Wrestling Updates and Tidbits...

[Sommers]

No real surprise here for this multi talented Baylor grad...

 

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/sports/preps/story/2016/dec/26/parker-finishing-freshmfootball-seasarmy-then/404586/

 

Q&A: Ryan Parker finishing freshman football season at Army, then on to wrestling

 

December 26th, 2016by David Paschallin Sports - PrepsRead Time: 3 mins.

 

Pic

 

Army freshman linebacker and former Baylor School standout Ryan Parker has played in seven straight games entering Tuesday's Heart of Dallas Bowl against North Texas.

 

Photo by Contributed Photo /Times Free Press.

 

Pic

 

Baylor's Ryan Parker crosses the stage after receiving one of his awards at the Best of Preps banquet Thursday, June 9, 2016 at the Chattanooga Convention Center. Parker won three awards, including the Scrappy Moore male athlete of the year.

 

Photo by Angela Lewis Foster /Times Free Press.

 

Baylor's Ryan Parker cleaned house at the Times Free Press Best of Preps Banquet in June, winning the individual football and wrestling awards in addition to being named male athlete of the year.

 

Parker will finish his freshman season as an Army linebacker Tuesday afternoon, when the 7-5 Cadets face North Texas in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. He has six tackles in eight games and has played in seven consecutive contests.

 

After Friday's bowl practice, Parker took some time to join "Press Row" on Chattanooga's ESPN 105.1 FM.

 

Q: Are you happy with the way this season has gone?

 

A: "Very happy. As a team, we've been working really hard and have been able to get a lot of results. We've had a lot better season than last year. For me personally, I've enjoyed being able to play behind great players like Andrew King and Jeremy Timpf. It's been a great learning experience for me, and I think it will help me a lot next year."

 

Q: Can you take us through a typical weekday during the season?

 

A: "Our mornings start out normally around 5:30 with a lift. We go to class until about 11 and then eat lunch. We have football meetings and practice from about 2:30 until 7:30, and on a normal day, we have about four or five hours of homework. I'm not going to bed until about 12 or 1 every night."

 

Q: When will you make the transition from football to wrestling?

 

A: "That's a tough decision. Most likely, I'll try to transition the day after the bowl game. I'll get to see my family after the bowl, but as soon as I get back to West Point, I'll make the transition."

 

Q: How much bigger are you now from when you walked out the doors at Baylor?

 

A: "I walked out the doors around 205. Now I'm sitting around 222 or 223, but the plan is to get much bigger than 223."

 

Q: What's the hardest thing you've been asked to do so far?

 

A: "During our boot camp, the hardest thing was to stand at parade rest in the middle of a gas chamber after we just carried an 80-pound pack on our back for 12 miles. That is the hardest thing anybody has ever asked me to do."

 

Q: You had other options as far as college. Are you happy with your decision?

 

A: "I'm very happy. I think I made the right choice. I knew I would have to wait behind Andrew King and Jeremy Timpf, but I thought it could be a big boost for my playing ability to learn the game behind two veterans. I needed this year to sit back, watch, learn and get bigger."

 

Q: How does the Army-Navy rivalry compare to the Baylor-McCallie rivalry?

 

A: "To be honest, it was not as different as I thought it would be. The feeling inside is the same, and the week building up has that same intensity between the two schools. The game itself was incredible. Playing in front of 7,000 people at Baylor-McCallie was an incredible feeling, but multiply it by 10, and that's really a lot of people."

 

Q: What was the reaction after Donald Trump said Army-Navy "isn't necessarily the best football" during an in-game interview?

 

A: "We don't really have an opinion. That's his personal opinion, and as a team we think we play the best of our ability. We're not going to judge, especially a president-elect, on his opinion on us or on our type of football."

 

Q: Were you able to keep up with Baylor's season?

 

A: "I watched as much as I could. I watched all of the Baylor-McCallie game, which was a tough game to watch, personally. McCallie definitely had a great game. Robert Riddle was throwing the ball all over the place."

 

Q: How often are you allowed to come home?

 

A: "I've been home twice. I went home Thanksgiving, and then I had three days prior to coming to Dallas. I'll go home for a few days as soon as the game is over, and my last time to come home will be spring break."

 

Q: Turning to our rapid fire, other than the Army-Navy game, what's been your favorite atmosphere this season?

 

A: "Being at Michie Stadium when we played Louisiana-Lafayette, because that was the first time I really got to be in a game for a few minutes on defense."

 

Q: What is your favorite war movie?

 

A: "'Saving Private Ryan.'"

 

Q: What's the best Christmas present you've ever received?

 

A: "New tires for my jeep."

 

Q: Do you have a favorite sport between football and wrestling?

 

A: "I would go with football. I like football just a little more."

 

Q: How many push-ups could you do in 60 seconds?

 

A: "I got over 100 the last time I tried it."

 

Q: How many pull-ups?

 

A: "I think I could at least get 30."

 

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

 

________________

 

Side note: Amazing new talent and turnaround..... today Army plays in a bowl game after having only a handful of wins over the past few years getting a win over the Stein and steady Navy for the first time since 2001

 

---------------------------------------

 

 

Penn State's #1 Recruit coming to scuffle...

 

http://www.flowrestling.org/article/49835-mark-hall-registered-for-southern-scuffle

 

The most talked about Freshman of the season is headed to Tennessee.

 

Christian Pyles

 

Live On Flo This Week: Dec 29-30: Mt Mat Madness | Dec 29-30 Powerade | Jan 1-2 Southern Scuffle

 

Mark Hall, the former #1 recruit in the country and now Penn State Freshman, will be testing his talents against a loaded 174 field at the Southern Scuffle.

 

The six-time state champion has had a strong showing so far while competing unattached for Penn State. His lone loss came at the hands of Central Michigan's Christian Brucki. In this match, Hall dominated the takedown game, but gave up a set of nearfall off a tilt and lost the bout. 

 

Like most weights at the Southern Scuffle, 174 is loaded with talent. All told there are 5 All-American's in the field with 8 ranked wrestlers. There are other high caliber, unranked wrestlers competing with Hall, Bastian, Kee and Wisman all in the mix. 

 

174 Southern Scuffle Contenders

 

#3 Casey Kent, Penn

#5 Brian Realbuto, Cornell

#6 Kyle Crutchmer, Oklahoma State

#8 Ethan Ramos, UNC

#10 Taylor Lujan, UNI

#14 Ryan Preisch, Lehigh

#17 Jim Wilson, Stanford

#18 Jadaen Bernstein, Navy

Kimball Bastian, Utah Valley

Nick Kee, App State

Dylan Wisman, Missouri

Mark Hall, Penn State

 

Hall takes out his Penn State teammate Jason Nolf at the Junior World Team Trials

 

 

Popular Right Now

 

Missouri Lineup Change Coming For Southern Scuffle

Vote For 2016's Dirtiest Takedown!

Updated D1 NCAA Rankings

Edited December 27, 2016 by Sommers

[Sommers]

More supurb Flo coverage, rankings, and reference to the Scuffle being to Rose Bowl of college wrestling...

 

https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=http://www.flowrestling.org/article/49895-the-southern-scuffle-six-pack-stars-to-watch&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoUMTQ1ODQ4MDY2OTEzMTY5NzUwMjYyGmRhODk3OGM1YTk1YmU2NGQ6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AFQjCNGSpWnvP1KpWTqkxN9kjHBMJD-X6Q

 

_______________________

 

 

Southern Scuffle Redshirt Report

 

http://www.flowrestling.org/article/49940-minnesota-will-have-full-lineup-for-southern-scuffle

 

Dec 28, 2016

 

Christian Pyles

 

Live On Flo This Week: Dec 29-30: Mt Mat Madness | Dec 29-30: Powerade | Dec 29-30: Prep Slam IX | Jan: 1-2 Southern Scuffle​

 

The Southern Scuffle sets itself apart from other tournaments in a variety of ways. The depth of the tournament is always tremendous. This is bolstered by the Scuffle's willingness to allow very tough redshirts and unattached wrestlers to compete. 

 

In just the last two years we've seen redshirting athletes reach the Scuffle finals. Last year, Joseph Smith torched his way to the finals while he was still under redshirt. Logan Massa made the finals a year ago as well before falling to Hodge Trophy winner Alex Dieringer. The same was true a year prior when Jason Nolf made the finals of the Scuffle, downing Brian Realbuto in the process.  

 

Though it's tough to say if we'll have another unattached finalist in this tournament in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Jan. 1-2, the possibility certainly exists.

 

Off the top, the most discussed entry in this tournament is Mark Hall. The Penn State freshman has been testing himself in multiple opens. The Scuffle will certainly be his biggest challenge to date. While we know Hall for his freestyle wins (two-time world champion), he is still honing his folkstyle chops. On the mat is often the toughest learning curve for younger wrestlers, a fact that reared its head for Hall against Christian Brucki. Hall is the most credentialed unattached wrestler, but he finds himself in what looks to be the most loaded weight.

 

My jaw hit the floor of the Fargodome watching Ben Darmstadt torch his way through the Fargo Junior bracket. When you consider his motor, variety of attacks, and insane top game, he's a dynamite contender here at 197. Though he did suffer a loss to Rocco Caywood at the Hokie Open, I am still bullish on Darmstadt as a prospect. Though he's not technically enrolled at Cornell, we've seen countless times how good upper weights perform.  There's little question that a blue-chipper with the pedigree of Darmstadt will thrive among the Cornell upper weights. The question is simply when will he have his breakthrough? It could be this weekend.

 

Chattanooga's Mike Pongracz and Scottie Boykin are two solid UTC wrestlers who are taking a redshirt year. They've been ranked nationally before and would still be had they been competing attached for the Mocs. Mike Hughes (Hofstra) and Mitch Finesilver (Duke) are another pair of wrestlers who have tasted varsity competition but are taking a redshirt year. They are also rankable commodities if they were competing attached. 

 

Last year, Finesilver downed Anthony Collica, Pat Lugo, and CJ Cobb at the Scuffle. He later would beat Jason Tsirtsis at NCAAs.

 

Finesilver Downs Collica

 

Some additional true freshman redshirts to watch will be Taylor Lamont and Rudy Yates at 125. We've seen this pair succeed at national tournaments at the high school level. Quality wins from those two shouldn't come as a huge surprise. 

 

This is far from an all-encompassing list. Certainly there are other redshirts that will be in the mix. Redshirts time and time again will make noise at the Southern Scuffle, and with the glut of talent, you should expect them to place and to place high.

 

Popular Right Now

 

Complete Southern Scuffle Entries, Over 60 Ranked

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The Race For Powerade OW

Top 7 Must-Watch Powerade Matches

 

More From FloWrestling

 



 

J Robinson's Letter To University Of Minnesota

 



 

120lbs Match Daton Fix (OK) vs. Nick Suriano (NJ)

 

 

Dec 28, 2016

 

Christian Pyles

 

The University of Minnesota wrestling team appears ready to turn a corner after a tumultuous seven-month period with the reinstatement of four suspended athletes. Legendary Gophers head coach J Robinson was terminated by the university on Sept. 7 amid a controversy surrounding a prescription drug ring that implicated Minnesota wrestlers in both buying and selling the prescription drug Xanax. 

 

It was announced in October that four Minnesota wrestlers were suspended for a violation of team rules. Tommy Thorn, Ethan Lizak, Brandon Krone, and Larry Early III were unable to compete attached for Minnesota until January 1. Now, with the suspensions completed, we'll see three of the four wrestling at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Sunday and Monday. This will give Minnesota fans their first glimpse of this team at full strength.  

 

Lizak (125), Thorn (141), and Krone (174) will complete the Gophers lineup and put Minnesota right in the mix for a team trophy at the Scuffle.

 

Another change we'll see for Minnesota will involve ninth-ranked (at 174) Nick Wanzek heading down to 165 pounds. The Gophers have flexibility with Larry Early as well, though he hasn't cracked the starting lineup yet. Should things go awry at 157 or 165, he's a quality option to take the spot. 

 

This will give Minnesota the following lineup heading into the Southern Scuffle:

 

125: #9 Ethan Lizak

133: Mitch McKee

141: #12 Tommy Thorn

149: Fredy Stroker

157: #7 Jake Short

165: #9  Nick Wanzek

174: Brandon Krone/Christopher Pfarr

184: Bobby Steveson

197: #2 Brett Pfarr

285: #4 Mike Kroells

 

How To Watch

 

ON TV: Now available on Roku and Apple TV

STREAMING: Available only on FloWrestling - $20 monthly or $150 yearly. Yearly FloPRO access is to all FloSports sites. JOIN NOW.

Edited December 29, 2016 by Sommers

[Sommers]

Update on Ryan Parker...

 

He's ready for wrestling season at Army... They played yesterday and won their first bowl game in years! He got to fly home to Chattanooga last night. Everyone is excited to have him home for a short while. Ryan had 2 tackles and got in at linebacker for a few punishing plays! It was a great way to end the season for this true freshman!

[TD2]

Isn't every freshmen at West point a true freshmen?

[PaulSimpson]

Isn't every freshmen at West point a true freshmen?

If you went to the Prep school first, then moved over to the Academy you would be a second year freshman.

[Nainten]

When I hear the term 2nd year freshman I understand it to mean an academic sophomore with freshman eligibility.  Plebes don't fit that mold.  They are academic freshmen with freshman athletic eligibility.  In the NCAA you have 5 years in which to complete four seasons of whatever sport you participate in.  The redshirt system is built on this idea.  I believe the clock begins when you either register for or start attending classes at a given school.  Athletes can be granted a sixth year if they miss a season because of an extenuating circumstance like a major injury or training for the Olympics.  Religious missions, I think, fall into this category too.  So in special cases you can have six years to complete four seasons.

As the NCAA sees it, a plebe has the same five years as every other true freshman.  Some have actually used that "redshirt" year.  Joe Baker went to the Naval Academy Prep
School and then sat out a year without burning any of his eligibility.  This is a very rare occurrence because the service academies aren't in the habit of granting a fifth year of school.  I am only aware of it happening in cases where medical conditions kept a student from being able to attend classes to the extent that they were essentially excused from classes for one year.  

So technically, I think plebes are considered true freshmen, but I'll concede that the academies do use the prep schools in the same way other schools use redshirt years.  

[Sommers]

YES... Ivy league grad Jordan Leen exercised some kind of sabbatical like leave while at Cornell I remember.

________________________

 

 

In the mean time...

 

GA Powerhouse press, Jefferson's out of state recap of visit to Tennessee...

 

http://www.mainstreetnews.com/archives/39801-WRESTLING-Dragons-to-be-put-to-the-test-at-Louisiana-tourney.html

 

WRESTLING: Dragons to be put to the test at Louisiana tourney

 

Posted by MainStreetNewsSPORTS

 

Wednesday, December 28. 2016

 

Jefferson will be exposed to more out-of-state action this week in a long trek across the southeast.

 

The Dragons are set to wrestle in the Deep South Bayou Duals in Baton Rouge, La. Thursday and Friday (Dec. 29-30). The tournament field will feature teams from the southeast but also places like Oklahoma, a traditional stronghold for high school wrestling.

 

“I know we’re going to get some great matches,†Jefferson coach Doug Thurmond said. “We just want to make sure we go get what we need to get which is very good competition and to get back safe, to get back with everybody healthy.â€

 

Jefferson won this event last year.

 

The 32-team field will feature Oklahoma stalwarts as Westmore, Ft. Gibbs and Altus and perennial Louisiana power Brother Martin, which Jefferson defeated for last year’s title.

 

The tournament will include strong Florida programs like Arnold and Ft. Walton, and Arlington, a quality program out of Tennessee.

 

“There are some wonderful teams that are going to be there,†Thurmond said.

 

The Dragons are coming off an out-of-state victory at the Dec. 22-23 Pigeon Forge Duals, reeling off seven wins to secure that title. Jefferson beat Abingdon (Va.) 43-30, Gibbs (Tenn.) 69-9, Pigeon Forge (Tenn.) 59-18, Trion (Ga.) 44-24, Pierce County (Ga.) 71-6, Heritage (Tenn.) 44-30 and Wilson-Central (Tenn.) 54-28.

 

“Every team had some really, really good wrestlers,†Thurmond said.

 

Ian Statia (126), Cole Potts (138) and Caleb Little (182) all went undefeated.

 

“A lot of guys wrestled,†Thurmond said. “A lot of guys did a good job … We took a lot of guys with us.â€

 

Thurmond said he enjoys the opportunities dual tournaments provide in getting more wrestlers onto the mat as compared to a traditional tournament.

 

“Duals to me are a whole lot more fun than a traditional tournament, that being because you can use more kids once you get the score where it’s in-hand,†Thurmond said.

 

__________________________________

 

 

Update For Southern Scuffle...

 

http://www.flowrestling.org/article/49940-minnesota-will-have-full-lineup-for-southern-scuffle

 

Dec 28, 2016

 

Christian Pyles

 

Live On Flo This Week: Dec 29-30: Mt Mat Madness | Dec 29-30: Powerade | Dec 29-30: Prep Slam IX | Jan: 1-2 Southern Scuffle​

 

The University of Minnesota wrestling team appears ready to turn a corner after a tumultuous seven-month period with the reinstatement of four suspended athletes. Legendary Gophers head coach J Robinson was terminated by the university on Sept. 7 amid a controversy surrounding a prescription drug ring that implicated Minnesota wrestlers in both buying and selling the prescription drug Xanax.

 

It was announced in October that four Minnesota wrestlers were suspended for a violation of team rules. Tommy Thorn, Ethan Lizak, Brandon Krone, and Larry Early III were unable to compete attached for Minnesota until January 1. Now, with the suspensions completed, we'll see three of the four wrestling at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Sunday and Monday. This will give Minnesota fans their first glimpse of this team at full strength.

 

Lizak (125), Thorn (141), and Krone (174) will complete the Gophers lineup and put Minnesota right in the mix for a team trophy at the Scuffle.

 

Another change we'll see for Minnesota will involve ninth-ranked (at 174) Nick Wanzek heading down to 165 pounds. The Gophers have flexibility with Larry Early as well, though he hasn't cracked the starting lineup yet. Should things go awry at 157 or 165, he's a quality option to take the spot.

 

This will give Minnesota the following lineup heading into the Southern Scuffle:

 

125: #9 Ethan Lizak

133: Mitch McKee

141: #12 Tommy Thorn

149: Fredy Stroker

157: #7 Jake Short

165: #9 Nick Wanzek

174: Brandon Krone/Christopher Pfarr

184: Bobby Steveson

197: #2 Brett Pfarr

285: #4 Mike Kroells

 

How To Watch

 

ON TV: Now available on Roku and Apple TV

STREAMING: Available only on FloWrestling - $20 monthly or $150 yearly. Yearly FloPRO access is to all FloSports sites. JOIN NOW.

 

---------------

 

Why Brett Pfarr Will Beat J'den Cox At 

Southern Scuffle

 

http://www.flowrestling.org/article/49945-why-brett-pfarr-will-beat-j-den-cox-at-southern-scuffle

 

Dec 29, 2016

 

Nomad

 

Brett Pfarr is taking his wrestling to new heights this year. The Minnesota 197-pound senior has increased his offensive pace, shot efficiency and top game, and his average of 13 points per match is a testament to his improvement heading into the 2017 Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tennessee, this weekend.

 

On the other side of the mat, Missouri senior J'den Cox is winning matches close and battling injuries and fatigue after his bronze medal run in Rio.  

 

Live On Flo This Week: Dec 29-30: Mt Mat Madness | Dec 29-30: Powerade | Dec 29-30: Prep Slam IX | Jan: 1-2 Southern Scuffle

 

Cox won both matches between the two last season, accounting for half of Pfarr's losses. The first was a 4-1 decision in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas finals, and then Cox pinned Pfarr in the third period of the NCAA semifinals.

 

Early in their careers, Pfarr was a 184-pounder, and Cox bumped up to heavyweight for duals. Both are seniors, but Cox is a two-time national champion and has three All-American finishes to Pfarr's one, which was just last season.

 

Despite all this, the way Pfarr is wrestling has made this the most highly anticipated matchup of the Southern Scuffle. In particular, it is intriguing to use the always fallible transitive property to compare their previous matches with Ohio State's Kollin Moore and Virginia Tech's Jared Haught this season.

 

Cox vs. Haught in a Nov. 20 dual:

 

 

When Cox only beat Haught 2-0 in Columbia, MO, on Nov. 20, he struggled to generate offense on his feet and was nearly taken down early on. Haught was in on legs more than Cox was, and it came down to referee's position. Cox was able to get out in the second and ride out the third.

 

Compare this to Pfarr's dismantling of Haught in the CKLV finals two weeks later. Both studs were able to fend off the leg attacks of Haught. However, the Hokies junior was in better position to score against Cox three times, as opposed to the single time he got ahold of Pfarr's legs on two high-crotch attempts. 

 

Pfarr vs. Haught in Vegas:

 

 

In the same place where a year earlier Pfarr had been knocked off by Cox, the Minnesota captain took down Haught three times and turned him twice. While Cox is unlikely to be turned in a tilt, the threat could add a few seconds each time Pfarr is on top, and a scramble has the potential change the course of this match. More importantly, Pfarr's second takedown on Haught was nearly identical to the one Moore had on Cox -- head inside single, drive forward to an outside trip.

 

In Pfarr's CKLV semifinal with Moore, Pfarr took down the junior world teamer five times, as compared to the one time Cox took down Moore in Columbus. There is of course a difference between preparing for and wrestling in a tournament as opposed to doing the same for a dual, in which Moore could focus on Cox. But the difference in matches is so stark that one has to start wondering if Pfarr can topple the Olympian.

 

 

 

Normally when upsets happen, the underdog wants to play it close and defensive, forcing a sloppy attack to win by a low margin on a cheap counter. But a high pace seems to favor the Pfarr, especially because it will be difficult for him to win the match on the mat.

 

Pfarr will need to hit that wrap leg takedown at least twice, because there's little chance he gets a go-behind this match. He can't bite on the fakes of Cox, who doesn't just level change but rather shimmys, shakes and slaloms his way across the mat. Minnesota's coaching staff has to get Pfarr ready to use space to his advantage, as Cox used ankle picks and multiple direction changes to win last year. 

 

The NCAA championships are in Missouri this year. In his home state, Cox will be going for his third title. Imagine a situation in which he sings the national anthem, then gets ready to take the mat for the final time in his career. He walks to the center of the mat, shoes tied and headgear strapped, shakes hands and tries to avenge his only loss of the year.

 

Can't wait for March. Can't wait for Monday night.

 

Prediction:

Pfarr beats Cox 6-5

Edited December 30, 2016 by Sommers

[RMC]

Buford opens new arena with tournament win

• By Brandon Brigman

 

BUFORD — Tom Riden Stadium has been the home of Buford’s football team, one of the most dominant teams in the state.

Across the street in Buford’s new arena, the wrestling team is trying to build the same tradition. Under first-year head coach Tom Beuglas, the Wolves won the Takedown Sportswear Invitational on Wednesday. It was the first sporting event in the new 5,500-seat arena.

“It was nice winning in the new arena. I’m not going to lie, I wanted to win,†Beuglas said with a grin. “The guys were excited about being in here. We’ve been hearing about this place for a year. We didn’t even get to look inside until Monday, so the guys were pretty excited about it.â€

 

Buford scored 242.5 points to hold off runner-up Archer, Beuglas’ former team, with a score of 211.5 points. Woodland-Catersville was third with 194 points. Collins Hill placed ninth and Peachtree Ridge was 27th in the 36-team tournament that featured some of the top teams from all classifications in Georgia along with teams from Tennessee and Alabama.

“For us in AAAAA and the Gwinnett AAAAAAA schools, this is probably tougher than the state tournament,†Beuglas said.

Buford had nine wrestlers place in the tournament, including five in the finals. Logan Ashton was the only tournament champion at 106 pounds.

Nick Stonecheck (132 pounds), Trent Ferguson (152), Tristian Bozoian (160) and Jack Ness (195) were second. Cooper Roberts (170) was fourth, Charlie Darracott (145) and Billy Barber (182) were fifth and Blaine Burgey (126) was sixth.

“We would like to win them all, but they had some tough matchups,†Beuglas said. “A lot of times you get in the finals and you hope they can go either way. We had a couple that pulled upsets just to get to the finals.â€

Ashton had four pins in the tournament and posted a 7-0 win over Woodland-Catersville’s Gavin Nix, who he will likely see again at the state tournament.

“This is big because it’s the first one in the arena and Woodland and Archer are here,†Ashton said of his fourth tournament win this season. “Archer is the defending state champion and Woodland will be our toughest competition at state.

“It shows where we are going into state.â€

Archer had seven tournament placers, including three champions. Gavin Smith (138), Peter Myndresku (152) and Quinn Miller (220) placed first. Logan Smith (145) and Will Choloh (285) were second, Chase Degernier (160) was fourth and Aaron Hunt (132) was fifth.

“We went 5-for-5 in the semifinals, which I thought was great because the tournament is super tough,†Archer head coach Keith Jannett said. “I’m just super proud of the guys. They have wrestled hard all year. Buford is obviously a very tough team. That’s why we came here. We want to face the best competition and wrestle the best.â€

Myndresku is having a breakout season after not even placing at the state tournament last year. Myndresku won his second tournament of the year on Saturday with a 9-5 win over Buford’s Ferguson.

“It’s just another win. I take it one match at a time,†Myndresku said.

Myndresku won arguably the toughest bracket in the tournament, pinning Woodland-Catersville’s Cody Cochran, a defending state champion, and beating Ferguson, a third-place finisher last season.

“I know I can beat anybody. It’s just about having confidence in yourself,†said Myndresku, who also won the Southern Slam and placed fourth at the Kansas City Stampede.

Miller, a three-time state finalist and a Virginia commitment used a decisive 18-1 technical fall to claim his third tournament title. Miller missed most of last season with an injury and returned to wrestling last month after football season where he earned Daily Post Defensive Player of the Year honors.

“Now that I’ve won three out of the last four tournaments, it’s kind of letting people know that I’m back and ready to go,†Miller said.

Collins Hill’s Lucas Desilva had the most exciting win of the finals. The freshman trailed 8-7 in the 132-pound championship with 50 seconds in the match when Stonecheck let him go.

Desilva responded by taking him down and getting a pin with 33 seconds left in the match.

“I felt disrespected,†Desilva said. “When he cut me like that he was saying I’m not good enough to take him down, but I did.â€

The win was the fourth tournament victory for Desilva, who also won the Gwinnett County championship earlier this month.

“It’s definitely a great win. This is my first big tournament win,†said Desilva, who improved to 40-5 on the season. “By far this is a bigger win than county. There’s a lot of good teams here from Tennessee and Alabama.â€

Collins Hill’s Joey Felix (106) was third at 106 and Tariq Malik (113) was fourth. Peachtree Ridge’s Bryce Jones was fourth at 285 pounds.

http://www.gwinnettprepsports.com/schools/buford/buford-opens-new-arena-with-tournament-win/article_a392f9ea-31e3-572e-9cb2-0a27439a7c7a.html

Team Scores

1. Buford HS 242.5

2. Archer 211.5

3. Woodland, Cartersville 194.0

4. Gilmer County 176.5

5. Father Ryan 163.0

6. Cass 130.0

7. Morgan County 116.0

8. East Coweta HS 107.0

9. Collins Hill 106.0

10. Fitzgerald 90.0

11. South Forsyth H.S. 89.0

12. Oak Mountain 85.0

13. Creekview 84.5

14. Ola 82.5

15. West Laurens 80.5

16. Social Circle 78.0

17. South Pointe 77.5

18. St Pius X School 71.0

19. Marietta 59.0

19. West Forsyth 59.0

21. Clarke Central 57.0

22. Shaw 53.0

23. Franklin 52.5

24. Pepperell 52.0

25. Pickens 50.0

26. Starr`s Mill 47.0

27. Peachtree Ridge 37.0

28. Cambridge 33.5

29. Buford HS #2 20.0

30. Gainesville 16.0

31. Woodland, Cartersville B 11.0

32. Morgan County B 7.0

33. Archer 2 4.034. Elbert County 0.0

34.Heritage-Catoosa 0.0

34.Jonesboro 0.0

[Sommers]

The new Archer, Collins Hill, Parkview, Pope of Georgia. Proof of top quality coaching right RMC??

 

_______________________________

 

Regarding another well coached Erwin team to the north going head to head with Ryan and Bradley in a week as well...

 

Impressive!!

 

Union wrestlers take title at Mater Dei Classic...

 

http://www.thegleaner.com/story/sports/high-school/2016/12/29/union-wrestlers-take-title-mater-dei-classic/95974704/

 

Union County won the championship of the Mater Dei Holiday Classic Thursday in Evansville.

 

Gleaner staff |Updated 16 hours ago

 

EVANSVILLE - Union County won the championship of the Mater Dei Holiday Classic as the Braves won three individual titles and had 10 wrestlers place in the event.

 

The top-ranked team in Kentucky, Union County totaled 216 points to beat runner-up Mater Dei by 9 ½ points in the field of 15 teams.

 

For only the second time in the 33-year history of the tournament, a team other than Mater Dei won the event. Union County also won the event in 2012.

 

Eighth-grader Zeke Escalera won the championship at 106 pounds by beating Avon’s Raymond Rioux 14-6 in the final.

 

Senior Bryce Sheffer was the winner at 138 pounds as he topped St. Xavier’s Konner Kraeszig 14-5 in the title match.

 

Union bows out of Eldorado tournament

 

Senior Chance Oxford won the 145-pound division, beating Sam Osho of Avon 6-0 in the final.

 

Junior Saul Ervin was the runner-up at 132 pounds. He lost to Mater Dei’s Kyle Luigs 4-0 in the finals. Senior Avery Buckman finished second at 182 pounds, falling to Jaden Sonner of New Albany 6-3 in the finals.

 

Sophomore 120-pound Sam Bacon, eighth-grade 126-pound Payne Carr and 152-pound freshman Micah Ervin all finished third. Junior Payton Snyder was fourth at 285, while freshman Matthias Ervin was fifth at 170 pounds.

[RMC]

Sommers....you might want to look up the history of the school.......I met the current principal when he was a HS wrestling coach.  Had a little bit of turmoil with coaches, but all straightened out now. Of those 9 placers.......I think 6 are freshman or sophs.  In your list of good GA teams.....you need to include Woodland...they are going to be a top team.  

[Sommers]

Love GA wrestling too RMC, you know that by my bringing my kids down there for off season. (ESP The Hill where your boy wrestled) Buford the new Powerhouse for sure with Beuglas. Gilmore impresses me.

 

________________________________

 

 

Bears wrestling to release historical documentary

 

By RICHARD ROBERTS Banner Sports Editor

 

The Bradley Central Bears have a big night planned Jan. 5 when they return to the mat against Walker Valley.

 

The latest documentary produced, written and directed by Ron and Debbie Moore, 

 

http://clevelandbanner.com/stories/bears-wrestling-to-releasehistorical-documentary,49837

 

 

--------------------

 

 

 

Bristol Press...

 

http://www.heraldcourier.com/sports/local-briefs-rural-retreat-wrestling-nabs-holiday-hammer-silver/article_50d77496-cf15-11e6-b4f6-e795f340cd4e.html

 

LOCAL BRIEFS: Rural Retreat wrestling nabs Holiday Hammer silver

 

BHC Sports Desk

 

Dec 30, 2016 (0)

 

Rural Retreat did not win the Holiday Hammer Classic wrestling tournament, but the runner-up finished achieved by the Indians was rather impressive.

 

Rural Retreat finished just 5 ½ points behind champion Upper Perkiomen from Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, in the team standings and had nine wrestlers place in the top four in the tournament hosted by Abingdon High School.

 

“We had a solid tournament,†said Rural Retreat coach Rick Boyd. “It was a great team effort for us. Having seven kids win in the consolation [semifinals] was huge from a points perspective.â€

 

Trey Boyd (120-pound weight class) and Trent O’Neil (160) each won individual titles for the Indians and O’Neil was dominant in every sense of the word.

 

He needed just 60 seconds to pin Sullivan East’s Gunner Griffith in the finals and spent a grand total of seven minutes on the mat over the course of winning three matches in the event.

 

O’Neil is also a football and baseball star at Rural Retreat.

 

“He is starting to get back into a wrestling mentality after a productive football season,†Boyd said.

 

Trey Boyd won his three matches by pin, major decision and technical fall.

 

Third-place Tennessee High and fifth-place Abingdon each had two individual champions.

 

Dewey Pendley (145) and Jeremy Spangler (195) finished first in their respective weight classes with Spangler pinning Castlewood’s Casey Bush in the finals.

 

Abingdon got wins from Jack Newton (106) and Bridger Johnson (138) as both grapplers pinned their opponents in the finals.

 

 

___________________________________

 

 

Just up the road tomorrow and Monday....

 

Top-Ranked Oklahoma State Leads Southern Scuffle Field

 

http://www.chattanoogan.com/2016/12/31/338927/Top-Ranked-Oklahoma-State-Leads.aspx

 

Collegiate Wrestling's Scuffle is Sunday-Monday at McKenzie Arena

 

Saturday, December 31, 2016 - by B.B Branton

 

Cornell's Gabe Dean is a former NCAA and Southern Scuffle champion and will compete this weekend

- photo by Cornell Athletics

 

Oklahoma State has won 34 NCAA wrestling titles in its 101 years of competition but never the Southern Scuffle presented this year by Compound Clothing.

 

Hall of Fame coach John Smith and the Cowboys look to change that this weekend with a full 10 man roster plus 10 non-starters (highest finish in each weight class scores team points for that school) including three top seeded wrestlers - Kaid Brock (133), Dean Heil (141).and Austin Schafer (285).

 

Other top 10 teams in this year’s strong field are No. 5 Missouri, No. 8 Cornell, No. 9 Lehigh plus No. 13 Minnesota, No. 16 Stanford, No. 21 Appalachian State, No. 22 Northern Iowa, No. 24 Virginia and No. 25 Drexel.

 

Gates open at 9 a.m. (E.S.T.) both Sunday and Monday (Jan.1-2) and wrestling starts each day at 10 a.m. The full schedule of events and tickets are both available on TheSouthernScuffle.com.

 

Sunday Jan, 1 – wrestling starts at 10 a.m. … Championship Round of 16 – 2:15 p.m. Championship Quarterfinals – 7:30 p.m.

 

Monday Jan. 2 –wrestling starts at 10 a.m.

 

Championship Semifinals - Noon

 

Championship Finals – 7 p.m.

 

For a complete list of teams and #LetsScuffle previews of each weight class, visitwww.TheSouthernScuffle.com.

 

Tickets – 2 Day Pass – $35-$55

 

1 Day Pass – $20-$30

 

Get tickets at gomocs.com at McKenzie Arena the day of the event

 

By The Numbers

 

1 – a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist - J’Den Cox (MIsouri) who is the top seed at 197

 

2 – days of the best in-season collegiate wrestling in the nation here in Chattanooga

 

3 – NCAA champions – J’Den Cox (Missouri), Gabe Dean (Cornell) and Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) in this year’s event

 

3 – former Scuffle champs wrestling this weekend - Oklahoma State's Dean Heil (141-'16), Cornell's Gabe Dean (184-'14, '15 & '16) and Missouri's J'Den Cox (197-'15).

 

3 – former Southern Scuffle team champions are competing this year - Cornell (2008, 2009 & 2010 (tie)), Minnesota (2004, 2005 & 2007), Missouri (2003 & 2006) … 6-time winner Penn State is not competing this year

 

3 – No.1 ranked wrestlers in the latest national rankings - Oklahoma State's Dean Heil (141), Cornell's Gabe Dean (184) and Missouri's J'Den Cox (197).

 

5 – teams which have competed in all 14 Scuffles including this weekend - • Appalachian State, Duke, North Carolina, The Citadel and Virginia

 

23 – teams in the years field … No. 1 Oklahoma State, No. 5 Missouri, No. 8 Cornell, No. 9 Lehigh, No. 13 Minnesota, No. 16 Stanford, No. 21 Appalachian State, No. 22 Northern Iowa, No. 24 Virginia and No. 25 Drexel.

 

 

Others in the field along with Chattanooga are Air Force, Campbell, The Citadel, Cleveland State, Duke, Edinboro, Gardner-Webb, Navy, North Carolina, Northern Colorado, Penn and Utah Valley.

 

 

25 – All-Americans competing this weekend

 

40 – wrestlers ranked in the top 10

 

192 – Minnesota has the record for team points at 192 in its win in 2005.

 

320+ - number of wrestlers in the 10 weight classes competing for titles

 

 

#LETSSCUFFLE

Be sure to use the hashtag #LetsScuffle when tweeting about the Southern Scuffle. Follow @GoMocs and @UTCWrestling for the most up-to-date information on the 2017 Southern Scuffle, presented by Compound Clothing.

 

FOLLOW LIVE

Every match of the Southern Scuffle can be followed live via Flowresting. Pay-per-view video is available through Flowrestling and live scoring and interactive brackets are available through FloArena. Links to both are on the TheSouthernScuffle.com and the wrestling schedule page on GoMocs.com. The Flowrestling video feed is now available on Roku and AppleTV.

 

 

 

CHATTANOOGA MOCS PROBABLE LINEUP

125: Alonzo Allen (So. – 3-7)

133: Chris Debien (So. – 5-5)

Jake Huffine (So. - 6-4)

141: Roman Boylen (So. – 4-5)

149: Dylanger Potter (Fr. – 5-5)

Zach Shareef (So. - 0-0)

165: Justin Lampe (Jr. – 7-3)

174: Sean Mappes (Sr. – 7-5)

184: Bryce Carr (Jr. – 9-1)

Barrett Walthall (Jr. - 2-3)

197: Clay Dent (Sr. – 3-4)

285: No. 14 Jared Johnson (Sr. – 10-1)

Connor Tolley (So. - 2-4)

 

HEAD COACH HEATH ESLINGER

Head Coach Heath Eslinger is in his eighth season at UTC. A two-time Southern Conference Coach of the Year, he owns an 89-48 (.650) career dual record. He has guided the Mocs to six SoCon regular season and six SoCon tournament titles and has a 42-2 record in SoCon duals.

 

MOCS AT THE SCUFFLE

This is the sixth time the Mocs have hosted the Southern Scuffle and the eighth time they have competed in the event. UTC's best showing was a sixth place finish in 2006 in Greensboro, N.C.

2016 - 20th (31.5)

2015 - 14th (43.5)

2014 - 16th (34.0)

2013 - 14th (31.5)

2012 - 7th (79.0)

2006 - 6th (75.5)

2005 - 13th (48.5)

 

JOHNSON LOOKING TO IMPROVE ON LAST YEAR'S FINISH

Senior Jared Johnson is currently 10-1 overall and No. 14 in the nation at heavyweight. He is looking to improve on his fourth place finish at the 2016 Southern Scuffle.

 

CARR READY FOR A TEST

Junior Bryce Carr is off to a great start to his UTC career with a 9-1 record. His lone loss was against Virginia Tech's No. 10 Zack Zavatsky (2-1) on Nov. 13. The former junior college national champion could be a sleeper at this year's event.

 

SCUFFLE NOTES

• This is the 14th year of the Southern Scuffle. It was held in Greensboro, N.C. from 2003-10 and moved to Chattanooga in 2012.

 

• Records do not show a Southern Scuffle in 2011, but the event did not skip a season. The 2010 tournament was held in late December while the 2012 event was Jan. 1-2.

 

• Cornell's Gabe Dean is trying to join former teammate Kyle Dake (2009-13) and Minnesota's Cole Konrad (2003-06) as the only four-time winners of the Southern Scuffle.

 

• Nine of the 10 brackets feature a potential top-5 matchup. Both 141 and 197 have the top-2 ranked wrestlers in the country.

 

contact B.B. Branton at wiliam.branton@comcast.net

Edited January 1, 2017 by Sommers

[Sommers]

Scuffle Results by BB...

 

http://www.chattanoogan.com/2017/1/2/339017/Oklahoma-State-WIns-Southern-Scuffle.aspx

 

 Tuesday, January 3, 2017

 

Oklahoma State WIns Southern Scuffle

 

Mocs' Carr, Johnson Are Medalists

 

Monday, January 2, 2017

 

Oklahoma State claimed four champions and set a Southern Scuffle record for points (198) on the way to its first Scuffle title Monday at McKenzie Arena.

 

While Penn State is the defending NCAA champion, the Cowboys will give the Nittany Lions a battle for wrestling's supremancy in St. Louis in March. Note: Penn State was not able to attend this year's Scuffle due to a scheduling conflict, but will return in 2018.

 

"This is a great tournament to compete in mid-season for us as it shows what improvements we need to make in the practice room," said Oklahoma State coach John Smith.

 

"The competition is so great here and many wrestlers in this tournament will be All-Americans at the NCAA tournament."

 

Cowboy Champions: The four OSU champs are Kaid Brock (133), Dean Heil (141), Anthony Collica (149) and Chandler Rogers (165).  

 

Tourney of Firsts: The Scuffle is known as the best in-season wrestling event in the nation and this year could be described as the tournament of firsts.

 

The Cowboys won their first Scuffle title, Duke has its first individual Scuffle champion in No.5 seed junior Jusitn Kasper (285) and a Penn State true freshman (Mark Hall) became the first unattached wrestler to win an individual championship since Kirk Smith (Boise State) in 2007.

 

Kasper beat the Nos. 4,1 and 2 seeds in order on the way to his title, including two-time All-American Michael Kroells (Minn), 5-3, in the finals.

 

UTC Good Showing: While Oklahoma State had four champions, host UTC had medalists in junior Bryce Carr (3rd, 184) and senior Jared Johnson (6th, 285). 

 

Penn State Freshman Makes a Splash: Penn Srate freshman Mark Hall (9th seed) made quite a showing as the 19-year-old (wrestling unattached) beat the Nos.8, 5, 1 and 2 seeds on the way to a Scuffle title at 174 and receiving the Outstandiing Wrestler Award.

 

Hall, a six-time Minnesota high school state champ, won the FILA Cadet Junior World Championship in 2014 and reached the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials quarterfinals.

 

"I am glad to win this great tournament, but I came in here with no pressure on me," said Hall.

 

Tough Start: Hall's dad, Mark Hall Sr., said his son started wrestling at the age of four and lost many times in the 5-6 year old age division before seeing any success.

 

"But those early losses did not effect him as he has always enjoyed the sport."

 

Back to Class: Hall carried a 3.78 grade point average in high school and earned a 3.1 GOS in the recently completed first semester of college.

 

PSU coach Cale Sanderson wants him to have a 3.5 in this upcoming semester so the Minnesota native will be in two monitored study halls for the upcoming semester.

 

"The biggest change from high school to college is good time management," said the PSU freshman."

 

Penn State Question: Will the PSU coaches keep Hall on the redshirt list and believe they can win the NCAA tournament without him or move him into the starting lineup soon.

 

 

2017 Southern Scuffle Final Team Standings

 

 

1  Oklahoma State   198

 

2  Missouri     126

 

3.    Lehigh     124.5

 

4.    Minnesota     118

 

5.    Northern Iowa    87.5

 

6.    Edinboro     73

 

7.    Virginia     64

 

8.    Cornell     63

 

9.    North Carolina    56

 

10.    Stanford     55.5

 

11.    Chattanooga    46

 

12.    Drexel     43.5

 

13.    Duke       40.5

 

14.    Appalachian State 36

 

15.    Northern Colorado 29.5

 

16.    Gardner Webb    27.5

 

17.    Campbell     27

 

17.    Penn       27

 

19.    Navy       22

 

20.    Utah Valley    21

 

21.    Cleveland St    15.5

 

22.    Air Force     13.5

 

23.    The Citadel    5.5

 

 

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrapped up another exciting Southern Scuffle, presented by Compound Clothing, at the McKenzie Arena tonight.  Top-ranked Oklahoma State set a tournament record with 198 points, outpacing No. 5 Missouri who finished second with 126 points.

 

The Mocs came in a respectable 11th place with 46 points in the 23-team field that included 10 of the top 25 programs in the country.  The rest of the top five was No. 9 Lehigh with 124.5 points, No. 13 Minnesota with 118 points and No. 22 Northern Iowa with 87.5 points.

 

"It was a great tournament and another outstanding showcase for collegiate wrestling," stated head coach Heath Eslinger.  "I thought we competed well in a very tough tournament."

 

There were story lines up and down the brackets, highlighted by Cornell's Gabe Dean winning his fourth title at 184 pounds.  He defeated Oklahoma State's Nolan Boyd 7-2 to become just the third in the 14-year history of the event to win four titles. 

 

The 1-2 match-up at 197 pounds between Missouri's J'Den Cox and Minnesota's Bret Pfarr was the final match of the evening, and it certainly didn't disappoint.  Cox needed a late takedown for the 6-4 win to keep his No. 1 ranking. 

 

Penn State freshman Mark Hall entered the 174 bracket unattached and unseeded.  He mowed down the competition, including a 10-3 decision over Oklahoma State's No. 6 Kyle Crutchmer in the finals.  He went on to win the Scuffle's Most Outstanding Wrestler Award.   

 

The Cowboys did have four winners, including Kaid Brock at 133, Dean Heil at 141, Anthony Collica at 149 and Chandler Rogers at 165.  It was their first Scuffle title in five appearances and heavyweight Austin Schafer won the Gregorian Award. 

 

The Mocs were led by junior Bryce Carr who placed third at 184 pounds.  He blew through the backdraw with three wins Monday, beginning with a 13-2 major decision over Lehigh's Paul Dunn. 

 

Carr followed that with a 4-0 win over Northern Colorado's No. 20 Dylan Gabel.  In the third place match, he beat Gardner-Webb's No. 18 Hunter Gamble 7-4.  Carr is now 13-2 on the season and should break into the top-20 with his performance at the Scuffle. 

 

Senior Jared Johnson also placed for the Mocs.  He finished sixth at heavyweight after going 2-2 today.  Johnson, ranked No. 14 at heavyweight, had a big 3-2 win over Edinboro's No. 9 Billy Miller.  He improved to 15-4 on the season. 

 

Mocs at Home - Sunday Jan. 8 ... The Mocs return to dual action this weekend when they host a tough Campbell squad on Sunday, Jan. 8.  Match time is set for 2 p.m. (E.S.T.) in Maclellan Gym.    

contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net

 

Bradley Central Wrestling Documentary Now Available

 

The History of Bradley Central High School Wrestling DVD goes on sale this Thursday, at 6:00 p.m. at  Bradley High School during the Walker Valley vs. Bradley Wrestling match. The 57-minute documentary  explores the reasons behind the success of the Bradley Central program from its humble beginning in 1973 through the current years. A special program that evening will ... (click for more)

 

 

----------------

 

Mr Ward Gossett reports...

 

Oklahoma State takes commanding Southern Scuffle lead

 

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/sports/college/story/2017/jan/02/oklahomstate-takes-commanding-southern-scuffl/405436/

 

[photos]

 

January 2nd, 2017by Ward Gossettin Sports - CollegeRead Time: 4 mins.

 

Pic

 

Chattanooga wrestler Roman Boylen, left, wrestles NCSU wrestler Will Clark in their round of 16 bout of the Southern Scuffle wrestling tournament at McKenzie Arena on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

 

Photo by Doug Strickland /Times Free Press.

 

Gallery: Oklahoma State takes commanding Southern Scuffle lead

 

+13

 

more photos

 

Scuffle Scores

 

1. Oklahoma State 116; 2. Missouri 70.5, 3. Lehigh 69.5; 4. Northern Iowa 68.5; 5. Minnesota 68; 6. Virginia 46.5; 7. Stanford 44.5; 8. North Carolina 43.5; 9. Cornell 36.5; 10. Edinboro 33; 11. Northern Colorado 26; 12. Appalachian State 24.5; 12. UTC 24.5; 12. Gardner-Webb 24.5; 15. Campbell 22.5; 15. Drexel 22.5; 17. Utah Valley 21; 18. Duke 20.5; 19. Navy 18.5; 20. Penn 17; 21. Air Force 12; 22. The Citadel 5.5; 23. N.C. State 5; 24. Penn State (unattached) 4.

 

 

 

Oklahoma State, runner-up in three of the past four Southern Scuffles, put all but a vice on the 2017 championship Sunday.

 

The Cowboys, the nation's top-ranked college wrestling team, rang in the new year in style, lassoing 10 semifinal berths with another five wrestlers still alive in the consolation brackets.

 

The tournament resumes at 10 this morning at McKenzie Arena with the fifth consolation round. The semifinals and consolation quarterfinals are at noon. Championship finals and medal matches through eighth place are scheduled to start at 7.

 

Oklahoma State, coached by legendary John Smith, had a commanding 45.5-point lead after the first day. The Cowboys had amassed 116 points to 70.5 for second-place Missouri. Lehigh was in third with 69, Northern Iowa fourth with 68.5 and Minnesota fifth with 68.

 

"Oklahoma State's pretty good. Obviously they're ranked No. 1 in the country for a reason. They have a lot of firepower and they're so deep," said Heath Eslinger, coach of host University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

 

The Southern Conference teams were grouped closely, with Eslinger's Mocs in a three-way knot for 12th (24.5) with Appalachian State and Gardner Webb. Campbell was just two points behind those three.

 

Three top-seeded wrestlers were knocked off Sunday.

 

Northern Iowa 125-pounder Dylan Peters lost 9-7 to Stanford's Gabe Townsell and then was knocked from the tournament, 12-6 by Louie Hayes, a Virginia wrestler who's competing unattached.

 

At 165 pounds, Lehigh's top-seeded Mitch Minotti lost to North Carolina State's Chad Pyke 3-1. And at 174, Penn State freshman Mark Hall, a probable redshirt candidate, bested top seed Casey Kent from Penn 9-3.

 

"That's really no shock. He's a junior world champ" Eslinger said of the phenom. "You remember Jason Knopf that won it here last year? Hall beat him over the summer. It's his teammate, but he still beat him."

 

UTC has four wrestlers who will be in action this morning.

 

Heavyweight Jarred Johnson and Bryce Carr (184) dropped quarterfinal matches, and Sean Mappes (174) and Alonzo Allen (125) continued their fights through the consolation rounds.

 

Johnson dropped a 3-2 decision to third-seeded Nathan Butler of Stanford while Carr dropped a 6-4 overtime match to Northern Iowa's Drew Foster.

 

"There were good matches for us. We saw some things we need to get better at, but this is a tough tournament, man," Eslinger said. "His last match tonight was a huge win for Allen, winning in the last 15 seconds, and Mappes had never beaten that kid (Appalachian's Nick Kee).

 

"We have to get better, but there aren't any bad wrestlers in this gym. There's a small gap between good and great, but there's a lot of work between the two."

 

Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him on Twitter @wardgossett.

 

How the Mocs fared

 

125 pounds

 

Trey Andrews (NC) dec. Alonzo Allen, 5-1; Allen major dec. Noah Baughman (Corn), 14-2; Nick Piccininni (OkSt) dec. Fabian Gutierrez, 10-3; Gutierrez dec. Patrick Kearney (Cit), 13-8; Allen dec. Taylor Lamont (UtahV), 6-5; Steven Polakowski (Minn) tech. fall Gutierrez, 7:00.

 

133 pounds

 

Mark Grey (Corn) major dec. Chris DeBien, 13-5; DeBien dec. P. Russo (Stan), 9-2; Dylan Hyder (AF) dec. DeBien, 9-5; Korbin Myers (Edin) tech. fall Jacob Huffine; Huffine dec. Marshall Brown (NCSt), 9-3; Nathan Boston (Camp) pinned Huffine, 0:17.

 

141 pounds

 

Jaydin Eierman (Mo) dec. Mike Pongracz (Una-UTC), 7-2; Jay Prince (Navy) dec. Roman Boylen, 9-3; Pongracz dec. Zach Finesilver (Duke), 3-2; Will Clark (NCSt) dec. Boylen, 6-4; Matt Manley (Mo) dec. Pongracz, 5-1.

 

149 pounds

 

Gerald McGinty (AF) dec. Zach Shareef (Una-UTC), 8-1; Michael Monica (Una-Duke) dec. Dylanger Potter, 3-2; Potter pinned F. Stroker (Minn), 0:44; Potter major dec. Miller Clark (APSU), 9-1; Carson Brolsma (Minn) dec. Potter, 12-6; Ben Barton (Camp) default over Shareef.

 

165 pounds

 

Justin Lampe major dec. Joseph Velliquette (Penn), 16-5; Cameron Harrell (Va) dec. Lampe, 9-3; John Vaughn (Cle) dec. Lampe, 7-5.

 

174 pounds

 

Sean Mappes dec. Lee Davis (NCSt), 3-2; Mappes tech. fall Ebed Jarrell (Drex), 18-3; Taylor Lujan (NIowa) dec. Sean Mappes, 8-1; Mappes dec. Nick Kee (APSU), 6-4 SV1.

 

184 pounds

 

Dominic Lampe (Una-UTC) dec. Paul Dunn (Lehigh), 9-4; Jacob Holschiag (NI) dec. Barrett Walthall, 9-3; Alex Schenk (Duke) dec. Walthall, 12-6; Nolan Boyd (OKSt) major dec. Lampe, 18-4; Lampe dec. Alex Benoit (Navy), 8-3; Max Dean (FLP) dec. Lampe, 5-1; Drew Foster (UNI) dec. Bryce Carr, 6-4 SV1

 

197 pounds

 

Ben Haas (Leh) tech. fall D.J. Smith, 4:19; Scottie Boykin (Una-UTC) dec. Dylan Reynolds (Edin), 8-4; Carr dec. Ville Heino (Camp), 12-5; Jake Anderson (Corn) major dec. Boykin, 18-4; Josh Murphy (Drex) dec. Boykin, 6-2; D.J. Smith dec. Randall Diabe (APSU), 3-1; Tanner Orndorff (UtahV) dec. D.J. Smith, 8-1.

 

285 pounds

 

Kerry Powers (AF) dec. Connor Tolley, 4-0; Jared Johnson tech. fall Thomas Ott (Navy), 7:00; Johnson dec. Rylee Streifel (Minn), 4-0; Tolley dec. Chuck Boddy (Va), 4-2; Johnson won by default over Craig Scott (Corn); Streifel (Minn) major dec. Tolley, 8-2; Nathan Butler (Stan) dec. Johnson, 3-2.

 

Note: Cael only has one unofficial nittany lion competing (Mark Hall) this year, but his brother did bring his team from Orem/Provo that used to be a Jr college and club team not many years ago. Utah Valley is just on the heels of our Mocs on the first day.

 

________________________

 

 

BB's Scuffle Coverage...

 

Four Mocs Advance in Consolations -

 

http://www.chattanoogan.com/2017/1/1/338973/Four-Mocs-Advance-In-Day-1-Of-Southern.aspx

 

Finals Tonight at 7

 

Sunday, January 1, 2017

 

The dominance by the nation’s No.1 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys is evident.

 

Looking for their first Southern Scuffle title, the Cowboys of coach John Smith have a wrestler in each of the 10 weight class semifinals (semis start today at noon) and lead second place Missouri by 45.5 points (116-70.5).

 

Missouri, Minnesota and Northern Iowa are next each with four wrestlers in the semis.

 

Top Five Teams: Oklahoma State leads the way in the 14th annual event sponsored by Compound Clothing with 116 points, followed by No. 6 Missouri (70.5), No. 9 Lehigh (69.5), No. 18 Northern Iowa (68.5) and No. 10 Minnesota (68). UTC is knotted with fellow Southern Conference foes Appalachian State and Gardner-Webb with 24.5 points.

 

Today’s Schedule - McKenzie Arena

 

10 a.m. – fifth round of consolation matches … Noon – championship semifinals

 

7 p.m. – Championship Finals and medal matches for 3rd, 5th and 7th.

 

Tickets: Tickets are available at the gate or online on GoMocs.com. Don't forget that you can also watch all of the action through Flowrestling links links on the wrestling schedule page on GoMocs.com.

 

Freshman From Penn State: At 174, Mark Hall - a true freshman and wresting unattached - is unseeded - but no ordinary unseeded wrestler

 

The six-time Minnesota high school state champ is also the defending world junior champion and beat the Scuffle's top seed Casey Kent (Penn) 9-4 in the quarters. Hall faces Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) in today's semis (noon) .' Preisch is ranked No.14 in the nation and undefeated.

 

The winner faces the winner of the other semi - Ethan Ramos (North Carolina) vs No.2 Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State) in tonight's finals

 

 

UTC Has Four in Consolations:

 

Senior Jared Johnson and junior Bryce Carr both advanced to the quarterfinals in the main draw. Carr lost to Northern Iowa's No. 14 Drew Foster in overtime, but he still advances to tomorrow's action 184 pounds.

 

 

Johnson also lost a tight one in the quarters, falling to Stanford's No. 8 Nathan Butler 3-2. He too is still alive in Monday's consolation brackets.

 

Mocs Alonzo Allen (125) and Sean Mappes (174) are also in the consolations.

 

Championship Semis:

 

125 Gabe Townsell (Stanford) vs Jack Mueller (Virginia)

125 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) vs Ethan Lizak (Minnesota)

 

133 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) vs Mitchell Mckee (Minnesota)

133 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa) vs Scott Parker (Lehigh)

 

141 Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) vs George DiCamillo (Virginia)

141 Joey Ward (North Carolina) vs Joey McKenna (Stanford)

 

149 Lavion Mayes (Missouri) vs Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa)

149 Patricio Lugo (Edinboro) vs Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State)

 

157 Joe Smith (Oklahoma State) vs Andrew Atkinson (Virginia)

157 Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) vs Joey Lavallee (Missouri)

 

165 Daniel Lewis (Missouri) vs Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa)

165 Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State) vs Keilan Torres (Northern Colorado)

 

174 Mark Hall (Penn State) vs Ryan Preisch (Lehigh)

174 Ethan Ramos (North Carolina) vs Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State)

 

184 Gabe Dean (Cornell) vs Hunter Gamble (Gardner Webb)

184 Drew Foster (Northern Iowa) vs Nolan Boyd (Oklahoma State)

 

197 J'den Cox (Missouri) vs Frank Mattiace (Penn)

197 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) vs Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State)

 

285 Austin Schafer (Oklahoma State) vs Jacob Kasper (Duke)

285 Nathan Butler (Stanford) vs Michael Kroells (Minnesota)

 

TEAM SCORES

1. Oklahoma State - 116

2. Missouri - 70.5

3. Lehigh - 69.5

4. Northern Iowa - 68.5

5. Minnesota - 68

6. Virginia - 46.5

7. Stanford - 44.5

8. North Carolina - 43.5

9. Cornell - 36.5

10. Edinboro - 33

11. Northern Colorado - 26

12. Appalachian State - 24.5

Gardner Webb - 24.5

Chattanooga - 24.5

15. Campbell - 22.5

Drexel - 22.5

17. Utah Valley - 21

18. Duke - 20.5

19. Navy - 18.5

20. Penn - 17

21. Air Force - 13.5

22. Cleveland State - 12

23. The Citadel - 5.5

 

 

Quotes by UTC Coach Heath Eslinger

 

"Bryce and Jared both had tough opponents," said head coach Heath Eslinger. "But the reason we wrestle in this tournament is to get battle-tested. Sometimes it doesn't workout in your favor and you hav to wake up the next day and do it again. We will get in here tomorrow morning and figure it out."

 

Senior Sean Mappes lost in the second round to Northern Iowa's 10th-ranked Taylor Lujan (8-1), but had two big wins to move into Day 2. His last victory came against Appalachian State's Nick Kee, the preseason pick in the SoCon at 174 pounds.

 

Kee had beaten Mappes twice last season, including in the finals at the SoCon Tournament. He looked like he was going to win again with a takedown in the final 20 seconds for a 4-2 lead today. However, Mappes pulled off the reversal going out of bounds with 11 seconds left to tie the match. Mappes held Kee down for the final moments of the third, and won it with a takedown in overtime.

 

"Huge for Mappes," stated Eslinger. "Any time you can beat a guy you haven't beaten before is always good. It was a good momentum builder for him."

 

Another bright spot for the Mocs was Sophomore Alonzo Allen's performance at 125. He came into the tournament with just one win in his last five outings, and was quickly knocked to the backdraw in a 5-1 loss to Duke's Trey Andrews. Allen recovered quickly and won his next two matches by major decisions.

 

That put him up against Utah Valley's Taylor Lamont. Allen was up 4-2, but gave up the lead late. With three seconds left in the match, he pulled off a slick reversal as both competitors went out of bounds. Allen stayed on top for the last three ticks of the clock and advanced to tomorrow's action with the 6-5 win.

 

"It was a big win for Alonzo," added Eslinger. "He showed some resilency and it is what we have been looking for with him. He found a way to win the match. Sometimes there is not a formula, you just have to find a way to win it."

 

Senior D.J. Franklin-Smith posted two wins at 197, along with freshman Dylanger Potter at 149.

 

"I thought Day 1 went well," continue Eslinger. "I am glad the quarterfinals are out of the way. I think tomorrow will be pretty neat down to four mats with the semis and finals highlighting everything."

 

UTC Wrestlers

125

Alonzo Allen

Trey Andrews (Duke) – L-D, 1-5

Josh Copeland (Duke) – W-MD, 14-2

Noah Baughman (Cornell) – W-MD, 15-4

Taylor Lamont (UVU) – W-D, 6-5

133

Chris Debien

No. 15 Mark Grey (Cornell) – L-MD, 5-13

Peter Russo (Stanford) – W-D, 9-2

Dylan Hyder (AFA) – L-D, 5-9

Jake Huffine

Krobin Meyers (Edinboro) – L-Tech Fall, 0-15

Marshall Brown (N.C. State) – W-D, 9-3

Nathan Boston (Campbell) – L-Fall (0:17)

141

Roman Boylen

Jared Price (Navy) – L-D, 3-9

Will Clark (N.C. State) – L-D, 4-6

149

Dylanger Potter

Michael Monica (Duke) – L-D, 2-3

Freddy Stroker (Minnesota) – W-Fall (0:44)

Miller Clark (App. St.) – W-MD, 8-1

Carson Brolsma (Minn.) – L-D, 6-12

Zach Shareef

Gerald McGinty (AFA) – L-D, 1-8

Ben Barton (Campbell) – L-Inj. Def.

165

Justin Lampe

Koy Wilkinson (UVU) – W-MD, 16-5

Cameron Harrell (UVA) – L-D, 3-9

John Vaughn (CSU) – L-D, 5-7

174

Sean Mappes

Lee Davis (N.C. State) – W-D, 3-2

No. 10 Taylor Lujan (UNI) – L-D, 1-8

Ebed Harrell (Drexel) – W-Tech. Fall, 18-3

Nick Kee (App. St.) – W-D, 6-4 (SV1)

184

Bryce Carr

Ville Heino (Campbell) – W-D, 12-5

No. 14 Drew Foster (UNI) – L-D, 4-6 (SV1)

 

Barrett Walthall

Dakota Geer (Edinboro) – L-D, 5-9

Alec Schenk (Duke) – L-D, 6-12

197

D.J. Franklin-Smith

No. 20 Ben Haas (Lehigh) – L-Tech. Fall, 1-16

Collin Kelly (CSU) – W-D, 9-3

Randall Diabe (App. St.) – W-D, 3-1

Tanner Orndorff (UVU) – L-D, 1-8

285

Jared Johnson

Thomas Ott (Navy) – W-Tech. Fall, 15-0

Ryan Streifel (Minn.) – W-D, 4-0

Craig Scott (Cornell) – W-Inj. Def.

No. 8 Nathan Butler (Stanford) – L-D, 2-3

Connor Tolley

Kerry Powers (Air Force) – L-D, 0-4

Chuck Boddy (UVA) – W-D, 4-2

Rylee Streifel (Minn.) – L-D, 2-10

 

 

contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net

Edited January 3, 2017 by Sommers