How good does Asher Cunningham look. Wow! He also looks huge at 174lb. I wonder how much he keeps growing?
Powerade Tournament - Dec 27-28
- Thread starter Hardwork830
- Start date
139 pound CONSY 8: #2 Sam Herring (Bishop McCort) VS #1 Camden Baum (Bishop McDevitt)
Period 1:
The battle of the bishops, McCort vs. McDevitt. Straight to the tie up. Herring shoots, but Baum blocks him off. More circling & tying up & pushing, but not much more action, so far. More of the same for the rest of the period. 0-0
Period 2:
Baum takes down. Baum gets to his feet, gets hand control & turns for the escape, 1-0. Tying up in the center, Baum tries a throw by, but no luck. They're back to tying up & pushing. Baum shoots, but Herring blocks him off. Herring shoots, but Baum blocks him off. They seem to be very evenly matched wrestlers, 1-min left. Baum tries a throw by, but no luck & they're back to the tie up in the center of the mat, 30-seconds left. More of the same & that's how the period ends. 1-0 Baum
Period 3:
Herring takes down, gets to his feet, establishes hand control & turns for the quick escape, 1-1. Back to center circling & tying up. Baum shoots, but no luck. Herring shoots, gets in deep on the leg. Baum has a whizzer in & is trying to fight Herring off. Herring gets the leg elevated & tries to trip Baum to the mat, but Baum almost scrambles free. Herring gets control of the leg again & keeps working until he finishes off the TD, 4-1. Herring is riding heavy. Baum gets to his feet, but Herring hikes him up & they go out of bounds, restart, 26-sec left. Baum is still down. Herring breaks Baum down off the whistle. Baum gets back to his knees, then to his feet & he hits a roll for the escape, 4-2, but time quickly expires after that.
Sam Herring DEC Camden Baum 4-2
139 pound 3rd Place: Sam Herring VS Dale Corbin (Wyoming Sem). Sam beat Corbin 7-2 in the quarter-finals yesterday.
Period 1:
The battle of the bishops, McCort vs. McDevitt. Straight to the tie up. Herring shoots, but Baum blocks him off. More circling & tying up & pushing, but not much more action, so far. More of the same for the rest of the period. 0-0
Period 2:
Baum takes down. Baum gets to his feet, gets hand control & turns for the escape, 1-0. Tying up in the center, Baum tries a throw by, but no luck. They're back to tying up & pushing. Baum shoots, but Herring blocks him off. Herring shoots, but Baum blocks him off. They seem to be very evenly matched wrestlers, 1-min left. Baum tries a throw by, but no luck & they're back to the tie up in the center of the mat, 30-seconds left. More of the same & that's how the period ends. 1-0 Baum
Period 3:
Herring takes down, gets to his feet, establishes hand control & turns for the quick escape, 1-1. Back to center circling & tying up. Baum shoots, but no luck. Herring shoots, gets in deep on the leg. Baum has a whizzer in & is trying to fight Herring off. Herring gets the leg elevated & tries to trip Baum to the mat, but Baum almost scrambles free. Herring gets control of the leg again & keeps working until he finishes off the TD, 4-1. Herring is riding heavy. Baum gets to his feet, but Herring hikes him up & they go out of bounds, restart, 26-sec left. Baum is still down. Herring breaks Baum down off the whistle. Baum gets back to his knees, then to his feet & he hits a roll for the escape, 4-2, but time quickly expires after that.
Sam Herring DEC Camden Baum 4-2
139 pound 3rd Place: Sam Herring VS Dale Corbin (Wyoming Sem). Sam beat Corbin 7-2 in the quarter-finals yesterday.
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This was a possible preview of either the state semis or state finals -- more likely state finals.
Harer and Baum will be the 1 and 2 seeds. Herring will win SW Regionals, but because he did not participate in last year's postseason, he's most likely the 4 seed and drawing Harer in the state semis.
The only way Herring can get the 3 seed at states is if Cullen Catrabone (St. Mary's) wins NW Regionals AND Herring has a better Win %. But Catrabone isn't favored to win regionals, and he has 2 fewer losses than Herring already with a far easier remaining schedule.
172 Final: #1 Asher Cunningham (State College) VS #2 Ryan Burton (St. Joseph Regional-NJ)
Period 1:
Odd that we're starting with this match. I thought they'd save this for the last match. Tying up & hand fighting. Burton is in on a single, but Cunningham counters & they go out of bounds, restart. Tying up, Cunningham working a 2 on 1, but no luck. Back to circling in the center. There's no scoreboard on the screen, so I have no idea how much time is left & then the period ends. 0-0
Period 2:
Burton takes down. Cunningham throws in a boot off the whistle, he tries a bar half & Burton rolls him through for the reversal, 2-0. Cunningham gets to his feet & gets the escape, 2-1. Burton with an underhook & a throw by for a TD, 5-1. Burton looking crab ride, but Cunningham gets the escape, 5-2. Back to neutral, circling & fighting for position in the center. The scoreboard is back & there's 15-sec left. No more action before time expires. 5-2 Burton
Period 3:
Cunningham takes down, gets to his feet & gets the escape, 5-3. Cunningham is looking for a throw by, but Burton drops to a double for another TD, 8-3. Cunningham is scrambling, looking for a reversal, but Burton gets top control back & they go out of bounds, restart, 1:20 left. Cunningham gets to his feet & gets the escape, 8-4. Cunningham shoots, Burton reattacks, they're scrambling & Cunningham is trying to call for injury time, but the ref ignores him. Cunningham is struggling with an injury & not putting up any resistance & Burton rolls him to his back for the fall.
Ryan Burton FALL Asher Cunningham (5:15)
Asher Cunningham takes 2nd Place
Period 1:
Odd that we're starting with this match. I thought they'd save this for the last match. Tying up & hand fighting. Burton is in on a single, but Cunningham counters & they go out of bounds, restart. Tying up, Cunningham working a 2 on 1, but no luck. Back to circling in the center. There's no scoreboard on the screen, so I have no idea how much time is left & then the period ends. 0-0
Period 2:
Burton takes down. Cunningham throws in a boot off the whistle, he tries a bar half & Burton rolls him through for the reversal, 2-0. Cunningham gets to his feet & gets the escape, 2-1. Burton with an underhook & a throw by for a TD, 5-1. Burton looking crab ride, but Cunningham gets the escape, 5-2. Back to neutral, circling & fighting for position in the center. The scoreboard is back & there's 15-sec left. No more action before time expires. 5-2 Burton
Period 3:
Cunningham takes down, gets to his feet & gets the escape, 5-3. Cunningham is looking for a throw by, but Burton drops to a double for another TD, 8-3. Cunningham is scrambling, looking for a reversal, but Burton gets top control back & they go out of bounds, restart, 1:20 left. Cunningham gets to his feet & gets the escape, 8-4. Cunningham shoots, Burton reattacks, they're scrambling & Cunningham is trying to call for injury time, but the ref ignores him. Cunningham is struggling with an injury & not putting up any resistance & Burton rolls him to his back for the fall.
Ryan Burton FALL Asher Cunningham (5:15)
Asher Cunningham takes 2nd Place
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Appears Asher banged his head during that last TD sequence. He was signaling injury team with his arm opposite the lead official as he appeared to allow the go-behind, then basically went to his back without much resistance. I don't think the lead official saw the injury time signal, although the second official was just feet from the arm Asher signaled for injury time with.
133 pound Final: #1 Jax Forrest (Bishop McCort) VS #3 Mathew Botello (Wyoming Sem)
Period 1:
Jax with a quick attack & TD, 3-0. Botello gets the escape, 3-1. Restart, Jax attacking again. He keeps working & gets another TD, 6-1, then they go out of bounds, restart. Botello starts down, Jax starts rolling Botello off the whistle. He gets a little careless & Botello gets a reversal, 6-3. Botello rides Jax for a while, then Jax gets the escape, 7-3. The period expires shortly after that. 7-3 Jax
Period 2:
Jax takes down. Botello goes optional start. Jax spins away off the whistle, then Botello jumps back on him, but eventually Jax gets his escape, 8-3. Jax shoots, Botello is locked around the head & it's a stalemate, restart, 1:19 left. Jax fakes, then shoots, but no luck. Botello shoots, but no luck either. Jax reaches for a leg a couple times, then gets to an ankle, but can't trip Botello to the mat. Botello counters & takes Jax out of bounds, restart. Tying up & circling off the whistle. The pace has slowed & that's how the period ends. 8-3 Jax
Period 3:
Botello chooses neutral. Circling & head tapping. Jax shoots, but can't get to the ankle. Jax tries a duck, but Botello blocks him off. Jax is coming forward & has Botello on the edge & they go out of bounds, restart, 1:13 left. Circling, Botello shoots, but Jax fights him off. Jax reaches for a leg, but can't get there. Botello drives in on a double, but Jax sprawls back, then reaches around for an ankle. He gets it & then works behind & then elevates the leg. They roll on the mat & wind up back in neutral, no scoring, but a great scramble. Jax snaps & comes behind, but they go out of bounds, restart. Jax snaps & comes behind for a TD, 11-3.
Jax Forrest MD Mathew Botello 11-3
Jax takes 1st Place
Period 1:
Jax with a quick attack & TD, 3-0. Botello gets the escape, 3-1. Restart, Jax attacking again. He keeps working & gets another TD, 6-1, then they go out of bounds, restart. Botello starts down, Jax starts rolling Botello off the whistle. He gets a little careless & Botello gets a reversal, 6-3. Botello rides Jax for a while, then Jax gets the escape, 7-3. The period expires shortly after that. 7-3 Jax
Period 2:
Jax takes down. Botello goes optional start. Jax spins away off the whistle, then Botello jumps back on him, but eventually Jax gets his escape, 8-3. Jax shoots, Botello is locked around the head & it's a stalemate, restart, 1:19 left. Jax fakes, then shoots, but no luck. Botello shoots, but no luck either. Jax reaches for a leg a couple times, then gets to an ankle, but can't trip Botello to the mat. Botello counters & takes Jax out of bounds, restart. Tying up & circling off the whistle. The pace has slowed & that's how the period ends. 8-3 Jax
Period 3:
Botello chooses neutral. Circling & head tapping. Jax shoots, but can't get to the ankle. Jax tries a duck, but Botello blocks him off. Jax is coming forward & has Botello on the edge & they go out of bounds, restart, 1:13 left. Circling, Botello shoots, but Jax fights him off. Jax reaches for a leg, but can't get there. Botello drives in on a double, but Jax sprawls back, then reaches around for an ankle. He gets it & then works behind & then elevates the leg. They roll on the mat & wind up back in neutral, no scoring, but a great scramble. Jax snaps & comes behind, but they go out of bounds, restart. Jax snaps & comes behind for a TD, 11-3.
Jax Forrest MD Mathew Botello 11-3
Jax takes 1st Place
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139 pound 3rd Place: #2 Sam Herring (Bishop McCort) VS UR Dale Corbin (Wyoming Sem)
Period 1:
Circling & tying up. Sam shoots in, but Corbin gets a leg too. Sam keeps working & gets the TD, 3-0. Sam is riding & Corbin is struggling to do much more. That's how the period ends, 3-0 Herring
Period 2:
Corbin takes neutral. Circling, then tying up. Corbin ducks, but can't do anything with it. Back to neutral circling in the center. Sam is coming forward a little. Corbin is on the edge now. Sam reaches for a leg, but no luck. Corbin reverses the position & Sam is on the edge now. Then, they reverse position again & go out of bounds, no scoring, restart, 39-sec left. Circling, Sam comes behind for another TD, 6-0 & then rides out the rest of the period. 6-0 Herring
Period 3:
Sam takes down. Corbin tries to throw in a boot, but Sam catches it. Sam works up to his knees, then to his feet & the ref blows it dead, restart, potentially dangerous, probably. Caution, false start on Sam. Sam works for hand control, gets to his feet, but then there's a penalty for something & Sam gets another point, 7-0, restart. Sam is still down. He gets to his feet, gets hand control & turns for the escape, 8-0, 45-sec left. Corbin is pushing forward now & Sam is on the edge, then they go off the screen, but the clock is still running. Something is happening on the edge, but I can't see what it is & then it's a restart in neutral, no scoring, 13-sec left. Corbin is coming forward & Sam defending & that's how it ends.
Sam Herring MD Dale Corbin 8-0
Sam Herring takes 3rd Place
Period 1:
Circling & tying up. Sam shoots in, but Corbin gets a leg too. Sam keeps working & gets the TD, 3-0. Sam is riding & Corbin is struggling to do much more. That's how the period ends, 3-0 Herring
Period 2:
Corbin takes neutral. Circling, then tying up. Corbin ducks, but can't do anything with it. Back to neutral circling in the center. Sam is coming forward a little. Corbin is on the edge now. Sam reaches for a leg, but no luck. Corbin reverses the position & Sam is on the edge now. Then, they reverse position again & go out of bounds, no scoring, restart, 39-sec left. Circling, Sam comes behind for another TD, 6-0 & then rides out the rest of the period. 6-0 Herring
Period 3:
Sam takes down. Corbin tries to throw in a boot, but Sam catches it. Sam works up to his knees, then to his feet & the ref blows it dead, restart, potentially dangerous, probably. Caution, false start on Sam. Sam works for hand control, gets to his feet, but then there's a penalty for something & Sam gets another point, 7-0, restart. Sam is still down. He gets to his feet, gets hand control & turns for the escape, 8-0, 45-sec left. Corbin is pushing forward now & Sam is on the edge, then they go off the screen, but the clock is still running. Something is happening on the edge, but I can't see what it is & then it's a restart in neutral, no scoring, 13-sec left. Corbin is coming forward & Sam defending & that's how it ends.
Sam Herring MD Dale Corbin 8-0
Sam Herring takes 3rd Place
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145 pound Finals: #1 Bo Bassett (Bishop McCort) VS UR Declan O'Bryne (Malvern Prep)
Period 1:
They're both wearing white singlets. Circling, Bo is attacking & gets the TD on the edge, 3-0, then they go out of bounds, restart. Bo lets him up, 3-1. Bo with lots of movement & is constantly attacking, like Mesenbrink. Bo comes behind for the TD, 6-1. Bo is riding & locks up a tilt, but can only hold it for 2 NF, 8-1. O'Bryne gets the escape. 8-2. Bo keeps attacking, he shoots, nothing, then again & gets the TD, 11-2. Bo throws a boot in, but O'Bryne catches it. Bo stands up, but hangs on to O'Bryne, then just stands over O'Bryne & rides out the period.
Period 2:
Someone selects neutral. O'Bryne dives in on a leg, Bo counters & gets another TD, 14-2 & has a cradle locked up. Bo is getting swipes & then he gets the Fall!
Bo Bassett FALL Declan O'Bryne (2:31)
Bo takes 1st Place
Period 1:
They're both wearing white singlets. Circling, Bo is attacking & gets the TD on the edge, 3-0, then they go out of bounds, restart. Bo lets him up, 3-1. Bo with lots of movement & is constantly attacking, like Mesenbrink. Bo comes behind for the TD, 6-1. Bo is riding & locks up a tilt, but can only hold it for 2 NF, 8-1. O'Bryne gets the escape. 8-2. Bo keeps attacking, he shoots, nothing, then again & gets the TD, 11-2. Bo throws a boot in, but O'Bryne catches it. Bo stands up, but hangs on to O'Bryne, then just stands over O'Bryne & rides out the period.
Period 2:
Someone selects neutral. O'Bryne dives in on a leg, Bo counters & gets another TD, 14-2 & has a cradle locked up. Bo is getting swipes & then he gets the Fall!
Bo Bassett FALL Declan O'Bryne (2:31)
Bo takes 1st Place
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160 pound Final: #1 Alessio Perentin (Delbarton-NJ) VS #2 Melvin Miller (Bishop McCort)
Period 1:
Here's the final match of the evening, so it must be a good one. Perentin is in the green & white singlet & Miller is in a neat looking red camo singlet. Here we go. Tying up, Miller comes forward off the whistle, but then Perentin circles back to center & starts driving forward. He has Miller on the edge, but they reverse position & go out of bounds, restart. Tying up, Miller drops to both knees, keeps coming forward & Perentin is backing up. They're on the edge & go out of bounds, restart, 1:03 left. Circling & tying up. Perentin is coming forward. He reaches for a leg, but can't get it. They reverse position on the edge & go out of bounds, restart. Circling. Perentin is coming forward a little. Miller looks for an underhook. He keeps driving & then reaches down & trips Perentin to the mat for a TD, 3-0. Miller is riding. Perentin gets to his feet, but Miller brings him back down & they go out of bounds with 1-sec left on the clock. Miller rides Perentin out. 3-0 Miller
Period 2:
Miller selects down. Perentin goes optional start & Miller gets the escape, 4-0. Perentin is coming forward, he has Miller is near the edge. Perentin reaches for a leg, but no luck. Miller grabs an ankle, but can't do anything with it & they go out of bounds, restart. Circling, Perentin shoots, but Miller blocks him off. Perentin is coming forward again. Miller throws in an underhook & drops to his knees, stalemate, restart. Circling, Perentin is coming forward, he snaps, but no luck. Miller reverses position & shoots, but they go out of bounds, restart, 33-sec left. Circling & head tapping. Miller is trying to keep some distance now. He's backing & circling & not engaging for long. Miller gets hit with a stall warning as the period expires. 4-0 Miller
Period 3:
Perentin selects down. He gets to his feet & turns to face Miller, then gets the escape, 4-1, 1:41 left. Perentin is coming forward a little. Miller drops to both knees, then locks in around the leg, but Perentin fights out of it. Back to center, Perentin shoots, but Miller backs out of it. Perentin shoots again, Miller counters, gets a leg, but Perentin keeps coming & lifts, then drives Miller to the mat, but Miller hangs on to the leg. They're scrambling & it ends up in a stalemate, restart, 31-sec left. Perentin is coming forward. He has Miller on the edge, but then Miller reverses the position & they go out of bounds. Perentin drives forward off the whistle & gets a leg, then they go out of bounds again, restart. Perentin is coming forward again & Miller gets hit with another stall call, 4-2. Perentin keeps coming. He has both legs & gets Miller down, but they're out of bounds, restart. Perentin runs out of time & it's over.
Melvin Miller DEC Alessio Perentin 4-2
Melvin Miller takes 1st Place
Period 1:
Here's the final match of the evening, so it must be a good one. Perentin is in the green & white singlet & Miller is in a neat looking red camo singlet. Here we go. Tying up, Miller comes forward off the whistle, but then Perentin circles back to center & starts driving forward. He has Miller on the edge, but they reverse position & go out of bounds, restart. Tying up, Miller drops to both knees, keeps coming forward & Perentin is backing up. They're on the edge & go out of bounds, restart, 1:03 left. Circling & tying up. Perentin is coming forward. He reaches for a leg, but can't get it. They reverse position on the edge & go out of bounds, restart. Circling. Perentin is coming forward a little. Miller looks for an underhook. He keeps driving & then reaches down & trips Perentin to the mat for a TD, 3-0. Miller is riding. Perentin gets to his feet, but Miller brings him back down & they go out of bounds with 1-sec left on the clock. Miller rides Perentin out. 3-0 Miller
Period 2:
Miller selects down. Perentin goes optional start & Miller gets the escape, 4-0. Perentin is coming forward, he has Miller is near the edge. Perentin reaches for a leg, but no luck. Miller grabs an ankle, but can't do anything with it & they go out of bounds, restart. Circling, Perentin shoots, but Miller blocks him off. Perentin is coming forward again. Miller throws in an underhook & drops to his knees, stalemate, restart. Circling, Perentin is coming forward, he snaps, but no luck. Miller reverses position & shoots, but they go out of bounds, restart, 33-sec left. Circling & head tapping. Miller is trying to keep some distance now. He's backing & circling & not engaging for long. Miller gets hit with a stall warning as the period expires. 4-0 Miller
Period 3:
Perentin selects down. He gets to his feet & turns to face Miller, then gets the escape, 4-1, 1:41 left. Perentin is coming forward a little. Miller drops to both knees, then locks in around the leg, but Perentin fights out of it. Back to center, Perentin shoots, but Miller backs out of it. Perentin shoots again, Miller counters, gets a leg, but Perentin keeps coming & lifts, then drives Miller to the mat, but Miller hangs on to the leg. They're scrambling & it ends up in a stalemate, restart, 31-sec left. Perentin is coming forward. He has Miller on the edge, but then Miller reverses the position & they go out of bounds. Perentin drives forward off the whistle & gets a leg, then they go out of bounds again, restart. Perentin is coming forward again & Miller gets hit with another stall call, 4-2. Perentin keeps coming. He has both legs & gets Miller down, but they're out of bounds, restart. Perentin runs out of time & it's over.
Melvin Miller DEC Alessio Perentin 4-2
Melvin Miller takes 1st Place
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Miller is just unreal. He keeps going up in weight and keeps winning. Really think he will be a 86kg guy longterm
My take on the weekend:
I'm currently on my way home from the tournament and not driving so I have some time on my hands...
First off, what an absolute meat grinder. I believe Ironman is still considered the toughest in season tournament in the country, but I don't see how Powerade isn't number 2. Possibly 3 behind Beast of the East, but I'm PA biased.
PA Power put on X that there were 15 ranked guys who scratched from the tournament, and that does not include Desmond. Word going through the gym was Desmond weighed in, and was getting a warm up in before any matches even started and suffered an injury. I never heard what that injury was so I won't speculate. I did look for him mat side during other Sem matches and never seen him. His teammate Bouzakis was also one of the notable scratches.
There were 74 teams entered in this tournament, and the run 9 mats, 6 in the main gym, and 3 in a back gym that can be viewed from a walkway which runs around the entire top of the main gym. With that many wrestlers, coaches, and trainers, seating seemed pretty tight. Especially with one half of the main gym's bleachers not out due to the mats. The one side that was out was full, both sections in the top were full (mostly wrestlers but fans too), and the walkway around the top was full of spectators standing. There were multiple bathrooms and a big cafeteria with plenty of options to eat. They run the JV tournament on Thursday, Varsity Fri-Sat, Youth Sunday, and Girls on Monday. I got to talking to one of the workers there and he told me "There are well over 1,000 youth signed up, almost one from every lower 48". If this is true, that is insane, talk about a long day.
Now onto the wrestling:
There were a few guys that I went with the intention of watching as many of their matches as possible. Obviously Forrest, Bassett, Herring, and Miller. I wanted to watch Desmond up close but that didn't happen. But I tried to pick one guy from each weight to kinda follow. I'm not gonna go through them all, just a few.
107-Karenbauer. This kid just grinds. He is a true competitor. Only had 1 bonus win which actually was his second match, and beat nationally ranked 9,3, and 20 on his way to the championship. He really does find a way to win. I'd be interested to see what he weighed in at as a few guys who were sitting near us said he's super light. He doesn't really look it, which is why I would like to confirm.
121-Sidun. I always tend to gravitate towards kids who show a lot of heart. In his finals match, thats what happened. What 1 caution away from giving up a point. Gave up a late locking hands to tie the match in 2nd overtime, and still locked it in, in sudden victory to ride out for a win. Isn't real tall, but built like a brick house. Has some really good reattacks, constant movement on bottom, and tough on top. Have no idea how big his parents are so projecting is a waste, but with how tall he currently is, could see him as a 125-141. He is only a sophmore so that may be way off on that projection but I would assume this is someone Cael and Co will take a look at.
127-ONeil. Matty ONeil is an absolute menace on that mat and he's only a freshman. He can hit an elevator from anywhere and put someone on their back. Karson Brown who is a JR, a hammer himself, and committed to Pitt (I think his brother Kade is there) did wear Matty out pretty good in their finals match but Matty has 3 more shots at a title there, and I think he gets more than 1. His brother Nick is currently at UNC so I would assume they will be on his list when he starts taking visits.
152-Was a weight I wanted to see how it played out. Maddox Shaw, an Ohio State commit and ranked #5 was one of the scratches so it kind of lost some luster, but Jayden James who is committed to Virginia Tech and ranked #2 behind Zepeda was there and came away with the title. I did see Tony Robie there walking around watching James and Burton at 172.
160-No Bouzakis to mix it up with Miller and Perentin.
172-Everyone saw this as a Burton and Cunningham race. Especially after #7 at 165 and Virginia Tech commit Claudio Torres from Lake Highland Prep FL, scratched. I was hoping to see Hutcherson from Kiski Area wrestle one of the top guys but didn't have that opportunity. I did see him wrestle his one and only match from the walkway. He wrestled Isaac Lacinski from Burrel. I looked in the rankings to see where Lacinski stacked up and while he is not ranked nationally, he is ranked 6th in the state in AA. Hutcherson ended up winning the match 10-2. As he came off, he slouched down against the wall with his coaches hovering over top of him briefly before he ran out of the gym. I thought I read on here that he was throwing up in the gym but I didn't see that. Apparently he was throwing up nonstop after the match which is why he ultimately scratched.
215-Got to see Jude Correra who decommitted from Michigan not long ago, commit to Cornell after beating Ok St commit Austin Johnson in a pretty good match. That was the first commitment I got to watch in person.
All in all a well run tournament for how big it is. Hopefully I get to go back next year and watch some updated/new PSU commits.
I'm currently on my way home from the tournament and not driving so I have some time on my hands...
First off, what an absolute meat grinder. I believe Ironman is still considered the toughest in season tournament in the country, but I don't see how Powerade isn't number 2. Possibly 3 behind Beast of the East, but I'm PA biased.
PA Power put on X that there were 15 ranked guys who scratched from the tournament, and that does not include Desmond. Word going through the gym was Desmond weighed in, and was getting a warm up in before any matches even started and suffered an injury. I never heard what that injury was so I won't speculate. I did look for him mat side during other Sem matches and never seen him. His teammate Bouzakis was also one of the notable scratches.
There were 74 teams entered in this tournament, and the run 9 mats, 6 in the main gym, and 3 in a back gym that can be viewed from a walkway which runs around the entire top of the main gym. With that many wrestlers, coaches, and trainers, seating seemed pretty tight. Especially with one half of the main gym's bleachers not out due to the mats. The one side that was out was full, both sections in the top were full (mostly wrestlers but fans too), and the walkway around the top was full of spectators standing. There were multiple bathrooms and a big cafeteria with plenty of options to eat. They run the JV tournament on Thursday, Varsity Fri-Sat, Youth Sunday, and Girls on Monday. I got to talking to one of the workers there and he told me "There are well over 1,000 youth signed up, almost one from every lower 48". If this is true, that is insane, talk about a long day.
Now onto the wrestling:
There were a few guys that I went with the intention of watching as many of their matches as possible. Obviously Forrest, Bassett, Herring, and Miller. I wanted to watch Desmond up close but that didn't happen. But I tried to pick one guy from each weight to kinda follow. I'm not gonna go through them all, just a few.
107-Karenbauer. This kid just grinds. He is a true competitor. Only had 1 bonus win which actually was his second match, and beat nationally ranked 9,3, and 20 on his way to the championship. He really does find a way to win. I'd be interested to see what he weighed in at as a few guys who were sitting near us said he's super light. He doesn't really look it, which is why I would like to confirm.
121-Sidun. I always tend to gravitate towards kids who show a lot of heart. In his finals match, thats what happened. What 1 caution away from giving up a point. Gave up a late locking hands to tie the match in 2nd overtime, and still locked it in, in sudden victory to ride out for a win. Isn't real tall, but built like a brick house. Has some really good reattacks, constant movement on bottom, and tough on top. Have no idea how big his parents are so projecting is a waste, but with how tall he currently is, could see him as a 125-141. He is only a sophmore so that may be way off on that projection but I would assume this is someone Cael and Co will take a look at.
127-ONeil. Matty ONeil is an absolute menace on that mat and he's only a freshman. He can hit an elevator from anywhere and put someone on their back. Karson Brown who is a JR, a hammer himself, and committed to Pitt (I think his brother Kade is there) did wear Matty out pretty good in their finals match but Matty has 3 more shots at a title there, and I think he gets more than 1. His brother Nick is currently at UNC so I would assume they will be on his list when he starts taking visits.
152-Was a weight I wanted to see how it played out. Maddox Shaw, an Ohio State commit and ranked #5 was one of the scratches so it kind of lost some luster, but Jayden James who is committed to Virginia Tech and ranked #2 behind Zepeda was there and came away with the title. I did see Tony Robie there walking around watching James and Burton at 172.
160-No Bouzakis to mix it up with Miller and Perentin.
172-Everyone saw this as a Burton and Cunningham race. Especially after #7 at 165 and Virginia Tech commit Claudio Torres from Lake Highland Prep FL, scratched. I was hoping to see Hutcherson from Kiski Area wrestle one of the top guys but didn't have that opportunity. I did see him wrestle his one and only match from the walkway. He wrestled Isaac Lacinski from Burrel. I looked in the rankings to see where Lacinski stacked up and while he is not ranked nationally, he is ranked 6th in the state in AA. Hutcherson ended up winning the match 10-2. As he came off, he slouched down against the wall with his coaches hovering over top of him briefly before he ran out of the gym. I thought I read on here that he was throwing up in the gym but I didn't see that. Apparently he was throwing up nonstop after the match which is why he ultimately scratched.
215-Got to see Jude Correra who decommitted from Michigan not long ago, commit to Cornell after beating Ok St commit Austin Johnson in a pretty good match. That was the first commitment I got to watch in person.
All in all a well run tournament for how big it is. Hopefully I get to go back next year and watch some updated/new PSU commits.
Great takes on the tournament. I was there all weekend as well and here is mine.
121 Sidun is just a dawg. His dad is small so I think he could be a 4 year 125er. He seems to only be getting better.
127 O Neil is a tricky wrestler. He basically wants you to get on his legs. I'm curious how that keeps playing out against high level kids.
Bassett and Forrest did what I expected.
Miller is so good. And he makes it look effortless. Cael and company have to be kicking their chops.
As good as Asher is, so is Burton. Burton seemed like he was foaming at the mouth for that match. He was pumped.
Jude Correa is very good and Cornell got a good one. Not the biggest or strongest but just a great wrestler.
I will be at Junior Powerade tomorrow watching some friends kids. Any real good kids to watch for?
Just did a quick scan through Flo:
Boys 15U
Kooper Deputy 101
Jamison Forrest 115
Boys 10U
Kohyn Deputy 62
Rob Waller 88
Other than Kooper I have no idea how good any of these kids are. I would assume Jamison is also going to be pretty good but I've seen younger brother not nearly as good as older brothers and visa versa. These are just names I recognized. I tried to look for last names that look familiar and see if the school matches up with what I remember, but a lot of these youths put their club team which makes that pretty difficult.
Holy smokes- I just got home. Very long drive back but worth it. I finally got to watch Bassett and Jax. They are dynamic and relentless. They will be perfect in happy valley. The mccort machine was impressive.
Miller is the third part of that equation. He is Bassett’s step brother and heard today he will follow him. He impressed me the most beating a jersey kid who was a lot bigger and stronger. Miller reminds me of AB at that age.
Karenbaur is a warrior. Lots of young talent in that bracket.
Nothing stood out at 113
121- sidun is a gamer. The finals match was fireworks.
127- wish Desmond would have been healthy. Was told in stands he injury could be season Ending. I guess happened at warmups
133- Forrest got a little flustered after giving up a TD. He is a scoring machine and fun to watch.
139- got to see herring. He is skilled and could be tough down the road.
145- Bassett gets people saying about pins. Last few weekends he must be showing he can or pinning for his team. Bracket was weak but he looked on a different level.
152- Jaden James is very good. I think he is going to Ok State. They got a solid recruit with him.
160- Miller is the next AB. Strong, long and effortless
170- Burton is better than I thought. Asher was on fire and Burton decked him.
189- Weaker bracket. Nothing stood out
215- Correa committed to Cornell which was a surprise. They seem to be loading up with ??? Character type kids. He is a big talent but not sure. Johnson from my area is really tough and couldn’t chink his armour.
Hwt- a sophomore from Malvern looked dang good. Lots in finals to lake highland but looked great
It was ran good. Got to watch my cousins kid, herring, Asher and some others.
Miller is the third part of that equation. He is Bassett’s step brother and heard today he will follow him. He impressed me the most beating a jersey kid who was a lot bigger and stronger. Miller reminds me of AB at that age.
Karenbaur is a warrior. Lots of young talent in that bracket.
Nothing stood out at 113
121- sidun is a gamer. The finals match was fireworks.
127- wish Desmond would have been healthy. Was told in stands he injury could be season Ending. I guess happened at warmups
133- Forrest got a little flustered after giving up a TD. He is a scoring machine and fun to watch.
139- got to see herring. He is skilled and could be tough down the road.
145- Bassett gets people saying about pins. Last few weekends he must be showing he can or pinning for his team. Bracket was weak but he looked on a different level.
152- Jaden James is very good. I think he is going to Ok State. They got a solid recruit with him.
160- Miller is the next AB. Strong, long and effortless
170- Burton is better than I thought. Asher was on fire and Burton decked him.
189- Weaker bracket. Nothing stood out
215- Correa committed to Cornell which was a surprise. They seem to be loading up with ??? Character type kids. He is a big talent but not sure. Johnson from my area is really tough and couldn’t chink his armour.
Hwt- a sophomore from Malvern looked dang good. Lots in finals to lake highland but looked great
It was ran good. Got to watch my cousins kid, herring, Asher and some others.
Kenny is really good too. Powerade was fun with the perfect mix of some of the top programs from PA,Oh and NJ. Then add some top programs from some lower tier states.
On the topic of Sidun, having seen him and his dad in person a few times I would say he is probably a career 125, maybe a shorter 133, barring an unforeseen growth spurt.
Also Karson Brown looks like the real deal. He has always performed well at these events but has never gotten the big win. His brother Kade is having a good year at Pitt and has jumped levels since leaving HS. Karson is making similar improvements this year.
Your match descriptions are second to none. It's one thing to watch the match and know what they're doing but it's another thing all together to type it in legible form while you're watching. It is quite a skill that you have. Now having sufficiently complimented you is it possible or against the rules for me to copy your match description and post it on the Penn State Wrestling Room Facebook group?
Thanks! Copy & past away.
SlipperyPete, I was reading the Cesspool pbp of the SS today, and I must say that you are slightly better than what they can provide...
x1000
Reasonably well. He's been to NLWC plenty. And he's been along for all of Bassett's home and campus visits.
A lot of folks think he'll end up where Bassett goes. It's probably not quite that easy (even if that's the result), but IMO it's reasonable to think they'll have the same finalists.
Just offering a guess, but we should know where Melvin wants to go when Bo announces.
James is going to V Tech. Wherever Bassett goes is where Miller will go. I can't see them splitting with Bill Bassett raising Melvin as his own son.
What makes you say Cornell is getting questionable character kids? Correa does not have a bad character.
Ignore it. Brock thinks New Jersey wrestlers are all a bunch of degenerates. (Exceptions for Molinaro, Cassar, Howard, Van Ness, etc.)
Cornell doesn't keep lawyers on staff to represent their occasional Billy George(s), they don't have many of them. They are on staff in case Mrs. Grey doesn't agree with a referee's call.
