Updates from the 47th Annual Midlands Championships

I will have a running blog going here with updates from results of Iowa, ISU, UNI and other state wrestlers. If any big upsets occur, I'll try to catch those as well. Just keep refreshing the page and information should update. There could be lags in updates, which means I'm chasing down interviews. Please be patient.

If you have specific questions, it's easier for me to keep up if you email me at kj.pilcher@gazcomm.com I don't receive alerts when comments are submitted.

We're getting ready to start. They just announced that 369 wrestlers are competing, including all top 10 teams from last year.

Right now at 125, Mcdonough leads 6-2 with 40 secs left in 2nd. Krutsinger (Ia) leads 2-1 about halfway thru 1st. McDonough wins 12-4. Krutsinger down 6-2. Krutsinger loses, 8-2 to James Knox of Maryland.

Can't see the scoreboard for Mat 8 where Brent metcalf and Justin Morrill of Utah Valley are wrestling now at 149. At 141, Illinois' Ryan Prater is trailing Max Mayfield of ISU, 2-1, in second, at 141. Prater is the No. 7 seed. Prater just earned 3-NF to go up 4-2.

Metcalf with fireman's type move and then gets back points. Not sure how the guy fought off the fall before the period ended. Metcalf adjusted repeatedly, sinking in a deep half a couple times. From what I can tell, metcalf up big.

Just announced a familiar name to Hawkeye wrestling. Colby Covington, who had a brief stint at Iowa, is now wrestling for Oregon State and coach Jim Zalesky. He's at 174 and should meet up with Dubuque's Evan Brown in the second round. Also at 174, a second round match pitss UNI's Jarion Beets against Iowa's Ethan Lofthouse.

Metcalf wins by tech or fall. Had my head down typing to look up and see both wrestlers getting up.

Dan Dennis is not wrestling. He is still recovering from a sprained ankle suffered during practice the evening before the UNI meet on Dec. 10. I heard, however, he will be in Slaton's corner when he's wrestling. Nate Moore and Mark Ballweg are in the 133-pound bracket for Iowa.

Aaron Janssen (Iowa) is wrestling Bucknell's Brantley Hooks at 157. Janssen leads, 4-0, with 1:19 RT with 50 secs left. Janssen wins, 9-1. He now faces Tyson Reiner of UNI. In the dual on Dec. 10, Janssen won by major decision.

Another intra-Iowa battle in the second round at 165, Dubuque's Josh Terrell wrestles No. 2- seed Jon Reader of ISU.

A second round 157-pound match has Nate Carr jr. of ISU vs. Jon Brascetta of Oregon State, coached by Zalesky. If I'm not mistaken, didn't Z and Nate Carr Sr. have some battles in the old Iowa/ISU rivalry?

We're starting the second round now. 125 pounders are coming up.

Caleb Flores (UNI) now up against #8 Jasen Borshoff (American U.). All numbers are seeds and not rankings, BTW. Borshoff up 2-1 after first. Now, 4-3, Borshoff with 45 secs left in second. Flores escapes to tie the match, 4-4, ONE SECOND before Borshoff gets RT. They go into OT and Flores gets T2 to win 6-4.

Trevor Deardon (ISU) vs. Joe Watko (Clarion) and the pair exchange takedowns in the opening 35 secs. Watko up, 3-2. Watko leads, 6-4, after first. Deardon in a 7-7 battle gets the fall with 1:21 left in third.

McDonough (iowa) up against Izzy Montemayor of N. Illinois. McDonough needs only 1:24 to get takedown and turn Montemayor for the fall.

Thanks, Cetanista.

#3 Steven Bell (Maryland) dec. Ryan jauch (UNI) at 133.

Ballweg lost to Newby (Utah Valley), but Nate Moore gets the fall for Iowa. Both are at 133. Moore's fall was just over 30 secs.

fanthorpe (ISU) gets major over Pauylsen (Stanford), 14-3, at 133. Fanthorpe is the #1 seed.

MontellMarion and Wisconsin-Whitewater's Austin Batista are up. Batista, I think, is the defending D-III champ. Marion up 3-0 after an escape to start the second. Marion breaks open a close match and scores a T2 in the last 10 seconds to score a 12-4 major.

Alec Hoffman (UNI) locked in 8-8 battle with Kyle Bradley (Unattached Mizzou) with 38 secs left.

Dan LeClere is up against Kyle West of UC-Davis. Hard for me to read the scoreboard, but it looks like he's up 8-3 with more than 3 min. of RT after second.

Slaton is looking tough, handling Matt bradley of Rider, 11-3, with 3:27 of RT and 1:30 to go in 3rd. Dan Dennis is in his corner. Slaton wins, 12-3.

By the way, Andrew Long (ISU) won by forfeit. I confused results with that of Reardon earlier. Sorry for the confusion.

LeClere wins, 12-3.

Missed the final of the Hoffman match. I will update when I can.

Not sure how they determine scorers, but I thyink you can elect to have two scorers at one weight and forego having a wrestler at another weight score team points. Not sure and will see if I can find out between sessions.

As for Gambrall, I don't know if he pulled out, but I do know the 184-pound bracket did have an error, listing Gambrall as receiving a bye and then a first round match for a Grant Campbrall against an Adams St. kid.

By the way, Metcalf with a fall for Iowa.

David Cheza of Mich. St. beats Jason Pyle of Luther, 5-0, at 149.

Pena (Oregon St.) defeats Hale (ISU) at 149. Pena is seeded sixth.

Mueller (ISU) wins over Maryland's Jon Kohler at 149.

I will say this. Midlands is pretty overwhelming when it comes to doing a live blog. A lot of matches going on and three-four-five schools to keep track. If I miss something bare with me.

LeClere is seeded #2, Marion is seeded #9. It could set up a Marion/LeClere final. Slaton is a #4 seed and Jimmy Kennedy is #1, so Marion has a tougher road ahead.

Nadhir (Northwestern) beating Lawrence of UNI, 13-6, and has RT at the moment to start the third.

Ballweg gives up a takedown in the first and trails Kyle Dooley of Illinois, 2-0, about a minute into match. Dooley up 2-1 after first. Dooley beats Ballweg, 5-2.

Derek St. john, wrestling unattached, gets a takedown about 1:15 into the match and leads, 2-0. St. John up, 2-0, with 1:45 RT after first. St. John wins, 11-2.

Hoffman won a 13-10 match in tiebreaker1, setting up Hoffman/Slaton third-round match.

Nate Carr Jr. and Trent Weatherman are both up at 157 for ISU. Carr Jr. has Brascetta of Oregon St. Weatherman has Cocozzo of Rutgers.

Janssen and Reiner up now. I see Kerr's leg tattoo so he's up as well. Him and Janssen at opposite corners and Kerr's scoreboard is the one I can't view.

Weatherman down 3-0 after second. Carr Jr. up 4-2 after second. Carr wins, but Weatherman loses.

reiner leads Janssen 4-2 with a little more than a minute to go in second. Reiner holds on to win 6-4.

With everything else going I missed Kerr's final. Will update, a la Hoffman.

Morningstar wrestling against Boudro (MSU) now. Mike Finch (ISU) versus Zanetti (Rutgers)

Cetanista...All by my lonesome. ISU has an SID who has helped with some ISU results that I missed. Santa visited and I get to "work" at the Midlands. The last week has been good.

Morningstar wins by major. Borschel, minus the mustache, guitar and piano, is up against Panzano (Harvard)

Grayson (Cent. Mich) handles Bonin of UNI at 165.

Borschel with a fall and breaks out in a verse of "Bohemian Rhapsody" on the sitar.

Reader beats Terrrell (Dubuque), 16-4. Covington (Ore. St.) bears Evan Brown at 174.

Duke Burke up for ISU now.

Kerr did win. I have no score and don't know who he faces next.

There's been a Mike Allen sighting, however, he's walking around in civies and not pinstripes. Weird to see.

Burke up 5-1 in third. Burke wins. Jerome Ward up now against Corpe (Purdue)

Waiting on Beets (UNI) vs. Lofthouse (Iowa). Beets is up 2-1, but maybe my eyes are regressing terribly but that doesn't look like Lofthouse. I have bad sight anyway. We'll assume and I'll correct later, if needed.

O'Loughlin (UNI) vs. #9 Giesen (Stanford) at 184. Giesen with T2 to go up, 2-0, 1:45 to go in first.

FYI, former Sioux City prep Robert Kellogg lost by major dec. to Wisconsin's Howe at 165.

Ward (ISU) wins; Jarion Beets (UNI) wins 9-5 at 174. O'Loughlin lost, 3-1.

The million dollar question has been answered. Up now, Grant Gambrall (Iowa) vs. Derek Skala (St. Cloud St.).

Scott Hazen (UNI 184) wrestling Palmieri (MSU) now.

Gambrall up 2-0 after first. Wagner up 4-1 halfway thru second.

* Understandable Ciggy. :)

Gambrall wins 10-5. Was going for the major, up 9-3 with RT and gave up a takedown at the edge of the mat in final 10 secs.

Varner (ISU) wins by fall in the first at 197.

Dustin bauman (UNI) wrestling Bond (Illinois) at 197. Bond wins, 11-4.

Beatty up against Niko Brown (UTC). Beatty wins by major dec.

I thyink there were some weights that were redrawn. I have some names not matching the bouts. I'll try to clear it all up between rounds.

Lofthouse winning 6-2 in second against Bucknell's Jay hahn. Lofthouse wins by decision.

Kyle Simonson (ISU) with pin over Ryan Malo (Williams) at 197.

Now up at HWT., Rasing (Iowa) vs. Zabriskie (ISU). Scoreless after first. Rasing in on a couple shots but no finish, pushing Z around. Rasing with E1 3 secs into second period. Z with offense in second. Gets in deep on single, dumps Rasing on butt on edge of mat but rasing fights off the takedown attempt. rasing 1-0 after second. Zabriskie quick Escape. 1-1. I'm having a case of de ja vu.

rasing having some trouble with blood. Zabriskie with a takedown off a restart to go up, 3-1, with 1:12 left. Zabriskie wins, 3-2.

Team points leaders at Midlands through 2nd round: 1. Iowa 32.5, 2. Missouri 27.5, 3. Iowa State 27, 4. Lehigh 24, 5. Central Michigan 21.5

Third round winners bracket has started.

Precin (NW-unattached) is beating ISU's Deardon. Precin wins by fall.

mcDonough (Iowa) facing Deneen (Illinois) and gets a takedown about a minute into match. McD rides him out. 2-0 and 1:56 RT after one. McD with 7-0 lead and is assured of RT. McD with 8-0 major dec.

Flores (UNI) vs. Zanetta (Pitt) up now. Zanetta with 3-2 lead after first. Zanetta beats Flores.

Anrdew Long (ISU) pins Wright (New Mexico Hilands) in 3:27.

Didn't see what happened but they're taking a kid out on a stretcher. he had a green singlet. Looked like a Michigan St. kid.

Up now, Fanthorpe (ISU) vs. Lazor (UNI) and Moore (Iowa) vs.Sentes (Cent. mich). Real contrast in body types. Moore is short and stocky while Sentes is tall and lanky.

Lazor/fanthorpe are tied, 4-4, after two. Fanthorpe got a takedown or reversal for 6-4 lead and then turks him over for a third-period fall.

Sentes with an escape to start the second for a 1-0 lead. Moore chooses neutral and it's still 1-0 with 45 secs left. Moore with a great counter shot to score a takedown on edge of the mat with 2 secs left. Moore wins 2-1. Sentes was the #2 seed. I emphasize WAS.

Montell Marion and Ruggirello (Hofstra-unattached) are up now. Ruggirello with a takedown in the first to take 2-0 lead. Ruggirello rides him out and has 1:23 of RT. Start nuetral in 2nd, Marion with a low-single, pulls Ruggirello back onto mat, switches off and scores T2. 2-2. Marion down 3-2 and Ruggirello has RT for now. Marion with reversal and then allows escape. 4-4, but ruggirello has 1:16 RT. Looks like about 35 secs left. Marion shoots in out of control and gets extended, Ruggirello goes around and gets T2 for 6-4 lead with RT. Ruggirello wins, 7-4.

Metcalf with another fall.

Slaton up now and leads 2-1 with a minute to go in first. Really pushing the action. Slaton up, 6-2, 30 secs into second.

Slaton wins big. LeClere adds a decision and moves on to the quarters.

Mitch Mueller vs. Andrew nadhir (NW) up now. So is Derek St. John against top-seed Steve Fittery (American).

Talked to Dan Dennis after he was done coaching Joe Slaton...Watch for my post on his status and progress with an ankle sprain suffered earlier this month.

Mueller up 2-0 after first; St. John down 2-0 with 44 seconds left in first. Mueller takes 6-1 lead and close to RT with 44 secs left. St. John caught for 2 NF and is down 4-0 (Has 1:05 RT against him) to start second.

Mueller wins and St. John trails, 7-0, with 1:25 remaining. Fittery beats St. John, 10-0.

Reiner (UNI) vs. Steve Brown (Cent. Mich) going on. Scoreless after first. Reiner lost a contact and that was the most action so far in the match. Brown escaped to start period. 1-0 after two periods. Reiner escapes and fights off a takedown as time runs out. OT.

Patacsil beats Carr Jr. at 157. My apologies I missed Kerr again.

Reiner gets T2 and wins in OT, dropping the #3 seed at 157.

Morningstar gets 4-1 decision at 165. Reader with a tech fall over DeCiantis of Pitt.

Duke Burke up 5-2 on Jordan (Wisky-unattached) with 1:15 left. Burke wins, 7-6 (might have been 8-6 I never saw them add the RT point at the end). Jay Borschel won but I don't have a score.

Grant gambrall loses a hard-fought 3-2 decision to #4 Caputo of Harvard. Keddy wins with bonus pts.

To catch up, Kerr lost by fall in 2:15 to Stanford's Lucas Espericueta, who also beat the #7 seed Conrad Polz of Illinois.

Need to start working on newspaper items. Come back to http://thegazette.com/category/blogs/crossface-chronicles about 7 p.m. and I'll do something similar for the quarterfinals tonight.

Thanks for following along and being patient through the updates.