Short-handed Blair still wins 15th straight Beast of the East title
Despite being without the services of No. 7 Charles Tucker (132), No. 3 Mason Manville (160), and No. 7 Brandon Dallavia (170), No. 3 Blair Academy, N.J. had more than enough to win yet another Beast of the East title. The Buccaneers scored 203 points, led by the pair of titles won by No. 3 Matthew Kolodzik (138) and No. 3 Jordan Kutler (152). Seven other wrestlers earned a placement finish.
Runner-up honors went to Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. with a very impressive tournament in their own right. The Hawks were led by weight class champions No. 12 Luke Karam (126) and No. 5 Andrew Dunn (220); Karam was unranked headed into the tournament, and earned Oustanding Wrestler honors with his performance, while Dunn moved up six spots in the rankings after his title. Three other wrestlers earned placement finishes, as they scored 152 points. They moved up eight spots in the Fab50 to No. 14 nationally.
Impressive performances at the Beast of the East from Pennridge, Pa. and DePaul Catholic, N.J. earned them debut appearances in the Fab50 for 2014-15 at No. 48 and No. 44 respectively.
Link: Results
Short-handed OPRF still shines at the tough Rex Whitlach
Even absent three starters -- No. 4 Larry Early (145), returning state placer Gabe Townsell (126), and state qualifier Allen Stallings (220) -- No. 2 in the nation Oak Park River Forest, Ill. still had a sizzling performance at the Rex Whitlach Invitational hosted by Hinsdale Central, Ill. The Huskies had five champions and five third place finishers on the way to 294 points and a tournament championship. Winning titles were No. 4 Jason Renteria (113), No. 16 Alex Madrigal (120), No. 1 Isaiah White (152), No. 17 Matthew Rundell (160), and No. 6 Kamal Bey; admittedly the replacement 145 for OPRF was among the third place finishers.
Runner-up in the tournament with 243 points was Carl Sandburg, Ill. The Eagles jumped into the Fab50 this week at No. 42 on the strength of this performance. They were anchored by Rudy Yates (126), who was their sole champion. Three other wrestlers each finished second and third -- Louie Hayes (106), Brian Krasowski (170), and Patrick Brucki (182) were runners-up; while Robbie Precin (113), Tom Slattery (160), and Cole Bateman (195) finished third. Thirteen wrestlers in all placed, which was joint most with OPRF in the tournament.
Third in the standings was No. 9 Montini Catholic, Ill. with 208 points. The Broncos were led by four weight class champions -- No. 10 (at 126) Dylan Duncan up at 132 pounds, No. 9 (at 138) Vincent Turk up at 145, No. 5 Xavier Montalvo at 182, and Real Woods at 106. The title won by Woods came with victories over nationally ranked Anthony Madrigal (Oak Park River Forest) in the semifinal and previously nationally ranked Louie Hayes (Carl Sandburg) in the final; as a result, Woods is now ranked No. 19 nationally. Runner-up finishes for Montini Catholic came from Jimmy Pawleski at 126 and No. 17 (at 152) Luke Fortuna up at 160. No. 1 Michael Johnson is still absent from the lineup at 285 pounds.
Link: Results
Pair of Ohio tournaments to provide stern tests
While the Walsh Ironman is considered the best in-season tournament in the whole country, a pair of traditional tournaments held between Christmas and New Year's Day hold the position as "best of the rest" for in-season competition in Ohio. Five of Ohio's six Fab50 teams will be at these two tournaments. On a year-to-year basis, schools in these two tournaments produce more than one-third of the wrestlers who qualify for the OHSAA state wrestling tournament.
The Medina Invitational celebrates its 40th edition on Saturday and Sunday. Its field is anchored by No. 20 St. Edward and No. 22 Massillon Perry. Additional credentialed teams in the field are Claymont and Richmond (Mich.), who both finished as state runners-up last year, along with state champion Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.). Schools in the field possess the following nationally ranked wrestlers:
113: No. 10 Jaden Mattox (Grove City Central Crossing), No. 18 Noah Baughman (Wadsworth), No. 20 Allan Hart (St. Edward)
120: No. 13 Tyler Warner (Claymont)
126: No. 13 Jose Rodriguez (Massillon Perry)
152: No. 6 Myles Amine (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.)
160: No. 9 Devin Skatzka (Richmond, Mich.)
182: No. 12 Kollin Moore (Norwayne)
The Brecksville Holiday Invitatonal celebrates its 54th edition on Monday and Tuesday. Three nationally ranked teams are in the field -- No. 32 Delta, No. 37 Brecksville, and No. 43 Elyria. Three other credentialed teams in the field all finished as state runners-up last year: Davison (Mich.), Dayton Christian, and Perrysburg. Schools in the field possess the following nationally ranked wrestlers:
106: No. 9 Drew Mattin (Delta)
113: No. 16 Tommy Hoskins (Dayton Christian)
120: No. 12 Devin Schroder (Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Mich.)
126: No. 8 Austin Assad (Brecksville)
132: No. 10 Lincoln Olson (Davison, Mich.)
138: No. 6 Nate Limmex (Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Mich.), No. 19 Richie Screptock (Oregon Clay)
145: No. 13 Wade Hodges (Wauseon)
152: No. 20 Kade Kowalski (Tri-Valley)
182: No. 7 Ben Darmstadt (Elyria)
195: No. 15 Matt Stencel (Oregon Clay)
285: No. 5 Kevin Vough (Elyria), No. 11 Cale Bonner (Perrysburg)
Apple Valley outlasts challengers to take home Minnesota Christmas Tournament title
Though the three teams immediately behind in the standings had more overall placers, it was No. 17 Apple Valley, Minn. which came up with the tournament championship. The Eagles scored 188 points on the strength of six placers, all of whom finished in the top four. They were anchored by weight class titles earned by Kyle Rathman (113), No. 1 Mark Hall (170), and No. 19 Gable Steveson (220). Finishing as runner-up was Bobby Steveson (195), who lost to Lance Benick (Totino Grace, Minn.) by 3-2 decision in the final; Benick moved up from No. 3 to No. 1 with that victory, while Steveson dropped to No. 2 from No. 1.
Runner-up in the standings was No. 26 St. Michael-Albertville, Minn. with 170-1/2 points, led by a tournament high eight placers. However, the Knights only had two finalists -- No. 2 Mitch McKee (126) finished first, while Jordan Joseph (182) earned second. Other placers finished third, fourth, fifth (two wrestlers), seventh, and eighth. Finishing third in the tournament was No. 39 Kaukauna, Wis. with 164 points. The Ghosts were led by a pair of weight class champions in Tres Leon (132) and No. 16 Robert Lee (138), along with five other placers -- those wrestlers finishing third, fourth, seventh (two wrestlers), and eighth.
In addition to the Steveson/Benick final, at least four other finals at the Christmas Tournament featured the top-ranked wrestler from two different Minnesota state tournament classifications going against one another. At 145 pounds, No. 6 Griffin Parriott (New Prague) defeated No. 12 James Pleski (St. Francis) 3-1; No. 13 Andrew Fogarty (Scott West) upended Paden Moore (Jackson County Central) 5-3 in overtime at 160; No. 1 Mark Hall (Apple Valley) beat No. 17 Luke Norland (Jackson County Central) by 11-2 major decision at 170; while No. 4 Keegan Moore (Jackson County Central) earned a 3-2 victory over Jordan Joseph (St. Michael-Albertville) at 182.
Link: Results
Archer repeats as KC Stampede champions
There are people out there who cast aspersions when they see a Georgia team ranked inside the top ten of the country. However, for a second straight year, Archer traveled to the Kansas City Stampede and stood out on top of a 40-team field that included four other nationally ranked teams and a slew of nationally ranked individuals. The sixth-ranked Tigers scored 593 points, led by five top three finishers, three others that placed fifth (best possible finish for a loser prior to the semifinal), and had three others make the upper-bracket (top 16).
Elliott Lee (220) was the lone champion for Archer, No. 16 Daniel Bullard (170) and Jacob Lill (285) finished as runners-up, with Grant Aycox (138) and No. 14 Thomas Bullard (160) finishing third. The team was without star sophomore Quinn Miller at 195 pounds, as the NHSCA Freshman Nationals champion transitions back from football.
The next four teams in the standings were No. 21 Neosho, Mo. (536), No. 13 Stillwater, Okla. (515-1/2), No. 23 Tuttle, Okla. (451-1/2), and No. 24 Bettendorf (432-1/2). Even though Kyler Rea was the lone finalist for Neosho, runner-up at 138 pounds, the Wildcats' squad depth and balance ruled the day. Thirteen wrestlers advanced to the upper bracket (most in the tournament), with eight in total earning a top eight position (joint most); those top eight placements were a pair in fourth, a pair in fifth, a pair in sixth, and one in eighth to augment the runner-up from Rea.
The three titles won by Stillwater wrestlers No. 3 Kaid Brock (132), No. 6 Joe Smith (160), and Tyler Dieringer (182) was most in the tournament. However, the Pioneers only had six other upper-bracket wrestlers, all finishing in the top nine: No. 8 Tristan Moran (145) in third, one in fifth, one in seventh, two in eighth, and one in ninth. Bettendorf had a tournament-high five finalists, Jack Wagner (113) and No. 2 Fredy Stroker (145) won titles; while Jacob Schwarm (120), Jacob Woodard (152), and No. 10 Dayton Racer (160) earned runner-up finishes. However, the Bulldogs were hurt by only having two other wrestlers make it to the upper-bracket.
A highlight individual performance came from Colston DiBlasi (Park Hill, Mo.) at 170 pounds, as he won the weight class with a pair of victories over nationally ranked wrestlers in the semifinal and final; a pin at 3:53 over No. 15 Isaiah Patton (Dowling Catholic, Iowa), which was his sixth of the tournament and first not in the first period, before a 4-2 decision over No. 16 Daniel Bullard (Archer, Ga.) in the final. DiBlasi jumps into the rankings at No. 14 nationally this week.
Link: Results
Blair Academy gauntlet continues with dual meet at St. Peter's Prep
After competing at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman and Beast of the East, which are the nation's two best in-season tournaments, the last two weekends -- No. 3 Blair Academy, N.J. travels to No. 19 St. Peter's Prep, N.J.) for a dual meet on Saturday. The following weekends feature a home dual meet against No. 1 St. Paris Graham (Ohio), a trip to Oklahoma for the Geary Invitational, multiple dual meets against ranked teams from New Jersey, a dual meet at No. 20 St. Edward (Ohio), and three top 25 opponents in a quad at No. 12 Bergen Catholic (N.J.)
Below are the projected lineups for Saturday's matchup
106: Matthew Vinci (Blair) vs. Michael Simonetti (St. Peter's Prep)
113: Zach Sherman vs. No. 19 Alec Kelly -- Kelly beat Sherman 8-4 for third place at the Beast of the East
120: Require van der Merwe vs. Matthew Russo -- van der Merwe was third at National Preps last year
126: Andrew Monahan/Andrew Merola vs. Nicholas Santos -- if Merola is the starter, he's one of the better freshmen nationally; while Santos was a state alternate last year as a freshman
132: No. 7 Charles Tucker vs. Sonny Simonetti -- Tucker was a Junior National freestyle runner-up; Simonetti did not make the state tournament last year, but placed seventh at the Beast
138: No. 3 Matthew Kolodzik vs. Connor Burkert -- Kolodzik won the Beast of the East last weekend, after finishing second the previous two years; Burkert is a two-time state placer, but failed to place at the Beast this past weekend
145: Michael Monica vs. Ryan Burkert -- Monica beat two-time state placer Burkert by 2-1 score in the quarterfinals at the Beast, and Burkert lost his next match to not place in the tournament
152: No. 3 Jordan Kutler vs. Manny Ramirez -- Kutler, a Junior National freestyle All-American, won the Beast of the East; while state qualifier Ramirez was two matches from placement
160: No. 3 Mason Manville vs. Stephen Kellner -- Manville is a two-time National Prep runner-up, Kellner has yet to make a state tournament; Kellner failed to place at the Beast, while Manville's backup did
170: No. 7 Brandon Dallavia vs. Dan Sblendorio -- Dallavia was a Cadet National freestyle champion this summer
182: No. 13 Chase Singletary vs. Luke Leonard -- Singletary placed third at the Beast of the East, while Leonard went two-and-out
195: Neil Putnam vs. Dean Helstowski -- Putnam is a National Prep placer, while Helstowski qualified for state last season
220: No. 11 David Showunmi vs. No. 12 Christian Colucci -- Showunmi upended Colucci by 3-2 decision in the third place match at the Beast of the East
285: forfeit vs. Jose Palomino -- Palomino placed eighth at state in 2013
Poway repeats as champion at Reno TOC
For the second straight year, No. 15 Poway, Calif. earned the title at the Reno Tournament of Champions in impressive fashion. Winning weight class titles for the Titans were No. 20 Colt Doyle (170) and Liam Sorahan, while Andrew Tausch (182) earned a runner-up finish after an upset victory over nationally ranked Jacob Armstrong (Salem Hills, Utah) in the quarterfinal round. Five additional wrestlers placed for Poway (two in 4th, one in 6th, two in 7th), which amassed 209 points.
Finishing as runner-up was No. 38 Mesa Mountain View, Ariz. with 168 points. They had five podium finishers, led by the runner-up finish of Blake Monty (152). Other placers took third, seventh, and a pair in eighth. Third in the team standings was No. 31 Crook County, Ore. with 167 points, and they did it without their best wrestler -- FloNationals placer Collbran Meeker (160) in the lineup. Leading their four medalists were a pair of runner-up finishes coming from Gunner Roberts (195) and Trevor Rasmussen 285); additional wrestlers placed sixth and seventh.
Among the highlight weight class winners were No. 3 Roman Bravo-Young (Sunnsyide, Ariz.) at 106 pounds, No. 11 Ian Timmins (Wooster, Nev.) at 113, No. 14 Taylor LaMont (Maple Mountain, Utah) at 126, No. 12 Richard Montoya (Robertson, N.M.) at 132, No. 15 Alex Rich (Crescent Valley, Ore.) at 138, and No. 18 Bryce Parson (Lewiston, Idaho) at 145.
Link: Brackets
Link: Team Scores
Bethlehem Holiday Classic
No. 4 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. will be after a repeat title at the Bethlehem Holiday Classic hosted by Liberty High School in the Lehigh Valley. The 26-team field features another pair of nationally ranked teams in No. 28 Phillipsburg, N.J. and No. 48 Pennridge, Pa. Other notables in the field include perennial Lehigh Valley powers Nazareth and Northampton, as well as past Pennsylvania Class AAA state champion Central Dauphin.
Link: Event Website
Quick hitters
No. 5 Clovis, Calif. traveled to No. 10 Buchanan, Calif. for the Zinkin Classic this past weekend, and it was those two teams battling it out nip-and-tuck for the championship. The visiting Cougars ended up with 330-1/2 points to the host Bears' 307. Clovis starters won eight weight class titles, one Clovis backup won a weight class title, while the other five weights were won by Buchanan starters. The dual meet between the two teams at the end of next month should be very interesting.
Even absent No. 14 Lucas Warren at 220 pounds, No. 18 Marmion Academy, Ill. won the Dvorak Invitational earlier this week by thirty points over Glenbard North, Ill. (221.5 to 191.5). The Cadets were led by weight class champions Riley DeMoss (170) and No. 8 Nathan Traxler (182). Eight additional wrestlers earned placement finishes, including four taking third place -- Jake Polka (126), A.J. Jaffe (132), Michael Callahan (145), and Trace Carello (160). Other highlight Dvorak champions were No. 13 Zack Donathan (Mason, Ohio) at 106, No. 5 Austin Gomez (Glenbard North, Ill.) at 113, No. 19 Austin O'Connor (St. Rita, Ill.) at 132, and No. 7 Andrew Marsden (Crystal Lake Central, Ill.) at 195.
Newcomers to the Fab50 this week include No. 42 Carl Sandburg (Ill.), No. 44 DePaul Catholic (N.J.), and No. 48 Pennridge, Pa. due to their performances noted earlier in the column this past weekend. Joining them as debutants are No. 45 Brighton, Mich. and No. 50 Post Falls, Idaho; Brighton beat previously ranked Dundee, Mich. 38-22 eight days ago, while Post Falls won the Tri-State Invitational this past weekend. To check out where all the Fab50 teams compete over the next two weekends, click here.
Powerade
An event specific preview for the prestigious Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament will be posted over the weekend. Five nationally ranked teams are among the record number 48 teams taking part in the event to be held at Canon-McMillan, which is south of Pittsburgh. Those ranked teams are No. 6 Archer (Ga.), No. 8 Franklin Regional (Pa.), No. 10 Buchanan (Calif.), No. 33 Belle Vernon (Pa.), and No. 36 Greater Latrobe (Pa.). In addition four top ranked wrestlers in their weight class are slated to compete: Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, Pa.) at 120 pounds, A.C. Headlee (Waynesburg, Pa.) at 132, Sam Krivus (Hempfield Area, Pa.) at 138, and Michael Kemerer (Franklin Regional, Pa.) at 145.
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