While I'm doing rankings in the preseason, and increasingly at this time of year, I often think about what import they might have to 'The Rose Bowl of Wrestling' - The Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. I actually keep a tab in my ranking spreadheets specifically for PWC all year long.

A finale of sorts, the PWC, or 'Dapper Dan' as it was formerly known, is a senior sendoff to those that have had the best careers and wrestled at the highest of levels at the end of it. And it's produced some of the wildest matches and best memories in high school wrestling history. One could get lost in digging through their results.

It's not that my rankings are the final arbiter, but we do know a few things  1) the committee uses Flo rankings as a baseline, 2) they tend to opt for the candidate with the most state titles, 3) in the case of private school wrestlers, their 'home state' is considered the state in which their school resides. Typically item #3 is important when Wyoming Seminary has a candidate from outside of PA - like Nick Reenan a few years ago - in which case he is considered for the PA Team. It also often comes in to play when Blair has a PA native - in which case he is considered for the National Team only.

Neither Sem nor Blair have a senior candidate that makes #3 applicable this year, but there is one case in which it comes into play - at 138 with #1 Jojo Aragona who lives in PA and goes across the Delaware River for high school at Pope John in New Jersey. Odds are he will be considered only for the National Team.

Another thing to recognize, as obvious or not, is that PA's selection is both wide open and late. The PA State tournament - the last state to hold their championships - is the final arbiter. So while a senior could be ranked very highly in the country, we've seen several cases over the years where a lower ranked, or honorable mention type, knocks them off and snags the spot.

Also in regards to PA - and I think this is a great thing - is that in recent years the committee has been a bit more liberal; on certain occasions it has flexed a PA guy up or down in weight to get the best representative and team when a highly credentialed senior rep isn't otherwise available. For example, last year they got creative and had two bouts at 120 in lieu of a viable PA Sr. at 113. 

Anywho - over the years I've made my recommendations and projections either publicly here on Flo or to the PWC committee directly. There are always things I hit and always a couple selections that don't follow my projections. But let's get to it.

113 Team USA - Kurt McHenry, MD

Highest Ranked Seniors

#3-(at 120) Kurt McHenry, MD

#10-Jacob Decatur, OH

#12-Brendon Garcia, CO

#14-Jacob Moran, IN

A very fluid situation here, and a curveball. McHenry unexpectedly (at least to me) moved down to 113 last week. He's debatably the #1 guy in the country at the weight and no worse than #2. Should he 1) stay down at 113 all season and 2) wrestle the entire folk season (there's rumors he skips the second half of the year to prepare for college and freestyle) he's a no-brainer pick. That becomes suspect though should he wrestle preps at 120 or skip the second semester. 

Two months ago I would have said Jacob Decatur would be a shoo-in. But he took a couple losses at Ironman and slipped. In the meantime, Colorado's Brendon Garcia dropped to 113. Garcia has had an impeccable Fargo resume placing 3rd or higher in all six of his tournaments over the past three years. So after Ironman, he was ranked higher.

But here's the problem both Decatur and Garcia lost to unranked guys last weekend, plummeting their ranking into the back half.

When we look at state placings, Decatur has gone 1-1-6. Garcia has gone 1-1-1. Moran is 1-DNP-8. Advantage Garcia.

There is the angle that the committee might be interested with both Decatur brothers. Jordan at 132, at this point, should be an automatic.

113 Team Pennsylvania - Beau Bayless, Reynolds, PA

This is speculation, but should Bayless, a State Champ two years ago, drops to 113 and wins another title, he would almost certainly be the guy. If not, the next man up would be Liberty's Tal-Reese Fleming, who was state 3rd last year.

120 Team USA - Eric Barnett, WI

Highest Ranked Seniors

#1-Eric Barnett, WI

#3-Kurt McHenry, MD

#4-Lucas Byrd, OH

#5-Sam Latona, AL

The winner of the Fargo bracket in which Mastrogiovanni and Aden Reeves were both present, Barnett is already wrestling 120 and should have very little trouble staying undefeated and maintaining the top spot. For my money, he's the obvious choice as the the consensus #1 and a state resume that will read 3x State Champ and 1x 3rd.

120 Team Pennsylvania - Ryan Sullivan, Shaler, PA

Sullivan has a few things working for him. First, he's the highest ranked PA Senior. Second, he's a returning state champ. And on the intangible front - he's committed to Pitt. It would be nice to have a future Panther wrestling in his future home gym.

That being said, PA is deceptively deep with quality (though not credentialed) Senior 120's - five of the top seven ranked wrestlers per PAPower are seniors in AAA. In AA, if Bayless doesn't drop and wins a title at 120, the committee will have a tough decision between two two-timers. 

126 Team USA - To Be Decided

Highest Ranked Seniors

#2-Reece Witcraft, OK

#3-Michael Coliaocco, NJ

#4-Aden Reeves, IA

It reads 'To Be Decided' but it's really very simple. If Witcraft wrestles his state tournament at 126 he's the guy. He made finals of both Fargo and Ironman, splitting with Colaiocco and winning the most recent meeting. Should he move up, Colaiocco becomes the obvious selection.

126 Team Pennsylvania - Sean Pierson, Nazareth, PA

Ranked 11th, Pierson was 3rd in the state last year where his only loss was to state champ Logan Macri, who repped PA in the Dapper. Pierson went on to make the finals of FloNationals. The only SR in AAA that could test him would be Colton Camacho, a state runner-up last year, should he drop from 132. 

132 Team USA - Jordan Decatur, OH

Highest Ranked Seniors

#2-Jordan Decatur, OH

#3-Ridge Lovett, ID

#4-Dylan D'Emilio, OH

Pretty cut and dry here. Decatur is the guy barring some crazy loss or an injury. He has two state titles and spent the majority of his career within the Top 5. He also has the recent head-to-head over D'Emilio. And I doubt Lovett stays down at 132.

132 Team Pennsylvania - Julian Chlebove, Northampton, PA

If not for some off the mat stuff (that is well behind him) Chlebove would be joining the exclusive group of PA 4xers. That's how special he is. A Chlebove-Decatur bout would absolutely be one for the ages. It would be the headliner of this year's event, and a high scoring one at that. If there is a god, this match will happen.

For the sake of being comprehensive, AA does have three good options. Josh Jones was the runner-up to Gavin Teasdale last year. Chase Shields was also 2nd, and Richie Markulics, and Edinboro signee, was 3rd.

138 Team USA - Jojo Aragona, NJ

Highest Ranked Seniors

#1-Jojo Aragona, NJ

#3-(at 132)-Ridge Lovett, ID

#5-Connor McGonagle, NH

Aragona has answered the bell. He has clearly defined he's the #1 guy at 138 and he has wins over both #1 and #2 at 145. To be honest, I hate that he'll only be considered for the national team. He's from PA!

So that's that. Except...Aragona doesn't yet have a state title. If it were up to me, I'd send him the invitation now. But they might like all those state titles Lovett has, and a rare rep from Idaho. 

Because of the lack of top flight PA Senior 138 (read below), I propose this: Have Aragona on PA, and invite Lovett as part of Team USA! Voila! Much better bout.

138 Team Pennsylvania - To Be Decided

Ok, now that I ticked off all the PA 138's...

Should the committee not opt for the (much much juicier) Aragona-to-PA route, I'll brace myself for a letdown.

Here's why: the two best Senior 138's in PA are Devin Britton and Patrick Gould. Britton was 3rd last year. Gould DNP'd after taking 8th as both a Fr. and So. 

But neither of them will get picked. Why? Sammie Hillegas will win that weight in AAA, meanwhile, someone not as good as Gould or Britton will win AA and that will carry clout.

Unless 2x State finalist, Kollin Myers (AA) or defending state champ Jeff Boyd (AAA) move down to 138, you're probably looking at a dullish, foregone conclusion. Of course Myers could win 145 and the committee could flex him to 138. It wouldn't be as good as Aragona-Lovett, but it would be better than the alternative. 

145 Team USA - Kevon Davenport, MI

Highest Ranked Seniors

#3-Jaden Abas, CA

#4-Kevon Davenport, MI

#5-Bryce Andonian, OH

#6-(at 152)-Theorius Robison, CO

Three great choices here. Abas and Davenport both have last wins over Andonian. Abas has been far more productive - wrestling at more events and with more elite wins. However, Davenport does have three state titles to Andonian's two and Abas' one (Abas lost both Fr. and So. year to 4xer Justin Mejia). 

I think it's highly likely the committee goes with a 4xer in Kevon Davenport. Outside shot of Theorius, who also is going for four. 

145 Team Pennsylvania - Ryan Anderson, Bethlehem Catholic, PA

1st and 3rd the last two years in PA, Anderson is the clear #1 in America with a Super 32 belt and an Ironman title. He's about as big a lock as anyone for either side. Fellow returning state AAA champ Jeff Boyd is ranked 2nd, but I think we see this weight clear out to avoid Anderson. 

152 Team USA - Andrew Alirez, CO

Highest Ranked Seniors

#2-Cam Amine, MI

#3-Sam Dover, OH

#5-Brevin Balmeceda, FL

With wins at WNO and in JR Freestyle, Alirez has established himself as one of the premier guys in the country. Going for his 4th state title, I consider Alirez a no-brainer pick. Keep in mind while Amine has two state titles, Dover doesn't have any. Balmeceda has 3 in four years (one as an 8th grader). 

152 Team Pennsylvania - Ryan Vulakh, Pope John Paul II, PA

Pennsylvania is very thin, senior-wise, at 152 and 160. There are two that should, in some order, fit the bill and serve PA very well. Both are DI and Top 100 recruits. Ryan Vulakh is currently ranked 14th at 145 but has been wrestling 152 and 160. Dan Mancini is ranked 10th at 152. Other than those two, there are just low state placers that are seniors. The committee will need to have both these guys in some order at 152 and 160 no matter what weight they wrestle in Hershey, though both will likely be undersized.

160 Team USA - Connor Brady, Olentangy Liberty, OH

Highest Ranked Seniors

#2-Connor Brady, OH

#3-Jace Luchau, CA

#4-Matt Olguin, CA

Brady has long been one of the nation's best and after 3rd at Fargo and titles at Super 32 and Ironman, he's the obvious pick here. The only thing that might be a curveball is if he dropped to 152. He wrestled there for S32 but it's highly unlikely he goes down again.

He doesn't have a state title, but there isn't any top-ranked senior candidates with multiples, making it an irrelevant stat in this case. 

160 Team Pennsylvania - Dan Mancini, Owen J. Roberts, PA

What was said about 152 above is the same message here. There aren't any candidates at 170 that would drop, but Vulakh and Mancini in some order make for very strong reps.

170 Team USA - Carson Kharchla, Olentangy Liberty, OH

Highest Ranked Seniors

#1-Carson Kharchla, OH

#3-Julian Ramirez, FL

#5-Sean Harman, OR

Pretty cut and dry here. despite only having one state title, Kharchla has erased any question whatsoever of who the best 170lber in the nation is, beating 2x Prep Champ Ramirez twice this fall/winter. It will make for teammates back-to-back at Dapper.

170 Team Pennsylvania - Edmond Ruth, Susquehanna Twp., PA

There are three nationally ranked 170lbers in PA but Edmond is the only SR. With two state titles and another within reach, Ruth is a very good bet to get the nod. However, there is the possibility of Carter Starocci coming down. Both were state champs a year ago. But Susquehanna moves from AA to AAA this year.

182 Team USA - To Be Decided

Highest Ranked Seniors

#1-Devin Winston, MO

#2-Abe Assad, IL

#3-Parker Keckeisen, WI

Heck if I know. 182 has been a merry-go-round at #1. All three have similar cases. Assad won the Cadet spot in Akron. Winston was the highest placer at Fargo (all those ahead of him were high school graduates). Keckeisen really turned some heads - and probably had the best wins - but that was all at 170. 

The number of state titles also doesn't help differentiate. All have one.  I have no idea (or recommendation) on which way they turn. All seems equal to me and they'll get a great rep no matter what. 

That being said - Starocci did call out Winston, which certainly makes things entertaining.

182 Team Pennsylvania - Carter Starocci, Erie Cathedral, PA

182 is pretty darn loaded in PA. With a state title, Starocci leads the group. But 1) it won't be easy and 2) he could  very easily drop to 170 for Hershey. 

So let's sort this out. If Starocci drops to 170 it's a two man race. Whoever wins 170 AAA between Starocci and Ruth gets the Dapper spot.

Should he stay at 182 he's looking at a super deep weight with Fargo Champ Luke Stout, Super 32 finalist Gerritt Nijenhuis (who almost beat Starocci last year in Hershey) and Scott Joll. Stout and Nijenhuis are both Juniors, but it makes the path to a state title very tenuous. 

AA offers some good SR candidates too, with state runner-up Julian Gorring and FloNationals finalist Jared McGill. Either could get in if, say, they win the AA title and Nijenhuis wins AAA.

So it's far from wrapped up.

Want a real curveball - how 'bout Wyoming Seminary's Darrien Roberts? The Ironman Champ could well be the highest ranked 182lber from PA. And he IS from PA, growing up in District XI. If a senior fails to win 182 in both AA and AAA, Roberts deserves it. 

195 Team USA - Jacob Cardenas, Bergen Catholic, NJ

Highest Ranked Seniors

#2-Jacob Cardenas, NJ

#3-Peter Christensen, IL

#4-David Key, GA

#5-Wyatt Hendrickson, KS

A great group of candidates with the Super 32 Champ (Cardenas) the Super 32 runner-up (Hendrickson), and the Ironman runner-up (Christensen).

Cardenas, though, has clearly earned it. He beat Hendrickson and has a win over Amos, who just beat Christensen. 

195 Team Pennsylvania - Cole Urbas, State College, PA

Urbas seems like a sure thing. He's the highest ranked PA senior by Flo, and #1 in AAA by PA Power. He's placed at majors and took 2nd and 3rd in his last two trips to Hershey. That said, there are some solid guys to push him in his AAA bracket and in AA Chase Dull, the state runner-up to Gavin Hoffman is back and could snake the spot should Urbas falter.

220 Team USA - Zach Marcheselli, Broken Arrow, OK

Highest Ranked Seniors

#4-Owen Trephan, SC

#6-Victor Jacquez, CA

#8-Braden Morgan, KS

#11-Zach Marcheselli, OK

A rare situation here where the Top 3 guys nationally are all Juniors. 

Trephan is a bit underrated yet, for the same reason, a tough sell. He's always the bridesmaid, never the bride, so to speak. He's been so close to major titles but always blocked by the Top 5 guys. I know how the committee will feel about that - no Ironman or Beast title, no Prep title. But the invites will most certainly be sent out to the National candidates before Jacquez even has a chance to gain a Cali title. So what are their options? 

How 'bout Marcheselli who has three Oklahoma titles? Would be good to see him one last time before he goes off to TCU for football.

220 Team Pennsylvania - Dom Deluca, Derry, PA

The best 220 in PA is a Junior in #3-Hunter Catka. But Deluca has been knocking on the door, going 2nd and 3rd the last two years. He should win AA. And barring anyone dropping, he's clearly the best option.

285 Team USA - Cohlton Schultz, Ponderosa, CO

Highest Ranked Seniors

#1-Cohlton Schultz, CO

#2-Greg Kerkvliet, MN

While Nomad and I spent the last two years arguing who was the better prospect, the answer to the question: who should be ranked higher? has been uncovered. Schultz simply had the best (and most error-free) high school career.

Does the committee care about this ranking decision? one in which the tie was broken from a 2017 freestyle match? I don't know. But it's relatively clear cut.

Both are great options. Both have been amazing. Both will have four state titles. And both will draw a crowd. But in splitting hairs, the edge very scientifically goes to Schultz, who just recently became one of just a handful to ever make four Ironman finals. 

285 Team Pennsylvania - To Be Decided

With three very solid Senior heavyweights, PA is in a good place here. Kawaun Deboe has performed the best in Hershey as he already has three state placings including last year's runner-up performance. But Michael Wolfgram has really climbed the ladder. He's ranked 8th to Deboe's 12th, though PA Power has Deboe #1 and Wolfgram #2. It's close. And then there's PA Power's #3 Jacob Slinger. A George Mason commit, Slinger is a bubble guy nationally and was state 7th last year.

AA doesn't really offer a viable alternative so it appears the last match of the PA state tournament will decide who gets chosen for the Dapper Dan.