Mulligan, Stillings Lead Strong Bracket at Super 32

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The 182-pound bracket looked like it might be the most successful one for Pennsylvania wrestlers at the Super 32 tournament, and it did not disappoint.

Saegertown’s Cody Mulligan won the championship over Pennridge’s Josh Stillings, Susquenita’s Dalton Group was sixth and Wyoming Seminary’s Darrien Roberts was eighth. Another PA wrestler, Fort LeBoeuf’s Julian Gorring, went 2-0 against out-of-state wrestlers but was eliminated after losses to Group and Roberts.

Mulligan fell behind 3-0 to Stillings in the second period of their finals match, but a reversal and rideout in the second and another in the third gave him the Super 32 belt.

“I gave up the first points. I thought I have to dig deep, keep pushing the pace,” Mulligan said. “I just have to keep doing my stuff.”

That was Mulligan’s mindset throughout, even though he was taking on another Pennsylvania wrestler.

“I wasn’t concerned about who I wrestled,” Mulligan said. “I just wanted to do my stuff. Go out there and wrestle my match. Whoever I’m wrestling, it doesn’t matter. Your biggest competitor is yourself.”

PA Power’s Jeff Upson asked about the contrasting styles between the fireplug Mulligan and the lankier Stillings.

“I didn’t even watch him wrestle,” Mulligan said. “I wrestled with him a couple years ago – I think it was down at Lehigh a couple years ago. I knew then he was a little funky. My pace is just get on you and go hard. His is a more of weird, slick moves. It does contrast a little bit.”

Mulligan also beat Group 10-2 on the way to the finals.

Stillings didn’t encounter any Pennsylvania wrestlers aside from Mulligan, but he did take out the top seed, California’s Anthony Montalvo, in the semifinals. Stillings, who was not ranked by FloWrestling.org, beat the sixth-ranked Montalvo 5-4. Mulligan, who was No. 3 at 195, beat Wisconsin’s Jared Krattiger, who was the fifth-ranked 182-pounder, 4-0 in the semifinals.