IMPORTANT NOTE: Michigan Grappler’s annual Fargo rankings are not directly intended to order the top overall wrestlers Freestyle/Greco wrestler in the state of Michigan, but rather those who are best positioned for success relative to the projected level of competition in their respective weight classes.
In order to be eligible for rankings, wrestlers must have competed in the correlating style at this year’s MUSAW state tournament, FILA Cadet Nationals, USAW Central Regional, or Cadet National Duals.
#1 Cole Weaver, Hudson (12) 132lbs
2014 USAW Junior Duals 4-0
2013 USAW Junior Duals 3-1
2013 USAW Junior West Region Champ
2012 USAW Cadet National Champ
2012 USAW Cadet Duals 6-0
2012 USAW Cadet Central Region 6-0
2012 MUSAW Cadet Champ
2011 USAW Cadet Nationals 4th
2011 USAW Cadet Duals 6-2
2011 USAW Cadet Central Region Champ
2011 MUSAW Cadet Champ
A former national champion at the cadet level, last year was the first time in Weaver’s 3 trips to Fargo that he chose to compete solely in Freestyle. Last month he was unbeaten at the junior duals at 132lbs with a TF over last year’s runner-up Blane Tschida of MN, but that weight may be tough for him to hold. Even so, as of now 138lbs actually looks like it could be the more winnable of the two weights, and, depending largely on how invested Weaver is in wrestling Greco, I think he has a realistic shot at bringing home his second stop sign in the style.
#2 Zac Hall, St Johns (12) 145lbs
2014 USAW Junior Duals 3-1
2014 MUSAW Junior Champ
2013 USAW Junior Duals 6-0
2013 MUSAW Junior Champ
2011 USAW Cadet Nationals 3rd
2011 USAW Cadet Duals 5-2
2011 MUSAW Cadet Champ
It’s been a long time since Hall has wrestled Greco at an individual tourney on the national level, but should he opt to compete he would have a good chance to appear in the finals. His last such event was the 2011 Cadet Nationals when he earned a top-3 finish wrestling in a very deep 105lbs chart. In the years since Hall’s Greco matches have all came at the MUSAW state tournament and junior duals with his lone loss coming last month in a 4-4 criteria match against UT’s Matt Findlay; a projected finalist in my official Fargo predictions for the Associated Wrestling Press.
#3 Justin Oliver, Davison (12) 138lbs
2014 USAW Junior Duals 4-1
2013 USAW Junior Nationals 5th
2013 USAW Junior Duals 4-1
2012 USAW Cadet Duals 4-3
2011 USAW Cadet Duals 2-1
2011 MUSAW Cadet Runner-Up
Of all the wrestlers on this list, Oliver is one of only 2 who have previously AA’d in Fargo at the Junior level. He was nothing short of outstanding in Fargo last summer, and his only loss at junior duals came when he bumped up to 145lbs and wrestled returning AA Romeo Howard of IL. Heading in 138lbs looks like to be among the most wide open weight class, and Oliver figures to be right in the thick of the title race. There’s even a chance he winds up meeting Cole Weaver in an all-Michigan final.
#4 Jake Johnson, Macomb Dakota (12) 160lbs
2014 USAW Junior Duals 4-1
2014 USAW FILA Junior Nationals 1-2
2014 USAW Junior Western Regional 3rd
2013 USAW Junior Nationals 4-2
2013 USAW Junior Duals 4-1
2013 USAW Junior Central Regional Champ
2013 MUSAW Junior Champ
2012 USAW Junior Nationals 1-2
2012 USAW Junior Central Regional Runner-Up
2011 USAW Cadet Nationals 4-2
2011 USAW Cadet Duals 2-2
2011 USAW Cadet Central Region Champ
2011 MUSAW Cadet Runner-Up
2010 USAW Cadet Nationals 2-2
2010 USAW Cadet Duals 2-4
2010 MUSAW Cadet Runner-Up
Johnson’s been an a staple on the Greco scene for what seems like an eternity, but All American status has continuously managed to narrowly elude him. Last year was his best closest call yet; Johnson came within a single win of reaching the medal round, and his only losses came at the hands of the eventual 2nd/4th place finishers. Now he’s down to one final shot, and I like Johnson’s chances to get it done as long as the cut to 160lbs doesn’t take too much out of him.
#5 Dalton Roberts, Fowlerville (12) 106lbs
2014 USAW Junior Duals 2-3
2014 FILA Junior World Team Trials 3rd
2014 MUSAW Junior Champ
2013 USAW Junior National Champ
2013 USAW Junior Duals 3-1
2013 FILA Junior World Team Trials 4th
2013 FILA Cadet Nationals 1-2
2013 USAW Junior Central Regional Champ
2013 MUSAW Junior Champ
2012 USAW Cadet Duals 6-0
2012 FILA Cadet National Champ/World Team Member
2012 USAW Cadet Central Regional Runner-Up
2012 MUSAW Cadet Champ
2011 USAW Cadet Central Region Champ
2011 MUSAW Cadet Champ
He’s one of a select few returning wrestlers across the country who will be back in Fargo defending their Junior National title next week, but Roberts has moved up in weight from 100lbs last summer and has experienced somewhat of a rough transition at 106lbs+. He dropped 3 matches at the junior duals, but the silver lining is that he was not having a particularly great cycle last year either prior to winning his national title. In fact, at last year’s junior duals Roberts was TF’d by IL’s Kirk Johnansen, but managed to return the favor when he wrestled Johnansen in Fargo with a national title on the line just a month later. So, with Roberts having proven himself on the big stage and Johansen as this year’s favorite, he is still very much a contender to add another stop sign to his collection.
#6 Ty Wildmo, St Johns (11) 182lbs
2014 USAW Junior Duals 2-2
2014 MUSAW Junior Champ
2013 USAW Junior Nationals 2-2
2013 USAW Junior Duals 3-2
2012 USAW Cadet Nationals 7th
2012 USAW Cadet Duals 3-3
2012 MUSAW Cadet Runner-Up
2011 USAW Cadet Duals 4-2
2011 MUSAW Cadet Runner-Up
It’s tough to get a good read on where Wildmo fits into the mix at 182lbs following his performance at the junior duals. He went 2-2 on the tourney, dropping his first couple matches to a pair of wrestlers I expected him to beat, but then turned the corner to score a pair of monster wins, both with the dual on the line, against MN’s Keegan Moore (#11 class of ’16) and OK’s Lance Dixon. Thus, it’s hard to know what exactly what to expect from Wildmo. However, what I do know is that he has a motor that doesn’t stop and will be among the biggest and most physical 182lbrs in attendance. The field projects to be quite deep and he will need to get through some studs just to place, but in those final matches at the junior duals Wildmo truly looked like a kid capable of running the table and winning a title.
#7 Landon Pelham, Tecumseh (10) 220lbs
2014 USAW Junior Duals 2-3
2014 FILA Cadet Nationals 4th
2013 USAW Cadet Duals 5-1
2013 MUSAW Cadet Champ
2012 USAW Cadet Fargo Runner-Up
2012 USAW Cadet Duals 6-0
2012 MUSAW Cadet Champ
In addition to Dalton Roberts and Cole Weaver, Pelham is Michigan’s third and final wrestler who has previously been a Greco finalist in Fargo. He’s had a good cycle thus far placing 4th at FILA’s this spring with a win over IA’s Gannon Gremmel (#50 class of 2016), and at the junior duals 2 of his 3 losses came against NCAA D1 bound high school graduates; Roy Nash of UT and Jeremy Sweany of CA. Based on those results, Pelham (a first year junior) will probably be a bit overmatched against the top tier veterans at this weight, but with his combination of Greco savvy and big stage experience I see him as one of Michigan’s safest bets to AA while also having enough upside to crack the top-4.
#8 Myles Amine, Detroit CC (11) 152lbs
2014 USAW Junior Duals 2-3
2013 FILA Cadet Pan American Runner-Up
2013 FILA Cadet Nationals 3rd
2013 USAW Junior Duals 5-1
2013 USAW Junior Central Region 3rd
2012 USAW Cadet Central Region 3rd
2012 MUSAW Cadet 3rd
Over the past year Amine seems to have narrowed his focus towards Freestyle, but he’s just a year removed from a top-3 finish at FILA’s and is one of a select few high school wrestlers in the country with international Greco experience. He did have a losing record at the junior duals, but one of his losses was a tightly contested 2-1 bout against OK’s Joe Smith (#8 class of ’15), another came when he bumped a weight to wrestle 2X cadet national runner-up Joey Gunther of IL, and the third and final loss came against Brooks Robinson of UT who was 3rd place FILA Cadet finisher last year. So, should he choose to wrestle Greco I still see Myles as a likely AA at what will be one of the tournament’s deepest weights.
#9 Zehlin Storr, Leslie (12) 145lbs
2014 USAW Junior Duals 3-2
2014 MUSAW Junior Champ
2013 USAW Junior Nationals 4-2
2013 FILA Cadet Nationals 4th
2013 MUSAW Junior Champ
2012 USAW Cadet Nationals 3-2
2012 USAW Cadet Duals 4-2
2012 MUSAW Cadet Runner-Up
2011 USAW Cadet Duals 4-3
2011 MUSAW Cadet Champ
Storr is among Michigan’s most seasoned guys on the Greco scene, and has All-American credentials to back it up. In his past two trips to Fargo he’s wrestled both styles, so of all the guys listed he is among those more likely to compete in Greco. He’s coming off of a solid showing at the junior duals, and is back at the same weight where he narrowly missed out on All-American status as a first year junior last summer.
#10 Alec Pantaleo, Canton (12) 152lbs
2014 USAW Junior Duals 3-1
He doesn’t have much Greco experience under his belt, but the matches he has logged speak volumes about Pantaleo’s natural ability and potential to excel in the style. He made his debut at the junior duals losing only to projected champion Larry Early of IL, and bumping up to 160lbs to beat returning AA Logan Breitenbach of MD. He’s still raw, but Pantaleo has the potential to be among the top placers here should he choose to follow up on his experience at the Junior Duals before focusing on the transition to collegiate wrestling at U of M.
#11 Lincoln Olson, Davison (12) 126lbs
2014 USAW Junior Duals 1-2
2012 MUSAW Cadet Runner-Up
2011 USAW Cadet Duals 6-2
2011 USAW Cadet Central Region Champ
2011 FILA Cadet National Champ/World Team Member
Olson’s focus has been Freestyle for the past few years and that’s definitely where his skill set lends itself, but he does carry some big time Greco credentials as a former World Team Member. His only losses at the junior duals came to elite opponents, so it’s fair to think Olson could vie for a spot on the podium should he opt to make a return to individual Greco competition at the national level.
#12 Ryan Prescott, Whittemore Prescott (11) 285lbs
2014 USAW Junior Duals 4-3
His Greco experience is pretty limited as far as competition, but that probably matters less at 285lbs than most other weights. Prescott’s is a smart competitor who maintains excellent position on his feet, and should be enough to keep him in most matches and make him a serious AA candidate.
#13 Chris Poland, Middleville TK (11) 120lbs
2014 USAW Junior Duals 3-2
2014 MUSAW Junior Champ
2013 USAW Junior Fargo 3-2
2013 USAW Junior Duals 6-2
2013 USAW Junior Central Regional Runner-Up
2013 MUSAW Junior 3rd
2012 USAW Cadet Fargo 2-2
2012 MUSAW Cadet 4th
Poland is an emerging star on the Greco scene, and he travels to Fargo with a lot of positive momentum after a strong junior duals performance that was highlighted by a win over a 2013 Cadet World Team member; Tanner Cox of UT. It’s going to be a challenge for him to hold 120lbs for multiple weigh-ins, but so long as the cut doesn’t take too much out of him I really like Poland’s chances of cracking the back half of the top 8 at that weight class.
#14 Hunter Dunn, Monroe Jefferson (12) 195lbs
2014 USAW Junior Duals 4-2
2013 MUSAW Junior Champ
2012 USAW Cadet Nationals 2-2
2012 USAW Cadet Duals 3-2
2012 USAW Cadet Central Region Champ
Dunn is a veteran with a lot of valuable Greco experience, and was a key contributor in Michigan’s Junior Nationals Duals title last month. He’ll be in the mix for one of the final AA slots at this weight should he choose to make one last trip to Fargo.
#15 Jake McKiernan, Richmond (12) 195lbs
2014 USAW Junior Duals 4-3
McKiernan flashed some serious potential when he made his big stage Greco debut last month at the junior duals. He bumped up to 220lbs for over half his matches, but still managed to post a winning record that included a TF over Cadet AA Emilio Fowler of KS. McKiernan will be at a disadvantage from an experience standpoint, but has the potential to be a big time sleeper nonetheless.
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