Zach Kemmerer vs. Nick Nelson/Mario Mason/Luke Ashmore
Weight: 140 Pounds
Where: Ironman/Beast of the East
With the possible exception of Corey Jantzen and Kirk Smith, no wrestler improved their stock as much as Kemmerer did in the past year. Coming off a fifth-place finish at state and a fourth-place finish at the Cadet Nationals, Kemmerer went unbeaten through Ironman, Beast of the East, the Pennsylvania state tournament (AAA division), and FILA Cadet Nationals. In the process, he went from a wrestler experts knew was underrated to one of the top seniors in the nation. Included in that great run were wins over Luke Ashmore, Kevin Lipp, Pat McLemore, and Max Shanaman. This year Kemmerer has continued to build his reputation with a brilliant performance at the Michigan State Open. The 17-year-old Kemmerer stepped into this tough collegiate open and showed he belonged -- placing fourth, which included a 2-1 win over future Penn teammate Cesar Grajales. Kemmerer also avenged a defeat from last year in the preseason against two-time Pennsylvania AAA state champ Mike Rappo and defeated Junior Nationals fourth-place finisher Ryan Cubberly.
It is ironic, then, that Kemmerer could soon be in the unfamiliar position of needing to avenge two losses in the same day. His Ironman weight class will include both Mario Mason of Blair Academy and Nick Nelson of Shaler, PA. Mason defeated Kemmerer, 4-3, at the 2005 Cadet Freestyle Duals in the only match-up between the two that I am aware of. Mason then showed it wasn't a fluke by easily defeating two wrestlers at Cadet Nationals that defeated Kemmerer, as Mason steamrolled to the title and Kemmerer placed fourth.
The second loss Kemmerer could have to avenge (depending on how the seeding formula comes out) would be against Nick Nelson. Nelson defeated Kemmerer at the 2005 Pennsylvania state tournament in the consolation semifinals by a 2-1 score. Nick Nelson remains a lightning rod of controversy in the national rankings. Some would ask, how can a wrestler with almost no Fargo resume and zero state titles be ranked No. 3 in the nation in a loaded weight class? The answer lies in the wrestlers Nelson has beaten.
Luke Ashmore (Photo/Danielle Hobeika)The road doesn't get any easier for Kemmerer at Beast of the East- as he will be matched up against not only Mario Mason for the second consecutive tournament, but also cadet and junior national freestyle champion Luke Ashmore. Ironically, although Ashmore is more decorated than either Mason or Nelson, Kemmerer defeated him in their only meeting of which I am aware- by a score of 1-0, 3-2 at FILA Cadet Nationals in the spring of 2006. Kemmerer will have easily earned a place among the top three seniors in the nation should he post another unbeaten season.
David Taylor vs. Logan Stieber
Weight: 103 Pounds
Where: Ironman
David Taylor (Photo/Wyatt Schultz)Thinking about it this way: Taylor won Fargo at 91 pounds in the summer before his freshman year … and 98 pounds in the summer after. If we figure that he grew an equal amount throughout the year that would put his ideal weight class last season at around 95 pounds. In other words, as a percentage of size, Taylor's season was the equivalent of a 140 wrestling 152.
Despite being so drastically undersized, Taylor earned the No. 2 ranking in the nation. A non-stop attacker with a highly creative style, Taylor overcame the size disadvantage by never letting up for an instant -- in any flurry, he always has one more move and seemingly limitless energy. Taylor is also perhaps the best wrestler in the nation from the top position regardless of grade or weight. This year, Taylor will be wrestling guys his own size- and is a year older and more experienced. In my view there isn't a wrestler in the nation who is within eight points of Taylor this season … with one huge exception.
Logan Stieber (Photo/Wyatt Schultz)That's every match for Stieber, or should I say, every period of every match. Between FILA Cadet Nationals and Cadet Nationals, Stieber scored a tech (six-point advantage) or pin in every period of every match except one, when he beat the eventual third-place finisher 6-0, 4-1. This was the only point allowed by Stieber between the two national tournaments -- a run which saw Stieber outscore his opponents 101-1. Included in Stieber's great run was a 6-0, 6-0 win over Junior Nationals runner-up Jon Morrison.
Almost invariable, these six-point techs happened seemingly in the blink of an eye. It's interesting to compare the dominance of Stieber at Cadet Nationals to that of the champions one weight above and one weight below him: Taylor (98-pound champ) and Jordan Oliver (112-pound champ who was the top-ranked 103 in the nation in 2006). Stieber wrestled 16 periods at Fargo and scored a tech or pin in 15 of those periods, for a tech/pin percentage of 94% (down from 100% at FILA Cadets). Taylor's tech/pin percentage was 64%, Oliver's 50%. While Stieber allowed only a single point, Taylor allowed three and Oliver allowed six. Obviously, these comparisons do not prove that Stieber is the superior wrestler to either Taylor or Oliver, but the fact that Stieber was substantially more dominant without having wrestled a high school season has to raise eyebrows.
Sean Nemec vs. Jason Welch/Tim Darling/Colt Sponseller
Weight: 160 Pounds
Where: Ironman/Beast of the East/Medina Invitational
Sean Nemec (Photo/Danielle Hobeika)It's interesting to note that Nemec was beaten 11-2 by Jason Welch of California in their last meeting (Fargo in 2005). Do not look for such a one-sided result should they meet at Ironman. Welch's wide-open style does provide an interesting contrast to Nemec's more methodical, workman-like approach. It should be noted that at press time, there was some confusion as to whether Jason Welch will be able to wrestle 160 at Ironman, as certification issue may push him to 171.
Nemec should next face Tim Darling of Pennsylvania at the Beast of the East. Like Nemec, Darling has already won two state titles in the rugged Pennsylvania AAA Division. Darling presents an even greater style contrast with Nemec than Welch does. The funky Darling is a great at scoring off his opponents shots and very tough on the mat. Stylistically, Darling is similar to Nemec's archrival Travis Blasco of Blair Academy, though probably better in my view. Nemec's track against Darling was not good (though he did defeat him soundly at Ironman), so that may not bode well for Nemec. If Nemec can maintain the level he wrestled at in Fargo, however, that comparison is probably out the window.
Finally, Nemec will face two-time Ohio state champion Colt Sponseller in what might be termed, "the Battle for Ohio." Sponseller was NHSCA Juniors champion and is a former Junior Nationals All-American. He was vaulted to superstar status in the Buckeye state, however, by his win over Josh Rohler in the state finals. Rohler actually was the No. 1 ranked 152 in the nation at the start of last year. However, Sponseller controlled the action by attacking every instant of possibly the most decisive 4-3 decision ever recorded. Sponseller and Nemec squared off at Medina their sophomore years with Nemec coming out a 3-1 victor. Frankly, I think Sponseller's style may be a better match-up for Nemec than either Welch or Darling. However, Sponseller has improved dramatically since his sophomore year, so he certainly cannot be counted out. Ironically, Sponseller and Nemec will be teammates at the Ohio State University for the next four years.
As an aside -- should Jason Welch be forced to wrestle 171 due to the dreaded certification process, Welch versus three-time Illinois state champion Mike Benefiel at Ironman (and Junior Nationals All-American Brian Roddy, Cadet Nationals champion Andy Thomas, and Hunter Collins) would become one of the biggest match-ups of the year. Should Welch stay at 171 (seemingly unlikely), an even bigger match-up would be against Kirk Smith (the No. 2 senior in the nation) at the Reno Tournament of Champions.
Other potential match-ups:
Cody Gardner of Christiansburg and Jared Platt of Blair resume their great rivalry at Ironman and Beast. Jordan Blanton, a junior from, Illinois has never tasted defeat in his high school career, but three-time state champion Mike Benefiel will be at his weight class (171) this year. Benefiel started his career as a 112. Illinois fans are hoping that they meet up in an All-Star match. Another possible match-up could be FILA Cadet Nationals champion and two-time Cadet Greco-Roman champ Nate Moore versus former Cadet Nationals champion Tyler Clark at the Dvorak -- should they end up at the same weight.
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