1. Conor Youtsey
4. Roger Wildmo
2. Devin Pommerenke
COMMITTED TO CENTRAL MICHIGAN
COMMITTED TO CENTRAL MICHIGAN5. Chris Rau
School:
Projected 10-11 HS Weight:
Proj College Weight:
Career Record:
High School State Placings:
National Accolades:
3. Joe Rendina
6. Victor Vettese
7. Brandon Fifield
8. Camryn JacksonCOMMITTED TO MICHIGAN
COMMITTED TO MICHIGAN9. Justin Heiserman
10. Joey White
A word to describe him: Stingy - One of the best qualities in Youtsey is
how well he holds position and keeps his oppponents at bay. Most of his
big national wins come from the ability to shut his opponent's offense down
and capitalize off of mistakes.
Scouting Report: Coming into this spring and summer the top 3 or 4 guys
in this class were all pretty similiar in terms of in-state and national
success. However, over this summer Youtsey has created a bit of
separation from the pack. Since winning the FloNationals without
surrendering an offensive point, he went on to put together a summer filled
with big-time wins including three wins over wrestlers who ended last
season ranked Top 10 in the country by InterMat: Bricker Dixon (#4 at 112), Jerome Robinson (#5 at 119), and Mark Grey (#9 @119). He beat Grey, who is a 3x Fargo National Champ, at the FILA Junior Nationals where he also took Pitt freshman and NCAA Qualifier Anthony Zanetta to three periods. He was 11-1 at the Junior Duals in Freestyle and All-Americaned in Fargo, finishing 7th at 119lbs. Between the Junior Duals and Fargo Youtsey beat five wrestlers are 2010 Freestyle All-Americans: Hunter Weber (WI), Dixon (MO), Rob Deutsch (NJ), Eric DeVos (IA), and Thomas Gilman (NE). He has been one of the best wrestlers in Michigan since arriving on the scene as a freshman, losing only twice throughout his prep career., however, his past summer of big wins is what has sealed him as the #1 recruit in this class. His physical and styingy style should help him compete right away in college - he holds position and keeps himself in matches, which sets him up for big time wins. A couple other intangibles that make Youtsey attractive to college coaches should be his small stature and his performance in the classroom. He has been the same size for almost three years and still did not appear to be a full 119lber this summer in Fargo, so staying at 125lbs for his collegiate career should not be an issue and he has a 3.8 GPA.
Grappler Video:
School:
Projected 10-11 HS Weight:
Projected College Weight:
Career Record:
High School State Placings:
National Accolades:
Mason (D2)
125
125
157-2
3rd-1st-1st
2010 Junior Freestyle All-American (7th)
2010 Junior FS Duals All-Tourney Team
2010 FloNationals Champion
2009 Western Junior Regional Runner-Up
2008 USAW Preseason Ntls Runner-Up
A word to describe him: Relentless - Wildmo's top game brings
back memories of former MSU Spartan Nick Simmons. When he
gets on top of you he turns up the heat. He is truly relentless on top
and he is the kind of guy who not only rides, but is capable of turning
the best wrestlers in the country.
Scouting Report: Like Rendina or Pommerenke, there could
definitely be an argument for Wildmo as the top guy in this class.
The only real difference between him and the three guys ahead of
him is whats happened over the summer. The top 3 all had very
good Summer seasons, while Wildmo has not competed since the
FloNationals. He placed 7th at a very tough weight at the Super 32
last fall and he finished 3rd at an equally tough weight at the
FloNationals this spring. Wildmo has been one of the best wrestlers
in the state for the past three years, winning a state title his freshman and junior year and falling to Ryen Nieman in a thriller his sophomore year. At the FloNationals he showed how dominant he can be on the mat as he man-handled nationally ranked Jake Sueflohn of Wisconsin in the 3rd place match en route to a 6-2 win. Wildmo's lack of summer competetion may keep him a little under-recognized nationally, however, he has proven his dominance in the state over the past two years as well as his ability to compete with and beat the best kids in the country. He is currently still rated by InterMat as one of the Top 50 recruits in the country and is considered a Top 20 140lber by just about every national poll. Also, lets not forget that he barely lost to Ryen Nieman, who left high school a few months ago widley considered one of the best wrestlers in the country, twice during his Sophomore season and summer. Wildmo will definitely benefit from College Riding time and has the skill set to contend for All-American status almost immediately in college.
Grappler Video: FloNationals - Wildmo vs Jake Schultz (PA)
School:
Projected 10-11 HS Weight :
Projected College Weight:
Career Record:
High School State Placings:
National Accolades:
Rogers City (D4)
285
285
171-11
6th-1st-1st
2010 Northeast Regional Freestyle Champ
2010 FloNationals Champ
2009 Cadet Greco All-American (4th)
2009 Cadet Greco Duals All-Tourn Team
School:
Projected 10-11 HS Weight
Projected College Weight:
Career Record:
High School State Placings:
National Accolades:
Dundee (D3)
130/135
133
129-1 (9th grade year not included)
X-3rd-1st
2010 Northeast Regional Champ
2010 Central Regional Champ
6th @ 2009 Super Challenge
5-2 @ 2009 Junior Freestyle Nationals
2009 FILA Cadet Greco All-American
2009 Western Junior Regional Freestyle Champ
A Word to describe him: Nasty - Rendina has some of the slickest short
offense attacks in the country. His slide-by is so nasty that it is one of those
things where most of his opponents know its coming and he can still get in on
them....three or four times!
Scouting Report: Rendina has been consistently performing well against the
top guys in the country throughout his career. An injury kept him out of Fargo this
year and hindered him a little at the Junior Duals, although he still went 6-2 with
a couple big wins over Tyler Pendergrast of Delaware and former Fargo AA
Jameson Oster of Illinois. A healthy Fargo for Rendina could have set him up
for an argument to be #1. Prior to this summer he went deep into the bracket in
Fargo every year, including last summer when he was a match from placing as a first year Junior. Last fall he placed 6th at the Super 32 Challenge and this Spring he was on a roll before getting injured at the Junior Duals, winning Northeast and Central Regional titles with a few big wins including a win over Joey Gosinksi in the Central Regional Finals. Gosinski went on to place 5th in Fargo at Rendina's weight. Rendina has also all-americaned at FILA Cadets and he won the 2009 Western Junior Regionals in Vegas, so there is no way you can question his ability to compete with the best guys in the country. His length should make him tough to deal with in college, especially if he ends up at 133 in college where most of his opponents will be short and stocky. In addition, he is very good on the mat, scrambles well, and has always competed year-round so the transition to college wrestling and training should be no issue for Rendina. With all that being said the attribute that might help Rendina the most at the next level is his aggressive nature and his inability to stop attacking. He is always on the attack, always pushing the pace, and doesn't seem to be the kind of kid who will be intimidated or afraid to mix it up regardless of who he wrestles.
Grappler Video: NE Regional Final - Rendina vs Joe Morrison (NC)
A word to describe him: Tenacious - D-Pomm has the intangible attitude
that coaches dream about in a big man. He may not wow you with
athleticism or brute strength, but he has the toughness of the Great White
North and he is the kind of guy you want on your side in a street fight.
Scouting Report: D-Pomm has been a big name in Michigan wrestling
since entering Rogers City High School as an oversized freshman a few
years ago. He took some losses his freshman year, but since then all he
has done is win and dominate, especially within the state. He has also
proven himself against the nation's top heavyweights over the past couple off-seasons. He won the FloNationals last spring, but his win at the Northeast Nationals was even more impressive as he knocked off two nationally ranked heavyweights in Cadet National Double Champ Brooks Black of New Jersey and ASICS High School All-American Lance Moore of New York. Pommerenke is rare in that he is a can't-miss type heavyweight who is not only big, strong, and tough, but he has a lot of tools on the mat and has wrestled almost all his life. When times get tough he has tricks up his sleeve and he is capable of out-wrestling many big men who are all brute strength, with little technical skill. Throw in the fact that it is difficult for colleges to land many top heavyweights due to their playing football, and there is no doubt that D-Pomm is one of the top dogs in this class. He has already committed to Central Michigan where he will continue the long line of top Michigan heavyweight recruits wrestling in Mt. Pleasant (Gritter, Trice, now Pommernke)
Grappler Video: NE Regional Finals - Pommerenke vs NY State Champ Lance Moore
School:
Projected 10-11 HS Weight
Projected College Weight:
Career Record:
High School State Placings:
National Accolades:
Dundee (D3)
135
141
178-12
2nd-4th-1st
3-2 @ 2010 Junior Freestyle Nationals
4-2 @ 2009 Super 32
A word to describe him: Slick - Rau's strength is definitely his offenseon his
feet. When he is on the attack he is difficult to deal with as he can come at you
with an array of very slick takedowns.
Scouting Report: Rau has been one of the top wrestlers in the state throughout
his career and has really been on the map since his freshman year when he
handed BJ Suitor his first loss. He finally got the monkey off his back last year
and won his first state title and odds are that he will win his 2nd state title this
year. He did a good job of getting out a lot nationally in the past year and while
he failed to place or earn All-American status at any big time events, he fared
well against many top name guys at the Americas Cup, Junior Duals, and Fargo. He has proven that he can hang in matches with these guys and that alone benefits him because college coaches know that he is not afraid to get out there and mix it up with the top guys in the land and that he is just a few adjustments away from beating some of those guys. As previously stated, his offense on his feet is dangerouse and versatile and he is really capable of taking down anybody. At times he has a tendency to shut down a little in big matches, however, his wealth of national experience should do a lot for his confidence and I would not be surprised to see him breakout this year at a big time event, whether it be The Grappler Fall Classic, Super 32, or Senior Nationals.
School:
Projected 10-11 HS Weight
Projected College Weight:
Career Record:
High School State Placings:
National Accolades:
Avondale (D2)
130
141
129-13
1st-1st-2nd
Scouting Report: In terms of in-state success there are few people in
this class who can match Vettese. His only career loss at the state
meet was a good finals match last year to 3x state champ Tyler
Keselring, who is now at CMU. Vettese has a long build and wrestles
well from all positions. He is a pretty even-keeled wrestler who never
seems to lose his cool or get rattled, which is something you like to
see at the college level. The big question mark with Vettese is what
kind of success he would have on the national level. He has very little
out-of-state experience and has not really wrestled in any of the big
time national events, which is what keeps him under a lot of radars
and out of our top 5. While he has not gotten out nationally, he has
had close matches with Michigan guys who have had national success, such as Keselring and Alec Mooradian, so one might speculate that he has what it takes to compete with the nation's best. If he takes advantage of some preseason or postseason national tournaments he is capable of scoring some big time wins and seriously raising his stock, however, his in-state success alone should make him very attractive already for most schools.
School:
Projected 10-11 HS Weight
Projected College Weight:
Career Record:
High School State Placings:
National Accolades:
Leslie (D4)
119
125
100-8 (9th grade year not included)
X-6th-1st
8-2 @ 2010 Disney Duals
5-2 @ 2010 FloNationals
Scouting Report: Fifield is an example of a kid who has multiplied his recruiting stock
exponentially during the critcial junior year. He won the 112lb Division 4 state title this
year in pretty dominant fashion, but perhaps his biggest accomplishment of the high
school season was an overtime loss to Fargo double champ Freddie Rodriguez at the
Williamston Classic. Rodriguez rallied in the third to tie the match and win in overtime,
but Fifield's ability to compete with Rodriguez proved that he can wrestle with the best
guys in the country. He fell a round short of placing at the FloNationals in a stacked
weight class, but scored a big win over Greco All-American Alex Calandrino of Howell
and lost a close match to Wisconsin state champ Ryan McQuade. In Disney he scored
arguably the biggest win of his career, knocking off nationally ranked George DiCamillo
of Ohio. Much like Youtsey, Fifield's potential to be a lifer at 125 makes him valuable for
college programs and he is a true mat rat who trains hard and wrestles with a lot of fire.
Grappler Video: FloNationals - Fifield vs Wisconsin State Champ Ryan McQuade
School:
Projected 10-11 HS Weight
Projected College Weight:
Career Record:
High School State Placings:
National Accolades:
Lansing Eastern (D1)
130
141
40-8 (11th grade year only)
X-X-6th
2010 Junior Freestyle All-American (6th)
7-1 @ 2010 Junior Freestyle Duals
Scouting Report: Jackson emerged as a top recruit this summer as he raised his
stock immensely with a strong off-season of freestyle success. He went 7-1 at the
Junior Duals and then put together the best couple days of wrestling of his career in
Fargo to finish 6th and earn All-American honors. After not making the state
tournament until his junior season you would expect Jackson to still have a lot of room
to grow and improve. With his athleticism and physical tools, he has the capabilty of
developing into a solid college wrestler. He announced his commitment last week
and will be wrestling for the University of Michigan, where he should benefit from All-
American Kellen Russell and former #1 high school recruit Eric Grajales to work out
with. Although this summer was the first time he broke out with big-time success, he has trained and competed year-round throughout his career, so the grind of college should be no issue for Jackson.
Grappler Video: Fargo 2010 - Jackson vs Florida State Champ Tyler Liberatore
School:
Projected 10-11 HS Weight
Projected College Weight:
Career Record:
High School State Placings:
National Accolades:
Dundee (D3)
189
197
136-27
Q-2-1
2010 Disney Duals All-American (Silver)
Scouting Report: Heiserman is probably the most athletic big man in this class
and has been competetive as an upper weight throughout his career. He was a
state runner-up as a Sophomore at 189lbs, which is impressive, losing only to 2x
champ Kyler Elsworth of Goodrich. He climbed to the top of the podium last with
his first state title and a strong showing at the Disney Duals moves him into the Top
10. He scored some quality wins in Disney, including a win over PA state champ
Steve Ceremuga. If he can get out a little more nationally this year he has shown
the potential to compete with the best in the country and could very well raise his
recruiting stock. Regardless of his nationa success, he should finish his career
as a 2x state champ and the top recruit coming out of Michigan from the 157 to 197
weight ranges..
School:
Projected 10-11 HS Weight
Projected College Weight:
Career Record:
High School State Placings:
National Accolades:
Dundee (D3)
125
133
132-21
5th-3rd-2nd
Undefeated @ 2010 Disney Duals
Scouting Report: White has consistently been one of the top lightweights in the state
throughout his career, however, he has fell just short of winning state titles and up until this
summer, he has not done much nationally. However, this summer at Disney he made a
statement for himself as a legitimate D1 college prospect, going undefeated with a few big
wins including a win over 3x state champ Nick Smith of Ida in a re-match of this year's D3
state finals. In addition to knocking off Smith, who will be wrestling at Northern Illinois this
fall, White also knocked off Fargo All-American Tyson Dippery of Pennsylvania and 2x Illinois
state champ Topher Carton. White is a little guy who could possibly see time at 125 for a
year or two if needed, but look will likely end up at 133 before its all over. With his success in
Disney, he should have now proved that he can compete with the top-tier kids in the country
and should begin to open some collegiate options for him.
Check back later this week for our full list of the Top Seniors in Michigan for the 2010-2011 season.
Durand (D3)
140/145
149
171-2
1st-2nd-1st
7th @ 2009 Super 32 Challenge
3rd @ 2010 FloNationals
Top 10 Senior Recruits
Michigan Grappler Recruiting Rankings
8/15 - As the 2010-2011 school year approaches, college recruiting for this year's seniors will begin to get into full swing in the coming months. With that Michigan Grappler releases our annual listing of the top senior recruits in the state of Mcihigan.
This year's senior recruiting class is headlined by four wrestlers who are currently ranked as Top 100 recruits in the country according to InterMat. Conor Youtsey (Mason), Devin Pommerenke (Rogers City), Joe Rendina (Dundee), and Roger Wildmo (Durand) have all been dominant in the state of Michigan and have also been very succesfull at numerous major national events.
After the top four things get a little more dicey as we have a diverse group of wrestlers in this class, some who have gotten out nationally and made a name for themselves, and others who remain under a lot of people's radars.
Read below for an in-depth breakdown of the top 10 recruits coming out of the Great Lakes State this year and check back in the next week for a full list of the Top Senior Recruits. We will also be releasing updated pound-fof-pound rankings for this year's Junior, Sophomore, and incoming Freshman class.
Top recruits in each class have Recruiting Profiles....Parents and wrestlers who wish to change or update a profile can e-mail admin@michigangrappler.com.
