24th Annual NHSCA Senior National Wrestling Championships to Feature Seven 4X State Champs

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCARadioShow

The talent registered in the Senior Division for 24^th annual National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) National Wrestling Championships is incredible. The field includes seven 4X state champs, with wrestlers who have won a combined 203 state championships.  In addition to the seven 4X champs; there are 18 3X state champs; and 23 2X state champions.

Our four-time state champs in the Senior Division are: Michael Billingsley of Lowry High School in Nevada; Miguel Calixto of Mount Anthony Union High School in Vermont; J’den Cox of Hickman High School in Missouri; Dani Fischer of Campbell County High School in Wyoming; Joey Lavallee of Reno High School (ranked #15 in the nation) in Nevada; Ryan Nivan of Tyngsboro High School in Massachusetts and Tyler Tate from Spring Creek High School in Nevada.

While all seven 4X champs are outstanding, Cox, who will wrestle at the University of Missouri next season, hasn’t lost since his freshman year and brings a 205-3 record to Virginia Beach.  Cox won all four of his state titles at different weight classes.

There are two 2X NHSCA champs in the Senior Division field led by Dennis Gustafson of Forest Park High School in Virginia.  Gustafson, who will wrestle in college at Virginia Tech, is currently ranked 15^th in the nation according to Win Magazine.  Coleman Hammond of Bakersfield High School in California is also a 2X NHSCA champ, who is entered at 145-pounds.  Back to defend his 2012 Junior championship at 152 is Kyle Perreault of Clovis East High School in California

Another nationally-ranked wrestler in the field is two-time National Prep champion Frank Mattiace of national champion Blair Academy in New Jersey. Entered at 195 pounds, Mattiace was 160-16 during his scholastic career and ranked #7 nationally by Win Magazine.

Last year the State of California walked away with three championships in the Senior Division, followed by Florida, New Jersey and New York with two champs apiece.  California captured the Senior title with 240.5 points, followed by New York (191) and New Jersey (159.5).

Blair Academy’s (Blairstown, New Jersey) Mark Grey won the 132-pound championship and the Senior Division’s Most Outstanding Wrestler Award.

Capturing Senior titles from California were Josh Rodriguez (Righetti HS) at 120; Natrelle Demison (Bakersfield HS) at 138 and Richard Black (Chavez HS) at 220. 

Florida’s champs were Clark Glass (Brandon HS) at 160 and Doug Vollaro of Pine Castle Christian at 285.

New Jersey’s champions were Grey and Alenick Richardson (St. Peter’s Prep) at 145. 

New York gold medalists were Dylan Palacio (Long Beach HS) at 145 and Anthony Lock (Pioneer HS) at 182.

Other states with single champs in the 2012 Senior Division were Kansas, Maryland North Carolina, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.

Lots of Familiar Faces in Junior Division of the 24th National High School Coaches Association National Wrestling Championships

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCARadioShow

This year’s Junior Nationals are loaded from top-to-bottom with eleven 3X state champs in the field, plus eight 2012 NHSCA Sophomore Division champs are back to defend their titles.  In fact, three wrestlers are looking to add a third NHSCA title to their resumes.

Nathan Rose of Sibley East High School in Minnesota, Ryan Millhof of Collins Hill in Georgia and Jesse Webb of Mount Anthony Union High School in Vermont are halfway to becoming 4X NHSCA national champs.  There have only been two wrestlers in the history of the NHSCA National Wrestling Championships to win four titles.

Millhof, who is currently ranked 5^th in the nation at 120 pounds, also owns two Georgia state championships, plus a runner-up finish as a freshman. Rose, who is currently ranked 12^th in the nation at 195, is coming-off his second straight Minnesota title. Webb, who is ranked 17^th in the nation, is a 3X Vermont state champion.

The 126-pound bracket is loaded with 3X Kentucky state champ Brock Ervin of Union County High School and 2X Colorado state champ and defending 120 pound NHSCA Sophomore champ P.T. Garcia of Bear Creek High School in Colorado entered. Also at 126 are two 2X state champs Jack Mutchnik of St. Paul’s in Maryland and Cameron Perry of Gilmer High School in Georgia.  The 126-pound bracket has registrants with a combined 17 individual state championships.

Other returning 2012 Sophomore Division champs are: 3X Delaware state champ Brent Fleetwood of Smyrna High School (ranked #3 nationally @ 113 pounds); 3X South Carolina state champ Clay Walker from Eastside High; former Blair Academy (New Jersey) wrestler P.J. Klee, who sat out this season after transferring to Cardinal Newman High School in California because of transfer rules; 3X Maryland state champ Alfred Bannister of Bishop McNamara High School (ranked #5 nationally @ 138 pounds); Larry Bomstad of Atwater-Cosmos-Grove in Minnesota, who won a state championship this year.

Another top junior is Burke Paddock of Warsaw High School in New York. Burke won an NHSCA Freshman Division title and finished runner-up last year at 160 pounds.

Last year, Pennsylvania, with three champions, won the Junior National team title with 189 points to edge-out Virginia with 186.  New York finished third with 183.5 points.  

Gold Medals abound in Sophomore Division at 24th Annual National High School Coaches Association National Wrestling Championships

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCARadioShow

The Sophomore Division of 24^th annual National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) National Wrestling Championships could be called “golden” with 45 wrestlers entered having won their respective state wrestling championships during the 2012-13 school year. Eighteen of those champs are 2X state champs, who will grace the mats at the Virginia Beach Convention Center April 3rd through the 7th.

Included in the field so far are four wrestlers that captured NHSCA titles as freshman: Conor Ross of Springstead High School in Florida at 170-pounds; Tevis Bartlett of Cheyenne East High School in Wyoming at 182; Kenneth Brinson of Marist High School in Georgia at 195-pounds and Gage Cervenka of Emerald High School in South Carolina at 285.  Bartlett and Cervenka are both two-time state champions, who both pinned their ways to gold in last year’s NHSCA Freshman championship matches.

Multiple two-time state champs entered at 106, 113, 120, 126 and 132.  Both 120 and 126 have three, two-time state champs.

Two-time winners at 120 are Troy Gassaway of Mount Anthony Union High School in Vermont, Gresh Jones of Sidney High School in Montana and Richard Montoya of Robertson High School in New Mexico.

At 126 pounds, the two-time champs are: Dylan LaFountain of Mount Anthony Union High School in Vermont; Brooks Law of Foxcroft Academy in Maine and Dylan Lucas of Brandon High School in Florida.

Pennsylvania won last year’s Sophomore Nationals with 213 points to outdistance second place Ohio and third place Virginia.  Pennsylvania didn’t claim any individual championships, but did have two runner-up finishes.  Minnesota, New Jersey and Ohio claimed two individual titles each in the Sophomore Division.  States with single champs were: California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, South Carolina, Vermont and West Virginia.

Eight of last year’s Sophomore champs are entered in the Junior Division this year. They are: two-time NHSCA champs Nathan Rose of Sibley East High School in Minnesota, Ryan Millhof of Collins Hill in Georgia; and Jesse Webb of Mount Anthony Union High School in Vermont; plus 2012 champs Brent Fleetwood (Delaware) at 106, P.T. Garcia (Colorado) at 120, Clay Walker (South Carolina) at 126, P.J. Klee (California) at 132, Alfred Bannister (Maryland) at 138 and Larry Bomstad (Minnesota) at 145.

Plenty of State Champs Entered in Freshman Division at 24th Annual National High School Coaches Association National Wrestling Championships

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCARadioShow

19 wrestlers from around America who are fresh off capturing freshman state championships over the last month-and-a-half will be vying for gold in the Freshman Division of the 24^th Annual National High School Wrestling Championships at the Virginia Beach Convention Center next week.

The 106-pound bracket is loaded with nine state champs entered. In alphabetical order they are: Benjamin Anderson of Pleasant Grove High School (Utah), Jake Brindley of Lake Highland Prep (Florida), Rian Burris of White Knoll (South Carolina), Peter Del Gallo of Gardiner High School (Maine), Chris McCrackin of Banks County (Georgia), Trent Olsom of Campbell County (Wyoming), Derek Spann of Adirondack High School (New York), Dylan Udero of Las Cruces High (New Mexico) and Tyler Warner of Claymont High School (Ohio).

2012 Middle School champ Kelan McKenna of New Hartford High School in New York is entered at 103 after taking the 90-pound title last year.  Jimmy Saylor of Easton High in Pennsylvania won the 127 Middle School title last year. This year’s he’s entered at 132 pounds.  Another Middle School champ moving-up is Jordan Torbitt of Whitney Point High School in New York, who won the 154-pound title in 2012.

Last year, Pennsylvania won the Freshman Division with 199 points, beating out Ohio and Virginia.  The Keystone State won the title with only one champ to Ohio’s four individual champs it the Freshman Division.  Austin Myers of Kentucky was the division’s Outstanding Wrestler.

Four of last year’s champs are back to defend their 2012 titles in the Sophomore Division.  2012 Freshman champs that are competing this year are: Conor Ross (Florida) at 170, Tevis Bartlett (Wyoming) at 182, Ken Brinson (Georgia) at 195 and Gage Cervenka (South Carolina) at 285.

Middle School Nationals Enter 6th Year of Competition with the NHSCA Big Boys at National High School Wrestling Championships

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCARadioShow

It’s been six years since the National High School Coaches Association added a Middle School Division to the National High School Wrestling Championships - since then the number of competitors continues to increase.  

What does that mean?  It means that we should have the biggest fields ever when the national championships open April 3rd in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

To qualify for the 24^th NHSCA Middle School Championship event in Virginia Beach, every wrestler had to place in the Top 8 in his official NHSCA State Championship during the prior year.

One of the most intriguing entries is Zach Sherman at 90 pounds.  Sherman, who is an 8^th grader, competed at the varsity level this year at American Heritage High School in Florida during the 2012-13 school year.  Sherman had an incredible year finishing third in the state in Class 1A at 106 pounds. 

Last year Sherman placed 3^rd at the NHSCA’s at 80 pounds.

Then there’s Jonathan Loew of Wantagh High School in New York, who started at 99 pounds on his school’s varsity team as a 7^th grader.  Loew’s record was 25-8 this year and he’s entered at 100 pounds.

Hunter Owens (Virginia) is a 3X NHSCA Middle School All-American entered at 112 pounds.

Past NHSCA Middle School All-Americans in the field this week include: Mack Berkowitz (New York); 2X NHSCA All-American Vincent Deale (New York); Tanner Pasvogel (Minnesota); and Adam Wagner (New York);

Each competitor also will have the opportunity to score points for his state. The top three states will receive team awards, and the winning state will take home the National Championship Cup to display at their State Championships.

Last year New York crowned four champs; Virginia three; and Alabama, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Utah had once champ each.

24th annual NHSCA High School Wrestling National Championships - Junior Division

by Jeff Fisher
NHSCA Sports Hour Host
Follow @NHSCAradioshow

With plenty of time to still register for the 24^th annual National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) National Wrestling Championships, the field in the Junior Division is stocked from top-to-bottom. As of March 15th, wrestlers who have won a combined 100 state championships have registered for the Junior Nationals April 3-7, 2013 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Currently there are eight 3X state champs registered in the Junior Division, plus eight 2012 NHSCA Sophomore Division champs are back to defend their titles.

The 126-pound bracket is loaded with Brock Ervin of Union County High School in Kentucky, P.T. Garcia of Bear Creek High School in Colorado and Clay Walker of Eastside High School in South Carolina.  Ervin and Walker are 3X state champs; Garcia is a 2X state champ. Last year at the NHSCA’s, Garcia won the 120-pound Sophomore Division championship, while Walker was the 126-pound champ.  Right now the 126-pound bracket has registrants with a combined 17 individual state championships.

Nathan Rose of Sibley East High School in Minnesota is halfway to becoming just the third 4X NHSCA national champ. Rose, who is currently ranked 12^th in the nation, is coming-off his second straight Minnesota title. Rose, who will be trying to defend his Sophomore Division 195-pound title in the same weight class, won NHSCA titles as a freshman and a sophomore.

Other returning 2012 Sophomore Division champs are: 3X Delaware state champ Brent Fleetwood of Smyrna High School; former Blair Academy (New Jersey) wrestler P.J. Klee, who sat out this season after transferring to Cardinal Newman High School in California; 3X Maryland state champ Alfred Bannister of Bishop McNamara High School; Larry Bomstad of Atwater-Cosmos-Grove in Minnesota, who won a state championship this year; and Jesse Webb, a 3X Vermont state champ at Mount Anthony Union High School.

Other top juniors registered are Ryan Milhof of Collins Hill High School in Georgia and Burke Paddock of Warsaw High School in New York. Milhof is ranked 5^th in the nation at 120 pounds, while Paddock is ranked 11^th at 160.  Milhof and Burke both won an NHSCA Freshman Division titles. Burke finished runner-up last year.

Last year was another record-breaking year with over 2,407 wrestlers competing in the NHSCA’s five championship divisions: Senior, Junior, Sophomore, Freshman and Middle School.  In the four high school divisions in 2012, there were over 800 state champions and 1,600 state place winners competing for the coveted title of NHSCA national champ.  In addition to crowning individual champs, the NHSCA names wrestlers All-Americans for finishing in the Top 8 in each weight class.

NHSCA Senior National Division Loaded with State Wrestling Champs

by Jeff Fisher

NHSCA Sports Hour Host

Follow @NHSCAradioshow

 

With two weeks to go before the 24^th annual NationalHigh School Coaches Association (NHSCA) National Wrestling Championships, the talent registering in the Senior Division continues to build.  As of Friday wrestlers who have won a combined 119 state championships have registered for the Senior Nationals April 3-7, 2013 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Right now the field includes five, four-time state champs; four, three-time states champs; and 17, two time state champions.

The four-time state champs in the Senior Division that have registered so far are: 

J’den Cox of Hickman High School in Missouri; Dani Fischer of Campbell County High School in Wyoming; Joey Lavallee of Reno High School in Nevada; Ryan Nivan of Tyngsboro High School in Massachusetts and Tyler Tate from Spring Creek High School in Nevada.

There are two, two-time NHSCA champs currently in the Senior Division field led by Dennis Gustafson of Forest Park High School in Virginia.  Gustafson, who will wrestle in college at Virginia Tech, is currently ranked 15^th in the nation, according to Win Magazine.  Coleman Hammond of Bakersfield High School in California is also a two-time NHSCA champ, who is entered at 152-pounds.

Two-time National Prep champion Frank Mattiace of national champion Blair Academy in New Jersey is in the field at 195-pounds. Mattiace was 160-16 during his scholastic career and ranked #7 nationally by Win Magazine.

For more information on the 24th annual national championships, go to nhsca.com.

Cathedral Catholic (CA) moves up to #1 in Baseball America Top 25

by Jeff Fisher
NHSCA Sports Hour Host
Follow @NHSCAradioshow

No surprise that the first in-season Baseball America Top 25 rankings have a lot of shuffling going-on since the preseason poll was released in mid-February.  In fact, only one team held-on to its preseason spot.

There's a new #1 as preseason top dog Parkview (Georgia) lost its first game, which allowed preseason #3 Cathedral Catholic out of San Diego to move-up to the top perch.  Parkview falls to #2.  In all three teams dropped-out of the Top 25, allowing three new teams in.

Below is the latest rankings with preseason rankings all the way to the right.

1	Cathedral Catholic HS, San Diego	2-0	3
2	Parkview HS, Lilburn, Ga.	2-1	1
3	The Woodlands (Texas) HS	13-0	10
4	American Heritage HS, Plantation, Fla.	9-1	6
5	Venice (Fla.) HS	7-1	11
6	Carroll HS, Southlake, Texas	13-2	7
7	Spruce Creek HS, Port Orange, Fla.	7-2	4
8	Campolindo HS, Moraga, Calif.	1-2	2
9	Rancho Bernardo HS, San Diego	2-0	12
10	Jenks (Okla.) HS	4-0	13
11	Mater Dei HS, Santa Ana, Calif.	1-1	8
12	Harvard-Westlake HS, Studio City, Calif.	6-0	16
13	Grayson HS, Loganville, Ga.	4-2	9
14	Dulles HS, Sugar Land, Texas	10-3	5
15	Loganville (Ga.) HS	5-1	14
16	Jesuit HS, Tampa	10-0	23
17	Gainesville (Ga.) HS	5-0	19
18	Cherry Creek HS, Greenwood Village, Colo.	0-0	18
19	Hamilton HS, Chandler, Ariz.	6-1	21
20	Klein (Texas) HS	14-0	NR
21	St. Francis HS, Mountain View, Calif.	8-0	NR
22	Tullahoma (Tenn.) HS	0-0	22
23	Barbe HS, Lake Charles, La.	9-3	15
24	Coronado HS, Henderson, Nev.	3-0	25
25	Archbishop McCarthy HS, Southwest Ranches, Fla.	9-0	NR
Dropped out: No. 17 Cypress (Texas) Woods HS; No. 20 Orange (Calif.) Lutheran HS; No. 24 North Florida Christian HS, Tallahassee, Fla.

Amateur Wrestling News High School Top 40 (Final)

by Jeff Fisher
NHSCA Sports Hour Host
Follow @NHSCAradioshow

The curtain fell on the 2012-13 high school wrestling season last weekend with the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania closing out a great year with its state individual championships.

Now it's time to see how the various wrestling media outlets around the country are analyzing the results as they release their final national rankings.

Amateur Wrestling News has crowned Blair Academy (New Jersey) as its #1 team.  No surprise since the Buccaneers began the year at AWN's top team and steamrolled its way to a 33rd National Prep championship.

It was also another strong year for teams from Illinois and Ohio as both states had five schools each in AWN's Top 40.

Below is the entire Top 40:

1	Blair Academy	Blairstown	NJ	1
2	Clovis	Clovis	CA	2
3	St. Michael-Albertville	St. Michael	MN	3
4	St. Paris Graham	Saint Paris	OH	4
5	St. Edward	Lakewood	OH	5
6	Wyoming Seminary	Kingston	PA	6
7	St. Johns	St. Johns	MI	7
8	Montini Catholic	Lombard	IL	8
9	Brandon	Brandon	FL	9
10	Carl Sandburg	Orland Park	IL	10
11	Oak Park-River Forest	Oak Park	IL	11
12	Apple Valley	Apple Valley	MN	12
13	South Plainfield	South Plainfield	NJ	13
14	Masillon Perry	Massillon	OH	14
15	Southeast Polk	Plesant Hill	IA	15
16	Canon-McMillan	Cannonsburg	PA	16
17	Bethlehem Catholic	Bethlehem	PA	17
18	Poway	Poway	CA	18
19	Marist	Chicago	IL	19
20	Collinsville	Collinsville	OK	20
21	Central Dauphin	Harrisburg	PA	21
22	Allen	Allen	TX	22
23	Detroit Central Catholic	Novi	MI	23
24	Perry Meridian	Indianapolis	IN	24
25	Bettendorf	Bettendorf	IA	25
26	Maple Mountain	Spanish Fork	UT	26
27	Edmond North	Edmond	OK	27
28	Bergen Catholic	Bergen	NJ	28
29	Davison	Davison	MI	29
30	Archbishop Moeller	Cincinnati	OH	30
31	Marmion Academy	Aurora	IL	31
32	Blue Springs	Blue Springs	MO	36
33	Brecksville	Broadview Heights	OH	32
34	Bound Brook	Bound Brook	NJ	33
35	Archer	Lawrenceville	GA	34
36	Pope	Marietta	GA	35
37	Kasson-Mantorville	Kasson	MN	37
38	Good Counsel	Olney	MD	38
39	Broken Arrow	Broken Arrow	OK	39
40	Christiansburg	Christiansburg	VA	40

24th annual NHSCA National Wrestling Championships set for April 3-7

by Jeff Fisher
Follow @NHSCAradioshow

The National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) is pleased to announce that the prestigious NHSCA National Wrestling Championships will be held April 3-7, 2013 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  This is the 24^th straight year that the NHSCA has brought the high school wrestling community together to determine the best-of-the-best in America.

Last year was another record-breaking year with over 2,407 wrestlers competing in our five championship divisions: Senior, Junior, Sophomore, Freshman and Middle School.  In the four high school divisions in 2012, there were over 800 state champions and 1,600 state place winners competing for the coveted title of NHSCA national champ.  In addition to crowning individual champs, the NHSCA names wrestlers All-Americans for finishing in the Top 8 in each weight class.

“This year’s tourney going to be even bigger than last year’s amazing tournament,” said Bobby Ferraro, Junior, Executive Director of the National High School Coaches Association.  “With more than two weeks to go before the competition, we have wrestlers registered from 44 states, plus an entrant from Europe.  The most important thing is the number of college coaches that our event attracts.  As in years past, last year over 200 college coaches descended upon Virginia Beach to check-out our incredible field of talent.”

Ferraro added, “The depth of the tournament is evidenced by the fact that in the past that 90% of NCAA All-Americans competed at the NHSCA National at some point during their high school wrestling careers.”

Already registered in the Senior Division are two two-time NHSCA National Gold Medalists: Dennis Gustafson of Forest Park High School in Virginia and Coleman Hammond from Bakersfield High School in California.  One of the top returners in the Junior Division is Burke Paddock of Warsaw High School in New York, who has claimed a gold and silver in his two years at the NHSCA Nationals.

If you can’t make it to Virginia Beach to watch the national championships in-person, the NHSCA will televise action on all 28 mats on the High School Television Network. Go to NHSCA.com for more information on the telecast.