Building A Blue Chip: AJ Ferrari
Building A Blue Chip: AJ Ferrari
How did AJ Ferrari become the #1 P4P high school wrestler in the country? We take a deep dive into his already impressive career.
Unlock this article, live events, and more with a subscription!
Already a subscriber? Log In
By John Foster — Sometimes it can feel like great athletes just arrive fully formed, or a name has been at the top of the rankings forever, but one of the great things we get to do here at Flo is watch kids develop and hone their craft, until they have realized all of their potential on the mat and see it show up in the match results and trophy cases.
The reality is that it is a climb to the top, and that climb comes with an array of hurdles and traps that have to be navigated. They might present themselves under the hot lights on the sport’s biggest stages, or they might be in the corner of some dusty gym going up a weight to help the team in a dual while battling a muscle tear on an ice-cold Wednesday night.
AJ Ferrari s Top 5 School List | 2019-2020 High School Rankings
The kids that make it all the way to the top figure out a way to win no matter what the circumstances are, no matter the opponent, regardless of injuries or officiating: They are the Hammers and we will be tracing their path to the podium and highlighting their pivotal matches along the way.
Today we will examine the career of the pound-for-pound #1 ranked high school wrestler in the nation: AJ Ferrari.
Freshman Year
You might have been on the AJ Ferrari train early and seen the lanky youngster winning Tulsa Nationals over Fidel Mayora or some other tournament, but middle school accolades can get swallowed up pretty quickly thanks to growth spurts in high school wrestling. Young kids jumping several weight classes find themselves across the mat against monsters with full beards and child support payments, and highly touted as he may have been, AJ was wrestling 160 as a freshman, and his chances of seeing opponents in his own age range were zero.
He quickly started the season by turning heads while winning the Bristow Tournament with ease before inspiring Allen to double enter the weight class for the Reno Tournament of Champions to see how he would fare against top-notch national competition. It is here that he received his first opportunity to really put his hands on ranked juniors and seniors, and by the quarterfinals he had already shown the tenacity that will serve him well as he simply refused to allow Choctaw’s top 20 junior Jaryn Curry to get an escape point to end the match. Curry is in a million different positions trying to turn the score around, but all of them end with Ferrari having hold of his ankle.
Ferrari continued his run through then #14 Jaron Chavez in the semis, with our own Mike Mal on the call (and very clearly a huge admirer) as he broke down every little bit of technique. Ferrari wrestled like a hardened veteran that had already seen every trick in the book and was far more advanced than his age in every aspect of the exchange.
One of my favorite things about watching AJ wrestle was already on vivid display, as his stingy defense kept the match from getting out of control. He battled out of a cradle in the second period before getting some offense going in the third. Elite guys simply do not quit and AJ not only powered through that cradle but he created the chance to overpower Chavez and get the match-winning takedown with 2 seconds left on the clock, all while Mal marveled from behind the microphone.
AJ spoke at the match to us, explaining:
Being able to come from behind against Curry in the quarters got my confidence going, so I knew I could do the same against Chavez. I got in deep with 30 seconds left and he is just giving me hips and I’m not getting it and I am almost down on my stomach. But I just stay with the shot and it’s short time and just a few seconds left. I do a headwheel to get the takedown to win right before the buzzer!
This is the light switch moment, the match where Ferrari knew he could beat the top guys right now, regardless of age or size. He could feel it running through his body like electricity and the fact that he is recounting the events of this match in exacting detail without having it in front of him shows that the feeling has never left him.
His run would finally be stopped in the final by Layne VanAnrooy, who was ranked #2 in the country at the time, though Ferrari would hold his own. His showing would earn him some rankings love from our own Willie Saylor and AJ would make sure that he would not lose again that season, going 45-1 as a freshman. In fact, he wouldn’t lose another national tournament in his high school career to date, period.
AJ added:
I was coming off of knee surgery after the season and wasn’t back in time for Cadet World Team Trials as I was finishing up my freshman year, and I wasn’t sure if I would make it to Fargo either. My parents and my coaches were really pushing it and telling me I was ready, but I only had four weeks notice to train properly and I was worried about my endurance.
Ferrari’s coaches gave him an important piece of advice: “They pulled me aside and told me that wrestling is never going to be just the physical aspect, but also the mental aspect, and this was going to test me on every level.” It was a test that Ferrari quite simply smashed into a million pieces.
It has been said many times before but in AJ’s case a star truly was born at Fargo. Ferrari’s pathway to his 2017 Fargo title at 170 pounds reads even better in retrospect. He is thrown in the top half and dominated Troy Fisher, made short work of Sam Fisher, ground one out with stellar defense to upset top-seeded Patrick Kennedy, was simply too much for Gerrit Nijenhuis, and then overwhelmed Abe Assad in the final. (Assad might be one of the few wrestlers who looked across the mat at guys like Dustin Plott with relief knowing he does not have to face AJ Ferrari.)
Read that list back for a moment. It is a murderer’s row if ever there was one and the pathway to an NCAA title in four years might feel like an easier draw than that, and only Kennedy put up any resistance.
Ferrari underlined his thinking going into the tournament:
I just told myself that I was going into deep waters and I am taking all of these guys with me.
Poor Abe Assad is about to get a swimming lesson.
Sophomore Year
AJ now had everyone’s attention on a national level, but that’s not to say that all of them were convinced that his freestyle success would translate on the same level in folk just yet, especially as he kept moving up in weight.
Ferrari wasn’t one to worry about any doubters:
My explosiveness wasn’t fully on display at Fargo, with the short time to work on conditioning, but at Ironman I truly had my legs under me and I was blowing through people. I was ready.
Up at 182 pounds now as a sophomore, Ferrari took out Darrien Roberts in the quarters before featuring in a brutal set of semifinals. AJ won a war of attrition over Ty Lawson while Blair’s Leonardo Tarantino did the same over Ryan Karoly on the other side.
The packed gym heaved with anticipation during the finals match that followed. The after-effects of the semis could be felt as both combatants felt each other out in the first. Our announcing team of Willie and Zeb took note of Mr. Ferrari looking like a slab of concrete in AJ’s corner.
In-between bad car jokes, AJ went about his business putting together a professional win while in complete control. The crowd got a real taste of what the future might hold midway through the third as a seemingly harmless low shot on the edge turned into a massive double by virtue of brute strength, which Ferrari punctuated by waving everyone back to center to keep the party going.
Though he was wrapping up his first Ironman title, AJ was just getting the party started.
Immediately afterward AJ got his Reno trophy by taking out Anthony Montalvo. Ferrari finished the season as an undersized 195 pounder, but still beat Wyatt Hendrickson at USA Juniors.
The positioning for the spring was starting and tough choices were going to have to be made regarding international weights. Ferrari entered the UWW Cadet Team Trials at 92kg, which afforded him the luxury of not cutting weight, “I was literally eating and drinking at weigh-ins,” he laughs.
It may have been easy prep but you can immediately see in his matches that he was giving up perhaps 20 pounds in some cases. The difference was evident by the time he tangled with the top kids in the country on day two with a chance to go to Worlds on the line.
As the brackets were announced, it was immediately obvious that we were going to see some epic clashes often and early on AJ’s side. The quarters featured Ferrari drawing on his full arsenal to dispatch Hendrickson once again. Ferrari went up big early and then had to pull out the defensive toolbox to hold off a late surge.
Awaiting him in semis was Jacob Cardenas, who had just beaten Braxton Amos, which meant we all got one of our high school dream matches. The hotly anticipated shotfest never emerged, however, as blood time disrupted the match rhythm.
However, we did see Ferrari find a way to win a big match under difficult circumstances, as he battled consistently and never lost focus through a quirky 3-0 grind. These are the moments that sharpen you for international duty.
Wrestling Cardenas would have major ramifications though, as Ferrari picked up a slight tear in his shoulder coming into the match that would turn far more serious during it. Said Ferrari:
I got into a position where I could feel it tearing more but it wasn’t going to stop me from winning the spot.
Facing Konner Doucet in the best of three finals, the size and range advantage for Doucet was clear, but Ferrari is having none of it. “I just wanted to dominate and show everyone where I was heading towards Worlds.”
Ferrari made quick work of match one, then methodically broke Doucet down in match two before packing his bags for the Olympic Training Center.
Unfortunately, the shoulder tear would come along for the ride to Colorado Springs.
Once we are at the [Olympic and Paralympic Training] center I am getting the chance to roll around with teammates like Greg Kerkvliet and go live with all of the top guys Kevin Jackson is bringing in, and my shoulder keeps locking up. I just keep squeezing it and shaking it out and not intending to, but making it worse and worse.
By the time he takes the mat at Worlds, it is clear that something is not quite right.
Watching those matches back, I can see that I wrestled them all on one arm, like I was a lefty instead of my normal two hand attack. I was getting in on legs but I couldn’t risk getting my shoulder jacked up by going for blast doubles.
Compounding things, Ferrari’s weight management caught up to him during the intensive high altitude training during camp. By the time he weighs in at Croatia, not only is he not cutting at all, but he is also 10 pounds underweight. Giants from around the globe await…
It turns out that a lightweight one-armed AJ Ferrari is still a pretty formidable foe as AJ returned home with a Cadet World bronze, but the whole experience was filled with hard lessons that only served to re-focus his goals.
I know there are some tough wrestlers in high school but I am looking to test myself against J’den Cox and Bo Nickal and those guys. The best guys in this country and the best guys internationally. That’s where my head is. I am working towards being an Olympic champion and a World champion.
Junior Year
Trying to figure out how best to achieve those goals can be a difficult prospect when you are a young kid, but AJ started his junior year with his brother in tow as they move to New Jersey and joined the Blair lineup, gaining top training partners and an intense and challenging regular-season schedule.
AJ started the season by continuing his habit of being one of the few non-seniors to hit the Ironman finals. This time he squared off against Pete Christensen at 195 pounds with the intent of making a statement.
I’m here at an Ironman Final against the number 2 or 3 guy in the country and I’m not looking to just win, but I also want to separate myself from the other guys in high school. I have five takedowns in this match. No one was taking Peter Christensen, who is incredibly tough, to the mat five times.
Ferrari’s speed and agility in close quarters were in the shop window for all of the college coaches to see as he got inside on Christensen and found ways to finish like tiny bursts of lightning.
Don’t be fooled by the score on screen (it is reversed) as he confidently attacked throughout the match. Willie noted that the kid just loves to get in and try to score and never really coasts or shuts it down when up big. With every small opening, and Christensen is not the kind of wrestler to give you much to work with, Ferrari is blasted through. It was a beautiful and comprehensive victory.
I would rather be the guy looking to get that takedown as opposed to be that guy riding out a 1-0 win. That’s just not my style. It’s not what people want to see. It’s not good for the sport. I love getting to my offense and making it a real fight and moving my hands and my feet.
AJ quickly followed this up by beating Cardenas again, this time in folk in the Beast of the East finals, just to make sure there was no doubt who the top dog was. The season was quickly shaping up to add some new honors to Ferrari’s resume, but circumstances soon found both brothers departing Blair and transferring to Bergen Catholic mid-season. It created wild speculation heading into the dual between the two schools, but AJ would defer the starting spot to the incumbent Cardenas and wrestled up at 220, where he manhandled Blair’s starting heavyweight Elijah Anthony in a 16-1 tech.
The wild speculation continued as everyone tried to figure out whether the brothers would be eligible for the postseason, and it is a testament to the power and abilities of AJ that I actually went back and did a scoring analysis of ten years of Beast results trying to determine how big of a swing he could make in the National Preps team race.
It was also impossible to not get excited over the prospect of him blazing through a new set of foes if he was going to finish the season in the 220 slot. A lot of big boys were looking at the prospect of their spot on the podium being moved down a notch. Alas, it was not to be as they were ruled ineligible and Ferrari's season ended early.
Senior Year
AJ returned to Texas and finally had his shoulder repaired.
After surgery it feels amazing. This arm might even be better than the other one now.
Ferrari is now back to drilling and lifting heavy and ready to go live. He will be suiting up for Allen again for his senior year as the number one prospect in the country. Looking to finish off his high school career and make his college decision shortly, Ferrari also knows that it’s not enough to just have natural talent.
I am obsessed with really getting my timing and footwork down and I endlessly watch film of guys like Jordan Burroughs, James Green and Frank Molinaro who wrestle the explosive style I want to perfect. I know I can outwork guys but I also want to out study them.
Talking to the kid you can just feel him getting better by the minute, which has to leave college coaches dreaming of titles, while upcoming opponents shake in their boots.