2015 NHSCA Senior Nationals preview

by Jeff Fisher

Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Follow @NHSCARadioShow

Kenneth Brinson of Marist High School in Atlanta and Neal Richards of Matoaca HS in Virginia will try to enter a very exclusive club during the Senior Nationals at the 26th Annual NHSCA High School National Wrestling Championships in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

 

Richards, who is entered at 152-pounds, and Brinson, who is entered in the 220-pound weight class, will try to become the just the sixth and seventh wrestlers to win four NHSCA national titles.  If Brinson is able to capture another gold medal this year, he’ll join Tyler Beckwith of Greene HS in New York; B.J. Clagon of Toms River South HS in New Jersey; Ryan Millhof of Collins Hills HS in Georgia; Blake Roulo of Matoaca HS in Virginia; and Clay Walker of Eastside HS in South Carolina as the event’s only 4-time champs.

If Richards captures his fourth title, it will be the first time that two wrestlers from the same school have won four straight titles. Roulo won his crowns 2008-2011.

 

At the 2014 Junior Nationals, Brinson won his third straight gold by beating another nationally-ranked wrestler, Austin Myers of Campbell County in Kentucky 8-6 in the championship finals.  His performance earned him the Outstanding Wrestler Award for the 2014 Junior Nationals.

Brinson, who owns a career wrestling record of 194-3, will play college football at West Point.  He capped an outstanding high school wrestling career by winning his third straight Georgia state championship in February by capturing the 220-pound gold medal in Class AAAA.  Brinson finished this season ranked #2 in the nation by InterMat.

In the classroom, Brinson carries a 4.1 GPA and he scored 2,170 on his SAT’s. He’s made the school’s Dean List for three years. He plans on studying mechanical engineering in college.

Brinson is one of 21 three-time state champs in the field. There is one 5X state champ and twelve 4X state champs in the Senior Nationals with two weight classes having two four-time champs each.

Everyone is excited to see if Brinson and Myers can earn a rematch in the 220-pound finals. The four-time Kentucky champ finished his senior season 60-0 and has never lost a high school wrestling match.

At 120, Troy Gassway of Mt. Anthony HS in Vermont is a four-time champ, while Cameron Sykora of Border West HS has won five Minnesota state champs.  Sykora has a career record of 214-13.  The 4X champs at 126-pounds are Chris Debien of Cleveland HS in Tennessee and Gresh Jones of Sidney HS in Montana. Jones owns a 184-5 lifetime record.

The other four-time state champs entered in the Senior Nationals are — Arick Shankles (113) of Muscle Shoals HS in Alabama, Matt Weber (132) of Forsyth HS in Montana, Anthony Juckes (138) of Piedra Vista HS in New Mexico, Ryan Allred (145) of Camp Verde HS in Arizona, Cody Hughes (160) of Marshwood HS in Maine, Ricky Regas of Cinco Ranch HS in Texas and Tevis Bartlett (195) of Cheyenne East HS in Wyoming, who is a two-time NHSCA champion as a freshman and sophomore.

Other Junior National champs back in 2015 are — Jonathan Viruet, the 2014 160-pound champ from Springfield Central HS in Massachsetts, Dylan Wisman of Millbrook HS in Virginia and heavyweight Andrew Pacheco of Warren Hills HS in New Jersey. Wisman, who won the 182-pound title last year, is a two-time Virginia state champ. Viruet is a 3X Massachusetts state champ.

2014 Silver medalists in this year’s field are — Jarrett Reisenbichler (113) of Jackson HS in Missouri, Lucas Weiland (145) of Seckman HS in New York, Lorenzo De La Riva (152) from Folsom HS in California, Johnny Garcia (170) of Danbury HS in Connecticut and Nicholas Wimmer (285) from North Davidson HS in North Carolina.