Ayala wins in sudden victory, Facundo in ultimate tiebreaker, Jordan Burroughs vs. Zahid Valencia announced for Nov. 14 at FloWrestling’s Who’s #1

Photo of Drake Ayala looking to secure a takedown against Richie Figueroa by Sam Janicki.

Austin, Texas - FloWrestling’s 14-match Who’s #1 card delivered a night of relentless high school wrestling action. In particular, the main and co-main events were must-see wrestling.

In the co-main event at 120 pounds, Drake Ayala knocked off the pound-for-pound No. 1 wrestler in the country Richie Figueroa. Ayala led 3-1 going into the third period on the strength of a first period takedown and a second period escape. Figueroa, who was looking to become the first three-time Who’s #1 winner, escaped quickly to start the third period. While it looked like Ayala locked up the match with a late takedown, Figueroa’s corner challenged, and Ayala was called for grabbing Figueroa’s shirt, sending the match into sudden victory tied at three.

In overtime, Ayala could not be denied, scoring on a go-behind to claim the top spot at 120 pounds.

The main event was another overtime affair featuring Alex Facundo and Cael Valencia. The pair traded takedowns and escapes in the first period, making the score three to three. Facundo chose bottom in the second period, quickly escaping to pull ahead by one. In the third period Valencia did the same, evening the match at four, which is where it stood at the end of regulation.

In sudden victory, neither wrestler was able to convert on a takedown. The match went into the 30-second ride-out periods and both wrestlers earned escapes, keeping the score level at five. Valencia was awarded choice in ultimate tiebreaker by virtue of scoring the match’s first points. However, Facundo gritted out a tough 30 second ride, to retain his spot as the No. 1 170 pounder in the country.

At 138 pounds, Jesse Mendez was another one of the night’s stars. Mendez, who was ranked No. 3, opened the card with a 3-2 victory over No. 4 Jordan Williams. The win earned him the right to face No. 2 at 138 Joel VanderVere later in the card.

If Mendez was tired from his first bout, he didn’t show it in his match against VanderVere. Trailing, 3-0, entering the third period, Mendez took neutral. He scored a takedown with one minute to go in the match and quickly cut VanderVere, making the score 4-2. Mendez executed a beautiful duck under and secured a ride out to send the match into overtime. There, he would finish it off with a go-behind into a lift, for a takedown and the victory.

Originally 138 pounds was scheduled to be a four-man bracket. However, No. 1 Shayne Van Ness was forced to withdraw from the card due to a broken tibia.

Arguably the most impressive performance of the night came at 220 pounds, where Nick Feldman earned a 13-5 major decision over Kyle Haas. Feldman dominated the bout on his feet earning six takedowns against the 2019 Cadet World Team member.

In a clash of top-ranked wrestlers, Mia Palumbo emerged victorious over Sage Mortimer at 112 pounds. Palumbo was ranked No. 1 at 106 pounds, while Mortimer was ranked No. 1 at 100 pounds. This was one of two women’s freestyle bouts on the card.

The move that shifted the momentum in Palumbo’s favor came in the beginning of the second period. Trailing, 4-3, Palumbo lifted Mortimer on a huge single leg for four points to take a 7-4 lead. From there, Palumbo controlled the action and went on to win 11-6.

No. 2 Chase Horne pulled a big upset over No. 1 Kyonte Hamilton in the first heavyweight match in Who’s #1 history. Horne scored first, and kept his foot on the gas all match. With ten seconds left in the second period, Hamilton earned an escape and a quick takedown to cut the score to 6-5. However, the third period was all Horne. Hamilton chose down and Horne picked up a two-count on a tilt to extend his lead to 8-5. Hamilton managed to escape, but Horne quickly score a go-behind takedown to ice the match, 10-6.

At 182 pounds a bumped up Lenny Pinto, who is ranked No. 3 at 170, took out No. 1 Rylan Rogers. Pinto suffered a scare in the first period after tweaking his knee in a scrambling. However, after calling injury time, he managed to gut out the win. Leading in the third period, 5-2, Pinto hit the move of the night, a beautiful magic stick off a Rogers shot to extend his lead to 7-2. Rogers mounted a comeback, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Pinto’s lead as he would hang on, 7-5.

Dean Peterson took over the top spot from Jordan Titus at 126 pounds in an exciting 9-8 bout. Leading 7-6 going into the third period, Peterson elected to put Titus on his feet, evening the score at seven. Peterson came out on top of a wild scramble to take the lead, 9-7. Titus escaped and continued to fire off shots until the final whistle but could not earn the takedown he needed.

Sophomore Cody Chittum claimed the top spot at 145 pounds. The only underclassman on the card, Chittum defeated Wyatt Henson, 8-5. Both wrestlers utilized heavy hands and a fast pace, however Chittum came out of the gates ready to go, scoring the first five points of the match, which Henson was unable to make up.

At 152 pounds, Victor Voinovich earned the second Who’s #1 victory of his career. Last year, he pinned then No. 1 Jesse Vasquez. This year he toppled Jagger Condomitti, 4-3. Trailing, 2-0 in the third period, Voinovich chose neutral. He scored a takedown and cut Condomitti to make the score 3-2. Voinovich was able to convert on one more takedown and then ride out Condomitti for the victory.

Tate Picklo showcased his otherworldly defense at 195 pounds, defeating Seth Shumate, 3-1. Picklo scored the only takedown in the match in a scramble during the first period. He then proceeded to stymie numerous shot attacks from Shumate relying on his flexibility and balance to scramble out of unfavorable situations.

Two matches ended early due to injury defaults. The first was a battle between Cadet World medalists Skylar Hattendorf and Kylie Welker. Hattendorf tweaked her knee in a scramble early in the first period. While she valiantly attempted to wrestle through it, she was unable to sustain weight on her leg and was forced to withdraw.

The second injury came in the 160 pound bout between Travis Mastrogiovanni and Paddy Gallagher. Mastrogiovanni suffered a neck injury from a mat return. While Mastrogiovanni also attempted to wrestle through the injury, he too was forced to withdraw. At the time, Gallagher was controlling the match, 7-2.

Between the co-main and main event FloWrestling announced a Senior-level match on November 14 between Jordan Burroughs and Zahid Valencia. Burroughs is an Olympic gold medalist and four-time World champion at 74 kg. Valencia is a two-time NCAA champion for Arizona State and the older brother of Cael Valencia. He is currently No. 3 on the National Team at 79 kg and is a 2017 Junior World silver medalist. Valencia is making a run at the Olympic Team at 86 kg but the bout will take place at a catch weigh between 74 and 86 kg.

FloWrestling’s Who’s #1

at Austin, Texas

Results

138: No. 3 Jesse Mendez DEC No. 4 Jordan Williams, 3-2

145: No. 1 at 144 Kylie Welker DEF No. 1 at 132 Skylar Hattendorf, INJ DEF

182: No.3 at 170 Lenny Pinto DEC No. 1 Rylan Rogers, 7-5

126: No. 2 Dean Peterson DEC No. 1 Jordan Titus, 9-8

152: No. 2 Victor Voinovich DEC No. 1 Jagger Condomitti, 4-3

285: No. 2 Chase Horne DEC No. 1 Kyonte Hamilton, 10-6

220: No. 1 Nick Feldman MD No. 2 Kyle Hass, 13-5

145: No. 2 Cody Chittum DEC No. 1 Wyatt Henson, 8-5

195: No. 2 Tate Picklo DEC No. 1 Seth Shumate, 3-1

112 No. 1 at 106 Mia Palumbo DEC No. 1 at 100 Sage Mortimer, 11-6

160: No. 1 Paddy Gallagher WIN No. 2 Travis Mastrogiovanni, INJ DEF

138: No. 3 Jesse Mendez DEC No. 2 Joel Vandervere, 6-4

120: No. 2 Drake Ayala DEC No. 1 Richie Figueroa, 5-3 SV

170: No. 1 Alex Facundo DEC No. 2 Cael Valencia, 6-5 UTB