Takedown Report

Dominance on the mat: NHSCA Nationals cown 55 high school wrestling champions in Virginia Beach showdown

With nearly 6,000 competitors, Pennsylvania leads the pack with seven titles across freshman and junior divisions as top-ranked wrestlers battle for national glory; Florida and Georgia also shine.
Last weekend’s NHSCA Wrestling Nationals in Virginia Beach was a tournament of epic proportions with nearly 6,000 wrestlers competing in a girls, middle school, and four high school divisions. There were 14 weights contested in three of the four high school divisions with the seniors not having a 106lb weight class.
A total 55 champions were crowned amongst the high schoolers. We will not be discussing all of them, just the happenings of interest for the national rankings and other intriguing trends or outcomes. 
One of the more intriguing of those being Pennsylvania’s tournament high seven champions coming in just two divisions, Freshman and Junior. 
Leading the way was Montgomery’s Brandt Harer, whose 138lb title in the junior division made him a three-time NHSCA Champion. Harer, who is ranked 8th in the nation and won his second consecutive state title this year, used a 16-1 technical fall of Kentucky’s two-time state champion, George Dennis (Harrison County), to lock it down. Dennis picked off California’s Joseph Toscano of Buchanan, who is ranked 3rd at 144, 14-12, in the quarters. 
At the next junior weight class, 145lbs, West Scranton’s No. 21 Michael Turi, a three-time state placer, defeated North Carolina’s three-time champ Lorenzo Alston, 6-4. Turi won a NHSCA title as a freshman but did not appear last year. 
Speaking of not appearing, Turi’s teammate Jake Benyo (106) did not wrestle an official match during the season. In the freshman finals, Benyo faced another wrestler that was mostly inactive during the campaign, New Jersey’s Anthony Curlo (Blair Academy), and slid by on a 1-0 decision. … more at … https://www.si.com/high-school/wrestling/dominance-on-the-mat-nhsca-nationals-cown-55-high-school-wrestling-champions-in-virginia-beach-showdown-01jqrw289sbj
And …

NHSCA Wrestling Nationals Recap: Part II
Massachusetts crowns three champions, including one from nationally ranked Musa Tamaradze
We are picking up part two of our NHSCA Wrestling Nationals recap with a state not known for their wrestling prowess, Massachusetts. They had three exit the Senior Division with wall charts in hand, Musa Tamaradze (126), No. 18 Elliott Humphries (Northfield Mount Hermon), and Saint John Prep’s Alexander Bajoras (285).
Tamaradze was third at the National Prep Tournament and earned a No. 22 national ranking at 132lbs for the New York Military Academy. Tamaradze won the 126lb bracket over Maryland’s two-time state champ, Tanner Halling (Boonsboro), 9-3, for his second straight NHSCA title. Halling defeated three-time California state placer No. 29 Paulo Valdez (Hespria), 11-0, to reach the finals.
Humphries came on strong last summer with a second-place finish at Fargo in Junior Freestyle after failing to place at National Preps and NHSCAs. This year, Humphries was third at preps and collected his first NHSCA hardware with a 4-1 sudden victory win over Pennsylvania state placer (4th twice), … more at … https://www.si.com/high-school/wrestling/nhsca-wrestling-nationals-recap-part-ii-01jqshh21xc0

April 13, 2025 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | news, sports, wrestling