So who will the breakout freshmen be in 2012-13? Below is a list of 10 incoming freshmen to watch.
Please note: Wrestles are listed in no particular order, and this is not an all-inclusive list or ranking of the nation's top freshmen in 2012-13, but merely a sampling of freshmen wrestlers to watch.
Mark Hall (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)High School: Undecided
Projected Weight Class: 152/160
About Hall: Hall has received the most national attention among this group of incoming freshmen, and deservedly so. He will be entering high school with three high school state finals appearances and two high school state championships already on his wrestling resume. Hall was a state runner-up in Kentucky in 2010, and then claimed back-to-back Minnesota state titles in 2011 and 2012 wrestling for national power Apple Valley. He won three major preseason events in 2011, Grappler Fall Classic, InterMat JJ Classic, and NUWAY Southwest Kickoff Classic. Hall went undefeated this past season en route to winning a state championship at 145 pounds. His most notable win this past season came over nationally ranked Jake Short of Simley at the Minnesota Christmas Tournament. Hall finished the season ranked No. 3 nationally at 145 pounds.
Apple Valley assistant coach Bill Demaray on Hall: "Mark is an outstanding student-athlete who has spent years preparing to become one of the premier wrestlers in the country. He is very relaxed and confident when he is competing and is like a cat that is ready to strike at any moment. He is a very caring person who will help others without being asked. Mark is the kind of person that any coach would be lucky and honored to have on their team."
Luke PletcherHigh School: Greater Latrobe, Pa.
Projected Weight Class: 106/113
About Pletcher: Pletcher is the Keystone State's most accomplished incoming freshman. He is a five-time PJW state champion and an eight-time TOC champion. As an eighth-grader, Pletcher finished fourth at the Super 32 Challenge competing at 106 pounds in the high school division. He lost a heartbreaker, 1-0 (ultimate tiebreaker), in the semifinals to fellow PA wrestler Michael Kemerer, who finished the season ranked seventh nationally at 106 pounds. This spring Pletcher finished third at FloNationals and fifth at FILA Cadet Nationals in freestyle. Last month he notched a win over PIAA state champion Ethan Lizak, ranked sixth nationally, at the NHSCA National Duals.
Pittsburgh Wrestling Club coach Jason Peters: "Luke's committed. He works really hard. He wants to learn. He's tough. He's just a good kid. We've just been kind of fortunate to get the opportunity to work with him, to get a kid that has good drive that you can actually teach high-level wrestling to. It's been fun. The unique thing about Luke is that he has some great traits. His parents hold him accountable. He works hard. He wants to be good at wrestling. And he's tough. Those guys are hard to beat."
Jose ChampagneHigh School: Montini Catholic, Ill. or Lowell, Ind.
Projected Weight Class: 132
About Champagne: Champagne was adopted from Colombia and has only been in the U.S. for five years. He is just now completing his fourth full year of wrestling. Champagne did not speak a word of English when he was adopted, but has come a long way in a short period of time, both in the classroom as an honor roll student and on the mat as one of the nation's top incoming freshmen wrestlers. He is an eight-time state champion in Indiana. He has also won many national events, including USA Wrestling Nationals, Super 32 Challenge (middle school division), and Liberty Nationals. This year he was an Indiana Triple Crown winner as a Cadet, winning state titles in folkstyle, freestyle, and Greco-Roman.
Izzy Style & Montini Catholic coach Izzy Martinez on Champagne: "He's only wrestled a few years, so he hasn't been in the grind since he was 5, 6, or 7 like many of these kids. He's relatively new to the sport, so I think mentally he's charged. He has a full battery. He's not drained. He's not tired. He doesn't hate it. Mentally, he's ready to win. He learns well. Not only that, but he's very competitive. That's probably one of the biggest things you can't teach kids is a competitive drive."
Aaron Pico (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)High School: St. John Bosco, Calif.
Projected Weight Class: 132
About Pico: Last year St. John Bosco High School in California had two of the nation's top freshmen in the Valencia brothers, Zahid and Anthony. Both won state championships. This year the program has another freshman phenom on its hands in Pico. He has been successful in national age group events for several years, but his major coming out performance came last summer in Fargo when he won Cadet National titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman, and did so in dominant fashion. Pico added a Cadet National folkstyle title this spring, where he went 5-0 with three pins and two major decisions. He won 19-7 in the finals. At the California state freestyle tournament this spring, Pico did not surrender a single point and won every match by fall or technical fall. Pico will be a heavy favorite to win double titles again this summer in Fargo to cap off his Cadet Triple Crown.
St. John Bosco coach Omar Delgado on Pico: "Aaron "Cheeks" Pico is a complete phenom in the sport of wrestling. What sets him apart is not only his work ethic, and athletic ability, but his total commitment to the sport of wrestling. Cheeks doesn't just like wrestling, he loves wrestling, and wants to be the best in the world. I am truly blessed to have the Valencia boys and now Aaron "Cheeks" Pico in my wrestling room. Cheeks will push the Valencia boys to be the best, as will the Valencia boys push Cheeks because the commitment they have to living like champions is hard to find in one young man let alone three. I look forward to journeying with him for the next four years."
Mason Manville (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)High School: Apple Valley, Minn.
Projected Weight Class: 145
About Manville: Manville has been dominating national age group events for several years. This past season he moved from Virginia to Minnesota to wrestle for national power Apple Valley, and made an immediate impact in the lineup. Manville won the Minnesota Christmas Tournament, which included a victory over Junior National folkstyle champion Nick Wanzek of Simley. He wrestled everywhere from 138 pounds to 152 pounds for the Eagles. Manville went undefeated at The Clash. He entered the state tournament ranked No. 1 in Minnesota's Class AAA at 152 pounds, but was upset in the state semifinals and finished third. Manville has been impressive this spring and summer. He won both styles at Southeast Regionals. He placed fourth at FILA Cadet Nationals in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. Manville competed on Team Minnesota at the Cadet National Duals and posted a perfect 14-0 record in freestyle and Greco-Roman.
Apple Valley assistant coach Bill Demaray on Manville: "Mason is a very intense individual when he is preparing to compete or while he is competing. He has set high but achievable goals of someday being an Olympic/World champion. I personally love watching him prepare and compete because he goes full out the whole time. In the practice room he is always working hard to get better. Mason has been coached by his dad David and without a doubt this has given Mason a leg up on his competition. Technically and emotionally Mason has been prepared very well by his dad."
Kyle NorstremHigh School: Brandon, Fla.
Projected Weight Class: 113
About Norstrem: Norstrem, like Mark Hall, already has a high school state championship on his resume before he even begins his freshman year of high school. This past season as an eighth-grader at Tampa Bay Christian, Norstrem compiled a record of 41-1 en route to claiming a Florida state championship at 106 pounds. In addition, he has an excellent resume in Greco-Roman wrestling, as a two-time FILA Cadet National finalist (champion this past year) and finishing third at the Cadet Nationals last summer. He will be wrestling at national power Brandon High School for his freshman year, where he will join older brother Kevin, who is one of the nation's top high school seniors.
USA Wrestling Developmental Greco-Roman coach Ike Anderson on Norstrem: "Kyle is a hard-working young man who is always looking for ways to get better. He loves learning new things on and off the mat."
Keegan Moore (Photo/Dan Condon, Jackson County Pilot)High School: Jackson County Central, Minn.
Projected Weight Class: 152/160/170
About Moore: Moore, the youngest in a family of seven, comes from a wrestling family. His older brother Cooper was a nationally ranked 170-pounder this past season and signed with Northern Iowa. His brother Paden, who will be a sophomore, placed fifth in the state tournament at 145 pounds. Moore wrestles for Minnesota legendary high school wrestling coach Randy Baker at Jackson County Central, a program that has won four state championships over the past five seasons. Several collegiate standouts have come out of the program, including four-time NCAA Division I All-American Chad Kraft, NCAA Division II champion Nate Baker, and three-time NCAA Division I qualifier Cole VonOhlen, among others. Moore is a six-time Minnesota/USA Wrestling Triple Crown winner (state champion in all three styles), which ties the state record. He has wrestled two years on the varsity at JCC, and qualified for the state tournament this past season as an eighth-grader, where he went 2-2 at 138 pounds. This spring Moore posted a 20-0 record at the Schoolboy Duals, earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. He was also a USA Wrestling national champion in folkstyle.
Jackson County Central coach Randy Baker on Moore: "Keegan is very athletic. He has a lot of natural tools. He also has a lot of experience. He's done a lot of wrestling since the high school season ended. He should improve pretty fast with the workout partners he has."
Brent MooreHigh School: St. Paris Graham, Ohio
Projected Weight Class: 120/126
About Moore: Moore is the Buckeye State's top incoming freshman. He is expected to be an immediate impact freshman for Jeff Jordan at national power St. Paris Graham. Last fall Moore claimed a title at the Super 32 Challenge (middle school division). He went undefeated this past season in junior school wrestling at Graham, and claimed an OAC junior high state championship. He was also a Philo Electric Invitational champion, which included a 3-2 victory over Luke Pletcher. This spring he went 8-0 at the Schoolboy National Duals in freestyle. He was also undefeated at the AAU Middle School National Duals. He was a fifth-place finisher at the Ohio TOC, where he split matches with nationally ranked Matthew Kolodzik.
St. Paris Graham coach Jeff Jordan on Moore: "Brent understands how to really rise to the occasion when match time arrives. He thrives on the spotlight and is able to elevate his intensity level higher than his opponent when it is time to compete. He has a tremendous work ethic, but what truly makes him special is his insatiable will to win."
Luke KaramHigh School: Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.
Projected Weight Class: 106
About Karam: Karam posted a perfect 51-0 record through two years of junior high wrestling. He is a two-time junior high District XI champion, Cadet freestyle state champion, Cadet National freestyle runner-up, and Eastern Nationals runner-up. Karam was also undefeated at the Cadet National Duals in freestyle in each of the past two years.
Bethlehem Catholic coach Jeff Karam on Karam: "I am really excited to have Luke and his brother (Cole) be a part of the high school team. They were born into wrestling (literally). I was actually coaching in a match when I got the call from my wife that she was in labor. I had to leave in the middle of the match and meet her at the hospital. Luke has been very self-motivated since he first started wrestling at age 5. Luke has a great mental attitude about the sport and shows a lot of maturity for someone of his age. He constantly looks at ways to improve his technique and is an extremely hard worker. Luke also is surrounded by some great workout partners in the room. He gets the opportunity to drill with Darian Cruz (nationally ranked, returning state champ) on a daily basis. Darian has been a great role model for Luke in preparing him for high school wrestling."
Nick SurianoHigh School: Undecided
Projected Weight Class: 106
About Suriano: Suriano trains at the Apex Wrestling Club in New Jersey, which is run by former Michigan two-time All-American Damion Logan. Suriano won his third Tulsa Nationals title this year. He has won the War at the Shore three times and the Super 32 Challenge (middle school division) twice.
Apex head coach Damion Logan on Suriano: "Nick Suriano is a very focused, hard-working individual who has inspiration to be the best he can possibly be. Because of that, he's one of the kids that is always paying attention, trying to get the most out of his training and workouts because he needs all the answers for success."
Apex assistant coach Matt Wernikoff on Suriano: "I think what makes Nick successful is that he wants to win very badly, and he has an understanding of what it's going to take to win on the high school level and on the national level. He's willing to make the sacrifices. He does all the little intangibles right."
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