2024 Louisiana State Finals
Welcome to the Louisiana State Finals home page. Here, you’ll find the top 6 from each weight class in all 3 divisions. I’ll also be putting together more information on the state tournament, possibly an interview or two that will also be here. Division Results Multi Time Champions (2024 weight | Name (national rank) | School | Grade | Champion Seasons)*bold = eligible for 4 state titles. D1 120 | Bodi Harris | Jesuit | 11 | (2023, 2024) 138 | #25 Richie Clementi | Brother Martin | 11 | (2022, 2023, 2024) 157 | Nick DiGerolamo | Holy Cross | 11 (2023, 2024) 285 | #14 Spencer Lanosga | Jesuit | 12 | (2022, 2023, 2024) D2 120 | Alex Rozas | Teurlings Catholic | 10 | (2023, 2024) 126 | Kaiden Triche | Archbishop Rummel | 11 | (2023, 2024) 144 | Dalton Compton | North DeSoto | 10 | (2023, 2024) 165 | Braeden Simoneaux | Teurlings Catholic | 10 | (2023, 2024) D3 120 | Dylan Duvarney | De La Salle | 12 | (2022, 2023, 2024) 157 | Michael Gilreath | Evangel Christian | 12 | (2023, 2024)
2024 State Finals Dates – All States, National Preps, and New England Championships
A look at the state finals dates for every state, national preps, and New England championships. Alabama Feb 15-17 _ Alaska Dec 15-16 _ Arizona Feb 15-17 _ Arkansas Feb 23-24 _ California Feb 22-24 _ Colorado Feb 15-17 _ Connecticut Feb 23-24 _ Delaware Mar 1-2 _ Florida Feb 29-Mar 2 _ Georgia Feb 15-17 Hawaii Feb 17 _ Idaho Feb 23 _ Illinois Boys: Feb 15-17; Girls: Feb 23-24 _ Indiana Feb 16-17 _ Iowa Feb 14-17 _ Kansas Boys: Feb 24; Girls: Feb 22 _ Kentucky Feb 15-16 _ Louisiana Feb 2-3 _ Maine Feb 20 _ Maryland Independent: Feb 16-17; Feb 29-Mar 2 Massachusetts Feb 16-17 _ Michigan Mar 1-2 _ Minnesota Feb 29-Mar 2 _ Mississippi Feb 23-24 _ Missouri Feb 21-24 _ Montana Feb 9-10 _ Nebraska Feb 15-17 _ Nevada Feb 16-17 New Hampshire _ New Jersey Feb 29-Mar 2 New Mexico Feb 23-24 _ New York Feb 23-24 _ North Carolina Feb 15-17 _ North Dakota Feb 15-16 _ Ohio Mar 8-9 _ Oklahoma Feb 22-24 _ Oregon Feb 22-24 _ Pennsylvania Mar 7-9 _ Rhode Island Mar 1-2 _ South Carolina Feb 24-25 South Dakota Feb 22-24 _ Tennessee Div 1 & Girls: Feb 23-24; Div 2: Feb 16-17 _ Texas Feb 16-17 _ Utah Girls 4, 5, 6: Feb 14-15; Girls 3, Boys: Feb 16-17 _ Vermont Feb 23-24 _ Virginia Feb 16-17 _ Washington Feb 16-17 _ West Virginia Feb 24-25 _ Wisconsin Mar 1-2 _ Wyoming Feb 22-24 Preps Feb 23-24 _ New England Mar 1-2
Delbarton at Blair Dual Preview – Feb. 1, 2024
Delbarton at Blair Dual Preview Projected Line Up: Weight Delbarton Blair Season Head To Head Winner Team Points Running Team Score Predicted Final Score 106 #3 Cam Sontz #7 Vincenzo Anello – Sontz Delbarton 3 D 3 Blair 28 113 PJ Terranova #18 Mike Batista – Batista Blair 3 B 3 Delbarton 18 120 #7 Dan Jones #2 Leo DeLuca – DeLuca Blair 4 B 7 126 Ryan DeGeorge Ryan Meier – DeGeorge Delbarton 3 D 6 132 Chase Quenalt #5 Matty Lopes – Lopes Blair 3 B 10 138 #5 Jayden James #12 Billy Dekraker Beast Finals: 5-3 James James Delbarton 3 D 9 144 Trevor Jones #9 Logan Rozynski – Rozynski Blair 3 B 13 150 Gabe Logan Joseph Schinder – Logan Delbarton 3 D 12 157 Carl Betz #16 Paul Ognissanti – Ognissanti Blair 3 B 16 165 #7 Alessio Perentin #8 Will Henckel – Henckel Blair 3 B 19 175 #8 Louie Cerchio Cael Mielnik – Cerchio Delbarton 3 D 15 190 Austin Quandt Pete Snyder – Snyder Blair 3 B 22 215 Vinnie Lee Yanik Gallego – Lee Delbarton 3 D 18 285 Connor Martin #6 Carter Neves – Neves Blair 6 B 28 Surprisingly, this season to date has only given us one previous head to head. Jayden James, making his season debut at Beast of the East, would ultimately win that tournament with a 5-3 win over Billy Dekraker in the finals. That was a week after Dekraker placed at Ironman. New Jersey season starts later than most so Delbarton – among others – doesn’t get to make that trip to Ohio. That back to back is a gauntlet for the few teams that choose to run it. Could that have factored into the results there? Possibly. Am I predicting the Blair Buccaneer to flip it in his favor today? No. But he could. He definitely could. So, other than 138, we don’t have any other recent results to go off of, but we do have some possible rematches from last year’s dual. However, as we sit right now, even those we only have two: at 120 and 285. There are plenty of names still in these line ups that were in last year’s dual but many at different weights. It was Perentin vs Ognissanti and Cerchio vs Snyder as examples. Could Blair mix up their line up in a way that we get those again? Sure. But as I usually mention in these dual write ups, it’s rare to see the favorite take an aggressive stance with their line up, rather than the underdog trying to get creative. So I would call each of those unlikely. The past 2 years, this dual has been supremely close. Last year’s version was about as exciting as it gets, perhaps the best dual I’ve ever been too. Not just with regard to the energy from the Delbarton student section, which seemed to never take a second off from screaming at the top of their lungs, and jumping around like the gym was the new House of Pain, but the wrestling itself. Blair would ultimately win, 26-24, trailing 24-20 heading into 285 and getting the pin by their hammer at the back of the line up, Carter Neves. As I say, it doesn’t get better than last year’s dual between these two. And the task ahead of Delbarton appears to be a little more daunting on paper. They lost two mainstays in the line up, Tyler Vazquez and Simon Ruiz, to the Ivy League – both winning key matches in this dual. Blair also lost a pair of top kids in Marc-Anthony McGown and Lorenzo Norman. Truth be told I would say the Ruiz Norman match was the single match of the night. And now both are gone. Side note: Norman made waves in his redshirt season for Stanford beating Shane Griffith. Anyway, back to the lecture at hand. Both teams lose some elite level wrestlers but the way they line up heading into this it appears to be a bit stronger in Blair’s favor. I’ll run through the weights and then as I like to do, see if there’s a path for Delbarton to take to turn it in their favor. Right away, you see 10 weights will have at least 1 ranked wrestler, 4 matches look to be nationally ranked showdowns. Now, it’s possible that for Delbarton to have a chance here they have to shift some of their ranked guys around. Meaning we may not actually see all of these. But for now, we’re proceeding as close to the status quo as we can. I also don’t know what weight they’ll start at. With 285 being the biggest favorite of all the weights, if I’m Delbarton I hope it starts there, and that way right away we know what kind of night we’re in for. If Neves gets the fall again, we have our work cut out. If Martin can limit it to a major – or imagine a decision – we have some wiggle room. Alright, enough of that, on to the weights. 106 is one of the 4 possible nationally ranked bouts of this dual, and possibly the single best one of the bunch. You have the 3rd ranked Sontz taking on the 7th ranked Anello. I think I have Anello ranked the highest of all the national outlets but I also think I’m the most accurate, especially in the top 10 across all weights. This should be a great one. Sontz has had a nice season series with Sem’s Shamus Regan, now he gets the other prep 106 stud. Another freshman. Anello picked up a massive win at Ironman over Ignacio Villasenor and that’s the sort of result that gives pause to calling this for Sontz with any sort of strong confidence. I am giving this to the Green Wave in the prediction but I wouldn’t be
Todd’s Talks With Jared Keslar
“I believe success is achieved by ordinary people with extraordinary determination”. – Zig Ziglar Jared Keslar has always been competitive. He’s determined. He knows what he wants and will do whatever it takes to achieve it. Hard working, nose to the grind kinda guy. Gritty, not afraid of hard work. Connellsville tough. Wrestling may not have always been his first love. It is now. Jared played football and baseball as a youth. Most kids do until they figure out what they love. He figured that out when he was in middle school. He dedicated his time and attention to wrestling. Keslar states, “I dropped all other sports in 7th grade, I was a wrestler, I fell in love with the sport then.” He had been going to All American Wrestling Club, run by legendary coach, Rob Waller. He and his family then decided to make a change. Jared then stared wrestling for Jody Strittmatter at Young Guns Wrestling Club. He had some great partners like Rocco Welsh (Ohio St.) Jackson Arrington (NC State), Vinny Kilkeary (Ohio State) and now teammate at Pitt, Finn Solomon. Jared was also blessed to be raised in the Connellsville wrestling community. These folks know wrestling. They back it from their youth club until high school. They travel. They cheer. They are one of the most supportive high school fan bases you’ll ever see. He benefited from some great coaching at his school as well as his club coaches. How would greatness not be expected? He would deliver. Jared Keslar is a winner. He had the perfect mindset, the right approach. He knew what he had to do to win. Keslar finished high school with a record of 129-27. He collected two fourth place state medal as well as a state title his senior year. He achieved what he had always set out to. Now the next level, college. Jared admits, “I knew college would be so much harder than high school.” He had interest from quite a few schools. His first call came from the University of Pittsburgh. Keith Gavin knows a good one when he sees one, he was a former NCAA champ, now coaching this alma mater. He also lives in the back yard of the best high school wrestling region in the country. Look at his lineup, you’ll see almost half of the starters are from the WPIAL. Jared quickly fell in love with the the atmosphere of the school and program. He chose Pitt. It just made sense for him. It’s also a nice set up when your family and friends can come to all of your matches. “It’s great that I can have my family and the Connellsville community there to support me. It’s special.” As good as a wrestler as Jared is, he’s also a good student. The Criminal Justice major hopes to someday work for the FBI. He has acquired a lot of the attributes to make him successful through this sport. He’s relentless, intelligent, well spoken and loyal. Keslar has all the qualities necessary to succeed in the professional space. Keslar admits that starting as an underclassman had its challenges. “I’m still learning how to adjust from high level high school to Division 1 college wrestling. I have some of the best coaches and practice partners in the country. I know I have the ability, and with the support I have, I’ll be there soon.” Coming up in the WPIAL prepares young men for this. He went through that gauntlet. He was also the best in the state. Not many people can say that. Jared Keslar is as mentally tough as he is physically tough. He’s a guy any coach would want on their roster. He’s Connellsville tough. That’s something most cannot claim. It’s a different make up, a different thought process. It’s a blessing. He was the Outstanding Wrestler for team WPIAL in the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. His lateral drop was a thing of beauty in that match. Jared Keslar is a dude. He has all the tools. He’s where he needs to be to become great. He’ll do that, no question. Coach Gavin got another great one from the WPIAL. We can all look forward to the great things that Jared Keslar will do! Get To Know Jared Better: McDonalds Pittsburgh Penguins Pack Favorite Food? Cruise to Mexico What’s your favorite vacation destination? Playing Fortnite Favorite Pastime off the Mat “Trust the Process” What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Blair at Delbarton
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National High School Ranked Wrestler Weekend Roundup 1/30
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers Weekend Recap A few noteworthy events, lots of duals, and dual team post-season action. Only a handful of ranked matches, with 152 in Minnesota leading the way (Alex Braun vs Landon Robideau). 106 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Joe Bachmann Faith Christian PA St Mary’s Ryken Dual win 2 Dom Deputy Chestnut Ridge PA Thomas Automotive 1st Place 3 Cameron Sontz Delbarton NJ Southern Dual/Morris County win/1st Place Mason 4 Shamus Regan Wyoming Seminary Preps Duals – 5 Rocco Cassioppi Honenegah IL NIC-10 Conference 1st Place 6 Caleb Noble Warren IL NSC Duals win 7 Vincenzo Anello Blair Preps North Hunterdon Dual win 8 Rocco Hayes Sandburg IL Southland Athletic Conference ? 9 Killian Coluccio Christian Brothers NJ Tre-Tri – 10 Liam McGettigan Gilman Preps Archbishop Spalding win 11 Hayden Schwab Don Bosco IA – 12 Turner Ross Simley MN Rochester Panther Invite 1st Place 13 Nico DeSalvo Southeast Polk IA – 14 Colby Martinelli Pennridge PA West Chester Henderson Dual – 15 Brandon Bickerton Highland OH Suburban League 2-0 16 Ayden Dodd Perrysburg OH – 17 Dominick Morrison Hatboro-Horsham PA Quakertown Duals 5-0 18 Alex Diaz Council Rock North PA SOL Patriot Championships 2nd Place (114) Lenahan 19 Jensen Boyd Delta IN Delta Sectional 1st Place 20 Sam Wolford Northern Lebanon PA Lancaster-Lebanon 1st Place 21 Jarrett Smith Lowell MI Lou Yeager Duals 2-0 Robinson 22 Tanner Guenot Bald Eagle Area PA Central Mountain Dual win 23 Anthony Mason Southern Regional NJ Delbarton Dual/Quad loss/3-0 Sontz 24 Arseni Kikiniou Poway CA Buchanan Dual win Woodward 25 Dylan Munson Prairie-Cedar Rapids IA MVC Conference 1st Place out Allen Woo Montini IL Buffalo Grove Dual win 113 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Dom Munaretto St Charles East IL – 2 Landon Sidun Norwin PA – 3 Ayden Smith Notre Dame-Green Pond PA BECA Dual win 4 Paul Kenny Christian Brothers NJ Tre-Tri 1-0 5 Ronnie Ramirez Walnut CA – 6 Davis Motyka Wyoming Seminary Preps Duals 2-0 7 JoJo Uhorchuk Signal Mountain TN Hixson Dual win 8 Ignacio Villasenor Pomona CO Jeffco 5A Lague 1st Place 9 Grey Burnett Perrysburg OH – 10 Kavin Muyleart Cedar Cliff PA – 11 Edwin Sierra Poway CA Buchanan Dual win Zinkin 12 Rocklin Zinkin Buchanan CA Poway Dual loss Sierra 13 Ezekiel Witt Manhattan KS – 14 Tyler Harper Norwalk IA Indianola Dual/LHC win/1st Place Crosson 2x 15 Gabe Ballard Northampton PA Easton Dual win 16 Haakon Peterson Dodgeville WI SWC Conference Duals 4-0 17 Revin Dickman Brownsburg IN Avon Sectional 1st Place N. Rioux 18 Mike Batista Blair Preps North Hunderdon Dual win 19 Nicholas Garcia Marmion Academy IL – 20 Gavin Landers Denver IA NICL 1st Place Bohnsack 21 Ethan Timar St Edward OH ? 22 Abram Cline Granite Hills CA Holtville Rotary 1st Place 23 Raekwon Shabazz Middletown CT Methuen Invite 1st Place 24 Cooper Foster Avery County NC 1st & 2nd Round State Duals 2-0 25 Jake Fitzpatrick Aquinas WI Owatonna Dual win Nikos Filipos Wyoming Seminary Preps Duals 2-0 120 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Anthony Knox St John Vianney NJ St Peters Prep Tri 2-0 2 Leo DeLuca Blair Preps North Hunterdon Dual win 3 Beric Jordan Noble OK Midwestern Conference 1st Place 4 Nate Desmond Wyoming Seminary Preps Duals – 5 Aaron Seidel North Lebanon PA Lancaster-Lebanon 1st Place 6 Gauge Botero Faith Christian PA St Mary’s Ryken Dual win 7 Dan Jones Delbarton NJ Southern Dual/Morris County win/1st Place 8 Isaiah Quintero El Dorado CA – 9 Moses Mendoza Gilroy CA Overfelt Classic – 10 Louie Gill Reynolds PA Ultimate Warrior 1st Place 11 Karson Brown St Edward OH ? 12 Ethan Rivera Lake Highland Prep Preps Lou Yeager Duals 2-0 13 Porter Matecki Whitfield MO Kyle Thrasher – 14 Hunter Taylor Liberty MO George Hoover 1st Place 15 Titan Friederichs Watertown Mayer MN Duals 3-0 L. Koenen 16 Co’Ji Campbell Kenosha St Joseph’s WI Marshall Dual win 17 Lukas Littleton Mascaro Malvern Prep Preps PAISAA Duals 4-0 18 Carter Pearson Southeast Polk IA – 19 Cash Donnell Piedmont OK Chickasha Classic 1st Place 20 Devon Miller Edmond North OK – 21 Keanu Dillard Bethlehem Catholic PA Notre Dame Dual win 22 Jake Knight Bettendorf IA MAC Tournament 1st Place 23 Slater Hicks Valencia CA – 24 Nate Carrillo St John Bosco CA CIF Team Duals ? 25 Mason Jakob Dobyns Bennett TN Marysville Dual win 126 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Luke Lilledahl Wyoming Seminary Preps Duals – 2 Jax Forrest Bishop McCort PA Mat Town Open 1st Place (NCAA 125) Stanich 3 Seth Mendoza Mt Carmel IL – 4 Isaiah Cortez Gilroy CA Overfelt Classic – 5 JJ McComas Stillwater OK – 6 Jackson Blum Lowell MI Lou Yeager Duals 2-0 Kacena 7 Jayden Raney Union County KY KYWCA State Duals 3-0 8 Antonio Mills Mill Creek GA – 9 Cam Stinson Mallard Creek NC 4A State Duals 1-0 10 Israel Borge Westlake UT Lone Peak Dual win 11 Anthony Mutarelli Council Rock South PA SOL Patriot Championships 1st Place Sement 12 Mason Ziegler Quakertown PA Quakertown Duals 3-0 13 Nikade Zinkin Clovis CA – 14 Gage Walker Bixby OK 4 + 4 Tournament 1st Place(132) 15 Eren Sement Council Rock North PA SOL Patriot Championships 2nd Place Mutarelli 16 Sebastian DeGennaro Jensen Beach FL Colby Singletary – 17 JJ Peace Cane Bay SC – 18 Colin Martin Staunton River VA WSAZ Invitational – 19 Isaiah Schaefer Mater Dei IN Evansville Sectional 1st Place 20 Mack Mauger Blackfoot ID Red Halverson 1st Place 21 Andrew Binni Canon-McMillan PA Peters Twnship Dual win 22 Cole Evans Perrysburg OH – 23 Landon Hawkins Crown Point IN Crown Point Sectional 1st Place 24 Caio Aron College Park TX – 25 Bohdan Abbey Hartland MI ? 132 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Ben Davino
Todd’s Talks With Jagger Condomitti
Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one had reached in life as by the obstacles that he had overcome. -Booker T Washington The definition of “adversity” is a state of serious difficulty or misfortune. Jagger Condomitti had seen some adversity in his young career. For those of you who don’t know this accomplished wrestler from Northampton, Pa. allow me to do the honors. Jagger is a two time Pa state finalist, winning a title in his senior campaign. His list of high school accolades include Fargo All American, NHSCA champion, and an Adidas National Wrestler of the Week. He’s accomplished, to say the least. Condomitti career start put him on pace to be the all time wins leader at Northampton. And then Covid cut the number of matches he could wrestle his senior year. Still, he pressed on, same strong mindset. Condomitti’s state tournament run was not without challenges. He injured his ankle wrestling in the early rounds. That didn’t stop him. Undeterred. He was winning that state title. Adversity, he overcame it. He won that gold medal on a takedown in the final 10 seconds, capping off an undefeated season. One goal down. As his HS career transpired, Jagger developed himself into a top college recruit coming out of the Lehigh Valley. I mean who wouldn’t want a guy with club coaches like Jeff Buxton and John Trenge? An elite competitor. A PIAA state champ. The first day of recruiting. He stayed up as many athletes do. He got a text at midnight, mission accomplished. It was validation for all the hard work, extra workouts and sacrifices he had put in. Now the hard part, with schools like Michigan, Arizona State and NC State interested. Decisions, decisions. Jagger narrowed the choice down to Pitt, Lehigh and Nebraska. He took his official visits there. He often wondered, “did I do enough?” He told me that the recruiting process was both humbling and validating. Grateful that programs of that magnitude would be interested in him in the first place while understanding his work made that possible. Ultimately he chose Nebraska. Jagger acknowledged that long time Assistant Coach Bryan Snyder played a big part in his commitment. Snyder, an Easton graduate, had been a clinician at a camp Jagger attended as a youth wrestler. Having a familiar face, also from the Lehigh Valley, would be an asset as he would be hundreds of miles from home. His first season in college, it was time to make some noise, announce his presence. Only it wouldn’t be that simple. He suffers a concussion at his first college open tournament. The first of what would turn out to be a series of incidents that almost led to giving up competition. He turned to support from family, friends and coaches. Determined to return stronger than ever, and he did. After being cleared to compete, he won numerous challenge matches in the room. He won the Hastings open tournament. Things were starting to come together. Then the unthinkable, another concussion. More adversity. This time it would be a 6 month layoff. Clearly, concussions are nothing to be taken lightly. Hell, the NFL has very specific protocols and rules directly in place to limit these type of injuries. The six months pass, Jagger did what he does. Dean’ List, Academic All-Big 10, Tom Osborne Citizenship recipient, and won the starting spot. Finally. He was where he knew he would be when he first stepped foot on campus in Lincoln. Then, wouldn’t you know, days before Cliff Keen, a nightmare, the unthinkable. A third concussion. The neurologist recommends retiring from competition but Jagger was determined to overcome these setbacks. A determination that separates wrestlers from us mere mortals. And he did everything necessary to heal and ensure a successful return. Finally, cleared again. Bad news for the 165lb weight class. He’s back competing, wrestling, participating in the sport that he had been in since he was 5 years old. Still with the same goals he had to begin with. Eyes on the prize. The prize that is still out there for him to claim. Everything happens for a reason and for Jagger the comeback will be greater than the setback. In our conversation, he seemed to recognize that being a top recruit coming out of high school doesn’t necessarily prepare you for the vigor of a big time college wrestling room. “There’s definitely a transition, that’s for sure.” But it’s a transition that’s worth it. Put in the work, get the rewards. That’s what we love about this sport, you ask have you done enough and soon or later that question gets answered for you in unambiguous terms. And if the answer is no, you have the chance to do more, do better. And at a program like Nebraska, that could mean being challenged by an Olympic Champion. “I couldn’t believe he knew my name, knew who I was,” Jaggers describes the first time he got to practice with perhaps the sports biggest star. “That was a crazy and humbling experience. He said ‘we’re going together today.’” And as he works his way back into the Nebraska line up, it’ll take more moments like that, more intense practice sessions, and a continued tapping into that perservence that kept him from giving up all along. And as the medical profession recommends not sleeping with a concussion, we recommend you not sleep on Jagger. The best is yet to come. Get To Know Jagger Better: Thin Crust Meat Lovers Pizza Favorite Food? DominicanRepublic What’s your favorite vacation destination? One Hell Of An Amen – Brantley Gilbert Go To Walkout Song “nothing changes if nothing changes.” What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
CA #1 Poway v CA #2 Buchanan Dual Preview
#1 Poway vs #2 Buchanan Preview Weight Buchanan Poway Winner Team Points Running Team Score Final Score 106 Blake Woodward #24 Arseni Kikiniou Kikiniou Poway 3 Poway 3 Poway 25 113 #12 Rocklin Zinkin #11 Edwin Sierra Zinkin Buchanan 3 Buchanan 3 Buchanan 21 120 CJ Huerta Devin Bobzien Huerta Buchanan 3 Buchanan 6 126 Ashton Besmer Billy Townson Townson Poway 3 Poway 6 132 Paris Ruiz Elias Navida Navida Poway 3 Poway 9 138 Gavin Bauder #7 Paul Kelly Kelly Poway 3 Poway 12 144 #6 Joe Toscano Mario Carini Toscano Buchanan 3 Buchanan 9 150 Jaxtyn Frost #7 Laird Root Root Poway 4 Poway 16 157 #14 Leo Contino Jack Estevez Contino Buchanan 3 Buchanan 12 165 #23 Branson John Sasha Kikiniou John Buchanan 3 Buchanan 15 175 Brock Kitchen #14 Angelo Posada Posada Poway 6 Poway 22 190 Sean-Michael Roberts Ben Bomberger Roberts Buchanan 3 Buchanan 18 215 Alec Dansby #13 Robert Platt Platt Poway 3 Poway 25 285 Bryson Harrington Adam Farha Harrington Buchanan 3 Buchanan 21 As you would expect when the two top teams in the state of California get together for a dual, basically every wrestler is in the top 15 of the state and there are 10 carrying national rankings. We’ll get one nationally ranked match up at 113 that we already saw at Doc B and should see yet again at the state finals. I’d call that the headliner here and, with as close as the dual score should be, making that the final bout would be a potentially phenomenal finish to the proceedings. With both teams being at Doc B, we have some head to heads from the current season that obviously inform some of the predictions this weekend. But so many of these are close, of the toss up variety, that a flip of a result isn’t out of the question at all. At 106, Kikiniou and Woodward haven’t wrestled this season but were both at Doc B where they have a common opponent in Clovis’ Anthony Garza. Woodward has actually wrestled Garza 3 times this year, going 1-2. At Doc B, it was Garza who got the win first and then Woodward came back to beat him for 3rd. Kikiniou is 1-0 against him. The other point of note is who they have lost to. For Woodward, it’s been Garza twice and Carlos Melgoza. For Kikiniou, it’s Siraj Sidhu, Paulo Valdez, and Elijah Almarinez. All three losses for Kikiniou have been at 113. All of this to say, the season resume to date favors Poway. The location favors Buchanan. I think a lot will be determined by where they start the dual. If they start at 120, this match up happens after a likely Buchanan win at 285. The buzz will be electric. I probably go Woodward. If the dual starts here at 106, I think Kikiniou gets it done. At 113, you have the best match in the dual and one of the best in the state at any weight. You have two nationally ranked wrestlers who are currently number 1 and 2 in the state. It was Zinkin who entered the year atop the state rankings but Sierra beat him at Doc B. That was a 6-3 decision, and any reasonable analysis would give him the edge off of that result coming in this weekend. For Zinkin, he doesn’t lose in the state of CA often: in the state finals against a senior, Scotty Moore, on a mission in Bakersfield; once to Thunder Lewis; and this season to Sierra. He never got the chance to avenge the loss to Moore, he did beat Lewis the next time they wrestled, and now he gets to try to do the same this weekend. This really could go either way, and with an overall dual this close, this has the makings of a classic. At 120, CJ Huerta was part of a trio of Buchanan freshmen that were all atop their weight classes last season. While none of the three came away from Bakersfield with that 1st state title, they were all top 3. Huerta, like Zinkin and Toscano, will have his eyes set on a return trip to the podium. At last year’s dual, Huerta got Sierra at 113 and was able to come away with the win. As we discussed at 113, Sierra has elevated his game a lot, developing into a bonafide state champion contender. Huerta has displayed that level of wrestling himself, even if this year he comes into the weekend ranked 7th in the state – a little lower than where he was consistently in the top 3 all last year. Bobzien got a huge win after Doc B over Slater Hicks. That shows he is a threat here. Huerta is my slight favorite but this is another one of those quality, toss ups you get throughout the 14. At 126, you have a pair of kids who have both spent time in their careers with national rankings by their name. Besmer can lay claim to that as recently as this season, coming off the Zinkin Classic. For Townson, it’s been previously in his career, after national performances garnering attention. Last year, Towson put together a 4th place finish in the state, and so far this season, appears to be on track to repeat at least that. His only loss in CA to date has come against current #1, Nikade Zinkin. He finished 4th at Doc B, losing twice to Bixby’s nationally ranked Gage Walker. Besmer went 1-2 in the same bracket. But don’t let that finish fool you, even if we give a slight edge to Townson here, Besmer is live to flip this for the Bears and could be one of those results that determines this dual winner. At 132, we have another match up with a current season head to head result. As with 113, this also went
National High School Ranked Wrestler Weekend Roundup 1/23
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers Weekend Recap We’re through the part of the season with the big national events every weekend. Now, it’s duals, some local tournaments, and getting ready for the post season. There were a few notable results, but only a few. I think the biggest was 190 in Georgia, with Ryder Wilder beating both Dom Bambinelli and Ladon Jones. 106 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Joe Bachmann Faith Christian PA Coal Cracker 1st Place Morrison 2 Dom Deputy Chestnut Ridge PA Ultimate Duals 3 Cameron Sontz Delbarton NJ Jack Welch Duals cancelled 4 Shamus Regan Wyoming Seminary Preps Coal Cracker – 5 Rocco Cassioppi Honenegah IL Duals 2-0 6 Caleb Noble Warren IL Lake County Invite 1st Place 7 Vincenzo Anello Blair Preps St Ed Quad cancelled 8 Rocco Hayes Sandburg IL Tom Lahey 1st Place 9 Killian Coluccio Christian Brothers NJ Howell Dual win 10 Liam McGettigan Gilman Preps MSJ Dual win 11 Hayden Schwab Don Bosco IA Herb Irgens 1st Place 12 Turner Ross Simley MN LCWMA 1st Place 13 Allen Woo Montini IL Chicago Catholic League Champ. – 14 Nico DeSalvo Southeast Polk IA – 15 Colby Martinelli Pennridge PA Pennsbury Tri Meet – 16 Brandon Bickerton Highland OH Wadsworth GIT 1st Place Landis 17 Ayden Dodd Perrysburg OH Anthony Wayne Duals 2-0 18 Dominick Morrison Hatboro-Horsham PA Coal Cracker 3rd Place Bachmann 19 Alex Diaz Council Rock North PA – 20 Jensen Boyd Delta IN – 21 Sam Wolford Northern Lebanon PA Berserker Duals 5-0 22 Jarrett Smith Lowell MI Gary Rivers Duals 3-0 23 Tanner Guenot Bald Eagle Area PA – 24 Anthony Mason Southern Regional NJ Shore Conference Showcase ? 25 Arseni Kikiniou Poway CA Sunnyside Dual win 113 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Dom Munaretto St Charles East IL DuKane 1st Place 2 Landon Sidun Norwin PA Franklin Regional Dual win 3 Ayden Smith Notre Dame-Green Pond PA Saucon Valley Dual ? 4 Paul Kenny Christian Brothers NJ Howell Dual win 5 Ronnie Ramirez Walnut CA Bob Bellot 1st Place 6 Davis Motyka Wyoming Seminary Preps Coal Cracker – 7 JoJo Uhorchuk Signal Mountain TN Bradley Central Dual ? 8 Ignacio Villasenor Pomona CO Top of the Rockies 1st Place Harrison 9 Grey Burnett Perrysburg OH Anthony Wayne Duals 2-0 10 Edwin Sierra Poway CA Sunnyside Dual win 11 Rocklin Zinkin Buchanan CA Pitman Rumble ? 12 Ezekiel Witt Manhattan KS Bob Kuhn 1st Place 13 Tyler Harper Norwalk IA Ed Winger 1st Place 14 Gabe Ballard Northampton PA BECA Dual win 15 Revin Dickman Brownsburg IN Columbus East Dual win 16 Mike Batista Blair Preps St Ed Quad cancelled 17 Nicholas Garcia Marmion Academy IL Chicago Catholic League Champ. 1st Place 18 Ethan Timar St Edward OH Lake Highland Dual 19 Abram Cline Granite Hills CA San Pasqual – 20 Kole Davidheiser Faith Christian PA Coal Cracker – 21 Raekwon Shabazz Middletown CT Colter Abely 1st Place 22 Cooper Foster Avery County NC Jimmy Draughn Dual no match 23 Will Detar Trinity PA Susquehanna Twnship Dual – 24 Braiden Weaver Altoona PA DuBois Dual win 25 Zaiyahn Ornelas Wilbur-Clatonia NE Thayer Cental ? 120 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Leo DeLuca Blair Preps St Edward Quad cancelled 2 Beric Jordan Noble OK District Duals ? 3 Nate Desmond Wyoming Seminary Preps Coal Cracker – 4 Aaron Seidel North Lebanon PA Berserker Duals 5-0 5 Chris Kiser Ponca City OK District Duals 6 Gauge Botero Faith Christian PA Coal Cracker 1st Place Corbin 7 Dan Jones Delbarton NJ Jack Welch Duals cancelled 8 Louie Gill Reynolds PA Ultimate Duals 3-1 Josef Garshnick 9 Isaiah Quintero El Dorado CA Esperanza ? 10 Moses Mendoza Gilroy CA MidCals 1st Place 11 Karson Brown St Edward OH Lake Highland Dual win Rivera 12 Ethan Rivera Lake Highland Prep Preps St Edward Dual loss Brown 13 Porter Matecki Whitfield MO Pacific Varsity – 14 Hunter Taylor Liberty MO Winnetonka 1st Place 15 Titan Friederichs Watertown Mayer MN Hutch Invite 1st Place 16 Co’Ji Campbell Kenosha St Joseph’s WI Quad Dual; Craig Belcher 3-0; 3-1 (inj dq) 17 Lukas Littleton Mascaro Malvern Prep Preps Exeter Duals – 18 Devon Miller Edmond North OK Yukon Jay 1st Place 19 Keanu Dillard Bethlehem Catholic PA Northampton Dual win 20 Slater Hicks Valencia CA Esperanza ? 21 Nate Carrillo St John Bosco CA Trinity League Duals ? 22 Dru Ayala Fort Dodge IA Ed Winger 2nd Place Knight 23 Carter Pearson Southeast Polk IA Ed Winger – 24 Mason Jakob Dobyns Bennett TN Steve Gardner ? 25 Nico Fanella Indiana PA Bison Duals 2-1 David Kennedy 126 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Luke Lilledahl Wyoming Seminary Preps Coal Cracker – 2 Jax Forrest Bishop McCort PA Corry Duals 6-0 3 Anthony Knox St John Vianney NJ Tri/Quad Meet 2-0 4 Seth Mendoza Mt Carmel IL Chicago Catholic League Champ. 1st Place 5 Isaiah Cortez Gilroy CA MidCals 1st Place 6 JJ McComas Stillwater OK Ram Duals 6-0 7 Jackson Blum Lowell MI Gary Rivers Duals 3-0 (138) 8 Jayden Raney Union County KY Shamrock Duals ? 9 Antonio Mills Mill Creek GA 7A State Duals 5-0 10 Cam Stinson Mallard Creek NC Queen City; Lincolnton Dual 1st Place; win 11 Israel Borge Westlake UT Tiger Grizz – 12 Anthony Mutarelli Council Rock South PA Neshaminy Dual win 13 Mason Ziegler Quakertown PA Plymouth Whitemarsh Dual win 14 Nikade Zinkin Clovis CA Pitman Rumble – 15 Gage Walker Bixby OK Skiatook – 16 Eren Sement Council Rock North PA Pennsbury Dual win 17 Haakon Peterson Dodgeville WI Monroe Invite 1st Place (113) 18 Sebastian DeGennaro Jensen Beach FL State Duals – 19 JJ Peace Cane Bay SC – 20 Isaiah Schaefer Mater Dei IN SIAC 1st Place 21 Mack Mauger Blackfoot ID Tiger Grizz 1st Place 22 Colin Martin Staunton River VA – 23 Andrew Binni
Buchanan at Clovis “The Big One” Dual Preview
Buchanan at Clovis Preview Export XLSExport CSV Weight Buchanan Clovis Season Head To Head Winner Team Points Running Team Score Predicted Final Score 106 Blake Woodward CA #4 Anthony Garza CA #3 Garza 2-0 Garza 10-4 Woodward 5-1 Garza Clovis 3 Clovis 3 Buchanan 33 Clovis 21 113 #11 Rocklin Zinkin CA #3 Thunder Lewis CA #9 none Zinkin Buchanan 3 Buchanan 3 120 Christopher Huerta CA #6 Simon Cervantes CA #14 none Huerta Buchanan 3 Buchanan 6 126 Ashton Besmer CA #6 #15 Nikade Zinkin CA #2 Besmer 4-3 Zinkin Clovis 3 Clovis 6 132 Paris Ruiz CA #11 Anthony Harris CA #11 Eli Granada CA #13 Ruiz vs Granada = none Harris vs Granada = Granada 1-0 Ruiz Buchanan3 Buchanan 9 138 Gavin Bauder CA #3 Wyatt Lewis CA #7 Bauder 8-5 Bauder Buchanan 3 Buchanan 12 144 #7 Joseph Toscano CA #1 James Wright CA #20 none Toscano Buchanan 6 Buchanan 18 150 Jaxtyn Frost CA #10 Noah Reynolds CA #6 none Reynolds Clovis 3 Clovis 9 157 #14 Leo Contino CA #3 Samuel Chacon CA #18 Contino 2:44 Contino Buchanan 6 Buchanan 24 165 #22 Branson John CA #4 Adrien Reyes CA #5 John 1-0 Reyes Clovis 3 Clovis 12 175 Brock Kitchen CA #14 Joseph Buck CA #3 none Buck Clovis 6 Clovis 18 190 Sean-Mitchel Roberts CA #9 Mark Marin CA #8 Sean-Michael Roberts vs Marin = none Dansby vs Marin = Marin 7-2 Marin Clovis 3 Clovis 21 215 Alec Dansby CA #6 Noah Martinez CA #16 Dansby vs Marin = Marin 7-2 Martinez 6-2 Dansby 5-1 Dansby Buchanan 3 Buchanan 27 285 Byson Harrington CA #3 Jordan Gonzales CA #32 Harrington 13-4 Harrington Buchanan 6 Buchanan 33 In the state of CA, there is no bigger dual event than The Big One. The Buchanan and Clovis rivalry is one that you must mark your calendars for every season – presuming you’re a wrestling fan. And if you’re not one, we want you to become one, so this might be the single high school event I’d have you watch. To bring you on board. The only downside to this being your first wrestling rodeo is that no other dual, or even tournament, around the country lives up to the production in any way, shape or form. The Doc B tournament (hosted by Clovis) comes close, in terms of the way they do the finals. No other major tournament runs its finals in the same way. To their detriment and Doc B’s advantage. Similarly, nobody else does a dual like these Clovis schools do their rivalry. And so for that reason it is both the one event to bring new folks on board and also the one to set unreasonable expectations of what all duals are like. But we like to stick to the positive and the positive says that this is one to tune into and this year it should be a pretty competitive back and forth between these two. While Buchanan is a deserving favorite coming in, it’s not by as much as they have been in the past, and not as much as you might think. So I’ll give you my prediction based on the most likely line ups for each team referring to state ranking, and what weight kids were at for Doc B. But I’ll also give you my best attempt at a Clovis upset. If there’s one thing I love, it’s an upset. Heck, how do you think I won that NFL pool? Upsets, baby! The good thing for us with a rivalry like this is that we have a lot of history between many of the wrestlers, including head to heads from this season. I would guess that’s not as good for the wrestlers themselves who may want new competition. But their loss is our gain. I’ll start with the weights where they have already wrestled and move from there. There have been 9 total matches between kids currently slotted to face each other. In those 9, Buchanan has won 7. Three of those were the same match (106) three times. In that match up, Garza won twice, but the first two. Woodward has won the most recent between them, at Doc B. I expect Garza to come out fired up in front of the Cougar faithful and get back on the winning side in this one. At 126, Besmer got the better of Zinkin at Buchanan’s Zinkin Classic but that’s one of the earliest tournaments of the season. Early enough that a lot has happened since then. Like Nikade finishing 2nd at Doc B and Besmer not placing. That’s why Nikade carries the national ranking and Besmer once did but has since dropped out. None of this is to say Besmer can’t (or won’t) beat him again here. But now it’s in the rivalry dual. In Zinkin’s home gym. This is one of the main event weights so to speak. At 132, Buchanan has two possible state medalists. Paris Ruiz just won 5 Counties, picking up a pair of nationally ranked wins. But Ruiz also has a loss to his teammate Harris 2-1 at Zinkin. But it was Ruiz who went to the HOF duals and Ruiz who placed at Doc B. Harris lost to Granada there. So that’s the current head to head. Granada over Harris 1-0. Based on the most recent results, I’m guessing they go with Ruiz here but who knows in duals. Either way, Ruiz is the most up and down but appears to have the highest upside of all 3. Coming off the 5 Counties performance, I think he gets it done here too. Bauder has been on the national radar for some time. He’s currently in that next 25, top 40, range. He has the results – CA state runner up – to support that, but hasn’t put together the string of wins against top out of state guys to sustain a higher ranking. Lewis is a promising freshman