Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

Klessinger: Learn from buffalo: run straight into difficulty

By John Klessinger

I saw something recently that really piqued my interest. It was about buffaloes and how they respond to storms. If a storm is coming, the buffalo will run right into the storm. This was unusual, so I investigated it a little more and found an article that talked about how buffalo and cows cohabitate in the Midwest due to the geography of mountains and plains. Or at least at close by in proximity.
When a storm is coming, a cow will try to flee the storm. Run away from it. Ultimately, the cow will hit the entire storm from beginning to end. The cow’s attempt to outrun the storm actually prolongs the intensity.
A buffalo, on the other hand, turns and runs into the storm. They meet it head-on. I don’t know if it is instinct or biology or both, but the buffalo knows if they run into the storm, the time of intensity lessens. The brunt will be quicker and consequently over sooner.
Most often, people are cows. We avoid things that will cause pain. We may procrastinate and push away something that will bring discomfort. It could be a paper that needs to be written for a class. We say we will do it later. We distract ourselves with unproductive time on social media, television and daydreaming. In other words, we avoid the storm.
What happens? The storm catches up to us. And, like the cow, we feel its full force. If we faced it head-on like the buffalo, if we did the hard work now instead of later, we would have saved ourselves a lot of discomfort and stress.
You know as well as I do that it doesn’t go away when we avoid something. Whatever it is, studying for a test, extra drilling, the tough conversation, it still lingers in our minds. We still have the anticipation or worry. The bodily sensations of dread and apprehension increase a little because of our avoidance. The intensity of the storm actually becomes greater. We are prolonging the inevitable. We know that but still choose to run away. At least temporarily.
I write a lot about similar things. I love wrestling. Wrestling is a metaphor like the buffalo. To me, wrestling has become like the buffalo. The sport teaches us to stay the course, embrace challenges and not be afraid of the storm. But, it takes work. If we genuinely ever want to get out of this sport what we want, we have to be the buffalo. We have to run into the storms. Face whatever brings us fear. Wrestle the best opponents. Do the challenging workouts. Push yourself each day, even when it feels impossible. Surprisingly, what we learn is that although challenging at times, it is better than running away from it. It is a shorter period of intensity. It may be a loss. Or a few days of discomfort studying when you are tired. The conversation with your boss may have been difficult. But in the end, you did it. You faced the challenge head-on and, … more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2026/01/07/klessinger-learn-from-buffalo-run-straight-into-difficulty/

January 13, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Averett University Cougars raid Hornets on Senior Day

DANVILLE, Va. — Averett University men’s wrestling picked up their third consecutive conference win against Shenandoah University 43-6 on Thursday to celebrate Senior Day.
The Cougars (10-7, 2-0 ODAC) defeated the Hornets (2-4, 0-2 ODAC) in nine of ten weight classes earning two pins, five technical falls and two decisions.
The match opened at 125 pounds with junior Patrick Burdsall increasing his season record to 7-0, pinning Elliot Rivera at 1:36.
At 133, junior A.J. Orlando III secured a 17-0 technical fall, giving Averett a 11-0 lead over Shenandoah. Fifth-year senior Mauricio Reyes also picked up a technical fall over Sean Rinebolt at 141 pounds. Senior Landon Neal and junior Carter Shupert won by decision at 149 and 157 pounds respectively. At 165 pounds, senior Xavier Swanson won by technical fall to leave the Hornets scoreless. At 184 pounds, senior Nolan Gerwitz pinned Jack Birth with a little over three minutes left in the match.
The final two wins of the day were technical falls, won by senior Jacob Jimenez at 197 pounds and Carter Erickson at 285 pounds. The Cougars take a road trip to Hampton, Virginia to compete … more at … https://averettcougars.com/news/2026/1/8/mens-wrestling-cougars-raid-hornets-on-senior-day.aspx

January 13, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Crusaders Defeat Cobras for Second Straight Conference Win

BELMONT, N.C. — The Belmont Abbey wrestling team put together a strong performance by winning nine of ten bouts as the Crusaders earned a 41-6 victory over Coker Thursday evening at the Wheeler Center.
The Crusaders won three matches by fall starting with Elijah Carrington at 133 pounds followed by wins from Skyler Caban (149) and Will Nix (157). Additionally, Kyler Pickard (184) and Caleb Moore (197) earned consecutive wins by tech fall. Belmont Abbey won the first nine bouts before Coker earned its lone win in the final bout.
With Thursday’s results, Belmont Abbey improves to 5-4 overall … more at … https://abbeyathletics.com/news/2026/1/8/wrestling-crusaders-defeat-cobras-for-second-straight-conference-win.aspx

January 13, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Newberry Wolves Take Down Ferrum 31-22 on the Road

FERRUM, VA – The Newberry College Wolves men’s wrestling team earned a strong road victory on Wednesday night, defeating Ferrum College 31-22 in a competitive dual at Ferrum College. The Wolves secured the win behind six individual victories, including three falls and two technical falls, to pull away late and seal the team result.
Newberry jumped out to an early advantage at 125 pounds as Ricky Springs set the tone with a quick fall over Riley Conway at the 1:33 mark. The momentum continued at 133, where Caiden Pelc picked up a forfeit to give the Wolves an early cushion. At 141, Cole McCullough delivered a dominant performance, shutting out Braden Crawford with a 15-0 technical fall in just three minutes.
The Wolves kept rolling at 149 with Keagan Judd earning a decisive 9-2 decision over Cameron Curva, extending Newberry’s lead. Ferrum answered back at 157, as Andres Cortes defeated Dennis Virelli by major decision, 15-3.
Newberry responded emphatically at 165, where Bo Perkins recorded a commanding 17-0 technical fall over Robert Owens Jr., further strengthening the Wolves’ advantage. Ferrum picked up consecutive falls … more at … https://newberrywolves.com/news/2026/1/6/mens-wrestling-wolves-take-down-ferrum-31-22-on-the-road.aspx

January 13, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

No. 3 Iowa State Wins Big 12 Opener at Arizona State

TEMPE, Arizona – No. 3 Iowa State won its Big 12 dual opener at Arizona State, 29-14, Tuesday night inside Desert Financial Arena. The Cyclones won seven of ten bouts, including five by bonus-point margin, as they improved to 8-1 in league openers under head coach Kevin Dresser.
Iowa State won the takedown battle, 25-12. After an Arizona State fall at 133 pounds to open the dual, No. 4 Anthony Echemendia got two of the bonus points back for the Cyclones with a tech fall at 141 pounds. After allowing the first takedown of the match, Echemendia rattled off seven straight takedowns of his own to win, 24-8, in 6:15.
No. 6 Jacob Frost made it back-to-back tech falls for ISU with a dominant 16-1 victory over Daniel Miranda at 149 pounds. The sixth-ranked Cyclone used two takedowns and three turns to end the match early in the second period.
After Arizona State won matches at 157 and 165 pounds, No. 14 MJ Gaitan made his return to the lineup and earned a timely tech fall for the Cyclones at 174 pounds. He recorded six takedowns to defeat Leo Tukhlynovych, 20-5, in his first action since the Cliff Keen Invitational in early December.
At 184 pounds, No. 13 Isaac Dean allowed a first period takedown to Azizbek Fayzullaev but recorded two of his own in the second period to earn an 8-5 decision. The win pushed the team score to 18-14 in favor of the Cyclones with three matches remaining.
CJ Carter earned a quality win with a 4-3 decision over three-time NCAA Qualifier Colton Hawks. It was a low scoring affair with the Cyclone getting the match’s only takedown with a clever reattack in the third period. No. 1 Yonger Bastida maintained his unblemished record with a top-20 victory over No. 19 David … more at … https://cyclones.com/news/2026/1/6/wrestling-no-3-iowa-state-wins-big-12-opener-at-arizona-state

January 13, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment