New York Division I 106 pounds: No. 19 Dylan Ryder (Half Hollow Hills West) vs. No. 20 Zach Redding (Eastport-South Manor)
This pair of wrestlers has split matches against one another on the season, with Ryder winning the most recent meeting two weeks ago by a 3-0 decision in the Section XI final; Redding won by 2-1 decision in the ultimate tiebreaker at the Eastern States Classic in the championship match six weeks ago. The junior Ryder was runner-up at 99 pounds last season, and finished eighth at 106 pounds in Cadet freestyle this past summer; while the freshman Ryder does have two other losses on the season, though those both came in the opening weekend bumping up to 120 pounds off a 113 weigh-in.
However, should the wrestlers meet, it would be in the semifinal as they are the second and third seed respectively. In what has to be a baffling decision, the top seed is Matt Griffin (Jamesville Dewitt), a junior who placed third last year at 99 pounds. He placed seventh at the Eastern States Classic in this weight class, while the two nationally ranked wrestlers met in the finals.
National Preps 126 pounds: No. 14 Jack Davis (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. No. 15 Chris Cannon (Blair Academy, N.J.)
Both wrestlers were National Prep champions one year ago, Davis winning at 120 pounds, while Cannon earned gold at 113 pounds. When the pair met this season in the early January dual meet, it was Davis coming away with the 3-2 decision. However, Cannon placed seventh at the Walsh Ironman the previous month, while Davis failed to place. Both wrestlers have also earned All-American honors in Cadet freestyle in previous years.
Other notable wrestlers in this weight class include three-time National Prep placer Daniel Planta (St. Paul's, Md.), along with returning National Prep placers in Ray Kable (McDonogh, Md.) and Nathaniel White (DeMatha, Md.)
New York Division I 138 pounds: No. 1 Vitali Arujau (Syosset) vs. No. 16 Jake Silverstein (Hauppauge)
The Cornell-bound Arujau is after a fourth state title, and is seeking to cap off yet another undefeated season. One that included a 3-1 victory over Silverstein in the Eastern States Classic final. Prior to the high school season, Arujau was a Cadet World silver medalist and a Super 32 Challenge champion. Silverstein was runner-up at state in the 106 pound weight class two years ago as a freshman before missing out on placement last year at 120 pounds; however, he bounced back nicely with a seventh place finish at the Super 32 Challenge prior to the start of the season in this weight class.
For Arujau, the most likely semifinal opponent would be returning state fourth place finisher Christian Gramuglia (Burnt Hills), while Silverstein is looking at a semifinal date with another returning state fourth place finisher in Kyle Mosher (South Side).
National Preps 170 pounds: No. 12 Khamari Whimper (Baylor School, Tenn.) vs. No. 20 Dale Tiongson (St. Paul's, Md.)
Whimper placed third last year up a weight class at 182 pounds, while Tiongson was runner-up at 160 pounds losing a 3-2 finals decision against Ryan Karoly. In the off-season, Whimper placed fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals and fifth at the Super 32 Challenge, both of those at 182 pounds; while Tiongson was eighth at the FloNationals in the 152 pound weight class.
Other notable contestants include returning National Prep placers Isaiah Bailey (Tabor, Mass.) and Justin Henry (Mt. St. Joseph, Md.), along with three-time Florida state placer Leonardo Tarantino (Blair Academy, N.J.) and Cadet National double All-American Jake Hendricks (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.)
Ryan Karoly, ranked No. 6 at 182 pounds, was a Fargo double champion this past summer (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)National Preps 182 pounds: No. 6 Ryan Karoly (Malvern Prep, Pa.) vs. No. 12 A.J. Pedro (Phillips Exeter, N.H.)
Karoly is the returning National Prep champion at the 160-pound weight class, and this past summer was a Cadet National double champion at 182 pounds. In addition, the Northwestern-bound junior was runner-up at the Walsh Ironman in the 170-pound weight class earlier this season. The Brown-bound Pedro missed last year's event due to injury but placed third at National Preps as a freshman and sophomore. Pedro was sixth in Junior freestyle at this weight class over the summer, and placed third at the Beast of the East in this weight class two months ago. Two other notable contestants in this weight class are returning New England placer Austin Cooley (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), who also was a Cadet freestyle All-American this past summer, and Beast of the East placer Jack Parr (St. Paul's, Md.)
Oklahoma Class 6A 285 pounds: No. 16 Gage Johnson (Norman North) vs. No. 17 Trenton Lieurance (Broken Arrow)
Two years ago in the consolation semifinals at the state tournament, Lieurance beat Johnson 2-1 in the tiebreaker to earn a top four podium finish. However, in the four meeting since then (two each season), it has been Johnson earning the victory. In the 2015-16 season, there was a pin at the Geary Invitational and a 3-2 win in the state semifinal; while this season, Johnson won in overtime at the Geary Invitational and in the tiebreaker at the regional tournament.
Lieurance placed third last year and fourth the year before, while Johnson was second last year. This season Lieurance has lost four times, twice to Johnson and twice in December to nationally ranked opposition; while Johnson has one loss on the season. It would come as significant surprise if they did not meet Saturday night with the title on the line.
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