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Thread to follow PSU recruits at PA States

Tom McAndrew

Well-Known Member
May 29, 2001
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I'm setting this thread up in advance of the start of States.

Please post your comments, updates, etc. as responses over the course of the AA and AAA competition at States.

In previous weekends I restricted my initial post to PSU verbals. For PA States I'm adding a few "wrestlers of interest."

PSU Verbals

Brian Friery (Lewisburg)
PIAA State Championships, Class AA, 113
R1: he has a bye
R2: 7-5 decision over Abe Guariello (Fort Leboeuf)
Quarters: got TFed 24-9 at 4:54 by Gavin Teasdale (Jefferson-Morgan)
Consolations R2: he has a bye
Consolations R3: loses 1-0 decision to Darren Yearick (Penns Valley)
As a result, he's out at States.
You should be able to follow how he does at THIS LINK

Luke Gardner (Pottsville)
PIA State Championships, Class AAA, 145
R1: he has a bye
R2: 5-4 decision over Kyle Luben (Meadville)
Quarters: Pin at 1:20 over Wyatt Jennings (Solanco)
Semis: lost a 5-3 decision to (Penn-Trafford)
Consolation Semis: lost a 3-1 SV decision to Dylan Chatterton (Central York)
5th Place Match: 11-3 Major decision over Kevin Edwards (Avon Grove)
You should be able to follow how he does at THIS LINK

Mason Lindenmuth (Brockway)
PIAA State Championships, Class AA, 126
R1: he has a bye
R2: 9-0 decision over Brian Earlston (Line Mountain)
Quarters: 8-2 decision over Jonah Zych (Saucon Valley)
Semis: loses 7-1 to Max Murin (Central Cambria)
Consolation Semis: loses 4-3 to Jonathan Gabriel (Bedford)
5th Place Match: 3-1 SV decision over Tanner Altobelli (Redbank Valley)
You should be able to follow how he does at THIS LINK

Devin Schnupp (Warwick)
PIAA State Championships, Class AAA, 113
R1: he has a bye
R2: 10-4 decision over Nick Dolak (Parkland)
Quarters: 3-2 decision over Jakob Campbell (Boyertown)
Semis: lost a 8-1 decision to Julian Chlebove (Northampton)
Consolation Semis: lost a 9-0 Major decision to Gage Curry (North Hills)
5th Place Match: lost a 10-4 decision to Luke Werner (Bethlehem Liberty)
You should be able to follow how he does at THIS LINK


Wrestlers of Interest

Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional)
PIAA State Championships, Class AAA, 120
R1: he has a bye
R2: Pin in 0:45 over Josh Paisley (Big Spring)
Quarters: Pin in 0:39 over Zurich Storm (New Oxford)
Semis: Pin in 1:19 over Danny Moran (Northampton)
Finals: 15-0 TF over Austin Desanto (Exeter Township)
You should be able to follow how he does at THIS LINK

Sammy Sasso (Nazareth)
PIAA State Championships, Class AAA, 138
R1: he has a bye
R2: 14-4 Major over William Kaides (Cumberland Valley)
Quarters: Lost a 2-1 decision to Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe)
Consolations R2: he has a bye
Consolations R3: 18-5 Major decision over Owen Wherley (Southern Western)
Consolations Quarters: 14-2 Major decision over Carter Starocci (Cathedral Prep)
Consolation Semis: 7-0 decision over Shaun Wilson (Waynesburg Central)
Consolation Finals: Pin at 1:00 over Colin Cronin (Upper Darby)
You should be able to follow how he does at THIS LINK

Gavin Teasdale (Jefferson-Morgan)
PIAA State Championships, Class AA, 113
R1: he has a bye
R2: 21-5 TF at 4:07 over Luke Pipe (Bishop McDevitt)
Quarters: 24-9 TF at 4:54 over PSU verbal Brian Friery (Lewisburg)
Semis: 28-13 TF at 5:24 over Bronson Garber (Upper Dauphin)
Finals: 23-8 TF at 3:30 over Kollin Myers (Boiling Springs)
You should be able to follow how he does at THIS LINK

Julian Chlebove (Northampton)
PIAA State Championships, Class AAA, 113
R1: he has a bye
R2: 4-0 decision over Aidan Burke (Council Rock North)
Quarters: 5-1 decision over Logan Macri (Canon-McMillan)
Semis: 8-1 decision over PSU verbal Devin Schnupp (Warwick)
Finals: 3-0 decision over Matt Parker (Pennridge)
You should be able to follow how he does at THIS LINK

Edmond Ruth (Susquehanna Township)
PIAA State Championships, Class AAA, 145
R1: he has a bye
R2: 2-1 TB2 decision over Dakota Weitoish (Philipsburg-Osceola)
Quarters: lost a 6-2 decision to Cameron Coy (Penn-Trafford)
Consolations R2: he has a bye
Consolations R3: 7-6 decision over AJ Boeh (North Allegheny)
Consolation Quarters: lost a 6-4 decision to Kevin Edwards (Avon Grove)
7th Place Match: lost a 5-2 decision to Brock Port (Bellefonte)
You should be able to follow how he does at THIS LINK

Travis Stefanik (Nazareth)
PIAA State Championships, Class AAA, 152
R1: he has a bye
R2: 9-3 decision over Skitch Light (Central Dauphin)
Quarters: 6-3 decision over Felix Belga (Cumberland Valley)
Semis: lost a 7-3 decision to Hayden Hidlay (Mifflin County)
Consolation Semis: 7-5 SV decision over Jonathan Ross (Northern York)
Consolation Finals: Pin at 4:35 over Derek Verkleeren (Belle Vernon)
You should be able to follow how he does at THIS LINK

Gavin Hoffman (Montoursville)
PIAA State Championships, Class AA, 195
R1: he has a bye
R2: 19-0 TF at 4:21 over Clayton Green (West Branch)
Quarters: 15-0 TF at 4:30 over Logan Fisher (Huntingdon)
Semis: 5-4 TB decision over Blake Reynolds (Greenville)
Finals: 6-3 decision over Bill Bowlen (Jefferson-Morgan)
You should be able to follow how he does at THIS LINK

Then again, at PA States, almost every participant is a Wrestler of Interest.

Completed brackets for AA can be found at
THIS LINK.

Completed brackets for AAA can be found at
THIS LINK.


 
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Possibly 113 pounder Julian Chlebove (for those that remember his dad, Whitey). 9th grader, 39-2 with his only two losses coming at Beast of the East while wrestling 120. Could be a possible recruit for Penn State in the future.
 
Chlebove, Nazareth AAA 113 FR.

Gavin Hoffman, Montoursville AA 195 SO is lighting up the scoreboard this year.

Travis Stefanik, Nazareth AAA 152 JR. 2nd at King of the Mountain at 170. 3rd at Beast of the East at 160. Won the Bethlehem Holiday Classic at 160. Beat world champ Jarod Verkleeren 8-1. And now he's down to 152. Hayden Hidlay will have his hands full in their semi.

Edmond Ruth, Susquehanna Twp AAA 145 FR -- for the name, if nothing else.

A few other guys I'd watch (but a little less closely than the ones above):
- Robert Patrick, Ligonier Valley AA 152 SO, returning runner-up.
- Jacob Oliver, Huntingdon AA 170 JR, returning runner-up.
- Cole Nye, Bishop McDevitt AA 220 JR.
- Francis Duggan, North Allegheny AAA 195 SO.
- Miles Lee, South Philly AAA 195 JR. More of a curiosity -- he is 26-1 in his first year of wrestling, only loss in the NE Regional finals to John Jakobsen. He majored a couple opponents at regionals, so it's not an empty record.

Also some weights to watch:
- 126 AA: 3 returning champs (Max Murin, Cole Matthews, Jon Gabriel) + a returning runner-up (Brian Courtney), all nationally tested. Plus Lindenmuth.
- 160 AA: Returning champ Jake Wentzel will have his hands full in the semis with returning runner-up Blake Marks.
- 182 AA: finals showdown between nationally ranked returning champs Dakota Geer and Greg Bulsak.
- 195 AA: Hoffman, Connor Buttry, Connor Frey, Robert Scherer, Blake Reynolds.
- 113 AAA: Chlebove, Schnupp, Gage Curry, Matt Parker, Jakob Campbell, Logan Macri.
- 126 AAA: likely finals Luke Karam vs. Tyshawn White. White beat Karam at state duals. Ethan McCoy, Wade Cummings, Cole Manley all lurking.
- 138 AAA: the infamous Sasso vs. Pletcher quarters. Evan Fidelibus and Riley Palmer in the other half.
- 145 AAA: Hidlay, Stefanik, Jonathan Ross, Jimmy Saylor, Derek Verkleeren, Dylan Schwartz, Felix Belga.
- 170 AAA: 5 D1 commits (Mike Labriola, Austin Bell, Noah Stewart, Jake Shaffer, Jared Siegrist) + Nino Bonaccorsi. Bell is ranked #5 nationally and IMO won't make the finals.
- 195 AAA: Jakobsen, Drew Phipps, Duggan, Trey Hartsock, Eli Grape, Jesse Kann, Miles Lee.

Oh, hell, it's PA states -- I could've said watch EVERY weight (OK, except AA 285) and been right.
 
Chlebove, Nazareth AAA 113 FR.

Gavin Hoffman, Montoursville AA 195 SO is lighting up the scoreboard this year.

Travis Stefanik, Nazareth AAA 152 JR. 2nd at King of the Mountain at 170. 3rd at Beast of the East at 160. Won the Bethlehem Holiday Classic at 160. Beat world champ Jarod Verkleeren 8-1. And now he's down to 152. Hayden Hidlay will have his hands full in their semi.

Edmond Ruth, Susquehanna Twp AAA 145 FR -- for the name, if nothing else.

A few other guys I'd watch (but a little less closely than the ones above):
- Robert Patrick, Ligonier Valley AA 152 SO, returning runner-up.
- Jacob Oliver, Huntingdon AA 170 JR, returning runner-up.
- Cole Nye, Bishop McDevitt AA 220 JR.
- Francis Duggan, North Allegheny AAA 195 SO.
- Miles Lee, South Philly AAA 195 JR. More of a curiosity -- he is 26-1 in his first year of wrestling, only loss in the NE Regional finals to John Jakobsen. He majored a couple opponents at regionals, so it's not an empty record.

Also some weights to watch:
- 126 AA: 3 returning champs (Max Murin, Cole Matthews, Jon Gabriel) + a returning runner-up (Brian Courtney), all nationally tested. Plus Lindenmuth.
- 160 AA: Returning champ Jake Wentzel will have his hands full in the semis with returning runner-up Blake Marks.
- 182 AA: finals showdown between nationally ranked returning champs Dakota Geer and Greg Bulsak.
- 195 AA: Hoffman, Connor Buttry, Connor Frey, Robert Scherer, Blake Reynolds.
- 113 AAA: Chlebove, Schnupp, Gage Curry, Matt Parker, Jakob Campbell, Logan Macri.
- 126 AAA: likely finals Luke Karam vs. Tyshawn White. White beat Karam at state duals. Ethan McCoy, Wade Cummings, Cole Manley all lurking.
- 138 AAA: the infamous Sasso vs. Pletcher quarters. Evan Fidelibus and Riley Palmer in the other half.
- 145 AAA: Hidlay, Stefanik, Jonathan Ross, Jimmy Saylor, Derek Verkleeren, Dylan Schwartz, Felix Belga.
- 170 AAA: 5 D1 commits (Mike Labriola, Austin Bell, Noah Stewart, Jake Shaffer, Jared Siegrist) + Nino Bonaccorsi. Bell is ranked #5 nationally and IMO won't make the finals.
- 195 AAA: Jakobsen, Drew Phipps, Duggan, Trey Hartsock, Eli Grape, Jesse Kann, Miles Lee.

Oh, hell, it's PA states -- I could've said watch EVERY weight (OK, except AA 285) and been right.
I just turned it on the radio. I'm especially paying attention 126 AA. Courtney is the real deal (a little biased here, since he's from my HS for full disclosure) and he has about the most difficult route possible to the final again. Not counting him out though. A couple other qualifiers from the alma mater and even more from NTL, so looking forward to some of these, in addition to PSU's guys.
 
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It's ashame Sasso and Pletcher are meeting in the quarters. Be a great finals match. The loser will take 3rd.
 
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Oh, hell, it's PA states -- I could've said watch EVERY weight (OK, except AA 285) and been right.

Great stuff, El-Jefe. Despite their seeding practices, it's hard to stay mad at the event. :)

I'm out of state, but still enjoy following the event; just the names of the schools and hometowns brings back good memories of growing up in Pennsylvania.
 
Chlebove, Nazareth AAA 113 FR.

Gavin Hoffman, Montoursville AA 195 SO is lighting up the scoreboard this year.

Travis Stefanik, Nazareth AAA 152 JR. 2nd at King of the Mountain at 170. 3rd at Beast of the East at 160. Won the Bethlehem Holiday Classic at 160. Beat world champ Jarod Verkleeren 8-1. And now he's down to 152. Hayden Hidlay will have his hands full in their semi.

Edmond Ruth, Susquehanna Twp AAA 145 FR -- for the name, if nothing else.

A few other guys I'd watch (but a little less closely than the ones above):
- Robert Patrick, Ligonier Valley AA 152 SO, returning runner-up.
- Jacob Oliver, Huntingdon AA 170 JR, returning runner-up.
- Cole Nye, Bishop McDevitt AA 220 JR.
- Francis Duggan, North Allegheny AAA 195 SO.
- Miles Lee, South Philly AAA 195 JR. More of a curiosity -- he is 26-1 in his first year of wrestling, only loss in the NE Regional finals to John Jakobsen. He majored a couple opponents at regionals, so it's not an empty record.
.

Miles Lee is very interesting. This is only his 2nd year in wrestling and last year he had just 5 matches. He is a judo (or something like that) kid, so he has some grappling background. Tremendous on his feet with a blast double reminiscent of Burroughs. Physical specimen. Completely lost on the mat at this level - as should be expected with a kid that is new to the sport.

Beat Anthony Piscopo 6-2 in D12 finals and completely controlled the match on his feet. Piscopo is a Fargo Greco AA and would not be a surprise to medal this weekend - earlier in the year Piscopo defeated SE Regional Champ Joe Doyle pretty decisively.

Jakobsen turned Lee at will - thus the TF.

Lee goes to a special school in the city (Mastery, I think) and competes for South Philadelphia as part of a co-op. I'll be rooting for him up there.
 
Chlebove, Nazareth AAA 113 FR.

Gavin Hoffman, Montoursville AA 195 SO is lighting up the scoreboard this year.

Travis Stefanik, Nazareth AAA 152 JR. 2nd at King of the Mountain at 170. 3rd at Beast of the East at 160. Won the Bethlehem Holiday Classic at 160. Beat world champ Jarod Verkleeren 8-1. And now he's down to 152. Hayden Hidlay will have his hands full in their semi.

Edmond Ruth, Susquehanna Twp AAA 145 FR -- for the name, if nothing else.

A few other guys I'd watch (but a little less closely than the ones above):
- Robert Patrick, Ligonier Valley AA 152 SO, returning runner-up.
- Jacob Oliver, Huntingdon AA 170 JR, returning runner-up.
- Cole Nye, Bishop McDevitt AA 220 JR.
- Francis Duggan, North Allegheny AAA 195 SO.
- Miles Lee, South Philly AAA 195 JR. More of a curiosity -- he is 26-1 in his first year of wrestling, only loss in the NE Regional finals to John Jakobsen. He majored a couple opponents at regionals, so it's not an empty record.

Also some weights to watch:
- 126 AA: 3 returning champs (Max Murin, Cole Matthews, Jon Gabriel) + a returning runner-up (Brian Courtney), all nationally tested. Plus Lindenmuth.
- 160 AA: Returning champ Jake Wentzel will have his hands full in the semis with returning runner-up Blake Marks.
- 182 AA: finals showdown between nationally ranked returning champs Dakota Geer and Greg Bulsak.
- 195 AA: Hoffman, Connor Buttry, Connor Frey, Robert Scherer, Blake Reynolds.
- 113 AAA: Chlebove, Schnupp, Gage Curry, Matt Parker, Jakob Campbell, Logan Macri.
- 126 AAA: likely finals Luke Karam vs. Tyshawn White. White beat Karam at state duals. Ethan McCoy, Wade Cummings, Cole Manley all lurking.
- 138 AAA: the infamous Sasso vs. Pletcher quarters. Evan Fidelibus and Riley Palmer in the other half.
- 145 AAA: Hidlay, Stefanik, Jonathan Ross, Jimmy Saylor, Derek Verkleeren, Dylan Schwartz, Felix Belga.
- 170 AAA: 5 D1 commits (Mike Labriola, Austin Bell, Noah Stewart, Jake Shaffer, Jared Siegrist) + Nino Bonaccorsi. Bell is ranked #5 nationally and IMO won't make the finals.
- 195 AAA: Jakobsen, Drew Phipps, Duggan, Trey Hartsock, Eli Grape, Jesse Kann, Miles Lee.

Oh, hell, it's PA states -- I could've said watch EVERY weight (OK, except AA 285) and been right.


Second the Max Murin comment.

Also, for those in PA, the Saturday sessions are on TV on PCN, 1:30-5 and 6:30-10.
 
I just turned it on the radio. I'm especially paying attention 126 AA. Courtney is the real deal (a little biased here, since he's from my HS for full disclosure) and he has about the most difficult route possible to the final again. Not counting him out though. A couple other qualifiers from the alma mater and even more from NTL, so looking forward to some of these, in addition to PSU's guys.
Agreed, though his path could be harder -- at least his first big test isn't until the semis. He has been very good this year. He, Murin, and Gabriel have beaten each other this year. Matthews missed that triangle of death this year but lost to Jake Riegel.

From a D4 perspective, also watching to see how Todd Lane and Blake Marks do. Both returning 2014 state finalists from Southern Columbia who missed last year with injury. Lane is a JR, gets state #1 Taylor Ortz in the quarters. Marks is a SR, gets returning champ Jake Wentzel in a semifinal de facto final (another bad PIAA bracket), and has announced he's not pursuing athletics at all in college -- so we could have a unique situation if he retires as a state champ.
 
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thanks to all that responded to the OP. I updated the "wresters of interest" section to include some of the guys mentioned in the responses.

Miles Lee is very interesting. This is only his 2nd year in wrestling and last year he had just 5 matches. He is a judo (or something like that) kid, so he has some grappling background.

Lee goes to a special school in the city (Mastery, I think) and competes for South Philadelphia as part of a co-op. I'll be rooting for him up there.

Dice, I thought that Miles went to Academy At Palumbo, and transferred to South Philadelphia. Perhaps it was a transfer from AAP to Mastery, which doesn't have a wrestling program. It can be tough to track kids, especially in Philadelphia.
 
Slightly OT since not PIAA ... last week Kameron Teacher (who was once incorrectly reported as a PSU commit) won the Ohio state title. In the finals he beat national #3 Kevin Vough by injury default -- was winning 7-2 at the time.
 
Spencer Lee opens his campaign at States with a fall at 0:45 over Josh Paisley (Big Spring).
 
Slightly OT since not PIAA ... last week Kameron Teacher (who was once incorrectly reported as a PSU commit) won the Ohio state title. In the finals he beat national #3 Kevin Vough by injury default -- was winning 7-2 at the time.

To follow in this vein, Gabe Beyer, of Leon HS in Florida (who did verbal to PSU in October before opening things back up in November), won the Florida 2A Championship at 285 last weekend, with a 4-3 decision in the final. He had a pin in his opening round match, then won 3-2 in the quarters, 3-2 in the semis, and 4-3 in the finals.

Beyer was undefeated this year, and his only loss as a junior was in the state final.

FWIW, Florida has 1A, 2A, and 3A classifications in wrestling.

I haven't read anything about him verballing elsewhere.
 
Edmond Ruth narrowly advanced from R2. He won a 2-1 TB2 decision over Dakota Weitoish (Philipsburg-Osceola). He'll face Cameron Coy (Penn-Trafford) tomorrow in the quarters.
 
I've updated everything through Round 2 for the Verbals and Wrestlers of Interest. Quarterfinals are tomorrow. While AAA is still completing R2 (they are in 160 lbs. right now), the updates from me in this thread are probably done for the day.
 
A reminder of how tough and wacky PA states can be:

285 AAA: Andrew Gunning (Bethlehem Liberty) is both the only D1 commit (UNC) and the only nationally ranked wrestler (#18) in the field. Overwhelming favorite to win gold. Today he rallied from down 6-2 to win 9-8. In round 1. Against a regional 3rd.
 
Part of the factor is the location: Hershey is only close to district 3. Everyone else needs to travel LONG bus rides to get there. If you are in district 7 or 10, you are looking at a LONNGG drive.

Politics. Without question, the tournament should be held at the BJC or Rec Hall, not the Giant center.
 
Part of the factor is the location: Hershey is only close to district 3. Everyone else needs to travel LONG bus rides to get there. If you are in district 7 or 10, you are looking at a LONNGG drive.

Politics. Without question, the tournament should be held at the BJC or Rec Hall, not the Giant center.
I strongly agree. The BJC is right in the middle of the state...It's just fair to the whole state . Could help from a money aspect too.
 
Part of the factor is the location: Hershey is only close to district 3. Everyone else needs to travel LONG bus rides to get there. If you are in district 7 or 10, you are looking at a LONNGG drive.

Politics. Without question, the tournament should be held at the BJC or Rec Hall, not the Giant center.
Thank you for the Tom Ryan perspective.

That's a pretty weak excuse for everyone except the far northwest schools. I don't see it stopping Lee or Teasdale or any of the other SW Regional kids. And some schools in Districts 4 and 11 (possibly also Districts 1, 5, and 6) are closer to Hershey than to their own District and/or Regional tournaments.

Also, it's really easy to blame politics if you don't think money counts. Penn State would charge the PIAA premium rent for the BJC, assuming the facility is even available with other PSU Athletics events. PIAA gets a better rate for the Giant Center and guaranteed availability.
 
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Thank you for the Tom Ryan perspective.

That's a pretty weak excuse for everyone except the far northwest schools. I don't see it stopping Lee or Teasdale or any of the other SW Regional kids. And some schools in Districts 4 and 11 (possibly also Districts 1, 5, and 6) are closer to Hershey than to their own District and/or Regional tournaments.

Also, it's really easy to blame politics if you don't think money counts. Penn State would charge the PIAA premium rent for the BJC, assuming the facility is even available with other PSU Athletics events. PIAA gets a better rate for the Giant Center and guaranteed availability.
Better rate? Understated. Unless the rent arrangement has changed Hershey charges zero for rent for the wrestling tournament. Biggest concession sells event Hershey hosts.
 
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Better rate? Understated. Unless the rent arrangement has changed Hershey charges zero for rent for the wrestling tournament. Biggest concession sells event Hershey hosts.
Zero would be a better rate than anything Penn State would offer ... right?
 
Friery got teched by Teasdale 24-9, 4:54 in the quarters, drops to consolations.
 
Note to Tim Owen:

Returning 120 runner-up Brian Courtney (Athens) beats 126 defending champ Jon Gabriel (Bedford, Navy commit) 8-3 in the quarters, used a 5-pt cradle in the first to win. Next gets a rematch of last year's state final, vs. Reynolds' Cole Matthews in the semis.
 
Note to Tim Owen:

Returning 120 runner-up Brian Courtney (Athens) beats 126 defending champ Jon Gabriel (Bedford, Navy commit) 8-3 in the quarters, used a 5-pt cradle in the first to win. Next gets a rematch of last year's state final, vs. Reynolds' Cole Matthews in the semis.
Ha, was just coming to post! That's a huge win. Gabriel beat Brian, 6-5 (I believe that was the score) earlier in the season, so that's a huge turnaround for him. Now onto the semis. Tough matchup, like you mention, but Brian is wrestling awesome RN. I got the faith
 
Zero would be a better rate than anything Penn State would offer ... right?
Was not arguing your point. Offering reinforcement.
I would rather the tournament was held at BJC , but that isn't going to happen.
 
Note to Tim Owen:

Returning 120 runner-up Brian Courtney (Athens) beats 126 defending champ Jon Gabriel (Bedford, Navy commit) 8-3 in the quarters, used a 5-pt cradle in the first to win. Next gets a rematch of last year's state final, vs. Reynolds' Cole Matthews in the semis.
Brutal side of an unbelievably brutal weight class.
 
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Curious to see what Garrett Hoffman can do with Dakota Greer. Greer is looking unstoppable at this point.
 
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