Multimedia: Watch Michigan Matches at Senior Nationals (from FloWrestling) - includes matches Shutich vs Hllushack (PA), Trice vs Wade (OH), Cheza vs Molinari (NJ), Zeerip vs Ponseller (OH), Trice interview
Why he has a shot - Ranked 14th among seniors heavyweights this year, Trice has alot of national expierence in freestyle. as he was a match away from placing in Fargo last year, and has proven himself capable of competing with the best big men in the country.
2. Jeff Shutich (Rockford), 130
Why he has a shot - Shutich looked very impressive all year and dominated the D1 state tournament. He is currently ranked 14th in the latest WIN Magazine High School rankings for all grade levels
3. Pat Wright (Grand Ledge), 171
Why he has a shot - Took 2nd this year at 171, however, Wright won Cadet nationals in Freestyle 2 summers ago, proving that he has what it takes to beat the nation's best. He has also competed and had sucess at many other national level freestyle tournaments over the past couple years.
4. Justin Zeerip (Hesperia), 160
Why he has a shot - Zeerip is one of the most decorated prep wrestlers Michigan has ever seen, however, he has yet to prove himself on the national stage. He is ranked 16th on WIN's current all grade rankigns and this will be a good oppurunity for him to prove himself on the main stage.
5. Corey Phillips (Canton), 140
Why he has a shot - Finally won the State title this year, knocking off another top senior in Rockford's JJ Johnson. He was dominant all year and won one of the toughest weights in Division 1. Phillips could surprise some people, he is not real known on the national level, however, he did put together a nice showing in Fargo last year and is capable of competing with the best guys in the country.
Just looking over the brackets, here are some notable draws:
112 - Alex Gorton: Gorton has a good shot at making some noise at this weight class and got a pretty good draw as he should have no trouble with Branca from Utah first round. His 2nd round match will be a good test to see if he can hang at this level, as he has Michael Gomez of NY who was top 3 in NY State 3 times and is the 7th ranked senior by NHSCA. If he makes the quarters he will likely have 4th ranked undefeated state champ Dan Kelly of New Jersey.
119 - David Priest: Maybe Michigan's best bet at 119 Priest had a very tough draw getting the top ranked 119 senior and favorite to win the tournament, Zach Sanders of Minnesota.
119 - Mike Maguire: Maguire doesn't have a a bad draw and has the best shot and stringing some wins together for MI. His first rounder is a 4x state finalist from GA, however, GA is not the toughest wrestling state. None of his 1st 2 round possible matchups won state titles this year in their respective state besides him.
125 - Andrew Novak: Michigan's best at 125, Novak didnt get a great draw. His first round opponent has never placed in the Tennesee state tournament, however, his 2nd rd opponent would likely be Boris Novachkov, a 2x state champ out of California. Novachkov is currently ranked 2nd in WIN Magazine's latest rankings, and is the highest ranked Sr on that list.
130 - Jeff Shutich: Shutich got a first round draw here, which means he only needs to win 2 to make the quarters. This is one of the toughest weights in the tournament, however, Shutich doesn't run into any big name guys until the quarters where he could get a shot at #2 ranked Kellen Russell of Blair Academy, who has signed to U of M. If he can make it there this would be a great shot for him to make a name for himself.
135 - Corey Phillips: Phillips made the cut to 135 and will get a first round bye. Hopefully the weight drop didnt get to him because his 1st match will be a very tough one as he drew New Mexico's Vincent Varela, who is ranked #4 by WIN Magazine right now.
140 - We have a handful of guys with the capability of winning matches at 140. One of our top contenders, JJ Johnson, will have to show up first round as he has 4x state champ Sean Porter of Utah.
145 - Anthony Jones: He has a couple very winnable matches and then will have to knock off top 10 ranked, 3x Ohio State Champ Kevin Hardy to make the quarterfinal.
Sunday, April 1, Virginia Beach Convention Center
