Junior World bronze medalist Stoll is top prep heavyweight in 2013-14

By Rob Sherrill

In looking ahead to this winter’s upcoming high school season, WIN Magazine is looking back at the top wrestlers from last season who are expected to return this season. The examination of these weight classes comes from individual wrestlers’ performances this past summer at the Cadet/Junior Nationals and Disney Duals. This week’s preview — and the final in a weekly series — is a look back and ahead at heavyweight.

Click here to view WIN’s 2013-14 Preseason High School National Rankings

Rankings will be subject to change as weight classes are updated as the season grows nearer.

Here’s how they finished in the WIN rankings last year, minus those who graduated:

4.                   Sam Stoll                                    Sr.                  Kasson, MN K.-Mantorville

5.                   Nick Nevills                                    Sr.                  Clovis, CA

9.                   Brian Allen                                    Sr.                  Hinsdale, IL Central

10.                   Michael Johnson                  Jr.                  Lombard, IL Montini

15.                   Shane Kuhn                                    Sr.                  Vandergrift, PA Kiski Area

18.                   Harrison Phillips                  Sr.                  Omaha, NE Millard West

20.                   Tanner Farmer                                    Sr.                  Highland, IL

Not a lot of quantity here, but that doesn’t mean there’s not quality. Some really good heavyweights were knocked off the list last spring during the all-star tournaments. They’ve returned to the list as seniors, often high.

Let’s enjoy Allen while we can, because this is the last we’ll see of him on the mat. Rated the No. 3 football center prospect in the Class of 2014 by scout.com and No. 5 by rivals.com, Allen will sign a national letter of intent with Michigan State University in February. His brother, Jack, who preceded him as a state champion and highly-ranked WIN heavyweight, is also a current Spartan football player. Perhaps the best heavyweight in the nation on his feet, Brian Allen regularly showed moves many 126-pounders would envy.

Having said that, it’s hard to distinguish between Stoll and Nevills. Not on the basis of off-season events, though.

OW: Stoll

This is a no-brainer, even more so than Kyle Snyder’s selection last week at 220. Stoll beat last year’s all-everything heavyweight — current University of Michigan true freshman Adam Coon — in the finals of both styles in the FILA Junior Nationals. He competed on the Greco-Roman World Team in Sofia, Bulgaria, bringing home a bronze medal. Stoll went 3-1 at the event, scoring a technical fall over a Bulgarian opponent and got his bronze medal by pinning his Iranian opponent. Coon earned some revenge with a technical fall in the Junior National Greco-Roman final.

Honorable Mention:

• Wes Bernard, senior, Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral — The state placewinner recorded several quality wins as he finished fourth in the Junior Nationals in freestyle, and also was the Central Region runner-up.

• Jesse Webb, senior, Bennington (Vt.) Mount Anthony — The three-time state placewinner, who also dominated a strong weight class en route to the New England title, was a double Junior National All-American.

• Mike Hobbs, senior, Downers Grove (Ill.) South — He won’t be the second in line behind Allen next year — fellow All-American Adarios Jones of Moline will — but it was Hobbs who picked up more quality wins in the off-season, including a win over Webb, in earning double Junior All-America honors.

• Zach Dawe, senior, Pleasant Grove (Utah) — Like Allen, we won’t see Dawe after this season as he will also be signing a football national letter of intent with Brigham Young University in February. He didn’t compete at Fargo, but went a perfect 8-0 in the Junior National Duals in Greco-Roman, with a 13-3 overall mark that included several quality wins.

There were stellar performers at the Disney Duals that are worth mentioning. Pennsylvania placewinner Tracey Green of Norristown Methacton, competing for Middle Atlantic Blue, started the tournament 9-0 before losing 3-2 to Michigan runner-up Parker Tillman of Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central. Green earned a silver medal, while Tillman, with a pair of one-point losses to graduated opponents, was a bronze medalist for Michigan MYWA Blue.