Takedown Report

A year away from NCHSAA recognition, girls wrestling makes jump forward in North Carolina

ASHEVILLE — Eva Keefauver remembers what it was like to be the only girl in sight at a wrestling tournament.

She found herself in that position plenty when she began the sport as a middle schooler, receiving looks askance from the boys, then often being overpowered by them in matches even when she had superior technique.

She also remembers her first years wrestling at East Henderson High School, as the number of girl wrestlers, girls teams and girls tournaments began ticking up, and the pressure on the state high school association to sanction the sport increased.

This season – a year before girls wrestling becomes an official NCHSAA sport – Keefauver, her fellow athletes, their coaches and anybody watching one of the many girls wrestling events across the state can see just how much the sport has grown from just a year or two ago, pointing toward a bright future for the soon-to-be newest sanctioned sport in the state.

“This is the first year that we’ve had finals together and full brackets in a lot of tournaments,” Keefauver said. “There’s a whole bunch of girls, and it’s normal now. It’s not just me.”

WRESTLERS TO WATCH:Here are 30 of the top WNC names to watch on the mat this season

YEARSLONG FIGHT:The road to NCHSAA sanctioning girls wrestling

While the sport needed enough participants to get the attention of the NCHSAA, its supporters also expected the numbers to jump after this summer’s news that beginning in the 2023-24 school year, the NCHSAA will officially sanction girls wrestling.

Those projections appear accurate. Three seasons ago, the number of North Carolina girls wrestling in high school was under 400, according to Cheryl Baynard, who organized a group dedicated to getting the sport sanctioned in the state.

Last year, it was up to about 600. This year, it’s jumped to above 900 and potentially crossed four digits. That’s allowed tournaments like the Smoky Mountain Grapple, which concluded Saturday at Harrah’s Cherokee Center, to add a weight class and have fuller brackets than last year.

“We’ve seen the jump,” Enka coach Mark Harris said. “We are learning as we grow, and it’s really been fun to watch the girls create their own culture and their own stamp within that program.” … rest of story at Citizen-times.com/story/sports/high-school/2022/12/22/nc-high-school-girls-wrestling-nchsaa-sanctioned-sport-growth-participation

December 31, 2022 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Collegiate Duals reconfigure Top 25 as 2022 comes to a close

Manheim, Pennsylvania – Penn State and NC State remained undefeated and won their respective pools as nine of the nation’s Top 25 teams took part in the Journeymen Collegiate Duals in New Orleans on Monday and Tuesday. Penn State remained No. 1 in the most recent NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll released Thursday. The Nittany Lions closes out 2022 with a 7-0 record, followed by second-ranked Iowa, which also closed out the dual portion of 2020 at 7-0.

The biggest upset to come out of the event from a team perspective was then-No. 22 Northern Iowa upending No. 3 Ohio State 19-13. Northern Iowa fell to NC State 27-12 later in the event, but the Panthers (2-1) jumped nine spots to No. 13 this week. Arizona State (2-0) moved up to third, while Iowa State (7-2) leapt to fourth despite its loss to top-ranked Penn State. Individually, the event saw a number of stellar matchups, including the growing log-jam of results at 197 pounds and NCAA champion Aaron Brooks of Penn State falling to Iowa State’s Marcus Coleman at 184 pounds.

Ohio State dropped four spots to No. 7. Appalachian State (3-1) entered the Top 25 for the first time this year, primarily due to its 19-13 upset win at then-No. 21 North Carolina over the weekend. The Tar Heels went 1-2 at the Collegiate Duals, falling to Penn State and No. 12 Cornell and fell out of the poll this week.

Methodology: The NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll is voted on by two coaches from each Division I wrestling conference. Each first-place vote is worth 25 points, 24 points for a second-place vote, 23 for a third-place vote and so on through to one point for a 25th-place vote. The poll is based on dual meet results.

NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll
December 22, 2022

December 30, 2022 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Campbell Camels sweep Purdue Duals

WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. – Campbell claimed all three of its matches Tuesday at the Purdue Duals at Holloway Gymnasium.

The Camels (5-4) topped the host Boilermakers (4-3) 29-9, also defeating Drexel (2-4) 19-16, and Utah Valley (1-3) 17-16. CU’s victory over Purdue marked the program’s first ever over a Big 10 Conference opponent.

HOW IT HAPPENED
In Tuesday’s opener, Campbell’s No. 12 Taye Ghadiali edged Utah Valley’s Chase Trussell in the final bout, tying the team scoring at 16-all. The teams split five matches apiece, with Campbell taking the match on criteria, holding a 46-45 advantage in individual points scored.

Against the Dragons, Campbell built an 11-0 lead on the strength of major decisions from Anthony Molton, 12-3, at 125 pounds and Shannon Hanna, 11-0, at 141 before five straight Drexel wins, including a 6-4 decision in extra time for No. 9 Mickey O’Malley over Campbell’s Cole Rees at 174. Levi Hopkins at 197 and Ghadiali at heavyweight, however, closed out the match with major decisions for the Camels, 12-4 and 14-4, to secure the 19-16 victory.  

Campbell notched eight of the 10 matches in its 29-9 win against the host Boilermakers. Molton’s opening 6-4 overtime victory over No. 8 Matt Ramos highlighted the win for the Camels, who also closed out with three bonus point wins, starting with No. 21 Caleb Hopkins topping No. 32 Ben Vanadia 12-2. Levi Hopkins then pinned Hayden Filipovich (2:45), and Ghadiali collected his third win of the day with a 14-4 major decision over Tristan Ruhlman.

CAMEL TALK
“We knew the Purdue Duals was a gauntlet … rest of story at Gocamels.com/news/2022/12/20/wrestling-camels-sweep-purdue-duals

December 30, 2022 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Citadel Bulldogs Pick Up Road Victory at LIU

LONG ISLAND, N.Y. – The Citadel wrestling team improved to 2-0 on the season with a 23-18 victory over LIU Monday night on Long Island.

The Citadel 23, LIU 18
174 – Ben Haubert (CIT) DEC TJ Franden (LIU), 7-4
184 – Gavin Claro (LIU) DEC Micah DiCarlo (CIT), 3-1
197 – Patrick Brophy (CIT) MD Joe Lopresti (LIU), 13-4
285 – John Chesser (CIT) DEC Aeden Begue (LIU), 7-2
125 – Blair Orr (CIT) wins by forfeit
133 – George Rosas (CIT) MD Kaelen Francois (LIU), 8-0
141 – Devin Matthews (LIU) TF Jason Garay (CIT), 16-2 (7:00)
149 – Drew Witham (LIU) FALL Ethan Willis (CIT), 6:03
157 – Selwyn Porter (CIT) DEC Rhise Royster (LIU), 5-1
165 – Blake Bahna (LIU) MD Brodie Porter (CIT), 15-7

How it Happened

• Ben Haubert got the Dogs off to a good start with a decision victory at 174 pounds. With the match tied 2-2 heading into the third period, Haubert got an escape and then a takedown to secure the victory.
• Patrick Brophy got the Bulldogs on the board at 197 pounds. After a pair of takedowns in the opening period, Brophy did one better as he secured his third takedown just before the buzzer.
• Brophy added another takedown … rest of story at Citadelsports.com/news/2022/12/19/wrestling-bulldogs-pick-up-road-victory-at-liu

No. 25 Mountaineers Post Pair of Home Shutouts

BOONE, N.C. — App State Wrestling allowed no team points in a doubleheader that provided plenty of firsts for the Mountaineers.
No. 25 App State opened its SoCon schedule Tuesday night with a 39-0 victory against Bellarmine, then won 50-0 against Division I newcomer Queens with a lineup that included four changes from the opener.
Fourteen wrestlers had a hand raised as the Mountaineers (3-1, 1-0) went 20-for-20 in contested matches, giving them a nation-leading 11 shutouts since the calendar flipped to 2020.
Tommy Askey, Luke Uliano, Carson Floyd, Ethan Oakley, Oren Bost and Chopper Mordecai all picked up their first career dual wins, while Mason Fiscella won a dual match as a heavyweight for the first time.
Five days after a 19-16 team win at No. 21 North Carolina, App State collected bonus points in 13 of its 20 wins and totaled seven pins, including six against Queens. Jon Jon Millner’s two pins required a combined three minutes, 43 seconds of wrestling.
It was the first home dual of the season for the Mountaineers, and the winter break period without students on campus didn’t stop them from drawing 438 fans to Varsity Gym. … rest of story at Appstatesports.com/no-25-mountaineers-post-pair-of-home-shutouts

Cornell Wrestling Leaves Big Easy With Two Wins, Tops #21 North Carolina, 31-9

NEW ORLEANS, La. — The Cornell wrestling team won seven matches, including three by fall, to run past No. 21 North Carolina 31-9 on Tuesday afternoon at the New Orleans Convention Center on day two of the Collegiate Duals. The Big Red evened its record at 2-2 with the victory over the Tar Heels, claiming third place in the Blue Pool.

Cornell raced out to a 9-0 lead after two matches as Brett Ungar topped No. 33 Jack Wagner at 125, then Vito Arujau picked up a second period fall over No. 29 Joey Melendez. Chris Foca and Yianni Diakomihalis each picked up their third wins of the week with bonus points attached, including Foca’s second first-period fall of the tournament, and Brendan Furman scored the final six with his pin of Aydin Guttridge at heavyweight. Both Julian Ramirez (165)and Jacob Cardenas (197) ground out wins to round out the solid victory.

The Big Red improved to 7-2 all-time against the Tar Heels and the 107th victory over a nationally ranked opponent since 1990,

Cornell takes a short holiday break before squaring off with No. 8 Virginia Tech as part of the Flo Duals on Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 7 p.m. CT from Austin, Texas.

#12 Cornell 31, #21 North Carolina 9

125: #21 Brett Ungar (Cornell) won by decision over #33 Jack Wagner (North Carolina), 4-0
133: #3 Vito Arujau (Cornell) won by fall over #29 Joey Melendez (North Carolina), 4:25 … rest of story at Cornellbigred.com/12/20/wrestling-leaves-big-easy-with-two-wins-tops-21-north-carolina-31-9

December 30, 2022 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

No. 7 N.C. State wrestling team wins Journeyman Collegiate Duals

Wolfpack heads into 2023 undefeated at 8-0

NEW ORLEANS, LA. N.C. State junior Jarrett Trombley strutted through the halls of the New Orleans Convention Center with an over sized cup in his hand.
 
Trombley earned the right to carry the hardware, which wasn’t a cup, but a championship trophy.
 
Over the weekend at the Journeyman Collegiate Duals, four individuals went undefeated as the Wolfpack won the Red Pool, 27-12, with a win over No. 22 Northern Iowa.
 
No. 7 N.C. State (8-0) also defeated Cal-Poly and Lehigh, giving the Pack three wins over ranked teams in two days.
 
The finals featured seven matches when ranked opponents went head-to-head. Their wins over Lehigh and Northern Iowa were their first wins in program history in those series.
 
Head coach Pat Popolizio admittedly had question marks at the beginning of the year with a young roster. After a hot start, some of those have been answered.
 
“The one thing we can see with our team is we are starting to be a little more consistent,” Popolizio said. “Guys are settling into their style of wrestling and building confidence on stuff that we’ve worked on week to week. That’s what we got out of our team this weekend, guys showing up ready to compete.”
 
N.C. State won the first three matches over the Panthers (2-1), quickly gaining some important momentum right out the gate.
 
“You look at that match (early) on paper and there’s a lot of splits,” Popolizio said about the early showdowns. “When you can win those matches that are on paper, big toss ups it gives you some breathing room.” … rest of story at GOpack.com/news/2022/12/20/wrestling-young-n-c-state-wrestling-team-wins-journeyman-collegiate-duals

December 29, 2022 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

‘Cats Dominate Home Tri-Meet Over Queens and Presbyterian

DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Davidson College wrestling team turned in a dominating performance at its home tri-meet on Friday evening. The ‘Cats cruised past Queens 42-4 in the first dual, then took down Presbyterian in the Southern Conference opener 26-7. 

Head coach Nate Carr Jr. picked up his first career win and first conference win as the head coach of the Wildcats wrestling program. 

Davidson dominated the Royals in the first match of the night. Marc Koch kicked things off with a pin of David Makupson in just over four minutes during the 157-pound bout to get things started. Bryce and Brett Sanderlin followed suit with two more wins in the 165 and 174-pound matchups. Bryce Sanderlin pinned his opponent in a little over five minutes to earn six points. 

In the 184-pound match, Cameo Blankenship persevered in a 13-10 decision, and Gavin Henry pinned Riley Kuhn in two-and-a-half minutes during the 197-pound bout. 

During the heavyweight match, Jake Fernicola edged Queens’ Mikey Lytle in a hard-fought 4-2 decision. 

To wrap up the first match, Hale Robinson pinned his opponent … rest of story at Davidsonwildcats.com/news/Cats-dominate-home-tri-meet-over-queens-and-presbyterian

Gardner-Webb Drops Duals to Clarion and SIUE in Home Openers

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Runnin’ Bulldogs dropped both of their matches on Friday in the Gardner-Webb Duals. GWU lost to Clarion 33-6 in their first match and lost 22-19 to SIU Edwardsville to close out the day.

Clarion and SIU Edwardsville wrestled against Chattanooga as well before ending their day against each other.  

Gardner-Webb opened the morning against Clarion winning the opening two matches. Drew West won 8-6 for a decision at 125 and Todd Carter followed it with a 16-10 decision at 133. The Eagles triumphed in each of the next two by a single point to tie the dual at six each.

Clarion went on to win the remaining six matches including two by falls and one by a tech fall to claim the victory in the dual. The Eagles were also assessed a team point deduction for bench conduct.

In the ‘Dogs second dual, West started GWU with points again as he pinned Austin Macias right before the conclusion of the first period. Carter won his on a major decision and Zach Price won a 4-3 decision. Despite the fast start, the Cougars were victorious in the next four to get to an 18-13 lead in the dual.

The Runnin’ Bulldogs’ Jha’quan Anderson and Sam Mora won theirs on decisions at 184 and 197 to have the dual come down to the final match … rest of story at GWUsports.com/news/Gardner-webb-drops-duals-to-clarion-and-siue-in-home-openers

Gardner-Webb Wrestling Drops 23-15 Decision At Ohio University Monday Night

THENS, Ohio – Gardner-Webb jumped out to a 12-0 lead Monday night at Ohio University before falling to the Bobcats 23-15 in the team’s fifth dual of the season.

The Runnin’ Bulldogs (1-4) got a fall in 5:25 from freshman Drew West at 125 pounds to get off to a resounding start and an early 6-0 edge. Todd Carter followed with another strong effort, beating Mason Brugh 4-2 to push the team lead to 9-0 and Tyler Lamon took a 5-2 decision over Kyran Hagan for a 12-0 lead.

The Bobcats bounced back with wins at 149 and 157 pounds to trim the lead to 12-9 before RJ Mosley halted the rally with a hard fought 2-1 decision in two overtimes at 165 pounds.

Ohio won the final four bouts of the night, getting a 9-3 decision at 174 pounds to cut Gardner-Webb’s lead to 15-12 … rest of story at GWUsports.com/news/12/19/gardner-webb-wrestling-drops-23-15-decision-at-ohio-university-monday-night

December 29, 2022 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Greensboro Wrestling gives back to the Thanksgiving Basket Giving Project

Greensboro, NC – The Holidays are a time to reflect on the blessings we have as a member of the Greensboro College Athletic Family and the Pride programs always make it a priority to give back to the community any way they can.  This year the Greensboro College Wrestling team partnered with Spartan ELITE Wrestling Club to gather canned food and donations, which helped build food baskets with a full thanksgiving meal.  The meals included a turkey and all of the trimmings and were given to local families who were in need.  The 4th Annual Thanksgiving Basket Giving Project is an annual event that assists Greensboro area families with food needs during the Thanksgiving Holiday.   It was a great experience for the team and they were thrilled to be play a role in the families’ holiday.

“At Greensboro College we are building Champions on and off the mat, and giving back to the community is a way the we can show a tangible way to help families during the holidays like Thanksgiving”, said Head Coach Justin Harty.  “I am proud of our Greensboro College Wrestling team for gathering and donating canned goods and giving donations toward this great giving project benefiting Advance Adamance Charity Families. Learning to give back to others is just as important as anything else we teach in the wrestling room.  Being Giving Champions in the community is something we hope all Greensboro College Wrestlers take with them long after they hang up their wrestling shoes. Thanks to all the Pride supporters who helped us with this project this year”. … rest of story at Greensborocollegesports.com/news/greensboro-wrestling-gives-back-to-the-thanksgiving-basket-giving-project

December 29, 2022 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Appalachian State Takes Down No. 21 Tar Heels in Top-30 Showdown

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The first period of the first match wasn’t even complete before a pin-clinching whistle confirmed App State Wrestling’s intentions Thursday night.
 
The Mountaineers traveled to Chapel Hill ready to put up a tough, wire-to-wire fight against a ranked North Carolina team from the ACC.
 
In a top-30 showdown, with UNC ranking No. 21 in the NWCA Coaches Poll and as high as No. 17 among the other national polls, App State posted a 19-16 victory in Carmichael Arena to beat the Tar Heels for the second time in the last seven seasons.

Caleb Smith’s first-period pin in a matchup of ranked 125-pound wrestlers gave App State (1-1) six big points right off the bat, and a trio of wins from NCAA-experienced veterans in Sean Carter, Jon Jon Millner and Will Formato pushed the lead to 16-7 with four matches remaining.
 
The next three matches pitted three ranked wrestlers from UNC against three App State underclassmen, but Will Miller capped just his second career dual appearance by winning a 7-5 decision against returning All-American and eighth-ranked Clay Lautt at 174 pounds. Miller delivered a tiebreaking takedown with 36 seconds left and finished on top to give the Mountaineers a 19-7 advantage.
 
Close decisions in UNC’s favor at the final three weights resulted in the final nine points for the Tar Heels (1-3), but App State exited Carmichael with its fifth all-time win in the series and the second victory in the modern era, joining the 18-16 home win against a 25th-ranked UNC team in Boone during the 2016-17 season.
 
The other wins in the series occurred in 1965-66, 1960-61 and 1959-60. … rest of story at Appstatesports.com/news/2022/12/15/wrestling-tops-no-21-tar-heels-in-top-30-showdown
 

December 29, 2022 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Fresno City Reclaims Wrestling Title on Championship Saturday

LEMOORE, Calif. – The Fresno City Wrestling team reclaimed its spot at the top of the state as the Rams finished with 214 points to lead the field as all 12 of their wrestlers earned spots on the podium at the 2022 CCCAA Wrestling State Championships.

FCC also had five state champions with Devin Murphy (133lbs), Jackson Morgan (157lbs), Jake Prudek (174lbs), Luke Meyer (184lbs), and Rudy Garcia (197lbs), helping them secure their fifth championship since 2016 and 18^th in school history.

Mt. San Antonio and Cerritos jousted for second place all tournament and saw their battle come down to the wire. With 154.5 points, Mounties held off the Cerritos Falcons who finished just short at 153.5 points.

The Mounties showed their depth with 11 wrestlers placing while Christopher Bentancourt (125lbs) claimed an individual championship. … rest of story at CCCAasports.org/sports/wrest/2022-23/releases

December 27, 2022 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Mount Olive tallies two wins at Trojan Duals

MOUNT OLIVE (Dec. 11) – The University of Mount Olive men’s wrestling team secured 13 victories and posted a pair of wins over Emmanuel and Greensboro on Sunday afternoon at the Trojan Duals hosted in Kornegay Arena.
 
With the wins, the Trojans improve to 8-2 overall and with the victory over Emmanuel move to 3-0 this season in conference action. Mount Olive remains undefeated in the league alongside UNC Pembroke and Lander, who both have three wins.
 
Below are the team scores for today’s dual meets.
 
Mount Olive over Emmanuel, 29-17
Emmanuel over Greensboro, 42-12
Mount Olive over Greensboro, 41-12
 
Against Emmanuel, the Lions took an early 3-0 advantage following a win by a 5-1 decision in the 125 weight class before freshman Jeffrey Richards (133) battled to a 3-0 decision over Harvey Ridings to tie the meet at 3-3. Emmanuel responded with an 11-2 major decision at 141 to take a 7-3 lead before the Trojans rattled off four-straight wins. Redshirt freshman Dallas Wilson (149) had a dominant performance to post an 18-1 technical fall over Clayton Frost to give UMO an 8-7 advantage. Redshirt junior Michael Vernagallo followed with another impressive showing after recording a 16-0 technical fall against Gage Shetley in the 157 weight class. At 165, sophomore Jake Nicolosi registered a 19-3 technical fall versus Connor Smith before redshirt freshman Seth Thomas notched a 17-1 technical fall over Grady Tisdale to extend the lead to 23-7 over Emmanuel. … rest of story at OMOtrojans.com/news/2022/12/11/wrestling-mount-olive-tallies-two-wins-at-trojan-duals

December 27, 2022 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment