10 Insane High School Upsets From A Packed Weekend
10 Insane High School Upsets From A Packed Weekend
With National Preps and a slew of state championships over the weekend, we had no shortage of insane upsets.
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Many of the nation’s top high school wrestlers were in action over the weekend which created plenty of opportunities for upsets. Here are some of the biggest.
138 lbs - #9 Michael Gioffre Over #3 Beau Mantanona
The most talked-about upset happened in California. When Michael Gioffre and Beau Mantanona met on Saturday in a rematch of the Doc B finals, one of them would join his brother as a 2022 California State Champion. Their Doc B battle came down to a Mantanona takedown in overtime, and this one was just as close. Controversy over a match-altering call in rideouts created high drama in the arena which unfortunately overshadowed some outstanding wrestling.
160 lbs - #6 Angelo Ferrari Over #2 Jordan Williams
The Ice Man, Jordan Williams, moved up to 160 this year which made the 6A Oklahoma bracket one of the deepest in the country with #2 Williams, #6 Ferrari, and #7 John Wiley. Williams and Ferrari were slated to meet in their regional last week, but Ferrari postponed the meeting to this weekend. The bout was as close as it gets, and Ferrari got it done in rideouts.
170 lbs - #10 Josh Barr Over #7 Manny Rojas
Last year Rojas wrestled up at 189 lbs during the season, but this year he stayed down which meant that he and Josh Barr would hit multiple times in one of the biggest possible matchups in all of Michigan. Rojas beat Barr in a dual in January, but Barr dug deep to even the score at the Michigan Dual State Championships. These two are likely to see one another again at the Individual State Championships.
120 lbs - #16 Jack Consiglio Over #4 Luke Lilledahl
Lilledahl got the better of Consiglio in their meeting at their National Preps qualifier, but Consiglio came prepared for the rematch in the National Preps semis. He used savvy scrambling to mitigate Lilledahl’s attacks, and the threat of his top game discouraged Lilledahl from choosing bottom. The end result was a 1-0 victory for Consiglio that will move him up the rankings.
145 lbs - Anthony Conetta Over #7 Cam Catrabone
All signs in New York pointed to a Jayden Scott vs Cam Catrabone state final at 145 lbs, but Anthony Conetta had other ideas. He punched his own ticket to the finals by knocking off the Super 32 and Powerade 3rd place finisher in surprising fashion.
132 lbs - HM Will Baysinger over #5 Sergio Lemley (126 lbs)
Fresh off his Illinois state championship, Sergio Lemley moved up to 132 for Mount Carmel to help lead them to a team dual meet state title. The team mission was accomplished, but Will Baysinger did upset the bumped-up Lemley along the way.
126 lbs - Matt Hart over #11 Nick O’Neill
The semifinal round of National Preps had all kinds of team race implications, so the arena watched Sem, Malvern, and Blair even more intently than usual. Nick O’Neil appeared to have a spot in the finals sewn up with a one-point lead late in his semi, but unranked Matt Hart of Western Reserve spoiled the party with a late takedown for the win.
106 lbs - #16 Christopher Kiser over #8 Christian Forbes
Ponca City’s Christopher Kiser took a loss to Ayden Thomas the Oklahoma Dual State Championships a couple weeks ago, but he rebounded in magnificent fashion at the individual state championships. He avenged his loss to the aforementioned Thomas then stayed hot by upsetting Oklahoma commit Christian Forbes in the finals.
120 lbs - HM Billy Dekraker over #8 (113) Ethan Rivera
The top four spots at National preps seemed like they would belong to the four top-twenty ranked wrestlers in the field, but Billy Dekraker worked his way into that mix by taking out Ethan Rivera.
138 lbs - #18 Eligh Rivera Over #8 Sam Cartella
Eligh Rivera needed a strong performance to become Lake Highland Prep’s first National Prep champion in their inaugural trip to the event. He had both #14 Paul Ognissanti and #8 Sam Cartella in his path. After dispatching Ognissanti in the semis, Rivera fought his way to a title in a hyper-competitive final at 138 lbs.
