The state talk continues this week as more of the best state tournaments around the country provided plenty of awesome action that is all available on Flo! So, if there’s anything you missed, go check it out.

Champs Crowned in California

We’re starting in single-class California where the 14 gold medals up for grabs had wrestlers ready to show their teeth and claim their spot as the Golden State’s best.

For the seventh straight season, Buchanan won the team title but believe it or not, did so without crowning an individual champ — something that hadn’t happened in any of the six years before. 

It was a weekend full of surprises, to say the least, and things didn’t slow down in the finals with three nationally ranked wrestlers falling. Senior Clarence Moore was the 106-pound champ, prevailing over #4 Rocklin Zinkin and Miguel Estrada won his second straight title by taking out #10 Laird Root in tiebreakers.

Now, the postseason isn’t all that matters, but it is what matters the most and these Cali boys sure showed out at the state tournament with multiple wrestlers flipping results from earlier this year. 

One of those was between #13 Dario Lemus and #4 Brock Mantanona where both had to navigate their way through a diesel 138-pound bracket. Mantanona entered as the favorite and ranked inside the top 5, but Lemus, a runner-up at the California state tournament last year and at Doc B back in January, finally broke through for a title and Clovis’ only champ of the weekend. 

The most dangerous wrestler in California and #22 in the pound-for-pound rankings, Beau Mantanona won his first state title by way of a 2-0 victory over Colin Guffey. Known for his unique and suffocating pinning combinations, Mantanona used an aggressive assassin in the second period for a crucial set of backs and the only points of the match. 

This one meant a lot for Mantanona, who finally got the state title that eluded him in controversial and heartbreaking fashion last season. Next, he heads to the University of Michigan, where he’s one of the most exciting recruits in the Class of 2023. 

Nicco Ruiz, another pound-for-pounder (#25) cruised to a second straight title with a first-period fall in the finals. Ruiz bonused his way through the tournament recording falls in five of his six bouts at 160 pounds. And #10 Daniel Zepeda took things a step further, winning every match by fall until the 132-pound final when he won by tech.

Oklahoma Action

For the second straight year, Stillwater stood above the rest in an always competitive 6A state tournament.

It was an ultra-tight team race. Stillwater edged rival Edmond North by just one point. The difference in the end, was Stillwater going 3-0 in head-to-head finals matchups with Edmond North.

The Pioneer’s two biggest stars — #1 Cael Hughes and #3 LaDarion Lockett — were both champs. Hughes knocked off Hunter Hollingsworth to complete an undefeated high school career (the fifth Oklahoma wrestler to do so), while Lockett won by fall in the 157-pound final as he reaches the halfway point of an already outstanding young career.

Despite a successful weekend, there were still a couple of notable upsets over Stillwater wrestlers. The two biggest came from Payton Thomas, who took out Stillwater’s #7 A.J. Heeg in the 190-pound final and Christopher Kiser beat #2 Beric Jordan to deny the junior a state title in his first season in Oklahoma. But that wasn’t all.

Along with Stillwater and Edmond North, Bixby also impressed with four champs, finishing third in the team race. The breakout star of Bixby’s group of champs was Clay Giddens-Buttram, who beat #18 Kody Routledge and #9 Kael Voinovich en route to the 150-pound title. 

Blair Back on Top

For the first time since 2019, the Blair Bucs are National Prep champs once again. Blair looked to be the nation’s best team all season long, opening with a title at Ironman and notching dual meet wins over Wyoming Seminary, Lake Highland Prep and Malvern. A National Prep title was just the last step on the ladder to solidify that #1 spot.

In a shocking result, Wyoming Seminary finished fourth at National Preps, despite matching Blair with four champs.

In what turned out to be the only Blair vs. Sem matchup of the finals, Sem was victorious when #2 Luke Lilledahl topped #4 Leo Deluca in a matchup between two of the best lightweights in the country.

Blair senior and Cadet World champion #3 Marc-Anthony McGowan also capped a stellar high school career with his third National Prep title, winning alongside teammates #3 Lorenzo Norman, Nolan Neves, and Peter Snyder. 

Snyder was one of two freshmen to take home titles with the other being Malvern’s Lukas Littleton-Mascaro. Both wrestlers really came on strong in the second half of the season and their futures look bright. 

One of the most exciting bouts of the finals was Claudio Torres’ win over the super-dynamic Mekhi Neal who just can’t help but put points on the board. But it was Torres who matched that offense blow for blow. Two third-period takedowns were just enough to lead the sophomore to the 9-8 victory and the title.

The biggest upset — at least, according to rankings, came when Green Farms Academy’s Steven Burrell double-legged his way to a gold medal over #2 Carter Neves at 220 pounds.

Led by coach Jack Conroy, Green Farms has quietly become the best program in New England and cemented its place on the national scene with a fifth-place finish at National Preps. Four of Burrell’s teammates also placed on the podium last weekend in The Show Place Arena with none of them placing lower than fourth. 

AWA Owns Wisconsin

Quick shoutout to FRL co-host Ben Askren and Askren Wrestling Academy, which continues to reign supreme as Wisconsin’s top wrestling club by claiming a whopping 23 state champions across three weight classes. Most notably, winning 11 of 14 in the big class Division 1. AWA standouts include the Mirasola brothers, Cole and Connor — who both recently committed to Penn State — as well as 16U Fargo champ Aeoden Sinclair.

So, what’s coming next?!

Thursday is the start of Jersey States! Lookout for an in-depth weight-by-weight preview coming this week to get you ready for the weekend in Atlantic City!

A few other states in action that you can find on Flo include Florida, Michigan, Maryland, and Delaware.

Make sure you bookmark our State Championship Hub to catch every second of state tournament action!