Destin McCauley’s (No. 1 @ 152) has a new Minnesota State Record in Career Falls after pinning his opponent last Thursday in his last match of the regular season.

With that pin, he has 184 career falls to go along with 273 career wins (State Record).

McCauley, committed to the University of Wisconsin, will be going for his 5th Individual State Title this year and will head off to the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs this fall.

HSWrestling will be releasing an updated 2011 Top 60 Senior Recruits by months end and McCauley is a candidate for HSWrestling’s #1 senior recruit.

Top Senior Recruit Candidates:

• Morgan McIntosh, Calvary Chapel (CA)
• Destin McCauley, Apple Valley (MN)
• Nico Megaludis, Franklin Regional (PA)
• Andrew Campolattano, Bound Brook (NJ)
• Hunter Stieber, Monroeville (OH)

Tyler Buckman vs. Steve Spearman was the event's top match

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(JOHN C. WHITEHEAD, The Patriot-News)

1.  WILDCATS REVENGE: After falling short in the team championships, it only seems fitting that Central Mountain win the team title in the PIAA Individual Wrestling Championships. The Wildcats were led by Andrew and Dylan Alton, who won titles at 145 and 152, but also had two other placers to break Central Dauphin’s streak of six straight team titles.

2.  CRAIG IS KING HOSS: When you look at Abington Heights’ Evan Craig, you see a big guy who looks like he doesn’t have much athletic ability. Ah, that is the first mistake. Craig has that and more, proving it by pinning every one of his opponents on the way to a second straight state title at 285.

3.  BEST IN SHOW: If the Class AAA and Class AA finals were the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the match between Central Dauphin’s Tyler Buckman and McDowell’s Steve Spearman was the top entry — by far. It had twists, turns, suspense and drama all wrapped into one, and the crowd showed appreciation with a postmatch ovation.

4.  NICE GUYS FINISH FIRST: Boiling Springs’ Joe Spisak is a friendly and respectful kid that keeps his nose clean and works hard. He is the poster child for what this sport is really about, and it was good to see him get rewarded for his four years of tireless work with a state title.

5.  LEGACY CEMENTED: It isn’t often that you catch a glimpse of someone so developed and so accomplished at their craft that they are in a class of their own. But Central Dauphin’s Marshall Peppelman getting his arm raised after a pin in the finals for a third straight state title seemed like an appropriate ending.

HERSHEY, Pa. | If Liberty High School senior Anthony Marino
had one wish for his final day at the PIAA Class AAA
Wrestling Championships, it was to let it fly.
Marino did that in Saturdays night 119-pound
championship bout, matching Franklin Regional junior Nico
Megaludis point-for-point through the first two periods. It
was almost enough.
Anthony held nothing back, Liberty coach Jody
Karam said. I think he maybe got a little bit tired in
the third period because he went so hard in the first two
periods.
Megaludis took control with five points in the third and
went on to win his second consecutive state championship
with an 8-4 decision.
Marino joined Nazareth junior Zach Horan as the top two
finishers from The Express-Times region. Horan, who fell to
undefeated Bellefonte senior Mitchell Port in the 125 final,
won a state silver medal for the third consecutive year.
Blue Mountain senior Josh Kindig, who earned the 140-pound
title with an 8-3 decision over Pittsburgh Central
Catholics Lorenzo Thomas, was the only District 11
wrestler to win a PIAA Class AAA title for the second year
in a row.
Megaludis scored the first takedown against Marino but the
Hurricane reversed him in the second period and the two went
into the third tied at 3. Then Megaludis, who finished the
season at 36-0, seemed to find another gear.
We let it fly, Marino said. He was the
better wrestler tonight. I knew what he was coming in to
this. Im not going to run from anybody.
Marino ended his career at 128-22 overall a record that
includes a 2009 fifth-place medal at states. A District 11
and Northeast Regional champ this year, hes headed to
Bloomsburg.
I would say he progressed as the years and weeks went
by, Karam said. Thats all you can ask.
Hes a better wrestler than when he came in and
thats a credit to Libertys assistant coaches and
his partners in the room.
Coincidentally, Megaludis was the same wrestler who beat
Horan in overtime in last years 112 state final.
Horan has faced extremely tough competitors in the finals
ever since his freshman year when he ran into a senior
103-pounder, Council Rock Souths Mark Rappo. This
time, Horan took on Bellefonte senior Mitchell Port.
Horan took down Port 42 seconds into the first period but
Port escaped and added a takedown of his own with 10 seconds
left in the period. Port, who improved to 45-0 for the
season, added one last takedown at the edge of the mat with
four seconds remaining for a 6-3 decision.
Its just heartbreaking, Nazareth coach
Dave Crowell said. I just feel so bad for him. He puts
his life into it. But, like I told him, you are not defined
by the score of one wrestling match. Hes defined by
the person hes become.
Hes become a great team man. While we would
like to win every wrestling match, if its me, those
kinds of other things matter more.
In other Class AAA finals action, the Central Mountain
brother duo of Andrew Alton and Dylan Alton finished their
careers with a combined five state titles. Andrew, a
145-pounder, took his second title with a technical fall
over West Alleghenys Aaron McKinney. Dylan won his
third consecutive state gold medal with an 11-4 decision
over La Salles Shane Springer at 152.
Eleven other wrestlers from the Express-Times region earned
medals in Class AAA.
In the consolation rounds, Eastons Mark Hartenstine
and Northamptons Austin Sommer both closed their
careers with their best state finishes. Hartenstine, who
placed eighth last year, defeated Garnet Valleys
Joseph Marino 5-0 for the bronze medal at 140. Sommer, a
seventh-place finisher in 2009, beat Kiski Areas Zack
Shannon 5-2 for third at 152.
Nazareth 145-pounder Ryan Krecker won a fourth-place medal
for the second year in a row. Northampton senior Jordan
Glykas won his first state medal, a fourth at 125.
Easton sophomore Mitch Minotti, who decisioned Pleasant
Valleys Jordan Toledo in both the District 11 and
Northeast Regional finals, earned a 4-0 win over Toledo for
fifth at 130. Liberty junior Anthony Cabera beat
Eastons Evan DiSora 3-0 in the fifth-place match at
103; Cabrera defeated DiSora by that same score in both the
district and regional finals.
Libertys Devon Lotito (seventh at 112),
Parklands Tarik Haddad (eighth at 189) and Wade Rivera
(fifth at 160) and Whitehalls Taray Carey (sixth at
215) also claimed medals in Class AAA.
Beth Hudson can be reached at sports@express-times.com.

Central Dauphin's Marshall Peppelman won his third straight PIAA title with a pin against West Allegheny's Troy Reaghard.

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(JOHN C. WHITEHEAD, The Patriot-News)

Results and quick recaps from each match of the PIAA Class AAA championship finals.

103 POUNDS
In an ultimate tie breaker fourth overtime, Canon McMillan's Conner Schram burst out of the grasp of Hempfield's Austin Miller to win a, let's say, 'tentative' 103-pound final. The wrestlers exchanged escapes in the first and second periods and did little from their feet on their way to a four-overtime marathon.

112 POUNDS
Derry Area's Jimmy Gulibon won his second PIAA title in as many years, putting on a clinic from his feet in a 12-5 decision over Blue Mountain's Corey Keener. Gulibon struck twice in the first period and never trailed to finish his season with a 36-1 record and state gold.

119 POUNDS
Franklin Regional's Nico Megaludis out-lasted Liberty's Anthony Marino, using constant pressure in the final period to win an 8-4 decision. Megaludis, the state champ at 112 pounds last season, scored a late takedown to put the finishing touches on the victory.

125 POUNDS
Bellefonte's Mitchell Port and Nazareth's Zachary Horan went back and forth in a match jam-packed with action. Port got the better end of some wild flurries and came away with a 6-3 win.

130 POUNDS
A wild ride from start to finish, McDowell's Steve Spearman scored an emphatic late takedown to topple Central Dauphin's Tyler Buckman 7-6 in rideout time. Buckman escaped to take a 6-5 lead, but surrendered the winning takedown and just missed turning Spearman for back points in the final seconds.

135 POUNDS
Council Rock South's Josh Dziewa finished his dominant run through the 135 bracket, making short work of Cumberland Valley's Shawn Greevy with a first-period pin. Dziewa won two matches by fall and out-scored his other two opponents 7-0 in capturing the gold.

140 POUNDS
Blue Mountain's Josh Kindig led from start to finish, disposing of Pittsburgh Central Catholic's Lorenzo Thomas in an 8-3 victory in the finals. Kindig was the gold medal winner at 135 last season and repeated at 140 with two pins and two decisions.

145 POUNDS
Central Mountain's Andrew Alton won his second straight PIAA title with a 23-8 technicall fall over West Allegheny's Aaron McKinney. Alton tore through the 145 bracket with two pins and two technicall falls, in which he totaled 50 combined points.

152 POUNDS
Dylan Alton used a quick flurry to grab an early lead and cruise to an 11-4 victory over Lasalle's Shane Springer. Dylan Alton one-upped twin brother Andrew with his third straight PIAA gold medal.

160 POUNDS
Central Dauphin's Marshall Peppelman used his signature tilt to put West Allegheny's Troy Reaghard on his back, then sunk in a deep half nelson to flatten him out in a second-period pin. The win sent Peppelman to his third straight state title.

171 POUNDS
Familiar rivals squared off in the state finals as Central Dauphin's Kenny Courts won a third straight matchup against Cumberland Valley's Tristan Warner, this time for state gold. Courts took an early 4-0 lead when he dumped Warner to his back and held on for a 6-4 win.

189 POUNDS
A second caution stall against Council Rock North's Jamie Callender gave Springfield's Andre Petroski the tying point, and after taking a 5-4 lead on an escape, Petroski re-paid the favor with a couple of stalling calls in the final minute. Callender cashed in 33 seconds into overtime, wrapping up a clean double leg and securing a 7-5 win.

215 POUNDS
Selinsgrove's Spencer Myers controlled East Pennsboro's Zach Nye from the neutral position and handed Nye his first loss of the season, 5-3. Nye was aiming to become East Penn's first gold medalist since 1978.

285 POUNDS
Abington Heights' Evan Craig battered and bruised Central Mountain's Zack Corl on his way to defending his state title with a second-period pin. Craig led 4-0 when he cranked Corl to his back with an arm bar and finished the pin at the 2:45 mark.

Below are a number of assorted videos, which have not yet been featured, from last weekend's powerlifting events at the Arnold Classic. Lifters include Vasil Gushterov (242-Quest) who totaled 1,951 pounds to rank eighth on the Lifter Rankings, Steve Powell (220-Quest), Jeff Fiss (shw-Quest), Art Chan (165-Quest), Eric Oishi (165-Quest), Sarah Leighton (148-Quest), Alex Drolc (220-Raw Challenge), Jake Impastato (242-Raw Challenge), Alex Kang (148-Raw Challenge), Kaisheem Muhammad (198-Raw Challenge) and Andrew Cohn (220-Raw Challenge).

Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson, center, watches the PIAA AAA preliminary matches from a suite at the Giant Center.

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(JOE HERMITT, The Patriot-News)

With a week between the Big Ten championships and NCAA championships, Penn State head wrestling coach Cael Sanderson took a break from preparations to observe some of his prized recruits in action at the PIAA wrestling tournament.

Three defending state champs, Central Mountain's Andrew and Dylan Alton and Coudersport's Dirk Cowburn, are Penn State recruits for next season, and Franklin Regional junior 119-pounder Nico Megaludis has verbaled to PSU.

Central Mountain senior wrestlers Andrew and Dylan Alton turned in two of the most dominant performances of the PIAA Class AAA wrestling tournament. The twins accomplished their feats differently - one with a machine-like technical fall and one with a blink-and-you-missed-it pin.

Andrew Alton squared off with Mechanicsburg senior Rustin Barrick, who, to his credit, spent little time on his back in a 27-9 defeat. But, Barrick was no match for Alton on his feet during a match-long exchange of takedowns and escapes. Late in the second period, Alton put an end to the back-and-forth, sealing the tech fall with a takedown and adding three nearfall points for good measure.

The 27 points by Alton were part of a dominant effort by the big dogs in the top half of the 145-pound bracket. The four winners combined for 76 points, topped by Alton's tournament-best (AA and AAA) 27.

Dylan Alton eliminated the suspense early, countering a double-leg attempt by Neshaminy's Nick Russell with an impressive display of power and leverage. With one burst, Alton sprawled, cranked Russell to his back and got the whistle for a pin just 14 seconds into their preliminary bout.

The midstate is about to get a little more familiar with both of these defending state champs and prized Penn State recruits. Dylan Alton faces Carlisle's Jayshon Wilson, a 5-2 winner over Blue Mountain's Travis Moyer, in tomorrow's quarterfinals. And, if both take care of business tomorrow, Andrew Alton would face Middletown's Bo Candelaria in the semifinals of the 145-pound bracket.

Candelaria has some work ahead of him before meeting Andrew Alton. The senior has a quarterfinal date with Nazareth's Ryan Krecker, who beat Candelaria 7-2 at the Beast of the East tournament earlier this year.

A quick scan of Central Mountain High School’s wrestling roster and individual records were enough to foreshadow this one: Easton Area High School needed to win early and often and, preferably, by large margins in order to upset the undefeated Wildcats.

The Red Rovers succeeded with the first two parts, winning the first five weight classes and six of the first seven. In the end, though, they learned some leads just aren’t sizeable enough — especially against a team that’s loaded from 135 pounds to 285.

Central Mountain won the last seven matches — including five by fall — to beat Easton 40-24 on Friday afternoon in the PIAA Class AAA Team Wrestling Championships quarterfinals.

Easton bounced back with a 32-28 victory over Connellsville in the consolation bracket and still has a chance to place as high as third. The District 11 champion Red Rovers (15-7) will wrestle Kiski Area at 9 a.m. today in the second round of consolations at the Giant Center.

“They were extremely tough at the top,” Easton coach Steve Powell said of Central Mountain. “We needed at least two more wins and maybe three out of that lineup. That’s a good, experienced team.”

The District 6 champion improved to 16-0 and will take on another undefeated team, Central Dauphin, in the 11 a.m. semifinals. District 11 runner-up Parkland will face District 7 champ Canon-McMillan in the other semifinal.

Central Dauphin is attempting to win its third consecutive state dual-meet title. The final and consolation final are scheduled for 3 p.m.

Easton’s Evan Disora and Michael Fleck gave their team a promising start with back-to-back falls at 103 and 112. Robbie Rizzolino, Calvin Daly and Mitch Minotti pushed the Rovers’ advantage to 21-0 with decisions. And, after Mark Hartenstine posted a 7-0 victory over Brian Brill at 140, Easton owned a 24-4 lead over Central Mountain.

That’s when the Wildcats’ heft started to show.

Andrew and Dylan Alton — the Penn State-bound brothers who are ranked No. 1 nationally at their weights — responded with first-period pins at 145 and 152, respectively. Dylan Caprio (171) and Zach Corl (285) needed just 32 seconds combined to pin their opponents. Central Mountain’s Cody Dolan added a second-period fall at 215.

"Strikeforce: Miami" is in the books, and the action-packed evening was the source of many discussion topics.

Are Bobby Lashley and Herschel Walker legitimate mixed martial artists?
What's next for the biggest star in women's mixed martial arts? Is
Strikeforce emerging as a legitimate contender for the UFC's crown?

This week's edition of The Sunday Junkie, MMAjunkie.com's weekly
reader-feedback feature, touched on all of these topics and more, but
the winning entry, from Andrew "vice" Walter, argued that new welterweight
champion Nick Diaz is rapidly establishing himself as one of the sport's most complete fighters.