What are some of the best matches ever?

[baddoz11]

What are some of the most memorable matches you have seen? You know the ones that pop into your head right away and you can't believe how unbelievable that match was. The ones that you had no idea who was going to win until the final buzzer. Maybe a single moment...not necessarily a match, but one move or pin or a call that just blew your mind. Just trying to fire this forum up!! All thoughts on the topic are welcome!!

[Art Vandeleigh]

My favorite is still the match up at the HArvard tournament between Cal Ferry and Andy Hiatt. a very gassed out Ferry wins in Double OT

[coach133]

when jaime smith beat stoltz in prospect last year nothing against stoltz he is great

[southwizard]

kyle oniel vs isreal martinez in the state finals.... unbelievable match...

[luvthesport]

Absolutely! We were just talking about that match today at practice. Kyle O'Neill beat Anton Dietzen of York 1-1 double OT in the semi-finals. O'Neill chose top in the double OT and rode Dietzen out. Then he faces Israel Martinez in the finals and it is 1-1 at the end of regulation. Martinez gets the takedown in OT and wins 3-1. Martinez was 37-0 at the time and O'Neill was 38-2 when they met. It was Israel's closest match all year. The crowd was on it's feet at every flurry. Great match.

[luvthesport]

Potter (St. Charles East) 41-0 Returning State Champ vs. Bill Kopecky (Maine West) 45-0 placed 6th the year before

First period - Kopecky throws Potter to his back for five! Thought is was all but over. Somehow Potter survives and puts on a great display of takedowns during the remaining 2 periods and fights back to win an ever so close 7-6 decision!

[White Donkey]

This one should top all of the most memoriable matches, last year at 125 when Kyle Jahn won state and after that match, everyone knew that match wasn't just for him, but for his dad! Mr.Jahn who had cancer at the time wasn't supposed to live until that day, as told by the doctors, but with faith and heart on his side, he fought threw it, I give the best match to Mr. Jahn for fighting off the cancer not to just see Kyle win state, but to see Kyle graduate high school. Mr. Jahn had the biggest, longest, and most determined fight of his life, and got what he wanted out of it, to see his son's dream come true in a way no body can really imagine. Hats off to Mr. Jahn for the long and heart-breaking fight of cancer, Mr Jahn passed on that summer, and he is still in my heart and should still be in yours!

[LisleGuy2001]

The best matches, in my opinion, were these:

Tannenbaum - Kucala: The crowd was SO hot for this match.. when Tannenbaum went down, it was the loudest I'd ever heard a crowd.

Roth - Livingston: Brawn vs. technique. It was just so shocking to see Roth tear the then-reigning state champ a new one during this match. Livingston looked scared the whole match.

[old iowa wrestler]

The Kukala Tannenbaum match in state finals had to be the greatest match I saw. About 3 yrs ago at the Geneseo tourny Reynolds beat a kid from Iowa City 4 to 3. Great match but the ref called a stalling point on the iowa kid. It was a shame that the wrestlers couldn't decide this for them selves. Galloway is at Northern Illinois now at the same weight as Renolds maybe some day there will be a rematch. I would love to see it.

[jrbu]

This match was finished on a bear hug in overtime to give Bybee a win by fall, a very exciting end to a series of matches that took place in a dual meet, CCLC, Sectionals and finally state. Two great wrestlers who went back and forth all season and Bybee finally gets a state championship in his last high school match! I was a younger teamate of Mark's and watching him that season will stay with me forever.

[baddoz11]

Thought for sure someone would mention this match from conant last year. That was a very exciting one to watch...It wasnt just 2 nationally ranked kids going at it, but also 2 states battling it out.

[wrestle21]

Its hard to narrow down but I have a couple of my favorites. Others may not find these as great as I do, but they were great to me

Kucala v Tannenbaum -- everyone knew it was coming--may the mills live forever

I am a personal fan of the next two--these guys were just 2 great athletes and wrestlers for thier size.

Kyle Williams vs Russ Weil (final edition) 2004 215lb state semis - Both of these great and enourmous athletes battled to a tie for 5 minutes & 55 seconds. Williams looks at the clock and relaxes to go into overtime. In a blink of a eye Weil takes advantage of the opportunity and uses his opponents best move (Blast double) to take him down.

Williams vs Weil (part I) 2003 semis - OT Williams takes a injury time after getting rode out in the 3rd. He gets in on a shot about as deep as you can get and somehow Weil gets out of the perdicament--both out of bounds. Back to center Williams reaches and Weil hits an outside single and puts Williams to his back to get into the grand march.

Collum v AJ lavender - State quarterfinals -(2002) Collum beats Lavender into submission. Lavender DQ's with his reaccuring head injury.

Herera Vs Weil State Quarterfinals (2003) Herera is the favorite all year to win state at 215 he's big and fast and has damn good technique. A seemingly unknown wrestler at the time Russ Weil, who had never qualified for state before comes out to take his what was assumed to be a loss and ticket to the wrestle backs. Instead Weil gets in on a quick shot, the ref was not expecting it and is not in position to reward the two points. They go back to thier feet Herera pushes in on Weil and gets tossed for 5 pts. Weil cruses to an 8-2 victory over the defending Runner-up. The noise made by Herera hitting the mat and the roar from the crowd's surprise will never be forgotten by me. After that match everyone knew who Russ Weil was.

Also got to like Oster v fanthorpe. "how does Oster do that stuff?"

The Flying Twister - the Late Great Steve Williams hits the Flying twister to pin his opponent in the first period of the state finals--then runs to the stands to hug his mom before even getting his hand raised.

[old105]

I've said it before, state semi between Joey Gilbert and Ryan Schafer in 1989.

[cheDDa]

How about last years Scott Sans(st rita now at st laurence) ----deandre nun(providence) matches Every time they wrestled it was a battle, after Sans lost to him in state indy he came back and won in team

[DoubleOT]

State Finals Tony Davis Vs. Reggie Wright. I believe it was 1995.

[japwhizzer2]

i remember herman was just a sophmore when he took second the year before returning as a a junior everyone thought he really had a chance to beat kading a low scoring match but kading pulled it out again

[WarriorCoach]

Here is one from way back. These guys met in the semi-finals in Champaign. It was a re-match of the previous year's final when Pustelmik beat Morris. The enitre Assmbly Hall was glued to this match. Pustelnik won (I think at the very end of the match) but lost to Geraci in the finals.

[mckbln]

I would have to say Matlock (Yorkville) vs Maxey (Joliet Cent) 112 lbs in 1973, Shultes (OPRF) vs Geraci (Lake Park) at 119 lbs in 1988, and Fanthorpe (NN) vs Oster (Lockport) 112 lbs last year.....

This year so far, Hutter vs Oster at Dvorak, 119 lbs....

[WarriorCoach]

Team Sectionals 1986. Marist vs. Andrew. Dennis Duchene of Marist beat Joey Gilbert 3-2 with a late takedown.

Gilbert, then beat Duchene the next week in the Individual Sectional tournament.

[thongruby]

1981 Curt Scott catching Ed Giese in a cradle and getting the pin-place went

crazy.

[Technique]

Geraci/Schulte
Bormet/Gay
Mike McClarence/Shariff
Potter/Kopecky
Cina/McCoy
Bybee/Gerdes
Tann/Kukela

Just to name a few...

[Artheritis]

Oster/Fanthorpe was great, but the earlier guy was right: DAVIS/WRIGHT was the best finals match ever (& one of the few where I'd actually have to get the tape out to remember the winner).

[muletrain]

Yeah I saw that too, what a great match. The whole Hvd gym was on the edge of their seats the entire match. Cal wins by the skin of his teeth!

My favorite is still the match up at the HArvard tournament between Cal Ferry and Andy Hiatt. a very gassed out Ferry wins in Double OT

[Mat 1]

The Ben Morris vs Sam Geraci matches in the 1980's were great to see. The crowd was always into the matches and the wrestlers put on a show.

[ImpactCoach]

Potter vs Kopecky gets my second vote just becasue I wrestled the both of them and really apprectiated how great they both were....but the best ever match I saw hands down was Israel Martinez vs Kyle O'neil what a clash of two wrestlers who dominated illinois since kids club