Class D Top 10 Teams in Meets & Duals, Top 6 Individuals 12/7/18

Class D Top 10 Teams in Meets & Duals, Top 6 Individuals 12/7/18

Tournament Team Rankings

1. Burwell
2. Mullen
3. Archbishop Bergan
4. Elkhorn Valley
5. Plainview
6. Amherst
7. Neligh-Oakdale
8. Palmer
9. Morrill
10. North Central

Contenders

Clearwater/Orchard

Central Valley

High Plains

Tri County

1. Burwell

RM – Tate Phillipps (5^th), Joel Ostrom (3^rd), Bode Jensen (2^nd), Corey Dawe (5^th)

SQ – Colten Dawe, Coy Gideon, Jace Ostrom

Burwell looks to be the favorite to repeat as 3-time State Champions with a lot of athleticism and state medal potential. Upon first look, they will have to qualify as many as they can out of one of the potentially toughest districts I’ve seen in D in order to hold off some other challengers.

2. Mullen

RM – Teven Marshall (4^th), Bradey Gracey (6^th), Jade Lovitt (5^th), Ty Kvanvig (6^th), Clayton Hassett (5^th)

SQ – Zachary Sweet, Josh Cox

Biggest threat to challenge looks like Mullen. Quality depth throughout the whole line-up and a lot of recent success in the Fall season as well could carry over. Should qualify a lot of their roster and will need those extra scorers at state to keep pace with Burwell.

3. Archbishop Bergan

RM – Zach Hamilton (1^st)

SQ – Jacob Johnson, Ethan Villwok, Peyton Cone, Eli Simonson

Archbishop Bergan has a favorable district in D3 as hosts and could potentially qualify a lot of weapons to get them extra points down in Omaha.

4. Elkhorn Valley

RM – Josh McFarland (1^st),

SQ – Hunter Bennett, Adam Miller, Brock Schaecher, Shawn Klientobe

Elkhorn Valley has a lot of wrestlers with valuable state tournament experience. Will meet Burwell, Plainview, and Neligh-Oakdale in the very competitive D1 district.

5. Plainview

RM – Eli Lanham (4^th), Nate Christensen (2^nd)

SQ – Collin Gale

Plainview always brings a tough, aggressive style of wrestling to tournaments. They have a strong youth movement coming up and will look to them to help get extra points in Omaha.

6. Amherst

RM – Isaiah Shields (4^th)

SQ – Sam Florell, Drew Bogard

Amherst is similar to Plainview in a lot of ways. Quality wrestlers throughout the line-up and a strong youth movement will help them to be the favorite in D2. Could qualify several more wrestlers to help them as well.

7. Neligh-Oakdale

RM – Brock Kester (5^th), Andrew Herley (4^th)

SQ – Cameron Wilkinson, Caleb Payne, Kaleb Pofahl

N-O could make a nice run with the returners they have coming back this year. They will need to wrestle well in the D1 district to make it happen.

8. Palmer

RM – Ruger Reimers (3^rd)

SQ – Garett Jensen, Justin Kuta

Palmer is a team that could also make some noise at the state tournament this year. With the depth they have and they will be right in the running to compete with Bergan for the D2 district.

9. Morrill

RM – Tyler Nagel (2^nd), Austin Garcia (1^st)

SQ – Nathaniel Murillo, Holden Schleve

Morrill will rely on their two returning, big point scorers from last season. Without a lot of depth in the line-up, they will need last year’s qualifiers and maybe a few others to wrestle well in order break into the top 5.

10. North Central

RM – James Polen (5^th)

SQ – Thomas Klemesrud, Zak Palmer, Jared Shaw, Trace Ebert

North Central was a very young team last season and returns almost everyone. Lots of potential for this team if they can compete well against Amherst and others at the D2 district.

Dual Team Rankings

1. Burwell
2. Archbishop Bergan
3. Mullen
4. Elkhorn Valley
5. Neligh-Oakdale
6. Plainview
7. Amherst
8. High Plains
9. Clearwater/Orchard
10. Tri County

In order to qualify for the State Duals this season, they are no longer using the 4 district champions and 4 wild cards format. The duals date has changed to the Saturday before the district tournaments so they won’t factor in anymore. The qualifying method for the duals are through a wildcard system that is now based on regular season dual results. Each team must wrestle at least six duals to be eligible for the tournament. Teams also have to be able to fill at least 10 weights. With this new system, regular season duals are much more impactful. These preseason dual ratings are my best guess at who will be successful with fuller line-ups and out of class dual bonuses. All these teams should fill at least to 10 weights. Teams like Burwell, Archbishop Bergan, and Mullen all have excellent depth. Will be fun to see the dual results each week and follow the new wild card format. Good luck to all Class D wrestlers and coaches! Excited to get the wrestling season going, best time of year!

Individual Rankings

106

1. Logan Russell, High Plains
2. Tyler Nagel, Morrill
3. Jesse Sauceda, Shelton
4. Eli Lanham, Plainview
5. Brock Kester, Neligh-Oakdale
6. Hunter Bennett, Elkhorn Valley

Contenders

Lane Barton, Meridian

Thomas Klemserud, North Central

Comments

Lots of potential contenders as many wrestlers look like they will be returning to 106 from last season. Logan Russell comes in at preseason #1 and is my favorite to win a 3^rd championship. The rest of the top 5 I’m basing off of last season’s state tournament finish. Hunter Bennett got a rough draw in districts last year, should fare better his sophomore season.

113

1. Teven Marshall, Mullen
2. Adam Miller, Elkhorn Valley
3. Cameron Wilkinson, Neligh-Oakdale
4. Colten Dawe, Burwell
5. Kaden Mrsny, Pender
6. Drew Garrison, Tri-County

Contenders

Scout Ashburn, Plainview

Brendan Warman, DCS

Riley Hadwiger, Pleasanton

Comments

Teven Marshall looks like the favorite and will be a tough out at 113. Miller, Wilkinson, and Dawe are all in the loaded D1 district. Mrsny will have to hold off some talented freshmen in the D2 district and Drew Garrison should also have a favorable D3 district.

120

1. Zach Hamilton, Archbishop Bergan
2. Kobe Ellis, Winside
3. Kobe Smith, Elm Creek
4. Isaiah Shields, Amherst
5. Tate Phillips, Burwell
6. Nathaniel Murrilo, Morrill

Contenders

Jeremy Larson, Brady

Garrett Jensen, Palmer

Trevor Jedlicka, Howells-DodgeComments

120 looks similar to 106, lots of talent throughout. Preseason rankings here reflect their state finishes last season. Hamilton, Ellis, Smith, Shields, and Phillips are all very capable of challenging for gold. Hamilton and Smith shouldn’t meet up in any rounds before the finals since they will likely see each other again for a district championship in D3, probably the strongest district at this weight. I see Murrilo winning a favorable D4 district. He could potentially be a big help to Morrill’s team score in Omaha.

126

1. Keegan Casey, Thayer Central
2. Ruger Reimers, Palmer
3. Kaden Guererro, Southwest
4. Shaye Wood, Central Valley
5. Tayten Eggleston, South Loup
6. Zak Palmer, North Central

Contenders

Jade Lovitt, Mullen

Clay Church, High Plains

Justin Noel, Scribner-Snyder

Comments
Keegan Casey is my favorite for 126. Got to see him and Reimers over the summer at AAU Disney Duals and both are definitely improving. Reimers will likely meet him again in the district final and then potentially down at state. Guererro should also be right in the mix out of the D4 district. The rest of the weight is filled with past state qualifiers, wouldn’t be surprising to see a few go up. Wood and Palmer should be the favorites out of their districts.

132

1. Nate Christiansen, Plainview
2. Bradey Gracey, Mullen
3. Coy Gideon, Burwell
4. Drake Yates, Garden County
5. Luke Henn, EPPJ
6. Riley Ritner, Wilcox-Hildreth

Contenders

Chris Pinales, Archbishop Bergan

Ty Conroy, Ainsworth

Cody Hanvey, Creighton

Comments

132 is a weight I could see a few kids bump up or down in any district other than D4. Not very much state experience in this class with the exception of Christiansen, Gracey, & Gideon. Christiansen will be a heavy favorite IMO. D4 looks like it will be very competitive while D3 looks to be wide open.

138

1. Tyler Pawloski, Pleasanton (1st) D1
2. Joel Ostrom, Burwell (3rd) D1
3. Andrew Herley, Neligh-Oakdale (4th) D1
4. Trigger Pokorny, Central Valley (SQ) D1
5. Conner Sonderup, Fullerton (SQ) D1
6. Elijah Green, Nebraska Christian (6th C) D3

Contenders

Cole Laible, West Holt (SQ) D1

Cooper Coons, Twin Loup D1

Damian Stewart, Thayer Central (SQ) D3

Comments

Pawloski is my preseason #1 for good reason as he is going for his 4^th. This is another weight where certain districts will be loaded up. In D1, after Pawloski you still have Ostrom, Herley, Pokorny, Sonderup, Laible, and Coons, all contenders to medal. With limited information available right now, I’m not sure which wrestlers could come out of D2 or D4. Green and Stewart are both past qualifiers that will compete in D3 though. Very lopsided districts at this weight as of this projection.

145

1. Brett Riggs, NPSP
2. Enrique Martinez, Central Valley
3. Jacob Johnson, Archbishop Bergan
4. Sam Florell, Amherst
5. Zach Sweet, Mullen
6. Alex Schmitt, Randolph

Contenders

Breckin Ratkovec, East Butler

Jace Ostrom, Burwell

Raul Clouse, Elwood

Comments

Much more level districts at this weight. Riggs will be the favorite with his main competition in D4 being Sweet. Martinez surprised me last year and looks talented enough to challenge for the top of the medal stand this year. Johnson should have a much better draw coming out of this year’s district than last year’s loaded D2 138. Schmitt should give him some competition. Florell should win D2.

152

1. Colby Coons, Twin Loup
2. Seth Simants, Stapleton
3. Dylan Soule, High Plains
4. Brandon Bloomquist, Randolph
5. Conner Schutz, Elwood
6. Trace Ebert, North Central

Contenders

Holden Schleve, Morrill

Jaydn Smeal, GACC

William White, Sutherland

Comments

152 could shape up to be a pretty even weight class. Coons and Simants are the favorites. Simants has put in a ton of offseason work and I look to him having a breakout year. Bloomquist should have a favorable D3 district. Soule and Ebert will likely compete for the D2 district final. Schutz and Coons should be a good matchup in D1 as well.

160

1. Josh McFarland, Elkhorn Valley
2. Austin Garcia, Morrill
3. Bode Jensen, Burwell
4. James Polen, North Central
5. Blake Racicky, Ansley-Litchfield
6. Josh Cox, Mullen

Contenders

Derek Gibson, Maxwell

Colten Ratkovec, East Butler

Jackson Fuelner, Thayer Central

 

Comments

The top of 160 could be very competitive. McFarland is up from 152 and would likely meet up with Garcia the returning champ at this weight. Bode Jensen could just as easily fill one of those finals spots again too. After the top 3, Polen and Racicky should compete for the D2 district, while D3 looks like it could be wide open.

17o

1. Edwen Baptista, Friend
2. Bryce Zimmerer, Creighton
3. Tyson McCurdy, Alma
4. Noah Scott, Randolph
5. Brandon Beeson, Tri-County
6. Jayden Arehart, Neligh-Oakdale

Contenders

Talan McGill, NPSP

Bryan Zutavern, Sandhills

Comments

Edwen Baptista is my preseason pick at 170 due to his state tournament last season and his offseason. He’ll be a tough out here if he makes it down to 170. Behind him there are a few state qualifiers who could challenge. Bryce Zimmerer missed last year due to injury, but was a 5^th place medalist as a sophomore. D3 could be competitive with Scott and Beeson as well.

182

1. Dylan Horejsi, Howells-Dodge
2. Corey Dawe, Burwell
3. Karsen Hunter, Bayard
4. Chase Hausserman, Franklin
5. Brock Schaecher, Elkhorn Valley
6. Bryce Running Hawk, Hay Springs

Contenders

Ethan Villwok, Archbishop Bergan

Clay Thiele, Clearwater/Orchard

Kaleb Pofahl, Neligh-Oakdale

Justin Kuta, Palmer

Comments

Another very deep weight with lots of state qualifying experience. I have the four returning placers (Horejsi, Dawe, Hunter, and Hausserman) at the top. Any number of contenders could round out the rest. Schaecher is always dangerous and can never count out of a match. Running Hawk should be a great match-up with Hunter out in D4. No reason Villwok, Thiele, or any others couldn’t challenge the medal stand either.

195

1. Ty Kvanvig, Mullen
2. Collin Gale, Plainview
3. Drew Bogard, Amherst
4. Micah Noel, Meridian
5. Michael Jensen, Winside
6. Austin Wolfe, Medicine Valley

Contenders

Jacob Busch, Burwell

Spencer Bloomer, South Loup

Zane Musgrave, Hyannis

Comments

I see 195 as another wide open weight. Kvanvig is my preseason pick, but there are four wrestlers out of D2 Gale, Bogard, Noel, Jensen that could all compete in the medal rounds as well. Wolfe should have a great year with Kvanvig being his competition in D4. D3 is a mix of contenders. Anyone’s guess who could come out of D1.

220

1. Schuyler Brown, Overton
2. Clayton Hassett, Mullen
3. Ethan Williams, Laurel-Concord
4. Alex Slagle, Shelton
5. Peyton Cone, Archbishop Bergan
6. Landon Beaver, Wisner-Pilger

Contenders

Donovan Nolze, Clearwater/Orchard

Trenton Baier, Weeping Water

Jaxon Taubenheim, AmherstComments

Brown has the experience to run this weight class this season. Could see him finishing undefeated this season. Hassett will be a quality threat to a state final though. The rest of the weight class is evenly spread out through the districts. Slagle and Cone will be medal threats but will have Brown in the D3 finals. Williams and Beaver could be interesting at this weight as they both come down from Class C this season.

285

1. Jakob Jerabek, Arcadia/Loup City
2. Jade Buss, West Holt
3. Marcus Cave, Weeping Water
4. Logan Kircher, Southwest
5. Cameron Nelson, Plainview
6. Tommie Peed, Clearwater/Orchard

Contenders

Eli Simonson, Archbishop Bergan

Alex Hammons, Harvard

Ceasar Garduno, Minitare

Comments

Heavyweight always seems to have a lot of guys who can beat anyone else on the list at any given meet. Jerabek is my huge favorite right now with Buss behind him as the only two returning medal winners. Buss will be in what looks like the most difficult district at Hwt. in D1 with both Cave and Peed pushing him. Kircher should qualify out of D4 and is always dangerous. Cameron Nelson should also be a threat with only Jerabek to contend with in D2.