Mat Madness 2018: Championship

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The field has been narrowed down from 64 wrestlers to 2 of the big guns. 265 votes across 5 rounds has brought us to this matchup: Joe Solomon versus Mark Angle. Download the updated bracket here.

Joe Solomon, the #1 seed from the Gunners Division, stampeded his side of the bracket with the most amount of votes. The Gunner wrestled for Canonsburg High School in the late 1940’s through the early 1950’s. During that time, he amassed 3 WPIAL titles and 1 PIAA title at 145 lbs. He might have earned some Section titles, too, if the tournament was around back in his day. What Solomon holds over Angle is a NCAA Division I title when he wrestled at Pitt.

One of the other four #1 seed’s, Mark Angle, also advanced to the championship match. He has received the most votes in the tournament thus far, and doesn’t look to stop his domination. Angle was a 4X Section champ, 4X WPIAL champ, and 1X State champ during his high school tenure in the 90’s. Additionally, he was a 3X NCAA All-American at Clarion, earning two 4th place finishes and a bronze medal.

It’s only fitting that the last match of the tournament is the most difficult to decide. Crown the Mat Madness Champion:

Mat Madness 2018: Final Four

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Four rounds of voting have finally decided the Division Champions. Joe Solomon (Gunners), George O’Korn (Blue), Mark Angle (Gold), and Colin Johnston (Modern) have been crowned individual division champs of their respective eras. Now comes the tough part: cross-era matchups. Download the updated PDF bracket here.

On the left side of the bracket, #1 Joe Solomon is up against #1 George O’Korn. Solomon is a 3X WPIAL champ and State champion at 145 lbs, in addition to being an NCAA Champion at Pitt. O’Korn has 3 Section titles, 1 WPIAL title, and 2 PIAA titles at 165 and 167 lbs. To be fair, the Section tournament was not around in Solomon’s day, but this is going to be a close match.

#1 Mark Angle takes on #4 Colin Johnston on the opposite side of the bracket, and this matchup is a doozy. Both wrestlers have 4 Section titles, 4 WPIAL titles, and 1 State title in the lightweight classes. The two are also members of the 100 win club, Johnston with 163 wins and Angle with 148 wins. Johnston continued his career at WVU and Angle at Clarion, becoming a 3X All-American. Good luck, voters.

It’s up to you who advances to the Mat Madness Championships:

PJW Jr. High State Tournament Recap

Coach Slack’s Jr. High squad wrestled in the PJW State Tournament this past weekend. After qualifying a record number of wrestlers for the tournament, The “Fighting Fourteen” made an impact at the tournament with two place winners. The following wrestlers traveled to Johnstown, PA to wrestle: William Styperk (82), Lucas Dantry (82), Conlan O’Donoghue (87), Jake Egizio (92), Daniel Buckley (92), Jacob Houpt (97), Costa Moore (102), Brandon Dami (107), Tyler Soule (117), Gabriel Stafford (124), Addison Miller (132), Danny Phillips (132), Matthew Furman (140), and Ty Rohaley (157).

Below is the journey that each of the Jr. High’s placers took to earn a medal: 

Costa Moore (102 lbs) - 5th Place

Round 1 - BYE
Round 2 - Costa Moore dec Chase Crawley (Muncy), (1-0)
Round 3 - Cole Homet (Wayesburg) fall Costa Moore, (4:21)
Consy Round 3 - Costa Moore fall Ryan Kneeland (Jamestown), (2:08)
Consy Round 4 - Costa Moore dec Nathan Monteparte (North Allegheny), (2-0)
Consy Round 5 - Costa Moore fall Alex Hanley (Northampton), (6:30)
Consy Round 6 - Costa Moore dec Dagen Condomitti (Northampton), (1-0)
Consy Round 7 - Braden Bower (Williamsport) dec Costa Moore, (3-0)
5th Place - Costa Moore dec Gabriel Golden (Latrobe), (2-1)

Brandon Dami (107 lbs) - 7th Place

Round 1 - BYE
Round 2 - Brandon Dami dec Aiden Gaugler (Selinsgrove), (4-3)
Round 3 - Brandon Dami dec Bodie Rouzer (Waynesboro Area), (5-1)
Quarterfinals - Rocco Welsh (Waynesburg) fall Brandon Dami, (2:25)
Consy Round 5 - Brandon Dami dec Andrew McMonagle (Central), (6-1)
Consy Round 6 - Kelin Laffey(Pine Richland) fall Brandon Dami, (:55)
7th Place - Brandon Dami fall Nolan Barr (Clearfield), (3:05)

Cover Photo Source: Facebook

The Top 7 Wrestling Movies of All Time

Tonight the Oscars Academy Awards will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. This will be the 90th time that the world-renowned Academy reveals their choices for Best Picture; coincidentally, 90 is also the number of years that the Canon-McMillan Wrestling Program has been around. With that in mind, we’ve decided to rank the Top 7 Wrestling Movies of All Time.

7. Legendary (2010)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 17%
Where to watch: Netflix, Hulu

The world knows John Cena as a famous WWE big shot, but he tested his skills as an amateur wrestler in this 2010 film. Cena plays the older brother to a Cal (Devon Graye), a nerdy teenager just looking to find his way in the world through wrestling. Hardships fill Cal’s life in the way of girls, bullys, family, and wrestling nerves.

This movie is pretty cheesy, but it does a good job of promoting the sport of wrestling to a generation of John Cena fans. It’s free on Netflix and Hulu, so it’s worth a watch one night.
 

6. Foxcatcher (2014)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
Where to watch: Amazon (Rent), *or watch the Team Foxcatcher documentary on Netflix

Foxcatcher is based on the true story of Mark Shultz (Channing Tatum) and Dave Shultz (Mark Ruffalo) as they train for the 1988 Olympic Games in South Korea. They receive some unwarranted aid from eccentric millionaire John du Pont. The dark side of du Pont is shown throughout the film, which was quite the casting change for Steve Carell who was used to comedic roles. The eventual murder of Dave Shultz is shown in a dramatic way that shocks those not familiar with the story.

The movie received five Oscar nominations in 2015, including Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. However, it was snubbed for Best Extra performances by Canon-McMillan Wrestling’s own coaches, Chris Mary and Brian “Slack” Krenzelak.

5. Win Win (2011)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
Where to watch: Amazon (Rent)

One of the most overlooked wrestling movies of the past decade is Win Win. Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti), a lawyer and high school wrestling coach, struggles to find a way to improve his failing practice and team. When an surprising stud wrestler joins his family and team, Mike’s life start to change, for the better or for worse. Wrestling is a vehicle for Mike to connect with the troubled wrestler, but the movie also presents some of the stereotypes of the sport in a fun way. From watching online film (FloWrestling?) to going on morning runs to make weight to making up amusing names for moves, the film captures the essence of high school wrestling.

Win Win was nominated for an ESPY in 2011 for Best Sports Movie.

4. Terry (2015)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: N/A
Where to watch: FloWrestling

Terry Brands is a name known by any college wrestling fan today as one half of the iconic Brands brothers coaching duo at Iowa Wrestling. “Terry” shows the namesake’s long journey to become an Olympic medalist in the shadow of his twin brother Tom. The FloFilms documentary shows the incredible highs and absolutely horrific lows of one of wrestling’s most iconic figures as a wrestler and as a Hawkeye coach.

For any wrestler looking to see what type of training goes into making the Olympic tournament or for any fan that just wants to know more about the life of Brands, Terry is one of the best documentaries on the sport of wrestling.

3. Takedowns and Falls (2010)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: N/A
Where to watch: Vudu

Sweigard and Peppelman are two names that Big Mac fans may be familiar with if they followed the team’s State Championship runs in the early 2010’s. Takedowns and Falls details the story of Central Dauphin’s own coaches and wrestlers as they train to become PIAA Team State Champions. Pains strike the team in the form of individual losses and a coach’s cancer diagnosis. Getting views into the daily lives and routines of the team is something that resonates with high school athletes and wrestlers that have a common goal.

Perhaps the best part about this movie coming out in 2010 is that Canon-McMillan wrestlers could watch the movie with their own goals in mind: beat Central Dauphin.

2. Warrior (2011)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%
Where to watch: Amazon (Rent)

Brendan (Joel Edgerton) and Tommy (Tom Hardy) are brothers both looking to improve their lives from damaged childhoods. When a Mega MMA Tournament opens allowing a winner to take home $5 Million, the brothers take up arms against each other. Though the sport isn’t about wrestling, Brendan was a former wrestler whose father was tough on him and his brother -- a theme that may echo with many former wrestlers. The movie’s emotional twists and turns can get even the most hardcore wrestling fan to shed a tear.
 
In addition to being one of the most motivating movies of all time, CM fans may enjoy Warrior because of its Pittsburgh references and cameo appearances by Kurt Angle. 

1. Vision Quest (1985)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 54%
Where to watch: Amazon (Rent)

Is there any other wrestling movie that can be the best besides Vision Quest? The coming of age movie tells the story of Louden Swain, played by Matthew Modine. Louden is a high school wrestler who has his sight set on beating a seemingly invincible opponent and proving everybody wrong. Louden keeps his mind and body focused on winning his match with the support of his love interest, Carla. Through shadow wrestling, rope climbing, running, weight loss, and hard work and training, Swain fulfills his vision quest.

It would behoove older fans to share this movie with their younger wrestlers so that this great piece of wrestling cinema isn’t lost over the course of history.

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That’s our list of the 7 Best Wrestling Movies of All Time. Throughout all of these movies, the common theme seems to be setting a goal and doing “whatever the F*$% it takes” to win -- to steal a line from Win Win. And, that’s what wrestlers do the best. From Austin DeSanto beating Spencer Lee to Adam Coon beating Kyle Snyder, these movies aren’t just fictitious; they show what really goes on inside these crazy wrestler’s heads.

We want to know your thoughts: will you be watching the Oscars and did we forget any movies?

WPIAL AAA Championships Recap

The Big Macs came into the WPIAL Championship weekend with ten qualifiers from the Section IV tournament, and three placed in the top 4 to advance onto the PIAA tournament. Hritsko placed 4th at 138 lbs. after losing in the semifinals to and winning in the “blood round.” At the 160 lb. weight class, Nijenhuis took home a silver medal with a great run through the bracket and a loss to Hartman of Belle Vernon in the finals. Logan Macri (120 lbs) came away with another impressive victory over Louis Newell of Seneca Valley. This is Logan's first WPIAL Title, which adds him to the list as another name on the board of WPIAL Champs.

Among the other wrestlers, Tanner Rohaley came up just short with a 2-0 loss in the blood round to Nick Acuna (Moon) while Jimmy Baxter (106), Evan Miller (170), and Giomar Ramos (Hwt) all wrestled their hearts out with valiant efforts in the 3rd Round Consys. And a hats off also goes to Jacob Gardner (113), Kenny Hayman (126), and Dimitri Pihiou (152) on wrestling some tough competition. All of these Big Macs had excellent seasons and many will be back for blood next year.

Full results can be found on FloWrestling. Macri, Hritsko, and Nijenhuis will all wrestle in Hershey on Thursday, March 8. Below are the results from the Finals and Consy Finals matches:

1st/2nd

120 Logan Macri dec. Louis Newell (Seneca Valley), 4-3 - 1st
160 Zach Hartman (Belle Vernon) dec. Gerrit Nijenhuis, 3-1 - 2nd

3rd/4th

138 Ty Linsenbigler (Hempfield) dec. Tim Hritsko, 7-2 - 4th

Learn more about the advancing wrestlers in their Wrestler of the Week profiles:

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Click to read the results and articles in the Observer-Reporter:
Canon-McMillan's Macri rolls to first WPIAL title
Nijenhuis moving in right direction to win gold medal

Cover Photo Source: Observer-Reporter

Mat Madness 2018: Division Finals

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Mat Madness continues to stun fans with more upsets. It was apparently clear-cut for the Blue Age to host the #1 and #2 wrestlers in the finals, but the other three divisions were not so straightforward. #3 Manuel Pihakis edged out NCAA All-American Elias George to advance to the Gunners Division Finals. On the opposite side of the bracket, #6 Bruce Cridge advanced with a second upset against NCAA Champion, Sylvester Terkay; however, he now faces the wrestler with the most votes in the tournament thus far, Mark Angle. And in the final division, #4 Johnston pulled out a close victory over the only #1 seed not to advance, Solomon Chishko.

Make sure to download your updated version of the bracket by clicking here. The Division Finals are now set:

• Gunners Age - #1 Joe Solomon vs. #3 Manuel Pihakis
• Blue Age - #1 George O’Korn vs. #2 Angelo Marino
• Gold Age - #1 Mark Angle vs. #6 Bruce Cridge
• Modern Age - #4 Colin Johnston vs. #2 Connor Schram

Submit your ballot below for Round 4, and please share with your friends:

Mat Madness 2018: Division Semifinals

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Upset city! All four #1 and #2 seeds are moving on, but that doesn’t mean that they’re safe.  #4 seeds Bill Hulings (Gunners) and Jim Biringer (Blue) found that out against their respective #5 seeded opponents Vic DeFelice and Emil Deliere. Bruce Cridge plowed through the competition with an upset win over JUCO Champion Rob Benjamin, but he faces a resilient NCAA Champ Sylvester Terkay next. The only division to come out unscathed with all 4 of the top seeds still remaining is the Modern Age, though Wiercioch battled in a close contest against Kyle Deliere.

We’re moving onto Round 3, the Division Semifinals. State champs face off with Pihakis vs. George (Gunners), Peterson vs. Marino (Blue), Chishko vs. Johnston (Modern), and Wiercioch vs. Schram (Modern), while NCAA All-Americans clash with Solomon vs. DeFelice (Gunners). Download the updated Division Semifinals bracket here.

Vote below, and be sure to share with your friends as these rounds start to heat up:

Mat Madness 2018: Round 2

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Mat Madness 2018 Round 2 Updated Bracket

Thanks to all of those who participated in Round 1 of Mat Madness 2018. Last round there were some tight matches and three upsets: #9 Darrel Patterson over #8 Tony Compeggie (Gunners), #9 Nick Catalano over #8 Cody Klempay (Modern), and #11 Kyle Deliere over #6 Brendan Furman (Modern). Download the updated Round 2 bracket here.

We kick off our second round with some fresh matchups and some teammates facing off against each other. Who will come out on top? You decide!

As a reminder, you can vote for all or some of the matchups. Instructions: 1) Click on your picks, 2) Click “Next” to see the next Division or “Back” to see the previous, and 3) Click “Submit” to make sure your responses are counted. Round 2 voting closes on February 27 at 5:00PM. Vote on Round 2 Below:

Jr. High Qualifies Record 14 for PJW State Tournament

Not only was this a phenomenal weekend for the High School team, but the Jr. High had a great showing at the Area IV Regional tournament. Coach Slack's squad qualified a record 14 wrestlers for the PJW State tournament, beating the previous record of 12 qualifiers in 2016. The young men will compete next weekend in the PJW Jr. High State Championship at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena in Johnstown, PA (3/3 - 3/4). Review the full results below or at TrackWrestling:

1st

102 Costa Moore (Champion)
107 Brandon Dami (Champion)
124 Gabe Stafford (Champion)

2nd

82 Lucas Dantry (2nd)
87 Conan O'Donoghue (2nd)
92 Jake Egizio (2nd)
97 Jacob Haupt (2nd)
117 Tyler Soule (2nd)
132 Danny Phillips (2nd)
140 Matthew Furman (2nd)
157 Ty Rohaley (2nd)

3rd

82 William Styperk (3rd)
92 Daniel Buckley (3rd)
132 Addison Miller (3rd)

Cover Photo Source: Facebook

Section 4 AAA Recap

The Big Macs didn’t disappoint in the Section 4 AAA Championships this weekend, qualifying 10 wrestlers for the WPIAL tournament next weekend at Canon-McMillan High School starting Friday (3/2). The team ended with the most 1st place finishes in the tournament (5) over Waynesburg (3). Logan Macri earned his 3rd straight section title, while Nijenhuis earned his 2nd championship. Below are the results from the championship and consolation matches:

1st/2nd

106 Jimmy Baxter pinned Hunter Shriver (Waynesburg), 1:48 / 1st
120 Logan Macri dec. Wyatt Henson (Waynesburg), 5-1 / 1st
138 Tim Hritsko dec. Jackson Henson (Waynesburg), 2-1 / 1st
145 Nick Acuna (Moon) dec. Tanner Rohaley, 2-0 / 2nd
160 Gerrit Nijenhuis maj. dec. Vincenzo Rauso (Central Catholic), 11-2 / 1st
285 Giomar Ramos pinned Ryan Howard (Waynesburg), (2:53) / 1st

3rd/4th

113 Giani Martini (Trinity) dec. Jacob Gardener, 4-0 / 4th
126 Kenny Hayman pinned Cody Trout (Chartiers Valley), 4:04 / 3rd
170 Evan Miller dec. Jamal Littlejohn (Moon), 7-6 / 3rd

5th/6th

152 Dimitri Pihiou pinned Michael Bates (Moon), 1:51 / 5th

Check out the results and articles:
WPIAL AAA Section 4 Tournament Results
Hritsko, Canon-Mac Get Best of Waynesburg in 4-AAA Finals

Mat Madness 2018 - Who is CM's Best Wrestler of All Time?

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Mat Madness 2018 - Click on photo to enlarge.

Welcome to Mat Madness 2018! It’s been asked on Facebook, at matches, and behind closed doors, “Who is the BEST wrestler to come out of Canon Mac?” Well, it’s time to decide in March Madness bracket style.

We’ve set up a 64-man bracket with the top 16 wrestlers from 4 different eras: Gunners (30’s-50’s), Blue (60’s-70’s), Gold (80’s-90’s), and Modern (00’s-10’s). The wrestlers were chosen and seeded based upon an algorithm of their amount of High School Section, WPIAL, State titles and Collegiate NCAA placings. We have excluded any wrestlers currently in High School because they have not finished their career yet.

The tournament will take place over 6 rounds and complete within two weeks. What’s the criteria on voting? It’s up to you: who would win in a match, who has more accomplishments, who has had the better career, etc.

Schedule:
Round 1: February 22
Round 2: Feburary 26
Division Semifinals: February 28
Division Finals: March 2
Final Four: March 5
Championship: March 7

Vote in all of the divisions or just your favorites. Want to learn more about the wrestlers? There’s not better way than on our website. Click here to view Individual History. Get started below:

Nicknames Origins

The wrestlers, fans, and coaches of Canon-McMillan Wrestling have had a variety of nicknames given to them over the years. The origins of a nickname can be silly, historic, cultural, or sincere. A truly great nickname can stick with somebody for life, and for certain individuals in the CM Wrestling program, it certainly has. Some nicknames of note are: Superfan Stanley “Stush” Sadowski, cameraman Aaron "Buck" Caldwell, legend Manuel “Buz” Pihakis, Jr. High coach Brian “Slack” Krenzelak, and former head coaches Andy “Pooch” Puchany and R.J. “Roc” O’Connell. We got together with two of these guys to discuss the origins of their nicknames. Watch below:

CM Dual Meet Season Recap

Dual Meet Record: 15-3

Regular Season
W Canon-McMillan vs. Montour (71-9)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Chartiers Valley (66-6)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Kiski Area (36-27)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Waynesburg (37-21)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Central Catholic (62-12)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Trinity (39-22)

Section Team Championship
W Canon-McMillan vs. Moon (59-15)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Waynesburg (36-18)

W.P.I.A.L. Team Championship
W Canon-McMillan vs. Upper St. Clair (51-21)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Hampton (62-3)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Seneca Valley (47-17)
L Kiski Area vs. Canon-McMillan (24-33)

P.I.A.A. Team Championship
W Canon-McMillan vs. Council Rock South (36-24)
L Cathedral Prep vs. Canon-McMillan (18-40)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Cedar Cliff (59-9)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Central Dauphin (29-28)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Seneca Valley (27-23)
L Cathedral Prep vs. Canon-McMillan (22-42)

Read about the tournaments:
CM Wins 17th Straight Section Title
CM Claims Silver in WPIAL Team Tournament
Big Macs Take 4th at PIAA Team State Tournament

Cover Photo Source: Facebook

Big Macs Take 4th at PIAA Team State Tournament

Canon-McMillan started the 2017-2018 season ranked 4th in the WPIAL, but ended it by placing 4th at the PIAA team state tournament. The squad racked up 6 regular season wins, including a big upset against Kiski Area. The Big Macs earned 2 more wins by smashing through the Section tournament to win the program’s 17th straight title. The boys made it all the way to the WPIAL finals before they dropped their first loss to rival Kiski Area in another tight match.

Source: Observer-Reporter

This past weekend Havelka’s Big Mac’s travelled to the Giant Center in Hershey, PA seeking a spot on the podium, though their road to it would be no easy feat. After a close match to Council Rock South (36-24), the team lost to Erie Cathedral Prep (40-18). The boys gathered some strength and fought back through the consolation bracket, first by beating Cedar Cliff (59-9). The easy matches ended after that when CM battled recent rival Central Dauphin down to the final bout, coming out on top with a victory (29-28). And, though Canon Mac plowed through the Raiders in the WPIAL semifinals, the team put up a fight in the blood round. Another match coming down to the final-bout went in favor of the Macs (27-23). Unfortunately, the team dropped another loss to Cathedral Prep in the consolation finals (42-22). This earned the Big Macs a 4th place finish at the tournament. Click here to view the full 2018 PIAA State bracket.

Source: Facebook

Excluding years when CM won a PIAA State Championship, this is the program’s first time placing at the tournament, marking the team down as one of the greatest that Canon-McMillan has seen in its 90 year history. This shows great promise for first year Head Coach Havelka and his coaching staff. The 2017-2018 team season was a roller coaster full of ups and downs, and certain matches from this season are sure to live on in greatness for as long as fans are alive to recount the stories. The Big Macs finished the team season 15-3, bringing total program wins to 1,075. The team will continue onto the final individual tournaments of the season starting with the Section tournament on February 24.

Read about the tournament in the Observer-Reporter:
Another chance for Canon-McMillan wrestling
C-M celebrates win over Council Rock South
Canon-McMillan falls in quarterfinals, can still finish third
Canon-McMillan finishes 4th in PIAA Team Tournament

Cover Photo Source: Facebook

So You Think You Know CM Wrestling Quiz

Think you've got the skills to takedown 90 years worth of history? Take our quiz below to find out where you stack up!

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CM Claims Silver in WPIAL Team Tournament

This was perhaps one of the craziest WPIAL tournaments in recent memory. After blasting through Upper St. Clair (51-21) and Hampton (62-3) in the first two rounds of the tournament, CM was poised to face Hempfield in the semifinals. The Spartans were disqualified from the tournament when one of their wrestlers was found ineligible to wrestle, therefore pushing Seneca Valley into a match against Canon Mac. The Big Macs rolled through the Raiders (47-17).

In the WPIAL Class AAA finals, Canon-McMillan went up against a tough Kiski Area for their second meeting of the season. Even with surprising weight class changes; big falls by Baxter (106) and Nijenhuis (182); great wins by Binni (113), Macri (120), Hayman (132), and Miller (170); and solid matches by Gardner (126) Hritsko (138), Rohaley (145), and Hendal (195) the Big Macs came up short (33-24). Unfortunately, midway through the dual Adams (160) suffered from a neck injury and was rushed to the hospital (update: no major issues, but prayers are appreciated).

Though the team did not bring home the gold that they wanted, they showed a lot of heart. The Big Macs wrestled a phenomenal tournament thanks to first year head coach Jeff Havelka. With three straight WPIAL finals appearances all ending in second-place finishes, it's easy to be disappointed; however, that unsettling feeling is what makes programs like Canon-McMillan better as the team strives for success in the future. Havelka's Big Macs have had an excellent season thus far, with an 11-1 record. The boys have one more go at gold, as CM wrestles in the PIAA state tournament next weekend at the Giant Center in Hershey.

Read about the tournament in the Observer-Reporter:
- Quarterfinals: Big Macs Breeze to Semifinals
- Semis & Finals: Kiski goes back-to-back, Downs C-M for Team Title

Cover Photo Source: Observer-Reporter

Penn State vs. Ohio State: By the Numbers

The biggest collegiate dual of the year is approaching as #2 Ohio State takes on #1 Penn State at Rec Hall this weekend in what some are calling the “Super Bowl of College Wrestling.” PSU has a 42 match winning streak with two undefeated seasons in 2016 and 2017, the longest since Iowa’s “unbeaten” 84-0-1 win streak from 2008-2012. Their last loss came from Oklahoma State in February of 2015, which was also the last season that the Buckeyes beat the Nittany Lions by a score of 22-15. Both PSU and OSU have phenomenal teams this year, and that is shown by the stats of their head coaches, individuals, and teams.

Head Coaches

Source: Getty Images

Since 2009 the two head coaches of these prestigious programs have faced off against each other. Tom Ryan joined Ohio State’s staff in 2006, while Cael Sanderson did not head PSU until 2009. Ryan has a record at OSU of 147-49-0 to Sanderson’s 123-14-2 at PSU. From ‘09-‘17 the Nittany Lions went 6-2 against the Buckeyes, with losses in ’10 and ’15; furthermore, PSU outscored OSU 221-105 in the eight total matches. These coaches share 5 Big Ten Conference Championships and 7 NCAA Championships between them. Since 2011, the only years that Penn State did not win either a Big Ten Title or NCAA Championship, it was won by Ohio State. Also shared between the coaches are 27 individual National Champions. Ryan has coached multiple-time champions, including Logan Stieber (4X), Kyle Snyder (2X), and J Jaggers (2X). Under Sanderson’s tutelage have been greats such as Ed Ruth (3X), David Taylor (2X), Quentin Wright (2X), and Zain Retherford (2X). Of course, Sanderson is recognized for coaching 5 NCAA Champions in one year during the ‘16-’17 season. Needless to say, these two coaches are some of the best in DI college wrestling, and it will be great to see them go at it on Saturday.

Projected Lineups

#2 Ohio State

125 Natan Tomasello (#4)
133 Luke Pletcher (#2)
141 Joey McKenna (#11)
149 Ke-Shawn Hayes (#6)
157 Micah Jordan (#5)
165 Te-Shan Campbell (#14)
174 Bo Jordan (#3)
184 Myles Martin (#2)
197 Kollin Moore (#1)
Hwt Kyle Snyder (#1)

#1 Penn State

125 Devin Schnupp
133 Corey Keener
141 Nick Lee (#6)
149 Zain Retherford (#1)
157 Jason Nolf (#1)
165 Vincenzo Joseph (#1)
174 Mark Hall (#2)
184 Bo Nickal (#1)
197 Shakur Rasheed (#7)
Hwt Nick Nevills (#6)

Individual Stats

Source: The Mat Board

These are the two most stacked lineups in the country right now. Shared between these two teams are: 15 HS State Champions with 40 titles, 4 HS Prep Champions with 11 titles, 9 Conference Champions with 14 titles, 8 National Champions with 10 titles, and 1 Hodge Trophy winner. Only 4 of the 20 wrestlers have not qualified for the NCAA tournament; however, none of those four have even had the opportunity to qualify yet. OSU brings in 7 NCAA placers, while PSU brings in 6. Each team also brings one multiple-time NCAA Champion in Retherford and Snyder. Between these two teams there are 18 ranked wrestlers. 6 of the #1 ranked wrestlers in the country will be wrestling in the dual this weekend. Additionally, there are 5 undefeated Nittany Lions (Retherford, Nolf, Joseph, Hall, Nickal) and 4 undefeated Buckeyes (Pletcher, Martin, Moore, Snyder). After this weekend, there will be one less undefeated wrestler when #1 Bo Nickal (20-0) and #2 Myles Martin (22-0) wrestle at 184 lbs. Those two wrestlers have a strong rivalry in matches that are always close. Martin beat Nickal in the 2016 NCAA championship at 174 lbs. and in the 2017 Big Ten semifinals; however, Nickal has won every dual meet encounter. Another fun fact about the dual is that there are 7 wrestlers from Pennsylvania, with 4 of those from the WPIAL, and 4 from Ohio combined from both teams.

Team Dual Stats

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As far as the teams as a whole, each is undefeated in dual meets this season. Both squads defeated Indiana, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue, Rutgers. Ohio State has scored an average of about 34 points per match in 12 matches to Penn State’s 37 points in 11 matches. The Buckeyes have outscored their opponents 410-88, while the Nittany Lions have scored 411 to their opponent’s 80 points. Ohio State has wrestlers than can get decisions, but Penn State has a team full of pinners. In fact, PSU has 75 pins this year -- more than half coming from Retherford, Nolf, and Nickal -- to OSU’s 29. The rest of the points scored are pretty equal: PSU has 22 tech falls, 33 majors, and 35 decisions; OSU has 34 tech falls, 34 majors, and 55 decisions. Overall, the starting roster at Penn State has a collective record of 163-27; unfortunately for them, 14 of those losses come from redshirt freshman Devin Schnupp at 125 lbs. On the flip side, Ohio State has totalled individual records of 152-16.

Overall

Source: The Lantern

Penn State has had some challenges this year with Lehigh and Rutgers, but they have come out on top. The team is going to have to step it up against the Buckeyes because Coach Ryan is hungry for a dual meet win and NCAA team title. Ohio State will earn easy wins at 125, 133, and 285. Penn State will win 149 and 165. 157 should also be a win if Nolf recovers from his knee injury in last week’s match against Rutgers. If he cannot wrestle, PSU has three backup choices: 1) bump up Verkleeren (FR, PA State Champ), 2) wrestle Berge (FR, undefeated 3X MN State Champ), or 3) drop Manville (FR, World Team Member, Prep Champ). The rest of the weights are going to be tough matches that could go either way. Ohio State has a full team, from top to bottom, of high-caliber wrestlers, lead by Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder. Penn State, on the other hand, has a powerhouse of five returning NCAA Champions from 149 to 184. Both Penn State and Ohio State are incredible teams this season, and this match is going to be one for the ages. Whether you’re a Nittany Lion, Buckeye, or wrestling enthusiast, this is a great time to be a fan of college wrestling. Check out the match this Saturday, February 3 at 8:00 PM E.T. by watching on the Big Ten Network, getting live updates from FloWrestling, or listening live through Go PSU Sports.

Make your own guesses for the match with your friends and family by downloading the PSU vs. OSU Stat & Prediction Sheet found here:

Sources: FloWrestling, Penn State Wrestling, Ohio State Wrestling
Cover Photo Source: Centre Daily Times

Wrestler of the Week: Dimitri Pihiou

All good things must come to an end, so the CMWAA is concluding our WotW series with one final installment. We’ve highlighted more than half of the starting wrestlers on the HS team, and now we’re moving into our ninth line-up spot at 152 lbs. Congrats to our final Wrestler of the Week, Dimitri Pihiou!

Source: Instagram

While the wrestler does not have any shoe collecting habits like some of his other teammates, Dimitri does tie his wrestling shoes a certain way before each match for luck. Another part of his warm-up ritual is listening to his favorite type of music. For those unfamiliar with his taste, he listens to Migos. As for his taste in food? Greek is the obvious answer, but Dimitri considers Ichiban Hibachi Steakhouse his favorite restaurant. With his culturedness in Asian food also comes a hankering to play his favorite sport, Ping Pong, which is a national sport in certain Asian countries.

Fans may be familiar with his older brothers Christos and Will, both of whom also passed through the wrestling program. This is the third Pihiou’s final year of wrestling.  With 12+ years of total experience under his belt, this is Dimitri's fourth year starting for the Big Macs. Of those many years, the Big Mac still considers his favorite memory as going to the team PIAA State tournament and wrestling with his teammates. He is hoping to make a few more great memories this year with his team by winning a WPIAL title and placing at the State level. The Senior has helped his team this year by winning dual matches; furthermore, Dimitri placed 3rd at the TRICADA tournament earlier this month.

Dimitri plans on pursuing a Business degree at a four-year university after he graduates in June.

Cover Photo Source: Instagram

Alumni Spotlight: Angelo Broglia

Last week we highlighted Mike Hull, an athlete that had successes in a sport other than wrestling after HS. This week, we’re taking a similar approach with our Alumni Spotlight on Angelo Broglia.

Source: Instagram

Angelo graduated from Canon-McMillan HS in 2013. He was a dual athlete on the football field and on the wrestling mat. While Angelo struggled to make the lineup behind heavyweight Cody Klempay, he earned major successes as a senior. In the 2012-2013 season, Angelo won a heavyweight Section title; additionally, he made it to the WPIAL finals and qualified for the PIAA State tournament. The Big Mac excelled in other tournaments in his senior year by placing 7th at Powerade and 3rd at Reno Tournament of Champions by winning 8 straight matches after an early loss in the tournament, making him a high school All-American. The heavyweight was also selected to wrestle on the WPIAL team in the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic. On the team side, he was a part of 3 WPIAL team titles and 2 PIAA State titles.

Source: Instagram

Angelo continued his education at St. Francis, playing on the football squad for one year. Realizing that he missed the sport, Angelo transferred to Clarion University to wrestle. He ultimately ended up participating in a club sport instead. While Angelo has been pursuing his Marketing degree at Clarion, he has also been working on his mixed martial arts skills with his collegiate club: Clarion MMA. This past October, the Golden Eagle brought home a gold medal at the Western PA BJJ State Grappling Championship. Some of his highlights from the tournament can be found by clicking on the linked video here. Over the summer the grappler showed off some of his skills when he taught Jiu-Jitsu to the current generation of wrestlers at the CM Alumni Wrestling Camp, which was a lot of the camper’s favorite session.

Angelo has been honing his skills, working with old CM Head Coach Jason Cardillo and other MMA champions, such as Renato Canuto and Jean Jacques Machado. The former heavyweight thinks that there are many opportunities in MMA for wrestlers after they finish their wrestling careers. The CMWAA talked to Angelo in one of our funniest and most enjoyable interviews, found below:

Cover Photo Source: Facebook

CM Wins 17th Straight Section Title

The Big Macs won gold in the Section Tournament on Wednesday. CM dominated Moon (59-15) to advance to another Section championship. To win their 17th straight title, CM beat Waynesburg in spectacular fashion, 36-18. The Big Macs picked up wins by Baxter (106), Hayman (126), Miller (170), Hendal (195), and Ramos (Hwt). Macri (120) and Hritsko (138) both won big matches over Henson and Morris, respectively. Binni (113) tech falled to earn 5 team points, while Nijenhuis (160) earned 4 with a major. Additionally, Rohaley (220) stuck his kid with a beautiful pin. This marks 40 Section Titles for Canon-McMillan HS; the Big Macs move onto the WPIAL team tournament next weekend.

Read about the tournament in the Observer-Reporter:
- Canon-McMillan Wins 17th Straight Section Championship, 40th Overall