Though the Buccaneers are prohibitive favorites, there is a formidable field featuring nine other nationally ranked teams. Leading the way are fellow members of the top 15 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. (ranked No. 10), No. 12 Christiansburg, Va., and No. 14 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. Other nationally ranked teams include No. 28 Central Dauphin, Pa., No. 34 Timber Creek, N.J., No. 38 Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa., No. 40 Colonial Forge, Va., No. 41 Bergen Catholic, N.J., and No. 47 McDonogh, Md.
Mark Grey (Blair Academy, N.J.) seeks to become the first wrestler to ever win four titles at the Beast of the East, having won championships at 103, 119, and 125 the previous three years. However, he comes in off a fourth place at the Ironman in the 132 pound weight class, which included a semifinal loss to Randy Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.). The wrestlers could meet again this weekend.
Other defending champions include Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa), competing at 106 pounds; J.R. Wert (Christiansburg, Va.) at 113; Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) at 220; and Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.) at 285 pounds. In addition, 2009 champion Zach Bridson (Timberlane, N.H.) will seek to add another Beast title to his resume, this time at 113 pounds. Unfortunately a pair of defending champions will be unable to compete in this weekend's tournament, as they are out for the season with injuries -- Devon Gobbo (Delbarton, N.J.) and Jason Luster (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.).
What: Silvestri Mushrooms presents the 19th annual Beast of the East
When: Saturday, Dec. 17 and Sunday, Dec. 18
Where: Bob Carpenter Center, University of Delaware; Newark, Del.
Schedule:
Wrestling on Saturday starts at 8:30 a.m. ET on 11 mats with 3 championship and 4 consolation rounds; the round of 16 is projected to start at about 5:30 p.m., and day one should end at around 9:30 p.m.
Competition on Sunday starts at 9:00 a.m. on 11 mats with the quarterfinals on 6 mats and consolations on 5 mats, a second consolation round will then be wrestled; at approximately 11:30 a.m., the tournament will break down to only 6 mats with the semifinals on 2 of them.
The consolation semifinals should end at approximately 2:15 p.m., with the finals matches for 1st through 8th place slated to being at 3:15 p.m.
Tournament Website: http://www.beastwrestling.com
InterMatWrestle Coverage: During the day on Saturday, and for the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds on Sunday, there will be periodic updates of a live notebook article. The link will be available from the front page of the InterMat site. In addition, high school analyst Josh Lowe will be providing complimentary updates and perspective through his Twitter account (@JLowe_intermat). During the finals, updates will be posted on the Twitter accounts of Josh Lowe, as well as the InterMatWrestle twitter feed (@InterMat). Quarterfinal pairings and team scores will be posted late on Saturday night, with a game story focusing on the championship finals published late Sunday/early Monday on the InterMatWrestle front page. Please also note that commentary and analysis for each weight is based on entry information as of Thursday night.
Tournament Updates: Check the tournament website periodically for updated brackets. Semi-live updated results will be posted through the NWCA Online program, http://www.nwcaonline.com
106:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 3 Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), No. 12 Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.), No. 14 Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.), No. 17 Coy Ozias (Christiansburg, Va.)
Commentary: Returning champion Darian Cruz is the anchor wrestler of this weight class, and the clear favorite though three other nationally ranked wrestlers reside within the weight class. However, Cruz outplaced these three wrestlers at the Ironman, including head-to-head wins over Joseph and Ozias. It is likely that Cruz and Ozias will meet in a semifinal on Sunday, which would rematch the Ironman quarterfinal that Cruz won by 11-2 major decision. The lower semifinal is likely to feature a pair of Ironman placers in the freshman Joseph and three-time Cadet All-American Fleetwood.
Top Match on Saturday: State placers Bryce Gentry (Colonial Forge, Va.) and Gabe Gibson (Cox, Va.) taking to the mats in a seven-ten match.
Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Tommy Aloi (Forest Park, Va.), a Junior National double All-American; Tyler Casamenti (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), was a Cadet double All-American in 2010; Cadet Greco-Roman All-Americans Tyler Klump (Nazareth, Pa.), Danny Boychuck (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), and Anthony Cefolo (Hanover Park, N.J); along with freshman Travis Vasquez (Delabrton, N.J.), who made the second day of the Super 32.
Predicting a Finals Match: Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic) over Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic), rematch of a consolation semifinal at the Walsh Ironman won 1-0 by Cruz
113:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 3 Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 9 Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), No. 15 J.R. Wert (Christiansburg, Va.)
Commentary: This is a rather deep weight class featuring seven returning or former Beast placers, which is tied for most in the tournament. It also features the defending champion of this weight, Wert, along with 2009 champion at 103 pounds Zach Bridson (Timberlane, N.H.); along with two runners-up from last year in McKenna and Moisey.
Top seed in this weight class is two-time Cadet Greco-Roman champion McKenna, who was also a National Prep champion last year. He is looking at a quarterfinal match against one of two returning state placers -- Zach Fuentes (Norristown, Pa.) or Tanner Shoap (Chambersburg, Pa.) -- and then a semifinal against either Bridson or two-time state placer Aaron Assad (Brecksville, Ohio). Should McKenna match up against Assad in the semis, it would be a rematch of last week's Ironman semi that he won 4-3.
All signs in the bottom half point to a Moisey vs. Wert semifinal match, which would be a repeat of last year's final in this weight that Wert won 3-0; however, last week in the consolation semifinals at the Ironman, Moisey won 5-1. Moisey is looking at a quarterfinal date against either state champion Cody Stageberg (Cox, Va.) or Beast placer Zach Ulerick (Middletown, Pa.), while Wert is looking at a possible quarterfinal against either state runner-up Luis Gonzalez (North Bergen, N.J.) or returning Beast placer Jeremy Schwartz (Central Dauphin, Pa.)
Top Matches on Saturday: Fuentes against Shoap in a battle of returning state placers, along with Zach Bridson (Timberlane, N.H.) and Matt Calcote (Archbishop Rummel, La.) in a match featuring wrestlers that have placed at the Beast.
Predicting a Finals Match: McKenna (Blair Academy) over Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic)
120:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 17 P.J. Klee (Blair Academy, N.J.)
Commentary: By standards of the Beast of the East, this is a thin weight class in that it lacks anchor wrestlers. It is one of only two weight classes with a single nationally ranked wrestler -- all other weights have two or more. The top seed in this weight is FILA Cadet freestyle All-American Klee, who also was a 2010 Cadet freestyle All-American. He is looking at a likely quarterfinal against returning National Prep placer Evan Botwin (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), and then a probable semifinal against returning state placer Ricky Carter (Timber Creek, N.J.).
Things in the bottom half of the draw are a little less clear with returning Beast placers Kaleb Lemaire (Caesar Rodney, Del.) and Will Mason (Cape Henry Collegiate, Va.) occupying the second and third seeds; Lemaire is a two-time state champion, while Mason is a three-time National Prep placer (champion in 2010). Lemaire is looking at a likely quarterfinal against either state qualifier Corey McQuiston (West Chester Rustin, Pa.) or Beast placer Michael Marino (Garnet Valley, Pa.). Mason is looking at either Anthony Giraldo (North Bergen, N.J.) or Kyle Dulaney (Christiansburg, Va.) in the quarterfinal round.
Top Matches on Saturday: Carter and Zach Wilhelm (Southern Regional, N.J.) in a battle of state placers from last year; as well as a pair of sophomores in state placer Giraldo and state champion Dulaney.
Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Super 32 placer Bryce Killian (Middletown, Pa.)
Predicting a Finals Match: Klee (Blair Academy) over Lemaire (Caesar Rodney), which happened in the consolation quarterfinals at the Walsh Ironman
126:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 4 Brandon Jeske (Cox, Va.), No. 5 Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.), No. 9 Dominick Malone (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 17 Max Hvolbek (Blair Academy, N.J.)
Commentary: The four nationally ranked wrestlers and seven returning or previous Beast placers are tied for most of any weight in the tournament, which is indicative of the quality depth that resides in this weight class. The top seed Jeske is a two-time Beast placer, runner-up in 2009, a four-time Super 32 placer, and was runner-up in Junior freestyle this summer. He has the more favorable half of the bracket, with a likely semifinal against whoever emerges from the quarter including Junior freestyle All-American Hvolbek, 2010 state placer Brian Hamann (Jackson Memorial, N.J.), returning placer Micah Hight (Caesar Rodney, Del.), and National Prep runner-up Charlie Saunders (The Hill School, Pa.).
Though all signs point to a bottom half semi between Dance and Malone, which would be a rematch of last year's Beast semi at 119 pounds won by Dance in the tiebreaker, each wrestler has credible quarterfinal opposition. Dance is looking at a match NHSCA Freshman national champion Clay Walker (Eastside, S.C.), while Malone projects to face former Beast placer Eric Friedman (St. Paul's, Md.), who also is a three-time placer at National Preps and a 2010 Junior freestyle All-American.
Top Matches on Saturday: Hvolbek, a returning Beast placer and 2010 National Prep runner-up, matches up against; while it's a battle of sophomores between Hight and Saunders.
Predicting a Finals Match: Jeske (Cox) over Dance (Christiansburg) in a rematch of the third place match at the Walsh Ironman
132:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 3 Mark Grey (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 7 Randy Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), No. 19 Jeffrey Ott (Belmont Hill, Mass.)
Commentary: Three-time National Prep champion Grey is seeking to become the first wrestler to ever win four titles at the Beast of the East. However, standing in his way is two-time state runner-up Cruz, who beat Grey last week on his way to an Ironman title, and is twice a state runner-up. Those wrestlers should meet in the tournament final; however, four returning Beast placers will be among those seeking to spoil. Grey is the top seed in the weight class, and is looking at a semifinal date against either two-time state placer Tyson Dippery (Central Dauphin, Pa.) or two-time National Prep placer, and 2010 champion, Ott. The pair of wrestlers placed in last year's Beast, and also met in Fargo, a match that Ott won on the way to a third place finish in Junior freestyle. The bottom half of this draw points to a semifinal match between Cruz and two-time state fourth place finisher Connor Melde (Bergen Catholic, N.J.).
Top Matches on Saturday: A battle of state runners-up between C.J. Jablonski (Cox) and Dallas Smith (Christiansburg), along with a battle of state champions between Jayce Carr (Union County) and Matt Kibblehouse (Salesanium), as well as a match between National Prep placers Jeffrey Ott (Belmont Hill) and Daniel Sanchez (Georgetown Prep)
Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Freshman Patrick Duggan (Cumberland Valley, Pa.), this summer a Cadet freestyle All-American, and NHSCA Junior All-American Brad Royle (Jackson Memorial, N.J.)
Predicting a Finals Match: Grey (Blair Academy) over Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic)
138:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 7 Todd Preston (Blair Academy, N.J.)
Commentary: Along with 120, this is the lone weight to have a single nationally ranked wrestler, and that is returning Beast runner-up Preston, a two-time National Prep champion and Junior freestyle All-American. He is the strong favorite in this weight class, though a semifinal against three-time state champion and returning Beast placer John Fahy (Trinity, Ky.) or two-time state placer Brandon Keller (Timber Creek, N.J.) could post some intrigue. The two seed in this weight class is National Prep champion Chris Yankowich (Germantown Academy, Pa.), who could have an interesting quarterfinal against returning Beast and national Prep placer Alfred Bannister (Bishop McNamara, Md) -- who also was a NHSCA Freshman national champion. The more likely candidate to hit the final from the bottom half is returning Beast placer Shyheim Brown (Central Dauphin, Pa.), also a two-time state and Super 32 placer. Brown is looking at a quarterfinal against returning Beast placer Jason Stephen (Northampton, Pa.).
Top Matches on Saturday: Derek Arnold (Westfield, Va.) against Santiago Valdez (Robinson, Va.) in a battle of returning state third place finishers; Keller wrestling against returning Beast placer Ross Benzel (Kellam, Va.); and a battle of state placers between Brown and Derek King (Susquehanna Township, Pa.)
Predicting a Finals Match: Preston (Blair Academy) over Brown (Central Dauphin)
145:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 6 Alenick Richardson (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.), No. 9 Matt Cimato (LaSalle, Pa.), No. 12 Dylan Milonas (Blair Academy, N.J.)
Commentary: There are six excellent wrestlers in this weight class, who could do anything from win this weight class to barely make it onto the placement podium. The two highest returning returning place finishers in this weight are second seed Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.) and third seed Cimato, each finishing fourth last year at the Beast. Those two wrestlers should meet in the bottom semifinal. Clark was a National Prep runner-up and Cadet freestyle All-American, and is looking at a quarterfinal matchup against one of two National Prep placers -- Robert Janis (St. Christopher's, Va.) or Cohl Fulk (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.). Cimato is a two-time Junior freestyle All-American, finished third in the state, and fourth at the Super 32. He is looking at a quarterfinal matchup against two-time National Prep placer Will Switzer (Archbishop Spalding, Md.), who has placed twice at the NHSCA grade level tournament, including a championship as a sophomore.
Top seed in this weight class is National Prep runner-up Milonas, who was a Cadet freestyle champion this summer and won the Ironman last week. He is looking at a semifinal matchup against either state champion and returning Beast placer Brooks Martino (Robinson, Va.) or state placer and NHSCA Junior national champion Alenick Richardson (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.). My pick to clear the top half of the draw is Richardson, who was runner-up at the Super 32 in late October.
Top Matches on Saturday: State champion Stephen Jackson (Caesar Rodney, Del.) faces two-time National Prep placer George Weber (John Carroll, Md.), while 2011 National Prep placer Janis faces 2010 National Prep placer Fulk.
Unseeded Wrestler to Watch: Two-time state qualifier Mitch Baran (Brecksville, Ohio), who was a match away from placing at the Ironman last week and Beast last year
Predicting a Finals Match: Richardson (St. Peter's Prep) over Cimato (LaSalle)
152:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 16 Sal Mastriani (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.), No. 18 Peter Galli (St. Paul's, Md.)
Commentary: The pair of nationally ranked wrestlers are the top two seeds in this weight, with the top seed being National Prep runner-up (and three-time placer) Galli, who was runner-up at Preseason Nationals in late October and finished fifth in the Beast last year. He is looking at a tough quarterfinal against returning Beast placer Casey Kent (LaSalle, Pa.), who placed third at state in 2010. The other top half quarterfinal is likely to feature some combination of Kevin Johnson (Forest Park, Va.), Tito Onyekweli (DeMatha, Md.), Fracisco Colom (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.), and Russ Parsons (Blair Academy, N.J.) .
State placer Mastriani anchors the bottom half of the draw as the two seed, and he also placed fourth at the Beast last year. He is looking at a likely quarterfinal against state placer Tyler Manion (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.), while the other quarterfinal on the bottom is likely to feature a pair of state and Super 32 placers in Garrett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) and Garrett Peppelman (Central Dauphin, Pa.). The junior Hammond was second at state last year after placing seventh at National Preps as a freshman, and was a Cadet double All-American this past summer, while Peppelman placed fifth at state as a freshman.
Top Matches on Saturday: State champion Beau Donahue (Westfield, Va.) matches up against Peppelman; Johnson against Onyekweli; and Colom against Parsons.
Unseeded Wrestler to Watch: Two-time state qualifier and 2010 Cadet freestyle All-American Wayne Stinson (North Burlington, N.J.)
Predicting a Finals Match: Mastriani (Don Bosco Prep) over Galli (St. Paul's)
160:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 9 Jacob Crawford (Millbrook, Va.), No. 11 Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.)
Commentary: The favorite in this weight class is the top-seeded Crawford, a three-time state champion, NHSCA Junior champion, and a Super 32 champion. His quarterfinal matchup would be against most likely National Prep placer Toby Hague (McDonogh, Md.), who placed at the Ironman last week. The other top half quarterfinal features a match of superlative sophomores in National Prep placer and 2010 Cadet Greco-Roma champion Patrick Coover (Blair Academy, N.J.) and state placer Johnny Sebastian (Blair Academy, N.J.).
The second seed in this weight is two-time state champion and Super 32 placer Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.), whose projected quarterfinal opponent is the formidable Rusten Barrick (Mechanicsburg, Pa.). The other quarter of the bottom half should feature state placer Brett Harner (Norristown, Pa.) against state champion and Super 32 placer Patrick Davis (Woodbridge, Del.).
Top Match on Saturday: Two-time Cadet freestyle All-American Hague faces state runner-up Zach Boyles (Smyrna, Del.), where Hague won a 9-7 meeting two weeks ago in the semifinals at the Ray Oliver Invitational.
Predicting a Finals Match: Crawford (Millbrook) over Epperly (Christiansburg)
170:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 7 Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 13 Elliott Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.)
Commentary: The two nationally ranked wrestlers occupy the top positions in the seedings, with the first seed being two-time Beast placer Morris, who was runner-up last year at the Beast, at the Ironman last week, and at National Preps the last two years. He is looking at a quarterfinal matchup against state champion Tanner Tinsley (Hanover, Va.), and then a semifinal date with either state placer Anthony Pafumi (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.) or National Prep placer Addison Knephsield (Blair Academy, N.J.).
Second seed in this weight is state placer and Super 32 runner-up Riddick, who projects into a quarterfinal with state placer Austin Coniker (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.). The other quarter of the bottom half features returning Beast placer Shane Springer (Norristown, Pa.), who is a two-time state placer (2010 runner-up) and Disney Duals gold medalist, and National Prep placer Tyler Rill (Mt. St. Joseph, Md.).
Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: State runner-up Pierce DeMarreau (Caesar Rodney, Del.)
Predicting a Finals Match: Morris (Wyoming Seminary) over Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic) in a rematch of a semifinal at last week's Walsh Ironman
182:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 15 David Reck (Colonial Forge, Va.), No. 11 (at 195) Dallas Winston (Jackson Memorial, N.J.)
Commentary: After the top three wrestlers in this weight class, there is a significant drop off in the quality of this field. With the top seed, two-time state champion and returning Beast runner-up Scott Gibbons (Archbishop Rummel, La.) is a strong favorite to reach the final. The Junior Greco-Roman All-American is looking at a likely semifinal with either state runner-up Ryan Wolfe (Caravel Academy, Del.) or National Prep placer Michael Mocco (Blair Academy, N.J.).The pair of nationally ranked wrestlers occupy the second and third seed positions. State runner-up and returning Beast placer Winston is the second seed, while Super 32 placer and two-time state placer Reck is the third seed.
Predicting a Finals Match: Reck (Colonial Forge) over Gibbons (Archbishop Rummel)
195:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 10 Perry Hills (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.), No. 15 Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy, N.J.)
Commentary: There are three returning Beast placers in this weight class, the two nationally ranked wrestlers and Joe Jessen (Millbrook, Va.). Hills is the top seed in this weight having placed third at the Beast and at state; however, he did not compete at the Ironman last week due to an official visit to the University of Maryland, where he has verbally committed to play QB. He is looking at a semifinal match against one of two National Prep placers, Kevin Marvel (McDonogh, Md.) or Dylan Devine (DeMatha, Md.). The second seed is Mattiace, a National Prep placer who won the Ironman last week, while the third seed is Jessen, a state champion and NHSCA Junior placer. However, Jessen was upset in the War on the Shore final last week by Devine. State placer Mike Garrity (Colonial Forge, Va.) could pose a nominal challenge for Jessen in the quarterfinals.
Predicting a Finals Match: Hills (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) over Mattiace (Blair Academy)
220:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 2 Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.), No. 5 (at 285) John Rizzo (Richland, Pa.), No. 7 A.J. Vizcarrando (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.)
Commentary: Snyder won the Beast and National Preps last year as a freshman, and is the nation's second best wrestler in the Class of 2014. This summer, he was a Cadet freestyle champion, and he won the Ironman last week. He should go unchallenged all the way to the final, the path featuring National Prep placer Harry Mauk (Malvern Prep, Pa.) in the quarters and semifinal opposition coming from National Prep placer Nick Grossi (Germantown Academy, Pa.) or state runner-up Branagh Cohen (Archbishop Rummel, La.). The bottom half of the draw should be much more interesting with two-time state champion Rizzo and National Prep runner-up Vizcarrando occupying the second and third seed positions. Rizzo is looking at a quarterfinal against Ironman placer David Farr (Blair Academy, N.J.), while Vizcarrando -- a Junior Greco-Roma All-American projects to face state placer Brandon Dennison (Pleasant Grove, Utah) in that round.
Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Sophomore Zach DeLuca (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) placed in the Powerade last year before his season ended due to injury.
Predicting a Finals Match: Snyder (Good Counsel) over Rizzo (Richland)
285:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 1 Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 16 Avree Robinson (Susquehanna Township, Pa.)
Commentary: Defending champion Black enters the tournament a strong favorite to repeat having one of the most robust resumes of any wrestler in the nation. He is looking at a semifinal against freshman sensation Michael Johnson, Jr. (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), who placed at the Ironman last week and was a double Cadet All-American this past summer. This assumes Johnson upends fellow Ironman placer, and state runner-up, Jake Pinkston (Robinson, Va.) in the quarterfinal round. The two key names in the bottom half of the draw should meet in the semifinal round -- state champion Robinson, who also placed sixth at state in 2010 and was a NHSCA Junior placer last year, and Junior National freestyle All-American DaQuante Timbers (Freedom, Va.)
Predicting a Finals Match: Black (Blair Academy) over Robinson (Susquehanna Township)
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now