Impeccable defense is what got the job done for Chad Red on Saturday night in the Snakepit as he defended his #1 ranking by beating Taylor LaMont and Luke Pletcher to start and end the night, respectively.

 

After Red defeated LaMont 5-2 to open the night, Pletcher edged Yianni Diakomihalis and earned a rematch with Red that closed out the night on an incredible note. The scrambles were Houdini-like and left people wondering how either guy could possibly fight off takedowns the way they did for so long. Their stingy defense and reckless abandon coupled with extreme risk-taking pushed the match into multiple overtimes where it looked as if Pletcher was going to score, but Red would quickly regain the dominant position and have Pletcher in danger.

 

The match had everything that anyone could ask for. Both competitors showed true grit from the first whistle until the last. But in the end it was Red who came out on top thanks to that impeccable defense.

 

It was Chad Red’s amazing performance and ability to fend off the best competition in the country to remain the 132-pound king that makes him the FloWrestler of the Week.
 

 

Other FloWrestler of the Week Nominees:

 

Things may not have gone in his favor, but one thing certainly stood out; Luke Pletcher is a warrior. Pletcher started his night with a win over a red hot Yianni D, who was arguably the favorite to take the top spot after all was said and done. Pletcher proved that he was on a mission to take over as #1 and that it was going to be an all-out war with whoever he took on. It ended up being Red and despite taking a loss he showed that he is deserving of it.
 

 

How many guys do you know that can move up two weight classes, give up about 20+ pounds (he weighed in at about 178) and dominate the way Reenan did? Exactly. There’s not too many people that can do that. Reenan wrestled a very smart match against Sammy Colbray, who clearly had the size advantage. Even though the margin of victory was only 4-points, the match showed there was a larger divide between the two as Reenan caught Colbray and pancaked him to his back twice. It was truly impressive and cemented Reenan as the top guy in his 195-pound debut.

 

 

Before the match at the WNO press conference, Geer said that he didn’t feel like he deserved his #1 ranking. Well, all that changed as soon as his hand was raised after defeating Wisconsin’s Beau Breske, 3-2. Geer has cleared leaps and bounds over the past year as he claimed a state title, a FloNational title and now proving he’s the man to beat at 182 thanks to a slick takedown on the edge of the mat that proved to be the deciding factor.

 

Finally. It finally happened for Mason Manville. Beginning at Fargo it looked like Hayden Hidlay had Manville’s number. However, when it came down to overtime in the Snakepit, it was Manville who came out on top. Over the past few months Manville and Hidlay wrestled three times with WNO being the fourth and this match took plenty of people who felt that Hidlay had the answer to the Manville math problem,  by surprise. But Manville proved them all wrong. And according to him, it’s only the beginning.

 

 

Walking into Grace Hall (aka Jordan Wood’s future home), Steveson was certainly not the fan favorite. And that was exactly how he liked it. The Cadet World Champ was all business as he wrestled like a season veteran against Wood, who came in with revenge on his mind and the fans behind him. Steveson was put in some trouble when Wood scrambled out of danger and came out with the takedown to take the lead, but it wouldn’t be for long as the Minnesota sophomore came back to get the 5-4 win.