2020-21 High School Rankings

Pound for Pound

Everything about this spring and summer has been unprecedented. Putting together the first ranking of the year was not easy with months between competitions and most wrestlers have not been on the mat since their state championship. Grand River Rumble, King of the Ring, and Midwest Iron Man have been considered in the rankings. Normally a tournament in the middle of the summer after a long layoff would be a pretty insignificant data point. Unfortunately, these are the only data points we have since March. More than usual lengthy resumes were given more leeway for sub-par performances at any of these events. We do have some weight declarations and have adjusted accordingly. 

If a wrestler has not competed, and we don’t have any information on a projected weight class, a one weight class adjustment has been made. Once wrestlers start competing again adjustments will be made. The one exception is 106lbs. Often the weight is reloaded with breakout performers from UWW Cadet World Team Trials and Fargo. I have kept some wrestlers at the weight as I believe they could be back for another year at the weight. With that said, 106lbs will be added in the fall. Junior high results don’t create enough data points with several weight classes filtering into the bottom weight. Everything at this point would be speculation. Without NHSCA, Fargo, and the spring/summer dual events it’s just too long of a competitive layoff to get an accurate handle on the landscape of the weight class.

Add Pennsylvania to Michigan as states that don’t follow NFHS weight classes. This will be a case-by-case basis to fit the wrestlers into a weight class at the national level. Pennsylvania will compete in the same weights up to 160lbs. From there they will wrestle 172, 189, 215 and 285. The 189lb wrestlers will be the wrestlers in question here. They will be considered at 182 and 195lbs. This isn’t the big departure that Michigan takes using the old weight classes prior to the 2011 change. 

You’re going to notice some discrepancies between weight class rankings and the pound for pound. Watch this week’s Who’s #1 the show for further explanation. Drake Ayala (IA) is an incumbent at 120lbs and holds a ranking over #5 Stevo Poulin (NY). However when lining up resumes that have been compiled at different weights I favor Poulin. You see this play out with #9 Jesse Mendez (IN) and #12 Joel Vandervere (IL). Vandervere took the win last year, but wrestled a different weight for the majority of the season.