Based on the trend of last year, Tournament Director Brian Keck hopes that "the field will approach 1,000 wrestlers in all."
The following is an analysis of the field as it is presently constructed on Thursday evening October 22, 2009. Registration will remain open until midnight October 27. For further information, check out http://www.preseasonnationals.com
103:
This opening weight is anchored by the excellent junior Ruben Navejas (Kentwood, WA). This past summer, Navejas was a finalist in both styles at Junior Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota; and was champion in the freestyle competition. In addition, he finished 2008-09 ranked 13th by InterMat at 103 pounds after a state championship season.
However, standing in the way of a Preseason Nationals title will be at least six other excellent wrestlers.
Two of these young men were All-Americans in both styles in the Cadet Nationals 91-pound weight class. Colton Howell (Ozark, MO) won the Greco-Roman tournament, and was also a state runner-up during the 2008-09 regular season. Phillip Laux (Pekin, IA) was a runner-up in the freestyle competition, and also earned All-American honors in both styles at the FILA Cadet Nationals this past spring.
Another pair of wrestlers earned All-American status in both styles at the Junior Nationals. Kevon Powell (Montini Catholic, IL) was fourth place at 105 pounds in Greco-Roman and at 98 pounds in freestyle. In addition, Powell finished third in his in-season state tournament and was a FILA Cadet Nationals freestyle runner-up. Mike Dauterive (McKinney Boyd, TX) was a state tournament qualifier in 2008-09 and finished third at 98 pounds in both freestyle and Greco-Roman this past summer.
The other duo of wrestlers was Cadet Nationals freestyle All-Americans. Sophomore Mason Todd (Pendleton Heights, IN) was a state qualifier in 2008-09 and finished seventh at 105 pounds this past summer. Freshman Colby Knight (Urbandale, IA) was fifth at 98 pounds.
112:
Junior Nationals folkstyle champion Hayden Zilmer (Crosby-Ironton, MN) leads the way in this weight class. After winning Cadet Nationals titles in freestyle and Greco-Roman during the summer of 2008, Zilmer finished 2008-09 ranked 11th by InterMat at 103 pounds after closing out a state championship season.
Right behind Zilmer is Jack Hathaway (Iowa City West, IA) who was able to follow up a third-place finish in his 2008-09 state tournament with a fourth-place finish in freestyle at the FILA Cadet Nationals and Junior Nationals All-American honors in both Greco-Roman and freestyle at 105 pounds. This included a runner-up finish in the freestyle competition.
Also meriting attention in this weight class is a trio of Cadet Nationals Greco-Roman All-Americans. Dylon Thompson (Grand Junction, CO) finished third at 98 pounds, after finishing runner-up in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at 84 pounds in the 2008 Cadet Nationals. Ryan McQuade (Appleton West, WI) finished fourth place at 112 pounds. Alex Calandrino (Howell, MI) was sixth at 105 pounds to follow a regular season in which he finished as state runner-up.
Another pair of wrestlers to watch are state champion senior Alex Spooner (Forest City, IA) and freshman Cain Salas (Mout Olive, IL), who was 5-2 at 119 pounds in freestyle at Cadet Nationals this past summer.
119:
After winning the inaugural Preseason Nationals at 112 pounds, senior Brandon Jones (West Des Moines Valley, IA) earned a state title with an upset victory against Eric Devos (Waverly Shell-Rock, IA), who had won titles for Apple Valley High School in Minnesota as a seventh and eighth grader the previous two years. Jones is the early favorite to earn a second Preseason Nationals title from this weight class.
Leading the group of challengers is Courtland Hacker (Broomfield, CO), who finished as a state runner-up this past season but was Cadet Nationals freestyle All-American this past summer finishing seventh at 112 pounds.
Others to watch include state champion Nick Harrison (Stillman Valley, IL); Sam Jones (Riverside Academy, LA), a FILA Cadet Nationals Greco-Roman All-American; senior A.J. Juarez (Joliet Township, IL), fourth in the state as a freshman but yet to place at state since; and sophomore Travis Leiskau (Klein Oak, TX), third at his state tournament and fifth at the NHSCA Freshman Nationals.
125:
A pair of Iowa state champions from 2008-09 at 119 pounds lead the way in this weight class. Senior Levi Wolfensperger (Denver-Tripoli, IA) was champion of the medium-school division, and also won the NHSCA Junior Nationals at 125 pounds one month later. Wolfensperger ended 2008-09 ranked 11th by InterMat at 119 pounds, and is currently ranked 30th among all members of the Class of 2010. Sophomore John Meeks (Des Moines Roosevelt, IA) won the big-school division, and is ranked 10th overall in the Class of 2012.
Also competing in this weight is a former state champion Adam Perrin (North Scott, IA), who finished third last season at state. Nick Babcock (Broomfield, CO) placed fourth at 103 pounds in the December 2008 Walsh Ironman, and finished as a state runner-up at the end of 2008-09. Another state runner-up in this weight class is Logan Arlis (Batavia, IL). Joseph Hefley (Oviedo, FL) finished was a state qualifier this past season and finished sixth in Greco-Roman at Cadet Nationals this past summer.
130:
The favorite in this weight class is two-time state finalist Bronson Steuber (Jackson County Central, MN). Steuber was able to win state at 119 pounds this past season after taking second at 103 the year before. Also, this past April, he was champion in the Junior Nationals folkstyle competition.
Next best in this field is fellow junior Jordan Rinken (Waverly Shell-Rock, IA), a two-time state placer that took second place in the 2008-09 state tournament.
Two other wrestlers to watch are a pair of fourth place finishers in their respective state tournaments this past season -- Chad Ryan (Sioux City North, IA) and Taylor Simaz (Allegan, MI).
135:
Three outstanding wrestlers headline this weight class. However, the "lead dog" would be Louis Trujillo (Rio Rancho, NM). Trujillo was a state champion and NHSCA Junior Nationals champion this past season, and ended the season ranked sixth at 130 pounds by InterMat. This summer, Trujillo was a Junior Nationals freestyle All-American, finishing seventh at 125 pounds. Currently he is ranked 15th overall in the Class of 2010.
Coming off of two consecutive fourth places at 125 pounds in the Illinois state tournament, Chris Dardanes (Oak Park River Forest, IL) earned All-American honors at Junior Nationals in Fargo, ND. In an ironic twist of sorts, Dardanes again finished fourth in the 130-pound freestyle competition.
Also in this weight is state runner-up Jake Sueflohn (Arrowhead, WI), who lost to Jesse Thielke (Germantown, WI) in the state final despite having upset him the week prior.
140:
The favorite in this weight class is Nick Dardanes (Oak Park River Forest, IL). Following an outstanding 2008-09 season in which he was state champion, and closed out the season ranked 11th by InterMat at 130 pounds; his off-season was equally superb. Dardanes was fourth place in the FILA Junior Nationals freestyle competition at 132 pounds, and a Junior Nationals freestyle runner-up at 130 pounds. He heads into this season ranked 20th overall in the Class of 2010.
The lead challenger for Dardanes in this weight class will be Alex Dieringer (Port Washington, WI) -- a Cadet Nationals champion in both freestyle and Greco-Roman this past summer. With state finals appearances in his first two scholastic seasons, including a title as a freshman in 2008, Dieringer currently ranked 23rd overall in the Class of 2011.
Other wrestlers to watch in this weight class include senior Matt Leibforth (Lemont, IL), third at state and eight at the NHSCA Junior Nationals; freshman Zane Nelson (Tuslaw, OH), finishing fourth at 130 pounds in the Cadet Nationals freestyle tournament; and junior Austin Wilson (Hastings St. Cecilia, NE), a state champion and NHSCA Sophomore Nationals sixth-place finisher.
145:
On the surface, this seems to be a rather thin weight class, which means that it is ripe for relatively unknown wrestlers to make themselves visible to the general public. Possibly the most credentialed wrestler in this field would be junior D.J. Beauch (Toledo Central Catholic, OH). Beauch was a state qualifier this past scholastic season, but followed that up with All-American finishes in both Greco-Roman and freestyle at the Cadet Nationals. Also in this field is University of Virginia verbal commit Tanner Hirstine (Cherry Creek, CO), who finished fourth in his state tournament during 2008-09.
152:
This is another weight class where there are opportunities abound for relatively unproven commodities on the national level. However, it is a pair of wrestlers from the Land of Lincoln that headline the field. A strong favorite in this weight class would be Joey Moorhouse (Marengo, IL). This past summer Moorhouse was third in the Junior Nationals Greco-Roman competition after finishing third at state during the scholastic season. Also in this weight is Joe Brewster (Maine South, IL), a Cadet Nationals Greco-Roman All-American in 2008.
160:
The favorite in this weight class is senior Joe Latham (Bismarck, ND), a state champion during the 2008-09 season and a fifth-place finisher at the NHSCA Junior Nationals. While there doesn't seem to be a strong challenger to Latham, there are three wrestlers that seem relatively even, but ahead of the rest of the field.
Despite failing to place at state this past season, Sam Brooks (Oak Park River Forest, IL) is one of the nation's best wrestlers in the Class of 2012 (ranked 38th by InterMat). Brooks was a runner-up in both Greco-Roman and freestyle at the Cadet Nationals, and a FILA Cadet Nationals champion in Greco-Roman. Junior Steven Keogh (Apple Valley, MN) was a state runner-up in 2008-09 while competing at lower-division Thief River Falls, and finished as a champion at the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals. Senior Robert Pickrell (Northridge, CO) was a state champion this past season after earning All-American honors in 2008 at the Cadet Nationals freestyle tournament.
Also meriting mention in this weight class is Logan Molina (Lincoln Northeast, NE), who finished fourth in the Cadet Nationals freestyle competition
171:
Two wrestlers stand out above the rest in this weight class. Despite failing to place at state this past year, after finishing third in 2008, Walt Gilmor (North Scott, IA) earned All-American honors at Junior Nationals this past summer in Fargo, ND; he finished seventh at 171 pounds in freestyle. Noah Budi (Kaukauna, WI) was a state champion this past season.
Two others to watch are Mike Khoury (St Joseph Regional, NJ) and Geordan Speiller (St Thomas Aquinas, FL). Khoury was a state qualifier this past season and a NHSCA Sophomore Nationals All-American in 2008. Speiller was also a state qualifier this past season, and fifth in Greco-Roman at Cadet Nationals this past summer.
189:
This weight could be an open competition among three different wrestlers for the title. Senior Ben Brooks (Oak Park River Forest, IL) was a state qualifier this past season, and was an All-American in both Greco-Roman and freestyle at the FILA Cadet Nationals; Brooks was the champion in Greco-Roman. John Rizgallah (Allegan, MI) was a state runner-up, finished fourth at the Junior Nationals folkstyle tournament, and earned a silver medal in the AAU Scholastic (Disney) Duals. Jay Taylor (Oviedo, FL) was also a state runner-up in 2008-09, and he earned All-American honors at FILA Cadet Nationals in both Greco-Roman and freestyle.
Also present in this weight is Zack Rutt (Le Center, MN). Rutt was a state qualifier this past season, but followed that up in the off-season with runner-up finishes in Cadet folkstyle and Greco-Roman.
215:
State champion and Disney Duals silver medalist Nick McDiarmid (Hartland, MI) is the favorite in this weight class; however, he will face two pretty strong challengers in Cody Krumwiede (Waverly Shell-Rock, IA) and Matt Tourdot (Sparta, WI).
Krumwiede earned a state title this past season and was runner-up at FILA Cadet Nationals in freestyle. Tourdot was a Junior Nationals freestyle All-American, finishing sixth at 215 pounds.
285:
As of present, the closing weight class has no defined favorites or lead contenders. It is rife for the taking by any wrestlers willing to participate in the tournament and bring their "A" wrestling game.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now