in a dual meet that started at 160 pounds. No. 14 Detroit Catholic Central, Mich., hosted a loaded field of teams at the DCC Super Duals this past Saturday. No. 2 St. Edward, Ohio went undefeated on the day against four elite teams; however, it was not without intrigue. The Eagles won nine matches in a 43-15 opening match victory over Davison, Mich; also won nine matches in a 38-26 victory over No. 8 St. Johns, Mich.; then needed criteria to win a 22-2 tied match against No. 6 Montini Catholic, Ill.; and won nine matches in beating No. 14 Detroit Catholic Central 35-17. Other key dual meets included a 32-24 win for St. Johns over Montini, one in which the Redwings won nine weight classes; a 35-28 win for St. Johns over Davison, in which the weight classes were split; and a 36-21 victory for Montini over Detroit Catholic Central, in which the Broncos won nine weight classes. On Friday night, No. 8 St. Johns, Mich., and No. 14 Detroit Catholic Central, Mich., will wrestle in a dual meet at the University of Michigan. Saturday night features No. 2 St. Edward, Ohio traveling to No. 12 St. Paris Graham, Ohio. This coming weekend -- on Friday and Saturday -- Temecula Valley hosts the Clinch Gear Battle for the Belt in California. The field includes a quartet of Fab 50 teams in No. 9 Clovis, Calif., No. 19 Poway, Calif., No. 33 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa., and No. 43 Vacaville, Calif. Welcome the Go-Hawks to the Fab 50 Coming off a championship at the Geneseo Bi-State Invitational, Waverly-Shell Rock, Iowa joins the InterMat Fab 50 in the No. 50 position. The Go-Hawks were led by four champions and eight placers on the way to 193 points; their champions were Spencer Derifield (152), Izaak Miller (160), Adam Walther (195), and Kaleb Staack (285). All this was done without the presence of state placer Andrew Steiert, a Cheesehead runner-up at 138 pounds, who was out of the lineup. Second in the standings was No. 44 Bettendorf, Iowa, who had the same five finalists and eight placers as Waverly-Shell Rock, but just three titles coming from Jack Wagner (106), No. 16 Fredy Stroker (126), and Jacob Woodard (138). The Bulldogs scored 182 points. One-half point back in third with 181-1/2 points was No. 47 Cedar Rapids Prairie, Iowa despite the absence of three wrestlers that appear in the top eight of The Predicament Class 3A state rankings: Sam Uthoff (106), Dylan Becker (132), and Austin Gould (182). They did place eight wrestlers, but had only one champion, Skylar St. John at 145 pounds. Rounding out the weight class champions were a pair from North Scott, Iowa in Mitch Bowman (170) and Justin Kreiter (182); Ronald Triche (113) from Providence Catholic, Ill.; Sam Butler (120) from Cathan Glenwood, Ill.; Andrew Crone (132) from Arrowhead, Wis.; and Adarios Jones (285) from Moline, Ill.

NCAA champion and current Clarion head wrestling coach Troy Letters calls in to discuss the newness of being a head coach and the joys of hunting for grouse in Western Pennsylvania. Brian Muir drops in to set lines for Lehigh-Rutgers, Wisconsin-Iowa and more. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

PITTSBURGH -- University of Pittsburgh senior heavyweight Zac Thomusseit has been named EWL Wrestler of the Week for the third time on the season, the Conference announced Monday. Thomusseit earns the honor after an impressive day at Pitt Duals where he tallied three first period pins. In his first match of the day, Thomusseit met 16th-ranked Justin Grant of Bloomsburg and was able to turn him to his back a mere 1:54 into the contest. In his second match, Thomusseit earned a fall over Eastern Michigan’s Chris Eggert at the 2:31 mark to help secure win No. 300 for head coach Rande Stottlemyer. In the final match of the day, Thomusseit took down Jordan Ownbey mere seconds into the contest and was able to work him to his back to earn the fall at the 48 second mark. With the three victories, Thomusseit improves his record to 18-1 on the season, including an impressive eight victories by fall and a flawless 9-0 mark in dual contests. Thomusseit and the rest of the Panthers will return to the mats on Sunday, Jan. 20, when they travel to Stillwater, Okla. to face No. 2 Oklahoma State at 2 p.m.