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    Josh Lowe •

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    St. Paris Graham finishes season ranked No. 1 in Fab 50

    The 2014-15 scholastic wrestling season is one that has seen many twists and turns, along with debates and deliberation. With that in mind, it is no surprise, there is a lack of clarity about whom the nation's top-ranked team should be. However, there has to be one team that is No. 1, and for this year that is St. Paris Graham.

    They join the following teams that have previously ended the season No. 1 in the InterMat Fab 50 national team rankings:

    2013-14: Blair Academy (N.J.)
    2012-13: Blair Academy (N.J.)
    2011-12: Blair Academy (N.J.)
    2010-11: Apple Valley (Minn.)

    St. Paris Graham
    Going all the way back almost 20 weeks already to mid-November, the preseason Fab 50 tabbed Blair Academy (N.J.) as the nation's top team in a close call over Oak Park River Forest (Ill.); ranked third was Wyoming Seminary (Pa.), and it was St. Paris Graham (Ohio) in fourth. Those four teams came together right around a month later at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman just outside of Akron, Ohio.

    On that occasion, it was St. Paris Graham that emerged as the team champions of the nation's best tournament. The Falcons placed nine wrestlers, three winning titles, on the way to scoring 211 points. Second in the standings was Blair Academy with 189 points, also placing nine wrestlers, but with just one champion. Third went to Oak Park River Forest, placing eight and scoring 173 points, led by a single champion; while Wyoming Seminary placed seven on the way to 134 points but lacking in a champion.

    For purposes of ranking analysis, it should be noted that Walsh Ironman runner-up Mason Manville would leave Blair Academy that next week (obviously reducing the capability of the 160-pound weight class for the Buccaneers); Oak Park River Forest was without the services of now four-time state placer Larry Early, a nationally ranked 145 pound wrestler who was projected to finish runner-up; while Wyoming Seminary was absent Nick Reenan, this year's National Prep champion, a nationally ranked 170-pound wrestler that was a potential tournament finalist.

    In addition, both St. Paris Graham and Oak Park River Forest were absent their starter at 220 pounds due to injury; each was a state qualifier this year, failing to place in their state tournament.

    Heading into the Christmas Holiday, the four teams were ordered in this way: St. Paris Graham, Oak Park River Forest, Blair Academy, and Wyoming Seminary.

    2015 Final Fab 50 Team Rankings
    1. St. Paris Graham, Ohio
    2. Oak Park River Forest, Illinois
    3. Blair Academy, New Jersey
    4. Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania
    5. Clovis, California
    6. Franklin Regional, Pennsylvania
    7. Southeast Polk, Iowa
    8. Poway, California
    9. Bethlehem Catholic, Pennsylvania
    10. Bergen Catholic, New Jersey
    11. Archer, Georgia
    12. Buchanan, California
    13. Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
    14. Stillwater, Oklahoma
    15. St. Edward, Ohio
    16. Montini Catholic, Illinois
    17. Apple Valley, Minnesota
    18. Neosho, Missouri
    19. Carl Sandburg, Illinois
    20. Bettendorf, Iowa
    21. St. Michael-Albertville, Minnesota
    22. Glenbard North, Illinois
    23. Tuttle, Oklahoma
    24. Massillon Perry, Ohio
    25. Lowell, Michigan
    26. Brecksville, Ohio
    27. Crook County, Oregon
    28. Mesa Mountain View, Arizona
    29. Dayton Christian, Ohio
    30. St. Peter's Prep, New Jersey
    31. Delta, Ohio
    32. Marmion Academy, Illinois
    33. Elyria, Ohio
    34. DePaul Catholic, New Jersey
    35. South Dade, Florida
    36. Greater Latrobe, Pennsylvania
    37. Don Bosco Prep, New Jersey
    38. Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania
    39. Minisink Valley, New York
    40. Cumberland Valley, Pennsylvania
    41. Bound Brook, New Jersey
    42. Kaukauna, Wisconsin
    43. Boyertown, Pennsylvania
    44. Monroe Woodbury, New York
    45. Brighton, Michigan
    46. Penn, Indiana
    47. Delbarton, New Jersey
    48. Colonial Forge, Virginia
    49. Brick Memorial, New Jersey
    50. Evansville Mater Dei, Indiana
    Right after the New Year, St. Paris Graham traveled to Blair Academy for a Saturday afternoon dual meet; the Buccaneers pulled off a 27-24 upset victory, taking home victories in eight weight classes. Two clear upset victories for Blair Academy came at 113 and 120 pounds, where Mitch Moore lost to a lower-ranked opponent in Zach Sherman, and Eli Stickley lost to the non-ranked Requir van der Merwe. Also working in favor of Blair Academy was a tossup match victory at 145 pounds, when Michael Monica avenged an Ironman defeat in beating Brent Moore. It should be noted that Blair Academy wrestled without 132-pound wrestler Charles Tucker; though freshman Rocky Jordan had upset Tucker in the Ironman semifinal, prior productivity and subsequent productivity positions Tucker higher than Jordan in the rankings (Jordan beat the Blair Academy reserve wrestler on that day).

    At that point, the rankings calculus came out to the following: Oak Park River Forest, Blair Academy, St. Paris Graham, and Wyoming Seminary. For further analysis of the at-time rationale, read here.

    Oak Park River Forest would carry that No. 1 ranking through the regular season, one in which they went 6-0 in dual meets against Fab 50 teams, and also won an individual bracket tournament (Rex Whitlach Invitational in mid-December) that featured two other top 20 teams in the country. Those six regular season dual meet victories came over No. 5 Clovis (Calif.) by a score of 35-18, nine matches to five), No. 16 Montini Catholic (Ill.), No. 17 Apple Valley (Minn.), No. 19 Carl Sandburg (Ill.), No. 20 Bettendorf (Iowa) and No. 32 Marmion Academy (Ill.)

    Blair Academy had an excellent regular season of its own with one major blip. The excellent parts included tournament titles at the Beast of the East and Geary Invitational, fields that had multiple additional nationally ranked teams present; and three additional dual meet victories over Fab 50 opposition -- No. 10 Bergen Catholic (N.J.), No. 15 St. Edward (Ohio), and No. 30 St. Peter's Prep (N.J.). However, there was a 39-20 dual meet loss to Wyoming Seminary on January 31.

    The Buccaneers did outlast Wyoming Seminary to win the National Prep Tournament at the end of February. While all that was going on St. Paris Graham went about its normal dominance, against what can kindly be called a non-descript schedule, except for their mid-January dual meet victory over St. Edward.

    As a result the rankings when February came to an end looked like this: Oak Park River Forest, St. Paris Graham, Blair Academy, and then Wyoming Seminary. However, the end of the season for Oak Park River Forest was far from being absent of blemish.

    In the first layer of their state series, nationally ranked Anthony Madrigal failed to make weight for the 106-pound class; nationally ranked Kamal Bey did not enter at 170 pounds due to injury; while Adam Lemke-Bell missed out on the competition at 285 pounds due to injury. This left the Huskies without two projected state champions and a likely low-placer in Lemke-Bell.

    Headed into their state tournament, the Huskies qualified 12 wrestlers, all but 106 and 285; the starter at 182 for much of the season qualified at 170, while a reserve qualified at 182. The state rankings from prior to the state tournament produced by Illinois Matmen projected Oak Park River Forest to place eight wrestlers, but they placed seven (admittedly the missing placer was primarily due to injury default). However, of greater note is that from five projected five state champions, the Huskies only procured two weight class titles (Renteria lost a tossup final at 113, while Madrigal at 120 and Early at 145 lost state finals bouts bouts against at-the-time unranked wrestlers, though each is now ranked).

    In the state dual meet playoffs, which were subsequent to the individual event, Bey and Lemke-Bell returned to the lineup; while Anthony Madrigal remained out of the lineup, which means he was removed from the national weight class rankings. It should be duly noted that the Huskies did pick up another pair of wins over Fab 50 teams on the way to their state dual meet title, second victories over Marmion and Carl Sandburg for an 8-0 overall dual meet record against nationally ranked teams.

    This state series result set opened the door for St. Paris Graham to regain the top position in the Fab 50 national team rankings. State rankings from right before the state tournament projected the Falcons to qualify 13 to the state tournament, place 11 (all inside the top four), and have five state champions. That is precisely what happened: 13 qualified, 11 placed in the top four, and five won state gold.

    The final conclusion is to crown the St. Paris Graham (Ohio) Falcons as national champions for the 2014-15 scholastic wrestling season. The following three factors in favor of the Falcons outweigh those arguments that fall in favor of Oak Park River Forest:

  • When all the top teams in the country were assembled in one place, St. Paris Graham emerged with the title; the margin was clear, and it would still have been clear if all teams were at available personnel

  • During the state tournament, St. Paris Graham had a "net performance" that would be characterized as "on slot," while Oak Park River Forest had results that were slightly below expectations

  • At the end of the season, as well as at other points during the season, St. Paris Graham more consistently fielded a "more complete" lineup

    Oak Park River Forest won The Clash
    It should be noted that this article could have been written just as easily to crown Oak Park River Forest as national champions. The Huskies should be commended on an impressive season that saw them win the Clash National Duals and yet another state title.

    No. 3 Blair Academy (N.J.) also had an excellent season considering the slew of transition within their program. Yet another title at the Beast of the East, and regaining the top trophy at the National Prep Championships.

    Rounding out the top five were Wyoming Seminary (Pa.), runners-up at the National Prep Championships, and Clovis (Calif.). The fifth-ranked Cougars had arguably their best season ever in winning a fifth straight California state title; they earned a state tournament record 276.5 points on the strength of qualifying the whole team, placing ten inside the top eight, and putting six into the state finals with three earning state gold.
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