Link: InterMat Fab 50 Team Rankings
Link: Josh Lowe Audio Interview
The pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns have left, and the smell of turkey is in the air, the month of November is here, and this means the beginning of the scholastic wrestling season is upon us. In high schools across the country, preparation for the season has begun in earnest. InterMat is here to provide perspective on the upcoming season with national high school rankings.
Five-time defending state champion Apple Valley, MN is ranked No. 1 in the InterMat Fab 50. (Photo/The Guillotine)Starting the season in the top position will be an Apple Valley squad featuring five seniors that have committed to NCAA Division I programs, four of whom are ranked among the Top 100 prospects in the country by InterMat. In addition, the Eagles feature three other squad members that are ranked in the Classes of 2012 and 2013.
The seven wrestlers appearing in the individual rankings are senior Jordan Kingsley (112), junior Dakota Trom (130), senior Matt Kelliher (135), junior Brandon Kingsley (140), senior Destin McCauley (152) -- the top-ranked Class of 2011 wrestler in the nation, senior Steven Keogh (160), and senior Jake Waste (171).
Top 10 Teams in InterMat Fab 50
1. Apple Valley, MN
2. Blair Academy, NJ
3. St. Paris Graham, OH
4, Brandon, FL
5. St. Edward, OH
6. Bakersfield, CA
7. Wisconsin Rapids, WI
8. Wyoming Seminary, PA
9. Simley, MN
10. High Point, NJ
Nipping right on the heels of Apple Valley is perennial powerhouse Blair Academy, New Jersey. The Buccaneers also feature seven wrestlers ranked in the Top 20 of their weight class: freshman Joey McKenna (103), senior Evan Silver (119), senior Caleb Richardson (125), junior Mark Grey (130), junior Robbie Preston (135), senior Austin Ormsbee (140), and sophomore Brooks Black (285). A pair of these wrestlers -- Silver and Ormsbee -- is ranked first in the country at their respective weight class.
1. Apple Valley, MN
2. Blair Academy, NJ
3. St. Paris Graham, OH
4, Brandon, FL
5. St. Edward, OH
6. Bakersfield, CA
7. Wisconsin Rapids, WI
8. Wyoming Seminary, PA
9. Simley, MN
10. High Point, NJ
Ranked third in the country is perennial power St. Paris Graham, Ohio, which has strung together a decade of dominance in which they have won the state tournament every year and doubled the next best in the standings on half of those occasions. The Falcon squad features six wrestlers ranked in their weight class: junior Ryan Taylor (112), senior Nick Brascetta (140), sophomore Bo Jordan (145), senior Matt Stephens (152), senior Kyle Ryan (171), and junior Huston Evans (189). Two others are not ranked in their weight class, but are ranked in the Classes of 2014 and 2012 respectively -- Micah (119) and Isaac (160) Jordan.
Tyler Liberatore (Brandon, FL) defeated Matt Kelliher (Apple Valley, MN) to win the Junior National freestyle competition. Liberatore begins the season ranked No. 6 at 135 pounds, while Kelliher is ranked No. 7 in the same weight class (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Testing yourself outside of the season in major, competitively relevant platforms -- and performing at a high level in these opportunities -- is a key element in growing as a wrestler, as well as a common thread among the majority of those in the national rankings. This is in particular the case for wrestlers towards the top, and at the top, of the national rankings.
Below is a profile of each of the top-ranked wrestlers in the country.
103: Darian Cruz, sophomore, Bethlehem Catholic, Pennsylvania. Cadet National freestyle runner-up at 98 pounds, and Super32 champion at 103 pounds.
112: Anthony Ashnault, sophomore, South Plainfield, New Jersey. Undefeated state champion at 103 pounds and Cadet National double All-American at 105 pounds. Super32 champion at 112 pounds with five consecutive victories over state champions, the last three against nationally ranked opposition.
119: Evan Silver, senior, Blair Academy, New Jersey. Three-time National Prep champion, undefeated in the 2009-10 season at 112 pounds, and Junior National freestyle runner-up at 112 pounds.
125: Nico Megaludis, senior, Franklin Regional, Pennsylvania. Two-time state champion, who seeks to become only the third ever four-time Powerade champion this coming December, and also was a Junior National freestyle runner-up at 119 pounds in 2009.
130: Jesse Thielke, senior, Germantown, Wisconsin. Three-time state champion, FILA Junior Greco-Roman world team representative the last two summers, and two-time Cadet National double All-American (Greco champion in both years at 98 and 112 pounds respectively). Dominant champion of a 130 pound weight class at the Preseason Nationals that featured four other ranked wrestlers.
135: Hunter Stieber, senior, Monroeville, Ohio. Three-time state champion and Walsh Ironman finalist (champion as a freshman), 17-0 the last two summers at the Junior National Duals in freestyle, and two-time Cadet National freestyle finalist (champion in 2007 at 98 pounds, runner-up in 2008 at 112 pounds).
140: Austin Ormsbee, senior, Blair Academy, New Jersey. Three-time National Prep champion and was Junior National freestyle champion this past summer at 135 pounds.
145: Alex Dieringer, senior, Port Washington, Wisconsin. Three-time state finalist (champ as freshman and junior) and three-time double All-American in Fargo with no finish below third in six tournaments. In this calendar year, he has USA Wrestling national title in Junior National freestyle and folkstyle as well as at the Preseason Nationals -- all at 145 pounds.
152: Destin McCauley, senior, Apple Valley, Minnesota. Heads into this season with a 238-7 career record, as he seeks a sixth state final appearance, only failing to win the title as a sophomore. Has finished in the top three in all four of his Fargo appearances in freestyle, with a Cadet title at 135 pounds in 2008 and a Junior title at 152 this past summer.
160: Bryce Hammond, senior, Bakersfield, California. State champion this past season at 160 pounds, after finishing fourth at state as a sophomore at 152 pounds. His off-season performances include a NHSCA Sophomore Nationals championship at 152 pounds, and a Cadet National freestyle runner-up finish in 2008 at 152.
171: Logan Storley, senior, Webster, South Dakota. Seeks to join only one other wrestler in state history to stand atop the podium six times at the state tournament this coming February. Heads into his senior season coming off a superlative off-season that included a Junior National freestyle championship, NHSCA Junior Nationals championship, and Disney Duals district division gold medal.
189: Morgan McIntosh, senior, Calvary Chapel, California. The two-time state champion was a Junior National freestyle champion and FloNationals champion at 189 pounds since the completion of the high school season. In addition, McIntosh finished third at the FILA Junior Nationals in freestyle this spring at 185 pounds and was a double Cadet National runner-up in 2008 at 189 pounds.
215: Andrew Campolattano, senior, Bound Brook, New Jersey. In position to become only the second four-time state champion in New Jersey history. Though a verbal commit to Rutgers in football, he has a strong history of offseason success with a Junior National Greco-Roman title in 2009 at 189 pounds as well as earning a Cadet double in 2008 at 189 pounds.
285: Cody Krumwiede, senior, Waverly-Shell Rock, Iowa. State champion the past two years at 215 pounds after finishing sixth as a freshman in the same weight class. The Junior National freestyle runner-up at 215 pounds this summer bookended that performance with USA Wrestling national titles in Junior National folkstyle and at the Preseason Nationals over the course of the off-season.
In surveying the national landscape, there is terrific diversity yet certain states show dominance. The teams in the InterMat Fab 50 come from 17 different states, while 35 states populate the individual weight class rankings.
Teams and wrestlers from Pennsylvania dominate the national rankings. Seven teams and 37 wrestlers (including a pair in the No. 1 position) come from the Keystone State. Two states follow Pennsylvania with five teams each in the rankings -- Illinois and New Jersey. A trio of states -- California, Minnesota, and Ohio -- features four of their programs in the Fab 50. Another trio -- Florida, Iowa, and Oklahoma -- have three schools in the rankings. Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, and Virginia have a pair of programs in the rankings, while the rankings are rounded out by single programs from Georgia, Nebraska, Texas, and Wisconsin.
On the individual side, the Land of Lincoln is the leader of the rest of the pack. Coming off of an absolutely dominant offseason from its USA Wrestling program, 27 wrestlers from Illinois are among the Top 20 in their respective weight classes. California and Ohio with 24 wrestlers each ranked, and New Jersey with 19 wrestlers ranked round out the top five states. The following are the totals of ranked wrestlers for the remaining 30 states that have a ranked wrestler:
19 -- NJ, 17 -- IA, 15 -- MN, 13 -- FL,12 -- MI, 11 -- NY, 9 -- MO, OK, 7 -- VA, 6 -- IN, WI, 5 -- OR, 4 -- MD, WA, 3 -- CO, GA, KS, NE, SD, 2 -- ID, KY, MT, TX, 1 -- DE, LA, MA, NC, TN, UT, WV, WY
The unveiling of the preseason national rankings is only the beginning of a season of comprehensive national high school coverage. Look for weekly notebook articles that analyze the landscape every Wednesday throughout the season. The national team rankings will be updated seven times during the course of the season on a bi-weekly basis starting December 8, with the eighth and final rankings projected for March 23, 2011. Weight class rankings will be updated twice during the season, once after all the state tournaments, and the season-end rankings will be published in April. Finally, the graduating class rankings will be updated at the end of this month, once during the season, and then accompanying the season-end rankings.
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