Year after year, states select their best wrestlers to represent them at the prestigious Junior Duals, and each time, we are stunned by the amount of talent states can cram into one roster. After doing some research on past Junior Duals winners, I came across what might be the best Junior Duals team of all time. Watch the 2016 edition of Junior Duals live here all week.

Not only did this team have serious high school star power, but its stars turned into elite collegiate, and even senior-level, wrestlers.

Meet the team:

Ryan Taylor: Since his days wrestling for Jeff Jordan at St Paris Graham, Taylor has been a spark plug, and he got Team Ohio off to a great start in all of its dual meets, going 9-1 over the weekend. As a freshman, Taylor went on to win three Ohio state titles, and was a nationally ranked guy. In three years at Wisconsin, Taylor is now a three-time NCAA qualifier, was an All-American last year, and fell in the round of 12 this year.

Watch Ryan Taylor take out Jimmy Gulibon in the Big 10 Tournament semifinals: 

Brian Spangler: Maybe the most unknown on the team, Spangler was a multiple-time Ohio state place-winner, and lost a narrow 6-4 decision to Nathan Tomasello in the state finals during his junior campaign. He went 5-5 on the weekend for Ohio.

Jerome Robinson: Coming out of high school, Robinson was one of the most coveted recruits in the country. He was a two-time Ohio state champ at St. Ignatius High School, and also won the prestigious Super 32. Robinson committed to Old Dominion, where he was a two-year starter for the Monarchs and a NCAA qualifier. Robinson went undefeated on the weekend, and picked up wins over Mike Fuenffinger, Rob Deutsch, and Bricker Dixon.

Watch as Robinson stuns Gus Sako in the Ohio state finals:

Hunter Stieber: Sadly, we didn’t get to see a healthy Stieber his final two years at Ohio State, but there is no denying how good he was when he was at 100 percent. Hunter was a four-time Ohio state champ and compiled a high school record of 197-2. He won Ironman titles, Fargo titles, and earned All-American honors twice for the Buckeyes. Stieber also helped the Buckeyes win a national team title in 2015 despite badly injuring two elbows. Hunter also helped lead Ohio to the title in 2009 by going undefeated—he picked up wins over Evan Silver and former Oklahoma State All-American Eddie Klimara in the process.

Watch as a freshman Stieber knocks off eventual national champ Kellen Russell.

Logan Stieber: What else needs to be said? Just for fun, let’s run through these credentials. Stieber was a four-time Ohio state champ with a 184-1 high school record, a two-time Ironman champ, multiple-time Fargo champ, and a Junior World silver medalist. Stieber went on to become the fourth four-time NCAA champion in history. His biggest win that weekend was over former Oklahoma State All-American Jon Morrison, and he picked up four falls, and four tech falls while just allowing two points in 10 matches.

Watch the epic Ironman showdown between Stieber and Taylor.

Felipe Martinez: Despite not enjoying collegiate success like a lot of the guys on this team, Martinez was as good as they come in high school—he became a household name as a freshman when he shocked junior Tony Ramos at Ironman. Martinez went on to win three Ohio state titles before essentially retiring from the sport. As a freshman at Junior Duals in 2009, Martinez posted a 7-3 record, and only lost to super-studs Nick Dardanes, Frank Cagnina and David Thorn.

Freshman Martinez stuns Ramos.


Cam Tessari: High school teammate of the Stieber brothers, Tessari also won four Ohio state titles and attended Ohio State. Tessari started immediately for the Buckeyes, and earned All-American honors as a true freshman. He lost his first match at the NCAA tournament before winning six matches in a row and falling in the third-place bout. But things didn’t work out at Ohio State, and Tessari transferred to Hofstra after his freshman campaign. Tessari is now finishing his college career at Lindsey Wilson College. He went undefeated on the weekend with a big win over future Minnesota All-American Chris Dardanes.

Check out Tessari edging Andrew Alton:

Zach Neibert: Yet another St. Paris Graham star, Neibert won two state titles for coach Jeff Jordan. Neibert went on to become a three-time NCAA qualifier for Virginia Tech, win an ACC title as a senior, and earn All-American honors as a junior. Neibert went 8-2 at Junior Duals that year, and only lost to Dylan Ness and Austin Ormsbee.

David Taylor: Do we really need an introduction here? The Magic Man was a four-time Ohio state champ at St. Paris Graham, compiled a 180-2 record, and became the first wrestler ever to win four Ironman titles. Taylor also won three double Fargo Cadet titles and two double Junior Fargo titles. Taylor made four NCAA finals and won two titles, and also won the Hodge Trophy twice. Taylor’s biggest wins that weekend came over Olympian Ellis Coleman, and Cornell All-American Chris Villalonga.

Check out the "match of the century" between Taylor and fellow four-time Ohio state champion, Colin Palmer.

Pierce Harger: It's crazy to think a wrestler of Harger's caliber never won a state title, but that goes to show just how tough Ohio is. Harger was a four-time state place-winner, and after a great prep career, headed to Northwestern. Harger qualified for the NCAA tournament four times, and earned All-American honors as a junior. Harger went 7-3 at Junior Duals that year with big wins over Greco stars Michael Hooker and Pat Smith.

Dave Habat: Just a one-time Ohio state champ, Habat jumped levels after arriving at Edinboro. A four-time NCAA qualifier, All-American as a junior, and a national finalist as a senior, Habat went 7-3 at Junior Duals with his best win coming over Oklahoma State All-American Nolan Boyd.

Habat took out defending NCAA champion Jason Tsirtsis to make the NCAA finals:

Nick Heflin: A one-time state champ like Habat, Heflin elevated his game after arriving at Ohio State. Heflin was a three-time All-American for the Buckeyes, and lost in the national finals his senior year to J'den Cox. Heflin went 8-2 at the Duals, where he collected a win over former Minnesota All-American Kevin Steinhaus.

Max Thomusseit: The final St. Paris Graham product in this loaded roster was a two-time Ohio state champ, and went on to enjoy a decorated college career. Thomusseit was a EWL and ACC champion, four-time NCAA qualifier, and made the round of 12 in three consecutive seasons. Thomusseit went 9-1 on the weekend--his only loss was against Max Huntley, and he picked up wins over Johnny Eblen, Craig Kelliher, and Ryan Garringer.

Logan Erb: Erb was a three-time Ohio state placer, and won one state title. Erb went 8-2 for Ohio that year, and went on to wrestle at Edinboro.

Jeremy Johnson: Like Habat and Heflin, Johnson won just one high school state title, but would just levels on the collegiate scene. Following his state title, Johnson would win a Fargo title and take fifth at Junior Worlds. On the collegiate scene Johnson was two-time NCAA All-American for Ohio University, and owned wins over Nick Gwiazdowski, Mike McMullan, and Adam Coon. Johnson went undefeated on the weekend with his best win coming over Parker Betts. 

Johnson takes out Junior World champion Amar Dhesi.


For those keeping track at home, that's 32 Ohio state titles, 10 All-Americans with 21 All-American honors between, and two NCAA champions with six NCAA titles between them.