Posted by MAX on 3/28/2009, 11:14 am, in reply to "SR NATIONAL PREVIEW 103-140"
205.188.116.13
145 pounds
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers eligible to compete: #3 RJ Pena (Sprague OR), #4 Joey Napoli (Cumberland Valley PA), #6 Kendrick Sanders (South Dade FL), #7 Zach Clemente (LaSalle NY), #8 Brian Stephens (Graham OH), #10 Kellen Bounous (Monett MO), #11 Elias Larson (Marian Catholic IL), #15 Scott Sakaguchi (Clovis CA), #16 Alex Rodgriguez (Washington Union CA)
Those competing: Napoli, Clemente, Bounous, Sakaguchi, Rodriguez
Other notable wrestlers: Jake O’Hara (Crestwood PA), Tyler Juby (Campbell County WY), Brian Sewalt (Waverly NY), Daniel Kelly (Ponderosa CO), Daniel Young (Culver Academy IN), Cody Bollinger (Sultana CA), Mitchell Means (Goddard KS), Patrick Smith (Chaska MN)
Commentary: Though this weight does have solid top-end depth, it looks like one with a clear favorite in two-time state finalist Napoli. He has split matches against incredibly tough competition in state finals matches; beating Walter Peppelman last year, losing to Dylan Alton this year. The other four ranked wrestlers are the most likely ones to appear in the final opposite of Napoli. Despite the lack of a state finals appearance in his career, O’Hara is a name to watch because he has been stuck in some brutally deep Pennsylvania big-school state tournament weights.
152 pounds
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers eligible to compete: #1 Trent Weatherman (Ballard Huxley IA), #3 Brock Gutches (Crater OR), #4 John Greisheimer (Wantagh NY), #7 Bobby Barnhisel (Oak Park Fenwick IL), #9 Steve Santos (Brick Memorial NJ), #10 Nick Lester (Eureka MO), #11 Justin Gonzalez (Northridge CO), #12 Brandon Zeerip (Hesperia MI), #14 Adam Hogue (Blair Academy NJ)
Those competing: Greisheimer, Zeerip
Other notable wrestlers: Jon McGookey (Perkins OH), Cody Compton (North St Francois MO), Kyle Meyer (Monett MO), Chris Urquizo (Merced CA), Matt Spataro (Bergen Catholic NJ), Bryce Busler (Cumberland Valley PA), David Helmer (Langley VA), John Hayden Countryman (Prattville AL), Bobby Williams (Tuttle OK), Tigran Adzheyman (Calvary Chapel CA), Jake Begin (Anoka MN), Kevin Bialka (Lockport IL), Calib Rought (Fremont MI)
Commentary: In a weight that was not at all top-heavy, it seems that very few of the top names will be among this tournament field. However, as was the trend in analyzing the weight this year, there is a tremendous balance among the participants in the tournament (though Greisheimer would be considered the favorite). There are many state champions and wrestlers that have been very productive in big events among the non-ranked contestants.
160 pounds
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers eligible to compete: #1 Jake Kemerer (Hempfield PA), #2 John Nicholson (Des Moines Roosevelt IA), #3 Derek St John (Iowa City West IA), #4 Matt Lester (Eureka MO), #5 Zach Toal (Troy Christian OH), #6 Kyle Lang (Brecksville OH), #8 Brice Wolf (Greeley Central CO), #9 Ryan LeBlanc (Morrisville Eaton NY), #10 Dan Yates (Hesperia MI), #11 Patrick Martinez (Temecula Valley CA), #12 Stephen West (Buchanan CA), #13 Tyler Caldwell (Goddard KS), #14 Stephen Swan (Perry OK), #16 Jimmy Sheptock (Northampton PA)
Those competing: Nicholson, Lang, LeBlanc, Yates, West, Caldwell, Sheptock
Other notable wrestlers: Kyle Detmer (Bishop Carroll KS), James Brundage (Ossining NY), Kevin Steinhaus (Kurkhoven-Murdock MN), Michael Klinginsmith (Kearney Catholic NE), Kyle Czarnecki (Buffalo Grove IL), Daniel McGillivray (Fauquier VA), Corey Lear (Benton PA), Adam Miller (Sparta MI), Nolan McBryde (Chugiak AK), Bret Klop (Lander Valley WY), Anthony Saulle (Delran NJ), Turtogh Luvsandorj (St Benedict’s NJ)
Commentary: In a weight that has 14 nationally ranked seniors, seven of them are in the tournament field. Additionally, the group of non-ranked wrestlers is super-strong; state champions and wrestlers with national credentials are plentiful. Despite all this depth, it is very likely that one of the ranked wrestlers will emerge with the crown. Two wrestlers stand out above all in this field – Nicholson and Lang. Nicholson had to defeat two top seven wrestlers at the state tournament in order to win a title. Always the bridesmaid and never the bride had been the story for Lang until the state tournament; he comes into this tournament as runner-up at the NHSCA Juniors, Ironman, and Beast of the East in the last calendar year.
171 pounds
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers eligible to compete: #1 Ed Ruth (Blair Academy NJ), #3 Ethen Lofthouse (Mountain Crest UT), #6 Dallas Bailey (Catoosa OK), #7 Caleb Kolb (Grove City PA), #8 Zach White (Woodward OK), #9 Alec Ortiz (Newberg OR), #11 Tanner Keck (Marlow OK), #12 Joey Sheridan (Union OK), #14 Andrew Clement (Grassfield VA), #15 Brendan Ard (Watchung Hills NJ), #16 Jordan Williams (El Dorado CA)
Those competing: Ruth, Lofthouse, White, Wolf (ranked at 160), Sheridan, Clement, Ard
Other notable wrestlers: Jesse Villella (Chenango Forks NY), Braden Carter (Christiansburg VA), Brandon Eichmann (Hastings MN), Shane Milam (McDonogh MD), Jesse Hellinger (Winters CA), Nick Heflin (Massillon Perry OH), Dan Seidenberg (Raritan NJ)
Commentary: Like the weight immediately before, there are seven ranked wrestlers present in this weight class. While the overall depth in this weight is very strong, the 160 weight might have slightly more. Similarly to the previous weight, two wrestlers stand above the field. It is very likely that a rematch of the Ironman final will occur in this tournament with Ruth and Lofthouse at the head of this class. Heflin, Seidenberg, Milam, and Eichmann are the most likely among the unranked to make a significant dent into this weight class bracket.
189 pounds
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers eligible to compete: #1 Jon Fausey (Line Mountain PA), #2 Chris Perry (Stillwater OK), #4 Max Huntley (Blair Academy NJ), #5 Kevin Barrett (Boys Town NE), #6 Reid Chivers (Bellingham WA), #7 Jake Swartz (Auburn WA), #8 Austin Meys (Shenendehowa NY), #9 Tony Dallago (Central Dauphin PA), #10 Alex Thomas (Sussex Tech DE), #11 Mac Mancuso (Holy Spirit NJ), #12 Kyle Ellsworth (Goodrich MI), #13 Mario Gonzalez (West Aurora IL), #14 Jonathan Becker (Bergen Catholic NJ), #16 Derrick Borlie (Millbrook VA)
Those competing: Huntley, Barrett, Chivers, Thomas, Becker, Borlie
Other notable wrestlers: Chris Boley (Brockport NY), Taylor Warden (Calvary Chapel CA), Zach Benzio (Connellsville PA), Ryan Loder (Granite Bay CA), Boaz Beard (Goddard KS), Nick Mills (University School OH), Sam Kuntz (Peachtree Ridge GA), Mic Berg (Simley MN), Chris Nocchi (Waverly NY)
Commentary: Unlike many tournaments, it is the upperweights of this event that are the showcase brackets. One point to consider though is that pre-tournament favorite Huntley may end up not competing, as he had to back out of the USA vs. Oklahoma all-star meet the weekend before NHSCA Seniors. Even so, there are still four other legit contenders for the title, and a fifth additional ranked wrestler.
215 pounds
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers eligible to compete: #1 Glenn Carson (Southern Regional NJ), #2 Nick Pica (Concord CA), #3 Brandon Palik (Saucon Valley PA), #4 Orlando Scales (Elder OH), #5 Znick Ferrell (Sand Springs OK), #6 Tony Nelson (Cambridge-Isanti MN), #11 Trevor Spude (Luxemburg Casco WI), #12 Ernest James (Longwood NY), #13 Josh Wood (Modoc CA), #14 Joe McMullan (Wyoming Seminary PA), #15 Luke Macchiaroli (Corona del Sol AZ), #16 Vance Grube (Wisconsin Rapids WI)
Those competing: Pica, Palik, Nelson, Wood, Macchiaroli
Other notable wrestlers: Ben Krakower (Blair Academy NJ), Willie Wiggins (South Dade FL), Jon Weber (Christiansburg VA), Joe Grisko (Highland Regional NJ), Tanner Kriss (Colby KS), Christian McLean (Southwest Guilford NC), Carl Buchholz (Great Valley PA)
Commentary: The wide-open nature of this bracket is reflective of the national climate throughout the season in the weight class. State champion Pica, who was a Fargo AA early on in his prep career, finally put it together in winning a rather deep weight class in the state of California. Palik is coming into this tournament off a huge win over Scales, who was the number one for much of the year, at the Dapper Dan. Keep an eye out for Grisko and Buchholz, wrestlers that did not win state titles but wrestled well in “power state tournaments”.
285 pounds
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers eligible to compete: #1 Roger McCovey (Del Norte CA), #3 Eloheim Palma (Cary NC), #6 Sean Owen (Clearfield PA), #7 Ken Altarac (LaSalle NY), #8 Dylan Stadel (Lehi UT), #10 Jeremy Johnson (Brecksville OH), #11 Toby Erickson (Helena MT), #12 Jacob Mitchell (Jefferson OR), #13 Andrew Miller (Bassett VA), #14 Chris McMullin (University MO), #15 Curtis Blaydes (De La Salle IL), #16 Kyle Kober (West Branch IA)
Those competing: McCovey, Palma, Altarac, Stadel, Johnson, Erickson, Miller
Other notable wrestlers: Brian Nicoll (Timberlane NH), Jake Ketler (Anoka MN), Jose Lopez (John Glenn CA), Josh Morosko (Tuslaw OH), Dan Walker (Delsea Regional NJ), Jack Burbank (Cox VA), David Osei (Abington PA)
Commentary: Many fans love using this last weight as an excuse to get an early jump for the exits. Do not do so during this tournament! The seven nationally ranked wrestlers projected to compete represent the most for any weight class. In addition, this is a grouping at 285 that is relatively exciting to watch. No need for our hokey puns of analysis at heavyweight, it’s not “thin” at all. The unranked wrestlers can make a significant contribution. In particular, keep an eye on Walker and Osei, wrestlers who finished second place in “power states”. When looking for a winner, my eyes point towards either McCovey or Palma. However, any of the ranked wrestlers could end up taking the title. Arguably the highest ceiling in this group of seven is possessed by Miller, a Virginia Tech football signee; though he’s the lowest ranked of the group.
190
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