Jump to content
  • Playwire Ad Area



  • Photo:

    Justin Kerr •

    Photo:

    And so it begins: Walsh Ironman kicks off the season this weekend (Intro Story)

    A great deal of noteworthy high school wrestling competition has already taken place by now. The Lock Haven Fall Classic and the ever-growing Super 32 Challenge were both loaded with tough competitors. Henry Cejudo, Mike Grey, Jon Reader, and Pat McCaffrey competed well against collegiate and post-collegiate competition. However, it is the Walsh Ironman that really christens the new season from a fans perspective. This year's tournament will not disappointment. The tournament contains not only marquee match-ups, but seemingly greater depth than ever before. The following analysis can serve as a wrestling fan's guide as to what to expect.

    David Taylor (photo by Wyatt Schultz)
    103 -- Even with two-time Cadet National Freestyle champion Anthony Valles of Blair Academy moving unexpectedly to 112, this remains one of the most interesting weights. The No. 1 seed is Boris Novachkov of California. Novachkov has won both styles in Fargo the last two years, for a total of four national titles. Ironically, he has yet to place in the loaded California State Tournament -- as he has been too small for 103. Now apparently grown into a full 103, or at least close, he will be a force to be reckoned with. However, it is the No. 3 seed, David Taylor, who generates the most interest in this weight. Taylor is ranked as the No. 1 freshman in the Rev Wrestling High School Power Rankings. Simply put, Taylor is a schoolboy legend. He racked up three Ohio junior high state titles without going the distance. He also triumphed at the Cadet National Freestyle Championships this past summer, again without going the distance. However, that was at 91 pounds -- and at this point, Taylor is clearly a very small 103. Perhaps as a result, he tasted his first folkstyle defeat in years, in double overtime, against Cadet National runner-up Ben Sergent, just last weekend. Taylor is on a collision course for a rematch with Sergent (the No. 2 seed) in the semifinals this weekend. However, Taylor will have to beat returning fourth place state finisher Alex Weaver -- who is probably the best 103 in Ohio's big-school division -- just to make it that far. Meanwhile, the No. 4 seed at this weight, Steve Mitcheff, is very good, as evidenced by him recently splitting two bouts with two-time Cadet National Greco champion Eric Grajales.

    RevWrestling.com.com Prediction: Taylor over Novachkov

    112 -- The No. 1 seed might appear invincible at this weight. A sophomore, Valles has never tasted defeat in high school competition and is similarly undefeated in Fargo, winning two Cadet National titles. Not so fast. Valles won his most recent Cadet National title at 98 pounds (over Sergent), and was expected to be at 103 until this week. While he has apparently outgrown 103, the jump to 112 is huge and the bet here is that Valles will be a little undersized for this weight. The match to watch in the quarterfinals will be his donnybrook with Ohio super frosh Collin Palmer. Palmer, who is ranked as the No. 2 freshman in the Rev Wrestling Power Rankings, is the younger brother of three-time Ohio state champion Lance Palmer -- and is considered to be even better than Lance was at this point in his career. Meanwhile the other bracket will feature California's Nikko Triggas and Pennsylvania's Chris Sheetz. Triggas finished third in the always-loaded California State Tournament and third at the Cadet National Freestyle Championships. He will have a real fight on his hands in the quarterfinals, where he will likely face Ohio big-school state third place finisher Dante Rini. Sheetz was somewhat of an unexpected state champion in Pennsylvania's big-school division.

    RevWrestling.com Prediction: Palmer over Triggas

    Click here to read entire Walsh Ironman preview (Rev Gold)
    Go to articles

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    There are no comments to display.



    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now

  • Playwire Ad Area


×
×
  • Create New...