Takedown Report

The TDR’s 2025-2026 Awards for eastern North Carolina

On March 2nd The TakeDown Report will announce the wrestlers to be honored with one of The Big 5 trophies. We have recognized these most outstanding wrestlers in eastern North Carolina with a trophy for over 25 years and have presented the wooden award plaques for over 20 years.
We welcome input and insights from coaches, fans and media. Send in your nominations, votes and input on who should be recognized by Sunday, March 1st.

An example of the Top 12 Team award plaques. Yes, we kept the misprinted ones.

February 24, 2026 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

D3 Split A Necessary Step For Women’s College Wrestling

NCAA Division III programs will host a separate championship during the 2027-28 season. What does that mean for women’s college wrestling?
Whether you like it or not, NCAA Division III women’s wrestling programs will host their own championship during the 2027-28 season.
The reason? Competitive balance.
It should shock no one that this was the inevitable direction for women’s college wrestling. Division III schools do not offer athletic scholarships, so a separate end-of-year tournament makes sense.
D3 Hobart College in Geneva, New York, doesn’t face Power Four Alabama for the NCAA men’s football championship. Why would D3 Eureka College in Eureka, Illinois, face Power Four Iowa for the NCAA women’s wrestling title? “Any time an athletic director adds a sport, the first question they will ask is if we can be reasonably competitive to justify it,” NWCA executive director Mike Moyer said. “No athletic director wants to add a sport where they can’t provide a quality experience. It doesn’t mean they have to win a national title. They just want to know if we can reasonably provide a good experience.”
This is what competitive sports do.
Double A teams play Double A teams in baseball.
G League teams play G League teams in basketball.
D3 schools face other D3 schools in wrestling.
“The split was a long time coming, and in the grand scheme of women’s wrestling, it allows us to continue to grow at a high rate,” Eastern coach Andrew Taylor said. “With Division III passing the vote to split off for our own championships, Division II and Division I can use the momentum to continue their growth as well.
“The split was a long time coming.” – Eastern coach Andrew Taylor
“For our program at Eastern, it really only changes how we approach things for two weekends out of the year. We will still be recruiting athletes who want to chase World Teams, and we will still be creating a schedule that allows us to compete against some of the best programs in the country in all divisions.
“I am excited for what the leadership committee can do to create an incredible event, and our goal will be to chase a team trophy in that first year.”
What About North Central?
For the next two years, all three divisions will compete at the NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships in March. This offers a unique historical opportunity for Division III programs to win championships and become All-Americans … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles?nav_id=125

February 24, 2026 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | ncaa, sports | Leave a comment

Preliminary Final TDR Top 12 – 2026 — (106-132 lbs.)

Editor’s Note : The lightest 5 weight classes are listed below. The rest of the weight classes will be posted later.:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1	106	Bernthal, Xavier	New Bern	29	54	7	###	7A	3rd	1st
2	106	Helbert, Jonathan	West Carteret	28	33	6	0.846	5A	1st	4th
3	106	Tran, Sander	South Central	26	32	5	0.865	7A	2nd	2nd
4	106	Lopez, Eliel	Rosewood	28	33	10	0.767	1A-2A	1st	w1
5	106	Schoen, Mason	Hoggard, John T.	27	36	5	0.878	8A	2nd	w1
6	106	Berkshire, Trebor	Lejeune	28	23	11	0.676	1A-2A	4th	4th
7	106	Piver, Santiago	Amer. Leadership Acad.	29	46	6	0.885	1A-2A	2nd	L2
8	106	Geist, Jake	Jacksonville	29	37	10	0.787	6A	2nd	w1
9	106	Hewett, Ayden	West Brunswick	28	36	10	0.783	6A	4th	L2
10	106	Placencia, Esteban	Southwest Onslow	28	37	11	0.771	4A	4th	L2
11	106	Pfeffer, Dylan	Dixon	29	25	16	0.610	5A	4th	L2
12	106	Anstead, Corey	Louisburg	27	35	6	0.854	3A	w3	——
15	106	Pobadora, Alfred	Rocky Mount	26	32	3	0.914	5A	w2INJ	——-
15	106	Carter, Thomas	New Hanover	29	38	9	0.809	7A	w3	——
15	106	Teribury, Ryan	Topsail	28	38	10	0.792	7A	w3	——
1	113	Gardner, Tyler	Jacksonville	28	45	5	###	6A	3rd	3rd
2	113	Tebalan, Alan	North East Carolina Prep	27	16	5	0.762	1A-2A	1st	4th
3	113	Abel, Jackson	Franklinton	28	34	7	0.829	6A	2nd	4th
4	113	Boltes, Sam	Washington	27	44	9	0.830	4A	2nd	w1
5	113	Ogden, Lennon	Southern Nash	28	34	7	0.829	5A	2nd	w1
6	113	Carter, Matthew	New Hanover	27	35	8	0.814	7A	3rd	w1
7	113	Frizzelle, Ronnie	Spring Creek	28	30	13	0.698	3A	2nd	w1
8	113	Davis, John	Southside	28	20	7	0.741	1A-2A	3rd	L2
9	113	Robles, Raymi	Croatan	26	35	16	0.686	5A	3rd	L2
10	113	Reales, Javier	North Johnston	27	40	9	0.816	4A	w2	——
11	113	Dawson, Caleb	New Bern	29	41	15	0.732	7A	w2	——
12	113	Twiddy. Shaylor	Manteo	29	20	16	0.556	1A-2A	4th	w1
15	113	Smith, Quinton	Topsail	26	36	14	0.720	7A	w3	——
1	120	Angstadt, Lucas	Ashley	26	36	1	###	7A	1st	1st
2	120	Mazura, Isaiah	Rosewood	28	45	4	0.918	1A-2A	1st	2nd
3	120	Gallagher, Rory	Hoggard, John T.	26	47	5	0.904	8A	1st	w1
4	120	Waneroik, Brayden	North East Carolina Prep	28	41	12	0.774	1A-2A	2nd	3rd
5	120	Angell, Lucas	Currituck County	27	47	12	0.797	5A	2nd	4th
6	120	Winburn, Tristan	West Brunswick	27	37	7	0.841	6A	2nd	w1
7	120	Mundell, Tyler	North Pitt	27	51	11	0.823	4A	4th	w1
8	120	Pope, Jacob	Topsail	28	29	11	0.725	7A	3rd	L2
9	120	Moses, Garrett	Jacksonville	26	33	15	0.688	6A	3rd	L2
10	120	Cortezano, Rommel	Holmes, Edenton	29	24	14	0.632	1A-2A	3rd	L2
11	120	Lamparelli, Jovanni	Richlands	28	36	15	0.706	5A	4th	w1
12	120	Vetter, Levi	Swansboro	26	40	13	0.755	6A	4th	L2
15	120	Snyder, Cary	West Johnston	27	22	6	0.786	6A	w2	——
15	120	Campos, Justin	White Oak	28	34	11	0.756	6A	w2	——
15	120	Keel, Jacob	Rolesville	26	36	12	0.750	8A	w2	——
15	120	Ebron-Berger, Zareion	New Bern	27	42	17	0.712	7A	w3	——
15	120	McCarty, Hayden	First Flight	27	34	14	0.708	4A	w3	——
1	126	Quincy, Holton	North East Carolina Prep	27	50	1	###	1A-2A	1st	1st
2	126	Braxton, Christopher	New Hanover	26	36	8	0.818	7A	1st	3rd
3	126	Alexander, Robert	White Oak	26	51	12	0.810	6A	1st	3rd
4	126	Jones, Nate	Northside (Jacksonville)	27	38	13	0.745	5A	1st	w1
5	126	Sylvester, Elijah	Pasquotank Co.	28	43	11	0.796	3A	3rd	w1
6	126	Martinez-Hernandez, Florentino	North Pitt	28	46	16	0.742	4A	3rd	L2
7	126	Woolard, Justin	Washington	28	40	19	0.678	4A	4th	L2
8	126	Sullivan, Brendan	Lejeune	28	19	10	0.655	1A-2A	4th	L2
9	126	Fleckinger, Max	North Brunswick	27	25	14	0.641	7A	4th	L2
10	126	Doddy, Landon	Bunn	27	24	6	0.800	4A	w3	——
11	126	Walker, Gavin	West Craven	28	43	13	0.768	4A	w3	——
12	126	Fox, Landon	New Bern	27	41	14	0.745	7A	w3	——
15	126	Flores, Daniel	North Johnston	27	41	15	0.732	4A	w2	——
1	132	Tennessee, Ashton	West Johnston	27	34	1	0.971	6A	1st	1st
2	132	Menteer, Miller	Currituck County	27	53	6	###	5A	1st	1st
3	132	Riddick, Christian	First Flight	28	39	2	0.951	4A	1st	2nd
4	132	Lewis, Colten	White Oak	26	47	6	0.887	6A	2nd	2nd
5	132	Guerrero-Perez, Gael	Bunn	29	36	5	0.878	4A	2nd	4th
6	132	Watts, Elijah	South Brunswick	26	23	7	0.767	5A	3rd	4th
7	132	Costillo, Gavin	Jacksonville	27	41	12	0.774	6A	3rd	4th
8	132	Treacy, Riley	Pamlico County	28	25	9	0.735	1A-2A	4th	2nd
9	132	Carter, Garret	Lejeune	26	31	11	0.738	1A-2A	2nd	w1
10	132	Braxton, Kenneth	New Hanover	26	27	13	0.675	7A	3rd	w1
11	132	Mercer, Sheamus	Swansboro	28	44	9	0.830	6A	4th	w1
12	132	Ascencio, Aron	Ayden-Grifton	26	17	10	0.630	3A	4th	L2
15	132	Thomas, Eli	Laney, Emsley A.	26	42	3	0.933	8A	dnw	——
15	132	Suydam, Eli	Southern Nash	28	24	7	0.774	5A	w2	——
15	132	Baarnes, Jeremiah	Eastern Wayne	28	29	10	0.744	4A	w3	——
15	132	Downing, Kemon	North East Carolina Prep	26	27	11	0.711	1A-2A	w3	——

February 24, 2026 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | news, sports | Leave a comment

Preliminary Final TDR Top 12 – 2026 — (138 – 157 lbs.)

Editor’s Note : The 4 middle weight classes are listed below. The rest of the weight classes will be posted later.:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Rnk	Wght.	Name	Team	Gr.	W.	L.	Pct.	Dist.	Dist.	State
1	138	Davis, Maxwell	Jacksonville	26	44	4	0.917	6A	1st	1st
2	138	McQueen, Samuel	Laney, Emsley A.	26	36	3	0.923	8A	1st	2nd
3	138	Deel, Coy	West Craven	27	38	5	0.884	4A	1st	2nd
4	138	Best, Zymir	Charles B. Aycock	27	38	10	0.792	5A	1st	3rd
5	138	Loveless, Zachary	Amer. Leadership Acad.	26	40	11	0.784	1A-2A	1st	4th
6	138	Amiott, Jake	Topsail	28	42	4	0.913	7A	2nd	4th
7	138	Oxendine, Chayton	Ayden-Grifton	26	32	8	0.800	3A	3rd	w1
8	138	Allinen, Elijah	Ashley	28	30	10	0.750	7A	3rd	L2
9	138	Mielcarek, Austin	North Johnston	26	51	10	0.836	4A	4th	L2
10	138	Resendes, Leandro	Corinth-Holders	28	24	7	0.774	8A	4th	L2
11	138	Maguire, Jonathan	Lejeune	26	29	18	0.617	1A-2A	4th	w1
12	138	Bullard, Andrew	D.H. Conley	26	26	7	0.788	7A	w3	——
15	138	Gibson, Brayden	Southern Nash	27	40	11	0.784	5A	w3	——
15	138	Real, Andres	North Pitt	29	46	16	0.742	4A	w3	——
15	138	Foreman, Andrew	Washington	28	40	16	0.714	4A	w3	——
1	144	Campos, James	White Oak	26	53	2	0.964	6A	1st	1st
2	144	Gehris, Cade	First Flight	27	44	7	0.863	4A	1st	2nd
3	144	Valentino, Vincent	Laney, Emsley A.	28	47	12	0.797	8A	1st	2nd
4	144	Avvisato, Dominic	Dixon	26	37	8	0.822	5A	2nd	2nd
5	144	Rubistello, Stephen	Tarboro	26	24	1	0.960	1A-2A	1st	w1INJ
6	144	Mangroo, Shane	Rosewood	26	35	7	0.833	1A-2A	3rd	2nd
7	144	Barrera-Meza, David	Washington	26	25	3	0.893	4A	3rd	4th
8	144	Berdiel, Luis	Northern Nash	26	51	6	0.895	6A	2nd	w1
9	144	Gunn, Donovan	Topsail	26	42	10	0.808	7A	2nd	L2
10	144	Anderson, Cole	North East Carolina Prep	26	25	9	0.735	1A-2A	2nd	L2
11	144	Flores, Alejandro	Spring Creek	26	34	13	0.723	3A	4th	w1
12	144	Shelly, Daian	Swansboro	27	40	14	0.741	6A	4th	L2
15	144	Dove, Zachary	Amer. Leadership Acad.	27	35	5	0.875	1A-2A	w2	——
15	144	Campbell, Brock	North Brunswick	27	32	7	0.821	7A	w3	——
15	144	Bunch, A’Donnis	Hertford County	27	23	8	0.742	3A	w3	——
15	144	Lohman, Trace	Pender County	26	31	11	0.738	3A	w3	——
15	144	Russo, Daniel	Wakefield	27	34	19	0.642	8A	2nd	L2
1	150	Mewborn, Isiah	Pamlico County	26	32	2	0.941	1A-2A	1st	1st
2	150	Campbell, Aiden	Havelock	27	53	9	0.855	5A	1st	1st
3	150	Smith, Hayden	White Oak	26	48	3	0.941	6A	1st	2nd
4	150	McDowell, Kaliil	Wakefield	27	50	8	0.862	8A	1st	2nd
5	150	Massie, Tucker	Washington	27	49	10	0.831	4A	1st	2nd
6	150	Perry, Jacob	New Bern	28	59	7	0.894	7A	3rd	4th
7	150	Connick, Josh	West Brunswick	27	38	9	0.809	6A	2nd	4th
8	150	Davidson, Jessi	North East Carolina Prep	26	40	13	0.755	1A-2A	2nd	4th
9	150	Lawhorn, Jacob	Corinth-Holders	27	38	10	0.792	8A	3rd	w1
10	150	Wells, Tyquez	North Pitt	27	51	14	0.785	4A	3rd	w1
11	150	Burns, Jonathan	Franklinton	27	40	12	0.769	6A	4th	L2
12	150	Foxworth, Davis	Croatan	26	41	19	0.683	5A	3rd	L2
15	150	Mandell III, Ken	Cleveland	26	32	12	0.727	7A	w3	——
15	150	Plunkett, Jace	West Craven	28	42	16	0.724	4A	w3	——
15	150	Allen, Aiden	Jacksonville	27	28	13	0.683	6A	w3	——
15	150	White, Cole	Manteo	28	28	15	0.651	1A-2A	3rd	w1
15	150	Barcliff, Jeremy	Northeastern	26	18	10	0.643	3A	2nd	L2
1	157	Campos, Jacob	White Oak	26	47	9	0.839	6A	1st	2nd
2	157	Nguyen, Jonathan	Northeastern	26	20	8	0.714	3A	1st	2nd
3	157	Cerino, Noah	West Carteret	27	49	10	0.831	5A	2nd	3rd
4	157	Herron, Camden	Northside (Jacksonville)	27	27	7	0.794	5A	1st	4th
5	157	Smith, Brock	Jacksonville	26	41	8	0.837	6A	3rd	w1
6	157	Foreman, Gabe	Washington	26	47	13	0.783	4A	2nd	w1
7	157	Binckley, Easten	Currituck County	28	43	15	0.741	5A	3rd	w1
8	157	Williams, Elijah	Holmes, Edenton	26	18	9	0.667	1A-2A	2nd	L2
9	157	Francis, Dillon	First Flight	26	36	8	0.818	4A	4th	L2
10	157	Valle-Ramirez, Abimael	Louisburg	27	22	6	0.786	3A	3rd	L2
11	157	Simmons, Kamarion	Pasquotank Co.	28	35	13	0.729	3A	4th	w1
12	157	Garcia, Ryan	Wake Forest	27	35	14	0.714	7A	4th	L2
15	157	Wardrick, Jahron	Northern Nash	26	42	7	0.857	6A	w3	——
15	157	Abram, Stoebig	Laney, Emsley A.	27	47	11	0.810	8A	w3	——
15	157	Garcia, Joaquin	Spring Creek	27	31	8	0.795	3A	w3	——

February 24, 2026 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | sports | Leave a comment

Preliminary Final TDR Top 12 – 2026 — (165 – 285 lbs.)

Editor’s Note : The top 5 weight classes are listed below. The rest of the weight classes will be posted later.:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Rnk	Wght.	Name	Team	Gr.	W.	L.	Pct.	Dist.	Dist.
1	165	McNair, Tobin	Wakefield	27	44	0	1.000	8A	1st
2	165	Bane, John	New Bern	27	52	4	0.929	7A	2nd
3	165	Kopelman, Mac	Laney, Emsley A.	26	37	4	0.902	8A	3rd
4	165	Monroe, Anoop	Northside (Jacksonville)	27	33	7	0.825	5A	3rd
5	165	Arce, Gabriel	South Brunswick	26	32	12	0.727	5A	2nd
6	165	Arrington, Jaquaye	Northern Nash	27	21	5	0.808	6A	2nd
7	165	Bolden, Trenstin	Southwest Onslow	27	37	9	0.804	4A	2nd
8	165	Daniels, Malachi	Manteo	26	32	13	0.711	1A-2A	2nd
9	165	Crump, Azuriah	North Pitt	27	45	14	0.763	4A	4th
10	165	Jimenez, Marcos	Rosewood	26	37	9	0.804	1A-2A	4th
11	165	Michael, Keegan	Franklinton	26	46	13	0.780	6A	4th
12	165	Gurkin, Krick	North Brunswick	26	33	9	0.786	7A	4th
12	165	Pittner, Cameron	Croatan	26	38	20	0.655	5A	4th
15	165	Miller, Anyeus	Knightdale	27	32	10	0.762	7A	w2
15	165	Novak, Brock	Bunn	27	27	10	0.730	4A	w2
15	165	Burd, Brayden	South Lenoir	26	34	14	0.708	3A	w2
1	175	Previl, Aldinio	Rosewood	27	32	6	0.842	1A-2A	1st
2	175	Moulton, Jude	Hoggard, John T.	26	37	2	0.949	8A	1st
3	175	McCaleb, Ben	Topsail	28	37	14	0.725	7A	1st
4	175	Jenkins, Allen Cole	Wake Forest	26	33	9	0.786	7A	2nd
5	175	Mabe, Bryson	West Brunswick	26	39	7	0.848	6A	3rd
6	175	Sandoval-Perez, Pedro	Heide Trask	27	48	10	0.828	3A	3rd
7	175	Cherry, Marcus	Northside (Jacksonville)	26	27	12	0.692	5A	3rd
8	175	Santos, Antonio	Rocky Mount	26	22	4	0.846	5A	2nd
9	175	Hernandez, Sebastian	North Brunswick	26	23	12	0.657	7A	3rd
15	175	Caskey, Tillman	New Bern	27	47	7	0.870	7A	w2
15	175	Ganzert, Brendan	Holmes, Edenton	28	23	6	0.793	1A-2A	4th
15	175	Messick, Michael	Laney, Emsley A.	27	24	10	0.706	8A	w3
15	175	Hunt, Stephen	Franklinton	26	30	13	0.698	6A	4th
1	190	Darden, Jaylin	Rosewood	26	49	5	####	1A-2A	1st
2	190	Padgett, Luke	Croatan	27	47	1	0.979	5A	2nd
3	190	Stevens, Rhett	Corinth-Holders	26	44	4	0.917	8A	2nd
4	190	McNeill, George	West Johnston	26	22	13	0.629	6A	2nd
5	190	Kellar, Clark	Pasquotank Co.	27	27	5	0.844	3A	3rd
6	190	Power, Caleb	Amer. Leadership Acad.	26	29	6	0.829	1A-2A	3rd
7	190	Kahsai, Amanuel	New Bern	28	48	11	0.814	7A	3rd
8	190	Gillespie, Thomas	Laney, Emsley A.	26	45	7	0.865	8A	4th
9	190	Salas-Aguilera, Jonathan	Southside	26	19	4	0.826	1A-2A	4th
10	190	Cooper, Destin	North Pitt	28	33	5	0.868	4A	w3
11	190	Quinn, Campbell	Bunn	28	23	7	0.767	4A	w2
12	190	Yarger, Dominic	Currituck County	26	28	11	0.718	5A	w2
15	190	Allen, Maxwell	Croatan	28	35	13	0.729	5A	w2
15	190	Reynolds, Kameron	Knightdale	26	32	12	0.727	7A	w2
1	215	Harris, Judah	Hunt	27	39	2	0.951	5A	1st
2	215	Hall, Syler	Pamlico County	26	37	2	0.949	1A-2A	2nd
3	215	Mason, Wisdom	North Pitt	27	33	6	0.846	4A	1st
4	215	Robinson, Andrew	Pender County	26	35	11	0.761	3A	1st
5	215	Wade, Nick	Rosewood	26	52	5	0.912	1A-2A	4th
6	215	Pridgen, Zy’Aire	Havelock	28	37	14	0.725	5A	4th
7	215	Luciano, Giovani	Northside (Jacksonville)	27	23	9	0.719	5A	2nd
8	215	Salinas, Brian	Washington	26	19	6	0.760	4A	3rd
9	215	Ingles, Porter	Croatan	26	28	10	0.737	5A	3rd
10	215	Pritchard, Benjamin	Amer. Leadership Acad.	26	24	9	0.727	1A-2A	3rd
11	215	McIntyre, Darrell	Laney, Emsley A.	26	37	4	0.902	8A	3rd
12	215	Folks, Dashawn	Ayden-Grifton	26	34	9	0.791	3A	3rd
15	215	Espinosa, Isai	Spring Creek	26	37	7	0.841	3A	w3
15	215	Coltrain, Carson	Manteo	27	33	7	0.825	1A-2A	w2
15	215	Coode, Connor	First Flight	27	30	7	0.811	4A	w2
15	215	Lynch, Logan	Northern Nash	28	30	8	0.789	6A	w2
1	285	Hocker, Mason	Hoggard, John T.	27	39	3	0.929	8A	1st
2	285	Lemke, Josh	Rosewood	27	38	8	0.826	1A-2A	1st
3	285	Garay-Martinez, John	First Flight	26	47	5	0.904	4A	1st
4	285	Clark, Kayden	Southwest Onslow	28	36	5	0.878	4A	2nd
5	285	Ferebee, Steven	Holmes, Edenton	26	20	5	0.800	1A-2A	2nd
6	285	Balkus, Dillon	Wake Forest	27	34	10	0.773	7A	1st
7	285	Bowling, Zander	J.F. Webb	26	30	3	0.909	5A	3rd
8	285	Modina, Jorge	Ayden-Grifton	26	37	3	0.925	3A	3rd
9	285	Whitaker, Jayden	Nash Central	26	17	4	0.810	4A	3rd
10	285	Canady, Deoan	East Wake	27	37	25	0.597	7A	2nd
11	285	Gomez, Ayden	Pamlico County	27	23	9	0.719	1A-2A	3rd
12	285	Thomas, Cory	New Bern	27	43	9	0.827	7A	4th
15	285	Johnson, Cooper	Washington	26	41	9	0.820	4A	w2
15	285	Abbott, Garrison	West Brunswick	27	32	11	0.744	6A	w3
15	285	Shoaf, Judah	Amer. Leadership Acad.	26	21	11	0.656	1A-2A	4th

February 24, 2026 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | education, sports | Leave a comment

2025-26 Top 40 National High School Wrestling Rankings – Feb. 21, 2026

Oklahoma duals provide the only major changes to national high school wrestling team rankings.

Billy Buckheit | Feb 21, 2026

Bixby placed second in the Oklahoma state duals to No. 15 Stillwater, but the Spartans still made the biggest upward move in this week’s national rankings, going from No. 33 to No. 16. / Bixby Wrestling

Aside from what happened at the 6A Oklahoma State Dual Meet Tournament, the team ranking changes this week were minimal.

California and New Jersey Offer the Best Opportunities for Future Shakeups

We expect more of that as we come to the close of the season. Most of the teams on this list will dominate their state tournaments, with a few potentially having some epic clashes, specifically in California and New Jersey.

Lake Highland Prep and Blair Set for One More Battle at National Prep Tournament

The final word on the National Prep rivalry with Lake Highland Prep and Blair Academy will be settled this weekend, with the winner taking final position over the other. Without any new evidence, it would likely take Buchanan failing to win their Masters tournament this weekend or next week’s states for them to tumble from the top spot.

State Tournament scoring can be skewed given the nature of only the best reaching the podium, so we measure those scores realistically and balance them with all a team’s results.

Like the individuals, the teams have some clear chains then some jumbled spots. We use all results to place them, not just one.

2025-26 Top 40 National High School Wrestling Rankings – Feb. 21, 2026

1-Buchanan, CA

Previous No. 1

Competed at and won the Central Section D1 Tournament over Clovis and Clovis North.

2-Lake Highland Prep, FL

Previous No. 2

Won the Southeast National Prep Qualifier.

3-Blair Academy, NJ

Previous No. 3

Took the team crown at the New Jersey/New York Prep Qualifier. … more at … https://www.si.com/high-school/wrestling/2025-26-top-40-national-high-school-wrestling-rankings-feb-21-2026-01kj06mpa983

February 24, 2026 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | high-school, history, news, sports | Leave a comment

Back-to-Back; Presbyterian Wins Second Consecutive Region Championship

FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga. – History repeated itself for the fifth-ranked Presbyterian College women’s wrestling team on Saturday afternoon, winning the Southeast Region Championship for the second straight time and qualifying all 10 athletes to Nationals next month.
Chloe Dearwester, Maddie Kubicki, Isabella Gretzinger, and Maria Aiono each won their first Region titles at the tourney (which was held at Emmanuel). A PC wrestler competed in nine of the ten Championship matches.
Just like last season, head coach Brian Vutianitis was voted as the Southeast Region Coach of the Year. He’ll lead a Blue Hose lineup to Nationals in Iowa on March 6, aiming for a fourth straight top-ten finish.
In a Region tournament that also featured #5 King and #10 Emmanuel, the Scotsmen emerged as the champs by landing nine wrestlers at either Gold or Silver.
NOTABLES
– Dearwester (who holds PC’s best win percentage with a 21-2 personal record) defeated King’s Avery Kibelbek in the 110-lb. Finals with a 2:53 pin.
– Ranked fifth in the nation for her weight class, Dearwester avenged her 2^nd-place finish at Regionals last year and will be a favorite for the National Championship in two weeks.
– Two-time All-American Kubicki knocked off Delaware State’s Louise Juitt for the 145-lb. crown, collecting a 2:20 fall which is her 74^th career victory.
– Gretzinger grabbed two standard decisions to win Gold in class 180, shutting out Journey Land (Mount Olive) by a 5-0 count to win her first postseason title as a sophomore.
– One of Presby’s six All-Americans last spring, Aiono improved on her 3^rd-place standing at Regionals in 2025 with a ridiculous 20-second fall that won the 207-lb. championship. … more at … https://gobluehose.com/news/2026/2/21/womens-wrestling-back-to-back-presbyterian-wins-second-consecutive-region-championship.aspx

February 23, 2026 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

2026 NC women’s wrestling championships: Selection show info, schedule

The inaugural NC women’s wrestling tournament is here. The official championship selections will be released in a selection show on NCAA.com on Friday, Feb. 27 at 1 p.m. ET. The championships will take place from March 6-7 at Xtream Arena in Coralville, IA.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 NC women’s wrestling championship.

2026 NC women’s wrestling championship schedule

*All times Eastern

Friday, Feb 27
- Selections released via livestream on NCAA.com
Friday, March 6
- First day of championships
Saturday, March 7
- Final day of championships

NC women’s wrestling qualifiers list

The women’s wrestling qualifiers list was released on Monday, Feb. 23. Check it out below.

👉 Click here to view the entire qualifiers list separated by weight class, region and more

NC women’s wrestling championship history

This will be the first year of NC women’s wrestling championships as the sport was added as the NCAA’s 91st official championship sport in January 2025.

🤼‍♀️ How NC women’s wrestling became a championship sport … more at … https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling-women/article/2026-02-20/2026-nc-womens-wrestling-championships-selection-show-info-schedule

February 23, 2026 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

No. 6 Hokies crowned ACC regular season champions once again

BLACKSBURG – For the first time since 2016-2017, the No. 6 Virginia Tech wrestling team snatched outright possession of the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title on Friday night by defeating Duke, 26-17, to finish an undefeated conference competition slate. The Hokies won six of ten matches on Senior Night in Cassell in the dual season finale to give Tony Robie and company their ninth conference title since taking the helm in Blacksburg.
Hokies Light Up the Scoreboard
At 133-pounds, No. 7 Aaron Seidel’s bonus point rate continues, but in the form of a forfeit by Duke to wrap up his first regular season. The Fredricksburg, PA freshman enters the post season undefeated against conference competition and will look to continue his hot streak into the Cassell once again on March 8.
Tech notched four bonus point victories in their six wins with No. 16 Ethen Miller (11-4) finishing his dual career with a major decision at 157-pounds. Miller had to sprint late for the bonus securing takedown with just under 0:11 to go, bringing Cassell to its feet with an 11-3 major decision. The grad transfer will now step onto Cassell floor for one last time at the ACC Championships in two weeks.
Following Miller’s major, it was another transfer for the Hokies in No. 30 Jaden Bullock (16-10) scoring more bonus at 184-pounds. After dropping his first two conference bouts, the Chesapeake, VA native is riding an eight-match win streak after a dominant, buzzer beating 19-4 tech fall on Friday night.
No. 11 Sonny Sasso (19-5) continues to catch his stride – adding another tech fall to Tech’s tally with an 18-3 bonus point victory at 197-pounds. Sasso enters his first post season riding a five-match win streak including his win over the No. 7 ranked wrestler at 197-pounds. … more at … https://hokiesports.com/news/2026/02/21/no-6-hokies-crowned-acc-regular-season-champions-once-again

February 23, 2026 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | sports | Leave a comment

Penn State once again unanimous No. 1 after big win over Ohio State; Nittany Lions win 85th straight, set new indoor attendance record

Manheim, Pennsylvania –With a dominant 36-5 win over second-ranked Ohio State on Friday, top-ranked Penn State extended its dual meet win streak to 85 in a row and set a new indoor dual meet attendance record, putting 16,006 fans inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Nittany Lions improved to 14-0 and are a unanimous No. 1 heading into the final week of the regular season as the most recent NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll was released on Tuesday. Penn State is the lone unbeaten team left in Division I men’s wrestling this season.
Ohio State rebounded with a 29-16 win over Maryland. Third-ranked Oklahoma State battled to a 19-12 win over No. 6 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, while Iowa State went 2-0 with a 32-7 win over then-No. 18 West Virginia and a 28-6 victory over then-No. 15 Northern Iowa.
Nebraska picked up two ranked wins, beating then-No. 11 Illinois 28-11 and then-No. 20 Indiana 34-5. Iowa won 19-17 over then-No. 10 Michigan and also topped Purdue 32-6. NC State defeated Duke 32-7, and Minnesota beat Michigan State 37-6.
Rutgers went 2-0, beating Michigan State 29-9 and Princeton 24-9. West Virginia earned a 23-13 win over Northern Iowa. Missouri beat then-No. 16 Oklahoma 23-14, while Wyoming added two wins with victories over Northern Colorado 25-10 and then-No. 16 Oklahoma 24-10.
Lehigh went 2-0 with wins over Penn 24-14 and Bucknell 24-16. Wisconsin knocked off then-No. 10 Michigan 19-17, and Stanford beat then-No. 12 Pittsburgh 21-12. Oregon State closed the week with a 20-11 win over North Dakota State.
Ranked teams are back in action this week, beginning with 11th-ranked Rutgers at Hofstra on Wednesday. Friday’s schedule includes No. 20 Stanford at 12th-ranked North Carolina, Virginia at No. 15 Pittsburgh, and Duke at sixth-ranked Virginia Tech. Saturday features No. 17 West Virginia at Lock Haven, plus No. 5 Nebraska at Utah Valley. … more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2026/2/17/national-wrestling-coaches-association-penn-state-once-again-unanimous-no-1-after-big-win-over-ohio-state-nittany-lions-win-85th-straight-set-new-indoor-attendance-record.aspx

February 23, 2026 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | ncaa, sports | Leave a comment

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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

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2025-26 Top 40 National High School Wrestling Rankings – Feb. 21, 2026

Billy Buckheit | Feb 21, 2026

California and New Jersey Offer the Best Opportunities for Future Shakeups

Lake Highland Prep and Blair Set for One More Battle at National Prep Tournament

2025-26 Top 40 National High School Wrestling Rankings – Feb. 21, 2026

1-Buchanan, CA

2-Lake Highland Prep, FL

3-Blair Academy, NJ

Back-to-Back; Presbyterian Wins Second Consecutive Region Championship

2026 NC women’s wrestling championships: Selection show info, schedule

2026 NC women’s wrestling championship schedule

NC women’s wrestling qualifiers list

NC women’s wrestling championship history

No. 6 Hokies crowned ACC regular season champions once again

Penn State once again unanimous No. 1 after big win over Ohio State; Nittany Lions win 85th straight, set new indoor attendance record

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