NEWARK, N.J. — Purdue Wrestling sophomore Joey Blaze fell in a 6-4 decision loss to Jarrett Jacques at Final X on Saturday in Prudential Center.
The Boilermaker came up just one win short of qualifying for the U.S. National Team, a feat that's still not yet been accomplished by a Purdue wrestler since the national team program was established in 1989.
In a low-scoring, steely match that came down to the final seconds, Blaze took a 1-0 lead into the final period with a penalty point called against Jacques for passivity.
As the final 30 seconds waned, the two stars picked up the pace and exchanged exposure points as they jockeyed for control. With Blaze leading 4-3 with 10 seconds to go, Jacques rolled him through to score the final three points.
The Purdue corner threw a challenge brick as a last resort, but the call was confirmed to give Jacques the win.
Blaze, who just turned 20 on Thursday, June 5, was never expected by most to make it as far as he did this year in the national freestyle circuit. However, anyone who has paid attention to Blaze's career trajectory through his sophomore season knew he would never go down easily. He entered the World Team Trials in May as the No. 7 seed and the youngest wrestler in his weight class before finishing in third place to earn his trip to Final X.
Jacques was a defending 2024 U.S. National Team member who's two years removed from his final collegiate season at the University of Missouri. He was a five-time NCAA qualifier at Mizzou and still works at his alma mater as a wrestling recruiting coordinator.
If he wants them, the young Blaze will have plenty more opportunities to gain notoriety on the national freestyle circuit. But for now, he'll head into his junior season as a leader of the 2025-26 Purdue squad with the personal goal of returning to — and winning — the NCAA championship.
Next season's Boilermakers will feature a veteran-laden roster with six returning NCAA qualifiers: Blaze, Brody Baumann, Blake Boarman (transfer from Chattanooga), Stoney Buell, Greyson Clark and Hayden Filipovich.
The Boilermaker came up just one win short of qualifying for the U.S. National Team, a feat that's still not yet been accomplished by a Purdue wrestler since the national team program was established in 1989.
In a low-scoring, steely match that came down to the final seconds, Blaze took a 1-0 lead into the final period with a penalty point called against Jacques for passivity.
As the final 30 seconds waned, the two stars picked up the pace and exchanged exposure points as they jockeyed for control. With Blaze leading 4-3 with 10 seconds to go, Jacques rolled him through to score the final three points.
The Purdue corner threw a challenge brick as a last resort, but the call was confirmed to give Jacques the win.
Blaze, who just turned 20 on Thursday, June 5, was never expected by most to make it as far as he did this year in the national freestyle circuit. However, anyone who has paid attention to Blaze's career trajectory through his sophomore season knew he would never go down easily. He entered the World Team Trials in May as the No. 7 seed and the youngest wrestler in his weight class before finishing in third place to earn his trip to Final X.
Jacques was a defending 2024 U.S. National Team member who's two years removed from his final collegiate season at the University of Missouri. He was a five-time NCAA qualifier at Mizzou and still works at his alma mater as a wrestling recruiting coordinator.
If he wants them, the young Blaze will have plenty more opportunities to gain notoriety on the national freestyle circuit. But for now, he'll head into his junior season as a leader of the 2025-26 Purdue squad with the personal goal of returning to — and winning — the NCAA championship.
Next season's Boilermakers will feature a veteran-laden roster with six returning NCAA qualifiers: Blaze, Brody Baumann, Blake Boarman (transfer from Chattanooga), Stoney Buell, Greyson Clark and Hayden Filipovich.