Blair Academy remains #1 high school wrestling team in the national in latest Win Magazine rankings

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCARadioShow

Blair Academy from Blairstown, New Jersey had quite a month of January with impressive dual meet victories over nationally-ranked Graham (St. Paris, Ohio), Perry (Massillon, Ohio) and Wyoming Seminary (Kingston, Pennsylvania).  The narrow 27-24 win over Sem came in the gold medal match at the NHSCA Final Four Wrestling Festival in York, Pennsylvania on January 11th.  

Those three victories solidified the Bucs at the top of the latest Win Magazine national high school wrestling rankings.  Blair's win moved former #2 Graham down three spots, while Perry moves up one spot to #9.  On the other hand, Wyoming Seminary's narrow loss moves them up three to #6.

Three are four new teams in the latest rankings: Broken Arrow (Oklahoma) at #12, Kaukauna (Wisconsin) at #15, Bettendorf (Iowa) at #16 and Bethlehem Catholic (Pennsylvania) at #23.

Win Magazine Top 25
…rankings through January 26, 2014

1. Blair Academy (New Jersey)
2. Apple Valley (Minnesota)
3. Oak Park-River Forest (Illinois)
4. Clovis (California)
5. Graham (Ohio)
6. Wyoming Seminary (Pennsylvania)
7. Bergen Catholic (New Jersey)
8. Archer (Georgia)
9. Perry (Ohio)
10. Franklin Regional (Pennsylvania)
11. Brandon (Florida)
12. Broken Arrow (Oklahoma)
13. Stillwater (Oklahoma)
14. Montini Catholic (Illinois)
15. Kaukauna (Wisconsin)
16. Bettendorf (Iowa)
17. Marist (Illinois)
18. Lowell (Michigan)
19. Edmond North (Oklahoma)
20. Buchanan (California)
21. St. Peter's Prep (New Jersey)
22. Bound Brook (New Jersey)
23. Bethlehem Catholic (Pennsylvania)
24. Poway (California)
25. St. Edward (Ohio)

Win Magazine releases preseason high school wrestling rankings

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCAradioshow

The National High School Coaches Association's Final Four Festival in January is going to be a dandy if Win Magazine's preseason high school wrestling rankings are any indication. Three of the top six teams in the country are already entered in the field for the 15th annual event that will once again take place in York, Pennsylvania.

Headlining the field is defending 2012 NHSCA Final Four and national champ Blair Academy.  The Bucs are Win Magazine's preseason #1 team.  

Also in the NHSCA Final Four field is Wyoming Seminary (Pennsylvania), ranked #5 by Win Magazine, and Brandon (Florida), which is ranked #6 in the magazine's first poll of the season.

Below is Win Magazine's entire preseason Top 25 poll.

Win Magazine HS Wrestling Preseason Top 25

1. Blair Academy (New Jersey) 
2. Apple Valley (Minnesota)
3. Clovis (California)
4. Oak Park-River Forest (Illinois)
5. Wyoming Seminary (Pennsylvania)
6. Brandon (Florida)
7. Bergen Catholic (New Jersey)
8. St. Paris Graham (Ohio)
9. Franklin Regional (Pennsylvania)
10. Good Counsel (Maryland)
11. Archbishop Moeller (Ohio)
12. Massillon Perry (Ohio)
13. Marmion Academy (Illinois)
14. Montini Catholic (Illinois)
15. Edmond North (Oklahoma)
16. Don Bosco Prep (New Jersey)
17. Collinsville (Oklahoma)
18. Clovis Buchanan (California)
19. Bound Brook (New Jersey)
20. MacArthur (Oklahoma)
21. Marist (Illinois)
22. Hermiston (Oregon)
23. Centennial (Idaho)
24. Detroit Catholic Central (Michigan)
25. Mount Anthony (Vermont)

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.

Win Magazine's Preseason High School Wrestling Rankings

by Jeff Fisher
Host
NHSCA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCARadioShow

Defending national champ Blair Academy (New Jersey) no longer is headed by Jeff Buxton, who resigned in August as the school's head coach, but the Buccaneers are still loaded and considered a good bet to win another national championship with six returning starters.  At least that what WIN Magazine believes with the release of its Preseason Top 25 high school wrestling rankings.

Here's the Top 25, and click here to see more detail on the rankings:

Win Magazine's Top 25
**last season's final ranking in parentheses

1. Blair Academy - New Jersey (1)
2. Central Dauphin - Pennsylvania (15)
3. Canon-McMillan - Pennsylvania (7)
4. St. Edward - Ohio (2)
5. Clovis - California (4)
6. Brandon - Florida (5)
7. St. Johns - Michigan (6)
8. Christiansburg - Virginia (8)
9. Wyoming Seminary - Pennsylvania (10)
10. Davison - Michigan (NR)
11. St. Michael-Albertville - Minnesota (NR)
12. Montini - Illinois (23)
13. South Plainfield - New Jersey (NR)
14. Marist - Illinois (NR)
15. Carl Sandburg - Illinois (NR)
16. Allen - Texas (NR)
17. Perry Meridian - Indiana (24)
18. Perry - Ohio (17)
19. Apple Valley - Minnesota (3)
20. Simley - Ohio (13)
21. Archbishop Moeller - Ohio (18)
22. Kasson-Mantorville - Minnesota (NR)
23. Shenendehowa - New York (NR)
24. Assumption - Iowa (NR)
25. West Fargo - North Dakota (NR)

NHSCA Wrestling Festival - Showdown Looming #1 vs. #2

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

If all goes according to plan, the 11th annual NHSCA Wrestling Festival will culminate with the biggest high school wrestling match of the 2011-12 school year.

If Blair Academy (New Jersey) and St. Edward (Ohio) successfully navigate their respective pools at Pleasant Valley High School in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, the two will meet in the championship round to determine which team is the best in America.

Blair enters the competition ranked #1 by Win Magazine and The Open Mat.  St. Ed's, which began the year ranked #1, is currently ranked #2.  The two schools flip-flopped spots after Blair won the Ironman in December with St. Ed's finishing second.

I spoke to both coaches on the NHSCA Sports Hour on Thursday, click here to listen to the interviews with Jeff Buxton (Blair) and Greg Urbas (St. Ed).

You'll be able to watch the showdown on the NHSCA website for free.  Go to NHSCA.com to learn how, plus see all of the results as the matches end.

Below are the latest rankings through January 10th from The Open Mat:

1. Blair Academy (NJ)
2. St. Edward (OH)
3. St. Johns (MI)
4. Apple Valley (MN)
5. Clovis (CA)
6. Brandon (FL)
7. Canon McMillan (PA)
8. Bettendorf (IA)
9. Wyoming Seminary (PA)
10. Detroit Central Catholic (MI)
11. St. Paris Graham (OH)
12. Bethlehem Catholic (PA)
13. Christiansburg (VA)
14. Archbishop Moeller (OH)
15. Simley (MN)
16. Perry Meridian (IN)
17. Southeast Polk (IA)
18. Poway (CA)
19. Broken Arrow (OK)
20. Union (OK)
21. Allen (TX)
22. Montini Catholic (IL)
23. Iowa City West (IA)
24. Central Dauphin (PA)
25. Massillon Perry (OH)