Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

National Wrestling News – Nov. # 2

TDR Editor’s Notes ; An assortment of stories which span wrestling across the nation in this trying time of uncertainties.
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1 } – ‘First To Fight’ With All-Marine Head Coach Jason Loukides
All-Marine Wrestling head coach Jason Loukides — arguably the best Senior coach in the United States, not just in Greco-Roman but also including every available style — has done everything he can to keep his athletes engaged in what has become wrestling’s “new normal”.
Between workouts centering around physical distancing measures, virtual team meetings, and regular attempts to keep wrestlers engaged in their own individual objectives, the process has been a new one over the past six months for Loukides and he has taken it in stride, even as the country prepares for a Senior National tournament that will unfold without his unit’s participation. You would have to dial it back all the way to the winter to find the last time a First to Fight was released. … rest of story at http://www.fivepointmove.com/all-marine-wrestling/jason-loukides-october-20/?mc_cid=9e55d26136&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

2 } – Schenectady wrestling legend Joe DeMeo dies
Joe DeMeo, who excelled on the wrestling mat and went on to help so many others do the same in a decorated and decades-long coaching career, died early Friday morning at the age of 79. DeMeo wrestled at Mont Pleasant High School and made one of his coaching stops at the University at Albany. In 2005, he was inducted into the Schenectady City School District Athletic Hall of Fame.
“He was a big figure in the wrestling community and a no-brainer to get into the Schenectady City School District Hall of Fame,” said Bob Pezzano, the hall of fame’s chairman. “He was recognized by everybody.”
That included U.S. Wrestling, which tabbed the Niskayuna resident as the 2005 Developmental Coach of the Year and three times selected him the National Coach of the Year. “He impressed people no matter where he was doing his thing,” Pezzano said.
“The Mont Pleasant community has lost a great one,” said John Conway, a 1975 Mont Pleasant graduate who coached wrestling for years at Duanesburg and also earned numerous accolades as an official of the sport. “He was very bright, first of all. He was a Cornell graduate. He comes from a very competitive family. He just had it.”
DeMeo was a member of the U.S. Olympic coaching staff in 1976, 1980, 1988 and 1992, and mentored 1984 Olympic champions Jeff Blatnick and Dave Schultz. He also worked with Olympians Shawn Sheldon, Andy Seras, Ike Anderson, Frank Famiano and Chris Catalfo, as well as two-time women’s world champion Kristie Davis. … rest of story at https://dailygazette.com/2020/10/03/wrestling-legend-joe-demeo-dies/?mc_cid=9e55d26136&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – It’s all about the love of wrestling for Nick Spatola of Spatola Wrestling
Nick Spatola of Spatola Wrestling created his own wrestling club in the Cincinnati area. Spatola talks about youth wrestling, Japanese wrestling culture, and making the sport fun.
Dan Gable grants final dream for stage 4 cancer patient .. rest of story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPlayer.jsp?TIM=1601763098441&twSessionId=aekusswpcs&videoId=868201135&mc_cid=9e55d26136&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

4 } – NCWA Sea­son Begins Jan­u­ary 1st Pend­ing 50 Team Registration
Based upon Board recommendations The NCWA will proceed with the nationals date as published and may make change decisions as we get closer to January 1st, the expected opening of the season. If By January 8th we have a MINIMUM of 50 men’s programs committed through administratively signed team applications and paid dues we will proceed with an NCWA 2020-21 Wrestling season.
On Sept 6th 2020 the NCWA Executive board made the following decisions concerning the 2020-21 Season:
1) For the NCWA to Sponsor a wrestling season in 2021 a Minimum Team member threshold of 50 (fifty) Men’s TEAMS must be approved for membership. The Deadline for this threshold is January 8th 2021. ( It will be very important for teams to register sooner than the deadline to insure the season moving forward)
2) Team Registration may begin on November 1st – all applications and team dues will be processed, but all approvals will be held until Jan 1, 2021 pending the 50 Team minimum season threshold being met.  … rest of story at https://ncwa.net/news/2020/ncwa-season-begins-january-1st-2021-pending-50-team-registration?mc_cid=9e55d26136&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – SUNSHINE PRESEASON NATIONAL DUALS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS TEAMS SET FOR ORLANDO, FLA., NOV. 20-22
Looking for a great competition, while enjoying a vacation in a sunny destination at a four-diamond resort? The 2020 Sunshine Preseason National Duals sounds like the perfect way to mix great wrestling with a fun activity for your team. The 2020 Sunshine Preseason National Duals will be held at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Fla., November 20-22. The field has been capped at 48 boys’ teams and 16 girls’ teams, competing on 100,000 square feet of wrestling surface featuring 20 different mats. The boy’s competition will be for athletes in Grades 6-12, and will feature Folkstyle wrestling. The plan is to allow some elementary and middle school wrestlers to join … rest of story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/October/05/Sunshine-Preseason-Duals-set-for-Orlando-FL?mc_cid=bbb5286d21&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – No Tax On Faith: Matt Lindland Cancer Journal #1
In the previous edition of the Coach Lindland’s Report, US National Team head coach Matt Lindland detailed the discovery that he had developed prostate cancer just prior to the New Year. The initial treatment plan called for, in fact, no treatment. As outlined in the report and below, Lindland’s PSA numbers and Gleason Score allowed for a temporary wait-and-see approach. Treatment was only to become availed once Lindland’s numbers increased to a level necessitating further intervention. That time has now arrived. 
Given Lindland’s strong Christian perspective, this journal entry and others to potentially follow will be located here under 5PM’s ‘Christian Faith’ category. For those interested in prostate cancer and where/how to inquire about symptoms and screening, please refer to the Prostate Cancer Foundation.  Communication has been an area that we have wanted to improve in the Greco-Roman program. In the spirit of that effort, I wanted to share something that I have been going through, and how I am handling the situation.  … rest of story at http://www.fivepointmove.com/christian-faith/lindland-no-tax-faith/?mc_cid=9e55d26136&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } – Colonel Steve Banach is a true American success story
Colonel Steve Banach and his brothers, 1984 Olympic champions Ed and Lou, grew up poor and homeless before being adopted. Their path to finding wrestling is one of America’s great success stories.
Colonel Steve Banach: ‘Nobody had done what we did in the history of warfare … rest of story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPlayer.jsp?TIM=1601863208900&twSessionId=nfxikzfngw&videoId=868219135&mc_cid=9e55d26136&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

8 } – COMPLETE LIST OF USA WRESTLING SANCTIONED EVENTS FOR THE NEXT THREE MONTHS, AS OF OCTOBER 5
USA Wrestling will be regularly publishing a list of sanctioned events as our nation and our sport comes back from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The list will be created in order to provide an easy reference for athletes, coaches and families, in order to make plans for competitions moving forward. Not only is USA Wrestling providing events on its national schedule, but many state associations and local clubs are also developing events for athletes of all ages to participate in.
Our list will include events by date, as well as events by state. This information is also available through USA Wrestling’s membership system, TheMat.com website and on usawrestlingevents.com by using the system’s sort capability, but this posting will be an easy-to-use format for you to use in your planning. In this article, there are 30 tournaments/clinics listed from 13 different states. … rest of story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/October/05/USA-Wrestling-sanctioned-events-in-the-next-three-months?mc_cid=bbb5286d21&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

9} – What can we learn from John Smith and Jordan Burroughs about a global pandemic?
John Smith and Jordan Burroughs are teaching us about how to deal with a global pandemic. They haven’t told us anything explicitly, but if you dig into the past, their actions are examples we can follow.  Smith is a six-time World and Olympic champion, winning gold medals from 1987-1992. Burroughs is a five-time World and Olympic champion (2011-13, 2015, and 2017) who has made nine consecutive World and Olympic teams. Both have something in common: they took a redshirt year during college that changed the trajectory of their careers. 
Smith took his after the 1985 collegiate season where he placed second to Wisconsin’s Jim Jordan in the NCAA championship finals. The entire 1986 season was spent growing. While Smith competed a few times, most of his efforts were poured into improvements. Burroughs was forced into redshirt but the result was similar. He won the 2009 NCAA Championships but sat out the entire 2010 collegiate season due to injury. Like Smith, this was his opportunity to develop. He came back for the 2011 collegiate season with a vengeance. He dominated his domestic competition then went on to win his first World title later that year. 
A global pandemic forced all sports to stop for several months. Every wrestler was given the same opportunity that John Smith and Jordan Burroughs had when they made breakthroughs. Any gains by Smith and Burroughs weren’t made through a listless and apathetic approach. … rest of story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1602125859895&twSessionId=fqvizjzbym&postId=868393135&mc_cid=2b31bc4749&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – When a college cuts a sports program, these are the lives upended
By Emily Giambalvo
Throughout the past six months, college athletes across the country have logged on to video calls and watched their athletic directors appear on the screen. Then they hear that the administration decided to cut their team. The explanation hardly matters, because their minds spin into a whirlwind wondering what comes next.
A freshman track and field athlete cried on the bed in his dorm room. He felt angry and screamed. A baseball coach tried to explain the situation to his two young children before focusing his efforts on finding his players a home. Months later, he scrolls through Instagram and struggles with mixed emotions as he sees his players in their new uniforms.
The novel coronavirus pandemic has financially strained athletic departments. Schools didn’t receive their usual distribution from the NCAA after the men’s basketball tournament was canceled. They have lost revenue from student fees and donations. Most conferences are playing a shortened football season, with limited or no fan attendance, hurting yet another revenue stream. Many smaller schools are no longer receiving the payouts from nonconference matchups against Power Five programs. … rest of story at https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/10/06/college-sports-program-cuts/?mc_cid=2b31bc4749&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

November 28, 2020 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

High School News – # 26

TDR Editor’s Notes ; Some results, some adjustments and concerns about the future are included in these articles. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1 } – ‘It’s definitely scary:’ Prep stars face uncertain future in light of college cuts
The heartbreak currently being felt by college athletic departments from all over the country is something Luke Smith has seen first-hand. In 2018, Smith, who was recently named the interim head wrestling coach at Cal State Bakersfield, helped Eastern Michigan have one of the best seasons in program history. The Eagles placed third, their best ever finish, at the Mid-American Conference Tournament and had their first All-American in nearly 20 years. Smith, an assistant on that staff, expected even bigger things the following season, as EMU was set to return five national tournament qualifiers. Those aspirations were never fulfilled. Just weeks after the MAC Tournament, wrestling was one of four sports cut by the university, forcing Smith and the rest of the staff into a brutal conversation with their athletes that still hurts him to think about more than two years later. … rest of story at https://www.bakersfield.com/sports/bvarsity/its-definitely-scary-prep-stars-face-uncertain-future-in-light-of-college-cuts/article_e3d0ecf8-1621-11eb-b23a-ab3fd3d9d3da.html?mc_cid=ab142e53b8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

2 } – Matside Recap: Super 32 Challenge
Richard Mann (@richardamann) and Clay Sauertieg (@ByCSauertieg) are back to break down the finals of the Super 32 Challenge. The finals featured some of the top high school wrestlers in the country who will soon be contending for national titles on the collegiate level. 0:00 – Open
1:06 – 106: Vincent Kilkeary (PA) dec over Braeden Davis (MI) 5-2
3:28 – 113: Caden Horwath (MI) dec over PJ Duke (NY) 4-3
6:15 – 120: Cooper Flynn (TN) dec over Mason Gibson (PA) 6-1
10:07 – 126: Drake Ayala (IA) dec over Troy Spratley (NY) 3-2
14:07 – 132: Nic Bouzakis (PA) major dec over Chance Lamer (OR) 13-4
17:53 – 138: Caden McCrary (GA) dec over Levi Haines (PA) 8-2
20:26 – 145: Alek Martin (OH) dec over Rocco Welsh (PA) 6-4
23:45 – 152: Caleb Henson (GA) dec over Anthony Perrari (OK) 4-3
27:24 – 160: Dean Hamiti (IL) fall over Matthew Singleton (GA) (Performance of the Night) … rest of story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/23951?mc_cid=5358e83a0f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – .Facts, Stats, and Trends from the Last Decade of the Super 32 (2010-19)
While we’re still a week out from one of the gems of the high school preseason, the Super 32, it’s never too early to start thinking about the tournament. It has developed from a regional event, in the early 2000’s, to the most competitive folkstyle event in the country. Once registration opens, the event sells out almost simultaneously. Look no further than their website to find the list of famous alumni from the tournament. Kyle Snyder, David Taylor, Kyle Dake, and Zain Retherford are just some of the notable wrestlers that have come to Greensboro, North Carolina, to try and capture a championship belt.  We’ll get to the site information in our actual preview, but today we’ll focus on analyzing some of the numbers and trends associated with the tournament, over the last decade.  … rest of story at https://news.theopenmat.com/high-school-wrestling/facts-stats-and-trends-from-the-last-decade-of-the-super-32-2010-19/79124

4 } – VISAA announces state championships for 3 winter sports. Wrestling is prohibited for now.
Basketball, indoor track and swimming and diving will hold state championships during the winter season, the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association announced Monday. The private school state championships will be limited to the moderate-risk sports, leaving wrestling without a postseason unless the National Federation of State High School Associations changes its high-risk designation. The VISAA executive committee unanimously approved the recommendations given by its Winter Sports Competition Committee, according to a release. The VISAA basketball state tournaments will be held Feb. 23-27, indoor track’s championship will be Feb. 20, and the swimming and diving championships will be Feb. 19-20. Postseason qualifications this season won’t be based on rankings, however, as the VISAA will extend “open invitations to member schools.” Sport-specific safety protocols will be released on Nov. 6 and guidelines for postseason … rest of story at https://www.pilotonline.com/757teamz/vp-sp-visaa-winter-state-championships-20201026-4q6cdv56bbff7kc7dxskow4aj4-story.html?mc_cid=5358e83a0f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – Super 32 recap: Bouzakis, Hamiti blitz through brackets on a bonus bonanza
The Super 32 wrapped up Sunday in Myrtle Beach, S.C., where a collection of the nation’s top high school wrestlers seized belts and enhanced their resumes. Here’s a look at how the champions navigated through the tournament. 
106 — Vincent Kilkeary (Pennsylvania) dec. Braeden Davis (Mich.) 5-2 Kilkeary’s path to the belt: Trailed 5-2 in his first match of the tournament before rallying back to beat Marcello Milani 8-5 in the round of 64. Cruised through his next three matches with a tech, a major and a 9-2 win against New Jersey’s Anthony Knox. Used a late takedown to beat Missouri’s Zan Fugitt 3-1 in the semis and downed Davis, a Fargo champ, thanks to a pair of takedowns. 
Placewinners: 1. Vincent Kilkeary (Pennsylvania); 2. Braeden Davis (Michigan); 3. Nate Jesuroga (Iowa); 4. Anthony Knox (New Jersey); 5. Beric Jordan (Ohio); 6. Zan Fugitt (Missouri); 7. Dillon Campbell (Ohio); 8. Caleb Thoennes (Minnesota).
113 — Caden Horwath (Michigan) dec. P.J. Duke (New York) 4-3 
Horwath’s path to the belt: Rolled into the semis by going fall, fall, tech, major. Took out 2019 Cadet Greco World Teamer and double Akron finalist Cory Land of Alabama 4-3 on a third-period rideout to reach the finals and then stopped Duke, who won a New York state title in February as a seventh-grader, using a first-period takedown and a late escape to pull out a 4-3 win.  … rest of story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1603766880144&twSessionId=uvmzrzlxcu&postId=872135135&mc_cid=5358e83a0f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – The OPEN MAT NEWS
National High School Wrestling Individual Rankings – October 6th, 2020
TOM has released our latest set of high school rankings for the 2020-21 school year. With only a small amount of action taking place in the summer and more lately, we anticipate some of these weights to vary by the time the high school seasons take place. TOM has done extensive research trying to figure out weights for the 2020-21; however if you have further information, contact esmith@theopenmat.com . … rest of story and rankings at https://news.theopenmat.com/high-school-wrestling/high-school-wrestling-rankings/national-high-school-wrestling-individual-rankings-october-6th-2020/79029
Five Takeaways from Who’s #1 2020
Saturday night, one of the mainstays of the high school wrestling calendar took place when FloWrestling hosted their Who’s #1 event. Most of the top high schoolers descended on Austin, Texas, for a chance to stake their claim at the top spot in their respective weight classes. The result was a highly entertaining evening that showed a little bit of everything. Overtime/tiebreaker matches, breakout performances, domination, and simply, some hard-fought scraps. Below are the full results from the Who’s #1 (WNO) along with five takeaways from the night of action.
112 – Mia Palumbo (Illinois) over Sage Mortimer (Utah) 11-6 … rest of story at https://news.theopenmat.com/high-school-wrestling/five-takeaways-from-whos-1-2020/79023
Five Takeaways from Night of Conflict 2020
This weekend, the crew over at IAwrestle put on their annual preseason event, the “Night of Conflict,” from Sioux City, Iowa. The name may be misleading now, because there was so much action on the schedule, they needed two nights to showcase all of the state’s wrestling talent. The event was expanded to include an all-girls dual on Friday nights, while the boys would compete on Saturday evening. Here are some of the highlights from another great event from IAwrestle.
1) Making an Event “Big-Time”
A big tip of the cap to the entire staff at IAwrestle as they have continued to produce an event that feels “big-time.” Being a lifelong Virginia resident, this is something that cuts to the nerve for me. Our state tournament, the pinnacle of a young wrestler’s voyage through our sport, is made to feel like an afterthought due to neglect from our governing body (VHSL). The state has six classes of public schools wrestling with another for private schools, which amounts to seven state champions at every weight class. … rest of story at https://news.theopenmat.com/high-school-wrestling/five-takeaways-from-night-of-conflict-2020/78983

7 } – New England championships in wrestling cancelled for 2021
For the first time since 1965, there will be no New England wrestling championship meet to conclude the high school wrestling season.
Earlier this month, the New England Council, the organization that hosts New England championship meets in 13 sports, voted unanimously to cancel the fall and winter championship meets due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The cross country championship meet won’t be held in November nor will the wrestling, indoor track, gymnastics, dance and cheerleading meets that were scheduled for February and March. A decision on the 2021 spring events (outdoor track and field and golf) will be made later in 2021. Even if the Council wanted to hold a championship meet, many schools would not be able to attend. In Connecticut, fall sports is limited to regional competition and there will be no state tournaments this fall. Out-of-state competition is prohibited at this time. … rest of story at https://ctwrestling.com/2020/10/new-england-championships-in-wrestling-cancelled-for-2021/3499/?mc_cid=2e944b01db&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

8 } – Collins Hill High School remembers legendary wrestling coach Cliff Ramos at memorial service
Friends and family remembered longtime Gwinnett wrestling coach Cliff Ramos as a man of many talents, but most of all as a great husband, father and grandfather at a memorial service Saturday morning. The event was held at Collins Hill High School’s football stadium. Ramos died last week after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. As head coach at Collins Hill for 18 years, Ramos developed what many at the memorial service called “a wrestling powerhouse.” Under Ramos’ guidance, the school won nine traditional state and dual state championships, was ranked nationally five times, and helped develop numerous state champions and state placers. Ramos himself was also a member of the Gwinnett Sports Hall of Fame and National Wrestling Hall of Fame. “Coach Ramos was a man of unmatched determination and passion,” … rest of story at https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/local/collins-hill-high-school-remembers-legendary-wrestling-coach-cliff-ramos-at-memorial-service/article_21bb8b82-1617-11eb-a6a5-4f30066de1a1.html?mc_cid=ab142e53b8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

9} – Illinois high school wrestling season moved to summer season
A day after Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker Illinois Department of Public Health put Illinois high school wrestling on hold, the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) announced that the wrestling season will be moved to the summer season. The IHSA Board of Directors held a board meeting Wednesday and announced plans for winter sports in Illinois. The wrestling season will be held from April 19 to June 26, 2021. Basketball and other winter athletics will be held during the winter months. Illinois has reported 389,095 total COVID-19 cases with 9,619 deaths. New cases of spiked by over 6,000 on Wednesday. … rest of story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/23954?mc_cid=aa8061392c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – POWERADE WRESTLING TOURNAMENT CHANGES VENUE, TO BE HELD IN MONROEVILLE, PA., DEC. 28-29
To help comply with the health and safety guidelines set by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and to assist in social distancing we are happy to announce a change in venues for the 2020 Powerade Wrestling Tournament. The tournament will be moved to the spacious Monroeville Convention Center in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. The tournament will now be held on Monday & Tuesday, December 28 and 29, 2020. The Powerade Junior Tournament’s (Girls, Boys JV, 15U, 12U & 10U) will be held on Sunday, December 27, 2020 at the same location. … rest of story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/October/29/Powerade-Tournament-to-be-held-in-Monroeville-PA?mc_cid=8d4526dbd7&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

November 28, 2020 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment