Pennsylvania wrestlers capture seven crowns at Super 32
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA – The Super 32 Challenge, a wrestling tournament held annually at the Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina, is not an endeavor one should walk into lightly. The number of ranked wrestlers that litter this field is far too large to express in detail. While some of the top dogs that entered failed to show, the star power and fireworks that showed up over the weekend left everyone in attendance abuzz.
Wrestlers from Pennsylvania stole the show, claiming titles in seven out of the first eight bouts, one of the more impressive performances came from No. 12 Maddox Shaw from Thomas Jefferson, who stormed through the 138-pound bracket, putting together a run he will one day tell his grandchildren about.
Shaw's ranking took a hit after a recent loss at the Columbus Day Duals to No. 11 Chase Van Hoven (Brooke Point, Virginia), 4-2 in OT. At Super 32, Shaw put that loss in the past in a big-time way, taking down three top-ten grapplers on his march to the belt.
Maddox Shaw of Thomas Jefferson (Pennsylvania) was a surprise champion of the 138-pound weight class at the Super 32, the nation's toughest wrestling gauntlet, last weekend in Greensboro, North Carolina.
In the quarters, Shaw, seeded sixth, faced off with the three-seed from California, No. 6 Paul Kelly (Poway), planting his adversary in the third period, 4:56, while holding a 5-4 lead. The junior’s semifinal opponent would pose a stiffer challenge as the Minnesotan from Woodbury, Alex Braun, was sitting in the No. 2 seed and carried the No. 4 ranking in the country into their match.
After disposing of Braun, 11-5, Shaw set his sights on the top-seeded and No. 3 in the nation, Landan Robideau (St. Michael Albertville, Minnesota). Shaw, as he was on his march to the finals, was the aggressor, coming out of the first period with two takedowns, the first on a sweet pass-by, and a 6-1 lead.
Super 32 used the NCAA’s new three-point takedown scoring, and that scoring advantage helped propel Shaw to victory, with the two trading escapes, and Robideau gaining a stalling point in the third frame to end with a 7-3, unexpected victory - or at this point, should have it been expected? - from Shaw.
Another Pennsylvania grappler put together a storybook run of his own, arguably more impressive than Shaw’s, given he was a ninth-seeded freshman. Regardless, Bishop McCort’s Melvin Miller chose this weekend to shine. Miller was a double medalist, with a freestyle championship at Fargo in the 16U division, hence his No. 17 ranking in the nation.
Some Olympic Style losses to upperclassmen in other competitions were holding Miller down in the rankings, especially because he was an incoming freshman, but he put all doubts aside starting in the round of 16 when he sent Logan Rozynksi (Blair Academy, New Jersey – No. 20 at 150-pounds) off to the consolation rounds with a 5-3 decision.
That win set Miller up with an encounter with the No. 1 seed in the quarters, No. 4 Jaxon Joy (Wadsworth, Ohio). A back-and-forth, edge-of-your-seat match ended with Miller the victor, 12-10 in OT. In the semis, Miller crossed paths with an unranked foe, who had his own upset run to preserve, the No. 13 seed, Brogan Tucker (Graham, Ohio). Miller handed Tucker a major decision loss, 11-3, and then stepped onto the grand stage.
Williamsville, New York’s Cameron Catrabone, was the No. 2 seed and No. 5 man in the land at 144. Miller was undaunted by any of that and went to work, eventually securing a takedown late in the first period for a 3-0 lead. Both posted escapes the rest of the way, resulting in Miller’s ascension up the ranks with a 4-1 victory and Super 32 supremacy.
Miller got to share the glory with two of his teammates, who had captured their crowns prior to him. No. 4 Bo Bassett won his second straight Super 32 belt and will now take over the No. 1 spot at 132-pounds Bassett is settling in nicely now at 132 after a brief stop at 138.
Bassett blanked No. 5 Sergio Vega (Sunnyside, Arizona), 11-0, in the finals. To reach the finals, Bassett downed No. 3 Kyler Larkin (Valiant Prep, Arizona), 11-6, in the semis. Vega pulled off his own upset to reach the finals, edging No. 1 seed and No. 1 in the country, Ben Davino (St. Charles East, Illinois), 6-5.
McCort’s third champ was No. 2 Jax Forrest, who powered through the bracket before being slowed down by No. 8 JJ McComas (Stillwater, Oklahoma) in the 126-pound final. Forrest prevailed but went into the final period trailing 2-1. An escape followed by a quick blast double gave him the edge he needed to prevail 5-3 when the dust settled. This was a rematch of their Fargo Freestyle final, also won by Forrest, 7-4.
North Lebanon’s No. 3 Aaron Seidel (Pennsylvania) was given the No. 1 seed here and made good on that designation, posting a 3-0 shutout of No. 4 Dom Munaretto (St. Charles East, Illinois), in the finals. After putting an escape on the board in the second, Seidel rode Munaretto out in the last sequence, using a tilt with an arm trap for two back points.
Bethlehem Catholic’s Kollin Rath (Pennsylvania) was originally entered at 144-pounds and is ranked No. 3 nationally there. A late change landed Rath at 150-pounds where he was placed in the No. 3 seed. The junior got by No. 4 Claudio Torres (Lake Highland Prep, Florida), 5-3, in the semis. Rath earned his crown 4-2 over Oklahoma’s No. 10 Kody Routledge (Edmond North).
Circling back to freshmen, Faith Christian Academy’s No. 2 Joe Bachmann (Virginia) joined Miller as the only other freshman champion, staking claim to the top position at 106 by planting Rocco Hayes (Carl Sandburg, Illinois) late in the third period, 5:26, while holding a comfortable lead.
New Jersey flexed some muscles and saw three of their ranks earn one of the coveted championship belts – all three are juniors. St. John Vianney’s No. 2 Anthony Knox (120) won his second straight belt in commanding fashion with an 11-0 effort over No. 7 Nathan Desmond (Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania) that highlighted Knox’s excellence on his feet. Desmond shocked No. 3 Christian Castillo (Valiant Prep) in the semis, 4-1.
No. 14 Anthony Harris (St. Peter’s Prep) was given the No. 10 seed at 215. In the quarters, Harris rolled to a 13-2 win over No. 10 Dillon Bechtold (Owen J Roberts, Pennsylvania). No. 11, and third-seeded, Rylan Kuhn (St. Pius X, Missouri), received a 4-0 snuffing from Harris in the semis. Double Fargo 16U Champ, No. 19 Michael Mocco (Cardinal Gibbons, Florida), awaited Harris in the finals and fell 4-3.
St. Joe Regional’s Ryan Burton is No. 8 in our latest rankings, and therefore, was a slight underdog to No. 7 Cole Han-Lindemyer (Farmington, Minnesota). Han-Lindemyer was seeded No. 1 here and Burton was slotted at No. 3. They met in the finals with Burton using an escape and a stalling point to account for the 2-0 win.
The last unexpected champ at 165-pounds was perhaps more unexpected than some of the others given his path to the title would have to go through the No. 1 seed and No. 1 in the nation Ethan Birden (Dublin Coffman, Ohio), and the disparity in their rankings. But No. 13 LJ Araujo (Bismarck, North Dakota) was up for the challenge, wrestling a strategic match that resulted in a 2-1 head-turner.
Empowered by those vibes, Araujo slapped an 11-0 major decision on No. 11 Latrel Schafer (Veterans, Georgia), then decided to shake up the rankings one more time in the finals with a 5-3 decision of No. 7 Dom Bambinelli (Mill Creek, Georgia). Bambinelli surprised No. 2 Alessio Perentin (Delbarton, New Jersey), 7-2, in his semifinal.
World Champion LaDarion Lockett (Stillwater, Oklahoma) encountered a wrestler trying to add one more upset to his Super 32 list in Joseph Antonio (St. John Bosco, California) in the 157-pound final. The match was tied at one after regulation, with an escape for Lockett and a stalling point awarded to Antonio. Lockett posted a quick takedown to secure the win in the first overtime frame for his second straight Super 32 belt.
Antonio, seeded sixth, exploded in the quarterfinals with a 20-4 tech fall of No. 6 Cory Thomas, the three seed from Pontiac, Michigan. The junior got the best of No. 5 Conner Harer (Montgomery, Pennsylvania), the No. 2 seed, 8-3, in the semis.
No. 1 Aeoden Sinclair (Milton, Wisconsin) was facing a serious threat to his No. 1 ranking in his 190-pound finals match with No. 3 Rune Lawrence (Frazier, Pennsylvania). They were scoreless after one, Lawrence posted a quick escape to start period two. Sinclair collected a stall warning during that frame but chose neutral to start the third, eventually hitting an arm drag for the winning score, 3-2.
Heavyweight was won by No. 6 Nicholas Sahakian (St. John Bosco), 2-1, over Daniel Herrera (Ames, IA). An interesting note about this match-up is Sahakian was the 220-pound California State Champ last year, and Herrera was the 285-pound champ at Palm Desert. Herrera transferred to Iowa ahead of this season. To reach the final, the now Iowan beat No. 8 Spencer Lanosga (Jesuit, LA), 4-2.
FINALS
106 Joe Bachmann northwales, PA (PA) F Rocco Hayes Orland Park, IL (IL), 5:26
113 Aaron Seidel Schaefferstown, PA (PA) DEC Domenic Munaretto St. Charles, IL (IL), 3-0
120 Anthony Knox freehold, NJ (NJ) MD Nathan Desmond Wind Gap, PA (PA), 11-0
126 Jax Forrest Johnstown, PA (PA) DEC Jj Mccomas Stillwater, OK (OK), 5-3
132 Bo Bassett Windber, PA (PA) MD Sergio Vega Tucson, AZ (AZ), 11-0
138 Maddox Shaw Jefferson Hills, PA (PA) DEC Landon Robideau Saint Michael, MN (MN), 7-3
144 Melvin Miller Windber, PA (PA) DEC Cameron Catrabone Williamsville, NY (NY), 4-1
150 Kollin Rath Stroudsburg, PA (PA) DEC Kody Routledge Edmond, OK (OK), 4-2
157 Ladarion Lockett Stillwater, OK (OK) DEC Joseph Antonio Long Beach, CA (CA), 4-1 SV
165 Leandro Araujo 58503, ND (ND) DEC Dominic Bambinelli Hoschton, GA (GA), 5-3
175 Ryan Burton Sparta, NJ (NJ) DEC Cole Han-lindemyer FARMINGTON, MN (MN), 2-0
190 Aeoden Sinclair Edgerton, WI (WI) DEC Rune Lawrence Perryopolis, PA (PA), 3-2
215 Anthony Harris Sparta, NJ (NJ) DEC Michael Mocco Parkland, FL (FL), 4-3
285 Nicholas Sahakian Tarzana, CA (CA) DEC Daniel Herrera Ames, IA (IA), 2-1
3RD PLACE
106 Grey Burnett Perrysburg, OH (OH) DEC Dominic Deputy New paris, PA (PA), 1-0
113 Landon Sidun North Huntington, PA (PA) DEC Joseph Uhorchuk Signal Mountain, TN (TN), 2-1
120 Ronnie Ramirez Ontario, CA (CA) DEC Christian Castillo Glendale, AZ (AZ), 5-4
126 Adrian Dejesus Morris Plains, NJ (NJ) DEC Nikolaus Oneill Philadelphia, PA (PA), 2-1
132 Benjamin Davino South Elgin, IL (IL) DEC Kyler Larkin Gilbert, AZ (AZ), 4-2
138 Alex Braun Woodbury, MN (MN) DEC Paul Kelly Wildomar, CA (CA), 4-1
144 Jaxon Joy Wadsworth, OH (OH) DEC Logan Paradice Moultrie, GA (GA), 7-1
150 Vince Bouzakis Shavertown, PA (PA) DEC Kael Voinovich Iowa City, IA (IA), 6-4
157 Conner Harer Muncy, PA (PA) DEC Leo Contino Clovis, CA (CA), 3-2
165 Ethan Birden Dublin, OH (OH) TF Latrell Schafer Bonaire, GA (GA), 16-0 4:40
175 Dom Federici Swoyersville, PA (PA) DEC Landon Jones Powder Springs, GA (GA), 4-1
190 Tucker Hogan Douglassville, PA (PA) DEC Karson Tompkins Midlothian, TX (TX), 9-2
215 Oscar Williams Edmond, OK (OK) DEC Quin Morgan ARDEN HILLS, MN (MN), 8-4
285 Spencer Lanosga New Orleans, LA (LA) F Nicholas Pavlechko State college, PA (PA), 0:34
5TH PLACE
106 Shamus Regan Fort Mill, SC (SC) M FOR Ignacio Villasenor Longmont, CO (CO), 0-0 0:00
113 Ayden Smith Allentown, PA (PA) Jermaine jj Peace Summerville, SC (SC)
120 Ethan Rivera Winter Park, FL (FL) DEC Keanu Dillard Bethlehem, PA (PA), 4-1
126 Seth Mendoza Mokena, IL (IL) DEC Eren Sement Newtown, PA (PA), 4-1
132 Drew Gorman Buford, GA (GA) MD Adrian Meza Laveen, AZ (AZ), 13-5
138 Sam Herring Johnstown, PA (PA) FOR Luke Simcox Lock Haven, PA (PA), 0-0
144 Brogan Tucker Sidney, OH (OH) DEC August Hibler Edgewater, NJ (NJ), 6-5
157 Matt Henrich Manahawkin, NJ (NJ) MD Darius Marines Lansing, MI (MI), 11-0
165 Alessio Perentin Clark, NJ (NJ) MD Xavier Giles Bronx, NY (NY), 10-0
175 Carson Thomas Hamilton, OH (OH) DEC Jake Stacey Mount Juliet, TN (TN), 8-3
190 Anders Thompson Kalispell, MT (MT) M FOR Harvey Ludington iv Brick, NJ (NJ)
215 Dillon Bechtold Pottstown, PA (PA) DEC Rylan Kuhn Kansas City, MO (MO), 8-5
285 Mark Effendian Philadelphia, PA (PA) DEC Calvin Lachman quakertown, PA (PA), 2-1 SV
7TH PLACE
106 Ezekiel Witt Junction City, KS (KS) F Cameron Sontz Pine Brook, NJ (NJ), 3:39
113 Titan Friederichs Watertown, MN (MN) DEC Nicholas Garcia bartlett, IL (IL), 7-2
120 Antonio Mills iii Dacula, GA (GA) DEC Antonio Rodriguez Brentwood, CA (CA), 3-0
126 Jackson Blum Shelbyville, MI (MI) FOR Jake Crapps Adairsville, GA (GA), 0-0
132 Logan Swensen Plymouth, MN (MN) DEC Tahir Parkins Nazareth, PA (PA), 5-2
138 Tyler Guerra Saint Charles, IL (IL) DEC Dalton Perry Renovo, PA (PA), 4-2
144 Beau Hickman Tuttle, OK (OK) DEC Gavin Linsman Wentzville, MO (MO), 7-0
150 Ethan Parco San Ramon, CA (CA) DEC Nolan Liess Rochester, NY (NY), 7-4
157 Cory Thomas jr. Auburn Hills, MI (MI) DEC Dylan Pile los gatos, CA (CA), 10-5
165 Bryce Griffin Bethalto, IL (IL) DEC Branson John Clovis, CA (CA), 7-3
175 Elijah Penton winter springs, FL (FL) M FOR Isael Perez providence, RI (RI), 0-0 0:00
190 Cade Ziola Elkhorn, NE (NE) DEC Gunner Henry Brownsburg, IN (IN), 7-5
215 Connor Bercume Novi, MI (MI) M FOR Hudson Skove Rumson, NJ (NJ)
