No. 12 Montini Catholic, Illinois will be hosting a trio of fellow nationally-ranked teams for a quad on Saturday when No. 5 St. Edward, Ohio; No. 11 Iowa City West, Iowa; and No. 46 Montini Catholic, Illinois come calling to the home of the Cadets. Wrestling is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. Central Time (Noon ET), and look for a live webcast through http://www.illinoismatmen.com.
Round 1: Marmion Academy vs. St. Edward, Iowa City West vs. Montini Catholic
Round 2: Marmion Academy vs. Iowa City West, St. Edward vs. Montini Catholic
Round 3: Marmion Academy vs. Montini Catholic, St. Edward vs. Iowa City West
Projected weight-by-weight lineups for each team:
103: No. 10 Phillip Laux (Iowa City West), No. 17 Johnny Jimenez (Marmion); Anthony Stanley (St. Edward), Tommy Pawleski (Montini Catholic)
112: No. 6 Jered Cortez (Marmion); Edgar Bright (St. Edward), Ernest Willis (Iowa City West), Michael Gibson (Montini Catholic)
119: No. 19 Dean Heil (St. Edward); George Fisher (Marmion), Kegan Wakefield (Iowa City West), Kevon Powell (Montini Catholic)
125: Markus Scheidel (St. Edward), Jack Hathaway (Iowa City West), Eddie Greco (Marmion), Chris Garcia (Montini Catholic)
130: No. 3 Ben Whitford (Marmion); Colin Heffernan (St. Edward), Dakota Bauer (Iowa City West), Michael Sepke (Montini Catholic)
135: Brian Wendling/Nick Barber (St. Edward), Gradey Gambrall (Iowa City West), Bryce Brill (Marmion), Drew Vrebenec/Julian Gonzalez (Montini Catholic)
140: No. 19 Elijah Sullivan (Iowa City West); Russ Rauber (St. Edward), Angelo Silvestro (Marmion), John Sullivan (Montini Catholic)
145: Matt Van Curen (St. Edward), Garrett Hathaway (Iowa City West), Eddie Gonzalez (Marmion), Frank Baer (Montini Catholic)
152: No. 6 Stephen Robertson (Montini Catholic); Mark Martin (St. Edward), Britt Thompson (Iowa City West), Eddie Breen (Marmion)
160: No. 19 Justin Koethe (Iowa City West); Domenic Abounader (St. Edward), Dan Rowland (Marmion), Dimitri Willis (Montini Catholic)
171: Jacob Davis (St. Edward), Mike Watkins (Iowa City West), Jon Wolfgram (Marmion), Connor Winel/Anthony Ferraro (Montini Catholic)
189: James Suvak (St. Edward), Mickey Pelfrey (Iowa City West), Pat Knudtson (Marmion), Doug Diedrick/Bubba TreDerick (Montini Catholic)
215: Ty Walz (St. Edward), Sean Beasley (Iowa City West), Oscar Garza (Marmion), Edgar Ruano (Montini Catholic)
285: No. 11 Greg Kuhar (St. Edward); AJ Bailey (Iowa City West), Alex Fritz (Marmion), Ross Ferraro (Montini Catholic)
Another showcase dual meet event in Chicagoland
While the show at Marmion Academy is the perceived main event of the wrestling weekend around Chicago, there will be another awesome quad out in Orland Park. Three nationally-ranked teams -- No. 24 Crystal Lake Central, No. 43 Minooka, and No. 48 Carl Sandburg -- will be joined by Sycamore for a great Saturday afternoon of wrestling.
The home-standing Eagles are on a big time hot streak, having earned a 30-22 victory over No. 35 Glenbard North, Illinois over the holidays and making it to the championship bracket of The Clash with victories over No. 10 Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin and No. 46 Montini Catholic, Illinois. Seven of their wrestlers are rated inside the top 12 of their weight within Class AAA according to the most recent rankings published by Illinois Matmen. This includes three that are ranked second overall -- Colin Holler (135), Nick Fishback (145), and No. 13 Chris Lopez (285).
Defending state champions (decided by dual meets) Minooka has five individuals ranked inside the top 12 of their weight in Class AAA. On the other hand, Crystal Lake Central is a very star-laden team with seven wrestlers raked inside the top four of their Class AA weights. Those wrestlers are Kyle Fugiel (103), Clayton Lutzow (130), Trevor Jauch (140), Jason Fugiel (145), No. 7 Joey Kielbasa (152), No. 3 Gage Harrah (189), and No. 3 Austin Marsden (215).
Ohio stars converge on Top Gun
A star-studded field has been assembled for the 25th anniversary of the Asics Top Gun Tournament. Seeking a fifth consecutive championship, which would be their sixth overall (and eclipse the five that St. Edward, Ohio possesses), is No. 3 Graham, Ohio. While they are the strong favorites to do so, the rest of the field is strong -- headlined by No. 18 Massillon Perry, Ohio.
Though no wrestler has ever won four Top Gun championships, three more wrestlers are in position to earn their third tournament title this year -- No. 5 Johhni DiJulius (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio) at 130 pounds, No. 7 Nick Brascetta (Graham) at 140, and No. 8 Alex Utley (CVCA, Ohio) at 189. Life however will not be easy for Brascetta and Utley. Standing in Brascetta's way is Zach Dailey (Massillon Perry), a returning tournament champion in his own right; while No. 6 Huston Evans (Graham) already has a 3-1 victory over Utley to his credit at the Walsh Ironman last month. Another item to note is that Brascetta was named Outstanding Wrestler last year, and should he be named again, he would become only the third wrestler in tournament history to win the award twice.
Other defending champions include Jordan Conaway (New Oxford, Pennsylvania) at 112 pounds; No. 18 Mitch Newhouse (Massillon Perry) at 119; No. 3 Nate Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit) at 135; and No. 11 Matt Stephens (Graham) at 152 pounds. Isaac Jordan (Graham) won the tournament in 2009, but is out this weekend with an injury.
Four additional wrestlers are nationally ranked: No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (CVCA) at 103 pounds, No. 11 Ryan Taylor (Graham) at 112, No. 5 Bo Jordan (Graham) at 145, and No. 9 Logan Erb (Wapakoneta) at 215.
Blue Eagles to be tested by neighborhood rivals
With all hands on deck, No. 41 Nazareth, Pennsylvania has been able to rebound from a 14th place finish at the Beast of the East with a pretty dominant championship at the Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic and a third place finish at the Virginia Duals. Four Blue Eagle wrestlers won championships at the Bethlehem Holiday: No. 2 Zach Horan (130) and Aaron Bradley (285), along with Franco Ferraina (125) and Ryan Krecker (160) -- each of who were making their season debut. At the Virginia Duals, they earned victories over No. 26 Canon-McMillan, Pennsylvania; No. 31 Cox, Virginia; and No. 40 South Plainfield, New Jersey.
Tonight, Nazareth hosts No. 17 Bethlehem Catholic, Pennsylvania; while on Saturday night, the Blue Eagles travel to No. 16 Easton, Pennsylvania.
Finest from Mid-Atlantic seek Mount Mat Madness championships
Twenty-nine teams from five states and the District of Columbia will convene at the Community College of Baltimore County just outside of Baltimore, Maryland at Mount Mat Madness VIII. The annual tournament hosted by Mt. St. Joseph High School features twelve wrestlers that are defending tournament champions and/or nationally ranked.
The lone team in the national rankings is two-time defending event champions No. 8 Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania. Some additional notable teams in the field include Caesar Rodney, Delaware; David Brearley, New Jersey; McDonogh, Maryland; Robinson, Virginia; and St. Mark's, Delaware.
The featured weight class of this tournament will be at 152 pounds, where No. 8 Codey Combs (Sussex Central, Delaware) seeks a rare fourth championship. However, also in this weight is No. 6 (at 145) Lex Ozias (Southern Garrett, Maryland) - one of the three wrestlers seeking a third MMM title this weekend. In addition, Beast of the East and Cheesehead runner-up Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania) - who is ranked No. 19 nationally - is in this bracket.
The other weight class featuring multiple defending tournament champions is 171 pounds, where No. 17 Bubba Scheffel (Southern Garrett, Maryland) seeks a third MMM title, but will to go through another defending tournament champion in Matt Miller (John Carroll, Maryland). In fact, Miller owns a one-point victory over Scheffel earlier in the season.
Also after a third championship is No. 8 Dominick Malone (Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania) at 119 pounds. However, life will not be easy as Super32 champion Nathan Kraisser (Centennial, Maryland) - ranked No. 15 in the nation at 125 pounds - will join him in the weight class.
Additional wrestlers after repeat championships include Kaleb Lemaire (Caesar Rodney, Delaware) at 112 pounds, Cody Broomall (Sussex Central, Delaware) at 135 pounds, and Matthew Mauk (St. Mark's, Delaware) at 189. Other nationally-ranked wrestlers include No. 7 Micah Hight (Caesar Rodney, Delaware) at 103 pounds and No. 15 Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Maryland), who already won the Beast of the East as a freshman.
Fans can follow the tournament on both Friday and Saturday at http://www.mountmatmadness.com
Challenging weekend on deck for Jaguars
No. 30 Jackson Memorial, New Jersey will travel to Rutgers University on Friday night to participate as part of a two match undercard prior to the Rutgers vs. Bucknell dual meet. Their opponent will be a formidable Delbarton, New Jersey squad that features a pair of Beast of the East finalists in No. 5 Jeff Canfora (135) and No. 11 Devon Gobbo (140). The next afternoon, as part of the Shore Conference/GMC Challenge, Jackson Memorial will face off against No. 40 South Plainfield, New Jersey in a battle of the Group 4 and Group 3 state champions from last season.
Amyloidosis awareness the theme at Escape the Rock
This year's Escape the Rock tournament at Council Rock South High School outside of Philadelphia is also being designed to serve as a fundraiser/awareness event for amyloidosis (for further information on the disease, check out http://www.amyloidosis.org). The lone nationally-ranked team in the field is No. 17 Bethlehem Catholic, Pennsylvania. However, four state championship teams are present in the field: Camden Catholic, New Jersey; Paulsboro, New Jersey; Colonial Forge, Virginia; and Central Mountain, Pennsylvania.
Four weight classes stand out as ones to watch during the tournament on Friday and Saturday. Anchoring the 103 pound weight class is No. 2 Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic); however, Billy Rappo (Council Rock South) will seek the upset special to provide the host school with a spark in the opening weight class. The 112 weight class could feature a preview of something which is seen very deep in the Class AA state tournament, as No. 13 Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic) and No. 20 (at 119) Zain Retherford (Line Mountain) are both present in the field.
At 140 pounds is a pair of Super32 placers and state title contenders in two-time state placer Matt Martoccio (Council Rock South) and defending tournament champion Dan Neff (Solanco, Pennsylvania). Three standout wrestlers are present at 152 pounds in state runner-up Kyle Dehaut (Bethlehem Catholic), defending tournament champion Brian Brill (Central Mountain), and three-time state placer Jayshon Wilson (Carlisle, Pennsylvania).
Additional defending tournament champions include Retherford, competing at 112 this weekend, and Zach Corl (Central Mountain) at 285 pounds.
For full information: http://www.crsd.org/5034011314232/blank/browse.asp?a=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&c=53842&5034011314232Nav=|&NodeID=3817
Trifecta of number one's to meet in Michigan on Saturday
On Saturday, No. 38 Detroit Catholic Central, Michigan is hosting its annual Super Duals. The field this year is yet again very strong with the top ranked team in three of four divisions in Michigan high school wrestling present -- No. 38 DCC (Division 1), No. 14 St. John's (Division 2), and Dundee (Division3). Rounding out the field are Richmond (second in Division 3), Temperance Bedford (fifth in Division 1), and Clarkston. In the overall rankings compiled by Michigan Grappler, the field includes four of the top five teams along with the 13th team in the state.
The following wrestlers are ranked either first or second in their division by Michigan Grappler:
103: No. 12 Zac Hall (St. John's) and Mitch Rogaliner (Temperance Bedford)
112:No. 8 Jacob Schmitt (St. John's), Malik Amine (Detroit Catholic Central), and Stephen Ireland (Richmond)
125: Ken Bade (Detroit Catholic Central) and Josh Pennell (St. John's)
130: No. 17 Joe Rendina (Dundee) and Casey Martin (Richmond)
135: Alec Mooradian (Detroit Catholic Central) and Joey White (Dundee)
140: Brian Gibbs (Temperance Bedford), Payne Hayden (St. John's), and Chris Rau (Dundee)
145: Travis Curley (St. John's)
152: Jordan Wohlfert (St. John's)
160: No. 1 Taylor Massa (St. John's)
171: Matt Vandermeer (Clarkston)
189: No. 15 Justin Heiserman (Dundee)
Another Golden State Showdown
Like last week at the Doc Buchanan Invitational hosted by Clovis High School, this weekend's Temecula Valley Invitational Tournament features all three nationally-ranked teams from the state of California plus a slew of teams ranked in the top ten by The California Wrestler. No. 7 Bakersfield, No. 9 Clovis, and No. 23 Oakdale are among the teams in the field; as are top ten in the state Lemoore, De La Salle, Gilroy, Poway, and Clovis West.
An unfortunate feature of this tournament is that there are a few of the key wrestlers that will be out due to injury. This includes a pair for Bakersfield in Coleman (145/152) and Bryce (160/171) Hammond, along with No. 18 Chris Mecate (135) for Redlands East Valley. Both Hammond brothers are in the top 20 nationally for their respective graduating classes, while Bryce is ranked fourth nationally at 171 pounds.
None the less, the following nationally-ranked wrestlers are in the field:
103: No. 19 Isaiah Locsin (Live Oak)
112: No. 10 (at 119) Nashon Garrett (Chico) and No. 14 Victor Lopez (Calexico)
119: No. 15 Stevan Knoblach (Clovis West)
125: No. 6 Fabian Garcia (Turlock)
135: No. 7 (at 125) Vince Rodriguez (Clovis North)
140: No. 14 Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore)
145: No. 18 David Ferry (Oakdale)
171: No. 12 Zach Nevills (Clovis) and No. 14 Nikko Reyes (Clovis West)
189: No. 7 Lucas Sheridan (De La Salle)
Two additional names to watch are freshman sensation Nick Nevills (285) for Clovis, champion at the Doc Buchanan and runner-up at the Cheesehead; as well as sophomore Micah Perez (103) for Central Union, who is making his season debut in this weight class, but was nationally ranked inside the top ten here during the preseason.
Quad Cities Collision
Neighborhood rivals Davenport Assumption and No. 39 Bettendorf will meet in a dual meet this evening, as two of the finest teams in all of Iowa will battle it out at Bettendorf High School. Ranked first in Class 2A by The Predicament, this is really the only true barometer for Davenport Assumption against an elite team during the course of their season. On the other hand, Bettendorf (ranked third in Class 3A) has been hardened through their schedule to date facing elite competition at the Keith Young Invitational, Cedar Rapids Duals, Battle at Waterloo, and The Clash.
Though there were some early struggles as Bettendorf sorted through varying lineup issues, things seemed smooth this past weekend as they finished second in their Friday bracket and swept three matches on Saturday to finish fifth overall. Even that is a relative term, as No. 20 Bo Schlosser (140) was not in the lineup; however, it has been reported that he is ineligible for the duration of the season.
Five of the projected weight class matchups involve a pair of wrestlers ranked inside the top ten for their respective classification by The Predicament.
103: Drake Swarm (Bettendorf) vs. Tony Devriese (Davenport Assumption). Both ranked second.
112: Logan Ryan (Bettendorf) vs. Kyle Springer (Davenport Assumption). Third against seventh.
119: Richie Eikenberry (Bettendorf) vs. Topher Carton (Davenport Assumption). Sixth against first.
145: Drake Chase (Bettendorf) vs. Brody Grothus (Davenport Assumption). Sixth against third.
285: No. 12 Brody Berrie (Bettendorf) vs. Tyler Swope (Davenport Assumption). Both raked second.
Updated rankings will be released next week
Look for updated team rankings and individual weight class rankings to be posted next week. The rankings will reflect all competition in the season to date, which includes this big weekend of events. The graduating class rankings will follow suit either next week or the week after that.
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