By: Brook Weber
PHILADELPHIA — Sophomore Joey Blaze shook the wrestling world with a 5-4 decision upset over Penn State's top-ranked Tyler Kasak in Friday's Session III of the NCAA Championships.
Blaze (No. 8, 157 pounds) advanced to the national semifinal with the win over Kasak (No. 1, 157), clinching his status as Purdue's 62nd All-American.
Redshirt senior Matt Ramos (No. 2, 125) will join Blaze in Friday night's Session IV on the consolation side of the 125-pound bracket after suffering a heartbreaking defeat in the quarterfinals to No. 7 Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State).
The Perrsyburg, Ohio, native Blaze entered day two just needing one more win to become an All-American. That remains the case for Ramos, who needs just one win in the consolation ladder to secure a top-eight spot.
After giving up a quick takedown 15 seconds into his quarterfinal bout, Blaze escaped, bowed up and went on the attack the rest of the way.
The Boilermaker nabbed another escape point in the second period and started the third period on top to erase Kasak's riding time advantage.
Blaze then let Kasak escape and shot for his right leg, winning the scramble to steal a match-winning takedown with 48 seconds remaining.
After taking the 5-4 lead, Blaze successfully rode out the clock and prevented the Nittany Lion from escaping.
Blaze is Purdue's first true sophomore to become an All-American since Frank Laccone in 1995.
"It just brings a lot of confidence," Blaze said after his win. "Knowing that everything I did, (my coaches and I) worked on some stuff for so long and it had never worked in my matches, but I just stayed positive and stayed on the path that they had for me... I'm not focusing on the big picture; I'm just focused on having fun and being myself. That's all I can do at the end of the day."
He draws Northwestern's Trevor Chumbley (No. 20) in Friday night's semifinal.
Ramos fell behind Spratley early after giving up a takedown and could not quite claw his way back, falling in a 5-2 decision.
It was the redshirt senior's final chance at a national title, but he still has a shot to become Purdue's first two-time All-American since Ben Wissel in 2005-06.
He will continue wrestling in the consolation bracket with the goal of winning a bronze medal.
Ramos will face Trever Anderson (No. 22, Northern Iowa) in Friday night's blood round. A win would guarantee his second career NCAA podium finish.
Session IV will begin Friday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and streaming on ESPN+. RESULTS / UP NEXT 125 | #2 Matt Ramos (R-Sr.) – 2-1
Round 1: vs. #31 Richard Castro-Sandoval (CSUB) – W, MD 11-3
Round 2: vs. #18 Jacob Moran (IU) – W, MD 8-0
Quarterfinal: vs. #7 Troy Spratley (OKST) – L, D 5-2
Blood Round: vs. #22 Trever Anderson (UNI)
141 | #27 Greyson Clark (So.) – 1-2
Round 1: vs. #6 Vance VomBaur (MINN) – L, D 2-0
Cons. Round 1: vs. #22 Jordan Soriano (DREXEL) – W, MD 13-3
Cons. Round 2: vs. #21 Dylan Chappell (BUCKNELL) – L, D 8-5
157 | #8 Joey Blaze (So.) – 3-0
Round 1: vs. #25 Sonny Santiago (UNC) – W, D 7-0
Round 2: vs. #9 Tommy Askey (MINN) – W, D 3-2 (OT)
Quarterfinal: vs. #1 Tyler Kasak (PSU) – W, D 5-4
Semifinal: vs. #20 Trevor Chumbley (NU)
174 | #26 Brody Baumann (R-So.) – 1-2
Round 1: vs. #7 Danny Wask (NAVY) – L, TF 15-0 (6:41)
Cons. Round 1: vs. #10 Alex Cramer (CMU) – W, D 3-2
Cons. Round 2: vs. #25 Dalton Harkins (ARMY) – L, D 6-5
285 | #33 Hayden Filipovich (R-Jr.) – 1-2
Pigtail: vs. #32 Stephan Monchery (APP ST) – W, MD 9-0
Round 1: vs. #1 Gable Steveson (MINN) – L, Fall (1:25)
Cons. Round 1: vs. #17 Jake Andrews (CSUB) – L, D 4-2
PHILADELPHIA — Sophomore Joey Blaze shook the wrestling world with a 5-4 decision upset over Penn State's top-ranked Tyler Kasak in Friday's Session III of the NCAA Championships.
Blaze (No. 8, 157 pounds) advanced to the national semifinal with the win over Kasak (No. 1, 157), clinching his status as Purdue's 62nd All-American.
Redshirt senior Matt Ramos (No. 2, 125) will join Blaze in Friday night's Session IV on the consolation side of the 125-pound bracket after suffering a heartbreaking defeat in the quarterfinals to No. 7 Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State).
The Perrsyburg, Ohio, native Blaze entered day two just needing one more win to become an All-American. That remains the case for Ramos, who needs just one win in the consolation ladder to secure a top-eight spot.
After giving up a quick takedown 15 seconds into his quarterfinal bout, Blaze escaped, bowed up and went on the attack the rest of the way.
The Boilermaker nabbed another escape point in the second period and started the third period on top to erase Kasak's riding time advantage.
Blaze then let Kasak escape and shot for his right leg, winning the scramble to steal a match-winning takedown with 48 seconds remaining.
After taking the 5-4 lead, Blaze successfully rode out the clock and prevented the Nittany Lion from escaping.
WORLD, MEET JOEY BLAZE! 🔥
— Purdue Wrestling (@PurdueWrestling) March 21, 2025
The sophomore pulls off a massive upset over No. 1 to go to the national semifinals! pic.twitter.com/URhHqCEZXH
Blaze is Purdue's first true sophomore to become an All-American since Frank Laccone in 1995.
"It just brings a lot of confidence," Blaze said after his win. "Knowing that everything I did, (my coaches and I) worked on some stuff for so long and it had never worked in my matches, but I just stayed positive and stayed on the path that they had for me... I'm not focusing on the big picture; I'm just focused on having fun and being myself. That's all I can do at the end of the day."
He draws Northwestern's Trevor Chumbley (No. 20) in Friday night's semifinal.
Ramos fell behind Spratley early after giving up a takedown and could not quite claw his way back, falling in a 5-2 decision.
It was the redshirt senior's final chance at a national title, but he still has a shot to become Purdue's first two-time All-American since Ben Wissel in 2005-06.
He will continue wrestling in the consolation bracket with the goal of winning a bronze medal.
Ramos will face Trever Anderson (No. 22, Northern Iowa) in Friday night's blood round. A win would guarantee his second career NCAA podium finish.
Session IV will begin Friday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and streaming on ESPN+. RESULTS / UP NEXT 125 | #2 Matt Ramos (R-Sr.) – 2-1
Round 1: vs. #31 Richard Castro-Sandoval (CSUB) – W, MD 11-3
Round 2: vs. #18 Jacob Moran (IU) – W, MD 8-0
Quarterfinal: vs. #7 Troy Spratley (OKST) – L, D 5-2
Blood Round: vs. #22 Trever Anderson (UNI)
141 | #27 Greyson Clark (So.) – 1-2
Round 1: vs. #6 Vance VomBaur (MINN) – L, D 2-0
Cons. Round 1: vs. #22 Jordan Soriano (DREXEL) – W, MD 13-3
Cons. Round 2: vs. #21 Dylan Chappell (BUCKNELL) – L, D 8-5
157 | #8 Joey Blaze (So.) – 3-0
Round 1: vs. #25 Sonny Santiago (UNC) – W, D 7-0
Round 2: vs. #9 Tommy Askey (MINN) – W, D 3-2 (OT)
Quarterfinal: vs. #1 Tyler Kasak (PSU) – W, D 5-4
Semifinal: vs. #20 Trevor Chumbley (NU)
174 | #26 Brody Baumann (R-So.) – 1-2
Round 1: vs. #7 Danny Wask (NAVY) – L, TF 15-0 (6:41)
Cons. Round 1: vs. #10 Alex Cramer (CMU) – W, D 3-2
Cons. Round 2: vs. #25 Dalton Harkins (ARMY) – L, D 6-5
285 | #33 Hayden Filipovich (R-Jr.) – 1-2
Pigtail: vs. #32 Stephan Monchery (APP ST) – W, MD 9-0
Round 1: vs. #1 Gable Steveson (MINN) – L, Fall (1:25)
Cons. Round 1: vs. #17 Jake Andrews (CSUB) – L, D 4-2