2025 Escape the Rock news - Jan 18 & 19

[dicemen99]

Many of you know that I run this tournament with my good buddy of almost 50 years, Ed Evans. Ed and I met when I went out for wrestling at Newtown MS in 7th grade. Ed started the tournament in 2005 and I joined him in 2007 and with the help of a LOT of people and the support of the best HS staff in PA (biased!) it's been growing ever since.

This year's tournament will be our deepest yet, with over 60 wrestlers that are currently in the top 25 of their weight and over 100 that have been ranked at one time or another. It is a good year for wrestling in this area as the Beast and Powerade were also very strong this year.

We will have a great team race with FCA, Lake Highland, Malvern, St. Ed's and over a dozen teams in the top 50.

152 may be our deepest weight ever. We may have had a better podium (maybe) in the past, but when you have Fargo freestyle AA seeded 17th and a current year Beast medalist seeded 20th that is a banger of a weight. We will have multi- medalists from power states facing off in the first round.

Not so much depth at 215 or 285 though as you have 5 or 6 kids that are really, really good and then STEEP dropoffs. This mirrors the other big tournaments and has been trending for the past few years. Getting very hard to get the football players who have scholarships in place to wrestle their JR and SR years.

107 will be a lot of fun as well as we have a lot of the young elite freshmen who have been making waves and also have a couple of kids who dropped that are looking to put them in their place.

Joey Bachmann and Botero have switched weights and this will be a chance to see where Bachmann stacks up at 127 with Dillard, Brown, O'Neill, etc. Botero took some losses up at 127 earlier in the year but now is back at his best weight.

BUT, the most interesting story to me this weekend will be Tania Fernandes from Archbishop Spalding at 133. She is a U17 World Champ and has recorded some good results - including a win over our 12 seed - in limited folkstyle against the boys. I have never heard of a girl this caliber competing at a middle weight in a prestige tournament before. And she may have a legitimate shot at our podium, which will be harder to make than either one at Hershey. It's a deep weight so she could also be bounced early. How will she do?

 

[BrockBronson]

This is the best Pa event of the year. IMHO

 

[dicemen99]

This is the best Pa event of the year. IMHO

I appreciate the sentiment, but Powerade was very, very good this year. We will have some weight classes that are better but I think overall this year they were a bit deeper. Of course, there have been some years in the last 10 when we were better overall (although many were loathe to acknowledge that).

Last couple of years they have expanded their brackets and upped their depth. We are committed to a 32-man bracket (within a few), which I am very much for. We will never have huge brackets like the Beast. Our coaches appreciate the concentration of talent without having kids wrestle 10+ matches.

We are a good juxtaposition to Powerade. They're a bit bigger and longer. We're Eastern PA and NJ plus others. They're Western PA plus others. They've got tradition. We're newer and louder ( thanks, Jersy, lol). Two good counterweights for the PA season.

Talentwise, we've consistently been top 4 in the country talent wise for a few years now (regular season HS tournament). Powerade has been top 2 some years. I don't think we can ever consistently surpass Beast or Powerade because of our number limit and wrestling on Sunday (which is still a no-no for some states), but we're consistently close now.

There are some that think Reno, Doc B, Cheese head, etc. are better but they are wrong. We now consistently have more talent, both top-end and depth, than any tournament in the country (in-season) other than Ironman, Powerade, and the Beast. Happy to debate that with anyone and have the stats to back it.

 

[zzs006]

Many of you know that I run this tournament with my good buddy of almost 50 years, Ed Evans. Ed and I met when I went out for wrestling at Newtown MS in 7th grade. Ed started the tournament in 2005 and I joined him in 2007 and with the help of a LOT of people and the support of the best HS staff in PA (biased!) it's been growing ever since.

This year's tournament will be our deepest yet, with over 60 wrestlers that are currently in the top 25 of their weight and over 100 that have been ranked at one time or another. It is a good year for wrestling in this area as the Beast and Powerade were also very strong this year.

We will have a great team race with FCA, Lake Highland, Malvern, St. Ed's and over a dozen teams in the top 50.

152 may be our deepest weight ever. We may have had a better podium (maybe) in the past, but when you have Fargo freestyle AA seeded 17th and a current year Beast medalist seeded 20th that is a banger of a weight. We will have multi- medalists from power states facing off in the first round.

Not so much depth at 215 or 285 though as you have 5 or 6 kids that are really, really good and then STEEP dropoffs. This mirrors the other big tournaments and has been trending for the past few years. Getting very hard to get the football players who have scholarships in place to wrestle their JR and SR years.

107 will be a lot of fun as well as we have a lot of the young elite freshmen who have been making waves and also have a couple of kids who dropped that are looking to put them in their place.

Joey Bachmann and Botero have switched weights and this will be a chance to see where Bachmann stacks up at 127 with Dillard, Brown, O'Neill, etc. Botero took some losses up at 127 earlier in the year but now is back at his best weight.

BUT, the most interesting story to me this weekend will be Tania Fernandes from Archbishop Spalding at 133. She is a U17 World Champ and has recorded some good results - including a win over our 12 seed - in limited folkstyle against the boys. I have never heard of a girl this caliber competing at a middle weight in a prestige tournament before. And she may have a legitimate shot at our podium, which will be harder to make than either one at Hershey. It's a deep weight so she could also be bounced early. How will she do?

I’m super excited to see Taina Fernandez. She’s the best young girl in the country right now and it might not be close. Dominated U17’s. Won multiple college tournaments last year beating high level competition. Going up against top level high school boys will be a different thing altogether though especially the mat wrestling. Women wrestle freestyle in college so she probably has very limited folk experience. I hope she does well and I’ll definitely be watching

 

[dicemen99]

I’m super excited to see Taina Fernandez. She’s the best young girl in the country right now and it might not be close. Dominated U17’s. Won multiple college tournaments last year beating high level competition. Going up against top level high school boys will be a different thing altogether though especially the mat wrestling. Women wrestle freestyle in college so she probably has very limited folk experience. I hope she does well and I’ll definitely be watching

She wrestled a couple of boys tournaments last year, taking 3rd at the Ray Oliver which is a decent tourney (like Top Hat level) and winning a weak one.

At the Oliver she lost 7-5 to Sean Garretson who is very good (Beast Medalist) and beat Drew Roggie 5-3 (2x National Prep medalist and Beast/ETR blood round). So she is legit in folkstyle and has the ability to medal.

 

[GogglesPaizano]

Many of you know that I run this tournament with my good buddy of almost 50 years, Ed Evans. Ed and I met when I went out for wrestling at Newtown MS in 7th grade. Ed started the tournament in 2005 and I joined him in 2007 and with the help of a LOT of people and the support of the best HS staff in PA (biased!) it's been growing ever since.

This year's tournament will be our deepest yet, with over 60 wrestlers that are currently in the top 25 of their weight and over 100 that have been ranked at one time or another. It is a good year for wrestling in this area as the Beast and Powerade were also very strong this year.

We will have a great team race with FCA, Lake Highland, Malvern, St. Ed's and over a dozen teams in the top 50.

152 may be our deepest weight ever. We may have had a better podium (maybe) in the past, but when you have Fargo freestyle AA seeded 17th and a current year Beast medalist seeded 20th that is a banger of a weight. We will have multi- medalists from power states facing off in the first round.

Not so much depth at 215 or 285 though as you have 5 or 6 kids that are really, really good and then STEEP dropoffs. This mirrors the other big tournaments and has been trending for the past few years. Getting very hard to get the football players who have scholarships in place to wrestle their JR and SR years.

107 will be a lot of fun as well as we have a lot of the young elite freshmen who have been making waves and also have a couple of kids who dropped that are looking to put them in their place.

Joey Bachmann and Botero have switched weights and this will be a chance to see where Bachmann stacks up at 127 with Dillard, Brown, O'Neill, etc. Botero took some losses up at 127 earlier in the year but now is back at his best weight.

BUT, the most interesting story to me this weekend will be Tania Fernandes from Archbishop Spalding at 133. She is a U17 World Champ and has recorded some good results - including a win over our 12 seed - in limited folkstyle against the boys. I have never heard of a girl this caliber competing at a middle weight in a prestige tournament before. And she may have a legitimate shot at our podium, which will be harder to make than either one at Hershey. It's a deep weight so she could also be bounced early. How will she do?

 

[SlipperyPete12]

Seeds are out. Asher Cunningham appears to be the only PSU recruit competing. He's the #2 seed at 172 pounds. Ryan Burton received the #1 seed. I didn't see any other recruits listed.

2025 Escape The Rock Wrestling Tournament Seeds - FloWrestling

The Escape the Rock wrestling tournament goes down this weekend. Here are the seeds for this year's event!

www.flowrestling.org

 

[vhsalum]

She wrestled a couple of boys tournaments last year, taking 3rd at the Ray Oliver which is a decent tourney (like Top Hat level) and winning a weak one.

At the Oliver she lost 7-5 to Sean Garretson who is very good (Beast Medalist) and beat Drew Roggie 5-3 (2x National Prep medalist and Beast/ETR blood round). So she is legit in folkstyle and has the ability to medal.

Any chance we can get some camera work this year? Even if only for the finals?

 

[dicemen99]

Any chance we can get some camera work this year? Even if only for the finals?

Lol. Yes, we take our feedback seriously and the JV kids that man the cameras will be talked to (at) with emphasis. Of course, early rounds I can't promise that a few of them won't daydream, get engulfed in their iPhone, or wonder off to get a pretzel and leave the camera pointing at the right half or 3/4 of the mat as usual, but I can promise you that for Quarters (5 mats), Semis (3 mats) and Finals, the camera operators will get "personalized" instructions prior to the round. I'll be taking care of that myself.

Feedback is appreciated and I look forward to us doing better this year (and every year going forward).

 

[vhsalum]

Lol. Yes, we take our feedback seriously and the JV kids that man the cameras will be talked to (at) with emphasis. Of course, early rounds I can't promise that a few of them won't daydream, get engulfed in their iPhone, or wonder off to get a pretzel and leave the camera pointing at the right half or 3/4 of the mat as usual, but I can promise you that for Quarters (5 mats), Semis (3 mats) and Finals, the camera operators will get "personalized" instructions prior to the round. I'll be taking care of that myself.

Feedback is appreciated and I look forward to us doing better this year (and every year going forward).

Awesome! Can't wait to watch it.

 

[kingslayer_85]

Lol. Yes, we take our feedback seriously and the JV kids that man the cameras will be talked to (at) with emphasis. Of course, early rounds I can't promise that a few of them won't daydream, get engulfed in their iPhone, or wonder off to get a pretzel and leave the camera pointing at the right half or 3/4 of the mat as usual, but I can promise you that for Quarters (5 mats), Semis (3 mats) and Finals, the camera operators will get "personalized" instructions prior to the round. I'll be taking care of that myself.

Feedback is appreciated and I look forward to us doing better this year (and every year going forward).

You get what you pay for

 

[dicemen99]

For those of you planning to watch or attend, we have changed our schedule due to the forecasted weather event on Sunday.

The blood round (Consolation #4) has been moved from Sunday morning to Saturday night - we should wrestle this around 7:30 or 8:00 pm on Saturday.

Semifinals will start at 9:00 am on Sunday. Finals will start at 11:00 am.

 

[District four]

For those of you planning to watch or attend, we have changed our schedule due to the forecasted weather event on Sunday.

The blood round (Consolation #4) has been moved from Sunday morning to Saturday night - we should wrestle this around 7:30 or 8:00 pm on Saturday.

Semifinals will start at 9:00 am on Sunday. Finals will start at 11:00 am.

So turd over in hr said his kid was in a tournament and they canceled the entire wrestle backs in the tournament for some reason? Does that ever happen and how often? What would it take to cancel wrestle backs in a tournament other than an act of God?

 

[Nitlion1986]

For those of you planning to watch or attend, we have changed our schedule due to the forecasted weather event on Sunday.

The blood round (Consolation #4) has been moved from Sunday morning to Saturday night - we should wrestle this around 7:30 or 8:00 pm on Saturday.

Semifinals will start at 9:00 am on Sunday. Finals will start at 11:00 am.

I was hoping to get to this tournament, but wife suffered non-displaced tibia plateau fracture and January and early February plans have been altered.

 

[7brwnpsu]

So turd over in hr said his kid was in a tournament and they canceled the entire wrestle backs in the tournament for some reason? Does that ever happen and how often? What would it take to cancel wrestle backs in a tournament other than an act of God?

HR - Kid in the wrestlers backs- makes sense! Happens in Ohio too for college kids.

 

[7brwnpsu]

Dicemen, you mentioned Brown in one of your posts months ago. I finally got off my ass and contacted Mr. Hill from CR/Brown. He spoke highly of you and your tournament.

Bobby is a great guy although I haven't seen him in a couple years. He was one of a handful of leaders who saved a college wrestling program from the chopping block which is next to impossible to do.

Good luck with your tournament.

 

[dicemen99]

So turd over in hr said his kid was in a tournament and they canceled the entire wrestle backs in the tournament for some reason? Does that ever happen and how often? What would it take to cancel wrestle backs in a tournament other than an act of God?

We do have an emergency plan that includes canceling some wrestlebacks in the case of an extreme weather event that condenses the tournament into one day. When you run a tournament in PA in January, you have to have contingencies in place.

Closest we ever came was a number of years ago when a forecasted ice storm caused the governor to declare a state of emergency on Friday. Our old AD fought like hell with the school board and kept the building open. Fantastic guy, the kind of guy who should be an AD. At too many schools the AD is now just an administrator that cares about padding his resume to move up in the district. The storm never got to the eastern half of the state and we got off without a hitch. Even had a team trek in from Western PA early so they could get here before their administration pulled the plug on travel. IIRC, the coach told me he got the kids in the van and then their staff turned off all of their phones. Wrestling people are OLD SCHOOL!

 

[dicemen99]

Dicemen, you mentioned Brown in one of your posts months ago. I finally got off my ass and contacted Mr. Hill from CR/Brown. He spoke highly of you and your tournament.

Bobby is a great guy although I haven't seen him in a couple years. He was one of a handful of leaders who saved a college wrestling program from the chopping block which is next to impossible to do.

Good luck with your tournament.

Thanks, yes Bob told me he talked to you.

I remember that well - Bob telling me they were going to pull the plug and then leaping into action. Within a short time that group had raised a couple of million and saved the program. Great stuff.

If you're ever in town during tournament week reach out. Members of the Brown crew are always on the VIP list. If you're at NCAAs this year I'm sure I'll see you there.

 

[dicemen99]

I was hoping to get to this tournament, but wife suffered non-displaced tibia plateau fracture and January and early February plans have been altered.

Sorry to hear that. Best wishes on her recovery.

We'll be waiting to welcome you next year.

 

[dicemen99]

Some bad news - Archbishop Spalding withdrew their team from the tournament tonight due to illness. Unfortunately, Tania Fernandez will NOT be competing at Escape the Rock.

 

[BrockBronson]

So many boys at her weight are so happy. Their prayers were answered.

 

[oldcougar65]

Is there any way to get brackets on FLO? I haven't been able to get any brackets on Flo for the entire year, though I'm paying their exorbitant fees. I can see the matches but can't get the brackets. I'd kinda like to see the brackets!

 

[nittinsc]

Is there any way to get brackets on FLO? I haven't been able to get any brackets on Flo for the entire year, though I'm paying their exorbitant fees. I can see the matches but can't get the brackets. I'd kinda like to see the brackets!

Brackets show on Floarena for me and I don't have a subscription to Flo

 

[oldcougar65]

Brackets show on Floarena for me and I don't have a subscription to Flo

That's my life in a nutshell

 

[SlipperyPete12]

Is there any way to get brackets on FLO? I haven't been able to get any brackets on Flo for the entire year, though I'm paying their exorbitant fees. I can see the matches but can't get the brackets. I'd kinda like to see the brackets!

This link works for me:

FLOARENA

arena.flowrestling.org

 

[OzarkLion]

So turd over in hr said his kid was in a tournament and they canceled the entire wrestle backs in the tournament for some reason? Does that ever happen and how often? What would it take to cancel wrestle backs in a tournament other than an act of God?

They don't wrestle consolation rounds in Iowa. They default straight to 6th and throw their medal in the trash so they can beat the traffic home.

 

[oldcougar65]

This link works for me:

FLOARENA

arena.flowrestling.org

It does 't work for me. It flashes one bracket for about 1/2 second and then I get an eternal blank screen.

 

[Psalm 1 guy]

It does 't work for me. It flashes one bracket for about 1/2 second and then I get an eternal blank screen.

The link works for me. I am using Google Chrome.

 

[Sportfan2017]

They don't wrestle consolation rounds in Iowa. They default straight to 6th and throw their medal in the trash so they can beat the traffic home.

They better have a designated driver if the mom needs her glasses to be legal.

 

[oldcougar65]

The link works for me. I am using Google Chrome.

So am I. It makes no sense. I'm paying hundreds of dollars a year for no brackets. Pisses me off.

 

[rmg78]

So am I. It makes no sense. I'm paying hundreds of dollars a year for no brackets. Pisses me off.

Blaming Flo for likely your computer issue seems weird,no?

 

[SlipperyPete12]

It does 't work for me. It flashes one bracket for about 1/2 second and then I get an eternal blank screen.

When the bracket flashes, it's trying to load, but then your device stops that action for some reason. The problem has to be on your end. Why is your device preventing the brackets from loading properly?

Do you have an adblocker running? The adblocker I use with Firefox will cause a problem once in a while. When that happens, I switch to Safari & it works fine. Do you have another browser you can try? Maybe there is an update for Chrome that you need to install, so it functions properly?

If you ask someone local from a generation younger than yours, they'll have all the answers.

 

[SlipperyPete12]

133 Pound Quarter-Final: #8 Khimari Manns (St.ED) DEC #1 Tyler Dekraker (CHAN) 10-3

Manns got a quick TD in the 1st period & Dekraker picked up and escape; 3-1 after one. Dekraker chose down & got a quick escape in the 2nd to bring the score to 3-2, but the rest of the period was pushing & tying up. Manns chose neutral to start the 3rd. There were some attacks & good scrambling to start the 3rd period. With about 30-seconds left, Manns got a body lock, lifted Dekraker off the mat & brought him back down on his back for the TD +4 NF, 10-2. Dekraker got an escape & that's it, 10-3.

 

[SlipperyPete12]

139 Pound Semi-Final: #4 Ryan Kennedy (SA) DEC #1 Jayce Paridon (LHP) 6-3

The score was tied 3-3 mid-way through the 3rd. There was a long scramble & Kennedy got the TD with 14-seconds left. He rode out the period for the 6-3 win.

 

[SlipperyPete12]

172 pounds Semi-Final: #2 Asher Cunningham (STCO) VS #3 Nicholas Singer (FCA)

Period 1:
Here we go. Asher with some hard snaps to start. Asher with a throw by. Singer drops to a leg. They're scrambling & wind up head to feet, but then Asher works up a little. Singer counters & they roll. Singer comes out with a leg & Asher is in a full sprawl. Asher keeps working & comes behind for the TD, 3-0, 1-min left. Asher has Singer bellied out on the mat now. Singer works back to his base, but only for a second or two before Asher gets him flattened out again. Asher rides out the period. 3-0 Asher with over 1-min of riding time. Just a guess; there's no clock.

Period 2:
Asher takes down. Singer throws in double boots. Asher rolls, they scramble & Asher comes out on top for the reversal, 5-0. They go out of bounds, restart. Singer is still down, 91-sec left. Singer gets to his feet, spins quickly & almost gets a reversal, but Asher did something goofy & came out back on top after a brief scramble. Asher is slick on the mat. He's got Singer bellied out again & rides out the rest of the 2nd. 5-0 Asher. I'd guess he has +2-min of riding time by now.

Period 3:
Singer chooses neutral. He quickly dives to an ankle, but Asher counters. They scramble & Asher comes out on top for another TD, 8-0. Singer almost gets a reversal, but then Asher did something to regain control. Singer was so close to finishing, but Asher seems to know just where to push & pull during the scramble to maintain top position. And Singer is bellied out again. Asher is just hammering on Singer & smashing is face into the mat. That's gotta feel worse than falling face-first onto a bed of broken glass. Yikes! Singer gets hit with a stall warning & Asher gets a point for the 9-0 major.

Asher Cunningham MD Nicholas Singer 9-0

Asher will face the #1 seed Ryan Burton (St.Joseph Regional) in the finals, which begin at 11 AM Eastern.

I forgot there was a thread dedicated to this tournament & posted PBP for Asher's two matches from yesterday in the PSU-Only Recruits thread.

 

[PSU210]

172 pounds Semi-Final: #2 Asher Cunningham (STCO) VS #3 Nicholas Singer (FCA)

Period 1:
Here we go. Asher with some hard snaps to start. Asher with a throw by. Singer drops to a leg. They're scrambling & wind up head to feet, but then Asher works up a little. Singer counters & they roll. Singer comes out with a leg & Asher is in a full sprawl. Asher keeps working & comes behind for the TD, 3-0, 1-min left. Asher has Singer bellied out on the mat now. Singer works back to his base, but only for a second or two before Asher gets him flattened out again. Asher rides out the period. 3-0 Asher with over 1-min of riding time. Just a guess; there's no clock.

Period 2:
Asher takes down. Singer throws in double boots. Asher rolls, they scramble & Asher comes out on top for the reversal, 5-0. They go out of bounds, restart. Singer is still down, 91-sec left. Singer gets to his feet, spins quickly & almost gets a reversal, but Asher did something goofy & came out back on top after a brief scramble. Asher is slick on the mat. He's got Singer bellied out again & rides out the rest of the 2nd. 5-0 Asher. I'd guess he has +2-min of riding time by now.

Period 3:
Singer chooses neutral. He quickly dives to an ankle, but Asher counters. They scramble & Asher comes out on top for another TD, 8-0. Singer almost gets a reversal, but then Asher did something to regain control. Singer was so close to finishing, but Asher seems to know just where to push & pull during the scramble to maintain top position. And Singer is bellied out again. Asher is just hammering on Singer & smashing is face into the mat. That's gotta be worse than falling face-first onto a bed of broken glass. Yikes! Singer gets hit with a stall warning & Asher gets a point for the 9-0 major.

Asher Cunningham MD Nicholas Singer 9-0

Asher will face the #1 seed Ryan Burton (St.Joseph Regional) in the finals, which begin at 11 AM Eastern.

I forgot there was a thread dedicated to this tournament & posted PBP for Asher's two matches from yesterday in the PSU-Only Recruits thread.

OMG Slippery that description of the match! I actually felt as though I was there watching it and could feel the pain! You are The Goat!

 

[BrockBronson]

FCA could be the best HS team I ever seen. They are deep and know how to win. I am very impressed. Bachman brothers are a full court press.

 

[PSU210]

FCA could be the best HS team I ever seen. They are deep and know how to win. I am very impressed. Bachman brothers are a full court press.

Weights?

 

[SlipperyPete12]

172 pounds Final- #2 Asher Cunningham (STCO) VS #1 Ryan Burton (StJR)

Period 1:
Tying up & circling to start, then they break. Circling, hand-fighting & head tapping. Burton tries an underhook, but quickly gives it up & they're back to circling, 1-min left. Asher tries a snap, but no luck. Burton with a half shot, but nothing. Asher shoots & Burton counters. They're scrambling & it looks like Burton has a double leg wrapped up, but Asher counters it nicely & they're scrambling again. Burton gets both Asher's legs tied up & finishes the TD, 3-0, right before the period ends. Burton rides out the last couple seconds. That was a great scramble!

Period 2:
Asher takes down. He gets to his feet & Burton lets him go, 3-1. Back to some collar ties. Burton reaches for a leg & almost gets there, but Asher circles away. Tying up & pushing in the center. Burton drops to a low single. Asher counters with a crotch lock, They keep scrambling & Burton comes out on top with the TD, 6-1. That was another great scramble! Both these guys are really good on the mat. Burton has Asher bellied out on the edge now, 15-sec left. Burton rides out the period. 6-1 Burton

Period 3:
Burton takes down. He gets to his feet. Asher throws in a boot. Burton keeps working & gets the boot out. Asher throws it in again & trips Burton back to the mat. Asher has Burton bellied out now. Burton works back to his base, sits up & quickly turns into Asher, but Asher counters & maintains top control. Asher has Burton bellied out on the edge again, 1-min left. Asher has a boot in & is looking for a turn, but Burton is crafty. Burton sits up & turns back into Asher & they go out of bounds, restart, 30-sec left. Burton is still down. Asher immediately throws a boot in & gets Burton flat. Asher rides out the period, but can't find a turning combo & goes down 6-1.

Ryan Burton DEC Asher Cunningham 6-1

Asher Cunningham takes 2nd Place!

 

[Chickenman Testa]

“Asher is just hammering on Singer & smashing is face into the mat. That's gotta feel worse than falling face-first off a tree stand. Yikes! Singer gets hit with a stall warning & Asher gets a point for the 9-0 major.”

FIFY