Grappler Fall Classic Preview
Date: Saturday and Sunday, September 30 - October 1st
Elite: Saturday September 30
Varsity: Sunday October 1st
Location: Wings Event Center (Kalamazoo, Michigan)
Format: Folkstyle Wrestling, Adapted High School rules with college riding time and college extended out-of-bounds rules incorporated.
Match Length:
2:00-2:00-2:00 Championship; 2-1-1 Consolation
Overtime will consist of 1:00 Sudden Victory, then 2x:30 tie breaker periods, and finally a :30 UTB.
HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday, Sep 29
3-4pm - Fast Pass Weigh-Ins (Elite & Varsity)
5:30-7:00pm - Weigh-Ins (Elite & Varsity)
Saturday, September 30
9:00am - Elite Division begins and goes to completion
3-4pm - Saturday Fast Pass Weigh-In for Varsity Division
6:00-7:30pm - Saturday Varsity Weigh-In
7:00pm (estimate) - Elite Finals
Sunday, October 1st
6:30-7:00am - Sunday morning Varsity Weigh-In
8:00am - Varsity Division Starts, goes to completion
Once again, hammers from across the #dirtysouth will hit the road this weekend and travel to Kalamazoo, Michigan for the annual Grappler Fall Classic. It is pretty incredible to see the number of wrestlers from the Southeast that travel to this event. We will focos on the High School Elite Division and the High School Girls division for this preview, but know there are plenty of other hammers making their way north (high school boys division, middle school, etc.).
So how does the SE stack up in terms of Numbers?
Well in the High School Elite Division, SE states only sit behind the host state Michigan in terms of numbers.
Michigan - 145
Florida - 64
Ohio - 43
Georgia and Tennessee each with 35
Illinois 34
In all, 23 states will be represented in the High School Elite Division. On the high school girls side it is a much different story where we could pretty much have a dual between Florida vs. Michigan - Alaska has 2, Alabama 1, with a few other states sprinkled in, but this will largely be a battle between Michigan and Florida.
We will take a quick look at each weight below for the High School Elite Division … even offering what we think might be the seeds for the event based on the information we have. That said, 1) there are always wrestlers that back out or change weights, 2) there are always wrestlers that add at the last minute, and 3) we do not know all of the kids from across the country … so take it will a gran of salt. This is also based on the latest registration that was posted on September 20th.
98 lbs.
SE Wrestlers:
Ariah Mills 8th Georgia
Teequavious Mills 10th Georgia
Triston Mouton 9th Tennessee
Isaiah Waycaster 9th Tennessee
GFC Pre-Seeds:
1. Jarrett Smith (MI)
2. Teequavious Mills (GA)
3. Ryan Totten (MI)
4. Ariah Mills (GA)
5. Jordan Zambon (MI)
6. Michael Rundell (IL)
7. EJ Smith (MI)
8. Triston Mouton (TN)
105 lbs.
SE Wrestlers:
Garrett Ferguson 10th Florida
Sebastian Gonzalez 9th Florida
Nathan Lyttle 10th Florida
Gabe Swann 10th Georgia
Ty Valenzuela 8th Georgia
Joseph Drewry 9th Tennessee
GFC Pre-Seeds:
1. Gavin Landers (IA)
2. Nico Desalvo (IA)
3. Gabe Swann (GA)
4. Mason Katschor (MI)
5. Justin Williamson (IN)
6. Anthony Garza (CA)
7. Bryan Sterling (MI)
8. Layne Martin (MI)
9. William duChemin (WI)
10. Santino DiMatteo (NJ)
11. Ethan Smith (MI)
12. Steven Vaughn (MI)
13. Jackson Soney (IL)
14. Kaleb Pratt (IL)
15. Anthony Coelho (CA)
16. Cameron Leone (MI)
Lots of wrestlers with some impressive middle school accolades, but the top pre-seeds here all have impressive high school credentials or national-level tournament credentials. I think you could make a case for Swann being #2 instead of #3, but in reality both he and Desalvo are opposite Landers who is the #1 seed. Jackson Soney at #11 and Ethan Smith at #11 are two outside the top 8 I’d be watching.
112 lbs.
SE Wrestlers:
Tyler Gray 9th Florida
Rudy Messner 11th Florida
Lucas Milian 9th Florida
Antonio Morales 9th Florida
Malachi Ortiz 11th Florida
Christian Vazquez 12th Florida
Gabriel Burns 9th Georgia
DJ Clarke 10th Georgia
Ignatius Smout 12th Tennessee
Joseph Uhorchuk 10th Tennessee
GFC Pre-Seeds:
1. Grey Burnett (OH)
2. Jojo Uhorchuk (TN)
3. Bruno Cassioppi (IL)
4. Christian Vazquez (FL)
5. DJ Clarke (GA)
6. Haydn Nutt (MI)
7. Wyatt Lees (MI)
8. Anthony Alanis (IL)
9. Mason Haines (MI)
10. Ayden Dodd (OH)
11. Brice LaFleur (MI)
12. Nathan Walkowiak (MI)
13. Brady Baker (MI)
14. Brayden Teunissen (IL)
15. Malachi Ortiz (FL)
16. Cristian Haslem (MI)
Possibly the best weight at the tournament (we will get to another one in a bit that should also be considered to be the best). Burnett getting the top seed over Uhorchuk and Cassioppi is interesting, but the three are certainly the best in the field. Really surprised ayden Dodd is seeded #10 … I would have him as high as #4. A potential quarterfinal between Vazquez and Clarke (runners-up from Florida and Georgia) would be outstanding. These will most likely change, but that’s a potential matchup we’d be watching.
119 lbs.
SE Wrestlers:
Luis Acevedo 12th Florida
Alexis de Armas 11th Florida
Roman Lermer 12th Florida
Elijah Lowe 12th Florida
Adaias Ortiz 9th Florida
Gabriel Tellez 12th Florida
Reid Yakes 9th Florida
Kaidan Holloway 11th Georgia
Antonio Mills III 10th Georgia
Ty Murray 10th Georgia
Jacob Bond 11th Tennessee
Carson Dupill 11th Tennessee
Mason Jakob 10th Tennessee
Oliver Phillips 10th Tennessee
GFC Pre-Seeds:
1. Tyler Dekraker (PA)
2. Antonio Mills (GA)
3. Carson Dupill (TN)
4. Colyn Limbert (OH)
5. Roman Lermer (FL)
6. Mason Jakob (TN)
7. Nick Sorrow (MI)
8. Jacob Bond (TN)
9. Tyson Roach (LA)
10. Ty Murray (GA)
11. Grayson Fuchs (MI)
12. Gabriel Tellez (FL)
13. Luis Acevedo (FL)
14. Elijah Lowe (FL)
15. Braden Broderick (MI)
16. Archer Anderson (MI)
Exceptional weight that features Dekraker, Limbert, Mills, a quartet of TN hammers, and many more. Each of the top 8 seeds above have won a state title. You could make a case for Michigan State Champ Conor McAlary, 2x Michigan Runner-up Carter Cichoki, 1x Michigan Runner-up Archer Anderson, FL Champ Gabriel Tellez, and 1x TN State Champ Ollie Phillips as well for being seeded in the top 8. This weight is outstanding and getting the seeds right is going to be tough. If the seeds stay the same we get the following potential Round of 16 matchups: Elijah Lowe vs. Carson Dupill, Luis Acevedo vs. Colym Limbert, Gabriel Tellez vs. Roman Lermer, Mason Jakob vs. Grayson Fuchs, Nick Sorrow vs. Ty Murray, and Tyson Roach vs. Jacob Bond … that’s solid.
125 lbs.
SE Wrestlers:
Oscar Llaguno 11th Florida
Jaiden Oliver 10th Florida
Evan Pena 12th Florida
Jovani Solis 8th Florida
Gaetano Tedesco 12th Florida
Nathaniel Williams 11th Florida
Santhosh Bonda 12th Georgia
Connor Kirby 12th Georgia
Chase Creque 11th Tennessee
Murk Romano 9th Tennessee
Ethan Uhorchuk 11th Tennessee
GFC Pre-Seeds:
1. Seth Mendoza (IL)
2. Jackson Blum (MI)
3. Caio Aron (TX)
4. Javaan Yarbrough (OH)
5. Ethan Uhorchuk (TN)
6. Easton Cooper (WI)
7. Kolten Barker (OH)
8. Garrison Weisner (OH)
9. Nathan Attisano (OH)
10. Drew Hansen (MI)
11. Kameron Luif (IL)
12. Jovani Solis (FL)
13. Canaan Spears (VA)
14. Jacob Strausbaugh (AK)
15. Chase Creque (TN)
16. Jace Morgan (MI)
Another outstanding weight that is headlined by two hammers in Seth Mendoza and Jackson Blum. Mendoza was flawless at Elite 8 two weeks ago and Blum is an absolute hammer from Michigan. Aron was an NHSCA Runner-up, Yarbrough won an Ohio Title and was an Ironman placer in 2023. From an SE perspective the name that stands out is Ethan Uhorchuk. Uhorchuk is a 3x Tennessee Champ and NHSCA All American. But the name everyone should be watching is Jovani Solis. Solis at #12 is seeded too low and a potential Round of 16 match with Uhorchuk could be a banger. This is a the type of event we love to see Solis at … we know he is super talented - now to potentially battle with Mendoza, Blum, etc. will tell you where the 8th grader stands on a national scale.
130 lbs.
SE Wrestlers:
Christian Fretwell 11th Florida
Sadiel Garcia-Menocal 11th Florida
Didier Novoa 10th Florida
Dillon Smith 11th Florida
Jake Crapps 12th Georgia
Daniel Krutules 10th Georgia
Pace Lilenfeld 10th Georgia
Maddox McArthur 11th Georgia
Kieron McCormack 11th Georgia
Chandler Sewell 12th South Carolina
Wilson Jamison 10th Tennessee
Spencer Reep 12th Tennessee
GFC Pre-Seeds:
1. Jake Crapps (GA)
2. Nikade Zinkin (CA)
3. Cameron Chinavare (MI)
4. Christian Fretwell (FL)
5. Josh Vasquez (MI)
6. Evan Stanley (IN)
7. Spencer Reep (TN)
8. Maddox McArthur (GA)
9. Nik Massaro (NY)
10. Connor Greer (MI)
11. Michael Esteban (IL)
12. Chandler Sewell (SC)
13. Eziequel Vela (CA)
14. Jaiden Sarabia (OH)
15. Ian Cook (MI)
16. Josiah Sykes (VA)
Crapps is a 2x Georgia Champ, 2x Super 32 Placer, and is the #1 pre-seed at 130. No Michigan doesn’t use the old weights (or the new weights) - they prefer to keep the weights from years ago. So you are going to see quite a few weights here in the middle. Zinkin is the #2 seed with Chinavare, a 2x Michigan Champ, #3. We are excited to see Lake Gibson’s Christian Fretwell back in action after missing the second half of Fargo. Spencer Reep and Maddox McArthur come in as the #7 and #8 pre-seeds with South Carolina’s Chandler Sewell as the #12 pre-seed. Buford’s Kieron McCormack isn’t in the pre-seeds and he will be a tough match for someone in those top 16.
135 lbs.
SE Wrestlers:
Noah Guthrie 12th Alabama
Russell Crum 12th Florida
Elvis Solis 11th Florida
Athan Toro 12th Florida
Carter Brickley 11th Georgia
Joseph Morris 12th South Carolina
Chase Hart 11th Tennessee
Matt Hart 12th Tennessee
Hunter Heflin 12th Tennessee
Malachi Puckett 9th Tennessee
Casen Roark 11th Tennessee
GFC Pre-Seeds:
1. Elvis Solis (FL)
2. Matt Hart (TN)
3. Gunner Andrick (WV)
4. Cole Evans (OH)
5. Evan Gosz (IL)
6. Casen Roark (TN)
7. Lincoln Gregersen (CO)
8. Mikey Wilson (MI)
9. Talan Hubbard (OH)
10. Connor Younts (MI)
11. Donavon Allen (IL)
12. Landon Thomas (MI)
13. Quinten Cassiday (MI)
14. Justin Wardlow (IL)
15. Tristan Corbin (PA)
16. Hunter Heflin (TN)
Another outstanding weight headlined by some SE hammers. EJ Solis was 2nd here a year ago and is a Florida State Champ, NHSCA Champ, and so on. Matt Hart is a 2x National Prep Placer and is now at Baylor. And the SE crew all knows West Virginia’s Gunner Andrick out of Point Pleasant. Andrick was the only non-SE wrestler to claim a Knockout title last year - beating Amantee Mills in the finals. Andrick is also 2x West Virginia State Champ. Cole Evans is an Ohio State Champ, Evan Gosz is a 2x Illinois State Placer, and Casen Roark is a 2x Tennessee State Champ and 2x National Prep Placer. This weight is stacked from top to bottom. Surprised to see Jojo Moris not get a seed … he is a 3x South Carolina State Champion - looking up to 140 - Morris is seeded #5 (perhaps he’s changed weights since the last time we got the entry list).
140 lbs.
SE Wrestlers:
Jayden Bowles 11th Florida
Ryan Phillips 12th Florida
Brendan P. Rodriguez 11th Florida
Nate Askew 11th Tennessee
Titus Norman 10th Tennessee
Riddeck Romano 11th Tennessee
Arash Yazdani 12th Tennessee
GFC Pre-Seeds:
1. Tyler Guerra (IL)
2. Nate Askew (TN)
3. Blake Cosby (MI)
4. Owen Segorski (MI)
5. Joseph Morris (SC)
6. Ryan Phillips (FL)
7. Brogan Fielding (OH)
8. Maximus Dhabolt (IA)
9. Titus Norman (TN)
10. Jayden Bowles (FL)
11. Arash Yazdani (TN)
12. Jonathan Krebs (MI)
13. Xavier Carpentier (MI)
14. Gavin Drenten (MI)
15. Joel Sullivan (WI)
16. Bryson Hernandez (MI)
Six of the top #11 pre-seeds are from the SE with Tennessee State Champ and 2x National Prep Placer Nate Askew coming in #2. Jojo Morris is seeded 5th with Ryan Phillips of Florida 6th. Illinois State Runner-up Tyler Guerra is the top seed with a pair of Michigan hammers (Segorski and Cosby) coming in as the #3 and #4 seeds. I could be wrong, but this seems like a weight where several of the top 8 really have a shot to make an impact and take home the title.
145 lbs.
SE Wrestlers:
Mason Basile 9th Florida
Austin Chung 12th Florida
Michael Mancuso 12th Florida
Draven McCall 11th Florida
Gavin Nolan 11th Florida
Hudson Danielson 12th Georgia
Marley Washington 12th Georgia
Jack Martin 11th North Carolina
George Maholtz 11th South Carolina
Mason Butler 11th Tennessee
Robert Hutton 12th Tennessee
GFC Pre-Seeds:
1. Cameron Catrabone (NY)
2. George Maholtz (SC)
3. Joseph Sanderfer (OH)
4. Marley Washington (GA)
5. Landyn Crance (MI)
6. Austin Chung (FL)
7. Draven McCall (FL)
8. Gavin Nolan (FL)
9. Mason Basile (FL)
10. Parker Casey (IA)
11. Mason Butler (TN)
12. Brayden Brown (OH)
13. Zephan Catalina (MI)
14. Ayden Mosher (MI)
15. Grady Rousse (MI)
16. Jacob Gillison (MI)
Joseph Sanderfer wasn’t on the original entry list we received, but his addition makes 145 a weight to watch. Catrabone is a New York State Champ and won GFC a year ago … he’s a hammer and deserves the #1 seed. Maholtz is a 2x South Carolina Champ, Crance is a 2x Michigan Champ and both finished on the podium last year at this event. Georgia State Champ Marley Washington is the #4 seed and then you have a quartet of Floridians from #6 to #9. Few have had a better fall than Florida State Placer Austin Chung … excited to see if he can continue that momentum this weekend in Michigan. Tennessee State Placer Mason Butler is pre-seeded #11 … Brayden Brown, an Ohio State Placer is someone outside the top 8 that I’d keep an eye on.
152 lbs.
SE Wrestlers:
Carson Baert 11th Florida
Gavin Balmeceda 12th Florida
Jose Gutierrez 11th Florida
Anderson Heap 12th Florida
Gianni Maldonado 12th Florida
Gabriel Noguel 11th Florida
Kawayran Vazquez Jr 9th Florida
Nathan Bowen 12th Georgia
Aidan Piatt 11th Georgia
Colin Lutz 12th North Carolina
Jacob Barlow 12th Tennessee
Findley Smout 10th Tennessee
Hunter Sturgill 11th Tennessee
GFC Pre-Seeds:
1. Hunter Sturgill (TN)
2. Justin Gates (MI)
3. Casper Stewart (NY)
4. Anderson Heap (FL)
5. Gianni Maldonado (FL)
6. William Denny (IL)
7. Gavin Balmeceda (FL)
8. Jay'Den Williams (MI)
9. Mason Stewart (MI)
10. Will Deutschland (TX)
11. Kawayran Vasquez (FL)
12. Joey DiVello (VA)
13. Nathan Bowen (GA)
14. Liam Kelly (IL)
15. Jacob Barlow (TN)
16. Matthew Joyce (MI)
Definitely a weight to watch with Hunter Sturgill coming in as the top pre-seed. This weight is deep though with 2x Michigan Champ and GFC Runner-up Justin Gates the 2 seed, nationally ranked Casper Stewart of New York the 3 seed, and Florida hammers Anderson Heap and Gianni Maldonado the #4 and #5 seeds. Gavin Balmeceda is #7, KJ Vazquez is #11, Nathan Bowen is #13, and Jacob Barlow of Tennessee is #15. In my opinion, Barlow is seeded too low. AJ Piatt is going to be a tough out for someone early on in the tournament.
160 lbs.
SE Wrestlers:
Mac Andrews 10th Florida
Brandon Cody 12th Florida
Kendrick Hodge 12th Florida
Eric Hodge 11th Florida
Derik Palmer 9th Florida
Franco Rivas 12th Florida
JT Bowers 11th Georgia
Davis Dendy 12th Georgia
Christopher Mance III 11th Georgia
Ethan Secoy 10th Georgia
Andrew Meadows 10th North Carolina
Drake Bowers 12th Tennessee
Seth Lindsay 12th Tennessee
Maximus Norman 11th Tennessee
GFC Pre-Seeds:
1. Max Norman (TN)
2. Christopher Mance (GA)
3. Kendrick Hodge (FL)
4. Brandon Cody (FL)
5. Jimmy Mastny (IL)
6. Connor Holm (OH)
7. Tristin Greene (OH)
8. Kole Katschor (MI)
9. Kaden King (OH)
10. Jake Wood (OH)
11. Eddie Enright (IL)
12. Davis Dendy (GA)
13. Finn Shepard (TX)
14. Drake Bowers (GA)
15. JT Bowers (GA)
16. Kaiden Antonacci (TX)
With the number of SE hammers at 160, 171, as well as the other weights … we need have a Grappler Fall Classic Southern version. 7 wrestlers from the SE are pre-seeded at 160 with the SE taking the top 4 seeds. 2x Tennessee State champ and nationally ranked Max Norman is the #1 seed, 2x Georgia Champ Chris Mance is the #2 seed, 2x Florida State Champ Kendrick Hodge is the 3 seed, and 2x Florida State Runner-up, NHSCA All American and Fargo All American Brandon Cody is the 4 seed. Norman, Mance, and Hodge all wrestled at the Elite 8 … don’t know if they saw one another, but that would make seeding very easy if they did. Jimmy Mastny is a freshman hammer from Illinois and one to keep an eye on. Georgia State Champ Davis Dendy is pre-seeded too low and can certainly go with any of the hammers from the SE that are seeded much higher than him.
171 lbs.
SE Wrestlers:
Gabriel Beracasa 12th Florida
Jace Brownlow 12th Florida
Gunner Holland 12th Florida
Evanangelo Mercado 11th Florida
Elijah Penton 12th Florida
Noah Perez 12th Florida
Dominic Bambinelli 11th Georgia
Robert De Haven Jr. 11th Georgia
Jaxon Delgado 11th Georgia
Brogan Flannigan 12th Georgia
Tyler Secoy 12th Georgia
Jesiah Townsel 12th Georgia
Jake Stacey 12th Tennessee
Briar Whaley 12th Tennessee
GFC Pre-Seeds:
1. Dominic Bambinelli (GA)
2. Colin Kelly (IL)
3. Tyler Secoy (GA)
4. Gunner Holland (FL)
5. Luke James (OH)
6. Elijah Penton (FL)
7. Jake Stacey (TN)
8. Carlos Garcia (CA)
9. Gavin Craner (MI)
10. Andrew Barford (OH)
11. Robert DeHaven (GA)
12. Tanner Hodgins (NJ)
13. Gideon Gerber (CA)
14. Tyler Schofield (MI)
15. Jace Brownlow (FL)
16. Briar Whaley (TN)
There are more wrestlers from the #dirtysouth at 171 than there are wrestlers from everywhere else combined. Still the SE hammers making their way north are outstanding. We got to see some of these matchups at Elite 8 - Bambinelli vs. Holland or Holland vs. Penton … Stacey was at 182 for Elite 8 so we didn’t see him against the others and I don’t believe Penton and Bambinelli wrestled (but I could be wrong). Excited to see Tyler Secoy back in action as well as Robby DeHaven, Jace Brownlow, and Briar Whaley - all of which are pre-seeded in the top 16. For those outside the SE … Colin Kelly is a hammer out of Illinois and it will be interesting to see him go against a few of the best from the SE. Carlos Garcia is a 2x California State Placer and NHSCA All American. This weight is stacked and should be one to watch with some top level talent.
189 lbs.
SE Wrestlers:
Joel Carrillo 12th Florida
Jett McCauley 12th Florida
Myron Mendez 10th Florida
Matthew Rojas 12th Florida
Christopher Sanchez 12th Florida
Jack Godbee 11th Georgia
Simon Palatchi 12th Georgia
Ashton Boswell 11th Tennessee
GFC Pre-Seeds:
1. Eddie Neitenbach (OH)
2. Matthew Kubas (IL)
3. Rylan Breen (IL)
4. Christopher Sanchez (FL)
5. Derek Badgley (MI)
6. Jett McCauley (FL)
7. Gabe Gair (MI)
8. Jack Godbee (GA)
9. Trey Myers (MI)
10. Brock Trevino (MI)
11. Matthew Rojas (FL)
12. Gavin Turk (MI)
Neitenbach is a 2x Ohio State Placer, Kubas and Green are both hammers out of Illinois, and Derek Badgley is a 3x Michigan State Placer. South Dade’s Christopher Sanchez, Charlotte’s Jett McCauley, Vidalia’s Jack Godbee and Archbishop McCarthy’s Matthew Rojas are all pre-seeded from the SE.
215 lbs.
SE Wrestlers:
Gabe Solis 11th Florida
Aaron Riner 12th Georgia
GFC Pre-Seeds:
1. Aaron Riner (GA)
2. Connor Bercume (MI)
3. Joey Scaramuzzino (MI)
4. Joel Simon (MI)
5. Caden Brewer (IN)
6. Elias Corona (CA)
7. Jayden Bartoszek (IN)
8. Leyton Detter (MI)
9. Logan Tollison (MI)
10. Gabe Solis (FL)
Much smaller weight with Georgia State Runner-up Aaron Riner as the #1 seed. Riner has had a good fall with some solid wins at the Georgia Super 32 EE Tournament as well as at Elite 8. Scaramuzzino was a Michigan State Runner-up at 215 and Elias Corona was a California State Qualifier.
285 lbs.
SE Wrestlers:
John Arellano 12th Florida
Carter Gore 12th Florida
Chipper Creager 12th Georgia
Seaton Tallent 11th Tennessee
GFC Pre-Seeds:
1. Emilio Johnson (CA)
2. John Arellano (FL)
3. Zachary Hayes (MI)
4. Tanner Craft (MI)
5. Chipper Creager (GA)
6. Seaton Tallent (TN)
7. Carter Gore (FL)
Big guys traveling a long way … throw them in a round robin and let everyone wrestle each other. 6 matches is a solid weekend of competing. Emilio Johnson is a California State Qualifier and comes in as the top seed. Creager and Tallent both qualified for their state tournaments in 2023 as well.