2016 Super 32Oct 11, 2016 by Ryan Holmes
Super 32 Middleweight Preview: 132-152
Super 32 Middleweight Preview: 132-152
We continue our Super 32 previews with the guys at 132-160. There are some very talented wrestlers in this chunk of weights who I expect to put on a great s
We continue our Super 32 previews with the guys at 132-160. There are some very talented wrestlers in this chunk of weights who I expect to put on a great show.
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132
ContendersNo. 1 (at 138) Vito Arujau
No. 3 Mitch Moore
No. 4 Brian Courtney
No. 6 (at 126) Kyran Hagan
No. 7 Zack Donathan
No. 11 (at 126) Paul Konrath
No. 12 Zack Trampe
No. 12 (at 138) Ryan Vulakh
No. 14 Moises Guillen
No. 16 Mason Phillips
No. 17 Dustin Plott
Brayden Bailey
Austin Boone
Devon Britton
Job Chisko
Kevon Davenport
Cade Devos
Alex Felix
PJ Gohn
Quinn Kinner
Jared Papcsy
Peyton Robb
Chris Sandoval
Devin Schwartzkopf
JT Stinson
Andrew Wert
Mason Wohltman
Commentary: The clear favorite is Cadet World silver medalist Vito Arujau. It's going to be hard keep up with him. A guy I really like outside of front-runner Arujau is Mitch Moore. The Virginia Tech commitment has filled into the weight class nicely and has the strength to compete. That strength is something that his opponents need to look out for, because he is not afraid to toss you to your back. Also be on the lookout for Brian Courtney, who is coming off a winning performance at Journeymen where he out-scrambled Jason Renteria. Nonetheless, I expect Moore and Courtney to hit in the semifinals in a pretty awesome battle. To me, this potential matchup would be a toss-up between Moore's cement job (or cow catcher, depending on where you're from) and Courtney's corner-sitting cradle. My X-factor here is Fargo runner-up Paul Konrath. He'll be lurking and is more than capable of picking up an upset win. But no matter what, I expect Arujau to have too much for anyone he sees in the finals.
Holmes' picks: 1. Arujau 2. Courtney 3. Moore 4. Konrath
Willie's picks: 1. Arujau 2. Moore 3. Courtney 4. Guillen
138
ContendersNo. 3 Sammy Sasso
No. 5 Brayton Lee
No. 9 Grant Aranoff
No. 10 Ben Freeman
No. 11 (at 132) Jake Silverstein
No. 15 (at 132) Tim Kane
No. 15 (at 145) Alex Crowe
No. 17 (at 145) Riley Palmer
No. 18 (at 132) Nick Freeman
No. 19 (at 145) Corey Shie
No. 20 (at 145) Dakota Galt
Cameron Amine
Carnell Andrews
Tyler Eichens
Camden Fontenot
Sammy Hepler
Jaden Mattox
Rodrick Mosley
Will Moss
Zander Silva
Commentary: It's Sasso's world here. He may be coming off a bad loss to top-ranked Nick Lee at Who's #1, but he's still above the competition. Sasso and Aranoff have some history. In one of their matches, Sasso ended up pinning Aranoff, so he'll certainly want some revenge if he gets another crack at the FloNational champion. Jaden Mattox should have a favorable finish, as well. Expect Ben Freeman to make a run on the other side of the bracket to come out and meet Sasso in the final. Those guys have somewhat similar styles, though the scramble ability edge goes to Sasso. If Freeman can keep up with leg-passing gyroscope that is Sasso, he can pull the upset. But I'm expecting Sasso to be too much.
Holmes' picks: 1. Sasso 2. Freeman 3. Lee 4. Kane
Willie's picks: 1. Lee 2. Sasso 3. Mattox 4. Freeman
145
ContendersNo. 2 Anthony Artalona
No. 3 Jarod Verkleeren
No. 3 (at 152) Austin O'Connor
No. 6 (at 152) Joe Lee
No. 11 Peter Pappas
No. 12 Jake Hinkson
No. 13 (at 152) Josiah Rider
No. 14 Brik Filipo
No. 15 (at 138) Denton Spencer
Chase Anklam
Chase Archangelo
Zach Hartman
Will Kaldes
John Pipa
Phil Spadafora
Commentary: Let's cut to the chase, the foursome that I expect to be in a tight battle for first place will be Fargo champ Joe Lee, Fargo champ Anthony Artalona, Cadet World champ Jarod Verkleeren, and returning Super 32 runner-up Austin O'Connor. Artalona just defeated Verkleeren in the Fargo finals a few months ago, so J. Verk is certainly in the hunt for him. Verkleeren looked really good at WNO against Kaden Gfeller, maybe the best I've seen him in a while. If he brings the same thing to S32, he's going to be tough to beat. The other two, O'Connor and Lee, are grinders. There really aren't too many guys that they can't go against. I like Joe Lee to come out on top of it all here, but it will not be easy to navigate these rough waters.
Holmes' picks: 1. Lee 2. O'Connor 3. Verkleeren 4. Artalona
Willie's picks: 1. Verkleeren 2. O'Connor 3. Lee 4. Rider
152
ContendersNo. 1 (at 160) Brady Berge
No. 4 Quentin Hovis
No. 5 Stephan Glasgow
No. 6 (at 145) Jake Brindley
No. 12 (at 160) Aaron Brooks
No. 19 Michael Ross
No. 20 Erich Byelick
Aaron Brooks
Erich Byelick
Cody Cochran
Caleb Hetrick
Conor Melbourne
Evan Snodgrass
Elijah Tanner
Hunter Willits
Colt Yinger
Commentary: Brady Berge had a tough first match back, but I believe it will do him a lot of good going into this grinder of a tournament. The only thing that I see getting in Berge's way, beside Quentin Hovis of course, is his gas tank. He was very winded coming off the mat against Shane Griffith at WNO, but it could have been a little rust after coming off the injury that had him sidelined for a long time. Like I said, Hovis is the guy I see coming out of the other side. I think that he can outlast recent Rutgers commitment Stephan Glasgow in the semis in a close one. Glasgow was a little banged up last year during Super 32, so he will be looking to make the most of the opportunity. But hopefully he can stay composed. If not, it will be tough for him. In the end, I still see Berge with the belt.
P.S. -- Don't worry Maryland, no one is sleeping on Aaron Brooks this time. In case you live under a rock, Brooks is the guy that lit the Fargo stage on fire this year when he won both Greco and freestyle titles. Let's just say he's talented, and that you should keep an eye on him and his ankle pick.
Holmes' picks: 1. Berge 2. Hovis 3. Brooks 4. Glasgow
Willie's picks: Berge 2. Hovis 3. Brooks 4. Brindley