2026 South Central District Preview (Sat Nov 14th)

 

The #8 Pratt Beavers host one of the toughest qualifiers in all of the NJCAA this weekend, as they host #9 Northeast Oklahoma (NEO), #11 Cowley, #18 Carl Albert State & #19 Fort Hays Tech Northwest (FHTN), among other tough teams.  Looks to be good wrestling at many weight classes, with well contested matches to determine our champions. 

125

Rankings be what they are, it was Zane Donley who nearly tech'd Ernest Grant in a 14-3 major decision when they met in the dual.  Grant, a transfer of York (NEB) was one match shy of being an NAIA All-American last season.  Donley himself one match shy of being an NJCAA All-American last season, as well as a South Central District runner-up.  This bracket will also feature Keegan Sullivan, who was 3rd at last year's South Central District. 

133

Very tough weight class.  5th in the NJCAA & a South Central District champion last season, Logan Crawford will have his hands full this tournament.  Why? Well for one, S.M. Gonzalez was also 5th in the NJCAA & a South Central District champion last season! On top of it, add in Matt Long, who defeated Gonzalez in the finals of the Bob Smith Open 2-1.  If rankings reflect seeding, we're going to see one Hell of a semi-final, to be followed by one hell of a final.  Cam Kiser upsetting any of the three ranked wrestlers might be a tall order, but I do think he'll prove himself to be the fourth best wrestler in this bracket. 

141

Another tough weight class.  Evan Rodriguez, who was also 5th in the NJCAA last season, returns to defend the South Central District title he won a year ago. Here to challenge him will be Tyler Misenheimer, who among his credentials this season was runner-up at the Viking Open & 3rd at the Millikin Invitational.  Although not currently ranked, Jordan Cullors was 3rd at the South Central District last year, as well as 7th in the NJCAA nation.  We also have Jameal Agnew, an NJCAA qualifier from last year, champion at the Cougar Open. 

149

Zach Dawson, 3rd at last year's South Central District & a match shy of NJCAA All-American honors leads the way in another loaded bracket.  He'll contend with Topher Garrett & Kyler Tabor in an effort to be crowned champion this Saturday. 

#2
Jake Goodwin
Pratt
157

The three-time state champ has been proving all season long that he was an outstanding pickup for the Beavers.  A Cougar Open champion earlier this season, I say he picks up some South Central District Gold this weekend. 

165

No ranked wrestlers here at 165, but if I be a guessing man, this is the final I think we will see.  Dylan Reed was an NJCAA qualifier last season & Blake Winsor won the Cougar Open earlier this season. 

174

Scout Trotter is the obvious favorite here at 174 lbs, but seeing that the South Central District is being hosted by Pratt, I can see Trystian Juarez giving him a respectable match.  Juarez was the runner-up at the Cougar Open earlier this season. 

184

Another weight class that doesn't feature any ranked wrestlers, but should still have a good final.  I'm predicting that the Beavers have another finalist in Drew Withington, Cougar Open champion earlier this season.  I believe his finals opponent will be Maleek Ayonrinde, an NJCAA qualifier last year, who placed 3rd at Dan Harris earlier this season. 

197

Beavers look to crown yet another champion in front of their home crowd. Preston Hagel, who won the Cougar Open earlier this year.   Look for Draven Pipkin, an NJCAA qualifier from last season, to be his opponent in the finals. 

HWT

3rd in the South Central District last year & a match shy of being an NJCAA All-American, Jude Beers is having a great season thus far.  Titles won at the Falcon Open, Viking Open & the Millikin Invitational, he was 3rd at the Drury Open.  Look for Brayden Hill to be his finals opponent & we could see a darkhorse finalist in Sebastian Lopez, another home crowd favorite, winner of the Cougar Open earlier this year. 

2026 WEST DISTRICT Preview (Sat Feb 14th)

 

Hard to believe but the 2025-2026 NJCAA wrestling season is coming to an end.  We're in qualifier time & we start things off here in the West District.  Hosted by Southwestern Oregon, tournament looks to be heavily dominated by Clackamas & North Idaho.  Although Snow has some tough wrestlers & surprisingly enough, so does Big Bend. 


Clackamas looks to show their stronghold at both 125 lbs & 149 lbs.  Allen, Texas native Kelby Bernard is having himself a great rookie season, as is returning Reggie Raiz who sat '24-'25 out.  Upsets of course can always happen, but I would look for those two weights to be easily won by the Cougars. 

As to the other weights? 

Well, if seeds hold up, we could see many exciting finals throughout the tournament.   In some weights, even some good semis, as well as consolation finals.  

Let's take a look....

133

A Cougar Vs a Cardinal, which will be the majority of the finals matches we see this Saturday at the West District.  Paris Ruiz, a freshman out of Buchanan High School in Clovis, California, an area that has been producing great talent a very long time.  His opponent is likely to be Hoyt Vass, an NJCAA qualifier from last season, who placed 3rd at the West District. 

141

Here's another battle between the two tough western United States NJCAA teams.   We have Cade McCallister, a native of Oregon & Parker Ballantyne a native of Utah.  Anxious to see if they're as close on the mat, as they are in the rankings. 

157

And yet another likely final featuring Clackamas & North Idaho as we take a look at 157 lbs.  Aaron Concepcion who started off his collegiate career at NCAA DII, has since been having a phenomenal time in the NJCAA, looking to be a title contender this year.  The two-time Alaskan High School State champion defeated Colton Tucker, an All-American candidate in his own right, 18-8 earlier this season. 

165 lbs 

Again, a likely final between Clackamas & North Idaho, & as did 125, 133, 141, 149, & 157, 165 will too favor a Cougar to win the West District title.  A West District champion a year ago, as well as an NJCAA runner-up, Henry Dillingham defeated Colton Theobold 18-11 earlier this season. 

174

Compare and contrast.  We once again look to feature North Idaho Vs Clackamas in a final, but here at 174 lbs, this time we favor the Cardinal over the Cougar.  Dylan Block, a native of Great Falls, Montana scored big points in a dual earlier this season, sticking Pablo Hernandez at the 3:49 mark.  

184

No question about it, the best weight class in the West District.  Another likely final between North Idaho & Clackamas, but both semi-finals & consolation finals well worth the watch.  Seth Martin looks to dominate the weight class, majoring Lusiano earlier this season 9-0.  Looking forward to a battle for bronze between Ken Phillips & Drake Wood, unless Phillips is able to pull off the upset against Lusiano in the semis. 

197

Through our first eight weight classes, and 197 marks the first of which that does not favor either a Cougar or a Cardinal to win the tournament.  Aiden Ford of Big Bend, comes in the favorite as we our bound to see one of our best semi-finals of the tournament between Elijah Josey & Jackson Lougen.  The last these two talents met, it was a 7-4 decision for Josey. 

HWT

The Vikings continue to show their prominence in the upper weights with West District favorite Hunter Tibodeau.  He defeated Ray Griffin, last year's West District champion & 4th place NJCAA All-American by a 4-1 score the last the two met.  Likely to be the final match of the evening, it should prove to be an epic main event.