With most District tournaments starting this weekend, wretling postseason is upon us. I've compiled some previews for each weight in AAA before we get started. There will likely be some weight changes in D7 and D11, and I'll make changes if there are big drops (I'd expect some movement either down from 160 to 152 or up from 145 to 152, plus some other miscellaneous ones). All state rankings I've used are from PaPower Wrestling. The national rankings are from FloWrestling and Intermat, with Flo listed first.
106
State Rankings
1. Kurt Phipps, Norwin (So. 30-0) S7
2. Brady Sherback, Greater Latrobe (Sr. 22-4)
3. Adam Jacob, East Pennsboro (So. 26-7)
4. Ben Monn, Cumberland Valley (So. 28-6)
5. Andrew Brest, General McLane (Jr. 24-3)
6. Carter Dibert, Franklin Regional (Fr. 24-6) JH1, JH2
7. Alejandro Herrera, Seneca Valley (Fr. 36-7)
8. Matt Mayer, Bethlehem Catholic (Fr. 15-8)
9. Peyton Brown, Emmaus (Jr. 24-2)
10. Tal-Reese Flemming, Liberty (Jr. 23-2)
Returning State Medalists: Phipps
Returning State Qualifiers: Phipps, Trenton Donahue, DuBois (So.)
Toughest Region: WPIAL (Southwest ): Phipps, Sherback, Dibert and Herrera
The opening weight class is one that is normally dominated by superstar freshmen or undersized seniors who have grinded for their careers. This year, we really don’t have either. Kurt Phipps is the latest in the family line of Phipps brothers to be a state title favorite and he probably fits the bill the closest as the big time underclassman. He slightly underperformed as a freshman, but has really looked the part this season. Beyond that, the weight is wide open. Bethlehem Catholic produced the big news in terms of entries when freshman Matt Mayer, who spent most of the season at 113 while Dillon Murphy was injured, beat state #4 Nathan Lackman in a wrestle off and will be the Golden Hawks postseason representative. Mayer was third in the state junior high tournament last year at 102 pounds. Mayer joins a class with Emmaus's Peyton Brown (brother of 2x state finalist Taylor Brown) and Liberty's Tal-Reese Flemming who are all medal threats. Ben Monn of Cumberland Valley and Adam Jacob of East Pennsboro have made the cut to 106 after wrestling 113 for most of the year. Jacob beat Monn in the Sectional Finals last weekend and shoots up Jeff Upson's rankings here. Out west, Sherback is the lone senior at 106 expected to contend. Carter Dibert is the next in line at Franklin Regional after winning a state junior high championship last season at 87 pounds. He may be slightly undersized for this year, but he’s the best freshman shot at a medal at a weight class typically dominated by young bucks. Fellow freshman Alejandro Herrera-Rondon of Seneca Valley was third last year at 92 pounds in junior high and has challenged both Phipps and Dibert this year. Also lurking is Altoona's Matt Sarbo, who won the 102 pound weight class in junior high last year over AA state title contender Gary Steen (and beat Mayer in a tight one in semis).
My Pick: Phipps
106
State Rankings
1. Kurt Phipps, Norwin (So. 30-0) S7
2. Brady Sherback, Greater Latrobe (Sr. 22-4)
3. Adam Jacob, East Pennsboro (So. 26-7)
4. Ben Monn, Cumberland Valley (So. 28-6)
5. Andrew Brest, General McLane (Jr. 24-3)
6. Carter Dibert, Franklin Regional (Fr. 24-6) JH1, JH2
7. Alejandro Herrera, Seneca Valley (Fr. 36-7)
8. Matt Mayer, Bethlehem Catholic (Fr. 15-8)
9. Peyton Brown, Emmaus (Jr. 24-2)
10. Tal-Reese Flemming, Liberty (Jr. 23-2)
Returning State Medalists: Phipps
Returning State Qualifiers: Phipps, Trenton Donahue, DuBois (So.)
Toughest Region: WPIAL (Southwest ): Phipps, Sherback, Dibert and Herrera
The opening weight class is one that is normally dominated by superstar freshmen or undersized seniors who have grinded for their careers. This year, we really don’t have either. Kurt Phipps is the latest in the family line of Phipps brothers to be a state title favorite and he probably fits the bill the closest as the big time underclassman. He slightly underperformed as a freshman, but has really looked the part this season. Beyond that, the weight is wide open. Bethlehem Catholic produced the big news in terms of entries when freshman Matt Mayer, who spent most of the season at 113 while Dillon Murphy was injured, beat state #4 Nathan Lackman in a wrestle off and will be the Golden Hawks postseason representative. Mayer was third in the state junior high tournament last year at 102 pounds. Mayer joins a class with Emmaus's Peyton Brown (brother of 2x state finalist Taylor Brown) and Liberty's Tal-Reese Flemming who are all medal threats. Ben Monn of Cumberland Valley and Adam Jacob of East Pennsboro have made the cut to 106 after wrestling 113 for most of the year. Jacob beat Monn in the Sectional Finals last weekend and shoots up Jeff Upson's rankings here. Out west, Sherback is the lone senior at 106 expected to contend. Carter Dibert is the next in line at Franklin Regional after winning a state junior high championship last season at 87 pounds. He may be slightly undersized for this year, but he’s the best freshman shot at a medal at a weight class typically dominated by young bucks. Fellow freshman Alejandro Herrera-Rondon of Seneca Valley was third last year at 92 pounds in junior high and has challenged both Phipps and Dibert this year. Also lurking is Altoona's Matt Sarbo, who won the 102 pound weight class in junior high last year over AA state title contender Gary Steen (and beat Mayer in a tight one in semis).
My Pick: Phipps
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