The Mighty Midlands is fast approaching. Many high caliber wrestlers will be piling into the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates to partake in the grandest wrestling tournament of them all. 

Watch 2019 Midlands Championships LIVE on FloWrestling

December 29-30 | 10:30 AM Eastern

While you can count on a bevy of ranked wrestlers in every bracket, you can also count on a surfeit of dark horses and landmines lurking just under the radar. Registration hasn't closed yet, but based on the teams entered, we've highlighted a few guys to keep your eye on at each weight class who could disrupt the current order of things at the 57th Midlands. 

125 Pounds

Gage Curry, American

Joe Manchino, Columbia

Bryce West, Northern Illinois

Two-time national qualifier Gage Curry has a win over Manchino, who just missed qualifying for Pittsburgh as a true frosh. Both EIWA rivals are poised for a deep post season run this year. 

Northern Illinois may not be as well-known as it's direction-less rival in Champagne, but there is some good young talent in DeKalb, and Bryce West is a big part of that. 

133 Pounds

Louie Hayes, Virginia

Carmen Ferrante, Penn

Jack Skudlarczyk, Northern Iowa

Mario Guillen, Ohio

Injuries and getting caught between two weight classes hampered Louie Hayes last season. But now that he's settled in at 133, we could see a return to form that saw him finish in the blood round in 2018 as a redshirt freshman. 

Watch Hayes defeat the ranked Anthony Madrigal at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational:

Unlock this video, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In

Ferrante, Skudlarczyk and Guillen are all bubble guys in a very deep weight class nationally.

141 Pounds

Matthew Kazimir, Columbia

Dresden Simon, Central Michigan

Paul Konrath, Indiana

Matthew Kazimir is 14-1 on the season which includes two wins over national qualifiers. Dresden Simon has wins over four national qualifiers already on the season, including a victory over All-American Kyle Shoop. Paul Konrath hasn't had a big win yet this season, but last year he toppled third placer Tariq Wilson.

149 Pounds

Kizhan Clarke, American

PJ Ogunsanya, Army

Mason Smith, Campbell

Few wrestlers have been as hot as Kizhan Clarke is this season. He's a scorching 18-0 as we round the midway point of his redshirt junior season. 

Mason Smith is a two-time NCAA qualifier who's now had two seasons of coaching by Cary Kolat at Campbell. And we had to include PJ Ogunsanya, if for no other reason than to embed the following video.

Watch Ogunsanya's dramatic overtime win over three-time national qualifier Cole Martin:

Unlock this video, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In

157 Pounds

Justin Thomas, Oklahoma

Mason Kauffman, Northern Illinois

Logan Parks, Central Michigan

One of the deepest weight classes in the NCAA will be on full display at the Midlands. Justin Thomas made the round of 12 last season but is ranked a mere 18th. That is a testament to the deep talent pool far more than it is an indictment on Thomas' capabilities.

Watch Thomas' win over Jaden Mattox at the CKLV:

Unlock this video, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In

More evidence of the deepness of the weight is Logan Parks and Mason Kauffman both being outside the top 20. Both are capable of doing a lot of damage to this bracket. 

165 Pounds

Kennedy Monday, North Carolina

Emil Soehnlen, Purdue

Danny Braunagel, Illinois

Injuries derailed Kennedy Monday's sophomore season. But a healthy Monday is a scary proposition for the rest of the weight class, as Joey Lavallee found out the hard way in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Championship. Monday upset the #2 seed Lavallee on his way to a bloodround finish. 

It would be easy to overlook freshman Emil Soehnlen, as his 9-6 record is unremarkable. Five of those losses were to ranked opponents and the sixth was to blue-chip recruit Carson Karchla. It would be unwise to overlook Soehnlen if you plan on sharing a bracket with him.

Braunagel is another big Ten freshman with a very high ceiling and tremendous upside potential.

174 Pounds

Ben Harvey, Army

Jacob Covaciu, Indiana

Victor Marcelli, Virginia

After two consecutive round of 12 finishes (including a win over David McFadden at last year's tournament), Ben Harvey shouldn't be under anyone's radar, but a tough early season has Harvey ranked at #21. Do not expect Harvey to be ranked that low when the NCAA tournament rolls around. 

Jacob Covaciu qualified for the NCAA tournament last season from an incredibly competitive Big Ten bracket. Victor Marcelli has the potential to make his first national championship as a redshirt freshman for the Cavaliers.

184 Pounds

Trevor Allard, Bloomsburg

Brit Wilson, Northern Illinois

Travis Stefanik, Princeton

Trevor Allard is getting things done for the Huskies. He's 12-1 in his senior season and is the only member of the Bloomsburg squad to crack the top 25. Though he has never qualified for the NCAA tournament, the smart money is on Allard snapping the streak in 2020. 

Watch Allard defeat Michigan's Jelani Embree at the Black Knight Invite:

Unlock this video, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In

Travis Stefanik just took out Nelson Brands, who had beaten two ranked opponents prior to that match. Brit Wilson is another young hammer on the Northern Illinois squad. 

197 Pounds

Jay Aiello, Virginia

Drew Phipps, Bucknell

Lucas Davison, Northwestern

Jay Aiello and Drew Phipps are two veterans who have qualified for the NCAA tournament and have had impressive performances at big-time tournaments before. They might not attend historical wrestling powerhouses but they are both dangerous guys capable of blowing up a bracket. 

Lucas Davison is just getting his career going, but he has the potential for a breakout tournament hosted by his own team. 

285 Pounds

Garrett Hoffman, Bucknell

Yaraslau Slavilouski, Harvard

Tommy Penola, Purdue

Garrett Hoffman recently returned to action after a long, injury-plagued layoff. If he's healthy he's capable of big things, as evidenced by his win over Anthony Cassar two seasons ago at 197-pounds. 

Yaraslau Slavilouski and Tommy Penola are two athletic heavyweights on the lighter side of the spectrum that are capable of giving any of the big men at this tournament fits.