Seven defending NHSCA champs entered in 2014 Junior Nationals

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCARadioShow

It's hard to handicap the 2014 NHSCA Junior Nationals because of the amount of talent that will descend upon Virginia Beach for the 25th Annual National High School Coaches Association's High School National Wrestling Championships.

From top-to-bottom, the NHSCA Junior Nationals are deep with talent.  There are 19 wrestlers entered that are three-time state champs (see below), plus a large number of wrestlers that have captured between one-and-two state championships.

There are also seven 2013 NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champs back to defend their titles as juniors.

At 120, three-time West Virginia state champ Jordan Allen from Huntington High School is looking for his second straight NHSCA gold medal.  Allen won the 113-pound gold in 2013.

At 152-pounds, last year's 145-pound champ Corbin Allen of Hanover High School in Virginia is looking to defend his NHSCA gold medal.  This past year, Allen won Virginia's Class 4A state title at 152-pounds.

Allen's main competition may come from three-time Maine state champ and defending 2013 NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champ Cody Hughes of Marshwood High School.  Hughes was 49-1 this past season and owns a lifetime record of 149-9.
Another three-time state champ entered in the 2014 Junior Nationals is Tevis Bartlett of Cheyenne East High School in Wyoming.  The 2013 Sophomore Nationals champ at 182 is entered at 195 this year.  Barlett, who also won the 2012 NHSCA Freshman Nationals at 182-pounds, was a perfect 46-0 this year and he's also Wyoming's top high school football players with Division I scholarship offers in football.

Like Bartlett, Kenneth Brinson of Marist High School in Georgia is looking for his third straight NHSCA gold medal. After winning freshman and sophomore titles at 195, Brinson moves-up to 220-pounds for the 2014 NHSCA Junior Nationals.

Awaiting Brinson in the 220-pound weight class is defending 2013 NHSCA Sophomore National champ Austin Myers of Campbell County High in Kentucky, who is also looking for his third straight NHSCA championship.  Myers has won three straight Kentucky state wrestling championships.

Benjamin Schram of Bellbrook High School in Ohio, who has also won two NHSCA gold medals and was last year's 160 NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champ, is up at 170-pounds this year. Making the trip east will east from Arizona will be Ryan Allred of Camp Verde High School in Arizona.  Allred, who is entered in the Junior Nationals at 138 pounds, is a three-time Arizona state champ, who has only lost one match in his high school career.

Returning 2013 NHSCA Sophomore Nationals' Finalists

Corbin Allen, Hanover HS (Virginia) - 1st, 145
Jordan Allen, Huntington HS (West Virginia) - 1st, 113
Tevis Barlett, Cheyenne East HS (Wyoming) - 1st, 182
Kenneth Brinson, Marist HS (Georgia) - 1st, 195
Cody Cordes, Wyoming Valley West HS (Pennsylvania) - 2nd, 145
Christopher Favoroso, Jensen Beach HS (Florida) - 2nd, 182
Johnny Garcia, Danbury HS (Connecticut) - 2nd, 160
Cody Hughes, Marshwood HS (Maine) - 1st, 152
Dylan Lucas, Brandon HS (Florida) - 2nd, 126
Austin Myers, Campbell County (Kentucky) - 1st, 220
Jake Newhouse, Perry HS (Ohio) - 2nd, 106
Adam Olsen, Highpoint Central HS (North Carolina) - 2nd, 285
Benjamin Schram, Bellbrook HS (Ohio) - 1st, 160

2014 NHSCA Junior National 3-Time State Champs

113 - Jonathan Ragsdale, Gordon Lee HS (Georgia)
106 - Arick Shankles, Muscle Shoals HS (Alabama)
113 - Mitchel Langford, North Henderson HS (North Carolina)
113 - Kyson Levin, Pleasant Grove HS (Utah)
120 - Jordan Allen, Huntington HS (West Virginia)
120 - Chris Debien, Cleveland HS (Tennessee) 
120 - Troy Gassaway, Mt. Anthony (Vermont)
120 - Gresh Jones, Sidney HS (Montana)
126 - Fred Green, Orting HS (Washington)
126 - Seth Johnson, Brother Martin HS (Louisiana)
126 - Rico Montoya, Robertson HS (New Mexico)
132 - Dylan Lucas, Brandon HS (Florida)
132 - Matt Weber, Forsyth HS (Montana)
138 - Ryan Allred, Camp Verde HS (Arizona)
138 - Max Thomsen, Union (Iowa)
138 - Anthony Juckes, Fort Lupton HS (New Mexico)
145 - Neal Richards, Matoaca HS (Virginia)
152 - Cody Hughes, Marshwood HS (Maine)
160- Jackson Howarth, Marshwood HS (Maine)
195 - Tevis Barlett, Cheyenne East HS (Wyoming)
220 - Austin Myers, Campbell County HS (Kentucky)

40th Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCARadioShow

It's called the Rose Bowl of Wrestling and Sunday the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic will turn 40.

This year's USA All-Stars versus Pennsylvania All-Stars format at the University of Pittsburgh will feature 26 wrestlers that have combined to win 57 state and national prep titles.  The US team features four, 4-time state champs.

Here are the match-ups with USA All-Star first:

113 - *Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, DE) vs. Ethan Lizak (Parkland)
120-  Nathan Boston (Woodford Co., KY) vs. Dalton Macri (Canon-McMillan)
126 - Steve Micic (Hanover Central, IN) vs. Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic)
132 - Josh Albers (Dakota, IL) vs. Ian Brown (Hanover)
138 - Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, NJ) vs. Solomon Chishko (Canon-McMillan)
145 - *Tyler Berger (Crook County, OR) vs. Jason Noll (Kittanning)
152 - Bryce Brill (Mount Carmel, IL) vs. T.C. Warner (Cumberland Valley)
160 - *Ryan Blees (Bismark, ND) vs. Garrett Peppleman (Central Dauphin)
170 - Bo Nickal (Allen TX) vs. Stephen Loiseau (Lancaster Catholic)
182 - Joe Dixon (Edmond North, OK) vs. Zack Zavatsky (Latrobe)
195 - *Chip Ness (Buford, GA) vs. Tristan Sponseller (Bermudian Springs)
220 - Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, MD) vs. Michael Boykin (Coatesville)
285 - Nick Nevillis (Clovis, CA) vs. Thomas Haines (Solanco)

*- 4X state champ

USA Head Coach - Adam Tirapelle (Clovis, CA)
PA Head Coach - Josh Shields (Burrell)

Kicking off the event will be the western Pennsylvania (WPIAL) All-Stars taking on Oklahoma All-Stars.

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.