Lawrence North wrestler slept on floor in a shelter. Had no desk. Now he’s planning on college
INDIANAPOLIS — Lawrence North wrestler Michael White cried as his Utah-bound flight ascended into the Indianapolis skies in June, terrified as he watched the Earth disappear. “The plane, like the gravity felt unfamiliar,” White said. “I didn’t know what to do. I just looked out the window, and I just went up so fast.”
The trip was among many he took to wrestling tournaments in North Carolina, Virginia and North Dakota over the summer. All to face the best in the country, to grow as a wrestler, to make waves in front of college coaches.
The plane was new to White. Quick ascents, however, were not. Less than two years prior, White was a wrestling novice. He took up the sport as a freshman at Lawrence North, going through the most tumultuous experience of his life: Bouncing from hotel to hotel with his family before staying in a Wheeler Mission shelter for six months. It started, he said, when his family was evicted from their apartment after his mom took their landlord to court over mold.
White quit football because he was unable to make practice early in the morning with a single mom and siblings at multiple schools with different start times. But he was determined to join the wrestling team. White and coach Jacob Aven, whom White had for study hall, quickly built a connection over his interest in the sport. White told Aven his goals, including wrestling for a Division I program and winning a state championship. … more at … https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/high-school/2024/12/09/homeless-lawrence-north-wrestler-state-title-college-michael-white/76706709007/
Decreasing Incidence of Youth Wrestling Injuries: A 10-Year Analysis of National Injury Data
Abstract
Background: Wrestling is among the most common youth sports in the United States, with about 260,000 high school participants annually. There is a lack of literature investigating wrestling injury profiles and mechanisms of injuries. In the past 15 years, urgent care utilization has increased, and National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) concussion protocols have been developed and implemented. Purpose/hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to analyze causes, diagnoses, body parts, and trends associated with wrestling injuries presenting to US emergency departments. It was hypothesized that there would be (1) decreased overall injuries presenting to emergency departments because of increased urgent care utilization and (2) decreased concussions because of the NFHS rule implementation and revision.
Study design: Descriptive epidemiology study; Level of evidence, 3.
Methods: Youth wrestling injuries presenting to US emergency departments between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2022, were queried from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database. The data included date of presentation, age, sex, race, body part, injury diagnosis, disposition, and a brief injury narrative. National estimates (NE) were calculated using the associated statistical weight of the reporting hospital. Linear regressions were performed to investigate the relationship between year and NE for overall injuries, diagnoses, body parts, mechanisms of injury, and other subanalyses. Statistical significance was set at P < .05.
Results: A total of 8628 (NE = 296,502) wrestling injuries met the inclusion criteria for this study. The mean age at presentation was 14.3 ± 2.6 years (range, 3 to 18 years). The shoulder (NE = 43,207 [14.6%]), head (NE = 40,875 [13.8%]), and knee (NE = 30,218 [10.2%]) were the most injured body parts. The most common diagnoses were strain/sprain … more at … https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39640181/
California Junior Colleges Results
Sacramento City College’s men’s wrestling team captain shares his journey as a wrestler
Sacramento City College’s wrestling team captain Ben Quilpa was recently named Most Outstanding Wrestler at a big statewide tournament with a season record of 21-3. With the conclusion of the Santa Ana Tournament, Quilpa shared his experience ranking second place in the state at 133 pounds. “It was a good experience. I really liked the setup of the tournament. Santa Ana was really fun just being out there in L.A. chilling with the team,” said Quilpa, who majors in sociology.
Quilpa placed seventh in the Leemore Open prior to the Santa Ana Tournament. He said he felt bitter about the loss, but he is proud of himself after winning the Santa Ana Tournament. “[I] really had a bitter taste in my mouth, so it felt good to win that tournament and kind of shake off the rust,” Quilpa said.
Some struggles Quilpa faced when practicing for the Santa Ana Tournament were balancing schoolwork and practice as well as maintaining weight for the tournament.
City College’s wrestling coach Marques Gales said he was not surprised Quilpa won. Gales praised Quilpa, who he said was coming off of an injury after the Leemore Open tournament, and persisted through his training for Santa Ana. “After a week, he had some time to heal and recover. We were really confident he was going to wrestle to his best ability at the Santa Ana invitation, so there was no surprise that he won it.” Gales said. “He won in nominate fashion, so he was also named the Most Valuable Wrestler at the tournament.”
Quilpa started wrestling in eighth grade at Olympus Junior High School in Roseville. Coming to City College wrestling has been intense, according to Quilpa. He said he finds it a great experience to push his limits and do things he did not think he could do, such as … more at … https://saccityexpress.com/61032/all/sacramento-city-colleges-mens-wrestling-team-captain-shares-his-journey-as-a-wrestler/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
And …
Victor Valley Men’s Wrestling Send Record Number to State
This accomplishment is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Victor Valley College Rams wrestling team. Head coach Rocky Humphrey has been instrumental in leading these athletes to success, pushing them to reach their full potential on the mat.
The Rams have been dominant throughout the season, with several wrestlers earning individual titles at various tournaments. Now, with 10 wrestlers qualifying for the state championships, the team is poised to make a strong showing at the highest level of competition.
Blade Owens, Andrew Diaz, Chris Guerrero, Angel Salgado, Matthias Valdez, Ricardo Valdez, Aiden Valencia, Frankie Stevenson, Joseph Robles, and Alonzo Cardona have all earned their spots at the state championships through their hard work and determination. They have proven themselves to be among the best in the state and will be looking to bring home some hardware next weekend. Additionally, Edward Saldana will serve as a state alternate, ready to step in and compete if needed. This depth and talent on the team are a true testament to the strength of the Victor Valley College wrestling program. … more at … https://athletics.vvc.edu/sports/wrest/2024-25/releases/20241210otr2dk?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
And …
Mt. SAC Men’s Wrestling Dominates at 3C2A Southern California Regional Championships
Monterey Park, Calif. – The Mt. San Antonio College Men’s Wrestling Team captured first place for the fourth consecutive year at the 3C2A Southern California Regional Championships held on Saturday, December 7, at East Los Angeles College. The Mounties earned a team score of 245.5, outpacing second-place Palomar College (169.0) and third-place Cerritos College (120.5).
The Mounties delivered outstanding individual performances, clinching five first-place finishes from Jason Saenz (133 lbs.), Maxximus Martinez (157 lbs.), Jack Estevez (165 lbs.) Roman Loya (184 lbs.) and Mo Talebi (197 lbs.).
Additional podium finishes included Brian Geiger (149 lbs.) and Jakob Hand (174 lbs.) earning second place and Michael Williams (149 lbs.) and Javier Montes (174 lbs.) securing third place.
All 12 Mountie wrestlers qualified to compete at the upcoming individual state championships, set for next weekend at West Hills College in Lemoore, California. … more at … https://www.mtsacathletics.com/sports/wrest/2024-25/releases/20241209npj6fg
OSU moves to No. 2, Purdue’s Ramos new No. 1 at 125 in WIN rankings
Dec. 9, 2024
NEWTON, Iowa — Coming off an impressive team championship at last weekend’s Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Oklahoma State has moved up to No. 2 in WIN Magazine’s Dec. 9 Rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic. Meanwhile, Purdue Matt Ramos is now ranked No. 1 at 125 pounds after the Boilermaker won a championship at that weight last weekend in Las Vegas.
The Cowboys, led by CKLV champs Dean Hamiti (ranked 3rd/174) and Wyatt Hendrickson (3rd/Hwt), are ranked in every weight class and tallied 79 points in WIN Magazine’s Tournament Power Index. Other OSU wrestlers who have been wrestling well include Troy Spratley, who moved to No. 2 at 125, and three other Cowboys who are new to these rankings in Reece Witcraft (133), Carter Young (149) and Caleb Fish (157). WIN’s TPI projects where programs would finish in the 2025 NCAA Division I Championships, which will be held March 20-22 in Philadelphia, if every wrestler finished the season where they are ranked now. The following is a breakdown of those individual TPI points per ranking: 20 for 1st, 16 for 2nd, 13.5 for 3rd, 12.5 for 4th, 10 for 5th, 9 for 6th, 6.5 for 7th and 5.5 for 8th. Wrestlers ranked 9-12 earn two points each, followed by one and a half points for wrestlers ranked 13-16 and one point for those ranked 17-20.
Penn State (2-0) remains No. 1 in both the TPI and dual-team rankings and the Nittany Lions also feature someone new to this season’s rankings: freshman Luke Lilledahl, ranked No. 5 at 125 pounds.
Iowa (6-0) remains No. 2 in the dual-team rankings while the Hawkeyes are now rated No. 3 with 75 points, followed by Minnesota (64.5) and Virginia Tech (57.5).
It should be noted that WIN dropped two wrestlers, highly-ranked in previous rankings: Arizona State’s 125-pound defending champ Richard Figueroa, who has not wrestled this season; and Iowa’s Jacori Teemer, last year’s national runner-up at 157, who is out of the Hawkeye lineup for the time being after sustaining a leg injury two weeks ago.
Penn State features the most top-ranked individuals in Tyler Kasak (157), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) and Carter Starocci, while the other No. 1-rated wrestlers are Lehigh’s Ryan Crookham (133), Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez (133), Virginia Tech’s Caleb Henson (149), Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole (174), Iowa’s Stephen Buchanan (197) and Minnesota’s Gable Steveson.
WIN Magazine’s Dec. 9 Top-20 Dual Teams
| Rk. | School | W-L | Prev. | Upcoming Action |
| 1. | Penn State | 2-0 | 1st | vs. Wyoming, Dec. 15 |
| 2. | Iowa | 6-0 | 2nd | off until Dec. 29-30, Soldier Salute |
| 3. | Oklahoma State | 4-0 | 3rd | at Oklahoma, Dec. 13 |
| 4. | Nebraska | 3-0 | 4th | off until Dec. 20 vs. Augustana/Neb-Kearney |
| 5. | Ohio State | 3-0 | 5th | at Pitt, Dec. 13 |
| 6. | NC State | 5-0 | 6th | off until dec. 22 at Cornell |
… more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2024/12/09/osu-moves-to-no-2-purdues-ramos-new-no-1-at-125-in-win-rankings/
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 