Ohio (Divisions I, II, and III): first round championship/consolation -- Thursday starting at 3 p.m., second round championship/consolation -- Friday starting at 10 a.m., semifinals/consolation quarterfinals -- Friday starting at 6:30 p.m., consolation semifinals/medal bouts -- Saturday morning starting at 10 a.m., championship finals -- Saturday evening starting at 5:30 p.m.
Pennsylvania Class AA: championship preliminary and first round/consolation preliminary -- Thursday starting at 9 a.m., championship quarterfinals/first and second round consolation -- Friday starting at 9 a.m., championship semifinals/consolation quarterfinals and semifinals -- Friday evening starting at 7:30 p.m., medal matches -- Saturday afternoon starting at 2 p.m.
Pennsylvania Class AAA: championship preliminary and first round/consolation preliminary -- Thursday afternoon starting at 4 p.m., championship quarterfinals/first and second round consolation -- Friday afternoon starting at 2:15 p.m., championship semifinals/consolation quarterfinals and semifinals -- Saturday starting at 9 a.m., medal matches -- Saturday at 7 p.m.
From a team perspective, the Ohio Division I field is the most robust of the weekend with five nationally ranked teams present. That group is led by No. 8 St. Edward, which qualified twelve wrestlers to the state tournament; No. 12 Cincinnati LaSalle and No. 20 Brecksville each qualified ten, No. 21 Wadsworth qualified nine, while No. 37 Massillon Perry and Cincinnati Elder each have eight competing this weekend.
The Pennsylvania Class AAA field has three nationally ranked teams present. No. 11 Bethlehem Catholic is the strong favorite with seven state qualifiers, though that is not a tournament high. The tournament high is the nine which No. 35 Erie Cathedral Prep advanced to the event. Also in the national rankings is No. 49 Kiski Area, which advanced five to the state tournament. Unranked Nazareth will be in the hunt for a team trophy, and the Blue Eagles have six competing in Hershey.
The only other ranked team between the two state tournaments is No. 5 St. Paris Graham, which qualified 13 to state and is prohibitively favored to win the Division II title in Ohio for an 18th straight season. The Falcons opted up to Division I for the dual team tournament, and beat St. Edward to win that title. Dual team state champions in Division II, Wauseon enters as favorites to take runner-up honors, as the Indians qualified nine to state. Others in contention include Canfield, the runners-up each of the previous two years in this division, who bring seven to state; along with CVCA, which has a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers among their five state qualifiers.
Rounding it out in Ohio is Division III, where returning state runners-up Genoa are the prohibitive favorites. This year's dual team state champions qualified seven, including all four of their state finalists from last season. Among those in the hunt for second is Tuslaw, runners-up in dual team the last two years, they bring a division-high eight to state; Nelsonville-York, who brings seven to state; and Rootstown, which brings five to state.
While in Pennsylvania Class AA a two-team battle likely looms for the title between last month's dual team finalists. Dual team champion Reynolds, also the returning state tournament champions, qualified eight for state; while dual team runner-up Southern Columbia qualified seven. One would have thought Chestnut Ridge would be in the hunt; however, they only qualified two wrestlers for state in addition to their stars Justin McCoy and Jared McGill.
Four weight classes within Ohio Division I feature three nationally ranked wrestlers.
138: The three nationally ranked wrestlers each won district titles, with No. 12 Elan Heard (Cincinnati LaSalle) and No. 15 Luke Baughman (Wadsworth) placed in the top half of the draw. Heard is looking at a likely quarterfinal against returning state placer Marco Regalbuto (Brecksville), while Baughman's path to the semifinal is more straight forward. It should be noted that Heard beat Baughman at the Walsh Ironman in the consolation final. No. 11 Bryce Andonian (St. Edward), state champion at 106 as a freshman two years ago, is well positioned in the lower half-bracket, where his likely semifinal will be against the winner of an opening round bout between the undefeated Daniel Segura (Dublin Scioto) and 2016 state runner-up Lamonte Chapman (Fremont Ross).
145: It is very fitting that in a weight class that is an absolute mess from a national rankings perspective, this weight class in Division I with three nationally ranked wrestlers has a mess of head-on and transitive outcomes. No. 12 Sam Dover (St. Edward), a two-time state placer, enters the tournament with a 5-0 record against the two other nationally ranked wrestlers in this weight class; No. 13 Victor Voinovich (Brecksville) and No. 17 Michael North (Wadsworth). However, Dover has a head-on loss to nationally not ranked Chris Donathan (Mason), who joins Dover and North as district champions in this weight class.
Voinovich has wins over No. 14 Austin Boone (Lowell, Mich.) and Wade Ungar (Bergen Catholic), opponents to whom Dover has lost; while North has wins over No. 11 Mitch Moore (St. Paris Graham) and Donathan, Moore being an opponent Dover has split matches against. Voinovich lost to Dover 5-0 in the district semifinal, and is looking at a state quarterfinal against now four-time state qualifier Xander Gore (Olentangy); while North is in the same half-bracket, and projects to face returning state placer Josh Jaeckin (Olmsted Falls) in his second round bout. Jaeckin lost to Dover in the district final.
In the lower half of the draw, it's a collision course for Dover and Donathan in the semifinal; Dover does project to face returning state placer Walker Heard (Marysville) in the quarterfinal, who comes off a semifinal loss to Gore at district.
182: The three ranked wrestlers in this weight class have an aggregate seven state placements from eight previous state tournament appearances. No. 11 Victor Marcelli (Massillon Jackson) is a two-time state semifinalist from three state qualifications, No. 12 Trevor Lawson (Olentangy Liberty) is also a two-time state semifinalist after being closed out of the lineup as a freshman, while No. 13 Joey Baughman (Wadsworth) is a two-time finalist and three-time state placer.
Marcelli has picked up wins over both Lawson and Baughman this season, pinning Lawson in the consolation semifinal of the Ironman and defeating Baughman 3-2 in the district final; while Lawson has a 3-0 win to his credit against Baughman in mid-January. However, Lawson beat Marcelli in the state semifinal round two years ago despite losing to him in the middle of that regular season; Lawson also beat Baughman last regular season, though Baughman took second to Lawson's third last year at state (both losing to the eventual state champion).
As a result of Marcelli's district final victory, it is Lawson and Baughman residing in the same half-bracket. Marcelli could face one of two returning state placers in his semifinal bout, Gary Wokojance (Barberton) or Charles Sanders (Cincinnati Elder), while Baughman and Lawson each could face a state placer in their respective quarterfinals; Baughman against district champion Blake Wilson (Cincinnati LaSalle) and Lawson against two-time medalist Zach Blackiston (Massillon Perry).
195: All three ranked wrestlers in this weight class won their district tournament and placed top three at state last year. Both No. 11 Cody Howard (St. Edward) and No. 14 Jake Thompson (Cincinnati Moeller) were state runners-up last year. It happens to be that Howard got the favorable path, and that Thompson is in the same half-bracket as two-time third in the state Jared Ball (Hilliard Darby); the Super 32 champion Ball is ranked No. 4 nationally.
For Howard, a Junior National freestyle All-American, manageable would be a fair way to describe his path to the state final. He is looking at a likely semifinal against Walsh Ironman placer Michael Baker (Cincinnati LaSalle), who is in his third state tournament as a junior; or Ben Smith (North Canton Hoover), a senior in his state tournament debut with a 50-1 record. It would be a major upset if Ball and Thompson did not meet in the semifinal round on Friday night.
Two additional Ohio Division I weight classes feature a pair of top ten wrestlers.
106: No. 6 Zach Shupp (Fairfield) and No. 7 Logan Agin (Lancaster) are in opposite half-brackets. Should each reach the final it would be a rematch of last year's state semifinal, which was won by Shupp 3-2 in the ultimate tiebreaker.
170: No. 5 Emil Soehnlen (Massillon Perry) and No. 6 Carson Kharchla (Olentangy Liberty) are in the same half-bracket and would meet on Friday night in the semifinal. The defending state champion Soehnlen did lose 3-1 to Kharchla five weeks ago, but both have had excellent seasons with Soehnlen having a stronger base of quality wins to earn the higher national ranking. The other half-bracket features Cornell Beachem (Winton Woods), who placed third at state last year.
The only other weight class between Ohio and Pennsylvania to feature three nationally ranked wrestlers is the 170 pound weight class in Pennsylvania AA. There are a pair of undefeated wrestlers, No. 16 Edmond Ruth (Susquehanna Township) and No. 20 Robert Patrick (Ligonier Valley). They are in opposite half brackets, and if they reach the final would be meeting in a state title rematch from last year, that match was won by Ruth 3-1 in overtime.
The other ranked wrestler is No. 17 Dalton Group (Susquenita), the returning runner-up in this weight class and a sixth-place finisher at the Super 32 Challenge in the 182 weight during the preseason. Group's only two losses on the season are to Ruth in the district and regional finals; he would project to face Patrick in the state semifinal.
One other weight class in Class AA strikes me as having significant intrigue, and that would be the 160-pound weight class. Returning state champion Creighton Edsell (Wyalusing) was upset by sophomore Tyler Stoltzfus (Mifflinburg) in the regional final. The resulting draw now positions Edsell in a likely quarterfinal against two-time state placer Jared McGill (Chestnut Ridge). The other regional champion in that bottom half is senior Jacob Kallenborn (Port Allegany) with a 40-1 record. Stoltzfus sits in the upper half of the draw looking at a quarterfinal against junior Derek Yingling (West Branch), whose lone loss was in the regional final to McGill; while the winner would likely face the undefeated Caleb Clymer (Northwestern Lehigh), a two-time state placer in his own right.
Traditionally the Class AAA state tournament in Pennsylvania is the nation's deepest and most brutal. However, in somewhat of a surprise, there are only three weight classes with multiple nationally ranked wrestlers present.
Sam Hillegas is a returning state champion and ranked No. 11 at 126 pounds (Photo/Tom Elling)126: The nationally ranked pair of No. 11 Sam Hillegas (North Hills) and No. 14 Chris Wright (Central Dauphin) have 74 wins and two losses between them on the season. The lone loss for Hillegas is to national No. 2 Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) in the Powerade semifinal, while for Wright his lone loss came to No. 1 Patrick Glory (Delbarton, N.J.) in the Beast final. They occupy opposite half brackets of this draw.
For returning state champion Hillegas, the obstacles start with a possible quarterfinal against 2016 state placer Dalton Rohrbaugh (Spring Grove). The possible semifinal could be against returning state placer Kenny Herrmann (Bethlehem Catholic), though sophomore Cade Bealestrini (Shikellamy) will have something to say about that. Three-time state placer Wright has never finished higher than fourth, and is looking at a possible quarterfinal against the talented Caleb Morris (Waynesburg), a returning state qualifier. Looming as a possible opponent in the semifinal is the sophomore Ed Scott (DuBois), who placed third at state and sixth at the Flo Nationals last year.
138: The clear favorite in this weight class is No. 3 Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic), the Super 32 champion at this weight class in the preseason. His lone losses on the season are to the top two ranked wrestlers nationally in this weight class (Kinner and Manville, whom he also beat during the season) and the No. 3 at 132 Real Woods. Looking at his half of the draw, the likely semifinal would be against either two-time state placer Noah Levett (Kiski Area) or returning state placer Leno Ciotti (Erie McDowell).
The murkier upper half-bracket features the other ranked wrestler in this weight class, No. 18 Jackson Henson (Waynesburg), a two-time West Virginia state champion and this fall a Super 32 placer. It starts for Henson with a round of 16 bout against returning state fourth place finisher Zach Ortman (Parkland), with the winner looking at a quarterfinal date against the undefeated Seth Koleno (Bald Eagle Area), a two-time state placer. It is admittedly anyone's guess for the advancer out of the second quarter with regional champions Paul Feite (Northern York) and Cameron Robinson (Council Rock North) as possibles, along with freshman Ty Linsenbigler (Hempfield Area).
182: Returning state runners-up Josh Stillings (Pennridge) also placed fourth at state as a sophomore, and was runner-up at the Super 32 this fall; he is ranked No. 15 nationally. The other ranked wrestler in this weight class is No. 19 Tim Wallace (Albert Gallatin), who placed third at state last year, but was upset in the regional final last week.
The opponent that upset Wallace, returning Flo Nationals placer Christian Sequete (Butler), looms as the likely semifinal opponent for Stillings. However, it should be noted that Sequete has another regional champion in his quarter-bracket, Damien Moyer (Bethlehem Liberty); Moyer will likely face a battle in the round of 16 against Brendan Shaffer (Lower Dauphin).
Wallace sits in the lower half of the draw, and is looking at a likely quarterfinal against returning state placer Luigi Yates (Erie Cathedral Prep). The possible semifinal could be against NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up Blake Barrick (Big Spring), who also placed at the Super 32 this fall, though he'll have to get past Max Shaw (Thomas Jefferson) in the round of 16.
Though there are zero ranked wrestlers present, the 120-pound weight class in Class AAA personifies the robust depth that is normally present in this tournament. It is also a total mess to wade through with an over-abundance of talent. Leading the way from the top of the bracket is returning state champion Doug Zapf (Downington West). However, life will not be easy for him, and that starts with a likely quarterfinal collison against returning state placer Cam Enriquez (Stroudsburg).
Things get even murkier in the next quarter bracket. Three-time state placer, and two-time state runner-up Louis Newell (Seneca Valley) is looking at a likely quarterfinal date against either two-time state qualifier J.J. Wilson (Cedar Cliff) or Escape the Rock champion Brandon Kassis (Parkland); it also presumes Newell beats regional champion Paniro Johnson (Erie Cathedral Prep) in the round of 16, while Wilson is also a regional champion, and Kassis upset returning Class AA state champion Jaret Lane to win the ETR title.
The third quarter of the draw features returning state placer Shane Pierson (Nazareth) and two-time National Prep placer Shane Hanson-Ashworth (Council Rock South). Pierson could have a round of 16 match against sophomore Tyler Kocak (Hampton), who displaced returning state placer Darren Miller (Kiski Area) from the state bracket with a 6-3 consolation semifinal victory at the WPIAL. The bottom quarter features WPIAL champion Logan Macri (Canon-McMillan), who placed fifth at state in this weight last year and beat Newell in the WPIAL final; his toughest match before the semi would likely be in the round of 16 against 2016 state placer Brandon Meredith (Spring-Ford).
Within Ohio Division II, there is only one weight class featuring a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers. That would be at 160 pounds, where returning state champion Ryan Thomas (St. Paris Graham) is ranked No. 5 and two-time state champion Kevon Freeman (Lake Catholic) is No. 19; Thomas was champion at the Walsh Ironman, while Freeman placed fifth. It would probably be the biggest shock of the state tournament in the Buckeye State if they did not meet Saturday night.
The Ohio Division III state tournament is relatively dull. Its best final is likely to come at 120 pounds with two-time state placer Julian Sanchez (Genoa) facing three-time state placer Graham Shore (Miami East). Sanchez beat Shore last year in 4-2 in the state quarterfinals of this same weight class.
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