Insider: What Was the Toughest State To Win In 2013?
Insider: What Was the Toughest State To Win In 2013?
Unlock this article, live events, and more with a subscription!
Already a subscriber? Log In
Insider: Top 10 HS State Championships
Willie Saylor, Editor
Wait. Yes. I had an idea.
Let’s break down state (or National Prep) championships by class. Let’s look at their depth. Let’s debate which is the toughest state tournament to win.
I’ll start. But first some ground rules and general discussion points.
1. This year only.
Let’s not talk historically. That gets messy. I’m only looking at the brackets from this year’s tournaments. In which case, a traditional power (or two) was out. Iowa 3A, which is usually one of the more competitive state tournaments in all the land, didn’t make my cut. It was, by all accounts, a down year in Iowa. They had monster classes the last couple of years, which left 2013 a bit depleted. If I told you Iowa had just four ranked wrestlers in the entire state, you’d cry heresy, right? Look it up.
Also down, in my opinion, was Wisconsin.
2. The Class Affect: Single Class vs Multiple
When you break the states down by class, it really shows opens some eyes. Without thinking too much about it, I considered Ohio to have much more talent than NJ this year. But how hard is it to win a title in each state? NJ = 1 Class, OH = 3.
Minnesota fits in to both the ‘down cycle’ and ‘diluted by classes’ categories. I’ll save you the suspense, they’re not listed in the Top 10 below. But A) its a rather ‘down’ year for them, and B) if you combined all their classes, they would absolutely be in. Heck, they’d be in if you could take AAA’s light and middle weights with AA’s upperweights. The way it stands this year though, overall, it wasn’t a rough road to get the finals, relatively speaking.
3. Depth. Difficulty. Until we get down to the second half of the Top 10 here, don’t just compare state champs. Look at how difficult it was for the state champ to get to the top of the podium. Let’s look at National Preps for a moment. In recent years (though not this year), Blair Academy would probably be able to beat most state’s line-up of state champions. However, that doesn’t mean that National Preps is tougher to win than, say, New Jersey. It simply means their #1’s are better. Look at the depth of the tournament, and how difficult it was to navigate.
1. PA AAA
FloRanked Wrestlers: 34
2013 State Finals:
106: #2-Luke Pletcher dec. HM-Connor Sheehan, 8-2
113: #10-Ethan Lizak dec. #12-Zach Fuentes, 3-1
120: #3-Sam Krivus dec. #16-Dalton Macri, 3-1
126: #3-Connor Schram dec. #7-Michael Kemerer, 5-3
132: #19-Tyler Smith dec. #20-Patrick Duggan, 5-3
138: #10-Joey Galasso dec. #11-Tyson Dippery, 3-1 OT
145: #4-Solomon Chishko md. #14-Chris Vassar, 8-0
152: #8-Garrett Hammond dec. #9-TC Warner, 8-5
160: #1-Chance Marsteller md. #5-Garrett Peppelman, 17-5
170: #2-Cody Wiercioch dec. Joe Gartland, 7-2
182: #4-Jacob Taylor dec. #5-Brett Harner, 2-1 OT
195: #3-Jake Hart dec. #4-Matt McCutcheon, 6-1
220: #3-Thomas Haines dec. #14-Jordan Wood, 7-2
HWT: #2-Aaron Bradley wbf. #18-Andrew Welton, 5:04
Commentary: The standard bearer for depth, there wasn’t a single bracket in the PA big school division where ranked wrestlers didn’t hit head-to-head. The kids from PA AAA did outstanding on the national circuit this year. At Super 32, a whopping 10 finalists were from PA AAA, 4 champs and 6 runners-up. AAA also had four FloNational’s champs last weekend. And they still have some youth. In fact, half of the state finalists in AAA will be back next year: 8 of this year’s champs, along with 6 runners-up. The depth in PA is alive and well.
2. California
FloRanked Wrestlers: 20
2013 State Finals:
106: #17-Adrian Camposano dec. HM-Gionn Peralta, 11-10
113: #16-Israel Saavedra dec. Sean Williams, 5-3 OT
120: #13-Mason Pengilly dec. #14-Isaiah Locsin, 5-3 OT
126: Johnny Peralta dec. Wyatt Wickoff, 13-6
132: #1-Aaron Pico md. HM-Paul Fox, 14-4
138: #15-Nikko Villareal dec. Elijah Davis, 3-1
145: #12-Christian Pagdilao dec. HM-Anthony Valencia, 5-3
152: HM-Luke Wilson dec. HM-Shayne Tucker, 7-3
160: #3-Isaiah Martinez wbf. HM-Nick Fiegener, 5:18
170: #11-Peter Santos dec. #12-Corey Griego, 4-3
182: #20-Adrian Salas dec. HM-Immanuel Barber, 5-1
195: #19-Jeramy Sweany wbf. Scott Votino, 4:00
220: #13-Derrick Jones wbf. #18-Sean Medley, :48
HWT: #4-Nick Nevills wbf. Alex Redmond, 2:16
Commentary: The state with the most high school wrestlers has just one division/class. That means the road to the state title is ultra tough. They had a hiccup at Super 32 with just 1 Champ and 8 placers, but rallied to have an awesome weekend at all three postseason tournaments including a runner-up finish at FloNationals. And the Golden State won’t be going anywhere soon. 16 of the 28 state finalists return, and they have a ton of studs from the lightweights and thru the middle, that will hit the next echelon this summer.
3. New Jersey
FloRanked Wrestlers: 17
2013 State Final:
106: #1-Nick Suriano dec. #7-Kyle Bierdumpfel, 3-2
113: #15-Luis Gonzales dec. Kevin Corrigan, 5-4
120: Craig de la Cruz dec. HM-Brendan Calas, 3-1 OT
126: #14-Anthony Giraldo dec. #15-Corey Stasenko, 3-1
132: #6-Scott Delvecchio dec. HM-Ronnie Gentile, 5-4
138: #3-Anthony Ashnault dec. HM-Gary Dinmore, 4-2
145: #5-BJ Clagon dec. HM-Troy Heilman, 2-1
152: #11-Wayne Stinson dec. #12-Chad Walsh, 9-7
160: #11-Dillon Artigliere dec. #12-John Schleifer, 6-1
170: #10-Ethan Ramos dec. HM-Jaeden Bernstein, 5-2
182: #6-Johnny Sebastian dec. HM-David Williams, 4-3
195: #16-Rahzonn Gross dec. Anthony Messner, 5-3
220: #15-Brian Dobzanski dec. HM-Zack Chakonis, 5-4
HWT: Alex Thompson dec. Jeff Miller, 3-1
Commentary: Always nice to start your finals with a Super 32 Champ with a Double Fargo finalist, eh!?
Quite honestly, this one surprised me. I didn’t think NJ would stack up this well this year. Before compiling data, I pegged them somewhere in the 5-10 range.
But look at their runners-up. 11 of the 14 are in the national Top 20, or damn close. Consider that Calas, Gentile, Dinmore, Heilman, Bernstein, and Chakonis were all ranked at some point. I’d put their 3rd placers, which include former state champs Magaldo and TJ Miller, up against any other state’s 3rd placers and take my chances.
That, my friend, is depth.
It’s odd in the fact that even long-time Garden State loyalists preach the demise of Jersey depth right now. I was kinda on that train, too. But look at the numbers. Perhaps if Ohio were two classes, they’d be a step ahead of NJ. But perhaps not. With one class, and with everyone in the same pool, the state tournament in Atlantic City is no doubt a bear.
How long will it hold up? Eight of the champs were seniors. Nine more runners-up, too. That leaves eleven returning finalists.
4. Ohio DI
FloRanked Wrestlers: 14
2013 State Finals:
106: #4-Jose Rodriguez dec. #5-Austin Assad, 5-4
113: #19-Aaron Assad dec. Armando Torres, 7-3
120: #17-Brandon Thompson dec. Artem Timchenko, 3-1
126: #10-Ivan McClay dec. Brandon Smith, 3-1
132: #3-Dean Heil md. Zac Carson, 8-0
138: #14-Noah Forrider dec. Nick Montgomery, 5-4
145: Wyatt Music md. Jake Ryan, 8-0
152: #4-Anthony Collica dec. #17-Markus Scheidel, 3-1
160: HM-Dakota Sizemore dec. HM-Quentin Hiles, 9-3
170: #19-Nick Corba dec. Tyler Hughes, 3-1 OT
182: #1-Dom Abounader dec. Qunton Rosser, 13-6
195: HM-Jo Jo Tayse md. HM-Kyle Conel, 14-5
220: #9-Chalmer Freauf md. Devin Revels, 12-3
HWT: #11-Travis Gusan dec. Corey Siegfried, 3-1 OT
Commentary: Ohio big schools are (and will forever be) one of the toughest state tournaments to win. Northeast Ohio (Cleveland/Akron) churns out solid wrestlers at an alarming rate. They always have incredible depth.
That being said, DI was a little down this year in terms of elite talent. Only two of the finals contained a match-up of ranked foes and there wasn’t as much resistance to the studs (this side of a an Edgar Bright upset) in the path to the finals.
The DI #1’s in Ohio rival any other state division’s. But the depth wasn’t on par with its usual level. Of course, it’s pretty good when you can be ranked this high in a ‘down’ year.
Next year might be a little bleaker yet; ten of the state champs graduate, along with eight of the runners-up.
Another rather odd trend, and perhaps it’s a direct correlation, is the lack of national participation of Ohioans. They just don’t seem to be going to off-season majors. Super 32, Fargo, FloNats, VA Beach...very small representation from Ohio.
5. National Preps
FloRanked Wrestlers: 16
2013 State Finals:
106: #13-Jack Mueller dec. #18-Ethan McCoy, 15-13 OT
113: HM-Chaz Tucker dec. Ryan Friedman, 5-2
120: #2-Matt Kolodzik dec. Kevin Buddock, 10-3
126: Jack Mutchnik dec. HM-Judson Preskitt, 5-4
132: #7-Joey McKenna dec. HM-Andrew Atkinson, 6-1
138: #4-Alfred Bannister md. Walker Dempsey, 11-3
145: #13-Jack Clark dec. #7-(at 138)-Mason Manville, 7-2
152: #2-Russ Parsons dec. HM-Zack Kelly, 5-0
160: #6-Myles Martin inj. def. #8-Josh Llopez
170: #18-Nicky Hall dec. HM-Troy Murtha, 2-0
182: #2-Eric Morris md. Tyler Patrick, 10-0
195: #2-Frank Mattiace dec. HM-Spencer Neff, 9-2
220: #1-Kyle Snyder tf. #11-Garrett Ryan, 21-6
HWT: #3-Brooks Black dec. #7-Michael Johnson, Jr. 4-1
Commentary: For the Preps, the strength at the top is undeniable. 12 of the 14 champs were in the Top 13, with 7 sitting in the Top 5. What I think gets lost is its depth. The national perception is generally that of ‘studs and scrubs’ but that’s not the case at all.
The Runners-Up, were solid; five were ranked while another five were sitting solidly in the HM category. That’s slightly better than Illinois’ 3A where 19 of 28 finalists were nationally recognized.
To be clear, there is a drop off after the finalists, but it’s not to the extent many perceive. Most all the 3rd placers have performed well in national tournaments.
6. Illinois 3A
FloRanked Wrestlers: 13
2013 State Finals:
106: #11-Rudy Yates dec. #14-Miguel Silva, 5-1
113: HM-Kris Williams md. HM-Mark Duda, 9-1
120: #8-Johnny Jimenez dec. HM-Sebastian Pique, 3-0
126: #2-Jered Cortez md. #17-Jordan Northrup, 9-1
132: HM-George Fisher wbf. HM-Larry Early, 1:45
138: Mech Spraggins dec. Juman Edmonds, 7-2
145: #1-Bryce Brill md. Wade Lardy, 17-6
152: #10-Kyle Langenderfer dec. #7-Brian Murphy, 6-5
160: CJ Brucki dec. Hunter Rollins, 12-6
170: #8-Collin Holler dec. Dan Rowland, 2-1
182: HM-Joe Ariola dec. Donnie Bell, 1-0
195: #6-Ricky Robertson dec. #8-Jordan Ellingwood, 2-1 OT
220: Tom Howell dec. Dan Draski, 8-3
HWT: #9-Brian Allen dec. HM-Andrew Geers, 4-2
Commentary: Like Ohio and Edgar Bright, the difficulty in winning a title in these states can be best exemplified by who didn’t win one. It happened to Bright, and it happened to Murphy, who just two months earlier, beat the #1 ranked wrestler in the country (Mark Hall).
Up and down the weights, the road to a state title is a difficult one in Illinois. What’s hard to quantify, and what you don’t see reflected above, are the numbers of kids ‘on the bubble’ of a ranking that provide a great deal of depth in the division.
Illinois boys didn’t travel all that well for the post-season tournaments, but they are an international-styles oriented state. They’ll be out in full force soon enough. Illinois is in the midst of an run that has seen them win an unprecedented amount of National Dual and Fargo team titles. While that doesn’t always translate to elite level folk talent, it undeniably has produced a deep pool of solid, fundamental wrestlers most states would be envious of.
7. PA AA
FloRanked Wrestlers: 14
2013 State Finals:
106: HM-Devin Brown wbf. HM-Luke Karam, 6:12 OT
113: #20-George Phillippi dec. Seth Carr, 1-0
120: #4-Darian Cruz md. Ryan Easter, 16-4
126: #4-Ryan Diehl wbf. #13-Zeke Moisey, :46
132: #5-Jason Nolf dec. HM-Nick Zanetta, 4-2
138: #1-Zain Retherford dec. Seth Lansberry, 5-0
145: #3-Mikey Racciatto dec. #19-Colt Cotton, 8-2
152: #5-Austin Mathews dec. Kyle Bova, 4-2
160: #10-Cody Law dec. Evan Delong, 5-3
170: #4-Pete Renda dec. Tristan Sponseller, 5-2
182: #9-Dakota Deslauriers dec. Troy Hembury, 3-1
195: #1-Ryan Solomon dec. Garrett Vulcano, 7-0
220: #5-Ray O’Donnell dec. Brandon Smith, 2-0
HWT: HM-Sam Breese dec. Nick Budd, 3-1
Commentary: In PA, AA has always been the appetizer before a healthy serving of AAA. And while AAA still enjoys its spot at the top, AA has been dramatically improving, both with its delegates on the national scene and within the confines of the Keystone State as it builds depth. The Runner-Ups here are good, not great, in most cases. But what puts PA AA ahead of other states this year is the outstanding national track record of its champs. Consider this: 12 of its 14 champs were nationally ranked. That figure trails only PA AAA, and equals Cali, NJ, and National Preps. And we’re not talking ‘back-end’ kids. 11 of the 14 were Top 10 in the nation. 9 were Top 5! 10 of their champs (and 2 more runners-up) reached at least one final at Ironman, Super 32, Fargo, VA Beach, or FloNats!
8. Indiana
FloRanked Wrestlers: 8
2013 State Finals:
106: #6-Chad Red dec. Garrett Pepple, 4-0
113: #2-Stevan Micic dec. Zach Davis, 9-7
120: Deondre Wilson dec. Drew Hughes, 6-2
126: #18-Nick Crume dec. Luke Welch, 3-1 OT
132: HM-Cody LeCount tf. Grant Martsolf, 16-1
138: HM-Tommy Forte dec. Luke Blanton, 12-7
145: #6-Neal Malloy dec. Eli Walker, 4-3
152: Josh Farrell dec. HM-Vinny Corsaro, 3-2
160: Riley McClurg dec. Austin McCloskey, 2-1 OT
170: #14-Bobby Steveson dec. Riley Lefever, 5-4
182: Matt Hurford dec. Jake Masengale, 9-4
195: #5-Mitch Sliga wbf. Jaylin Allen, :31
220: Gelen Robinson dec. Fletcher Miller, 7-2
HWT: #14-Donte Winfield dec. Joe Garland, 5-1
Commentary: Indiana has been traveling quite well to national tournaments, something that I think is really improving both the ceiling, or elite level kids they put out, and their depth.
They have some hammers in there, and in a one class state, there’s no where to hide. With good infrastructure/organization, and a system that is proving to work, don’t expect Indiana to be going anywhere for a while.
9. Missouri Class 4
FloRanked Wrestlers: 6
2013 State Finals:
106: HM-Sean Hosford wbf. Jarrett Reisenbichler, 1:51
113: #4-Ke-Shawn Hayes tf. Alex Fortuna, 16-0
120: HM-Colby Smith dec. Austin Eveler, 7-2
126: HM-Joe Velliquette dec. HM-Lemuel Johnson, 1-0 OT
132: HM-Brock Wingbermeuhle dec. Jimmy Krischke, 7-3
138: #12-Daniel Lewis dec. Sam Crane, 5-4
145: #18-Clayton Ream wbf. Lawrence Krabbe, 3:16
152: HM-Colston DiBlasi dec. HM-Cain Salas, 5-1
160: Drew Daniels dec. Dustin Gray, 3-1
170: John Oss wbf. Chance Cooper, 5:32
182: #10-Michael Pixley wbf. Jarrett Franklin, 5:53
195: Cody Lindsay dec. HM-Matt McClimens, 5-0
220: Tim Gant dec. Michael Foote, 5-1
HWT: #2-J’Den Cox wbf. John Carter, 2:32
Commentary: “6” might not seem like a lot of ranked wrestlers. What you don’t see in the above results are dogfights that they went through to get there. Basler, Erneste, #20-Lapaglia, and Eads are all national commodities that didn’t reach the finals. Underrated depth in Missouri. I like what they’re doing down there.
Imagine how good their tournament could be if they contracted to, say 2, from 4 class.
10. Oklahoma 6A
FloRanked Wrestlers: 10
2013 State Champs:
106: Dalton Duffield dec. Jordan Prince, 4-2
113: #9-Kaid Brock dec. HM-Jacob Fontanez, 3-1
120: #18-Boo Leewallen dec. HM-Markus Simmons, 7-5 OT
126: Luke Wolfenberger dec. Hayden Hansen, 5-4
132: #17-Keegan Moore dec. #14-Jo Jo Smith, 13-12
138: Shea Conley dec. Anthony Mica, 9-5
145: HM-Tanner Bailey wbf. Blake Bassham, 3:54
152: Michael Hamilton dec. Jacobe Smith, 4-3
160: Levi Berry md. Brannon Hunt, 14-5
170: #20-Derek White dec. #17-Nathan Marek, 6-4
182: #17-Lance Dixon md. Derek Silverston, 11-3
195: #15-Joel Dixon wbf. Chance Wenglewski, 1:35
220: #7-Andrew Dixon dec. John Finn, 1-0
HWT: Carlos Taylor dec. Carlos Freeman, 6-3
Commentary: With more ranked kids than others ahead of them, you’re probably wondering ‘why so low.’ In general, it’s because their brackets (with only eight state qualifiers) aren’t quite as consistent as others. There were several brackets with good depth. But others were not as strong. In short, other states have more competitive semi’s, more consistently.
Keep paying attention to Oklahoma. They have an incredible crop coming through.
Special Pick
New York DI
FloRanked Wrestlers: 4
2013 State Finals:
99: HM-Yianni Diakomihalis dec. HM-Vitali Arajau, 3-2 OT
106: Kyle Quinn dec. Alex Tanzman, 7-1
113: #7-Nick Piccininni md. HM-Kyle Kelly, 14-4
120: Alex De La Cruz dec. Steven Michel, 11-7
126: #12-TJ Fabian wbf. Keanu Thompson, 5:51
132: Matt Leshinger dec. Brandon Lapi, 4-2
138: HM-Nick Kelley dec. HM-Vinny Deprez, 5-2
145: HM-Louis Hernandez dec. Eric Lewandowski, 4-2
152: #13-Corey Rasheed wbf. Chris Koo, :56
160: #16-Tyler Grimaldi dec. Steve Schneider, 9-3
170: Carlos Toribio dec. John Vrasidas, 4-3
182: HM-Shayne Brady dec. James Corbett, 5-3 OT
195: Dan Choi dec. Levi Ashley, 7-4
220: HM-Richard Sisti dec. Steven Mills, 3-2
HWT: HM-Mike Hughes wbf. Austin Coleman, 3:20
Commentary: While the number of ranked wrestlers (4) might seem low, I like NY’s depth. It’s a very competitive group, with, in my opinion, unrecognized talent. They’re not household names. And they’re not, generally speaking, flashy. But they’re gritty. You have to earn your wins against NY guys. In the end, I think their depth is deceptive.
Honorable Mention:
Minnesota AAA
Iowa 3A
Minnesota AA
New York DII
Oklahoma 5A
Ohio D2
Willie Saylor, Editor
Wait. Yes. I had an idea.
Let’s break down state (or National Prep) championships by class. Let’s look at their depth. Let’s debate which is the toughest state tournament to win.
I’ll start. But first some ground rules and general discussion points.
1. This year only.
Let’s not talk historically. That gets messy. I’m only looking at the brackets from this year’s tournaments. In which case, a traditional power (or two) was out. Iowa 3A, which is usually one of the more competitive state tournaments in all the land, didn’t make my cut. It was, by all accounts, a down year in Iowa. They had monster classes the last couple of years, which left 2013 a bit depleted. If I told you Iowa had just four ranked wrestlers in the entire state, you’d cry heresy, right? Look it up.
Also down, in my opinion, was Wisconsin.
2. The Class Affect: Single Class vs Multiple
When you break the states down by class, it really shows opens some eyes. Without thinking too much about it, I considered Ohio to have much more talent than NJ this year. But how hard is it to win a title in each state? NJ = 1 Class, OH = 3.
Minnesota fits in to both the ‘down cycle’ and ‘diluted by classes’ categories. I’ll save you the suspense, they’re not listed in the Top 10 below. But A) its a rather ‘down’ year for them, and B) if you combined all their classes, they would absolutely be in. Heck, they’d be in if you could take AAA’s light and middle weights with AA’s upperweights. The way it stands this year though, overall, it wasn’t a rough road to get the finals, relatively speaking.
3. Depth. Difficulty. Until we get down to the second half of the Top 10 here, don’t just compare state champs. Look at how difficult it was for the state champ to get to the top of the podium. Let’s look at National Preps for a moment. In recent years (though not this year), Blair Academy would probably be able to beat most state’s line-up of state champions. However, that doesn’t mean that National Preps is tougher to win than, say, New Jersey. It simply means their #1’s are better. Look at the depth of the tournament, and how difficult it was to navigate.
1. PA AAA
FloRanked Wrestlers: 34
2013 State Finals:
106: #2-Luke Pletcher dec. HM-Connor Sheehan, 8-2
113: #10-Ethan Lizak dec. #12-Zach Fuentes, 3-1
120: #3-Sam Krivus dec. #16-Dalton Macri, 3-1
126: #3-Connor Schram dec. #7-Michael Kemerer, 5-3
132: #19-Tyler Smith dec. #20-Patrick Duggan, 5-3
138: #10-Joey Galasso dec. #11-Tyson Dippery, 3-1 OT
145: #4-Solomon Chishko md. #14-Chris Vassar, 8-0
152: #8-Garrett Hammond dec. #9-TC Warner, 8-5
160: #1-Chance Marsteller md. #5-Garrett Peppelman, 17-5
170: #2-Cody Wiercioch dec. Joe Gartland, 7-2
182: #4-Jacob Taylor dec. #5-Brett Harner, 2-1 OT
195: #3-Jake Hart dec. #4-Matt McCutcheon, 6-1
220: #3-Thomas Haines dec. #14-Jordan Wood, 7-2
HWT: #2-Aaron Bradley wbf. #18-Andrew Welton, 5:04
Commentary: The standard bearer for depth, there wasn’t a single bracket in the PA big school division where ranked wrestlers didn’t hit head-to-head. The kids from PA AAA did outstanding on the national circuit this year. At Super 32, a whopping 10 finalists were from PA AAA, 4 champs and 6 runners-up. AAA also had four FloNational’s champs last weekend. And they still have some youth. In fact, half of the state finalists in AAA will be back next year: 8 of this year’s champs, along with 6 runners-up. The depth in PA is alive and well.
2. California
FloRanked Wrestlers: 20
2013 State Finals:
106: #17-Adrian Camposano dec. HM-Gionn Peralta, 11-10
113: #16-Israel Saavedra dec. Sean Williams, 5-3 OT
120: #13-Mason Pengilly dec. #14-Isaiah Locsin, 5-3 OT
126: Johnny Peralta dec. Wyatt Wickoff, 13-6
132: #1-Aaron Pico md. HM-Paul Fox, 14-4
138: #15-Nikko Villareal dec. Elijah Davis, 3-1
145: #12-Christian Pagdilao dec. HM-Anthony Valencia, 5-3
152: HM-Luke Wilson dec. HM-Shayne Tucker, 7-3
160: #3-Isaiah Martinez wbf. HM-Nick Fiegener, 5:18
170: #11-Peter Santos dec. #12-Corey Griego, 4-3
182: #20-Adrian Salas dec. HM-Immanuel Barber, 5-1
195: #19-Jeramy Sweany wbf. Scott Votino, 4:00
220: #13-Derrick Jones wbf. #18-Sean Medley, :48
HWT: #4-Nick Nevills wbf. Alex Redmond, 2:16
Commentary: The state with the most high school wrestlers has just one division/class. That means the road to the state title is ultra tough. They had a hiccup at Super 32 with just 1 Champ and 8 placers, but rallied to have an awesome weekend at all three postseason tournaments including a runner-up finish at FloNationals. And the Golden State won’t be going anywhere soon. 16 of the 28 state finalists return, and they have a ton of studs from the lightweights and thru the middle, that will hit the next echelon this summer.
3. New Jersey
FloRanked Wrestlers: 17
2013 State Final:
106: #1-Nick Suriano dec. #7-Kyle Bierdumpfel, 3-2
113: #15-Luis Gonzales dec. Kevin Corrigan, 5-4
120: Craig de la Cruz dec. HM-Brendan Calas, 3-1 OT
126: #14-Anthony Giraldo dec. #15-Corey Stasenko, 3-1
132: #6-Scott Delvecchio dec. HM-Ronnie Gentile, 5-4
138: #3-Anthony Ashnault dec. HM-Gary Dinmore, 4-2
145: #5-BJ Clagon dec. HM-Troy Heilman, 2-1
152: #11-Wayne Stinson dec. #12-Chad Walsh, 9-7
160: #11-Dillon Artigliere dec. #12-John Schleifer, 6-1
170: #10-Ethan Ramos dec. HM-Jaeden Bernstein, 5-2
182: #6-Johnny Sebastian dec. HM-David Williams, 4-3
195: #16-Rahzonn Gross dec. Anthony Messner, 5-3
220: #15-Brian Dobzanski dec. HM-Zack Chakonis, 5-4
HWT: Alex Thompson dec. Jeff Miller, 3-1
Commentary: Always nice to start your finals with a Super 32 Champ with a Double Fargo finalist, eh!?
Quite honestly, this one surprised me. I didn’t think NJ would stack up this well this year. Before compiling data, I pegged them somewhere in the 5-10 range.
But look at their runners-up. 11 of the 14 are in the national Top 20, or damn close. Consider that Calas, Gentile, Dinmore, Heilman, Bernstein, and Chakonis were all ranked at some point. I’d put their 3rd placers, which include former state champs Magaldo and TJ Miller, up against any other state’s 3rd placers and take my chances.
That, my friend, is depth.
It’s odd in the fact that even long-time Garden State loyalists preach the demise of Jersey depth right now. I was kinda on that train, too. But look at the numbers. Perhaps if Ohio were two classes, they’d be a step ahead of NJ. But perhaps not. With one class, and with everyone in the same pool, the state tournament in Atlantic City is no doubt a bear.
How long will it hold up? Eight of the champs were seniors. Nine more runners-up, too. That leaves eleven returning finalists.
4. Ohio DI
FloRanked Wrestlers: 14
2013 State Finals:
106: #4-Jose Rodriguez dec. #5-Austin Assad, 5-4
113: #19-Aaron Assad dec. Armando Torres, 7-3
120: #17-Brandon Thompson dec. Artem Timchenko, 3-1
126: #10-Ivan McClay dec. Brandon Smith, 3-1
132: #3-Dean Heil md. Zac Carson, 8-0
138: #14-Noah Forrider dec. Nick Montgomery, 5-4
145: Wyatt Music md. Jake Ryan, 8-0
152: #4-Anthony Collica dec. #17-Markus Scheidel, 3-1
160: HM-Dakota Sizemore dec. HM-Quentin Hiles, 9-3
170: #19-Nick Corba dec. Tyler Hughes, 3-1 OT
182: #1-Dom Abounader dec. Qunton Rosser, 13-6
195: HM-Jo Jo Tayse md. HM-Kyle Conel, 14-5
220: #9-Chalmer Freauf md. Devin Revels, 12-3
HWT: #11-Travis Gusan dec. Corey Siegfried, 3-1 OT
Commentary: Ohio big schools are (and will forever be) one of the toughest state tournaments to win. Northeast Ohio (Cleveland/Akron) churns out solid wrestlers at an alarming rate. They always have incredible depth.
That being said, DI was a little down this year in terms of elite talent. Only two of the finals contained a match-up of ranked foes and there wasn’t as much resistance to the studs (this side of a an Edgar Bright upset) in the path to the finals.
The DI #1’s in Ohio rival any other state division’s. But the depth wasn’t on par with its usual level. Of course, it’s pretty good when you can be ranked this high in a ‘down’ year.
Next year might be a little bleaker yet; ten of the state champs graduate, along with eight of the runners-up.
Another rather odd trend, and perhaps it’s a direct correlation, is the lack of national participation of Ohioans. They just don’t seem to be going to off-season majors. Super 32, Fargo, FloNats, VA Beach...very small representation from Ohio.
5. National Preps
FloRanked Wrestlers: 16
2013 State Finals:
106: #13-Jack Mueller dec. #18-Ethan McCoy, 15-13 OT
113: HM-Chaz Tucker dec. Ryan Friedman, 5-2
120: #2-Matt Kolodzik dec. Kevin Buddock, 10-3
126: Jack Mutchnik dec. HM-Judson Preskitt, 5-4
132: #7-Joey McKenna dec. HM-Andrew Atkinson, 6-1
138: #4-Alfred Bannister md. Walker Dempsey, 11-3
145: #13-Jack Clark dec. #7-(at 138)-Mason Manville, 7-2
152: #2-Russ Parsons dec. HM-Zack Kelly, 5-0
160: #6-Myles Martin inj. def. #8-Josh Llopez
170: #18-Nicky Hall dec. HM-Troy Murtha, 2-0
182: #2-Eric Morris md. Tyler Patrick, 10-0
195: #2-Frank Mattiace dec. HM-Spencer Neff, 9-2
220: #1-Kyle Snyder tf. #11-Garrett Ryan, 21-6
HWT: #3-Brooks Black dec. #7-Michael Johnson, Jr. 4-1
Commentary: For the Preps, the strength at the top is undeniable. 12 of the 14 champs were in the Top 13, with 7 sitting in the Top 5. What I think gets lost is its depth. The national perception is generally that of ‘studs and scrubs’ but that’s not the case at all.
The Runners-Up, were solid; five were ranked while another five were sitting solidly in the HM category. That’s slightly better than Illinois’ 3A where 19 of 28 finalists were nationally recognized.
To be clear, there is a drop off after the finalists, but it’s not to the extent many perceive. Most all the 3rd placers have performed well in national tournaments.
6. Illinois 3A
FloRanked Wrestlers: 13
2013 State Finals:
106: #11-Rudy Yates dec. #14-Miguel Silva, 5-1
113: HM-Kris Williams md. HM-Mark Duda, 9-1
120: #8-Johnny Jimenez dec. HM-Sebastian Pique, 3-0
126: #2-Jered Cortez md. #17-Jordan Northrup, 9-1
132: HM-George Fisher wbf. HM-Larry Early, 1:45
138: Mech Spraggins dec. Juman Edmonds, 7-2
145: #1-Bryce Brill md. Wade Lardy, 17-6
152: #10-Kyle Langenderfer dec. #7-Brian Murphy, 6-5
160: CJ Brucki dec. Hunter Rollins, 12-6
170: #8-Collin Holler dec. Dan Rowland, 2-1
182: HM-Joe Ariola dec. Donnie Bell, 1-0
195: #6-Ricky Robertson dec. #8-Jordan Ellingwood, 2-1 OT
220: Tom Howell dec. Dan Draski, 8-3
HWT: #9-Brian Allen dec. HM-Andrew Geers, 4-2
Commentary: Like Ohio and Edgar Bright, the difficulty in winning a title in these states can be best exemplified by who didn’t win one. It happened to Bright, and it happened to Murphy, who just two months earlier, beat the #1 ranked wrestler in the country (Mark Hall).
Up and down the weights, the road to a state title is a difficult one in Illinois. What’s hard to quantify, and what you don’t see reflected above, are the numbers of kids ‘on the bubble’ of a ranking that provide a great deal of depth in the division.
Illinois boys didn’t travel all that well for the post-season tournaments, but they are an international-styles oriented state. They’ll be out in full force soon enough. Illinois is in the midst of an run that has seen them win an unprecedented amount of National Dual and Fargo team titles. While that doesn’t always translate to elite level folk talent, it undeniably has produced a deep pool of solid, fundamental wrestlers most states would be envious of.
7. PA AA
FloRanked Wrestlers: 14
2013 State Finals:
106: HM-Devin Brown wbf. HM-Luke Karam, 6:12 OT
113: #20-George Phillippi dec. Seth Carr, 1-0
120: #4-Darian Cruz md. Ryan Easter, 16-4
126: #4-Ryan Diehl wbf. #13-Zeke Moisey, :46
132: #5-Jason Nolf dec. HM-Nick Zanetta, 4-2
138: #1-Zain Retherford dec. Seth Lansberry, 5-0
145: #3-Mikey Racciatto dec. #19-Colt Cotton, 8-2
152: #5-Austin Mathews dec. Kyle Bova, 4-2
160: #10-Cody Law dec. Evan Delong, 5-3
170: #4-Pete Renda dec. Tristan Sponseller, 5-2
182: #9-Dakota Deslauriers dec. Troy Hembury, 3-1
195: #1-Ryan Solomon dec. Garrett Vulcano, 7-0
220: #5-Ray O’Donnell dec. Brandon Smith, 2-0
HWT: HM-Sam Breese dec. Nick Budd, 3-1
Commentary: In PA, AA has always been the appetizer before a healthy serving of AAA. And while AAA still enjoys its spot at the top, AA has been dramatically improving, both with its delegates on the national scene and within the confines of the Keystone State as it builds depth. The Runner-Ups here are good, not great, in most cases. But what puts PA AA ahead of other states this year is the outstanding national track record of its champs. Consider this: 12 of its 14 champs were nationally ranked. That figure trails only PA AAA, and equals Cali, NJ, and National Preps. And we’re not talking ‘back-end’ kids. 11 of the 14 were Top 10 in the nation. 9 were Top 5! 10 of their champs (and 2 more runners-up) reached at least one final at Ironman, Super 32, Fargo, VA Beach, or FloNats!
8. Indiana
FloRanked Wrestlers: 8
2013 State Finals:
106: #6-Chad Red dec. Garrett Pepple, 4-0
113: #2-Stevan Micic dec. Zach Davis, 9-7
120: Deondre Wilson dec. Drew Hughes, 6-2
126: #18-Nick Crume dec. Luke Welch, 3-1 OT
132: HM-Cody LeCount tf. Grant Martsolf, 16-1
138: HM-Tommy Forte dec. Luke Blanton, 12-7
145: #6-Neal Malloy dec. Eli Walker, 4-3
152: Josh Farrell dec. HM-Vinny Corsaro, 3-2
160: Riley McClurg dec. Austin McCloskey, 2-1 OT
170: #14-Bobby Steveson dec. Riley Lefever, 5-4
182: Matt Hurford dec. Jake Masengale, 9-4
195: #5-Mitch Sliga wbf. Jaylin Allen, :31
220: Gelen Robinson dec. Fletcher Miller, 7-2
HWT: #14-Donte Winfield dec. Joe Garland, 5-1
Commentary: Indiana has been traveling quite well to national tournaments, something that I think is really improving both the ceiling, or elite level kids they put out, and their depth.
They have some hammers in there, and in a one class state, there’s no where to hide. With good infrastructure/organization, and a system that is proving to work, don’t expect Indiana to be going anywhere for a while.
9. Missouri Class 4
FloRanked Wrestlers: 6
2013 State Finals:
106: HM-Sean Hosford wbf. Jarrett Reisenbichler, 1:51
113: #4-Ke-Shawn Hayes tf. Alex Fortuna, 16-0
120: HM-Colby Smith dec. Austin Eveler, 7-2
126: HM-Joe Velliquette dec. HM-Lemuel Johnson, 1-0 OT
132: HM-Brock Wingbermeuhle dec. Jimmy Krischke, 7-3
138: #12-Daniel Lewis dec. Sam Crane, 5-4
145: #18-Clayton Ream wbf. Lawrence Krabbe, 3:16
152: HM-Colston DiBlasi dec. HM-Cain Salas, 5-1
160: Drew Daniels dec. Dustin Gray, 3-1
170: John Oss wbf. Chance Cooper, 5:32
182: #10-Michael Pixley wbf. Jarrett Franklin, 5:53
195: Cody Lindsay dec. HM-Matt McClimens, 5-0
220: Tim Gant dec. Michael Foote, 5-1
HWT: #2-J’Den Cox wbf. John Carter, 2:32
Commentary: “6” might not seem like a lot of ranked wrestlers. What you don’t see in the above results are dogfights that they went through to get there. Basler, Erneste, #20-Lapaglia, and Eads are all national commodities that didn’t reach the finals. Underrated depth in Missouri. I like what they’re doing down there.
Imagine how good their tournament could be if they contracted to, say 2, from 4 class.
10. Oklahoma 6A
FloRanked Wrestlers: 10
2013 State Champs:
106: Dalton Duffield dec. Jordan Prince, 4-2
113: #9-Kaid Brock dec. HM-Jacob Fontanez, 3-1
120: #18-Boo Leewallen dec. HM-Markus Simmons, 7-5 OT
126: Luke Wolfenberger dec. Hayden Hansen, 5-4
132: #17-Keegan Moore dec. #14-Jo Jo Smith, 13-12
138: Shea Conley dec. Anthony Mica, 9-5
145: HM-Tanner Bailey wbf. Blake Bassham, 3:54
152: Michael Hamilton dec. Jacobe Smith, 4-3
160: Levi Berry md. Brannon Hunt, 14-5
170: #20-Derek White dec. #17-Nathan Marek, 6-4
182: #17-Lance Dixon md. Derek Silverston, 11-3
195: #15-Joel Dixon wbf. Chance Wenglewski, 1:35
220: #7-Andrew Dixon dec. John Finn, 1-0
HWT: Carlos Taylor dec. Carlos Freeman, 6-3
Commentary: With more ranked kids than others ahead of them, you’re probably wondering ‘why so low.’ In general, it’s because their brackets (with only eight state qualifiers) aren’t quite as consistent as others. There were several brackets with good depth. But others were not as strong. In short, other states have more competitive semi’s, more consistently.
Keep paying attention to Oklahoma. They have an incredible crop coming through.
Special Pick
New York DI
FloRanked Wrestlers: 4
2013 State Finals:
99: HM-Yianni Diakomihalis dec. HM-Vitali Arajau, 3-2 OT
106: Kyle Quinn dec. Alex Tanzman, 7-1
113: #7-Nick Piccininni md. HM-Kyle Kelly, 14-4
120: Alex De La Cruz dec. Steven Michel, 11-7
126: #12-TJ Fabian wbf. Keanu Thompson, 5:51
132: Matt Leshinger dec. Brandon Lapi, 4-2
138: HM-Nick Kelley dec. HM-Vinny Deprez, 5-2
145: HM-Louis Hernandez dec. Eric Lewandowski, 4-2
152: #13-Corey Rasheed wbf. Chris Koo, :56
160: #16-Tyler Grimaldi dec. Steve Schneider, 9-3
170: Carlos Toribio dec. John Vrasidas, 4-3
182: HM-Shayne Brady dec. James Corbett, 5-3 OT
195: Dan Choi dec. Levi Ashley, 7-4
220: HM-Richard Sisti dec. Steven Mills, 3-2
HWT: HM-Mike Hughes wbf. Austin Coleman, 3:20
Commentary: While the number of ranked wrestlers (4) might seem low, I like NY’s depth. It’s a very competitive group, with, in my opinion, unrecognized talent. They’re not household names. And they’re not, generally speaking, flashy. But they’re gritty. You have to earn your wins against NY guys. In the end, I think their depth is deceptive.
Honorable Mention:
Minnesota AAA
Iowa 3A
Minnesota AA
New York DII
Oklahoma 5A
Ohio D2