InterMat Staff

Hudson Taylor

Tolly Thompson

Tim Mathews

Mark Reiland

Mike Allen

Joe Heskett For more information, visit http://www.hleadership.com.

Kerry McCoy

Barry Davis

Balance the hallmark of Part 2 of the California state prelude The Five Counties Invitational, hosted by Fountain Valley High School in California, was a tournament marked by great depth and superlative balance across the field. Only one school had two tournament champions, no school placed more than five individuals, and close to 60 schools had a wrestler place within the top eight. Sophomore Alex Cisneros (112), ranked third nationally, continued his dominant run though in-state competition with a pin, technical fall, two majors, and a 3-0 decision on the way to a repeat title at the Five Counties Invitational. He anchored the team champion Selma, CA squad which had five total placers. Nick Pena (130) and Justin Lozano (160) placed third, Nathan Zarate (140) finished fourth, while Nick Escalera (152) placed fifth as the Bears scored 132 points. Pena -- ranked 11th nationally at 135 pounds -- was upset 8-6 by Chris Calcagno of Clovis North, CA in the semifinal round. In the final at 130 pounds, Bobby Morales of Laguna Hills, CA defeated Calcagno by a 10-5 decision. In his other five matches during the tournament -- Morales won two by fall, one by technical fall, one by major decision, and other by decision. That performance earned Morales MVP honors for the lower weights. Frank Martinez (140) of Northview, CA was named MVP among middle weights; while seventh ranked Drew Meulman (285) of St. Francis, CA was MVP among the upper weights. Meulman won all five of his matches by fall, and the only match to go past the first period was his championship bout -- won by fall in 4:46 against Wyatt Baker of Servite, CA. Coming in second place was Calvary Chapel, CA -- the only team to have multiple champions -- with 130.5 points. Also with five placers, the Church Boyz were anchored by champions from a pair of nationally ranked juniors. Morgan McIntosh (189) -- ranked second nationally -- went through this tournament in dominant fashion with three pins and two 15-6 major decisions, one of which came against Reno ToC champion Chace Eskam of Carlsbad, CA. Also winning a title was eighth ranked Tank Knowles (215); other placers for Calvary Chapel took home third, fourth, and seventh place. The other team to muster five placers was Bakersfield, CA -- which came in third place with 119-1/2 points. The lone champion was junior Bryce Hammond, ranked 17th nationally at 160 pounds. In the championship final, Hammond defeated Dominic Kastl of Gilroy, CA by a 1-0 score. Timmy Box (140) earned runner-up honors for Bakersfield; while the squad's other placers took third, fifth, and sixth. Two of the evening's most notable finals came at 119 and 125 pounds. Chris Mecate -- ranked 15th nationally from Redlands East Valley, CA -- defeated Reno ToC and Doc Buchanan champion Zach Zimmer of Clovis West by a 3-1 score. Mecate also earned a 3-2 victory over Texas state champion Bryan Grubbs from La Costa Canyon, CA in the semifinal round. Vince Rodriguez of Clovis North, CA defeated defending state champion Jesse Delgado -- ranked 17th nationally from Clovis, CA -- by a 4-2 score in the finals match Rounding out the weight class champions were Naishon Garrett (103) of Chico, CA; Jake Briggs (135) of Bella Vista, CA; 16th ranked Cody Rodebaugh (145) of San Lorenzo Valley, CA; Denzel Hawkins (152) of Centennial, CA; and Jonathan Beck (171) of Rancho Bernardo, CA. Garden State best dual it out This past Friday night in front of a crowd as full as it could be at High Point Regional High School in New Jersey, it was a battle of the top two ranked teams in the state according to The Star-Ledger. Top ranked High Point hosted second ranked Long Branch. This was a rematch of last year, when Long Branch defeated High Point 28-27 on criteria in front of 4,500 people at Rutgers University. Long Branch would end the 2008-09 season as the number one team according to The Star-Ledger. This night did not disappoint, and it started out with the opening match at 160 pounds. With Long Branch selecting even matches, High Point had to present first. Out came 13th ranked John Guzzo, Junior National freestyle All-American. In response, Long Branch sent out defending state champion Nick Visicaro, who is ranked seventh nationally. After a scoreless first period and a reversal by Guzzo to start the second period, Visicaro was a ball of fire for the duration. Two takedowns in the second period gave him a 5-4 lead heading into the third period, where it was two more takedowns in sealing up the 10-5 victory. After another decision by Long Branch at 171, the first of two overtime bouts in the dual meet came at 189 pounds. Trailing 6-0 in the dual meet, High Point needed all the help they could get. Gavin Donahue came through with a 2-1 victory in the tiebreak periods over Paul Tracey. That made the score 6-3 for Long Branch, and match moved on to 215 pounds. Ranked 15th nationally at 189, Long Branch made the calculation to bump Billy George up to this weight class for a battle against Billy Smith. Rallying from a 3-1 deficit after two periods, George came up with a takedown with 17 seconds left in the match for a 5-3 win. This was one of four regulation matches decided by two points or less, all of which swung in favor of Long Branch. Winning at both points on the turn, the dual meet was tied at 9-9 heading to the 112 and 119 pound one-two combination for High Point. At 112 pounds, it was one of only two matches in the course of the dual meet that had bonus points. High Point's Billy Gould secured the fall in 1:11 to give them their first lead of the dual meet at 15-9. State champion Nick Francavilla extended that lead to 18-9 with a 9-2 victory at 119 pounds. Long Branch would win the next four matches of the dual meet to take a 23-18 lead. At 125 pounds, Matt Eggie earned the 4-3 victory with a reversal scored at three seconds remaining in the match. The other match with bonus points in the dual meet came at 130 pounds, where Andrew Cornell scored the 17-2 technical fall victory. A battle of state placers occurred at 135 pounds, as Scott Festejo defeated Drew Wagenhoffer 8-6 in a back-and-forth match. Finally, Louis Filipe secured a 9-8 victory over Tom DiVitantonio in an action packed 140 pound match. The evening's other overtime match came in the penultimate match at 145 pounds, where Joe Gaccione hit a headlock to the back to end a long scramble and earn the 6-1 victory against Andrew Cornell. This cut the Long Branch lead to 23-21, and set up kind of a coronation for High Point at 152. Ethan Orr would earn a 7-0 decision to give High Point the needed points for a 24-23 dual meet victory. Also, on Saturday in New Jersey, it was fifth ranked Jackson Memorial defeating third ranked South Plainfield by a 34-20 score. South Plainfield was coming off a strong third place finish at the Virignia Duals, where the Tigers only loss came by one point to St. Mark's DE -- a top ten team nationally. However, starting at 145 in this dual meet did not play to the South Plainfield strength, which is with their young and talented lower weights. Devin Biscaha would get the ship sailing for the Jaguars with a match opening 2-1 victory over Ryan Sacco at 145 pounds. After major decisions by James Kelly and Doug Hamann, a Dallas Winston technical fall at 171 pounds, would give the Jaguars a 16-0 lead through four matches. State placer Mike Wagner stemmed the tide, as South Plainfield got on the board with a 17-0 technical fall. However, a 3-1 decision from Drew Murphy at 215 pounds and a pin from Joe Nolan would give the Jaguars a 25-5 lead as the turn came. South Plainfield did cut the deficit to 25-11 after decisions from a pair of freshmen -- Anthony Ashnault and Troy Heilmann at 103 and 112 pounds respectively. Any realistic hopes of a South Plainfield rally came screeching to a halt when Spencer Young earned a 6-5 decision over Tyler Hunt to give Jackson a 28-11 lead with four matches left. The two teams split the last four matches to yield the final score. Knights cap gauntlet with win despite being short-handed For a second straight week -- Wyoming Seminary, PA won a very tough tournament -- this time at Mount Mat Madness outside of Baltimore, MD -- without the services of their ace Mike McMullan, ranked first nationally at 285 pounds. In addition, the Knights saw Kyle Johnson -- seeded second in the tournament at 119 pounds -- have to default out of the tournament after a first round win by fall. The lone Wyoming Seminary title came from Dominick Malone at 112 pounds, and it was the sophomore's second title at the tournament. Malone avenged a Beast of the East semifinal loss to Tyler Pendergast of St. Mark's with a 3-2 victory in the battle of nationally ranked wrestlers. The Knights had three other finalists in Evan Botwin (103), Chris Moon (160), and Jay Wieller (171) -- all of whom fell short in their matches, and a total of ten top six place finishers in scoring 217-1/2 team points. Fifth-ranked Simon Kitzis (135) came in third after being upset 4-3 in the semifinals by Trevor Kushner of Westmont Hilltop, PA. Cohl Fulk (140) joined Kitzis with a third place finish, two wrestlers took fourth, one was fifth, and another took sixth. St. Mark's, DE fell short in the team race by a 217-1/2 to 212-1/2 score. The Spartans had two wrestlers -- Michael Mauk (189) and Bobby Telford (285) - come home with titles. Two other wrestlers, Pendergast and Nick Schenk (130), both lost 3-2 decisions in the championship final. Schenk lost to defending tournament champion Frank Cagnina from Queen of Peace, NJ in a battle of the second and fourth ranked wrestlers at 130 pounds in the nation. Nationally ranked wrestlers Sean Dolan (119) and Sean Boylan (125) both were upset by unranked wrestlers in the semifinals, but came back to take home third place. Only two other Spartans earned top six place finishes -- one took fourth, while another took fifth. In the semifinal round at 130 pounds, Schenk defeated 18th ranked Jacob Crawford (Robinson, VA) by a 3-2 score. The top bracket semifinal had Cagnina with a win over one of the nation's best freshmen in Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, PA) with a second period fall. Crawford defeated Morris by a 2-1 score for third place, a match very similar to his consolation semifinal victory at the Beast of the East. The only other team with multiple champions was Southern Garrett, MD -- who got titles from Lex Ozias (140) and Bubba Scheffel (160). Rounding out the weight class champions are Kaleb Lemaire (103) of Casesar Rodney, DE; Jake Verheyen (119) of Spring Grove, PA; 12th ranked Patrick Prada (125) of DeMatha Catholic, MD; Cody Broomall (130) of Smyrna, MD; 11th ranked at 140 Codey Combs (145) of Sussex Central, DE; Matthew Miller (152) of John Carroll, MD; Bobby Bowman (171) of Mt St. Joseph's, MD; and Danny Lee (215) of Walt Whitman, MD. Verheyen was the wrestler who upset Dolan, with a pin in a wild second period scramble in the top bracket semifinal at 119 pounds. Prada defeated multiple-time state champion, and NHSCA Junior National All-American, Adam Krop of Urbana, MD by a 3-1 score in the final at 125 pounds. This was after Krop earned a 3-2 upset victory over Boylan in the semifinal round. Graham guns down the field for fourth consecutive year In the Top Gun Tournament for a fourth consecutive year, Graham, OH came up to Alliance, OH and earned a fourth consecutive tournament championship trophy. Even without a pair of state finalists in Kyle Ryan (160) and Huston Evans (171), the Falcons still mustered seven finalists -- four of whom won tournament titles -- and a total of 260-1/2 points. Felipe Martinez (140) defeated Tucker Armstrong of Kenton Ridge, OH 7-3 in a battle of the sixth and 12th ranked wrestlers nationally. For a second consecutive week, it was a battle of state champions and nationally ranked wrestlers at 119 pounds; and for a second straight time, it was Graham's Nick Brascetta defeating Ty Mitch of Aurora -- this time by a 4-2 score. Matt Stephens (145) and sixth ranked Max Thomusseit (189) earned the other two titles. Runners-up for Graham were 13th ranked Ryan Taylor (103), who lost a 9-8 decision to Jordan Conaway of New Oxford, PA after upending 14th ranked Nathan Tomasello of CVCA, OH 8-7 in the semifinal round; freshman sensation Bo Jordan (130), who lost 2-1 in the ultimate tiebreaker on a rideout against 19th ranked Nate Skonieczny of Walsh Jesuit; and Isaac Jordan (135), who lost 1-0 when Zach Dailey of Massillon Perry, OH rode him out in the third period. Skonieczny and Dailey were both one of a pair of champions for their respective teams. Johnni DiJulius (125) joined Skonieczny as a Top Gun champion, his second straight title in the tournament, with a 4-3 victory after riding out double Junior National All-American Patrick Myers of Penn Cambria, PA in the championship final. Mitch Newhouse (112) joined his fellow sophomore Dailey as a tournament champion with a 4-3 victory over returning state placer Shawn Ague of Austintown Fitch, OH; it was the third state placer that Newhouse beat in the tournament. Dailey and Newhouse were two of ten total placers for Massillon Perry, OH in the tournament. The Panthers earned a dominant second place finish in the tournament with 216-1/2 points. DiJulius and Skonieczny sparked Walsh Jesuit to a tied for third place finish with across the street neighbors CVCA, OH -- each scoring 136-1/2 points. Rounding out the Top Gun champions were Conaway; 14th ranked Harrison Hightower (152) of University School, OH; Damien Perry (160) of Mentor, OH; Alex Utley (171) of CVCA, OH; Joe Poyser (215) of Louisville, OH; and Kosta Karageorge (285) of Thomas Worthington, OH. Tight race at the Geneseo The Land of Lincoln's top team in the big-school division, and a perennial state power were locked in a battle for the team at the Geneseo Wrestling Invitational this past weekend in northwestern Illinois. It was the perennial power Providence Catholic, IL coming on top in very narrow fashion over Minooka, the top-ranked big school in the state of Illinois. Despite only mustering one weight class championship -- coming from 16th ranked Eddie Klimara (119) -- the Celtics used four runner-up finishers and eleven total top six placers to earn the team title. Mike Togher (130), Edwin Cooper (135), Cody Klaver (140), and Jacob Sheffer (215) all took second place. In the tournament's best championship final, Cheesehead champion Jake Sueflohn of Arrowhead, WI defeated Cooper 7-5 in overtime; Cooper is ranked 11th in the 130 pound weight class. Minooka had a tournament-high 12 wrestlers earn placement finishes; however, only three wrestlers advanced to the championship finals. Winning titles were Leo Ruettiger (112) and Kalvin Hill (145), while Corbet Oughton (103) took home second place. The final team score saw Minooka with 200 points, while Providence Catholic scored 202-1/2. Three teams joined Minooka with a pair of champions -- Stagg, IL; Granite City, IL; and Cedar Rapids Prairie, IA. Kevin Malarick (103) and Kevin Moylan (125) won titles for Stagg, Tyler Prazma (152) and Casey Gushleff (285) won titles for Granite City, while Payton Wagner (160) and Josh Lambrecht (215) won titles for Cedar Rapids Prairie. Rounding out the weight class champions were 14th ranked Keith Surber (130) of O'Fallon, IL; Sueflohn; Nate Jackson (140) of Marian Catholic, IL; eighth ranked Jahwon Akui (171) of St. Rita, IL; and Wes Cathcart (189) of the host school Geneseo, IL. Bishop Lynch with three-peat at Lone Star Duals For the third straight year, Bishop Lynch, TX won the high school championship at the Lone Star Duals hosted by South Grand Prairie High School located just outside of Dallas, TX. The joint high school and college dual meet contests provide the opportunity to showcase wrestling in the state of Texas. It was a terrific finals match between Bishop Lynch and Oviedo, FL. In the fifteen weight classes -- Texas adds a 180 pound match in addition to the 14 sanctioned in NFHS competition -- Bishop Lynch won eight matches while Oviedo took home seven. In the five matches decided by two points or less, Bishop Lynch held a 3-2 edge. This included a 6-4 victory from 19th ranked Stephen McPeek of Bishop Lynch, TX over Jay Taylor in the 189 pound weight class. Both squads had dominated its seven opponents prior to the championship final. In the preliminary pools, each team wrestled five matches. Each time only had one match decided by 50 points or less - Bishop Lynch defeated Gulf, FL 65-22; while Oviedo defeated Klein Collins, TX 62-12. Both squads had a bye into the championship bracket quarterfinals. Neither team had a match between the quarterfinal and semifinal decided by less than 40 points. Bishop Lynch defeated Lawton, OK 61-13 in the semifinal after upending the host South Grand Prairie, TX squad 63-22 in the quarterfinal. Oviedo upended Gulf, FL 62-20 in the semifina and before that knocked off Oak Park Staley, MO 59-6 in the quarterfinal round. Georgia high school state dual meet champions Congratulations go to Collins Hill (5A -- big school), Loganville (4A), Gilmer (3A), Jefferson (2A), and Bremen (1A -- small school) on winning state dual meet crowns. Full results are available on Track Wrestling. Key events of the coming weekend • Dual meet: Graham, OH at St. Edward, OH on Saturday 1-23-10 at 7:00 PM. • NHSCA Final Four of Wrestling at Easton, PA on Saturday 1-23-10 at 11:00 AM. *Pool A: Blair Academy, NJ; Benton, PA; Collins Hill, GA; and Long Branch, NJ *Pool B: Bishop Lynch, TX; Franklin, MA; Easton, PA; and High Point, NJ. Each team will wrestle the others within their pool. The champion of each pool will wrestle for the title at 7:00 PM. Also at 7:00 -- Phillipsburg, NJ will wrestle one of the three New Jersey teams in the competition that is not in the championship match; while there will be another match involving two teams that did not wrestle each other earlier on. • Tulsa Nationals, Friday 1-22 and Saturday 1-23 *The nation's pre-eminent competition involving youth and junior high wrestlers, and some high school wrestlers too. Competition is held in five different age groups from six all the way to 15.

LANCASTER, Pa. -- Senior captain Matt Kyler established a new Army record for career victories and was among four wrestlers to win individual championships at the Shorty Hitchcock Memorial Classic, Sunday at Pucillo Gymnasium. Kyler posted a 5-0 mark on the way to winning the 149-pound championship and now boasts a career mark of 137-29. Phillip Simpson posted a career record of 134-19 prior to his graduation in 2005. Lance Penhale (125), Travis Coffey (133), Kyler and Richard Starks (197) all won individual championships and Army had at least one wrestler place in all 10 weight classes in the open, non-scoring event. Kyler won 31 matches as a freshman, 43 as a sophomore and 40 as a junior and is now 23-2 this season. A 9-2 decision in the quarterfinals vaulted him past Simpson. After losing a dual meet to American because of a schedule conflict, Army decided to wrestle in the Hitchcock Memorial Classic and came away with four champions, three runners-up, a third and three fourth-place finishers. Final results of the event were unavailable until early afternoon on Monday. Kyler, ranked #8 in the latest Intermat poll, collected a fall and major decision on his way to the title at 149 pounds. Classmate Penhale went 4-0 to win the 125-pound championship. A technical fall and pin moved Penhale to the semifinals where a default and decision garnered him the title. Coffey opened his tournament with a pin and then recorded four straight decisions to follow Penhale to the top of the podium. Starks, who moved to #14 in Intermat’s national rankings, battled to the championship at 197 pounds with four decisions. Ryan Renkey went 4-1 at 125 pounds and his only loss was to Penhale in the finals. Renkey won three straight decisions and advanced to the finals with a fall before dropping a 9-4 decision to Penhale. Patrick Marchetti collected a technical fall and major decision while finishing second at 165 pounds, while Michael Gorman won three straight decisions to place second at 174 pounds. Collin Wittmeyer collected two decisions and a default in finishing second at 184 pounds. Casey Thome opened the event with two pins en route to finishing third at 141 pounds, securing a decision after dropping into the consolation bracket. Jimmy Rafferty won four matches, one by fall, to finish fourth at 149 pounds, while Alan Lutterman rebounded from an opening match loss to place fourth at 285 pounds. Rudy Chelednik won four matches, including one via technical fall to place fourth at 157 pounds. Army will continue its tournament competition this weekend in Ithaca, N.Y., at the two-day New York State Championships. Wrestling begins Saturday at 10 a.m.

Mark Matzek

Joe Russell

J Robinson

LEXINGTON, Va. -- The Waynesburg University wrestling team bounced back from some recent struggles and successfully defended their team title at the Washington and Lee Invitational on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets scored a total of 97 team points, which put them 16 points ahead of second-place Washington & Jefferson, which totaled 81 points. Johns Hopkins University rounded out the top three with 65.5 points. The Jackets picked up a tournament-best four individual champions, including junior 141-pounder Nick Garber, who was named the Outstanding Wrestling of the event. The Waynesburg native picked up three first-period pins, including a fall in 1:11 over second-seeded Sam Campbell of Washington & Lee in the championship match. Other champions included sophomore 149-pounder Garrett Johnston, who upset top-seeded Tyler Berger of W&J in the championship bout. Junior Corbin Semple picked up two pins on his way to the 184-pound crown, while senior heavyweight Melvin Warrick downed top-seeded Taylor Potts of W&J in the championship bout. The Jackets boasted nine top-four finishes, including a pair of second-place showings by freshman 125-pounder Alex Crown and sophomore 165-pounder Jared Roberts. Senior Josh Mollica placed fourth at 133, as did sophomore 157-pounder Jon Sanko. Waynesburg will look to carry their winning ways over to Friday, Jan. 22, when they travel to Washington, Pa. to face W&J in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) match.

BLACKSBURG -- The Virginia Tech wrestling squad won 12 of 14 matches contested Sunday afternoon at Cassell Coliseum, rolling to a pair of non-conference wins. The Hokies opened with a 34-15 victory over Gardner-Webb before downing UNC Greensboro, 29-15. In the opening match of the day, UNCG cruised to a 38-11 win over Gardner-Webb. In Tech’s first match, 16th-ranked Jarrod Garnett picked up a forfeit win before Brock LiVorio made quick work of Brett Kostern at 133 pounds, pinning him in just 35 seconds. Ninth-ranked Chris Diaz dominated Morgan McDaniel with a 16-1 technical fall late in the second period. At 149 pounds, Brian Stephens used a late fury of takedowns to beat Ryan Medved 11-7. Taylor Knapp dropped a 6-3 decision to Alex Medved at 157 pounds before Matt Epperly picked up his own 16-1 technical fall at 165 pounds. Tech forfeited at 174 pounds to make it 25-9 and then 20th-ranked Tommy Spellman made quick work of Jonathan Velazquez, pinning him early in the first period. The Hokies’ Chris Penny picked up his first collegiate win with a 4-0 blanking of Travis Porter at 197 pounds and then Tech forfeited at heavyweight to end the dual match. In the second match, Garnett struggled, but held on for a 9-6 win over Eric Chandler to start things off at 125 pounds. LiVorio picked up his second first-period pin of the day, sticking Casey Boyle with just eight seconds left in the stanza. Diaz used a pair of first-period nearfalls to down Ivan Lopouchanski 8-2 at 141 pounds. Stephens used three takedowns in the first period, four in the second and two more in the third to pick up an impressive 25-10 technical fall over Alejandro Soto-Perez. Taylor Knapp was the recipient of a forfeit win at 157 pounds and then Epperly picked up an 8-2 win over Victor Hojilla at 165 pounds. After Tech forfeited at 174 pounds, Spellman picked up a 6-2 win over Andrew Saunders. The action ended at 197 pounds with Penny falling to Ryan Sughrue and then the Hokies forfeited at heavyweight. Tech (13-3, 1-0 ACC) will be back in action next Saturday, wrestling at the University of Virginia at 1 p.m., in their ACC match. Tech downed the Cavs 21-18 at the Virginia Duals last weekend in a non-conference bout. UNC Greensboro (3-4) 38, Gardner-Webb (1-7-1), 11 125: Eric Chandler (UNCG) wins by forfeit 133: Casey Boyle (UNCG) fall Brett Kostern, 4:36 141: Ivan Lopouchanski (UNCG) maj. dec. Morgan McDaniel, 13-1 149: Ryan Medved (GW) maj. dec. Matt Barbo, 10-0 157: Alex Medved (GW) maj. dec. Alejandro Soto-Perez, 9-1 165: Victor Hojilla (UNCG) maj. dec. David Pelsang, 13-3 174: Byron Sigmon (UNCG) fall Blake Salyer, 1:35 184: Andrew Saunders (UNCG) fall Jonathan Velazquez, 2:59 197: Ryan Sughrue (UNCG) fall Tom Pennington, 4:31 285: #13 Dustin Porter (GW) dec. Peter Sturgeon, 5-0 #15 Virginia Tech (12-3) 34, Gardner-Webb (1-8-1) 15 125: #16 Jarrod Garnett (VT) wins by forfeit 133: Brock LiVorio (VT) fall Brett Kostern, :35 141: #9 Chris Diaz (VT) tech fall Morgan McDaniel, 16-1 (4:44) 149: Brian Stephens (VT) dec. Ryan Medved, 11-7 157: Alex Medved (GW) dec. Taylor Knapp, 6-3 165: Matt Epperly (VT) tech fall David Pelsang, 16-1 (3:54) 174: Blake Salyer (GW) wins by forfeit 184: #20 Tommy Spellman (VT) fall Jonathan Velazquez, 1:15 197: Chris Penny (VT) dec. Travis Porter, 4-0 285: #13 Dustin Porter (GW) wins by forfeit #15 Virginia Tech (13-3) 29, UNC Greensboro (3-5) 15 125: #16 Jarrod Garnett (VT) dec. Eric Chandler, 9-6 133: Brock LiVorio (VT) fall Casey Boyle, 2:52 141: #9 Chris Diaz (VT) dec. Ivan Lopouchanski, 8-2 149: Brian Stephens (VT) vs. Alejandro Soto-Perez, 25-10 (5:45) 157: Taylor Knapp (VT) wins by forfeit 165: Matt Epperly (VT) dec. Victor Hojilla, 8-2 174: Byron Sigmon (UNCG) wins by forfeit 184: #20 Tommy Spellman (VT) vs. Andrew Saunders, 6-2 197: Ryan Sughrue (UNCG) dec. Chris Penny, 7-4 285: Peter Sturgeon (UNCG) wins by forfeit

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The 11th-ranked University of Oklahoma wrestling team breezed through the Lonestar Duals in Arlington, Texas on Saturday by dominating four opponents to improve its season dual record to 12-1-1. The Sooners overpowered Northwestern (40-3), Harvard (44-6), Brown (36-4) and Nebraska-Kearney (34-4), winning by an average score of 39-4 and claiming 35 of 40 total bouts. The 12 victories this season marks the 15 straight year under head coach Jack Spates the Sooners have recorded 10-plus dual wins. The Sooners trailed only once the entire day when they faced a 3-0 deficit against Harvard after Steven Keith knocked off No. 13 Jarrod Patterson (20-5) of Oklahoma, 7-4 at 125 pounds. Oklahoma quickly took the lead, 6-3, after the next bout. Ten non-starters for Oklahoma saw action on the day, going a combined 10-2 against opponents. Highlights of the day included true-freshman Kendric Maple (20-5) going 3-0 with three pins at 133 pounds for OU. The Wichita, Kan., product now has nine falls (five in duals) on the year, a team high. Sooner Kyle Terry, ranked fourth nationally at 149 pounds, picked up another win over a ranked opponent versus Northwestern’s No. 15 Andrew Nadhir, 8-3. The senior’s two victories on Saturday improve his dual win streak to 28 straight dating back to last season (10-0 this year). The competition gets much stiffer in Oklahoma’s next dual, as No. 2 Iowa State visits Norman this Friday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. inside the Howard McCasland Field House in Norman. Oklahoma will attempt to snap a seven-match Cyclone win streak dating back to 2003. No. 11 Oklahoma 40, Northwestern 3 125: No. 13 Jarrod Patterson (OU) winner by forfeit 133: Kendric Maple (OU) fall Eric Melzler (NW), 4:04 141: No. 6 Zack Bailey (OU) maj. dec. Bobby Joyce (NW), 12-3 149: No. 4 Kyle Terry (OU) dec. No. 15 Andrew Nadhir (NW), 8-3 157: Chad Terry (OU) maj. dec. Kevin Bialka (NW), 11-2 165: No. 18 Tyler Caldwell (OU) maj. dec. Robert Kellogg (NW), 14-2 174: No. 19 Jeff James (OU) dec. Brian Roddy (NW), 7-4 184: Aaron Jones (NW) dec. Erich Schmidtke (OU), 3-1 197: No. 6 Eric Lapotsky (OU) dec. John Schoen (NW), 8-0 HWT: No. 13 Nathan Fernandez (OU) winner by forfeit No. 11 Oklahoma 44, Harvard 6 125: Steven Keith (Harvard) dec. No. 13 Jarrod Patterson (OU), 7-4 133: Kendric Maple (OU) fall Fermin Mendez (Harvard), 0:45 141: Zack Bailey (OU) winner by forfeit 149: Seth Vernon (OU) fall Spencer Friedman (Harvard), 1:21 157: Shane Vernon (OU) tech. fall JP OConnor (Harvard), 16-0 165: Tyler Caldwell (OU) tech. fall Michael Sadler (Harvard), 19-4 174: Jeff James (OU) tech. fall David Lalo (Harvard), 15-0 184: Louis Caputo (Harvard) dec. Erich Schmidtke (OU), 7-0 197: Keldrick Hall (OU) tech. fall Sean Murphy (Harvard), 22-7 HWT: Nathan Fernandez (OU) fall Spencer Desena (Harvard), 4:23 No. 11 Oklahoma 36, Brown 4 125: Jarrod Patterson (OU) dec. Greg Einfrank (BU), 13-7 133: Kendric Maple (OU) fall Tedora Popolizio (BU), 2:53 141: Stephen DeLorenzo (BU) maj. dec. Nick Burnham (OU), 11-1 149: Kyle Terry (OU) maj. dec. Phillip Marano (BU), 14-4 157: Shane Vernon (OU) dec. Gabriel Brotzman (BU), 7-2 165: Tyler Caldwell (OU) dec. Jeffrey Lemmer (BU), 4-0 174: Jeff James (OU) tech. fall Ziad Kharbush (BU), 19-4 184: Erich Schmidtke (OU) dec. Bran Crudden (BU), 6-4 (SV1) 197: Eric Lapotsky (OU) dec. Branden Stearns (BU), 6-3 HWT: Nathan Fernandez (OU) fall Tyler Cowman (BU), 4:09 No. 11 Oklahoma 34, Nebraska-Kearney 4 125: Justin Forrest (OU) dec. Greg Einfrank (NK), 2-0 133: Alex Ekstrom (OU) maj. dec. Joey Morrison (NK), 8-0 141: Zack Bailey (OU) tech. fall Tyler Bakey (NK), 26-9 149: Seth Vernon (OU) dec. T.J. Hepburn (NK), 7-4 157: Chad Terry (OU) maj. dec. Jordan Geinger (NK), 16-2 165: Derek Peperas (OU) dec. Drew Comito (NK), 4-2 174: Kamarudeen Usman (NK) maj. dec. Ben Bridell (OU), 11-0 184: John Weakly (OU) fall Derek Ross (NK), 4:15 197: Keldrick Hall (OU) dec. Justin McKain (NK), 3-2 HWT: Joe Back (OU) dec. Ben Hohensee (NK), 6-0

ASHLAND, Ohio. -- The ninth-ranked University of Maryland wrestling team went 3-0 Sunday at the Wendy’s Duals in Ashland, Ohio, defeating Purdue, Ashland and No. 14 Kent State. The win against Kent State marked the fourth time this season Maryland (13-3) defeated a ranked opponent. “Anytime you can go undefeated it’s a good weekend,” said head coach Kerry McCoy. “We had some big individual performances in each match which made it possible for the team to win. We started a little slow against Purdue, but got better as the day went on. Our guys are getting better every day and are ahead of schedule.” The Terps found themselves in a tight match against Purdue, holding a slim 13-10 lead heading into the match at 184 pounds. Corey Peltier extended Maryland’s lead by taking a 2-1 decision over Nick Corpe, and No. 3 Hudson Taylor earned another close victory, 4-3 over No. 11 Logan Brown, to put the match out of reach. Patrick Gilmore defeated Adam Walls 6-0 in the heavyweight match to bring the final score to 22-10. In the next match, Maryland easily dispatched an outmanned Ashland team. The Terps won nine of ten matches, four of them by pinfall, en route to a 45-6 victory. Matt Bogusz, Kyle John, Peltier and Taylor got pins for Maryland, while No. 10 Steven Bell won by a technical fall and No. 15 Josh Asper won by major decision. The finale with Kent State was much closer, but the Terps won six of 10 matches to win 24-16 and finish the day undefeated. Pat Strizki got Maryland ahead early with a 9-6 decision over Troy Opfer in the match at 125 pounds. After falling behind 4-3 when No. 13 Danny Mitcheff took a major decision over Bell at 133 pounds, the Terps won the next four matches to reclaim control. No. 8 Alex Krom took a 3-0 decision over Chase Skonieczny, Jon Kohler pinned Tommy Sasfy, John had a 4-0 decision over Mallie Shuster and Asper took a 9-4 decision over Obie Simpson to give Maryland an 18-4 lead. At 197 pounds, Taylor pinned Casey Newburg, bringing his pin total to 19 this season. Maryland is next in action on Friday night, when it travels to Annapolis, Md., to take on Navy at 7 p.m. The following day, the Terps have a home meet with North Carolina State at noon and Duke at 3 p.m. Boley Finishes Third At Shorty Hitchcock Memorial Classic Freshman Christian Boley finished third in the 197-pound division at the Shorty Hitchcock Memorial Classic in Millersville, Pa., on Sunday. No. 9 Maryland 22, Purdue 10 125 – Cashe Quiroga (PU) major dec. Pat Strizki, 14-5 (0-4) 133 – No. 10 Steven Bell (MD) dec. Akif Eren, 7-5 (3-4) 141 – No. 8 Alex Krom (MD) dec. Juan Archuleta, 3-2 (6-4) 149 – Jon Kohler (MD) dec. Sam Patacsil, 7-6 (9-4) 157 – Colton Salazar (PU) dec. Kyle John, 5-3 (9-7) 165 – No. 15 Josh Asper (MD) major dec. Jason Martin, 12-3 (13-7) 174 – No. 6 Luke Manuel (PU) dec. Owen Smith, 5-1 (13-10) 184 – Corey Peltier (MD) dec. Nick Corpe, 2-1 (16-10) 197 – No. 3 Hudson Taylor (MD) dec. No. 11 Logan Brown, 4-3 (19-10) 285 – Patrick Gilmore (MD) dec. Adam Walls, 6-0 (22-10) No. 9 Maryland 45, Ashland 6 125 – Pat Strizki (MD) wins by forfeit (6-0) 133 – No. 10 Steven Bell (MD) tech. fall Jacob Garringer, 4:49 (11-0) 141 – Matt Bogusz (MD) pins Dan Genetin, 1:13 (17-0) 149 – T.J. Riegel (AU) pins Jon Kohler, 1:09 (17-6) 157 – Kyle John (MD) pins Hunter Pool, 4:13 (23-6) 165 – No. 15 Josh Asper (MD) major dec. Tony Bradberry, 16-5 (27-6) 174 – Owen Smith (MD) dec. Tom Graszl, 2-0 (30-6) 184 – Corey Peltier (MD) pins Justin Cheesman, 6:58 (36-6) 197 – No. 3 Hudson Taylor (MD) pins Jake Ewing, 1:07 (42-6) 285 – Patrick Gilmore (MD) dec. Jacob Southwick, 1-0 (45-6) No. 9 Maryland 24, No. 14 Kent State 16 125 – Pat Strizki (MD) dec. Troy Opfer, 9-6 (3-0) 133 – No. 13 Danny Mitcheff (KS) major dec. No. 10 Steven Bell, 11-3 (3-4) 141 – No. 8 Alex Krom (MD) dec. Chase Skonieczny, 3-0 (6-4) 149 – Jon Kohler (MD) pins Tommy Sasfy, 3:52 (12-4) 157 – Kyle John (MD) dec. Mallie Shuster, 4-0 (15-4) 165 – No. 15 Josh Asper (MD) dec. Obie Simpson, 9-4 (18-4) 174 – Keith Witt (KS) pins Owen Smith, 4:59 (18-10) 184 – No. 5 Dustin Kilgore (KS) dec. Corey Peltier, 7-2 (18-13) 197 – No. 3 Hudson Taylor (MD) pins Casey Newburg, 2:10 (24-13) 285 – Brendan Barlow (KS) dec. Patrick Gilmore, 5-2 (24-16)

EDINBORO, Pa. -- Less than 24 hours after rallying for a 19-17 win against Buffalo, the Edinboro wrestling team did it again, this time opening Eastern Wrestling League action with a 25-13 triumph at Clarion. The victory extends Edinboro’s streak without a loss in EWL matches to 27 straight, with a 25-0-2 during that period. The Fighting Scots, ranked 21st by in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll and 23rd by InterMat, are 5-4 while Clarion is now 2-4. The Golden Eagles were seeking their second upset of a nationally-ranked team after defeating Old Dominion last week. Edinboro once again put itself in need of a big comeback after losing four of the first five bouts to fall behind 13-3. Buffalo won four of the first five matches on Saturday night to take a 17-3 lead. And once again the Fighting Scots won the final five matches, with Shawn Fendone again the key figure. The junior closed out the match with a pin of Alex Thomas at 2:36 in the 197 lb. bout. That gave the Scots a 22-13 lead. It was a rematch of the PSAC championship bout, with Thomas pinning Fendone two minutes into the match. Thomas opened with a takedown, but Fendone reversed Thomas and ended up with the fall to improve to 10-7. Thomas is 11-8. On Saturday night Fendone upset Buffalo’s Jimmy Hamel to pull Edinboro within a point and Chris Birchler closed out the win at heavyweight with a decision. This time there was no pressure on Birchler, and he responded with an 8-4 decision over Phil Catrucco. Catrucco led 3-2 after one period, but Birchler used takedowns in the second and thord periods for the win. Ranked 15th by Amateur Wrestling News and 17th by InterMat, Birchler improved to 25-8. Eric Morrill, still battling an injury, opened the match with a 3-0 decision at 125 lbs. over Joe Waltko. That boosted Morrill, who is ranked eighth, to 25-4. Clarion would run off four straight wins to go ahead 13-3. Jay Ivanco claimed a 5-1 decision over Ashton Osterberg (14-17) at 133 lbs., and Greg Lewis followed with 7-3 win over Joel Webster at 141 lbs. Webster just returned recently following an injury and dropped to 12-10. Kory Bissett, filling in for injured starter Torsten Gillespie, battled Clarion standout James Fleming before losing 2-0 at 149 lbs. On Saturday Bissett was dominated by 14th-ranked Desi Green of Buffalo, but he gave Fleming all he could handle before the Clarion wrestler used a reversal midway through the third period to improve to 16-5. Bissett is now 5-6. Former General McLane High School standout Hadley Harrison concluded Clarion’s run with a 12-0 major decision over John Greisheimer at 157 lbs. Harrison, ranked 16th, improved to 23-6 while Greisheimer, a freshman, is 19-16. As he did on Saturday, defending national champion Jarrod King got Edinboro’s rally started with a major decision at 165 lbs. He dominated freshman Nick Milano, a former standout at nearby Cathedral Prep, prevailing 17-4. That gives King, who is ranked fifth by InterMat and third by Amateur Wrestling News, a 28-1 ledger. Phil Moricone, one of the many Fighting Scots battling injuries, knotted the match at 13-13 when he pinned Steven Cressley at 4:37. Moricone was expected to wrestle one of the two weekend matches and had competed against Buffalo on Saturday. The graduate student boosted his record to 12-3. Pat Bradshaw made it 16-13 with a 2-1 win over Clint Podish at 184 lbs. The senior used a first period takedown to improve to 22-11. He now has 89 career wins. Edinboro is back in action next Saturday, January 23 at Lock Haven in another EWL match. Results: 125 #8 Eric Morrill (EU) dec. Joe Waltko (CU), 3-0 3-0 133 Jay Ivanco (CU) dec. Ashton Osterberg (EU), 5-1 3-3 141 Greg Lewis (CU) dec. Joel Webster (EU), 7-3 3-6 149 James Fleming (CU) dec. Kory Bissett (EU), 2-0 3-9 157 #16 Hadley Harrison (CU) maj. dec. John Greisheimer (EU), 12-0 3-13 165 #5 Jarrod King (EU) maj. dec. Nick Milano (CU), 17-4 7-13 174 Phil Moricone (EU) fall over Steven Cressley (CU), 4:37 13-13 184 Pat Bradshaw (EU) dec. Clint Podish (CU), 2-1 16-13 197 Shawn Fendone (EU) fall over Alex Thomas (CU), 2:36 22-13 Hwt. #17 Chris Birchler (EU) dec. Phil Catrucco (CU), 8-4 25-13

LINCOLN, Neb. -- On Sunday afternoon in Lincoln, the University of Wyoming wrestling team took the fight to the home team and beat the No. 25-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers by an impressive 19-point margin, 29-10. Wyoming won the first five matches competed, in addition to receiving a forfeit, en route to a 26-0 lead that they would never relinquish. No. 9-ranked Shane Onufer at 165 pounds, No. 11-ranked Michael Martinez (125) and true freshman Jimmy Belleville (157) each contributed bonus-point wins to the team score, fueling UW's big early lead. On the day, the `Pokes also got victories from senior Cory VomBaur (133), sophomore Chase Smith (141) and All-American Joe LeBlanc (184). With the win at NU's Coliseum, Wyoming improves their dual mark to 6-2 overall while Nebraska falls to 8-6. "As a team I am pleased with how we competed today and this is a big win for our program," UW head coach Mark Branch said. "This was a tough environment to wrestle in, they have great fans and Nebraska is a tradition-rich program that I am very familiar with. So for us to come out and give the effort we did was really good to see. Our guys worked hard and in general, performed well. "The little things are becoming very important at this time in the season and we did some little things well today. Now we have to move on to the next little thing and focus on it. If we do that we will continue to improve." Martinez started things off at 125 pounds for the Cowboys with a 12-3 major decision over David Klingsheim. Martinez would get a takedown late in the first period and then control the match from that point on. Another takedown at 6:36 in the third period sealed the bonus-point win for the UW sophomore. He now has a 22-5 overall record. At 133 pounds, VomBaur then pulled off a low-scoring decision over C.J. Napier, 3-2. Down by one point, he scored a takedown with ten seconds remaining in the match and gave UW a 7-0 team lead. Chase Smith survived two takedowns at 141 pounds, then produced one of his own in the third period, but a three-point nearfall at 4:00 in the second period by Smith would prove to be the decisive point in his 8-5 decision over Mike Koehnlein. Wyoming's Cole Dallaserra then received a win by default at 149 pounds taking Wyoming's team lead to 16-0. Belleville brought the UW bench to their feet at 5:57 in the third period with a win by fall over Tyler Koehn at the 157-pound weight class. He nearly pinned Koehn in the first period and held a 10-2 lead, with riding time, at the time of the fall. It was the first dual win of Belleville's young career. In a physically dominant effort at 165 pounds, Onufer used five takedowns on his way to a 13-2 major decision over James Nakashima. He gave the `Pokes an insurmountable 26-0 team lead, sealing the dual win. Onufer now has an 18-4 overall record. Nebraska finally got on the board at 174 pounds when Brock Smith suffered an 8-4 loss to No. 3-ranked, All-American Stephen Dwyer. LeBlanc had his hands full at 184 pounds with Josh Ihnen, using a valuable riding time point to pull out a 5-4 decision. He leads the team with a 26-3 overall record, 8-0 in duals. At the 197-pound weight class Alfonso Hernandez faced No. 2-ranked, two-time All-American Craig Brester and lost by major decision 12-1. Finally, in the heavyweight bout, L.J. Helbig wrestled up in weight versus No. 13 Tucker Lane and lost 7-1. "Even in the matches we lost, I was proud of our efforts," Branch added. "On the flip side of that, I was also disappointed with our efforts in some matches we won. These are all learning experiences and we need to keep trying to get better each time out." The Cowboys will now prep for a big weekend on Jan. 29-30 when they host No. 3-ranked Oklahoma State on Friday, and then on Saturday will wrestle Western Wrestling Conference foes Utah Valley and Northern Iowa in Laramie. Results: 125-#11 Michael Martinez (UW) wins by major decision over David Klingsheim (NU), 12-3 (UW 4, NU 0) 133-Cory VomBaur (UW) wins by decision over C.J. Napier (NU), 3-2 (UW 7, NU 0) 141-Chase Smith (UW) wins by decision over Mike Koehnlein (NU), 9-5 (UW 10, NU 0) 149-Cole Dallaserra (UW) wins by forfeit (UW 16, NU 0) 157-Jimmy Belleville (UW) wins by fall over Tyler Koehn (NU), 5:57 (UW 22, NU 0) 165-#9 Shane Onufer (UW) wins by major decision over James Nakashima (NU), 13-2 (UW 26, NU 0) 174-#3 Stephen Dwyer (NU) wins by decision over Brock Smith (UW), 8-4 (UW 26, NU 3) 184-#6 Joe LeBlanc (UW) by decision over Josh Ihnen (NU), 5-4 (UW 29, NU 3) 197-#2 Craig Brester (NU) wins by major decision over Alfonzo Hernandez (UW), 12-1 (UW 29, NU 7) HWT-#13 Tucker Lane (NU) wins by decision over L.J. Helbig (UW), 7-1 (UW 29, NU 10)

Ed PeeryNine individual NCAA titles in nine attempts. Only one family can claim that accomplishment: The Peerys. The father, Rex Peery, and his two sons, Hugh and Ed, each won three NCAA wrestling championships in three years of eligibility. (Until the 1970s, freshmen were not allowed to wrestle in intercollegiate competition.) InterMat Rewind salutes the Peerys -- their lives as a family, their individual careers in wrestling and coaching, and their lives off the mat -- with a series of individual articles. This summer, we profiled Rex Peery, then, in December, elder son Hugh Peery. Now, a tribute to Ed Peery. Meet Ed Peery Ed PeeryFor someone who would go on to be a great wrestler and coach, Edwin Clark Peery could not have timed his arrival into the world any better. The younger son of the Peery wrestling dynasty was born while father Rex was competing for Oklahoma State at the 1935 NCAA championships at Lehigh University. In fact, according to Ed, his dad found out about his son's birth by telegram, just before he was about to step out onto the mat to wrestle George Ledbetter of the University of Illinois for the 118-pound title. (The Cowboy senior pinned his Illini opponent at 5:52 to win his third straight national championship.) As with his older brother Hugh, Ed Peery was born in Stillwater, where their parents, Rex and Clara, lived while dad completed his college degree at Oklahoma State. Ed was named for his dad's college coach, Edward Clark Gallagher, whose name is now on the arena at Oklahoma State, and was named one of the three all-time great college wrestling coaches (along with Dan Gable and Harold Nichols) for the 75th anniversary of NCAA wrestling in 2005. Lessons from the father Rex Peery provided both of his sons an early introduction to wrestling. "Before dinner, he'd get on the rug and we'd do, say, the side roll," according to Ed. "He would offer instruction and encouragement ... Each time, we'd learn different things." "We'd go watch wrestling matches and he'd talk about what was going on ... He was incredible about the fundamentals. He coached wrestling in high school, and taught it well." In the 1940s, Rex Peery had made a name for himself as coach at Tulsa Central High School, a powerful wrestling program respected in Oklahoma and beyond. He attracted the attention of administrators at the University of Pittsburgh, who wanted to rebuild what had been a struggling wrestling program. Coach Peery was offered the head coaching job at Pitt in 1949. That summer, mom, dad, daughter Ann and son Ed moved to Pennsylvania ... while Hugh, a senior at Tulsa Central, stayed with the family of his friend and teammate John Eagleton to earn his diploma with his graduating class, and win his second Oklahoma state title. While the timing of the Peery family move posed a challenge for Hugh, it worked fine for Ed, who had yet to enter high school. "As a freshman, I went to Baldwin High School (in Pennsylvania), which had no wrestling, so I played junior varsity baseball and ran varsity track." Brothers reunited Once Hugh Peery graduated from high school in 1950, he came to Pittsburgh to rejoin the rest of the family. Hugh Peery"That summer, we moved from one high school to another, Shaler, which had wrestling," Ed Peery recalled. It was an interesting summer for the Peery boys in another way. "We did the book Wrestling for A.S. Barnes Sports Library in the summer of 1950," said Ed Peery. (It was an update of a classic how-to-wrestle book originally produced by Ed Gallagher years earlier.) "We posed for the pictures -- Hugh was a two-time state champ, and I'd never wrestled in an official match." "I was a bit bigger, bigger-boned." When asked about a possible sibling rivalry in wrestling, the younger Peery responded, "I never wrestled my brother in a match ... We were very competitive but kept things under control, because things got aggressive pretty fast." "It was important to me to keep the competitive attitude alive. You learn a lot when you compete against one another." "I always thought I could take him," Ed Peery said of his brother, with a smile in his voice. A star at Shaler Although he had been wrestling on the living room floor since an early age, Ed Peery's official competitive career started as a sophomore at Shaler Area High School in Glenshaw, Pennsylvania, where he wrestled three years. As he described it, "We wrestled on a stage in the auditorium." "My first match was against a state runner-up the previous year from Grove City, Pennsylvania, now a senior ... I talked to my brother before the matching, saying, 'I got a bad break.' Hugh responded, 'He puts his pants on the same way you do.'" Ed Peery"I went out and wrestled. He worked me over. At the end of the first period, I was down 2-0. Hugh told me, 'You haven't done anything.'" That brotherly advice may have been the inspiration Ed needed. "By the end of the match, I had beat him," said the younger Peery. "Dad taught me a lot, and so did Hugh. They got me to a spot where I needed to be ... You also learn from teammates." Ed Peery apparently made use of those wrestling resources at Shaler, compiling a 48-1 record, and winning section, WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Athletic League), and Pennsylvania state titles. He was inducted into the Shaler Area High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001; a decade earlier, both Ed and brother Hugh were welcomed into the Southwest Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame. All in the family at Pitt After graduating from Shaler in 1953, Ed Peery enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh, where his father was head wrestling coach, and his brother Hugh had already won two NCAA titles in 1952 and 1953. What was it like wrestling for his dad beyond those family tussles in the living room? "Dad would get so emotionally tied up in things," said the younger Peery son. "I think it was harder on him that us." "Before a match, he'd say, 'Go get 'im' and 'You'll see this guy again. Whip 'im good this time. Once you've put a whippin' on him, he'll dread seeing you again.'" According to Ed Peery, there was another side of his dad the coach: "He had a manner about him. He'd cause you to do your best -- very encouraging. He'd say 'You're as good as it gets.'" Honest self-analysis In the interview for this profile, Ed Peery was surprisingly disclosing in how he felt before his college wrestling matches. "When I walked onto the mat, I was terrified, but it made me better. I would crush 'em if I could. Frightened that I'd lose, I didn't lose." In his three years of wrestling varsity at Pitt, Ed Peery lost only one match out of 52, to Joe Alissi of Springfield College at the 130-pound semifinals of the 1956 EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) championships. In the InterMat interview with brother Hugh, the elder Peery could recount details of his one collegiate loss in far more detail than any of his significant wins. Something similar happened in talking to Ed Peery; the match he described in the greatest detail was the loss to Alissi. "It was a stupid loss," Ed Peery recalled. "I wrestled a dumb match." "He was left-handed, powerful and quick. Strong enough to keep me away. He slapped a cradle on me in the second period. If a guy slaps a cradle on you, you react. You treat it with respect. Instead, I challenged the cradle, got caught for two, got out, but could not beat him." The final score: 4-3 Alissi, who advanced to the finals, only to lose to Penn State's John Johnston. Ed Peery placed third at 130 at the 1956 EIWA championships. (He won EIWA titles in 1955 and 1957.) "Guys who watched the films said, 'You never did anything.'" Unlike his brother Hugh who often jumped out to early leads and cruised to victory, Ed Peery seemed to seek more of a challenge on the mat. "I loved when I was behind. I figured I had them where I wanted them. I could catch anybody. I thought of myself as being strong, fast, with a solid knowledge of the fundamentals." "Once the competition got going, I got going." NCAA memories Ed Peery has powerful memories of the three NCAA championships where he wrestled. "At the 1955 NCAAs at Cornell, in the finals I went up against (Lewis) Guidi (of West Virginia). Strong, powerful, a physical specimen. Great competitor ..." "I was ahead, he took a shot, which, if it had worked, he would've won the match, but I pancaked him, and pinned him." (Peery scored the fall at 8:30 to win the 130-pound title.) Harmon LeslieEd Peery faced the same opponent in the finals of the 1956 and 1957 NCAAs: Harmon Leslie of Oklahoma State. "Harmon Leslie got me with the Leslie snap -- got me with the same move more than once," Peery recalled. "He was a great young man. Died of cancer ... A guy you wanted to get in the practice room with you, to learn from him. Very slick, very clever." In describing the 123-pound finals at the 1956 NCAAs in his opponent's "home gym" at Oklahoma State -- then called Gallagher Hall -- Peery said, "He came out to wrestle ... I was very strong on the mat." The Pitt Panther defeated the Cowboy, 7-5, to win his second national title. The following year, the two 1956 NCAA finalists met on the mat again ... this time, at Pitt's Fitzgerald Fieldhouse, Peery's "home gym." This time, it was a very different match, according to Ed Peery: "He didn't come to wrestle ... I had to chase him. I went after him all the time. I thought if I could get my hands on him, I could beat him."" "I got way behind ... I was wrestling so poorly." "He took me down two times with the Leslie snap." Here's how the National Wrestling Hall of Fame website described the 1957 NCAA 123-pound finals: (Peery) trailed Harmon Leslie of Oklahoma State, 7-4, in the last minute of the finals, only to rally with a takedown and time advantage to send the match into overtime. When the extensions ended in a 2-2 draw, Ed Peery was voted national champion by the judges and wrestling owned a family legend without precedent in the world of sport. (In 1957, if there was a tie in regulation, one overtime period was wrestled. If that ended in a tie, the officials determined the winner. The score of the 123-pound final: 7-7, 2-2, URD -- unanimous referee decision.) The 1957 Peery-Leslie title match has been declared one of the top ten NCAA bouts of all time -- and not just because it propelled Ed Peery into the same realm as his dad and brother Hugh as three-time national champs. It was truly an intense nail-biter. When asked if there was more pressure on him to win that third title, Ed Peery responded, "It wasn't weighing on me at all before the match." "I spoke to Leslie only once, in the locker room, after the match," said Ed Peery. "He apologized for wrestling the way he did. But that's what he had to do." Going up against the superstars of the era Here's a year-by-year capsule summary of the U.S. Naval Academy wrestling program under head coach Ed Peery: 1961 • Dual meet record: 6-3-0 • EIWA team placement: 6th • NCAA team placement: Tied for 28th 1962 • Dual meet record: 4-5-1 • EIWA team placement: 3rd • NCAA team placement: Tied for 30th 1963 • Dual meet record: 5-3-0 • EIWA team placement: 4th • NCAA team placement: Tied for 11th • NCAA All-Americans: Mike Harman (3rd at 137 lbs.), Gerry Franzen (6th at 177) 1964 • Dual meet record: 6-2-1 • EIWA team placement: 5th • NCAA team placement: Tied for 29th • NCAA All-American: Gerry Franzen (5th at 177) 1965 • Dual meet record: 3-3-2 • EIWA team placement: 3rd • NCAA team placement: Tied for 10th • NCAA All-American: Wayne Hicks (2nd at 137) 1966 • Dual meet record: 10-1-0 • EIWA team placement: 2nd • NCAA team placement: 19th • NCAA All-American: John Nichols (5th at 191) 1967 • Dual meet record: 7-1-1 • EIWA team placement: 2nd • NCAA team placement: 5th • NCAA All-Americans: Gary Burger (3rd at 123), Pete Vanderlofske (5th at 145), John Kent (5th at 160) 1968 • Dual meet record: 9-0-0 • EIWA team placement: 1st • NCAA team placement: 5th • NCAA All-Americans: Pete Vanderlofske (3rd at 137), John Kent (2nd at 152) 1969 • Dual meet record: 9-0-1 • EIWA team placement: 1st • NCAA team placement: 19th • NCAA All-American: Benjamin Welch (5th at 167) 1970 • Dual meet record: 7-2-0 • EIWA team placement: 1st • NCAA team placement: 23rd 1971 • Dual meet record: 16-1-2 • EIWA team placement: 2nd • NCAA team placement: Tied for 9th • NCAA All-Americans: Tom Schuler (4th at 118), Lloyd Keaser (3rd at 142) 1972 • Dual meet record: 12-3-0 • EIWA team placement: 1st • NCAA team placement: Tied for 9th • NCAA All-Americans: Tom Schuler (4th at 118), Lloyd Keaser (3rd at 142) 1973 • Dual meet record: 11-5-0 • EIWA team placement: 2nd • NCAA team placement: Tied for 10th • NCAA individual champ: Dan Muthler, 142 lbs. 1974 • Dual meet record: 12-1-1 • EIWA team placement: 1st • NCAA team placement: 17th • NCAA All-Americans: Fred Hahndorf (6th at 134), Jeff Simmons (5th at 190) 1975 • Dual meet record: 20-1-0 • EIWA team placement: 2nd • NCAA team placement: Tied for 35th 1976 • Dual meet record: 13-2-0 • EIWA team placement: Tied for 2nd • NCAA team placement: 13th • NCAA All-Americans: Mark Costello (6th at 118), John Althans (4th at 158) 1977 • Dual meet record: 12-6-0 • EIWA team placement: 2nd • NCAA team placement: 23rd • NCAA All-American: John Althans (6th at 158) 1978 • Dual meet record: 8-11-0 • EIWA team placement: 4th • NCAA team placement: 36th 1979 • Dual meet record: 13-6-0 • EIWA team placement: 3rd • NCAA team placement: Tied for 28th • NCAA All-American: Larry Kihlstadius (6th at 150) 1980 • Dual meet record: 18-5-0 • EIWA team placement: 2nd • NCAA team placement: Tied for 19th • NCAA All-American: John Reich (4th at 167) 1981 • Dual meet record: 18-4-0 • EIWA team placement: 3rd • NCAA team placement: 39th 1982 • Dual meet record: 19-3-0 • EIWA team placement: 1st • NCAA team placement: 17th • NCAA All-American: John Reich (3rd at 167) 1983 • Dual meet record: 18-0-2 • EIWA team placement: 2nd • NCAA team placement: 11th • NCAA All-Americans: John Reich (2nd at 167), George Fears (7th at Hwt.) 1984 • Dual meet record: 15-4-1 • EIWA team placement: 1st • NCAA team placement: 32nd • NCAA All-American: Jim Peters (8th at 118 lbs.) 1985 • Dual meet record: 13-4-1 • EIWA team placement: 5th • NCAA team placement: Tied for 55th 1986 • Dual meet record: 11-10-0 • EIWA team placement: 1st • NCAA team placement: Tied for 53rd 1987 • Dual meet record: 16-4-0 • EIWA team placement: 2nd • NCAA team placement: 24th • NCAA All-American: Mike Treaster (5th at 126 lbs.) Ed Peery was an alternate for the U.S. freestyle wrestling team for the 1956 Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia. In that capacity, he had first-hand experience with some of the great American wrestlers of the mid 1950s. "There are guys you don't want to go with," said Peery. "They're so strong, they'll hurt you. Guys like (Dan) Hodge, Peter Blair at Navy. They had tremendous grip, incredibly strong." "I'd try to turn guys with a quarter-Nelson, and couldn't do it. Hodge could do it -- he had something special. Blair was similar. He hurt me in practice." Ed Peery had special commendation for another U.S. Olympic freestyle team member, Myron Roderick, who eventually became head coach at his dad's college alma mater, Oklahoma State. "Myron was fast," said Peery. "As bright and clear as anyone I've seen." The wrestler follows in his father's footsteps as coach Once Ed Peery's wrestling career was complete, he chose to become a coach ... just like his dad Rex. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in 1957, Ed Peery first taught engineering at his alma mater, and served as an assistant wrestling coach to his father. In 1959, Ed Peery came to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland as a civilian in engineering, and to assist long-time head coach Ray Swartz ... and spent more than next three decades at the Academy. Peery took the helm of the wrestling program at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1961, and served as head coach for 27 seasons. During that time, his Midshipmen matmen compiled a 311-90-13 record, for a .767 winning percentage -- the highest of any Navy head coach. He was named Coach of the Year in 1969. During the Peery years, Navy won eight EIWA team championships ... and an incredible 48 individual Eastern titles. Eight of Ed Peery's wrestlers were two-time EIWA champs; four were three-time EIWA titlewinners. (Interestingly, in his first five years at the Academy, Ed Peery would have coached against his dad Rex, who remained head coach at fellow EIWA member school Pittsburgh until 1965.) The Naval Academy wrestlers were just as impressive on the national stage. Navy teams qualified at least one wrestler for the NCAA championships every year Peery was coach. From 1961-1987, Navy could claim 28 NCAA All-Americans, including six two-time All-Americans: Gerry Franzen in 1963 and 1964; John Kent and Pete Vanderlofske in 1967 and 1968; Lloyd Keaser and Tom Schuler in 1971 and 1972; and John Althans in 1976 and 1977. Peery could even claim an individual national champ. At the 1973 NCAAs at the University of Washington, Dan Muthler brought home the 142-pound title, becoming only the second Midshipman to win a national collegiate crown. (The first was Peter Blair, who won NCAA titles in 1954 and 1955.) What's more, two of Peery's former Navy wrestlers -- Lloyd Keaser, and Tom Schuler -- competed for the U.S. at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. Keaser won the silver medal in freestyle competition at 68 kg/149.5 pounds at the '76 Games. (Keaser was an international mat star, having also won a 1973 World title, and two medals at the Tiblisi tournament.) As a lasting legacy, the U.S. Naval Academy now has the Ed Peery Award, presented to the Navy wrestler who demonstrates outstanding leadership, hard work ethic, and competitive spirit. Here's what Wayne Hicks -- a two-time EIWA champ who wrestled for Peery, then served as his assistant at the Naval Academy -- said about his coach at a Maryland online wrestling forum: "Coach Peery had many qualities that made him a great coach and many saw what an intense competitor he was. However, the one thing that always sticks out in my mind, and hopefully I transferred it to teams I coached, was that he found a way to make the most difficult sport a lot of fun -- very, very important." After retiring as head coach in 1987, Ed Peery stayed on at Annapolis, responsible for all recreation programs at the U.S. Naval Academy for a number of years. Ed Peery's contributions to the sport go far beyond the Navy wrestling program. He is considered to be one of the pioneers in establishing and conducting large-scale summer wrestling camps. He helped launch the wrestling program at Annapolis Area Christian School, which hosts the annual Ed Peery Invitational, a high school wrestling tournament held in mid-December for the past decade. In early 2009, the Anne Arundel County Wrestling Coaches Association presented Ed Peery with the Allan Segree Service to Wrestling Award. Ed Peery has been active outside of wrestling, as well. He serves as an elder at Grace Evangelical Presbyterian Church (PSCA), and is an avid woodworker. Both Ed Peery and his brother Hugh were welcomed as Distinguished Members into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1980 ... just four years after their father Rex, who was part of the Hall's inaugural class.