Matside reporting by Ryan Johnson of USA Wrestling

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - The competition was outstanding, as almost 900 wrestlers from across the nation and traded in their Holloween costumes for singlets at the UNI Dome at the Univ. of Northern Iowa for the second annual USA Wrestling PreSeason Folkstyle Nationals on Saturday.

On the high school level, claiming a USA Wrestling PreSeason Nationals title at 145 pounds for the second straight year was Eric Roach of the Crown Point club of Indiana. Roach pinned Matt Smith of Allegan Club in Michigan in 5:00 to win the gold medal.

High school champions hailed from nine different states, and finalists came from 12 states. Over 30 states were represented in the competition. A total of 869 middle school and high school wrestlers participated on Saturday, with the high school finals going late in to the Halloween night.

Tournament Director Brian Keck was very pleased with the large increase in numbers (up from just 460 participants in 2008). Keck was not only pleased with the tournament nearly doubling in size, but also with the tournament's competition level. 

"I heard a lot of positive feedback from the coaches about the competition at this year's Preseason Nationals. Sometimes it's difficult for kids to get a lot of quality matches against quality opponents early in the season, but we did a great job at bringing in a lot of really tough wrestlers from all over the country," says Keck.

Among the champions was Nick Dardanes of Overtime in Illinois, who pinned Dominic Chase of Dalton High School  in Iowa at the 140-pound finals. Dardanes, an Illinois state champion, was second at the Junior Nationals in freestyle last summer.

Capturing the 152-pound title was Ravaughn Perkins of the Exploradories club in Nebraska, who pinned Blake Sorensen of the Cedar Valley Mat Club of Iowa in the finals in 4:10.  Perkins was a Junior National All-American in both freestyle and Greco-Roman in 2008, and a Nebraska state high school champion. Sorenson won a silver medal at the PreSeason Nationals for the second straight year, and was a 2008 Cadet Nationals All-American.

Host Iowa had the most individual champions with six: Brandon Sorensen of Cedar Valley Mat Club (119), Levi Wolfensperger of Cedar Valley Mat Club (125), John Rinken of Waverly-Shell Rock (130), Bo Schlosser of the Bulldogs (135), Walt Gilmor of the Knight Wrestling Academy (171) and Cody Krumwiede of the Waverly Area WC (215).

Sorensen scored a 14-3 major decision over Eric Hughes of Bolivar in Missouri. He was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament. Sorensen was a Cadet National runner-up in freestyle last summer. 

In a battle of Iowa state high school champions, Wolfensberger edged John Meeks of Team Powerhouse of Iowa, 1-0. Wolfensberger was third at the PreSeason Nationals a year ago.

Rinken, an Iowa state runner-up, stopped Nebraska state champion Alec Chanthapatheth of Grand Island, 6-4. It was an outstanding battle. One flurry after another finally resulted in a last second reversal for Rinken, giving him the win.

Schlosser pinned Joe Schumaker of MATPAC from North Dakota in 4:04. Schlosser was a Junior National Greco-Roman runner-up in 2008 and an All-American in 2009, when he was living in Illinois

Gilmor stopped Noah Budi of the Kaukauna Grappling Ghosts in Wisconsin, 2-0. Gilmor was a Junior Nationals all-American last summer, while Budi was a Wisconsin state high school champion. 

Krumwiede stopped Nicholas McDiarmid of Hartland High School in Michigan, 7-1. Both were high school state champions last year. Krumwiede was a FILA Cadet National freestyle runner-up last year.


In an all-Minnesota finals, Derek Carlson of the Mora Mustangs pinned Parker Betts of the Pinnacle Wrestling Club in 4:00 at 286 pounds.

At 189 pounds, John Rizquallah of Allegan in Michigan defeated Mitch Stead of Bearclaw of Washington, 6-2. Rizquallah, a Michigan state runner-up, placed third at the PreSeason Folkstyle Nationals last year.

The other finals included:

At 103 pounds, Jared Brooks of the Warsaw Tigers of Indiana stopped Steven Hopkins of Bearclaw of Washington, 7-1. Hopkins received the most falls in the least amount of time award, with 4 pins in 5:21.

At 112 pounds, TJ North of Tanengers of South Dakota defeated Jack Hathaway of the Trojan WC in Iowa, 2-0. Hathaway has been a USA Wrestling All-American in freestyle and Greco-Roman, and placed second at the PreSeason Nationals for the second year in a row. 

Winning the 160 pound title was Joseph Latham of MATPAC in North Dakota, who stopped Michael Kelly of the USA mat club of Iowa by pin in 3:10. Latham is a North Dakota state high school champion.

HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

103 pounds
1st - Jarred Brooks (Warsaw Tigers -IN) won by decision over Steven Hopkins (Bearclaw-WA) (Dec 7-1)
3rd Ruben Navejas (Takedown Express WC - WA) won by decision over Colton Howell (Purler Wrestling - MO) (Dec 6-2)
5th  - Austin Miller (Premium - PA) won by decision over Mike Dauterive (McKinney Mat Rats - TX) (Dec 6-1)
7th- Zakk Buch (Belle Plaine - IA) won by decision over Evan Miller (LAW - WI) (Dec 2-1)

112 pounds
1st - TJ North (Tanengers - SD) won by decision over Jack Hathaway (Trojan WC - IA) (Dec 2-0)
3rd - Jared McKinley (Perry Meridian WC - IN) won by decision over Ryan McQuade (Appleton Aviators - WI) (Dec 6-4)
5th  - Andrew Riedy (Grand Island - NE) won by decision over Marco Ramirez (Rockstar - TX) (Dec 3-0)
7th - Alex Calandrino (Howell - MI) won by major decision over Brandon Jorge (Braves WC - FL) (Maj 11-2)

119 pounds
1st  - Brandon Sorensen (Cedar Valley Mat Club -IA) won by major decision over Eric Hughes (Bolivar - MO) (Maj 14-3)
3rd - Courtland Hacker (Colorado Elite - CO) won by decision over Brandon Jones (High Altitude WC - IA) (Dec 7-4)
5th  - Ben Kazimir (Kenston - OH) won by decision over Brandon Rubino (Izzy Style - IL) (Dec 1-0)
7th  - Sam Jones (Scorpions - LA) won by pin over Nathan Davis (Martinez Fox Valley Elite - IL) (Pin 0:01)

125 pounds
1st - Levi Wolfensperger (Cedar Valley Mat Club - IA) won by decision over John Meeks (Team Powerhouse Wrestling - IA) (Dec 1-0)
3rd - Patrick Rollins (Northern Edge WC - ND) won by decision over Nick Babcock (Colorado Elite - CO) (Dec 9-2)
5th- Tyler Patten (Excel Wrestling - IA) won by decision over Jacob Colon (Lion Power - IA) (Dec 6-2)
7th - Blake Fruchtl (Grand Island - NE) won by forfeit over Trevor Jauch (Overtime - WI) (FF)

130 pounds
1st - Jordan Rinken (Waverly-Shell Rock - IA) won by decision over Alec Chanthapatheth (Grand Island - NE) (Dec 6-4)
3rd - Bronson Steuber (Flat Earth - MN) won by decision over Daniel Neff (Premium - PA) (Dec 2-0)
5th - Jake Marlin (High Altitude WC - IA) won by decision over Jay Hildreth (Golden Eagles Wrestling - IA) (Dec 4-1)
7th  - Jordan Henrickson (MATPAC - CO) won by forfeit over Austin Miller (Macomb Bombers - IL) (FF)

135 pounds
1st - Bo Schlosser (Bulldogs - IA) won by pin over Joe Schumacher (MATPAC - ND) (Pin 4:04)
3rd - Chris Dardanes (Overtime - IL) won by forfeit over Jacob Rizzio (CR Prairie - IA) (FF)
5th - Edward Cotrell (Braves WC - FL) won by decision over Matthew Rice (Grand Island - NE) (Dec 5-2)
7th - Jake Kazimir (Kenston - OH) won by decision over Tyler Pasvogel (Shining Wizards - MN) (Dec 3-0)

140 pounds
1st - Nick Dardanes (Overtime - IL) won by pin over Dominic Chase (Dalton HS - IA) (Pin 4:00)
3rd - Austin Wilson (Team Wilson - NE) won by major decision over Mike Avelar (Crusaders - IL) (Maj 9-0)
5th - Alex Dieringer (Ringers - WI) won by decision over Ryan Arne (MN Storm - MN) (Dec 3-1)
7th  - Matt White (Albia WC - IA) won by injury default over Devon Fenstermaker (Seckman HS - MO) (Inj.)

145 pounds
1st  - Eric Roach (Crown Point - IN) won by pin over Matt Smith (Allegan - MI) (Pin 5:00)
3rd - Joey Kielbasa (Team Overtime - IL) won by decision over Lucas Nelson (Crusaders - IL) (Dec 5-4)
5th  Chase White (Regulators - NE) won by decision over Santiago Martinez (Florida Jets - FL) (Dec 3-1)
7th - Tyler Lamb (Bear Claw WC - WA) won by forfeit over Tyler Giffin (Corn Huskers - OH) (FF)

152 pounds
1st - Ravaughn Perkins (Exploradories - NE) won by pin over Blake Sorensen (Cedar Valley Mat Club - IA) (Pin 4:10)
3rd - Matt Beebe (Swan Valley - MI) won by forfeit over Nathaniel Garcia (MATPAC - CO) (FF)
5th  - Steve Gutka (Team Overtime - IL) won by major decision over Conner Monk (Wausau West - WI) (Maj 13-5)
7th - Kurtis Ramsay (MATPAC - CO) won by decision over Brandon Van Schyndel (Kaukauna Grappling Ghost - WI) (Dec 3-0)

160 pounds
1st - Joseph Latham (MATPAC - ND) won by pin over Michael Kelly (USA Mat Club - IA) (Pin 3:10)
3rd - Sawyer Morris (Westlake Youth Wrestling - TX) won by pin over Joey Moorhouse (Izzy Style - IL) (Pin 5:08)
5th - Steven Keogh (MN Storm - MN) won by decision over Kyle Crain (Hudson WC - WI) (Dec 10-3)
7th - Logan Molina (Regulators - NE) won by decision over Landon Williams (Assumption HS - IA) (Dec 3-2)

171 pounds
1st  - Walt Gillmor (Knight Wrestling Academy - IA) won by decision over Noah Budi (Kaukauna Grappling Ghost - WI) (Dec 2-0)
3rd - Cheney Dale (McCutcheon WC - IN) won by decision over Erin O`Dell (Florida Jets - FL) (Dec 7-2)
5th - Lee Wildes (Florida Jets - FL) won by forfeit over Geordan Speiller (Dr. Funk - FL) (FF)
7th - Joseph Pittman-Lydick (The Wrestling Academy - GA) won by decision over Nate Goeldi (Stewartville - MN) (Dec 8-2) 

189 pounds
1st - John Rizqallah (Allegan - MI) won by decision over Mitch Steed (Bearclaw - WA) (Dec 6-2)
3rd  Chaste Harrell (Elsinore Tigers - CA) won by decision over Blaize Cabell (Indee Mat Club - IA) (Dec 6-2)
5th - Ben McPhail (Unattached - MN) won by forfeit over Paul Weiss (Dr. Funk - FL) (FF)
7th  - Alan Taylor (Grand Island - NE) won by pin over Matthew Rieckhoff (DC Everest - WI) (Pin 3:59) 

215 pounds
1st - Cody Krumwiede (Waverly Area WC - IA) won by decision over Nicholas Mcdiarmid (Hartland HS - MI) (Dec 7-1)
3rd - Matt Tourdot (The Other WI kids - WI) won by pin over Joe Scanlan (Johnston Wrestling - IA) (Pin 0:17)
5th - Joshua Lambrecht (CR Prairie - IA) won by decision over Mickey Pelfrey (Trojan WC - IA) (Dec 8-3)
7th - Jonathan White (Overtime - IL) won by injury default over Jay Taylor (Florida Jets - FL) (Inj.)

285 pounds
1st - Derek Carlson (Mora Mustangs - MN) won by pin over Parker Betts (Pinnacle WC - MN) (Pin 4:00)
3rd  - Taylor Harris (Harrison - SD) won by major decision over Cameron Hayward (Indee Mat Club - IA) (Maj 10-0)
5th  - Jeremy Howell (Young Guns - IL) won by pin over Jordan Naughton (Perry Meridian WC - IN) (Pin 1:03)
7th  - Joshua Enloe (fzs - MO) won by injury default over Daniel Hayhurst (North Canton Hoover - OH) (Inj.)

MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION

Middle School - 70
1st Place - Dylan Duncan of Team Overtime
2nd Place - Ty Lee of Kaukauna Grappling Ghost
3rd Place - Sam Bianchi of X-Factor Elite

Middle School - 77
1st Place - Jacob Cottey of Perry Meridian Wrestling Club
2nd Place - Dante` Rodriguez of Husker Elite
3rd Place - Doyle Trout of exploradories
4th Place - Gannon Volk of Apple Valley
5th Place - Aj Jaffe of SCN Youth Wrestling
6th Place - Ty Pelot of X-Factor Elite
8th Place - Mitchell McKee of pinnacle
8th Place - Jacob Schwarm of Bettendorf Bulldogs

Middle School - 84
1st Place - Tommy Thorn of Hi Flyers
2nd Place - Skyler Petry of Pinnacle Wrestling Club
3rd Place - Robert Lee of Kaukauna Grappling Ghost
4th Place - Cameron Sykora of pinnacle
5th Place - J.j. Wolfe of Shooters Elite
6th Place - Sam Bennyhoff of Hi Flyers
8th Place - Anthony Bosco of SCN Youth Wrestling
8th Place - Rudy Yates of Team Overtime

Middle School - 91
1st Place - Joshua Alber of Dakota
2nd Place - Jake Koethe of Ubassa
3rd Place - Max Thomsen of Unattached
4th Place - Joseph Velliquette of purler ultimate
5th Place - Seth Hummer of Team Central
6th Place - Izzy Santiago of Team Overtime
8th Place - Ben Calandrino of howell
8th Place - Kyle Fugiel of Team Overtime

Middle School - 98
1st Place - John Jimenez of Team Overtime
2nd Place - Gacob Lenox of Dakota
3rd Place - Andres Gonzalez of black hawks
4th Place - Lawton Benna of Purler Wrestling
5th Place - Quinten Berres of pinnacle
6th Place - Jake Spengler of Florida Jets
8th Place - Kael Knowlen of MATPAC
8th Place - Mark Voss of Hi Flyers

Middle School - 105
1st Place - Kyle Simaz of Allegan
2nd Place - Jordan Shearer of Tech Team
3rd Place - Sammy Breen of overtime
4th Place - Brett Bye of V-Town
5th Place - Nicholas Steed of glen oak
6th Place - Connor Price of Muskego/Advance School
8th Place - Spencer Nagy of Alliance
8th Place - Joseph Ziolkowski of DC Everest

Middle School - 112
1st Place - Jacob Woodard of Bettendorf Bulldogs
2nd Place - Alijah Jeffery of Linn Mar Lions
3rd Place - Aidan Kenny of Perry Meridian Wrestling Club
4th Place - Mason Brownlee of montgomery
5th Place - Kyle Frank of Cedar Hawk Wrestling Club
6th Place - Phirom Peterschmidt of Mid Prairie Golden Hawks
8th Place - Greg Medina of MATPAC
8th Place - Logan Moore of Golden Eagles Wrestling

Middle School - 120
1st Place - Ryan Blees of MATPAC
2nd Place - Thomas O`Brien of SCN Youth Wrestling
3rd Place - Jake Voss of West Delaware Wrestling Club
4th Place - Avery Nelson of Golden Eagles Wrestling
5th Place - Brendon Kelley of ECWA
6th Place - Kirean Robuck of KNOXVILLE
8th Place - Blake Gjerde of High Altitude Wrestling Club
8th Place - Mason McGrauth of Emmetsburg E`hawks

Middle School - 128
1st Place - Spencer Derifield of Waverly Area Wrestling Club
2nd Place - Slade Nordic of MATPAC
3rd Place - Payton Kauzlarich of Grinnell
4th Place - Colton Jackson of Citrus 3 Style
5th Place - Jake Briggs of Hi Flyers
6th Place - Sam McPhail of Pine Island
8th Place - Jake Hogan of Bosco System
8th Place - Evan Smiley of CIA

Middle School - 136
1st Place - Andrew Landgrebe of Kaos Gold
2nd Place - Austin Repp of Bonbomme Wrestling
3rd Place - Nathan Krohn of Waseca
4th Place - Tyler Chatterton of KNOXVILLE
5th Place - Jake Deutschlander of Pinnacle Wrestling Club
6th Place - Zachary Mulrooney of Advance School Of Wrestling
8th Place - Tyrell Gibson of High Altitude Wrestling Club
8th Place - Ryan Grosvenor of Trojan Wrestling Club

Middle School - 144
1st Place - Connor Larson of Webster City
2nd Place - Caleb Worral of Tech Team
3rd Place - Tyler Foubert of Grinnell
4th Place - Daniel Vitale of Central
5th Place - Mathew Kelly of Perry Meridian Wrestling Club
6th Place - Elijah Preisser of Knight Wrestling Academy
8th Place - Brian Pence of none
8th Place - Seth Poush of Grinnell

Middle School - 160
1st Place - Christian DuLaney of Victory School of Wrestling
2nd Place - Marcus Harrington of Waterloo East High Jr Trojans
3rd Place - Sam Johnson of Urbandale
4th Place - Tanner Hilton of Unattached

Middle School - 210
1st Place - Paul Pelfrey of Trojan Wrestling Club