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    2010 Beast of the East Preview

    This weekend marks the 18th annual Beast of the East, the 16th of which has been held in December. Blair Academy, New Jersey -- ranked third nationally -- is the strong favorites to win the tournament for an eleventh consecutive year, and for the fifteenth time overall. The only other teams to win the Beast are Brick Memorial, New Jersey in January 1994; Bald Eagle Area, Pennsylvania in 1998; and St Edward, Ohio in 1999. The Bucs have also never finished below third in the event (1998).

    While first place is likely locked, and No. 8 Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania, is the on-paper favorite to take second, there are a bevy of teams in the running for third place and beyond. These include the six other nationally-ranked teams in the tournament -- No. 20 Central Dauphin, Pennsylvania; No. 27 Jackson Memorial, New Jersey; No. 31 Cox, Virginia; No. 33 Christiansburg, Virginia; No. 36 Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pennsylvania; and No. 38 LaSalle, Pennsylvania -- plus other teams outside of the rankings such as Bethlehem Catholic, Pennsylvania seeking to break their way into the Fab 50.

    Seeking a third consecutive title is junior Mark Grey (Blair Academy, New Jersey), champion at 103 and 119 the last two years and in the 125 pound weight class this year. Also seeking a third title is Kenny Courts (Central Dauphin, Pennsylvania) who won titles in 2007 and 2009, and is in the 189 pound weight class this year.

    Two other wrestlers seek to defend weight class titles: Zach Bridson (Timberlane, New Hampshire), competing at 112 pounds, and Matt Idelson (Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania) at 215 pounds. Austin Ormsbee (Blair Academy, New Jersey) seeks a second Beast of the East title after winning in 2008 but not competing last year. In addition, two-time defending champion Evan Silver (Blair Academy, New Jersey) will not be in the tournament, as he was beaten out of the lineup by Caleb Richardson at 119 pounds.

    What: Silvestri Mushrooms presents the 18th annual Beast of the East

    When: Saturday 12-18-10 and Sunday 12-19-10

    Where: Bob Carpenter Center, University of Delaware; Newark, DE

    Schedule: Wrestling on Saturday starts at 8:30 a.m. ET on 11 mats with three championship and four consolation rounds; the round of 16 is projected to start at about 5:30 p.m., and day one should end at around 9:30 p.m.

    Competition on Sunday starts at 9:00 a.m. on 11 mats with the quarterfinals on six mats and consolations on five mats, a second consolation round will then be wrestled; at approximately 11:30 a.m., the tournament will break down to only six mats with the semifinals on two of them.

    The consolation semifinals should end at approximately 2:15 p.m., with the finals matches for first through eighth place slated to being at 3:15 p.m.

    Tournament Website: http://www.beastwrestling.com

    InterMat Coverage: During the day on Saturday, there will be both periodic updates of a notebook article on the InterMat front page as well as postings on the twitter account of High School Analyst Josh Lowe (http://twitter.com/#!/JLowe_intermat). Cover-it-Live blogging will occur on Sunday focusing on quarterfinal, semifinal, and placement round activity. A recap of the tournament will be published on Monday.

    103:

    Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 1 Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pennsylvania); No. 9 Joey McKena (Blair Academy, New Jersey).

    Commentary: Any weight class that contains the nation's number one ranked wrestler has a superstar in it. However, what is lacking in this group is the broad base of depth that typifies Beast of the East weight classes. Despite suffering a loss in the ultimate tiebreaker in last week's championship final at the Walsh Ironman, Cruz is the solid favorite in this weekend's tournament. The most formidable challengers for him are both on the other half of the draw in McKenna and fellow freshman Micah Hight (Caesar Rodney, Delaware). The pair of wrestlers split matches at the Ironman; McKenna winning on the front side, while Hight got him in the consolation semifinal. Three others to watch -- among seeded - in this weight are freshmen Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, Delaware), Tyler Casamenti (Bergen Catholic, New Jersey), and Zach Ulerick (Middletown, Pennsylvania); Fleetwood and Casamenti met in the Cadet National freestyle championship at 84 pounds this past summer, a match that Fleetwood won.

    Saturday Match to Watch: Casamenti vs. Jeremy Schwartz (Central Dauphin, Pennsylvania).

    Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Four wrestlers can be absolute poison pills for the subset of seeded wrestlers -- Brock Ervin (Union County, Kentucky), Louis Gonzalez (North Bergen, New Jersey), Tyler Ponte (Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania), and Alec Huxford (Jackson Memorial, New Jersey)

    Predicting a Finals Match: Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic) over McKenna (Blair Academy)

    112:

    Nationally-Ranked Wrestler: No. 11 Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic, Pennsylvania).

    Commentary: Even though there is only one nationally-ranked wrestler in this weight class, there is significant depth with six returning Beast of the East placers - including both 103 pound finalists from last year, and at least three other state champions. Life for the lone nationally-ranked wrestler, two-time Super 32 Challenge placer Moisey, is not easy based on his draw. Prior to the quarterfinal, as the seven seed Moisey is looking at a match with state champion Kaleb Lemaire (Caesar Rodney, Delaware). The projected quarterfinal and semifinal matches would be against returning Beast of the East placers in state placer Anthony Cabrera (Bethlehem Liberty, Pennsylvania) and National Prep champion Will Mason (Cape Henry Collegiate, Virginia). The top half of this draw features both finalists from last year's 103 pound weight class -- Zach Bridson (Timberlane, New Hampshire) and Max Hvolbek (Blair Academy, New Jersey). Also in the top half of the draw is Evan Botwin (Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania), a wrestler that has been in the mix in many major tournaments, and NHSCA Freshman Nationals champion JR Wert (Christiansburg, Virginia) who finished fourth at the Ironman last week.

    Saturday Matches to Watch: Moisey vs. Lemaire, Botwin vs. Dallas Smith (Robinson, Virginia), and Wert vs. Trevor Albrecht (Bergen Catholic, New Jersey)

    Unseeded Wrestler to Watch: Bryan Pflanz (LaSalle, Pennsylvania)

    Predicting a Finals Match: Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic) over Wert (Christiansburg)

    119:

    Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 4 Robert Deutsch (Eastern Regional, New Jersey), No. 9 Dominick Malone (Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania), No. 11 Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Virginia), and No. 13 (at 125) Caleb Richardson (Blair Academy, New Jersey).

    Commentary: Four nationally-ranked wrestlers headline what is a rather balanced weight class overall. Each of the nationally-ranked wrestlers anchors a quarter-bracket of the draw. 2009 New Jersey state champion Deutsch, third at the Beast last year, is the top seed and has Richardson in his half bracket; while National Prep runner-up Malone is the second seed, with Dance in his half bracket. Those are the four wrestlers that should advance to the semifinal round. In the quarterfinal round, Deutsch is looking at a match with one of two wrestlers with a state runner-up finish in their career in either Randy Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pennsylvania) or Jake Smith (Robinson, Virginia). Richardson is slated to face NHSCA Freshman Nationals champion Dennis Gustafson (Forest Park, Virignia). Malone is in position to face either National Prep placer Paul O'Neil (Gonzaga, DC) or state placer Ethan Kenney (Connellsville, Pennsylvania). Dance is projected to face either former state runner-up Chris Donaldson (Salesanium, Delaware) or former National Prep runner-up Eric Friedman (St. Paul's, Maryland).

    Saturday Matches to Watch: Cruz vs. Smith, O'Neil vs. Kenney, and Friedman vs. Donaldson.

    Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Mike Shupin (Jackson Memorial, New Jersey), Austin Rose (Central Dauphin, Pennsylvania), and Jon Brigham (Cumberland Valley, Pennsylvania).

    Predicting a Finals Match: Deutsch (Eastern Regional) over Malone (Wyoming Seminary)

    125:

    Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 3 (at 130) Mark Grey (Blair Academy, New Jersey) and No. 17 John Fahy (Trinity, Kentucky).

    Commentary: Grey seeks a third consecutive Beast of the East title in as many tournaments, and after falling short in the Ironman last week, he should come in very hungry. While there is terrific depth in this field, it is very hard for me to see anyone derailing Grey from the championship. An indication of how close the field is from two-to-eight, nationally ranked Super 32 placer Fahy is the eighth seed and would draw Grey in the Sunday morning quarterfinal round. The top seeds in the other quarter of the top half are three-time National Prep placer Chris Dinnien (Germantown Academy, Pennsylvania) and returning Beast of the East placer Tyson Dippery (Central Dauphin, Pennsylvania). State runner-up and Junior National Greco-Roman champion Tyler Fraley (Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania) is the second seed, and it will be interesting to see how he handles the jump from 103 pounds. State runner-up Dane Harlowe (Annandale, Virginia) is the seventh seed, and would project to the quarterfinal bout with Fraley. Occupying the other quarter of the bottom half are a pair of wrestlers that have placed sixth at the Super 32 Challenge in state runner-up Kyle Casaletto (Southern Regional, New Jersey) and state placer Devon Lotito (Bethlehem Liberty, Pennsylvania).

    Saturday Match to Watch: Harlowe vs. Daniel Sanchez (Georgetown Prep, Maryland).

    Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: George Weber (John Carroll, Maryland), Jeremy Minich (Boyertown, Pennsylvania), and Jack Bass (Robinson, Virginia)

    Predicting a Finals Match: Grey (Blair Academy) over Casaletto (Southern Regional)

    130:

    Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 2 Zach Horan (Nazareth, Pennsylvania), No. 7 Brandon Jeske (Cox, Virginia), and No. 13 (at 135) Todd Preston (Blair Academy, New Jersey).

    Commentary: This weight is headlined by a pair of wrestlers that were runners-up at the Beast of the East and their respective state-level tournaments last season. The top seed here is Jeske, who was a National Prep runner-up while competing at St. Christopher's, Virginia last year. He just took second at the Walsh Ironman, and was a Cadet National freestyle champion this summer. Horan is the second seed, a three-time state runner-up, and was second at the Junior Nationals in freestyle this past summer. The specific seed is not as important, since each has a similar draw with a National Prep champion as the likely semifinal opponent and a returning low placer at the Beast of the East in the quarterfinal. Jeske is likely to have to navigate two-time National Prep placer Shane Arechiga (Good Counsel, Maryland) and Junior National freestyle All-American Todd Preston (Blair Academy, New Jersey) prior to the final; while Horan faces off against 2009 state third placer Shyheim Brown (Central Dauphin, Pennsylvania) and FloNationals third place finisher Jeffrey Ott (Belmont Hill, Massachusetts) prior to the final. Freshman sensation Jack Clark (McDonogh, Maryland) seeks to bounce back from a disappointing Walsh Ironman from the fifth seed, while returning Beast of the East runner-up Tyler Pendergast (St. Mark's, Delaware) is the sixth seed.

    Saturday Match to Watch: James Stowell (Malvern Prep, Pennsylvania) vs. Brown.

    Unseeded Wrestler to Watch: Alenick Richardson (St. Peter's Prep, New Jersey)

    Predicting a Finals Match: Horan (Nazareth) over Jeske (Cox)

    135:

    Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 1 (at 140) Austin Ormsbee (Blair Academy, New Jersey), No. 20 Jeff Canfora (Delbarton, New Jersey).

    Commentary: Three-time National Prep champion Ormsbee seeks a second Beast of the East championship, and is a very strong favorite to earn that honor. While not much stands in his way in the top half of the draw, a likely semifinal match would be against either two-time Super 32 Challenge placer Greg Flournoy (Fauquier, Virginia) or returning state placer Connor Melde (Bergen Catholic, New Jersey). Returning third in the state Canfora headlines the bottom half of the draw. While this half is not star-studded, he is likely to have to face two state placers on his way to the final. Either Brandon Pesarchik (Shamokin, Pennsylvania) or Joey Mazzi (LaSalle, Pennsylvania) await as a quarterfinal opponent, with Ironman placer and state champion Gabe Lavey (Hanover, Virginia) or returning Beast of the East placer Scott Wolfinger (Quakertown, Pennsylvania) as a semifinal opponent.

    Saturday Match to Watch: Pesarchik vs. Mazzi.

    Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Johnny McClanahan (Great Bridge, Virginia), Greg Noll (Nazareth, Pennsylvania), and Dylan Good (Brecksville, Ohio).

    Predicting a Finals Match: Ormsbee (Blair Academy) over Canfora (Delbarton)

    140:

    Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 11 Jacob Crawford (Millbrook, Viriginia), No. 12 (at 145) Evan Henderson (Kiski Prep, Pennsylvania), No. 17 Matt Cimato (LaSalle, Pennsylvania), and No. 18 Mark Pinero (Archbishop Rummel, Louisiana).

    Commentary: This weight has oodles upon oodles of depth with Walsh Ironman champ Henderson the top seed. Henderson was a National Prep champion last year, state runner-up at the public school he attended as a sophomore, and was probably runner-up in Outstanding Wrestler voting at the Walsh Ironman. In a manifestation of this depth, Henderson will have to face the very tough Shane Miller (Middletown, Pennsylvania) prior to the quarterfinal round. Should Henderson clear that match, it would be a date with either Junior National freestyle All-American Cimato or multi-time National Prep placer Ryan Ponte (Northfield Mt. Hermon, Massachusetts). The other quarter of the top half features Pinero, a Junior National All-American, and two-time Super 32 Challenge placer Devon Gobbo (Delbarton, New Jersey).
    Returning Beast placer, Super 32 Challenge placer, and two-time state champion Crawford is the second seed in this weight class. Prior to the quarterfinal, he would be projected to face Cadet National freestyle All-American Wayne Stinson (North Burlington, New Jersey). The likely quarterfinal is against two-time National Prep placer and Preseason Nationals runner-up Peter Galli (St. Paul's, Maryland) or National Prep placer Ross Parsons (Blair Academy, New Jersey). The other quarter of the bottom half features returning Beast of the East placer and 2009 state runner-up Joe Orecchio (Don Bosco Prep, New Jersey) as the third seed; with two-time state champion Cody Broomall (Sussex Central, Delaware) or Cohl Fulk (Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania), a National Prep and Ironman placer, as the projected opponent.

    Saturday Matches to Watch: Cimato vs. Ponte and Broomall vs. Fulk.

    Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Tyler Manion (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, PA) and Kevin Gooding (Central Dauphin, Pennsylvania)

    Predicting a Finals Match: Henderson (Kiski Prep) over Crawford (Millbrook)

    145:

    Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 2 Nick Hodgkins (Wyomissing, Pennsylvania), No. 10 Blake Roulo (Matoaca, Virginia), No. 14 Henry Carlson (Cox, Virginia), and No. 20 CJ Cobb (Williamstown, New Jersey).

    Commentary: This is another very deep weight that will be hotly contested. Super 32 Challenge and NHSCA Junior Nationals champion Hodgkins is the top seed, and he has finished top three at state all three years of his career. Life will not be necessarily easy for him throughout this tournament, starting with a National Prep placer in Johnny Allenson (Germantown Academy, PA) prior to the quarterfinals. Hodgkins is looking at either state champion Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, Virginia) or state placer Dan Ries (David Brearley, New Jersey) in the quarterfinal. The other quarterfinal in the top half is most likely to be a rematch of a semifinal at last weekend's Walsh Ironman, which was won by Robert Henderson (Kiski Prep, Pennsylvania) against Junior National freestyle All-American Carlson. However, NHSCA Sophomore Nationals runner-up Sal Mastriani (Don Bosco Prep, New Jersey) stands in the way of Henderson and the quarterfinal round. The bottom half of the draw has four highly talented wrestlers with state champion and NHSCA Junior Nationals champion Roulo leading the way. Waiting in the quarterfinals for Roulo is mostly likely going to be two-time National Prep placer Brady Massaro (Mt. St. Joseph's, Maryland); with two-time state placer Cobb and National Prep runner-up Chris Dowdy (St. Benedict's, New Jersey) standing in the other quarter of that half.

    Saturday Matches to Watch: Henderson vs. Mastriani and Epperly vs. Ries.

    Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Ryan Todora (Bethlehem Catholic, Pennsylvania), Eric Nutter (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pennsylvania), Garrett Peppelman (Central Dauphin, Pennsylvania), and Dylan Milonas (Blair Academy, New Jersey)

    Predicting a Finals Match: Hodgkins (Wyomissing) over Roulo (Matoaca)

    152:

    Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 3 Codey Combs (Sussex Central, Delaware), No. 15 Duke Pickett (Woodberry Forest, Virginia), No. 15 (at 145) Caleb Ervin (Union County, Kentucky), and No. 17 (at 160) David Wesley (St. Christopher's Virginia)

    Commentary: This is the third of three consecutive weights with four nationally-ranked wrestlers and remarkable depth throughout the weight. Anchoring the class is Beast of the East runner-up and Super 32 Challenge champion Combs, who is the top seed. Life is not easy for him, as he could end up facing multi-time state champion, and NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion in 2009 Ervin in the quarterfinal round. Freshman sensation Patrick Coover (Blair Academy, New Jersey) is the fourth seed coming off a sixth place finish at the Walsh Ironman and winning the Cadet National Greco-Roman title this past summer. State runner-up Lorenzo Thomas (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pennsylvania) is the fifth seed, and an opponent that Coover beat in the match to place at the Ironman last week.

    The bottom half of this draw features three National Prep runners-up, a state runner-up, and a wrestler that placed third in the state tournament. How about that for some depth?! Sophomore Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania) is the second seed as a Cadet National freestyle champion after placing second at National Preps and fifth at the Beast last year. The pre-quarterfinal match feeding into Morris features state runner-up, and returning Beast placer, Kyle Dehaut (Bethlehem Catholic, Pennsylvania) facing off against Cadet National Greco-Roman runner-up Casey Kent (LaSalle, Pennsylvania) who was third in the state last year. The other quarter of the bottom half features National Prep runners-up in NHSCA Junior National champion Wesley and Junior National freestyle All-American Pickett.
    Saturday Match to Watch: Kent vs. Dehaut.

    Unseeded Wrestler to Watch: Super 32 Challenge placer and NHSCA Junior Nationals All-American Doug Hamman (Jackson Memorial, New Jersey).

    Predicting a Finals Match: Combs (Sussex Central) over Wesley (St. Christopher's)

    160:

    Nationally-ranked wrestler: No. 3 Jason Luster (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pennsylvania).

    Commentary: Luster is one of three wrestlers seeking an Ironman-Beast double, the other two being Henderson at 140 and Brooks Black at 285 pounds. If ranking the likelihood in order, Luster would have the highest of the three. Luster -- a National Prep champion -- is the top seed in this weight, and a very strong favorite to clear what would be by Beast of the East standards a thin top half of the draw. The likely semifinal opponent for Luster would be two-time state champion Rich Eva (Christiansburg, Virginia). Two-time state champion Cody Allala (Hopewell, Virginia) and state runner-up Shane Springer (LaSalle, Pennsylvania) are the best of the bottom half of the draw, projecting to meet in the semifinal round.

    Saturday Match to Watch: Kyle Roddy (Brecksville, Ohio) vs. Bobby Scheivert (Chichester, Pennsylvania).

    Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Elliott Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic, Pennsylvania) and Johnny Sebastian (Bergen Catholic, New Jersey)

    Predicting a Finals Match: Luster (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) over Allala (Hopewell)

    171:

    Nationally-Ranked Wrestler: No. 19 John Staudenmayer (Plymouth-Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania)

    Commentary: Like last weekend at the Walsh Ironman, 171 pounds is one of the weaker weights in this Beast of the East field. Not only does this weight lack the overall depth that is customary of Beast fields, there is also no bona fide superstar at the top of this weight. The best present here is Staudenmayer -- who was third in the state last year, a Junior National Greco-Roman medalist, and Disney Duals gold medalist. As the top seed, Staudenmayer will have nominal at best challenges to clear his half of the draw. Of interest is a pre-quarterfinal match feeding into Staudenmayer that features Ironman placers Marshall Willet (Brecksville, Ohio) and Addison Knepshield (Blair Academy, New Jersey) wrestling each other; Willet beat Knepshield in the consolation quarterfinals last week. There is a bit more depth in the bottom half with New England regional third placer Nick Lawrence (Timberlane, New Hampshire) as the second seed. Cadet National double All-American (Greco-Roman champion) Scott Gibbons (Archbishop Rummel, Louisiana) is the third seed. In the pre-quarterfinal match feeding to Gibbons, it is Josh Snook (St. Mark's, Delaware) likely to face Matt Miller (John Carroll, Maryland); Snook was second at state and fifth at the Super 32 Challenge, while Miller is a two-time National Prep placer.

    Saturday Match to Watch: Snook vs. Miller.

    Unseeded Wrestler to Watch: Austin Coniker (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pennsylvania).

    Predicting a Finals Match: Staudenmayer (Plymouth-Whitemarsh) over Snook (St. Mark's)

    189:

    Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 2 Kenny Courts (Central Dauphin, Pennsylvania).

    Commentary: Like the Super 32 Challenge weight class in which Courts took apart "like a knife cutting through butter," this weight class provides limited legitimate threats to him. The question to ask is if Courts can replicate the absolute dominance with which he tore apart the 135 pound weight class as a freshman on the way to a championship and Outstanding Wrestler honors. Some other names to watch in the top half of the draw -- Courts is the one seed -- are National Prep placer Keith Corliss (Germantown Academy, Pennsylvania), state runner-up and Super 32 Challenge placer Michael Mauk (St. Mark's, Delaware), and state placer David Reck (Colonial Forge, Virginia). The bottom half includes a pair of Ironman placers in Kevin Marvel (McDonogh, Maryland) and Perry Hills (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pennsylvania), along with state runner-up Joe Jessen (Millbrook, Virginia) and state placer Dawud Hicks (Plainfield, New Jersey).

    Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Isaiah Cromwell (St. Benedict's Prep, New Jersey) and Dallas Winston (Jackson Memorial, New Jersey)

    Predicting a Finals Match: Courts (Central Dauphin) over Hicks (Plainfield)

    215:

    Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 17 Matt Idelson (Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania)

    Commentary: The lone nationally-ranked wrestler in this field is one yet to make his state tournament; however, Idelson does have titles at the Beast of the East and Super 32 Challenge to his credit. It will be interesting to see how Idelson handles the pressure of expectations, as last year he became the first and only unseeded wrestler ever to win the Beast of the East. This weight has a similar dynamic to 171 in the Beast of the East, as it lacks both a top hitter and some of the traditional high-level depth associated with the Beast of the East. Idelson is the top seed in this weight, the second seed is the opponent he beat in the Super 32 final -- Scott Syrek (Owen J. Roberts, Pennsylvania); Syrek is a three-time state qualifier placing sixth as a sophomore.

    The freshman sensation Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Maryland) enters as the third seed coming off of titles at the Ray Oliver and War on the Shore; this has to be a record high seed for a freshman in the upper-weights. Snyder is looking at a projected quarterfinal against state champion Dustin Dennison (Pleasant Grove, Utah). In the top half quarter opposite of Idelson, you have National Prep placer Tyler Tippett (Mt. St. Joseph, Maryland), FILA Cadet double All-American Willie Wilson (Blair Academy, New Jersey), and state runner-up Joey Spicer (Sussex Central, Delaware).

    Saturday Match to Watch: Tippett vs. Wilson.

    Unseeded Wrestler to Watch: AJ Vizcarrando (Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania) -- this NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion could represent an absolute poison pill to the bracket, and is a legit candidate to make it two straight years that 215 pounds is won by an unseeded wrestler.

    Predicting a Finals Match: Idelson (Garnet Valley) over Syrek (Owen J. Roberts)

    285:

    Nationally-Ranked Wrestlers: No. 5 Brooks Black (Blair Academy, New Jersey) and No. 19 Terrence Jean-Jacques (Wyoming Seminary, PA).

    Commentary: An impressive third here last year at the Beast, Black built upon that to take a runner-up finish at National Preps and become a double champion at both the FILA Cadet and Cadet Nationals during the off-season. As a result, Black enters this tournament as the number one overall wrestler in the Class of 2013. He is favored to pull off the Ironman-Beast double. The most notable stumbling block prior to the final will be a semifinal match against either Super 32 Challenge placer Ben Tammany (Timberlane, New Hampshire) or Stephen Snyder (Good Counsel, Maryland) who has started off the season on a positive note with titles at the Ray Oliver and War on the Shore). The bottom half semifinal is most likely to be a rematch of a third place match at the Walsh Ironman won by Ross Burbank (Cox, Virginia); one in which he beat NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up Jean-Jacques in the tiebreaker. Prior to that semifinal, Burbank has to get through state placer Wes Tillett (Shamokin, Pennsylvania) in the quarterfinal.

    Predicting a Finals Match: Black (Blair Academy over Jean-Jacques (Wyoming Seminary)

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