After any tournament, there’s always a lot to unpack. With Ironman, there’s a ton.

It was the first time we saw a lot of the best kids in the country and there were plenty of moments over the two days spent in the gym at Walsh Jesuit High School that opened people’s eyes for a number of different reasons. 

Also, make sure you check out Willie's 20 guys from the tournament who are on the rise.

Ok, now let's dig into everything from the weekend.

#1s Flexed

As they should, the #1-ranked wrestlers showed out. Coming into the tournament there were nine goes that had had a number one next to their name. When it was all said and done, seven of the nine were at the top of the podium with Jordan Decatur and Devin Winston being the only two to fall.

Top-ranked Ryan Anderson ended up as the OW as he recorded two falls, two decisions and two majors, one of which came in the finals against #5 Jaden Abas. Equally impressive showings came from Carson Kharchla (170); Braxton Amos (220), who became the first two-time Ironman from West Virginia; and Cohlton Schultz (285). Richie Figueroa and Trevor Mastrogiovanni were each pushed hard in the finals. Figs edged #17 Alejandro Herrera-Rondon, 2-1, while Mastrogiovanni had to come from behind to beat Lucas Byrd, who, in my mind, was one of the most impressive guys to not come out on top. Byrd has been consistently trending upward and had a great performance at Super 32, where he was a champ, so it's not surprising at all that he maintained that level.

Ferrari came out on top for the second year in a row. For me, I was a bit confused with how he wrestled. But I’ll dig into that a bit more later.

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Impressive Winners Not Ranked #1

• 106 Kyle Rowan
• 126 Reece Witcraft
• 132 Shayne Van Ness
• 152 Sam Dover
• 182 Darrien Roberts

These guys came in hungry and it showed. Van Ness was obviously a guy you knew could come in and turn some heads after announcing his presence at Super 32, where he went home with the belt. He knocked off #1 Jordan Decatur in the semis, and looked pretty solid in the process against the explosive Cadet World Teamer.

Reece Witcraft was must-see TV from start to finish. The warning label on him is to not lock up upper body with him and at all times keep your elbows in because it won’t end well for you. Rowan was very impressive. He came in ranked 14th and took out #4 Braxton Brown, who was lighting people up all weekend. Dover was an absolute dog. He pressured everyone and I think he only really shut down his offense in the finals when he was trying to conserve a lead against Brevin Balmeceda.

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I talked about Van Ness above, but to elaborate, he is really proving that he’s a guy to watch. He’s a grinder, plain and simple. He hand fights hard and doesn't stop wrestling in any position. Against Decatur, he weathered the storm and seized his opportunity. It was a bit more in the finals against Tal-Shahar, but his defense took center stage a bit more as he only gave up an escape to the Cadet World Team Trials finalist.

Out of this list of guys, the one I was surprised with the most was Darrien Roberts. He seems to have really cleaned up some things on his feet both offensively and defensively. Turley was riding high going into the finals after taking out #1 Devin Winston, and Roberts showed to be a serious gamer and stop Turley's momentum to take the title.

7 Must-Watch Matches

1. Trevor Mastrogiovanni vs. Nic Bouzakis

2. Trevor Mastrogiovanni vs. Lucas Byrd

3. Shayne Van Ness vs. Jordan Decatur

4. Carson Kharchala vs. Julian Ramirez

5. Jackson Turley vs. Devin Winston

6. Alejandro Herrera-Rondon vs. Jacob Decatur

7. Owen Trephan vs. Jake Kaminski

Blair Is Scary

The Bucs are a perennial powerhouse. It's no question, but their performance at Ironman was incredible. Antonelli's squad went 3-for-6 in the finals to give them 276.5 team points and the title. Wyoming Seminary was behind them with 176.5 points. 

I don't know about you, but I am really looking forward to seeing this year's Blair vs. Bergen Catholic dual meet.

Blair's finish

Head-Scratching Moments

My biggest question was about Jordan Decatur and his gas tank. He comes out firing in every match and then by the third period, he seems to be dragging a bit. Like I said above, Van Ness weathered the storm early. Decatur scored first, but Van Ness had the final say in the match. We all know that Decatur is one of the most talented and explosive guys around. His attacks are incredible and he has top notch athleticism. But he doesn’t seem to thrive late where some guys will look to ride their momentum from an early lead. 

Another thing that had me scratching my head was what took place after the 113 final. Richie Figueroa is an awesome competitor but it looked like things got a little too heated after what was a good match with Herrera-Rondon. I’ve never seen that from him before so definitely giving him a mulligan on that one, but I was confused by the post-match happenings. 

Lastly, AJ Ferrari getting out of positions was new to me. He’s such a dynamic scorer that when he started trotting around the mat and seemingly playing with his opponents it was just very weird and seemed to get him into a bit of trouble in the semis.

Watch Ferrari's close call in the semis:

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