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WVU’s Caleb Rea Finalist For Individual Upset of Year

Pinned Oklahoma All-American Demas in January

Photo Provided by WVU Athletics West Virginia’s Caleb Rea earned a spot as one of the five finalists for FloWrestling’s “Individual Upset of Year.” Rea pinned Oklahoma’s Dom Demas, the top returning All-American in a 141-pound Big 12 dual meet.

Exciting finishes in big matches has been a trademark of Caleb Rea’s. He accomplished a couple of those electric moments during his high school career and is continuing to do at the collegiate level.

The latest came earlier this season — his second while wearing the Blue and Gold of West Virginia University — and earned the former W.Va. state champion from Weir a spot as one of five finalists for FloWrestling’s “Individual Upset of Year.”

Although he didn’t win during the voting process, Rea was more than happy to just be selected.

“That was cool. Really cool,” Rea said. “College wrestling is all about going out and getting big wins for your team. Wins are hard to come by. It’s an uncomparable feeling.”

Rea, who is 36-32 at WVU, recalled the victory that drew national acclaim like it happened yesterday instead of in late January in Norman, Okla. Unranked and virtually an unknown on the NCAA Division I circuit, Rea was paired with the Sooners’ Dom Demas in a 141-pound Big 12 dual meet. Demas, the top returning All-American at 141, started the season ranked No. 1 in the nation.

“I was trailing 2-1 and time was winding down in the first period. He (Demas) was a thrower. He kept trying to throw me. He tried in a third, or maybe a fourth time, and I saw it coming,” Rea said. “He threw me but I kept working through it and rolled him onto his back for the pin.”

The fall, Rea’s fifth of the season, came at the 2-minute, 58-second mark of the three-minute period.

“It felt like an eternity once I got him on his back before the referee slapped the mat,” Rea said.

The win jump-started Rea on a nice season-ending run.

“That was the turning point for me,” he said. “I was competing with guys before that match, but I just couldn’t get a win. Momentum is huge in college wrestling. After that (Demas) win I beat a couple of pretty good guys and wrestled tough against some others.

“There are so many good wrestlers in college.”

The other finalists included:

∫ Dean Sherry, Rider over Devin Skatzka, Minnesota, 174 lbs.

Sherry was unranked when he decked the Gophers’ All-American in the first period. The victory helped Rider secure the upset over Minnesota.

∫ Jaron Jensen, Wyoming over Brock Mauller, Missouri, 149 lbs.

Jensen showed no fear when taking out Mauller in South Florida. Mauller was an All-American and ranked second in the nation at the time.

∫ Jakob Camacho, NCSU over Jack Mueller, UVA, 125 lbs.

Camacho saved the best match of his redshirt freshman season for last, knocking of the previously undefeated Mueller in the ACC finals. He claimed the championship with an 11-4 upset.

∫ Brandon Whitman, UNC over Ben Darmstadt, Cornell, 197 lbs.

Whitman came up clutch in his match with All-American Darmstadt. The true sophomore Tar Heel secured the upset and North Carolina beat Cornell. Whitman won 6-2 over No. 3 Darmstadt.

Rea said he heard that Jensen won the award.

First-year coach Tim Flynn has already started to turn around culture of the Mountaineers program.

“He’s done so much for the program already,” Rea said. “He’s a really good coach and he’s recruiting a lot of good wrestlers. He’s going to turn this program into a top-flight program.”

Rea is one of four OVAC wrestlers on the 2019-2020 Mountaineers squad. The others are freshman Anthony Carman (John Marshall, 184); redshirt-sophomore Hunter DeLong (Parkersburg South, 174); and freshman Casey Recrosio (Madonna, na).

However, there are a pair of dandies headed to Morgantown this fall in Oak Glen’s four-time West Virginia state champion Peyton Hall and Parkersburg South’s Brayden Roberts.

Rea is very familiar with Hall as the two waged a hard-fought, but respected, high school season in 2018-19. It was Rea who kept Hall from becoming a four-time OVAC Ron Mauck Tournament titlist, but Hall turned the tables in the Class AA regional and state finals. All told, they met five times that winter.

“I’ve actually known Peyton for a long time,” Rea said. “It just worked out that we had to wrestle at the same weight my senior and his junior seasons. I can’t wait for him to get here.”

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