Apple Valley's Gable Steveson, a returning Cadet World champion, gets his hand raised after winning a state title with a technical fall in the finals (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)One needs to just look at last year when Steveson upended returning world silver medalist Jordan Wood just to earn the American berth at 100 kilos to be reminded that there are no "free lunches" in this tournament. The depth across the weight classes in this tournament is impressive, with a mere placement finish (top eight) being an accomplishment in and of itself.
Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown of the competition based on participants that entered as of the close of pre-registration on Tuesday evening.
42 kilos: Leading the way in this weight class is Kurt McHenry (St. Paul's, Md.), who placed third at the National Prep tournament as an extremely undersized 106 pound wrestler during his freshman season; McHenry was a semifinalist in Fargo as a Cadet at 94 pounds last summer, and won multiple Roller World of Wrestling titles prior to entering high school. Two other high schoolers to watch are two-time Cadet folkstyle All-American Daniel Kimball (Don Bosco, Iowa) and Cadet freestyle All-American Destin Summers (Snake River, Idaho), a state champion this past high school season.
Among the junior high wrestlers, the anchor figure is Jeremiah Reno (Missouri), who is ranked No. 7 per InterMat in this grade level after winning the 15U Roller World of Wrestling triple crown at 89 pounds. Others to note include a pair of Cadet folkstyle champions in Cullan Schriever (Mason City, Iowa) and Andrew Chambal (Davison, Mich.). Also with strong reputations are Caden McCrary (Georgia), Dylan Ragusin (Illinois), Justin Bierdumpfel (New Jersey), and Wyatt Yapoujian (Pomona, Colo.).
46 kilos: Malik Heinselman (Castle View, Colo.) made the Cadet World team in freestyle last year down a weight class at 42 kilos, and was also a Cadet National double champion in Fargo at 94 pounds last summer. In 2014, Heinselman was a Cadet National freestyle champion at 88 pounds. During the 2015-16 scholastic season, he was a state champion, and finished the year ranked No. 16 nationally at 106 pounds.
The most direct threat to Heinselman will come from a perennial rival, Mosha Schwartz (Ponderosa, Colo.), who was runner-up at the UWW Cadet Nationals to Heinselman last year. They met multiple times during the 2015-16 folkstyle season, with Heinselman winning most meetings, but Schwartz did pick up a victory in early December. This summer, he already was a Junior National folkstyle champion; while last off-season he was a Cadet Triple Crown winner at 88 pounds.
Others of note include returning Cadet National freestyle All-Americans in Derek Ramos (Hillcrest, Idaho), Lucas Byrd (LaSalle, Ohio), and Ridge Lovett (Post Falls, Idaho). Also here is two-time state champion Brandon Kaylor (Bonney Lake, Wash.), two-time Cadet folkstyle runner-up Eric Faught (Clear Lake, Iowa), last year's UWW Cadet Greco-Roman champion at 42 kilos Eric Barnett (Hortonville, Wis.), two-time Cadet folkstyle champion Steele Dias (Green Valley, Nev.), and notable junior high wrestler Anthony Clark (Delbarton, N.J.).
50 kilos: Dylan D'Emilio (Genoa, Ohio) was the UWW Cadet World team representative down a weight class at 46 kilos, and won a Cadet National freestyle title at 100 pounds in Fargo last summer. He is also the No. 11 overall wrestler in the Class of 2019, and finished the 2015-16 scholastic season ranked No. 5 at 106 pounds.
His most direct rival is going to be a known commodity in Travis Ford-Melton (Marian Catholic, Ill.), an opponent D'Emilio has beaten narrowly on a number of occasions. Ford-Melton is ranked No. 12 overall in the 2019 class, finished 2015-16 as a state champion in his own right and No. 6 overall at 106 pounds; last off-season he was fourth at 46 kilos at the UWW Cadet Nationals, and runner-up to D'Emilio in Fargo.
There are six other wrestlers in this weight division that ended the 2015-16 season nationally ranked at 106 pounds (in rank order): Patrick McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.), Aaron Cashman (Mound Westonka, Minn.), Kyle Biscoglia (Waukee, Iowa), Joey Melendez (Montini Catholic, Ill.), Michael Colaiocco (Blair Academy, N.J.), and Joseph Harrison (Omaha Burke, Neb.). All but Melendez were Cadet freestyle All-Americans last summer in Fargo, while Melendez was on the Cadet freestyle podium in 2014.
Other Cadet National freestyle All-Americans in this weight class include Gabriel Tagg (Brecksville, Ohio), Peter Ogunsanya (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.), Rayvon Foley (Ann Arbor Pioneer, Mich.), and Rhett Golowenski (Tuttle, Okla.); Golowenski was runner-up to D'Emilio last year at this tournament in the 46 kilogram weight class. Three additional wrestlers registered won notable scholastic state titles this season: Asa Garcia (Avon, Ind.), Ben Kamali (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), and Bryce Andonian (St. Edward, Ohio). Also meriting attention is Super 32 placer Christian Nunez (St. John Bosco, Calif.); Cadet folkstyle champion Jesse Vasquez (El Dorado Hills, Calif.), the nation's No. 5 overall Junior High wrestler; and multi-time state placer Matthew Cardello (CVCA, Ohio).
54 kilos: A pair of returning UWW Cadet freestyle All-Americans from the 50 kilogram weight class are among the headline wrestlers in this field, Jordan Decatur (CVCA, Ohio) and Jaden Abas (Frontier, Calif.). Decatur is ranked No. 6 overall in the Class of 2019, and was also a Cadet National freestyle champion last summer at 106 pounds; while Abas is No. 10 overall in the Class of 2019, and was a scholastic state runner-up at 120 pounds. However, the favorite here is fellow Class of 2019 wrestler Nick Raimo (Hanover Park, N.J.); Raimo was one match from a top six finish in this weight class at last year's tournament, and is ranked No. 2 overall in the Class of 2019 after earning double titles in Fargo at the Cadet 120 weight class and a scholastic state runner-up finish at 120 pounds.
Among other contenders are a pair of elite junior high wrestlers, both incoming freshmen: No. 2 Joshua Saunders (Missouri) and No. 3 Sam Hillegas (Pennsylvania); Saunders was a Cadet folkstyle runner-up this spring at 126 pounds. Also grade-ranked in this weight class is Tommy Hoskins (Dayton Christian, Ohio), No. 45 overall in the Class of 2018 after winning a pair of scholastic state titles and finishing third in Cadet freestyle at 113 pounds last summer; along with Andrew Alirez (Greeley Central, Colo.), ranked No. 20 in the Class of 2019 after a scholastic state title and a fifth place finish in Cadet freestyle at 113.
Additional wrestlers to watch include state champion Cameron Valdiviez (Rockhurst, Mo.), state champion and Super 32 Challenge placer Colin Valdiviez (Rockhurst, Mo.), two-time state placer Chase Zollman (Poway, Calif.), a pair of state champions and Cadet double All-Americans in Atilano Escobar (Liberty, Ariz.) and Jack Skudlarczyk (Westlake, Texas), two-time state champions Jet Taylor (Sallisaw, Okla.) and Peyton Robb (Owatonna, Minn.), along with 2015 state champions in Logan Treaster (Newton, Kansas) and Michael Millage (New Hampton, Iowa).
58 kilos: Though relatively unproven as a freestyle wrestler, no All-American finishes in Fargo or at the UWW Cadet Nationals, Joseph Silva (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) is an extreme talent. The No. 5 overall ranked wrestler in the Class of 2018 is already a three-time state champion and won the Super 32 Challenge at 120 pounds this fall; he also upset Austin Gomez to win the Dvorak title in mid-December.
Six other wrestlers in this weight class carry a grade-level ranking, led by Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), who is the nation's top junior high wrestler; the incoming freshman was a Cadet folkstyle champion at 126 pounds. Ranked No. 32 in the Class of 2017 is Jason Renteria (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.), a three-time state finalist and 2016 state champion, who was a double All-American at the Cadet Nationals last summer. Joining Silva as ranked in the Class of 2018 are No. 16 Alex Thomsen (Underwood, Iowa) and No. 44 Jack Davis (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.); Thomsen is a two-time undefeated scholastic state champion and Cadet freestyle runner-up last summer at 120 pounds, while Davis won a National Prep title this scholastic season, and was a Cadet double All-American last summer. Rounding out the group are those from the Class of 2019: No. 14 Chris Cannon (Blair Academy, N.J.) and No. 16 Theorius Robison (Pomona, Colo.).
Another pair of legitimate contenders in this weight ended the 2015-16 scholastic season ranked in their weight class: Max Murin (Central Cambria, Pa.) and Kyran Hagan (Eureka, Mo.). Murin is a three-time state placer, state champion in 2015, a two-time Cadet freestyle All-American (2014 runner-up), and the lone returning UWW Cadet freestyle All-American (6th at 54 kilos last year); while Hagan is also a three-time state placer, state champion in 2015, and a Cadet double All-American last summe (fourth in freestyle).
Additional names to watch include two-time state placer Alec White (New Palestine, Ind.0, state champion Drew Marten (Tecumseh, Mich.), 2014 state champion Hunter Dusold (Locust Valley, N.Y.), two-time National Prep placer Malcolm Robinson (St. John's College, D.C.), state runner-up Nathan Lendt (Southeast Polk, Iowa), 2015 state champion Rylee Molitor (Sartell-St. Stephen, Minn.), and impact junior high wrestler Sonny Santiago (California), fifth in Cadet folkstyle at 132 pounds.
63 kilos: Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.) is the defending Cadet World champion at 58 kilos, and a strong favorite to make his second straight Cadet World team. He has done about everything under the sun in scholastic wrestling; the Cornell commit is the No. 2 overall prospect in the Class of 2017.
Six other wrestlers in this weight class are ranked within their respective grade levels. From the junior high group it is incoming freshmen No. 11 Albert Ferrari (Allen, Texas) and No. 15 Ashton Habeil (Tampa Prep, Fla.); Habeil was a scholastic state runner-up this season. State placer Sam Dover (St. Edward, Ohio) is ranked No. 19 in the Class of 2019. Lastly it's a trio of wrestlers from the Class of 2018: No. 24 Brayton Lee (Brownsburg, Ind.), No. 36 Will Lewan (Montini Catholic, Ill.), and No. 38 Cole Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.). Lee was third in Cadet freestyle last summer at 132 pounds and a scholastic state champion in 2015-16; Lewan is a two-time scholastic state placer and was a Cadet double All-American last summer, third in freestyle; while Matthews was a scholastic state champion in 2015 before settling for third place this season.
Another eight wrestlers were scholastic state champions this past season: Alec Hagan (Eureka, Mo.), Cameron Amine (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), Jaden van Maanen (LaCrosse Central, Wis.), Justin Ruffin (Union Grove, Ga.), Niko Chavez (Willard, Mo.), Roderick Mosley (Heritage Hall, Okla.), Sam Stuhl (Ellsworth, Wis.), and Taylor Brown (Warrensburg, Mo.). Hagan also placed fifth in Cadet freestyle, and was a double All-American in Fargo, while Brown was eighth in Cadet freestyle at 126 pounds.
An additional quartet were scholastic state runners-up this past year: Cal Hansen (Deerfield, Wis.), Jacob Mariakis (Ridgeland, Ga.), Jamie Hernandez (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.), and Tyler Shilson (Centennial, Minn.); Hernandez also placed second and third the previous two summers in Cadet freestyle. Also to watch in this weight class is impact incoming freshman Alfonso Martinez (Arizona), who was third in Cadet folkstyle at 132 pounds.
69 kilos: Even without the registered participation of David Carr (Massillon Perry, Ohio), last year's runner-up in this competition at the weight class and ranked No. 2 overall in the Class of 2018, the field is still very strong. Arguably its anchor would be Frankie Gissendanner (Penfield, N.Y.), who is ranked no. 7 overall in the Class of 2018; the two-time state champion ended the 2015-16 scholastic season ranked No. 7 nationally at 145 pounds.
Three other wrestlers in this field ended the scholastic season ranked nationally at their respective weight class: Joe Lee (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.), Josiah Rider (Grand Junction, Colo.), and Julian Ramirez (Tampa Prep, Fla./Blair Academy, N.J.). Lee was ranked No. 20 nationally at 145 pounds after winning a scholastic state title; last year's Cadet freestyle champion at 138 pounds is also ranked no. 23 overall in the Class of 2018. Rider was ranked No. 9 nationally at 152 pounds, and the scholastic state champion is ranked No. 19 overall in the Class of 2018. Ramirez was ranked No. 10 nationally at 152 pounds, and the two-time scholastic state champion is ranked No. 5 overall in the Class of 2019. The other wrestler with a grade-level ranking in this weight class is National Prep champion Andrew Merola (Blair Academy, N.J.), who is No. 33 in the Class of 2018, after also finishing fourth in Cadet freestyle last summer (Greco-Roman champion).
Additional Cadet freestyle All-Americans in this weight class include three-time state champion Eli King (Father Ryan, Tenn.), state champion Emile Shannon (CBC, Mo.), state champion Jaryn Curry (Choctaw, Okla.), state runner-up Michael O'Malley (Hasbrouck Hts., N.J.), and two-time state placer Trevell Timmons (Lockport, Ill.). Curry was a Cadet freestyle runner-up, while Cadet freestyle champion Timmons also placed third in this weight class last year at the UWW Cadet Nationals.
Three additional wrestlers to watch in this weight class are state placer Edmund Ruth (Susquehanna Township, Pa.), 2015 state champion Jon Trowbridge (Basheor-Linwood, Kansas), and state champion Nelson Brands (Iowa City West, Iowa).
76 kilos: This is arguably one of the more open weight classes, where any of about five competitors could see themselves on the Cadet World team. The one with Cadet World experience would be Jake Allar (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.), who competed in Greco-Roman at 69 kilos last summer; he was also a scholastic state champion this past season, and ended the 2015-16 scholastic season ranked No. 8 at 152 pounds and as the No. 34 overall wrestler in the Class of 2017. The other Class of 2017 wrestler among primary contenders is two-time state champion Marcus Coleman (Ames, Iowa), who ended the 2015-16 scholastic year ranked No. 16 at 170 pounds and as the No. 41 overall wrestler in that class; he was a Cadet freestyle runner-up last summer.
Among Class of 2018 wrestlers, there is No. 12 Jack Jessen (Willowbrook, Ill.), No. 14 Travis Wittlake (Marshfield, Ore.), and No. 31 Trent Hidlay (Mifflin County, Pa.). Jessen is a two-time scholastic state placer, runner-up as a freshman, and a two-time Cadet double All-American at 170 pounds (third in 2014, runner-up in 2015); Wittlake is a two-time Cadet folkstyle champion, and was third in Cadet freestyle last year after winning the Greco-Roman tournament at 160 pounds; while Hidlay was a state runner-up this year after placing eighth last year in Cadet freestyle and seventh at the Super 32 Challenge in the fall.
Additional returning Cadet freestyle All-Americans in this weight class include scholastic state medalist Ben Sarasin (Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Iowa), two-time state champion Clay Lautt (St. James Academy, Kansas), and Lucas McFarland (St. Johns, Mich.). Also of note in this field are three-time state placer Leo Tarantino (Tampa Prep, Fla.), two-time state placers Cameron Caffey (Carbondale, Ill.) and Kenny O'Neil (Prior Lake, Minn.), state medalist Josh Stillings (Pennridge, Pa.), and state champion Ritchie Heywood (Wasatch, Utah).
85 kilos: Though there is a lot of talent present, one can argue that Jacob Warner (Washington, Ill.) is arguably the most impressive wrestler in this whole tournament outside of Yianni Diakomihalis and Gable Steveson without having their sanity questioned. The nation's No. 11 overall Class of 2017 prospect ended the 2015-16 season ranked third overall at 182 pounds after winning a second straight scholastic state title; this past off-season he was a Cadet National double champion at 170 pounds, and has earned UWW Cadet freestyle All-American honors the previous two years at 76 kilos (5th in 2014, 3rd in 2015).
The most talented contender would arguably be Michael Beard (Malvern Prep, Pa.), the National Prep champion, who ended the 2015-16 scholastic season ranked No. 8 nationally at 182 pounds and No. 6 overall among Class of 2018 prospects. However, his freestyle experience and productivity is relatively limited, especially in comparison to others in this field.
There are another pair of 2015 Cadet National freestyle champions to challenge Warner in Jacob Raschka (Pewaukee, Wis.) and Jake Boyd (Smithville, Mo.). Raschka won a Fargo title at 182 pounds, before winning a scholastic state title up at 195; while Boyd took gold at 195 as part of a double All-American finish, before ending the scholastic season ranked No. 18 nationally at 195 pounds. Two other extreme talents are in this field: Andrew Davison (Chesterton, Ind.) and Brandon Whitman (Dundee, Mich.). Davison has Junior and Cadet folkstyle national titles the last two years, placed fourth in this weight class at the UWW Cadet Nationals last year, and was third in Cadet freestyle at 182 last summer (double All-American); while two-time state champion Whitman is ranked No. 10 overall in the Class of 2018, and a returning Cadet freestyle runner-up (double All-American).
Other returning Cadet freestyle All-Americans include Andrew Demos (Warren, Ill.); two-time state placer Anthony Sherry (Glenwood, Iowa), also a two-time double All-American; two-time state champion Colton Wolfe (Columbus, Neb.); two-time state placer Danny Salas (St. John Bosco, Calif.); and Ian Malesiewski (Erie Cathedral Prep, Pa.), runner-up to Boyd. Also meriting attention are state champion Daniel Kerkvleit (Simley, Minn.), two-time state placer Jared Krattiger (Waterford, Wis.), two-time state champion John Borst (Sherando, Va.), and Cadet folkstyle runner-up Lucas Davison (Chesterton, Ind.).
100 kilos: Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn.) is the nation's top Class of 2018 prospect and the extreme favorite to get the chance to repeat as Cadet World champion. The primary challenger among those registered would be Noah Adams (Independence, W.Va.), a Cadet double fourth place finisher last summer and two-time state champion, who ended the scholastic season ranked No. 19 at 195 pounds.
Other contenders include Brady Daniel (Good Counsel, Md.), a two-time Cadet freestyle All-American and third at National Preps this scholastic season; Cadet double All-American Colin Lawler (Kinkaid School, Texas); along with state placers Luke Luffman (Urbana, Ill.) and Sean O'Malley (Hasbrouck Hts., N.J.).
125 kilos: This weight class will not be contested at the World Championships in Tblisi, Georgia. None the less, the favorite is state placer Tony Cassioppi (Hononegah, Ill.), who placed third at the Cadet Nationals in both styles last summer. Other contenders include Cadet folkstyle champion Ronald Tucker, Jr. (Lockport, Ill.), who is ranked No. 15 overall in the Class of 2019; returning Cadet freestyle All-American Brendan Furman (Canon-McMillan, Pa.); state placer Jon Spaulding (Lakota East, Ohio); state champion Kayne Hutchison (Pittsburg, Kansas), third in Cadet freestyle last year at 220 pounds; along with returning UWW Cadet double All-American Keaton Kluever (Kaukauna, Wis.).
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