Wrestling News and Updates

State Tournament Round-Up

State Tournament Round-Up

Feb 20, 2015 by Willie Saylor
State Tournament Round-Up
State tournaments this week take place in: CO, IL, IA, MO, NE, NC, AR, IN, KY, LA, NM, ND, TX, VA, and WA. For links to all state brackets, visit our tournament hub here.

Saturday
What a day! So many good bouts across the country as championship finals were staged in several key states.

Jaydin Clayton (1A 145) became Missouri's second ever wrestler to go undefeated four all four years. He's joins only Scott Schatzman as The Show Me State's undefeated four-timers.

Below, we'll hit the highlights from Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, and Indiana.


In Illinois -
Rudy Yates denied Kris Williams (3A 126) his fourth state title. Yates had a set of nearfall that paced him to a 7-2 win. 

Eric Barone upset #4-Larry Early (145 3A) with a second period counter. In the third period, Early looked like he had the winning score but they were called out of bounds.

In one of the highest profile matches of the day, #4-Austin Gomez scored on a throw to beat #3-Jason Renteria. Renteria had won in the sectional last week.

Elijah Oliver (120 2A) won three state titles and a Fargo crown in Tennesee. And after making the move to Washington HS, he has an Illinois state title to go along with it.


In Indiana - 
Joe Lee unseated #12-Brandon James (138) in the semi's. HM-Tommy Cash would pin Lee in the finals.

Most people were expecting a Heavyweight showdown between #16-Norman Oglesby and #8-Shawn Streck. But Nathon Trawick beat Oglesby in the semi. Streck would win the title by fall.

Penn won a tight team race with 79pts., just 6 more than Runners-Up Indianapolis Cathedral. 


In Iowa - 
Southeast Polk beat Bettendorf for the 3A title by 39pts. Mediapolis were the champs in 2A, Alburnett in 1A.

In the two most anticipated finals - #10-Bryce Steiert beat #9-Dayton Racer at 160. Up at 220, #13-Ethan Andersen beat #10-Gannon Gremmel.


4-for-4: Winning Four State Titles
Nebraska - Doyle Trout
Missouri - Jaydin Clayton
Iowa - Max Thomsen
Louisiana - Paul Klein
Tennessee/Illinois - Elijah Oliver
Washington - Fred Green

llinois 3A Finals Results
106: Michael McGee (Plainfield East) fall HM-Louie Hayes (Sandburg), 3:43
113: #4-Austin Gomez (Glenbard North) dec #3-Jason Renteria (OPRF), 4-3
120: HM-Mike Cullen (Cary Grove) dec. #18-Alex Madrigal (OPRF), 3-1 OT
126: #3-Rudy Yates (Sandburg) dec. #12-Kris Williams (Thornwood), 7-2
132: #13-Austin O’Connor (St. Rita) md. Alex McKenna (New Trier), 14-6
138: HM-Shayne Oster (Lockport) dec. Anthony Cheloni (Marmion), 5-4 
145: Eric Barone (Crystal Lake South) dec. #4-Larry Early (OPRF), 3-2
152: #1-Isaiah White (OPRF) dec. Matt Rowland (Willowbrook), 9-3
160: HM-Matt Rundell (OPRF) dec. HM-Joey Gunther (Libertyville), 3-2
170: Riley DeMoss (Hononegah) dec. HM-Jack Jessen (Willowbrook), 5-4
182: #8-Nathan Traxler (Marmion) dec. Tyler DeMoss (Hononegah), 7-4
195: Tim Young (Aurora East) dec. Luke Greenberg (Glenbard North)
220: Josh King (Hinsdale South) dec. Eric Johnson (Plainfield South), 9-6
HWT: Jake Ford (Marist) dec. Matt Allen (Hinsdale South), 1-0

Illinois 2A Finals Results
106: #8-Real Woods (Montini) tf. Trey Keeley (Washington), 18-3
113: #2-Jabari Moody (Rich Central) dec. Dack Punke (Washington), 3-1
120: #10-Elijah Oliver (Washington) tf. Jack Henderson (Bloomington), 16-1
126: Dan Swan (Oak Forest) dec. Jimmy Pawelski (Montini), 5-1
132: HM-Dylan Duncan (Montini) dec. Grant Sutton (Richmond Burton), 2-1 OT
138: Hunter Grau (Geneseo) dec. #17-Alex Butler (Boylan Catholic), 5-3 OT
145: #10-Vince Turk (Montini) dec. Daniel Close (Ottawa Township), 10-8
152: HM-Luke Fortuna (Montini) dec. Chase Vosburgh (Mt. Vernon), 5-1 
160: HM-Randy Meneweather (Washington) fall Kordell Norfleet (Marian), :56
170: HM-Jacob Warner (Washington) dec. Cole Witzig (Triad), 7-2
182: #9-Xavier Montalvo (Montini) tf. Javier Soto (Bremen), 22-6
195: #18-Andrew Marsden (Crystal Lake Central) dec. Eric Schultz (Tinley Park), 3-2
220: Romeo McKnight (Crystal Lake Central) dec. Jake Godinez (Washington), 6-2
HWT: #2-Michael Johnson (Montini) dec. Nick Czar (Highland), 2-0

Missouri Class 4 Finals Results
106: Malik Johnson (CBC) dec. Cameron Fusco (Seckman), 7-2
113: HM-Sidney Oliver (Holt) dec. Gage Harmon (Blue Springs), 5-0
120: #20-Kyran Hagan (Eureka) dec. Clayton Berry (Holt), 7-3
126: #18-Colby Smith (Holt) fall. Ethan Nielsen (Lee’s Summit West), 2:24
132: HM-Weston Basler (Seckman) dec. HM-Alec Hagan), 3-2 OT
138: #3-Ke-Shawn Hayes (Park Hill) tf. Nick McGee (Howell), 16-0
145: Jesse Jeffries (Ft. Osage) dec. Austin Eveler (Lee’s Summit West), 5-3
152: HM-Canten Marriott (Park Hill) dec. HM-Luke Weiland (Seckman), 2-0 OT
160: #13-Connor Flynn (Howell) tf. Jesse Reser (Ft. Osage), 17-2
170: HM-Colston DiBlasi (Park Hill) dec. Zach Elam (Staley), 5-0
182: Mike Aldrich (Parkway South) md. Trey Storey (Blue Springs South), 13-6
195: #15-Chance Cooper (Timberland) dec. Jalen Martin (Jefferson City), 8-5
220: Christian Lance (Nixa) dec. Joey Ziegler (Howell Central), 5-3. 
HWT: Caleb Gossett (Howell Central) dec. Chase Behrndt (Wildwood), 1-0

Iowa 3A Finals Results
106: #19-Brody Teske (Ft. Dodge) dec. Jake Allison (Waukee), 8-4
113: HM-Jack Wagner (Bettendorf) dec. Triston Lara (Ft. Dodge), 9-4
120: HM-Jake Schwarm (Bettendorf) fall. Grant Stotts (West Des Moines Valley), 2:58
126: #17-Nolan Hellickson (SE Polk) dec. Skylar DeJong (Oskaloosa), 8-2
132: Mike Zachary (Dowling Catholic) dec. Paul Glynn (Bettendorf), 5-2
138: Josh Wenger (Cedar Rapids Prairie) dec. Dan Kelly (Cedar Falls), 8-2
145: #3-Fredy Stroker (Bettendorf) fall. Aaron Meyer (SE Polk), :43
152: Marcus Coleman (Ames) dec. Briar Ditmar (SE Polk), 9-5
160: #10-Bryce Steiert (Waverly Shell Rock) dec. #9-Dayton Racer (Bettendorf), 3-1
170: HM-Isaiah Patton (Dowling Catholic) dec. Max Lyon (Western Dubuque), 5-3 OT
182: Mitch Otto (Sioux City East) dec. Jarod Cadena (Cedar Rapids Praire), 4-1
195: Sam Cook (Ft. Dodge) dec. Deion Mikesell (SE Polk), 6-2
220: #13-Ethan Anderson (SE Polk) dec. #10-Gannon Gremmel (Dubuque Hempstead), 9-3
HWT: #7-Jake Marnin (SE Polk) fall. Dalton Kuehl (Cedar Rapids Jefferson). 5:00

Indiana Finals Results
106: Colton Cummings (Lowell) md Tyler Mills (Brownsburg), 8-0
113: #9-Garrett Pepple (East Noble) dec. HM-Drew Hildebrandt (Penn), 5-2
120: Brock Hudkins (Danville) dec. Sawyer Miller (S. Adams), 3-1 OT
126: #1-Chad Red (New Palestine) dec. Gaige Torres (Portage), 9-2
132: #6-Nick Lee (Mater Dei) md. Jordan Vaughn (Franklin Central), 16-5
138: HM-Tommy Cash (Lawrence N.) fall. HM-Joe Lee (Mater Dei), 3:11
145: Jacob Covaciu (Merriville) dec. Steven Lawrence (Portage), 7-5 OT
152: #15-Tommy Forte (Mishawaka) dec. Kellen VanCamp (Lebanon), 9-3
160: #12-Drew Hughes (Lowell) fall. Darden Schurg (Crown Point), 3:06
170: Dylan Lydy (Ben Davis) dec. Ben Harvey (Cathedral), 3-1 OT
182: Chase Osborn (Penn) dec. Corey Hinkle (Western), 8-6
195: #7-Blake Rypel (Cathedral) fall. Tristen Tonte (Perry Meridian), 3:13
220: #19-Kobe Woods (Penn) dec. Courvoisier Morrow (Warren Central), 7-2
HWT: #8-Shawn Streck (Merriville) fall. Nathon Trawick (Richmond), 5:34



Friday Highlights

Below we’ll highlight some of the big developments from around the country, particularly focusing on Iowa, Missouri, and Indiana, and with a heavy dose of the Land of Lincoln due to their 17 nationally ranked finalists in 3A and 2A alone.

Kirk Johansen (106), ranked #1 in IL 3A, was upset by Darvell Flagg in quarters.

Nick Lukanich and Mike Cullen, two household names in Illinois, also met in quarters with Cullen, ranked fourth in Illinois, beating the second-ranked Lukanich,

In 2A, Montini and Washington dominated as they combined for 13 of the 28 finalists.

More From Illinois -
126 - Kris Williams-Gabe Townsell (3A) Quarter: The first match of a three-leg gauntlet for Williams in his bid for 4 state titles. He looked great with three takedowns to Townsell’s zero.

113 - Robbie Precin-Renteria (3A) Semifinal: The #3 ranked wrestler in the country was on the ropes against the freshman Precin. Renteria pushed the pace the second half of the match but there were some questionable (non) calls. JRent was able to ride out and escape in OT.

120 - Elijah Oliver-Travis Piotrowski (2A) Semifinal: The refs conferred on the edge of the mat and gave Piotrowski a takedown that gave him the lead late. Oliver, a three-time state champ in Tennessee and a Fargo Champ in 2013, earned an escape to tie it with about :20 left. But he took and scored on an immediate shot to clinch it.

126 - Kris Williams-Julian Blanco (3A) Semifinal: Blanco had beaten Williams with a penalty point last week, and it looked like that may be the case again. Williams was dinged for pushing Blanco out of bounds from rear standing, but came back to win 6-5.

138 - Cheloni-Alexander (3A) Semifinal: Ranked 3rd in the state as just a Sophomore, Cheloni blanked the #1 ranked Alexander 3-0.

160 - Fortuna-Champagne (2A) Semifinal: Not much action between the two, but worth noting as Fortuna, the #1 guy in Illinois escaped in ultimate ride out to knock off Champagne, who came in #3.

160 - Gunther-Carello (3A) Semifinal : Gunther clearly had TWO from neutral in OT but it was inexplicably not called. Both guys escaped from bottom before Gunther rode Carello out in Ultimate.

195 - Both Semifinals in 3A : The top two ranked kids in the state went down. First FILA Cadet WTM Tim Young dominated Christian Brunner, 10-4. Then Luke Greenberg scored the first takedown and held on to beat the top ranked kid in the state and the #10 wrestler in the country, Tyler Johnson, 4-3.


In Iowa -
Southeast Polk took the drama out of what was an anticipated team race with Bettendorf by blowing the doors off the arena. SEP put six wrestlers in tomorrow’s finals and ended the day with 165pts. Bettendorf has 128pts. with five finalists.

Things to look forward to tomorrow include Fredy Stroker in his 4th final looking for his third gold, Max Thomsen looking to join the 4xer club, and a mega showdowns at 160 and 220 in 3A.


In Indiana - 
The Hoosier State (a one-class system and one of my personal favorite state tournaments) wrestles just one round on Day I. It cuts the field entirely in half as there are no wrestle backs for first round losers.

That was a tough deal for 2014 106 State Champ Jeremiah Reitz, who fell in the opening round at 120 to Tyler Ferguson.

Working off a 16-man bracket, they are now in quarters. From a national lens, the first round went about as scheduled. Here are a few of the particular developments I’ll have my eye on tomorrow:

- Paul Konrath (Mt. Vernon) vs. Blake Glogouski (Fairfield) at 113. Konrath was the Fargo Cadet Champ at 106 last summer. Winner likely gets Fargo Junior Runner-Up Drew Hildebrandt.
- 138 where Fr. Joe Lee has a semifinal date with Brandon James.
- Speaking of freshmen, pay attention to 182lber Mason Parris, who is just crushing his elders.


In PA -
The District round of state qualifiers kicked off. The big news is returning State Champion Jan Johnson, ranked #3 in the country, lost in District quarterfinals.



In similar fashion, look for updates from around the country tomorrow, but until then, let me end with a comment on the Virginia High School League.

The powers that be at the VHSL decided, because of inclement weather, that all divisions would be one day and single elimination. Fans across the state voiced their displeasure early and often.

What seems like a shortsighted decision comes on the heels of increasing the number of state championship classifications to six, which many in the Commonwealth weren’t happy with either. I won’t beat the drum here much further, but we’ll certainly hit the topic with our own VA native and former HS Coach, Christian Pyles on Flo Radio Live in the future.

For now, here’s a glimpse of the angst - a social media post from the father of the 19th ranked 160lber in the country: