The post season is here! Your's truly will be at the Heart of America Athletic Conference championships and here is what I think will go down!
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| 125 lbs |
I see Heart of America sending three to the NAIA championships at 125 lbs. One of the things that makes NAIA wrestling unique in comparison to all of the other divisions in collegiate wrestling is that sometimes the opponent you have to worry about most is your very own teammate. I see the title bout being a barnburner between two Vikings, Esco Walker & Justin Portillo. While rankings (at the time this was written) favor Walker, it's going to be hard to overcome Portillo at this tournament. He's twice been named wrestler of the championship & he's a four time NAIA All American that is looking to be the first to ever be crowned a five timer. Look for Missouri Valley's Brayden Bradley to finish a strong 3rd.
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| 133 lbs |
This is another weight class where I see the Heart of America sending three to the NAIA championships. We could see history made here, as Matt Robertson (a Grand View transfer) has the opportunity to become the Fighting Bees first conference champion. In order to achieve that monumental moment, he'll have to get through Grand View's Carson Taylor. Look for Baker's Dominick Arellano, the lone upperclassmen, adopted son from California to finish 3rd.
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| 141 lbs |
I see four, possibly five going at 141 lbs for Heart of America. I think it comes as a surprise to no one that Grand View is going to dominate this tournament & we have yet another likely candidate to bring home an individual conference title in Shea Ruffridge. I would imagine Missouri Valley's Joseph Rice to be his finals opponent & it'll be fun to see a likely consolation final between Waldorf's Tyler Okada and Baker's Austin Kolvek. What I wonder about here is if St. Ambrose's Riley Woods might be able to pull off an upset and find himself in the top four. What is so difficult to predict in NAIA wrestling is who our wildcards will be. In nine conference tournaments it would take things falling into place in just the right way, but I could possibly see Woods earning a Wild Card entrance if he isn't able to finish top 4, and he does finish a strong 5th.
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| 149 lbs |
William Penn will be hosting this year's championships, they might as well crown a champion right? I think if the Statesmen are to grown an individual champion, their best bet is going to be Hargrove. Even though neither is currently ranked (as of the time this was written) I think both Baker's Asiel Flores and Grand View's Jack Latimer pose a threat at NAIA qualification. Either upending Hargrove for the conference title? Not sure about that, but I can very well see the one finishing runner-up to the other's third. Good enough for wild card entries? We'll see.
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| 157 lbs #1 Giovanny Bonilla Grand View |
This tournament will be a cakewalk for Grand View's Giovanny Bonilla. The NAIA champion contender will do no less than major his way to a Heartland of America conference title & there's a chance that none of his matches will even see the seven minute mark. This is not a real deep weight class in my opinion and I think we only see the champion advance to the NAIA championships.
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| 165 lbs |
Another weight class that looks to be dominated by a Viking, I see our champion here being Marty Margolis. Matheson Meade should give the Statesmen another finalist however and both he & his mullet should make a trip to the NAIA championships. Having a time trying to decide who I see in third place here & if that third place finish might equate to an NAIA qualification through wildcard. If I had to guess, I'd guess Joey Hancock of Baker.
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| 174 lbs |
In my opinion this is the Heartland of America's toughest & most competitive weight class. I will be in attendance for this tournament and I'm looking forward to this weight class more than I am any other. Seeding of course will determine our matches but no matter how you slice it, I see an excellent semi-final, an excellent final and an excellent consolation final. It'll be a tough road for Baker's Isaiah Luellen as if he wants to call himself a 2022 conference champion he'll most likely have to get through two Vikings! Alex Reynolds and Casey Randles. 99.999% positive that all four of these guys will be headed to the NAIA's.
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| 184 lbs |
Another weight class where we'll see absolute domination from Grand View. Ben Lee will most likely bonus his way to a title. Likely we'll see Missouri Valley's Karim Shakur opposite of him in the finals and once again going with a Baker wrestler for who I see finishing third.
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| 197 lbs |
This is a rather unique weight class to me. We have our forerunners, likely champion Owen Braungardt of Grand View & likely runner-up Malachi Karibo of Baker, then we have what I estimate to be three of the best unranked 197 lbs'ers in the country. Admitting my bias, I see big things in the future of TyReese Johnson. I'm anxious to see if he continues to juggle both a football & wrestling career throughout the entirety of his time at St. Ambrose, or if eventually he'll choose to concentrate solely upon one. Selfishly thinking, if that day does come, I hope he chooses wrestling. As stated previously, predicting wildcards in NAIA wrestling is a task that not even Sylvia Browne would want to foretake. Yet if I have to guess, both Brett Bober of Baker & Jesse Schwery of William Penn would be two of my guesses.
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| HWT |
This will be another fun, competitive weight class. Led by Greg Hagan and Tommy Mommer, we are likely to see another final with two teammates going head to head for a conference title. Brenden Shelton who I think will be Central Methodist's lone NAIA qualifier will battle it out with Missouri's Joshua Isaac for third place. Look for Brooks Baker of Missouri Valley to finish 5th. All five should qualify for the NAIA championships.
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And there you have it! These are my predictions for the Heart of American Athletic Conference. Hope to also see some qualifiers out of....
Iowa Wesleyan
Benedictine
Dickinson State
When Graceland wrestling was first reinstated, I was working a job at the Iowa State Fair where the booth I manned was right next to the Graceland booth. I got an opportunity to speak with the coach & was given a t-shirt & a poster. I simply think that 2021-2022 is a rebuilding year for the Yellowjackets. Would love to see them push some guys on through though.
Iowa Wesleyan is still in its infancy and it is tough to get qualifiers right out of the gate. No doubt that within due time with the coaching staff they have, the program will be top notch. Yet it does take time, and that taking time is the stage we're in now.
Dickinson State is a program I've always had a place in my heart for. Years ago when I was doing professional wrestling, I did a show for Elite Wrestling Initiative (EWI) and the Dickinson State wrestling team showed up. It was the loudest ovation I ever received & one of the most fun nights I ever had during my 6 year stint as a 'rassler.' Really hope to see the program thrive again one day.
As to Benedictine, again hope to see them get some guys on through too!
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