Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

How to improve PIAA Wrestling, part 1: Bring back the dual meets

Interesting and valid point of view.
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Like other high school sports, wrestling has declining participation and attendance. Four years ago, Northern Lehigh was the District 11 Class 2A team champion. Now, the Bulldogs struggle to fill half a 14-man lineup. They are not alone. Last season, 93 percent of Pennsylvania dual meets had at least one forfeit. Coaches, officials, wrestlers, fans and administrators agree things have to change. This three-part series looks at possible options for a sport that continues to have a passionate fan base but pales in comparison to previous decades.

Wrestling with Progress

“Wrestling with Progress,” a three-part series on what can be done to revive high school wrestling in Pennsylvania (Jesse Musto / The Morning Call)
Gene Waas told the security officer in the Easton Area High School parking lot that he was the referee that night for the 1988 wrestling showdown with rival Phillipsburg. The cop laughed at the 27-year-old, who was forced to park across Route 248 in the Kmart parking lot. “Later when he had to walk me back to the locker room after the match,” Waas recalled, “he apologized. He thought I was lying.” Rest of the story at https://www.mcall.com/sports/varsity/mc-spt-state-of-high-school-wrestling-series-dual-meets-0212-story.html?mc_cid=a34acd1440&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

February 25, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Missouri’s State Wrestling Championships Aren’t Just For Boys Anymore

TDR Editor – More Expanding Opportunities.
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Since the 1930s, Missouri and Kansas high school boys wrestlers have gone to the mat to find out who’s the best in their respective states. This year, Missouri added girls’ wrestling to its state championship lineup, only the 12th state to do so. Wrestling’s becoming increasingly popular for girls in Missouri, with the number getting involved in the sport more than quadrupling in a year.

“I looked at that database and there were 970 female athletes registered in the optimal performance calculator, which is amazing,” said Greg Stahl, an assistant director for the Missouri High School Activities Association (MHSAA). He oversees both the boys and girls state wrestling championships. Kearney High School saw 50 girls show up for an informational meeting before the season started, according to coach Jake Hill. Rest of the story at https://www.kcur.org/post/missouris-state-wrestling-championships-arent-just-boys-anymore?mc_cid=0574fb79af&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b#stream/0

February 25, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Stossel Makes Most of His Chance for Penn State Wrestling

STATE COLLEGE, PA (WTAJ) – Penn State wrestling’s senior class consists of six wrestlers combining for four national championships, nine All-American finishes and four top-three rankings in the country. All of Penn State’ seniors are ranked highly or already have All-American status – except for walk-on Scott Stossel. According to coach Cael Sanderson, Stossel started wrestling for the school’s club wrestling team before earning the spot on the roster as a walk-on. He got his chance to start in the lineup against Michigan, Michigan State and Illinois. Stossel earned his first Big Ten Dual win Sunday against Illinois’ Joshua Contreras 6-4. Rest of the story at https://www.wearecentralpa.com/sports/nittany-nation/stossel-makes-most-of-his-chance-for-penn-state-wrestling/1794661538?mc_cid=0574fb79af&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

February 25, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Nebraska stifles Stanford in 31-9 victory

LINCOLN, Neb. — The seventh-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers sent their five seniors off in style on Senior Day, defeating the Stanford Cardinal 31-9 on Saturday afternoon at the Devaney Center. The Huskers honored five seniors, Tyler Berger, Zeke Moisey, Brian Peska, Jordan Shearer and Aris Shino in an on-mat ceremony before the dual. The dual was originally scheduled for 7 p.m., but was moved up to 1 p.m. because of inclement weather closing in on the area. “It kind of surprised us a little bit, having to move things up and adjust,” Huskers sophomore Chad Red Jr. said. “We had to get some weight off a little bit earlier, but it all ended up working out and we were able to pull out the win.” Five of the seven wins earned by the Huskers came courtesy of bonus points. Chad Red Jr. (141) and Taylor Venz both pinned their opponents while Jordan Shearer (149) and Mikey Labriola (174) took major decisions.Isaiah White (165) won by tech. fall (21-4) to cap off the 22-point victory.

Redshirt freshman #9 Mikey Labriola (174) started off the Huskers with an 18-5 major decision victory over Stanford’s Rico Stormer. Labriola wasted no time, scoring two takedowns and earning four near-fall points in the first period. With the win, Labriola earned his 11th bonus point victory this season, which is a team-high. NU’s #6 Taylor Venz (184) continued the Huskers’ hot start by pinning Nainoa Calvo just 1:01 into their match to put the Huskers up 10-0. Venz has won eight of the 10 matches he’s wrestled in since 2019 began. He leads the team with seven victories by pinfall and is on track to lead the Huskers in pins for the second straight year.

In the first of two matches between ranked wrestlers, 13th-ranked 197-pounder Eric Schultz battled Stanford’s Nathan Traxler, the #12 ranked 197-pounder in the country. With the score knotted at four after three periods, the match went to sudden victory, with each wrestler earning multiple escape points before Traxler was declared victorious by criteria following the third tie-breaker period. A five second riding timing advantage allowed Traxler to edge out Schultz. At heavyweight, Stanford’s Haydn Maley scored near-fall points in the second period to propel himself to a 6-4 victory over NU’s Christian Lance, who made his third dual appearance of the season. A junior from Nixa, Mo., Lance transferred from Division II Fort Hays St. last year. Rest of the story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/21530

February 25, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NEO wrestling aims for back-to-back national titles

The Norsemen have won 3 titles in 5 years
MIAMI, Okla. – The NEO wrestling team is heading to nationals for the 6th consecutive year. Over the weekend the Norsemen claimed their 6th consecutive district title, with all ten wrestlers securing top-3 finishes to advance to nationals. NEO has become one of the best wrestling programs in the country under head coach Joe Renfro, winning three national titles in the last five years, including winning it all in 2018. The team had 9 All-Americans last season. Four of those are back this year looking to take a new roster back to the top.

“I feel like the guys we do have in the lineup that were there last year, they’ll be able to step up and kind of help those (younger) guys,” says sophomore Boo Dryden, who finished 4th at nationals last season, “(We tell them) You guys are going to go out there and wrestle. It’s going to be a dog fight one way or another. But we’ll get the job done if you guys go out there and perform. Have faith in yourself and trust your training.” NEO is taking four freshman to nationals, including Columbus (Kansas) High School product Zach Porter. The former Titan is currently ranked #2 in the nation in the 157 pound weight class. “I want to win. I want to help the team out. So I definitely feel a little pressure,” Porter says, ” I try not to be too nervous and just go out there and wrestle.” Rest of the story and details at https://www.koamnewsnow.com/sports/college-sports/neo-wrestling-aims-for-back-to-back-national-titles/1029879774?mc_cid=00da07afd4&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

February 25, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment