What: The 18th Walsh Ironman
Where: Walsh Jesuit High School -- Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
When: Friday, Dec. 9 and Saturday, Dec. 10
Schedule: Preliminary rounds (up to the quarterfinals) start at 1:00 p.m. ET on Friday afternoon, Saturday morning wrestling starts at 10:00 a.m. with the quarterfinals, the semifinals will follow, as will all consolation matches including those for seventh place, matches for first, third, and fifth will be wrestled Saturday evening starting at 6:30 p.m.
Tournament Website: http://www.walshironman.com
Special Honoree: Bobby Douglas will be honored as the Ironman Legacy Award winner this year. Douglas was a long-time head coach at Arizona State and Iowa State, and served as a coach on four different United States Olympic squads. As a wrestler, he represented the United States in two Olympic Games, was an Ohio state champion in 1959 and 1961, and was runner-up in the 1963 NCAA Division I championships.
InterMat Coverage: InterMat will be providing a live updating notebook of all three sessions, available from the InterMat home page, as well as a social media presence on twitter (@JLowe_intermat). In addition, a wrap-up will be provided on Friday night, with a finals game story to be published on late Saturday night/early part of Sunday.
Please note: Commentary and analysis is based on seeding information as of 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday night. Any changes in terms of participants or seedings may make some aspects of the content immaterial.
106:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 1 Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), No. 4 (at 112) Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.), No. 11 (at 112) Johnson Mai (North Torrence, Calif.), No. 5 Matthew Kolodzik (Miami Valley School, Ohio), No. 6 Sean Russell (Collins Hill, Georgia), No. 8 Coy Ozias (Christiansburg, Va.), No. 9 KeShawn Hayes (Park Hill, Mo.), No. 11 Markus Simmons (Broken Arrow, Okla.), No. 13 Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.), No. 14 David Bavery (Massillon Perry, Ohio)
Commentary: Arguably the deepest and toughest weight of the whole Walsh Ironman is the opening weight class. By the number of nationally ranked wrestlers it is for sure the toughest with ten in all. Though the distribution of nationally ranked wrestlers is four to the top half and six to the bottom, there is relatively balance. The top quarter of the draw features state champion and Junior double finalist Mai, state runner-up David Bavery (Massillon Perry, Ohio), and 2010 Cadet freestyle All-American and Ironman placer Armando Torres (Elyria, Ohio). The second quarter includes Junior freestyle runner-up Tommy Pawleski (Montini Catholic, Ill.), a Cadet freestyle All-American in freshman sensation Hayes, state champion and Junior double All-American Drew Romero (Broomfield, Colo.), as well as the nation's number one pound-for-pound freshman in Valencia.
At present the third quarter is absolutely loaded with four nationally ranked wrestlers, three of whom placed at the Super 32 (three-time Cadet All-American Fleetwood, state champion Russell, and Cadet freestyle All-American Kolodzik). Also in this quarter is another freshman star in Simmons. Finally, the bottom quarter of the draw includes returning Ironman runner-up and Cadet double All-American Cruz as well as Super 32 and FloNationals placer Ozias.
Look for semifinal matchups to place Mai against Valencia in a battle of old against young from the Golden State, and Cruz against Kolodzik in a rematch from Fargo.
Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.), Danny Boychuck (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.)
Friday Matches to Watch: How about two that would involve a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers going up against one another -- Fleetwood vs. Simmons and Russell vs. Kolodzik, both of them comprising the third quarter of the draw.
Finals Prediction: Zahid Valencia over Darian Cruz
113:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 2 Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio), No. 5 Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 7 JR Wert (Christiansburg, Va.), No. 14 Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), No. 19 Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy, Ill.)
Commentary: Junior freestyle champion Tomasello is the top seed in this weight class, and seeks to repeat at the Walsh Ironman after winning last year's 103 pound weight class. Standing in his way in the top half of the draw is likely to be a quarterfinal match against NHSCA freshman champion Ryan Millhof (Collins Hill, Georgia) and then a semifinal date against one of two nationally ranked sophomores who placed at the Ironman last year as freshmen -- Jimenez or Moisey. The bottom half of the draw is more clearly a two person battle between two-time Cadet Greco-Roman champion McKenna, who also won National Preps this past year, and Beast of the East champion Wert who placed fourth in this weight class last year. State runner-up and FloNationals placer Aaron Assad (Brecksville, Ohio) also resides in Wert's quarter bracket.
Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Jordan Laster (Montini Catholic, Ill.), Alex Moore (St. Edward, Ohio), Ian Moritz (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.)
Friday Match to Watch: A battle of state champions, as Jimenez would face off against Cody Stageberg (Cox, Va.) in a four vs. thirteen match.
Finals Prediction: Nathan Tomasello over Joey McKenna
120:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 3 George DiCamillo (St. Ignatius, Ohio), No. 4 Ryan Taylor (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 16 Godwin Nyama (Brashear, Pa.), No. 17 Colton Adams (Scottsbluff, Neb.)
Commentary: By standards of the Walsh Ironman in a lower-weight, this is a pretty clear final. All signs point to a rematch between DiCamillo and Taylor, who met in an awesome finals match last year at 112 pounds -- one that DiCamillo won with a last second takedown. DiCamillo is looking at a quarterfinal match against either two-time state runner-up Calvin Campbell (Lexington, Ohio) or Cadet freestyle All-American and two-time Preseason Nationals champion Colton Adams (Scottsbluff, Neb.). Then, the likely semifinal would be a rematch of the FloNationals final from this past year against Cody Stainbrook (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio). Stainbrook placed fifth at the Ironman last year, with a win over Evan Botwin (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) in that consolation match -- and opponent he could see in the quarterfinal round this year.
Taylor is looking at a likely quarterfinal match against two-time state finalist, and 2010 NHSCA Sophomore champion Drew Ferguson-Mitchell (Collins Hill, Georgia). The other quarter of that bottom half is a total cluster of balance featuring Powell, Nyama, Lemaire, and Goodwin, the lone nationally ranked wrestler being Nyama, who took seventh at state this past year.
Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: P.J. Klee (Blair Academy, N.J.), who could place a wrench in the dynamic of the bracket flow above, but is not likely to spoil the DiCamillo vs. Taylor final.
Friday Matches to Watch: How about both round of 16 matches in the third quarter of the draw -- FloNationals and Super 32 placer Nyama battling two-time state finalist and 2009 Ironman placer Kevon Powell (Montini Catholic, Ill.) as well as another Super 32 placer Jacob Goodwin (Bishop Lynch, Texas) doing battle with two-time state champion Kaleb Lemaire (Caesar Rodney, Del.).
Finals Prediction: George DiCamillo over Ryan Taylor, a rematch of last year's championship match at 112 pounds
126:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 1 Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area, Pa.), No. 5 (at 132) Bradon Jeske (Cox, Va.), No. 3 Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.), No. 5 Nathan Kraisser (Centennial, Md.), No. 8 Dean Heil (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 9 Dominick Malone (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 19 Max Hvolbek (Blair Academy, N.J.)
Commentary: Even though there are only seven nationally ranked wrestlers in this weight class, the top end quality present in this weight class -- as well as the strength of the non-seeds -- gives this weight significant argument for being the toughest in all the tournament. This weight class has four wrestlers that have appeared in an Ironman final during their career.
The top seed is defending champion Gulibon, who is also a three-time state and Powerade champion. He should be rather unfettered heading into the semifinals. The quarterfinal opponent, based on seeds, would be a returning Ironman placer and state champion in either David Jeffrey (Parkersburg South, West Va.) or Micah Hight (Caesar Rodney, Del.).
Seeded fourth is Malone, a National Prep champion and runner-up to Gulibon in last year's Ironman. However, he is looking at a quarterfinal match against three-time state champion Nathan Kraisser (Centennial, Md.), who was a Junior National double All-American this past summer and scored a win over Malone in the Mount Mat Madness finals last January.
The third seed in this weight class is last year's runner-up at 130 Jeske, who was a Junior freestyle runner-up this past summer and a Cadet double finalist (freestyle champion) the summer before. He is looking at a quarterfinal match against either Hvolbek or Jordan, which should be an intriguing one to watch.
Finally, the second seed in this weight is Junior freestyle champion Dance, a three-time Super 32 finalist (runner-up the last two years). He has wrestled Gulibon very tough in their last two meetings, the epic semifinal at the Ironman last year that Gulibon won in the ultimate tiebreaker and a similar Gulibon victory in the Powerade final. However, Dance projects to face two-time state champion Heil in the quarterfinals this year, Heil was an Ironman runner-up in 2009, and beat Dance in the semifinals at the FloNationals this past April on the way to his championship.
Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Anthony Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.), Zane Heller (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), Dylan Good (Brecksville, Ohio), Mikey Konstandaras (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio)
Friday Match to Watch: A matchup involving wrestlers from two of the nation's preeminent programs, as Junior freestyle All-American, and two-time Ironman placer, Hvolbek matches up against sophomore sensation, and 2011 state champion, Micah Jordan (St. Paris Graham).
Finals Prediction: Jimmy Gulibon over Brandon Jeske
132:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 1 Mark Grey (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 2 Alex Cisneros (Selma, Calif.), No. 7 Kagan Squire (Wadsworth, Ohio), No. 14 Joey Ward (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio), No. 14 (at 138) Brent Fickel (Padua, Ohio), No. 18 (at 126) Randy Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.)
Commentary: Like the weight before, this also has lots of top-end talent with six nationally ranked wrestlers, however, the quality of depth in the lower seeds and non-seeds pales in comparison. The simplistic analysis here is to suggest this as a two horse race between Grey and Cisneros, neither of whom has ever won the Ironman. Despite never winning the Ironman (twice a runner-up), Grey has a very robust wrestling resume with three National Prep titles, three Beast of the East titles (seeking to become the first to ever win four at the Beast), and a whole book of successes in USA Wrestling events. Likewise Cisneros, second and third in his two Ironman appearances, has a c.v. that includes two Super 32 championships and three California state titles (seeking to become only the second four-time state champ ever). However, it's never as easy as expected.
Looking through Grey's path from the top line of the draw, it includes a projected quarterfinal against returning Ironman placer Ward, who took Cisneros right to the bitter wire in a semifinal at the Super 32 before losing 4-3 and taking third place. Ward was a state champion, Junior Greco-Roman All-American, and Ironman placer this past calendar year. All of that assumes Ward gets past two-time state runner-up Dallas Smith (Christiansburg, Va.) in the round of 16. Then, a semifinal against either Fickel or Randy Cruz looms in front. Fickel is a three-time state placer, and has twice placed at the Ironman and Super 32, while Cruz is twice a state runner-up, placed fourth at the Super 32 after falling short in an epic semifinal against Joey Dance, and placed at both the Ironman and Beast last year.
Cisneros is looking at a quarterfinal against returning Ironman placer Chris Caton (Northside Christian Academy, North Carolina), a returning Ironman placer, who also placed at National Preps and was a NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up. In the semifinal, Cisneros is looking at either facing Squire or Edgar Bright (St. Edward, Ohio). Squire has placed at the Ironman three times in his career, and is twice a state runner-up. Last year, he lost twice to Cisneros in placing fourth at the Ironman, however, both were by razor thin margins. Bright is a two-time state placer, finishing second this past year, and was a Cadet freestyle champion this past summer.
Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Xavi Ramos (McDonogh, Md.), Clay Archer (Broken Arrow, Okla.), Ryan Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio)
Friday Match to Watch: Cadet freestyle champion Bright matches up against state champion George Fisher (Marmion Academy, Ill.), which is a rematch of a three period match in Fargo that Bright won by fall.
Finals Prediction: Mark Grey over Alex Cisneros in the battle of Cornell recruits.
138:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 1 Nate Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio), No. 5 Todd Preston (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 9 Chase Ferman (Broken Arrow, Okla.), No. 16 Austin Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.)
Commentary: Skonieczny seeks a second Ironman title to go with the one he got at 130 pounds in 2009. Last year, he ran a rigorous gauntlet to take third place, though he lost by a single point to Hunter Stieber (the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler) in the semfinal round. He also added a state title and FloNationals title to his resume during the last year. At present, his half of the draw is rather manageable with the likely quarterfinal coming against either Junior freestyle All-American Angelo Silvestro (Marmion Academy, Ill.) or state and Ironman placer Angelo Amenta (Oregon Clay, Ohio). His semifinal opponent would most likely be returning Ironman placer and 2010 state runner-up Mitch Newhouse (Massillon Perry, Ohio), though state champion Tyler Nation (Scottsbluff, Neb.) or state placer Nick Barber (St. Edward, Ohio) would like to disagree.
After last year, Skonieczny earned a bracketing break, and he got one as the bottom half of the draw is much more challenging with the three other nationally ranked wrestlers residing in it. Two-time Junior National All-American Ferman, a state champion who placed fourth in the Ironman last year, is the second seed in this weight class. His challenges start with a pesky quarterfinal against either state runner-up Matthews or Reno TOC champion Shayne Tucker (Bella Vista, Calif.) The projected semifinal is then against two-time National Prep champion and Junior freestyle seventh-place finisher Preston - who is the second seed, and seeks to improve upon sixth and fourth-place finishes from the last two Ironman tournaments.
Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Santiago Valdez (Robinson, Va.)
Friday Match to Watch: Two-time Super 32 placer, NHSCA grade-level champion, and state placer Matthews clashes with Reno TOC champ, state placer, and 2009 Super 32 placer Tucker.
Finals Prediction: Nate Skonieczny over Todd Preston
145:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 11 (at 152) Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.), No. 9 Zack Dailey (Massillon Perry, Ohio), No. 19 Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.), No. 20 Blake Kastl (St. Paris Graham, Ohio)
Commentary: Though there are four nationally ranked wrestlers present in this weight class, none would be characterized as a true anchor. However, that is more than compensated by the balance that is present -- both in terms of seeds and non-seeds. The top seed in this weight is Lavallee, a Junior freestyle All-American who is also a two-time state champion and won a FILA Cadet freestyle title this past April in Akron. He faces a legitimate quarterfinal against either state runner-up Zane Zeman (Avon, Ohio) or state champion Brooks Martino (Robinson, Va.) -- a pair of wrestlers that fell one match short of placement in the Super 32 held six weeks ago. The other quarter bracket of the top half is anchored by two-time California state placer Kastl, who also placed fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals.
Sophomore sensations Clark and Milonas reside in the third quarter of this weight class, and each was a National Prep runner-up last year. This summer, Clark was third in Cadet freestyle at 140, while Milonas was champion at 145 pounds. The bottom quarter is anchored by state champion Dailey, who also placed at the Ironman and in Junior freestyle this past year. He is joined by two-time state placer Jake Faust (Lexington, Ohio), who is off a virtuoso performance at the Super 32 where he placed third with an impressive list of quality wins.
Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Mitch Baran (Brecksville, Ohio), Xavier Montalvo (Montini Catholic, Ill.), Dean Meyer (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio)
Friday Match to Watch: It's a projected matchup of Cadet freestyle All-Americans in National Prep runner-up Clark and state placer Markus Scheidel (St. Edward, Ohio).
Finals Prediction: Joey Lavallee over Zack Dailey
152:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 2 (at 160) Bo Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 2 Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.)
Commentary: There's no need to pretend about things here, this is a two person weight class, and a colossal one at that with two of the nation's top juniors anchoring the field. Bo Jordan is a two-time state champion, defending Ironman champion, and is ranked No. 1 in the class of 2013. On the other hand, Martinez is a two-time state placer, winning state this past year, with a strong off-season resume that includes Cadet double All-American status in 2010, and a FloNationals runner-up finish along with a NUWAY Vegas title this year. The other two projected semifinalists by seed are Garrett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) and three-time state placer Nick Babcock (Broomfield, Colo.).
Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Paden Bailey (Broken Arrow, Okla.)
Friday Match to Watch: State runner-up and Cadet National double All-American Hammond is projected to wrestle sophomore Dakota Sizemore (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio), a state qualifier last year who was named Outstading Wrestler of the Community Division at the Disney Duals.
Finals Prediction: Bo Jordan over Isaiah Martinez
160:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 2 Cody Allala (Hopewell, Va.), No. 3 Isaac Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 4 Geordan Speiller (Pine Castle Christian, Fla.), No. 10 (at 170) Dylan Reel (Washington, Ill.), No. 13 Victor Pereira (Newark Memorial, Calif.)
Commentary: Though the depth in this weight class is questionable by Ironman standards, there is a very impressive top group of wrestlers that include five of the nation's top 100 prospects from the Class of 2012. The top seed in this weight class is two-time state champion Reel, who earned All-American honors in both styles at the Junior Nationals and was a Preseason Nationals champion after falling short of a state title this past year. Additionally, he was a Junior Greco-Roman champion in 2010. He should be challenged starting in the quarterfinals by Jacob Davis (St. Edward, Ohio), a state placer last year who burst onto the scene with a giant upset over Isaac Jordan on Ironman Friday last year. In the other quarter of the top half is a fellow “Greco head†in two-time state champion Speiller, who beat Reel in Fargo this year on the way to a Junior Greco-Roman championship. Speiller was is also a two-time state champion, FloNationals champion, finished third at the Super 32 this year, and took fifth in last year's Ironman. He's looking at a likely quarterfinal 2010 Cadet Greco-Roman champion Patrick Coover (Blair Academy, N.J.), who placed fifth at National Preps and sixth in last year's Ironman.
The bottom half of the draw is where one can find the other three nationally ranked wrestlers. It starts with third seed Isaac Jordan, a two-time state champion who failed to place at last year's Ironman while competing despite an injury that kept him out the rest of the regular season. This spring, without much freestyle experience, he won the Central Regional title over Zach Brunson and Justin Koethe. He is looking at a likely quarterfinal against returning Ironman placer and state runner-up Pereira, who placed fourth at the recently completed Super 32. The second seed in this weight is returning Ironman placer, and three-time state champion, Allala who finished as runner-up at the Super 32 this year. He's looking at a likely quarterfinal against fellow Va.n Zach Epperly (Christiansburg).
Friday Match to Watch: Two-time state champion and 2011 Super 32 placer Epperly matches up with state runner-up Zach Boyles (Smyrna, Del.).
Finals Prediction: Cody Allala over Geordan Speiller
170:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 8 (at 160) Mark Martin (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 10 (at 160) Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 20 Elliott Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.)
Commentary: Starting somewhat this weight, and into the next two weights, the implications of adding an additional upperweight class rear its head -- namely there is less depth than in past year. In the way the seeds play out, the number two seed Martin has the edge over top seeded Morris. After winning his first state title in March, Martin added a FILA Junior freestyle title and Junior freestyle All-American finish to the resume this off-season, and he should be relatively unchallenged heading into the final, with only a likely semifinal against either Ironman and National Prep placer Addison Knepshield (Blair Academy, N.J.) standing in his way. On the other hand, Morris is looking at a likely quarterfinal against state placer Austin Coniker (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) before a likely semifinal date with state placer and Super 32 runner-up Riddick.
Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Michael Blum (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio)
Friday Match to Watch: Coniker matches up against State runner-up Pierce DeMarreau (Caesar Rodney, Del.).
Finals Prediction: Mark Martin over Eric Morris to avenge a loss from last year's consolation semifinal round
182:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 3 (at 195) Huston Evans (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 6 Chaz Gresham (Goshen, Ohio), No. 11 Domenic Abounader (St. Edward, Ohio)
Commentary: This year's top seed Evans was a very impressive runner-up in last year's tournament, with a semifinal win over the formidable Alex Utley before wrestling a valliant match against Morgan McIntosh, who would be named InterMat's High School Wrestler of the Year at season's end, in losing by just a 2-1 score. In looking through the path to the final, there is no one that should be within a major decision of the Virginia Tech bound Evans. The other half of the draw is similarly lopsided, however, it involves two key figures -- state champions Gresham and Abounader. Gresham took fourth at the Ironman, suffering defeats to both McIntosh and Evans, before winning a state title in March, and he has added a Disney Duals gold medal and Super 32 third-place finish to the resume in the interim. Abounader missed last year's Ironman due to his role on a state title football team. After winning state, Abounader finished third in freestyle at both the FILA Cadet Nationals and Cadet Nationals.
Finals Prediction: Huston Evans over Chaz Gresham in a rubber match of sorts, Evans beat Gresham in the district finals last year, while Gresham exacted revenge in the state final.
195:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 19 Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy, N.J.)
Commentary: In the average tournament, this is a very solid weight class, and one of much intrigue. However, in the Ironman, this is clearly the tournament's weakest weight class. It has the double whammy of lacking anchors and depth. The lone ranked wrestler is the second seed Mattiace, who finished third at National Preps and had an excellent off-season despite failing to All-American at both the FILA Cadet Nationals and Junior Nationals in freestyle. Looking through his draw, the projected quarterfinal is against state placer Jerry Thornberry (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio), and the semifinal would be against Ironman and National Prep placer Kevin Marvel (McDonogh, Md.). The top seed in this weight is state champion Seth Calvert (Broken Arrow, Okla.), who is looking at a projected semifinal against one of two state placers - James Suvak (St. Edward, Ohio) or Joe Tayse (Massillon Perry, Ohio). Suvak beat Tayse in the consolation semifinals this past year at state, and is a two-time NHSCA grade level All-American.
Finals Prediction: Frank Mattiace over James Suvak
220:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 2 Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.), No. 6 AJ Vizcarrando (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 8 Ty Walz (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 11 Matt Meadows (CVCA, Ohio), No. 16 Austin Lobsinger (West Valley, Calif.)
Commentary: Despite being an upperweight, this is a very solid weight class, as it both has high caliber kids in the top of the weight and some solid depth through the rest of it. Even though the top five seeds are the five best wrestlers in the weight, the seeding order does not reflect the rankings. The top seed in the tournament is state runner-up Walz, who finished fifth at the Ironman last year and had a highly accomplished off-season with runner-up finishes at NHSCA Junior Nationals and FILA Cadet freestyle to go with a seventh-place finish in Junior freestyle. He's looking at a likely quarterfinal against one of two state placers Ray Stone (Akron SVSM, Ohio) or Evan Daley (Fort LeBoeuf, Pa.), and then a semifinal date with either Lobsinger or Vizcarrando. Lobsinger was a state runner-up, who placed fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals, while Vizcarrando was runner-up at National Preps and placed sixth in Junior Greco-Roman.
The bottom half of the draw is anchored by the second seed Snyder, a sophomore sensation that won three major tournaments last year as a freshman at 215 pounds -- Beast of the East, Mount Mat Madness, and National Preps. This summer, the second ranked sophomore in the nation was a double Cadet National finalist, winning a title in freestyle. Life won't be easy for him at the Ironman with a pair of solid fellow sophomores in Cadet Greco All-American Edgar Ruano (Montini Catholic, Ill.) and state placer Chalmer Freauf (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio) in his quarter bracket. However, one should expect Snyder to pass the challenge with flying colors on the way to a semifinal match against FloNationals runner-up Meadows, who placed seventh at the Ironman last year and third at state. Meadows is coming off a dual meet victory over Walz last week, and is looking at a likely quarterfinal match against state placer Garrett Linton (Rootstown, Ohio), who was a Disney Duals gold medalist this summer and placed third at the Super 32.
Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: David Farr (Blair Academy, N.J.)
Friday Match to Watch: A battle of wrestlers that placed sixth in the state last year, as Super 32 runner-up Stone matches up against Daley.
Finals Prediction: Kyle Snyder over AJ Vizcarrando in a rematch of this past year's National Prep final.
285:
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 1 Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 7 Greg Kuhar (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 12 Mimmo Lyttle (Swanton, Ohio)
Commentary: The absence of No. 2 Doug Vollaro and No. 4 Nick Tavanello from this weight class removes some of the respected luster, and turns this into a Black against the Ohio undercard. Black is the clear favorite to win a second consecutive Ironman title, adding to a rich resume that in the last year alone includes a Beast of the East title, National Prep title, FILA Cadet freestyle title, and Junior National double All-American honors. The next chunk of this field is four wrestlers from the Buckeye State that aspire to wrestle on the raised platform at the Schott on the first Saturday of March in the state final. Kuhar and Lytle are the second and third seeds in this weight class.
Kuhar did not compete in the Ironman last year, since he was part of a state title-winning football team -- he's going to Northwestern on a football scholarship as a defensive tackle, but he did place seventh in the 2009 Ironman. Additionally, he is a two-time state placer, finishing second last year. Lytle is a three-time state placer in the small-school division, winning his initial state championship last year. The other wrestler to note in the bottom half is freshman sensation Michael Johnson, Jr. (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), who would hit Kuhar in the quarterfinal round based on the seedings. Johnson, Jr. was a double All-American at the Cadet Nationals last summer, and is ranked second in all the Class of 2015.
Majoy is the fifth seed in this weight class, and placed third in the small-school division last year before taking fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals. He is looking at a likely quarterfinal date with Junior Greco-Roman All-American Garrett Gray (Oregon Clay, Ohio) -- also a state placer -- before a semifinal collision with Black.
Finals Prediction: Brooks Black over Greg Kuhar
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