Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational 174 lbs Preview (12/3-4/2021)

 

12 ranked wrestlers featured in this weight class, with three ranked in the top 10.  With only three returning place-winners, plenty of room for new blood to find success and make a name for themselves. 

I trust the finals will be Mikey Labriola of Nebraska Vs Ethan Smith of Ohio State, but 3rd though 8th place looks to be a free for all of chaos with plenty of eligible candidates.  Currently ranked third in the country, having taken NCAA champion Carter Starocci into sudden victory, I am surprised the high number of wrestling fans & media who are not taking Labriola as a threat to this year's NCAA title.  The competition isn't fierce enough to change many minds this weekend, but Labriola who will take the #1 seed here, will easily prove why he was the favorite.   

On paper Cornell's Chris Foca would look to battle it out with South Dakota's Cade DeVos for 3rd place, but their will be plenty of competition for those positions.  Hayden Hastings of Wyoming  can wrestle tough when he wants to, Troy Fisher of Northwestern has made some great improvements since last season and I wouldn't put it past Stanford's Tyler Eischens to pull off an upset or two. 

Even though Jared Krattiger is the varsity starter and the one currently ranked for the Golden Gophers, remember that Bailee O'Reilly has placed in this tournament before. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see O'Reilly earn back his starting spot with a good finish at CKLV. 

A guy that will put a thorn into any soothsayer's side is Oklahoma's Anthony Mantanona. You can never know what to expect out of him.  He could just as easily go 0-2 as he could end up in the semi-finals.  And if Mantanona is a thorn in the side, Purdue's Emil Soehnlen is the whole bush!  At first glance one could easily roll their eyes and question why I even have him listed as a threat to potentially place at CKLV.  Upon further inspection you will notice in three matches, he has Fisher figured out.  That says something to me, potential. 

Lastly you know that Adam Kemp is eventually going to get real good. It's in his blood. He isn't going to stay in his father's shadow forever.  Hard to believe that he only qualified for state twice & only placed once. It'll be even harder to believe once he starts accomplishing big things at the NCAA Division I level.  Start this weekend at CKLV? We'll see. 

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Johnnythompsonnum1 at the time does not and plans on never charging for content. However, I would like to extend the coverage I do for the sport and can only do so through donation. Your contributions would help in a variety of ways including but not limited to the following examples below.

To purchase a camera in order to conduct interviews with wrestlers, coaches and wrestling personnel.

To start a wrestling podcast with Dennis Doderer, a former Iowa High School state runner-up, Michigan State wrestler & writer of NYPD BLUE

To help cover the cost of travel and lodging to attend more wrestling events

To create more content to where eventually Johnnythompsonnum1 is covering all Divisions of Collegiate Wrestling.  Right now based on money, time & resource restraints Johnnythompsonnum1 is mainly NCAA DI with a bit of NAIA mixed in here and there.  I want to eventually be able to cover DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, NJCAA, CCCAA, NCWA & all of Women’s wrestling. 

If every reader of mine donated even $0.50 per month it’d be enough to achieve these goals.  So please think about making a contribution to Johnnythompsonnum1 to help me extend the collegiate wrestling coverage that I do.

Send donnation via Venmo to Stephen-Stonebraker-1

P.O. Box to send cash, check or money order coming soon. 

Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational 165 lbs Preview (12/3-4/2021)

 

165 lbs CKLV differs from the first five weight classes in a variety of ways. While still a tough weight class featuring 11 ranked wrestlers, including 5 within the top 10, there are only two returning place-winners.  A runner up and third place finisher. At least 80% of this year's place-winners will be new blood.  There are also few matches wrestled between the competition. For many it'll be the first time facing their opponent on the mat. 

What makes this bracket fun?  Everyone in it has something to prove. 

Evan Wick out last season, is thus far 4-0. Two impressive as well as dominating wins over ranked opponents Danny Braunagel of Illinois and Izaak Olejnik of Northern Illinois, he looks to prove himself as a forerunner for this year's NCAA title. With the competition he's up against, winning a CKLV title would be one Hell of a statement.  Add in the fact that he now represents Cal Poly, a smaller, often ignored school always looking to be recognized, there is a lot on the line. 

Shane Griffith of Stanford in his entire varsity career has only lost two matches.  Keeping his loss column at 2 this weekend is going to be as much, if not more of a challenge than was winning the NCAA title last season. One of the wrestlers who owns a victory over Griffith, Julian Ramirez of Cornell, has quite a bit to prove himself.  Was his 3-2 upending of last year's national champ simply a miracle fluke, or an indication of things to come from the young member of the Big Red?  We'll find out this weekend. 

I've said and I'll stand by it that Utah Valley's Demetrius Romero does have the ability and talent to be thought of as a contender for the NCAA title.  With Wick & Griffith in the bracket a win over either is good enough to validate my feeling. Imagine wins over both. 

I would imagine Cam Amine of Michigan may have a bit of a chip on his shoulder.  With the addition of Nick Suriano (who to my knowledge will NOT be at CKLV) fans are now questioning where the Wolverines fit in to the team title hunt. Despite the fact that Amine was an All American last year, it amazes me the number of wrestling fans who doubt his capabilities this season.   "Yeah, but..." seems to be the new phrase in town as, "Yeah, but 165 wasn't as tough last season."  "Yeah, but he had a really good draw last season."  Well you can "yeah, but" till the cows come home, if Amine performs on the mat, that's all that matters. 

Harvard's Philip Conigliaro is one of those guys that strikes me as one to look out for as far as upsets are concerned. After years of being down the Crimson have a pretty decent team this season, but they still need that big moment, that big something to happen.  Conigliaro could very well be the one to make that something happen. 

With that I'll end it by saying this weight class features a lot of lower ranked as well as unranked competitors looking to make a name for themselves.  Finishing top 8 year would do that. 


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Johnnythompsonnum1 at the time does not and plans on never charging for content. However, I would like to extend the coverage I do for the sport and can only do so through donation. Your contributions would help in a variety of ways including but not limited to the following examples below.

To purchase a camera in order to conduct interviews with wrestlers, coaches and wrestling personnel.

To start a wrestling podcast with Dennis Doderer, a former Iowa High School state runner-up, Michigan State wrestler & writer of NYPD BLUE

To help cover the cost of travel and lodging to attend more wrestling events

To create more content to where eventually Johnnythompsonnum1 is covering all Divisions of Collegiate Wrestling.  Right now based on money, time & resource restraints Johnnythompsonnum1 is mainly NCAA DI with a bit of NAIA mixed in here and there.  I want to eventually be able to cover DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, NJCAA, CCCAA, NCWA & all of Women’s wrestling. 

If every reader of mine donated even $0.50 per month it’d be enough to achieve these goals.  So please think about making a contribution to Johnnythompsonnum1 to help me extend the collegiate wrestling coverage that I do.

Send donnation via Venmo to Stephen-Stonebraker-1

P.O. Box to send cash, check or money order coming soon. 

JT#1's Notes, Thoughts and Observations For Week 4 (11-22 through 11-28)

 A shortened week due to the holiday, but still a great week full of great wrestling.  Is it just me or is there a serious irony in scheduling a sport with a commitment to weight management during a time of celebrations centered around food? Thanksgiving, Christmas, even New Year's Eve & New Year's Day, not to exclude our other competitors who celebrate various holidays.  As many of us fans enjoyed our turkey, tators and gravy and grandma's one of kind Pumpkin Pie, many of the young men and women in wrestling got by with a disciplined portion that even Gandhi would have deemed stingy.    

I was a little surprised when I looked over the rankings a little less than a week ago and didn't see the name Job Greenwood in the top 33.  I figured sooner or later he'd prove himself to be worthy of a ranking and boy oh boy did he with an impressive win over Arizona State All American Michael McGee in the finals of the Cowboy Open.  An 8-7 victory for the Cowboy. 

Huge thumbs up to Army Wrestling.  It's clear that Kevin Ward and staff want to build a program and they're willing to do what it takes in order for that to happen. To agree to wrestle Iowa, the #1 ranked team on such short notice shows the commitment that the Cadet wrestling program has. I'm anxious to see this team at the Midlands. I think they might surprise some people.   

So much in wrestling goes unnoticed, unrecognized, unsaid and underappreciated and among those individuals is Iowa's Myles Wilson. When it is all said and done, he won't be the Hawkeye representing Iowa at the BIG 10 championships.  Yet what he has done is stepped in and stepped up during this time when he has been needed. While Iowa figures out who exactly is going to be the starter by year's end, Wilson has filled in and done so in fashion. Two wins for the Hawkeyes in two dual meets. Hope to see Wilson enter the Midlands this season and have himself a good tournament.  

In a world obsessed with true-freshmen All Americans, we very well may be looking at one in Wisconsin's D.J. Hamiti. The three time Illinois state champion didn't just win this weekend, he dominated.  I'm not going to act like Hofstra's Ricky Stamm is a world beater, but he is a two time NCAA qualifier and Hamiti just destroyed him in a 16-0 technical fall.  Then he went out and had his way with North Carolina's Sonny Santiago 10-0.  Very impressive. 

Harper College NJCAA Champion Michial Foy making some serious noise this weekend with a very impressive 9-3 victory over South Dakota State's Tanner Sloan.  At the beginning of the season I was thinking Garrett Joles to be Minnesota's starter at 197, but it looks like there may be a new Golden Gopher in town. 

And that about wraps it up for Week 4.   Week 5 is going to an exciting one.  CKLV plus some exciting dual meets! Plenty to look forward to this week! 

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Johnnythompsonnum1 at the time does not and plans on never charging for content. However, I would like to extend the coverage I do for the sport and can only do so through donation. Your contributions would help in a variety of ways including but not limited to the following examples below.

To purchase a camera in order to conduct interviews with wrestlers, coaches and wrestling personnel.

To start a wrestling podcast with Dennis Doderer, a former Iowa High School state runner-up, Michigan State wrestler & writer of NYPD BLUE

To help cover the cost of travel and lodging to attend more wrestling events

To create more content to where eventually Johnnythompsonnum1 is covering all Divisions of Collegiate Wrestling.  Right now based on money, time & resource restraints Johnnythompsonnum1 is mainly NCAA DI with a bit of NAIA mixed in here and there.  I want to eventually be able to cover DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, NJCAA, CCCAA, NCWA & all of Women’s wrestling. 

If every reader of mine donated even $0.50 per month it’d be enough to achieve these goals.  So please think about making a contribution to Johnnythompsonnum1 to help me extend the collegiate wrestling coverage that I do.

Send donnation via Venmo to Stephen-Stonebraker-1

P.O. Box to send cash, check or money order coming soon.

Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational 157 lbs Preview (12/3-4/2021)

 

Continuing to make the case that the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational is the toughest in-season tournament in the nation, 157 lbs certainly provides plenty of evidence.  We're talking 13 ranked wrestlers, 4 in the top 10, including #2, #4, #5 and #6.  Of the returning place-winners we have two champions at this weight class, in total seven that have placed at CKLV in the past. 

Until proven otherwise the guy to beat here is two time CKLV champion Ryan Deakin of Northwestern. Results speak for themselves and I predict that he makes a strong statement by winning his third CKLV title in fashion.  He's a cut above the rest and he'll illustrate that this weekend. 

The question here is, who meets him in the finals? Minnesota's Brayton Lee who has a CKLV title in his own right is a good candidate, but as of late Nebraska's Peyton Robb has been on a role cementing himself as a giant killer knocking off 2021 NCAA champion Austin O'Connor of North Carolina and taking another 2021 NCAA Champion David Carr of Iowa State to the limit in a 7-5 overtime loss. Robb could very well come into this tournament and continue his ways of knocking off higher ranked/seeded opponents.   With that said I wouldn't overlook Quincy Monday of Princeton who looked very sharp in a 9-5 victory over Iowa's Kaleb Young and while a bit more of a stretch, I'll call Kendall Coleman of Purdue a Darkhorse finalist too. Coleman has some impressive wins under his belt and throughout his losses many of them have been rather tight. It doesn't require much imagination to see him turning those close losses into victories.  Perhaps another Darkhorse to point out is Michigan's Will Lewan has shown his capabilities in various matches. A lot of this will depend on who is seeded where, and they will want to be on the opposite side of the bracket of Deakin. 

Oklaoma's Justin Thomas, Oregon State's Hunter Willits and Wyoming's Jacob Wright are all three wrestlers I'm anxious to watch in this tournament for various reasons.  Thomas has been in a bit of rut for quite sometime.  He defeated Wright four matches in a row and then Wright got him at the NCAA's.  Last season he defeated Arizona State's Jacori Teemer twice, but then earlier this season dropped an 11-5 decision to the Sun Devil. He needs a positive in his career right now. Something to redeem his spirits and put him back on the right track.  A good showing here at CKLV would do that.  As to Willits, he's been riding the fence for quite some time. What he has going for him is that he's a very difficult wrestler to beat twice. He has a way of fixing his mistakes, looking for his opponent's weaknesses and capitalizing upon them. Currently ranked a little better than top 20, his potential says top 8. He'll more than have the opportunity to prove that at CKLV.  Even though right now I believe Wright's #13 ranking is just and fair, throughout most of his career he has been overlooked and underrated. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see him come in here and shock the wrestling world with a good tournament.  

I'll say the same thing for Sacred Heart's Nick Palumbo that I'll say for The Citadel's Dazjon Casto.  Both of these guys are NCAA qualification material, but both of them are going to have to earn their status throughout the season. CKLV provides a great opportunity for both of these guys to garner some big wins and perhaps a medal.  

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Johnnythompsonnum1 at the time does not and plans on never charging for content. However, I would like to extend the coverage I do for the sport and can only do so through donation. Your contributions would help in a variety of ways including but not limited to the following examples below.

To purchase a camera in order to conduct interviews with wrestlers, coaches and wrestling personnel.

To start a wrestling podcast with Dennis Doderer, a former Iowa High School state runner-up, Michigan State wrestler & writer of NYPD BLUE

To help cover the cost of travel and lodging to attend more wrestling events

To create more content to where eventually Johnnythompsonnum1 is covering all Divisions of Collegiate Wrestling.  Right now based on money, time & resource restraints Johnnythompsonnum1 is mainly NCAA DI with a bit of NAIA mixed in here and there.  I want to eventually be able to cover DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, NJCAA, CCCAA, NCWA & all of Women’s wrestling. 

If every reader of mine donated even $0.50 per month it’d be enough to achieve these goals.  So please think about making a contribution to Johnnythompsonnum1 to help me extend the collegiate wrestling coverage that I do.

Send donnation via Venmo to Stephen-Stonebraker-1

P.O. Box to send cash, check or money order coming soon. 

Returning Place-Winners for Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational

 

The Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational has proven itself to be either the toughest in-season tournament or one of the toughest in-season tournaments year in and year out.  As a wrestling community we acknowledge multiple time All Americans and even multiple time conference place-winners.  I ask, with merit, with substantiation why aren't we doing the same for CKLV?  

It is a BIG deal to place at CKLV.  It is a tough tournament and when you earn a medal, you most likely had to defeat some top notch opponents in route to getting it.  Do you know who all is going for their second, third or fourth CKLV medal this season?  If not, here they are. 

Going For Four 

Myles Amine of Michigan = 3rd-3rd-1st
Taylor Venz of Nebraska = 3rd-2nd-5th 

Going For Three 
Devin Schroder of Purdue = 8th-2nd
Stevan Micic of Michigan = 2nd-5th
Chad Red of Nebraska = 4th-5th
Dom Demas of Oklahoma = 4th-3rd
Kanen Storr of Michigan = 8th-3rd
Ryan Deakin of Northwestern = 1st-1st
Mikey Labriola of Nebraska = 4th-3rd
Louie DePrez of Binghamton = 5th-6th 
Eric Schultz of Nebraska = 2nd-5th
Tate Orndorff of Ohio State = 2nd-3rd
Brian Andrews of Wyoming = 7th-8th 

Going for Two 
Michael DeAugustino of Northwestern = 3rd
Malik Heinselman of Ohio State = 8th
Joey Prata of Oklahoma = 4th 
Taylor LaMont of Utah Valley = 1st
Anthony Madrigal of Oklahoma = 7th
Mosha Schwartz of Northern Colorado = 5th 
Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell = 1st 
Michael Blockhus of Minnesota = 6th 
Ridge Lovett of Nebraska = 3rd 
Yahya Thomas of Northwestern = 3rd 
Sammy Sasso of Ohio State = 2nd 
Mitch Moore of Oklahoma = 8th 
Jacob Wright of Wyoming = 5th 
Kendall Coleman of Purdue = 4th 
Hunter Willits of Oregon State = 8th 
Justin Thomas of Oklahoma = 6th 
Peyton Robb of Nebraska = 7th 
Brayton Lee of Minnesota = 1st 
Evan Wick of Cal Poly = 2nd 
Demetrius Romero of Utah Valley = 3rd
Hayden Hastings of Wyoming = 7th 
Ethan Smith of Ohio State = 4th 
Bailee O'Reilly of Minnesota = 8th 
Jonathan Loew of Cornell = 7th 
Jake Woodley of Oklahoma  4th 
Mason Parris of Michigan = 1st 
Gable Steveson of Minnesota = 1st 


Seven returning champions including one that will be going for his third CKLV title.  Seven returning runner-ups.   

CKLV is going to be a GREAT tournament this season.  Look very forward to it because there is going to be some outstanding wrestling. 

For the rest of the week Johnnythompsonnum1 is going to be doing a weight by weight preview for CKLV.  Two weight classes per day Monday through Friday.   


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Johnnythompsonnum1 at the time does not and plans on never charging for content. However, I would like to extend the coverage I do for the sport and can only do so through donation. Your contributions would help in a variety of ways including but not limited to the following examples below.

To purchase a camera in order to conduct interviews with wrestlers, coaches and wrestling personnel.

To start a wrestling podcast with Dennis Doderer, a former Iowa High School state runner-up, Michigan State wrestler & writer of NYPD BLUE

To help cover the cost of travel and lodging to attend more wrestling events

To create more content to where eventually Johnnythompsonnum1 is covering all Divisions of Collegiate Wrestling.  Right now based on money, time & resource restraints Johnnythompsonnum1 is mainly NCAA DI with a bit of NAIA mixed in here and there.  I want to eventually be able to cover DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, NJCAA, CCCAA, NCWA & all of Women’s wrestling. 

If every reader of mine donated even $0.50 per month it’d be enough to achieve these goals.  So please think about making a contribution to Johnnythompsonnum1 to help me extend the collegiate wrestling coverage that I do.

Send donnation via Venmo to Stephen-Stonebraker-1

P.O. Box to send cash, check or money order coming soon. 

Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Preview 149 lbs (12/3-4/2021)

 

A lot will unfold this weekend in this weight class.  11 ranked wrestlers, 4 in the top 10, with the #1, #2, #4 and #6 all in action.  A returning champion, a returning runner-up, three returning 3rd place finishers and two other returning place-winners.  There are wrestlers that will not place in this bracket that could very well place at the NCAA's in March.  If that isn't testimony enough for why a wrestler's resume should proudly display credentials earned at CKLV, then you tell me what is. 

Some are wondering if Cornell's Yianni Diakomihalis might finish the season undefeated. I'm thinking he might not even finish the weekend undefeated. This is an insane weight class and he'll be tested more than once this weekend.  Quarters, semis, finals and maybe even before that.  He's wrestled one match thus far at 149 lbs and that was a 3-1 victory over Stanford's Jaden Abas, who he could very well meet again in this tournament. There was nothing about the win that said to me that Diakomihalis is going to own 149 lbs this season. There was nothing about the win that said to me that there was no way it could have went the other way and ended in favor of Abas. I'll eat my words if I'm wrong, but even if he does go undefeated & wins his second CKLV title, it will not be without a scare. 

I'm not even 100% confident that returning runner-up Sammy Sasso of Ohio State makes the finals. He's had a few close matches during his career including a 5-4 tiebreaker against Northwestern's Yahya Thomas.  Thomas himself is one to mention.  Among his impressive wins and impressive showings, he has a history of sometimes not performing well. It's hard to believe when you watch him at his potential, but he's not immune to being defeated or upset. 

After defeating North Carolina's Zach Sherman, you know that Nebraska's Ridge Lovett is thirsty for more. He's looking for more upsets. Looking to knock somebody off.  

Abas already mentioned, throw in Cal Poly's Legend Lamer, Michigan's Kanen Storr, and Oklahoma's Mitch Moore, I don't know how anyone could go into this bracket feeling safe. 

Michael Blockhus of Minnesota could be a guy to watch out for. Searching for his second medal, he might very well earn it through an upset or two.   

Trying to decipher who will be the top 12 when it is all said and done, I think it is among the names I have put.   It would not surprise me at all to see Cornell backup Hunter Richard finish as a low place-winner or within a match of placing.  That would not surprise me in the least bit.  Richard is a senior this year in his final season of collegiate wrestling.  It makes me thankful for a tournament like CKLV, where despite not being the varsity starter a guy like Richard still has the opportunity to showcase his talents and abilities. It is an attestation to the level of competition that is NCAA Division I wrestling. 

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Johnnythompsonnum1 at the time does not and plans on never charging for content. However, I would like to extend the coverage I do for the sport and can only do so through donation. Your contributions would help in a variety of ways including but not limited to the following examples below.

To purchase a camera in order to conduct interviews with wrestlers, coaches and wrestling personnel.

To start a wrestling podcast with Dennis Doderer, a former Iowa High School state runner-up, Michigan State wrestler & writer of NYPD BLUE

To help cover the cost of travel and lodging to attend more wrestling events

To create more content to where eventually Johnnythompsonnum1 is covering all Divisions of Collegiate Wrestling.  Right now based on money, time & resource restraints Johnnythompsonnum1 is mainly NCAA DI with a bit of NAIA mixed in here and there.  I want to eventually be able to cover DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, NJCAA, CCCAA, NCWA & all of Women’s wrestling. 

If every reader of mine donated even $0.50 per month it’d be enough to achieve these goals.  So please think about making a contribution to Johnnythompsonnum1 to help me extend the collegiate wrestling coverage that I do.

Send donnation via Venmo to Stephen-Stonebraker-1

P.O. Box to send cash, check or money order coming soon. 

Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational 141 lbs Preview (12/3-4/2021)

 

Another tough weight class featuring 13 ranked wrestlers,  including 4 in the top 10.  Three of wrestlers here will be going for their third CKLV medal, a former runner-up among them.  Will be a very fun weight class. 

There was no doubt in my mind that at 133 lbs, Stevan Micic of Michigan was one of the contenders for the NCAA title.  I don't feel the least be guilty in saying that I want to see him in action at 141 lbs, before I make up my mind how he'll do up 8 lbs.  Oklahoma's Dom Demas is going to be serious challenge and for that matter Chad Red of Nebraska may be too.  As inconsistent as he may be, when the going gets tough, he gets going.  In any situation, the odds may not always be in his favor, but you never want to completely count him out. 

Look for a possible upset out of South Dakota's Clay Carlson. He's already shown us what he's capable of as he came out of nowhere last season to make All American at the NCAA's. The last he wrestled Demas, he took him to a very tight 3-2 decision.  On the same hand, Carlson will have to avoid being upset himself.  Grant Willits of Oregon State already owns a 3-0 decision over him.  

I feel pretty confident that Micic, Demas, Red, Carlson and Willits we be five of our eight place-winners and it'll be interesting to see who the other three end up being.   Great opportunity for Northern Colorado's Andrew Alirez to show his abilities at 141, and for some of the lower ranked wrestlers as well as the unranked wrestlers to prove themselves among the rest. 


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Johnnythompsonnum1 at the time does not and plans on never charging for content. However, I would like to extend the coverage I do for the sport and can only do so through donation. Your contributions would help in a variety of ways including but not limited to the following examples below.

To purchase a camera in order to conduct interviews with wrestlers, coaches and wrestling personnel.

To start a wrestling podcast with Dennis Doderer, a former Iowa High School state runner-up, Michigan State wrestler & writer of NYPD BLUE

To help cover the cost of travel and lodging to attend more wrestling events

To create more content to where eventually Johnnythompsonnum1 is covering all Divisions of Collegiate Wrestling.  Right now based on money, time & resource restraints Johnnythompsonnum1 is mainly NCAA DI with a bit of NAIA mixed in here and there.  I want to eventually be able to cover DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, NJCAA, CCCAA, NCWA & all of Women’s wrestling. 

If every reader of mine donated even $0.50 per month it’d be enough to achieve these goals.  So please think about making a contribution to Johnnythompsonnum1 to help me extend the collegiate wrestling coverage that I do.

Send donnation via Venmo to Stephen-Stonebraker-1

P.O. Box to send cash, check or money order coming soon. 

Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational 133 lbs Preview (12/3-4/2021)

 

Not as tough as 125 lbs, 133 lbs at CKLV will still be pretty competitive. Here we have two returning place-winners among 11 ranked wrestlers, two of which are in the top 10.  

At the beginning of the season I stated that the battle for national runner-up honors at 125 lbs would most likely be between Princeton's Pat Glory and Cornell's Vitali Arujau.  Now Arujau has moved up to 133 lbs and that changes the whole ball game.  Thus far his only test has been Stanford's Jackson DiSario who Arujau defeated 14-3 major decision.  Now as the season progresses, Arujau will have have greater challenges to meet than what he'll face here at CKLV, however, he'll have enough competition here to give us a good glimpse of exactly where he fits in at 133 lbs.  

Rankings Vs Results provide plenty of substance for the argument that this is far from an open and shut case as to who our finalists will be.  On paper Northwestern All American Chris Cannon seems the likely candidate for a spot in the finals, but there's a lot of the bracket that he has not faced.   

Rankings have CSU-Bakersfield's Chance Rich above both Northern Colorado's Mosha Schwartz & Oregon State's Devan Turner, but Schwartz pinned Rich the last they met and in four matches Rich has yet to defeat Turner. All four matches have been very close, but it has been the Beaver that has stayed one step ahead of the Roadrunner. Perhaps 5th time is a charm?  Between Schwartz and Turner, Turner has won two of two matches.  7-3 & 4-3 were the scores. 

Continuing on Schwartz, he finished 5th here in the last CKLV tournament, defeating Oklahoma's Anthony Madrigal, who placed 7th, 5-3 in route.  He recently upended the Sooner again 3-2 to garner yet another victory over his higher ranked opponent.    

Within all this mess, also include Michigan's Dylan Ragusin who despite being ranked higher, dropped a 4-3 match to Madrigal.  

I may have very well inadvertently just named off our top 8 place winners for this year's tournament, but rest assure there are plenty of others looking to make the award stand. 

Despite a rough 15-2 major decision loss to teammate Ragusin, Michigan's Drew Mattin can wrestle well at times.  Nebraska's Alex Thomsen would be one to keep an eye on, capable of an upset or two that would put him into the match to place.  Then there is Jake Gliva of Minnesota, Matt Ramos of Purdue and Haiden Drury of Utah Valley who have all shown signs of their capabilities. More of Darkhorse among his contemporaries, I include Ohio State's Dylan Koontz on this list. 

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Johnnythompsonnum1 at the time does not and plans on never charging for content. However, I would like to extend the coverage I do for the sport and can only do so through donation. Your contributions would help in a variety of ways including but not limited to the following examples below.

To purchase a camera in order to conduct interviews with wrestlers, coaches and wrestling personnel.

To start a wrestling podcast with Dennis Doderer, a former Iowa High School state runner-up, Michigan State wrestler & writer of NYPD BLUE

To help cover the cost of travel and lodging to attend more wrestling events

To create more content to where eventually Johnnythompsonnum1 is covering all Divisions of Collegiate Wrestling.  Right now based on money, time & resource restraints Johnnythompsonnum1 is mainly NCAA DI with a bit of NAIA mixed in here and there.  I want to eventually be able to cover DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, NJCAA, CCCAA, NCWA & all of Women’s wrestling. 

If every reader of mine donated even $0.50 per month it’d be enough to achieve these goals.  So please think about making a contribution to Johnnythompsonnum1 to help me extend the collegiate wrestling coverage that I do.

Send donnation via Venmo to Stephen-Stonebraker-1

P.O. Box to send cash, check or money order coming soon. 

Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational 125 lbs Preview (12/3-4/2021)

 

It's debatable I suppose, but man if it isn't the toughest tournament in NCAA Division I wrestling next to the NCAA Division I tournament itself, it is one of them. Matter of fact it is so competitive that I will argue that one's accomplishments within it ought to be as celebrated as is any other achievement. When you read about wrestlers, their biographies always include how they did at the NCAA's and how they did at their conference tournaments.  I think it ought to include how they did at Cliff Keen Las Vegas.  You place at this tournament, it illustrates that you were good. A medal from this tournament means something.  It might not be as prestigious as an All American plaque, but display it on wall, because it is something to be proud of.  

As I gathered notes and information to preview the tournament, I realized that if I wrote this all up in one post, I was going to have a novella on my hands. Therefore I decided rather than post something that was going to take an hour to read, I'd be better off previewing this tournament one weight class at a time.    

And holy cow is 125 lbs going to be good this year!   

FIVE returning place-winners! This includes a former CKLV champion and CKLV runner-up.  11 ranked wrestlers, including 5 in the top 10.  We're talking a very competitive bracket. 

Princeton's Patrick Glory has clearly established himself as the #2 wrestler in the nation.  He'll get the #1 seed here and rightly so. He's earned it through both ranking and result.  It'll be Hell keeping that distinction though. A possible semi-final between should be #2 seed Schroder and should be #3 seed LaMont could determine Glory's opponent in the finals. LaMont came out of nowhere making a name for himself three seasons ago when he won a CKLV title in 2018.  Schroder arguably the best wrestler at 125 lbs yet to All American, was runner-up here in 2020.   

That's to say if that even happens. The unpredictable but never boring Patrick Mckee of Minnesota is in this bracket. Take one look at his resume and you soon realize he takes the term, "Anything can happen" to a whole new level.  Can I see him coming in here and placing very high? Yes, without a doubt.  Can I see him coming in here and not placing? Yes, without a doubt.  The inconsistency and parity of a wrestler like McKee leaves you with nothing better to do than throw your hands up in the air and shrug your shoulders. With him there is no predicting, all you can do is sit back and watch. 

Which leads me to an assortment of other things that could happen. Oklahoma's Joey Prata has been looking to make a name for himself, and this would be the place to do it.  A good showing here will rocket him up the rankings.  I'll say the same for Northwestern's Michael DeAugustino as well as for Michigan's Jack Medley.  DeAugustino has slipped a little over time & doesn't quite hold the prestige that he once did.  He wrestles well here, it'll be as if he never left. 

Malik Heinselman of Ohio State I am anxious to see compete.  So far watching him this season, he looks to me as if he's made some tremendous improvements.  We'll see how far those strides actually are against the better competition that he will face here. 

Lastly I'll say that CKLV has always been that before the new year tournament where we get to see where everyone stands and the wrestling world gets introduced to few new names that previously flew under the radar.  Unranked wrestlers who find themselves onto the award stand.  These include Greg Diakomihalis of Cornell, Beau Bayless of Harvard and Tanner Jordan of South Dakota State as far as I'm concerned.  

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So Who Does Oregon State Have? Speaking in Terms to Iowa Of Course

After an exciting, unpredictable and absolutely insane third week of college wrestling, we head into the madness that will be week four.  A lot of questions amongst a lot of discussion.  One of those questions is, "Who Does Oregon State have?"  Asked by a multitude of Iowa Hawkeye wrestling fans & answered thus far in tidbits and spirts it's time to put aside guesses. It's time to answer the question in full.  

Who does Oregon State have?  Well let's take a look. 

Speaking in truths, it is a fact that Oregon State actually has a pretty good team this year.  The Beavers look to send 8 or 9 to the NCAA tournament this season and wrestle competitively within the PAC-12 conference. Yet it is also a fact that the Beavers do not match up well with Iowa.  


125  Brandon Kaylor 

Kaylor is an NCAA qualifier & will be again this season but as are 99.99% of the rest of the 125'ers he doesn't stand a chance against Lee. If Lee doesn't wrestle and Iowa starts Ybarra instead, this is one that favors the Beavers.   

133 Devan Turner 

Turner is a three time NCAA qualifier and a two time PAC-12 champion.  A top 20 wrestler as of now, maybe even a top 12 when it is all said and done.  A tough wrestler, but he does not match up well with DeSanto at all.  The last the two met DeSanto defeated the Beaver 22-4 technical fall.  

141 Grant Willits 

Same story for Willits as it is for Turner.  Three time NCAA qualifier, two time PAC-12 champion, but he just does not matchup well with his Hawkeye opponent.  Eierman built up a comfortable lead before pinning Willits with a little less than thirty seconds to go in the second period the last the two met.  

149 Corey Crooks 

Crooks was an NCAA qualifier last season and will be again this season. I've been told Murin is out due to injury for right now, so that leaves Turk or Reyna.  Turk has already pinned Crooks, sticking him shortly into the second period. Reyna's only common opponent with Crooks is ironically Turk.  He beat Turk 6-5 tiebreaker.  Make of that what you will. 

157 Hunter Willits 

Here is where I'd in the least pay attention.  Willits is a three time NCAA qualifier and three time PAC-12 runner-up.  Young owns a 5-1 victory over him, but Willits isn't someone I'd look past. He's a tough kid, consistently improving. If you study his record, he has a habit of doing something.  That something is figuring out how to beat opponents who have beaten him in the past.  Young better be geared up and ready to go.  Willits will take it to him looking for the upset.  

184 Trey Munoz * 

The * is due to the fact that Munoz was on the Beaver roster earlier after transferring from Arizona State.  Yet I'm not 100% positive if he's still there.  Going to treat it like he is.  

Munoz is the son of Oklahoma State national champion Mark Munoz. That's irrelevant, but an interesting fact. What is relevant is that Munoz owns a 7-1 victory over Julian Broderson of Iowa State and Broderson owns an 8-3 win over Assad. Now that doesn't always mean anything either. There is a ton of parity in the sport of wrestling. What it does suggest however, is that Iowa could have another competitive match on their hands. 

197 J.J. Dixon or Tanner Harvey 

Dixon an NCAA qualifier, Harvey a transfer from American, a two time NCAA qualifier.  Both good wrestlers, whoever starts will see the NCAA tournament this season, but neither is beating Warner. 

HWT Gary Traub 

Traub a transfer from Ohio State was an NCAA qualifier in 2020.  Cassioppi already owns two victories over him via scores of 4-0 and 9-3.  


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There you have it.  As accurate, thorough and detailed as I could.   I'll repeat, Oregon State has a pretty good team this year, they really do.  As Princeton proved at HWT last week, matches don't happen on paper, they happen on the mat. You have to prove it every time you step out there. As Tom Brands says, "You have to earn it."   With that said the Beavers are taking on the #1 team in the nation, and come Saturday night, my prediction is, it'll show. 

JT#1's Notes, Thoughts and Observations for Week 3 (11-15 through 11-21)

 Only the third week into Collegiate wrestling and HOLY COW, is upset the word or what? National champions getting knocked off, national runner-ups getting knocked off.  This is crazy!  The unpredictability of wrestling at this level is fun. Enough to drive you mad, but fun.  

How do you not talk about Peyton Robb's huge upset over 2021 NCAA champion Austin O'Connor. Looked solid and in control in a 5-2 decision.  Wasn't the only thing worth discussing in the Nebraska Vs North Carolina dual though.  Kizhan Clarke with a huge win over Chad Red, making his case for All American a real one & Ridge Lovett showing what he's made of in a 4-3 victory over Zach Sherman.  Anxious to see Nebraska compete against the top 5 teams.  

I said at the beginning of the year that I felt that Ohio State's Malik Heinselman's greatest strength was how aggressive he was with his relentless attack.  Yet, on the same hand he seemed to have trouble keeping his opponents from scoring on him.  It's obvious to me in his 5-2 decision over All American Sam Latona that he has made those necessary improvements and adjustments. His defense has significantly improved. 

There was as much happening off the mat as there was on the mat with this dual.  Part of the fun of following a team like Iowa is the theatrics on and off the mat. For as much as some hate and criticize professional wrestling, I don't know if Hulk Hogan or Steve Austin could cut some of the promos these guys thrown down.  This much controversy now, fasten your seatbelts & hold on for the ride when Penn State comes to town! 

Arizona State's Jacori Teemer finally figured out Justin Thomas of Oklahoma after losing to him twice. This time the Sun Devil came out on top 11-5 as Arizona State took on the Sooners in dual action.  I was thinking Tony Madrigal after wrestling so well last weekend would give Michael McGee a match, but McGee took it to him 12-3 & then Madrigal dropped a 3-2 decision to Mosha Schwartz of Northern Colorado.  Wrestling truly can be a week to week sport. 

The Life Open was every bit as tough as I thought it was going to be. In some ways, it was even tougher. 

The finals at 125 was the exactly match I wanted to see between Brandon Orum of Life and Justin Portillo of Grand View.  A tight 2-1 decision for the Running Eagle over the Viking in a match I guarantee we'll see again this winter. 

You have to be kidding me that Andreus Bond, 2021 NAIA champion of Life got knocked off in the first round at 149. If that's not enough NAIA 7th place finisher Trevor Anderson of Grand View didn't place either.  

Matt Margolis of Grand View sure looked good at 165 didn't he? I was wondering how he'd do moving up two weight classes and he just dominated throughout.  Very impressive. 

Speaking of impressive, Life's 197'er Zane Lanham as far as I'm concerned may be the very best wrestler in the NAIA at this point.  I'd like to see this guy enter the Midlands or the Southern Scuffle, because I honestly think he could place. I really do.  This guy is something else. 

Wish Oklahoma State would have had it on their schedule that they were sending some to Lindenwood.  Would have been nice to have known that, but nevertheless Dusty Hone looked sharp in securing the title at 141.  Two technical falls in the quarters and in the semis to a 3-1 decision over SIUE's Saul Ervin in the finals. 

First O'Connor and then Griffith!  Unbelievable.  Freshman Julian Ramirez who isn't even undefeated this season knocks off the returning NCAA champion 3-2 in a match that ended on a controversial call. Some say that Griffith had the takedown, some say that he did not. Nevertheless the victory stands and Ramirez is now one of only two that can claim a varsity win over Griffith.  With that said the other match of note in Cornell Vs Stanford was Yianni Diakomihalis defeated Jaden Abas by a score of 3-1.  That's a match I'd like to see again and not one I think Diakomihalis would win 10 out of 10 times if they were to wrestle. 

 

Navy Classic turned out to be a pretty good tournament with some good wrestling. 

It was nice to see Lock Haven's Luke Werner have a good tournament at 125.   Shake a bit of the rust off and get back to form.   

The final at 157 was a good one between Ohio's Jordan Slivka and The Citadel's Dazjon Casto, two of the nations best wrestlers yet to make the NCAA tournament who both should this season. 

Bearded or Unbearded, either way Michael Wolfgram of West Virginia deserves some recognition for how well he's been wrestling this season.  He upset Josh Heindselman of Oklahoma last week and then turns around and upsets Owen Trephan of North Carolina State this week. 

Overshadowed by the upsets of O'Connor and Griffith, Lehigh's Brian Meyer pulled off a huge upset of his own this weekend when he knocked off returning NCAA runner-up Jake Wentzel 4-3.   It wasn't the only big win for Lehigh in the dual Vs Pittsburgh either.  Malyke Hines after having a mediocre weekend at the Journeyman Classic, turned it on to garner a huge win via fall Vs Mickey Phillippi in 6:57.  

I was sorta surprised how few of South Dakota State's starters ended up not participating in the Daktronics Open.  That took me off guard.  Nevertheless....

At 125 I was impressed with Iowa State backup Corey Cabanban.  His semi-final victory over Northern Iowa's Brody Teske had me thinking that he might very well beat teammate Kysen Terukina in the finals. Good match, as Terukina won 3-1.  The other thing of note here, was the illustration of how much can change in a short amount of time.  Liam Cronin of Nebraska defeated Jager Eisch Minnesota 5-3 in the quarter-finals and then in the 5th place match Eisch defeated Cronin 8-0.  These types of results happen more often than you think. 

Granted it wasn't without *'s but seeing Iowa State's Jarrett Degen secure a title at 149 was rewarding.  Had such a disappointing season last year.  Hope to see more good things out of the Cyclone this season. 

157 saw Nebraska's Peyton Robb darn near knock off another returning NCAA champion as he gave Iowa State's David Carr all he could handle in a wild 7-5 match.  This could end up being our NCAA final when it is all said and done. 


Where did Mike Caliendo of North Dakota State come from? He was a first for Batavia High School in Illinois winning their first individual state title.  From the looks of it, he's going to do a lot of firsts.  Nice wins to securing the 165 title that included an 8-6 victory over Austin Kraisser of Iowa State and a 5-2 victory over Austin Yant of Northern Iowa. 

I'll start off by saying this.  At the beginning of the season I wrote that I thought George Mason was going to have one of the best teams they've ever had with potential to send up to 6 to the NCAA tournament.  When I said that I thought 2021-2022 was one of the best squads the Patriots have ever had, I guess I meant it more than I realized.  Kaden Cassidy who finished 2nd in respectable bracket, Laranzo Rajanonarivelo who won a tough bracket and even Logan Messer who finished 4th with a 12-8 victory over Thomas Flitz of Appalachian State in the consolation semi-finals all impressed me.  All three freshman (mixture of true and redshirt), bright futures for the Patriots. 

Here is word for word, verbatim what I said about Walton in my Keystone Classic Preview.

 "Walton is one of those wrestlers that seems to always be in the match, but to always lose it by a hair.  On paper, he's not currently ranked, but on the mat he has the ability to be a top 20 wrestler, maybe even better than that.  Winning this tournament would be huge for him."  

And he delivered didn't he? Went out and just wrestled and it showed how good he is. 13-8 victory over Barrett Blakely of Appalachian State and a 12-5 victory over Bryan McLaughlin of Drexel in route to winning the title at 184. 



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Got a million more thoughts on a great week of wrestling but I'll end it there.  Here's to week 4!  

Daktronics Open Preview (11-21-2021)

 

Another fun little tournament that will take place tomorrow is the Daktronics Open hosted by South Dakota State.  Featuring #8 Minnesota, #12 Nebraska, #17 Northern Iowa and #25 South Dakota State, we will see many matches between ranked opponents. 

125 

The parity that is 125 lbs could very well show itself to be alive and well in this bracket. McKee looks to defend the title he won he two seasons ago but he'll have competition against either Teske or Cronin in the finals.  McKee defeated Teske 9-2 in their only meeting, yet lost 8-1 to Cronin in their only meeting.  Jordan lost a major decision 11-3 to McKee earlier this year, so don't see a major upset out of him but he's a good candidate for 4th place. 

133 

Another weight class where I don't necessarily think the outcome will reflect the seeding.  Thomsen through both ranking and result has more than earned the top seed here.  He's defeated Gliva twice by convincing scores of 10-4 and 9-1.  Gliva who through ranking will probably take the #2 seed, will have difficulty making the finals as the last he and Skudlarczyk met, it was the Panther who had his hand raised in an 8-3 victory.  Look for Biscoglia to also perhaps make some noise.  

141 

And yet another interesting bracket where the seeds might not reflect the outcome.  Red is the clear favorite here but being a home tournament on a home mat, he'll more than have his hands full with Carlson.  Yet on the same hand, Carlson barely squeaked by Bergeland in earlier competition in a 4-3 decision.  Bergeland himself recently defeated teammate Polanco 6-4 sudden victory in a saga that is far from over, while Red owns a tight 4-1 decision over Polanco himself.  Add in Happel and we have ourselves a fun little bracket. 

149 

Lovett sure looked good in his 4-3 victory over North Carolina's Zach Sherman didn't he? Unfortunately in a sport like wrestling there is little time for celebration as you soon find yourself back on the mat having to prove yourself again.  He needed double overtime to defeat Blockhus the last the two met in a 2-1 tiebreaker and Price gave him a decent match in a 6-4 decision.  Lovett will be challenged tomorrow.  Also in the bracket is Lara, who can also be very tough. 

157 

This is one of three matches I look forward to the most tomorrow.  Robb is currently on top of the world with his upset victory over NCAA champion Austin O'Connor of North Carolina.  If he can make it two for two and upend Lee, then there's no denying it. Robb is a threat to the NCAA title this year and that in itself makes one wonder, what is Nebraska really capable of this season as a team? Match ain't won yet and Lee will be every bit as hard to overcome, if not harder than O'Connor was. 

165 

Going to guess that the #1 seed here will go to Cook, with the #2 seed going to Sparks and the #3 seed going to Yant.  There will be plenty of challenge along the way from both Wilson and Carlson.  Carlson recently dropped a 5-3 match to teammate Sparks at the Bison Open. As Carlson continues to challenge Sparks for the varsity position on the Golden Gopher lineup, Wilson looks to fight his way back into the rankings. 

174 

Labriola is the top dawg here and I don't see anyone challenging him.  He's a Case International lawnmower and the rest of the field is grass.  He's already defeated Krattiger twice by scores of 10-4 and 9-3 and he owns a 17-7 major decision over O'Reilly.  DeVos looks like a good candidate for his finals opponent, but Lance Runyon ( I mistakenly wrote Austin Yant) as well as Krattiger will both give him challenge. For that matter so will O'Reilly who DeVos defeated in a close match, 3-2. 

184 

The second of three matches I look forward to tomorrow is the likely final between Keckeisen and Venz. Thus far both Lovett and Robb have pulled off huge upsets, why not make like his teammates and pull off a huge upset of his own?  I said earlier this season in my Northern Iowa preseason preview that Keckeisen bar injury, death or sickness is going to go down as the greatest wrestler in Panther history.  Granted he has the unfair advantage of a fifth year of varsity eligibility but honestly I don't know if he'd need it. This kid is going win at least one national title if not more before his career is said and done.  Venz in his own right was an All American as a freshman, who has finished one match shy of the award stand twice since.  He's got a chip on his shoulder and isn't from Keebler or Nabisco. He wants his name said, he wants it written, he wants it thought when people contemplate about who is going to win 184 this year.  A win over Keckeisen achieves that goal 

With that out of the way, let me say that I feel the consolation final here will be between Salazar and King, giving King an opportunity on his home mat, in front of his home crowd to defeat a ranked opponent. 

197 

Three for three, this is the third match that I really, really look forward to tomorrow.  Now, I've been wrong before, and I'm more than willing to admit it. Crow has been a dish, I've had for breakfast, lunch and dinner. So I may be wrong here, but I think this potential match between Schultz and Sloan turns out to be much different than the last. Not picking a winner, but we aren't going to see the 13-4 slashing Sloan gave Schultz last time they met. I think this one is going to be super close. Talking overtime or even tiebreaker close.  It's hard to believe as good as both of these guys are & as much as they've accomplished outside of the NCAA tournament, that neither has yet to be an All American.  A lot on the line for both of these gentlemen. 

HWT 

I guess it goes without saying that the real fight here is going to be for runner-up honors.  Both Lance and Nevills have gone the full seven minutes with Steveson before, but I wouldn't be surprised if every match that he's in doesn't end early. Seeding of course will make a difference on who places what, but among the three others listed here, I think they're fairly even. Nevills is ranked lower than both Lance and Isley, but he does own a 3-1 sudden victory over Isley.