The first in-season state rankings are up at kentuckywrestling.com. One northern Kentucky wrestler secured a No. 1 ranking. Several other area grapplers appear in the top 10 of their respective weight classes. A pair of local squads are in the top 10 of the team rankings. Two more teams reside in the top 20 and an additional three make the state top 40.
THE HONOR ROLL
The locally ranked contingent is led by Simon Kenton’s Braydan Blevins. The junior is No. 1 at 126 pounds. In fact, the area dominates the state’s 126-pound division. The top three consists entirely of locals. Ryle’s Luke Cornwell is No. 2. Scott’s Michael Smith is No. 3.
Ryle has two more No. 2 wrestlers. They include Landon Evans at 132 pounds and Rider Trumble at 157. Three more Raiders are in the state top 10 of their respective weight classes. They include Jagger Irvin, No. 6 at 144 pounds. Bryant Brinkman is notably lower than expected, coming in No. 18 at 106 pounds. Brinkman won his weight division at Saturday’s ultra-competitive Raider Rumble, joining Cornwell, Evans and Trumble as meet champions.
“I expect all those guys to do well this year,” Ryle coach Tim Ruschell said.
Simon Kenton also boasts second- and third-ranked wrestlers. Nathan Reusch is No. 2 at 113 pounds and Jonah McCloskey is No. 3 at 132.
“It’s nice to see Braydan, Jonah and Nathan ranked as high as they are. It’s a testament to how hard they work and train to get better,” Simon Kenton coach Jarrod Peebles said. “End of the day though, rankings don’t matter. They still have a long road ahead of them, a lot of work to put in. And plenty of tough opponents left to wrestle against before we even get to the state tournament.”
Four more locals crack the top three in their divisions. They include a pair of Walton-Verona wrestlers, TJ Meyer at 138 pounds and Luke Hyden at 215. Also weighing in at No. 3 in the first in-season rankings is Conner’s Keaton Dicken at 106 pounds. Ryle’s Travis Steiber is No. 3 at 190. Conner’s Clayton Badida is No. 4 at 120 pounds.
The area’s top-ranked team in the state rankings is Ryle at No. 5. Simon Kenton is No. 6. Eight local teams are in the top 50.
“We have a very consistent region in which we have a great deal of quality coaching and athletes.” Conner coach Zack Fisher said. “It pushes us to compete and get better daily.”
Coach Peebles and his formidable Simon Kenton squad is an example of what Fisher is talking about.
“Being ranked highly in the state is nice to see,” Peebles said. “We have a number of experienced wrestlers who have been wrestling for me since they were eighth graders or freshmen. They have a lot of matches under their belt and have really started to grow.”
Walton-Verona enters the first seasonal rankings at No. 14. The Bearcats’ CJ Holt, No. 10 individually at 132 pounds, leads the remainder of the team’s ranked wrestlers.
Conner is the only other local team cracking the top 20 at No. 17. The Cougars have five wrestlers in the state rankings. Another top-10 Cougar along with Dicken and Badida is Chase Bailey, No. 10 at 215 pounds.
“That is a cluster of kids full of potential to improve as the year progresses,” coach Fisher said. “Their attitudes are positive, and they aren’t afraid of taking risks and making mistakes in practice.”
Highlands, Cooper, Covington Catholic and Campbell County also boast top-10 wrestlers. Leading Highlands is No. 8 Travis Votel at 132 pounds and Kayson White, No. 10 at 144. Cooper has two wrestlers at No. 6, Ben Turner at 165 pounds and Chris Brown at heavyweight.
CovCath’s Keegan Bishop is No. 9 at 165 pounds. Campbell County’s Deacon Heisler is No. 7 at 138 pounds and teammate Brayden Allender is No. 9 at 215. A total of 23 local wrestlers are in the top 10 of their respective weight classes.
PIONEERS MAKING STRIDES
Simon Kenton sent a group of wrestlers to Friday’s Raider Rumble JV Meet, won by Ryle. Conner came in second. The Pioneers placed sixth. But the Simon Kenton varsity was one of the few local squads not appearing at the varsity Rumble. However, all the Pioneers got in some good work elsewhere.
The Simon Kenton varsity was at the Edgewood Invitational on Saturday instead of the Rumble. Blevins won his weight class championship for the Pioneers. McCloskey was runner-up in his division. That same day the Simon Kenton junior varsity was back in action in Ohio at the Sycamore JV Invitational.
The Simon Kenton girls participated in Thursday’s Highlands Tri-Meet in Fort Thomas. Highlands was the area’s highest finisher at last season’s Region 3 girls championship meet, placing third. Simon Kenton was next in fourth.
The Pioneers have as many girls in their program as any area high school. Last year they had seven girls placing at the Region 3 championship meet, with one champion who graduated. Two third-place finishers, Riece Laughlin and Devon Banks, were very young. Laughlin was a seventh grader, Banks a freshman for the fourth-place Pioneers.
Taken altogether, varsity, JV and girls, the Pioneers have solid balance. And there are coaches everywhere to keep things flowing smoothly while getting the most out of the wrestlers.
“The team needs to continue to work hard and grow as wrestlers as the season goes on,” coach Peebles said. “And, of course, staying healthy from top to bottom is the main thing that will determine our success.”
UPCOMING EVENTS
Several annual wrestling meets are on the docket the remainder of the month. The area’s top two teams, Ryle and Simon Kenton, are part of a local group heading to the Dec. 21-22 Southwest Ohio Wrestling Coaches Association Coaches Classic.
“We’ll get a test at the SWOWCA Coaches Classic, so we’ll be concentrating on that,” Ryle’s Ruschell said.
The weekend action at the coaches’ association’s main event is at Middletown High School in Ohio. The meet also has Simon Kenton’s attention.
“Right now, we need to stay focused on the mission at hand,” Peebles said. “And that’s getting ready for our next big tournament this weekend in Ohio. That will have a lot of very challenging opponents to test them.”
The following weekend is the Dec. 27-28 Greater Miami Valley Wrestling Association get-together. The GMVWA Holiday Classic is at Vandalia-Butler, just north of Dayton, Ohio. Simon Kenton will be there.
The Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference championships are Dec. 27-28. The NKAC meet is at Boone County High School.