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Different year, same story. Blair and Wyoming Seminary are the teams favored to take the title at the National Prep Wrestling Championships in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Friday and Saturday. Wyoming Seminary won a dual earlier this year against its rival, and now it's time for Blair to look to get some revenge at Lehigh University's Stabler Arena. But the Blue Knights and Buccaneers need to look out for Malvern Prep, which has some firepower that could challenge the front-runners. 

But as we all know, it comes down to individual performances. So let's take a look at the title contenders at each weight class.

(The number next to each wrestler's name indicates their seed.)

106

Contenders
1. Nick Incontrera, Blair
2. Chris Barnabae, Mt. St. Joes
3. Dalton Harkins, Malvern Prep
4. Chris Kim, Germantown Prep
5. Drew Munch, Wyoming Seminary

Commentary: Without world champion Kurt McHenry competing, the path to a title starts to lean in the favor of Incontrera a bit more. I don't see him having much trouble with anyone on his way to the title. 

Holmes' picks: 1. Incontrera  2. Baranabae  3. Munch  4. Harkins

113

Contenders
1. Trevor Mastrogiovanni, Blair
2. Mosha Schwartz, Wyoming Seminary
3. Shane Hanson-Ashworth, Malvern Prep
4. Noah Miller, Trinity Christian

Commentary: This is a going to be a fun three-horse race between Hanson-Ashworth, Mastrogiovanni, and Schwartz. I like Hanson-Ashworth to make the finals against Mastrogiovanni with the nod going to the young Buc.

Holmes' pick: 1. Mastrogiovanni  2. Hanson-Ashworth  3. Schwartz  4. Miller

120

Contenders
1. Beau Bartlett, Wyoming Seminary
2. Michael Madara, Blair
3. King Sandoval, St. Mary's
4. Paul Truntich, Archbishop Spalding
5. Connor Alexander, St. Christopher

Commentary: I'm calling a rematch here between Bartlett and Madara. Last time they met, Madara was overpowered by Bartlett, so I expect him to make some adjustments in order to make it a closer bout with Bartlett. However, it's still Bartlett's world in this weight class. This could be the start of a four-year run.

Holmes' picks: 1. Bartlett  2. Madara  3. Sandoval  4. Alexander

126

Contenders
1. Jack Davis, Wyoming Seminary
2. Chris Cannon, Blair Academy
3. Nathan White, Dematha
4. Gray Hart, St. Christopher
5. Mark Salvatore, Malvern Prep
6. Ray Kable, McDonogh
7. Ray Eason, Father Ryan

Commentary: In my mind, this is a main event. Davis and Cannon wrestled during their teams' dual, and Davis got the huge win with a 3-2 victory over Cannon. I'd expect Cannon to come out firing against Davis in hopes of getting some revenge. It's going to be another close battle.

Holmes' picks: 1. Davis  2. Cannon  3. Kable  4. White

132

Contenders
1. Zach Sherman, Blair
2. Jake Riegel, Wyoming Seminary
3. Kyle Gorant, The Hill School
4. Shawn Orem, Mt. St. Joes
6. Caden Mareno, McDonogh

Commentary: Sherman and Riegel are the two that should be in the finals. Sherman handled Riegel earlier this season, and even though Riegel will be down to put up more of a fight, I still see it going Sherman's way. Gorant will give Riegel a little test in the semis, so Riegel better come ready for a battle when the whistle blows against Gorant.

Holmes' picks: 1. Sherman  2. Riegel  3. Gorant  4. Moreno

138

Contenders
1. Malcom Robinson, Blair
2. Wilfredo Gil, St. Benedict's
3. PJ Crane, Malvern Prep
4. Benny Baker, Wyoming Seminary
5. Nathan Thacker, Gonzaga

Commentary: The rematch I'd like to see is Robinson versus Crane. At Who's #1 Duals, Crane gave Robinson some fits, which I believe came down to a takedown late in the bout to make Robinson the winner. I'd expect Robinson to come out on top of another battle but won't be surprised if Crane pulls the upset.

Holmes' picks: 1. Robinson  2. Crane  3. Gil  4. Thacker

145

Contenders
1. Phil Conigliaro, Belmont Hill
2. Josh Wyland, Benedictine
3. Ethan Krause, Georgetown Prep
4. Quinn Devaney, McDonogh
5. Alfonso Martinez, Wyoming Seminary

Commentary: Conigliaro, Weyland, Krause, and Devaney. These guys all have what it takes to come out on top. Krause is a scrapper with a mean dump. I think that he will catch a few guys with it and pick up a few pins on his way to the top of the podium. 

Holmes' picks: 1. Krause  2. Conigliago  3. Wyland  4. Devaney

152

Contenders
1. Julian Ramirez, Blair
2. Noah Chan, Kinkaid School
3. Bailey Thomas, Good Counsel
4. Kieran Duggan, Wyoming Seminary

Commentary: I think I'll go with Julian Ramirez. Not much else to say really. He has too much firepower and should be standing at the top of podium. 

160

Contenders
1. Andrew Merola, Blair
2. Isaiah Bailey, Tabor Acad
3. Jackson Turley, St. Christopher
4. Christos Avgeros, Benedictine
5. Cornelius Schuster, Mt. St. Joes

Commentary: Merola is the guy to beat. I see Jackson Turley meeting him in the finals, but Merola will be the one on top in the end. 

Holmes' picks: 1. Merola  2. Turley  3. Bailey  4. Schuster

170

Contenders
1. Dale Tiongson, St. Pauls
2. Kamari Whimper, Baylor 
3. Leonardo Tarantino, Blair
4. Justin Henry, Mt. St. Joes
5. Jake Hendricks, Wyoming Seminary

Commentary: This will be my favorite weight to watch with Tiongson, Whimper, and Tarantino all in the hunt for the title. Tarantino is extremely tough. Whimper has the slickness, and Tiongson is just a solid dude. However, we've seen Tiongson get tripped up a bit this season and take some losses (such as at the Beast of the East), so it's tough to throw all my chips in on him. In order to be the last man standing he will have to bring the same game that he did last season when he made it to the finals. 

Holmes' picks: 1. Tiongson  2. Tarantino  3. Whimper  4. Hendricks

182

Contenders
1. Ryan Karoly, Malvern Prep
2. AJ Pedro, The Phillips
3. Judah Duhm, McCallie
4. Jack Parr, St. Pauls
5. Austin Cooley, Wyoming Seminary
6. David Schultz, Mt. St. Joes
7. Jack Wimmer, McDonogh

Commentary: Karoly has brought his toughness up to this weight class after starting the season down at 170. The move up has clearly served him well. Pedro will be a great opponent, but I'm not sure that he has what it takes to keep up with Karoly.

Holmes' picks: 1. Karoly  2. Pedro  3. Cooley  4. Parr

195

Contenders
1. Michael Beard, Malvern Prep
2. Yaraslau Slavikouski, Northfield
3. JT Correl, Wyoming Seminary
4. Nick Mosco, Blair
5. Brian Hennessy, St. Johns
6. Noah Kalishman, St. Pauls

Commentary: Beard is the clear cut guy to beat. In this field everyone else is looking up at him. Mosco will do his best to stop him in the semis, but it's going to be too tall of an order for him. 

Holmes' picks: 1. Beard  2. Correl  3. Slavikouski  4. Mosco

220

Contenders
1. Chase Singletary, Blair
2. Brady Gilliland-Daniel, Good Counsel
3. Mansur Abdul-Malik, Wyoming Seminary
4. Chris Kober, The Haverford School

Commentary: Can anyone stop Chase Singletary? Answer: No. The top-ranked Ohio State commit has proved all year that he is the guy, and he won't stop now as he collects another prep title.

Holmes' picks: 1. Singletary  2. Abdul-Malik  3. Kober  4. Gilliland-Daniel

285

Contenders
1. Seth Janney, Malvern Prep
2. River Henry, McCallie
3. Thomas Rayam, Peddie
4. Dan Herman, Wyoming Seminary
5. PJ Mustipher, McDonogh

Commentary: Janney has continued to improve time in and time out. He has avenged losses and held Singletary to just 4-points when they met at WNO Duals. Janney will be the last man standing.

Holmes' picks: 1. Janney  2. Rayam  3. Herman  4. Mustipher

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