Furthermore six other teams have been ranked within the top 50 for eight of the nine years, with four of those schools being ranked each of the last eight years:
Broken Arrow has finished every season but 2015-16 ranked and starts this year No. 39 nationally, while Apple Valley, Minn. saw its run of ranked seasons end last year and starts this year unranked.
The final rankings of the 2018-19 season saw nine teams appear in the rankings that had never done so previously. That number was also nine at the end of the 2016-17 season, while it was 13 at the end of the 2017-18 and 2014-15 seasons, with a staggering 20 debutants in the final 2015-16 rankings.
Who exactly are the candidates to be those teams this season?
An obvious answer would be to look at the preseason Fab 50 to see who has never ended a season ranked. In review of the rankings, there are five teams that fit the bill: No. 24 Stillwater (Minn.), No. 29 Millard South (Neb.), No. 30 St. Joseph Montvale (N.J.), No. 37 Mustang (Okla.), and No. 48 Crescent Valley (Ore.).
However, history tells us that there will be more teams fitting the bill. In addition, previous history about the rankings suggests that there will be a bit of turnover from the preseason rankings to the final rankings published in mid-March. Given the above, below are five teams (alphabetically listed) that might be worth an eye during the upcoming season.
Louisville, Ohio
The Leopards finished eleventh in 2018 and then third at last year's state tournament in Division II, which is Ohio's medium-school division. Located in Stark County, which is home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Louisville has not exactly been on the scholastic wrestling map much over the years; last year's state titles won by Garrett Lautzenheiser and Davin Rhoads were the first for the program since 1986 when Mike Malcuit struck gold at 126 pounds in Class AAA (big-school).
They return five of six state qualifiers from last year, along with 82 of their 85 state tournament points (graduated 285-pound wrestler Riley Brendle scored a pin in consolation). Lautzenheiser (126) and Rhoads (132) return to defend state titles, as do three-time state placer Jax Leonard (170), state medalist Brent Paulus (195), and state qualifier Blake Robbins (220). Augmenting the roster are state alternate Brenden Severs (160), go-to-state match participant Daniel Kennedy (152), plus a pair of middle-weights who were two matches from state last year.
Louisville certainly has the opportunity from a schedule standpoint to get noticed. In December, they will attend the Walsh Jesuit Ironman, North Canton Holiday Tournament (joined by nationally ranked Wadsworth), and Brecksville Holiday Tournament (with six nationally ranked teams); while January's schedule includes the Maumee Bay Classic with a pair of nationally ranked teams in the field.
Notre Dame's Ryan Crookham battling Lucas Byrd in the Walsh Ironman semifinals (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)Notre Dame-Green Pond, Pa.
Quite frankly it's not if, but when this group will appear in the Fab 50 national rankings. This is a team on the rise under the leadership of Matt Veres, who has pedigree as a Blair Academy alumnus and a strong youth/club coaching background in the Lehigh Valley. The Crusaders were third in the PIAA Class AA (small-school, two-class state) individual tournament.
This year, the team returns four of those six wrestlers, three of whom were state placers with the other finishing one match from a state medal. In addition, Notre Dame adds in via transfer Brett Ungar (113), who won a state title last year in New Jersey; while 2018 state qualifier Joshua Bauman (132) is also available after being closed out of last year's lineup.
Returnees from last year's state tournament include state champions Ryan Crookham (126) and Andrew Cerniglia (160), who join Ungar as nationally ranked wrestlers; along with state placer Brandon Chlestos (120) and state qualifier Derek Berlitz (182); while Evan Maag (106) and Holden Garcia (138) have solid potential in the lower-weights.
The Crusaders will be clearly tested during the season and prepared for the postseason path. The schedule includes dual meets in January against Bethlehem Catholic and Bergen Catholic; the Walsh Jesuit Ironman and Beast of the East in December, along with the Trojan Wars tournament (Southern Columbia is in the field); as well as the Escape the Rock Tournament in mid-January.
Skiatook, Okla.
Located about 20 miles northwest of Tulsa, Skiatook won the Class 5A dual team state title and shared the individual tournament title with neighboring Collinsville last season. The Bulldogs return eight of their ten state tournament participants from last season, including seven of nine state medalists. This year's squad is led by a pair of juniors, who have won state titles in both of their scholastic seasons to date: Josh Taylor (138) and Cougar Anderson (160).
Skiatook features three returning state runners-up, Cody Francis (132) and Richie Lee (170) from last season's roster, plus incoming transfer Brody Lee (106/113). Additional returning placers are Tony Johnson (152), Hunter Hall (182), and Devin Wilson (195); while Kyle Bowman (106) qualified for state last year, Cale Glover (145) did so in 2018, and Josie Jernigan (106/113) is a potential medal-winner as a freshman.
The Bulldogs' schedule does not provide the robustness of competition as do the schedules for the two teams profiled previously. Their December tournament is at Wagoner before Christmas, while mid-January tournaments are at Jenks and Carl Albert, with their toughest dual meet coming on Jan. 21 and Collinsville.
Toppenish, Wash.
The Wildcats spent a large chunk of last season, from right before Christmas, within the national rankings; however, they did not appear in the final edition of the Fab 50 national high school team rankings. Located near Yakima, which is southeast of Seattle and pretty close to the Oregon border, Toppenish won its sixth state title in wrestling last season competing in Class 2A.
This year's team returns four state finalists, including a trio of state champions: Horacio Gonzalez, Haiden Drury, and Kyle Romero; Joel Godina was runner-up to Gonzalez this past season at 106 pounds. Also returning as state medalists are Emerique Gonzales, Isaac John, and Terrell Underwood; while Brayan Cruz and Isaias Ramirez were one match from state placement.
From a schedule standpoint, the Wildcats' best chance to put the country on notice will come at the Zinkin Classic hosted by Buchanan (Calif.) right before Christmas, which is where Toppenish made its most notably noise last year. They'll also compete at The Gut Check tournament two weeks later, and event in which No. 1 Blair Academy is making the trip out to compete.
Windsor, Colo.
The Wizards feature a superlative Class of 2020, which includes three returning state champions: Brady Parker (106) plus the nationally ranked Dominick Serrano (132) and Isaiah Salazar (182). Other senior contributors are expected to include 2018 state qualifier Jacob Parker (126), state qualifier Brennan Todd (145), two-time state placer Cody Eaton (160), along with state placers Tristan Perez (170) and Tyler Grasmick (195). Also expected to make a significant contribution is junior Vance Vombaur (138), who was state runner-up in 2018 but missed last year's post-season due to injury.
Four bracket tournaments contested every other weekend from before Christmas through the end of January will provide more than ample measure of Windsor's national ranking potential. The Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament on Dec. 20-21 also features No. 49 Pomona; the Doc Buchanan Invitational is Jan. 3-4, and that field speaks for itself; while Clovis is joining Windsor in the field for the Rockwell Rumble at Utah Valley University on Jan. 17-18; and the Wizards travel to the Rocky Welton Invitational in Kansas two weekends later.
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