2024 U20 Team Trials Preview (HS Wrestlers)
2024 U20 TEAM TRIALS PREVIEW This preview isn’t for all the contenders or entries in a weight class. Instead it is a look at the top high school contenders in each weight class, especially those who won the US Open. In the weights where a I have a current college wrestler making the world team, or the US Open champion was a college wrestler, I do mention them. There are plenty of non high school guys in contention in these weights, like Vinny Kilkeary, the US Open runner up to Lilledahl at 57. Nasir Bailey at 61. And others. I’m transitioning into an exclusively high school (boys/girls) platform. This is the first article specifically to that end. 57KG In terms of top talent at the high school level, many of these weights have plenty to speak of. No bracket will have the depth of it that 57KG does though. Lilledahl was the US Open champion and therefore sits until the finals. In the field will be a bunch of names that were also at the US Open but a couple new ones join this group as well. By now the history between Jax and Luke should be fairly well known. And that could definitely be the finals match up this weekend in Ohio. At the US Open, it was Vinny Kilkeary in the finals against Lilledahl. It could be him again. But he’s not in HS so not part of my write up. Others to watch are obviously Seth Mendoza and Anthony Knox. Mendoza made some big news for himself beating Jax, but then it was Knox over Mendoza for 3rd. New to the group is former cadet world team member Chris Castillo, Haakon Peterson who was at the Last Chance trials, and Leo DeLuca who always battles with Knox and Lilledahl. Have to consider Lilledahl the favorite here and I like Jax to bounce back in a big way. 61KG College freshman Cael Hughes leads the way into Ohio as the US Open winner. But his road to the title and the spot on the world team just got even harder. At the Open he beat Kyler Larkin in a tight finals. This go round, he could get Larkin again – or he could get the one of the new top guns in this bracket. First, there’s Ben Davino, our 2024 Wrestler of the Year winner (all winners will be announced in the first edition of our digital magazine, Three.). He is of course one of the best in any style at any weight. His win for the high school season was bolstered by a huge showdown with Marcus Blaze in the Ironman finals. Speaking of Blaze, he’s the 2nd newcomer to speak of here. He finished 3rd at the Olympic Trials and if you considered him the favorite here I couldn’t argue much. In fact he is my favorite. Based on what he’s done on the freestyle circuit. There’s a solid group out of the top 8 from the US Open returning to do battle as well. Kyler Larkin, Jake Hockaday, Billy Dekraker, Elijah Cortez, and Matt Botello. Hard to predict any of them ultimately make the team, but I wouldn’t be shocked either. Very nice bracket here. 65KG This looks like the next Bo Bassett world team. He won the US Open fairly easily. He didn’t make the National team at the Olympic Trials, but he’s right there among the very best in the country at the senior level at this weight. His biggest threat this weekend looks to be Aden Valencia. They’ve wrestled twice this Spring already. Bassett won both, but they were very close and competitive. No one else has really tested Bassett in this time. After them, a few very familiar names round out the high school group: Pierson Manville, Jax Joy, and Daniel Zepeda. Zepeda is the last HS wrestler to beat Bassett but that was months ago and in a folkstyle all-star event. Bet against Bo at your own risk. Wait, is anyone taking bets on this? 70KG PJ Duke is one of those phenom types who is the favorite to win just about every tournament he enters. He did just that at the US Open and figures to repeat the result again to make the U20 team. The runner up to Duke at the Open was Kody Routledge, he’s entered at 74KG this weekend. Other challengers returning from the Vegas tournament are Isaias Jimenez and Landon Robideau. Both fell in the round of 16, Jimenez in a competitive match with Routledge. Robideau to college freshman Cross Wasilewski. Wasilewski is not in this field. Newcomers to the party are Brock Mantanona, Paul Kelly, and Collin Gaj. Grigor Cholakyan is also down from 74KG this time. Of the new names, Mantanona is the most intriguing to me. But in the end I think Duke is too much for everyone. 74KG Like Bo Bassett at 65 and PJ Duke at 70, LaDarion Lockett 74KG is a US Open champion with HS years left. Lockett is a junior already committed to Oklahoma State (whose thoughts on the new coaching change were shared as part of the first issue of Three, so check that out) and already has a cadet gold medal to his credit. Lockett’s battles with Joe Sealey are great and could be another round this weekend. Sealey was the US Open finalist opponent and I think should reach the 2 out of 3 rematch this weekend. Others coming back are Vince Bouzakis and Claudio Torres. Kody Routledge as mentioned is up here from 70. I do think the battles to get to Lockett will be tough, ultimately I expect to see Sealey as the challenge tournament champ. 79KG As we get up to these weights, we start to see fewer HS athletes but we do have two. The first is Zack Ryder, the US Open champ. The second is Will Henckel who gave Ryder his toughest match in Las Vegas. That was
2024 TEAM USA WORLD TEAM ROSTERS
2024 OLYMPIC AND AGE GROUP WORLD TEAM ROSTERS 2024 OLYMPIC TEAM {Aug 5-11; Paris, France} MENS FREESTYLE WOMENS FREESTYLE GRECO *57KG: Spencer Lee *65KG: Zain Retherford 74KG: Kyle Dake 86KG: Aaron Brooks 97KG: Kyle Snyder 125KG: Mason Parris *weight still to be qualified 50KG: Sarah Hildebrandt 53KG: Dominique Parrish 57KG: Helen Maroulis 62KG: Kayla Miracle 68KG: Amit Elor 76KG: Kennedy Blades 60KG: Dalton Roberts 67KG: Ellis Coleman 77KG: Kamal Bey 87KG: Payton Jacobson 97KG: Josef Rau 130KG: Adam Coon *57KG: Spencer Lee *65KG: Zain Retherford 74KG: Kyle Dake 86KG: Aaron Brooks 97KG: Kyle Snyder 125KG: Mason Parris *weight still to be qualified 50KG: Sarah Hildebrandt 53KG: Dominique Parrish 57KG: Helen Maroulis 62KG: Kayla Miracle 68KG: Amit Elor 76KG: Kennedy Blades 60KG: Dalton Roberts 67KG: Ellis Coleman 77KG: Kamal Bey 87KG: Payton Jacobson 97KG: Josef Rau 130KG: Adam Coon 2024 U23 WORLD TEAM{Oct 21-27; Tirana, Albania} MENS FREESTYLE WOMENS FREESTYLE GRECO TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD 2024 U20 WORLD TEAM {Sep 2-8; Pontevedra, Spain} MENS FREESTYLE WOMENS FREESTYLE GRECO 57KG – Luke Lilledahl (MO) 61KG – Marcus Blaze (OH) 65KG – Bo Bassett (PA) 70KG – PJ Duke (NY) 74KG – LaDarion Lockett (OK) 79KG – Zack Ryder (NY) 86KG – Josh Barr (MI) 92KG – Connor Mirasola (WI) 97KG – Justin Rademacher (OR) 125KG – Ben Kueter (IA) 50KG: Anaya Falcon (CA) 53KG: Brianna Gonzalez (CA) 55KG: Cristelle Rodriguez (CA) 57KG: Carissa Qureshi (CA) 59KG: Alexis Janiak (IL) 62KG: Cadence Diduch (IL) 65KG: Reese Larramendy (NV) 68KG: Caitlyn Davis (SC) 72KG: Jasmine Robinson (TX) 76KG: Naomi Simon (IA) 55KG – Isaiah Cortez (CA) 60KG – Cory Land (AL) 63KG – Otto Black (CO) 67KG – Joel Adams (NE) 72KG – Patrick Brackett (CO) 77KG – Aydin Rex McElhinney (ME) 82KG – Arian Khosravy (CA) 87KG – Ryder Rogotzke (MN) 97KG – Soren Herzog (MN) 130KG – Aden Attao (ID) 57KG – Luke Lilledahl (MO) 61KG – Marcus Blaze (OH) 65KG – Bo Bassett (PA) 70KG – PJ Duke (NY) 74KG – LaDarion Lockett (OK) 79KG – Zack Ryder (NY) 86KG – Josh Barr (MI) 92KG – Connor Mirasola (WI) 97KG – Justin Rademacher (OR) 125KG – Ben Kueter (IA) 50KG: Anaya Falcon (CA) 53KG: Brianna Gonzalez (CA) 55KG: Cristelle Rodriguez (CA) 57KG: Carissa Qureshi (CA) 59KG: Alexis Janiak (IL) 62KG: Cadence Diduch (IL) 65KG: Reese Larramendy (NV) 68KG: Caitlyn Davis (SC) 72KG: Jasmine Robinson (TX) 76KG: Naomi Simon (IA) 55KG – Isaiah Cortez (CA) 60KG – Cory Land (AL) 63KG – Otto Black (CO) 67KG – Joel Adams (NE) 72KG – Patrick Brackett (CO) 77KG – Aydin Rex McElhinney (ME) 82KG – Arian Khosravy (CA) 87KG – Ryder Rogotzke (MN) 97KG – Soren Herzog (MN) 130KG – Aden Attao (ID) 2024 U17 WORLD TEAM{Aug 19-25; Amman, Jordan} BOYS FREESTYLE GIRLS FREESTYLE GRECO 45KG – Sammy Sanchez (CA) 48KG – Henry Aslikyan (CA) 51KG – Dom Munaretto (IL) 55KG – Keanu Dillard (PA) 60KG – Jordyn Raney (KY) 65KG – Nate Askew (NC) 71KG – Melvin Miller (PA) 80KG – Emmitt Sherlock (MD) 92KG – Dreshaun Ross (IA) 110KG – Mike Mocco (FL) 40KG: Francesca Gusfa (NJ) 43KG: Hailey Delgado (TX) 46KG: Morgan Turner (IL) 49KG: Epensa Elison (CA) 53KG: Bella Gonzales (CA) 57KG: Everest Leydecker (AZ) 61KG: Taina Fernandez (MD) 65KG: Bella Williams (OK) 69KG: Kaili Manuel (MI) 73KG: Piper Fowler (TN) 45KG – Loc Webber (OH) 48KG – Hayden Schwab (IA) 51KG – Dom Munaretto (IL) 55KG – Jayden Raney (KY) 60KG – Jordyn Raney (KY) 65KG – Colton Weiler (WI) 71KG – Joe Jeter (OK) 80KG – Emmitt Sherlock (MD) 92KG – Evan McGuire (MN) 110KG – Travyn Boger (UT) 45KG – Sammy Sanchez (CA) 48KG – Henry Aslikyan (CA) 51KG – Dom Munaretto (IL) 55KG – Keanu Dillard (PA) 60KG – Jordyn Raney (KY) 65KG – Nate Askew (NC) 71KG – Melvin Miller (PA) 80KG – Emmitt Sherlock (MD) 92KG – Dreshaun Ross (IA) 110KG – Mike Mocco (FL) 40KG: Francesca Gusfa (NJ) 43KG: Hailey Delgado (TX) 46KG: Morgan Turner (IL) 49KG: Epensa Elison (CA) 53KG: Bella Gonzales (CA) 57KG: Everest Leydecker (AZ) 61KG: Taina Fernandez (MD) 65KG: Bella Williams (OK) 69KG: Kaili Manuel (MI) 73KG: Piper Fowler (TN) 45KG – Loc Webber (OH) 48KG – Hayden Schwab (IA) 51KG – Dom Munaretto (IL) 55KG – Jayden Raney (KY) 60KG – Jordyn Raney (KY) 65KG – Colton Weiler (WI) 71KG – Joe Jeter (OK) 80KG – Emmitt Sherlock (MD) 92KG – Evan McGuire (MN) 110KG – Travyn Boger (UT) Latest News 2024 U20 Team Trials Preview (HS Wrestlers) May 31, 2024/No Comments 2024 U20 TEAM TRIALS PREVIEW This preview isn’t for all the contenders or entries in a weight class. Instead it… Read More National High School Wrestling Rankings: FREESTYLE VOL. 2 AFTER US OPEN May 1, 2024/ National Rankings May 1, 2024 Notes About US OPEN Update: Obviously the US Open has been the biggest HS related… Read More 2024 TEAM USA WORLD TEAM ROSTERS April 29, 2024/ 2024 OLYMPIC AND AGE GROUP WORLD TEAM ROSTERS 2024 OLYMPIC TEAM {Aug 5-11; Paris, France} MENS FREESTYLE WOMENS FREESTYLE GRECO… Read More 2024 U17 TEAM TRIALS SEMIFINALS April 28, 2024/ 2024 U17 TEAM TRIALS SEMIFINALS 45KG Brandon Bickerton vs Sammy Sanchez Sean Kenny vs Justin Farnsworth 48KG #2 Henry… Read More 2024 U20 US OPEN FINALS LINE UP April 27, 2024/ FINALS LINE UP U20 US OPEN 57KG #2 Luke Lilledahl vs Vinny Kilkeary 61KG #2 Kyler Larkin vs Cael Hughes… Read More 2024 U17 WORLD TEAM TRIALS PREVIEW April 27, 2024/ 2024 U17 WORLD TEAM TRIALS 45KG Of course the u17 trials can have middle school wrestlers throughout any of the… Read More 2024 U20 US OPEN QUARTERFINALS April 27, 2024/ QUARTERFINALS MATCHES AT US OPEN U20 57KG #2 Luke Lilledahl vs #10 Aaron Seidel Isaiah Quintero vs G. Rinken #4… Read More 2024 U20 US Open Notable Round of 16 Matches April 27, 2024/ NOTABLE ROUND OF 16 MATCHES AT US OPEN U20 57KG #9 Isaiah Cortez vs #10 Aaron Seidel #4 Anthony
2024 U17 TEAM TRIALS SEMIFINALS
2024 U17 TEAM TRIALS SEMIFINALS 45KG Brandon Bickerton vs Sammy Sanchez Sean Kenny vs Justin Farnsworth 48KG #2 Henry Aslikyan vs #4 Cam Sontz Brayden Wenrich vs #8 Turner Ross 51KG #3 Dom Munaretto vs #18 Arseni Kikiniou Alex Rozas vs Alex Pierce 55KG #19 Lincoln Sledzianowski vs #10 Keanu Dillard Titan Friederichs vs #15 Slater Hicks 60KG #6 Jayden Raney vs Tyler Dekraker #9 Jordyn Raney vs #20 Clinton Shepherd 65KG Derek Barrows vs Kellen Wolbert Nate Askew vs Tyler Traves 71KG #16 Jayden James vs #12 Kyler Knaack #25 Cooper Rowe vs #4 Melvin Miller 80KG #14 Emmitt Sherlock vs #24 Liam Crook #19 Caleb Dennee vs #9 Ryder Wilder 92KG #4 Dreshaun Ross vs Cason Howle Kaleb Jackson vs #7 Elijah Diakomihalis 110KG #16 Dean Bechtold vs #19 Mark Effendian #8 Mike Mocco vs #9 Jacob Levy
2024 U20 US OPEN FINALS LINE UP
FINALS LINE UP U20 US OPEN 57KG #2 Luke Lilledahl vs Vinny Kilkeary 61KG #2 Kyler Larkin vs Cael Hughes 65KG #1 Bo Bassett vs #2 Aden Valencia 70KG #1 PJ Duke vs #5 Kody Routledge 74KG #1 LaDarion Lockett vs #2 Joe Sealey 79KG #1 Zack Ryder vs Noah Mulvaney 86KG #1 Aeoden Sinclair vs Josh Barr 92KG #3 Connor Mirasola vs Justin Rademacher 97KG #2 Cole Mirasola vs Camden McDanel 125KG #6 Nicholas Sahakian vs Jimmy Mullen
2024 U17 WORLD TEAM TRIALS PREVIEW
2024 U17 WORLD TEAM TRIALS 45KG Of course the u17 trials can have middle school wrestlers throughout any of the weights, the lower ones are where you’ll find the largest percentage and even further, 45KG which translates to under 100 pounds (not a HS weight), it’s almost all non-high schoolers. Still worthy of looking at for preview purposes, but for me (whose primary focus is the high school level) most of the names here will be in the mix next school year and season. For now, I’ll focus mostly on the current high school contenders and some others of note who could challenge for the team spot. Right off the bat, we’d have to say Fargo champ Brandon Bickerton is the favorite to make the team here. Aside from the Fargo title, he was also the u15 champ and is coming off an Ohio state title in his first season wrestling for Highland. Competing in what seems like every national event available on the calender, Bickerton is no stranger to elite competition and the lights of Las Vegas shouldn’t prove to be too bright. The top challenger from the high school group is Cason Craft. Craft placed 6th at Fargo last year, though up at 94 pounds compared to 88 for Bickerton. That Fargo 94 bracket was littered with guys who finished in the top 25 at 106 and are mostly at 48KG here this week. That opens things up for Craft to reach the finals against Bickerton. (keep in mind I’m writing this without any knowledge of where they’ll be slotted in the bracket). Like Bickerton, Craft was also a state champion (Oklahoma). Among the current middle school contenders, we have to mention Eddie George. He was the runner up to Bickerton in that Fargo 88 bracket, picking up wins over Loc Webber and Hudson Chittum (in this bracket) along the way. Those figure to all be tough battles should they meet again. Cruzer Dominguez from Nebraska doesn’t have results from either Fargo or last year’s US Open but he does have some solid results already this Spring. He beat both Hayden Schwab and Nico DeSalvo at the PNL freestyle tournament. Others to watch include Sammy Sanchez, Brayden Wenrich, Jojo Burke, Loc Webber, Hudson Chittum, and Sean Kenny. 48KG Now we get to our first full HS weight where the majority of the contenders coming to Las Vegas will be from this past season’s 106 weight class. And of course, a few of them finished in our season ending top 25. But that was folkstyle only and this is freestyle and we have a new 1st edition freestyle ranking dropping this week too and some of the names will be in different slots based on last year’s Fargo and trials placements. #3 Henry Aslikyan wasn’t in any Fargo bracket but instead did place 3rd at last year’s 45 trials. His loss was to Caleb Noble but he would actually bounce back to place higher than Noble. His trials run included wins over Sontz, Bell, Mac Crosson (think he’s up a few weights), and Haakon Peterson. He would then go on to capture his 1st CA state title this past February. He also picked up a pair of nice wins at the Journeyman Classic over Oumar Tounkara and Julian Rios. Tounkara himself had a big win over Shamus Regan. I think all of this makes Aslikyan the favorite coming into Vegas. #4 Caleb Noble and #6 Cam Sontz should be discussed together. Not only were they two super frosh who picked up state titles during the scholastic season, they also traded results last year at Fargo and the Open. There’s Mac Crosson sandwiched between them, who factored into those event results as well, but Crosson isn’t in this field as mentioned earlier. So Noble was the Fargo runner up while Sontz finished 5th there. Then Sontz also finished 5th in this event while Noble ended in 6th. Noble gets the higher ranking for me coming in due to Fargo being the more recent event. These two are really neck and neck though. #9 Turner Ross was the runner up to #8 Jarrett Smith last year and picked up a win over Cason Craft (contender at 45 we mentioned) along the way. He also finished his freshman season as a Minnesota state champion. It looks like Smith isn’t in the field this time around so Ross won’t get the chance at revenge there but he will still have a chance to make the world team. #17 Hayden Schwab, #18 Austin Bickerton, #22 Nico DeSalvo, and #23 Liam Collins all figure to be in the mix for top 8 and honestly, could do even better than that. They’re all capable of beating anyone in this field, even perhaps winning the team spot. Bickerton was the u15 runner up, Schwab was 4th at Fargo, Collins took 8th in last year’s 45 field, and DeSalvo was top 3 at both Fargo and the US Open. 51KG Talk about a star-studded bracket. We have 12 of our top 25 at this weight here and 6 of the top 10 and 4 of the top 5. This is about as elite as it gets and whoever does survive the mine field will have no doubt earned their way to Jordan this Summer. First up we have our top rated, and 2023 US Open 45KG champion, #1 Ignacio Villasenor. The Colorado phenom has been active to say the least, shying away from exactly zero big events. He won the world team spot with a finals win over Kavin Muleart, who is also in this field and one of those highly ranked kids who will make it tough for Villasenor to repeat. #2 Grey Burnett is a returning runner up at 48KG and the 106 Fargo champ from last year as well. An argument could be made he should be #1 at this weight and considered the favorite. I gave the nod to the world team member
2024 U20 US OPEN QUARTERFINALS
QUARTERFINALS MATCHES AT US OPEN U20 57KG #2 Luke Lilledahl vs #10 Aaron Seidel Isaiah Quintero vs G. Rinken #4 Anthony Knox vs V. Kilkeary #6 Seth Mendoza vs #3 Jax Forrest 61KG #7 Billy Dekraker vs Z. Fugitt C. Land vs C. Hughes #4 Jake Hockaday vs K. Garcia G. Porter vs #2 Kyler Larkin 65KG #3 Pierson Manville vs #5 Kollin Rath #2 Aden Valencia vs S. Lemley K. Buesgens vs #22 Drew Gorman #9 Gabe Bouyssou vs #1 Bo Bassett 70KG K. Webster vs A. Conetta #1 PJ Duke vs J. Harrington C. Wasilewski vs Kael Voinovich N. Tapia vs #6 Kody Routledge 74KG Z. Hanson vs B. Mantanona #10 Laird Root vs #2 Joe Sealey #1 LaDarion Lockett vs #3 Grigor Cholakyan #5 Charlie Millard vs #3 Vince Bouzakis 79KG N. Mulvaney vs C. Minto E. DeLeon vs N. O’Boyle #1 Zack Ryder vs #2 Will Henckel S. Ruiz vs C. Baer 86KG #1 Aeoden Sinclair vs R. Rogotzke #4 Eddie Neitenbach vs T. Naaktgeboren M. McEnelly vs D. Lamer L. Condon vs J. Barr 92KG #3 Connor Mirasola vs S. Herzog P. Brophy vs M. Dellagatta J. Rademacher vs G. Nelson A. Haselius vs A. Wojcikiewicz 97KG C. McDanel vs M. Ramberg T. Dineen vs #14 Melvin Whitehead S. Burrell Jr vs Ian Smith R. Trotter, Jr. vs #2 Cole Mirasola 110KG #2 Koy Hopke vs A. Semenenko V. Mueller vs J. Mullen #6 Nicholas Sahakian vs #13 Daniel Herrera C. Barket vs A. Attao
2024 U20 US Open Notable Round of 16 Matches
NOTABLE ROUND OF 16 MATCHES AT US OPEN U20 57KG #9 Isaiah Cortez vs #10 Aaron Seidel #4 Anthony Knox vs #13 Gage Walker #6 Seth Mendoza vs #8 Nate Desmond 61KG #7 Billy Dekraker vs #8 Elijah Cortez #4 Jake Hockaday vs #5 Sam Herring 65KG Koy Buesgens vs #4 Daniel Zepeda #1 Bo Bassett v #13 Sergio Vega 70KG #1 PJ Duke vs #8 Cooper Hilton #6 Kody Routledge vs #13 Isaias Jimenez 74KG #1 LaDarion Lockett vs Joey Blaze 79KG #1 Zack Ryder vs Lorenzo Norman 86KG #3 Hoke Hogan vs #4 Eddie Neitenbach Max McEnelly vs #11 Cade Ziola Luke Condon vs #2 Tucker Hogan 92KG Abe Wojcikiewicz vs #6 Karson Tompkins 110KG Aden Attao vs #11 Shilo Jones
2024 U20 US Open Preview
2024 U20 US OPEN 57KG #2 Luke Lilledahl #3 Jax Forrest #4 Anthony Knox #5 Leo Deluca #6 Seth Mendoza #8 Nathan Desmond #9 Isaiah Cortez #10 Aaron Seidel #11 Mack Mauger #13 Adrian Meza #14 Gage Walker #16 Davis Motyka #17 JJ Peace #18 Cam Stinson #21 Edwin Sierra #22 Ayden Smith #23 Ayden Thomas #24 Moses Mendoza Ronnie Ramirez Spencer Moore I mean to say this bracket is stacked doesn’t even begin to do it justice. Just last week Luke and Jax went to work in State College for the Olympic Team Trials. They were joined by other high schoolers, most notably Marcus Blaze who is the only big vacancy but did beat both Luke and Jax last week to finish 3rd. Luke and Jax didn’t wrestle so perhaps they will have that chance here in Vegas. What’s not to like about that? That’s a premier match up in this sport at any level in this country. After those top two, you have a slew of possible upset land mines they’ll have to navigate. Knox and DeLuca finished the HS season #1 and #2 at 120, and they both make the move up to 57 for this one. They also both have quite a few freestyle accolades as you would expect from elite guys at any level. Last year, Knox was the world team runner up to Blaze at 55KG and DeLuca was the Fargo JR 120 champion. Seth Menoza is another elite competitor at every level, in any style. He was 3rd in that DeLuca 120 Fargo bracket. And Nate Desmond was 4th. With all these familiar faces here, you could say they’re getting the band back together. Isaiah Cortez joined Jax and Seth as the wrestlers in the top 10 who competed in both Fargo and the trials last year. He took 5th and 3rd respectively. He’s capable of beating anyone ahead of him. Aaron Seidel I might be a little too bullish on at this weight, but he’s moving up from last year’s Fargo runner up performance at 113. Mack Mauger is always a name in all these previews and rankings. Not quite getting all the way into that top 5 or top 3 level, but just outside that. He’ll make it tough on anyone here and maybe he goes out this Spring in style. Adrian Meza doesn’t get a lot of work once the high school season starts but he’s been busy since it ended. Most notably, a super exciting loss in the last seconds to Mason Gibson in the PWC. That was folkstyle and we give all the Valiant kids a bump in their freestyle pedigree. Rounding out the ranked group, I’m really curious to see how the gain in weight works for guys like Motyka, Smith, and Thomas who finished the season at 113. From the outside looking in, we have quite a few who finished the season ranked in folkstyle but have lesser bona fides here. One that could really do some damage is Ronnie Ramirez. Out of the collegiate group, Spencer Moore is probably the most credentialed, having earned a spot on the cadet world team a few years ago. Ultimately, I like Luke to get this done but there’s no telling what actually happens there in the desert. 61KG #2 Kyler Larkin #3 JJ McComas #4 Jake Hockaday #5 Sam Herring #6 Matt Botello #7 Bily Dekraker #8 Elijah Cortez #10 Tahir Parkins #13 Ben Bast #15 Logan Swensen Cael Hughes This is one of the u20 weights where the favorite is a college kid, in this case Cael Hughes. He almost made the team a year ago, picking up wins over Aden Valencia (65 here) and Larkin. He’s earned that respect and would be my pick to win this. As for the high school competitors, Larkin definitely gets the nod but McComas has been on a tear himself, starting in the preseason and continuing into this weekend. He’s a tough out who has battled with Jax to a consistent level not many can say. Hockaday finished 4th in a highly competitive Fargo JR 126 bracket and could flip the script on McComas or maybe surprise Larkin. Sam Herring was 4th for the u17 team at 60KG. A bracket ultimately won by Ben Davino, Herring proved himself worthy among the nation’s best. The HS season ended without Herring in the post season. I’m sure he’s itching to get back out here. Botello and Dekraker are a pair of prep school rivals who might end up doing battle for a top 8 finish, maybe they even upend one of the higher ranked guys along the way. Cortez and his brother both knocked off Bo Bassett last year. It’s a testament to the level Bassett has climbed to that he has become the standard against whom all others are compared. But certainly that win for Elijah shows the potential at the top end for the Gilroy junior. Parkins, Bast, and Swenson all placed somewhere last year but it would be a surprise to see them into the semifinals or further. With the group of college guys in here as well, they’ll be vying for that top 8 finish. 65KG #1 Bo Bassett #2 Aden Valencia #3 Pierson Manville #4 Daniel Zepeda #5 Kollin Rath #6 Jaxon Joy #9 Gabe Bouyssou #13 Sergio Vega #16 Tyson Charmoli #21 Drew Gorman Jaydon Robinson Jace Roller Sergio Lemley Koy Buesgens Ever since the showdown at Who’s #1 where Zepeda pinned Bassett, we’ve been wanting to see that run back. Of course, we wouldn’t get any chances for it during the season. For one, they live on opposite ends of the country. For two, Zepeda spent most of the high school season up at 150. Now that the season is over, we have them both in this field this weekend. But it’s no guarantee they even see each other as there are quite a few hurdles to get over for both. It’s quite possible
National High School Ranked Wrestler Weekend Roundup 2/6
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers Weekend Recap Unlike the regular season, once we hit the various state series tournaments, everyone will be in action every weekend from here on out. However, until the state finals, and maybe even the quarterfinals or further in some states, there won’t be many notable results other than upsets. We’ll also be moving some guys as weights get locked in. 106 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Joe Bachmann Faith Christian PA District Duals – 2 Dom Deputy Chestnut Ridge PA District Duals 2-0(114) 3 Cameron Sontz Delbarton NJ Blair Dual win Anello 4 Shamus Regan Wyoming Seminary Preps Williamsport Dual win 5 Rocco Cassioppi Honenegah IL Huntley Regional 1st Place 6 Caleb Noble Warren IL Libertyville Regional 1st Place 7 Vincenzo Anello Blair Preps Delbarton Dual loss Sontz 8 Rocco Hayes Sandburg IL Marist Regional 1st Place 9 Killian Coluccio Christian Brothers NJ – 10 Liam McGettigan Gilman Preps McDonogh Dual win 11 Hayden Schwab Don Bosco IA State Duals 3-0 12 Turner Ross Simley MN Mike Fasnacht 1st Place 13 Nico DeSalvo Southeast Polk IA State Duals 3-0 14 Colby Martinelli Pennridge PA District Duals 3-0(114) Diaz 15 Brandon Bickerton Highland OH – 16 Allen Woo Montini IL St Ignatius Regional 1st Place 17 Tanner Tran Father Ryan TN State Duals 2-0 18 Ayden Dodd Perrysburg OH – 19 Dominick Morrison Hatboro-Horsham PA – 20 Jensen Boyd Delta IN Jay County Regional 1st Place 21 Jarrett Smith Lowell MI OK White Conference 1st Place (113) 22 Tanner Guenot Bald Eagle Area PA District Duals 2-0 23 Anthony Mason Southern Regional NJ – 24 Arseni Kikiniou Poway CA – 25 Dylan Munson Prairie-Cedar Rapids IA – 113 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Dom Munaretto St Charles East IL DeKalb Regional 1st Place 2 Landon Sidun Norwin PA – 3 Ayden Smith Notre Dame-Green Pond PA District Duals 3-0 4 Paul Kenny Christian Brothers NJ – 5 Ronnie Ramirez Walnut CA Hacienda League Finals 6 Davis Motyka Wyoming Seminary Preps – 7 JoJo Uhorchuk Signal Mountain TN State Duals 4-0(126) 8 Ignacio Villasenor Pomona CO Tri Dual Meet 2-0 9 Grey Burnett Perrysburg OH – 10 Kavin Muyleart Cedar Cliff PA – 11 Edwin Sierra Poway CA – 12 Rocklin Zinkin Buchanan CA – 13 Ezekiel Witt Manhattan KS Centennial League Finals 2-0 14 Tyler Harper Norwalk IA – 15 Gabe Ballard Northampton PA District Duals 2-0 16 Haakon Peterson Dodgeville WI SWC/SWAL Clash 1st Place 17 Revin Dickman Brownsburg IN Mooresville Regional 1st Place N. Rioux – Nikos Filipos Wyoming Seminary Preps Williamsport Dual win 18 Mike Batista Blair Preps Delbarton Dual win Terranova 19 Nicholas Garcia Marmion Academy IL Glenbard West Regional 1st Place 20 Gavin Landers Denver IA – 21 Ethan Timar St Edward OH – 22 Abram Cline Granite Hills CA Steele Canyon Dual win 23 Raekwon Shabazz Middletown CT – 24 Cooper Foster Avery County NC State Duals 1-0 25 Jake Fitzpatrick Aquinas WI – – Kole Davidheiser Faith Christian PA – 120 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Anthony Knox St John Vianney NJ – 2 Leo DeLuca Blair Preps Delbarton Dual win 3 Beric Jordan Noble OK – 4 Nate Desmond Wyoming Seminary Preps – 5 Aaron Seidel North Lebanon PA District Duals 2-0 6 Gauge Botero Faith Christian PA District Duals win 7 Dan Jones Delbarton NJ Blair Dual – 8 Isaiah Quintero El Dorado CA Century League Finals 9 Moses Mendoza Gilroy CA BVAC Finals 1st Place 10 Louie Gill Reynolds PA District Duals 1-0 11 Karson Brown St Edward OH – 12 Ethan Rivera Lake Highland Prep Preps – 13 Porter Matecki Whitfield MO Duals 3-0 14 Hunter Taylor Liberty MO Stillwater Dual win 15 Titan Friederichs Watertown Mayer MN Takedown on 22 1st Place 16 Co’Ji Campbell Kenosha St Joseph’s WI Pacer Premier 1st Place 17 Lukas Littleton Mascaro Malvern Prep Preps – 18 Carter Pearson Southeast Polk IA State Duals 3-0 Ayala; Knight 19 Cash Donnell Piedmont OK – 20 Devon Miller Edmond North OK – 21 Keanu Dillard Bethlehem Catholic PA District Duals 3-0 22 Jake Knight Bettendorf IA State Duals 2-1 Pearson 23 Slater Hicks Valencia CA Coastal Canyon League Finals 1st Place 24 Nate Carrillo St John Bosco CA Trinity League Finals 25 Mason Jakob Dobyns Bennett TN State Duals 3-0 – Chris Kiser Ponca City OK – 126 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Luke Lilledahl Wyoming Seminary Preps – 2 Jax Forrest Bishop McCort PA District Duals 3-0 3 Seth Mendoza Mt Carmel IL Martist Regional 1st Place 4 Isaiah Cortez Gilroy CA BVAC Finals 1st Place 5 JJ McComas Stillwater OK Liberty Dual win 6 Jackson Blum Lowell MI OK White Conference 1st Place 7 Jayden Raney Union County KY – 8 Antonio Mills Mill Creek GA Regionals 1st Place(120) 9 Cam Stinson Mallard Creek NC – 10 Israel Borge Westlake UT Division B 1st Place 11 Anthony Mutarelli Council Rock South PA – 12 Mason Ziegler Quakertown PA District Duals 3 -0 13 Nikade Zinkin Clovis CA TRAC Rotational 1-0 14 Gage Walker Bixby OK – 15 Eren Sement Council Rock North PA District Duals 3 -0 16 Sebastian DeGennaro Jensen Beach FL – 17 JJ Peace Cane Bay SC – 18 Colin Martin Staunton River VA – 19 Isaiah Schaefer Mater Dei IN Castle Regional 1st Place 20 Mack Mauger Blackfoot ID – 21 Andrew Binni Canon-McMillan PA – 22 Cole Evans Perrysburg OH – 23 Landon Hawkins Crown Point IN Crown Point Regional 1st Place 24 Caio Aron College Park TX Districts 1st Place 25 Bodie Abbey Hartland MI KLAAs 1st Place 132 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Ben Davino St Charles East IL DeKalb Regional 1st Place 2 Marcus Blaze Perrysburg OH – 3 Adrian DeJesus St Joe’s Regional NJ – 4 Nik O’Neill Malvern Prep Preps
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