There are a few landmark events on the high school wrestling calendar: Ironman, Super 32, Fargo. But only one ends with the opportunity to represent Team USA: Akron.

The young men wrestling this weekend are trying to follow in the footsteps of Yianni Diakomihalis, Gable Steveson, Thomas Gilman, Daton Fix, Bo Nickal, and Zain Retherford. All of them are now wrestling in Final X this year for senior world team spots, not to mention NCAA champs like Spencer Lee, Mark Hall, and Seth Gross. There simply is no greater launching pad for future success like Akron.

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The numbers don't lie. Since Cadet worlds were reinstated in 2011, America has won 32 medals in men's freestyle and those teams have produced 22 Division I All-Americans. The prize is still the same this weekend: the right to compete for the United States at the world championships, which are July 29 - August 4 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

For this preview, we'll try to not only mention the key wrestlers by their weight class ranking, but also by their level of separation criteria.

Level 1: Previous UWW Cadet World Medalist

Level 2: Akron/Fargo Finalist - (IN Style)

Level 3: FloNationals Finalist - (IN Style)

Level 4: Akron/Fargo/FloNationals 3rd-8th (IN style)

Level 5: Akron/Fargo/FloNationals 1st-3rd (OUT of Style, not including folkstyle)

2018 FARGO FS

2018 AKRON

2019 FloNats 

Registration can be found in FloArena, which is where the brackets will eventually be after weigh-ins. Check out the latest Who's #1: The Show for more analysis from myself and Willie.

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45kg

Level 2: Mason Gehloff, MN - Fargo champ

Level 2: Jore Volk, MN - Fargo finalist

Level 3: #17 Marc-Anthony McGowan, FL - FloNats champ

Level 3: Daniel Sheen, IL - FloNats finalist

Level 4: Christian Forbes, OK - FloNats 3rd

Level 4: Tristan Stafford, AR - Fargo 3rd

Level 4: Marlon Yarbrough, OH - Fargo 5th

Level 4: Christopher Martino, ID - Fargo 6th

Level 4: Benjamin Aranda, IL - FloNats 3rd

Dylan Gilcher, MI - Schoolboy runner-up

Caden Horwarth, MI - Schoolboy 3rd

DJ Gillett, OR - Schoolboy 7th

Anthony Perez, OH - Schoolby 8th

Beau Mantanona, CA - Undefeated Schoolboy Duals

Kannon Webster, IL - Freestyle champ

Ryder Block, IA - Freestyle champ

Mac Church, PA - PJW champ

Marc-Anthony McGowan walks in as the favorite. The rising freshman at Blair Academy has already won FloNationals and the NE Regional this spring, but is at a slight disadvantage separation wise due to Mason Gehloff and Jore Volk holding Level 2 Fargo finalist criteria. McGowan, an undefeated state champ in Florida this year as an eighth grader, beat Gehloff in the 2017 Tulsa Kickoff finals.

The Minnesota boys Gehloff and Jore Volk should be separated in the bracket, with one getting McGowan on their side and the other getting FloNats finalist Daniel Sheen. Gehloff has beaten Volk at least four times in the past year, including in the Fargo finals. Volk’s older brother Gannon was on the 2011 Cadet world team.

After not placing at Fargo last year, Sheen exceeded expectations by making the finals at FloNats from the seven seed. However, he lost to Gehloff in the semis of preseason nationals and also fell to Kannon Webster in the Illinois freestyle state finals. Webster was pre-seeded fourth but did not compete at FloNats. The past two years, he's won IKWF titles, gone undefeated at Schoolboy titles, and won titles at both Northern Plains and the Central Regional. But with no separation criteria, he's the bad draw at this weight.

Christian Forbes has an excellent lace. Tristan Stafford gets another shot on the national stage after finishing third in Fargo. Dylan Gilcher and Caden Horwath are two interesting ones coming up from the Schoolboy level, though Gilcher did not have a great performance at U15s. Beau Mantanona, the younger brother of Oklahoma starter Anthony, should be fun to watch. Fargo AAs Marlon Yarbrough and Christoper Martino round out an excellent opening weight.

The Picks

Nomad: 1) McGowan  2) Gehloff  3) Webster  4) Volk

Wille:  1) Volk  2) McGowan  3) Gehloff  4) Sheen

48kg

Level 3: Kelly Dunnigan, NJ - FloNats finalist

Level 4: #1 Stevo Poulin, NY - Akron 3rd

Level 4: #8 Eli Griffin, OK - Fargo 3rd

Level 4: Sefton Douglass, WY - FloNats 4th

Level 4: Sean Seefeldt, OH - Fargo 6th

Level 4: #20 (at 113) Richard Treanor, NC - Fargo 8th

Level 4: Justin Wells, CA - FloNats 4th

Level 4: Matthew Ellis, OH - FloNats 5th

#7 Blake West, MN - Northern Plains champ

#9 Cory Land, AL - NHSCA champ

Even with three other Top-10 ranked wrestlers at this weight, it’s the Stevo Poulin show. He was third in both Fargo and Akron a year ago, falling to Jordan Williams both times, but Williams is now up at 51kg. Poulin took hold of the #1 spot at Super 32 and hasn’t looked back since, finishing off the folkstyle season with his second New York state title.

Northern Plains champ Blake West should be huge for the weight and could be one of the few to present a problem for Poulin. West beat Eli Griffin en route to a Folkstyle Nationals title; Griffin lost a 13-11 war to Poulin on the backside of Akron last year. The two-time Oklahoma state champ actually wrestle Juniors in Fargo last July, where he fell to Joey Fischer in the quarters. Fischer went on to win Fargo and took both styles at FloNats, but is not yet registered.

Cory Land’s been flying under the radar for a minute, but really caught our attention with an NHSCA freshman title. The undefeated Alabama state champ was runner-up in Schoolboys a year ago and could surprise some people a la when Sam Latona burst onto the scene in 2016.

Kelly Dunnigan was up 9-0 over Fischer in the FloNats finals before losing. He and Sefton Douglass both look much better this year after not placing in Fargo. Sean Seefeldt is one of my favorite dark horses at any weight and has the advantage of being right near his home.

Richard Treanor has hopefully finally grown into the weight and is an intriguing college prospect from a non-traditional state who will likely be a lifer at 125. A couple Cali boys placed at FloNats and will be here, with Justin Wells coming up in weight.

The Picks

Nomad: 1) Poulin  2) Land  3) Griffin  4) West

Willie: 1) Poulin  2) Griffin  3) Fischer  4) West

51kg

Level 1: #2 Richard Figueroa II, CA - World Silver Medalist

Level 2: #2 (at 106) Kyle Rowan, OH - Akron finalist

Level 2: #5 Drake Ayala, IA - Fargo champ

Level 2: #9 Jordan Williams, OK - Fargo Champ

Level 2: Jett Strickenberger, CO - Fargo champ

Level 3: #1 Joey Cruz, CA - FloNationals Champ

Level 4: #12 (at 120) Sheldon Seymour, PA - Fargo 3rd

Level 4: #10 Levi Haines, PA - FloNats 4th

Level 4: #11 Nick Babin, NJ - FloNats 6th

Level 4: Max Black, CO - Fargo 5th

For nearly 18 months, Richie Figs did not take a loss in America. After finishing fourth in Ironman as a freshman, he peeled off a run that went like this: Doc B, Cali states, FloNats, Akron, world silver, Who’s #1, Super 32, Ironman, Doc B, Cali States. He even bumped up at Super 32 to knock off Greg Diakomihalis, who had just won Who’s #1 at 113 a couple weeks earlier. He was simply unbeatable and earned his spot as the second highest rated prospect on the 2021 Big Board.

But no one is unbeatable. Joey Cruz proved that at FloNats, with one of the most dramatic wins in the 10-year history of the event. Just like when they wrestled the previous year in folkstyle in the finals of the same event, Cruz lived on Figueroa’s legs. They live less than 20 minutes apart and used to best buds, now they could develop into one of the fiercest rivalries in the sport, especially if we see a best-of-three this weekend.

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If you’re looking for someone who could be hindered by the four minute periods, it’s Drake Ayala. In two previous trips to Akron, he’s finished fifth and eighth, despite having maybe the best pace of anyone in the gym. Sheldon Seymour was up at 55 for FloNats but is dropping down and might just overpower everyone.

I picked Jordan Williams to win the 45kg weight last year and think he's got incredible potential. I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see him in the finals, but the last time I saw him in person was Super 32, when he didn't place, so that plays in to my decision to not pick him Top-4.

A late addition to the field is Ironman and Ohio state champ Kyle Rowan, a returning finalist who Figs beat to make the team last year. I'm very curious to see how another match with Seymour goes, as they split last year. Rowan took the first one on criteria in the Akron quarters, and then Seymour took the match in the consi semis of Fargo after Rowan semi slid to sixth. Both guys are small juniors who compete hard and who college coaches are hoping can put on just a little bit of size.

We could see a PA finals rematch between Seymour and Levi Haines this weekend. Much like Askren Wrestling Academy a few years ago, you can already see the trajectory that M2 Training Center is on and that they will soon be putting guys in position to make world teams.

Max Black placed at Fargo last year and won Greco at FloNats. The rangy Nick Babin placed at FloNats but went 2-3 in the process.

The Picks

Nomad: 1) Figueroa  2) Cruz  3) Ayala  4) Rowan

Willie: 1) Figueroa  2) Ayala  3) Cruz  4) Williams

55kg

Level 2: #1 Robert Howard, NJ - 2x World Team Member

Level 2: #7 (at 113) Chance Lamer, OR - World Team Member

Level 2: #3 Jakason Burks, NE - Fargo Champ

Level 2: #10 Nicolar Rivera, WI - Fargo Champ

Level 2: #11 Jesse Ybarra, AZ - Fargo champ

Level 4: #15 Cooper Flynn, TN - Fargo 3rd

Level 4: #18 Colton Drousias, IN - Fargo 4th

Level 4: #19 Rocco Welsh, PA - FloNats 5th

Level 4: Zeke Seltzer, IN - FloNats 7th

#1 (at 126) Nic Bouzakis, FL - Beast champ

Nick Fea, PA

Kaleb Larkin, AZ

Brennan Van Hoecke, FL

Once again, Robbie Howard might have to go through a teammate from the previous year to make a world team. Howard was our 55kg rep last year in Zagreb, with Chance Lamer manning 45kg. Howard went 1-1 at Worlds, but then three months later won a gold at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. If he succeeds once again, he’ll become the first American since Cadet worlds were reinstated in 2011 to make a team all three years of UWW Cadet eligibility.

It was Jacob Rundell who won FloNats, but he's not registered. He beat two Fargo champs to end that tournament: Iowa commit Jesse Ybarra in the semis and Nicolar Rivera of Wisconsin in the finals. Ybarra has an excellent throwby and has very good leg defense. Rivera is one of the most creative wrestlers you'll see, but he just wrestled 113 at NHSCA Duals, so I'm curious about where his freestyle at, if he'll drop to 51kg, and how tired he will be.

Other high level guys who were in Virginia Beach include Nic Bouzakis, Rocco Welsh, and Nick Fea. Bouzakis is most problematic as he has no separation criteria, but is currently ranked #1 in the country at 126. He did not place last year, losing to Howard and then Ryan Crookham. Bouzakis is #2 on the Freshman Big Board behind Crookham, who is out all summer with a knee injury.

Jakason Burks did not wrestle freestyle here last year, instead focusing on Greco where he made the world team. Then in Fargo he looked excellent in winning freestyle. Now an Oklahoma State commit, this will be the first time we've see Burks against high level competition since Who's #1.

Cooper Flynn was third in Fargo and fourth here in Akron last year. He's probably better in folkstyle due to his top game, but after losing several in a row to Ryan Miller he beat his rival at NE Regional so I'm wondering if we'll see a looser Flynn this weekend.

Larkin and Van Hoecke are from non-power states but two names I want you aware of before this tournament starts. This is the kind of weight where guys like that can make a name for themselves in the general minds of minds and not just in the eyes of us nerds that follow everything.

The Picks

Nomad: 1) Howard  2) Bouzakis  3) Ybarra  4) Burks

Willie: 1) Howard  2) Bouzakis  3) Burks  4) Rivera

60kg

Level 2: #3 (at 138) Dominick Serrano, CO - Fargo Champ

Level 2: #7 (at 138) Mick Burnett, OH - Fargo Runner-Up

Level 2: #9 (at 138) Josh Edmond, MI - Fargo champ

Level 2: #12 Ryan Franco, CA - 2x Fargo finalist

Level 2: #14 Ryan Sokol, MN - Fargo champ

Level 2: Anthony Ferrari, TX - Akron Runner-Up

Level 2: Daniel Cardenas, CO - Fargo Runner-Up

Level 2: Isaac Salas, CA - Akron finalist

Level 2: Carter Young, OK - Fargo champ

Level 3: #9 Jesse Mendez, IN - FloNats Champ

Level 4: #8 Wyatt Henson, MO - Fargo 3rd

Level 4: #19 (at 138) Jake Niffenegger, OH - Fargo 4th

Level 4: #19 Joel Vandervere, IL - FloNats 6th

#2 Shayne Van Ness, NJ - Super 32 champ

Perhaps even more so than Bouzakis at 55kg or Sheen at 45kg, Shayne Van Ness not having separation criteria is big problems for the field. He's probably the favorite entering the weekend, but his pace will be mitigated somewhat by the four minute periods.

I'm skeptical about Caleb Henson being able to get down to 60kg, as he looked like he'd never see 132 again at FloNats. If he can be effective at the weight he's probably the second best guy in the bracket and someone who's never out of a match.

I'm still not sure what to make of Ryan Sokol. He struggled in the preseason as he was still coming back from injuries, but then went 51-0 to win a Minnesota state title. He was supposed to wrestle in the Open for Juniors did not compete, and then dominated his way through Northern Plains. I've always been high on the Iowa commit but he's got to put together a lot of matches to win this one.

Jesse Mendez went from being the bloodround king last year to making the Pan Am team and winning FloNats. He's going to also try to make the Greco team, but no matter what happens this weekend he'll still be able to represent Team USA at Pan Ams. An undefeated state champ in single class Indiana, his preparation has never been better and has a bunch of losses to avenge, like the one he suffered to Henson in Fargo.

It's going to be almost impossible to do this bracket justice with all of the accolades and stars it has. We'll get our first look at Anthony Ferrari in a while. Daniel Cardenas is coming up in weight, so he could either struggle or wrestle better than ever not having to cut. Dom Serrano is as tough as they come and can 4 almost anyone with his double.

After a few years of being a great prospect, Mick Burnett finally got some results to match that potential with a Fargo finals appearance and Ohio state title. Speaking of potential, go back and watch Josh Edmond blow the doors off people in Fargo last year and tell me it's not extremely nerve wracking picking against him.

Wyatt Henson placed sixth in Juniors in Vegas and then went 2-2 at Junior Trials, which is to say his third place finish in Fargo gets less and less surprising the further away from it we get. Carter Young also won a few matches at the Open and won Fargo in 2017 when he was just 94lbs. Isaac Salas is always one that can wreck a bracket, even to the point of making the finals.

Joel Vandervere has an excellent chest wrap that will cause anyone issues. Matthew Bianchi is coming down from 65kg at FloNats and just won Northern Plains. Khyler Brewer and Keegan Slyter add some midwest, Kansas/Missouri flavor. Jake Niffeneger is a Fargo AA from national power Cincinnati La Salle.

The Picks

Nomad: 1) Van Ness  2) Mendez  3) Henson  4) Sokol

Willie: 1) Van Ness  2) Serrano  3) Burnett  4) Mendez

65kg

Level 2: Luke Geog, OH - Fargo finalist

Level 3: #6 (at 145) Joey Zargo, NJ - FloNats champ

Level 3: #14 (at 138) Matthew Singleton, GA - FloNats finalist

Level 4: #15 (at 145) Robert Perez 111, CA - FloNats 3rd

Level 4: #16 (at 145) Vincent Zerban, IL - FloNats 4th

Level 4: #18 (at 145) Chase Warden, TX - Fargo 5th

Level 4: #8 (at 138) Teague Travis, MO - Fargo 3rd

Level 4: #13 (at 138) Cody Chittum, TN - Fargo 5th

Level 4: Luke Odom, IL - Fargo 3rd

#14 (at 145) Bryce Hepner, OH

Dean Hamiti, IL

Joey Zargo's on a heater. After not placing in single class New Jersey for Bergen Catholic, he dropped down a weight and won FloNats from the six seed and then teched his way through NE Regional. Nobody loves wrestling as much as Joey Zargo, and even if you don't believe he can win this weekend, watch the smile on his face whenever he steps on the mat.

Zargo beat Matt Singleton in the finals, who aside from a few speed bumps up a weight at Flight Time Duals has had a tremendous spring: OW of NHSCA freshman nationals, SE Regional champ, and finals in both styles at FloNats. He competes hard, and with controlled violence. College coaches are already counting the days when they can start contacting him.

Entering this fall, Bobby Perez will be the nation's #1 incoming freshman. While maybe not quite on the level of Aaron Pico when he came onto the scene at St. John Bosco, Perez already has placed in Fargo freestyle, won a Greco Fargo title, and made a Cadet Pan Am team. He is part of an excellent crop of kids coming out of the Monster Garage right now that are having tremendous success at the middle and high school level.

Willie and I are in agreeance that those are the top three guys coming in to this weekend. But like all weights there are a ton of other guys who can make an impact. Two-time Ohio state champ Bryce Hepner will be coming down the road from Cleveland. Vinny Zerban, who wrestles for Christian Brothers College outside of St. Louis, placed eighth in Fargo and fourth at FloNats.

Teague Travis is clearly going through a growth spurt, having placed in Akron at 55kg and Fargo at 120 last year, but he's even bigger from Vegas, where he placed at 61kg for Juniors. Travis and Zerban could be an excellent matchup for the folks from Missouri.

A couple unranked Illinois hammers in Luke Odom and Dean Hamiti will cause some ruckus, and Willie's even got Hamiti fighting through to get fourth.

The Picks

Nomad: 1) Zargo  2) Perez  3) Singleton  4) Zerban

Willie: 1) Zargo  2) Perez  3) Singleton  4) Hamiti

71kg

Level 1: #1 (at 160) Alex Facundo, MI - World bronze

Level 2: #4 (at 145) Travis Mastrogiovanni, NJ - Fargo champ

Level 2: #10 (at 152) John Martin Best - Fargo finalist

Level 3: #7 (at 152) AJ Kovacs, CT - FloNats champ

Level 3: #6 (at 160) Cael Valencia, CA - FloNats finalist

Level 4: #17 (at 145) Jackson Dean, DE - Fargo 3rd

Joseph Martin, CA - Cali 4th

If you don't know the name Alex Facundo by now, you're not paying attention. The #1 recruit in the class of 2021, he's a returning bronze medalist who has established himself as the clear class in this weight. He was certainly challenged at Folkstyle Nationals, but just rolled through the Central Regional this past weekend.

The big story coming out of FloNats was AJ Kovacs, who followed up a second place finish at NHSCAs by teching his way through the FloNats field, which included wins over John Martin Best and Cael Valencia. Kovacs was 50-1 this year for Iona Prep, winning a New York state title and his only loss coming at Eastern States.

If there's one guy who can knock off Facundo, it's probably Travis Mastrogiovanni, who beat a couple college guys in Vegas. The Fargo and National Prep champ has an excellent double leg, and won't be cutting as hard as Facundo. Now, Valencia did beat Mastro for third at Ironman and had a one point match with Facundo this spring, but he's never won a major.

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I'm not sure what to make of Jackson Dean coming up from 65kg, but he finished 7th at FloNats so it might be the right idea. Dean was third at Fargo last year, but didn't wrestle in Akron. He did have a 4-2 match on the backside with Facundo in Akron two years ago.

Joseph Martin had a solid freshman season for Buchanan and was 2-2 here last year. John Martin Best was third at FloNats and laced up Valencia in last year's Fargo semis.

The Picks

Nomad: 1) Facundo  2) Mastrogiovanni  3) Kovacs  4) Valencia

Willie: 1) Mastrogiovanni  2) Facundo  3) Kovacs  4) Best

80kg

Level 2: Quayin Short, MN - Fargo champ

Level 2: #8 (at 160) Connor O’Neill, NJ - Fargo finalist

Level 3: #10 (at 170) Clay Ulrey, PA - FloNats champ

Level 4: #3 (at 170) Greyden Penner, MO - Fargo 3rd

Level 4: #5 (at 170) Duwayne Villalpando, KS - Fargo 6th

Level 4: #8 (at 170) Rylan Rogers, WA - Fargo 6th

Level 4: #6 (at 182) Colton Hawks, MO - Fargo 8th

Level 4: Darwin Hull, TX - FloNats 3rd

Level 4: Jack Darrah, MO - FloNats 4th

Level 4: Jake Evans, OH - FloNats 5th

Bennett Berge, MN - Northern Plains champ

The 2018 version of this bracket was perhaps the best one in Akron last year, but only one guy returns from that field: Greyden Penner of Missouri. Currently ranked #3 (and still uncommitted), Penner fell in the bloodround last June, but beat Nathan Haas and Chris Foca in the process. He followed up a third place finish at Fargo with a fourth place finish at Super 32.

The only Fargo champ in the field is Quayin Short of Minnesota, who is currently #28 on the sophomore Big Board. He had a rough end to his folkstyle season by finishing fourth at the state tournament, hence why he is not currently ranked. But he's extremely difficult to score on and will be one of the favorites.

In the semis Short knocked off FloNats champ Ulrey and then beat Rutgers commit Connor O'Neill in the finals. Ulrey is one of the highest volume shooters in the field, and has a glorious mullet to boot. However, he did just take a loss at NE Regional, but Angel Garcia won't be in the field here.

One of the more intriguing wrestlers in this field is Rylan Rogers, who was a backup this year for Blair but won NHSCAs. Expect some big moves out of Nebraska commit Duwayne Villalpando. Another NHSCA champ in Colton Hawks will be here, the Missouri native is 7-5 in Fargo the past two years. A trio of FloNats placers in Hull, Darrah, and Evans will all be there. Two-time Minnesota state champ and Northern Plains titleist Bennett Berge has already outgrown his brother Brady, and is looking to add a second Cadet world team to the family.

The Picks

Nomad: 1) Penner  2) Ulrey  3) Short  4) Villalpando

Willie: 1) Ulrey  2) Penner  3) Villalpando  4) Hawks

92kg

Level 2: #4 Noah Pettigrew, GA - Fargo champ

Level 2: #2 (at 182) Rocky Elam, MO - Fargo champ

Level 2: #4 (at 182) Nathan Haas, CA - Fargo finalist

Level 2: #9 Kolby Franklin, PA - Fargo finalist

Level 3: #2 Silas Allred, IN - FloNats champ

Level 4: #5 (at 182) John Poznanski, NJ - Fargo 4th

Level 4: #7 Seth Shumate, OH - Fargo 5th

Level 4: #8 Samuel Fisher, VA - FloNats 3rd

Level 4: #10 Kyle Haas, KS - Fargo 3rd

Level 4: #11 Ethan Hatcher, OH - Fargo 5th

Level 4: #14 Brandon Hoselton, IL - Fargo 4th

Gavin Carter, KS - FolkNats 4th

An absolutely loaded weight, with all rankings coming at 195 except for Rocky Elam and Nathan Haas. It's not easy to pick out a favorite, but recency bias has me leaning toward Allred. He might have to face his future Husker teammate Nathan Haas this weekend, so I'm sure the Nebraska coaching staff would like to see that happen in the best-of-three.

As for someone to make the finals opposite Allred, I'd like to see a semi between Noah Pettigrew and Rocky Elam. Pettigrew, who is heading to Blair Academy in the fall, took a loss at Flight Time Duals and was teched by Gavin Carter last year at Cadet Duals, so he's vulnerable. Elam committed to Missouri last month, where he will be joining his older brother Rocky, a Junior world silver medalist. Could world medals run in the family?

Kolby Franklin still looks like a little kid, and clearly has room to grow in his wrestling. He had trouble finding angles at FloNats, but is working out with Hunter Catka everyday at LAB Trained, so his daily preparation is with the guy favored to win the world team spot up a weight.

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Likewise Seth Shumate is just a pup but will quickly be thrown into competition against full grown men. He's up from competing at 170 in Fargo a year ago and I'm anticipating he knocks off someone he shouldn't this weekend. Shumate is #3 on the Freshman Big Board after winning a D1 title in Ohio with just one loss on the year.

Speaking of growth spurts, Sam Fisher is a full bodied 92kg who should be a 197 for Virginia Tech. Fisher placed in both Fargo and FloNats, but may not be quite ready to make a world team this year.

Kyle Haas came into high school looking the part of a D1 star, and now he's probably reached the full sized 197 that we'll see him at in college. The younger brother of Tyler Caldwell, he beat Rocky Elam at Cadet duals, and his Fargo loss was to Nathan Haas. He beat John Poznanski for third in Fargo, the same Poznanski that fell to Allred in the FloNats semis.

NHSCA champ Ethan Hatcher lost in the first round of Akron last year only to rip off six in a row to place. Brandon Hoselton might eventually grow into a heavyweight but is still looking like a 197 at the next level right now. Gavin Carter is unranked but is good for at least one upset every major tournament he enters.

The Picks

Nomad: 1) Allred  2) Pettigrew  3) Elam  4) Shumate

Willie: 1) Allred  2) Elam  3) Shumate  4) N. Haas

110kg

Level 2: #4 (at 220) Hunter Catka, PA - Akron finalist

Level 4: #9 (at 285) Braxton Mikesell, WA - FloNats 3rd

#7 (at 220) Danny Striggow, MN - NHSCA champ

#12 (at 220) Apollo Gothard, IL - 2x state placer

Ryan Boersma, IL - Schoolboy champ

For Hunter Catka, the past year has not quite gone according to plan. After winning a state title as a sophomore, he made the Akron finals, losing to defending world champ Daniel Kerkvliet. No harm there, as Kerkvliet was out of Cadet eligibility and about to be out of high school. He was the overwhelming favorite to win in Fargo before badly hurting his knee, an injury that kept him off the mat until January and hampered him in a third place finish at PIAAs.

Now though, he appears to once again be healthy and in the driver's seat to follow up his FloNats title with a world team. Braxton Mikesell should be his finals opponent, as he teched Danny Striggow in the Fargo quarters last year. Apollo Gothard should place high, but after not winning Illinois freestyle state he'll have a hard time jumping into that Top-3. Keep an eye on Ryan Boersma, a state placer in 3A as a freshman who's #79 on the 2022 Big Board.

The wildcard is FloNats finalist Kyonte Hamilton. An excellent football player for Georgetown Prep, Hamilton is a bit undersized for the weight, to the point the family discussed possibly dropping to 92kg for this but he has the height and frame to become a full sized heavyweight. At this time though he's not registered, but he should be right there with Mikesell and Catka if he enters.

The Picks

Nomad: 1) Catka  2) Mikesell  3) Striggow  4) Boersma

Willie: 1) Striggow  2) Catka  3) Mikesell  4) Gothard