Walsh IronmanDec 11, 2013 by Nickolas Velliquette
The Top 5 Potential Match Ups at Ironman '13
The Top 5 Potential Match Ups at Ironman '13
For some people -cough, cough: Willie Saylor and Corey Haddad- the Walsh Ironman is like the Super Bowl. It's the one sporting event that high school wrestling fanatics look forward to every single season; no surprise: the Ironman promises alot. The Ironman brings with it a variety of intriguing in-season storylines (especially on the team front this year), it showcases the best wrestlers in the country, and the plain and simple fact is that no in-season tournament affects national rankings as much as this one.
The crux of the team race surrounds Blair Academy's readmittance into the tournament and has been heavily covered by Flo's very own Willie Saylor...so for the sake of efficiency, I'll focus solely on the biggest individual match ups at the tournament -the game changers.
5. #3 Dylan Milonas (NJ) vs. #8 Alex Marinelli (OH) at 160lbs.
Super interesting match here. You've the saavy veteran, Dylan Milonas (Sr.), who seems like he's been knocking off top 10 ranked wrestlers since 2010 and then you have Alex Marinelli (So.) who just started doing that last year. This match comes with extra "juice" as it pits a Blair Academy wrestler (Milonas) vs. a St. Paris Graham wrestler (Marinelli) for the one billionth time. Where this potential match goes down: the Ironman Finals.
Flashback: to last year's Ironman semi's where Marinelli beats #10 Tony Dailey and becomes one of the rare freshman middleweights to make the tournament finals.
4. #1 Bo Nickal (TX) vs. # 6 JaVaughn Perkins (NE) at 182lbs.
I can promise you this will be one of the most exciting finals at Ironman 2013 (if it goes down). JaVaughn Perkins (Sr.) might not be quite as crafty as #1 Bo Nickal (Sr.), and his resume doesn't quite match up either, but he's still a Flonationals national champion (a title that carries with it EXTREME honor and prestige), and he's without a doubt one of the most athletic wrestlers in the whole tournament. Bo Nickal? Yea, he's pretty damn athletic too. More: Nickal is always on the attack so expect fireworks here.
Flashback: to last year's Flonationals finals where Perkins beat PA stud Cody Law. And also any match Bo Nickal wrestles in.
3. #6 Zahid Valencia (CA) vs. #7 PJ Klee (CA) at 132lbs.
Let me first start by saying both of these kids are under-ranked. Valencia's (Jr.) a two-time Fargo champ and a two-time Ironman champ. That usually makes a kid #1 in the country...PJ Klee (Sr.) is awesome too. He took 4th here last year at the same weight, with both of his losses coming to then #1 Dean Heil. Rumor also has it that Klee's been training with former Flowrestling mega-Ace and one of the coolest guys on the scene, Joe Williamson. If he got in even one workout with Joe this week, then Valencia better watch out.
Now, why is this match so interesting? Because Valencia is moving up three wt. classes from last year while Klee is staying put AND because it's a pre-cursor to the California state finals. 132lbs. in CA is made up of three superstars: these two and Emilio Saavedra. The winner of this tournament definitely stands out as the favorite to win a Cali state title in '14. Where this potential match goes down: the Ironman Semi Finals.
Flashback: to last year's Ironman finals where Zahid beat #4 Ke Shawn Hayes in a great one.
2. #2 Joey McKenna (NJ) vs. #4 Michael Kemerer (PA) at 138lbs.
Grudge match alert! Michael Kemerer (Jr.) is one of the few wrestlers to own a win over the great Joey McKenna (Sr.). McKenna can't like that, he'll defintely be looking for redemption in this one. Joey's not the only one who will be entering the match with a chip on his shoulder though. Kemerer will enter this potential Ironman Finals match just a month after losing a tough bout to Fredy Stroker at Flowrestling's historic Who's #1. Blair Academy will once again expect to scoop up team points here as Kemerer and #10 Franklin Regional will be in a dog fight for a top-5 team finish in what should be an incredible match between two highly-HIGHLY-credentialed wrestlers.
Flashback: to ten minutes ago when I found this awesome video of BOTH McKenna and Kemerer wrestling in a Blair Academy vs. Young Guns (?) summer dual.
1. #2 Solomon Chishko (PA) vs. #5 Micah Jordan (OH) at 145lbs.
What else? A classic PA vs. Ohio match up. This time, we have 3x state placer and 1x PA state champion #2 Solomon Chishko (Sr.) vs. 3x OH state champion #5 Micah Jordan (Sr). Chishko's been a household name, at least in PA, for years. Micah Jordan amplified his reputation as a national standout at last year's Ironman with his historic win over then #1 Dean Heil. We've seen little of Chishko since last spring, and we've seen even less of Micah Jordan so it's tough for wrestling fans to project how this match is going to unfold. Where these two are expected to meet: the Ironman Semi Finals.
Flashback: to the manifestation of Micah Jordan's legend at last year's Ironman.
The crux of the team race surrounds Blair Academy's readmittance into the tournament and has been heavily covered by Flo's very own Willie Saylor...so for the sake of efficiency, I'll focus solely on the biggest individual match ups at the tournament -the game changers.
5. #3 Dylan Milonas (NJ) vs. #8 Alex Marinelli (OH) at 160lbs.
Super interesting match here. You've the saavy veteran, Dylan Milonas (Sr.), who seems like he's been knocking off top 10 ranked wrestlers since 2010 and then you have Alex Marinelli (So.) who just started doing that last year. This match comes with extra "juice" as it pits a Blair Academy wrestler (Milonas) vs. a St. Paris Graham wrestler (Marinelli) for the one billionth time. Where this potential match goes down: the Ironman Finals.
Flashback: to last year's Ironman semi's where Marinelli beats #10 Tony Dailey and becomes one of the rare freshman middleweights to make the tournament finals.
4. #1 Bo Nickal (TX) vs. # 6 JaVaughn Perkins (NE) at 182lbs.
I can promise you this will be one of the most exciting finals at Ironman 2013 (if it goes down). JaVaughn Perkins (Sr.) might not be quite as crafty as #1 Bo Nickal (Sr.), and his resume doesn't quite match up either, but he's still a Flonationals national champion (a title that carries with it EXTREME honor and prestige), and he's without a doubt one of the most athletic wrestlers in the whole tournament. Bo Nickal? Yea, he's pretty damn athletic too. More: Nickal is always on the attack so expect fireworks here.
Flashback: to last year's Flonationals finals where Perkins beat PA stud Cody Law. And also any match Bo Nickal wrestles in.
3. #6 Zahid Valencia (CA) vs. #7 PJ Klee (CA) at 132lbs.
Let me first start by saying both of these kids are under-ranked. Valencia's (Jr.) a two-time Fargo champ and a two-time Ironman champ. That usually makes a kid #1 in the country...PJ Klee (Sr.) is awesome too. He took 4th here last year at the same weight, with both of his losses coming to then #1 Dean Heil. Rumor also has it that Klee's been training with former Flowrestling mega-Ace and one of the coolest guys on the scene, Joe Williamson. If he got in even one workout with Joe this week, then Valencia better watch out.
Now, why is this match so interesting? Because Valencia is moving up three wt. classes from last year while Klee is staying put AND because it's a pre-cursor to the California state finals. 132lbs. in CA is made up of three superstars: these two and Emilio Saavedra. The winner of this tournament definitely stands out as the favorite to win a Cali state title in '14. Where this potential match goes down: the Ironman Semi Finals.
Flashback: to last year's Ironman finals where Zahid beat #4 Ke Shawn Hayes in a great one.
2. #2 Joey McKenna (NJ) vs. #4 Michael Kemerer (PA) at 138lbs.
Grudge match alert! Michael Kemerer (Jr.) is one of the few wrestlers to own a win over the great Joey McKenna (Sr.). McKenna can't like that, he'll defintely be looking for redemption in this one. Joey's not the only one who will be entering the match with a chip on his shoulder though. Kemerer will enter this potential Ironman Finals match just a month after losing a tough bout to Fredy Stroker at Flowrestling's historic Who's #1. Blair Academy will once again expect to scoop up team points here as Kemerer and #10 Franklin Regional will be in a dog fight for a top-5 team finish in what should be an incredible match between two highly-HIGHLY-credentialed wrestlers.
Flashback: to ten minutes ago when I found this awesome video of BOTH McKenna and Kemerer wrestling in a Blair Academy vs. Young Guns (?) summer dual.
1. #2 Solomon Chishko (PA) vs. #5 Micah Jordan (OH) at 145lbs.
What else? A classic PA vs. Ohio match up. This time, we have 3x state placer and 1x PA state champion #2 Solomon Chishko (Sr.) vs. 3x OH state champion #5 Micah Jordan (Sr). Chishko's been a household name, at least in PA, for years. Micah Jordan amplified his reputation as a national standout at last year's Ironman with his historic win over then #1 Dean Heil. We've seen little of Chishko since last spring, and we've seen even less of Micah Jordan so it's tough for wrestling fans to project how this match is going to unfold. Where these two are expected to meet: the Ironman Semi Finals.
Flashback: to the manifestation of Micah Jordan's legend at last year's Ironman.
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