Inside Texas Wrestling
Elite Eight Rankings
By John Rizzuti
|
H |
ere it is. The Inside Texas Wrestling Elite Eight. Only this time we have expanded the rankings to include multiple classifications and added the overall power ranking at the end. I’ve tried to add as much factual support along with as much homework and research as possible.
Just to be crystal clear, here is the methodology I used to come up with the power rankings:
§ Wrestlers were given points for their in-season achievements with particular emphasis on where they placed at the state, with UIL given a higher value than prep state, due to tougher competition. Wrestlers who had a winning percentage of .900+ were also given added weighting. Multiple state championships or finals appearances also got points. Beating any out-of-state ranked competitors say at the Oklahoma Open, Cotton Bowl, Prep Nationals or at the Lone Star Duals were also noted. These “in-season” points all added up to 35% of the individual’s score.
§ Second, scoring was tabulated on summer wrestling achievements with emphasis in this order; Fargo, Senior Nationals, National Duals, Regionals, National Folkstyle, and the Red River Duals. Both Juniors and Cadets were noted. Remember that I’m looking for “Elite.” That means more than one “style.” Winning All-American honors in any fashion is huge and those who win multiple AA awards score even more. This cumulative score added up to 35% of the total.
§ I also gave points to those who were ranked nationally on InterMat, Wrestling USA, WIN or AWN and points were given to those graduated seniors who signed (or underclassmen who IMO will be recruited in the future) with college wrestling programs, with Division I elite programs given added weight. This category added up to 20% to the score.
§ The final 10% was for intangibles, including how a particular wrestler represents his school, his state and his sport. Also how that individual reacts to referees and other officials within the sport, and how he interacts with his opponents.
The above point system is based on a complicated computer model. This model is proprietary and the actual point totals will also be proprietary.
That’s what elite is all about!
Please note the following: there are many wrestlers named in this story. I tried to spell everyone’s name correctly and used multiple sources. If I misspelled anyone’s name it wasn’t for lack of homework. Just let me know and I will correct it. Also, the rankings and the accompanying story are my opinion, alone.
If you disagree, let me know, but let’s not take this too seriously. It’s more for fun than anything else.
Anyway, here are the rankings.
Graduated 2003 Senior Class (final ranking)
1. Clay Kehrer 189 pounds
2. Joe Comparin 119-125 pounds
3. James King 160 pounds
4. Danny Ruiz 103+ pounds
5. Tervel Diagnev 215 pounds
6. Nathan Fox 275 pounds
7. Brad Medchill 135+ pounds
8. (tied) Chas Skelly (140), Patrick Huff (112) & Lou Perez (103)
Summary: Clay Kehrer is the top dog. The head honcho. The big cheese. The chairman of the mats. Numero Uno. He won 177 matches and three state titles. He is the best wrestler to come out of Texas since Tommy Grossman six years ago. He placed fifth in the Senior Nationals, fourth at Fargo, and was named All-American by Amateur Wrestling News (AWN). He will attend the top collegiate program in America (Oklahoma State) and I believe will be the first NCAA finalist since Brandon Slay by his junior year at OSU. Clay is the definition of elite.
Joe Comparin won two state titles and was a consistent performer at the national level. While he did not place at either Senior Nationals or Fargo, (in both meets, Joe had the unfortunate luck of extraordinarily tough draws), he wrestled with the very best, losing by one point to Mark McKnight, two points to Zach Berman and (last year) to top-ranked Robbie Preston. He beat state champions from 6 states. He is an AWN honorable mention All-American. He signed with Oklahoma and I predict that he will be the varsity 125-pounder by the time he is a junior. Keep in mind that Joe did not start wrestling until he was a high school freshman. He is only one or two moves away from being the best in the land.
James King came out of nowhere to win the state title this year after placing fifth as a junior. He won 6th at the Senior Nationals in a very tough weight class. He is an AWN honorable mention All-American. James was somewhat of a paradox in the summer freestyle competition. He lost to several unranked wrestlers, then beat some outstanding guys including Mike Freling of Minnesota. He is definitely stronger in folkstyle than freestyle, mostly due to experience.
James signed with Ohio State and missed Fargo due to starting his trek to Columbus early. He was injured during early OSU drills and his current status is unknown.
Danny Ruiz did not place at UIL state this year (still had a tremendous won-loss record), and overall had a very good year. He was ranked number one nationally at 103 pounds by Wrestling USA, scored a pin in the Dream Team meet against Iowa, and had a good year wrestling freestyle and Greco, topped off by an All-American nod at Fargo. He suffered some when he moved up weights, but at 105 he was very good. He signed with The Citadel and certainly will have to bulk up to compete there, but it will not surprise me if he does well at that prestigious institution of higher learning.
Tervel Diagnev only placed third at UIL State at 215 pounds, but competed for Team Texas all summer and did well. He won seven matches at the National Duals and five matches at Fargo. While he did not place, he wrestled against top competition and never backed down from anybody. Tervel signed with one of the top Division II programs in Nebraska-Kearney and he will excel there. Look for more from this guy, as he is just coming into his own.
Nathan Fox was unstoppable at 275 pounds as a high school junior and senior, and beat some good Oklahoma wrestlers, too. He went to Senior Nationals and while he did not place, he won some good matches there. He did not compete for Team Texas (the main reason he ranked below Tervel) and that was unfortunate, because I would have liked to have seen how he did. However, Zach Trammel stepped in and was very good.
Nathan signed with Northern Colorado and I am anxious to see how he does as a Division I wrestler. He has the talent to go far. How he does is up to him.
The case of Brad Medchill is mysterious to say the least. He has an awesome record in Texas (119-5) and won state as a senior. He probably would have won as a junior had he not had rotator cuff surgery. Watching him wrestle was fun because he is so dominant. He caught the eye of University of Iowa head assistant wrestling coach Tom Brands and signed with the Hawkeyes. He becomes the first Texan to ever do so.
At the Senior Nationals, he moved up a weight and did not work out much prior to the meet (lack of workout partners) and did only fair. He also competed at Fargo, but gained so much weight after the wrestling season that he went from 135 at UIL to 160 at Fargo and you simply cannot do that and be successful. At Iowa, he will undergo the toughest training and wrestling regimen of his life. If he has the discipline to succeed, then he will. It’s that simple. I believe that Brad will do well at Iowa.
For the 8th and final position in the graduated seniors elite eight ranking, I added in three Texas state champions who showed tremendous skills and leadership during the season. Chas Skelly, who is going on to wrestle in college, had a tremendous career in HS, including his stunning win over Keegan Mueller at UIL state and his state OW award. I really wish Chas had wrestled this summer. He coulda been a contenda.
Pat Huff was an AWN HM All-American. He also had a tremendous career at Katy Taylor with two state titles and a runner-up. Patrick had offers to compete at college, but chose to say home and go to school in Houston. Loved watching The Mop wrestle!
Lou Perez was as good as anyone in the country at 103. Pinned his way through UIL State, which is not easy. Great career in Texas and another guy I would have loved to see compete for Team Texas and go on and compete at the collegiate level.
I also looked at Kyle Herrington, who I think could continue his wrestling career (he’s planning on being a fireman, which is totally admirable) but the other three all made multiple state finals. I also carefully considered St. Marks’ Ross Cromartie who is walking on at Arizona State. Others certainly worthy of honorable mention and close to elite status include state runner-up and Team Texas member Brett Sarette and state champion Shawn Jordan.
1. Will Rowe 145-152 pounds
2. Jake Jackson 152-160 pounds
3. Keegan Mueller 145-160 pounds
(tied) Jack Kitchen 171-180 pounds
5. Zach Trammel 275 pounds
6. Sean Glassel 130-140 pounds
7. Matt Perez 103 pounds
8. Speedy Hines 130-140 pounds
Summary: Seeding the top four here is no easy task. The margin of difference is slim. I’d take anyone of these guys to build a team around. The second tier four is also good and just behind the top four. THIS CLASS IS LOADED and could be the greatest class in Texas wrestling history. I see six to eight guys signing with top Division I programs next spring. Maybe many more!
Will “The Thrill” Rowe leads this class based on the following: His incredible 37 takedowns at state and an unbeaten record (52-0) of total domination last season and multiple OW wrestler awards. Will also had a great summer of wrestling. He beat nationally ranked wrestlers from all over America including Greg Romano from Blair, Stewart Bogart, Charlie Agozzino from St. Eds. in Ohio, Michael Cuthbertson, Ryan Scott and several others. His draw at Fargo was the toughest draw in the tournament and he was one match away from All-American when he lost to Steve Anceravage (another ranked wrestler) 8-7. Until someone comes along and beats the calibre of wrestlers that Will beats on a regular basis, he is the top dog in this group.
Jake “The Quake” Jackson may be the best all-around wrestler in this class, but he has had to deal with some obstacles. First, he plays football (led Hebron in tackles last year), which cuts into his wrestling season. Second, he was injured in the Greco competition during the National Duals, and missed all the freestyle action and he missed Fargo. At Fargo at 160, I believe that Jake would have placed in the top four, had he competed. Jake also missed the Red River Duals because he was taking college entrance exams.
Jake did well in the SE Regionals where he battled some serious competition, but he certainly could have used more exposure on the national scene to secure the Division I attention that he deserves. Don’t read anything into this number-two ranking for Jake. He is a top calibre wrestler who will do well in college when he devotes himself to wrestling full-time.
Keegan Mueller bounced back from his state final loss to Chas Skelly with a vengeance. He certainly got my attention with his riveting overtime loss the Oklahoma’s highly-touted state champion Shane Vernon at the Red River Duals. Keegan also beat nationally ranked wrestlers in both the National Duals and at Fargo. He also performed well at the Camp of Champs in Arizona and beat the third-ranked wrestler in the country, after losing a close match to him earlier. Many leading Division I college programs are now in the process of working Keegan into their recruiting plans for next year.
What can you say about Jack Kitchen accept that he is the best Greco-Roman wrestler in Texas. His record at 171 in the National Duals and at Fargo for Greco was 16 wins against only one loss. Check this out. Jack beat Rocco Caponi from Ohio in G-R and Caponi went on to went the freestyle division at 171! For those lucky few that had the opportunity to see Jack manhandle Chris Jones of Oklahoma in the Red River Duals, it was a thing of beauty. Jack is also very good in folkstyle and will be in the hunt once again for the state championship after losing the exciting overtime match to James Aston last year. Jack is now getting more attention from college coaches after his 3rd place finish at Fargo.
Zach “The Attack” Trammel who won five matches at Fargo and six at the national Duals leads the next group of four. He also won the Southern Plains and Southeast Regional meets. He finished 49-1 and placed 3rd at UIL state and is the odds-on favorite to win it all this year as he moves to the powerhouse program at Arlington Martin.
Sean Glassel had a terrific year on his way to winning the state title at 125 pounds with a record of 37-1. He participated in Team Texas this year and while his record was not great, he did wrestle up a weight-class for the team.
Another competitor at 125, Speedy Hines who placed third with a 48-5 record, is also on the elite team. He won four matches at the National Duals competing at 130 and 135. He advanced to the 7th round at Fargo in Greco before bowing out to the eventual champion A.J. Lavender of Illinois.
Finally, the senior-to-be class elite eight also includes the little package, Matt Perez. Matt had a good year at Fort Worth Arlington Heights and finished 4th at the UIL State meet and had an impressive 28-2 record. The 103 class was loaded with good wrestlers, too. Matt really showed great determination by competing both in the National Duals where he won five matches for Team Texas and at Fargo where he was an All-American in both Freestyle (4th) and Greco-Roman where he finished 7th.
There were other many wrestlers consider for this class elite eight who did not make the cut. That great depth is what makes this class so very special. They include Matt Tiffin, who had an incredible year by winning that State meet and compiling an impressive 50-1 record. The only thing holding Matt back is his lack of summer wrestling. Matt will be one tough hombre this year for Katy Cinco Ranch. Matt came as close as you can come to the elite eight and not be there and he is certainly deserving, if this were just based on high school results.
Another serious contender is Rodney Hasty who finished 3rd at UIL State at 152 and who also was 5-1 for Team Texas at the National Duals and won 4 matches at Fargo. Also on the cusp, include Travis West who had a spectacular year going 48-4 and getting the silver medal at state and Phillip Wakeland who went 34-4 and also placed second at state. Phillip also wrestled for Team Texas this summer. Both these guys could be in the hunt again for that coveted state championship.
Honorable Mention included Jared Hillard, Ray Wilcox, Parker Ryan, Pat McAuley, Devon Velasquiz, Kenny Halloran, Zach Ramsey, Brady Tarbush, Chris Dorsey, Kyle Pawlak, Stephen Unterberg, Phillip Wakeland and Courtney Sanders.
1. Ben Ashmore 112 pounds
2. James Aston 180-189 pounds
3. Matt Hobar 130-135 pounds
4. Matt Sansone 140-145 pounds
5. Sean Kitchen 103 pounds
6. Fred Rowsey 171 pounds
7. Justin Wren 275 pounds
8. Mickey “The Kid” Sharp 112 pounds
Summary: The difference between “Big” Ben Ashmore and James “The A-Train” Aston is razor-thin. Ben was the Prep State Champion and Prep National runner-up coming off nine weeks out with a back injury. He was also National Folkstyle Champion and he placed third at Fargo in Cadet Freestyle. His only loss at Fargo was to the eventual champion and that by a narrow 10-7 score. He wrestled at Fargo with another injury sustained at the team camp in Denton. He did not participate in Greco-Roman either at Fargo or at the National Cadet Duals. Ben was ranked as high as second in the nation at 103 pounds and was an Asics All-American Honorable mention. Ben just might be the best wrestler in Texas history if he continues to improve.
James Aston was the UIL state champion at 171 and undefeated with a 32-0 record. He was National Folkstyle runner-up, Fargo Cadet Greco-Roman runner-up, and he placed fifth in Freestyle, both of the later at 189, which may have been a bit heavy for him. This year was James’s first exposure to freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. James is ranked 6th in the nation for his class at 171 by Intermat. He also plays football at Katy High School and is a leading running back on the team. College wrestling coaches all over America are salivating at the chance to sign James. (Look for him to go with Oklahoma State.) As I’ve said before, this guy is a carbon copy of Brandon Slay. So look out world, here he comes.
Matt Hobar is living testimony to what can happen when you take your game up to another level. He finished 4th this past season at 119 at UIL State and had a 48-5 record. He decided to compete this summer for Team Texas and did very well at the National Cadet Duals, then went on to win dual All-American honors at Fargo by finishing 7th in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at 130 pounds.
Matt wrestled many matches throughout the summer, including his Arizona training camp stint, over 40 bouts total. As I’ve said on the txusawrestling.com forum, I think Matt just might be almost unbeatable this coming season. I’m not trying to put pressure on him, it’s just that this summer he put in a full season’s work and that will make him that much better and that much tougher. Hopefully, this will be a model for others to follow. There could be an exciting match up at 130-135 pounds with Matt and Sean Glassel that would be just sensational to watch. Throw in the “Speedster” and you have the makings of a great wrestle a trois.
Matt “The Stone” Sansone had a spectacular year, all the way to the state finals where he unfortunately defaulted to Brad Medchill because of excessive blood. He finished with a record of 49 wins for the season against only one loss (the final to Medchill). He had several major tournament victories and will be a powerful force to be reckoned with as he takes the mat for another year with Arlington Martin. Another kid I would’ve loved to have seen this year on the National Cadet team.
Sean Kitchen surprised a lot of people, but not himself. Learning Greco-Roman wrestling from the master himself, his older brother Jack, Sean came up with a bronze medal at the Cadet Nationals in Fargo and lost only one match during the competition. He also wrestled extremely well with the National Cadet Dual team, winning match-after-match in Greco and many in freestyle too. Sean will be the starting 103-pounder for Plano East this fall and he should contend for the state title.
Perhaps the biggest surprise at Fargo for Team Texas was Fred Rowsey’s spectacular 3rd place finish at 171 pounds, freestyle. Or was it? Fred won Rookie State as a youngster then reeled off eight straight state youth titles before this year. As a freshman for Highland Park, Fred was ranked most of the year at 160, but unfortunately did not qualify for state. He was definitely a better wrestler than other wrestlers who did make that group. He would have been the only freshman or sophomore underclassman had he qualified at 160. Look for big things from Fred this fall and that may include a state finals appearance.
It gets more difficult to place the final two. Justin “Credible” Wren gets the nod for 7th place based more on his summer wrestling, than on anything else. He won All-American honors at Fargo by placing 7th in Greco at Cadet 275 and he won seven matches there doing well in both styles. He also won a bunch of matches for the Cadet dual team and he scored two falls for the national Junior team. Justin placed 4th at Prep state and should contend for the state title next year. He moves to the Bishop Lynch program, which itself will be a nice lift for him.
Rounding out the elite eight for this group is “The Kid” Mickey Sharp, who shocked the world with his performance at UIL state with a second place finish in a tough weight class. Mickey did some wrestling for Team Texas but not enough to register much on the Richter scale. His place on the elite eight is more for what he shows me every time he steps on the mat, which is “balls-out.” I like that in this kid and I think he will be in the state finals in the next couple of seasons. He has a ton of potential and is exciting to watch.
Just missing the elite selection were Shay Lauderdale, Michael Gerber and Justin Reyes, all of who had terrific years and state medals. Honorable Mention nods go to Ryan Blair, James Smith, Cas Roman, Austin Johlke, Jimmy Benavides, Jeff Martz, Aaron Goodwin, Matt Gravitt, Corey Miller, Michael Erickson, Refugio Alvarez, Justin Rios, Lance Shilling, Adam Wilcox, Kris Luna, Natron Mitchell and Julian Nacol.
1. Clay Kehrer
2. Will Rowe
3. Ben Ashmore
4. Jake Jackson
5. James Aston
6. Joe Comparin
7. James King
8. (tied)Keegan Mueller & Jack Kitchen
Your feedback is welcome (email, please).
Until next time, Texas.
State media Director
Coming
in September:
The “Elite-Eight” Teams!
A two-part series on the best eight high school wrestling teams in the state of
Texas.
In the months to come:
§ The eight worst rap songs of all time
§ The eight best-looking women I’ve ever dated
§ The eight worst referees in the state
§ The best eight places to get chicken-fried chicken
§ The eight worst blonde jokes ever
§ Eight reasons that the Dallas Cowboys suck!
§ My eight friends in Oklahoma!
And much more!