Previewing the Hawkeye Ten Wrestling Tournament

The path to the Wells Fargo Arena and the 2018 Iowa High School State Wrestling Tournament has officially begun. Wrestlers will tell you that every match is important, but when the season gets to this point, it feels as if every match means just a bit more.  This week, 11 teams will compete at Lewis Central High School this Saturday. The Hawkeye Ten tourney began in 1973 and has been a ton of fun since then, actually I don't really know if it was a ton of fun before 2016, but I'm guessing it was.  The beauty of this tournament is that a handful of matches go down to the wire and some are state tournament caliber matches. This year, there are 15 ranked wrestlers participating, but I also counted 10 wrestlers that are not currently ranked, but were at some point this season. Bottom line is, this will be fun to watch on Saturday. So let's take a look at each weight class that will be participating in Council Bluffs this weekend, but before that, lets take a look at some of the numbers behind the history of the Hawkeye Ten Wrestling Tournament.

Let me begin by saying that the people in charge of the Hawkeye Ten do a wonderful job, not every tournament gives you a complete guide of former champions and notable accomplishments. The Hawkeye Ten does and for that, they deserve a thank you.

Looking to become a three-time champ

Chase McLaren (Atlantic/CAM)

Austin Gutknecht (Clarinda)

Trevor Anderson (Glenwood)

Looking to become a two-time champ

Jonathan Erp (Red Oak)

Gabe Kjeldgaard (Lewis Central)

Jordan Renshaw (Glenwood)

Thomas Bentley (Red Oak)

John McConkey (Atlantic/CAM)

Caleb Sanders (Glenwood)

Kole Hansen (Atlantic/CAM)

Each Team's Total Individual Championships and Most Recent Champion

Atlantic/CAM (46)-John McConkey, 2017

Clarinda (44)-Austin Gutkencht, 2017

Creston/OM (109)-Kadon Hulett, 2017

Denison-Schleswig (4)-Jesse Preul, 2010

Glenwood (95)-Jordan Renshaw, 2017

Harlan (64)-Elias Schaeffer, 2015

Kuemper Catholic (8)-Alexander Schmitz, 2013

Lewis Central (144)-Mac Southard, 2017

Red Oak (19)-Thomas Bentley, 2017

Shenandoah (37)-Carroll Heitshushen, 2010

St. Albert (4)-Wyatt Lewis, 2014

I won't entertain you (or bore you) with any more statistics, lets look at the weights.

106 Pounds-I'm super excited and curious to see this weight class. I think four wrestlers have a legitimate shot and there might be one or two others that sneak up and surprise me. Benjamin Schmitz (Kuemper Catholic) is the only ranked wrestler in this weight class, ranked seventh in Class 2A, but Jonathan Erp (Red Oak), Joe Weaver (Atlantic/CAM) and Tanner Wink (Lewis Central) have all been ranked at some point this season. Not to mention, these guys have all beat up on each other, let's take a look.

December 1st-Weaver defeats Schmitz by 9-6 decision.

December 14th-Schmitz defeats Weaver by a 4-1 decision.

December 14th-Schmitz defeats Wink by a 4-0 decision

December 14th-Wink defeats Weaver by a 4-1 decision.

January 4th-Wink defeats Erp by a 4-0 decision

January 7th-Erp beats Weaver by major decision 14-4

January 14th-Weaver beats Erp by a 14-9 decision.

Add in the fact that Erp is the defending conference champion at this weight class and that makes it even more interesting. Good thing I'm not predicting winners, because this one might be nearly impossible.

113 Pounds-Last year this weight class featured a ranked match-up between Jacob Goodson (Creston/OM) and Kole Hansen (Atlantic/CAM), but this year the weight class features zero ranked wrestlers, this one is tough to decipher. Kaden Bolton (Creston/OM) had a strong showing last week, finishing second at John J., Aybren Moore (Atlantic/CAM) took home fourth place in the same tournament. It's also worth noting that neither Red Oak nor Kuemper Catholic have a 113 pounder listed on their roster, so we could potentially see Erp or Schmitz bump up.

120 Pounds-Another weight class with more questions than answers. Not every school has a 120 weight pounder listed, so there is a good chance that this will not be a full class. Keep an eye on Steele McLaren (Atlantic/CAM) and Garon Wurster (Creston/OM), the two grapplers finished third and fourth at John J. respectively with McLaren getting the win by fall. However, Ethan Lemon (Harlan) might have something to say about that rematch. 

126 Pounds-Kole Hansen (Atlantic/CAM) looked pretty darn impressive at John J. last week. He defeated Class 1A fourth-ranked Teagan Lundquist (Southwest Valley) after Lundquist spent the whole tournament looking like a takedown machine. To get to the finals, Hansen had to defeat Kolby Hulett (Creston/OM) in an entertaining match that ended with Hansen getting the win by a 5-3 decision. It's also worth noting that Tanner Higgins (Lewis Central) beat Hulett by a 7-4 decision on Tuesday. Keep an eye on this one.

132 Pounds-Chase McLaren (Atlantic/CAM) dropped a tough one to Gabe Ruepke (Chariton) in the finals of John J last week, but the junior has been wrestling like a man on a mission all year. Perhaps his mission is to become a three-time Hawkeye Ten champ, which he will become if he is victorious. There's a possibility that Cam Vanderhoof (Red Oak) could wrestle at this weight class this weekend. Vanderhoof finished fourth at the conference meet at 120 pounds last year. I also would not be surprised to see Brandon Wieland (Lewis Central) or Kelby Luther (Creston/OM) advance to the finals.

138 Pounds-Perhaps no wrestler looked more impressive at John J. last week than Austin Gutknecht (Clarinda), the senior got the monkey off his back and took home his first ever John J. gold medal after defeating Class 1A fourth-ranked Connor Lange (Missouri Valley). This week, Gutknecht looks to become a three-time conference champion. Kyle Kuckta (Lewis Central) is currently 15-7 on the season and could find himself facing Gutknecht in the finals or it could end up being Cade Vicker (Creston/OM) who defeated Kuckta earlier this week.

145 Pounds-This weight class by itself, is worth the price of admissions. There are three ranked wrestlers in this class; 3A second-ranked Trevor Anderson (Glenwood), 2A third-ranked Mitchel Swank (Creston/OM) and 3A seventh-ranked Gabe Kjeldgaard (Lewis Central). Anderson beat Kjeldgaard by 3-2 decision on January 4th and Kjeldgaard defeated Swank by 6-3 decision earlier this week, but Anderson and Swank have not wrestled this year. This is awesome, we are most likely going to have a state-tournament caliber match in the semi-finals, and another one in the finals.

152 Pounds-This is a sneaky good weight class. The two favorites are likely to be Caleb Kingery (Lewis Central) and Jordan Renshaw (Glenwood), Kingery comes into the meet ranked 10th in Class 3A. Him and Renshaw wrestled each other on January 4th, the match ended with Kingery edging Renshaw in sudden victory. Last year, Renshaw surprised many people when he won the conference tournament, if he wins it this year, it will come as no surprise, or at least it shouldn't. However, Justin McCunn (Red Oak) could be considered a favorite to win as well. Last week, McCunn made it all the way to the finals before dropping to Skeeter Bostwick (Missouri Valley), McCunn has looked pretty darn impressive this year. Can he make a statement?

160 Pounds-This weight class features zero ranked wrestlers, but it could be a fun one to watch. Zak Hulsing (Kuemper Catholic) has been ranked at times this season and might be considered the favorite. The rest of this weight class is pretty wide open, Brett Mower (Glenwood) has split time this year wrestling at 160 and 170, so it depends on whether or not he wrestles at this weight. Ryan Higgins (Lewis Central) has been wrestling well as of late.

170 Pounds-This weight class could go a couple of different ways. Kyle Owens (Shenandoah) is the only ranked wrestler in this class, coming in ranked 10th in Class 2A, but he lost last week to Carter Maynes (Red Oak), William Waugh (Lewis Central) recently bumped up from 160 pounds and has been wrestling well, Brett Mower (Glenwood) could potentially wrestle in this weight class as well, It would not surprise me at all if any one of these four guys won it.

182 Pounds-The last two seasons, Anthony Sherry (Glenwood) has had the misfortune of running into Chase Shiltz (Creston/OM), he doesn't have to worry about that this year. The second-ranked wrestler in Class 3A is looking for his first Hawkeye Ten championship. Sherry's been dinged up lately, so hopefully he will be at 100 percent come Saturday. Thomas Bentley (Red Oak) has also been dinged up lately, the fifth-ranked wrestler in Class 2A sat out last week's John J. Harris Invitational with a shoulder injury, if he's healthy we could see a Sherry/Bentley match in the finals, but don't count out Nick Dickerson (Shenandoah) who looked pretty impressive last week at John J. taking home the runner-up spot.

195 Pounds-Nick Foss (Harlan) had the misfortune last year of being in the same weight class as both Shiltz and Sherry, the third-ranked wrestler does not have to worry about that this year as he also looks for his first conference crown. Brock Bortolotti (Lewis Central) began the year at 220, but has wrestled at 195 recently. Cole Nebel (Shenandoah) had a decent showing last week at John J, taking home a third-place medal and he could also definitely find himself facing Foss in the finals.

220 Pounds-I would assume that Isaac Bales (Glenwood) is the favorite here. Bales comes in ranked third in Class 3A and is 28-5 on the season with five tough losses. Tyler Courtier (Shenandoah) is ranked eighth in Class 2A with just two losses on the season, one of those losses came at the hands of Jaden Heiden (Denison-Schleswig), Bales has not wrestled Courtier this year, but he did pin Heiden on Tuesday night.

285 Pounds-Now I'm not a betting person, but if I was, I would bet that the final ends up being John McConkey (Atlantic/CAM) and Caleb Sanders (Glenwood). I would also bet that the match is going to end with a final score of 3-2. Check this out.

2016 Hawkeye Ten Final-Sanders defeats McConkey by 3-2 decision.

2016 District Final-Sanders defeats McConkey 3-2 in ultimate tie-breaker

2017 Dual-McConkey defeats Sanders 3-2 in ultimate tie-breaker

2017 Hawkeye Ten Final-McConkey defeats Sanders 3-1 in sudden-victory

2017 Council Bluffs Classic Semis-Sanders defeats McConkey 3-2 in ultimate tie-breaker

2017 Red Owens Holiday Finals-McConkey defeats Sanders 3-2

2018 Dual-McConkey defeats Sanders 3-2 in ultimate tie-breaker.

So there you have it, they have wrestled seven times in the past three years. McConkey has won four of them, including four of the last five. McConkey only has one loss this year and it was too Sanders. Sanders only has two losses this season, those two losses? Both to John McConkey.

This is going to be the last time these two ever wrestle and I expect nothing less than a classic, this should be fun.

Team Race-Last year Atlantic captured their first conference title since 1980. Creston/OM has had a stranghold on the conference for the better part of the last decade, but I think its Glenwood's year. The Rams are loaded and also have a handful of guys that can get them some valuable placement points, also don't sleep on Lewis Central who has a couple of studs that could bolster their chances and they defeated Glenwood in a dual earlier this year for what it's worth.

I am confident that these four teams will be the top four finishing teams on Saturday, just not sure in what order; I'm going to say 1) Glenwood, 2) Lewis Central 3) Atlantic/CAM, 4) Creston/OM.

I'm stoked for Saturday. 

My College Basketball Top 25-

Howdy folks, I did this last week, so why not do it again? This has been a weird year in college basketball. There has been no clearly dominant team, although there have been some teams that have stepped up lately and could be very scary come March. So without further ado, here is my top 25 heading into this week

1-Villanova-The Wildcats took care of business again last week, knocking off Georgetown and Connecticut, their one blemish on their record remains an eight-point loss at Butler on December 30th.
2-Purdue-The Boilermakers look dangerous right now. Their last three games look like this; beat Minnesota by 34, beat Wisconsin by 28 and beat Iowa by 23. All those teams are struggling right now, but still, the Boilermakers are clicking at the moment.
3-Virginia-No change in my top three as you can see. This week, the Cavaliers knocked off Georgia Tech and Wake Forest, however this time last week they had the 30th best offense according to KenPom.com, this week they are down to 38th.
4-Duke-Duke had to overcome a double-digit deficit to knock off Miami this week, but they also throttled Pittsburgh and they signed Zion Williamson. Good week for Duke, on and off the court.
5-Michigan State-Sparty only played one game this week (not sure how that happened), but in that game, they beat Indiana by 28.
6-Kansas-I remember way back when people thought Kansas would not win the Big 12. That was a whole two weeks ago, however, last week Kansas somehow managed to get a victory at West Virginia and squeaked past Baylor while the rest the conference struggled.
7-West Virgina-I only dock the Mountaineers one spot for that loss to the Jayhawks, this still a darn good West Virginia team
8-Xavier-Since losing to Villanova on January 10th, the Musketeers beat Creighton by 22, St. Johns by six and Seton Hall by nine.
9-Cincinnati-The Bearcats only scored 15 points in the first half against UCF last week, but they rallied and the second half and scored a jaw-dropping 34-points to win a 49-38 offensive shootout, oh wait this is basketball, not football.
10-Arizona-I'm still not entirely sold on Arizona, but they defeated Cal and Stanford while everyone in or around the top ten struggled.
11-North Carolina-The Tar Heels picked up two solid wins this week, defeating Clemson and Georgia Tech.
12-Oklahoma-It was a tough week for Boomer Sooner, Kansas State made them look silly and then they lost an offensive shootout to Oklahoma State even though Trae Young scored 48.
13-Wichita State-It was a tough week for the Shockers too. Dropping tough games to two good teams (SMU and Houston), I wonder they will regret leaving the Missouri Valley Conference.
14-Ohio State-I may or may not be a little high on the Buckeyes, but everyone in front of them dropped at least one game this week while the Buckeyes looked pretty darn impressive with wins over Northwestern and Minnesota
15-Texas Tech-Like their Big 12 counterpart Oklahoma, the Red Raiders had a tough week, dropping to Texas by nine and Iowa State by 18.
16-Gonzaga-The 'Zags did lose to St. Mary's this week, but that was only by three. I won't punish them too much for that.
17-Auburn-Auburn lost to Alabama this week, but they also defeated Georgia. I could not justify putting anyone else ahead of them
18-Clemson-I moved Clemson up two spots even though they lost to North Carolina, Chapel Hill is a tough place to play, the Tigers 0-59 record there proves that.
19-Arizona State-The Sun Devils have been up and recently. They've struggled to find consistency. Part of that could be in part to their defensive play, or lack thereof, the Sun Devils rank 124th in defensive efficiency according to KenPom.com
20-Tennessee-I did not punish the Vols for losing to Missouri. Part of that is because I could not justify putting anyone else ahead of that, and the other part is because Rick Barnes' comments about playing at Kansas made me chuckle.
21-St. Mary's-I'm still not sold on St. Mary's. According to KenPom.com, they are the 16th best team in the nation right now. A large part of that is thanks to the third-ranked offense and not their 122nd ranked defense.
22-Seton Hall-Seton Hall's stock is spiraling downward after tough losses to Creighton and Xavier, a loss this week and they'll be on the outside looking into the top 25. The good thing is they have two winnable games coming up with DePaul and Providence.
23-Florida-The Gators seem to have their kinks worked out. This is a fun team to watch. They were my pick to win the national title at the beginning of the year but they hit a lull a few weeks ago, this week they found a rhythm and defeated Kentucky and Arkansas.
24-Rhode Island-Say what you want about the Rams and the Atlantic 10, but at least they took care of business this week, not all teams can say that.
25-Louisville-Despite all the distractions that have gone on this season, the Cards have found a way to stay competitive. They are currently 15-4 and defeated Notre Dame and Boston College last week.

Previewing the 63rd Annual John J Harris Wrestling Invitational

The John J. Harris Invitational in Corning is one of my favorite sporting events in all of high school sports. Being a graduate of Southwest Valley, The 2014 edition of John J was the first wrestling tournament I ever covered. I will try not to bore you with a ton of details, but let's just say I did play by play of the entire tournament despite knowing just about nothing about wrestling. I've learned a lot about wrestling since then, but John J. has always maintained a special place near and dear to my heart.

With that being said, John J. also always consists of very tough competition, perhaps the toughest tournament in this quadrant of the state with the exception of the Council Bluffs Classic and maybe the Hawkeye Ten Tournament. Many classes will feature at least two ranked wrestlers, some have three or four. There will also be 23 teams in attendance tomorrow. They are; Adair Casey/Guthrie Center, Atlantic/CAM, Bedford/Lenox, Central Decatur, Chariton, Clarinda, Clarinda Academy, Clarke, Creston/OM, East Mills, Griswold, Missouri Valley, Mount Ayr, Nodaway Valley, Panorama, Red Oak, Riverside, Shenandoah, Southwest Iowa, Southwest Valley, Tri-Center, Wayne and Winterset.

Lets take a look at each weight class that will participate this weekend.

106 Pounds: This weight class could be a ton of fun. Last year, New Hampton's Dylan Robinson dominated, but this year's bracket will feature two wrestlers who are currently ranked. Connor Atkisson (Tri-Center) is ranked No. 7 in Class 1A, and Trey Allen (Winterset) is ranked No. 10 in Class 2A. Three other wrestlers in this weight class have been ranked at some point this season; Joe Weaver (Atlantic/CAM), Bryce Shaha (Mount Ayr) and Jonathan Erp (Red Oak). Weaver is coming off a strong second place showing last week at the Lloyd Shaffer Invitational in Marion, Shaha went 8-0 last week when Mount Ayr hosted the Ron Scott Duals and Erp is the reigning Hawkeye Ten Conference champion at this weight.This class is going to be a ton of fun.

113 Pounds: Wyatt Dale (Central Decatur) is the lone ranked wrestler, coming in at No. 10 in Class 1A. After that this class is wide open. Trey Ehlen (Mount Ayr) has had a solid season at 23-10. Ehlen took home the title in Pride of Iowa Tournament and went 7-1 last week at the Ron Scott Duals. His one loss? An 11-4 decision to Dale. Aybren Moore (Atlantic/CAM) has been a pleasant surprise for the Trojans and should also be expected to contend for a spot on the medal stand. Also don't count out Blaine Beeler (ACGC), who is 28-6 on the season and finished fifth at the tourney last year.

120 Pounds: Last year this weight class featured four ranked wrestlers, Carter Cox (Atlantic/CAM) defeated Jared Hensley (Bedford/Lenox) in a classic final, however both them have graduated and this year's weight class only has one ranked grappler, Bryce Hatten (Winterset). Last year, Hatten came home in the runner-up spot at 106 pounds, so you have to assume he is favored to redeem himself. Carter Wilken (Clarke) has a record of 14-4 on the season and could find himself in the finals with Hatten. The rest of this class it totally up in the air.

126 Pounds: This is another one to keep an eye on. Only one wrestler is ranked, Teagan Lundquist (Southwest Valley), Lundquist is 29-1 on the season and ranked No. 4 in Class 1A. Lundquist hopes to be Southwest Valley's first champ at their home tournament since Kallan Schmelzer in 2014. Atlantic/CAM's Kole Hansen will most likely wrestle in this weight class, although he's bounced around weights this season, wrestling as heavy as 138 pounds. Also keep an eye on freshman Kolby Hulett (Creston/OM) who is 21-7 on the season. Wouldn't it be a shocker if a Hulett won John J? It wouldn't be considering his older brother Kadon did it the last three years, and I'm guessing brother Keaton did it as well.

132 Pounds: This weight class features three ranked wrestlers; Gabe Ruepke (Chariton) at No. 5 in Class 2A, Chase McLaren (Atlantic/CAM) at No.8 in Class 2A and Jack West (Winterset) at No. 7 in Class 2A. Last year, Ruepke beat McLaren in the semi-finals, will the result be the same this year? Will the matchup even happen? Also keep an eye on Colton Hauschild (Southwest Iowa) who comes into the tournament with a record of 15-9.

138 Pounds:This one might be the worth the price of admission. Three wrestlers are ranked; Connor Lange (Missouri Valley) is ranked No. 4 in Class 1A, Austin Gutknecht (Clarinda) is ranked No. 6 in Class 1A and Kruise Kiburz (Winterset) is ranked No. 9 in Class 2A. Gutknecht is looking to give Clarinda it's first champion since J.J. Clark did it in 2016. Chariton's Dylan Harbirts has also been ranked most of the year and could find himself in the finals.

145 Pounds:I'm not sure how many wrestlers have won John J. three times, but I'm guessing there's not very many. Well Mitchel Swank (Creston/OM) has the chance to add his name to that list. Swank has been pretty darn impressive the last two years at John J and comes in ranked No. 3 in Class 2A. Swank most certainly has to be the favorite to capture his third title, however don't count out Duke Kyle (Missouri Valley) who is ranked No. 8 in Class 1A.

152 Pounds:This class features only one wrestler that is currently ranked, but two that have been at some point this season. Skeeter Bostwick (Missouri Valley) comes in ranked No. 6 in Class 1A. Last year Bostwick took home a third place finish behind two upset victories over New Hampton's Keegan Tenge. Drew Venteicher (Bedford/Lenox) has been ranked all season, but recently dropped from the top ten, expect the feisty sophomore to contend as well as Justin McCunn (Red Oak), who looked pretty darn impressive two weeks ago at the Rollin Dyer Invitational, capturing the tournament title.

160 Pounds: This is one of only two classes that does not feature at least one wrestler ranked by the Predicament. Marcus Daughton (Mount Ayr) is ranked No. 10 by IAWrestle. Daughton's big brother Cal came very close to winning the tournament last year, can little brother get it done this year?. Senior Dylan Dalton (Southwest Valley) has had a solid season, amassing a record of 20-8. The last Timberwolf to win John J also did it at 160 pounds.

170 Pounds: Two years ago, Nathan Haynes (Missouri Valley) won the tournament as a sophomore. Last year Haynes came into the tournament as the top seed, but was upset in the quarterfinals. This year, Haynes finds himself ranked No. 2 in Class 1A, but picking up his second tournament championship will be no easy task. Gunnar Grunsted (Panorama) comes in ranked No. 6 in Class 1A. Kyle Owens (Shenandoah), who is ranked No. 10 in Class 2A looks to give the Mustangs their first John J. champ in quite some time.

182 Pounds: This is the weight class, that I'm the most excited to watch. I mean excited to see all of them, but this one especially. Three wrestlers are ranked in this class. Sophomore Nick Haynes (Missouri Valley) would love to have the same success that his big brother Nathan had at John J his sophomore year. Remember how I said that Nathan Haynes was upset last year? Well it was Thomas Bentley (Red Oak) who upset him. Now Bentley is at 182 pounds and ranked No. 5 in Class 2A. Bentley has been a takedown machine this year, but a recent hand injury has put him in a cast and made his offense a bit more difficult to execute. Derek Venteicher (Bedford/Lenox) has beat Bentley the last three times they've met, including an impressive pinfall victory just a few weeks ago. Venteicher is ranked No. 7 in Class 1A and has to be hungry to end his last John J. on a dominant note. I'm glad I did not bet money on this class, because I would not feel confident. Such a toss up.

195 Pounds: This is the other weight class that features zero ranked wrestlers. Brenden Christiansen (Bedford/Lenox) is 18-1 on the season and could very well be the top seed this weekend. Dalton Holmes (Panorama) has a record of 20-4 on the season and Cole Nebel (Shenandoah) has been solid for the Mustangs this season and could find himself on the podium and perhaps contending for the gold.

220 Pounds: For as long as I can remember, the 220 pound class has always been one of the more competitive in the tournaments. This years, tournament will feature the No. 1 in Class 1A, Tom Rief (Missouri Valley). Last year Rief came into the tournament ranked No. 1 and earned the top seed, but he lost to Kadon Hulett in the finals. Rief has got to feel hungry to get the tournament crown in his final shot. Chance Strough (Bedford/Lenox) finds himself ranked No. 8 in Class 1A and would love to have a shot at Reif in the semi-finals or finals. Tyler Courtier (Shenandoah) has been a pleasant surprise for the Mustangs, the sophomore is ranked No. 8 in Class 2A and is 31-1 on the season. A strong tournament from Courtier could give him some monstrous momentum heading into Hawkeye Ten, sectionals and districts.

285 Pounds: John McConkey (Atlantic/CAM) looks to win his third straight John J title. The future UNI Panther is ranked No. 2 in Class 2A, and No. 9 nationally. McConkey has been dominant this season. His lone loss came in the semi-finals of the Council Bluffs Classic to Class 3A top ranked Caleb Sanders (Glenwood). Bradley Tolley (Winterset) recently earned his way into the Predicament's ranking as the No. 10 heavyweight in Class 2A. Arron Olson (Missouri Valley) has also had a strong season and is currently ranked No. 8 in Class 1A by IAWrestle.

Team Race: One would assume that Missouri Valley would be the favorite to take home the tournament team title. The Big Red are loaded this year, with six ranked wrestlers. However don't count out Winterset, who bolsters a handful of ranked wrestlers themselves. This isn't your typical Creston/OM team, but the Panthers have always had an uncanny ability to wrestle extremely well in tournaments, maybe this will be the case. Bedford/Lenox might lack depth, but they have four or five wrestlers that are capable of getting them some serious points. Two years ago, East Mills finished fifth despite only having five wrestlers, the Bullgers (I think that's what they call them) have the potential to do that this year. The home team Southwest Valley, hopes to hold their own in front of their own fans. I think that's a strong possibility for the Timberwolves who are wrestling solid as a team at just the right time and who knows, maybe someone will surprise

This should be fun.

My College Basketball Top 25

Wow. What a crazy week it was in college basketball. Saturday was especially crazy. I went into Saturday thinking I might rank the teams pretty close to the way they came into the week ranked, but things happened and that is not the case. Here is my ballot for the top 25 teams if I had a vote.

1-Villanova: While everyone else was losing, the Wildcats took care of business this week with wins over Xavier and St. Johns by 14 and seven respectively. 

2-Purdue: I remember thinking the Boilermakers might struggle to replace Caleb Swanigan, I was wrong. The Boilermakers might be an even better team than they were last year.

3-Virginia:Not many people enjoy watching Virginia play, but I do. They have the second best offense according to KenPom.com and the 30th best offense, which means their offense isn't as bad as you think.

4-Oklahoma: This might be kind of high, but the Sooners have the best player in the nation (Trae Young) and picked up two wins over top 16 teams this week. That's why I have them at number four.

5-Wichita State: The Shockers routed East Carolina and squeaked by Tulsa this week, neither teams are very good, but the Shockers took care of business.

6-West Virginia: I love West Virginia and Bob Huggins. The Mountaineers came into the week ranked second, but they dropped a one point decision to Texas Tech in Lubbock, so they had to drop a little bit.

7-Michigan State: The Spartans have hit a mid-season slump, they've lost two of their last three. Their one win was a four point overtime win over a bad Rutgers team.

8-Duke: I have the Blue Devils dropping from seventh to eight this week even though they went 2-0 this week. Dukes offense is really good , but their defense is not. KenPom.com has them ranked as the 88th best defense.

9-Texas Tech: The Red Raiders drop one spot despite losing by 10 to Oklahoma, but everyone else around Texas Tech lost as well except for Kansas and Tech owned Kansas earlier this year, so I couldn't put them ahead.

10-Kansas: Kansas barely squeaked out wins over possibly the two worst teams in the Big 12 at Allen Fieldhouse, but a win is a win. Good news for Jayhawk fans, Malik Newman played well against ISU and Sylvio De Sousa is now eligible, giving the Jayhawks more size. Which they needed.

11-Cincinnati: The Bearcats only played one game this week, but it was a 23 point rout of South Florida. The Bearcats shine on the defensive side of the floor with the third best defense according toKenPom.com

12-Xavier: The Musketeers got routed at Villanova, but they responded with a 22 point win over Creighton, for that they only drop from tenth to twelfth.

13-Gonzaga:Say what you want about the West Coast Conference, but 'Zaga is taking care of business. They are also one of the better all-around teams according to KenPom.com with the eighth best offense and 17th best defense.

14-Arizona: The Wildcats struggled to begin the year, but they've found their rhythm and are playing well. They beat Arizona State, so they belong ahead of the Sun Devils.

15-Arizona State: The Sun Devils were the media darling after beating Kansas, but they've struggled in conference play dropping games to Arizona, Colorado and Oregon, they are a fun team to watch but their defense struggles. (122nd best according to KenPom.com)

16-Seton Hall-Seton Hall is a weird team, they have wins over Texas Tech and Creighton, but lost to Rutgers. Andrew Rowsey made the Pirates look silly, scoring 31 points in Marquette's 84-64 win on Tuesday, but I trust Desi Rodriguez.

17-North Carolina: I honestly did not expect the Tar Heel to be that good this year, but they have the 20th best offense and 11th best defense according to KenPom.com.

18-Kentucky: This is definitely not John Calipari's most talented Kentucky team, but they took care of business this week with a one point win over Texas A&M and a seven point victory over Vanderbilt.

19-Auburn: Say what you want about Auburn, their resume is not impressive and their coach might be a sleeze, but the Tigers keep on winning despite the FBI investigation looming.

20-TCU: The Horned Frogs dropped two games this week. They lost to Texas because Jaylen Carter cannot make a simple layup and they lost to Oklahoma because of Trae Young. The Horned Frogs are a darn fun offensive team, but no so much on the defensive side.

21-Tennessee: The Vols have been up and down, their four losses are to North Carolina, Villanova, Arkansas and Auburn, but they have wins over Purdue and Kentucky. When playing well, they are dangerous.

22-Clemson: Brad Brownell came into the year on the hot seat, hes put his foot into the fire so far leading the Tigers to a current record of 15-2, however those two losses are to Temple (who has a losing record) and North Carolina State.

23-Miami: The 'Canes only played one game this week and it was a nine point loss to Clemson. Big test coming up tomorrow night when they host Duke.

24-Ohio State: The Buckeyes have been a pleasant surprise this year, although they shouldn't be that much of a surprise because Cris Holtmann is a darn good coach. Oh and.. Keita Bates-Diop might be the best player in the Big Ten. 

25-Michigan-The Wolverines went 1-1 this week, but that one loss was by one to Purdue and they took down Sparty this week. Nobody else I considered for this last spot impressed me much this week, so I gave the Maize and Blue benefit of the doubt.

My 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame Ballot

 

In less than a month, the 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class will be announced. The candidates have already been narrowed down to 15 finalists. As expected, this class is very deep. Each one of the finalists is most likely going to get in eventually, however only five of them can get in this year, along with two possible senior candidates and one contributor candidate.

Modern Era Finalists include; Tony Boselli, Isaac Bruce, Brian Dawkins, Alan Faneca, Steve Hutchinson, Joe Jacoby, Edgerrin James, Ty Law, Ray Lewis, John Lynch, Kevin Mawae, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Brian Urlacher and Everson Walls.

Contributor Finalists: Bobby Beathard

Senior Candidates: Robert Brazille and Jerry Kramer

With that being said, here is my ballot if I had one, and three players who just missed the cut, but would almost certainly be on my ballot next year.

JUST MISSED THE CUT

STEVE HUTCHINSON (2001-2012)

 

It is really tough to judge whether or not an offensive-lineman is a Hall of Famer because there are not really any definite statistics for offensive lineman, but you don't need any stinkin' statistics to tell that Steve Hutchinson is a Hall of Famer just by watching him. Hutchinson was a mainstay alongside Hall of Famer Walter Jones. Hutchinson paved the way for Shaun Alexander's record breaking 2005 season. Hutchinson also paved the way for Adrian Peterson during his early years in Minnesota. He was a seven time Pro Bowler and a Five-time All-Pro. Hutchinson certainly belongs in the hall, just maybe not this year.

ISAAC BRUCE (1994-2009)

No wide receiver gets lost in the mix more than Isaac Bruce. People forget just how darn good he was. Bruce was a part of the "Greatest Show on Turf" which might be what has hurt his candidacy, but it shouldn't given that Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk and Orlando Pace all have their respective spots in Canton. During his career, Bruce had eight seasons of 1,000 yards or more. He is fifth in all-time receiving yards, ahead of Hall of Famers Tim Brown, Cris Carter and Andre Reed. He is 12th in receiving touchdowns, and all eligible players except two that have more scores than he did are in the hall. Bruce should get in, but a log-jam at the wideout position means he will have to wait.

 BRIAN URLACHER (2000-2012)

 Bears fans are going to be mad at me for this one. I wanted to put Urlacher in so badly, but I felt as if he was the sixth most deserving player in the modern day era and I could only pick five. I'm certain that Urlacher will get in this year and he will for sure get in next year if he does not this year. Urlacher was the staple of the dominant Bears' defenses of the early 2000's, he was the 2005 NFL Defensive Player of The Year, he was also a Four-time All-Pro and an eight time Pro Bowler. Urlacher amassed 41.5 sacks and 22-interceptions during his career. Perhaps, the most impressive Urlacher stat is that he only missed two games during his career.

 MY BALLOT

SENIOR CANDIDATE

      JERRY KRAMER (1958-1968)

It's about damn time Jerry Kramer gets to Canton. Just about everyone else from those 1960s Packers teams are in, so its a travesty that perhaps the best guard of all-time has yet to get his day in Canton. Kramer was the muscle behind Vince Lombardi's "Packer Sweep". Kramer helped protect Bart Starr to five NFL Championships in the 1960's he was a member of the 1960's All-Decade Team and was a five time First-team All-Pro. Kramer belongs in Canton and his wait should end.

                                              CONTRIBUTOR CANDIDATE 

                                                         BOBBY BEATHARD

The grandfather of former University of Iowa quarterback C.J Beathard built the Redskins into a dynasty during the 1980's. Beathard was the General-Manager of the Redskins for their Super Bowl titles in 1982 and 1987. He left the Redskins in 1989, but he was responsible for many pieces from the 1991 team that also won the Super Bowl. Beathard also led the Chargers to a Super Bowl appearance in 1994. He also drafted Ryan Leaf, but we won't hold that against him.

                              MODERN ERA CANDIDATES

                             KEVIN MAWAE (1994-2009)

 Kevin Mawae being on my ballot is why Steve Hutchinson is not. I could not put them both on there. I had a difficult time deciding which one was more worthy and was still on the fence. The two men's career were almost identical and they were both the best at what they did. I went with Mawae because he's been waiting longer. Mawae was a guard when he came into the NFL, but he was eventually moved to center and was the best center in the NFL for over a decade with the Seahawks, Jets and Titans. Mawae was an eight time Pro Bowl and a seven time First-team All-Pro. Mawae deserves to be in.

                                                  JOHN LYNCH (1993-2007)

John Lynch is one of my favorite players of all time, but that's not why he's on this list. Lynch deserves to be in the hall, but there is a logjam of defensive back candidates including himself, Darren Woodson, Brian Dawkins, Everson Walls and Ronde Barber. Lynch has been eligible for six years now, but has never gotten the call. Lynch was a hard-hitting safety. He acted as the quarterback of those dominant Buccaneers defenses of the early 2000s. Lynch racked up over 1,000 tackles and 26 interceptions for his career. He was also a nine time Pro Bowler and three time First-team All-Pro.

RAY LEWIS (1996-2012)

 

There are some people that believe that Ray Lewis should not be in the hall due to his connection to a 2000 Atlanta homicide. However, OJ Simpson is still in the hall, so not letting Lewis in would be dumb. Plus, the Pro Football Hall of Fame is about how good of a football player you were, not how good of a person you are. Lewis the best defensive player in football for most, if not all of his seventeen year career. Lewis was the heart of the historically dominant 2000 Ravens defense and was MVP of Super Bowl 35. Lewis was a 13-time Pro Bowler and a seven-time All-Pro. He was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year twice (2000, 2003). Only Lewis, JJ Watt, Mike Singletary, Reggie White, Lawrence Taylor and Bruce Smith have won the award more than twice. Only Watt and Lewis aren't in the hall yet. I think it's safe to say that Lewis is a lock.

RANDY MOSS (1998-2012)

Say what you want about Randy Moss. He was not the best teammate, he did not have the best work ethic, but the dude was an absolute freak. Moss might be the most athletic person to ever play the wide receiver position. Moss took the NFL by storm as part of the explosive 1998 Vikings offense. Moss hauled in 17 touchdowns that season, a league record by a rookie. In 2007, he joined the Patriots, teamed up with Tom Brady and caught an NFL record 23-touchdowns. Moss is the only receiver in league history to have 17 touchdown catches in three different seasons. He finished his career with 982 catches (15th), for 15, 292 yards (4th) and 156 touchdowns (2nd). Moss should also be a lock for Canton.

TERRELL OWENS (1996-2010)

Terrell Owens is the most polarizing candidate on the ballot. Owens has fallen short of getting the nod in his first two tries. Many people contribute that to Owens' antics during his career and his reputation of being a lousy teammate. I could not care less about that. The dude was one of the greatest to ever play the position. Owens played 15-seasons for five different teams (49ers, Eagles, Cowboys, Bills and Bengals). Owens led the NFL in receiving touchdowns on three separate occasions. During his career Owens caught 1,078 passes (8th) for 15,934 yards and 153 touchdowns (3rd). Owens also put on a performance for the ages in Super Bowl 39 hauling in nine passes for 122-yards after breaking his leg just weeks earlier. Terrell Davis got in based of one great season and a good Super Bowl performance, so if Owens does not get in, that would be dumb.