Though the field lacked the cache of having a plethora of nationally-ranked teams and wrestlers, one could have came to The McDonogh School to identify the stars of the future. Five freshmen emerged as weight class champions in a tournament that had remarkable balance among the 21-team field. Nine schools had a champion, and no school came home with more than two wrestlers standing on top of the podium.
Coming off an off-season marked by multiple major injuries, Jack Clark (McDonogh, Maryland) made his returning to competitive wrestling with a championship at 130 pounds. Ranked third among all wrestlers in the Class of 2013, the FILA Cadet freestyle champion navigated through close matches against two National Prep placers and a Beast of the East runner-up. In Friday's quarterfinal round, Clark knocked off Daniel Sanchez (Georgetown Prep), who finished fifth at National Preps, by a 4-3 score. He then defeated Beast of the East runner-up Tyler Pendergast (St. Mark's, Delaware), 7-4. In the championship final, it was a pin at the 6:20 mark in overtime against Shane Arechiga (Good Counsel, Maryland), who was sixth at National Preps after taking seventh at the Beast of the East.
Another freshman champion was Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Maryland) who won his three matches prior to the final at 215 by fall, fall, and 17-5 major decision. In the championship final, he earned a 3-1 victory against state runner-up Joey Spicer (Sussex Central, Delaware). Older brother Stephen Snyder was champion at 285 pounds.
Team champions Archbishop Spalding, Maryland, were anchored by two champions -- freshman Logan Breitenbach at 125 pounds and No. 15 (at 140) Charlie Lynch at 145 pounds. The squad also had three other finalists, as finishing in second place were Michael Still at 103 pounds, Brady Gaynor at 135 pounds, and K.K. Smith at 189 pounds. They also had a wrestler take home third and fifth place honors in totaling 182-1/2 points as a team.
Finishing in second, also with seven placers, was Caesar Rodney, Delaware. Freshman Micah Hight and senior Issah Meade were champions for the Riders at 112 and 160 pounds respectively. Three others finished in third, two in fifth, as the squad totaled 169-1/2 points.
Despite having a tournament high eight placers, anchored by their lone champion freshman Brent Fleetwood at 103 pounds, it was not enough for Smyrna, Delaware, to rise up above third in the standings. Other placers for Smyrna were John Archangelo, second at 112 pounds, with two wrestlers in third and fifth and a single wrestler taking fourth and sixth respectively.
Other weight class champions included: Paul O'Neil (Gonzaga, DC) at 119 pounds, John McClanahan (Great Bridge, Virginia) at 135 pounds, the duo of Josh Snook and Michael Mauk for St. Mark's, Delaware at 171 and 189 pounds, and a pair of wrestlers from Sussex Central, Delaware, in Cody Broomall at 145 and No. 3 Codey Combs at 152 pounds. Combs was named Outstanding Wrestler for the tournament.
Top-ranked team showcases its depth at Keith Young Invitational
Without the presence of two nationally-ranked wrestlers -- Brandon Kingsley at 140 and Steven Keogh at 160 - Apple Valley, Minnesota, still dominated an elite field of Iowa teams at the Keith Young Invitational hosted by Cedar Falls High School. With five champions, three other finalists, and placing all but one wrestler inside the top six, the Eagles scored 273-1/2 points. Though also with five champions, No. 11 Waverly-Shell Rock only had three other placers in totaling 214 points. Tied for third were No. 12 Bettendorf and Denver Tripoli, which was last year's Class 2A state champion, with 147-1/2 points. The Class 1A state champions of last year, Don Bosco, finished in sixth with 121-1/2 points.
Two of the five champions for Apple Valley defeated a fellow nationally-ranked wrestler to win their weight class; No. 1 Destin McCauley earned a 12-3 major decision against No. 7 Cody Caldwell of Waverly Shell-Rock at 152 pounds, while No. 20 Dakota Trom pinned No. 15 Brandon Sorensen (Denver-Tripoli) in 1:59. That result was the first loss of Sorensen's high school career after an undefeated freshman season. Also earning titles for the Eagles were No. 7 Matt Kelliher at 135 pounds, Daniel Woiwor at 145 pounds, and No. 6 Jake Waste who won his title at 171 pounds in the tiebreaker.
Anchoring the Go-Hawks effort was Cody Krumwiede, who is ranked No. 1 in the nation at 285 pounds. With four pins in the tournament, including one in the final against No. 12 Brody Berrie (Bettendorf) at the 3:37 mark, Krumwiede now has 100 such outcomes in his career. Other Waverly-Shell Rock champions were Andrew Steiert at 103 pounds, No. 16 Eric Devos at 119 pounds, Tanner Werner at 125 pounds, and Jordan Rinken at 140 pounds.
Despite being without the services of three two-time state placers, and finishing without a champion, Bettendorf still showed their tremendous depth in placing nine wrestlers. That was the second most in the tournament. Finishing as runners-up were Nate Shaw at 189 pounds and No. 12 Brodie Berrie at 285 pounds. Those out of the lineup were two-time state runner-up Connor Ryan at 125 pounds, state champion No. 10 Bo Schlosser at 140 pounds, and Dominic Chase at 152 pounds. Affirming that depth, "backup" wrestler Taylor Wickett is a returning state placer finished third at 140 pounds, one of three wrestlers to do so.
Denver-Tripoli tied for third place with a pair of champions, Garrett Smith at 160 pounds and No. 13 Dylan Peters who defeated No. 19 Jordan Kingsley of Apple Valley 6-2 at 112 pounds. Sorensen was a runner-up, while four other wrestlers earned placement honors. Rounding out the weight class champions were Jared Bartel (Mason City) at 189 pounds and Connor Herman (Cedar Rapids Jefferson) at 215 pounds.
'Super Seven' rules Cougar Invite for Brandon
No. 4 Brandon dominated a field that featured two other nationally-ranked teams -- No. 23 Springstead and No. 50 Collins Hill, Georgia -- along with five other teams that finished inside the top five of their state tournaments last year. Going seven-for-seven in championship bouts, the Eagles scored a total of 293 points. Those champions were No. 13 (at 130) Kevin Norstrem winning the 125-pound weight class, No. 8 (at 125) Rossi Bruno winning the 130-pound weight class 2-1 in the ultimate tiebreaker, No. 6 Tyler Liberatore wining 3-1 in overtime at 135 pounds, No. 10 Clark Glass at 152 pounds and earning Outstanding Wrestler honors for upper-weights, No. 8 Wally Figaro at 160 pounds, Kyle Koziel at 171 pounds, and Michael Ettore at 189 pounds. Another pair of Brandon wrestlers placed third, while yet another pair finished fifth.
On the strength of their overall depth, which manifested itself in wrestling through the quarterfinals, Collins Hill scored 213 points to distance itself from the rest of the field. Their lone champion was Nick Holbert at 215 pounds. Four others for Collins Hill finished in second place: Sean Russell lost a narrow 3-2 decision to Richie Bliss at 103 pounds, Drew Ferguson-Mitchell lost 3-2 at 112 pounds, Bazell Patridge was runner-up at 125 pounds, while Mac Bennett lost a 5-3 match at 189 pounds. Four other wrestlers earned top six placements to give the squad a total of nine on the podium; one in third, two in fifth, and one in sixth.
Finishing third in this stellar field was Springstead with 191 points, which was close to 60 points ahead of fourth place Winter Springs. Six wrestlers from this squad made it to the championship match, where they split the matches. Champions were No. 3 Richie Bliss at 103 pounds, Cody Ross at 140 pounds, and John Dreggors at 285 pounds. Runners-up were Virgil Toms at 130 pounds, Nick Soto at 135 pounds, and Shawn Landgraff at 160 pounds.
Rounding out the champions at the Cougar Invitational were Dalton Langford (Riverdale) at 112 pounds, No. 14 Earl Hall (South Dade) at 119 pounds who was named Outstanding Wrestler among the lower weights, and No. 9 Pete Baldwin (Osceola) at 145 pounds.
Another Hawkeye State showdown
Last weekend at the Keith Young Invitational, the field included all three Iowa state champions, national No. 1 Apple Valley (Minnesota), and four other teams ranked in the top ten of Iowa's big-school division. The season's second weekend brings about another showcase event in Iowa -- the 19th annual Five Seasons Duals, which are co-hosted by Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Cedar Rapids Washington.
Five of the top eight teams in Iowa's big-school division appear in the fifteen team dual meet bracketed tournament. Bracket chart link is here, http://www.scribd.com/doc/44605568/2010-5-Season-s-Pairings-Poster. This includes the three top teams, all of which appear in the top 15 of the InterMat Fab 50 rankings: No. 11 Waverly-Shell Rock, No. 12 Bettendorf, and No. 14 Iowa City West.
Bettendorf is opposite of the other two "big three" teams, and have the easier overall path, with only Mason City realistically standing in the way as a semifinal opponent; Mason City ranked seventh in Iowa's big-school division. Iowa City West and Waverly-Shell Rock are slated to meet in the other semifinal match, though Iowa City West would have to get past a quarterfinal match against Urbandale after a first round bye; Urbandale is ranked eighth in the big-school division.
The 15-team field features seven wrestlers ranked first in their weight class during the preseason for Iowa's big-school division, according to The Predicament. Another ten wrestlers are ranked second in the big-school division, with another ranked second in the medium-school division. Eight wrestlers are nationally ranked (*).
103: Andrew Steiert (Waverly-Shell Rock)
112: Colby Knight (Urbandale)
119: Eric Devos (Waverly-Shell Rock)*
125: Connor Ryan (Bettendorf), Jack Hathaway (Iowa City West)*
130: Alex Hernandez (Bettendorf), Jesse Etherington (Charles City)
135: Grady Gambrall (Iowa City West)
140: Bo Schlosser (Bettendorf)*, Elijah Sullivan (Iowa City West)*
145: Gabe Moreno (Urbandale)
152: Cody Caldwell (Waverly-Shell Rock)*, Britt Thompson (Iowa City West)
160: Justin Koethe (Iowa City West)*
171: Travis Mallo (Mason City)
189: Jared Bartel (Mason City)
285: Cody Krumwiede (Waverly-Shell Rock)*, Brody Berrie (Bettendorf)*
Terrific Tulsa Mid-America Nationals field
Tulsa, Oklahoma will be home to a formidable field of 30 schools from three states this coming weekend. Anchoring the tournament is a trio of nationally-ranked teams: No. 18 Tulsa Union, Oklahoma, No. 21 Claremore, Oklahoma, and No. 25 Allen, Texas. Tuttle, Oklahoma joins Claremore and Allen in this field as teams that won state championships during the prior season.
Seven nationally-ranked wrestlers are present in the field, including a pair of wrestlers at 112 and 152 pounds. Freshman sensation No. 12 Gary Wayne Harding (Collinsville, Oklahoma) and two-time state champion No. 15 Calib Freeman (Claremore, Oklahoma) lead a field at 112 pounds that also includes Junior National freestyle All-American Justin Lombardo (Tulsa Union, Oklahoma). A pair of InterMat Top 100 Class of 2011 prospects anchor the 152-pound weight class - No. 12 Ryne Cokeley (St. James Academy, KS) and No. 13 Jeromy Davenport (Sallisaw, Oklahoma). Also in this weight class is two-time state placer Kyle Ash (Tulsa Union, Oklahoma).
Yet another Top 100 Class of 2011 prospect Taylor Moeder (St. James Academy, KS) is ranked 14th nationally, and could have a terrific finals matchup at 140 pounds with two-time state champion Nick Haugen (Claremore, Oklahoma). The 145-pound weight class is led by a pair of super sophomores, both winning state titles as freshmen, No. 17 Oliver Pierce (Allen, Texas) and Zach Beard (Tuttle, Oklahoma). Junior National double All-American Kyle Crutchmer (Tulsa Union, Oklahoma) is ranked ninth in the nation at 160 pounds, and could see state champion Dylan Ussrey (East Central, Oklahoma) in the championship match.
The 119-pound weight class features a pair of wrestlers from the Class of 2014 that rank in the top 20 nationally, Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas) and Cadet National freestyle All-American Will Steltzen (Collinsville, Oklahoma). In addition, this bracket could also include two-time state champion Josh Walker (Tulsa Union, Oklahoma).
Six seek repeat War on the Shore
Some of the best wrestlers in the mid-atlantic region of the United States will be battling it out at the War on the Shore Invitational hosted by Stephen Decatur High School at the Wicomico Youth and Center in Ocean City, Maryland. Thirty-two teams from four states and Washington, D.C. constitute the field, which features six wrestlers seeking to defend titles they earned last year.
Thomas Payne (Poquoson, Virginia) won the 103-pound weight class last year and enters the tournament favored to do so at 112 pounds. Charlie Lynch (Archbishop Spalding, Maryland) is ranked 15th at 140 pounds, won last weekend's Ray Oliver Invitational at 145 pounds, and is projected to compete at either 145 or 152 this coming week. Should he be at 152 pounds, that would place him in the same weight as another defending champion -- Codey Combs (Sussex Central, Delaware), who is ranked third nationally in this weight class.
Lynch and Combs are but two of the formidable names that will populate the 145 and 152-pound weight classes. Two-time National Prep medalist Brady Massaro (Mt. St. Joseph's, Maryland), state runner-up last year as a freshman Anthony Cimirosi (Rising Sun, Maryland), and multi-time state champion Ron Vaughters (Old Mill, Maryland) are also slated to be in this area of the field.
Codey Combs is one of three Sussex central wrestlers seeking to defend tournament championships. Joey Spicer seeks a repeat championship in the 215-pound weight class, while Jay Matheus did not wrestle in the Ray Oliver Invitational this past weekend, but if competing would be wrestling at either 160 or 171 pounds. Finally, KK Smith (Archbishop Spalding, Maryland) is favored to repeat in the 189-pound weight class.
Though Spicer is a defending champion in this event, he is not the favorite in this weight class, as he lost in the Ray Oliver final to freshman sensation Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Maryland). A rematch is highly likely during the course of this tournament.
A third nationally-ranked wrestler, Nathan Kraisser (Centennial, Maryland) is present in this tournament field. Ranked 10th nationally, Kraisser will find himself challenged by National Prep medalist Paul O'Neill (Gonzaga, DC) and Beast of the East placer Chris Donaldson (Salesanium, Delaware).
Two other featured weight classes in this tournament are those at 130 and 285 pounds. Three-time state champion and Kent State signee Kyle Bauer (Wheeling Park, West Virginia) is the headline wrestler at 130 pounds. However, two-time National Prep medalist Shane Arechiga (Good Counsel, Maryland) and National Prep medalist Tito Onyekweli (DeMatha, Marylad) stand in his way of a championship. The 285-pound weight class features both returning Delaware state finalists --Wayne Purnell (Salesanium) and Katteem Harmon (Indian River) -- as well as Ray Oliver Invitational champion Stephen Snyder (Good Counsel, Maryland).
Cox over Christiansburg at Hopewell Classic
Despite five champions at the Hopewell Classic, No. 32 Christiansburg finished in second place to No. 35 Cox in a field that featured seventeen teams exclusively from Virginia. Champions for the Blue Demons were Kyle Dulaney at 103 pounds, J.R. Wert at 112 pounds, No. 11 Joey Dance at 119 pounds, Logan Bosley at 140 pounds, and Ryan Wade at 171 pounds. Two other wrestlers took second, while one took fifth, as Christiansburg totaled 246-1/2 points.
It was superior depth ruling the day for Cox, as they had nine finishers inside the top three to end up with 285 points overall. Champions were No. 7 Brandon Jeske at 130 pounds, No. 14 Henry Carlson at 145 pounds, and Ross Burbank at 285 pounds. Another trio of wrestlers was runners-up, another trio in third place, while it was a single wrestler in fourth and a pair in fifth.
The featured bout of the finals had a pair of nationally-ranked wrestlers competing for the title at 152 pounds, No. 17 (at 160) David Wesley of St. Christopher's defeated No. 10 (at 145) Blake Roulo 5-3 in the tiebreaker.
Caravan Falls to pair of nationally-ranked teams
Over the weekend No. 30 Mount Carmel, Illinois did battle with a pair of nationally-ranked teams. The Caravan fell short in both dual matches -- falling to defeat against No. 18 Marmion Academy, Illinois, 54-20 on Thursday evening and No. 20 Montini Catholic, Illinois, 32-24 on Saturday.
Catching up with Oklahoma Open
A listing of championship and consolation finals results: http://web.me.com/short.bits/ITW_Results_2010-11/OK_Open.html
Fab 50 team rankings updated
The second Fab 50 of the season was posted today. The following notable movements occurred:
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