Bey vs. Smith and Martinez vs. Rau among intriguing Greco-Roman finals set at U.S. Open semifinals
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Kamal Bey of the Sunkist Kids tosses Peyton Walsh of the USMC at 77 kg at the U.S. Open. Photo by John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – It was an exciting and, at times, surprising semifinal round in the Greco-Roman division at the U.S. Open on Thursday night.
The semifinals at 77 kg featured three past World Team members. In a battle of 2017 World Team members, Pat Smith of the Minnesota Storm led 3-0 at the break and grinded out a 5-2 win over Mason Manville of the Nittany Lion WC in a fierce scrap. Smith was at 71 kg and Manville was at 75 kg at the 2017 Worlds.
“The biggest thing was being the toughest guy on the mat and believing that the whole time, no matter what. I just stay focused, get to my angles, and I know things will start opening up. Mason has a great pace. I love wrestling him because he’s always going to come out strong. I just know that I’m a little bit better at the game. I showed that today,” said Bey.
In the other semifinals, 2018 World Team member and 2017 Junior World champion Kamal Bey advanced to the finals with a 10-1 technical fall over Peyton Walsh of the U.S. Marine Corps. Bey was able execute some slick technique in the bout.
“I knew I had to get a good feel today. I have a pretty tough opponent tomorrow. I had to see what I was feeling and what was working for me. I slowed the pace down and got into some pretty uncomfortable positions to see how I was wrestling out of it and to see how my body would react,” said Bey.
Bey is attempting to win a third straight U.S. Open title, and looks forward to the test against Smith.
“My game plan for Pat Smith is my same game plan for anybody. If it’s there, hit it. If it’s not there, regroup and try to attack and counter. I want to go out there and have fun. When people face tough opponents, they start thinking too much about what the other guy has done, but it’s all about what they’re about to do. I just want to have fun and finished Vegas with a W,” said Bey.
In addition, there were three past World Team members in the semifinals at 87 kg. 2014 World Team member Joe Rau of the Titan Mercury WC received the final point in a 1-1 match against two-time Olympian and one-time World Team member Ben Provisor of the New York AC/Nittany Lion WC. Both points came on passivity calls.
In the other semifinal, three-time World Team member Patrick Martinez edged 2019 Armed Forces champion James Souza of the U.S. Army, 2-1.
One of the surprise winners was unseeded Spencer Woods of the New York AC, who defeated No. 1 seeded and two-time World Team member Chaney Haight of the New York AC, 4-3 at 82 kg. He earned the right to battle 2014 U.S. Open champion Kendrick Sanders of the New York AC, who scored a nice lift and defeated John Stefanowicz of U.S. Marines, 7-3.
There will be two All-Army finals, as teammates from the U.S. Army WCAP program won their semifinal rounds in the same weight class.
At 60 kg, 2017 World Team member Ildar Hafizov will face teammate Leslie Fuenffinger in the finals. Hafizov scored a 10-0 technical fall over Randon Miranda of the New York AC.
In the other half-bracket, Fuenffinger took control early and won the key positions to defeat 2018 World Team member Dalton Roberts in an 8-0 technical fall. Their last two battles were 9-8 decisions, with Fuenffinger winning at the 2019 Dave Schultz and Roberts winning at the 2018 U.S. Open.
The other All-Army battle is at 67 kg, where 2012 Olympian and past World Team member Ellis Coleman will battle Hayden Tuma for the title. Both scored 8-0 technical falls in the semifinals, with Coleman stopping Austin Morrow of the New York AC and Tuma putting away Jamel Johnson of the U.S. Marines.
The U.S. Army will have eight wrestlers in the finals, with Max Nowry (55 kg), Ryan Mango (63 kg), Lucas Sheridan (97 kg) and Jacob Mitchell (130 kg) reaching the finals.
Nowry and Mango are defending U.S. Open champions. Nowry will battle Dalton Duffield of the New York AC in his finals, while Mango has a 2018 U.S. Open rematch against Sam Jones.
Sheridan was dominant in a semifinal battle with familiar opponent Dan Miller of the U.S. Marine Corps, looking strong in a 9-1 technical fall. Miller was the 2018 U.S. Open champion. Sheridan has drawn two-time World Team member G’Angelo Hancock of the Sunkist Kids in the finals.
Mitchell scored a dominant 10-1 technical fall over Army teammate Toby Erickson in his semifinals, and will face No. 1 seed Tate Orndoff of the NYAC/Utah Valley RTC) in the finals.
The other finals showdown will be at 72 kg, where two-time World Team member RaVaughn Perkins of the New York AC will face Raymond Bunker of the U.S. Marine Corps.
The consolation rounds in Greco-Roman will continue through the third, fifth and seventh place matches, beginning at 9:00 a.m. PT. The championship finals will be held at 7:00 p.m. PT. All of the action is live on FloWrestling.
U.S. SENIOR OPEN
At Las Vegas, Nev., April 25
Greco-Roman Finals pairings
55 kg - Max Nowry (Army WCAP) vs. Dalton Duffield (NYAC)
60 kg - Leslie Fuenffinger (Army WCAP) vs. Ildar Hafizov (Army WCAP)
63 kg - Ryan Mango (Army WCAP) vs. Sam Jones (NYAC)
67 kg: Ellis Coleman (Army WCAP) vs. Hayden Tuma (Army WCAP)
72 kg - RaVaughn Perkins (NYAC) vs. Raymond Bunker (USMC)
77 kg - Kamal Bey (Sunkist Kids WC) vs. Patrick Smith (MN Storm)
82 kg - Spencer Woods (NYAC) vs. Kendrick Sanders (NYAC)
87 kg - Patrick Martinez (NYAC) vs. Joe Rau (TMWC)
97 kg - G’Angelo Hancock (Sunkist Kids WC) vs. Lucas Sheridan (Army WCAP)
130 kg - Tate Orndoff (NYAC/Utah Valley RTC) vs. Jacob Mitchell (Army WCAP)
Greco-Roman Semifinal results
55 kg:
Max Nowry (Army WCAP) tech. fall Jabari Moody (NYAC), 11-0
Dalton Duffield (NYAC) tech. fall Jemone Carter (USMC), 11-0
60 kg
Leslie Fuenffinger (Army WCAP) tech. fall Dalton Roberts (NYAC), 8-0
Ildar Hafizov (Army WCAP) tech. fall Randon Miranda (NYAC), 9-1
63 kg
Ryan Mango (Army WCAP) dec. Travis Rice (NYAC), 3-3
Sam Jones (NYAC) inj. dft Xavier Johnson (USMC), 3:29
67 kg:
Ellis Coleman (Army WCAP) tech. fall Austin Morrow (NYAC), 8-0
Hayden Tuma (Army WCAP) tech. fall Jamel Johnson (USMC), 8-0
72 kg:
RaVaughn Perkins (NYAC) pin Colin Schubert (NYAC), 0:37
Raymond Bunker (USMC) dec. Michael Hooker (Army WCAP), 4-2
77 kg:
Kamal Bey (Sunkist Kids WC) tech. fall Peyton Walsh (USMC), 10-1
Patrick Smith (MN Storm) dec. Mason Manville (Nittany Lion WC), 5-2
82 kg:
Spencer Woods (NYAC) dec. Chaney Haight (NYAC), 4-3
Kendrick Sanders (NYAC) dec. John Stefanowicz (USMC), 7-3
87 kg
Patrick Martinez (NYAC) dec. James Souza (Army WCAP), 2-1
Joe Rau (TMWC) dec. Ben Provisor (NYAC/Nittany Lion WC), 1-1
97 kg:
G’Angelo Hancock (Sunkist Kids WC) tech fall Eric Twohey (MN Storm), 8-0
Lucas Sheridan (Army WCAP) tech. fall Daniel Miller (USMC), 9-1
130 kg:
Tate Orndoff (NYAC/Utah Valley RTC) pin West Cathcart (IRTC), 3:30
Jacob Mitchell (Army WCAP) tech. fall Toby Erickson (Army WCAP), 10-1
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – It was an exciting and, at times, surprising semifinal round in the Greco-Roman division at the U.S. Open on Thursday night.
The semifinals at 77 kg featured three past World Team members. In a battle of 2017 World Team members, Pat Smith of the Minnesota Storm led 3-0 at the break and grinded out a 5-2 win over Mason Manville of the Nittany Lion WC in a fierce scrap. Smith was at 71 kg and Manville was at 75 kg at the 2017 Worlds.
“The biggest thing was being the toughest guy on the mat and believing that the whole time, no matter what. I just stay focused, get to my angles, and I know things will start opening up. Mason has a great pace. I love wrestling him because he’s always going to come out strong. I just know that I’m a little bit better at the game. I showed that today,” said Bey.
In the other semifinals, 2018 World Team member and 2017 Junior World champion Kamal Bey advanced to the finals with a 10-1 technical fall over Peyton Walsh of the U.S. Marine Corps. Bey was able execute some slick technique in the bout.
“I knew I had to get a good feel today. I have a pretty tough opponent tomorrow. I had to see what I was feeling and what was working for me. I slowed the pace down and got into some pretty uncomfortable positions to see how I was wrestling out of it and to see how my body would react,” said Bey.
Bey is attempting to win a third straight U.S. Open title, and looks forward to the test against Smith.
“My game plan for Pat Smith is my same game plan for anybody. If it’s there, hit it. If it’s not there, regroup and try to attack and counter. I want to go out there and have fun. When people face tough opponents, they start thinking too much about what the other guy has done, but it’s all about what they’re about to do. I just want to have fun and finished Vegas with a W,” said Bey.
In addition, there were three past World Team members in the semifinals at 87 kg. 2014 World Team member Joe Rau of the Titan Mercury WC received the final point in a 1-1 match against two-time Olympian and one-time World Team member Ben Provisor of the New York AC/Nittany Lion WC. Both points came on passivity calls.
In the other semifinal, three-time World Team member Patrick Martinez edged 2019 Armed Forces champion James Souza of the U.S. Army, 2-1.
One of the surprise winners was unseeded Spencer Woods of the New York AC, who defeated No. 1 seeded and two-time World Team member Chaney Haight of the New York AC, 4-3 at 82 kg. He earned the right to battle 2014 U.S. Open champion Kendrick Sanders of the New York AC, who scored a nice lift and defeated John Stefanowicz of U.S. Marines, 7-3.
There will be two All-Army finals, as teammates from the U.S. Army WCAP program won their semifinal rounds in the same weight class.
At 60 kg, 2017 World Team member Ildar Hafizov will face teammate Leslie Fuenffinger in the finals. Hafizov scored a 10-0 technical fall over Randon Miranda of the New York AC.
In the other half-bracket, Fuenffinger took control early and won the key positions to defeat 2018 World Team member Dalton Roberts in an 8-0 technical fall. Their last two battles were 9-8 decisions, with Fuenffinger winning at the 2019 Dave Schultz and Roberts winning at the 2018 U.S. Open.
The other All-Army battle is at 67 kg, where 2012 Olympian and past World Team member Ellis Coleman will battle Hayden Tuma for the title. Both scored 8-0 technical falls in the semifinals, with Coleman stopping Austin Morrow of the New York AC and Tuma putting away Jamel Johnson of the U.S. Marines.
The U.S. Army will have eight wrestlers in the finals, with Max Nowry (55 kg), Ryan Mango (63 kg), Lucas Sheridan (97 kg) and Jacob Mitchell (130 kg) reaching the finals.
Nowry and Mango are defending U.S. Open champions. Nowry will battle Dalton Duffield of the New York AC in his finals, while Mango has a 2018 U.S. Open rematch against Sam Jones.
Sheridan was dominant in a semifinal battle with familiar opponent Dan Miller of the U.S. Marine Corps, looking strong in a 9-1 technical fall. Miller was the 2018 U.S. Open champion. Sheridan has drawn two-time World Team member G’Angelo Hancock of the Sunkist Kids in the finals.
Mitchell scored a dominant 10-1 technical fall over Army teammate Toby Erickson in his semifinals, and will face No. 1 seed Tate Orndoff of the NYAC/Utah Valley RTC) in the finals.
The other finals showdown will be at 72 kg, where two-time World Team member RaVaughn Perkins of the New York AC will face Raymond Bunker of the U.S. Marine Corps.
The consolation rounds in Greco-Roman will continue through the third, fifth and seventh place matches, beginning at 9:00 a.m. PT. The championship finals will be held at 7:00 p.m. PT. All of the action is live on FloWrestling.
U.S. SENIOR OPEN
At Las Vegas, Nev., April 25
Greco-Roman Finals pairings
55 kg - Max Nowry (Army WCAP) vs. Dalton Duffield (NYAC)
60 kg - Leslie Fuenffinger (Army WCAP) vs. Ildar Hafizov (Army WCAP)
63 kg - Ryan Mango (Army WCAP) vs. Sam Jones (NYAC)
67 kg: Ellis Coleman (Army WCAP) vs. Hayden Tuma (Army WCAP)
72 kg - RaVaughn Perkins (NYAC) vs. Raymond Bunker (USMC)
77 kg - Kamal Bey (Sunkist Kids WC) vs. Patrick Smith (MN Storm)
82 kg - Spencer Woods (NYAC) vs. Kendrick Sanders (NYAC)
87 kg - Patrick Martinez (NYAC) vs. Joe Rau (TMWC)
97 kg - G’Angelo Hancock (Sunkist Kids WC) vs. Lucas Sheridan (Army WCAP)
130 kg - Tate Orndoff (NYAC/Utah Valley RTC) vs. Jacob Mitchell (Army WCAP)
Greco-Roman Semifinal results
55 kg:
Max Nowry (Army WCAP) tech. fall Jabari Moody (NYAC), 11-0
Dalton Duffield (NYAC) tech. fall Jemone Carter (USMC), 11-0
60 kg
Leslie Fuenffinger (Army WCAP) tech. fall Dalton Roberts (NYAC), 8-0
Ildar Hafizov (Army WCAP) tech. fall Randon Miranda (NYAC), 9-1
63 kg
Ryan Mango (Army WCAP) dec. Travis Rice (NYAC), 3-3
Sam Jones (NYAC) inj. dft Xavier Johnson (USMC), 3:29
67 kg:
Ellis Coleman (Army WCAP) tech. fall Austin Morrow (NYAC), 8-0
Hayden Tuma (Army WCAP) tech. fall Jamel Johnson (USMC), 8-0
72 kg:
RaVaughn Perkins (NYAC) pin Colin Schubert (NYAC), 0:37
Raymond Bunker (USMC) dec. Michael Hooker (Army WCAP), 4-2
77 kg:
Kamal Bey (Sunkist Kids WC) tech. fall Peyton Walsh (USMC), 10-1
Patrick Smith (MN Storm) dec. Mason Manville (Nittany Lion WC), 5-2
82 kg:
Spencer Woods (NYAC) dec. Chaney Haight (NYAC), 4-3
Kendrick Sanders (NYAC) dec. John Stefanowicz (USMC), 7-3
87 kg
Patrick Martinez (NYAC) dec. James Souza (Army WCAP), 2-1
Joe Rau (TMWC) dec. Ben Provisor (NYAC/Nittany Lion WC), 1-1
97 kg:
G’Angelo Hancock (Sunkist Kids WC) tech fall Eric Twohey (MN Storm), 8-0
Lucas Sheridan (Army WCAP) tech. fall Daniel Miller (USMC), 9-1
130 kg:
Tate Orndoff (NYAC/Utah Valley RTC) pin West Cathcart (IRTC), 3:30
Jacob Mitchell (Army WCAP) tech. fall Toby Erickson (Army WCAP), 10-1
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