FloInsider: Beast of the East Breakdown and Analysis
FloInsider: Beast of the East Breakdown and Analysis
Unlock this article, live events, and more with a subscription!
Already a subscriber? Log In
FloInsider: Beast of the East Preview
Willie Saylor, Editor
It’s an historic year for one of the country’s top high school wrestling tournaments as The Beast of the East turns twenty. Four teams have competed in all twenty Beast episodes: Blair Academy, NJ; DeMatha Catholic, MD; Sussex Central, DE; and St. Mark’s, DE.
In fact, Blair, who comes into the tournament once again as the #1 squad in the country. They are followed by a balanced Wyoming Seminary (PA) team that’s ranked #2. Blair and Seminary finished 1-2 in the team race two weeks ago at Ironman. Three others appearing in Flo’s Top 25 Team rankings are #16-Bethlehem Catholic (PA), #17-Central Dauphin (PA), and #21-Bergen Catholic (NJ). Christiansburg (VA), McDonogh (MD), and Don Bosco (NJ) are both Honorable Mention teams in the field.
More compelling than the expected team race, however, are the plentitudes of potential individual bouts. High school stars abound. In total, there are 53 FloRanked wrestlers here, and I feel as if this is the deepest and most exciting pool of talent we’ve had at the Beast in a few years. Consider this: even without Moisey and McKenna (who are out with injury), we have half (14 of 28) of last year’s finalists coming back!
Last year Mark Grey made tournament history in becoming the first wrestler to win four BOE titles. While we don’t have anyone trying to capture that feat this year, we do have Kyle Snyder on pace to do so. He won titles as a Fr. and So. There are also two standouts looking to close out their Beast careers with their third crown: Darian Cruz and Brooks Black.
Here’s some of the field highlights by the numbers:
Defending Two-Time Champs: (3)
Darian Cruz (BECA)
Brooks Black (Blair)
Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel)
Returning One-Time Champs: (5*)
JR Wert (2010) *Out with injury
Joey McKenna (Blair) *Out with injury
Joey McKenna (Blair) *Out with injury
Dylan Milonas (Blair)
Zack Epperly (Christiansburg)
Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary)
Returning Three-Time Placers: (6)
Darian Cruz (BECA)
Joey Dance (Christiansburg)
Brandon Jeske (Cox)
Tyson Dippery (Central Dauphin)
Tyson Dippery (Central Dauphin)
Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary)
Brooks Black (Blair)
Returning Two-Time Finalist (1x Champ, 1x Runner-Up): (3*)
Joey McKenna (Blair) *Out with injury
Brandon Jeske (Cox)
Brandon Jeske (Cox)
Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary)
Returning Two-Time Runner-Up: (2*)
Joey Dance (Christiansburg)
Zeke Moisey (BECA) *Out with injury
Returning Runners-Up: (7)
Vincenzo Joseph (Pitt CC)
PJ Klee (Blair)
Joey Dance (Christiansburg)
Baby J Bannister (Bishop McNamara)
Russ Parsons (Blair)
Johnny Sebastian (Bergen Catholic)
Frank Mattiace (Blair)
Below I highlight the contenders, giving snippets of accomplishments and making my picks as Flo once again gears up for what should be a terrific show. Finals are slated for Sunday at approximately 3PM, when you Tech Wave members can watch the finals live online.
106lbs:
2007 Final: Sean Boylan (St. Mark’s) dec. Devin Carter (CBurg), 10-4.
2011 Final: Darian Cruz (BECA) md. Vincenzo Joseph (Pitt CC), 9-1
Contenders:
#1-Nick Suriano, Bergen Catholic - Super 32 Champ
#2-Aaron Assad, Brecksville - Fargo Runner-Up, Ironman Placer
#5-Jose Rodriguez, Massillon-Perry, Super 32 Placer, Ironman Runner-Up
#7-Brandon Olson, Indian River - Super 32 Placer
#11-Kyle Bierdumpfel, Don Bosco - Double Fargo Finalist
#14-Ricky Cavallo, Hempfield - Powerade Runner-Up
HM-Jordan Kutler, Blair - Fila Champ
William Kui, Depaul
Joey Prata, St. Christophers - Fargo AA
Tyler McBride, Camden Catholic - State Placer
Josh Nail, Colonial Forge
TK Megonigal, McDonogh
Notes: Generally speaking, this is my favorite weight year-in, year-out. There’s so much emerging talent. And a lot to like with this group. I’ve seen them all wrestle in person and the thing that sticks out is their collective grit. Suriano and Bierdumpfel wrestle like they’re ticked off. Rodriguez has great mat awareness. Conversely, Assad is your classic takedown artist. Ability-wise, I think he’s at the top of the food chain right now.
Willie’s Picks: 1. Assad 2. Suriano 3. Rodriguez 4. Bierdumpfel
113lbs:
2007 Final: Sean Boyle (Blair) dec. Sean Dolan (St. Mark’s), 8-4
2011 Final: Joey McKenna (Blair) med. ff. Zeke Moisey (BECA)
Contenders:
#6-Brent Fleetwood, Smyrna - Beast, Ironman, S32, Fargo Placer
#13-Zach Fuentes, Norristown - State, Ironman Placer, Powerade 4th
#15-Aaron Assad, Brecksville - Fargo, Ironman Placer, State Runner-Up
#16-Chaz Tucker, Blair - Fargo Runner-Up
#19-AC Headlee, Waynesburg - Fargo AA, S32 Placer
HM-Tanner Shoap, Chambersburg
HM-Anthony Cefolo, Hanover Park - State Champ, Fargo AA, Beast Placer
HM-Ryan Friedman, St. Paul’s
Jeremy Schwartz, Wy Sem
Tyler Casamenti, Bergen Catholic
Notes: A great group here, and no clear leader. It will make for an exciting and pretty darn unpredictable bracket. Fuentes looked great at Ironman in a 3rd place showing.
Like his teammate Kutler at 106, Tucker just didn’t look himself in Ohio. Perhaps it was the first time being down to weight. Whatever the case, he has the tools to win it all, but he’ll have to prove it before I pick him.
Fleetwood beat him in a match in November. I’d like to go with the two hot hands, but Fuentes is up in the top half with Fleetwood.
Willie’s Picks: 1. Fleetwood 2. Headlee 3. Fuentes 4. Assad
120lbs:
2007 Final: Mike Garofalo (Colonial Forge) dec. Nick Schenk (McDonogh), 8-6
2011 Final: Will Mason (Cape Henry) dec. PJ Klee (Blair), 7-6
Contenders:
#1-Nathan Tomasello, CVCA - Ironman, Fargo Champ
#3-Matt Kolodzik, Blair - Fargo Champ, 2x Ironman finalist
#4-Darian Cruz, BECA - Super 32 Champ, Ironman Finalist, 2x Beast Champ
#6-Sam Krivus, Hempfield - FloNats Placer, 2x S32 Placer, Powerade 3rd
#10-Coy Ozias, CBurg - Ironman, Beast, S32, Fargo Plaer
HM-Vincenzo Joseph, Pitt CC - Fargo AA, Beast Runner-Up, Powerade Champ
HM-David Bavery, Massillon-Perry - State Champ, S32 Placer
HM-Luis Gonzalez, Don Bosco - State Placer
Christian Innarella, Delbarton - State Placer
Zach Elvin, Central Dauphin - Beast Placer
Will Crisco, Wy Sem
Notes: Pfft! This weight is ridiculous. And to make matters more interesting, they all have history. Check this out: Tomasello just manhandled Kolodzik in Ironman finals. Tomasello and Cruz split matches at the 2010 Super 32 and Ironman. Cruz beat Joseph in Beast finals last year. Kolodzik beat Cruz in a controversial Ironman semi in 2011. Krivus beat Cruz in ride outs at the 2011 Super 32. Joseph beat Ozias here at Beast last year. Got it all straightened out? I thought so.
At this point, it’s tough to pick against Tomasello. He looked like a man amongst boys two weeks ago, and a full 120. I don’t see anyone beating him unless Cruz can create space and change levels. Doing so would enable him to work low single stuff and avoid the physical style Tomasello is known for.
Typically, when the top guys at a weight are THIS good, upsets aren’t very realistic and there isn’t a true darkhorse. But watch for Bavery. He looked real tough at IM.
Willie’s Picks: 1. Tomasello 2. Cruz 3. Krivus 4. Kolodzik
126lbs:
2007 Final: Chris Villalonga (Blair) dec. Joe Trause (Bergen Cath.), 3-0
2011 Final: Brandon Jeske (Cox) dec. Joey Dance (Christiansburg), 5-4
Contenders:
#1-Joey Dance, CBurg - JR World Team Member, 4x Super 32 Finalist
#2-Ryan Diehl, Trinity - State Champ, Super 32 Champ
#11-Anthony Giraldo, North Bergen - Fila Runner-Up, Flonats AA, S32 Placer
#19-Judson Preskitt, Wy Sem - Ironman Runner-Up
HM-David McFadden, Depaul - State Runner-Up
HM-Matt Grossman, Manheim - State Runner-Up
Zach Valley, Northampton
Jack Mutchnik, St. Paul’s - Powerade Placer
Notes: Dance has always been a special talent. But when you’re so successful so young, you often see kids start to ‘coast.’ That’s not the case with Dance. He’s wrestling angry like he still has everything to prove.
That being said, Diehl is one of the most problematic wrestlers to face in the country. He has it all: quickness, strength, mat savvy. But what makes him dangerous is his funk. He’s frustrating, countering for scores or stalemating your best shots.
In the end, I’d take Dance 9 out of 10 times. But oh, that one time. Anything could happen.
Also pay attention to Giraldo, who never seems to get enough love. Kid is solid. He and Preskitt have been going very well of late.
Willie’s Picks: 1. Dance 2. Diehl 3. Giraldo 4. Preskitt
132lbs:
2007 Final: Andrew Grabfelder (Germantown Acad.) dec. Anthony Valles (Blair), 5-3
2011 Final: Mark Grey (Blair) dec. Randy Cruz (BECA), 4-2
Contenders:
#3-Brandon Jeske, Cox - Fargo Champ, S32 Finalist, Beast Champ
#9-Dennis Gustafson, Forest Park - NHSCA Finalist, S32 Placer, Beast Placer
#11-PJ Klee, Blair - Ironman Placer, Beat Runner-Up, Powerade Runner-Up
Geoff Verallis, N. Mt. Hermon - Beast Placer
Nick Anderson, Delbarton - Beast Placer
Daniel Sanchez, Georgetown Prep - Prep Placer
Chase Zemanak, Nazareth - State Placer
Courtland Schuyler, Manheim
Bryce Killian, Middletown - S32 Placer
Notes: Relatively thin weight for 132.
Jeske will make his first national appearance in a while. If he’s at the top of his game, he’s a lock.
Gustafson looked great and posted excellent results at S32. Don’t be surprised if he pushes Jeske.
Klee is coming off an encouraging Ironman.
Willie’s Picks: 1. Jeske 2. Gustafson 3. Anderson 4. Klee
138lbs:
2007 Final: Kenny Courts (CD) wbf. Joe Lospinoso (Brearley), 1:45
2011 Final: Todd Preston (Blair) dec. Baby J Bannister (Bishop McNamara), 1-0
Contenders:
#6-Baby J Bannister, Bishop McNamara - Beast and Prep Runner-Up, NHSCA Champ
#8-Tyson Dippery, Central Dauphin - State Finalist, Fargo AA, S32 Placer
#9-Mason Manville, Blair - Double Fargo Finalist, Ironman Finalist
HM-Pat Duggan, Cumberland Valley - Fargo Runner-Up, KOM Champ, Beast Placer
HM-Brian Hamann, Jackson - State Placer
Dallas Smith, CBurg
Clay Walker, Eastside - NHSCA Placer
Xavi Ramos, McDonogh - Prep Placer
Ethan Kenney, Connelsville - State Placer
Max Good, Cedar Cliff
Corbin Allen, Hanover
Justin Alexander, Pitt CC
Notes: I really like the dynamics of this weight. The Top 4 are really solid, but there are bracket busters everywhere. Keep an eye on Hamman, Kenney, Good, Allen, and Alexander.
Bannister and Dippery are both position guys; ultra defensive, slow-pace types that win critical sequences. On the other end of the spectrum is Manville, who comes at you like the world is ending, #mayans.
I’d like to see a round robin between those three. I’d take Dippery over Bannister, but I like Manville over Dippery, and since that’s the way the bracket falls, that’s my pick.
Willie’s Picks: 1. Bannister 2. Manville 3. Dippery 4. Duggan
145lbs:
2007 Final: Marshall Peppelman (CD) dec. Anthony Baldosaro (Delsea), 9-2
2011 Final: Dylan Milonas (Blair) dec. Matt Cimato (LaSalle), 6-2
Contenders:
#6-Dylan Milonas, Blair - Beast, Ironman, Fargo Champ
#9-Jack Clark, McDonogh - Fargo, Fila, Ironman, Beast Placer
#15-George Weber, John Carroll - Prep Placer, Super 32 Placer
HM-TJ Miller, Camden Catholic - State Champ, Beast Placer, Hurricane Champ
HM-Chris Vassar, Cedar Cliff - State Runner-Up
Ty White, Wy Sem - Prep Placer
Ryan Todora, BECA - State Placer
Joe Grello, Bergen Catholic
Notes: Milonas and Clark have battled for years now. Fila’s, Ironman, Preps, etc. Milonas won the last won in IM’s consi semi’s.
Weber looked great at Super 32, but that was way down at 132.
Miller’s non-rank is a bit misleading. He’s a stud, but DNP’d at 138 at S32. A semi’s win here would get him back on track. But he’s the 5-seed, so he’ll have to do it against Milonas.
Pay attention to Sr. Chris Vasser. Also, I don’t want to overhype him, but Joey Grello is one of the best Freshmen in the country.
Willie’s Picks: 1. Milonas 2. Clark 3. Miller 4. Weber
152lbs:
2007 Final: Peter Yates (Salem) dec. Walter Peppelman (CD), 4-1
2011 Final: Sal Mastriani (Don Bosco) dec. Russ Parsons (Blair), 5-3
Contenders:
#6-Russ Parsons, Blair - Ironman and Powerade, Beast Runner-Up
#9-Garrett Hammond, Chambersburg - Ironman, Super32, and Fargo Finalist
#10-Jack Bass, Robinson - Fila Champ, Fargo AA
#11-Wayne Stinson, N. Burlington - Super 32 Placer, Beast Placer
HM-Toby Hague, McDonogh - Beast, Super32 Placer
HM-Chad Walsh, Camden Catholic
HM-Zach Kelly, Kiski School - Fargo AA
HM-Chris Weiler, Wy Sem - Double Fargo AA, Ironman Placer
Tony Dailey, Massillon-Perry - Ironman Placer
Robert Janis, St. Christophers - Beast Placer
William Crozier, Germantown Academy - Prep Placer
Austin Rose, Central Dauphin
Ryan Preisch, Milton
Notes: Real deep group here. It was an interesting weight at Ironman, to say the least, and several of those players are back for Act II. Weiler upset Hammond in the second round there, only to later be teched by him. Hammond also knocked Bass out of the backside.
Bass’ first lost came to Dailey, who had a great tournament. Let’s keep an eye on him to see if he can reprise that. The way the bracket is set up, Bass and Dailey would meet in the quarters.
Kelly had a great summer, but that was down at 145.
Parsons, of course was your IM Champ and a Beast RU . The kid is just as solid and hard-nosed as they come.
The kid I’m really looking to see is Stinson, who after upsetting Llopez at the Ironhorse, proved he had the goods by placing at S32. He should have Walsh in quarters.
Willie’s Picks: 1. Hammond 2. Stinson 3. Parsons 4. Bass
160lbs:
2007 Final: Alex Meade (Caesar Rodney) dec. Nick Menditto (Ocean Twsp.) 5-2
2011 Final: Zach Epperly (CBurg) wbf. Johnny Sebastian (Bergen Cath.), 3:31
Contenders:
#3-Josh Llopez, Ryken - Fargo Champ, Super32 and FloNats Runner-Up
#7-Garrett Peppelman, Central Dauphin - State Champ, S32, Beast, Powerade Placer
#8-Myles Martin, McDonogh - Fargo and FloNats Runner-Up, Ironman and Beast Placer
#10-TC Warner, Cumberland Valley - State Runner-Up, KOM Champ, Beast Placer
HM-Nicky Hall, Wy Sem - State Runner-Up, Ironman Placer
John Balboni, Brearley
Jack Wedhollm, Blair - Ironman Placer
Greg Bacci, Malvern Prep - Prep Placer
Connor Hedash, BECA
Notes: A top heavy weight here where the first four guys are hammers. Anything other than chalk going into semi’s would be shocking.
Should that be the case, we’ll see Llopez wrestle Martin for the third time this year. Llopez won the first meeting (in the Ray Oliver finals) in OT. Llopez then injury defaulted to Martin in the IM 3rd place bout.
A Warner-Peppelman bout would have all of PA District 3 fans driving down 95 to the Carpenter Center. Expect a nip-and-tuck, 2-1 type bout there as both are defensive, and both love to ride.
In the end, we could have a rematch of the crazy S32 semi’s where Peppelman had Llopez dead to rights with less than ten seconds left before Llopez pulled off a big 5-pter.
I don’t think we get to that bout though.
Willie’s Picks: 1. Llopez 2. Warner 3. Peppelman 4. Martin
170lbs:
2007 Final: Scott Winston (Jackson) dec. Jared King (Great Bridge), 5-3
2011 Final: Eric Morris (WS) dec. Elliot Riddick (BECA), 1-0
Contenders:
#8-Zack Epperly, CBurg - Returning Champ, Ironman finalist, Fargo and S32 Placer
#14-Patrick Coover, Blair - Fargo, Ironman, Beast, Prep Placer
HM-Quinton Hiles, Brecksville - Ironman Placer
Brett Stein, Forest Park, NHSCA Placer
Joey Krulock, Mechanicsburg
Hunter Ritter, John Carroll - Prep Placer
Zach Broyles, Smyrna
Colton Peppelman, Central Dauphin
Terrell Forbes, St. Benedict’s
Notes: Barring something crazy, Epperly should get his second title. Beyond that, it’s a big cluster.
Watch out for Hiles. Big strong kid. And Krulock. He’s tough and can wrestle in all positions. I like for him to have a big year this season.
Willie’s Picks: 1. Epperly 2. Hiles 3. Krulock 4. Coover
182lbs:
2007 Final: Quentin Wright (Bald Eagle) dec. Cory Peltier (Blair) 7-3
2011 Final: Ryan Wolfe (Caravel) dec. David Reck (Colonial Forge), 3-2
Contenders:
#1-Eric Morris, Wy Sem - Returning Champ, Fargo Champ, Ironman Champ
#6-Brett Harner, Norristown - Ironman 3rd, Powerade Runner-Up, S32 Runner-Up
#10-Johnny Sebastian, Bergen Catholic - Returning Runner-Up, State Champ
#16-Troy Murtha, Georgetown Prep - Super 32 Placer
Addison Knepshield, Blair - Ironman Placer
Jose Ortiz, BECA - State Placer, KOM Champ
Notes: Morris is the favorite, but as we saw in the Ironman semi’s where he won a close OT match with the very underrated Harner, he’ll have to be careful.
I absolutely love the potential semi of Harner and Sebastian. Thing is, Sebastian has all the potential in the world. I just don’t know that, being a part-time wrestler and coming off of football, he can beat a savvy Senior like Harner.
Knepshield looked like he made a giant leap of progress at Ironman.
And watch for Ortiz. I long thought that he had all the tools. Just a Junior and coming off a King of the Mountain title, perhaps things are coming together for him.
Willie’s Picks: 1. Morris 2. Harner 3. Sebastian 4. Knepshield
195lbs:
2007 Final: Eric Schmidke (Aberdeen) dec. Mac Mancuso (Holy Spirit), 3-2
2011 Final: Perry Hills (Pitt CC) dec. Frank Mattiace (Blair), 3-1
Contenders:
#1-Ryan Solomon, Milton - 2x State Champ, 8x Fargo AA
#3-Frank Mattiace, Blair - 2x Ironman Champ, Beast Runner-Up
#6-Ray O’Donnell, Saucon Valley - Fargo AA, Super 32 Runner-Up
#17-Jo Jo Tayse, Massillon-Perry - State Champ, 2x Ironman Placer
HM-Rahzonn Gross, Don Bosco - State Placer, Beast Placer
HM-LJ Barlow, Haverford - Prep Placer, Beast Placer
HM-Spencer Neff, Good Counsel - Ironman Placer, S32 3rd
HM-Christian Jenco, Bergen Catholic - Double Fargo AA
Zach Rosenberry, Brentsville - State Placer
Notes: This is the best weight in the tournament.
Wait! What? 195?
Yup. Unreal depth here, including Solomon and Mattiace. Solomon was a sliver from going to the finals in both styles in Fargo this summer, finishing 1st in GR and 3rd in FS. Mattiace, albeit against a thin field, looked like he hit a whole other level at Ironman two weeks ago.
But let’s not put the cart before the horse...because there are several horses here. O’Donnell is coming off a S32 finals run, and Tayse, Barlow, Neff, and Jenco have all placed highly at majors. Really want to get a look at Gross, too. He could be the wildcard here.
It’s a tough call between O’Donnell and Mattiace, who have swapped wins before. But I’m playing the odds. Mattiace has an (albeit slightly) easier road, with O’Donnell drawing a quarters with Tayse.
Willie’s Picks: 1. Solomon 2. Mattiace 3. O’Donnell 4. Tayse
220lbs:
2007 Final: Glenn Carson (Southern) dec. Luk Stala (Don Bosco), 9-2
2011 Final: Kyle Snyder (GC) dec. John Rizzo (Richland), 2-1
Contenders:
#1-Kyle Snyder, Good Counsel - Super 32, FloNats, Fargo, Ironman, Beast Champ
#12-Garrett Ryan, Wy Sem - Fila Champ, Fargo and Ironman Placer
#20-Zach Chakonis, Don Bosco - Beast Placer, State Placer
Thomas Ott, Cape Henlopen, State Champ
David Showunmi, Blair - Ironman Placer
Marshal Hollerith, St. Christophers - Ironman Placer
Armond Cox, St. Peters Prep
Notes: There’s Kyle Snyder and there’s everyone else. Just the way it is.
I’m interested in the two Jersey boys, though. I think they make a splash here.
Showunmi beat Hollerith at Ironman.
Willie’s Picks: 1. Snyder 2. Ryan 3. Chakonis 4. Ott
HWT:
2007 Final: Nick Cook (Faquier) dec. John Hiles (St. Francis), 6-4 OT
2011 Final: Brooks Black (Blair) dec. Dink Purnell (DuPont), 3-0
Contenders:
#2-Brooks Black, Blair - 2x Beast, 2x Ironman Champ
#6-Michael Johnson, Wy Sem - Ironman Runner-Up, Beast 3rd, Prep Runner-Up
#8-Aaron Bradley, Nazareth - State Runner-Up
HM-Zach Dawe, Pleasant Grove - Reno Champ, Beast Placer
Jake Pinkston, Robinson - Beast Placer, Ironman 3rd
Jeff Miller, Camden Catholic
Zach Deluca, Pitt CC - Ironman 4th
Jamele Averette, Good Counsel - Ironman Placer
Brad Trego, Owen J. Roberts
Notes: Pretty decent crop here, with Black as your clear leader. Most interesting will be a semi between Bradley and Johnson. Bradley was a State Runner-Up last year to Thomas Haines and battled him tough.
Another match-up I’m looking forward to is Dawe-Deluca. Dawe just won Reno and Deluca impressed me at Ironman. He’s a bit raw, but I like his upside.
Willie’s Picks: 1. Black 2. Bradley 3. Johnson 4. Deluca