And so it begins: Walsh Ironman kicks off the season this weekend

A great deal of noteworthy high school wrestling competition has already taken place by now. The Lock Haven Fall Classic and the ever-growing Super 32 Challenge were both loaded with tough competitors. Henry Cejudo, Mike Grey, Jon Reader, and Pat McCaffrey competed well against collegiate and post-collegiate competition. However, it is the Walsh Ironman that really christens the new season from a fans perspective. This year's tournament will not disappointment. The tournament contains not only marquee match-ups, but seemingly greater depth than ever before. The following analysis can serve as a wrestling fan's guide as to what to expect.

David Taylor (photo by Wyatt Schultz)

103 -- Even with two-time Cadet National Freestyle champion Anthony Valles of Blair Academy moving unexpectedly to 112, this remains one of the most interesting weights. The No. 1 seed is Boris Novachkov of California. Novachkov has won both styles in Fargo the last two years, for a total of four national titles. Ironically, he has yet to place in the loaded California State Tournament -- as he has been too small for 103. Now apparently grown into a full 103, or at least close, he will be a force to be reckoned with. However, it is the No. 3 seed, David Taylor, who generates the most interest in this weight. Taylor is ranked as the No. 1 freshman in the Rev Wrestling High School Power Rankings. Simply put, Taylor is a schoolboy legend. He racked up three Ohio junior high state titles without going the distance. He also triumphed at the Cadet National Freestyle Championships this past summer, again without going the distance. However, that was at 91 pounds -- and at this point, Taylor is clearly a very small 103. Perhaps as a result, he tasted his first folkstyle defeat in years, in double overtime, against Cadet National runner-up Ben Sergent, just last weekend. Taylor is on a collision course for a rematch with Sergent (the No. 2 seed) in the semifinals this weekend. However, Taylor will have to beat returning fourth place state finisher Alex Weaver -- who is probably the best 103 in Ohio's big-school division -- just to make it that far. Meanwhile, the No. 4 seed at this weight, Steve Mitcheff, is very good, as evidenced by him recently splitting two bouts with two-time Cadet National Greco champion Eric Grajales.

RevWrestling.com.com Prediction: Taylor over Novachkov

112 -- The No. 1 seed might appear invincible at this weight. A sophomore, Valles has never tasted defeat in high school competition and is similarly undefeated in Fargo, winning two Cadet National titles. Not so fast. Valles won his most recent Cadet National title at 98 pounds (over Sergent), and was expected to be at 103 until this week. While he has apparently outgrown 103, the jump to 112 is huge and the bet here is that Valles will be a little undersized for this weight. The match to watch in the quarterfinals will be his donnybrook with Ohio super frosh Collin Palmer. Palmer, who is ranked as the No. 2 freshman in the Rev Wrestling Power Rankings, is the younger brother of three-time Ohio state champion Lance Palmer -- and is considered to be even better than Lance was at this point in his career. Meanwhile the other bracket will feature California's Nikko Triggas and Pennsylvania's Chris Sheetz. Triggas finished third in the always-loaded California State Tournament and third at the Cadet National Freestyle Championships. He will have a real fight on his hands in the quarterfinals, where he will likely face Ohio big-school state third place finisher Dante Rini. Sheetz was somewhat of an unexpected state champion in Pennsylvania's big-school division.

RevWrestling.com Prediction: Palmer over Triggas

119 -- This is perhaps the most wide-open weight in the tournament. While there is not one clear superstar as in many weights, this weight is so deep that Darrin Boing, who has placed third and fourth the last two years in the Ohio State Tournament, is only seeded No. 10. No. 1 seed Aaron Hart might take exception to the analysis that this weight lacks superstars. Hart is a former Ohio state champion, two-time Cadet Freestyle All-American, and most recently, Junior National Freestyle runner-up. However, he can be inconsistent, as evidenced by his six losses last season (though it should be noted that this was wrestling on Graham's treacherous schedule). His stiffest competition may in the semifinals, against three-time California State place winner and NHSCA Junior National third placer Caleb Flores. The other bracket features another third place finisher from that event, Levi Mele, as well as Felipe Novachkov, the older brother of Boris. Novachkov is a former Bulgarian Cadet Nationals champion who placed second in California last year to Senior Nationals champion Brian Moreno.

RevWrestling.com Prediction: Hart over Novachkov

125 -- Like 119, this is a weight where any of the top eight stand a legitimate chance to win. No. 1 seed Ian Moser has placed as high as third at the Junior National Freestyle Championships. However, he faces a real test in the quarterfinals against Ben Jordan, who stunned Ohio wrestling fans by winning state as a freshman. Jordan is the son of four-time Ohio state champion, two-time NCAA champion, and current Ohio State Representative, Jim Jordan. The other bracket may be even more daunting, with defending Cadet National Freestyle champion Kellen Russell of Blair Academy and Keith Sulzer, who inexplicably was seeded sixth despite being a NHSCA Junior National champion and past Cadet Nationals runner-up.

RevWrestling.com Prediction: Sulzer over Moser

Jordan Frishkorn

130 -- The match of the night will take place here as the top two competitors in the nation at this weight square off: Jordan Frishkorn and Billy Murphy. The Ironman Finals will be nothing new to Junior National Freestyle runner-up Frishkorn, as he has split two matches with Ohio's Cameron Doggett there over the past two years in the Ironman finals. This will be the first chance for many fans east of the golden state to see California's Billy Murphy -- and they will be in for a real treat. Murphy utilizes a whirlwind style that annihilated the competition last spring at NHSCA Juniors as well as at California States. He and Frishkorn split two bouts as sophomores. Cadet Nationals champion Alex Meade would have made this weight even more interesting but apparently his eligibility is doubtful at this time due to an early fall move to Christianburg H.S. in Virginia followed by a subsequent move back to Caesar Rodney, Delaware.

RevWrestling.com Prediction: Murphy over Frishkorn

135 -- The dark horse here is No. 7 seed Zack Kemmerer of Upper Perkiomen, Pennsylvania. While Kemmerer has never placed higher than fifth in the Pennsylvania State Tournament, he defeated very-tough Pennsylvania state champion Ashtin Primus last season and was a one point loss to Mario Mason away from making the finals at Cadet Nationals. No. 1 seed Kevin Lipp won NHSCA Juniors last spring over the No. 6 seed Marcus Nelson. However, he will likely have to get past Junior National All-American Max Shanaman in the semifinals. Perhaps the most interesting competitor to watch will be former state champion Shawn Harris of Lakewood St. Edward's -- who is moving all the way up from 112 to 135. Harris is seeded second.

RevWrestling.com Prediction: Kemmerer over Shanaman

Mario Mason (photo by Wyatt Schultz)

140 -- If there is one prediction that this writer feels confident in, it is that Blair Academy's Mario Mason will out-perform his inexplicable No. 7 seed. Rated as the No. 4 sophomore in the nation in the Rev Wrestling Power Rankings, Mason features as smooth of a counter-offense as any wrestler in the nation. However, he will face a true test in the quarterfinals in Pennsylvania's Matt Dunn. While he has not won state since he was a freshman (he was upset in the finals last year), Dunn took all-everything Adam Frey to the wire in last year's Ironman finals as Frey needed a takedown in the last ten seconds to come from behind. Should young Mason pass that test, he will face an ever stiffer challenge in Ohio's Lance Palmer. Palmer lost only one bout at Junior Nationals last summer, a one-point loss to Cyler Sanderson. Along with Mike Grey, he is probably the best mat wrestler in the nation -- and certainly, the most punishing, with a brutal power-half.

RevWrestling.com Prediction: Palmer over Mason

145 -- This weight would have looked like a guaranteed rematch between Blair's Travis Blasco and Sean Nemec. Last season, these two Junior National Freestyle All-Americans squared off in the dual between their teams in the match-deciding last bout of the night. Nemec jumped out to an early lead before Blasco scored back points off a takedown to take control of the match and preserve Blair's status as the nation's top team. However, last week Blasco was defeated (for the second year in a row) by Matt Cathell of Ceaser Rodney, by a decisive 7-2 score. Cathell clearly has Blasco's number -- the bet here is that he will not have Nemec's. Perhaps the best match of the first night will be Cathell against Christianburg super frosh Andrew Clement. Clement had a superb preseason, finishing third at the Super 32 Challenge among other achievements, as is currently rated as the No. 5 freshman in the nation in the Rev Power Rankings.

RevWrestling.com.com Prediction: Blasco over Nemec

152 -- A week ago, this appeared to be the marquee weight of the tournament. However, defending champion Mike Benefiel of Illinois has apparently broken his hand and will not be competing. Even still, this weight features Cadet National Freestyle champion Eric Medina, NHSCA Junior National champion Josh Rohler, and Junior National All-American Jason Welch of California. Medina is seeded No. 1 and Welch is seeded No. 4, meaning they are headed for a semifinal showdown. This should be the match to watch of that round as Medina is an outstanding mat wrestler whereas Welch is a spectacular takedown artist. Welch is rated as the No. 1 sophomore in the nation in the Rev Wrestling Power Rankings. However, Medina has already handled the previously No. 1 ranked junior, Tim Darling, at the Lock Haven Fall Classic, by a 7-3 score. A Welch-Rohler would also be interesting as Rohler has outstanding defense.

RevWrestling.com Prediction: Welch over Rohler

160 -- Like 130, this is a weight that features a likely marquee match-up. Two-time Junior National Freestyle All-American David Rella may be the man to beat here after finishing third in Fargo last summer. However, No. 1 seed Mack Lewnes actually beat Rella last fall at the Beast of the East by a point. The No. 3 seed, Matt Epperly is a three-time state champion headed for Virginia Tech. The No. 4 seed is Junior National Greco-Roman champion Jesse Robbins of Florida. Robbins is perhaps the wildcard of this weight. While he failed to win state last spring, he defeated Rocky Cozart in Greco in Fargo and nearly defeated the mighty David Craig in a spring freestyle tournament. If he is on, Lewnes could be in trouble. No. 7 seed Brent Fiorito could also make some noise. Fiorito finished third in the Pennsylvania State Tournament last spring -- impressive considering the top two were Joey Eckloff and Donnie Jones.

RevWrestling.com Prediction: Rella over Lewnes

171 -- Like 119 and 125, this is a weight with great depth but no clear favorite.
The No. 1 seed, Ian Henisch, was runner-up at this tournament last fall and is a former Cadet National All-American. The No. 2 seed, Wenger, is a two-time state champion/and three-time finalist -- rare for an upper weight wrestler. Rob Waltko, a.k.a. "Superrob," is a former Cadet National Freestyle champion yet managed only the No. 3 seed, whereas fellow junior David Thompson, a former Cadet National Freestyle runner-up, was seeded fourth. RevWrestling.com.com would have picked Parkersburg super sophomore Andy Thomas, but he is not entered for reasons unknown at the time of this article.

RevWresting.com Prediction: Walko over Henisch

189 -- This weight appears to be essentially a two-man showdown between Oveido, Florida state champion David Green and two-time state champion Cody Norman of Parkersburg, West Virginia. Norman is a rare upper weight three-time state finalist. Green seems to be rapidly improving, going from a non-state placer in 2004 to a Junior National Greco All-American in 2005.

RevWrestling.com Prediction: Green over Norman

215 -- The nation's best 215, junior Cody Gardner of Parkersburg South, West Virginia, appears to be relatively unchallenged here. Gardner is already a two-time state champion and took third at the Junior National Freestyle Championships at this weight. Super sophomore Garrett Goebbel will battle Jared Platt of Blair Academy in a semifinal which will amount to a contest for second place.

RevWrestling.com Prediction: Gardner over Goebbel

275 -- Kenny Lester of Oviedo has to be the favorite here. Widely regarded as the best heavyweight in the nation, Lester has been both a double Junior National All-American and a double Cadet All-American. However, Lester faces a formidable challenge in Ohio state champion/Cadet National Freestyle runner-up Cameron Wade. He would have faced an even stiffer challenge in two-time Cadet National Freestyle champion Ben Kuhar, but apparently Kuhar is lost for the season due to a knee injury sustained in football.

RevWrestling.com Prediction: Lester over Wade

Teams Outlook -- This year is perhaps the first in many years that serious whispers of Blair Academy's vulnerability are being heard. Just consider: from last year's team they have graduated: Senior national champ/double Junior Nationals champion Adam Frey, Senior Nationals runner-up/Junior National Freestyle runner-up Ross Gitomer, Junior National Freestyle champion Rollie Peterkin, and Junior National All-American Hudson Taylor. By contrast, St. Edward's really graduated no one noteworthy.

However, then Ben Kuhar went down. It is probably safe to say that there was no single wrestler that would have been so hard to replace. They have gone from a guy who would have contended for a title to a complete unknown quantity at this weight. All other teams will be competing for third.

Rev Wrestling.com Prediction: Blair Academy

Stay Tuned for an Ironman wrap-up on Rev Wrestling.com on Sunday morning, Dec. 11.

Sign In

And so it begins: Walsh Ironman kicks off the season this weekend

User Feedback

Recommended Comments

Create an account or sign in to comment

Create an account

Sign in

Categories

Rankings

Browse

Activity

Support