Returning Placers From Last Year's Walsh Jesuit Ironman
Returning Placers From Last Year's Walsh Jesuit Ironman
All of the placers from last year's Walsh Jesuit Ironman who are expected to compete in the event once again.
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The Walsh Jesuit Ironman is the nation's toughest in-season high school tournament, and placing there is one of the finest accomplishments one can achieve.
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December 13-14 | 10:00 AM Eastern
Due to the depth and prestige of the event, it is obviously dominated by seniors and upperclassmen. But there are some young stars who find themselves on the podium.
Here are all the returning placers from 2018 that are competing in the Ironman this Friday and Saturday at Walsh Jesuit high school in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
Lightweight Preview | Upperweight Preview | Pre-Seeds
Before we start, our own Kyle Bratke made a very helpful college fan guide, with many of the guys listed below featured in there and where they are committed to wrestle at the next level.
By my count, there are 43 returning placers from last year. The athletes are listed by where they placed last year, with their current weight for this weekend in parentheses at the end.
106 Pounds
1st Place - Kyle Rowan: Perry, OH (120)
3rd Place - Gary Steen: Reynolds, PA (113)
4th Place - Diego Sotelo: Marmion Academy, IL (113)
5th Place - Richard Fedalen: McDonogh, MD (126)
8th Place - Daniel Wask: Blair Academy, NJ (132)
A good mix of states to start us off. Stanford commit Rowan will be looking for his second title. Steen was a past champ in Pennsylvania. Sotelo is still searching for his first Illinois state title. Wask goes up quite a few weights to fill in for Shayne Van Ness.
113 Pounds
2nd Place - Alejandro Herrera-Rondon: Seneca Valley, PA (132)
5th Place - Ryan Miller: Blair Academy, NJ (120)
7th Place - Cooper Flynn: McDonogh, MD (120)
8th Place - Colton Drousias: Mt. Carmel, IL (120)
Ali Herrera is up even from where he was this summer in Fargo. Miller and Flynn have one of the most persistent rivalries in high school right now. Drousias was a sneaky good pick up for West Virginia. Miller and Drousias both also placed here in 2017.
120 Pounds
1st Place - Trevor Mastrogiovanni: Blair Academy, NJ (126)
3rd Place - Ryan Crookham: Notre Dame, PA (126)
4th Place - Lachlan McNeil: Wyoming Seminary, PA (138)
6th Place - Nic Bouzakis: Wyoming Seminary, PA (126)
Mastro, who is going for his third title, will be the top seed at 126, with Crookham and Bouzakis right behind him. The Crookham/Bouzakis semi winner should likely get Mastro in the finals. McNeil won Super 32 and appears even better having put on some weight.
126 Pounds
5th Place - Dylan Shawver of Elyria, OH (126)
6th Place - Drew Munch: Wyoming Seminary, PA (132)
7th Place - Dylan Ragusin: Montini Catholic, IL (126)
Shawver is hoping to slay some more giants this weekend, as he was able to knock off Robbie Howard at Beast of the Easy last year. Ragusin is also in that loaded 126 bracket, and former National Prep champ Munch will look to contribute big points for Sem.
132 Pounds
2nd Place - Frankie Tal-Shahar: American Heritage, FL (138)
5th Place - Beau Bartlett: Wyoming Seminary, PA (138)
6th Place - Mick Burnett: Elyria, OH (138)
7th Place - Kenny Herrmann: Bethlehem Catholic, PA (138)
You’re looking at most of the star power moving up just one weight. Penn State commit Bartlett is your top seed, while future Pitt Panther Burnett is the three. Northwestern pledge Tal-Shahar is the six, and Herrmann, perhaps the second biggest free agent still available in the senior class, sits in the four spot.
138 Pounds
2nd Place - Chris Rivera: Lake Highland Prep, FL (132)
5th Place - Matt Lackman: Bethlehem Catholic, PA (145)
6th Place - Jackson Dean: Caesar Rodney, DE (145)
7th Place - Peyton Hall: Oak Glen, WV (152)
Rivera and his brother Justin are both in the field. Lackman’s breakout was Ironman a few years ago when he placed seventh at 120, and improved upon that last year. Jackson Dean is a past Fargo finalist and Hall is coming off a finals appearance at Super 32.
145 Pounds
3rd Place - Travis Mastrogiovanni: Blair Academy, NJ (152)
8th Place - Fidel Mayora: Montini Catholic, IL (145)
Mastro recently committed to Oklahoma State and will be joining his brother in Stillwater. Mayora signed his NLI with Michigan and will join a few other Izzy Style guys in Ann Arbor.
152 Pounds
7th Place - John Martin Best: Parkersburg, WV (160)
8th Place - Cole Handlovic: Bethlehem Catholic, PA (152)
Best's future lies in Colorado with Air Force, while Handlovic is staying a little closer to home and heading to Cornell. Bryce Hepner placed eighth at 126 two years ago and is now the eight seed at 152.
160 Pounds
4th Place - Dom Mata: Blair Academy, NJ (170)
6th Place - Thayne Lawrence: Frazier, PA (160)
8th Place - Tyler Stoltzfus: Saint Joseph's, PA (170)
Harvard commit Mata is coming off a loss, Lehigh signee Lawrence was in the Super 32 finals, and future Lock Haven upperweight Stoltzfus was an NHSCA champ.
170 Pounds
3rd Place - Nevan Snodgrass Kettering Fairmont, OH (170)
4th Place - Ashton Habeil: Lake Gibson, FL (182)
7th Place - Jake Evans: Elyria, OH (182)
Northern Iowa commit Snodgrass is your top seed at 170. Habeil is one of several wrestlers from Florida going, as the state is expected to have a very strong presence this weekend.
182 Pounds
6th Place - Sam Fisher: Fauquier, VA (195)
7th Place - Peyton Craft: Blair Academy, NJ (195)
These two are your top seeds at 195 and expected to meet in the finals. Fisher is a senior signed with Virginia Tech and Craft is a junior heading to Princeton. Craft picked up a signature win late last season when he knocked off Ironman champ Darrien Roberts in the National Prep semis.
195 Pounds
5th Place - Ethan Hatcher: Brecksville, OH (220)
7th Place - Kolby Franklin: Wyoming Seminary, PA (220)
8th Place - Jack Wimmer: McDonogh, MD (195)
Hatcher is the favorite to make the finals opposite Braxton Amos, who we'll get to below. Franklin transferred from St. Joseph's to Wyoming Seminary and is your three seed. Duke commit Wimmer also placed eighth in 2017 at 182lbs.
220 Pounds
1st Place - Braxton Amos: Parkersburg South, WV (220)
5th Place - Kade Carlson: Corner Canyon
6th Place - Matthias Ervin: Union County, KY
Amos is our second wrestler gunning for a third title. He beat Owen Trephan each of the past two years in the finals, but Trephan has moved on to NC State. With AJ Ferrari getting hurt before Who's #1 and Allen not attending Ironman this year, we'll have to shine on that dream matchup a little longer but we can still appreciate Amos and his quest for three titles each at Ironman and Super 32.
285 Pounds
6th Place - Max Millin: Massillon Perry, OH (285)
8th Place - Caden Hill: Crestview, OH (285)
Millin was third last year in big school Ohio who has placed twice now at Ironman.