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Preview – 2023 NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships (165-285)

The 2023 NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships kick off on Thursday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the BOK Center. This is the country’s premier wrestling event, a date wrestling fans have marked down on their calendars. Today, I will preview every weight and give you wrestlers to watch out for come Thursday. To view brackets for the 2023 NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships, visit my bracket hub, where you will find brackets and other information. Now, let’s get started.

125-157 Preview

165 LBS

Title Favorites/Contenders

(1) David Carr (Iowa State)

(2) Keegan O’Toole (Missouri)

(3) Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin)

“Bracket Busters”

(6) Patrick Kennedy (Iowa)

(9) Shane Griffith (Stanford)

(13) Alex Facundo (Penn State)

(14) Peyton Hall (West Virginia)

Former All-Americans

(1) David Carr (Iowa State) – 3^rd in 2022 and 2021 National Champion

(2) Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) – 2022 National Champion and 3^rd in 2021

(3) Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) – 6^th in 2022

(5) Quincy Monday (Princeton) – 2^nd in 2022

(9) Shane Griffith (Stanford) – 2^nd in 2022 and 2021 National Champion

(10) Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) – 7^th in 2022

(11) Cameron Amine (Michigan) – 4^th in 2022 and 7^th in 2021

(14) Peyton Hall (West Virginia) – 8^th in 2022

(31) Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State) – 8^th in 2021

Top Potential Matchups

Round of 16 – (9) Shane Griffith (Stanford) vs (8) Matthew Olguin (Oregon State)

Round of 16 – (13) Alex Facundo (Penn State) vs (4) Julian Ramirez (Cornell)

Round of 16 – (11) Cameron Amine (Michigan) vs (6) Patrick Kennedy (Iowa)

Round of 16 – (7) Michael Caliendo III (North Dakota State) vs (10) Carson Kharchla (Ohio State)

Quarterfinals – (1) David Carr (Iowa State) vs (9) Shane Griffith (Stanford)

Quarterfinals – (3) Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) vs (6) Patrick Kennedy (Iowa)

Semi-Finals – (1) David Carr (Iowa State) vs (5) Quincy Monday (Princeton)

Semi-Finals – (3) Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) vs (2) Keegan O’Toole (Missouri)

Finals – (1) David Carr (Iowa State) vs (2) Keegan O’Toole (Missouri)/(3) Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin)

Top Half

What if I told you there were two national champions and a national runner-up on the same side of the bracket? Would you believe me? You do not need to because that is what this top half of the bracket contains. David Carr nabs the top seed and looks as good as anyone in this weight. He has two wins over the returning NCAA champ Keegan O’Toole and has been dominant all year, going 22-0. He could see former NCAA champ Shane Griffith in the Quarterfinals, who has gone 23-3 with two tight losses to the 8 seed Matthew Olguin to set up a great Round of 16 matchups. Julian Ramirez and Quincy Monday are on a collision path to the Quarterfinals to set up an EIWA Finals rematch, where Ramirez won 6-5.

Bottom Half

Keegan O’Toole is the returning NCAA Champ in this weight and has had a great 2022-2023 campaign going 15-2, with those losses coming to David Carr. His path looks favorable to make it to the Semi-Finals, where his most likely opponent is Dean Hamiti. Hamiti is 21-3 on the year, with great wins over Julian Ramirez and Patrick Kennedy. Hamiti could have a rematch with Patrick Kennedy in the Quarterfinals. This will be his first true test, even though he holds two tight wins over Kennedy.

174 LBS

Title Favorites/Contenders

(1) Carter Starocci (Penn State)

(2) Mikey Labriola (Nebraska)

(3) Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech)

“Bracket Busters”

(9) Edmond Ruth (Illinois)

(10) Rocky Jordan (Chattanooga)

(11) Nelson Brands (Iowa)

Former All-Americans

(1) Carter Starocci (Penn State) – 2x National Champion

(2) Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) – 7^th in 2022, 3^rd in 2021, and 6^th in 2019

(3) Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) – 2^nd in 2022 and 2021 National Champion

(5) Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) – 6^th in 2022

(6) Ethan Smith (Ohio State) – 5^th in 2021

(15) Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley) – 6^th in 2021

(30) Jackson Turley (Rutgers) – 8^th in 2021

Top Potential Matchups

Round of 16 – (1) Carter Starocci (Penn State) vs (17) Donnell Washington (Indiana)

Round of 16 – (9) Edmond Ruth (Illinois) vs (8) Bailee O’Reilly (Minnesota)

Round of 16 – (11) Nelson Brands (Iowa) vs (6) Ethan Smith (Ohio State)

Round of 16 – (7) Peyton Mocco (Missouri) vs (10) Rocky Jordan (Chattanooga)

Quarterfinal – (1) Carter Starocci (Penn State) vs (9) Edmond Ruth (Illinois)

Semi-Finals – (3) Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) vs (2) Mikey Labriola (Nebraska)

Finals – (1) Carter Starocci (Penn State) vs (2) Mikey Labriola (Nebraska)/(3) Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech)

Top Half

Carter Starocci nabs the top seed and looks primed for a third national title. The top side of this bracket is not as impressive as the bottom half and should be relatively easy to maneuver through. Starocci might have a rematch in the Round of 16 with Donnell Washington, which was not a close match but almost ended in a fistfight, so that could be fun. Then a matchup against Edmond Ruth in the Quarterfinals could be exciting.

Bottom Half

The bottom half of this bracket is exciting, with Mikey Labriola at the 2 seed and Mekhi Lewis at the 3 seed. Labriola is 26-1 on the year with a win over Mekhi Lewis and a loss to Carter Starocci in the Big Ten Finals. His win over Lewis came at the Cliff Keen Invitational in the Finals, where he won a 3-1 match in sudden victory. Mekhi Lewis also is having a good season going 18-1 on the year, including wins over Ethan Smith, Chris Foca, and Peyton Mocco. Those two look to be on a collision course to the Semi-Finals. Rocky Jordan and Nelson Brands could make some noise in this bracket and might knock off some top wrestlers along their way.

184 LBS

Title Favorites/Contenders

(1) Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa)

(2) Trent Hidlay (NC State)

(3) Aaron Brooks (Penn State)

“Bracket Busters”

(5) Marcus Coleman (Iowa State)

(7) Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech)

(13) Lenny Pinto (Nebraska)

Former All-Americans

(1) Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) – 3^rd in 2022 and 3^rd in 2021

(2) Trent Hidlay (NC State) – 5^th in 2022 and 2^nd in 2021

(3) Aaron Brooks (Penn State) – 2x National Champion

(5) Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) – 7^th in 2022

(6) Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) – 6^th in 2022

(7) Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) – 7^th in 2021

(10) Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) – 4^th in 2021

Top Potential Matchups

Round of 16 – (5) Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) vs (12) Abe Assad (Iowa)

Round of 16 – (13) Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) vs (4) Trey Munoz (Oregon State)

Round of 16 – (7) Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) vs (10) Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State)

Quarterfinals – (1) Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) vs (8) Matt Finesilver (Michigan)

Quarterfinals – (3) Aaron Brooks (Penn State) vs (6) Kaleb Romero (Ohio State)

Quarterfinals – (7) Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) vs (2) Trent Hidlay (NC State)

Semi-Finals – (3) Aaron Brooks (Penn State) vs (2) Trent Hidlay (NC State)

Finals – (1) Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) vs (2) Trent Hidlay (NC State)/(3) Aaron Brooks (Penn State)

Top Half

Parker Keckeisen nabs the top seed and has been great all year. Keckeisen is 22-1 on the year with wins over Trent Hidlay, who he split matches with, Marcus Coleman, Kaleb Romero, and Lenny Pinto. Keckeisen is the favorite to come out of this side of the bracket, but he will have some good matchups along the way. Trey Munoz, who has been very good all year, is on upset alert with the possibility of a Round of 16 matchup with Lenny Pinto. Pinto has a win over Munoz this year in a 5-4 match at the Cliff Keen Invitational. Marcus Coleman can make some noise in this top half of the bracket holding arguably the best win in this weight over Aaron Brooks. He has faced Keckeisen twice and lost both times, though.

Bottom Half

The story of the bottom half of this bracket is Aaron Brooks falling to the 3 seed behind Trent Hidlay, who is the 2 seed. The two-time national champion can still pick up number three this year and has some really good wins over Kaleb Romero and Matt Finesilver. Hidlay has looked good all year, excluding that loss to Keckeisen; he is a Hunter Bolen magnet because they look like they will meet in the Quarterfinals. Brooks could see Romero in the Quarterfinals, which he has beaten twice this season.

197 LBS

Title Favorites/Contenders

(1) Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh)

(2) Bernie Traux (Cal Poly)

(3) Rocky Elam (Missouri)

“Bracket Busters”

(4) Ethan Laird (Rider)

(5) Michael Beard (Lehigh)

(8) Silas Allred (Nebraska)

(9) Max Dean (Penn State)

Former All-Americans

(1) Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) – 2^nd in 2021

(2) Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) – 4^th in 2022 and 4^th in 2021

(3) Rocky Elam (Missouri) – 4^th in 2022 and 5^th in 2021

(5) Michael Beard (Lehigh) – 7^th in 2021

(9) Max Dean (Penn State) – 2022 National Champion, 2^nd in 2019, and 8^th in 2018

(13) Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) – 5^th in 2022

(14) Jacob Warner (Iowa) – 2^nd in 2022, 4^th in 2021, and 7^th in 2019

(26) Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) – 6^th in 2022

Top Potential Matchups

Round of 16 – (9) Max Dean (Penn State) vs (8) Silas Allred (Nebraska)

Round of 16 – (5) Michael Beard (Lehigh) vs (12) Zac Braunagel (Illinois)

Round of 16 – (13) Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) vs (4) Ethan Laird (Rider)

Round of 16 – (3) Rocky Elam (Missouri) vs (14) Jacob Warner (Iowa)

Quarterfinals – (1) Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) vs (8) Sillas Allred (Nebraska)/(9) Max Dean (Penn State)

Quarterfinals – (5) Michael Beard (Lehigh) vs (4) Ethan Laird (Rider)

Quarterfinals – (3) Rocky Elam (Missouri) vs (6) Isaac Trumble (NC State)

Semi-Finals – (3) Rocky Elam (Missouri) vs (2) Bernie Traux (Cal Poly)

Top Half

Nino Bonaccorsi nabs the top seed and has had a great year going 16-0. He probably was unhappy with his draw because he will have tough matches from the Quarterfinals. He could get the winner of the Big Ten Finals rematch between Max Dean and Silas Allred. Allred looked excellent in that final against Dean, but you cannot count out the returning champion. If he gets past the Quarterfinals, he could see Ethan Laird or Michael Beard in the Semi-Finals, who have beaten Dean this year.

Bottom Half

The bottom half of the bracket looks a little tamer than the top half, but it can still be very interesting. Rocky Elam is at the 3 seed with a 10-1 record on the year, with great wins over Tanner Sloan and Owen Pentz. His Round of 16 opponent could be Jacob Warner, who has not been as good as he was last year but is still dangerous. Then he gets a Quarterfinal matchup with Isaac Trumble, which could be a good match. Finally, Bernie Traux has an easier path to the Semi-Finals than anyone, with his biggest test coming in the Quarterfinals with a potential matchup with Tanner Sloan.

285 LBS

Title Favorites/Contenders

(1) Mason Parris (Michigan)

(2) Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force)

(3) Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)

(4) Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa)

(5) Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State)

“Bracket Busters”

(7) Owen Trephan (NC State)

(9) Lucas Davison (Northwestern)

(10) Zach Elam (Missouri)

(11) Trent Hillger (Wisconsin)

Former All-Americans

(1) Mason Parris (Michigan) – 5^th in 2022 and 2^nd in 2021

(3) Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) – 4^th in 2022 and 7^th in 2021

(4) Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa) – 7^th in 2022 and 3^rd in 2021

(5) Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) – 2^nd in 2022 and 4^th in 2021

(9) Lucas Davison (Northwestern) – 6^th in 2022

(11) Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) – 6^th in 2021 and 8^th in 2019

(16) Tate Orndorff (Ohio State) – 8^th in 2021

Top Potential Matchups

Round of 16 – (9) Lucas Davison (Northwestern) vs (8) Sam Schuyler (Iowa State)

Round of 16 – (11) Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) vs (6) Yaraslau Slavikouski (Harvard)

Round of 16 – (7) Owen Trephan (NC State) vs (10) Zach Elam (Missouri)

Quarterfinals – (1) Mason Parris (Michigan) vs (9) Lucas Davison (Northwestern)

Quarterfinals – (5) Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) vs (4) Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa)

Quarterfinals – (7) Owen Trephan (NC State) vs (2) Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force)

Semi-Finals – (1) Mason Parris (Michigan) vs (4) Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa)/(5) Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State)

Semi-Finals – (3) Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) vs (2) Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force)

Finals – (1) Mason Parris (Michigan) vs (2) Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)

Top Half

Mason Parris takes the top seed in this weight and has earned it. He is 28-0 on the year with wins over the 2, 3, and 4 seeds this year. Parris wants to get on a roll here on the top side but could run into Lucas Davison, who gave him a good match in the Quarterfinals. Anthony Cassioppi could also go on a run here with a 21-3 record on the year. Cassioppi has lost to Parris and Kerkvliet this season, but other than that, he has looked very good. He could have a monster Quarterfinal matchup with 20-2 Cohlton Schultz. The top half of this bracket could be entertaining each session.

Bottom Half

Greg Kerkvliet has been excellent this year and, despite being seeded behind 26-1 Wyatt Hendrickson, should be the favorite to come out of this half of the bracket. Kerkvliet is 15-2 on the year, with his losses coming to Mason Parris in the dual and in the Big Ten Finals. Kerkvliet could meet the Round of 16 winner of Trent Hillger and Yaraslau Slavikouski. Hillger has been good all year, but Slavikouski has been very good, going 27-4. He holds wins over Owen Trephan this season but was upset in the EIWA Semi-Finals by Nathan Taylor. Hendrickson has been the most dominant wrestler this year, at least statistically. He looks to have the smoothest path to a possible Semi-Final appearance but could run into Owen Trephan in the Quarterfinals, who looked good at the ACC Championships. The top and bottom half of this bracket will keep fans in their seats until the end.

All stats and records were provided by wrestlestat.com

Preview – 2023 NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships (125-157)

165-285 Preview

125 LBS

Title Favorites/Contenders

(1) Spencer Lee (Iowa)

(2) Pat Glory (Princeton)

(3) Liam Cronin (Nebraska)

“Bracket Busters”

(9) Eric Barnett (Wisconsin)

(10) Brandon Courtney (Arizona State)

(11) Patrick McKee (Minnesota)

(12) Michael DeAugustino (Nortwestern)

(28) Killian Cardinale (West Virginia)

Former All-Americans

(1) Spencer Lee (Iowa) – 3x National Champion

(2) Pat Glory (Princeton) – 2^nd in 2022 and 6^th in 2019

(7) Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) – 8^th in 2022

(9) Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) – 7^th in 2022 and 8^th in 2021

(10) Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) – 6^th in 2022 and 2^nd in 2021

(11) Patrick McKee (Minnesota) – 5^th in 2022 and 3^rd in 2021

(12) Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern) – 4^th in 2022

(28) Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) – 7^th in 2021

Top Potential Matchups

Round of 16 – (9) Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) vs (8) Anthony Noto (Lock Haven)

Round of 16 – (3) Liam Cronin (Nebraska) vs (14) Noah Surtin (Missouri)

Round of 16 – (11) Patrick McKee (Minnesota) vs (6) Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado)

Round of 16 – (7) Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) vs (10) Brandon Courtney (Arizona State)

Quarterfinals – (3) Liam Cronin (Nebraska) vs (11) Patrick McKee (Minnesota)

Semi-Finals – (3) Liam Cronin (Nebraska) vs (2) Pat Glory (Princeton)

Finals – (1) Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs (2) Pat Glory (Princeton)

Top Half

Three-time National Champion Spencer Lee highlights the top half of this bracket. He takes the one seed and looks like the clear favorite to come out. Lee has been the definition of dominant this season, with a significant bonus win percentage at 88%, and has gone 17-0. Matt Ramos is the favorite to challenge Lee in this half of the bracket. Ramos has had a great year after finishing as a Round of 12 guy last year. Ramos is 31-4 on the year with wins over Patrick McKee, Eric Barnett, Stevo Poulin, and Brandon Kaylor, to name the notable wins. Although the impressive season, we saw the Ramos vs Lee match in a dual back in January, with Lee winning by fall. Killian Cardinale is an interesting wrestler in this bracket at the 28 seed. Cardinale has had a very lackluster year despite the 10-1 record. Cardinale has put everyone on upset alert because he has been in the Quarterfinals before. Caleb Smith has to open up with Cardinale and could stumble out of the gates. Michael DeAugustino is someone who could flip this bracket because of his 12 seed. DeAugustino could make it to the Quarterfinals and might challenge Ramos Friday morning.

Bottom Half

The bottom half of this bracket holds a highly anticipated Semi-Final matchup with Cronin vs Glory. Liam Cronin has had a breakout year, and people really started paying attention to him after he beat Patrick McKee and Michael DeAugustino in back-to-back duals. Since December, Cronin only has two losses, with those coming to Spener Lee, including a loss to Lee in the Big Ten finals. Pat Glory is a returning NCAA runner-up and is off to a 20-0 start. However, Glory has had an incredible season with wins over Brandon Kaylor, Brandon Courtney, and Dean Peterson in back-to-back appearances. Patrick McKee and Brandon Courtney could make things interesting in this bracket. Both are former All-Americans and can beat just about anyone in this field and have a shot at Quarterfinal appearances. Courtney, however, would have a PAC-12 Finals rematch in the Round of 16 against Brandon Kaylor, where Kaylor won 3-2 in the second tiebreaker.

133 LBS

Title Favorites/Contenders

(1) Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State)

(2) Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)

(3) Vito Arujau (Cornell)

“Bracket Busters”

(8) Aaron Nagao (Minnesota)

(10) Lucas Byrd (Illinois)

(11) Dylan Ragusin (Michigan)

(13) Jesse Mendez (Ohio State)

(23) Brody Teske (Iowa)

Former All-Americans

(1) Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) – 2x National Champion and 8^th in 2019

(2) Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) – 3x National Runner-up

(3) Vito Arujau (Cornell) – 3^rd in 2022 and 4^thin 2019

(4) Michael McGee (Arizona State) – 4^th in 2022 and 6^th in 2021

(6) Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) – 6^th in 2021

(10) Lucas Byrd (Illinois) – 5^th in 2022 and 5^th in 2021

(12) Chris Cannon (Northwestern) – 7^th in 2022 and 7^th in 2021

(27) Taylor LaMont (Iowa) – 5^th in 2021

Top Potential Matchups

Round of 16 – (9) Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) vs (8) Aaron Nagao (Minnesota)

Round of 16 – (13) Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) vs (4) Michael McGee (Arizona State)

Round of 16 – (7) Michael Colaiocco (Penn) vs (10) Lucas Byrd (Illinois)

Quarterfinals – (1) Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) vs (8) Aaron Nagao (Minnesota)

Semi-Finals – (3) Vito Arujua (Cornell) vs (2) Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)

Finals – (1) Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) vs (2) Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)

Top Half

The top half of the bracket is highlighted by back-to-back National Champion Roman Bravo-Young, who nabs the top seed. He has been having a great season going 16-0 with a 75% bonus rate. He holds wins over Aaron Nagao, Jesse Mendez, and Brody Teske, to name some of his notable. He does have a tough road to the finals with a Big Ten Finals rematch in the Quarterfinals against Aaron Nagao. Nagao gave Bravo-Young his most challenging match this season and has a great chance of doing it again Friday morning. Jesse Mendez has the opportunity to blow up this side of the bracket since he matches up well with Michael McGee in the Round of 16. If you are going to pick a high seed to make the Semi-Finals, he is a good pick.

Bottom Half

Maybe as anticipated as a Bravo-Young vs Fix rematch, Saturday night is the potential Semi-Final matchup between Daton Fix and Vito Arujau. Fix has been on a terror this year. He is off to a 26-0 record and has looked like a man on a mission to win a title. Unfortunately, his second test will not be pleasant, with Vito Arujau standing in his way in the Semi-Finals. Arujua is 20-1 on the year and has looked like a genuine title contender all year. Fix’s first test could come from Lucas Byrd in the Quarterfinals. Byrd has been solid all year with a 28-4 record, plus he is a two-time All-American.

141 LBS

Title Favorites/Contenders

(1) Real Woods (Iowa)

(2) Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado)

(3) Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh)

“Bracket Busters”

(6) Beau Bartlett (Penn State)

(9) Mosha Schwartz (Oklahoma)

(12) Parker Filius (Purdue)

Former All-Americans

(1) Real Woods (Iowa) – 6^th in 2022

(3) Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) – 5^th in 2022

(11) Clay Carlson (South Dakota State – 8^th in 2021

(20) Jake Bergeland (Minnesota) – 7^th in 2022

Top Potential Matchups

Round of 16 – (9) Mosha Schwartz (Oklahoma) vs (8) Allan Hart (Missouri)

Round of 16 – (11) Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) vs (6) Beau Bartlett (Penn State)

Round of 16 – (7) Vince Cornella (Cornell) vs (10) Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina)

Quarterfinals – (3) Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) vs (6) Beau Bartlett (Penn State)

Semi-Finals – (3) Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh)/(6) Beau Bartlett (Penn State) vs (2) Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado)

Finals – (1) Real Woods (Iowa) vs (2) Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado)

Top Half

Real Woods highlights the top half of the bracket. Woods is 16-0 on the year and has looked good all year. He has wins over a good chunk of the top half of the bracket, including wins over Parker Filius, Brock Hardy, and Carter Young. The redshirt freshman Brock Hardy looks like the best contender in the field. Although he has lost twice to Woods, they were tight matches that could have gone either way. Watch out for the 12 and 13 seeds in this bracket. Parker Filius has been excellent this season but does have to open up with Cleveland Belton, who he lost to this year at the Cliff Keen Invitational. But Filius has some great wins this year over Vince Cornella and Dylan D’Emilio. Carter Young can be sneaky good and could get hot this tournament. He has beaten some guys seeded ahead of him, like Allan Hart and Mosha Schwartz. Young will face Jake Bergeland in the first round a returning All-American.

Bottom Half

Some could argue that Andrew Alirez has been the best wrestler at 141 lbs this season, and I would hear your argument. Alirez has the best win of the year that did not even count, and that was the win over Cole Matthews at the 2022 NWCA All-Star Classic. Alirez has great wins over Allan Hart and Carter Young this season. After another great season, Cole Matthews will be Alirez’s best challenger on this side of the bracket. Matthews is a returning All-American with a 19-1 record on the year, with his lone loss coming via upset from West Virginia’s Jordan Titus. Despite that, Matthews has looked great all year with wins over Ryan Jack and Lachlan McNeil. The Beau Bartlett vs Cole Matthews Quarterfinal is potentially the best Quarterfinal this tournament with two high-quality wrestlers. Bartlett has the opportunity to bust this bracket wide open by taking out the three and two seeds in back-to-back matches. Watch out for the Vince Cornella vs Lachlan McNeil Round of 16 matchup. Both are young, talented wrestlers, and the winner of that matchup could give Andrew Alirez a difficult match in the Quarterfinals.

149 LBS

Title Favorites/Contenders

(1) Yanni Diakomihalis (Cornell)

(2) Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)

(3) Kyle Parco (Arizona State)

(4) Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech)

(14) Austin Gomez (Wisconsin)

“Bracket Busters”

(5) Paniro Johnson (Iowa State)

(14) Austin Gomez (Wisconsin)

Former All-Americans

(1) Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) – 3x National Champion

(2) Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) – 5^th in 2022 and 2^nd in 2021

(3) Kyle Parco (Arizona State) – 8^th in 2022 and 6^th in 2021

(6) Brock Mauller (Missouri) – 5^th in 2021 and 6^th in 2019

(7) Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) – 3^rd in 2021

(9) Jaden Abas (Stanford) – 7^th in 2021

(14) Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) – 4^th in 2022

(33) Dom Demas (Cal Poly) – 4^th in 2019

Top Potential Matchups

Round of 16 – (9) Jaden Abas (Stanford) vs (8) Max Murin (Iowa)

Round of 16 – (5) Paniro Johnson (Iowa State) vs (12) Shayne Van Ness (Penn State)

Round of 16 – (3) Kyle Parco (Arizona State) vs (14) Austin Gomez (Wisconsin)

Quarterfinals – (5) Paniro Johnson (Iowa State) vs (4) Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech)

Semi-Finals – (1) Yanni Diakomihalis (Cornell) vs (5) Paniro Johnson (Iowa State)/(4) Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech)

Semi-Finals – (14) Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) vs (2) Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)

Finals – (1) Yanni Diakomihalis (Cornell) vs (2) Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)

Top Half

Yanni Diakomihalis is the highlight of the top half of the bracket. He has had another impressive year going 16-1, with his lone loss coming to Austin Gomez, but he holds wins over Kyle Parco, Paniro Johnson, and Caleb Henson. The three-time National Champion has a challenging path back to the finals. Murin or Abas will be tough Quarterfinal matchups for Yanni to get through. Then we come to the outstanding young talents in this weight Paniro Johnson and Caleb Henson. Johnson has a rough path to the Quarterfinals, with Shayne Van Ness possibly waiting for him in the Round of 16, a 3-2 match in favor of Johnson at the Collegiate Duals. Henson started the year with a win over Sammy Sasso and has looked just as good since that win.

Bottom Half

Does Austin Gomez at the 14 seed make this half of the bracket prime for implosion? Yes. Gomez took some injury forfeits at Big Tens, which set him up as the 14 seed. Besides Gomez at the 14, Kyle Parco sits at the three seed, getting a massive matchup against Gomez in the Round of 16. That will be one of the premier matches for Thursday night. Sammy Sasso’s path looks the easiest out of anyone in this bracket. He may see Yahya Thomas in the Quarterfinals, which could be a tight match. The winner of that Parco vs Gomez match could be Sasso’s opponent in the Semi-Finals to set up a great matchup.

157 LBS

Title Favorites/Contenders

(1) Austin O’Connor (North Carolina)

(2) Levi Haines (Penn State)

(3) Peyton Robb (Nebraska)

“Bracket Busters”

(7) Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech)

(8) Ed Scott (NC State)

(22) Derek Holschlag (Northern Iowa)

Former All-Americans

(1) Austin O’Connor (North Carolina) – 8^th in 2022, 2021 NCAA Champion, and 3^rd in 2019

(3) Peyton Robb (Nebraska) – 4^th in 2022

(7) Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) – 3^rd in 2022

(9) Will Lewan (Michigan) – 5^th in 2022

Top Potential Matchups

Round of 16 – (9) Will Lewan (Michigan) vs (8) Ed Scott (NC State)

Round of 16 – (3) Peyton Robb (Nebraska) vs (14) Cobe Siebrecht (Iowa)

Round of 16 – (7) Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) vs (10) Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State)

Quarterfinals – (1) Austin O’Connor (North Carolina) vs (8) Ed Scott (NC State)

Quarterfinals – (7) Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) vs (2) Levi Haines (Penn State)

Semi-Finals – (3) Peyton Robb (Nebraska) vs (2) Levi Haines (Penn State)

Finals – (1) Austin O’Connor (North Carolina) vs (2) Levi Haines (Penn State)/(3) Peyton Robb (Nebraska)

Top Half

The top seed is Austin O’Connor, who has been on another level this year. He is 18-0 with a 78% bonus rate. Plus, he adds very quality wins over Ed Scott and Bryce Andonian. His path looks relatively easy until the Quarterfinals, where he could see a possible rematch with Ed Scott or Michigan’s Will Lewan. O’Connor won a tight match over Ed Scott last month in a 3-1 match. Will Lewan can make any match “interesting” because he seems to like overtime matches, with 9 overtime matches this year going 6-3. The 4 and 5 seeds should not have too much trouble making it to the Quarterfinals, with this being the most likely “chalk” bracket out there.

Bottom Half

Since the redshirt was pulled in December, Levi Haines has looked about as good as anyone in this field and picked up the best win in this field over Peyton Robb in the Big Ten Final. Haines is 23-1 on the year with impressive wins over Kendall Coleman, Cobe Siebrecht, and Will Lewan to go with that Robb win. Before his loss to Levi Haines, Peyton Robb looked like the best wrestler in this weight with some very impressive wins, including Ed Scott, Chase Saldate, Jared Franek, and Kendal Coleman. Those two appear to be on a collision course to the Semi-Finals but watch out for Bryce Andonian. Andonian can turn things on like he did last year and start picking off the top guys in the weight. Andonian vs Gfeller on Thursday night should be a good match.

All stats and records were provided by wrestlestat.com

Preview – 2023 PIAA AAA State Championships (107-145)

The 2023 PIAA State Championships kick off on Thursday in the Giant Center. First off, for brackets, visit my bracket hub. Now, let’s look at the lower weights for AAA and who we should look out for.

107 LBS

Favorite

(NE-1) Keanu Dillard (Bethlehem Catholic)

Top Contenders

(SW-1) Tanner Mizenko (Canon-McMillan)

(SC-1) Thunder Beard (Central Dauphin)

(SE-1) Colby Martinelli (Pennridge)

(NW-1) Braiden Weaver (Altoona)

(NE-2) Luke Sirianni (Abington Heights)

“Land Mines”

(NE-2) Luke Siriani (Abington Heights)

(SW-2) Santino Sloboda (Butler)

(SC-2) McKaden Speece (Wilson)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Tanner Mizenka (Canon-McMillan) vs Luke Siriani (Abington Heights)

Quarterfinals – Thunder Beard (Central Dauphin) vs Colby Martinelli (Pennridge)

Quarterfinals – Braiden Weaver (Altoona) vs Santino Sloboda (Butler)

Keanu Dillard

Keanu Dillard is the favorite to win it at 107 LBS. Despite not wrestling in the month of December, Dillard has collected a 20-0 record and has 18 bonus point wins. Dillard’s impressive season came on full display at the Northeast AAA Regional, taking out an experienced Dorian Hoffman (Wyoming Valley West) by major decision and defeating two-time state placer Luke Sirianni (Abington Heights) 8-0 in the finals.

The Field

This is a very unpredictable field because I could see a good chunk of these guys beating each other. We would have to go to the top half of the bracket to find a true contender, and the field is wide open here. Tanner Mizenko has one of the more difficult paths to navigate to the finals. Luke Sirriani most likely awaits in the Quarterfinals, which should be a tough match. Thunder Beard looks like one of the best options to come out of the top half of the bracket, with wins over guys in this field, like a win by fall over Mizenko. Watch out for McKaden Speece in the consolations, as he has two wins over Beard and could do some damage in the consolations.

114 LBS

Favorite

(NE-1) Nathan Desmond (Bethlehem Catholic)

Top Contenders

(NW-1) Logan Sallot (Erie McDowell)

(SW-1) Luke Willochell (Greater Latrobe)

(SC-1) Kaedyn Williams (Manheim Twp)

“Land Mines”

(SW-2) Tyler Kapusta (Franklin Regional)

(NE-2) Carson Wagner (Northampton)

(NW-2) Alex Reed (Shikellamy)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Nathan Desmond (Bethlehem Catholic) vs Tyler Kapusta (Franklin Regional)

Quarterfinals – Luke Willochell (Greater Latrobe) vs Carson Wagner (Northampton)

Quarterfinals – Alex Reed (Shikellamy) vs Kaedyn Williams (Manheim Twp)

Semi-Finals – Luke Willochell (Greater Latrobe) vs Kaedyn Williams (Manheim Twp)

Nathan Desmond

Returning state champion Nathan Desmond is the favorite to repeat at 114 LBS. Desmond won a state championship last year at 106 LBS defeating Luke Willochel, who is in this field. Desmond has had a great season up to this point, coming in with a 37-1 record. To go along with that excellent record, Desmond has won some of the best major tournaments, including the Walsh Jesuit Ironman, Beast of the East, and Escape the Rock. Desmond boasts impressive wins this year, including over Ayden Smith (Notre Dame-GP), Louie Gill (Hickory), and two wins over Carson Wagner.

The Field

This is a pretty deep weight overall, with some great talent on each side of the bracket. Although Desmond is the favorite, his path to the finals will be challenging, with possible matches against Tyler Kapusta, who is a returning state placer, and then Logan Sallot in the Semi-Finals. The bottom half of this bracket will be fun with some quality Quarterfinal matches. Luke Willochell returns to the state tournament after a runner-up finish last year. He will have a problematic Quarterfinal matchup against a really good Carson Wagner. Kaedyn Williams is another primary contender, and his quarterfinal matchup could be against a solid wrestler in Alex Reed. Willochell vs Williams could be one of the better Saturday morning Semi-Final matchups if those two can navigate to the Semis.

121 LBS

Favorite

(NW-1) Cael Nasdeo (Williamsport)

Top Contenders

(NE-1) Christian Horvath (Bethlehem Freedom)

(SE-1) Mason Ziegler (Quakertown)

(SC-1) Dean Houser (Daniel Boone)

“Land Mines”

(SC-3) Marco Tocci (Warwick)

(NW-2) Hunter Johnson (Mifflin County)

(NE-2) Trey Wagner (Northampton)

(SW-2) Brady Joling (Chartiers Valley)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Mason Ziegler (Quakertown) vs Hunter Johnson (Mifflin County)

Quarterfinals – Brady Joling (Chartiers Valley) vs Dean Houser (Daniel Boone)

Semi-Finals – Cael Nasdeo (Williamsport) vs Christian Horvath (Bethlehem Freedom)

Semi-Finals – Mason Ziegler (Quakertown) vs Dean Houser (Daniel Boone)

Cael Nasdeo

Two-time state placer and former state runner-up Cael Nasdeo looks like the favorite at 121 LBS. Nasdeo is 32-5 on the year with some impressive wins. Nasdeo took out former AA state champion and last year’s runner-up Branden Wentzel (Montoursville) at Powerade twice in the Quarterfinals and in the 5th-place match. His five losses are to quality opponents like Luke Lilledahl (Wyoming Seminary), Tommy Link (Malvern Prep), and Carson Wagner. His last loss came to Link at Powerade, and since then, he has 20 straight wins with 16 pins and a tech fall, including a title at the Fred Bell Tournament back in late January.

The Field

Nasdeo might be the favorite, but it is not by much. Christian Horvath is Nasdeo’s likely Semi-Final opponent, and we have seen a considerable increase in performance since last year. Horvath had ten losses the previous year and a disappointing performance in Hershey. This year he comes in with only three losses to top-flight competition like Kaedyn Williams and AA standout Gauge Botero. He holds impressive wins over Mason Ziegler and Carson Wagner at the Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic. To the bottom half of the bracket, where we could see some chaos in the Quarterfinals. Hunter Johnson is matched up with Mason Ziegler, and Brady Joling is matched up with Dean Houser. The bottom side will be a gauntlet to get through and will be entertaining for the fans.

127 LBS

Favorite

(SW-1) Vincent Kilkeary (Greater Latrobe)

Top Contenders

(NE-1) Tahir Parkins (Nazareth)

(SE-1) Eren Sement (Council Rock North)

“Land Mines”

(NW-1) Hayden Cunningham (State College)

(SW-4) Tyler Chappell (Seneca Valley)

(SW-2) Andrew Binni (Canon-McMillan)

Top Potential Matchups

Round of 16 – Eren Sement (Council Rock North) vs Michael Turi (West Scranton)

Round of 16 – Tyler Chappell (Seneca Valley) vs Tyler Adams (York Suburban)

Quarterfinals – Tahir Parkins (Nazareth) vs Andrew Binni (Canon-McMillan)

Finals – Vincent Kilkeary (Greater Latrobe) vs Tahir Parkins (Nazareth)

Vicent Kilkeary

Two-time state champion and three-time state placer Vincent Kilkeary is the favorite at 127 LBS. Kilkeary is a returning state champion and looks to add a third state title to his collection. Kilkeary is 25-0 on the year, with some impressive wins over Andrew Binni and Hayden Coy. His half of the bracket seems simple to Kilkeary’s standards, but anything could happen.

The Field

The top half of the bracket can see more upsets than dominant performances. Tyler Adams has a tough draw, with Tyler Chappell and Shane McFillin paired up to face them in the first round. Hayden Cunningham is someone to watch out for because he has had a lot of success in big tournaments like King of the Mountain, Powerade, and Escape the Rock. In the bottom half of the bracket, it looks even more difficult. Tahir Parkins is a very familiar name on this side and should be a favorite to make it to the finals. His problem will be that he has high-level matches from the Quarterfinals on. Parkins could see Andrew Binni in the Quarterfinals with so many quality wins. If Parkins gets through that, he could see returning 3rd place finisher Eren Sement Saturday morning.

133 LBS

Favorite

(SW-1) Maddox Shaw (Thomas Jefferson)

Top Contenders

(SE-1) Gavin Sheridan (Boyertown)

(NW-1) Luke Simcox (Central Mountain)

(NE-1) Charlie Bunting (Nazareth)

“Land Mines”

(NE-2) Keegan Demarest (Pocono Mountain East)

(NE-3) Cael McIntyre (Bethlehem Catholic)

(SC-3) Eli Bounds (Boiling Springs)

(SW-2) Ethan Lebin (Hempfield Area)

(SC-2) Rocco Fratell (Northern York)

Top Potential Matchups

Round of 16 – Gavin Sheridan (Boyertown) vs Isaac McGregor (Shikellamy)

Round of 16 – Luke Simcox (Central Mountain) vs Eli Bounds (Boiling Springs)

Quarterfinals – Luke Simcox (Central Mountain) vs Ethan Lebin (Hempfield Area)

Semi-Finals – Luke Simcox (Central Mountain) vs Charlie Bunting (Nazareth)

Maddox Shaw

Returning state 3rd place finisher, Maddox Shaw is the favorite to come out on top at 133 LBS. He is coming off an impressive 41-2 year. However, Shaw looks like he took his wrestling to the next level. His two losses on the year came to 139 LB standout Pierson Manville and an out-of-state wrestler Jaxon Joy from New Jersey before avenging that loss to place 3rd at Powerade. Shaw has been dominant in recent weeks, with only WPIAL runner-up Ethan Lebin giving him fits.

The Field

Just because Shaw is the favorite does not mean he is the clear number one. We could flip a coin with about five names to figure out a favorite in the weight and not be wrong. Shaw draws Keegan Demarest in the Quarterfinals, who derailed a remarkable postseason run by Cael McIntyre in the Northeast AAA Regional Semi-Finals. Gavin Sheridan can potentially be on upset alert against a very good Isaac McGregor in the first round. In the bottom half of the bracket, it will get hectic. Luke Simcox has one of the most challenging roads to a state championship I have seen in a long time. First, he could open up with state placer Eli Bounds who is making his first appearance in the AAA tournament with Boiling Springs moving from AA to AAA. Then Simcox could see returning state runner-up Ethan Lebin in the Quarterfinals, which could be a tricky matchup for him. If he gets through Lebin, he gets a Saturday morning matchup with two-time state placer Charlie Bunting; yeah, brutal.

139 LBS

Favorite

(NE-1) Kollin Rath (Bethlehem Catholic)

Top Contenders

(NW-1) Pierson Manville (State College)

(SW-1) Eli Carr (Hempfield Area)

(NW-2) Dalton Perry (Central Mountain)

“Land Mines”

(SW-2) Nate Roth (Greater Latrobe)

(NE-2) Jack Campbell (Bethlehem Catholic)

(NW-3) Conner Saylor (Hickory)

Top Potential Matchups

Round of 16 – Kollin Rath (Bethlehem Catholic) vs Connor Saylor (Hickory)

Quarterfinals – Eli Carr (Hempfield Area) vs Dalton Perry (Central Mountain)

Semi-Finals – Kollin Rath (Bethlehem Catholic) vs Dalton Perry (Central Mountain)

Finals – Pierson Manville (State College) vs Kollin Rath (Bethlehem Catholic) or Dalton Perry (Central Mountain)

Kollin Rath

Forget that Kollin Rath placed 3rd at the state tournament last year for a second. Rath has three of the best wins of anyone in the state, with wins over three returning state champs in Pierson Manville, Dalton Perry, and Mac Church. The leap in performance from last year to this year is almost unbelievable and helps him push himself to the top favorite in this weight.

The Field

Yes, Rath is the favorite, but we still have two returning state champions in Pierson Manville and Dalton Perry. Manville has an easier path to make it to the finals with little threat from the top half of the bracket. Watch out for a potential Quarterfinal matchup for Manville against an impressive Freshman, Jack Campbell. Dalton Perry has a difficult path with a possible Quarterfinal match against Eli Carr. Then he gets a rematch with Kollin Rath in the Semi-Finals, who he lost to at Team States in a tight 1-0 match.

145 LBS

Favorite

(SW-1) Mac Church (Waynesburg)

Top Contenders

(SE-1) Collin Gaj (Quakertown)

(SW-2) Nico Taddy (West Allegheny)

(SC-1) Matt Repos (Central Dauphin)

“Land Mines”

(SE-2) Brandon Carr (Sun Valley)

(SC-2) Aiden Swann (Cocalico)

(NW-2) Griffin Walizer (Central Mountain)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Collin Gaj (Quakertown) vs Nico Taddy (West Allegheny)

Quarterfinals – Griffin Walizer (Central Mountain) vs Matt Repos (Central Dauphin)

Semi-Finals – Mac Church (Waynesburg) vs Asher Cunningham (State College)

Semi-Finals – Collin Gaj (Quakertown) vs Matt Repos (Central Dauphin)

Finals – Mac Church (Waynesburg) vs Collin Gaj (Quakertown) or Matt Repos (Central Dauphin)

Mac Church

Two-time state champion and three-time state placer Mac Church is the favorite at 145 LBS. Church has won back-to-back titles after placing 3rd in that controversial 2020 state tournament. Church comes in at 32-2 on the year, with his losses coming to guys, not at this weight or tournament. As mentioned at 139 LBS, Church lost to Rath at team states to go along with a Powerade Semi-Final loss to Jayden Robinson from Illinois. However, Church has some very impressive wins, including wins over AA standout Vince Bouzakis, Asher Cunningham and three wins over Nico Taddy.

The Field

Asher Cunningham looks like the primary challenger in the top half of the bracket with an impressive season. Cunningham has lost to Church this season in a 7-2 bout at Powerade. Despite that, Cunningham has multiple wins over Griffin Walizer and a win in the 5th place match at Powerade over Nico Taddy 2-1. It will be exciting in the bottom half of the bracket. Collin Gaj is returning state 4th place with a record of 45-0, including 30 wins by fall. He gets matched up with a problematic Quarterfinal matchup between Nico Taddy. Matt Repos is a three-time state placer and returning state runner-up. He looks to return to the finals but will have a difficult path. He could get Griffin Walizer in the Quarterfinals, which could be a challenge, and then a Semi-Final matchup with Collin Gaj, which will be one of the better Saturday morning matchups.

Records and stats were collected at pa-wrestling.com

Preview – 2023 PIAA AAA State Championships (152-285)

The 2023 PIAA State Championships kick off on Thursday in the Giant Center. First off, for brackets, visit my bracket hub. Now, let’s look at the upper weights for AAA and who we should look out for.

152 LBS

Favorite

(SW-1) Ty Watters (West Allegheny)

Top Contenders

(NE-1) Dagen Condomitti (Northampton)

(NW-1) Luke Sipes (Altoona)

(SW-2) Lucas Kapusta (Hempfield Area)

(SC-1) Ryan Garvick (Central Dauphin)

“Land Mines”

(SC-2) Michael Duggan (Boiling Springs)

(SW-4) Nate Jones (Waynesburg)

(NE-2) Jake Dailey (Bethlehem Catholic)

Top Potential Matchups

Round of 16 – Ryan Garvick (Central Dauphin) vs Bode Marlow (Thomas Jefferson)

Quarterfinals – Ty Watters (West Allegheny) vs Michael Duggan (Boiling Springs)

Quarterfinals – Luke Sipes (Altoona) vs Lucas Kapusta (Hempfield Area)

Quarterfinals – Jake Dailey (Bethlehem Catholic) vs Ryan Garvick (Central Dauphin)

Semi-Finals – Ty Watters (West Allegheny) vs Dagen Condomitti (Northampton)

Finals – Ty Watters (West Allegheny) vs Ryan Garvick (Central Dauphin)

Ty Watters

Returning state champion Ty Watters is a favorite to win a championship at 152 LBS this year. Watters comes in with a 35-0 record, including 29 bonus point wins. However, Watters has been an absolute terror this year, blowing out almost anybody that steps on the mat with him. He has some very high-quality wins, including wins over Logan Richey, Bode Marlow, Lucas Kapusta, three wins over Nate Jones, and one of the biggest wins in the state over returning AA state champion Conner Harer at the Mid-Winter Mayhem finals.

The Field

Watters will have a challenging path to back-to-back championships. First, he will have to face back-to-back AA state 3rd place Michael Duggan in the Quarterfinals. Then he gets the opportunity to face a very talented Dagen Condomitti in a marquee Semi-Final matchup. After that, we could see a bit of chaos in the bottom half of the bracket. Luke Sipes, who has had a great Sophomore campaign and returning state 5th place, gets a tough draw with Lucas Kapusta, who is also a returning state 5th. Then either of those guys faces Ryan Garvick, a returning state runner-up at this weight. Garvick looks like the favorite to come out of this bottom half of the bracket, but Sipes and Kapusta may have something to say about that.

160 LBS

Favorite

(SW-1) Shawn Taylor (West Allegheny)

Top Contenders

(SE-1) Bekhruz Sadriddinov (Council Rock South)

(NE-1) Andrew Harmon (Bethlehem Catholic)

(SW-2) Dylan Evans (Chartiers Valley)

(SC-1) Dominic Frontino (Shippensburg)

“Land Mines”

(SC-2) Brett Barbush (Manheim Central)

(NW-3) Connor Wetzel (Shikellamy)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Shawn Taylor (West Allegheny) vs Brett Barbush (Manheim Central)

Quarterfinals – Andrew Harmon (Bethlehem Catholic) vs Dylan Evans (Chartiers Valley)

Semi-Finals – Shawn Taylor (West Allegheny) vs Bekhruz Sadriddinov (Council Rock South)

Semi-Finals – Andrew Harmon (Bethlehem Catholic) vs Dominic Frontino (Shippensburg)

Shawn Taylor

Returning state 4th place, Shawn Taylor looks like the favorite at 160 LBS. Taylor comes in with a 34-2 record on the year and has some notable wins this season. He has wins over some of the top contenders in this weight, including a tight 3-1 SV win over Dominic Frontino in the Mid-Winter Mayhem Semi-Finals and going 3-1 against WPIAL rival Dylan Evans including a 3rd place match win at Powerade. Taylor also has a win over a former state champion when he defeated AA standout Grant MacKay 2-1 in the finals of the Mid-Winter Mayhem. Taylor has been very impressive this season, and it does not look like he is slowing down.

The Field

Bekhruz Sadriddinov is the primary challenger to Taylor in the top side of the bracket. Sadriddinov has had an excellent season but has losses to top-tier guys, which is not beneficial when he will face someone who has beaten top-level guys. Brett Barbush could give Taylor a run for his money in the Quarterfinals. The bottom half of the bracket is almost borderline torturous. Andrew Harmon could have a tough match right off the bat with a solid Connor Wetzel in the first round. Then Harmon gets returning state champ at this weight Dylan Evans in the Quarterfinals. Then the winner of that massive Quarterfinal gets Dominic Frontino, who’s only lost to Shawn Taylor.

172 LBS

Favorite

(SW-1) Rocco Welsh (Waynesburg)

Top Contenders

(NE-1) Dominic Wheatley (Nazareth)

(SW-2) Matt Furman (Canon-McMillan)

(SC-1) Kevin Olavarria (JP McCaskey)

“Land Mines”

(SC-2) Macon Myers (Central York)

(SE-2) Talan Hogan (Pennridge)

(SW-3) Mark Gray (Kiski Area)

Top Potential Matchups

Round of 16 – Kevin Olavarria (JP McCaskey) vs Mark Gray (Kiski Area)

Quarterfinals – Dominic Wheatley (Nazareth) vs Matt Furman (Canon-McMillan)

Quarterfinals – Talan Hogan (Pennridge) vs Kevin Olavarria (JP McCaskey)

Semi-Finals – Dominic Wheatley (Nazareth) vs Kevin Olavarria (JP McCaskey)

Rocco Welsh

Three-time state placer and returning state champion Rocco Welsh is the clear favorite at 172 LBS. Welsh enters the tournament with a 39-0 record with 30 bonus point wins. Welsh also has 1st place finishes at Walsh Jesuit Ironman and Powerade this year to go along with monster wins against Dom Federici (Wyoming Seminary), Gabriel Stafford, Bodie Morgan, and multiple wins over Matt Furman. This top-level guy will most likely repeat as state champion this year.

The Field

We have to go to the bottom half of the bracket to see who the genuine contenders are, and it starts with Dominic Wheatley, a former state medalist. Wheatley does have a tough draw going up against returning state 4th-place finisher Matt Furman. However, Wheatley did defeat Furman at team states a month ago in a 4-2 SV match. So look for that Quarterfinal to be intense Friday afternoon. Then we look at undefeated Kevin Olavarria, who is 34-0 on the year and only a Junior. Olavarria does get a tough match right out of the gates, with the possibility of facing Mark Gray in the first round. However, if he gets through that match, it looks favorable for him to face either Wheatley or Furman to get to the Semi-Finals.

189 LBS

Favorite

(SC-1) Tucker Hogan (Daniel Boone)

Top Contenders

(SW-1) Vaugh Spencer (Pine-Richland)

(NE-1) Adrian Gacek (Parkland)

(NW-1) Hadyn Packer (Jersey Shore)

“Land Mines”

(NW-2) Tucker Teats (Selinsgrove)

(NW-3) Rocco Serafini (Central Mountain)

(SW-3) Juliano Marion (Franklin Regional)

(SC-2) Cole Bartram (Northern York)

(SE-2) Jake Allred (Conestoga)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Tucker Hogan (Daniel Boone) vs Tucker Teats (Selinsgrove)

Quarterfinals – Rocco Serafini (Central Mountain) vs Vaughn Spencer (Pine-Richland)

Quarterfinals – Adrian Gacek (Parkland) vs Cole Bartram (Northern York)

Quarterfinals – Jake Allred (Conestoga) vs Hadyn Packer (Jersey Shore)

Semi-Finals – Tucker Hogan (Daniel Boone) vs Vaughn Spencer (Pine-Richland)

Semi-Finals – Adrian Gacek (Parkland) vs Hadyn Packer (Jersey Shore)

Tucker Hogan

Returning state 3rd place finisher, Tucker Hogan is a favorite at 189 LBS. Hogan comes in at 40-0 on the year, and his wins are what sets him as the favorite on paper. Hogan has wins over Rocco Serafini, AA standout Jacob Jones, Tucker Teats, another AA standout Jake Gilfoil, Aiden Hight, and Cole Bartram. Hogan is by no means the clear favorite at this weight because Vaughn Spencer and Hadyn Packer are right there with him. But the quality wins up to this point set him apart.

The Field

Speaking of Vaughn Spencer, he is the biggest threat to a state final appearance for Hogan. Despite not wrestling a match in December, Spencer is also undefeated with a 27-0 record. Spencer, who is only a Sophomore, has been lights out this year, with 20/27 of his wins coming by fall. Hogan vs Spencer should be an excellent Semi. Haydn Packer, returning state 3rd place in AA, has an easier path to a state final appearance, but that is not saying much. Packer could face Jake Allred in the Quarterfinals, which could be a difficult match. Then he most likely sees Adrian Gacek in the Semi-Finals, which could also be a difficult match. This bracket is loaded with talent, so your guess is as good as mine in picking who wins.

215 LBS

Favorite

Sonny Sasso (Nazareth)

Top Contenders

(SW-1) Eli Makel (Waynesburg)

(SC-1) Jose Garcia (JP McCaskey)

(SE-1) Dillon Bechtold (Owen J Roberts)

“Land Mines”

(SE-2) Calvin Lachman (Quakertown)

(SW-3) Owen Ott (Penn Trafford)

(NE-2) Magnus Bibla (Crestwood)

(SW-2) Connor Jacobs (Armstrong)

(NW-2) Troy Petterson (Erie McDowell)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Sonney Sasso (Nazareth) vs Calvin Lachman (Quakertown)

Quarterfinals – Connor Jacobs (Armstrong) vs Dillon Bechtold (Owen J Roberts)

Semi-Finals – Sonny Sasso (Nazareth) vs Eli Makel (Waynesburg)

Semi-Finals – Jose Garcia (JP McCaskey) vs Dillon Bechtold (Owen J Roberts)

Sonny Sasso

Returning state champion and two-time state placer Sonny Sasso is the favorite to win his second state title at 215 LBS. Sasso has had an incredible year going 23-0, with 20 of those wins ending by fall. He is another one of those guys who did not compete in the month of December but was still able to make his presence known. Sasso has impressive wins, including a 19-7 win over Landon Muth and a 12-6 win over Gabriel Stafford.

The Field

Eli Makel is going to be the primary challenger for Sasso in the top half of the bracket. Makel has been a solid wrestler, but his runner-up finish at Powerade brought eyes onto him. Makel lost to one of the state’s best young upper-weight guys in Austin Johnson, a AA standout in the Powerade finals. This is Makel’s first appearance as an individual in Hershey, so he will look to make an impact. The bottom half of the bracket seems really competitive, with an undefeated Jose Garcia to start us off. He will most likely see Magnus Bibla in the Quarterfinals, which could be an explosive match since Bibla is a pinner. Dillon Bechtold is the favorite to come out of the bottom half of the bracket. Bechtold is a returning state 5th place and has had an excellent season going 43-2.

285 LBS

Favorite

(NE-1) Sean Kinney (Nazareth)

Top Contenders

(SW-1) Ty Banco (Trinity)

(SE-1) Joe Collins (Central Bucks East)

(SC-1) Layton Schmick (Carlisle)

(NW-1) Nick Pavlechko (State College)

“Land Mines”

(NW-2) Peyton Kearns (Mifflin County)

(SE-2) Ben Farabaugh (Strath Haven)

SW-2) Joe Enick (Penn Trafford)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Sean Kinney (Nazareth) vs Peyton Kearns (Mifflin County)

Quarterfinals – Ty Banco (Trinity) vs Joe Collins (Central Bucks East)

Quarterfinals – Ben Farabaugh (Strath Haven) vs Nick Pavlechko (State College)

Semi-Finals – Sean Kinney (Nazareth) vs Joe Collins (Central Bucks East)

Semi-Finals – Layton Schmick (Carlisle) vs Nick Pavlechko (State College)

Sean Kinney

Two-time finalist and returning state champion Sean Kinney looks like the clear favorite at 285 LBS. Kinney comes in with an undefeated 31-0 record, with 26 of those wins ending in a fall. Kinney has won a top tournament this season and has looked dominant in doing so. He won a title at the Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic and helped his team dominate at Virginia Duals. Kinney is about as clear of a favorite as you will see this weekend.

The Field

Many of the bracket’s top sides at 285 LBS will be about the bracket busters like Peyton Kerns and Ty Banco. Kearns will most likely fall to Kinney in the Quarters but could do some damage in the consolations, along with Ty Banco, to the bottom half of the bracket, where we could see some better, more competitive matchups. Nick Pavlechko will have a tough Quarterfinal matchup if Ben Farabaugh gets through Enick. Then the Schmick vs Pavlechko Semi-Final should be a good one.

Records and stats were collected at pa-wrestling.com

Predictions – 2023 PIAA AAA State Championships

The 2023 PIAA State Championships kick off on Thursday in the Giant Center. First off, for brackets, visit my bracket hub. Now, let’s dive into some of my predictions for each weight. The structure of these predictions will be my top 8 placers and then my full bracket predictions.

107 LBS

Keanu Dillard (Bethlehem Catholic)
Thunder Beard (Central Dauphin)
Santino Sloboda (Butler)
Luke Sirianni (Abington Heights)
Tanner Mizenko (Canon-McMillan)
Braiden Weaver (Altoona)
Colby Martinelli (Pennridge)
Ejiro Montoya (Mt Lebanon)

114 LBS

Nathan Desmond (Bethlehem Catholic)
Luke Willochell (Greater Latrobe)
Kaedyn Williams (Manheim Twp)
Carson Wagner (Northampton)
Tyler Kapusta (Franklin Regional)
Logan Sallot (Erie McDowell)
Alex Reed (Shikellamy)
Chris Dennis (Central Bucks West)

121 LBS

Cael Nasdeo (Williamsport)
Brady Joling (Chartiers Valley)
Christian Horvath (Bethlehem Freedom)
Mason Ziegler (Quakertown)
Ryan Klingensmith (Kiski Area)
Marco Tocci (Warwick)
Hunter Johnson (Mifflin County)
Jacob Layton (Connellsville)

127 LBS

Vincent Kilkeary (Greater Latrobe)
Tahir Parkins (Nazareth)
Hayden Cunningham (State College)
Eren Sement (Council Rock North)
Tyler Adams (York Suburban)
Hayden Coy (Penn Trafford)
Andrew Binni (Canon-McMillan)
Benjamin Fanelli (Easton)

133 LBS

Maddox Shaw (Thomas Jefferson)
Charlie Bunting (Nazareth)
Luke Simcox (Central Mountain)
Ethan Lebin (Hempfield Area)
Cael McIntyre (Bethlehem Catholic)
Eli Bounds (Boiling Springs)
Rocco Fratelli (Northern York)
Gavin Sheridan (Boyertown)

139 LBS

Kollin Rath (Bethlehem Catholic)
Pierson Manville (State College)
Dalton Perry (Central Mountain)
Sam Kuhns (Pennridge)
Jack Campbell (Nazareth)
Gabriel Pecaitis (Gettysburg)
Connor Saylor (Hickory)
Lonzy Vielma (Connellsville)

145 LBS

Mac Church (Waynesburg)
Matt Repos (Central Dauphin)
Collin Gaj (Quakertown)
Nico Taddy (West Allegheny)
Asher Cunningham (State College)
Brandon Carr (Sun Valley)
Griffin Walizer (Central Mountain)
Chris Cibrone (Peters Twp)

152 LBS

Ty Watters (West Allegheny)
Ryan Garvick (Central Dauphin)
Dagen Condomitti (Northampton)
Lucas Kapusta (Hempfield Area)
Jake Dailey (Bethlehem Catholic)
Bode Marlow (Thomas Jefferson)
Nate Jones (Wayensburg)
Michael Duggan (Boiling Springs)

160 LBS

Shawn Taylor (West Allegheny)
Dylan Evans (Charties Valley)
Andrew Harmon (Bethlehem Catholic)
Domenic Frontino (Shippensburg)
Bekhruz Sadriddinov (Council Rock South)
Gavyn Beck (Franklin Regional)
Brett Barbush (Manheim Central)
Gino Serafini (Central Mountain)

172 LBS

Rocco Welsh (Waynesburg)
Kevin Olavarria (JP McCaskey)
Matt Furman (Canon-McMillan)
Dominic Wheatley (Nazareth)
Hayden McLellan (Conestoga)
Terrell McFarland (Pottsville)
Mark Grey (Kiski Area)
Talan Hogan (Pennridge)

189 LBS

Hadyn Packer (Jersey Shore)
Tucker Hogan (Daniel Boone)
Vaughn Spencer (Pine-Richland)
Brody Evans (Waynesburg)
Dean Bechtold (Owen J Roberts)
Caleb Marzolino (Abington Heights)
Adrian Gacek (Parkland)
Tucker Teats (Selinsgrove)

215 LBS

Sonny Sasso (Nazareth)
Dillon Bechtold (Owen J Roberts)
Eli Makel (Waynesburg)
Mason Rebuck (Shikellamy)
Connor Jacobs (Armstrong)
Magnus Bibla (Crestwood)
Zach Evans (Chambersburg)
Jose Garcia (JP McCaskey)

285 LBS

Sean Kinney (Nazareth)
Nick Pavlechko (State College)
Joe Enick (Penn Trafford)
Peyton Kearns (Mifflin County)
Ty Banco (Trinity)
Layton Schmick (Carlisle)
Andrew Brennan (LaSalle)
Avery Kuhns (Chambersburg)

Preview – 2023 PIAA AA State Championships (107-145)

The 2023 PIAA State Championships kick off on Thursday in the Giant Center. First off, for brackets, visit my bracket hub. Now, let’s look at the lower weights for AA and who we should look out for.

107 LBS

Favorite

(SE-1) Aaron Seidel (Northern Lebanon)

Top Contenders

(SW-1) Dominic Deputy (Chestnut Ridge)

(NW-1) Dalton Wenner (Cranberry)

(NE-1) Gage Swank (Muncy)

“Land Mines”

(SW-2) Cameron Baker (Burrell)

(NE-3) Aristotel Bobotas (Montoursville)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Cameron Baker (Burrell) vs Gage Swank (Muncy)

Quarterfinals – Aristotel Bobotas (Montoursville) vs Dalton Wenner (Cranberry)

Quarterfinals – Kole Davidheiser (Faith Christian) vs Dominic Deputy (Chesnut Ridge)

Finals – Aaron Seidel (Northern Lebanon) vs Dominic Deputy (Chestnut Ridge)

Aaron Seidel

The clear favorite in this weight is returning state champion, Aaron Seidel. Seidel has had an impressive season going 44-0 winning tournaments like King of the Mountain, Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic, and district/regional championships. He also holds a win this year over his primary contender Dominic Deputy at King of the Mountain in the finals; 6-2.

The Field

Deputy is 37-3 on the year and is one of the many impressive freshmen in this field. His three losses were to top-level guys like Seidel, Davis Motyka (Wyoming Seminary), and Ayden Smith (Notre Dame-GP), with whom he split overtime wins. Wenner and Swank are great challengers if they make it to the Semi-Finals. However, Cameron Baker and Aristotel Bobotas could derail their Semi-Final bids. Baker had a great run to the finals at the Southwest AA Regional with wins over Jacob Sombronski (United) and Mason Beatty (Mount Union) before losing to Deputy in the finals. Bobotas will make the bottom half of that bracket even more interesting with his great talent.

114 LBS

Favorite

(SE-1) Ayden Smith (Notre Dame-GP)

Top Contenders

(SW-1) Landon Bainey (West Branch)

(SW-2) Nico Fanella (Indiana)

“Land Mines”

(SW-5) Parker Sentipal (Burgettstown)

(SE-2) Mason McLendon (Susquenita)

Top Potential Matchups

Round of 16 – Ayden Smith (Notre Dame-GP) vs Parker Sentipal (Burgettstown)

Quarterfinals – Nico Fanella (Indiana) vs Weston Pisarchick (Brockway)

Quarterfinals – Colton Wade (Sullivan County) vs Mason McLendon (Susquenita)

Finals – Ayden Smith (Notre Dame-GP vs Landon Bainey (West Branch)

Ayden Smith

Ayden Smith is the favorite in this weight, coming into the state tournament with a 43-3 record. Smith has placed twice at the state tournament with a 4th and 3rd in the last two seasons. Smith has been to three major national tournaments this year and placed 3rd in the Walsh Jesuit Ironman and Powerade to go along with an Escape the Rock Championship win. Smith, however, is on the tough side of the bracket with a possibility of last year’s state 5th place finisher Parker Sentipal in the Round of 16 and a very good Nico Fanella in the Semi-Finals.

The Field

Landon Bainey has a more favorable path to the finals, but that does not mean he will get there. Bainey might face Mason McLendon who has made three trips to Hershey. McLendon has some quality wins along with Bainey, so that possible Semi-Final could be a good one. Parker Sentipal could make some noise in the consolation rounds despite the possibility of being knocked out early on. He might be one of those guys that navigates through the consolations to place at the state tournament.

121 LBS

Favorite

(NE-1) Brandt Harer (Montgomery)

Top Contenders

(SE-1) Gauge Botero (Faith Christian)

(NE-2) Branden Wentzel (Montoursville)

(SW-1) Lucas Fye (Bald Eagle Area)

“Land Mines”

(NE-3) Max Wirnsberger (Meadowbrook Christian)

(SE-2) Jackson Rush (West Perry)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Gauge Botero (Faith Christian) vs Branden Wentzel (Montoursville)

Quarterfinals – Brandt Harer (Montgomery) vs Jackson Rush (West Perry)

Finals – Branden Wentzel (Montoursville) vs Brandt Harer (Montgomery)

Brandt Harer

Let me introduce you to him if you have not heard of Brandt Harer. Coming in as one of the top freshmen in the state, Harer has defeated last year’s state runner-up Branden Wentzel four times this season, yeah, four. Harer is 42-1 on the season, with his lone loss coming to Tahir Parkins in the Cumberland Valley Kickoff Classic finals; 4-3. Harer has a total of 37 bonus point wins this year with only one regular decision in an 8-1 District 4 Championship win over Wentzel.

The Field

Despite Harer, this field is loaded, especially on the top side of the bracket. Former state champion and last year’s runner-up Branden Wentzel has an arduous task to make it back to the finals. Returning state 3rd, Gauge Botero most likely awaits Wentzel in the Quarterfinals. Botero only has two losses coming to Anthony Knox, a New Jersey standout. That will be one of the best Friday morning matchups.

127 LBS

Favorite

(SW-1) Chris Vargo (Bentworth)

Top Contenders

(NW-1) Cyrus Hurd (North East)

(SW-2) Cooper Hornack (Burrell)

“Land Mines”

(NE-2) David Kennedy (Montoursville)

(NE-3) Tyler Ulrich (Warrior Run)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Chris Vargo (Bentworth) vs David Kennedy (Montoursville)

Quarterfinals – Tyler Ulrich (Warrior Run) vs Arment Waltenbaugh (Faith Christian)

Quarterfinals – Cooper Hornack (Burrell) vs Matthew Smith (Midd-West)

Semi-Finals – Cooper Hornack (Burrell) vs Cyrus Hurd (North East)

Chris Vargo

Two-time state placer Chris Vargo is the favorite in this weight with a 39-2 record on the year and a 5th and 3rd place finish at previous year’s tournaments. His season is highlighted by an Ultimate Warrior Tournament Championship win over Coen Bainey and a win last weekend over top contender Cooper Hornack in the Southwest Regional finals.

The Field

Hornack and Vargo have split matches this year with Hornack winning at WPIALs and Vargo winning at Regionals. Hornack has placed twice at the state tournament with a 2nd and 4th place finish in previous years. Hornack and Vargo are on a possible collision course to the finals, with Hornack having a tougher path with Matthew Smith and Cyrus Hurd in the way. David Kennedy and Tyler Ulrich could bust the top half of the bracket wide-open, winning matches they would not be predicted to win.

133 LBS

Favorite

(NE-1) Jaden Pepe (Wyoming Area)

Top Contenders

(NE-2) Scott Johnson (Muncy)

(NW-1) JoJo Przybycien (Ft LeBoeuf)

“Land Mines”

(NE-3) Conner Heckman (Midd-West)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Conner Heckman (Midd-West) vs JoJo Przybycien (Ft LeBoeuf)

Semi-Finals – Jaden Pepe (Wyoming Area) vs Peter Chacon (Montour)

Semi-Finals – Scott Johnson (Muncy) vs JoJo Przybycien (Ft LeBoeuf)

Finals – Jaden Pepe (Wyoming Area) vs Scott Johnson (Muncy)

Jaden Pepe

Two-time state champion Jaden Pepe is the favorite to three-peat this year. Pepe is 39-1 on the year, with his lone loss coming to Florida prep standout Elijah Rivera. Despite the loss, Pepe has one of the best wins in this field, with an 8-4 win over returning state champion Scott Johnson in the Northeast Regional final. There is a high likelihood that we will see Pepe and Johnson in the finals Saturday afternoon.

The Field

Do not let Johnson’s 32-6 record fool you. He has been to the most demanding tournaments like Top Hat, Powerade, and Mid-Winter Mayhem. He has faced and lost twice to Dalton Perry (Central Mountain) and his teammate Luke Simcox, AAA state contenders. The guy who stands in the way of a Pepe vs Johnson final is JoJo Przybycien. Johnson has a win over Przybycien this year in the Mid-Winter Mayhem finals, 11-1. Despite that, Przybycien is a two-time state placer with a 6th and 4th. That possible Johnson vs Przybycien Semi-Final could be one of the better Friday night matches.

139 LBS

Favorite

(NE-1) Anthony Evanitsky (Wyoming Area)

Top Contenders

(SE-1) Chase Hontz (Faith Christian)

(SW-1) Joey Sentipal (Burgettstown)

“Land Mines”

(SE-2) Bryson Vaughn (Notre Dame-GP)

(NE-2) Reagan Milheim (Warrior Run)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Bryson Vaughn (Notre Dame-GP) vs Brady Collins (Clearfield)

Quarterfinals – Joey Sentipal (Burgettstown) vs Reagan Milheim (Warrior Run)

Semi-Finals – Joey Sentipal (Burgettstown) vs Chase Hontz (Faith Christian)

Anthony Evanitsky

Anthony Evanitsky comes in as the favorite at this weight. He is 37-4 on the year and is a returning state placer taking 3rd place in his freshman year. Evanitsky has had one of the better years in this field. His four losses are coming to state championship-caliber opponents in Conner Harer (Montgomery) and Matt Repos (Central Dauphin)—two losses to top prep-level guys.

The Field

The more challenging side of this bracket is the bottom half with Joey Sentipal and Chase Hontz. Sentipal has made the trip to Hershey all four years but has failed to place up to this point. Chase Hontz is among some of those talented young guys at Faith Christian. He comes in with some wins and losses against state-level guys this season, including splitting matches with Bryson Vaughn. Vaughn and Milheim have the ability to shake things up in this bracket and derail someone’s state title run. Milheim dropped a tiebreakers match to Evanitsky in the Northeast AA Semi-Finals and could shake things up as a freshman trying to prove himself.

145 LBS

Favorite

(SE-1) Vince Bouzakis (Notre Dame-GP)

Top Contenders

(NE-1) Kaden Milheim (Warrior Run)

(NE-3) Cade Wirnsberger (Meadowbrook Christian)

(SW-1) Trent Hoover (Penn Cambria)

“Land Mines”

(SW-2) Calan Bollman (Chestnut Ridge)

(NE-3) Cade Wirnsberger (Meadowbrook Christian)

Top Potential Matchups

Round of 16 – Gage Wentzel (Montoursville) vs Vince Bouzakis (Notre Dame-GP)

Quarterfinals – Cade Wirnsberger (Meadowbrook Christian) vs Trent Hoover (Penn Cambria)

Semi-Finals – Kaden Milheim (Warrior Run) vs Vince Bouzakis (Notre Dame-GP)

Vince Bouzakis

Vince Bouzakis is the favorite to win it at 145 LBS. This is the first year for Bouzakis at Notre Dame-GP despite being a Junior as he spent the last two years at Wyoming Seminary. His transition to Notre Dame-GP has been very smooth where he has gone 42-7 on the year. Six of his Seven losses on the year came to out-of-state/prep wrestlers at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman and Escape the Rock tournaments. His only loss to a PIAA opponent was to Mac Church (Waynesburg), 5-1. However, Bouzakis has shown dominance in his run through District 11 and the Southeast AA Regional.

The Field

One of the biggest challengers to Bouzakis is returning state placer Kaden Milheim who placed 3rd last year. Those two might hit in the Semi-Finals to create a marquee match on Friday night. The bottom half of this bracket can implode. The Max Stein vs Cade Wirnsberger, opening round match can be significant. Wirnsberger is one of the leading contenders out of the bottom half of the bracket. Wirnsberger is a two-time state placer placing 6th and 4th in previous years. He has a tricky path because he faces talented Sophomore and returning state placer Max Stein first off and then Trent Hoover in the next round.

Records and stats were collected at pa-wrestling.com