With two weekends of the high school wrestling season gone in most parts of the country, and coming off of the Walsh Jesuit Ironman this past weekend, an update to the individual weight class rankings is in order. This update reflects weight class changes from the preseason rankings, as well as the early season results. There are three weight classes with a new No. 1 wrestler.
At 106 pounds, freshman Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) -- previously third nationally after winning the Super 32 Challenge -- has moved up to the No. 1 position after the top two ranked wrestlers suffered losses at the Walsh Ironman. Former No. 1 Austin Assad (Brecksville, Ohio) drops down to third place after finishing third place, with a loss to Jack Mueller (Trinity Christian Academy, Tex.) in the quarterfinals. Former No. 2 Jordan Kutler (Blair Academy, N.J.) falls to ninth in the rankings after failing to place, losses coming at the hands of Alex Mackall (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio) and Brandon Price (Canon-McMillan, Pa.) on the first day.
At 132 pounds, freshman Aaron Pico (St. John Bosco, Calif.) -- previously third nationally after a runner-up finish at the Super 32 Challenge and a pair of Cadet National double championships -- ascends to the top position due to his Walsh Ironman title. On the way to the title, Pico beat three-time state finalist Connor Schram (Canon-McMillan, Pa.) in the quarterfinal and previous No. 4 Micah Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) in the final. Jordan, a two-time state champion, had defeated previous No. 1 Dean Heil (St. Edward, Ohio) in the semifinal round.
At 195 pounds, senior Matt McCutcheon (Kiski Area, Pa.) -- a state champion and two-time Super 32 Challenge champion -- moved up from the fourth position to No. 1. Previous No. 1 Domenic Abounader (St. Edward, Ohio) will be competing at 182 pound this season. Previous No. 2 Broc Berge (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) suffered defeat in a midweek dual meet up at 220 pounds, 8-5 against Clay Broze (Cannon Falls, Minn.); Broze is an unheralded wrestler, ranked ninth in Class 2A at 220 pounds.
Triple the pleasure
Additionally, the InterMat Fab 50 national team rankings are updated on a week-to-week basis. This week, three new teams appear in the rankings: No. 26 Edmond North, Okla., No. 28 Marmon Academy, Ill., and No. 48 Brecksville, Ohio.
Edmond North enters the rankings after winning the Mid-America Nationals this past weekend, a tournament that featured three additional nationally ranked teams in the field. They are led by a trio of triplets -- Lance, Joel, and Andrew Dixon. The three juniors were among four champions for Edmond North in the tournament. Lance is ranked No. 10 nationally at 182 pounds, Joel placed third at state last year and is at 195 this year, and Andrew is ranked No. 5 nationally at 220.
Marmion Academy entered the national fray during 2010-11 with Jered Cortez and Bryce Brill as freshmen, and Ben Whitford in his sophomore year. The Cadets had five state champions that year. However, after that season, Cortez and Brill moved to different schools in the Chicago-land area, while Whitford returned to his native St. Johns in Michigan. Despite that turmoil, the program has stabilized, and is a force to be reckoned with going forward.
This year, the Cadets are led by new head coach Ryan Cumbee, a former Northwestern University wrestler and assistant coach at Providence Catholic. They have seven freshmen that placed at the IKWF state tournament last year, including four that won championships. Four of those freshmen are starters this year, while three (including two of the IKWF champions) are reserves. They ascend into the rankings after an eighth place finish at the Walsh Ironman, a championship at the Moeller Duals, and a dominant title at the Barrington Invitational.
Brecksville enters the rankings coming off a ninth place finish at the Walsh Ironman, with four wrestlers earning a placement finish. Those placing for the Bees were No. 3 Austin Assad (106), No. 14 Aaron Assad (113), Quentin Hiles (170), and Josh Murphy (195).
Big events in the coming week
Over the next two days, event-specific previews will be posted for three major tournaments to be held on Friday and Saturday.
The Minnesota Christmas Tournament features four teams in the Fab 50: No. 4 Apple Valley, Minn., No. 5 St. Michael-Albertville, Minn., No. 14 Simley, Minn., and No. 18 Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.
The Reno Tournament of Champions has six teams in the Fab 50 rankings: No. 6 Canon-McMillan, Pa., No. 17 Broken Arrow, Okla., No. 42 Vacaville, Calif., No. 43 Bakersfield, Calif., No. 45 Shenendehowa, N.Y., and No. 50 Maple Mountain, Utah.
The Kansas City Stampede field includes seven nationally ranked teams: No. 13 Allen, Tex., No. 20 Collinsville, Okla., No. 23 Tuttle, Okla., No. 26 Edmond North, Okla., No. 30 Kearney, Mo., No. 33 Blue Springs, Mo., and No. 38 Bettendorf, Iowa.
Intrigue at the Five Seasons Duals
The Five Seasons Duals, hosted by multiple high schools in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, featured a 16-team field. Six of those schools were among the best in the state of Iowa. No. 35 West Delaware Manchester beat Alburnett, the preseason No. 1 team in Iowa’s small-school division, 43-28 in the quarterfinal. Then in the semifinal, they needed wins in seven of the last eight matches against Linn-Mar to recover from a 27-0 hole (120-152) in their 34-31 dual meet victory. The championship final was a 37-36 victory over Cedar Rapids Prairie, keyed by wins in the last six weight classes (195-285, 106-120). This included wins by fall at 195, 220, 285, 106, and 113 after trailing 36-4 in the dual meet.
In order to reach the final, Cedar Rapids Prairie scored a 39-29 upset over No. 38 Bettendorf in the semifinal. Part of the challenge for Bettendorf was the absence of state placer Jacob Woodard from the lineup -- the Bulldogs lost that match by 12-8 decision. Additionally, Bettendorf without their starter at 285, a match they lost by 4-0 decision. Then, in the third place match, Bettendorf upended Linn-Mar 38-37.
Broken Arrow sweeps ranked teams in Thursday tri meet
Now ranked No. 17 nationally (was No. 21 last week), Broken Arrow, Okla., swept dual meets against Tuttle, Okla. and Allen, Tex. Those squads were ranked No. 16 and No. 22 respectively at the time. Broken Arrow opened the evening with a 36-22 victory over Tuttle, and closed the evening with a 38-21 victory over Allen. In between, Allen scored a 36-30 victory over Tuttle.
Bear in mind that Allen was still without four starters, three of whom are impact wrestlers, due to their football team’s playoff run. The Eagles won their quarterfinal this weekend and play in the semifinals. Football players include Oliver Pierce (152), Nick Cobb (195), and Stone Drulman (220).
Detroit Catholic Central, Marmion Academy to be tested this weekend
Due to the tragic death of a Detroit Catholic Central student last Monday overnight, the assembly dual meet originally scheduled for last Wednesday between the No. 16 Shamrocks and No. 47 Davison, Mich., has been re-scheduled for Friday afternoon. In addition, the Shamrocks will travel to Holland on Saturday for the Tim Horn Duals, where they could also see No. 9 St. Johns, Mich., in dual meet competition.
New to the national rankings, No. 28 Marmon Academy, Ill., will most certainly not have a soft landing this week. The Cadets travel to No. 10 Montini Catholic, Ill. for a Thursday evening dual meet. Most notable among the individual matchups in that meet comes at 120 pounds between No. 6 Johnny Jimenez (Marmion) and No. 19 Jordan Laster; Jimenez won a 5-3 overtime decision on Saturday at the Ironman. On Saturday, the Cadets will host No. 21 Marist, Ill., team and individual state champions Luxemburg-Casco, Wis., and Plainfield Central, Ill.
Potential showdowns at King of the Mountain
This coming Friday and Saturday, Central Mountain High School near Lock Haven, Pa., will host the King of the Mountain Tournament. The field includes a pair of nationally ranked teams -- No. 27 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa., and No. 36 Colonial Forge, Pa., It also includes ten nationally ranked wrestlers, anchored by a potential match at 120 pounds between No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio) and No. 5 Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.); which would be a rematch of the 103 pound championship matches from the Super 32 Challenge and Walsh Jesuit Ironman that the wrestlers split back in the fall of 2010.
Other nationally ranked wrestlers include No. 2 Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe, Pa.) at 106, No. 6 Ethan Lizak (Parkland, Pa.) at 113, No. 8 Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) at 126, No. 6 Jason Nolf (Kittanning, Pa.) at 132, No. 7 Mikey Racciato (Pen Argyl, Pa.) at 145, No. 7 Austin Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.) at 152, along with No. 11 Zach Zavatsky (Greater Latrobe, Pa.) and No. 17 T.C. Warner (Cumberland Valley, Pa.) at 160.
There should be a new champion this year, as defending champion Erie McDowell, Pa., is not expected to be part of the team title puzzle. Leading that should be nationally ranked Bethlehem Catholic and Colonial Forge. However, CVCA, Ohio and Parkland, Pa., should also contend for the title, and defending big-school dual meet champions Phillipsburg, N.J., are in the tournament.
Additional highlights of the coming week
No. 12 Oak Park River Forest, Ill., and No. 15 Carl Sandburg, Ill., will both be in the Rex Whitlach Tournament hosted by Hinsdale Central, Ill. However, due to injury Carl Sandburg is without two-time state finalist Sebastian Pique at 120, and will be that way until mid-to-late January. The most interesting individual matchup could be at 126 pounds between defending state champion Jordan Northrup (Machesney Park Harlem, Ill.) and freshman sensation Isaiah White (Carl Sandburg).
The Battle of Waterloo is this weekend in Iowa, and is a "Clash-style" dual meet tournament, four eight-team brackets on the first day and then eight four-team round-robins on the second day based on first day placement. No. 35 West Delaware Manchester is the top seed and likely advancer from Pool A; Cedar Rapids Prairie and Waverly-Shell Rock would seem to be even money in Pool B; Linn-Mar the slight favorite over North Scott in Pool C; and No. 41 Davenport Assumption anchors Pool D.
For those in the Garden State, the time has finally come, wrestling season will start this weekend. Come Tuesday, Dec. 18, there will be an intriguing dual in-state meet as No. 32 South Plainfield hosts No. 40 Bergen Catholic. The defending Group 3 champion Tigers are anchored by four middle-weight studs in No. 18 Corey Stasenko (126), No. 8 Scott Delvecchio (132), No. 2 Anthony Ashnault (138), and No. 18 Troy Heilmann (145). Also, keep an eye on Dylan Painton (152), who is finally at a reasonable weight class, and state qualifier Troy Russell (220). The visiting Crusaders come in as defending non-public big-school champions and are led by state champion No. 7 Johnny Sebastian (182), Cadet National double All-American Christian Jenco (195), and a loaded freshman class anchored by No. 1 Nick Suriano (106).
No. 37 Hermiston, Ore., will travel to North Idaho College for the Tri-State Invitational to compete against a solid field featuring many of the best teams from the Pacific Northwest.
No. 49 Omaha Burke, Neb., participates in what probably is their biggest in-season test this weekend at the Flatwater Fracas hosted by Grand Island, Neb. It is the host Grand Island squad that should battle with Omaha Burke for the championship.
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