Below is a breakdown of the nine high school bouts to be contested on Sunday afternoon at Grace Hall on the campus of Lehigh University.
Gavin Teasdale gets in on a shot against Oklahoma's Dalton Duffield in Fargo (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)120 pounds: Gavin Teasdale (Jefferson Morgan, Pa.) vs. Jordan Decatur (CVCA, Ohio)
Teasdale represented the United States in the UWW Cadet World freestyle championships during 2014 and 2015 at 42 and 50 kilograms respectively, while also winning a Junior National freestyle championship this summer at 120 pounds. The two-time state champion is ranked No. 3 overall in the Class of 2018, while ending the 2015-16 scholastic season ranked No. 1 at 113 pounds.
Decatur is a two-time placer at the UWW Cadet freestyle nationals, including his runner-up finish at 54 kilograms this spring. He is a two-time Cadet National freestyle champion, winning titles at 106 and 120 pounds the last two summers. After failing to make weight during the state tournament series at 113 pounds, Decatur won the 120 pound title at the NHSCA Freshman Nationals. He is the No. 3 overall prospect in the Class of 2019.
145 pounds: Jarod Verkleeren (Hempfield Area, Pa.) vs. Kaden Gfeller (Heritage Hall, Okla.)
Verkleeren was the UWW Cadet World champion in freestyle at 63 kilograms last year, and the Junior National freestyle runner-up this summer at 145 pounds. The Iowa State commit missed out on his state series this past year due to a weight management issue that escalated into a court case, but placed fourth in a loaded 145 pound weight class during his sophomore season. Verkleeren is ranked as the No. 24 overall wrestler in the Class of 2017.
Gfeller is a three-time state champion with a very robust national event resume. The Oklahoma State commit placed fifth in the Super 32 Challenge last fall, was a FloNationals champion in the spring of 2015, and is a three-time All-American in freestyle at the Cadet/Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D. Gfeller ended the 2015-16 season ranked No. 5 nationally at 132 pounds, and is the No. 10 overall wrestler in the Class of 2017.
138 pounds: Sammy Sasso (Nazareth, Pa.) vs. Nick Lee (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind./Nittany Lion Wrestling Club)
Even with just two titles between major high school aged national events and scholastic state tournaments, the No. 9 overall Class of 2018 prospect Sasso had an extraordinarily robust resume. His titles came at the FloNationals this spring, and in the 2015 Cadet National freestyle tournament. State tournament finishes include a runner-up finish to Spencer Lee as a freshman, while finishing third after a narrow state quarterfinal loss to Luke Pletcher this past season. Last year's Super 32 Challenge saw him finish third, losing just to three-time tournament champion Yianni Diakomihalis; prior FloNationals tournaments saw him finish third and (in eighth grade) fifth; he was runner-up to world bronze medalist Vitali Arujau at the UWW Cadet freestyle nationals; other Fargo finishes include third (2016 Cadet Greco), runner-up (2016 Cadet freestyle), and fifth (2015 Cadet Greco). Sasso finished the 2015-16 season ranked No. 7 overall at 138.
Ranked No. 5 overall in the Class of 2017, Lee will see his high school career end with just one state title. He fell to Stevan Micic in the state semifinals as a freshman, won state as a sophomore, and fell to Chad Red in an epic state finals bout this past season. This year's Junior National freestyle champion at 138 pounds will spend the 2016-17 season in central Pennsylvania training with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club before starting at Penn State next fall. Other resume highlights for Lee include a UWW Junior National freestyle placement finish this spring, a pair of UWW Cadet National freestyle runner-up finishes, and a 2014 Cadet National freestyle Outstanding Wrestler honor. Lee ended the 2015-16 season ranked No. 3 overall at 132.
126 pounds: Roman Bravo-Young (Sunnyside, Ariz.) vs. Nick Raimo (Hanover Park, N.J.)
Bravo-Young competed on the UWW Cadet World stage in freestyle at 54 kilograms earlier this month. Along his path to that tournament title was a shutout technical fall victory over Sunday's opponent Raimo. The two-time state champion was a Junior folkstyle champion this spring at 120 pounds, and was a Cadet National champion in Fargo in both styles during both 2014 and 2015. Bravo-Young is ranked No. 6 overall in the Class of 2018, and ended the 2015-16 season ranked No. 3 overall at 120 pounds.
Raimo placed third at the UWW Cadet freestyle nationals in the 54 kilogram weight class after the previously mentioned loss to Bravo-Young. After placing third in the Super 32 Challenge and finishing as a state runner-up as a freshman, he ended the 2015-16 season ranked No. 7 overall at 120 pounds. Raimo is also a two-time Cadet National champion in both freestyle and Greco-Roman, his titles coming in 2015 and 2016. As a result, he is ranked No. 2 overall in the Class of 2019.
182 pounds: Michael Beard (Malvern Prep, Pa.) vs. Jelani Embree (Warren Lincoln, Mich.)
Beard has twice been a finalist at the National Prep Championships, finishing runner-up at 170 as a freshman before winning the title at 182 this past season. Despite rather limited freestyle experience, he finished runner-up in the 85 kilogram weight class at the UWW Cadet freestyle nationals this spring. Beard finished 2015-16 as the No. 8 overall ranked wrestler at 182 pounds, and is presently ranked No. 7 overall in the Class of 2018.
Embree won his first state title this past season, doing so at 171 pounds, after finishing third as a sophomore while missing out on his freshman season state series due to injury. In addition, Embree was runner-up at this year's FloNationals in the 170 pound weight class and was an All-American in both styles at the Junior Nationals in Fargo this summer, including a third place finish in freestyle at 182 pounds. The Michigan commit is ranked No. 25 overall in the Class of 2017, and also ended the 2015-16 season ranked No. 9 overall at 170 pounds.
Brady Berge is a three-time state champion (Photo/Mary Christen, The Guillotine)160 pounds: Brady Berge (Kasson-Mantoville, Minn.) vs. Shane Griffith (Bergen Catholic, N.J.)
Berge entered last year's high school state tournament as a three-time state champion, winning titles in seventh grade and then as a freshman and sophomore; his lone state series loss had come 5-4 in the state quarterfinals as an eighth grader. However, Berge suffered a major injury during the state semifinal round, was unable to finish the match, and had to default down to sixth place. The No. 9 overall prospect in the Class of 2017 was on the UWW Cadet World Team in freestyle at 69 kilograms last season after winning the 2015 national tournament. He finished 2015-16 ranked No. 3 overall at 160.
Griffith is a two-time state champion, but made his major breakthrough on the national scene with his Super 32 Challenge championship last fall. Key upset victories over Class of 2016 stars Mitch McKee and Brent Moore made shockwaves on the landscape. The No. 11 overall prospect in the Class of 2018 was also a Cadet National freestyle runner-up in the summer of 2015. Griffith ended the 2015-16 season ranked No. 3 overall at 138 pounds.
152 pounds: Cameron Coy (Penn Trafford, Pa.) vs. David Carr (Massillon Perry, Ohio)
The University of Virginia commit is a three-time state finalist in Pennsylvania's big-school division, winning state titles as a freshman and junior. His most notable national event production includes a fifth place finish at the Super 32 Challenge in the fall of 2014 as well as undefeated finishes the last two years at the AAU Scholastic (aka Disney) Duals; Coy was named Outstanding Wrestler of that tournament this summer. Ranked No. 7 overall in the Class of 2017, he ended the 2015-16 season ranked No. 1 overall nationally at 145 pounds.
Carr was a UWW Cadet World bronze medalist at 69 kilograms earlier this month in freestyle. In addition, he has won state titles in each of his last three high school seasons, including one in eighth grade when he competed in Kentucky. The No. 2 overall prospect in the Class of 2018 was a Super 32 Challenge champion last year at 145 pounds, and was also a UWW Cadet National freestyle runner-up in 2015 at 69 kilograms. He finished the 2015-16 season ranked No. 2 nationally at 145.
132 pounds: Austin Gomez (Glenbard North, Ill.) vs. Daton Fix (Sand Springs, Okla.)
The Iowa State commit has won state titles each of the last two seasons after placing third at his state tournament as a freshman. Gomez has a very robust Fargo resume, including four titles in seven attempts. It includes a Junior National freestyle title this summer at 126 pounds, a sweep of the Cadet National titles at 113 pounds in the summer of 2014, and a Cadet Greco-Roman title at 94 pounds in 2013. The No. 13 overall prospect in the Class of 2017 was also a UWW Cadet World Team member in freestyle at 42 kilos in 2013. Gomez ended the 2015-16 season ranked No. 5 overall at 126 pounds.
Ranked No. 4 overall in the Class of 2017, Fix is the top non-committed senior wrestler. The three-time state champion has a very robust resume, which includes a pair of world bronze medals; Cadet freestyle at 54 kilograms in 2015, and Junior freestyle at 55 kilograms last month. Additionally, Fix is a two-time Super 32 Challenge placer, a 2015 FloNationals champion, and a three-time Fargo champion (2015 Junior freestyle, 2013 Cadet Greco-Roman and freestyle). He ended the 2015-16 season ranked No. 2 nationally at 126 pounds.
170 pounds: Michael Labriola (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) vs. Travis Wittlake (Marshfield, Ore.)
The Nebraska commit won an elusive state title as a junior, after placing seventh and third during his first two seasons of high school. Labriola also placed third in the Super 32 Challenge at 160 pounds last fall. He is ranked No. 14 overall in the Class of 2017, and finished the 2015-16 season ranked No. 5 at 170 pounds.
Two-time state champion Wittlake was a UWW Cadet world bronze medal earlier this month at 76 kilograms, after earning a Cadet National Triple Crown during the past off-season. The No. 5 overall wrestler in the Class of 2018 also won Cadet National titles in folkstyle and Greco-Roman during 2015, while finishing third in freestyle. He ended the 2015-16 season ranked No. 9 at 160 pounds.
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