Who are the kids to watch this year?

Not trying to be smart...wondering how Geordan Blanton will respond this year after having what i thought was an off performance at state.  It just looked as if something was off with him last year compared to years past.  He didn't have that toughness he usually brings to the mat.  Don't know them personally, but would like to see him bounce back.

Watch for Cory Jacobs from Elkhorn.  Not sure what weight he will go at, but he doesn't look much bigger than last year.  Saw him at practice and he looked much more aggressive than he did at the end of last year. 

Got to go with Shirkey/East Oldham and Frankrone/River City

Got to go with Shirkey/East Oldham and Frankrone/River City

Shirkey had a good summer and will be tough in the middle school tournaments.  But I expect he will spend most of his time wrestling high school.

AJ Binder @ whatever weight class he is.

I would watch out for Jeremy Brandstetter.  He's learning more and more and put the time in this summer.  Just wait and see.  I would be surprised if he is not at the top of the podium this year. 

Shirkey had a good summer and will be tough in the middle school tournaments.  But I expect he will spend most of his time wrestling high school.

I'm pretty sure you'll see him wrestling for both.

With only a couple of 8th graders montgomery county will be very young again this year.

I think the middle school talent and quality of wrestlers will be very strong this year top to bottom. Since I began coaching back in 2007, I've seen a steady drop in the talent overall produced by the state. Don't get me wrong there are exceptions to the rule such as Kevin Cooper, Brock Ervin, John Fahy, but in general I feel like there is one great kid and the rest so-so. I see a big change in that this year. The reason is, I feel like everyone in middle school is becoming more competitive in general. I expect in the next few years were not going to have a huge discrepancy between 1st and 4th in the state. I don't expect to see anymore tech falls or quick pins in the state finals like in years past, and especially last year I felt like once you got to 140 and up the quality of wrestling was just "bad" compared to big kids in the past. Don't take this as me knocking any wrestlers cause I'm not, we had a state champion last year at 185, just in general the depth was not there like I had seen from years past.

With that being said, since I'm from Northern Kentucky I can only speak intelligently on Northern Kentucky. Here is my list of kids to watch out for as we go into this season- (I'm basing weight by what they wrestled over the summer and what I have heard from other coaches around the area)

Brady Well - (75?)

Derek Wiley - 82

Logan Erdmen- 90

Joey Skaggs, Jake Erdmen, Mathew Goshorn- ( 96, the only one I am not sure about is Jake Erdmen)

Johnny Miemen, Jeremy Brandstetter- (Havent heard any word on Miemen, and Brandstetter would have to cut to make 117 so neither of these boys may be here)

Michael Grandstaff- 124

With Tennenbaum, Jones, and Shroer gone I think the middle weights are going to be wide open this year!

Eli Mathews- (140?)

Jacob Warwick- 165

In my optimistic mind I can see everyone of these kids battled for a state title this year. I know a lot of these kids personally have wrestled all summer long I look forward to a great year from Northern Kentucky kids.

No Goshorn this year.  His family is involved in some mission work, so he is temporarily moved out.  Also, your CC boys are a little heavier than you have them.

Goshorn is wrestling for Conner this year since we are a club team and he is no longer enrolled at Campbell County Middle.

I would love to see Wiley and Wells wrestle, since Well's is probably my favorite wrestler to watch not from Conner.

I would be surprised if Johnny Miemen got below 131. He struggled to make the 150 lb cut-off in football at the beginning of the season. I do know he is in much better shape now.

Belk from Gray is not looking to bad at 124 this year.

Watch for Cory Jacobs from Elkhorn.  Not sure what weight he will go at, but he doesn't look much bigger than last year.  Saw him at practice and he looked much more aggressive than he did at the end of last year.

Jacobs has to moves the head lock & the cement mixer.  If you can avoid those he's beatable.

Married,

Nice of you to throw in a little unwarranted (and less than knowledgable) criticism into the conversation.  I never said that Cory was unbeatable, he is in 7th grade and only been wrestling a little more than a year.  If he was not beatable, we would call him Superman, not Cory.

Christian Ricketson and Robert Smith will be tough. Robert Smith is giving Trae Blackwell a running for the varsity spot at 103.

Meimen has been a state placer in 3 of the last 4 years.  He might have even placed before 07 (4th in 2007, 6th in 2009 & 3rd in 2010).  What's with the personal attack on the kid.  Man...Superdave I hope you're not an adult.  If you are...you have issues.

Wrong information you got there.  He's 13.  Not supposed to be a freshman. As for the rest of your comments....ok.

Man you guys are brutal.  :mrgreen:

Superdave13-

I posted something about Mieman cause I think very highly of the kid. He is a class act and an in your face kind of wrestler, something that is very fun to watch. Mieman is making a huge weight change and I expect him to be sluggish and lose a couple before he gets his weight down and is wrestling at the level he can. I have watched him for four years now and he's impressed me every year.

I understand your from Campbell County (I seen your profile) and you probably have some relation to Matthews since your previous post from last years state tournament indicated you were. Just because Eli beat Mieman, by no means makes Mieman a bad wrestler or a wrestler people shouldn't talk about. And I'm not quiet sure what your talking about Mieman dropping to avoid Mathews like he did last year??? Mieman wrestled 110 and Mathews was 130. Gray was also very good in the weights in between there so your statement is off base.

Regardless, if Mathews can conduct himself in a championship manner this year unlike he did last year in the state finals he has himself a fan in me. I support all Northern Kentucky kids and wish them the best. Now back to wrestling.

Just so everyone knows this, My Son is Tyler Frankrone, who won State at 110 last year. Tyler told me that  Johnny Miemen was one the TOP 3 hardest kids to wrestle all season last year. And I can assure you, Tyler wrestled some Beasts last year!

that wilson kid is a terror on the mat and i think his time is now at 110 or 117

Bindner, Wells, Martin, Roth & Meyers are all kids who are going to do well this year. You also have to look out for Yenter who will light it up pretty good this year. Jeremy Daugherty will win some matches along with Kloentrup & Creech who may open a few eyes. If King from Twenhofel was to put on about 10 lbs. he could easily make some big noise at 70. What I would like to know is, who will be the big boys this year? I'm talkin' 185 +. It would be nice to have quality big men like there was last year. I mean no disrespect to any big men wrestling this year. I'm sure there are quality wrestlers at those weights. I just don't know who to watch for.

North Hardin has a 185 that has looked very good. Don't know his name but he will

be making a lot of noise at that weight class.

Heavyweights - Kid from Fern Creek and Matt Davis from South Oldham are both

looking very tough to beat.

Robert Smith won the Armstrong Classic (High School) at Caldwell this past weekend at 103.