Marcus Blaze and Ben Davino Highlight Loaded 132 lbs Ironman Field
Marcus Blaze and Ben Davino Highlight Loaded 132 lbs Ironman Field
The Ironman Wrestling Tournament bracket at 132 lbs includes 7 wrestlers ranked in the top 10 highlighted by Marcuz Blaze and Ben Davino.
Another Ironman bracket lined with accolades and bonafide studs top to bottom. That's exactly what we will get at 132 lbs this weekend in Akron, Ohio. This bracket includes 7 wrestlers ranked in the top 10 in the country, World Champions, Fargo champions, along with a bunch of under-the-radar guys who are ready to make an impact. Let's take a look at everything you need to know about the 132-pound bracket this weekend at Ironman.
2023 Ironman Wrestling Tournament
The Favorites
#1 (126) Marcus Blaze, Perrysburg, OH (uncommitted)
#3 Benjamin Davino, St. Charles East, IL (Ohio State)
Two returning U17 World team members highlight the 132 lb bracket at Ironman. Marcus Blaze and Ben Davino are two of the most accomplished wrestlers in the country and have won just about everything there is to win at the high school level. Both guys will be looking for their second Ironman titles this weekend.
Despite moving up from 126 lbs, Blaze is probably the favorite at this weight over Davino. Blaze won this tournament in 2021 down at 113 lbs over Luke Lilledahl, and was third a year ago at Ironman after taking a quarterfinal loss to Leo Deluca, but avenged that loss for third-place. Blaze has been on a heater over the last year, as he won a loaded 55 kg field at the U17 World Team Trials, including defeating Anthony Knox two matches to none in the best-of-three finals. Blaze then went on to navigate his way to a U17 World Championship at 55 kg back in August.
Blaze put the entire country on notice last month at the Clarion Open as he took out Jax Forrest in a wild quarterfinal bout and followed that win up with a win over then #1 in the NCAA at 125 lbs, Matt Ramos.
Marcus Blaze's win over Jax Forrest at the Clarion Open
Marcus Blaze's win over Matt Ramos at the Clarion Open
Speaking of heaters, Davino has been on one of his own over the last year and a half. Davino stormed his way to a Fargo title in 2022, blanking the field 59-0 along the way. Davino then went on to defeat Marc-Anthony McGowan at Who's Number One last fall and followed that up with a sudden victory win over Mason Gibson in the Super 32 finals. Davino won Ironman a year ago down at 126 lbs with another win over Marc-Anthony McGowan in the finals.
Ben Davino's win over Marc-Anthony McGowan in the 2022 Ironman finals
Davino continued his reign through the U17 World Team Trials, as he dominated his way to the 60 kg spot, defeating Jax Forrest 2-0 in the best-of-three finals. Despite failing to medal at U17 Worlds, Davino defended his #1 ranking at 132 lbs at Who's Number One, picking up his second straight WNO victory, this time over Kyler Larkin.
Ben Davino's win over Kyler Larkin at Who's Number One
Most recently, Davino was defeated by Sergio Vega in the Super 32 semifinals in arguably the biggest upset of the tournament. Davino went on to finish third, defeating Larkin once again in the third-place bout.
Blaze is the top prospect in the Class of 2025 Big Board and is currently uncommitted, but is one of the most sought-after recruits in the country. Blaze's path to the finals could meet him up in the quarterfinals with Nick O'Neill, a very dangerous wrestler with a strong top game. If Blaze were to get through O'Neill, he would likely see Dillon Campbell in the semifinals.
Davino is the #3 ranked prospect in the Class of 2024 Big Board and is headed to Ohio State next year. Davino will likely get the winner between Matthew Lopes and Draegan Orine in the quarterfinals, both of whom are returning Ironman place winners. Davino's semifinal could be very interesting as he will likely see the winner between Mason Gibson and Jordyn Raney, two very dangerous and accomplished wrestlers in their own rights. As mentioned above, Davino and Gibson had a very competitive bout in the 2022 Super 32 finals, with Davino able to sneak out the win in sudden victory.
Ben Davino's victory over Mason Gibson in the 2022 Super 32 final
The Contenders
#4 (126) Jordyn Raney, Union County, KY (uncommitted)
#5 (138) Mason Gibson, Bishop McCort, PA (Penn State)
#7 (126) Nick O'Neill, Malvern Prep, PA (Army West Point)
#9 (126) Dillon Campbell, Legacy Christian, OH (Virginia Tech)
#10 (126) Jake Hockaday, Brownsburg, IN (Oklahoma)
#11 (132) Matthew Lopes - Blair Academy, NJ
U17 Greco World Champion Jordyn Raney tops the list of contenders that could challenge to make the finals here. Raney has shown his ability to win in big moments time and time again, including his win by fall over Jax Forrest in the quarter-finals at the 2022 Super 32 while trailing 14-3. Raney was fifth here a year ago and will definitely be looking for the fall all weekend no matter who he is matched up with.
Jordyn Raney's win over Jax Forrest at the 2022 Super 32
Mason Gibson has been a household name his entire career ever since winning a Super 32 title as an eighth grader. The Penn State commit has missed a lot of time over the last few years with injury but has always been right up there with the best in the country whenever he competes. Gibson won a Fargo title in 2022 and followed that up with a strong performance at Super 32 last fall where he just fell short of his second title to Ben Davino. Gibson was also fifth here a year ago and will be looking to close out his Ironman career with a title.
Nick O'Neill and Dillon Campbell have both had a bit of inconsistent performances throughout their careers but have had big wins. O'Neill was 2-2 at Ironman a year ago and failed to place, but then went on to win Powerade and Escape The Rock titles. Campbell was third at 126 lbs here last year and picked up a win over Mason Gibson in the consolation semifinals. These two actually met in the Escape The Rock semifinals last season and it was O'Neill who used his strong top game to come away with the win by fall. If they were to hit again, it could be anyone's ball game.
Nick O'Neills win over Dillon Campbell at the 2023 Escape The Rock
Jake Hockaday and Matty Lopes are also strong-ranked competitors in the 132 lb field. Hockaday was fourth at Fargo this summer and fell in the blood round at this tournament last year to Jordyn Raney. The Sooner commit will be looking to secure his spot on the podium this weekend. Lopes is headed to Lehigh next year. He's looking to add to his list of credentials after placing at this tournament last year and making a run to the National Prep finals at the end of the season.
Sleepers & Darkhorses
Matthew Botello - Wyoming Seminary, PA
Aiden King, Bishop Hartley, OH
Arment Waltenbaugh, Faith Christian Academy, PA
Austin Ellis, Davis, UT
Casen Roark, Father Ryan, TN
Christian Fretwell, Lake Gibson, FL
David Perez, Ponaganset, RI
Draegen Orine, Seckman, MO
Gunner Andrick, Point Pleasant, WV
With all of the heavy hitters at 132 lbs, there are also some legit unranked wrestlers looking to make noise at Ironman this weekend.
Wyoming Seminary's Matthew Botello was sixth here a year ago and had strong performances at both the U17 World Team Trials and Fargo, finishing sixth and fifth respectively. Arment Waltenbaugh was seventh at Pennsylvania states last season as just a freshman and finished fifth at Fargo this summer. Christian Fretwell was a finalist at the Grappler Fall Classic this fall and is a previous Fargo All-American. Draegen Orine is a very dangerous competitor to watch out for as well as he was sixth at Ironman a year ago and was a Powerade runner-up. Be prepared for an absolute war to the podium this weekend at 132 lbs.
132 lbs Pre-Seeds
Complete Ironman pre-seeds for every weight are available here.
1. Ben Davino - St. Charles East, IL
2. Marcus Blaze - Perrysburg, OH
3. Dillon Campbell - Legacy Christian Academy, OH
4. Mason Gibson - Bishop McCort, PA
5. Jordyn Raney - Union County, KY
6. Matthew Botello - Wyoming Seminary, PA
7. Nick O'Neill - Malvern Prep, PA
8. Matthew Lopes - Blair Academy, NJ
9. Draegen Orine - Seckman, MO
10. Jayce Peridon - Lake Highland Prep, FL
11. Jake Hockaday - Brownsburg, IN
12. Gunner Andrick - Point Pleasant, WV
13. Christian Fretwell - Lake Gibson, FL
14. Eddie Goss - Center Grove, IN
15. Cason Roark - Father Ryan, TN
16. Aiden King - Bishop Hartley, OH
Prediction
1) Marcus Blaze 2) Ben Davino 3) Jordyn Raney 4) Mason Gibson 5) Nick O'Neill 6) Dillon Campbell 7) Matthew Botello 8) Jake Hockaday