Iowa
One of the nation's most popular state tournaments in terms of fan attendance and media interest comes to the Wells Fargo Center in Des Moines, which hosted last year's NCAA Division I Championships, this weekend. Based on rankings from The Predicament, all three divisions should have relatively competitive races for the title.
Most notable is Class 3A, which features a trio of nationally ranked teams: No. 22 Southeast Polk, No. 23 Bettendorf, and No. 36 Waverly-Shell Rock. The three teams finished in that order in last year's individual state tournament. Entering this year's event, Southeast Polk has 12 state qualifiers, Waverly-Shell Rock 11, and Bettendorf 9. However, the most recent rankings have Bettendorf with a state high five wrestlers either first or second: Jack Wagner (106), Jacob Schwarm (113), No. 3 Fredy Stroker (132), No. 9 Logan Ryan (138), and Jacob Woodard (152).
Southeast Polk counters with four such wrestlers: Nolan Hellickson (120), Briar Dittmer (145), Ethan Andersen (220), and Jake Marnin (285); while Waverly-Shell Rock also has four: No. 20 Bryce Steiert (145), Spencer Derifield (160), Izaak Miller (182), and Kaleb Staack (285).
Five nationally ranked wrestlers are in Class 3A this year: No. 14 Alijah Jeffery (Linn-Mar) at 120, Stroker at 132, Ryan at 138, Steiert at 145, and No. 6 Marcus Harrington (Waterloo West) at 195. Jeffery is the lone undefeated wrestler in the 120-pound weight class, and is looking at a quarterfinal match against returning state seventh Sam Uthoff (Cedar Rapids Prairie), before a semifinal against returning state third Hellickson. Top wrestlers in the other half of the draw by the rankings include two-time state placer Trevor Murano (Dallas Center Grimes), Paul Glynn (Bettendorf), and Michael Zachary (Dowling Catholic).
Stroker is a strong favorite at 132 pounds, though there is a fellow state champion in this weight class, Jake Koethe (West Des Moines Valley). Those two wrestlers are in opposite halves of the draw. Stroker's quarterfinal is most likely to be against Justin Reiher (Waverly-Shell Rock), with the semifinal against the winner of a first round bout between returning state placer Keegan Shaw (Southeast Polk) and two-time state placer Matt Wempen (Linn-Mar).
Defending champ Ryan is a strong favorite at 138, though the next two ranked wrestlers are in his half of the draw. Two-time state fourth Josh Wenger (Cedar Rapids Prairie) and returning state seventh Dan Kelly (Cedar Falls) are likely to meet in the quarterfinal round for the right to face Ryan in the semifinal round. Returning state eighth Aaron Meyer (Southeast Polk) is the favorite in the other half of the draw, something that is to the Rams' benefit in the team race.
While returning state finalist Steiert is a clear pick at 145, his path to the final is likely to involve three top seven ranked wrestlers; Connor Coyle (Sioux City North), Alex Caldwell (Clinton), and Landon BeLieu (Indianola) in that order. Returning state fourth Briar Dittmer (Southeast Polk) is the favorite in the other half of the draw, with likely top seven matchups coming in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.
Harrington, undefeated for the season, is the strong favorite to repeat at 195 pounds. His primary challenger is Colin Kreiter (North Scott), who placed fourth in this weight last year. The two wrestlers are slated to meet in the semifinal round. They have already met this season, Harrington pinning Kreiter in the first period during the opening weekend of the season for Kreiter's only loss of the season.
In terms of the Class 2A team race, both Mediapolis and Davenport Assumption qualified ten to the state tournament, and should wage an intense battle for the championship. As far as individuals go, only one weight class features a nationally ranked wrestler: 138 pounds with No. 18 Max Thomsen (Union), who is undefeated for the season. Also in his weight class is another undefeated wrestler, two-time state placer Andres Gonzalez (Clear Lake), who is in the opposite half of the bracket.
The Class 1A team race has a strong favorite in Alburnett, the defending state champions, who qualified ten individuals to the state tournament. There is a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers in this classification, No. 19 Evan Hansen (Exira) and No. 9 Ryley Howell (Walpello).
Hansen competes at 182 pounds, where he is undefeated on the season and a strong favorite to repeat as state champion. The second ranked wrestler in his classification, Adam Hawkins (BGM Brooklyn) is 44-1 on the season and does loom as a semifinal opponent; while 43-1 Luke Huber (Hudson), ranked third, is the likely finals opponent.
Howell competes at 285 pounds, where he is undefeated on the season after finishing as runner-up last year at 220. There is another undefeated wrestler in his weight class, returning state third Landon Paulsen (Woodbury Central), who is in the other half of the draw.
Illinois
The three class state tournament in the Land of Lincoln commences from the State Farm Center on the University of Illinois campus in Champaign-Urbana on Thursday. No. 2 Oak Park River Forest (Class 3A) and No. 19 Montini Catholic (Class 2A) qualified the most wrestlers to this un-scored individual state tournament with twelve each. The other two Fab 50 teams, No. 18 Marist and No. 29 Marmion Academy – both Class 3A teams – qualified nine each. Among Class 1A teams, Plano and Dakota qualified the joint most at ten each.
Three wrestlers will be seeking their fourth state title in as many campaigns this weekend: No. 14 Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy) in the Class 3A 126-pound competition, No. 4 Josh Alber (Dakota) in the Class 1A 132, and No. 5 Jered Cortez (Glenbard North) in the Class 3A 132.
Jimenez should be mostly unchallenged, as the second-ranked competitor Jon Marmolejo (Glenbard North) suffered his lone defeat of the season by 13-3 major decision to Jimenez in the Dvorak final. They are in opposite halves of the draw, and Marmolejo does have an interesting first round match against three-time state placer Nick Nasenbenny (Plainfield Central). Likewise, Cortez and the undefeated Alber are virtually unchallenged in their respective weight classes.
A pair of Class 3A weight classes features three nationally ranked wrestlers in the bracket, 113 and 285 pounds. At 113 pounds, two of those wrestlers will meet in the first round: No. 8 Brian Rossi (Lockport) and No. 18 Anthony Bosco (Marmion Academy). Bosco was upset in the semifinals 2-1 by Jake Sizer (Mt. Carmel), and then lost 8-6 in overtime to fellow upset victim No. 9 Rudy Yates (Brother Rice) in consolation final. With Nick Lukanich (Marist) being the fourth seeded sectional champ, it created the pairing of top seed Rossi (two-time state third placer) and Bosco; with Lukanich and Rossi being in the same half of the draw. Yates is in the third quarter of the draw, and looking at a quarterfinal match against Alex Madrigal (Oak Park River Forest). In the fourth quarter of the draw, a first round match between Sizer and returning state runner-up Miguel Silva (Plainfield South) looms for the right to face returning state third placer Travis Piotrowski (Prairie Ridge) in the quarterfinal round.
The two best Class 3A 285-pound wrestlers have unfortunately been paired together, No. 7 Brian Allen (Hinsdale Central) and No. 8 Nicky Allegretti (Lincoln-Way East) were sectional champions but placed in the same half of the draw. The defending state champ Allen and Allegretti have split bouts this year, Allen winning 3-1 at Palatine and Allegretti winning 5-4 in the ultimate tiebreaker and Lincoln-Way East. The sectional runners-up to Allen and Allegretti are the likely semifinalists in the bottom half of the draw; No. 17 Adarios Jones (Moline) and Michael Hobbs (Downers Grove South). Hobbs is likely to face fellow returning state qualifier Nick McDermand (Libertyville) in the quarterfinal, and Jones is looking at a date with sectional champion D'Andre Johnson (Glenbard East).
Four other weight classes feature a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers: Class 3A 106, Class 3A 120, Class 3A 195, and Class 2A 285. At 106 pounds, No. 7 Jason Renteria (Oak Park River Forest) and No. 8 Austin O'Connor (St. Rita) are in opposite halves of the draw. The lone loss for Renteria came in the Walsh Ironman final, while O'Connor has three losses, all against nationally ranked opposition by one point. That includes a 6-5 loss to Renteria on opening night, and two losses in dual meets to ranked 113-pound wrestlers.
The 120-pound weight class features No. 16 Kris Williams (Thornwood) and No. 18 Steven Polakowski (Libertyville) as the top two seeds. Williams is undefeated for the season and a two-time state champion, while Polakowski qualified for state last year, and is a Junior freestyle All-American. In Polakowski's half of the draw, Cadet National double finalist Gabe Townsell (Oak Park River Forest) is the regional champion; and will draw two-time state runner-up Mark Duda (Marist) in the quarterfinals. Opposition to watch in Williams' half of the draw include Cadet freestyle All-American Andrew Mehrholz (Deerfield), who is in his quarter; along with A.J. Jaffe (Marmion Academy) and two-time state placer Michael Cullen (Cary-Grove) in that other quarter.
The two nationally ranked 195-pound wrestlers, No. 11 Tyler Johnson (Lockport) and No. 20 Andre Lee (Oak Park River Forest), are in opposite halves of the draw. Cadet freestyle champion Johnson is undefeated on the season, as is Regis Durbin (Lake Forest). Durbin and Lee are the sectional champions within the bottom half of the draw.
The two nationally ranked Class 2A 285-pound wrestlers, No. 10 Michael Johnson (Montini Catholic) and No. 11 Tanner Farmer (Highland) are in opposite halves of the draw. Defending state champion Farmer is undefeated on the season, as is Deuce Rachal (Lindblom). Rachal and Johnson, a National Prep runner-up last year, are the sectional champions within the bottom half of the draw.
Rounding out the nationally ranked wrestlers in Class 3A are No. 12 Isaiah White (Oak Park River Forest) at 138 pounds, No. 1 Bryce Brill (Mt. Carmel) at 152, No. 19 Kamal Bey (Oak Park River Forest) at 160, No. 10 Davonte Mahomes (Oak Park River Forest) at 170, and No. 18 Alex Benoit (Marist) at 182. Other nationally ranked wrestlers in Class 2A include No. 7 Kyle Akins (Sycamore) at 120 pounds, No. 14 Garrett Sutton (Richmond-Burton) at 160, and No. 15 Xavier Montalvo (Montini Catholic) at 170. The other ranked Class 1A wrestler is Derrick Maisonet (Plano) at 195.
Indiana
This tournament held at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis is a single-class affair, and has a single-elimination format. Wrestlers that lose in the first round do not place, those in the quarters finish fifth through eight. Seven of the fourteen weight classes will feature nationally ranked wrestler, multiple ranked wrestlers are featured in four of those weight classes.
The 220-pound weight class is arguably the featured one in this tournament with three nationally ranked wrestlers and an additional undefeated wrestler as the four semi-state tournament champions. Dylan Faulkenberg (Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter) and No. 8 Gelen Robinson (Lake Central), the defending state champion in this weight class, populate the top half of the draw. No. 9 Fletcher Miller (Kokomo) and No. 12 Connor Tolley (Franklin Community) anchor the bottom half. Miller, runner-up last year to Robinson and a Junior freestyle All-American, has the lone loss for a wrestler in this weight class; he lost 4-3 to 285-pound favorite Wesley Bernard during the season. Tolley placed fourth in this weight class last year, and was a NHSCA Junior Nationals champion.
Speaking of the 285-pound class, it features a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers, both of whom are undefeated on the season and two-time state placers. Wesley Bernard (Indianapolis Cathedral) is ranked No. 6 nationally, and was a Junior freestyle All-American during the summer, while Eric Hemmelgarn (Jay County) holds the No. 19 ranking. Each is positioned to face a wrestler with one loss in the semifinal round. Bernard is in the same half as returning state placer Shawn Streck (Merrillville), a Cadet National double All-American during the summer; while Hemmelgarm has returning state qualifier Norman Ogleby (Benjamin Davis) in his half.
Another weight with multiple nationally ranked wrestlers is at 145 pounds, where both wrestlers won state titles last season. No. 9 Cody LeCount (Perry Meridian) upended No. 11 Tommy Forte (Mishawaka) by a late match fall during early January. Should the wrestlers meet again, it would mercifully be in the state final, as they are in opposite halves. The third best wrestler in this weight is returning state placer Ben Harvey (Indianpaolis Cathedral), who has lost twice to LeCount on the season, including by fall in the semi-state final. Unfortunately he has been drawn into the same quarter as Forte. Two other returning state placers reside in this weight class, Evan Loe (Peru) and Bailey Schober (Greenwood). Each was a semi-state champion; Loe is in the same half as Forte and Harvey, while Schober is in the same half as LeCount.
Last for the weights with multiple ranked wrestlers, the 132-pound weight class features both No. 14 Deondre Wilson (Warren Central) and No. 18 Brandon James (Perry Meridian). Wilson has wins over James in finals each of the last two weeks, 4-3 in the regional and 6-5 in ultimate tiebreaker at semi-state. The only other returning state placer in this weight class is Devin Broukal (Bloomington South), who placed seventh each of the last two years. Broukal and defending state champ Wilson are in the same half of the draw, and his only loss of the season was 6-2 to the undefeated Wilson.
Additional nationally ranked wrestlers in the tournament are No. 20 Chad Red (New Palestine) at 120 pounds, No. 1 Stevan Micic (Hanover Central) at 126, and No. 9 Vinny Corsaro (Indianapolis Cathedral).
Red, undefeated on the season, is in a weight class with seven other past state placers. That includes a two-time state placer in his likely quarterfinal match, Bailey LaHue (Corydon Central). In the other quarter of that bottom half, the anchor is returning state fourth place finisher Connor Knapp (East Noble). The top quarter of the draw is anchored by Brock Hudkins (Danville), who placed fifth at state last year and beat LaHue in the semi-state final; the other match of that top quarter is a battle of state placers in Jacob Cottey (Perry Meridian) and Forrest Glogouski (Fairfield). Also in the top half is the undefeated Jake Sinkovics (Mishawaka), who placed seventh last year at state.
One of the most hyped matches of the season is likely to come at 126 pounds, in the semifinal round, a battle of undefeated wrestlers between two-time state champion Micic and freshman sensation Nick Lee (Evansville Mater Dei). Micic does have a likely quarterfinal date with returning state fourth placer Cael McCormick (Yorktown) before the semifinal clash with Lee. The top half of the draw is led by undefeated returning state placer Erique Early (Fort Wayne Snider) and returning state runner-up Zachary Davis (Mishawaka Penn).
The undefeated Corsaro is in a weight class with only two other state placers, and they are slated to meet in the quarterfinal round. Nick Borta (North Montgomery) placed seventh last year at state, and was undefeated for the season prior to losing by technical fall to Corsaro this past weekend; he'll likely face returning state third placer Rhett Hiestand (Yorktown) in that bout. Borta has two victories over Hiestand, his only two losses of the season.
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