9/20 - Say hello to the future of our great sport here in Michigan. As a state, Michigan had a great year on the youth level with a number of wrestlers attaining prestigous national honors throughout the year.
10 of the wrestlers on this year's All-Future Team earned automatic spots on the team by finishing in the Top 10 of the MI Grappler Fab 50 Tournament Series. The Fab 50 proved to be a great sucess as it allowed an opportunity for Michigan youths to accrue points by competing in the state and nationally. It is the goal of the MI Grappler with the Fab 50 and All-Future Team to provide a way to recognize Michigan's youth wrestlers for all their hard work and dedication. It is with that we unveil this year's Michigan Grappler All-Future Team. Please keep in mind that this is just a taste of what Michigan's youth wrestling has to offer, many great athletes with impressive accolades failed to make this year's team.
Mark Hall of Davison nabbed this year's Wrestler of the Year honor after finishing atop the Fab 50 standings and claiming 1st place at every Fab 50 tournament he entered. CMS and Massa's Maniacs were the most represtented clubs as CMS boasts six wrestlers on the All-Future Team while 5 hail from Massa's Maniacs. Middle School phenoms turned prep standouts Taylor Massa, Jordan Thomas, and Freddie Rodriguez highlight the middle school squad, along with World of Wrestling's 15&U wrestler of the year Ben Whitford. Read below to see the entire All-Future Team.
All Members of the All-Future Team will be recognized at the Border Wars Nationals in November. All those who made the team please contact Michigan Grappler by email (admin@michigangrappler.com) to confirm whether or not you will be able to attend.
ELEMENTARY
Davian Gowens (Hesperia, Hesperia WC)
52lbs - 3rd Grade
Gowens quietly put together a very impressive year. He did not compete in as many events as most others, which is why he finished low in the Fab 50 (44th), however, he won the ultra-competetive Cliff Keen Tulsa Kickoff Classic last fall and took 2nd at the BorderWars Folkstyle Nationals. He also won the MYWAY State Championship.
Jacob Madrigal (Davison/CMS)
65lbs - 4th Grade
One of 6 CMS guys who finished in the Top 10 of the Fab 50. Madrigal finished 5th and did well nationally placing 3rd @ BorderWars Ntls, 4th at Liberty, and 5th at the TOC. He was also an MMWA state champ and a Greco Roman state champ.
Nathan Ellis (Holly/CMS)
67lbs - 4th Grade
Ellis finished 4th in the Fab 50 standings after winning MYWAY and MMWA state titles and competing very well numerous national tournaments. His most impressive finishes were 3rd at Liberty and BorderWars Nationals and he also finished 2nd at Dixie and the BW Winter Nationals.
Brendan Mcrill (Flint/CMS)
75lbs - 4th Grade
While Mcrill finished 7th in the Fab 50 standings, well behind the top 2, his results were similiarly impressive. He won MMWA and MYWAY titles and was pretty dominant in the state. He proved himself nationally by winning a Tulsa National title. Other titles won include the WOW Classic and Border Wars Nationals. He was named to the World of Wrestling All-Star 2nd Team.
Dominic Sutermeister (Flushing/CMS)
75lbs - 5th Grade
Sutermeister was right on Hall's heels all season long in the Fab 50 standings as the two were
tied in first throughout most of the year until Sutermeister lost at the Reno Worlds and finished 3rd. When
it was all said and done Sutermeister fell 6 points shy of Hall for first, however, he was still over 50 points
ahead of third place so this kid had one heck of a year. He was dominant within the state and won
National Titles at Tulsa Kickoff, BorderWars, Liberty, and the Tulsa Nationals. He also won the WOW
Classic in Cincinatti and Eastern Worlds in West Virginia. He was also named to the World of Wrestling
All-Star 1st Team. This is his 2nd time on the All-Future Team.
Mark Hall II (Davison/CMS)
90lbs - 5th Grade
In terms of youth wrestling there is not much that Mark Hall didn't do this year. He won state titles in
MMWA and MYWAY and won a slew of big time national tournaments. His National Championships
include BorderWars Folkstyle Nationals, The Tulsa Kickoff, The Tulsa Nationals, The Liberty Nationals,
The Reno Worlds, and The Ohio Tournament of Championships. He was also named the Outstanding
Wrestler for his age division at the Tulsa Kickoff, Liberty, Reno Worlds, and the WOW Classic in Cincinatti.
In addition, the Davison native was named to the World of Wrestling All-Star Team and was also crowned
the World of Wrestling 10&Under wrestler of the year. He finished the year atop the Fab 50 standings and
is the Michigan Grappler Youth Wrestler of the Year. He has people in Davison excited as they are
anticipating the next Metcalf/Donahoe/Reader to be mighty Mark Hall.
Eric Rogers III (Highland Park/Silverback)
120lbs - 4th Grade
Rogers won every Fab 50 tournament he entered this year to finish 9th. He won MMWA and MYWAY states and excelled nationally with numberous titles. He won Liberty and the TOC and he also won titles at Dixie, Northeast Ntls, and Spartan Country among others. He was kind of a surprise atop the Fab 50 this year, but going into next year Rogers should be a favorite to do well.
Honorable Mention: Carleigh Czerneski (Charlotte), Davian Gowens (Hesperia), Jake Hardaker (Clio), Lincoln Olson (Bay City)
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Martin Rodriguez (Holt/Spartan Lightning)
70lbs - 7th Grade
The younger of the Rodriguez brother tandem, Martin remains as one of the best middle school lightweights in the state and country this year. He is rarely tested within the state and he won the Tulsa Kickoff and Tournament of Champions. 2nd at Liberty, 2nd at Border Wars, WOW Classic title, he is a favorite to win any tournament he enters. He also wrestled for Team Michigan at the schoolboy duals and went 15-4 overall in greco and freestyle combined. Now the question is will he big enough to wrestle 103 in a year?
Jacob Schmitt (St Johns/Massas Maniacs)
75lbs - 7th Grade
Schmitt made the Fab 50 at 29th, but that is no indication of his talent. He is one of the top up
and comers in the middle school ranks right now. This year he was 3rd at the Kickoff, 2nd at the
Tulsa Nationals, and 2nd at Reno Worlds. He also won the WOW Classic and Eastern Worlds.
While his tournament placings were impressive in their own right, his best performance came at
the schoolboy duals where he went 18-1 overall and a 10-0 in freestyle to make the all-tournament
team. In a team of Michigan's top middle schoolers he was one of only two team members to
make the freestyle all-tournament team.
Justin Oliver (Lapeer/CMS)
75lbs - 6th Grade
Oliver finished 10th in the Fab 50 standings after an impressive year where he saw a great deal of state and national success. He won the Tournament of Champions and took 2nd at the Tulsa Kickoff. He also won the Dixie Nationals, Eastern Worlds, and an MMWA state title. In addition, he was a member of the CK Nxt Level Middle School Duals Team.
Brandt Schafer (Carson City/Massa's Maniacs)
85lbs - 7th Grade
Schafer was not entered in alot of Fab 50 events so he failed to make the Fab 50. However, he
did take 4th at Tulsa in a tough weight and he won the WOW Classic en route to winning the OW
award. He also won 5 matches as a member of the CK Nxt Lvl Middle School Duals Team that won
in Danville, IL. In addition, he went 8-1 in greco at the schoolboy duals.
Freddie Rodriguez (Holt/Spartan Lightning)
90lbs - 8th Grade
Rodriguez finished the year 6th in the Fab 50, however, he had one of the most impressive years out of this group. In terms of Fab 50 tournaments, he won the Border Wars Nationals, Tournament of Champions, and Liberty Nationals. He also won the WOW Classic and Dixie Nationals and racked up Outstanding Wrestler honors at both events. Aside from the Fab 50 Rodriguez never stopped this year. He earned middle school all-american honors by going 7-0 at the MS Duals in Illinois. As a Cadet Rodriguez took 3rd at the Asics Folkstyle Nationals then he earned double all-american honors at the FILA Cadet Nationals before capping off his year and summer with a double all-american performance in Fargo in which he made the 91lb freestyle finals. Now as a freshman he enters this season ranked 20th in the country among prep 103lbers.
Zac Hall (Ithaca/Massas Maniacs)
90lbs - 6th Grade
Hall continued his reign as one of the elite youth wrestlers in the state this year, claiming state titles in all styles. He won the MYWAY Folkstyle title and then added freestyle and greco crowns at the MUSAW Finals last spring. Nationally, he finished 4th at the Tulsa Kickoff and went 8-2 at the schoolboy duals as 1st year schoolboy.
Angus Arthur (Laingsburg/Spartan Lightning)
100lbs - 6th Grade
This is the second consecutive All-Future team for Arthur. The Laingsburg middle schooler did not compete in quite as much as others, which is why he finished 50th in the Fab 50 standings, however, when he did compete he looked good. His most impressive performance came at the Asics Kids Freestyle/Greco Nationals where he won a double title in Novice 100lbs. He also won the Tournament of Champions and Big Horn Nationals.
Ben Whitford (Holt/Massas Maniacs)
98lbs - 7th Grade
It was quite a year for Whitford, as he was named the World of Wrestling wrestler of the year for the
15&U age division over numerous Fargo All-Americans and champions. He didnt lose a match in any
Fab 50 events all year as he won the Tulsa Kickoff, Tulsa Nationals, Reno Worlds, and WOW Classic.
In addition he went undefeated at the Middle School Duals to earn All-American honors and he made
the Greco All-Tournament team at the Schoolboy Duals after going 9-0 in greco and 8-2 in freestyle. He
has one year left of middle school, but many would argue that this kid could compete in the high school
ranks right now.
Zack Cooper (Big Rapids/Michigan Xtreme)
77lbs - 7th Grade
Cooper finished 3rd in the Fab 50 behind the CMS duo to earn himself an automatic bid to the All-Future Team. Impressively, he accumlated most of his Fab 50 points from in-state events which shows that around his weight he is one of the best middle schoolers coming up. He finished 3rd at the BorderWars Nationals and won the BorderWars Winter Nationals. He won both the MMWA and MYWAY State Titles and then finished 2nd at the Freestyle and Greco state tournament, losing only to fellow All-Future Team member Jacob Schmitt. Just a 7th grader he has one more year to get bigger before high school.
Taylor Massa (St Johns/Massas Maniacs)
140lbs - 8th Grade
Where do you start with Taylor Massa? He is currently ranked 14th in the country among high
school 140lbers and is becoming a household name on the state and national level. In actuality he
did not wrestle in very many big-time youth tournaments compared to the others on this list (he
didnt make the Fab 50). He won the Tulsa Kickoff and was named Outstanding Wrestler of his age
division, then finished runner up at the Tulsa Kickoff. He went undefeated at the Middle School
Duals as was voted Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament. Last fall he made a splash on the
high school scene, placing 3rd at the Super 32's competing against some of the country's best
preps. Then last summer he broke out in Fargo winning a double title at 140lbs. The next 4 years
should be action-packed for Mr Massa.
Jordan Thomas (Greenville/Michigan Xtreme)
145lbs - 8th Grade
Thomas is in the same boat as Massa in that it is hard to discuss him among youth wrestling anymore. In the last year he probably wrestled with high schoolers more than middle schoolers. He did wrestle at the Middle School Duals and went undefeated to earn All-American honors. He won the freestyle state tournament as a Cadet and then made a name for himself at the AAU Scholastic Duals where he knocked off numerous high school state champions and placers. He earned All-American honors in Fargo, placing 3rd in freestyle and is currently rated nationally in the high school rankings. He should make an immediate impact contending for a state title as a freshman in high school.
Patrick Eldred (Charlotte/Nxt Level)
170lbs - 8th Grade
Eldred narrowly missed the Top 10 of the Fab 50 as he finished 14th overall. He won a Liberty National Title this year as well as a Dixie Ntl crown, USAW Folkstyle National championship, and Virginia Wrestle-Fest title. He went 6-1 for Team MI at the Middle School Duals, 8-2 at the Virgnia Beach Duals and then 15-4 combined at the Schoolboy Duals in freestyle and greco, including an impressive 8-1 mark in greco-roman. He is now a freshman at Charlotte High School
Adam Coon (Fowlerville/WOW)
190lbs - 7th Grade
While he did not put in the miles that some of the others did in this group, Coon did dominate in the state of Michigan winning the MYWAY State Title as well as a freestyle/greco double state title. He also competed on the Schoolboy Duals team and went a perfect 10-0 in freestyle to make the All-Tournament team. He and Jacob Schmitt were the only two of a star-studded Michigan team to go undefeated in freestyle. He also went 8-1 in Greco at the schoolboy duals to finish 18-1 overall. This kid is built well for his age and size and could be capable of making noise at 189 or 215 as a freshman next year, which is very rare.
Honorable Mention: Mason Courtright (Shelby), Taylor Grenawalt (Haslett), Shabo Gorial (Hartland), Logan Massa (St Johns), Garrett Stehley (Lowell), Ty Wildmo (Durand)
**Note - this team was selected from the pool of nominated wrestlers. Criteria for selection was mostly national and state tournament performances.**
