Clear Springs High School wrestling team and Booster Club sponsored 534 boys, who were representing 117 different clubs, academies, and schools, vying for an early registration spot at October’s prestigious Super 32 Challenge in Greensboro, North Carolina. There were wrestlers from at least nine states who made the trip to earn a medal. States that I determined besides Texas, were Louisiana, Illinois, Indiana, Florida, Colorado, Missouri, California, and Utah. Wrestlers from these visiting states won 9 championships out of the 14 weight classes.
For many wrestlers, this was their first taste of folk style wrestling in several months because of their participation in this summer’s multitude of Freestyle and Greco Roman tournaments across Texas and the U.S. It was evident on the mat which wrestlers were busy this summer.
It was also just as clear that football is king for those wrestlers that weigh above 165 lbs. as those weight classes were sparsely populated, and finished all of their bouts while most of the other weight classes were still in the quarterfinals. But for the sake of organization, this summary will follow the brackets from the lower weights to the top.
106 lbs.
Drake Gonzalez of Steel City Reloaded, a wrestling club in Pueblo, Colorado, entered the finals of the 106 lb. bracket without any high school experience. But that didn’t mean he was inexperienced. Gonzales has been wrestling for nine years in the Centennial State, collecting many 1st place finishes over the last two years in Youth wrestling.
Gonzales’ opponent Caleb Frease of the Cardinal Wrestling Club, was in the same boat. Frease was also entering his first tournament with the possibility of wrestling Varsity competition, but his work in Youth wrestling since 2018 and four victories on his way to the finals (3 Bonus wins) gave him some hope.
Gonzales put a damper on Frease’s hope for a title with an overwhelming 16-2 major decision, highlighted by 3 takedowns and two nearfalls. Frease could only muster two escapes in the first two periods.
Dandre Adams of Best Trained Wrestling and Jaxon Mancuso of the Baton Rouge Training Center (BRTC) met for third place. Both of these wrestlers are also yet to get onto a high school mat, but have 16 years of club wrestling between them. Adams was able to ride Mancuso out in the 3rd period for a very tight 1-0 decision.
113 lbs.
Carl Weidner of Civic Memorial High School in southwest Illinois (just across the border from St. Louis) faced Zaiden Hernandez of the ONE Wrestling Academy/San Antonio Reagan in the final match for the weight. Hernandez qualified for the UIL state tournament last year (33-9) and qualified for Region 4 in 2025. Weidner qualified for the Illinois state 106 lb. championship as a freshman in 2026 with a 43-13 record.
This match came down to one takedown in the second period by Weidner, and a third period ride-out of Hernandez as well for a 3-0 victory. Of Weidner’s five wins in the tournament, he was unscored upon in four of them.
Gabriel Jaxon Medrano of Gracie Barra Westchase, the only wrestler who scored on Weidner, is a very accomplished Youth wrestler, placing in many national tournaments. He won four matches in the consolation bracket to win the bronze medal. His last win was a 10-0 MD over 12th grader William Yoshida of the Cardinal Wrestling Club/Frisco Emerson HS (100-31) for the Bronze medal.
Although I don’t know where Medrano will wrestle in high school, I’m sure when we find out, he will be a wrestler to watch in his freshman season.
120 lbs.
The third out-of-state wrestler to take home a title is Lou Keneson of Howe Wrestling/Crown Point HS in Indiana. He hails from northern Indiana, just inside the border from Illinois. He was ranked #2 in his state last year as a freshman at 106 lbs. After spending the first part of the year at 113, he busted weight before post-season wrestling due to some medical issues associated with the weight loss, and did not compete.
Well, he competed on Saturday. After going 5-0 to reach the finals, he met Nick Payne of Boneyard Wrestling Academy/College Park HS. Payne has amassed an 81-14 record in his first two years of varsity wrestling; qualifying for UIL State 2x. Payne made his way to the final match with 3 pins, a TF 16-1, and a 5-0 decision; giving up only 2 points to five opponents.
Keneson shut Payne down with a convincing, yet hard-fought 7-0 decision victory. Payne bookended two takedowns; one in the 1st and the other in 3rd period, around an escape in the 2nd period, for the championship.
Jaxon Kraemer of Nolf Wrestling Academy and Rockwall, TX defeated Jude Avila of Comal County WC and New Braunfels, 8-7 for 3rd place
126 lbs.
Brian An, wrestling unattached, who will wrestle his freshman season for Lubbock HS, only had one close match on his trip to the finals. He met Behzod Rakhmatov from Tom Eagle Wrestling/St. Thomas HS in the second round. Rakhmatov is a 2x TAPPS state champ.
An scored an escape with 0:21 left in the third period to win a close 5-4 decision. After that, An had four bonus point wins to get to the finals.
An also pinned Ryu Calderon of Bridgeland HS, last year’s UIL-6A 5th place finisher as a freshman (41-8) in the Semis.
An’s opponent in the finals was Hayden Ross of 512 Outlaw Wrestling/Georgetown HS, last year’s UIL 5A Region 3 champ (103-12). An scored a takedown in the first 0:30 of the first period, and scored a fall at 1:49 for the gold medal.
Rakhmatov won an 8-0 MD over Calderon for 3rd place, going 8-0, with six bonus wins in the consolation bracket.
Brian An keeps the first weight class championship in Texas. It was an awesome run for an incoming high school freshman. Texas wrestling is looking good.
132 lbs.
Of the four wrestlers who advanced to the semifinals, three of them: Guanella, Uribe and Choo have tons of varsity experience and State championship experience. However, the fourth member of the semifinals, Kenneth Barnes of the Cardinal Wrestling Club, has no Varsity experience at all, but he has been wrestling since 2017.
It was Kenneth Barnes and Joey Guanella who made it to the finals.
Guanella, wrestling unattached, comes from Windsor High School in Santa Rosa, California. He is a 2x California state championship qualifier. Guanella had two huge victories leading up to the finals. In the quarterfinals, he pinned Luca Rios of College Park HS in the 3rd period after amassing a 13-5 lead. Rios is a 3x UIL State Qualifier, placing 2nd the last two years. Then in the semifinals, he decisioned Santiago Garcia Contreras of KT3/Katy HS in a close 5-3 decision. Santi is a 2X All-State wrestler, finishing 6th in his first two years of high school wrestling (91-19).
Barnes also had a couple of really big-time wins for an incoming freshman.
In the quarters he decisioned Yusuf Uribe of Best Trained Wrestling/Frisco Centennial HS, 3-1. Uribe holds a 100-9 record in 5A, including 2024 a 4th place and a 2025 2nd place silver medal. In 2026 he was injured in the finals of a tournament he was leading, and took a medical default. He missed the post-season as a result of the injury. So, Uribe is on his way back for more hardware, just not the gold in this tournament.
In the Semis, Barnes decisioned Alex Choo of Gracie Barra/St. John’s HS 4-0, with a first period takedown and a 2nd period escape. Choo held a 42-4 record last year, and won the TAPPS championship last season.
In the finals, Barnes shut down Guanella with a 4-0 decision, taking him down in the first period, escaping in the second, and riding him out in the 3rd. Sure sounds like an experienced wrestler. I’m sure we will hear from this young man again.
Uribe won 3rd place with a 10-3 decision over Choo,
138 lbs.
There were two out-of-state wrestlers competing for the championship at this weight.
Jonas Rebstock of the Lafayette Regional Training Center (LRTC)/St. Thomas More HS, is by far the most accomplished of the two. Rebstock holds a 143-22 high school record, which includes Division 2 championships at 144 and 126, as well as a 3rd place finish in 2024.
Jeremiah Waldschmidt of One Wrestling from Colorado has qualified for the state championship tournament twice.
Both finalists had big wins in the semifinals to earn their way to the finals. Rebstock scored a 0:36 first period pin of Ethan Gonzalez, of Deadshot Wrestling/Edinburgh Vela. Gonzalez holds two 5A 4th place medals and a 94-8 record. Waldschmidt defeated Vin Allen of Spring-Klein WC/Grand Oaks HS 9-3, after Allen had pinned/Majored his way to the semis.
In the gold medal match, Rebstock displayed his dominance with a TF 18-3 win, using 6 takedowns to accumulate his point total. The match ended with 0:30 left in the third period.
Ethan Gonzalez won the third-place medal with a 1-0 decision over David McNally of 512 Outlaw.
144 lbs.
At 144, Joseph Woodard of Rogue Warrior/Kickapoo HS in Missouri and Kiron Neves of Cardinal Wrestling/Melisa HS faced off in the finals. Woodard was a state qualifier last year in Missouri as a junior. His career record is 100-33.
Neves is entering his junior year as a returning Texas UIL-5A 150 lb. silver medalist. His record last season was 31-9.
Both wrestlers were really only tested once on their way to the title match. Neves won a preliminary match 4-1, against Liam Bentley of Cowtown Training/Arlington Martin, when he scored a takedown with 0:09 left in the match. Woodard’s semifinal match with Dominic Contreras of 817 Wrestling Club mirrored that of Neves, with a 4-1 decision decided by a late takedown, this one with 0:24 left on the clock.
In the finals, Woodard got the first takedown early in the period. Neves escaped before the first minute was up and got his own takedown before the end of the period, leading 4-3 going into the 2nd period. Woodard chose bottom, and escaped after a minute, then took Neves down. Neves escaped before the buzzer, trailing 7-5 going into the final period. Eves chose neutral and neither wrestler was able to score a takedown, although Woodard was called for two stalls, which led to a final 7-6 decision in Woodard’s favor.
Tyson Crowsey of Ranger 47/Rockwall Heath came back from his round loss to Neves, to win seven matches in the consolation bracket to secure 3rd place.
150 lbs.
This weight class belonged to Vinny Ferrari of Cardinal Wrestling/Melisa HS, last year’s UIL 5A 132 lb. champion. He scored victories via two pins, two tech falls, and two major decisions on his way to winning the gold medal. The second of those pins came in the gold medal match against Kye Owen of Caney Creek HS at 1:51 of the first period.
Owen did have a couple of notable wins to the finals with a 6-2 decision over Bruce Bletz, a 5th place winner in the Louisiana state championship last year, and a 5-3 win vs. Jackson Ewing, a 2x 6A Region 2 qualifier.
Hunter Avalos took a long trip in the consolation bracket, winning 8 matches to claim the 3rd place medal. Avalos was Ferrari’s first ‘victim’ of the tournament.
157 lbs.
The 157 lb. weight class was loaded with at least six competitors who won a medal at their respective state championship last year. The semifinals had Maddox Fields of Cardinal Wrestling/Melisa HS paired up with LJ Williams of North DeSoto HS in Louisiana. Williams was a D2 4th place finisher last season. Fields was a UIL State champion at 126 lbs. in his freshman campaign in 2026.
Williams started the scoring with the first takedown, then the rest of the match belonged to Fields, who scored 13 points over the remaining three minutes of the match for a 13-3 Major Decision.
In the other semifinal, Jaxon Johnson of Cardinal Wrestling/Melisa HS, last year’s 5A 138 lb. Silver Medalist met Jayden Cardona of Vic/Klein Oak HS. Cardona was the 6A 157 lb. 4th place medalist in 2026. This was a match with neither of the wrestlers able to score a takedown in any of the three periods. An escape by Johnson in the second period, and a stalling point awarded to Cardona in the third period while Johnson rode him out for the entire period (which was only one minute) led to overtime.
In overtime, Johnson escaped halfway through the period to end the bout, with a TB-1 2-1 victory.
In the consolations, Jayden Cardona defeated Braden Lane in a 9-1 MD. Lane is a 3X Texas Prep State Champion out of Gracie Barra WC/ Houston St. John’s Episcopal, before winning the consolation final with a 3rd period takedown of LJ Williams, in a close 5-4 decision.
165 lbs.
Three of the four semi-finalists at 165 lbs. were from out-of-state. Debraun Norris is the Louisiana D3 165 lb. champ in 2026 and 4th at 144 in 2024. Rider Eggett is a 2x Utah 5A state qualifier, and placed 5th last year at 150 lbs. Gregory Harkey of Civic Memorial HS in Illinois was a Regional champ and state qualifier in 2026 as a 9th grader. Completing the semi-finalists was Grady Kelts of NB Elite WC/San Antonio Churchill HS. As a freshman in 2026, Kelts qualified for the UIL State championships with a 48-10 record.
In the bottom half of the bracket, Harkey used three wins by fall to reach the semifinals match against Eggett who used two pins (one against Norris) to see who would make the finals. Harkey made his case with a strong 8-0 MD, scoring in each period to make the title match to face Grady Kelts for the gold.
A big match on the way to the finals for Kelts was in the quarterfinals where he defeated Ray Ndanzia 5-4. Ndanzia was Melisa HS 4th place finisher at the 5A championships last season.
In the Gold match, Kelts scored a takedown in the first period, but allowed an escape right before the buzzer. There was no scoring in the second period. In the final period Harkey scored a takedown with six seconds left, as well as a stalling penalty point, to win the match with a 5-4 decision.
Rider Eggett won the consolation final against Norris with a 7-4 decision
175 lbs.
Shea Yudizky of Ranger 47/Rockwall Heath scored three first period pins to blaze his path to the finals. Yudizky was the 6A 165 lb. 5th place finisher in the 25-26 season.
James Wojcikiewicz, the third member of the Civic Memorial HS team to make the trek from Illinois to test the Texas waters, used two Tech Falls, a MD, and a Decision to earn the right to face Yudizky.
In the finals, neither wrestler scored in the two-minute first period. In the second period, Wojcikiewicz scored an escape, but was soon taken down by Yudizky, but the Illinois wrestler escaped again to go into the third period trailing to the Texan, 3-2. It took 44 seconds in the final period for a takedown to be scored, and it was earned by Wojcikiewicz to win the title with a 5-3 decision.
For those keeping count, the Civic Memorial HS team sent 3 wrestlers to compete in this tournament, and all three student-athletes brought Gold medals back to Illinois! It will be fun to check up on them later in the year to see how their season is progressing.
Jet Rank of Tom Eagle WC/St. Thomas HS won a 13-3 MD over Joel Williams of JFlo Trained/CyWoods HS.
190 lbs.
The big story in this weight class was the finals match between Jules Deshotels of LRTC/St. Thomas More HS in Lafayette Louisiana and Grant “Buck” Rogers of McChesney Grappling Academy/Katy Morton Ranch HS. Rogers holds a 106-44 record over three varsity seasons. He qualified for the state tourney one time, and regions all three years. Deshotels has an 83-15 record during his 9th and 10th grade seasons. He finished 4th and 2nd in the Louisiana state D3 championship at 190, and was the 2025 champ of this very tournament.
The majority of the scoring in this match was done in the first period. Deshotels scored the takedown in the first period before giving up a penalty point for clasped hands and an escape, before taking Rogers down again. 6-2 lead for Deshotels into the second period.
Rogers chose bottom and escaped with 4 seconds left in the period, cutting Deshotel’s lead to 6-3.
Deshotels chose bottom, and was able to score another 2 points with a reversal, closing out the match with an 8-3 decision for his back-to-back tournament titles.
Major Pierce of the Cardinal Wrestling Club/Melisa HS, and I think the nephew of the head coach Oliver Pierce, won the consolation final with a 7-1 decision over Harvey Mills of Labyrinth/Cypress Springs HS.
215 lbs.
As we reach the upper weights, we see fewer wrestlers in the brackets, mostly because of the wrestlers’ participation in football.
The wrestler who stood out the most in this weight class, who does not play football, but focuses on wrestling, was also the champion of the bracket. Calvin Ross of Wewahitchka HS, in the Florida panhandle, entered the tournament with a 171-23 varsity record. He has a 7th place medal at 190 lbs. in the Florida 2026 1A state tourney and a 4th place medal at 215 lbs. at the 2025 tournament. He did not qualify his freshman year despite a 49-9 record.
Ross had two first period pins to set up his finals’ meeting with Alexander Reed of the Leopard Wrestling Club/Lovejoy HS. Reed qualified for the 5A UIL championships as a sophomore last season.
All of the scoring in this title match was done by Ross, a takedown in the first period and an escape and takedown in the third period produced a 7-0 decision for the Wewahitchka Gator.
Kaleb Soto of San Antonio Highlands secured a 7-1 win over Steve Quiles of Cornerstone Christian School for 3rd place.
285 lbs.
There were seven wrestlers competing for the top spot at 285 lbs. Matthew Moore of the Spartan Mat Club/Northwest Nelson HS and Eli Mensing of Tom Eagle Wrestling/St. Thomas HS were the last two standing in the final bout.
Moore ended this match soon after it was started, with a first period fall, after leading 7-1.
Julian Guzman of Rise Wrestling won the bronze medal with a 6-1 decision over Aiden Sadeghi of Richmond Wrestling Academy. I could not find any high school wrestling records for these two competitors, so they may be preparing to enter the varsity scene this year.
All in all, this year’s version of the Super 32 Early Entry tournament was a success. It was well run by Coach Jimenez and his people. While not all of the best wrestlers in Texas participated, there were plenty of top-notch grapplers on the mats. It was interesting to see how many out-of-state wrestlers took part in the tournament. I am interested in following a few of them during their season this year. As in the past, sticking the names in the back of my head of all of the incoming high school freshmen will serve as a great reference for the coming season. More than anything, this tournament just builds my appetite for the season that is soon to come.
106 lbs.
1st Place – Drake Gonzales of Steel City Reloaded
2nd Place – Caleb Frease of Cardinal Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Dandre Adams of Best Trained Wrestling
4th Place – Jaxon Mancuso of Baton Rouge training center
1st Place Match
Drake Gonzales (Steel City Reloaded) won by major decision over Caleb Frease (Cardinal Wrestling Club) (Maj 16-2)
3rd Place Match
Dandre Adams (Best Trained Wrestling) won by decision over Jaxon Mancuso (Baton Rouge training center) (Dec 1-0)
113 lbs.
1st Place – Carl Weidner of Civic Memorial HS
2nd Place – Zaiden Hernandez of ONE Wrestling Academy
3rd Place – Gabriel Jaxon Medrano of Gracie Barra Westchase
4th Place – William Yoshida of Cardinal Wrestling Club
1st Place Match
Carl Weidner (Civic Memorial HS) won by decision over Zaiden Hernandez (ONE Wrestling Academy) (Dec 3-0)
3rd Place Match
Gabriel Jaxon Medrano (Gracie Barra Westchase) won by major decision over William Yoshida (Cardinal Wrestling Club) (Maj 10-0)
120 lbs.
1st Place – Lou Keneson of Howe Wrestling
2nd Place – Nick Payne of Boneyard Wrestling Academy
3rd Place – Jaxon Kraemer of Nolf Wrestling Academy
4th Place – Jude Avila of Comal county wrestling club
1st Place Match
Lou Keneson (Howe Wrestling) won by decision over Nick Payne (Boneyard Wrestling Academy) (Dec 7-0)
3rd Place Match
Jaxon Kraemer (Nolf Wrestling Academy) won by decision over Jude Avila (Comal county wrestling club) (Dec 8-7)
126
1st Place – Brian An of Unattached
2nd Place – Hayden Ross of 512 Outlaw Wrestling
3rd Place – Behzod Rakhmatov of Tom Eagle Wrestling
4th Place – Ryu Renzo Calderon of Paradigm Wrestling
1st Place Match
Brian An (Unattached) won by fall over Hayden Ross (512 Outlaw Wrestling) (Fall 1:49)
3rd Place Match
Behzod Rakhmatov (Tom Eagle Wrestling) won by major decision over Ryu Renzo Calderon (Paradigm Wrestling) (Maj 8-0)
132
1st Place – Kenneth Barnes of Cardinal Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Joey Guanella of Unattached
3rd Place – Yusuf Uribe of Best Trained Wrestling
4th Place – Alex Choo of Gracie Barra Westchase
1st Place Match
Kenneth Barnes (Cardinal Wrestling Club) won by decision over Joey Guanella (Unattached) (Dec 4-0)
3rd Place Match
Yusuf Uribe (Best Trained Wrestling) won by decision over Alex Choo (Gracie Barra Westchase) (Dec 10-3)
138
1st Place – Jonas Rebstock of LRTC
2nd Place – Jeremiah Waldschmidt of 1
3rd Place – Ethan Gonzales of Deadshot Wrestling Club
4th Place – David McNally of 512 Outlaw Wrestling
1st Place Match
Jonas Rebstock (LRTC) won by tech fall over Jeremiah Waldschmidt (1) (TF 18-3)
3rd Place Match
Ethan Gonzales (Deadshot Wrestling Club) won by decision over David McNally (512 Outlaw Wrestling) (Dec 1-0)
144
1st Place – Joseph Woodard of Rogue Warrior
2nd Place – Kiron Do Nascimento Neves of Cardinal Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Tyson Crowsey of Ranger 47
4th Place – Anson Lastinger of Cardinal Wrestling Club
1st Place Match
Joseph Woodard (Rogue Warrior) won by decision over Kiron Do Nascimento Neves (Cardinal Wrestling Club) (Dec 7-6)
3rd Place Match
Tyson Crowsey (Ranger 47) won by medical forfeit over Anson Lastinger (Cardinal Wrestling Club) (MFF)
150
1st Place – Vinny Ferrari of Cardinal Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Kye Owen of Caney Creek High School
3rd Place – Hunter Avalos of 817 Wrestling Club
4th Place – Justin Carson Thibodeaux of Sulphur
1st Place Match
Vinny Ferrari (Cardinal Wrestling Club) won by fall over Kye Owen (Caney Creek High School) (Fall 1:51)
3rd Place Match
Hunter Avalos (817 Wrestling Club) won by major decision over Justin Carson Thibodeaux (Sulphur) (Maj 9-1)
157
2nd Place – Maddox Fields of Cardinal Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Jaxon Johnson of Cardinal Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Jayden Cardona of Vici
4th Place – Lj Williams of North DeSoto
1st Place Match
Jaxon Johnson (Cardinal Wrestling Club) and Maddox Fields (Cardinal Wrestling Club) (DFF)
3rd Place Match
Jayden Cardona (Vici) won by decision over Lj Williams (North DeSoto) (Dec 5-4)
165
1st Place – Gregory Harkey of Civic Memorial
2nd Place – Grady Kelts of NB Elite Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Rider Eggett of Viewmont Viking wrestling
4th Place – Debraun Norris of Patrick Taylor – Science/Tech.
1st Place Match
Gregory Harkey (Civic Memorial) won by decision over Grady Kelts (NB Elite Wrestling Club) (Dec 5-3)
3rd Place Match
Rider Eggett (Viewmont Viking wrestling) won by decision over Debraun Norris (Patrick Taylor – Science/Tech.) (Dec 7-4)
175
1st Place – James Wojcikiewicz of Civic Memorial
2nd Place – Shea Yudizky of Ranger 47
3rd Place – Jet Rank of Tom Eagle Wrestling
4th Place – Joel Williams of JFLO Trained
1st Place Match
James Wojcikiewicz (Civic Memorial) won by decision over Shea Yudizky (Ranger 47) (Dec 5-3)
3rd Place Match
Jet Rank (Tom Eagle Wrestling) won by major decision over Joel Williams (JFLO Trained) (Maj 13-3)
190
1st Place – Jules Deshotels of LRTC
2nd Place – Buck Rogers of McChesney Grappling Academy
3rd Place – Major Pierce of Cardinal Wrestling Club
4th Place – Harvey Mills of Labyrinth
1st Place Match
Jules Deshotels (LRTC) won by decision over Buck Rogers (McChesney Grappling Academy) (Dec 8-3)
3rd Place Match
Major Pierce (Cardinal Wrestling Club) won by decision over Harvey Mills (Labyrinth) (Dec 7-1)
215
1st Place – Calvin Ross of Wewahitchka
2nd Place – Alexander Reed of Leopard Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Kaleb Soto of Unattached
4th Place – Steve Quiles of Cornerstone Christian Schools
1st Place Match
Calvin Ross (Wewahitchka) won by decision over Alexander Reed (Leopard Wrestling Club) (Dec 7-0)
3rd Place Match
Kaleb Soto (Unattached) won by decision over Steve Quiles (Cornerstone Christian Schools) (Dec 7-1)
285
1st Place – Matthew Moore of Spartan Mat Club
2nd Place – Eli Mensing of Tom Eagle Wrestling
3rd Place – Julian Guzman of Rise wrestling
4th Place – Aiden Sadeghi of Richmond Wrestling Academy
1st Place Match
Matthew Moore (Spartan Mat Club) won by fall over Eli Mensing (Tom Eagle Wrestling) (Fall 1:30)
3rd Place Match
Julian Guzman (Rise wrestling) won by decision over Aiden Sadeghi (Richmond Wrestling Academy) (Dec 6-1)
