Midlands 2013 Preview

Christian Pyles

The year always goes out in style in Chicago as the Midlands Championships go down at the end of every year.  

This year, like the years before has a great blend of current competing talent, former stars, and redshirting studs.  Iowa will come in as a big favorite for a Midlands title as they look to rebound off a disappointing showing against Penn State.

I’ll give you a weight by weight breakdown including brief profiles and predictions.  

**Made some adjustments in lieu of changes to participants at the end of each write up**

 
125 Seeds

1. Jesse Delgado (Illinois)
2. Jarrod Garnett (Bison Legend)
3. Cory Clark (Iowa)
4. Thomas Gilman (Iowa)
5. Dylan Peters (Northern Iowa)
6. Rob Deutsch (Rider)
7. Kory Mines (Edinboro)
8. Ryan Taylor (Wisconsin)
9. Conor Youtsey (Michigan)
10. Jared Germaine (Eastern Michigan)
11. Jerry Huff (Adams State)
12. Camden Eppert (Purdue)

Really nice field here with some potential re-matches from a year ago.   Delgado fell to both Garnett and Clark last year.  He lost to Clark at the UNI Open and Garnett at Midlands.  Clark has not had the start to the year Hawkeye fans had hoped.  Having beaten Delgado, Patterson, Sprenkle a year ago, people expected Clark to emerge as the next Hawkeyes star.  While Clark is undefeated, he hasn’t shown the consistency or separation that Coach Brands and company have looked for.  He’s still a very real talent, who will be a force.  

It is always hard to gauge the post-grads and how well they will do.  How much training is Garnett getting in?  Will he be prepared to wrestle a grueling two day tournament?  I’m not so sure he will be up for the grind, but I could be wrong.  

Though he fell to both the 2 and 3 seeds here a year ago, he’ll only have to face 1 to win the title.  I think Delgado is the guy to beat and is my pick to win it all.  He’s been great so far this year and made a statement when he dominated Nahshon Garrett (again) in their dual.  While consistency has been an issue at times for Delgado, we have to remember he was only a Sophomore last year.  I think he’s the best neutral wrestler in the country at 125.  His blend of quick attacks and incredible defense are what earned him a title a year ago and what will help him win here at Midlands.

I can’t wait to see Nathan Tomasello in action.  He’s going to be a star for the next 4 years for Ohio State in my opinion.  He’s an absolute pitbull.  Nathan is relentless, crisp and efficient.  He’s undefeated on the year and has majored 7th ranked Corey Keener as well as Buckeye teammate Nick Roberts and Korey Mines.  He’s a definite darkhorse in this bracket.  Even though he’s lost to Gilman in their Freestyle battles, it’s a match I’d love to see in Folk.  

Gilman will be highly motivated coming into this tournament as he’s in a battle with Cory Clark for the 125 pound job.  He’s been the more consistent wrestler, but his upside is not there compared to Cory’s.  He’s very gifted from a positional standpoint.  His head/hands defense are really top notch.  However, that’s about the only area Thomas is truly elite.  As of right now, he has struggled to consistently get off leg attacks.  It’s a point of emphasis that he’s worked to improve on, but it’s still a work in progress.  He is serviceable on the mat, but not likely to turn anybody of note.  

The top 6 here is really tight, and I’m not sure who I can see breaking into that top 6.

**Post Seeding Meeting Thoughts**
Well, scratch all that Tomasello talk.  Not coming.  So give me Dylan Peters in the 5 spot instead.  Peters is a pinner, but has struggled with upper echelon guys.  Really solid wrestler though. 

CP’s Predictions*

1. Jesse Delgado

2. Cory Clark

3. Thomas Gilman

4. Jarrod Garnett

5. Dylan Peters

Watch more videos on Flowrestling

Here's one of the few Gilman/Tomasello matches we've had before.  Do you guys give Nathan a shot?  

133 Seeds

1. A.J. Schopp (Edinboro)
2. Tony Ramos (Iowa)
3. Mason Beckman (Lehigh)
4. Joe Colon (Northern Iowa)
5. Tyler Graff (Wisconsin)
6. Alan Waters (Missouri)
7. Geoff Alexander (Maryland)
8. Rossi Bruno (Michigan)
9. Dom Malone (Northwestern)
10. Devon Lotito (Cal Poly)
11. Jose Mendoza (CSU Bakersfield)
12. Randy Cruz (Lehigh)

Holy cow.  5 of the top 6 are here!  It’s going to be ridiculous.  Throw in the 1 seed from NCAA’s last year and you got yourself a bona fide loaded weight.  

There’s been a fair amount of results between the top 5 here.  Ramos fell this year, but has his opportunity for revenge against Schopp.  Schopp fell to Beckman at the All Star and Colon beat Graff in their dual.  

I was possibly the most surprised of anyone when Ramos fell to Schopp at the dual.  Ramos had been such a consistent guy, for him to fall to someone he had majored a year prior was extremely surprising.  

I don’t see him falling again.  I can’t wait to see the potential Beckman and Ramos semifinal.  Also we could see Graff and Colon rematch in the quarters!  In their first meeting we saw Colon separate with tough riding including two turns.  I’d expect Graff to be ready this time around.  Look for Graff to be more assertive about getting a takedown early so that he doesn’t have to take bottom against Colon.  I see Graff navigating both Colon and Schopp (whom he’s beaten twice before) and making the finals.

I think Ramos has a great draw from the 2 spot.  He should cruise to the semi’s and then will take on undefeated Mason Beckman.   Beckman dominated Schopp earlier this year at the all star.  I don’t see Ramos being able to wear Beckman out, but I see him just being a takedown or 2 better.  Beckman will likely have former 1 seed at NCAA’s and All American Alan Waters.  Waters is up a weight and redshirting this year.  Waters had a loss earlier this year to UNI 3rd stringer Tyler Willers, so I’m definitely questioning how many cylinders Alan will be clicking on for this tournament.  

Ramos and Graff take 4 in the finals, and I’ll take Tony again.  Graff is more than capable of getting the win as he’s pushed Ramos til the very end.  The top side is loaded, and in reality Schopp, Graff and Colon all have a shot at the finals.  I just think over the course of his career Graff has been a more consistent guy.  

**Post Seeding Meeting Thoughts** 
Disappointed we won't see any Zane Richards, but other than that everythings about the same.

CP’s Predictions

1. Tony Ramos

2. Tyler Graff

3. Mason Beckman

4. AJ Schopp

5. Joe Colon

If you haven't seen Ramos get SHOCKED by Schopp yet this year.  Check it out below!

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141

Pre Seeds

1. Mitchell Port (Edinboro)
2. Rick Durso (Franklin & Marshall)
3. Adam Krop (Princeton)
4. Shyheim Brown (Maryland)
5. Matt Bystol (Columbia)
6. Laike Gardner (Lehigh)
7. Josh Dziewa (Iowa)
8. Joey Lazor (Northern Iowa)
9. Ethan Raley (Indiana)
10. Ryan Fillingame (Adams State)
11. Gustavo Martinez (Grand View)
12. Pat Greco (Northwestern)

This weight may not have the top upside talent that 25 and 33 had, but it has great depth of talent.  

Mitchell Port comes in as a massive favorite here.  This weight would have been all about the Carter and Port potential match up.  We could have seen that match earlier in the VT v Edinboro Dual, but Port didn’t wrestle then, and now Carter is done for the year.  What could have been?  

Durso has been under the radar this year and is yet to face much ranked competition.  This was more/less true a year ago when he was one of the big surprises of NCAA’s when he nearly upset top seeded Hunter Stieber in the semi’s.  He beat Dardanes in the earlier rounds but fell to Neibert in the round of 12.  

I think after Durso, there’s a substantial drop off and that the next 6 or so guys are all very even.

One guy to keep your eye on from the 9 seed is Joey Lazor.  Had a pretty brutal Vegas which certainly hurt his seed here.  However, the talent is there.  Look for him to outwrestle his seed.  I’d be borderline shocked to see him off the podium here at Midlands.  Josh Dziewa, the Hawkeyes hope at 141 has an opportunity to get himself ranked, as he will face a fair amount of ranked competition here.  To date, he has never defeated a ranked wrestler.  This will be Dziewa’s chance.

A name many may not recognize and may wonder “howd he get the 3 seed?” is Richard Krop.  Here are some of Krops notable wins through the years: Neibert, Nevinger, Henderson are the first 3 that come to mind, but that’s hardly an all inclusive list.  He’s legit.  He fell to Retherford earlier this year and injury defaulted against Durso.

I like Port here.  He’s a great tournament wrestler because he is so fundamentally sound and great at match strategy.  He may not blow guys away from quarters on, but watch for him to control pace, ties and win some tight matches en route to a Midlands title.

**Post Seeding Meeting Thoughts: Not too many changes here either.  No Todd Preston.  I'll keep my top 5 as is.  

CP’s Predictions

1. Mitchell Port

2. Richard Durso

3. Joey Lazor

4. Richard Krop

5. Josh Dziewa

149

Pre Seeds

1. Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern)
2. Darrion Caldwell (RAW 241)
3. David Habat (Edinboro)
4. Zach Neibert (Virginia Tech)
5. Eric Grajales (Michigan)
6. Mitch Minotti (Lehigh)
7. Mike Kelly (Iowa)
8. Jake Short (Minnesota)
9. Gabe Morse (Northern Illinois)
10. Blake Roulo (George Mason)
11. Brandon Nelsen (Purdue)
12. Colin Shober (Northwestern)

Crazy excited to see Caldwell back in action.  The question that will follow DC for the rest of his career is his health, specifically the health of his shoulder.  You may or may not remember that Tsirtsis and Caldwell have wrestled before.  It was certainly a surprising result, but I’ll let you watch and see for yourself!  

I love Tsirtsis here, and really would be surprised to see him challenged.  This is not as loaded as other weights with only 2 top 10 guys in the field.  If we get the 2009 Caldwell, then maybe I’d be inclined to pick DC, but I’m not sure we’ll see that guy ever again.  There’s a pretty clear separation from 5 on in my opinion.

Eric Grajales has been as enigmatic as ever this year.  He’s beaten former #1 and 2 time AA Scott Sakaguchi, yet he’s fallen to Gabe Morse, Michael DePalma and Ian Paddock.  So don’t be surprised to see Eric notch a nice win, followed up by an underwhelming defeat.  I think we see Neibert and Grajales battle it out in the quarters (I like Neibert) only to fall to Tsirtsis in the semi’s.  Habat and Caldwell will hit in the semi’s.  I’ll take Caldwell with minimal confidence.  Tsirtsis over Caldwell to take the title.

**Post Seeding Meeting Thoughts: No Caleb Ervin for Illinois.  Doesn't impact my predictions here, but it is a hit to the Illini team push.

CP’s Predictions

1. Jason Tsirtsis

2. Darrion Caldwell

3. Dave Habat

4. Zach Neibert

5. Eric Grajales

Here's the Tsirtsis v. Caldwell match!  Could history repeat itself?  

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157

Pre Seeds

1. Derek St. John (Iowa)
2. Nick Brascetta (Virginia Tech)
3. Taylor Walsh (Indiana)
4. Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin)
5. Zac Brunson (Illinois)
6. Andrew Morse (Northern Illinois)
7. Markus Scheidel (Columbia)
8. John Greisheimer (Edinboro)
9. Nazar Kulchytskyy (UW-Oshkosh)
10. Matt Gray (North Dakota State)
11. Brandon Zeerip (Eastern Michigan)
12. Destin McCauley (Nebraska)

It’s Derek St. John and everyone else for this bracket.  The champ comes in as the 1 seed and a big favorite.  Walsh is coming in red hot with a 21-0 record.  However, the competition in which he’s faced must be considered.  18 falls, but the 3 times he’s faced any semblance of relevant D1 competition (Randy Languis, Doug Welch and Spartak Chino) he’s won by decision.  Look for him to mop up the early rounds with pins.  Walsh can do it all on top: cradles, quarter nelsons, and leg riding.  Walsh fell to Isaac Jordan last year at this tournament, and split with Napoli.  I like how Jordan has looked this year, and think he would have a shot at the finals if he wasn’t on DSJ’s side of the bracket.  

I expect two St. Paris Graham guys to duke it out in the quarters when Nick Brascetta takes on Isaac Jordan.  I like Jordan in that match.  In the bottom semi, I don’t see anybody preventing the Napoli and Walsh rubber match.  I really like the aggression that Walsh has been wrestling with, but think Napoli will just out-fox him in a few positions.  Both guys are good on top and great scramblers.  When Napoli went 2 and bbq at NCAA’s he lost 6-0 to Walsh.  I think revenge will be on Joey’s mind and we’ll see him take this one by the slimmest of margins.

True Freshman Brian Murphy emerged at Vegas as a guy to keep your eye on.  He pushed James Green to the brink in their semi final bout.  He’s got a great motor and is comfortable in most positions.  He beat Max Schnieder and Andy McCulley (in a wild one) at Vegas.  He then forfeited out.  Here’s hoping he’s healthy and ready to go for this one.  

Ultimately DSJ will win this one with little trouble whether he faces Napoli (whom he dominated last year) or Walsh.  It’ll be a true dog fight for the 3-5 spot.

**Post Seeding Meeting Thoughts: Brascetta gets a well deserved bump to the 2 seeed.  He is the returning Midlands Champ afterall.  Disappointed that we won't see Napoli here.  Also I'm excited to see Destin McCauley wrestle his first collegiate match.  He's a real dark horse here.  

CP’s Predictions:

1. Derek St. John

2. Taylor Walsh

3. Isaac Jordan

4. Nick Brascetta

5. Destin McCauley

165

Pre Seeds

1. Steven Monk (North Dakota State)
2. Nick Moore (Iowa)
3. Taylor Massa (Michigan)
4. Jackson Morse (Illinois)
5. Cooper Moore (Northern Iowa)
6. Ramon Santiago (Rider)
7. Pierce Harger (Northwestern)
8. Ryan LeBlanc (Indiana)
9. Josh Houldsworth (Columbia)
10. Chad Lowman (Grand View)

This one is probably the most wide open weight of them all.  This weight goes about 7 deep with really solid guys.  If you guys don’t know about Bo Jordan, get ready.  Dude is going to crush his seed.  I’ve always liked Monk a lot.  He’s great on the mat and a tremendous scrambler.  I’m pretty excited for the Yates and Morse semi.  I like Morse.  Then I think I like Moore over Morse into the semi.  

Bottom side it gets really juicy.  I think Jordan upsets Massa in the quarter and beats Monk in the semi!  Judge me!  I’m all in for Bo Jo.  Could swing and miss here (wouldn’t be the first time) but I think Bo is ready to go.  He’s got the requisite strength for this weight coupled with immaculate defense, great hand fighting and brutal top game.  Honestly out of Massa, Monk and Jordan I could see scenarios where any one of them make the finals.  Monk fell to Massa a year ago, but has been rock solid this year.  Massa is redshirting, so this will be the first real test of his season.  

So we’ve got a Nick Moore v. Bo Jordan final.  I’ve come this far, no turning back.  Give me Bo to take the title.  If he’s not better than these guys now, he will be very soon.  

**Post Seeding Meeting Thoughts:  Welp, so much for my grand Bo Jordan prediction.  Oh well.  Monk get's the 1 seed ultimately which seems very fair.  It set's up a potentially very interesting semi between Moore and Massa.  The two have yet to meet in college.  I just went complete chalk for my predictions.  How incredibly lame, but that's who I think the best guys are!  Intersting sidenote of 

CP’s Predictions

1. Steven Monk

2. Nick Moore

3. Taylor Massa

4. Jackson Morse

5. Cooper Moore

174

Pre Seeds

1. Mike Evans (Iowa)
2. Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State)
3. Elliot Riddick (Lehigh)
4. Bryce Hammond (CSU Bakersfield)
5. Cody Caldwell (Northern Iowa)
6. Tony Dallago (Illinois)
7. Brock Gutches (Southern Oregon)
8. Landon Williams (Wartburg)
9. Scott Liegel (Wisconsin)
10. Jimmie Schuessler (Grand View)
11. Jake Residori (SIU-Edwardsville)
12. Zach Epperly (Virginia Tech)

A huge favorite and then a few solid guys.  This weight doesn’t have  the “wow” factor of other weights, but will be big in the team race considering Iowa, Northwestern and Illinois all have contenders here.

Evans is coming off of a rough showing against Matt Brown.  Mike is still very much the same guy he’s always been.  He should have his full complement of skills on display here.  Good pace, very physical and tough top wrestling.  There aren’t other elite 74’s here to be honest, so we could see Evans have his way on top.  

So really it’s a battle for 2nd.  Riddick is a guy who caught my eye.  However, Elliot will likely hit Evans in the semis, so he’s out.  Riddick is very dangerous from neutral but has had some real consistency issues this year, which is expected for a Freshman.  Munster is the two, which is fair, but really he’s as vulnerable as any seeded guy.  Fortunately for NW fans, the field isn’t great at this weight.  I don’t really feel great about any of the guys on the bottom half, so I’ll just go chalk with Munster.  1-8 all have a spot in the top 4 or 5 based on their ability.  There’s little separating these guys.

**Post Seeding Meeting Thoughts:  Wow, no Munster.  Big blow to Northwestern.  I'm strugglying to believe in Zilmer here, so I'm going with Riddick to get to the finals.  

CP’s Predictions

1. Mike Evans

2. Elliot Riddick

3. Tony Dallago

4. Hayden Zilmer
5. Dom Kastl

184

Pre Seeds

1. Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa)
2. Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland)
3. Nate Brown (Lehigh)
4. Vic Avery (Edinboro)
5. Ophir Bernstein (Brown)
6. Jackson Hein (Wisconsin)
7. Sam Brooks (Iowa)
8. Phillip Joseph (Eastern Michigan)
9. Nikko Reyes (Illinois)
10. Lucas Sheridan (Indiana)
11. Kurtis Julson (North Dakota State)
12. Mitch Sliga (Northwestern)

Well we will get some clarity with our 184 rankings here soon.  We’ve got 2, 3 and 4 all here.  We haven’t seen much of Loder this year, but Sheptock and Lofthouse all have been very solid.  In my opinion the two best guys at 184 will be in Tennessee this week (Ruth and Steinhaus).  I think there are a number of guys with some upside here to break in the top 5.  Lofthouse and Swartz has the potential to be the most boring semi final bout of the day.  Two guys who don’t take chances and let it fly too often.  It’s the perfect storm.

Sheptock and Loder has the potential to be exciting on the bottom side.  I think Sheptock win the rubber match between these two.  I think there are a few potential sleepers in this bracket.  First is the unseeded Pat Downey.  World Junior Silver medals may not rate too high on the seeding criteria, but color me very interested in how Mr. Downey does this weekend.  I’m assuming with the emergence of Dudley that Downey will be taking a redshirt year.  This will be his first collegiate competition as far as I can tell, so it makes following him even more interesting.  Iowa’s Sam Brooks and Brown’s Ophir Bernstein are both super tough.  I’m excited to see Brooks wrestling down at 184 again.  He’s been in spot duty for 197 as Burak recovers from an injury.  The fact of the matter is, Brooks isn’t on Buraks level.  Not at 197 anyways.   True Freshman Dominic Abounader is looking to make some noise in his first Midlands.  He certainly has the talent to outplace his seed.

**Post Seeding Meeting Thoughts: Dang, no Loder or Swartz.  Disappointing.  Hope we see them again soon.

CP's Predictions
1. Ethen Lofthouse
2. Jimmy Sheptock
3. Nate Brown
4. Ophir Bernstein
5. Sam Brooks

197

Pre Seeds

1. Mario Gonzalez (Illinois)
2. Christian Boley (Maryland)
3. Nathan Burak (Iowa)
4. Braden Atwood (Purdue)
5. Alex Polizzi (Northwestern)
6. Chris Penny (Virginia Tech)
7. Nick Whitenburg (Eastern Michigan)
8. Joe Rau (Minnesota Storm)
9. John Bolich (Lehigh)
10. Donald McNeil (Rider)
11. Shane Siefert (UW-Whitewater)
12. Basil Minto (Northern Iowa)

Alrighty then.  Not a breathtaking weight here.  Zero All Americans in the field, the only weight like it here at Midlands.  I’ve always really believed in Burak’s talent.  Perhaps to a fault.  I always respected the aggression and frequency of his leg attacks during the second half of the season.  He went back and forth with Gonzalez last year and has never faced Boley.  All the top 3 seeds have had consistency issues.  I don’t see many dark horses in this field either.  Burak has a tough draw, which gives me some hesitation to pick him, but whatever.  Going with my gut.  

**Post Seeding Meeeting Thoughts: Not too much goin on here.

CP’s Predictions

1. Nathan Burak

2. Mario Gonzalez

3. Christian Boley

4. Chris Penny

5. Alex Polizzi

285

Pre Seeds

1. Bobby Telford (Iowa)
2. Spencer Myers (Maryland)
3. Adam Coon (Michigan)
4. J.T. Felix (Boise State)
5. Connor Medbery (Wisconsin)
6. Eric Thompson (Grand View)
7. Chad Johnson (Augsburg)
8. Adam Fager (Utah Valley)
9. Ty Walz (Virginia Tech)
10. Ernest James (Edinboro)
11. Evan Knutson (North Dakota State)
12. Doug Vollaro (Lehigh)

Here’s a sweet weight.  This is a deep one with some real studs.  Really wish Coon was opposite McMullan as I think they’re the two best here. I’m guessing Myers gets the nod in seeding from his previous AA finish?   Coon has certainly beaten better competition this year, but I don’t know the Midlands seeding criteria.

Anyways.  I’m super excited for a few things.  First of all, we could have a rematch of the heavyweight classic at CKLV between Felix and Coon in the quarters!  Coon’s in match adjustments and freakish athleticism won him that match against the agile and slick Felix.  I think Coon get’s Felix again only to fall to the seasoned vet McMullan.  Maybe I’m overstating a bit how much of a favorite McMullan is as he’s fallen to lesser guys before (including the 7 seed Chalfant).  I’m just a fan of his game and his evolution.  He’s still got the wild scrambling ability that leaves some of the big guys bewildered and befuddled, but he’s learned to pick his spots more this year.  

Telford has a dream draw to the finals if the seeds hold.  I’d be surprised to see him outside of the finals.  He’s still the same guy, good hand fighter, minimal attacks, hard to score on and good on the mat.  I think Utah Valley’s Adam Fager is a guy to keep your eye on.  I saw him at CKLV and was impressed.  Don’t be surprised if he outperforms his seed.  The top 7 here are all very solid.  Anytime you have this many solid guys I think you’re bound to have some upsets!  Stay tuned.

**Post Seeding Meeting Thoughts: Bummer!  No McMullan!  Felix and Telford semi though!  I think Coon walks to the finals.  

CP’s Predictions

1. Adam Coon
2. Bobby Telford
3. JT Felix
4. Connor Medbery
5. Adam Fager

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Here's that Coon v. Felix final I told you about!  Watch and hope for heavyweight matches THIS exciting.  
So that’s it, all 10 weights!  That’s how I see it going down.  Stay tuned to see how it goes!  

Here’s how I see the top 5 teams shaking out.

1. Iowa

2. Illinois

3. Northwestern

4. Edinboro

5. UNI