On a Saturday in which their high school football team won a Division 5A-1 state football title in Texas, those on the No. 13 Allen wrestling team competed in the second day of the Zinkin Classic hosted by Buchanan High School just outside of Fresno, Calif. Despite being short-handed, with state placer Stone Drulman as well as nationally ranked wrestlers Oliver Pierce and Nick Cobb making key contributions to that state football title, the rest of the Eagles finished in second place with 192 points.
Winning the tournament was No. 12 Clovis, Calif., with 266-1/2 points. They had three titles coming from Tristan Gilliand (106), Jonas Gayton (126), and No. 3 Nick Nevills (285); runner-up finishes from Hexton Coronado (220) and Adrian Salas (182), who fell out of the rankings after his 7-2 loss to now No. 19 Ryder Newman (Green Valley, Nev.); two others finished third, another in fifth, and two more took eighth. In addition, the Cougars were without state placer Jason Ladd at 145.
Second place Allen was led by No. 3 Bo Nickal (160), who took second place suffering a 14-8 defeat to No. 2 Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.) in the finals. A.J. Hinkle (145) and Matt Meyer (182) earned third place finishes, another pair was fourth, another pair was seventh, and a single wrestler took eighth. When one nets out the three missing for Allen and the one for Clovis, the margin would be rather close as the team ranking positions would suggest.
Other ranked outcomes in the event included No. 14 Javier Gasca (Kinsburg, Calif.) with a title at 132 pounds, and Christian Pagdilao (Santiago Corona, Calif.) upending No. 20 Nikko Villarreal (Gilroy, Calif.) 4-2 at 145. Also notable was the championship at 113 for Sean Cannon, which made Green Valley, Nev. the only team other than Clovis to have multiple champions. That squad finished third with 173-1/2 points.
Medina Invitational hosts three top 15 teams on Friday and Saturday
Three of the nation's best 15 teams will convene as part of a 40-team field in Medina, Ohio for the 38th annual Medina Invitational Tournament. Defending tournament champion Detroit Catholic Central, Mich. is ranked No. 11; No. 3 St. Edward, Ohio won the two previous years, while No. 15 Massillon Perry, Ohio has been runner-up each of the last three years.
Eleven nationally ranked wrestlers are in the tournament, with the 195 pound weight featuring both No. 16 Josh Lehner (Lexington, Ohio) and No. 20 Joe Tayse (Massillon Perry, Ohio). Eight wrestlers, including Tayse, have won this tournament previously. A potential battle of returning champions could happen at 120 pounds with No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio) and David Bavery (Massillon Perry, Ohio) both in the weight class.
Separate coverages -- the week ahead, and the week that was
No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J., was absolutely dominant at the Beast of the East placing 12 wrestlers and scoring 309 points on the way to their 13th title in a row at the tournament. The second and third place teams combined for 301 points and 12 placers, with No. 2 Wyoming Seminary, Pa (157) and No. 15 Massillon Perry, Ohio (144) having six placers each. Outstanding Wrestler honors went to No. 5 Alfred Bannister, the champion at 138 pounds, who had a pin in the finals.
One of two true showcase individual matchups, outside of those at the Beast of the East, this weekend happened at the Dvorak Memorial where No. 2 Bryce Brill (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) upended No. 3 Edgar Bright (St. Edward, Ohio) 2-0 with a takedown in the first period. The two 145 pound wrestlers traded ride-outs in the second and third period. With four champions, No. 3 St. Edward, Ohio upended No. 10 Montini Catholic, Ill. 265-1/2 to 230-1/2 for the team title. Outstanding Wrestler honors went to No. 7 Josh Alber (Dakota, Ill.), who defeated No. 8 Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy, Ill.) 3-2 in a battle of two-time state champions.
Come Friday and Saturday, the POWERade is likely to feature a showdown between the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 170 pound wrestlers. Career undefeated Chance Marsteller (Kennard Dale, Pa.), only a junior, and senior Cody Wiercioch (Canon-McMillan, Pa.), already a three-time state finalist, are projected to be here. Both wrestlers are after a third title in this event. A separate preview for this tournament will be posted tomorrow.
Also Friday and Saturday is the Clash XI National High School Wrestling Duals with 13 nationally ranked teams in the field, including eight inside the top 20. Friday's competition involves four eight-team brackets to set up Saturday's eight four-team round-robins that are based on placement in the Friday brackets. Competition in these dual meets is extremely fierce with many excellent individual matchups. A preview for the event will be posted tomorrow.
Brandon over Pope for Kyle Maynard Duals title, both preparing for The Clash
The Kyle Maynard Duals were hosted by Collins Hill, Ga., on Saturday with No. 7 Brandon, Fla., upending No. 50 Pope, Ga. 46-22 in the championship match. Neither the Eagles nor Bulldogs were challenged in four dual meets prior to the championship final; Brandon's closes dual meet was a 58-12 semifinal victory over North Gwinnett, Ga., while Pope's closes was a 51-15 victory over Holy Innocents, Ga. in the quarterfinal. The match of the day had No. 3 Brooks Climmons (Pope, Ga.) defeat No. 18 Chip Ness (Buford, Ga.) 6-4 at 182 pounds.
Bakers' dozen of nationally ranked wrestlers at Bethlehem Holiday
Thirteen nationally ranked wrestlers across ten weight classes will convene at Liberty High School for the Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic this Friday and Saturday. The field features 28 teams, including a pair appearing in the InterMat Fab 50 -- No. 2 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. and No. 26 Central Dauphin, Pa.
Three weight classes have potential showdowns between nationally ranked opposition: 145 with No. 7 Mikey Racciato (Pen Argyl, Pa.) and No. 8 T.J. Miller (Camden Catholic, N.J.), which would be a rematch of last year's final in this tournament where Racciato upended 2010 tournament champion Miller; 195 with No. 2 Ryan Solomon (Milton, Pa.) and No. 6 Raymond O'Donnell (Saucon Valley, Pa.) both present in the field, and Solomon just earning a 3-1 victory on Sunday in the Beast of the East final; and at 285 with No. 7 Aaron Bradley (Nazareth, Pa.) and No. 9 Michael Johnson, Jr. (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), both of whom are seeking repeat titles in this tournament.
Perry Meridian superior in Indiana yet again
Westfield hosted the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association (IHSWCA) State Duals this past Saturday. Despite the individual tournament not being classes, and with there no longer being a state association sponsored dual meet event, the IHSWCA implemented this mid-season event. Eight teams in three different enrollment-based classifications convened.
In the Class 3A (big-school) tournament, No. 27 Perry Meridian dominated. Their wrestlers went 31-11 for the day. None of the Falcons' three dual meets were remotely competitive, though Mishawka Penn did pick up five weight class victories in a 40-15 semifinal defeat. Other results were a 57-13 first round defeat of Indianapolis Cathedral and then a 46-11 trouncing of Franklin Community for the title.
Yorktown won the Class 2A title with a 28-14 record on the day, two of the dual meets where they won nine matches. Then, in the Class 1A (small-school) tournament, Adams Central won the title with a 29-13 record on the day; one dual meet was as close as 9-5 in terms of match count.
Rumble on the Red, Bengtson after fifth title in the event
Prior to a 2-1 loss to Sam Brancale in the state final this past March, senior Mitch Bengtson (St. Cloud Apollo, Minn.) was on an extremely long undefeated streak going back to the first weekend of his eighth grade year in December 2008. As part of that spell, Bengtson -- ranked No. 5 nationally at 145 pounds -- has won four straight championships at the Rumble on the Red in Fargo, N.D. He is an extreme favorite to make it five in a row come Saturday night.
In addition to this "drive for five," the tournament features two potential head-to-head matches between nationally ranked opposition, with No. 3 Paul Mascarenas (Cleveland, N.M.) and No. 18 Jared Oftedahl (Benilde St. Margaret's, Minn.) in the field at 113 pounds, while No. 10 Lance Benick (Totino-Grace, Minn.) and No. 19 Chase Morlock (Morehead, Minn.) are both present at 195. Should Morlock drop down to 182, it would mean a match with No. 6 Preston Lehmann (West Fargo, N.D.).
Dual Meet Trifecta
Three big dual meets involving nationally ranked teams happened in the mid-week period of this past week. A week ago Tuesday, No. 32 South Plainfield, N.J. used victories in eight weight classes to beat No. 41 Bergen Catholic, N.J. 40-26.
Then on Thursday night, No. 16 Carl Sandburg, Ill. defeated No. 46 Glenbard North, Ill. 49-26, as the Eagles won nine of fourteen weight classes in a dual that had ten pins. No. 18 Collinsville, Okla. upended now No. 42 Neosho, Mo. 33-28, winning eight of the weight classes; the dual meet was 33-9 with the last four weights to, but Neosho stormed back in the upper-weights.
No. 25 Brecksville seeks title as holiday tournament hosts
Coming off a ninth place finish at the Walsh Ironman, followed by this past weekend's fourth-place finish at the Beast of the East, Brecksville, Ohio has moved up all the way to No. 25 in the nation. This Friday and Saturday, the Bees host the Brecksville Holiday Tournament seeking their first title in the event since 1996. Standing in the way will be 44 other teams, most notably defending tournament champion Oregon Clay, Ohio and excellent teams from Davison, Mich. and Marysville, Ohio. The tournament field is very balanced, featuring over 100 wrestlers with state tournament experience.
Where else will the ranked teams be competing?
As mentioned in this column, 13 Fab 50 teams will be at The Clash in Rochester, Minn., this weekend. An additional five teams will be among 46 squads convening at Canon-McMillan High School outside of Pittsburgh, Pa. for the 45th annual POWERade Christmas Wrestling Tournament.
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