High School News – Western N.C.
Hendersonville wrestling’s Walker Mains breaks school record for career wins
Hendersonville boys wrestler Walker Mains has had to overcome several obstacles during his career.
Yet scoliosis and the COVID-19 pandemic couldn’t stop him from breaking the school record for most career wins on Saturday.
He got to No. 151 on Saturday at East Gaston, getting a pin in 30 seconds in his opening match of the weekend tournament. Mains went on to win four more matches Saturday and picked up two more victories Tuesday vs. Patton and Polk County, giving him a 157-24 career record.
The senior, who’s 46-2 this season wrestling at 145 and 152 pounds, also helped Hendersonville tally two more team victories. The Bearcats grabbed a 63-12 win over Patton and a 39-36 victory against the Wolverines.
Mains said coming into the season that he didn’t even know there was a school wins record to break. … rest of story at Blueridgenow.com/story/sports//nc-high-school-wrestling-walker-mains-hendersonville-wins-record
MAC Conference Dual Meet Results
Central Michigan Wrestlers Deliver When It Counts in Downing Kent State
CMU improves to 4-1 in MAC duals
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Battling illness, the Central Michigan wrestling team had to dig deep.
The Chippewas delivered, winning three of the final four matches and six total on Sunday in downing Kent State, 22-15, in a Mid-American Conference dual at McGuirk Arena.
It was the Chippewas’ fourth consecutive MAC dual victory as they improved to 4-1 in the league. They can win the MAC West title with a victory next weekend at Buffalo.
“It was a real big win considering everything we have going on right now,” said CMU coach Tom Borrelli, whose team is 5-8 overall. “Our starting heavyweight (Bryan Caves) was in the hospital two days ago, our 157-pounder (Corbyn Munson) is really sick right now.
“We’ve been fighting the flu bug a little bit and it was good to fight through some adversity and be able to win. The biggest thing for us right now is getting healthy, getting over the flu. We might need to take a couple days to make sure everybody’s OK to get right back into training.”
Sunday’s dual started at 165 pounds and Tracy Hubbard got the Chippewas off to a fast start with a first-period pin, staking CMU to a 6-0 lead. Those six team points proved critical as the day unfolded.
CMU got decision victories from Alex Cramer (174) and Ben Cushman (184) before falling at 197 and at 285, where backup Simon Lato filled in for Caves, the starter.
That left CMU leading 12-6 heading into the second half of the dual. … rest of story at CMUchippewas.com/news/2023/2/5/wrestling-wrestlers-deliver-when-it-counts-in-downing-kent-state
Cleveland State Wrestling Comes From Behind to Defeat Kent State, 18-16
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland State (6-6, 5-3) edged out Kent State (0-12, 0-7) 18-16 on Thursday evening in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion match.
Kent State started out the match with a 15-4 major decision at 125-pounds to take a 4-0 advantage. Jake Manley made it a one-point contest after pulling out a 4-3 victory at 133-pounds.
The Golden Flashes answered back with consecutive decisions to lead 10-3. No. 33 Marcus Robinson prevailed 9-7 at 157-pounds as the Vikings trailed 10-6. Daniel Patten followed with a 3-1 victory at 165-pounds as the hosts pulled to within a point, 10-9.
An injury default off an illegal move at 174-pounds pushed the margin back out to 16-9 in favor of Kent State.
With their backs against the wall, Cleveland State regrouped as DeAndre Nassar claimed a 5-2 decision at 184-pounds to get within 16-12. Anthony Perrine followed with a 3-1 win after recording a takedown just as the third-period horn sounded to make it a one-point match.
Daniel Bucknavich then completed the comeback for Cleveland State, winning 4-2 at 285-pounds as the Vikings came from behind to win, 18-16. This was the only time in the match that the Green and White led. … rest of story at https://www.csuvikings.com/sports/m-wrestl/2022-23/releases/20230209wknog1
NCHSAA girls wrestling: Wilmington representation grows ahead of state finals
Just a few years ago, girls wrestling wasn’t an option at some Wilmington-area high schools. But the sport is seeing increased participation across the country, and the Wilmington area is no exception.
The N.C. High School Association will hold its final girls state invitational this weekend; it will become an official NCHSAA sport for the 2023-24 school year. Here’s a look at the seven local competitors who advanced out of last weekend’s regional competition, aiming for a championship this weekend in and around Greensboro.
OVERCOMING TRUAMA ON THE MATA turbulent childhood haunted Laney wrestler Avery Buonocore, now he’s thriving on the mat
ANDRE ADAMS NOT FINISHED AT LANEYHow Andre Adams’ rise as Laney wrestling coach embodies sport’s sacrifice, dedication
STATE CHAMPIONLaney wrestling’s Alex Hopper ready to lead Bucs’ next charge after championship season
The area’s deepest program to date, Laney has eight girls on its team this season, four of whom are competing at Saturday’s tournament.
Sophomore Elaina Pollock returns as a frontrunner to take the title in the 185-pound division. As a freshman, Pollock made history for Laney, becoming the first female to win a title. … rest of story at Starnewsonline.com/story/sports/high-school/nchsaa-girls-wrestling-wilmington-area-state-qualifiers-lily-prendergast-elaina-pollock
How a college wrestling dual works, for new and causal fans
This 2023 season’s most-hyped, most-anticipated matchup between No. 1 Penn State and No. 2 Iowa not only lived up to expectations and broke Big Ten Network viewership records, it prompted an important discussion within the wrestling community about how to grow the sport and capture new fans for similar duals.
This is a guide for all of those fans, the ones who might have watched the dual or the ones who might be interested in a dual in the future. It’s also a guide for returning fans and life-long ones. Wrestling rules are complex and change frequently, but here’s the most up-to-date breakdown on what to expect when you watch a wrestling match and how to follow the action.
The start of the dual
Every collegiate wrestling dual includes 10 contested bouts at the following weight classes: 125, 133, 141, 149, 157, 165, 174, 184, 197 and 285 pounds. Before each dual, a team will weigh in every probable starter one hour before competition. So if the dual starts at 7 p.m., all wrestlers who could potentially compete in the dual will weigh in at 6 p.m.. A team may weigh in more than one wrestler at each weight, but only one wrestler will compete in each weight.
The weigh-in process is private, but formal. Only wresters, coaches, medical staff and a weigh-in supervisor may be at the site of the weigh-in. The wrestlers’ exact weights will be captured on a digital scale and recorded on a formal sheet.
Duals typically start at 125 pounds, though, technically, the rule book simply says “Immediately after the weigh-in for a dual meet or multiple dual meets conducted on the same day, coaches may mutually agree to determine the starting weight class for the matches.” Again, coaches typically agree on 125 pounds, but there’s often a strategy behind a coach choosing not to start at 125 pounds. If the coaches do not agree to start at a given weight, they will flip a coin, and the winner of the coin toss can choose the starting weight. Regardless of which weight coaches choose to start at, the weight classes will then proceed in sequential order. For instance, if, for some reason, the dual starts at 165 pounds, the next bout will be 174 and so on.
The individual matches
Every wrestling bout includes three periods and seven minutes total. The match is broken down as follows:
- First period: three minutes
- Second period: two minutes
- Third period: two minutes
The match begins with both wrestlers coming to the center of the circle, facing each other, and shaking hands. They begin the bout in a neutral position, with both of them standing on their feet. When the ref blows the whistle, they begin to wrestle. … rest of story at NCAA.com/news/wrestling/article/2023-02-08/how-college-wrestling-dual-works-new-and-causal-fans
Latest NCWA Men’s Rankings Released Ahead of Conference Championships
One thing has become clear since the NCWA National Duals…Bellarmine is for real. Not only are they for real in the NCWA Division with a shot at a National Title in March, but they are a legitimate contender in their NCAA Southern Conference as well compiling an overall dual record of 10-2, with their only NCAA-D1 losses coming to Appalachian State and Gardner-Webb. What isn’t clear is which team will leave Puerto Rico with the National Championship title. The current rankings have Liberty still at #1 with 78 points; however, Bellarmine has closed the gap considerably at #2 with 75 points. The top-10 NCWA-D1 are as follows:
#1 Liberty University (Lynchburg, VA) – 78
#2 Bellarmine University (Louisville, KY) – 75 [NCAA-D1]
#3 The Apprentice School (Newport News, VA) – 61
#4 University of Toledo (Toledo, OH) – 42
#5 Grand Valley State University (Allendale, MI) – 39
#6 Queens University of Charlotte (Charlotte, NC) – 29 [NCAA-D1]
#7 Springfield Tech CC (Springfield, MA) – 26
#8 University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL) – 21
#9 Allen University (Allen, SC) – 14 [NCAA-D2]
#10 Grays Harbor College (Aberdeen, WA) – 13
Leading NCWA-D2 are some of the mainstays:
#1 Ohio State WC – 25
#2 Penn State WC – 21
#3 Slippery Rock – 11
#4 Rutgers WC – 10
#5 Fresno State WC / South Carolina / Virginia Tech WC – 9
Bellarmine and Liberty dominate the #1 spots for the men:
125 – Jack Parker – So – Bellarmine – 21-10
133 – Michael Schiffhauer – Fr – Bellarmine – 20-4
141 – Melvin Rubio – Gr – Queens – 11-10
149 – Zach Blevins – Gr – Toledo – 6-1
157 – Grant O’Dell – Fr – Bellarmine – 8-3
165 – Cole Nance – So – Bellarmine – 22-11
174 – Luke Lardarello – Jr – Penn State-Mont Alto – 10-5
184 – Ben Liss – Jr – Rutgers WC – 17-2
197 – Josiah Murphy – Sr – Liberty – 9-1
235 – Jeff Allen – Sr – Liberty – 22-2 … rest of story and rankings at NWCAonline.com/latest-ncwa-mens-rankings-released-ahead-of-conference-championships
TDR blog
After 20 seasons of publicizing wrestling The TakeDown Report’s (TDR) focus has changed to the collecting of college coaching records from North America since 1903. We will continue to recognize and reward successful wrestlers in eastern North Carolina (east of Raleigh & Fayetteville), assist with schools in starting or re-starting a team and this blog. Join us on our FaceBook Page – “The TakeDown Report” for photos and news. Please send results, stories, links and news to pass along. E-mail us at takedownreport@gmail.com
Martin Fleming, Editor
Takedown Report
Takedown Report 