By Jason Bryant

TheOpenMat.com

It’s kind of hard to call a battle between two combatants a rivalry when the overall series is not just one-sided, but it’s also one where one wrestler doesn’t have a victory over the other.

For Jordan Burroughs and David Taylor, it’s a rivalry between friends off the mat and fierce competitors on it.

On Sunday night at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin, Burroughs beat Taylor in two straight matches to make his fourth straight World or Olympic Team at 74kg.

RESULTS: Trackwrestling.com

The first match between the two was an uncharacteristically chippy match with Burroughs taking a 6-2 victory, but with a more than normal degree of head slaps, shoves and ice cold stares.

But Burroughs insists it hasn’t gotten personal.

“I think it’s kind of like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson back in the 80s,” said Burroughs. “He’s committed to the 74kg weight class and I know he’ll be back for 2015 in Vegas and for Rio, it’s all about going out there and being a competitor on the mat. “

“Me and David are great friends. We tweet each other all the time. We do photo shoots with Flips together. My wife and his girlfriend are good friends, so it’s always a bitter rivalry when we’re on the mat. We both want to win, but for me to fulfill my dreams, I have to kill his,” said Burroughs.

The second match saw Burroughs start out with his trademark double, but Taylor would tie the score with 22 seconds to go, scoring two points after initiating a scramble off a Burroughs single.

Taylor extended his lead to 3-2 in the first minute, but then Burroughs scored consecutive takedowns to build a 6-3 lead. Taylor would get a point as Burroughs was cautioned for fleeing and an inconsequential pushout with just one tick left on the clock.

On the women’s side, Elena Pirozhkova made her seventh straight World Team by besting friend and training partner Erin Clodgo in three matches. Pirozhkova nearly pinned Clodgo in the first match at 63kg, then dropped the second 2-1. In the third bout, it was a battle of passivity as Pirozkhova scored the decisive point late in the third as Clodgo was unable to score when she was put on the 30-second shot clock.

Pirozhkova wasn’t exactly pleased with her performance, though.

“I always expect myself to dominate,” said Pirozhkova. “That’s the way you always envision going into any match. I definitely had a tough time this tournament, but sometimes it doesn’t look pretty, but sometimes you have to grit it out.”

Another past world champion, Adeline Gray, made her fifth World Team and will be looking for a fourth medal. Gray trounced U.S. Open champion Jackie Cataline 10-0 in the first match at 75kg, which included a crowd-pleasing four-point high amplitude throw. In the second match, Gray took a 4-1 lead before getting put on her back to fall behind 5-4. Gray would come out of the position with a reversal to tie the score at 5-all going into the second. Gray would put the finishing touches on the match with a takedown halfway through the second period.

“I wanted to go out there and win and I got some moves today I wanted to go out and execute, so I’m happy with that,” said Gray, a Colorado native.

Gray did have to recover from being put on her back in the second match.

“I’m trying to go a little bit more upper body and whenever you do something out of your comfort zone, your at risk of something you might not defend every day,” said Gray.

Gray decided to not compete at the U.S. Open because she felt it was better for her to go through the challenge tournament, get some matches in and not go through the grind of the U.S. Open just one month ago.

“I really don’t care about that sit out spot,” said Gray. “It always is a health issue. Everybody has their dings and bruises. I wanted to make sure I was at my optimal performances.

Brent Metcalf made his third World Team with two straight victories over Jordan Oliver. Metcalf and Oliver had an exciting second period of the first match at 65kg, but controlled the second bout, pushing Oliver off the mat multiple times.

“You could see where I was scoring points and just flurries and that’s where I’m good. Maybe wrestle smarter in the second match,” said Metcalf.

Metcalf will now be on his third World Team and is coming off a solid performance at the U.S. Open and the World Cup this past spring.

“I think I’ve got a lot of experience on the international scene, you guys know that,” said Metcalf. “It’s just having to put it together and get what I want. I think me wrestling the way I can wrestle and me getting to guys early, scoring early, that will help me to be the world champion. I’m fired up about the future.”

Metcalf would still like to get another shot at Iran’s Mehdi Taghavi.

“I think there’s a rivalry there with (Taghavi) and I, but it’s probably just on my side. I don’t know if I’m on his radar or not. He’s the two-time world champ. What am I? The U.S. Open champ. I mean come on.”

One other weight went three bouts –Ed Ruth-Keith Gavin at 86kg.

Ruth jumped out to a 5-2 lead, but Gavin got after it later in the bout. A pushout followed by a takedown tied the score at 5-5, but Gavin still needed to score because Ruth had criteria. And score he did with 13 seconds to go to take a 1-0 series lead.

In the second, Ruth baited Gavin in par terre, stepping over on a gutwrench attempt to get the fall at 3:44. The third match saw Gavin take a 4-3 lead into the second, but Ruth erupted for eight points in the third, including a takedown in the final 11 seconds to ice the victory and give Ruth a berth on his first U.S. World Team.

“The first match, I didn’t know what to expect, he didn’t know what to expect, everything was kind of going my way until that last part. I figured I have to fight the whole way through,” said Ruth about rallying to win the last two matches.

With his relative freestyle inexperience internationally, Ruth is aware he’s going to have to stop giving up cheap points.

“I just have to shoot shots I’m comfortable with and be in positions I’m comfortable with,” said Ruth.

As far as developing his par terre defense, Ruth is well aware of the additional strides he’ll have to take.

“We got guys in the room who are good at (par terre),” he said. “I just spent some time on bottom just fighting them off, locking legs and just to keep the match flowing my way even when I get taken down in a match.”

In women’s freestyle at 53kg, Whitney Conder defeated Katherine Fulp-Allen in two straight matches to make her second U.S. World Team and first since 2011.

Conder controlled the lankier Fulp-Allen. It’s the first World Team Conder has made since joining the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program. She believes her affiliation with the Army has been beneficial to her getting back on the World Team.

“I get to train with the guys and the girls at the same time. The guys are bigger and stronger and I have to deal with their technique because they’re quicker too. It’s just amazing to be able to work with them as a team because they push me because they’re faster and I want to keep up with them,” said Conder.