On Sunday March 25th the “Rose Bowl of Wrestling” returns to the Fitzgerald Field House for the 44th Annual Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. It is the premier wrestling event in the Nation as Pennsylvania’s top seniors face off with the best seniors in the United States. Buy tickets here.

The 2018 edition will feature some highly anticipated match-ups; #1 Patrick Glory of New Jersey will face Penn State recruit and 4-time Pennsylvania State Champion Gavin Teasdale at 126 pounds in a re-match of three prior meetings. Likewise #1 Sammy Sasso (Nazareth) will meet an old foe in #2 Brock Hardy of Utah at 145 pounds. In the main event between Team USA and Team Pennslyvania there will be eight matches between wrestlers who are both currently ranked in the National Top 10 by Flowrestling. 

The preliminary match will feature top seniors from Iowa taking on the best from Pennsylvania’s WPIAL. Team Iowa is stacked with top level wrestlers – seven who are currently ranked in the Top 20 Nationally by Flowrestling. The feature match could be at 182 pounds where #3 Joel Shapiro of West Des Moines, Iowa faces PIAA State Finalist #20 Tim Wallace of Albert Gallatin. View the match-ups below.

 

United States All-Stars vs. Pennsylvania All-Stars

 

120 #12 Kyle Biscoglia Waukee, Iowa vs. Jaret Lane Southern Columbia

Kyle Biscoglia is an 11th hour addition to Team USA as he was slated to compete for Team Iowa but #9 Joey Melendez of Illinois had to withdraw due to an injury. Luckily for the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic the 120 pound wrestler for Team Iowa is a 3-time Iowa State Champion who comes in ranked #12 in the Nation by Flowrestling. He is a fantastic and convenient selection to replace Melendez at 120 pounds. This will be the first of two matches at 120 pounds with Team PA’s 2-time PIAA State Champion Jaret Lane of Southern Columbia looking to break through the National ranks. Lane has bounced in and out of the National Rankings over the years despite having an outstanding 182-9 career record. Biscoglia is heading to Northern Iowa next season while Lane will join his older brother Kent at Lehigh.

 

120 #3 @126 Patrick McKee Albertville, MN vs. Logan Macri Canon-McMillan

The younger Macri will join his older brother Dalton representing Team PA in 2018. Back in 2016 Logan Macri introduced himself to the Nation at the Super 32 in Greensboro, NC where he stormed into the Championship semifinals at 113 pounds. He would end up finishing in fifth place while his Classic opponent, Mitch McKee, was third in the same weight. The two did not meet head-to-head but did have common opponent in New Jersey’s Antonio Mininno – who McKee split matches with and Macri lost to. McKee is a 3-time Minnesota State Champion who holds a #3 ranking in the Nation by Flowrestling. 

 

126 #1 Patrick Glory Randolph, NJ vs. #9 Gavin Teasdale Jefferson-Morgan

It is arguably the most anticipated match-up of the 2018 Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. Back in December 2014 these two young freshman clashed in the POWERade finals at 106 pounds with Teasdale coming out on top 13-3 to win the Championship. The following year the two met again in the POWERade Finals, this time at 113 pounds. Glory closed the gap with Teasdale winning 6-5. Two years later, in October 2017, the two faced-off yet again but this time in Flo’s Who’s #1? event at Lehigh. This time around it was Glory who came out on top 3-0 in a match where Teasdale was unable to finish several low single attempts.

 

132 #2 Real Woods Wheaton, IL vs. #12 Jack Davis Wyoming Seminary

The Stanford recruit Real Woods in the real deal. He is a 3-time Illinois State Champion and was an Ironman Finalist finishing as the runner-up to Joey Silva in the now famous “Shoe Gate.” He will take on 2-time National Prep Champion Jack Davis of Wyoming Seminary. Davis, a native of Hanover Township, PA, is making an early appearance inside the Fitzgerald Field House as the senior will be attending Pittsburgh in the fall. The two were teammates back in 2016 during the UWW Cadet World Championships in Tbilisi. Both Woods and Davis competed on the United State’s Greco-Roman team; Woods at 54 kilograms and Davis at 58 kilograms.

 

138 #2 Quinn Kinner, Mullica, NJ vs. #8 Cole Matthews Reynolds

A late replacement for Roman Bravo-Young of Arizona – Team USA didn’t lose a step with Quinn Kinner stepping in at 138 pounds. The Ohio State recruit was a 2-time New Jersey State Champion for Kingsway. In 2018 Kinner won the Escape The Rock Tournament at 138 pounds defeating Pennsylvania State Champion Ryan Anderson in the finals. He was also a Beast of the East Champion this season. He takes on 2-time Pennsylvania State Champion Cole Matthews of Reynolds. Cole is the second Matthews sibling to compete for Team PA as his older brother Austin was a 2013 participant. Cole, like Jack Davis before him, is making his Fitzgerald Field House debut early as will attend Pitt in the fall. Matthews was a 2-time POWERade Champion and a 4-time PIAA State Medalist including a 3-time finalist.

 

145 #2 Brock Hardy Brigham City, UT vs. #1 Sammy Sasso Nazareth

4-time Utah State Champion Brock Hardy represents Team USA in a highly anticipated match-up against Pennsylvania’s Sammy Sasso. The Nazareth senior and Ohio State recruit has history with Hardy dating back to 2015. Out in Fargo, N.D. Sasso took on Hardy during the USAW Cadet National Freestyle Finals at 132 pounds. Sasso won the National Championship 4-1 over Hardy. A year later, in 2016, the two again met in the Fargo Cadet Freestyle National Finals at 138 pounds. This time around Hardy came away with the Championship 10-8 over Sasso. They would not face off again in 2017 despite both being at 145 pounds in Fargo. Sasso ended up taking fifth while Hardy was seventh.

 

152 #1 David Carr Massillon, OH vs. Zach Hartman Belle Vernon

They don’t get much better than Ohio’s David Carr. Although his roots are traced back to Eric, PA, where his father Nate Carr Sr., made his mark on the Keystone State, the Massillon Perry senior will look to follow in his father’s footsteps at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. Competing for Team Pennsylvania, Nate Carr Sr. earned a fall in the 1979 Wrestling Classic against Oregon’s Wade Baker. Pittsburgh is the final stop before both father and son head to Iowa State. David Carr will start his career as a Cyclone while his father, a 3-time NCAA Champion from Iowa State, is heading back as an assistant coach at the Cyclone Regional Training Center. David Carr, a 4-time Ohio State Champion and a UWW Cadet World Freestyle Bronze Medalist, will take on Belle Vernon senior Zach Hartman. The Bucknell recruit is the only wrestler on Team PA without a State title but he is more than capable of holding his own. A 3-time Pennsylvania State Medalist Hartman competed at 160 pounds this season where he was a PIAA State Runner-up and POWERade Runner-up. He was an Escape The Rock Champion with his only two defeats on the year coming to Cathedral Prep’s Carter Starocci.

 

160 #1 Shane Griffith Westwood, NJ vs. Caleb Clymer Northwestern Lehigh

Bergen Catholic senior Shane Griffith is a 3-time New Jersey State Champion who will be heading to Stanford in the fall. Griffith was also third at the 2017 Beast of The East. He will take on Northwestern Lehigh senior Caleb Clymer who won a PIAA Class AA State Title this month at 160 pounds – becoming the third brother in his family to win a State Title. Clymer doesn’t have many comparable opponents as he is mainly a folkstyle and in-season wrestler – which makes him hard to scout and a sort of wild card for Griffith.

 

170 #1 Travis Wittlake, Jr. Broadbent, OR vs. #3 Trent Hidlay Mifflin County

My personal favorite will be 170 pounds where we could see a match that happens many times in the future as Travis Wittlake of Oregon faces Trent Hidlay of Mifflin County. Trent joins older brother Hayden as a Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic member competing for Team PA. Wittlake comes in ranked #1 in the Nation by Flo while Trent is #3. These two met in July 2015 out in Fargo at the Cadet Greco-Roman Nationals where Wittlake won at 160 pounds by tech-fall 11-0 over Hidlay. Not only was that a long time ago but it was also in Greco-Roman. This will be a physical slugfest between these two high level recruits. Wittlake is heading to Oklahoma State and was a 2016 Cadet World Bronze Medalist in Freestyle. Trent Hidlay eats hoagies after big wins. Expect some fireworks.

 

182 #2 Jack Jessen Villa Park, IL vs. #10 Cody Mulligan Saegertown

2-time Pennsylvania State Champion and 2017 Super 32 Champion Cody Mulligan will hold down the 182 pound spot for Team PA against 1-time Illinois State Champ Jack Jessen. Jessen is ranked #2 in the Nation by Flo while Mulligan is #10. These two have not met previously but Jessen comes highly regarded. In the 2017 Fargo Nationals Jessen was a Junior National Champion in Greco-Roman and a Junior National Runner-up in Freestyle. Mulligan, an Edinboro recruit, has progressed steadily in his four years at Saegertown climbing up the National rankings thanks in a part to winning the Super 32 last October by defeating fellow Pennsylvania wrestler Josh Stillings (Pennridge) in the finals. 

 

195 #3 Brandon Whitman Dundee, MI vs. #1 Gavin Hoffman Montoursville

The number ranked wrestler in the Nation at 195 pounds is Pennsylvania’s Gavin Hoffman who capped his career a 3-time PIAA State Champion. The Ohio State recruit has done it all in his time at Montoursville High School. He was a 2017 POWERade Champion, a 2017 UWW Cadet World Bronze Medalist in Freestyle, and won at Flo’s Who’s #1? event taking out fellow Keystone State stud Michael Beard to earn the #1 spot in the Nation. He will face a 4-time State Champion out of Michigan Brandon Whitman who comes in ranked #3 in the Nation. He was third in Fargo at the Junior Nationals in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman. In Fargo Whitman defeated 2-time State Champion Jake Woodley (North Allegheny) in the Freestyle consolation finals 4-2 at 195 pounds.

 

220 #4 Zach Elam Kansas City, MO vs. #5 Anthony Walters Bishop McCort

Anthony Walters is built like a tank and, after bumping up to 220 pounds this post-season, he earn the spot on Team PA. The 3-time State Finalist is heading to Drexel next season but first he has a date with Missouri’s Zach Elam. Waters enters ranked #5 in the Nation by Flo while Elam is #4. The Missouri Tiger recruit was a 2017 Fargo Junior National Champion at 220 pounds. Walters will be giving up some size against Elam, which will hurt, but he makes up for it in skill. He is a great scrambler and I wouldn’t count him out against Elam.

 

285 #1 Gable Steveson Apple Valley, MN vs. #5 Isaac Reid Kiski Area

They don’t get much bigger or better than the #1 ranked wrestler in the Nation at heavyweight as Minnesota’s Gable Stevenson heads east. Ranked as the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the Nation by Flo, Gable Stevenson has done it all. He comes in with an unblemished career record of (171-0) and four Minnesota State Championships. He also has three UWW World Championships in Freestyle claiming two Cadet and one Junior title in the last three years. Stevenson will be staying in State next year as he signed with the Gophers. Toeing the line against Gable will be 2018 PIAA State Champion Isaac Reid of Kiski Area. The undefeated senior is ranked #5 in the Nation at heavyweight and is just thankful to be alive after having a blood clot in his lung earlier this year. Reid is dangerous in the sense he has nothing to lose against Stevenson.

 

Iowa All-Stars vs. WPIAL All-Stars

 

The WPIAL produced seven wrestlers who were NCAA All-Americans last weekend. Regarded as a “hotbed” of wrestling, there is no question Western, PA is one of the most sought after areas by Division I head coaches. The 2018 Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic will feature another hotbed of wrestling with Team Iowa. This group includes thirteen wrestlers who have a grand total of 21 State Championships. The WPIAL, while it has no State Champions, is a strong line-up which includes a grand total of 12 WPIAL titles. 

Iowa is anchored by Drew Bennett of Williamsburg who comes in ranked #17 in the Nation by Flowrestling at 132 pounds. Bennett will compete in the Classic at 126 pounds where he will have two opponents due to Kyle Biscoglia getting the call up to Team USA. Drew Bennett agreed to take on Waynesburg’s Caleb Morris in the dual’s opening match and close it out against Louis Newell (Seneca Valley) in the last match.

The WPIAL All-Stars will have their hands full with seven Iowa opponent who currently hold a Top 20 ranking in the Nation by Flowrestling. View the match-ups below.  

 

113 Grayson Kesterson Williamsburg, Iowa vs. Frankie Bonura Moon

 

126 #17 @132 Drew Bennett Fort Dodge, Iowa vs. Louis Newell Seneca Valley

 

126 #17 @132 Drew Bennett Fort Dodge, Iowa vs. Caleb Morris Waynesburg

 

132 Zach Price Johnston, Iowa vs. Noah Levett Kiski Area

 

138 #6 Michael Blockhus Cresco, Iowa vs. Tyler Griffiths Southmoreland

 

145 Ryan Steffen Cresco, Iowa vs. Luke Kemerer Hempfield

 

152 Grant Stotts West Des Moines, Iowa vs. Corey Christie Burrell

 

160 Josh Ramirez Dubuque, Iowa vs. Seth Gates Burrell

 

170 #16 Ben Sarasin Cedar Rapids, Iowa vs. Jesse Quatse Greensburg Salem

 

182 #3 Joel Shapiro West Des Moines, Iowa vs. #20 Tim Wallace Albert Gallatin

 

195 #16 Bryce Esmoil West Liberty, Iowa vs. Nate Ansell Connellsville

 

220 #11 Boone McDermott Dubuque, Iowa vs. Ian Edenfield Laurel Highlands

 

285 #16 Caleb Sanders Glenwood, Iowa vs. Gerald Brown West Mifflin