By Rob Sherrill, W.I.N. High School Editor

Last year, I introduced a column that looked at this new group of NCAA Div. I All-Americans in terms of their high school careers. To put it another way, how far have college medal winners come since those good old days as high school wrestlers.

            Evaluating wrestlers is a lot more difficult than evaluating players in other sports. For football coaches, it’s easy to cross that line prospect off their lists if they’re not at least 6-foot-3 or don’t run a 4.4 40. It’s easy to cross the pitching prospect off the list that isn’t 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds. Or that point guard phenom, who stands only 5-foot-9.

            So what does it mean if you’re not No. 1 on the list? Looking at the NCAA All-Americans from one year to the next, not much.

            Last year, only eight of the 20 NCAA finalists finished No. 1 in my rankings and only half of them won. Ten All-Americans finished their high school senior seasons unranked entirely. So did University of California-Davis’ 141-pound champion Derek Moore, who eventually was voted the meet’s Outstanding Wrestler.        

            And that’s why it’s fun to look back. Success comes from talent, athletic ability, technique and perhaps most of all, a passion for the sport. As we look back at today’s stars, the lesson is that I was wrong … a lot. But so, it turns out, were those of you who skewered me regularly about “that guy I can’t believe he had ranked.”

            This year, only seven finalists were ranked No. 1 and 13 All-Americans finished their high school careers unranked. It can be done. Here’s a quick rundown, weight by weight, on some of the 2008 college All-Americans and where they were rated as preps:

            125 pounds: Champion Angel Escobedo of Indiana was the only No. 1 at this weight when he represented Griffith, Ind. High School, but three All-Americans — Minnesota’s Jayson Ness (Bloomington, Minn., Kennedy), Stanford’s Tanner Gardner (Shawne Heights of Berryton, Kan.) and Iowa’s Charlie Falck (Apple Valley, Minn.)  — finished No. 2 and six finished fourth or better. Eighth-place James Nicholson of Old Dominion was No. 9 while competing for Des Moines (Iowa) Roosevelt. Penn State’s Mark McKnight (South Fayette in McDonald, Pa.) wasn’t in our final 2003 rankings, but he doesn’t really count. McKnight was a fixture throughout most of his high school career and rose as high as No. 6 in our late January rankings as a senior.

            133 pounds: Oklahoma State’s Coleman Scott, another No. 1 as a prep at Waynesburg (Pa.) Central, rose to the top at OSU. He was the only No. 1, but all eight finished high. Michigan State’s Franklin Gomez (third with Brandon, Fla.) and Cornell’s Mike Grey (sixth with Delbarton of Rockaway, N.J.) were No. 2. Finalist Joey Slaton of Iowa was the lowest ranked at No. 8 with Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Kennedy. Only three other finalists were lower.

            141 pounds: Last year, we waited until the 157-pound final before a wrestler who finished No. 1 as a prep won a college title. Ohio State’s J Jaggers (St. Peter Chanel of Northfield, Ohio) made it 3-for-3 to start the finals. The former Junior Dan Hodge Trophy winner was one of two No. 1’s to become All-Americans, with two-time fourth-place finisher Nathan Morgan (Bakersfield, Calif.) of Oklahoma State the other. Iowa State’s Nick Gallick (Sunnyside in Tucson, Ariz.) was No. 3 and Cal Poly’s Chad Mendes, the other finalist, was No. 6 (with Hanford, Calif.). However, Hofstra’s Charles Griffin, who finished third, checked in at No. 15 (with Reading, Pa.). Army’s Matt Kyler (sixth) was No. 14 at Clearfield, Pa., and the wrestlers who met for seventh place, Minnesota’s Manuel Rivera and Tennessee-Chattanooga’s Cody Cleveland, never got a sniff of the rankings in their high school careers at Rosemead in El Monte, Calif., and McCallie in Tullahoma, Tenn., respectively.

            149 pounds: A loaded weight with a star-studded cast. Seven of the eight All-Americans finished their high school careers ranked fourth or better, with North Carolina State’s Darrion Caldwell (fifth), Minnesota’s Dustin Schlatter (seventh) and Ohio State’s Lance Palmer (eighth) all finishing No. 1 at Rahway, N.J., St. Paris Graham (Ohio) and St. Eds of Lakewood, Ohio, respectively. Finalists Brent Metcalf (Davison, Mich.) of Iowa and Bubba Jenkins (First Colonial of Virginia Beach, Va.) of Penn State were No. 2s. Michigan’s Josh Churella (fourth) was the lowest of the group at No. 9 with Novi of Northfield, Mich.

            157 pounds: Cornell’s Jordan Leen finished his high school career at The Baylor School in Soddy Daisy, Tenn., a robust No. 14, the second lowest of any champion. The other finalist, Illinois’ Mike Poeta, and Iowa State’s Cyler Sanderson (seventh) finished their careers No. 1 at Highland Park in Highwood, Ill., and Wasatch in Heber City, Utah, respectively. Indiana’s Jonathan Becker (fourth) and Edinboro’s Gregor Gillespie (fifth) checked in at No. 3 with Kingsway of Mickleton, N.J, and Webster (N.Y) Schroeder. Meanwhile, Stanford’s two-time All-American, Josh Zupancic, was No. 13 with Walsh Jesuit in Ohio and Bloomsburg’s Matt Moley (Spring-Ford in Phoenixville, Pa.), who came all the way through consolations to reach the All-America round (eighth), was unranked.

            165 pounds: It was feast or famine here. Mark Perry of Iowa (No. 1) from Blair Academy and Michigan’s four-time All-American Eric Tannenbaum (No. 2) of Naperville (Ill.) North, formed a star-studded finals pair. Cornell’s Mack Lewnes (fourth) also was a No. 1 with Mt. St. Joes of Annapolis, Md., and Iowa State’s Jon Reader (seventh) was No. 3 with Davison, Mich. Then there was third-place Nick Marable (No. 17 with Christian Brothers in Collierville, Tenn.) of Missouri, one of three Tennessee All-Americans, and eighth-place Steven Dwyer (No. 15) of Nebraska, formerly of Hononegah in Rockton, Ill. And the wrestlers who met for fifth place, Northern Iowa’s Moza Fay and American’s Mike Cannon, were unranked.

            174 pounds: What a career Pittsburgh’s Keith Gavin had — particularly since he was unranked to finish his high school career at Lackawanna Trail in Factoryville, Pa. Ditto for Nebraska’s Brandon Browne, from Plattsmouth, Neb., who finished fourth. So half of the wrestlers finishing in the top half of the All-America stack were unranked. Navy’s Matt Stolpinski (eighth) certainly got plenty of mileage out of his No. 14 ranking at Phillips in Westfield, Mass., with two All-America finishes. The other five-All-Americans finished No. 7 or better, with Michigan’s Steve Luke, who faced Gavin in the finals, ending his high school career No. 1 with Massillon (Ohio) Perry.

            184 pounds: Ohio State’s Mike Pucillo and Iowa State’s Jake Varner finished 1-2 in the 2005 rankings at 189 at Cuyahoga, Ohio, and Bakersfield, Calif.…and by the slimmest of margins, the same order held in St. Louis. Five of the eight All-Americans were No. 5 or better. But underdogs had their day in the final three weights. Missouri’s Raymond Jordan (fifth) finished No. 19 with New Bern, N.C., and Central Michigan’s Christian Sinnott (fourth) and Oklahoma State’s Jack Jensen (seventh) were unranked with Allen Park, Mich., and Sheboygan, Wisc., respectively.

            197 pounds: How’s this for turning the rankings upside down? The finals matched Penn State’s Phil Davis (No. 12 with Harrisburg, Pa.), who became the third NCAA champion ranked in double digits or lower, against Central Michigan’s Wynn Michalak (unranked with Caro, Mich.). Throw in defending champion Josh Glenn of American (fifth) at No. 14 with Johnson City, N.Y., and a pair of unranked wrestlers — Nebraska’s Craig Brester, formerly of Howells, Neb., finished fourth and Wisconsin’s Dallas Herbst (sixth) of Winneconne, Wisc., and underdogs ruled the weight. Missouri’s Max Askren, who finished seventh, had the highest ranking at No. 3 with Arrowhead High in Hartland, Wisc.

            Heavyweight: Navy’s Ed Prendergast, who gave his hometown fans plenty to cheer about with his third-place finish, was the 13th unranked wrestler (from DeSmet Jesuit in St. Louis) to achieve All-America status. Central Michigan’s Bubba Gritter (seventh), a two-time All-American, was No. 12 with Grandville, Mich. and Iowa State’s Dave Zabriskie (sixth) was No. 19 with High Point in Branchville, N.J.. The other five All-Americans all were fourth or better, with champion Dustin Fox of Northwestern the No. 4 with Galion, Ohio. The lone No. 1, Iowa’s Matt Fields (fifth) of North Cedar High near Lowden, Iowa, closed his career with his first All-America finish.

            So…what does all of this mean?

            More than anything, it means that the wrestlers don’t care about the rankings. A No. 1 ranking doesn’t guarantee you anything but a big bulls-eye. And not being No. 1 probably translates more to motivation than it does to failure.

            Just as you give it your best shot every time out, we promise to do the same.

            (Rob Sherrill is one of the top high school wrestling analysts in the country and a long-time columnist of W.I.N. He also publishes the “American High School Wrestling Yearbook”. To order a copy, e-mail him at centermatpress@hotmail.com.)

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