Massa, Morse among Michigan's best bets this weekend
Michigan preview for 2009 Super 32s

10/19 - As the hype and notoriety of the Super 32 Challenge continues to grow, so does the amount of Michiganders making the trip to Greensboro to try their luck.  This year over 50 of Michigan's best High School wrestlers will be wrestling at the Super 32 as they battle for their shot at one of those marvelous belts.

In the past three wrestlers have returned to the Great Lake State with a belt in hand.  The first was Jon Reader of Davison a few years back, and then the last two years there has been a Michigan champ each year with Jacob Burge of Mason in 2007 and Jackson Morse of Lowell last year.

This year Morse will look to be the first ever Michigander to win multiple Super 32 titles, however, he like just about everyone else competing will have his hands full with this year's field.

The group of Michigan kids making the trip is significantly larger and deeper than it has been in year's past, so it is inevitable that we will have a good number of kids breaking through as placewinners and hopefully champions. A brief overview of the registered wrestlers and you will notice that according to Michigan Grappler's recruiting rankings, the top wrestler of each class (Freshman thru Senior) is registered to compete.  In addition, at least the top three from the Senior, Junior, and Sophomore classes are slated to compete.

With the multitude of talent making the trip to Greensboro this weekend, there is an immense group of kids who should be in contention at their respective weights, however, below is who we believe to be the big names to keep an eye on, and the best bets to bring home a belt.

10/20 Update - We have been informed that Darius Wass (125-Swan Valley) and Ryan Nieman (135-Bullock Creek) will not be competing this weekend.  Wass is out due to injury and Nieman will be on a recruiting visit.

MICHIGAN'S BEST BETS:

  • Taylor Massa (St Johns) - Massa is the #1 ranked Sophomore in the country according to InterMat and his big stage expierence far exceeds any other Michigander.  He has won double titles in Fargo the past two summers and he was 2nd at this tournament last year, not to mention 3rd at this tournament as an 8th grader.  His weight class is stacked, however, he is tough to score on and it is hard to see anyone besides one of the top 2 or 3 in his weight challenging him.

  • Jackson Morse (Lowell) - Morse is the top senior in Michigan and he is the only Michigander entered who already owns a belt.  This year he will be gunning for his 2nd and Massa might be his toughest challenge.  They wrestled last year, with Massa coming out on top in a close match at the Team State Dual Tournament.  Morse knows how to survive this tournament as he did so last year knocking off three nationally ranked wrestlers en route to his title.  He won't be playing the role of sleeper this year so he better be ready as a target is on his back being the returning champ.


  • Freddie Rodriguez (Holt) - Rodriguez missed this summer and sat out of Fargo, however, he should primed and ready to get back into the swing of things.  He was one of the country's best 103lbers last year as an undersized freshman, so this year he should be a man among boys in this weight class.  Rodriguez has beaten or placed higher than most of the other contenders in this weight over the last couple years, so he is an obvious favorite to place high.  He was a FILA Cadet National Champ the last time he was seen on the national stage and he could very well be back on top in his return.

  • Jordan Thomas (Greenville) - Thomas, like the other top Sophomores, has a plethera of national expierence and he should come into this tournament primed to make a run.  He is very tough to score on and could be argued to be a better folkstyle wrestler than freestyle.  The format of this tournament definitely suits his style and he will be looking to prove himself after falling just short of winning a Cadet Freestyle National Title last July.

  • Conor Youtsey (Mason) - The #1 ranked Junior in the state, Youtsey had a strong showing last spring to finish 2nd at the Western Junior Regional, but an injury kept him out of Fargo.  In the past year he has beaten a Senior National All-American (Kyle Waldo) and a Junior National Champion (Levi Wolfensperger-Iowa), so there is no doubt that this kid can compete at high levels. This weekend could be a good opportunity for him to break out in what is arguably the toughest weight class (119)

  • Nick McDiarmid (Hartland) - McDiarmid is ranked as one of the Top 15 215lbers in the country and he is back after finishing 3rd in this tournament at this weight last year.  The 215lb weight is significantly smaller  than the lower weight classes, so him placing in the Top 8 is almost inevitable.  There are 3 guys currently ranked ahead of him nationally, so McDiarmid could seriously improve his national rankability with a strong showing this weekend.

  • Jake Dorulla (Rockford) - Dorulla is one of the most talented big guys in the state and in his 171lb weight class he should be a major player this weekend.  He is currently ranked 12th at 171lbs by WIN and that could go up after this weekend and I dont really see anyone in his weight class that he cannot compete with.  He won the Preseason Nationals last year in Iowa, so he is no stranger to being sucessfull in October/November.

  • Jordan Wohlfert (St. Johns) - Wohlfert showed his ability to win big matches when it counts this summer as he battled back from a 1st day loss at Fargo to win a Cadet National Title.  He is currently ranked in the top 20 at 145lbs by WIN Magazine and he will likely need to show the same grit he showed in the FargoDome a few months ago if he wants to go deep in this star-studded weight.

  • Alec Mooradian (DCC) - In the past year Mooradian has continued to prove himself at every tournament he competes in, from the Goodrich TOC to the Division 1 State Tournament, to the FILA Cadet Nationals to Fargo - he has won and placed high everywhere he has wrestled, so it is hard to believe he won't do the same at 119lbs this weekend.  He wrestled  well here last year as a freshman and he holds good position and is very tough to score on, which makes him dangerous in this short-period format.

  • Joe Rendina (Dundee) - Rendina had a very strong Spring/Summer, placing at the FILA Cadet Nationals, winning the Western Junior Regional, and finishing a match short of placing in Fargo.  He is awkward to wrestle at times with his length and strength for the 125lb weight class and he seems to be a better folkstyle wrestler than freestyle, which leads one to believe he should be right in the hunt this weekend.

  • Andrew Morse (Lowell) - Morse got his first real taste of national success last spring at the Western Junior Regional, where he finished 2nd, and he could be primed to come out of his shell this weekend in Greensboro.  The 145lb weight class is absolutley stacked, so Morse should have plenty of opportunities to score some big, big wins.


KEEP YOUR EYE ON....
Here is a list of some other Michiganders who have had all kinds of in-state success and have been on the brink of making major waves on the national scene, this weekend could be their chance!
  • Jacob Schmitt (St Johns, 103) - He was a double all-american in Fargo at 91lbs and placing here in this tough 103lb weight class will validate his Fargo success heading into his freshman year.
  • Nick Smith (Ida, 119) - 2x State Champ at 119 with a few big in-state wins, he was also competetive in Disney, which was his first major national exposure.  He should be as big as anyone at 119lbs.
  • Chris Rau (Dundee, 119) - Rau has been in the mix with the state's top lightweights the last two years and he has wrestled at many national events, including Disney the last two summers, he has the tools to be competetive.
  • Ben Matthieson (Holt, 125) - After falling just short of winning a Division 1 state title last year, he has shown that he is a top tier lightweight in Michigan.  He has a lot of national expierence (Fargo, Disney, Cadet Duals), so he should be ready to step in and compete with the big dogs.
  • Roger Wildmo (Durand, 140) - Wildmo is pretty much a household name in Michigan, but has not gotten out much nationally yet, this will be his opportunity.  He has been right on the brink of beating Ryan Nieman twice and Nieman was one of the favorites at135, so he should be right in the mix if he wrestles well.
  • Garrett Schaner (Big Rapids, 145) - Schaner has been one of Michigan's top middleweights the last few years and has been right on the cusp of placing in Fargo a couple times.  His Fargo expierence should help him tackle this bear of a one-day tournament in a bear of a weight class.
  • Steve Sattler (Anchor Bay, 145) - Very talented wrestler who has not had much national exposure, Sattler could do alot for his recruiting stock if he can string some wins together and go deep in this weight class.
  • Jake Johnson (Rockford, 160) - He is a returning D1 state finalist and comes in with a lot of national expierence, this weekend could be a good chance for him to prove himself on the national stage heading into his senior season.







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