103
P15 #6 + D3 #1 Tristan Serbus, Corunna (10) – State 8th
P15 #15 + D3 #3 Trevor O’Connor, Caro (11) – SQ
D2 #7 Emilio Sanchez, St. Johns (9)
D3 #6 Corey Robinson, Whitehall (10)
D4 #7 Carson Krupp, New Lothrop (9)
Seth Harvey, Addison (9)
Analysis – Really solid group of little guys here. Serbus has been awesome all year and is the clear favorite. That being said, I don’t think an upset is out of the question. For one, O’Connor has been at 112/119 for nearly the entire season, so he’s still sort of a wild card. Krupp is also a relative unknown, and his recent performance at the Marquette Challenge suggests he could be a high-end state placer and possible title contender in D4. I have the most familiarity with Sanchez so I went with him as my runner-up pick, but any of the 5 ranked guys could very well make the finals.
Predicted Finish – Serbus, Sanchez, O’Connor
112
P15 #4 + D2 #2 Ian Parker, St. Johns (10) – State RU
P15 #9 + D3 #3 Arthur Payne, Montrose (11) – State RU
P15 #12 + D4 #4 Marcus Richardson, Addison (10) – State 7th
Demetric Hall, Flint CA (11) – RQ
Robert Grysko, Grass Lake (12) – RQ
Emilio Campos, Corunna (10)
Noah Schoenherr, BC Western (9)
Alex Vandelteren, Goodrich (10)
Hank Richter, Durand (10)
Analysis – A pretty deep field here, and I think there is a chance for a big upset. Don’t get me wrong; Parker is hands-down the best guy listed. However, with that being said, he has not been winning by very wide margins this year, and at the HS level you can only win so many 1 takedown matches in a row without having a slip-up. I don’t think this is the weekend Ian loses, but I don’t think Payne or Richardson should be counted out either.
Predicted Finish – Parker, Richardson, Payne
119
P15 #12 + D3 #3 Reiley Brown, Whitehall (10) – State RU
D2 #10 Lucas McFarland, St. Johns (9)
D4 #4 Cole Hersch, New Lothrop (10) – State 8th
D4 #5 Jason Richardson, Addison (11) – State 4th
Vince Marceau, Utica Eisenhower (10) – RQ
Coby Moore, BC Western (9)
Matt Hoffman, Sanford Meridian (10)
Chase Dawley, Goodrich (10)
Analysis – I think this will be a bounce back weekend for Brown, who was upset after receiving the #1 seed at the Goodrich TOC last week. There is definitely some pretty solid competition waiting for him, but he’s a tough kid that I don’t see falling in consecutive weeks. Another to keep an eye on is Richardson, a 2X state placer who is very dangerous, but has been struggling mighty as of late. He has a few pretty troubling losses, and this would be great chance for him to hit the reset button.
Predicted Finish – Brown, McFarland, Hersch
125
P15 #3 + D3 #1 Jerry Fenner, Birch Run (11) – State Champ
D2 #7 Nathan Ellis, Goodrich (10) – State 4th
D2 #10 Blake Jackson, BC Western (10) – RQ
D3 #5 Joe Shuler, Sanford Meridian (11) – State 5th
D4 #6 (119) Jacob Voss, Addison (12) – State 3rd
Nate Cooley, Belding (11) – SQ
Dan Rocheleau, Caro (11) – 2X RQ
Carlo Marceau, Utica Eisenhower (10)
Jwan Britton, Whitehall (10)
Derek Droste, St. Johns (10)
Analysis – I’m intrigued by a potential Fenner/Ellis matchup here. As the defending state champ Fenner is the clear favorite, but I think an Ellis upset may be in the cards. Ellis’s rank took a hit after an early season loss, but he has really impressed whenever I’ve gotten to watch him in person, and the pair had pretty comprable performances at the Goodrich TOC, finishing 2nd/3rd after starting on opposite sides of the bracket. Jackson is another to watch. The sophomore was pretty unknown prior to the season, but has been wrestling awesome as of late.
Predicted Finish – Fenner, Ellis, Jackson
130
D2 #7 Bret Fedewa, St. Johns (9)
D3 #7 Nick Torres, Bullock Creek (12) – State 8th
D3 #9 Jesse Scheidel, Belding (11) – SQ
D3 #10 Damian Castillo, Alma (11) – 2012 SQ
D4 #5 Gabe Bennett, New Lothrop (11) – State 7th
D4 #7 Malachi Marshall, Laingsburg (12) – State 8th
Mike Rojas, BC Western (12) – 2011 SQ
Colin Haag, Addison (12) – SQ
Chase Robinson, Sanford Meridian (11) – 2012 SQ
Derrien Vaughn, Flint CA (11) – RQ
Dylan Wibert, Corunna (11) – RQ
Zack Adkins, Durand (11) – RQ
Adam Grim, Birch Run (11)
Analysis – Perhaps the most wide-open weight of the tournament, there are 7ish guys I could see finishing on top of the podium. There isn’t much in the way of recent history within this group, so it’s hard to know how seeding or style clashes will play out. Scheidel is one guy who I think may be a bit underrated, and could emerge as a contender in D3 this weekend.
Predicted Finish – Scheidel, Bennett, Fedewa
135
D2 #10 Jacob Wibirt, BC Western (12) – 2012 SQ
D4 #8 Mason Groenhout, Addison (12) – SQ
Dalton Birchmeier, Birch Run (11) – SQ
Alex Whitener, Whitehall (12) – 2012 SQ
Justin Elliott, Birch Run (10)
Alejandro Guajardo, St. Johns (10)
Analysis – Not the strongest of weights, but this should still be a pretty solid chart. If I had to pinpoint a favorite it would probably be Wibirt, but I see this as another weight that is pretty much up for the taking. Elliott is one kid who is still pretty under the radar, and I would not be shocked to see him breakout this weekend.
Predicted Finish – Wibirt, Elliott, Groenhout
140
P15 #1 + D2 #1 Zac Hall, St. Johns (12) – 3X State Champ
D2 #4 (135) Tom Schoenherr, BC Western (11) – State 8th
D3 #4 Adam McCann, Bullock Creek (10) – State 8th
Seth Radabaugh, Grass Lake (12) – SQ
Chance Eremia, Caro (11) – SQ
Ean Taylor, Birch Run (10) – SQ
Johnny Robinson, New Lothrop (10) – SQ
Jared Peterman, Alma (11) – RQ
Dylan Cannon, Corunna (12)
Analysis – Plenty of talent is present here, but don’t expect Hall to be tested too heavily. There are only a handful of wrestlers in the Midwest that can wrestle with Zac, and none of them will be wrestling at 140lbs in New Lothrop this weekend. As far the race for 2nd place goes, I’d say Schoennher and McCann are the best of the rest, but any of the other SQ’s could work their way into the finals as well.
Predicted Finish – Hall, Schoenherr, McCann
145
P15 #4 + D3 #2 Chad Decker, Grass Lake (12) – State RU
P15 #7 + D1 #2 Milik Dawkins, Flint CA (11) – State 6th
P15 #13 + D2 #4 Mark Bozzo, St. Johns (12) – State 4th
D1 #10 Connor McDill, Utica Eisenhower (11) – 2012 State 7th
D3 #6 Brett Green, Caro (11) – SQ
Jacob Smith, Goodrich (12) – RQ
Trevor Copes, New Lothrop (11) – RQ
Analysis – The depth isn’t as good as 215, but the top 3 here are as good as at any other weight in the tournament. Decker had a remarkable preseason, but saw his spotless record go to the wayside when he took an OT loss to D2 #1 Bleise last weekend. He will be wrestling with a chip on his shoulder this weekend, but it will take everything he has to get by the winner of an expected Dawkins/Bozzo semifinal on the other side of the bracket. Dawkins in particular has been fantastic this season, and this is right around the time Bozzo found his top gear last season.
Predicted Finish – Decker, Dawkins, Bozzo
152
P15 #1 + D2 #1 Logan Massa, St. Johns (11) – State Champ
P15 #5 + D1 #3 Davon Jackson, BC Central (12) – State 4th
P15 #14 + D3 #3 Mitch Franklin, Birch Run (12) – State 7th
D4 #4 Aaron Bauman, New Lothrop (12) – State 4th
Dakota Hoffman, Whitehall (12) – SQ
Justin Fratrick, Grass Lake (12) – SQ
Jess Levier, Sanford Meridian (11) – SQ
Dmario Blue, Flint CA (12) – RQ
Jake Kimble, Addison (11) – RQ
Jackari Vines, Goodrich (12)
Analysis – The top 4 here is very strong, but as is the case at 140, I think everyone not in a St. Johns singlet will be wrestling for 2nd place. It’s no disrespect to the rest of the field, but Massa is just that good. Jackson may be able to make him wrestle for 6 minutes, but I’d be shocked if Logan does not put up bonus points.
Predicted Finish – Massa, Jackson, Bauman
160
P15 #5 + D4 #1 Josh Wendling, New Lothrop (12) – State Champ
P15 #11 + D3 #1 Jared Elliott, Birch Run (12) – State RU
D2 #7 Drew Wixson, St. Johns (11) – RQ
D3 #4 Michael Walker, Belding (11) – State 4th
D3 #5 Boyd Hubbard, Alma (11) – SQ
Harold Thommen, Whitehall (11) – RQ
Brandon Byczinski, Goodrich (11)
Analysis – This should be a fun one, with D3 & D4’s top 160lbrs likely to be on opposite ends of the bracket. Both will be tested in the semis, and should be pretty evenly matched assuming they meet in the finals. The fact that Wendling has been a top-4 guy throughout his career despite moving up 9 weight classes over 4 years is really impressive to me, and he’s my pick to win a high-scoring battle.
Predicted Finish – Wendling, Elliott, Walker
171
P15 #3 + D4 #1 Taylor Krupp, New Lothrop (12) – State RU
P15 #8 + D3 #3 Skylar Ley, Caro (12) – State RU
D1 #9 Herbie Keskes, Flint CA (12) – SQ
D4 #10 Tristan Butler, Laingsburg (10) – RQ
Alex Elasivich, Montrose (11) – RQ
Ben McCann, Bullock Creek (11) – 2012 RQ
Cody Symons, New Lothrop (10) – RQ
Brandon Deszell, Goodrich (12)
Analysis – Another high caliber and exciting final should go down here. Up until last week Ley was #1 in D3. Meanwhile, Krupp made his debut #1 in D4 this week. Both guys know how to put points and board and aren’t afraid to go big. Ley will be looking to rebound after being upset last weekend, but I think Krupp gets it done in his home gym.
Predicted Finish – Krupp, Ley, Keskes
189
P15 #1 + D2 #1 Angus Arthur, St. Johns (11) – State Champ
P15 #10 + D4 #3 Cody Symons, New Lothrop (12) – State 3rd
P15 #15 + D3 #1 Neil McGully, Belding (12) – SQ
Dakota Clark, New Lothrop (12) – 2X SQ
Tyler Deming, Caro (11) – RQ
Ethan Barnette, Montrose (11) – RQ
Andrew Riley, Goodrich (12)
Analysis – Like his teammates Hall and Massa, Arthur is an absolutely overwhelming favorite to win this weight. While the opposition is quite solid, Angus is in the top 1% of HS wrestlers in the country, and should be able to win by pretty comfortable margins. In the past he hasn’t been quite as consistently dominant as Hall and Massa, but I don’t think an upset is in the cards. The opposite end of the bracket should feature a dynamite semifinal though, as both Symons and McGully are strong title contenders in their respective divisions.
Predicted Finish – Arthur, Symons, McGully
215
P15 #5 + D2 #2 Ty Wildmo, St. Johns (11) – State 3rd
P15 #10 + D4 #1 Kevin Koenig, Laingsburg (10) – State RU
P15 #15 + D3 #3 Kendall Betteridge, Caro (12) – 2X State 7th
D2 #6 Jacob Alarie, BC Western (12) – State 8th
D3 #4 Eric Fader, Sanford Meridian (12) – 2X SQ
D3 #7 George Lahar, Birch Run (11) – 2X RQ
D3 #8 Hunter Shaw, Whitehall (12) – SQ
D4 #3 Owen Wilson, New Lothrop (12) – 2X SQ
D4 #6 Nick Burt, Addison (12) – SQ
Jerron Thomas, Flint CA (12) – SQ
Quentin Wilber, Montrose (10) – SQ
Analysis – Every major tournament such as this one seems to have a signature weight, and there is no question that this is it. Even if a few guys are unable to compete, I am confident that there will be multiple kids who don’t place here and go on to earn all-state status this March. Wildmo is the favorite, but he is still somewhat untested at this weight, and most of his big wins have come at 195 or lower. Koenig in particular is an absolute monster with the size to present some serious problems for Ty. Betteridge beat Alarie last weekend, so I suspect he will get the #3 seed, with Alarie/Fader getting the #4/5. Regardless of how the seeding plays out the QF’s at this weight should be of similar caliber to those at this year’s state tourney.
Predicted Finish – Wildmo, Koenig, Betteridge
285
Bruce McClean, Montrose (12) – SQ
David Robertson, New Lothrop (11) – RQ
Nic Sturgis, St. Johns (11)
Jordan Pierce, Durand (12)
Analysis – Just like last week’s Goodrich TOC, the 285lbs division in New Lothrop is remarkably void of established talent in comparison to it’s counterparts. There are 58 ranked wrestlers between the other 13 weights, but not a single ranked heavyweight. That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few of those projected at 215 move up, especially considering how loaded that weight is. As things stand now, Sturgis is my pick. He was absent at the Goodrich TOC last weekend, but impressed me in EK earlier this season.
Predicted Finish – Sturgis, McClean, Pierce
Please login to comment.
Let’s get the conversation started! Post your comment.
Become a Grappler Gold member and get access to premium Grappler articles and videos. Now only $12.99/month!