Jared Franek will compete at 160 pounds for Team USA (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)The 2018 Cliff Keen Dream Team Wrestling Classic will take place this Saturday evening at 6 p.m. in Brownsburg, which is located just outside of Indianapolis. Wrestling USA Magazine has partnered with IndianaMat.com to conduct this mostly annual senior all-star event pitting some of the top wrestlers in the country against those from a select state, this year Indiana.
There will be a live web broadcast of the event available through FloWrestling.
Below are the matchups slated for the event as of the moment, rankings are from the most recent update, which was on March 21. This event is the last one of the 2017-18 ranking season as final rankings will be published early next week.
113: Jose Diaz (Wheeler) vs. No. 9 Cevion Severado (Christian Brothers College, Mo.)
Diaz has placed eighth each of the last two years in this weight class in single-class Indiana, while Severado won his first state title this year after placing the previous two years at 106 pounds. Severado was also runner-up at the Walsh Ironman earlier in the 2017-18 season and was a Junior World silver medalist in Greco-Roman this past summer.
120: Colin Poynter (Portage) vs. No. 7 Joey Melendez (Montini Catholic, Ill.)
Poynter qualified for state this year at 126 but lost his opening round match, which means not placing in the single-elimination Indiana state tournament; however, he did place fourth in the 120-pound weight class as a junior. Melendez won state each of the previous two years before placing fourth this season, while navigating his way through an injury; this past summer he was a Junior National freestyle runner-up.
126: Ty Mills (Brownsburg) vs. No. 4 Malik Johnson (Christian Brothers College, Mo.)
Mills is a four-time state placer, state finalist as a freshman and junior with third place finishes as a sophomore and senior. The Duke signee also placed sixth at the FloNationals this past weekend. Four-time state champion Johnson has signed with Missouri, was on the Cadet world team in Greco-Roman this past summer, and won the Walsh Ironman earlier this season.
132: Graham Rooks (Columbus East) vs. No. 3 Real Woods (Montini Catholic, Ill.)
Four-time state placer Rooks, an Indiana signee, broke through with state gold this season after losing in the state semifinal round each of the previous three seasons. Stanford signee Woods is a three-time state champion, four-time state finalist, and a finalist at the Preseason Nationals each of the last two years.
138: Kris Rumph (Portage) vs. No. 10 Cole Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.)
Three-time state medalist Rumph earned a state title this season. Last weekend he placed third at the FloNationals down at 132 pounds one week after failing to place at the NHSCA Senior Nationals. Four-time state placer Matthews bookended his career with state titles, and the Pitt signee upset national No. 1 Quinn Kinner at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic 2-1/2 weeks ago.
145: Christian Hunt (Yorktown) vs. No. 9 (at 152) Alex Lloyd (Shakopee, Minn.)
State runner-up the last two years, Hunt is also a four-time state qualifier, adding a sixth place finish his freshman year to the resume. South Dakota State signee Lloyd is a three-time state champion, placed third at the Super 32 this fall, is a two-time Junior National folkstyle champion, and a two-time Junior National freestyle All-American
152: No. 3 Brayton Lee (Brownsburg) vs. No. 2 Jacori Teemer (Long Beach, N.Y.)
This is the clear showcase match of the event, taking place in Brayton Lee's home gym. The University of Minnesota signee is a three-time state champion losing one match in his career, it coming in the semi-state quarterfinal as a freshman, which in Indiana means not making it to the state tournament. Additonally the resume features two Super 32 placements, along with third place finishes in Junior freestyle (this past summer), UWW Cadet freestyle, and Cadet freestyle. Five-time state champion Teemer is an Arizona State signee, was a 2017 FloNationals champion, has won NHSCA grade-level titles the last two years, and was a bronze medalist in freestyle at the Cadet World Championships this past summer.
160: Gleason Mappes (Center Grove) vs. No. 6 Jared Franek (West Fargo, N.D.)
Mappes earned state runner-up honors this season after placing fourth the previous two seasons, and also placed fifth at the FloNationals in 2017. Four-time state champion Franek was runner-up at both the FloNationals and in Junior freestyle during the spring/summer 2017 interval.
170: Noah Warren (Perry Meridian) vs. No. 1 Travis Wittlake (Marshfield, Ore.)
Three-time state placer Warren capped off an impressive career winning a state title in his senior season. Four-time state champion Wittlake was a Cadet World bronze medalist in 2016, and won the UWW Cadet national title in freestyle this year before injury made him unable to compete at the world championships; the runner-up at the national tournament went on to win world gold in his weight class (76 kilos).
182: Conner Graber (Northridge) vs. No. 6 Jared Krattiger (Waterford, Wis.)
Graber placed seventh at state as a junior before earning gold this season with a mild upset in the state finals match against four-time state placer Nathan Walton. Four-time state placer Krattiger made his first state final this season and secured his first state title before winning a FloNationals title last weekend; additionally the Wisconsin signee was third at the Super 32 this past fall.
195: No. 4 Lucas Davison (Chesterton) vs. Tanner Sloan (Alburnett, Iowa)
Due to a late scratch, what was going to be a high profile match ends up being less of one. The two-time state finalist Davison was an undefeated state champion this season after finishing as runner-up at the Super 32 in the preseason. In addition, the Northwestern signee was a Junior National double All-American during this past summer. The South Dakota State commit Sloan earned state titles this season and as a sophomore
220: No. 1 Mason Parris (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) vs. No. 3 (at 195) Brandon Whitman (Dundee, Mich.)
If Lee vs. Teemer is the main event, this is either a joint main event or right behind it. This match features two of the nation's most talented upper weight wrestlers going at it. The University of Michigan signee Parris has one career loss, it coming in the state semifinals his freshman year; since then he has won the consolation final to finish third and then sailed to three straight undefeated state titles. Parris is also now a two-time FloNationals champion. Four-time state champion Whitman is a North Carolina signee; his resume includes a 2016 FloNationals runner-up finish, a 2016 Super 32 placement, double third and double fifth at Junior Nationals the last two summers, and a spot on the 2016 Cadet world team in Greco-Roman.
285: Brandon Streck (Merrillville) vs. No. 15 Jake Levengood (Vacaville, Calif.)
Both wrestlers in this match were state runners-up to all-time type figures in their state; Streck losing the 220 pound final to Parris, one year after placing sixth at 285, with Levengood faling to Seth Nevills after also placing at state the previous two seasons. Streck will be attending Indiana, and is the younger brother of Shawn Streck, who qualified for the NCAA tournament for Purdue this season; while Levengood signed with Oregon State to play on the offensive line.
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