Adam Busiello seeks to become the first four-time Super 32 Challenge champion (Photo/Josh Conklin)Whenever the Super 32 Challenge comes around, one knows that the high school wrestling regular season is right around corner. Over the last ten-plus years, this tournament has seen many of the nation's stars and future stars compete on its mats. Furthermore, every year one can count on this tournament producing a match/event -- or more -- that people will talk about for years to come.
Year-to-year this field is absolutely loaded. The October 2017 edition of the tournament had over 115 wrestlers that would be nationally ranked by InterMat in their respective weight classes at the end of the 2017-18 season. In addition, over 300 participants in the even won a state-level tournament title (i.e. state tournament, New England regional, or National Preps). From a past participant standpoint, approximate one-half of the qualifiers for the 2018 NCAA Division I wrestling tournament competed in the high school division of the Super 32 at least once; the same applies in terms of All-Americans.
Looking back at the Super 32 Challenge high school division from five years ago, the list of champions is illustrious. It includes Yianni Diakomihalis and Spencer Lee, who each won national titles as true freshmen in 2018; two-time NCAA champion Jason Nolf; plus additional NCAA All-Americans including Luke Pletcher, Ryan Millhof, Logan Massa, Chance Marsteller, Zack Zavatsky, and Chip Ness.
Highlighting the 2013 finals program was a match at 113 between Lee and Nick Suriano, the NCAA final this past spring at 125 pounds; while there also was a showdown at 145 between eventual NCAA All-Americans in Massa and Grant Leeth.
The lead story for this year's tournament is Penn State commit Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.), who seeks to become the event's first four-time champion in the high school division. He will be competing in the 126-pound weight class. Those to win three titles in the "Greensboro Era" include Joey Silva, Yianni Diakomihalis, Sam Krivus, and Sam Brownlee; while Jordan Frishkorn, Ashtin Primus, Chris Brown, and Patrick Bond won three tournament titles prior to the event moving to Greensboro.
Six additional wrestlers return to the tournament after winning titles last year: Cullan Schriever (Mason City, Iowa) at 113, Ryan Crookham (Notre Dame, Pa.) at 120, Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) at 145, Brevin Balmeceda (South Dade, Fla.) at 152, Patrick Kennedy (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) at 170, and Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) at 220. Antonio Lorenzo (St. John Bosco, Calif.) is in this year's tournament at 120 having won the Super 32 in 2016.
To show the depth of talent in this year's field, the field also features approximately 110 wrestlers that are ranked in their respective grade levels by InterMat, and over 50 that ended the 2017-18 season in the national weight class rankings.
Below is a weight-by-weight preview for this year's tournament, which takes place on Saturday and Sunday in Greensboro, N.C.
Note: This preview is based on entries (and weight classes) as of Sunday evening.
106: Leading the way in this field is returning Super 32 runner-up Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.), who is ranked No. 3 overall in the Class of 2021 and was a Cadet World silver medalist this summer at 48 kilos. Other primary contenders in this field include 2017 Cadet World freestyle participant Cole Skinner (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio) along with Cadet folkstyle and freestyle champion Jordan Williams (Collinsville, Okla.); Skinner is ranked No. 28 in the Class of 2021, while Williams is No. 5 in the Class of 2022.
Additional ranked incoming freshmen are No. 15 Alex Almeyda (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), twice fourth at the UWW Cadet freestyle nationals, and No. 23 Nick Fea (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.). Two wrestlers ranked top five among Junior High wrestlers nationally feature in this weight class, No. 3 Maxximus Martinez (California) and No. 4 Nasir Bailey (Illinois); Martinez was champion in Cadet folkstyle and freestyle this past off-season.
Others to note in this weight class include state champions Stevo Poulin (Shenendehowa, N.Y.), Braxton Brown (Allen, Texas), and Gary Steen (Reynolds, Pa.); as well as state runners-up Drake Ayala (Fort Dodge, Iowa), Diego Sotelo (Marmion Academy, Ill.), and Alexzander Cottey (Perry Meridian, Ind.).
1113: Cullan Schriever (Mason City, Iowa) was champion last year in this tournament at 106 pounds, and is ranked No. 25 overall in the Class of 2020 after winning a Junior National freestyle title this summer. Two others in this weight class have placed top three at the Super 32 previously. Greg Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.), ranked No. 17 in the Class of 2020, was runner-up at 106 pounds in 2016; while Jeremiah Reno (Liberty, Mo.) was third at 106 last year.
Six additional wrestlers in this weight class enter the tournament with a national grade-level ranking. Daniel Cardenas (Pomona, Colo.) and Troy Spratley (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) are both ranked top 15 among Class of 2022 wrestlers; Cardenas was a Cadet freestyle runner-up this summer in Fargo, while Spratley was one match from placing in last year's high school 106 weight class at this event. Those ranked among the Class of 2021 top 50 include No. 20 Cooper Flynn (McDonogh, Md.), No. 35 Nicholas Nardone (Delbarton, N.J.), No. 37 Dean Peterson (St. John Vianney, N.J.), and No. 47 Jacob Moon (Oregon Clay, Ohio).
Another subset of four wrestlers ended the 2017-18 season ranked nationally at 106 pounds: Logan Agin (Lancaster, Ohio), Nick Kayal (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), Dustin Norris (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio), and Nick Babin (Emerson-Park Ridge, N.J.); Norris was also a Junior National freestyle All-American this summe, while Babin placed at the Super 32 last year.
Others to watch include NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion Tristan Lujan (Selma, Calif.), NHSCA Junior Nationals champion Jacob Moran (Portage, Ind.), Junior National freestyle All-American Joey Thompson (Totino Grace, Minn.), along with Cadet National freestyle All-Americans Zeke Seltzer (Indianapolis Cathedral, Ind.) and Garrett Lautzenheiser (Louisville, Ohio).
120: The nation's top overall Class of 2022 wrestler Ryan Crookham (Notre Dame, Pa.) is listed as competing in this weight class; last year he was champion of the high school division 113-pound weight class as an eighth grader. This is a weight class robust with talent, as 13 additional wrestlers enter the tournament with a grade-level national ranking, led by 2017 Cadet World freestyle participant Julian Tagg (Brecksville, Ohio/USOTC), who is ranked No. 8 in the Class of 2020.
Also ranked in the Class of 2020 are No. 15 Anthony Clark (Delbarton) and No. 44 Eddie Ventresca (Pope John XXIII), both from New Jersey; Clark placed last year at the Super 32, and is a two-time state champion, while Ventresca is a two-time state placer.
Five ranked members of the Class of 2019 are present: No. 56 Lucas Byrd (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio), No. 73 Sam Latona (Thompson, Ala.), No. 83 Antonio Lorenzo (St. John Bosco, Calif.), No. 89 Kyle Gollhofer (Woodland, Ga.), and No. 100 Noah Surtin (Edwrdsville, Ill.). Byrd placed fourth at this tournament in 2016, Latona placed seventh at 113 last year, Lorenzo won this event at 106 in 2016 before placing fourth at 113 last year, Gollhofer was sixth in this weight last year, while Surtin was third at 113 last year.
Three ranked Class of 2021 are present in this field: No. 9 Maximo Renteria (Buchanan, Calif.), No. 27 Brock McMillen (Glendale, Pa.), and No. 45 Ramon Ramos (Valiant College Prep, Ariz.); Renteria was a state champion last year and a UWW Cadet freestyle All-American in the spring, while state runner-up McMillen won a FloNationals title this past spring.
A pair of wrestlers join Crookham in this field from the top 25 of the Class of 2022: No. 2 Nick Bouzakis (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) and No. 6 Jesse Mendez (Crown Point, Ind.). Bouzakis was a Cadet National folkstyle champion this spring, along with placing fifth at 106 in the high school division of this tournament last year; while Mendez was runner-up to Bouzakis in Cadet folkstyle and third at the FloNationals in the high school division.
Others to watch in this field include Junior National freestyle All-American Corey Gamet (Parma Western, Mich./TBD), two-time state champions Nick Masters (Woodward Academy, Ga.) and Adam Allard (West Sioux, Iowa), state champion Nick Oldham (West Des Moines Valley, Iowa), along with NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up Destin Summers (Snake River, Idaho).
126: Though it would be a significant surprise if Busiello -- ranked No. 8 overall in the Class of 2019 -- did not clear this weight to win his fourth Super 32 high school division title, there are fourteen other grade-level ranked wrestlers in the field. The group includes three others from the Class of 2019: No. 54 Sammy Alvarez (St. Joseph Montvale, N.J.), No. 75 Kai Orine (Seckman, Mo.), and No. 96 Jake Svihel (Totino Grace, Minn.); Alvarez is a two-time state runner-up to Anthony Clark, Orine was fifth in Junior freestyle this summer after finishing as a FloNationals runner-up in the spring, while three-time state runner-up Svihel was a Junior folkstyle champion in the spring.
The most direct threat to Busiello would be Dominick Serrano (Windsor, Colo.), who won FloNationals and Cadet freestyle titles since picking up a second scholastic state title; Serrano is ranked No. 14 overall in the Class of 2020.
Six other contenders in this field are among the top 50 overall nationally in the Class of 2021: No. 13 Shayne Van Ness (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 15 Reid Ballantyne (Stillwater, Minn.), No. 21 Teague Travis (Father Tolton Catholic, Mo.), No. 22 Joey Olivieri (Hanover Park, N.J.), No. 29 Vinny Zerban (Christian Brothers College, Mo.), and No. 40 Zack Witmer (St. Joseph's Academy, Pa.). Out of this group, Van Ness was a NHSCA Freshman Nationals champion; Ballantyne, Travis, and Zerban were Cadet freestyle All-Americans; and Olivieri won a state title as a freshman.
Three others are ranked among the top 25 of rising freshmen in the Class of 2022: No. 18 Caleb Henson (Woodland, Ga.), No. 21 Gavin Brown (Legacy Christian Academy, Ohio), and No. 25 Michael Kilic (Woodward Academy, Ga.).
Additional wrestlers to watch include returning Super 32 placer Tyler Hunt (Dalton, Ga.); FloNationals runner-up Sean Pierson (Nazareth, Pa.); Junior National freestyle All-American Earl Blake (Liganore, Md.); state runner-up and FloNationals placer Colton Camacho (Franklin Regional, Pa.); state champions Hunter Watts (Jimtown, Ind.), Brayden Palmer (Beech, Tenn.), and Zach Redding (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.); two-time state champions Brayden Curtis (Yorktown, Ind.) and Vincent Mannella (Woodward Academy, Ga.); Cadet freestyle All-American Noah Horst (Baylor School, Tenn.); New England regional champion Ryan Jack (Danbury, Ct.); and Junior Greco-Roman champion Austin Almaguer (Kamaikin, Wash.).
132: Another absurdly deep weight class, and this one is headlined -- at least per the registration list -- by a pair of top five overall wrestlers in the Class of 2020. Joshua Saunders (Christian Brothers College, Mo.) was a participant in both the UWW Cadet and UWW Junior world freestyle championships this year, while Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) is a two-time National Prep champion. In this event, Bartlett was runner-up last year at 126 pounds while Saunders is a two-time placer (last year sixth in this weight class).
Four others in this field join Saunders and Bartlett inside the top 50 overall for the Class of 2020 nationally: No. 12 Sam Hillegas (North Hills, Pa.), No. 31 Joshua Edmond (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), No. 35 Frankie Tal-Shahar (American Heritage, Fla.), and No. 50 Bretli Reyna (South Dade, Fla.). Two-time state champ Hillegas placed fourth at 126 in this event last year, Edmond was a Cadet National freestyle champion this summer, Tal-Shahar finished runner-up to Saunders at the UWW Cadet Nationals in freestyle, while two-time state champion Reyna was runner-up at the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals.
Bolstering the depth and breadth of this weight class is five top 100 seniors from the Class of 2019: No. 21 Dylan D'Emilio (Genoa, Ohio), No. 27 Julian Chlebove (Northampton, Pa.), No. 66 Malyke Hines (Osceola, Fla.), No. 91 Asa Garcia (Avon, Ind.), and No. 94 Jordan Hamdan (Hudson, Mich.). D'Emilio is a two-time placer at both the Super 32 and Junior freestyle, two-time state champion Chlebove has placed twice at this tournament, Hines placed fifth at 120 in this tournament last year and was a NHSCA Junior Nationals champion in the spring, two-time state champion Garcia placed at this tournament and FloNationals during the last scholastic season, while three-time state champ Hamdan was a FloNationals placer.
Rounding out the group of 15 grade level ranked wrestlers are No. 10 in the Class of 2022 Nick Vafiadis (New Kent, Va.) and a trio from the Class of 2021 in No. 8 Ryan Sokol (Simley, Minn.), No. 11 Wyatt Henson (Christian Brothers College, Mo.), and No. 49 Nick Moore (St. Paris Graham, Ohio). Sokol was a Cadet National freestyle champion in 2017 before missing the 2017-18 scholastic season due to injury, while Henson was an All-American at both the UWW Cadet Nationals and Cadet Nationals in freestyle.
Additional wrestlers to watch include Junior National freestyle All-Americans Kellyn March (Canton, S.D.) Aand Ryder Ramsey (Tuttle, Okla.), NHSCA Junior Nationals chamion Gabe Hixenbaugh (Thompson, Ala.), Cadet freestyle runner-up Mick Burnett (Elyria, Ohio), returning Super 32 placer Julian Sanchez (Genoa, Ohio), NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion Patrick Noonan (Stroudsburg, Pa.), FloNationals placer Justin Rivera (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), and NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up Shannon Hanna (Lake Gibson, Fla.).
138: A pair of California state champions that were runners-up at the Super 32 last year anchor the field, Jaden Abas (Rancho Bernardo, Calif.) and Jesse Vasquez (Santiago Corona, Calif.); Abas is ranked No. 11 in the Class of 2019, while Vasquez is No. 7 in the Class of 2020.
Five other rising seniors join Abas as top 100 Class of 2019 wrestlers in this field. No. 34 Gabriel Tagg (Brecksville, Ohio/USOTC) was a Junior National freestyle runner-up this summer; No. 35 Jordan Crace (Elyria, Ohio) placed at both the Super 32 and in Junior freestyle during 2017-18; No. 41 Lucas Revano (Camden Catholic, N.J.) was a state champion and Junior freestyle All-American; No. 55 Devin Schwartzkopf (Greenway, Mo.) was third at the FloNationals and a NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up; while No. 74 Luke Baughman (Wadsworth, Ohio) finished as a state runner-up.
Three additional rising juniors join Vasquez as top 50 Class of 2020 wrestlers in the field. No. 40 Peyton Hall (Oak Glen, W.Va.) placed at the Flo Natonals and is a two-time state champion, No. 46 Ed Scott (DuBois, Pa.) placed both at the UWW Cadet Nationals and the Junior Nationals in freestyle, while No. 47 Aidan Medora (Brookfield Academy, Wis.) placed at the FloNationals and was a 2017 Cadet freestyle runner-up.
Two other wrestlers in this field are grade-level ranked, Alek Martin (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) and Jagger Condomitti (Northampton, Pa.), they are ranked No. 30 and No. 44 respectively in the Class of 2021.
Additional contenders in this field include FloNationals champion Mosha Schwartz (Ponderosa, Colo.), NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up Bryce Nickel (Valiant College Prep, Ariz.), 2017 state champions Cayden Rooks (Columbus East, Ind.) and Noah Castillo (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), two-time state third placer Luke Odom (Edwardsville, Ind.), and state champion Dylan Gilcher (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.).
145: Returning Super 32 champion Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) is ranked No. 9 in the Class of 2019. He enters as the favorite to repeat, though it's a very deep field, most notably featuring five additional top 100 seniors: No. 23 Kevon Davenport (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), No. 36 James Whitaker (St. Johns, Mich.), No. 53 Michael North (Wadsworth, Ohio), No. 82 Chris Donathan (Mason, Ohio), and No. 92 Ryan Vulakh (Pope John II, Pa.).
Whitaker and North were both FloNationals champions this spring, while Whitaker also placed fifth last year at 138 in this tournament; Davenport is a three-time state champion; Donathan finished as state runner-up this past season; while Vulakh is a two-time placer in this tournament.
Junior National freestyle champion Keegan O'Toole (Arrowhead, Wis.) is among four top 50 overall Class of 2020 wrestlers in the field, O'Toole is ranked No. 18 among junior nationally. The other three are No. 16 Fidel Mayora (Montini Catholic, Ill.), No. 27 Sonny Santiago (St. John Bosco, Calif.), and No. 45 Manzona Bryant (Hudson WRA, Ohio); Mayora was runner-up in freestyle at the UWW Cadet Nationals, Santiago was a UWW Cadet freestyle All-American, while Bryant was runner-up at the FloNationals.
Two other wrestlers in this weight class are grade-level ranked, both from California. Luka Wick (San Marino) is No. 23 in the Class of 2021, while Joseph Martin (Buchanan) is No. 7 in the Class of 2022.
Others to watch in this field include Junior National freestyle All-American Johnny Lovett (Miami Southridge, Fla.), multi-time state champions Ezekiel Williamson (Jerome, Idaho) and Chance McLane (Bozeman, Mont), state runners-up Caleb Dowling (St. Joseph's Academy, Pa.) and Alex Mosconi (Indianapolis Cathedral, Ind.), NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion Andrew Cerniglia (Notre Dame, Pa.), FloNationals placer Avry Mutschler (Lowell, Mich.), 2017 Junior freestyle All-American Gabe Miller (Pequea Valley, Pa.), and Cadet freestyle All-American Cael Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.).
152: Returning Super 32 champion Brevin Balmeceda (South Dade, Fla.) is one of three high end Class of 2019 wrestlers in the field, as he is ranked No. 16; also in the field are No. 10 Connor Brady (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio) and No. 32 Cameron Amine (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.). Balmeceda was also a NHSCA Junior Nationals champion this past year; Brady and Amine have both placed fifth previously at the Super 32, and each was a Junior freestyle All-American this summer.
Three others in the field are ranked nationally in the Class of 2020: No. 22 Thayer Lawrence (Frazier, Pa.), No. 28 Drew Eller (Evans, Ga.), and No. 30 Aaron Gandara (Poway, Calif.); Lawrence placed third at the FloNationals this spring, Eller is a two-time state champion, while Gandara placed at both the UWW Cadet Nationals in freestyle and the Junior Nationals in Greco. Also grade-ranked in the field is Bennett Berge (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.), No. 20 in the Class of 2022 and already a high school state champion.
Additional contenders in this field include two-time state champions Jacob Mariakis (Ridgeland, Ga.) and Nathan Moore (White River, Wash.), 2017 state placer Baylor Fernandes (Lockport, Ill.), state champion Nathan Haubert (Palisades, Pa.), Cadet National freestyle runner-up John Martin Best (Parkersburg, W.Va.), and state runner-up Elliot Rodgers (Indianapolis Cathedral, Ind.).
160: Cadet World bronze medalist Alex Facundo (Davison, Mich.), who is ranked No. 2 overall in the Class of 2021, is the clear anchor figure in this weight class. Only three other grade-ranked wrestlers reside in this weight class: Joshua Otto (Arrowhead, Wis.), Jacob Lagoa (Ashtabula Lakeside, Ohio), and Cole Rees (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.).
Returning Super 32 placer Otto is ranked No. 72 in the Class of 2019, and was runner-up to Facundo at the UWW Cadet Nationals in freestyle; two-time state champion Lagoa is ranked No. 39 in the Class of 2020; while NHSCA Freshman Nationals champion Rees is ranked No. 33 in the Class of 2021.
Other contenders in this weight class include state champions Matthew Ortiz (Montini Catholic, Ill.), Todd Perry (South Dade, Fla.), and Nick South (Columbus East, Ind.); two-time state champions Christian Minto (Mariner, Fla.) and Gavin Kane (Cambridge, Ga.); multi-time state placers Noah Blake (Del Oro, Calif.), Donnell Washington (Portage, Ind.), Farouq Muhammed (Elyria, Ohio), Corey Peterson (Desmet, Mo.), Ben Pasiuk (Carrollton, Ohio), and Aurelius Dunbar (Mercersburg Academy, Pa.); along with NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champions Clayton Ulrey (Lower Dauphin, Pa.) and Graham Calhoun (Plymouth, Ind.).
170: A pair of returning Super 32 finalists anchor this weight class, both of whom are elite Class of 2020 wrestlers. No. 6 Dustin Plott (Tuttle, Okla.) has verbally committed to Oklahoma State, while No. 11 Patrick Kennedy (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) has verbally committed to Iowa; Plott was runner-up at 160 last year in this tournament, while Kennedy was champion of this weight class.
Two other ranked juniors are in this field, No. 19 Kai Bele (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) and No. 37 Greyden Penner (Liberty, Mo.). So are three top 100 overall seniors: No. 43 Alex Cramer (Grayslake Central, Ill.), No. 67 Edmund Ruth (Susquehanna Township, Pa.), and No. 84 Troy Fisher (Goddard, Kansas). State champion Cramer was runner-up at the NHSCA Junior Nationals and champion in Junior Greco-Roman; two-time state champion Ruth placed fifth in that same weight at the NHSCA Junior Nationals; while state champion Fisher, a three-time state finalist, was fourth in that weight at the NHSCA Junior Nationals.
Other contenders in this weight class include state runner-up Luke Nichter (Chambersburg, Pa.), NHSCA Sophomore Nationals runner-up Ashton Habeil (Lake Gibson, Fla.), state placer Shane Reitsma (Howell, N.J.), and two-time state champion Kolton Clark (Scottsboro, Ala.).
182: Cadet World bronze medalist Abe Assad (Glenbard North, Ill.) is ranked No. 24 overall in the Class of 2019 and one of five top 50 seniors in this weight class. Those joining him are No. 15 Carter Starocci (Erie Cathedral Prep, Pa.), No. 25 Chris Foca (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), No. 42 Jackson Turley (St. Christopher's, Va.), and No. 50 Zach Glazier (Albert Lea, Minn.).
State champion Starocci was fourth in Junior freestyle this summer, NHSCA Junior Nationals champion Foca was a Super 32 runner-up last year at 170, returning Super 32 placer Turley is a two-time National Prep runner-up and was also champion at the NHSCA Junior Nationals, while state champion Glazier placed at the UWW Cadet Nationals in freestyle.
Two other grade-level ranked wrestlers reside in this field, both from the Class of 2020, No. 26 Gerrit Nijenhuis (Canon-McMillan, Pa.) and No. 41 Rocky Elam (Staley, Mo.); FloNationals runner-up Nijenhuius is twice third at state, while state medalist Elam was a Cadet National freestyle champion this summer.
Others to watch in the weight class include two-time state placers Christian Rodriguez (California) and Jaden Glauser (Richmond-Burton, Ill.), state runner-up Julian Gorring (Fort LeBoeuf, Pa.), state placers Ryan Cosio (Temecula Valley, Pa.) and Sammy Deprez (Hilton, N.Y.), NHSCA Sophomore Nationals runners-up Chase Stegall (Northwest Cedar Hill, Mo.) and John Poznanski (Colonia, N.J.), two-time state champions Sam Fisher (Fauquier, Va.) and Zane Lanham (Huntington, W.Va.), Cadet National freestyle runner-up Nathan Haas (St. John Bosco, Calif.), along with FloNationals placer Carson Brewer (Avon, Ind.).
195: State champion Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) followed up that feat with titles at the NHSCA Junior Nationals and FloNationals, and is now ranked No. 12 overall in the Class of 2019. Two other top 100 overall seniors reside in the field, No. 76 Wyatt Hendrickson (Newton, Kansas) and No. 97 Christian Knop (Alexandria, Ala.); Hendrickson was a Junior National double All-American this summer, while Knop earned that distinction last summer.
Other contenders in the field include state champions Stephen Buchanan (Neillsville, Wis.), Kevin Makosy (Urbana, Md.), Easton Turner (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), Logan Andrew (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), Santos Cantu (Sprague, Ore.), and Nathan Dugan (Lake Norman, N.C.); Junior National freestyle All-American Matthew Cover (Bay Village, Ohio); two-time National Prep placer Jack Wimmer (McDonogh, Md.); California state placers Jacob Good (Clovis) and Guillermo Escobedo (Bishop Amat); along with Cadet National freestyle runner-up Kolby Franklin (St. Joseph's Acdemy, Pa.), who is ranked No. 22 overall in the Class of 2022.
220: Returning champion from this weight class Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) is ranked No. 3 overall in the Class of 2020. His primary threats are going to be returning Super 32 placers from the 195-pound weight class, Yaruslav Slavikouski (Northfield Mt. Hermon, Mass.) and Konner Doucet (Comanche, Okla.); Slavikouski was runner-up at National Preps last year, while Doucet is ranked No. 43 in the Class of 2020 after finishing runner-up in freestyle at the UWW Cadet Nationals.
Additional contenders in this weight class include Junior National double All-Americans Josh Heindselman (Piedmont, Okla.) and Garrett Kappes (McDonogh, Md.), two-time state champion Tarik Sutkovic (Ironwood, Ariz.), state medalists Kyle Cornwell (Elwood, Ind.) and Jacob McMaster (Greenville, Pa.), along with Cadet National freestyle champion Nathaniel Deasey (Chandler, Ariz.).
285: As is the case in many years, football leaves upper-weights in these fall preseason tournaments relatively bare when compared to the rest of the weight classes. The lone returning Super 32 placers in this weight class are Michael Kramer (Wilson Central, Tenn.) and Jordan Pryor (Dunbar, Md.); along with NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up Louden Haga (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), they would be your favorites at the head of this field.
Others to watch include two-time state champions Andy Garcia (Pueblo East, Colo.), Aidan Conner (Highland Park, Texas), and Thomas Mukai (Robinson, Va.); Cadet National double runner-up Colby Whitehill (Brookville, Pa.); along with state medalist Tyler Deloof (Lowell, Mich.).
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