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.