Grandelis to Allegheny

Nate Grandelis won silver at heavyweight in the PIAA Class AA Wrestling Championships, but the Chartiers-Houston senior plans on playing football at the collegiate level.
A standout along the offensive and defensive lines the past several season for Charters-Houston, Grandelis will play football at NCAA Division III Allegheny College, a member of the North Coast Athletic Conference.
Grandelis was a three-year starter for the Bucs, and one of Class A’s better defensive linemen. He earned first team honors as a defensive tackle in each of the past three seasons, 2009-2011. Grandelis was also selected to the Pennsylvania Football News Class A second team as a senior.
He will play in the 2012 Bee Graphix Football Classic June 16 at Belle Vernon High School.

Scott's dilemma

Coleman Scott is in an unusual situation. He is the winner of his wrestling weight class, 60 kg (132 pounds) at the Olympic Team Trials but that weight class is not qualified for the Summer Olympics in London. The United States must compete in a tournament in China and hope to finish in the top three so the weight is qualified. Scott is not wrestling in China; Shawn Bunch is. Bunch skipped the Olympic Team Trials and will be in a mini-tournament in New York on June 7 and will challenge Scott for the right to go to London, even though he did not participate in the team trials.
Confused?
The line forms to the right.
International wrestling is frought with intricate rules and a pecking order, where your rank in a weight class can be more important than your placement in the team trials.
Scott should be celebrating his impressive win at the team trials. Instead, he might not be the representative at his weight, Bunch might be . . . if he beats Scott in the mini-tournament.
Scott can still make the Olympics if he defeats Bunch, but this system is so skewed against him and other wrestlers in his situation.
Scott has to root for Bunch to win, then hope to beat when he returns for the mini-tournament. Lose, and no Olympics for the winner of the team trials.
It's a dilemma.

Dream Team results

TEAM USA 40, TEAM IOWA 7113 pounds – No. 3 Phillip Laux (Team Iowa) dec. No. 6 Gunner Woodburn (Team USA), 13-4
138 – No. 2 Nate Skonieczny (Team USA) dec. Logan Mulnix (Team Iowa), 23-10
182 – No. 1 Jordan Rogers (Team USA) dec. No. 11 Jared Bartel (Team Iowa), 12-4
170 – No. 7 Zach Nevills (Team USA) dec. No. 6 Alex Meyer (Team Iowa), 7-6
152 – No. 1 Brian Realbuto (Team USA) dec. No. 6 Zach Witte (Team Iowa), 15-4
132 – No. 3 Mark Grey (Team USA) dec. Kyle Larson (Team Iowa), 3-1
160 – No. 2 Zac Brunson (Team USA) dec. No. 12 Justin Koethe (Team Iowa), 3-1 OT
195 – No. 1 Devin Peterson (Team USA) dec. Tarin Phillips (Team Iowa), 7-6
145 – No. 1 Jason Tsirtsis (Team USA) dec. No. 2 Gabriel Moreno (Team Iowa), 22-8
285 – Collin Bevins (Team Iowa) dec. No. 4 Austin Georgen (Team USA), 12-9
120 – No. 1 George DiCamillo (Team USA) dec. No. 5 Dylan Peters (Team Iowa), 5-4
220 – No. 2 Michael Kroells (Team USA) won by injury default over No. 1 Willie Miklus (Team Iowa)
126 – No. 1 Jimmy Gulibon (Team USA) dec. No. 3 Cory Clark (Team Iowa), 5-2

Kolat loses at Olympic Team Trials

Cary Kolat's bid to make the Olympic Wrestling Team was derailed Sunday at the Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City.

Kolat, wrestling for the North Carolina Regional Training Center, was defeated by Jason Chamberlain of the Bronco Wrestling Club 0-1, 1-0, 1-0 in the 66 kg (145.5 pounds) bracket. Kolat then lost by injury default to Zach Bailey of Victory Wrestling in the consolation rounds.

The 38-year-old Kolat was a two-time national champion at Lock Haven before earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic team for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

Kolat returned the mat recently in a competitive manner and placed second at the U.S. Open in 2011 before claiming the top spot at the Final Olympic Qualifiers in early April.

Scott wins at trials

Scott wins at trials
Coleman Scott came one step closer to making the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Saturday night by defeating Logan Stieber in the men’s freestyle 60 kg (132 pounds) in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Scott, competing for the Gator Wrestling Club, downed Stieber of the New York Athletic Club 3-0 and 1-0 in the first round and won two of three in the second round. He took the first 2-0, dropped the second 1-0 and won the third 2-0.
Scott must now defeat either Reese Humphrey or Shawn Bunch to earn a spot on the Olympic team. The two are sitting out the trials and a mini-tournament will determine the winner at a later date.
Cary Kolat, an assistant wrestling coach at the University of North Carolina, will compete today in the 66kg (145 1/2 pounds) weight class. Kolat will wrestle Jason Chamberlain of the Bronco Wrestling Club in the first round today.
Drew Headlee, who like Scott is a graduate of Waynesburg High School, lost his opening round bout at 60kg Martin Berberyan, 3-2, 2-1. Headlee, competing for the Sunkist Kids, defeated Jimmy Kennedy of the New York Athletic Club  1-0, 0-3, 2-0, then was beaten by Andrew Hochstrasser of the Bronco Wrestling Club.

Wisener picks Lock Haven

Jake Wisener, a 160-pounder from Ringgold High School, will attend Lock Haven University to continue his athletic and academic career. Wisener had a 42-6 record last season and finished with a career mark of 111-32, third in school history behind Fred Garcia and Mitch Pankewicz.
Wisener was a WPIAL Class AAA runner-up to Zach Zavatsky of Latrobe and qualified for the PIAA Championships. He lost to eventual state champion Chance Marsteller of Kennard-Dale in the second round and finished fifth after a 3-2 decision over Austin Wilding of Upper St. Clair.
Wisener developed a staph infection in his knee at last season's Tri-County tournament and it nearly cost him his leg. But he rehabbed and came back to have a strong senior season.
Wisener was a first-team selection to the Observer-Reporter All-District Team and competed for the WPIAL team in the Wrestling Classic.

Mizia to Mercyhurst

Francis Mizia, who captured a state title for Bentworth High School this season, tweeted Thursday night that he will attend Mercyhurst College.
Mizia captured the Class AA 160-pound title at the PIAA Wrestling Championships in Hershey in March.

Don Rush dies

Sad news out of Avella tonight when word reached the O-R that Don Rush, who coached the Avella wrestling team for two different stretches, died. No other details were available.

Wrestling fans knew Ducky, as he was fondly nicknamed, for fielding some of the Eagles strongest wrestling teams. He began his coaching career in the Avella youth program in 1974, which was fitting because his father, Ab, started the youth program in 1974.

Rush became head coach in 1993 and resigned in 2003, when Jeff Breese Sr., his assistant, took over. Rush became head coach again four years later and coached the team until health problems forced him out again last spring.

A work accident in 1991 left Rush paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair, but that never slowed him down. He was such an emoptional coach that on some occasions, he fell out of his wheelchair. The Eagles wrestlers seemed unfazed when this happened and simply put him back in the wheelchair.

When Rush guided the Eagles into the WPIAL Team Tournament in 200, it snapped a 13-year drought drought. Two of Rush's sons, Don and Chas, were on the team.

Dream Team Classic lineup

The lineups are set for the April 20 Dream Team Classic at Iowa City West. Four-time state champ Cory Clark and two of his Southeast Polk teammates are in. Roosevelt’s unbeaten four-time champ John Meeks and Ankeny pinning machine Ross Larson are out. Nonetheless, it’s still a powerful Iowa team with 10 Division-I recruits.

Clark, ranked sixth nationally, is scheduled to wrestle Penn State recruit Jimmy Gulibon, the nation’s top ranked 126-pounder, in one of the five bouts featuring a pair of wrestlers ranked seventh or better. The others are at 120, 145, 170 and 220.

This is the fourth Dream Team stop in Iowa since 2001. The event showcased current and past college stars such as Jake Herbert, Mark Perry, Troy Letters and Jordan Oliver. This year’s dual features three Iowa recruits (Clark, Alex Meyer and Dream Teamer Nate Skonieczny), three UNI recruits (Dylan Peters, Zach Witte and Jared Bartel) and two future Iowa State Cyclones (Dakota Bauer and Gabe Moreno).

113: Iowa City West’s Phillip Laux (Wisconsin) vs Warsaw (Ind.) HS’s Jarred Brooks (Indiana Tech)

120: Denver-Tripoli’s Dylan Peters (UNI) vs St. Edward (Ohio) HS’s George DiCamillo (Virginia)

126: Southeast Polk’s Cory Clark (Iowa) vs Derry Area (Pa.) HS’s Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State)

132: Iowa City West’s Dakota Bauer (Iowa State) vs Selma (Calif) HS’s Alex Cisneros (Cornell)

138: North Linn’s Logan Mulnix vs. Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) HS’s Nate Skonieczny (Iowa
145: Urbandale’s Gabriel Moreno (Iowa State) vs Crown Point (Ind.) HS’s Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern)

152: Cedar Rapids Prairie’s Zach Witte (UNI) vs Somers (N.Y.) HS’s Brian Realbuto (Cornell)

160: Iowa City West’s Justin Koethe (Wisconsin) vs Churchill (Ore.) HS’s Zac Brunson (Illinois)

170: Southeast Polk’s Alex Meyer (Iowa) vs Clovis (Calif.) HS’s Zach Nevills (Stanford)

182: Mason City’s Jared Bartel (UNI) vs Mead (Wash.) HS’s Jordan Rogers (Oklahoma)

195: Valley’s Tarin Phillips vs Wisconsin Rapids (Wis.) HS’s Devin Peterson (Wisconsin)

220: Southeast Polk’s Willie Miklus (Missouri) vs Scott West (Minn.) HS’s Michael Kroells (Minnesota)

285: Creston/Orient-Macksburg’s Collin Bevins vs Caledonia (Minn.) HS’s Austin Goergen

Flo National results

At Drexel University

106
1st - Zahid Valencia (California) won by decision over Scott Parker (Pennsylvania) (Dec 5-3)
3rd - Luke Pletcher (Pennsylvania) won by major decision over Jan Rosenberg (New Jersey) (Maj 12-1)
5th - Isreal Saavedra (California) won by decision over Jake Gromacki (Pennsylvania) (Dec 2-1)
7th - Nick Lee (Indiana) won by decision over Devin Schroder (Michigan) (Dec 7-2)

113
1st - Jr Wert (Virginia) won by decision over Mason Pengilly (California) (Dec 5-1)
3rd - Emelio Saavedra (California) won by decision over Sam Krivus (Pennsylvania) (Dec 3-2)
5th - Jonas Gaytan (California) won by decision over Angel Velazquez (California) (Dec 3-0)
7th - Thierno Diallo (Maryland) won by decision over Luis Gonzalez (New Jersey) (Dec 3-1)

120
1st - Zeke Moisey (Pennsylvania) won by decision over Godwin Nyama (Pennsylvania) (Dec 7-6)
3rd - Garrison White (North Carolina) won by tech fall over Anthony Giraldo (New Jersey) (TF 20-5)
5th - Ken Bade (Michigan) won by decision over Mizam Tamaradze (Massachusetts) (Dec 11-4)
7th - Jason Nolf (Pennsylvania) won by decision over Ryan O`Boyle (Massachusetts) (Dec 12-10)

126
1st - Anthony Valencia (California) won by decision over Javier Gasca (California) (Dec 4-3)
3rd - Jeff Ott (Massachusetts) won by pin over Mavrick Passaro (New York) (Pin 1:51)
5th - Tyler Berger (Oregon) won by decision over Sam Speno (New York) (Dec 7-5)
7th - Kevin Devoy (New Jersey) won by decision over Nick Zanetta (Pennsylvania) (Dec 8-1)

132
1st - Fox Baldwin (Florida) won by decision over Joe Glasso (Pennsylvania) (Dec 7-0)
3rd - Neal Molloy (Indiana) won by major decision over Chad Walsh (New Jersey) (Maj 13-2)
5th - Jake Smith (California) won by injury default over John Dutrow (Pennsylvania) (Inj.)
7th - Nikko Villarreal (California) won by decision over John Jay Chavez (California) (Dec 5-3)

138
1st - Alex Cisneros (California) won in the ultimate tie breaker over Matthew Cimato (Pennsylvania) (UTB 5-4)
3rd - Jake Short (Minnesota) won by decision over Jordan Henrickson (Colorado) (Dec 3-0)
5th - Willie Fox (California) won by major decision over Tony DeAngelo (North Carolina) (Maj 9-1)
7th - Mason Manville (Minnesota) won by decision over Shayne Tucker (California) (Dec 6-0)

145
1st - TJ Fox (Ohio) won by decision over Myles Martin (New Jersey) (Dec 6-1)
3rd - Kevin Cooper (Kentucky) won by decision over Joe Moon (North Carolina) (Dec 8-4)
5th - Joey Lavallee (Nevada) won by major decision over Nicholas Maselli (New Jersey) (Maj 12-2)
7th - Jake Ryan (Ohio) won by decision over Justin Staudenmayer (Pennsylvania) (Dec 5-3)

152
1st - Isaiah Martinez (California) won by decision over Joshua Llopez (Maryland) (Dec 10-8)
3rd - Nick Wanzek (Minnesota) won by decision over Kurt Meske (Pennsylvania) (Dec 3-1)
5th - Nick Becker (Wisconsin) won by major decision over Isaiah Bradley (Indiana) (Maj 13-0)
7th - Peter Santos (California) won by tech fall over John Faugno (New Jersey) (TF 18-1)

160
1st - Joey Davis (California) won by decision over Tyler Askey (Georgia) (Dec 6-3)
3rd - Micah Barnes (Minnesota) won by decision over Phillip Bakuckas (New Jersey) (Dec 4-1)
5th - Cody Law (Pennsylvania) won by decision over Mark Granahan (Pennsylvania) (Dec 9-3)
7th - Kirk Johnson (Indiana) won by decision over Rrok Ndokaj (New York) (Dec 4-3)

170
1st - Jacob Taylor (Pennsylvania) won in double overtime over Connor Moran (Pennsylvania) (2-OT 4-1)
3rd - Zach Nevills (California) won in double overtime over Tory Bennett (West Virginia) (2-OT 1-0)
5th - Robert Shade (New Jersey) won by forfeit over Geno Morelli (Pennsylvania) (FF)
7th - Parker VonEgidy (North Carolina) won by decision over Zack Zupan (New York) (Dec 5-4)

182
1st - Nikko Reyes (California) won by decision over Kevin Beazley (Michigan) (Dec 8-4)
3rd - Chris Jastrzebski (Pennsylvania) won by pin over Ryan Wolfe (Delaware) (Pin 2:11)
5th - Lj Barlow (Pennsylvania) won by decision over Michael Macchiavello (North Carolina) (Dec 3-2)
7th - Matt Hurford (Indiana) won by decision over McZiggy Richards (New York) (Dec 8-2)

195
1st - Dylan Devine (Maryland) won by injury default over Gage Harrah (Illinois) (Inj.)
3rd - Boyce Cornwell (Georgia) won by decision over Anthony Messner (New Jersey) (Dec 6-4)
5th - Tyler Rios (New Jersey) won by decision over Jovon Reyes (Pennsylvania) (Dec 3-2)
7th - Aj Iarussi (New Jersey) won by decision over Nate Lopez (California) (Dec 2-0)

220
1st - Kyle Snyder (Maryland) won by decision over Nick Nevills (California) (Dec 10-4)
3rd - Spencer Empey (Nevada) won by major decision over Patryk Kopczynski (New York) (Maj 14-1)
5th - Sean Medley (California) and Dane Pestano (Hawaii) (DFF)
7th - Kody Bellamy (Ohio) won by decision over Michael Boykin (Pennsylvania) (Dec 7-2)

285
1st - Dink Purnell (Delaware) won by decision over Nick Tavanello (Ohio) (Dec 5-3)
3rd - Cole Lampman (New York) won by decision over Cory Quintana (New York) (Dec 5-1)
5th - Alex Thompson (New Jersey) won by decision over Damon Sims Jr. (Pennsylvania) (Dec 8-5)
7th - Skip Conner (Michigan) won by forfeit over Pat Elflein (Ohio) (FF)