Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

UNC-Pembroke Gets Big Road Win Over Rival Newberry

TDR Editor’s Notes ; It was pointed out that we missed posting this big win earlier when it happened but as we are catching up on news now, well here it goes.
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NEWBERRY, S.C. – The 10th-ranked UNC Pembroke wrestling team tacked up a trio of bonus-point victories, including Kaleb Warner’s third-period pin at 149 pounds, to fuel a 23-17 victory at Newberry on Monday evening in Eleazer Arena. The result marked the second-straight victory for the Braves (6-5) who have now won two-straight duals in the series with Newberry. The setback snapped a nine-match win streak for the Wolves (10-3) who had not tasted defeat since a 44-3 loss to then-No. 1 St. Cloud State on December 2. All three of Newberry’s losses this season have been at the hands of nationally-ranked squads. Sixth-ranked Nick Daggett got the night going by toughing out an 8-6 win over Austin Neal in the 125-pound matchup, and freshman Ronnie Pietro kept the momentum going with a dominant 17-0 technical fall over Trevor Mansfield at 133 pounds minutes later.

The Wolves got on the board thanks to fourth-ranked Isaiah Royal’s 5-2 decision over 141-pounder Jonathan Miller, but the Black & Gold ripped the momentum right back, as well as took a 14-3 lead on the team scoreboard, thanks to Warner’s big win over David Giantono in the 149-pound bout. Austin Palmer got a takedown with five seconds left in the third period to send the 157-pound match to overtime, and then got the Wolves back in the match with a pin that came just past the 8-minute mark. The Braves would answer with three consecutive victories, however, to clinch the night. Rodney Shepard, the nation’s second-ranked wrestler at 165 pounds, tacked up a 19-9 major decision over Nick Giantono, and Faris Teia accrued just more than a minute of riding time to edge Keenan Graham, 3-2, at 174 pounds. Rest of the story at https://uncpbraves.com/news/2019/2/4/no-10-wrestling-gets-big-road-win-over-rival-newberry.aspx?mc_cid=1198efe11a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 26, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Girls Championship News

Stephen Decatur female wrestler wins state title, dominates the mat
In the past, Stephen Decatur wrestling coach Todd Martinek has joked that he’s the only state champion in the room. Prior to taking the head coaching role in 2011, Martinek wrestled at Bel Air High School and won a state title in 1989. He also took his skills to the college level, wrestling at Salisbury University. But Martinek is no longer the only state champion currently associated with the Decatur wrestling team. Prior to the start of the season, the Seahawks added a transfer from Urbana High School in Fredrick County who came in with a loaded resume, including a state, national and junior Olympic title. Anya Knappenberger, a sophomore who often wrestles in the 113-pound weight class, has become one of Decatur’s most reliable weapons. Rest of the story at https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/sports/high-school/2019/02/09/stephen-decatur-female-wrestler-wins-state-title-dominates-mat/2801886002/?mc_cid=e751cf5fe8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

In Idaho – Champs get a title belt at Idaho’s first (unofficial) girls wrestling state tournament
Read more here: https://www.idahostatesman.com/sports/high-school/article226003840.html?fbclid=IwAR0N0md8BmJmzhWKQt8tKgEUymeGQ11CzRWSdnSn6a0cLMSuThCMwMcglIE&mc_cid=e751cf5fe8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b#storylink=cpy

Girls wrestling dawns in Colorado with first state tournament
On two mats in the Thornton High School gym, a girls sport came of age in Colorado on Saturday. The state held its first recognized girls high school wrestling state championship at Thornton where nearly 80 qualified athletes competed in 10 weight classes from 100 to 215 pounds. One of the athletes in the field was JoJo Cummings, a Northridge High School sophomore who had not wrestled before this season. Cummings, 16, went 2-2 in the daylong tournament and finished fourth in the 105-pound weight class. Fans and wrestlers, both boys and girls, sat in bleachers on three sides of the dark blue mats during the tournament. Others stood to watch in an open space on another side of the mats. More spectators sat matside on the gym floor, up close and nearly on top of the history in progress in front of them. Rest of the story at https://www.greeleytribune.com/sports/girls-wrestling-dawns-in-colorado-with-first-state-tournament/?mc_cid=e751cf5fe8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b


Girls to make history with first Arizona state wrestling championships
The high school wrestling landscape was altered with the addition of girls teams to the sport this season.  “Just like anything else, they want an opportunity to compete,” said Arizona Interscholastic Association Executive Director David Hines. “If they can compete with their own gender, why wouldn’t we allow that?” The first Arizona state championships for girls wrestling will be held Friday.  Allowing girls to compete against each other instead of against boys, it takes away the intimidation factor that was there in the past.

Breaking Gender Barriers

For many of the girls who wrestle, it was a sport that had been in their family for years. Growing up they had heard the tales of their fathers’ success on the mat or witnessed their brothers’ development in the sport.  “My dad was in wrestling since he was really little and he passed it on to my brothers,” Chandler sophomore Carla Rivas said. “Since they were younger, I’ve been trying to practice with them, but my dad always told me I couldn’t do the sport.”  It was a similar situation for Basha High School sophomore Amber Rodriquez, who has two older brothers already involved in Basha’s wrestling program. Rest of the story at https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/high-school/2019/02/07/girls-wrestling-grows-state-championship-sport-arizona/2780669002/?mc_cid=839c0f9f72&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 26, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Nick Corey: A look at Penn State’s jaw-dropping success through a historical lens

The word dominant gets tossed around more than Penn State opponents these days. What the Nittany Lions are doing deserves a stronger adjective. Set aside the fact the Nittany Lions have won 16 consecutive semifinal matches at the NCAA Championships, the sheer supremacy of Cael Sanderson’s program has been jaw dropping. Penn State has outscored its 10 dual opponents by a combined 297-63 count this season. The Nittany Lion starters are 72-10 in duals. A crowd of nearly 16,000 turned out Friday night to watch Penn State’s 25-11 win against Michigan. It was the 55th straight win for the Nittany Lions. They haven’t lost a dual in nearly four years. Their last defeat came on Feb. 21, 2015 against Oklahoma State. That was the season Penn State redshirted Nico Megaludis, Zain Retherford and had Jason Nolf and Bo Nickal waiting to debut the following season in a white-belted blue singlet. The Penn State run harkens comparisons to the Iowa dynasty of the Gable years.

Granted, Sanderson doesn’t have the longevity of Gable, who won Big Ten titles in all 21 seasons leading the Hawkeyes and collected 15 national titles. A quick glance, however, at the Sanderson-led Penn State teams reveals the comparisons are warranted, especially if the Nittany Lions have similar success for the next decade. With nine completed seasons on his Penn State resume, Sanderson’s led the Nittany Lions to seven national titles. Rest of the story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1549348448767&twSessionId=jrhcvmtcks&postId=1203454132&mc_cid=1198efe11a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 26, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment