Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

26th College News, Notes and Results

Iowa Hawkeyes Top Princeton, 30-9
PRINCETON, New Jersey — University of Iowa sophomore Jacob Warner scored a takedown with three seconds on the clock to top No. 2 Pat Brucki, 5-4, and lead the top-ranked Hawkeyes past No. 12 Princeton on Sunday.

Warner, ranked No. 3 at 197, entered the third period tied, 3-3. He trailed 4-3 following a Brucki escaped, but grabbed his first and only lead of the match with three seconds on the clock. “As the match went on I felt stronger and stronger,” Warner said. “I got that takedown and I was a dog on a bone. I got to that leg, and I need to get there more, but when I got to that leg I wasn’t letting go.” Iowa won four of five matches after intermission to put the dual out of reach. Alex Marinelli won by fall in 6:20. Michael Kemerer won by 19-4 technical fall at 174, and Tony Cassioppi closed the dual with a 10-2 major decision at 285.
Iowa led 12-6 at the break, getting wins from No. 1 DeSanto at 133, No. 9 Murin at 141, and No. 3 Lugo at 149. Rest of the story at https://hawkeyesports.com/news/2019/12/8/wrestling-hawkeyes.aspx?mc_cid=69462118ec&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

#10 PITT BLANKS DREXEL, 33-0
PHILADELPHIA – The 10th-ranked University of Pittsburgh wrestling team shutout Drexel, 33-0, Sunday afternoon at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.
With the win, the Panthers improve to 4-1 on the year, while the Dragons move to 2-2 overall. “We saw a lot of good wrestling out of our guys today,” said head coach Keith Gavin. “I think in some weight classes we needed to do a better job of building our lead and finishing the match strong. But, overall, we continue to make progress and that was nice to see.”
The last time Pitt shutout an opponent was Jan. 13, 2019 when the Panthers defeated South Dakota State, 34-0, in Brookings.
Redshirt sophomore Nino Bonaccorsi recorded his fourth major decision of the year at 184 pounds to give the Panthers a 4-0 lead in the dual. Bonaccorsi scored seven takedowns, an escape, penalty point and riding time to defeat Owen Brooks, 17-5. The double-digit win was his seventh of the year. At 197 pounds, redshirt senior Kellan Stout returned to the win column after earning a 6-1 decision over Drexel’s Bryan McLaughlin. After a scoreless first period, Stout began the second on top and would remain there for the entire frame. Working with two minutes of riding time, Stout escaped off bottom to start the third and scored a takedown for a 3-0 lead. McLaughlin escaped but it wouldn’t be enough as Stout then took him down and added his final point with riding time. Moving to heavyweight, senior Demetrius Thomas improved to 7-2 on the year after defeating Sean O’Malley in an 11-3 major decision. Thomas scored three takedowns in the first period to lead 6-2 and added five more points via penalty point, escape, takedown and riding time en route to the major decision. Thomas’ win gave the Panthers an 11-0 lead through the first three bouts. Rest of the story at https://pittsburghpanthers.com/news/2019/12/8/wrestling-10-pitt-blanks-drexel-33-0.aspx?mc_cid=69462118ec&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Rider Wrestling Falls to Central Michigan, 28-10
LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The nationally-ranked No. 20 Rider University wrestling team won three of the first four matches, but fell to MAC foe Central Michigan, 28-10, Sunday afternoon at Alumni Gym. With the loss, the Broncs fall to 3-1 (2-1 MAC), while the Chippewas are now 2-1 (2-0 MAC). With the match starting at 165, the Chippewas took a 3-2 decision on the strength of riding time, giving them the 3-0 match lead. Rider fought back with three-straight wins at 174, 184 and 197 to take a 10-3 lead. Dean Sherry (Brick, NJ/Brick Township) defeated Jake Lowell, 8-3, while George Walton (Franklin, NJ/Bound Brook) dominated Ben Cushman for a 20-7 major decision. Ethan Laird (Waterford, PA/General McLane) also held off Landon Pelham at 197, 3-2. However, Central Michigan would win the next two bouts by fall and the final six overall to clinch the win. Fourth-ranked heavyweight Matt Stencel pulled the Chippewas to within a point at 10-9 with a fall. Another fall from No. 8 Drew Hildebrandt at 125 made it 15-10, while a decision at 133 and a major decision at 141 pushed the Chippewas to a 22-10 lead. A last-second takedown at 149 made it 25-10, while a 5-3 decision closed out the Central Michigan win.  Rest of the story at https://gobroncs.com/news/2019/12/8/wrestling-falls-to-central-michigan-28-10.aspx?mc_cid=69462118ec&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Forty Years Ago: Cal Poly Upsets No. 1-Ranked Iowa, 27-12
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Forty years ago, on Dec. 8, 1979, Cal Poly set the collegiate wrestling world abuzz. The University of Iowa, ranked No. 1 in the country and defending NCAA Division I national champion, arrived at Mott Athletics Center with a 34-match winning streak and a plethora of nationally ranked wrestlers coached by Dan Gable, the legendary Olympian. Cal Poly, however, was not fazed that evening, as Leonard Branzuela and David Jack earned wins by fall and Gary Fischer, Scott Heaton and Rick Worel won by decisions in a 27-12 Mustang victory before 1,547 fans. Gable, a two-time NCAA champion, world gold medalist and Olympic gold medalist, was 182-1 combined in his high school and University of Iowa careers. His only defeat came in the NCAA finals in his senior year. Iowa would go on to claim the third of nine consecutive national team championships while injuries and illness to several key wrestlers kept Cal Poly from making a legitimate run at the title. But on that night, 40 years ago today, Coach Vaughan Hitchcock’s Mustangs parlayed three decisions, two falls and a forfeit into an historic victory. Cal Poly, actually ranked No. 1 for a couple weeks that year, had a pair of top-ranked wrestlers in the lineup that evening — Heaton at 167 pounds and Worel at 177. Heaton earned a 6-1 decision over Mark Stevenson and Worel was an 8-5 winner over Ed Banach, giving Cal Poly a 21-9 lead with two bouts remaining. After an Iowa win at 190, Jack put the exclamation point on the Mustang victory with a fall in 6 minutes, 3 seconds, over Dean Phinney. Cal Poly won the first two bouts of the dual meet and never looked back. Fischer was a 7-6 winner over Dan Glenn at 118 and Branzuela’s fall in 3:31 over Jeff Kerber gave the Mustangs a 9-0 advantage. Randy Fleury picked up the forfeit win at 150 and Cal Poly won three of the final five matches to win going away. Rest of the story and some more history at https://www.gopoly.com/sports/wrest/2019-20/releases/20191208x86m7j?mc_cid=69462118ec&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

‘Wrestle’ named one of top documentaries of 2019
The documentary “Wrestle” which tells the stories of a handful of high school wrestlers from Alabama has been named one of the five best documentaries of 2019 by the National Board of Review, AL.com reported.

Here’s how InterMat opened its February 2019 article about the film’s New York City premiere: “Get ready to get to know Jailen, Jamario, Teague and Jaquan … four high school wrestlers from Huntsville, Alabama whose stories on and off the mat are the focus of a brand-new documentary titled ‘Wrestle’ which debuted in New York City this weekend…”
The official website for “Wrestle” refers to an award-winning documentary about high school basketball in its description of its own film, stating, “‘Hoop Dreams’ goes to the mat in this intimate, coming-of-age documentary about four members of a high-school wrestling team at Huntsville’s J.O. Johnson High School…” “Wrestle” is a multi-dimensional film which goes beyond the wrestling mat to focus on various issues, including struggles of life with a low income, racial profiling, the intense pressure of trying for a college scholarship, and the challenges of being a single parent. Rest of the story at http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/22678?fbclid=IwAR2vHDQaStj1BkDmsaNcOEoU6Mna2OAQ5sDGWwy2O5_m-UmYZ2BVDfmgQ9c

Corey’s Stories: Wrestling film pioneer Ernst changed the sport forever
Donn Ernst was a teacher making less than $6,500 a year in 1973 when he dropped nearly 20 percent of his annual salary to fuel an idea that changed wrestling forever.  Ernst had heard the late legendary Granby (Va.) High School coach Billy Martin tout the necessity of watching and learning from the best. It sparked a concept in Ernst’s mind.  He spent $1,200 on equipment. With his reel-to-reel and 15mm cameras in tow, Ernst started filming. “I looked for the greatest, the best technicians in the world,” said the 75-year-old New Jersey native who now lives in Easton, Pa. Ernst became the godfather of wrestling footage in the United States — “one of wrestling’s unsung heroes,” according to three-time World champion Lee Kemp — and a friend to many of the sport’s most decorated athletes and coaches.  “He’s 100-percent dedicated to the sport,” Kemp said. “He’s given so much, and never wanted anything in return.” To know Donn Ernst requires some background. His parents divorced when he was 9. It was an event Ernst would cite as pivotal for years to come. “Divorce wasn’t common then — nothing like today,” he said. “I knew it wasn’t normal or ideal. As a little boy, I felt different.” One result of his parents’ split: Heat and food became sparse. “I learned to breathe into my shirt at night when it would get cold,” Ernst said. “Dad didn’t send money, (so) mom worked two jobs.  “She did her best.” At the age of 16, he joined the wrestling team. He found comfort being with teammates in the practice room.  “The people in wrestling — then and now — became another family for me,” Ernst said. Delayed by a learning disability, Ernst graduated from high school at the age of 20. Undeterred, he eventually graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and went on to teach and coach for 33 years. In the early-1970s, Ernst brought his sport-changing idea to life — or perhaps more accurate, to film.  He was invited to the 1975 World Championships in Minsk on a recommendation from 1972 USA Olympic freestyle coach Bill Farrell, then the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. Ernst filmed subsequent World Championships, World Cups, Olympics and an array of tournaments and clinics around the world, perpetually targeting each era’s best.  Rest of the story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1575862885284&twSessionId=dhqouaxfah&postId=1840220132&mc_cid=69462118ec&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Penn State wrestling’s Aaron Brooks impresses during debut weekend and quickly proves himself
Cael Sanderson has assessed a lot of talent over his 14 seasons as a head coach. Usually he knows what he has talent-wise and can reasonably predict a wrestler’s trajectory and future impact on Penn State’s lineup. Every once in a while though, Sanderson gets it wrong, and wrestlers exceed his expectations — it happened with Jason Nolf and Bo Nickal, but now it’s seemingly happening with one of Penn State’s rising stars, freshman Aaron Brooks. Brooks is a four-time Maryland state champion and won a Cadet gold and Junior World silver medal before ever arriving in Happy Valley, establishing his wrestling bona fides early. Still, when Sanderson opted to pull Brooks’ redshirt on Friday prior to Penn State’s dual with Lehigh, he wasn’t sure how that would bode for someone who hadn’t wrestled in a dual meet since high school and was now being thrust into the nation’s top starting lineup at 184 pounds. Brooks managed a 10-5 decision over Lehigh’s NCAA qualifier Chris Weiler in his dual debut, and established he belongs in the lineup in the future for Penn State as he suited up in favor of All-American Shakur Rasheed, who has yet to compete for the Nittany Lions this year. Rest of the story at https://www.collegian.psu.edu/sports/wrestling/article_7ee64fde-1a16-11ea-b246-cb951a0f2d9f.html?mc_cid=4692e6bf0d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

What We Learned at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, except for CKLV results – those will come back with you. As always, the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational was a wild weekend full of incredible wrestling, crazy upsets, and lessons to be learned for the remainder of the season. I’ll dive into some of the lessons that stood out to me at CKLV and what they mean for all parties involved as we move toward the heart of this NCAA season.
Northwestern could have All Americans at 125 and 133
Coming into this season, pretty much everyone in the wrestling world fully expected Northwestern to have an All American at 125…but we all thought it would be Sebastian Rivera. With Rivera having moved up to 133 seemingly for good, the 125 job was won by Michael DeAugustino and he has made the most of his opportunity thus far. The Florida native knocked off UNI’s Jay Schwarm in the round of 16 and followed that up with a win over Michigan’s Jack Medley in the quarterfinals. He fell to Jack Mueller in the semifinals but responded with a pair of wins to finish third and above a few wrestlers ranked in the top 12 nationally. After DeAugustino’s performance this weekend, it is a very real possibility for Northwestern to have All Americans at both of the first two weights this season. It’s still early and outlier performances do happen, but DeAugustino looked like an AA contender in Vegas.
Ridge Lovett is an All American threat
Ridge Lovett come to Nebraska with a lot of promise, having wrestled in the Fargo finals more times than almost anyone in the history of the event. He stepped right into the lineup as a true freshman and looked like a seasoned veteran on his way to a third place finish in Las Vegas. Lovett’s lone loss came to Wyoming All American Montorie Bridges in the semifinals, but even in that match he showed the ability to compete with one of the nation’s best. Finishing third at an event like CKLV, especially as a first semester true freshman, puts you squarely in thick of the All American conversation. Rest of the story at http://www.hmawrestling.com/article/what-we-learned-at-cklv/?mc_cid=4692e6bf0d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

After Strong Weekend, Cornell Named MAC Wrestler of the Week
ANNVILLE, Pa. – The Middle Atlantic Conference announced their weekly awards this morning for the week ending Dec. 8. Among the honorees was freshman Garret Cornell of Messiah’s wrestling team being named MAC Wrestler of the Week. Cornell won an individual title this past weekend at the Messiah Petrofes Invitational in the 141 pound weight class after defeating Gregory Baum of Muhlenberg by way of a pin in the finals. He was also named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. This is Cornell’s first MAC Wrestler of the Week award in his career as a Falcon.
Rest of the story at https://gomessiah.com/news/2019/12/9/wrestling-after-strong-weekend-cornell-named-mac-wrestler-of-the-week.aspx?mc_cid=4692e6bf0d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Mount Union’s Conner Homan Named OAC Wrestler of the Week
AUSTINTOWN — Mount Union senior Conner Homan (Loveland) has been named Ohio Athletic Conference Wrestler of the Week. Homan went 5-0, won the 174-pound title and helped lead the Purple Raiders to a team title at the Messiah Petrofes Invitational last week in Grantham, Pa. Homan had three pins, a tech fall and a major decision in his five wins and was given the sportsmanship award at the tournament. On the season, Homan is 6-4 and has a fourth place finish at the Adrian Invite. Rest of the story at http://athletics.mountunion.edu/sports/wrest/2019-20/releases/20191209m6nscg?mc_cid=4692e6bf0d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

December 10, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Nebraska Cornhuskers Claim Cliff Keen Team Title

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Isaiah White (165) won his second consecutive individual title and the No. 2 Nebraska wrestling team won their third Cliff Keen Invitational team title in program history on Saturday night at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev. White was one of nine Huskers who placed as NU amassed 118 team points, the most among the 32 schools competing. The team title is Nebraska’s first since 2008; the Huskers also took home the title in 2003. In both seasons, Nebraska went on to record Top-5 finishes at the NCAA Championships. 
Semifinals
The day began with semifinals matches. Ridge Lovett (133) was the first of five Huskers to wrestle in the semifinals. Lovett matched up against #8 Montorie Bridges of Wyoming. The Huskers and Cowboys squared off against one another in Lincoln on Nov. 22, but Lovett did not wrestle. Bridges got the best of the NU freshman, defeating him 5-1. 
#6 Chad Red Jr. (141) then went up against #1 Luke Pletcher of Ohio State, who placed fourth at the 2019 NCAA Championships. Pletcher did not allow a takedown and won by major decision, 11-3. 
#6 Mikey Labriola (174) and #7 Dylan Lydy (Purdue) went to sudden victory tied 1-1, but Lydy scored a takedown to win the match by a final score of 3-1.  Rest of the story at https://huskers.com/news/2019/12/7/wrestling-cliff-keen-day-2.aspx

December 10, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment