Blair's Owen Trephan edged Wyoming Seminary's Jacob Kaminski at the Walsh Ironman (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)National Prep powers Blair Academy (N.J.) and Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) are among the programs that set the standard when it comes to success in high school wrestling across the country. And yes that is across the country. Both programs in this dual are operating as "equals" as each has the ability to draw upon a national footprint as boarding schools.
Over the previous eight seasons, Blair has six national championships and has never finished below third nationally; Wyoming Seminary has been inside the top eleven in all of those seasons and finished second to Blair twice (2013, 2016). In the course of Blair's 2017 national title season, Wyoming Seminary upset Blair 31-27; while the year before Wyoming Seminary came into the dual meet ranked No. 1 nationally when Blair upended the Blue Knights 35-20.
These two schools enter Friday night's dual meet as the clear No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country. At both the Walsh Ironman and Beast of the East, Blair Academy was the clear and decisive champion with Wyoming Seminary second but also clearly ahead of the rest of the field. Even considering the loss(es) in personnel for Blair and the gain made by Wyoming Seminary, the hypothetical tournament margin would still tilt to Blair by an absurd amount.
Within the last ten days, No. 1 Blair Academy has had two of their best wrestlers leave the school, Anthony and A.J. Ferrari. Anthony was runner-up at the Beast of the East in the 113-pound weight class, while A.J. -- ranked first overall in the Class of 2020 -- was champion at both the Walsh Ironman and Beast of the East in the 195-pound weight class. The Buccaneers have junior Ryan Miller as a more than capable substitute at 113, he was third at the Walsh Ironman, while the 195-pound weight class is much more of an issue.
No. 2 Wyoming Seminary welcomed back No. 8 Jonathon Miers to the lineup last weekend at the Who's Number One Duals to compete in the 138-pound weight class. The Blue Knights' 138 at the two major tournaments in December (Lincoln Heck) was 1-2 at the Ironman and two matches from placing at the Beast, so Miers is a significant upgrade.
Below are the projected lineups for each team, along with corresponding matchups for the dual meet to be held Friday night on the campus of Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, Pa.
106: Daniel Wask (Blair Academy) vs. Nick Fea (Wyoming Seminary)
Both freshmen entered high school with robust resumes, though Fea was expected to be the stronger performer. However, that script has been flipped during the course of this season. Wask has titles at the Beast of the East and Geary Invitational to go with an eighth place finish at the Walsh Ironman, while Fea went 1-2 at the Ironman after failing to make the second day of the Super 32 Challenge during the preseason.
113: No. 7 Ryan Miller (B) vs. No. 5 Troy Spratley (WS)
The junior Miller placed fifth at the Walsh Ironman with a pair of wins over nationally ranked opponents, while Spratley placed third; Spratley beat Tim Levine (St. John Bosco, Calif.) twice, while Levine was Miller's loss in consolation. Spratley also placed fourth at the Beast of the East, including a semifinal loss by fall to Ferrari.
120: No. 8 Trevor Mastrogiovanni (B) vs. No. 11 Lachlan McNeil/Zeke Escalera (WS)
The junior Mastrogiovanni was champion at the Walsh Ironman and seventh at the Beast of the East, while fellow junior McNeil was fourth at the Ironman and sixth at the Beast. This past weekend, Mastrogiovanni was upset by now No. 17 Joey Cruz (Clovis North, Calif.) losing 3-2 in the tiebreaker, while McNeil beat Cruz 7-2. The Blue Knights also have the option of inserting sophomore Escalera, who was champion at National Preps last year, upsetting Colaiocco in the final (Colaiocco beat him in the dual meet); this season he was runner-up to No. 6 Ryan Jack (Danbury, Ct.) at Eastern States last week in the 126 weight class.
126: No. 1 Michael Colaiocco (B) vs. No. 15 Drew Munch/Escalera (WS)
The senior Colaiocco was a Junior National freestyle champion this summer in Fargo. The 2016 National Prep champion finished as runner-up at the Ironman this season before winning titles at the Beast and Geary. The junior Munch was champion at National Preps in 2017, while this season placed sixth at the Ironman and seventh at the Beast. Last Saturday against common opponent, No. 14 Devin Murphy (Clovis North, Calif.), Colaiocco won 14-5 while Munch lost 5-4.
132: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (B) vs. No. 7 Beau Bartlett (WS)
Though Van Ness is in the middle arguably the most impressive stretch of high school wrestling in a long time, there have been some close bouts along the way; however, much of that is due to the quality of opposition he has been facing. The sophomore Van Ness won the preseason Super 32 Challenge (at 126), and has in-season titles at the Ironman, Beast, and Geary. Two-time National Prep champion Bartlett is a junior and was runner-up at the Super 32 before fifth at both Ironman and the Beast. In head-on match this season, Van Ness beat Bartlett 5-1 in the Beast semis; against a common opponent this past Saturday, No. 15 Ryan Franco (Clovis North, Calif.), Van Ness won 8-2 and Bartlett won 5-2.
138: No. 5 Travis Mastrogiovanni (B) vs. No. 8 Jonathon Miers (WS)
Mastrogiovanni was runner-up at National Preps last year as a freshman and a Cadet National freestyle champion over the summer. This season he was third up at 145 in the Ironman before taking second at the Beast at this weight class. Last year competing for Easton (Pa.) as a sophomore, Miers placed at the state tournament in the 132 weight class and went undefeated at the Disney Duals this summer.
145: Josh Gobencion (B) vs. Connor Kievman (WS)
This weight class is one of the few holes in the Blair Academy lineup, as Gobencion came into the lineup when Travis Mastrogiovanni dropped to 138 after the injury to three-time National Prep placer Mike Madara, which happened between the Ironman and the Beast. On the season, Gobencion was 1-2 at the Beast before placing at Geary. One could also see Blair choose to insert three-time National Prep champion Chris Cannon (if healthy) either here or the weight class below (bumping Travis M. here). For the Blue Knights, the junior Kievman was a National Prep champion last year; this season he was 1-2 at the Ironman before placing fourth at the Beast with both losses coming to nationally ranked opposition.
152: Nick Incontera (B) vs. Benny Baker (WS)
The senior Incontera placed fifth at the 2017 National Prep tournament before being closed out of the lineup last season. He placed fourth at the Ironman and third at the Beast, including a 1-0 win over Baker in the consolation semifinal of the Ironman. Fellow senior Baker is a three-time National Prep placer, while this season he placed sixth at the Ironman and was quarterfinalist but failed to place at the Beast.
160: No. 15 Dominic Mata (B) vs. Owen Davis (WS)
Last year a California state champion at Poway, the junior Mata has performed below his preseason projection in placing fourth at the Ironman, winning the Beast, and losing in the semifinals at Geary. Mata lost via disqualification in the consolation semifinals at Geary, and had to sit out the Who's Number One Duals due to the flagrant misconduct; should he beat out again this week, freshman Rylan Rogers would be the starter, he was a Cadet freestyle All-American this summer. The senior Davis went 0-2 at the Ironman, losing to Mata 5-2 in the opening round, and was two matches from placing at the Beast.
170: No. 2 Julian Ramirez (B) vs. Jake Stefanowicz (WS)
The senior Ramirez has titles at the Beast and Geary (over No. 3 Dustin Plott) to his credit, while finishing runner-up at the Ironman to national No. 1 Carson Kharchla (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio). Fellow senior Stefanowicz was a double Junior National All-American this summer in Fargo; he placed sixth at the Ironman and third at the Beast.
182: No. 14 Peyton Craft (B) vs. No. 8 Darrien Roberts (WS)
The sophomore Craft placed fourth last year at National Preps competing up at 195 pounds. This season he was seventh at the Ironman and fifth at the Beast, before winning a title at Geary. The senior Roberts was runner-up at National Preps in this weight class last year, and won an Ironman title earlier this season before taking fourth at the Beast. Given Blair's personnel "situation" at 195, it would not shock me to see them "absorb" this match and put Craft at 195 for a better chance at winning.
195: Sanoussi Kane (B) vs. Michael Doggett (WS)
Kane was the wrestler called in to replace A.J. Ferrari last weekend at the Who's Number One Duals in this weight class. The senior Doggett was runner-up at National Preps last year up a weight class at 220. This season Doggett took sixth at the Ironman and fifth at the Beast.
220: No. 2 Owen Trephan (B) vs. No. 9 Jacob Kaminski (WS)
The senior Trephan was a National Prep champion last year in this weight class, after making the state finals the previous two years in South Carolina. On the season, he has titles at the Ironman, Beast, and Geary to his credit. The junior Kaminski was a state champion in Illinois at Oak Park Fenwick last year at 195 pounds and a Cadet World bronze medalist in Greco-Roman over the summer. On the season, he placed third at both the Ironman and Beast, including a 12-8 overtime loss to Trephan in the semifinals of the Ironman.
285: Elijah Anthony (B) vs. Nate Miller (WS)
The junior Anthony did not place at the Ironman or Beast, but was fourth at Geary. The sophomore Miller did not qualify for state last year while competing for Pequea Valley, a Class AA school in Pennsylvania. This season he went 2-2 at the Ironman before taking fifth at the Beast.
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