Spencer Lee will be looking to win his third Walsh Ironman title in three tries (Photo/Robbert Wijtman‎)The 23rd edition of the Walsh Jesuit Ironman sponsored by The Chevy Network and Marhoffer Chevrolet comes this Friday and Saturday in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Competition starts at 1 p.m. (ET) on Friday with wrestling up to the quarterfinal round. Saturday's quarterfinal round starts at 10 a.m. with the semifinals to follow; while consolation rounds up to the consolation finals, as well as seventh place matches, occur in that same session. Matches for first, third, and fifth place commence from 6:00 p.m. on Saturday night.
Without a doubt the nation's best in-season high school wrestling tournament, this field features eighteen nationally ranked teams and 71 nationally ranked wrestlers. Included in that is an absurd ten of the nation's top 15 teams and fifteen of the top 24 in the rankings, as well as five individuals ranked number one in the country and six others ranked within the top three at their weight class.
From the standpoint of the team race, No. 1 Blair Academy (N.J.) is the strong favorite to return to the team championship at the Walsh Ironman after a two-year hiatus. Should the Buccaneers win the title, it would be their 13th title in 23 editions of the tournament. They feature seven nationally ranked wrestlers, as well as ten top eight seeds in total.
In terms of top eight-to-ten seeds, No. 4 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.) has the next most with seven, while No. 2 St. Edward (Ohio), No. 6 St. Paris Graham (Ohio), and No. 21 Pueblo County (Colo.) have five each; No. 12 Olentangy Liberty (Ohio), No. 16 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.), and No. 30 Montini Catholic (Ill.) have four each.
The following represents a weight-by-weight breakdown based on wrestlers entered in the field as of Wednesday afternoon.
Link to preliminary seeds - http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/17166
106: Six nationally ranked wrestlers anchor the field in this weight class, and they are the top six seeds. In order of preliminary seeding position: No. 3 Mosha Schwartz (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 12 Ryan Chauvin (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), No. 8 Lucas Byrd (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio), No. 6 Julian Tagg (Brecksville, Ohio), No. 13 Jacob Decatur (CVCA, Ohio), and No. 16 Angelo Rini (St. Edward, Ohio); Schwartz placed fourth in this weight class last year at the Ironman.
Others to watch include a trio of Cadet National freestyle All-Americans in Dylan Ragusin (Montini Catholic, Ill.), Wyatt Yapoujian (Pomona, Colo.), and Tim Levine (St. John Bosco, Calif.); as well as Preseason Nationals champion Mick Burnett (Elyria, Ohio).
113: The top four preliminary seeds are nationally ranked, along with all having placed within the top five at last year's Ironman at 106 pounds, listed in seed order: No. 18 Nate Keaton (Circleville, Ohio), No. 7 Dylan D'Emilio (Genoa, Ohio), No. 14 Joey Melendez (Montini Catholic, Ill.), and No. 16 Michael Colaiocco (Blair Academy, N.J.). In last year's Ironman, Keaton upset D'Emilio for the tournament title, while Melendez and Colaiocco placed third and fifth respectively. Also ranked nationally in this weight class is freshman Jesse Vasquez (St. John Bosco), No. 12 in the rankings but a lower weed in this tournament.
Two other wrestlers in this weight class return from placing last year at the Ironman in the 106 pound weight class, Jacob Dunlop (Belle Vernon Area, Pa.) and state runner-up Gabe Tagg (Brecksville, Ohio). Others to watch include a quartet of two-time state medalists in Brakan Mead (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio), Josiah Nava (Pueblo County, Colo.), Caleb Yates (Anthony Wayne, Ohio), and Matthew Cardello (CVCA, Ohio); National Prep runner-up Shane Hanson-Ashworth (Malvern Prep, Pa.); Preseason Nationals placer P.J. Ogunsanya (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.); Cadet National freestyle All-American Dylan Shawver (Elyria, Ohio); and top 25 overall freshman Andrew Cerniglia (Nazareth, Pa.).
120: In testimony to the overall elite quality of this tournament, the presence of just four nationally ranked wrestlers puts it in the lower third in terms of high-end quality. With that being said, there is an excellent and balanced field present, led by the nation's best overall freshman Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), who is the top seed and ranked No. 9 nationally in this weight class.
Additional nationally ranked wrestlers are seeded second, third, and sixth at present: No. 15 Mike Madara (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 19 Coltan Yapoujian (Pomona, Colo.), and No. 16 Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.). Four returning Ironman placers also populate this weight class: Christian Nunez (St. John Bosco, Caif.), two-time Junior National Greco champion Dack Punke (Washington, Ill.), Julian Sanchez (Genoa, Ohio), and Lukus Stricker (Akron Hoban, Ohio); Nunez was at 106 last year, while the other were at 113.
Additional state champions in this weight class include Brandon Fenton (Elyria, Ohio), Bryce Andonian (St. Edward, Ohio), Noah Castillo (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), and Joseph Otero (Montini Catholic, Ill.); while another wrestler meriting attention is top 50 overall sophomore Jordan Crace (St. Paris Graham, Ohio).
126: Along with the 160 pound weight class, this is the most robust weight class of the tournament, as it features eight nationally ranked wrestlers. Among those is the nation's best high school wrestler Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, Pa.), who won this tournament as a freshman and sophomore before missing out last season due to injury. Ranked No. 1 in the nation at this weight, he is a three-time UWW world freestyle champion at 50 kilograms, winning as a Cadet in 2014 and a Junior the last two years.
Other nationally ranked wrestlers going in seed order from second through eighth include No. 4 Joey Silva (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), No. 6 Jordan Decatur (CVCA, Ohio), No. 9 Real Woods (Montini Catholic, Ill.), No. 8 Anthony Madrigal (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.), No. 12 Jack Davis (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 15 Chris Cannon (Blair Academy, N.J.), and No. 14 Jaden Abas (Rancho Bernardo, Calif.); Silva is a two-time Super 32 Challenge champion, Decatur a two-time Cadet National freestyle champion, and Woods won the Ironman last year at 113 pounds.
While the presence of this many nationally ranked wrestlers kind of limits the attention for others in the field, they do bring strong credentials to the table. Among the wrestlers to earn Cadet National freestyle All-American honors are three-time state placer Hunter Kosco (Canal Fulton Northwest, Ohio), Ryan Moore (Walton-Verona, Ky.), and two-time state champion Alex Cruz (Orting, Wash.). Chase Zollman (Poway, Calif.) is a two-time state placer and UWW Cadet freestyle All-American, while a trio of potential bracket busting freshmen are Cole Handlovic (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), Elan Heard (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio), and Dustin Morgillo (Genoa, Ohio).
132: Six nationally ranked wrestlers anchor this weight class, and all reside among the top seven seeds. The top four seeds are each nationally ranked, listed in seed order: No. 3 Mitch Moore (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 6 Jason Renteria (Oak Park River Forest Ill.), No. 8 Zach Sherman (Blair Academy, N.J.), and No. 9 Allan Hart (St. Edward, Ohio); Moore was champion at the Ironman in 2014, while Renteria finished runner-up in 2013. Also ranked nationally in this weight class are No. 12 Zack Donathan (Mason, Ohio) and No. 16 Grant Willits (Pueblo County, Colo.).
Other notables in this weight class include Junior National freestyle All-American Gary Joint (Lemoore, Calif.), multi-time state champions Mason Wohltman (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) and Marshall Keller (Christiansburg, Va.), two-time Junior National folkstyle runner-up Chris Deloza (Clovis North, Calif.), and top 25 overall freshman Fidel Mayora (Montini Catholic, Ill.).
138: Four nationally ranked wrestlers anchor this weight class, including the top three seeds, listed in seed order: No. 18 Cole Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.), No. 7 Corey Shie (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio), and No. 9 Grant Aronoff (St. Thomas Aquinas, Fla.); Matthews finished runner-up at 126 pounds in last year's Ironman, while Aronoff placed fourth in this weight class. Seeded fifth is No. 20 Jacob Greenwood (Poudre, Colo.).
Others notables in this weight class include returning Ironman placer Anthony Cheloni (Marmion Academy, Ill.), also a two-time state placer; three-time state placers Moises Guillen (Perrysburg, Ohio), Brady Barnett (Milan Edison, Ohio), and Justin Davis (Pueblo County, Colo.); two-time National Prep placer Malcolm Robinson (Blair Academy, N.J.); top 50 overall sophomore Sam Dover (St. Edward, Ohio); along with top 25 overall freshmen in Alfonso Martinez (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) and Sonny Santiago (St. John Bosco, Calif.).
145: Six nationally ranked wrestlers anchor this weight class, and they are the top six seeds, listed in seed order: No. 3 Dom Demas (Dublin Coffman, Ohio), No. 4 Sammy Sasso (Nazareth, Pa.), No. 10 Will Lewan (Montini Catholic, Ill.), No. 8 Josiah Rider (Grand Junction, Colo.), No. 12 Gus Solomon (Franklin Regional, Pa.), and No. 17 Jake Brindley (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.); Lewan was Ironman runner-up down at 138 last year, while Solomon has placed at Ironman the last two years.
Others to note in this weight class include three-time National Prep placer Quinn Devaney (McDonogh, Md.); two-time state placers Sandro Ramirez (Wauseon, Ohio) and Zach Hartman (Belle Vernon Area, Pa.); returning state placers Trey Grenier (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio) and Jake Marsh (Marysville, Ohio); along with top 25 overall freshman Nevan Snodgrass (Kettering Fairmont, Ohio).
152: Seven nationally ranked wrestlers lead the way in this weight class, including defending champion David Carr (Massillon Perry, Ohio), who is seeded first and ranked No. 1 in the country. The other six nationally ranked wrestlers, listed in seed order: No. 3 Quentin Hovis (Poway, Calif.), No. 10 Anthony Artalona (Tampa Prep, Fla.), No. 7 Julian Ramirez (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 12 Rocky Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 13 Hunter Willits (Pueblo County, Colo.), and No. 15 Connor Brady (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio); Jordan and Ramirez also placed at the Ironman last year.
Others to note in this weight class include two-time state finalists Jason Romero (Pomona, Colo.) and Nick Giantonio (Christiansburg, Va.), state runner-up Brock Wilson (Nazareth, Pa.), and National Prep placer Bailey Thomas (Good Counsel, Md.).
160: Eight nationally ranked wrestlers make this an absurdly talented weight class, and those wrestlers occupy the top eight seed positions, in seed order: No. 4 Kyle Lawson (Olentangy Libety, Ohio), No. 7 Max Wohlabaugh (Winter Springs, Fla.), No. 5 Hunter Bolen (Christiansburg, Va.), No. 10 Luke Troy (Martin Luther King, Calif.), No. 12 Andrew Merola (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 17 Nick Kiussis (Brunswick, Ohio), No. 16 Georgio Poullas (Canfield, Ohio), and No. 20 Erich Byelick (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.); Wohlabaugh was a runner-up in both styles at Junior Nationals this summer in Fargo, while Kiussis is the only returning Ironman placer in this weight class.
Others to watch in this weight class include Preseason Nationals runner-up Ryan Thomas (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), a two-time state placer; two-time state champion Ben Gore (Orting, Wash.); two-time state placers Mason Smith (Walton Verona, Ky.) and Luke Sorboro (Rootstown, Ohio); Super 32 Challenge placer Tristan Brady (Elyria, Ohio); and Flo Nationals placer Aaron Olmos (Mater Dei Catholic, Calif.).
170: Five nationally ranked wrestlers feature in this weight class, including the top four seeds. Those top four seeds, in seed order: No. 2 Mikey Labriola (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), No. 7 Ryan Karoly (Malvern Prep, Pa.), No. 5 Bryce Rogers (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), and No. 14 Casey Cornett (Simon Kenton, Ky.); Karoly was a Cadet National double champion this summer and is the lone returning Ironman placer in this weight class, while Rogers was champion at the Super 32 Challenge. Also ranked nationally is two-time state placer Joey Baughman (Wadsworth, Ohio), at No. 20 in the country.
Others to watch include multi-time state placers Thomas Lambiotte (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), Leonardo Tarantino (Blair Academy, N.J.), and David Crawford (Canfield, Ohio); state runner-up Trevor Lawson (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio); Super 32 Challenge placer Emil Soehnlen (Massillon Perry, Ohio); 2015 state champion Michael Battista (Broad Run, Va.); along with Cadet National double All-American Jake Hendricks (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.).
182: As is normal on a year-to-year basis, the concentration of nationally elite wrestlers in the upper-weights tends to be less than in the lower and middle-weights. No exception this year in this weight class, as just three nationally ranked wrestlers are among the field. They occupy the top three seed lines, in order of seed: No. 1 Michael Beard (Malvern Prep, Pa.), No. 20 Chasen Blair (Rancho Bernardo, Calif.), and No. 5 Travis Stefanik (Nazareth, Pa.); Beard and Blair are two of four wrestlers in this weight class field that also placed last year in this weight class.
Joining those two as returning Ironman placers are two-time state placer J.T. Brown (Elyria, Ohio) and returning state placer Tyler Stepic (St. Edward, Ohio). Others to watch include two-time state champion Trevor Nichelson (Ashland Greenwood, Neb.), two-time state placer Hunter DeLong (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), state champion Kaden Russell (St. Ignatius, Ohio), state placers Jared Ball (Hilliard Darby, Ohio) and Gage Braun (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), Cadet National freestyle All-American Austin Cooley (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), and National Prep placer Carter Davis (St. Christopher's, Va.).
195: Returning Ironman runner-up Jacob Warner (Washington, Ill.) is a UWW Cadet World freestyle bronze medalist. The University of Iowa early signee is one of the nation's best Class of 2017 wrestlers, and is ranked first nationally in this weight class. However, he is the lone ranked wrestler in this field, which makes him an almost prohibitive favorite.
Others to note in this weight class include three-time state/National Prep placer Nick Mosco (Blair Academy, N.J.), returning Walsh Ironman placer Aaron Naples (Brunswick, Ohio), two-time state placers Danny Salas (St. John Bosco, Calif.) and Tony Banister (Wauseon, Ohio), state champions Josiah Gittman (St. Thomas Aquinas, Fla.) and Zach Marcheselli (Broken Arrow, Okla.), along with state placers Kavan Sarver (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) and Cody Howard (St. Edward, Ohio).
220: Five nationally ranked wrestlers are the top seeds in what is a rather deep weight class, especially for upper-weights at the Walsh Ironman. Listed in seed order they are No. 1 Chase Singletary (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 2 Cohlton Schultz (Ponderosa, Colo.), No. 6 Jared Campbell (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 13 Ben Sullivan (National Trail, Ohio), and No. 20 Ben Goldin (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.). Singletary was Ironman champion last year at 195; Schultz was runner-up in this weight class last year as a freshman, and is also the top overall sophomore in the country; while Campbell is also a returning Ironman placer.
Others to watch include two-time state/National prep placer Brady Daniel (Good Counsel, Md.); two-time state champion Jeffrey Allen (Amherst County, Va.), a Junior National double All-American this summer; returning state placers Johnny Shafer (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), Quinton Mincy (Walnut Hills, Ohio), and Jace Punke (Washington, Ill.).
285: A trio of nationally ranked wrestlers are present in this weight class, while occupying the top three seed positions, listed in seed order: No. 4 Kevin Vough (Elyria, Ohio), No. 8 Seth Janney (Malvern Prep, Pa.), and No. 19 Niko Camacho (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.); Vough was champion of the Ironman in 2014, while Janney placed at 220 pounds in last year's tournament.
Others to watch include 2014 Ironman placer Trenton Lieuance (Broken Arrow, Okla.), a two-time state placer; state runner-up Wade Wheeler (Amherst County, Va.) and Louden Haga (Pakersburg South, W.Va.); state placers Jake Levengood (Vacaville, Calif.) and Jon Spaulding (Lakota East, Ohio); National Prep placer P.J. Mustipher (McDonogh, Md.); and 2014 Ironman placer D.T. Badley (St. Christopher's, Va.).
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