Huskers Finish Second at Cliff Keen
The Nebraska wrestling team claimed second at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, which concluded with final bouts on Saturday. The Big Red finished with 115 points, among the 30 programs competing at the tournament. Antrell Taylor (157) claimed his first Cliff Keen title, after winning his top-10 matchup in the final.
Finals:
No. 5 Ridge Lovett went 4-0 to start the tournament, as the reigning champ in the 149 weight class. Lovett tallied two ranked wins and two bonus point wins on his way to the championship match, where he faced No. 1 Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech. The familiar foes were tied at three-all, taking the bout to overtime, where Henson claimed the title with a takedown.
No. 3 Taylor went 5-0, claiming the 157 championship. Taylor took down four ranked opponents, and had a major dec. and pin along the way. Taylor faced No. 6 Ryder Downey of Northern Iowa in the final, where he persevered to a 4-3 victory. Taylor’s Vegas run improved his season record to 12-0.
Third-place Matches:
No. 2 Caleb Smith (125) took his first three matches and suffered his first loss against No. 11 Eddie Ventresca in overtime in the semifinal. Smith took his next match to stay alive, putting him in the consolation semifinals against No. 10 Brendan McCrone. Smith won in overtime, 6-3, but fell in the third-place match to No. 4 Troy Spratley.
No. 4 Brock Hardy (141) opened the tournament with two major decisions. Hardy dropped his semifinal match against No. 10 Tagen Jamison, but bounced back in his final two matches to take third place. The junior sealed his podium finish with a 40-second fall, and improved on his previous sixth-place finish. Hardy’s 4-1 stretch also notched his 70th career win.
No. 20 Bubba Wilson (165) claimed two upsets in his 4-2 run to fourth place. Wilson opened with three wins, including a 6-4 decision over No. 7 Sammy Sasso. The senior fell in overtime in his semifinal match, but took down No. 25 Drake Rhodes (South Dakota State) for a spot in the third-place match. … more at … https://huskers.com/news/2024/12/8/huskers-finish-second-at-cliff-keen-24
Ryan Mann and Holton Quincy presented Heverly & Carroll Awards
The 2024 Roy Heverly and Lee Carroll Awards were presented to North East Carolina Prep School State Champions Ryan Mann and Holton Quincy during a pause between matches during their first home meet today. The TakeDown Report Editor, Martin Fleming presented these awards to Ryan and Holton. These awards recognize top underclassmen wrestlers in eastern North Carolina.
Holton Quincy was presented the 26th Annual Lee Carroll Award for excellence in athletics, academics and sportsmanship in northeastern North Carolina last season. Holton was the first freshman state champion in Edgecombe County history with 52 wins and 1 loss last season.
Lee Carroll started wrestling as a sophomore when Tarboro High School re-started their program in 1992. Lee won 112 matches in 3 years with the Vikings. Lee was state runner-up his junior year before becoming a record setting undefeated state champion in 1995 with a (50-0) record. Lee went on to start four years at North Carolina State qualifying for the Nationals 3 times. Lee has taught engineering graphics at N.C. State and has his own interactive design agency, Forged Media, in Raleigh. He is a member of the Tarboro High Athletic Hall of Fame.
Previous award winners include Ryan Mann in 2023, Caleb Beaty of Corinth-Holders (2022), Logan Tortual of Rosewood (2021). Javon Armstrong of Pamlico County (2020), Aaron Bancroft of Wilson-Fike (2019), Timothy and Christian Decatur of Rosewood (2018), Jaqwuez Norman of Farmville Central (2017), Kaleb Taylor of Rosewood (2016), Wilson Smith of Rocky Mount (2015 & 2014), Angel Najar of North Pitt (2013), Alexander Knight and Jacineto Williamson of Rocky Mount in 2012, Chris Fess of Beddingfield and Tamaris Lane of Nash Central in 2011, Chandler Phillips of Rocky Mount (2010), Landon Lucas of SW Edgecombe (2009), Corey Smith (2008) and Eric Sutton (2007) of Tarboro, Zach Shearin and Paul Horner (2006) and Pat Anstead (2004) of Southern Nash, Jimmy McNamara (2005) of Wilson Hunt and Sammi Hadi (2003) of SW Edgecombe.
Ryan Mann was presented the 26th Annual Roy Heverly Award for his excellence in athletics, academics and sportsmanship in eastern North Carolina. He earned his first state medal as a freshman at 120 pounds and the first state medalist in wrestling for N.E. Carolina Prep School. As a sophomore, Mann a state finalist with a (58-1) record. After an undefeated season last year his scholastic career record, so far, is 145 wins and 5 losses.
Previous ‘Roy Heverly Award’ winners include Ian Fritz in 2023, Joe Sculthorpe(2014) and Matteson Correll(2013) of Topsail, Alex Hopper(2022), Mark Samuel(2021 & 2020) and Frank Hickman(2007) of Wilmington Laney, Caleb Beaty(2021) of Wake Forest, River Carroll(2020) of Swansboro, Christian Decatur(2019) and Nick Quillen(2012) of Rosewood, Alec Sampson(2018) of Hoggard, Beau Studebaker(2017) of East Carteret, Harrison Campbell(2016) of West Brunswick, Blaine Mainz(2015) of and Tyler Ross(2012) of Jacksonville, Jake Smith(2011) and Charlie Millea(2008) of Havelock, Marquin Hill(2010) of Washington, Ryan Blackwell(2009) and Sean O’Laker(2006) of Croatan, Eddie Sawyer(2005) and Brian Lashomb(2004) of Currituck County and Raymond Jordan of New Bern in 2003,
The award is named in honor of former state champion Roy Heverly, a 4 time state medalist at West Carteret and three time All-American at The University of North Carolina-Pembroke. The TakeDown Report promotes amateur wrestling in eastern North Carolina, sponsors these Awards. “These awards recognize successful wrestlers in the area each year.” Fleming noted, “It encourages the young men from the teams in the eastern part of the state with another opportunity for all to realize the hard work, determination and discipline it takes to be a top wrestler,” he added. The TDR ranks wrestlers in the ‘TDR Top 12’ as displayed on the TDR Blog page. The TDR has been involved in reporting wrestling results and encouraging media coverage of amateur wrestling in eastern North Carolina for over 25 years. Contact the TDR at martinkfleming@gmail.com and check our blog at https://takedownreport.wordpress.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/The-TakeDown-Report-235098404048/
NC State Wrestling Charged Up For ‘Toughest Tournament In The Country’
North Carolina State won’t have a full lineup, but the Wolfpack is ready to tangle with the loaded field at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational
It’s hard to argue that the Cliff Keen Invitational is not college wrestling’s top in-season tournament each year. This year marks the third straight year NC State will be among the teams competing in Las Vegas. Last year, 37 out of the 80 2024 All-Americans competed at the Cliff Keen Invite. This year will feature eight of the top 12 teams ranked in this week’s Flowrestling rankings “Anytime you can get into an arena and have that many guys going on and placing at NCAAs, you know that is the toughest tournament in the country,” NC State coach Pat Popolizio said. “There is not another tournament in the country (during the season) that mirrors what goes on in Las Vegas.
“We love going to it. We know with the amount of competition there every year, our guys need to zone in and focus. We gave ourselves a month of completion to be ready for this level of competition.” Not all 10 starters will be in action for NC State in Las Vegas this weekend.
Christian Knop is still out after having to injury default in the dual against Appalachian State on Nov. 15. Stepping into his spot at 197 pounds will be sophomore Andrew Macchiavello, the younger brother of 2018 national champion Michael Macchiavello. Kai Orine and Dylan Fishback will also not compete this weekend. Orine won the 133-pound weight class in Las Vegas last year, while Fishback also reached the podium with a seventh-place showing.
Early-Season Standouts
A pair of Wolfpack wrestlers have turned heads with their early season results, and both were not in the lineup last year as they redshirted. They will also compete in perhaps the top two weight classes at the Cliff Keen — 125 pounds and heavyweight. One was expected to make the jump into the top-10 this year, while the second started as a backup and has caught the attention of many after his great start to the season as an unknown.
Isaac Trumble redshirted last year after starting his first two seasons at 197 pounds. Now at heavyweight, Trumble is ranked fifth nationally. He is also a past Cliff Keen champion back in his 197-pound days. … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/13131773-nc-state-wrestling-charged-up-for-toughest-tournament-in-the-country
New WIN Rankings released; Ten Top-15 teams and 100 nationally-ranked wrestlers at Vegas Invite
NEWTON, Iowa — The Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational has historically pitted the nation’s best college wrestlers against each other early in the season as this weekend’s 42nd annual tournament features over 100 nationally-ranked wrestlers and 10 teams that are rated among the Top-15 schools in WIN Magazine’s Dec. 2 NCAA Div. I rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.
Led by Oklahoma State, rated No. 3 in WIN’s Tournament Power Index, the other notable teams in WIN’s latest TPI that will wrestle this Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6-7, in the Las Vegas Convention Center, include No. 4 Nebraska, 5 Ohio State, 6 NC State, 7 Virginia Tech, 9 Cornell, 10 Iowa State, 11 Michigan, 12 Northern Iowa and 15 South Dakota State.
Depending exactly on which wrestlers enter, this could mean as many as 27 wrestlers ranked in the top five of their weight class:
- 125 – No. 1 Richard Figueroa (Arizona State); No. 2 Matt Ramos (Purdue); No. 3 Caleb Smith (Nebraska); No. 5 Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State);
- 133 – No. 3 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan);
- 141 – No. 1 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State); No. 4 Brock Hardy (Nebraska); No. 5 Cael Happel (Northern Iowa);
- 149 – No. 1 Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech); No. 3 Ty Watters (West Virginia); No.5 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska); … more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2024/12/02/new-win-rankings-released-ten-top-15-teams-and-100-nationally-ranked-wrestlers-at-vegas-invite/
EIWA Weekly Recap (11/27/2024)
Highlights
- #22 Danny Wask of Navy wins Navy Classic after beating #6 Pinto of Nebraska
- American dominates the weekend with 2-0 dual record
- Army’s Ethan Berginc captures Black Knight Invite title to remain undefeated
Maryland 43 Morgan State 3
125 – Tyler Garvin (Maryland) tech Julian Dawson (Morgan State) 17-2
133 – Braxton Brown (Maryland) tech Kevin Lopez (Morgan State) 17-1
141 – Dario Lemus (Maryland) fall Myrin Nixon (Morgan State) 3:29
149 – Michael Pizzuto (Maryland) dec Aaron Turner (Morgan State) 2-0
157 – Ethen Miller (Maryland) tech Eric Tecson (Morgan State) 19-4
165 – John Martin Best (Maryland) tech Sam Diggs (Morgan State) 20-5
174 – Darrien Roberts (Morgan State) dec Branson John (Maryland) 3-2
184 – Jaxon Smith (Maryland) tech Kingsley Menifee (Morgan State) 22-6
197 – Chase Mielnik (Maryland) fall Eric Washington (Morgan State) :27
285 – Seth Nevills (Maryland) dec Xavier Doolin (Morgan State) 5-3
American 33 Duke 6
125 – JJ Peace (American) tech Ethan Grimminger (Duke) 20-4
133 – Raymond Lopez (American) maj Raymond Adams (Duke) 17-7 … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/eiwa/eiwa-weekly-recap-11272024-r99780/
Dozens of wrestlers will battle to be crowned first girls champs
After years of lobbying, girls finally get their own wrestling division in DODEA-Europe.
Those hitting the mats will be making history when the season begins Saturday at Ramstein, Wiesbaden and Vicenza.
They also will be seeking the first titles for girls at the European championships Feb. 6-8 at the Wiesbaden Sport and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany, after a few of their female predecessors fell just short over the last decade. Some have a leg up on the competition, having grappled with the boys for years, while others are giving the sport a try for the first time. They will compete across eight weight classes – 105, 110, 115, 120, 130, 140, 155 and 170-and-above. Those designations could change during the season, according to DODEA European athletic director Kathy Clemmons. Here’s a team-by-team look at the first girls wrestling season, based on responses from coaches across Europe: Alconbury The Dragons don’t have a large contingent, but they can boast having one of the most experienced wrestlers across Europe. Originally a gymnast, senior Richele Reyes switched over to wrestling when her family moved to the Netherlands. She’s qualified for the European meet three times in her high school career, finishing sixth at 120 pounds her sophomore year. … more at … https://www.stripes.com/sports/europe/2024-12-04/dodea-europe-girls-wrestling-preview-16056145.html
Walsh Jesuit Ironman 2024: What to know about this year’s wrestling tournament
CLEVELAND, Ohio — When the Walsh Jesuit Ironman comes around you know it’s wrestling season in Northeast Ohio. One of the nations biggest in-season high school wrestling tournaments is back this season for its 30th edition.
More than 130 schools will be represented as wrestlers from 27 different states make their way to the tournament. The boys tournament will run throughout the day on Friday and Saturday, while the second annual girls tournament runs from Saturday to Sunday.
There are more than 55 Division I college commits scheduled to be in attendance as well as a handful of national powerhouse programs. That includes last season’s team champion, Wyoming Seminary (N.J.), which is always a team favorite, though it’s yet to be seen if anyone can come anywhere near the tournament record 297 points set by St. Edward in 1997.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 30th Ironman:
When: Doors open at 7 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday doors open at 9 a.m. following an 8 a.m. Mass in the Chapel. Friday, 10 a.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. (championship matches begin at 4 p.m.). A full schedule with … more at … https://www.cleveland.com/highschoolsports/2024/12/walsh-jesuit-ironman-wrestling-preview-2024-what-to-know-about-this-years-tournament.html
DI Live Streaming Guide (12/4 – 12/8/2024)
We’ve made it through the first month of the 2024-25 wrestling season. Now, on to December. After the Thanksgiving holiday, we’re back to a normal week of college wrestling action. A total of 24 duals will be contested along with the CKLV. Since it can be difficult to figure out where and when to watch all of these events, InterMat has put together a list of all of the live-streamed events occurring this week. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match (with links).
To make this guide even easier to find, we’ve added a link on our homepage and the latest Live Streaming Guide will appear right under the header articles.
All times Eastern
Wednesday, December 4:
Drexel at Clarion 7:00 PM FloWrestling
Thursday, December 5:
LIU at Bloomsburg 7:00 PM FloWrestling
Lake Erie at Kent State 7:00 PM
Friday, December 6:
Appalachian State, Arizona State, Binghamton, Cal Poly, California Baptist, Columbia, Cornell, CSU Bakersfield, Harvard, Hofstra, Iowa State, Michigan, Navy, NC State, Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Purdue, Rider, Sacred Heart, South Dakota State, Stanford, Utah Valley, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wyoming at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational 12:00 PM FloWrestling
Iowa vs. Princeton at St. Charles, MO 7:00 PM UFC Fight Pass – CFFC Match Day
Army West Point vs. Iowa at St. Charles, MO, 9:00 PM UFC Fight Pass – CFFC Match Day
Buffalo at American 1:00 PM ESPN+
Buffalo at George Mason 5:00 PM ESPN+
Illinois vs. Indiana at Indianapolis, IN 5:00 PM Big Ten Network
Davidson at Duke 6:00 PM ACC Network Extra
Lock Haven at Rutgers 7:00 PM B1G+
Penn at Virginia 7:00 PM ACC Network Extra
Central Michigan at Oklahoma 8:00 PM ESPN+ … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/47_streaming-guide/di-live-streaming-guide-124-1282024-r99794/
2024-25 Preseason National High School Wrestling Rankings: Final Update
Several states have already hit the mats, but the high school wrestling season gets underway in earnest after the Thanksgiving holiday; check out the final update to our preseason national wrestling rankings
By Billy Buckheit, Nov. 26th.
We’re here—the 2024-2025 high school wrestling season is officially underway! Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Texas have been active for a few weeks already. Illinois has joined them with a few events before Thanksgiving. Following the holiday break, every state in the country will kick off their season, except for New Jersey, which begins in mid-December.
With our final edition of the rankings before things kick off, we’ve narrowed it down to one wrestler per team, per weight. Additionally, we’ve removed Valiant Prep wrestlers since they don’t compete during the regular season. They will be added back in come March when they return to the mats in an official capacity.
The Walsh Ironman takes place next weekend (Dec. 6-7). The Ironman is widely regarded as the most challenging high school tournament in the country. It promises to deliver a ton of excitement and is sure to shake up these carefully cultivated rankings.
We say “carefully cultivated” with all the humility possible. We conduct an incredible amount of research and maintain detailed records on not just every wrestler in our rankings, but also every wrestler on our radar—probably 60 to 70 at each weight class. This level of research and record-keeping allows us to be highly accurate.
Instead of speculating or vaguely remembering results, we always have every match right in front of us. This wealth of data enables us to fine-tune the rankings. We can explain every placement. These rankings are not randomly thrown together; there’s a rationale behind where every wrestler is ranked.
One big win shouldn’t—and won’t—erase a series of bad losses. Similarly, a single bad loss doesn’t necessarily cancel out a string of significant victories. National rankings are always subject to change, as upsets are a constant factor. That’s where our detailed record-keeping comes into play.
Because we document every match for each wrestler, it’s easy for us to compare multiple athletes side by side and arrive at the most logical rankings order based on all outcomes—not just recent ones. Of course, recent results take precedence, but as we mentioned, a wrestler’s past record doesn’t disappear due to one new result, whether it’s positive or negative.
Our next update will come before Ironman. Once we have the seeds for the Ironman and the Dan Gable Donnybrook, which also takes place next weekend, we’ll make any necessary changes to weight classes. While we’ve seen lineups for many of the top teams, we know adjustments will be needed over the first few weeks of the season. … more at … https://www.si.com/high-school/wrestling/2024-25-preseason-national-high-school-wrestling-rankings-final-update-01jdnte76p05
No. 19 WVU Tops App State Wrestling in Debut for New-Look Varsity Gym
BOONE, N.C. — The opening home dual of App State Wrestling’s 2024-25 season featured more significant firsts.
The Mountaineers won two matches and held late leads in two other high-profile battles during a 37-8 loss to No. 19 West Virginia on a cold, snowy Friday that didn’t deter an enthusiastic crowd. It was the debut for a new-look Varsity Gym, highlighted by the unveiling of a C. Philip Byers Scoreboard with video capabilities and a Barker Arena display. Spectators filled new premium bleacher seats on the main floor of Varsity, putting groups of fans on three sides of a new competition mat.
“It was a really awesome atmosphere tonight, and I’m really thankful for our fans and all of App Nation that showed up,” App State head coach JohnMark Bentley said. “It was a great atmosphere to compete in. Obviously, I wish we would have performed a little better, but the venue was awesome.”
Carson Floyd’s overtime takedown gave him a 4-1 decision over Rune Lawrence at 197 pounds, and Kaden Keiser’s 21-5 tech fall of Blake Boyers at 149 pounds produced five team points for the Mountaineers (0-2 with a pair of losses to top-20 opponents).
West Virginia (3-0) earned bonus points in six of its eight wins. Finishing the first period on top, eighth-ranked Will Miller held a 3-1 lead with 1:41 in riding time entering the third period at 165 pounds against third-ranked Peyton Hall, a two-time All-American. Miller went up 4-1 on an escape early in the third and nearly followed that with a takedown, but Hall prevented a score and produced a tying takedown with 43 seconds left.
With Miller’s riding time falling under a minute, he was unable to record a tiebreaking escape. Instead, Hall put Miller in a compromised position that led to a signal for back points before ending the match by fall with 11 seconds left.
The other dramatic match started the dual, as App State’s Chad Bellis jumped out to a 7-1 … more at … https://appstatesports.com/news/2024/11/22/no-19-wvu-tops-app-state-wrestling-in-debut-for-new-look-varsity-gym.aspx
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 