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
National High School Ranked Wrestler Weekend Roundup 1/15
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers Weekend Recap Not quite as many huge results as we head down the home stretch in most seasons around the country. Weather disrupting a lot of events this weekend. Still plenty of action through the weightclasses that we’ve collected here. Escape The Rock was the big main event where most of the ranked results happened. 106 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Joe Bachmann Faith Christian PA Escape The Rock – 2 Dom Deputy Chestnut Ridge PA Mid Winter Mayhem 1st Place 3 Cameron Sontz Delbarton NJ Sem Dual loss Motyka 4 Shamus Regan Wyoming Seminary Preps – 5 Rocco Cassioppi Honenegah IL Clint Arlis cancelled 6 Caleb Noble Warren IL – 7 Vincenzo Anello Blair Preps Sem Dual win aftewicz 8 Rocco Hayes Sandburg IL Illini Classic 1st Place 9 Killian Coluccio Christian Brothers NJ Escape The Rock Diaz 10 Liam McGettigan Gilman Preps Gilman Duals 3-0 Karvoski 11 Hayden Schwab Don Bosco IA – 12 Turner Ross Simley MN South St Paul Dual win 13 Sam Wolford Northern Lebanon PA Mid Winter Mayhem 4th Place Albanese; Lagier 14 Allen Woo Montini IL – 15 Tanner Tran Father Ryan TN Baylor & McAllie Duals – 16 Alex Diaz Council Rock North PA Escape The Rock 6th Place 17 Nico DeSalvo Southeast Polk IA – 18 Arseni Kikiniou Poway CA Battle For The Belt 4th Place (113) Almarinez; Sidhu 19 Brandon Bickerton Highland OH – 20 Ayden Dodd Perrysburg OH Maumee Bay 1st Place Bauer 21 Jarrett Smith Lowell MI DCC Super Duals – 22 Jensen Boyd Delta IN Hoosier Heritage 1st Place 23 Charles Esposito St Joe’s Regional NJ Escape The Rock dnp Shin; Segal 24 Anthony Mason Southern Regional NJ Escape The Rock 4th Place Diaz; Morrison 25 Tanner Guenot Bald Eagle Area PA Mid Winter Mayhem – 113 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Dom Munaretto St Charles East IL Illini Classic 1st Place T. Lewis 2 Landon Sidun Norwin PA Escape The Rock – 3 Ayden Smith Notre Dame-Green Pond PA Escape The Rock 1st Place Kenny 4 Paul Kenny Christian Brothers NJ Escape The Rock 2nd Place Smith 5 Davis Motyka Wyoming Seminary Preps Blair & Delbarton Duals 2-0 Sontz; Batista 6 JoJo Uhorchuk Signal Mountain TN Baylor Dual win (126) 7 Ignacio Villasenor Pomona CO Arvada West 1st Place 8 Grey Burnett Perrysburg OH Maumee Bay 1st Place 9 Edwin Sierra Poway CA Battle For The Belt 1st Place 10 Rocklin Zinkin Buchanan CA Tim Brown 1st Place 11 Ezekiel Witt Manhattan KS St Mary’s – 12 Tyler Harper Norwalk IA Bob Sharp ? 13 Gabe Ballard Northampton PA – 14 Mike Batista Blair Preps Sem Dual loss Motyka 15 Will Detar Trinity PA Mid Winter Mayhem 4th Place Rothermel; Wenner 16 Revin Dickman Brownsburg IN Hoosier Conference 1st Place (113) Rioux 17 Nicholas Garcia Marmion Academy IL Clint Artis 1st Place (120) 18 Ethan Timar St Edward OH DCC Super Duals 2-0 Lees 19 Abram Cline Granite Hills CA Battle For The Belt 1st Place M. Murillo 20 Kole Davidheiser Faith Christian PA Escape The Rock – 21 Raekwon Shabazz Middletown CT War On The Shore 1st Place 22 Cooper Foster Avery County NC Fandetti-Richardson 1st Place 23 Braiden Weaver Altoona PA Phillipsburg Dual win 24 Zaiyahn Ornelas Wilbur-Clatonia NE Bob Osborne 25 Isaiah Harrison Mountain View CO Rodriguez TOC – 120 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Leo DeLuca Blair Preps Sem Dual win Desmond 2 Beric Jordan Noble OK – 3 Nate Desmond Wyoming Seminary Preps Blair & Delbarton Duals 1-1 Jones DeLuca 4 Aaron Seidel North Lebanon PA Mid Winter Mayhem 1st Place Sledzianowski 5 Ronnie Ramirez Walnut CA Willemstein 1st Place (113) 6 Chris Kiser Ponca City OK Bobby Lyons – 7 Gauge Botero Faith Christian PA Escape The Rock 1st Place Dillard 8 Dan Jones Delbarton NJ Sem Dual loss Desmond 9 Louie Gill Reynolds PA Cathedral Prep Dual win 10 Isaiah Quintero El Dorado CA Ralph Harris – 11 Moses Mendoza Gilroy CA Louisiana Classic 1st Place (126) 12 Ethan Rivera Lake Highland Prep Preps Escape The Rock 13 Porter Matecki Whitfield MO St Charles West – 14 Karson Brown St Edward OH DCC Super Duals 2-0 15 Hunter Taylor Liberty MO – 16 Titan Friederichs Watertown Mayer MN Two Duals 2-0 17 Devon Miller Edmond North OK COAC 2nd Place Donnell 18 Lukas Littleton Mascaro Malvern Prep Preps Escape The Rock – 19 Co’Ji Campbell Kenosha St Joseph’s WI Wolverine Duals cancelled 20 Keanu Dillard Bethlehem Catholic PA Escape The Rock 2nd Place Dupill Botero 21 Slater Hicks Valencia CA Battle For The Belt 3rd Place Bobzien 22 Nate Carrillo St John Bosco CA 5 Counties 1st Place Huerta 23 Dru Ayala Fort Dodge IA – 24 Carter Pearson Southeast Polk IA – 25 Mason Jakob Dobyns Bennett TN Vandergriff Duals 3-0 126 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Luke Lilledahl Wyoming Seminary Preps Blair & Delbarton Duals 2-0 Lopes 2 Jax Forrest Bishop McCort PA Mid Winter Mayhem 1st Place 3 Anthony Knox St John Vianney NJ Bergen Dual win Melamud 4 Seth Mendoza Mt Carmel IL – 5 Isaiah Cortez Gilroy CA Louisiana Classic 1st Place (132) 6 JJ McComas Stillwater OK COAC – 7 Jackson Blum Lowell MI – 8 Jayden Raney Union County KY Bryce Sheffer Duals 3-0 9 Antonio Mills Mill Creek GA 7A Region 8 Duals 10 Cam Stinson Mallard Creek NC Philip Reed 1st Place 11 Mason Ziegler Quakertown PA Escape The Rock 2nd Place Sement Mutarelli 12 Gage Walker Bixby OK Bobby Lyons 1st Place 13 Israel Borge Westlake UT Rockwell Rumble 1st Place Rivera 14 Nikade Zinkin Clovis CA Illini Classic 2nd Place (132) Davino 15 Eren Sement Council Rock North PA Escape The Rock 4th Place Ziegler; Spaulding (dq) 16 Haakon Peterson Dodgeville WI Norski Invite cancelled 17 Sebastian DeGennaro Jensen Beach
Pablo’s Blue Ribbon Battle For The Belt Preview
5 things to know about the 2024 Battle for the Belt Tournament (Temecula Valley) For nearly 15 years the Battle for the Belt tournament hosted by Temecula Valley High has been one of the premier high school wrestling tournaments in Southern California. The 2024 edition will be no different and will feature some of the top talent across California. This juggernaut of a tournament is not for the faint of heart, hosting wrestling powerhouses from all over the state. Over 50 teams, 20 state placers, and over 500 wrestlers will show up between Jan. 12-13, with hopes of donning the UFC-style gold belt, given to the winner in each weight class. Here are five things to know about the Battle for the Belt tournament. Three-Peat for Poway? The No. 1 ranked team in California, Poway High will be aiming to win a third consecutive Battle for the Belt team title after winning the 2023 and 2022 editions. COVID-19 caused California to shut down which meant CIF canceled the 2020-2021 season and no tournament was competed that year. The mean green machine is riding high after winning the always-tough Doc Buchanan tournament and finishing 3rd at the National Wrestling HOF duals behind Wyoming Seminary (Pennsylvania) and Edmond Noth (Oklahoma). Return of Battle for the Belt champ Griffin Rial Griffin Rial of Pine Creek (Colorado) energized the crowd by winning his weight class last year over Abraham Cline of Granite Hills via a 3-2 decision. Rial upset three wrestlers at 106 pounds to find himself at the top of the podium. He was named the lower-weight outstanding wrestler of the Battle for Belt for his efforts. Rial went on to place third respectively at the Colorado State Tournament and earned his second All-American honors at the prestigious Fargo tournament in North Dakota. 6 champions return to claim a second tournament title A total of 6 wrestlers who claimed a title in 2023 will return seeking a second tournament title. Two-time Fargo All-American and 2023 lower weights OW, Griffin Rial of Pine Creek (Colorado) is up at 120 pounds. Other returning champions include Billy Townson of Poway (126), Paul Kelly of Poway (114), Laird Root of Poway (157), Thomas Sandoval of Vacaville (190), and Michael Murillo of Bakersfield at 215 pounds. Is Miguel Estrada of Frontier attending? The last time Estrada competed was in March when he won his second consecutive CIF state title. Since then, Estrada has not stepped on a mat and competed for Frontier High. A University of Iowa recruit, Estrada, was second in this event after taking a loss to Poway’s Laird Root, 4-2. Up 3-2, Root was able to get the takedown and rode Estrada for over a minute to get the win. Estrada returned the favor by beating Root 4-2 in overtime in the finals of the state tournament. Fans would love to get to see a third Estrada and Root match this weekend. Let’s hope Estrada is healthy and ready to get back on the mats. Top competition expected in Temecula Fans can expect to see some highly-ranked wrestlers from across the area this weekend. Some of the wrestlers ranked in the top five of the state by The California Wrestler scheduled to compete include – Henry Aslikyan (Birmingham), Abraham Cline (Granite Hills), Edwin Sierra (Poway), Billy Townson (Poway), Victor Alexand Gutierrez (Central Catholic), Braden Priest (Bakersfield), Laird Root (Poway), Collin Guffey (Granite Hills), Angelo Posada (Poway), Eugenio Franco (Corona Del Mar), Michael Murillo (Bakersfield), and Adan Farha of Poway.
Crown Point at Mt Carmel Dual Preview
Crown Point at Mt Carmel Export XLSExport CSV Weight Crown Point Mt Carmel Winner Team Points Running Team Score Predicted Final Score 106 Teigan Newell Kavel Moore Moore Mt Carmel 3 MC 3 Mt Carmel 31 113 Gavin Lewis Justin Williamson Lewis Crown Point 3 CP 3 Crown Point 23 120 Gavin Jendreas Jaxon Jorgensen Jendreas Crown Point 3 CP 6 126 LT Hawkins Seth Mendoza Mendoza Mt Carmel 4 MC 7 132 Sontonio Sessa Evan Stanley Stanley Mt Carmel 3 MC 10 138 Clinton Shepherd Damian Resendez Shepherd Crown Point 4 CP 10 144 Jacob Jones Jairo Acuna Acuna Mt Carmel 3 MC 13 150 Kaptur Nowaczyk Liam Kelly Kelly Mt Carmel 3 MC 16 157 Griffin Van Tichelt Edmund Enright Enright Mt Carmel 6 MC 22 165 Anthony Rinehart Michael Baca Rinehart Crown Point 4 CP 14 175 Aidan White Colin Kelly Kelly Mt Carmel 6 MC 28 190 Austin Reading Rylan Breen Breen Mt Carmel 3 MC 31 215 Will Clark William Jacobson Clark Crown Point 6 CP 20 285 Paul Clark Alex Poholik Clark Crown Point 3 CP 23 This week, a pair of top 20ish teams from neighboring states square off. That is the host Mt Carmel Caravan, the top team in Illinois, and the Crown Point Bulldogs, the top team in Indiana (based on the recent head to head win over Brownsburg). The teams are pretty familiar rivals with the Bulldogs currently enjoying a 2 match winning streak. While I think the Caravan flip that script on Friday, it’s going to be another barn burner and worth the price of admission. This match up gives us a handful of ranked wrestlers, spread out in a way that should lend itself to a highly competitive and entertaining affair. Mt Carmel has 3 individuals ranked in our top 25. Crown Point currently has 2 ranked wrestlers but after that group, there are 3 more who have spent time ranked and currently sit just outside the top 25. So if you were to rank all 28 wrestlers 1-28, Mt Carmel has 1, 2, and 3 but Crown Point has 4-8. In a dual, since any individual – no matter how elite – can only get a max 6 points, Crown Point should end up with the point advantage through those 7 weights – but it will be close. What this means, then, is that the final outcome will be determined by the other 7 weights where there is more opportunity for home team energy flipping toss ups, or maybe guys that are not ranked or on that radar but still solid when compared to their opponent here, you just don’t know how someone will step up here when looking back through their season performance. But when we do look at these remaining match ups, a lot seem to favor the Caravan. In fact, I have it 5-2 in the match advantage for the home team. The 2 Gavins should be solid for the Bulldogs, perhaps even to the point of bonus. And it’s bonus they will need. Because Mt Carmel is a decent favorite at 150 and 190 – where bonus is on the table for them. And I would say if there are any pure toss ups we side with the home team. We always do. And that could be the difference. As we sit here now, I have Mt Carmel with an 8-6 match advantage. I have 3 of the 8 wins being with bonus and for Crown Point I have 3 of their 6 of similar dominance. The gap isn’t big at all, as you would expect with teams this close. All the visitor would have to do here is get 2 Clark pins (instead of the 1 I’m predicting) and a Newell win at 106. Just those 2 differences earn a 9 point swing, I’m predicting an 8 point Mt Carmel win, do the math. All of a sudden it’s 29-28. Absolutely doable. Best Individual Matches: From a national perspective, 126 comes the closest to having 2 ranked wrestlers facing off. However, I wouldn’t necessarily call this the best match of the evening. Seth Mendoza is top 5 while Hawkins is currently #28 and has been as high as #23. I think we’re looking at Mendoza by major here. So for a more “toss up”, highly competitive, match, I would look at heavyweight and/or 190. Match That Could Turn The Dual: 106 is the sneaky good, highly competitive match up that I favor the home kid but if it went the other way, which is absolutely a possibility, things start to get even more interesting.
Christian Brothers vs Southern Regional
Southern Regional at Christian Brothers Academy Export XLSExport CSV Weight Southern Regional Christian Brothers Winner Team Points Running Team Score Final Score 106 Anthony Mason Killian Coluccio Colluccio CBA 3 CBA 3 Southern 32 113 Cash McVey Paul Kenny Kenny CBA 6 CBA 9 CBA 25 120 Jacob Chambers Justin Repetti Repetti CBA 3 CBA 12 126 Attila Vigilante Robert Duffy Duffy CBA 4 CBA 16 132 Scottie Sari William Sakoutis Sari Southern 3 Southern 3 138 Bryce Manera AJ Falcone Falcone CBA 3 CBA 19 144 Wyatt Stout Alex Nini Nini CBA 3 CBA 22 150 Tyler Chase Tyler Venet Venet CBA 3 CBA 25 157 Matt Henrich James Jakub Henrich Southern 4 Southern 7 165 Hayden Hochstrasser Brendan Boyer Hochstrasser Southern 4 Southern 11 175 Mitch Bivona Nicolas Moyoli Bivona Southern 3 Southern 14 190 Bradford Birch Parker Hughes Birch Southern 6 Southern 20 215 Collin French John Grippo French Southern 6 Southern 26 285 Caleb Counts – Counts Southern 6 Southern 32 From a New Jersey perspective, this is probably one of the biggest duals in the NJSIAA all season. I couldn’t imagine many more better top to bottom. Of course Delbarton vs St Joe’s Regional but they don’t wrestle during the season. So, I’m sure some folks in the state can point to the better ones elsewhere but this is about as good as a high school in-season dual gets. From my national perspective, CBA leads by a slight margin with 3 ranked in the top 25 compared to Southern’s 2. And adding to that perspective, the best match of the dual looks to be 106. Now, Coluccio and Mason have wrestled once – at Powerade – where Coluccio won. That was 3-0 in the quarterfinals and we favor him again but that could flip tonight. Definitely one to watch. Paul Kenny was our #1 at 113 until Powerade where he finished 3rd. His loss came in the semifinals and he’s won his last 5 matches since then: 2 in those consolations and 3 in dual meets. The toughest of those was Salvatore Borrometi in the St Peter’s dual. I expect him to dominate this one in front of his home fans but I suppose less than a fall is on the table. Alex Nini is someone I’m really high on, and I give him the edge here of course, but people within the state could tell you this is anything but a walk in the park with Stout. He’s top 3 or so in the state and definitely on the outer edge of the top 25. Definitely another one to check out. Henrich has been between 150 and 157. Wherever he is, he’s among the very best in the state. In fact, his only losses on the season have been to two out of state top 10 kids at 152. Here at 157, I expect a very commanding win for him. So when it comes to the national landscape, CBA would be expected to win 3 of the 4 matches. And while these are the bouts that have my attention, there are many more with big Garden State implications. I’ll do my best to go through them as well as I can. Let’s start by saying this dual is likely going to look and feel like 2 duals. Especially if they start at 106. I have CBA favored in 4 of the first 7 matches and winning 2 additional. 120 is maybe even slight edge to the visitor, but this ain’t my first rodeo (not even my 100th) and I’ve seen plenty of matches like this go to the home kid. Especially coming off what should be back to back wins for the home team and the gym has that electric feeling. Then I have Falcone winning what should be the single biggest toss up of the night. Again, owing to the home side. If this were at Southern, I go Manera. I may be right and I may be wrong, we won’t know for another couple hours. What I do know is that the CBA line up is strongest from 106 to 150. And that’s where most of their wins will come from. In fact, that’s where I have all of their wins coming from because once they get to 157, Southern goes back to back with two of its best wrestlers. Then the momentum starts to go the other way and 175 should be closer but still have to like the Rams here. Then the final 3 weights include a forfeit at the end and leading up to that, 2 heavier weights that Southern is pretty strongly favored in. These are the kind of weights where any sort of difference generally leads to pins. So, I have them as pins for Southern. Those 12 points loom large in the team score and the 2nd one pushes them one point above with the forfeit left. That’s where it’s locked up. If the CBA big guys can keep it to decisions that would be huge for the Colts prospects. Of course, pulling out any of the other weights would be just as key. And the great thing about this sport is that even the most predictable has a way of surprising us. The dual will be streamed on the CBA Network and I look forward to some high quality middle of the season New Jersey wrestling.
National High School Ranked Wrestler Weekend Roundup 1/8
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers Weekend Recap Doc B, Cheesehead, and Geary headlined a busy weekend around the country. The biggest development was at heavyweight at Cheesehead. Dillan Johnson avenged his loss to Cole Mirasola and followed that up with a win over Koy Hopke. 106 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Joe Bachmann Faith Christian PA Rage In The Cage 4-0 2 Dom Deputy Chestnut Ridge PA Laurel Highlands 1st Place 3 Cameron Sontz Delbarton NJ Catholic School Duals 1-0 4 Shamus Regan Wyoming Seminary Preps Bissell – 5 Rocco Cassioppi Honenegah IL Dakota Dual unk 6 Caleb Noble Warren IL Cheesehead 1st Place 7 Vincenzo Anello Blair Preps RWC Duals 2-0 8 Rocco Hayes Sandburg IL Oswego Mega Quad ? 9 Killian Coluccio Christian Brothers NJ Catholic School Duals 3-0 10 Liam McGettigan Gilman Preps Bissel 4-0 11 Hayden Schwab Don Bosco IA Bobcat Jerry 1st Place 12 Turner Ross Simley MN Cheesehead 2nd Place DeSalvo 13 Sam Wolford Northern Lebanon PA Duals 2-0 14 Allen Woo Montini IL Joliet West Quad – 15 Tanner Tran Father Ryan TN Johnny Drennan – 16 Alex Diaz Council Rock North PA CRS Dual; Rock Yard Duals 2-0 17 Ayden Dodd Perrysburg OH Perrysburg 2nd Place B. Bickerton 18 Charles Esposito St Joe’s Regional NJ Don Bosco Dual win 19 Timmy Mazur St Edward OH Doc B 6th Place J. Maestas Kikiniou; Woodward; J. Maestas 20 Jarrett Smith Lowell MI – 21 Gabe Swann Central GA GA Grappler Duals 0-1 Clarke 22 Nico DeSalvo Southeast Polk IA Cheesehead 3rd Place Ross 23 Anthony Mason Southern Regional NJ Mt Olive Tri Duals 1-0 24 Aiden Ohl Ontario OH JC Gorman 2nd Place Bauer 25 Jensen Boyd Delta IN Team State Duals 3-0 113 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Dom Munaretto St Charles East IL Cheesehead 1st Place 2 Landon Sidun Norwin PA – 3 Ayden Smith Notre Dame-Green Pond PA Palmerton Dual win 4 Paul Kenny Christian Brothers NJ Catholic School Duals 3-0 5 Davis Motyka Wyoming Seminary Preps Bissell – 6 JoJo Uhorchuk Signal Mountain TN Hurricane Duals 3-0 7 Ignacio Villasenor Pomona CO Doc B 1st Place (106) Garza; Kikiniou 8 Grey Burnett Perrysburg OH Perrysburg 1st Place Mattin 9 Haakon Peterson Dodgeville WI Sauk Prairie 1st Place (126) 10 Nicholas Garcia Marmion Academy IL – 11 Rocklin Zinkin Buchanan CA Doc B 3rd Place Timar Sierra 12 Ezekiel Witt Manhattan KS Dodge City 1st Place 13 Abram Cline Granite Hills CA Doc B dnp Timar; M. Murillo 14 Tyler Harper Norwalk IA Norwalk Duals 3-0 15 Gabe Ballard Northampton PA Parkland Winter Duals 1-0 16 Mike Batista Blair Preps RWC Duals 3-0 Rankin 17 Will Detar Trinity PA – 18 Edwin Sierra Poway CA Doc B 2nd Place Zinkin Ramirez 19 Aydan Thomas Stillwater OK Geary 2nd Place Skidmore Ruiz 20 Revin Dickman Brownsburg IN Team State Duals 3-0 21 Kole Davidheiser Faith Christian PA Rage In The Cage – 22 Ethan Timar St Edward OH Doc B 4th Place Cline; Willcox Ramirez; Zinkin 23 Raekwon Shabazz Middletown CT The Clash 6-0 24 Cooper Foster Avery County NC Bill Brimer 1st Place 25 Braiden Weaver Altoona PA Huntingdon Dual win 120 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Leo DeLuca Blair Preps RWC Duals 2-0 Castillo 2 Beric Jordan Noble OK – 3 Nate Desmond Wyoming Seminary Preps Bissell – 4 Aaron Seidel North Lebanon PA Duals 1-0 5 Ronnie Ramirez Walnut CA Doc B 1st Place (113) Timar; Sierra 6 Chris Kiser Ponca City OK Larry Wilkey – 7 Dan Jones Delbarton NJ Catholic School Duals 2-0 8 Louie Gill Reynolds PA Border Wars 1-0 9 Porter Matecki Whitfield MO Geary – 10 Karson Brown St Edward OH Doc B 3rd Place I. Jones; Carrillo M. Mendoza 11 Isaiah Quintero El Dorado CA Doc B 1st Place M. Mendoza; Carlson 12 Ethan Rivera Lake Highland Prep Preps – 13 Moses Mendoza Gilroy CA Doc B 2nd Place Mauger; Brown Quintero 14 Hunter Taylor Liberty MO – 15 Titan Friederichs Watertown Mayer MN Duals no matches 16 Devon Miller Edmond North OK Geary 1st Place 17 Israel Borge Westlake UT Richardson Memorial 1st Place (126) 18 Lukas Littleton Mascaro Malvern Prep Preps Rock Yard Duals – 19 Co’Ji Campbell Kenosha St Joseph’s WI West Allis Rumble 1st Place 20 Dru Ayala Fort Dodge IA Jack Mendenhall 1st Place 21 Carter Pearson Southeast Polk IA Cheesehead 1st Place Koenen 22 Keanu Dillard Bethlehem Catholic PA – 23 Nick Sorrow Hudson MI DCC Invitational 2nd Place Gant Abbey 24 Mason Jakob Dobyns Bennett TN Bill Brimer – 25 Isaiah Harrison Mountain View CO Gary Daum 1st Place (113) 126 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Luke Lilledahl Wyoming Seminary Preps Bissell – 2 Jax Forrest Bishop McCort PA Laurel Highlands 1st Place 3 Anthony Knox St John Vianney NJ Shore Conference 1st Place 4 Isaiah Cortez Gilroy CA Doc B 1st Place Zinkin; Rivera; Zuniga 5 Seth Mendoza Mt Carmel IL – 6 JJ McComas Stillwater OK Geary 1st Place (132) 7 Gage Walker Bixby OK Doc B 3rd Place Zinkin 8 Jayden Raney Union County KY Johnny Drennan 1st Place 9 Jackson Blum Lowell MI – 10 Mack Mauger Blackfoot ID Doc B 7th Place (120) A. Rodriguez; Huerta Mendoza; Carrillo 11 Isaiah Schaefer Mater Dei IN Team State Duals 3-0 12 JJ Peace Cane Bay SC Rock Hill 2nd Place Stinson 13 Antonio Mills Mill Creek GA Doc B 14 Mason Ziegler Quakertown PA Parkland Winter Duals 3-0 15 Eren Sement Council Rock North PA CRS Dual; Rock Yard Duals 2-1 Mutarelli 16 Sebastian DeGennaro Jensen Beach FL Cradle Cancer – 17 Jake Crapps Cass GA Region 7 5A Duals – 18 Manuel Saldate SLAM Academy NV Doc B 3rd Place (132) Kleimann Grajeda 19 Colin Martin Staunton River VA Old Dominion Cup Quad 20 Andrew Binni Canon-McMillan PA Tricada
2024 Cheesehead Ranked Wrestlers By Weight Class
2024 Cheesehead Ranked Wrestlers By Weight The field is led by most of th best Wisconsin teams, obviously, plus a couple Illinois squads, and some others – even Ponderosa from Colorado is making the trip. I have highlighted the ranked wrestlers in each weight class. Even with Doc B going this weekend there are some names here, and potential matches, that will be among the best all season. In particular, this is the best heavyweight bracket of any in-season tournament. There are also so many guys in that next 25 range that I’ll be really interested to see how they do and who among them moves up. Ranked Wrestlers By Weight Class: 106 #6 Noble, Caleb Warren Township High School 9 #12 Ross, Turner Simley 9 #20 DeSalvo, Nico Southeast Polk 9 113 #1 Munaretto, Dom St. Charles East 10 120 #21 Pearson, Carter Southeast Polk 11 132 #1 Davino, Ben St. Charles East 12 #11 Swensen, Logan Wayzata 12 #13 (138) Wolbert, Kellen Oconomowoc 10 #22 Peters, Lucas Kaukauna High School 12 138 #10 Guerra, Tyler St. Charles East 12 #18 Anderson, Miles Millard South 12 150 #9 Duchateau, Wyatt Arrowhead Union 12 #24 Heiser, Danny Evansville 11 157 #2 Millard, Charlie Homestead 12 #8 Stewart, Aaron Warren Township High School 10 175 #3 Eise, Tyler Ponderosa 11 190 #2 Mirasola, Connor West Bend West 12 #13 Han-Lindemyer, Cole Farmington 12 #21 Ingham, Wyatt Amery 12 215 #17 Olin, Caeden Millard South 12 285 #2 Hopke, Koy Amery 12 #3 Mirasola, Cole West Bend West 12 #4 Johnson, Dillan Joliet Catholic 12
2024 Doc B Preview
Flip through the brackets below for my predictions from the Round of 16 through the finals: Top Teams #4 Poway Ranked Wrestlers: 113 #18 Edwin Sierra 138 #3 Paul Kelly 150 #10 Laird Root 175 #16 Angelo Posada 215 #14 Robert Platt #5 St Edward Ranked Wrestlers: 106 #19 Timmy Mazur 113 #22 Ethan Timar 120 #10 Karson Brown 175 #19 Ty Miller 190 #10 JR Miller #10 Buchanan Ranked Wrestlers: 113 #11 Rocklin Zinkin 144 #6 Joseph Toscano 157 #4 Leo Contino #11 Gilroy Ranked Wrestlers: 120 #13 Moses Mendoza 126 #4 Isaiah Cortez 132 #3 Elijah Cortez 150 #13 Daniel Zepeda 285 #1 Cody Merrill #12 St John Bosco Ranked Wrestlers: 157 #6 Grigor Cholakyan 165 #4 Joseph Antonio 285 #9 Nick Sahakian #16 Bixby Ranked Wrestlers: 126 #7 Gage Walker 144 #7 Jace Roller 157 #12 Ishmael Guerrero 165 #9 Clayton Giddens #21 Clovis Ranked Wrestlers None; a handful on the cusp; highest would be 126 Nikade Zinkin #28 Bakersfield Ranked Wrestlers 215 #24 Mike Murrillo #35 Pomona Ranked Wrestlers: 113 #7 Ignacio Villasenor #39 Buford Ranked Wrestlers: 138 #4 Drew Gorman #49 Layton None; highest is 126 Geronimo Rivera who just beat top 5 Isaiah Cortez in a dual and will be ranked in the next update barring a catastrophic Doc B. Deepest Weights 157 has 6 ranked wrestlers, including 2 in the top 6, and another honorable mention. The weight is also deep in terms of the CA state title competition. 113 has 5 ranked wrestlers, including a CA state champion and last year’s 2 and 3 who wrestled what seemed like a dozen times last year. There’s even some outside of this group who could surprise. 120 has 4 in the top 25 plus 3 honorable mentions who have spent a couple weeks each ranked as well. The 4 at the top aren’t in that top 5 range at the moment, but could be. As it stands, they’re all right around top 10. Should make for some really close battles. 138 has fewer total from the top 25 but it includes 3 in the top 10. Plus there’s an honorable mention as well. There’s a bit of separation between this group, and the rest of the 16 seeds, (and the overall bracket), but the top here is perhaps the most competitive. 165 looks a lot like 138 with 3 in the top 10. The difference is that I think there are more potential landmines from outside this group who could surprise someone. In the end, you have to give the nod to 157 for the sheer number. But there are quite a few weights that should provide plenty of drama and elite wrestling. Returning Champs Rocklin Zinkin (Buchanan) Moses Mendoza (Gilroy) Isaiah Cortez (Gilroy) Joseph Toscano (Buchanan) Brock Mantanona (Palm Desert) EJ Parco (Los Gatos) Mantanona and Parco are in the same bracket this year. Most Anticipated Matches Ronnie Ramirez vs Rocklin Zinkin CA state champ at 113 vs the 1 seed from 106 who is now #1 at 113. Moses Mendoza vs any of the rest of the top guys but Karson Brown specifically Mendoza didn’t compete through the post season. Want to see him against top 10 national competition. Jace Roller after HOF Duals Coming off injury rehab, want to see how he looks against a new crop of top 10 guys. Brock Mantanona vs Daniel Zepeda Two CA state champions, Zepeda last season, Brock the year before. Considered 2 of the best pound for pound in the state. Daniel Zepeda vs EJ Parco Before we get the Manantona match, we need to see how Zepeda bounces back from a loss to Parco. Leo Contino vs Grigor Cholakyan Could very well be the CA state finals. Contino has had a lot more recent experience against the nation’s best. Collin Guffey vs Joseph Antonio No one from CA has upped their stock more than Antonio after Super 32. This is the current 1 and 2 in the state. Sonny Kling vs any nationally ranked wrestlers My ranking of him compared to others nationally is a bit different. I think he opens eyes this weekend but now we get to see it. Cody Merrill vs Nick Sahakian With Merrill up at heavyweight that changes things for the field. Sahakian is his biggest competition between 215 and 285 so we’ll see how that goes. Toughest Draws For 1 Seeds Only having access to the top 16 per weight, we have to limit this to the round of 16 and after. Of course there could be someone lurking out there in the round of 64 or 32 that I don’t know about but aside from that, we still get some idea about the difficulty of a draw early on this weekend. Right away, we’re looking at 190. Borelli surprised folks at Super 32. Picked up a top 20 win. Left the weekend ranked himself. I felt last year was an opportunity to breakthrough for him. I think this year is only better. This is a dangerous round of 16 opponent for top seed JR Miller. After 190, at 132 Josh Requena is a bonafide upset alert for anyone. He hasn’t yet put it together in the biggest moments, but he has a collection of nice wins scattered through his resume that if Cortez is sleeping, could be more trouble than expected. Moving to the quarterfinals, where we look at the possible 8 or 9 seeds, at 120 Isaiah Jones has been ranked and still sits on the edge of it. He has a win over a consensus top 10 opponent in Chris Kiser, showing the ability to win over top level kids already. At 126, Ashton Besmer has already beat the 3 seed, Zinkin, this season. He held his own at the HOF Duals. A big test for the top seed. Continuing with 132, Selma’s Damian Alvarez seems to rise to the challenge of
National High School Ranked Wrestler Weekend Roundup 1/3
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers Weekend Recap Another weekend with a lot of action. Powerade was the main event and this year’s field was probably the 2nd toughest tournament of the season. The Flavin is generally considered Illinois toughest event of the season and the Brecksville Invitational brought in some of the best from Ohio, Michigan, and other neighboring states. If a wrestler’s school was at an event but they didn’t compete, the event is still listed but the result is left empty. Also, not every tournament placement had notable wins, so many of those are also left empty. 106 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Joe Bachmann Faith Christian PA – 2 Cameron Sontz Delbarton NJ Powerade 2nd Place Regan Deputy 3 Shamus Regan Wyoming Seminary Preps Powerade 3rd Place Esposito 2x; Diaz Sontz 4 Rocco Cassioppi Honenegah IL Mid-States 1st Place – – 5 Caleb Noble Warren IL – 6 Vincenzo Anello Blair Preps Sam Cali 1st Place – – 7 Rocco Hayes Sandburg IL Flavin 6-0 8 Killian Coluccio Christian Brothers NJ Powerade 4th Place Mason; Diaz Deputy; Regan 9 Liam McGettigan Gilman Preps Adam Janet 1st Place – – 10 Timmy Mazur St Edward OH Powerade 7th Place Shin Esposito; Deputy 11 Anthony Mason Southern Regional NJ Powerade dnp Esposito; Coluccio 12 Royce Malone Monrovia IN Mooresville 2nd Place – Je. Boyd 13 Hayden Schwab Don Bosco IA – 14 Turner Ross Simley MN Eau Claire Duals 3-0 – – 15 Sam Wolford Northern Lebanon PA Bethlehem Holiday – 16 Nico DeSalvo Southeast Polk IA – 17 Tanner Tran Father Ryan TN Powerade – 18 Brandon Bickerton Highland OH Brecksville 7th Place Katschor; L. Rohr 19 Alex Diaz Council Rock North PA Powerade 5th Place Esposito Regan 20 Alan Woo Montini IL BC Stats Duals – 21 Jarrett Smith Lowell MI Brecksville 2nd Place L. Rohr; Katschor Dodd 22 Julian Rios Phillips Academy MA – 23 Jake Landis St Paris Graham OH GMVWA Holiday 1st Place – – 24 Arseni Kikiniou Poway CA Sonora – 25 Caden Correll Normal Community IL Floyd Bee 1st Place (113) – – 113 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Paul Kenny Christian Brothers NJ Powerade 3rd Place Timar; Motyka Smith 2 Dom Munaretto St Charles East IL Flavin 6-0 Garcia 3 Davis Motyka Wyoming Seminary Preps Powerade 4th Place Weaver Sidun; Kenny 4 Ayden Smith Notre Dame-Green Pond PA Powerade 2nd Place Kenny; Braun Sidun 5 JoJo Uhorchuk Signal Mountain TN Dual Win 6 Ignacio Villasenor Pomona CO – 7 Grey Burnett Perrysburg OH Brecksville 1st Place Lees; A. Bickerton 8 Dom Deputy Chestnut Ridge PA Powerade 1st Place (107) Mazur; Coluccio; Sontz 9 Haakon Peterson Dodgeville WI Bi-State Classic – 10 Nicholas Garcia Marmion Academy IL Flavin 5-1 Munaretto 11 Rocklin Zinkin Buchanan CA Pat Lovell – 12 Ezekiel Witt Manhattan KS – 13 Abram Cline Granite Hills CA Cimarron – 14 Tyler Harper Norwalk IA – 15 Rylan Seacrist Brecksville OH Brecksville – 16 Wyatt Lees Detroit Central Catholic MI Brecksville 4th Place Seibert Burnett; Seibert 17 Gabe Ballard Northampton PA Bethlehem Holiday 1st Place – – 18 Will Detar Trinity PA Trojan Wars 1st Place – – 19 Edwin Sierra Poway CA Sonora TOC – 20 Aydan Thomas Stillwater OK – 21 Revin Dickman Brownsburg IN Bear Den ? 22 Kole Davidheiser Faith Christian PA – 23 Raekwon Shabazz Xavier CT Mid Hudson 1st Place – – 24 John McGinty St Joe’s Regional NJ Powerade dnp Weaver; Mull 25 Henry Aslikyan Birmingham CA Blackwatch 1st Place – – 120 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Leo DeLuca Blair Preps Sam Cali 1st Place – – 2 Beric Jordan Noble OK – 3 Nate Desmond Wyoming Seminary Preps Powerade 1st Place Gill; Brown 4 Aaron Seidel North Lebanon PA Bethlehem Holiday 1st Place – – 5 Ronnie Ramirez Walnut CA Blackwatch 1st Place – – 6 Chris Kiser Ponca City OK – 7 Dan Jones Delbarton NJ Powerade – 8 Ethan Rivera Lake Highland Prep Preps Powerade 4th Place Mascaro; Kapusta Gill; Brown 9 Louie Gill Reynolds PA Powerade 3rd Place Rivera; Mascaro; Kapusta Desmond 10 Landon Sidun Norwin PA Powerade 1st Place (114) Smith; Motyka; Timar 11 Lukas Littleton Mascaro Malvern Prep Preps Powerade 6th Place Bautista Gill; Rivera; Kapusta 12 Porter Matecki Whitfield MO – 13 Karson Brown St Edward OH Powerade 2nd Place Rivera Desmond 14 Mason Ziegler Quakertown PA Bethlehem Holiday 1st Place (127) 15 JJ Peace Cane Bay SC May River 1st Place (126) 16 Moses Mendoza Gilroy CA Pat Lovell – 17 Hunter Taylor Liberty MO – 18 Titan Friederichs Watertown Mayer MN – 19 Devon Miller Edmond North OK – 20 Keanu Dillard Bethlehem Catholic PA Tony Iasiello – 21 Co’Ji Campbell Kenosha St Joseph’s WI – 22 Dru Ayala Fort Dodge IA – 23 Israel Borge Westlake UT Beehive 25 – 24 Carter Pearson Southeast Polk IA – 25 Logan Roman Old Bridge NJ Sam Cali – 126 Rank Name School State Event Result Notable Wins Notable Losses 1 Luke Lilledahl Wyoming Seminary Preps Powerade – 2 Jax Forrest Bishop McCort PA Powerade 1st Place Saldate; Binni; Sement 3 Anthony Knox St John Vianney NJ Sam Cali – 4 Isaiah Cortez Gilroy CA Pat Lovell – 5 Seth Mendoza Mt Carmel IL – 6 JJ McComas Stillwater OK – 7 Gage Walker Bixby OK – 8 Jayden Raney Union County KY Mater Dei 1st Place Schaefer 9 Jackson Blum Lowell MI Brecksville 1st Place – – 10 Isaiah Quintero El Dorado CA Sierra Nevada 1st Place (120) Eck 11 Mack Mauger Blackfoot ID – 12 Isaiah Schaefer Mater Dei IN Mater Dei 2nd Place Ja. Raney 13 Hudson Loges Blair NE – 14 Antonio Mills Mill Creek GA CFK 1st Place – – 15 Sebastian DeGennaro Jensen Beach FL Powerade 8th Place Sement 16 Jake Crapps Cass GA 17 Colin Martin Staunton River VA Powerade 7th
2024 Garlic City Rumble: Gilroy vs Layton
Layton at Gilroy Export XLSExport CSV Weight Layton Gilroy Winner Team Points 106 Mike Kowalski Gavin Pongsai Pongsai Gilroy 3 113 Aiden Bastian Mateo Sanchez Bastian Layton 3 120 Lander Bosh Dominic Bozanic Bozanic Gilroy 3 126 Geronimo Rivera Moses Mendoza Mendoza Gilroy 3 132 Cole Fenwick Isaiah Cortez Cortez Gilroy 6 138 Jace Lemons Elijah Cortez Cortez Gilroy 6 144 Noah Bull Moses Mirabal Mirabal Gilroy 3 150 Seth Apodaca Daniel Zepeda Zepeda Gilroy 5 157 Logan Mammott Kaleo Garcia Garcia Gilroy 6 165 Jonathon Inagaki Travis Grace Grace Gilroy 3 175 Kaden Bennie Brian Haran Bennie Layton 3 190 Elijah Hawes JC Puga Hawes Layton 3 215 David Clinger Cody Merrill Merrill Gilroy 6 285 Takoa Byrd Jose Guerrero Byrd Layton 6 Preview: As one of the top teams in California, and one of the contenders for a team state title, the host Gilroy Mustangs are definitely the favorite to win the 2024 Garlic City Rumble. Now, there are years where this has been more of an “event” as far as multiple opponents (maybe in a round robin against each other). But last year it was Gilory vs Bixby and this year it’s Gilroy vs Layton. So, Gilory should come out on top in this one, but we’ll look at the projected line ups – knowing that duals almost never go according to the paper – and see how it should go. There’s also almost always an upset or two, or a bonus point win that on paper looked like a decision going in. One of the benefits to this one from a preview perspective is that both teams were at Reno TOC with essentially their starting lineups, where Gilroy finished 2nd and Layton came in 4th. The big, huge, notable absence there was Cody Merrill. He hasn’t competed since Who’s #1 and may not be competing here either. Might not be at Doc B either. He’s one of the most aloof competitors across the country. He’s also one of the best, in my opinion the best. So we shall see. I’ll proceed as if he is in the line up. Being that Layton is a decent underdog here, I’ll be looking for ways that they can maximize points. Keep in mind that I don’t know what weight anyone actually weighs in at, so for example, I might recommend Byrd at 215 for Layton but if he weighs in at 265 or something obviously that can’t happen. 106 Mike Kowalski vs Gavin Pongsai Both were in the Reno 106 bracket. Pongsai went 5-3 and finished 8th. Kowalski went 0-2. There were no common opponents between them. Based on this, you would give the edge to Pongsai. Being in his home gym, you might give him even more of one. I don’t know enough about either frankly to tell you how they match up, which we all know styles make fights. I’ll just say, Pongsai by decision. 113 Aiden Bastian vs Mateo Sanchez Here we have a reversal of fortune. Bastian placed 8th at Reno while Sanchez did not place at all. Bastian finished 6-3. Sanchez went 2-2. There were no common opponents, nor did they wrestle each other. Just like 106, I’m calling this for Layton by decision. 120 Lander Bosh vs Dominic Bozanic Neither Bosh nor Bozanic placed at Reno in the 120 bracket. Bosh went 5-2 and made the bloodround. Bozanic went 3-2 and also reach the bloodround. Bosh had the unfortunate draw of CA state champion Ronnie Ramirez and then the runner up to Ramirez, Antonio Rodriguez. He held his own against Ramirez so you might think that could translate here. Bozanic is a possible state medalist this season so you may favor him, but I have to say it’s slight. Gilroy decision. 126 Geronimo Rivera vs Moses Mendoza Not only were these two in the 126 Reno bracket, they wrestled each other. Mendoza won that 7-5. It’s the sort of match up that 1) you get in a dual like this and 2) could go the other way this time. So we have Mendoza ranked at 120 and think he ends up there, which would then bring Isaiah Cortez down here. That’s a more solid Gilroy advantage but Rivera could pull that out as well. I think this is what we ultimately get and will be the highlight of the evening. Mendoza ranked in the top 20, Rivera in that top 25 to top 25 range. Gilroy decision. 132 Cole Fenwick vs Isaiah Cortez Layton has a state runner up, Logan Crowther who hasn’t wrestled yet but could be anywhere from 132 to 150, I have no idea. Fenwick himself finished 5th last year in Utah’s 6A division. I know CA fans will roll their eyes at states with more than one division. Either way, this should be one of the first big wins for the host Mustangs. Gilroy by fall. 138 Jace Lemons vs Elijah Cortez Lemons went 6-3 at Reno finishing 8th. Unfortunately for him, he kept running into kids from Los Gatos. They accounted for 2 of his 3 losses. The even bigger obstacle here is that Cortez is levels above them. I expect back to back falls for the Cornell committed twins. Gilroy by fall. 144 Noah Bull vs Moses Mirabal Like 126, we got to see this exact match at Reno. And like 126, it went to the Gilroy wrestler. But that couldn’t be much closer, it was 6-5 early in the event. Mirabal would go on to win the bracket, picking up a ranked win in the process. Bull would finish 4th with a forfeit. I think this is a coin flip, but we always give the nod to the home crowd and energy. Gilroy by decision. 150 Seth Apodaca vs Daniel Zepeda The biggest story out of Reno was Zepeda losing to Parco. I have to imagine that Zepeda will be fired up for this one.