RALEIGH, N.C. - Three-time Oklahoma state champion Matt Bean of Mustang High School was voted the Outstanding Wrestler of the inaugural National High School Open Wrestling Championships, which concluded Monday afternoon at the Dorton Arena.
Bean’s third-period takedown was the difference in a 3-2 victory over fellow Oklahoman Matt Grice of Harrah High in the title round’s feature match at 145 pounds. Bean, who will be a senior next year, and Grice, a junior and a two-time state champion, are a combined 15-0 in combining to win five state titles and have just two career losses between them. New York easily won the state team title with 267 points, followed by Oklahoma (192), South Carolina (172), Maryland (171), and host North Carolina (146) in the top five team standings. New York and Oklahoma each had three champions. Mike Messina (130 pounds), an unbeaten state champion for Hauppage High last year as a sophomore, Keith Pickell (103) of Ellenville, and Nick Richetti (119) of Waverly were New York’s champions. Bean’s teammate at Mustang High, Ross Lassley (275), and Mike Mitchell (152) of Midwest City also won titles for Oklahoma. Pickell, Lassley, and Donnie DeFilippis (140) of New Providence, N.J. scored pins to win their title matches. Adam Britt (135) of Mechanicsville, Va. scored a technical fall, winning by the 15-point slaughter rule, in his title match.
Sponsored by the Lewisburg, Pa.-based National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) and HealthSouth, the National Open High School Wrestling Championships attracted an amazing 515 competitors from 33 states in its first year, including 37 state champions. The tournament is the first-ever national championship event conducted in the scholastic style for high school wrestlers in all four high school grades, 9 through 12. The top eight wrestlers in each of the 14 standard high school weight classes earned All-America status.
The NHSCA and HealthSouth also conduct the highly-successful National High School Wrestling Championships, a senior-only event which attracted a record 692 competitors from 47 states to Pittsburgh, Pa. in March.
NATIONAL OPEN HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Raleigh, N.C., June 20-22
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES
103: Keith Pickell, Ellenville, N.Y., pinned John Schermerhorn, Frazee,
Minn., 3:17.
112: Josh Kloss, St. Cloud, Minn., dec. Phillip Simpson, Nashville,
Tenn., 6-4 OT.
119: Nick Richetti, Waverly, N.Y., dec. Chris Collins, Rock Hill, S.C.,
10-1.
125: Justin Owens, Morrisdale, Pa., dec. Vaymond Dennis, Jessup, Md.,
17-5.
130: Mike Messina, Smithtown, N.Y., dec. Andrew Slack, Jamestown, N.C.,
16-7.
135: Adam Britt, Mechanicsville, Va., technical fall over Steve Volponi,
Irmo, S.C., 4:24.
140: Donnie DeFilippis, New Providence, N.J., pinned Anthony Delpriore,
Irmo, S.C., 4:55.
145: Matt Bean, Mustang, Okla., dec. Matt Grice, Newalla, Okla., 3-2.
152: Mike Mitchell, Midwest City, Okla., dec. Matt Fletcher, Shenandoah,
Iowa, 13-6.
160: Chris Haines, Gettysburg, Pa., dec. Wes Blauberg, Massapequa Park,
N.Y., 10-9 2nd OT.
171: Wes Cummings, Silver Spring, Md., dec. George Sable, Middle Island,
N.Y., 8-3.
189: Sean Wheeler, Nine Mile Falls, Wash., dec.; Billy Noble, Supply,
N.C., 3-2.
215: Mike Faust, Baltimore, Md., dec. Vincent D’Agostino, Massapequa
Park, N.Y., 4-2.
275: Ross Lassley, Mustang, Okla., pinned Ryan Adams, Rock Hill, S.C.,
4:44.
THIRD-PLACE MATCHES
103: Matt Stevens, Parkersburg, W.Va., dec. Terrence Thompson, Rock
Hill, S.C., 1-0.
112: Luke Rackley, Catonsville, Md., dec. Joe Dubuque, Glen Ridge, N.J.,
5-0.
119: Willie Harris, Washington, D.C., dec. Anthony Regalbuto,
Martinsburg, W.Va., 4-1.
125: Casey Brewster, Nashville, Tenn., dec. Luke Palmisano, Massapequa,
N.Y., 2-1.
130: Joe Clarke, Atlanta, Ga., dec. Matt Hoffman, Sunbury, Pa., 6-0.
135: Keith Poloskey, Middle Island, N.Y., d. Dustin Lijo, Hopatcong,
N.J., 11-8.
140: Rich Moskowitz, Amherst, N.H., forfeit over Jason Walker, Defiance,
Ohio.
145: Ben Hay, Sandwich, Ill., dec. Clay French, Mattoon, Ill., 3-1 OT.
152: Josh Murtaugh, Wayne, Neb., dec. Nathan Cote, Danvers, Mass., 3-2.
160: Josh Moore, Mustang, Okla., dec. Aaron Tutwiler, Vestavia, Ala.,
4-2.
171: Chad Munsch, St. Charles, Minn., dec. Bill Schneider,
Lawrenceville, Ga., 5-1.
189: Nick O’Bert, Coal City, Ill., dec. DuWayne Williams, Norfolk, Va.,
9-6.
215: Drew Sparks, Warren Ohio, dec. Davon DeVeaux, Stockbridge, Ga.,
6-5.
275: LeRoy Gardner, Minnetonka, Minn., dec. Chris Tobin, Cary, N.C., 4-2
OT.
FIFTH-PLACE MATCHES
103: Marc Mounts, Summerville, S.C., dec. Joe Spero, Elmhurst, Ill.,
5-3.
112: Leslie Morrow, Canton, Ga., dec. Nathan Kinsley, Morgantown, W.Va.,
6-2.
119: Wyatt Wilkie, Canton, Ga., dec. Antwaun Lide, Baltimore, Md., 8-1.
125: Shane Heinold, Clarinda, Iowa, pinned Jonathan Williams, Brentwood,
Tenn., 3:52.
130: Jim Berringer, Hopatcong, N.J., dec. Cornelius Henderson, Wetumpka,
Ala., 4-1.
135: Chris D’Andrea, Far Hills, N.J., dec. Mike Munn, Peachtree City,
Ga., 12-2.
140: Vince Bartges, Goose Creek, S.C., dec. Corey Clark, Mechanicsville,
Va., 5-2.
145: Jody Green, North Bellmore, N.Y., dec. Chris Muller, Rochester,
Minn., 8-2.
152: Jake Stork, Leesport, Pa., dec. Ricardo Lopes, Danbury, Conn.,
13-10.
160: Steve Smith, Cary, N.C., dec. Andy Whaley, Birmingham, Ala., 16-2.
171: Nathan Broughton, Fredericksburg, Va., dec. Micah Caskey, 9-2.
189: David Stitt, Yukon, Okla., dec. Ross Renken, Minooka, Ill., 5-1.
215: Steve Kempinski, Phillipsburg, N.J., dec. Eric Michel, Elmhurst,
Ill., 8-1.
275: James McLaughlin, Rochester, Minn., forfeit over DeWayne James, El
Reno, Okla.
SEVENTH-PLACE MATCHES
103: Jared Tracy, Virginia Beach, Va., dec. Greg White, Mannington,
W.Va., 6-4.
112: Stu Holzer, North Woodmere, N.Y., dec. Frank Hoeffner, East Meadow,
N.Y., 4-1.
119: Chris Combs, Millersville, Md., dec. Tom Nicolicchia, Hopatcong,
N.J., 7-2.
125: John Gregg, Birmingham, Ala., dec. Nathan DeLeon, Jordan, Utah,
9-7.
130: Jason Cucolo, Darien, Conn., dec. Dustin Speltz, Altura, Minn.,
6-2.
135: Reggie James, Window Rock, Ariz., dec. Elliott Duy, Sandwich, Ill.,
7-6.
140: Brandon Bentley, Lilburn, Ga., dec. Josh Andrist, Kasson, Minn.,
10-6.
145: A.J. Tanzella, Easton, Pa., dec. Shaun Habibian, St. George, Utah,
4-1.
152: Mike Boettcher, Baltimore, Md., forfeit over Paul Boettcher,
Baltimore, Md.
160: Andrew Hankes, Bataviaq, Ill., dec. Jeremiah Pilarski, Ramseur,
N.C., 7-6.
171: Stephen Kinley, Surveyor, W.Va., dec. Maurice Lamar, Clarksville,
Tenn, 7-5.
189: Adam Lewis, Fairdale, W.Va., dec. Pat Callahan, Massapequa Park,
N.Y., 5-2.
215: William Bailey, Mustang, Okla., pinned James Taylor, Pasadena, Md.,
2:28.
275: Alan Klinner, Vestavia, Ala., dec. Chris Floyd, Monticello, Ky.,
4-1.
Most Falls: David Stitt, 189, 4 pins in 5 minutes, 27 seconds.
Outstanding Wrestler: Matt Bean, Oklahoma, 145.
STATE TEAM SCORES: New York 267, Oklahoma 192, South Carolina 172,
Maryland 171, North Carolina 146, Pennsylvania 138.5, Minnesota 137.5,
Illinois 137, Georgia 133.5, New Jersey 128, Virginia 123.5, West
Virginia 107.5, Tennessee 102, Alabama 86, Ohio 70.5, Iowa 55.5,
Connecticut 50, Kentucky 44, Utah 43, Indiana and New Hampshire 39,
Louisiana 37, Nebraska 35.5, Washington 31, Massachusetts and Texas 18,
California 11, Arizona 8.
Updated June 28 1998