By Rob Sherrill, W.I.N. High School Editor

Talk about getting even.

After taking a beating in the media and on message boards from one end of the nation to the other this fall for its frequent stumbles on the gridiron, Big Ten wrestling teams busily got their revenge during the early signing period, which concluded Nov. 21.

Already one of the nation’s two dominant wrestling conference, the Big Ten, quite frankly, has beaten the rest of the NCAA into submission so far in this year’s recruiting season.

Defending national champion Minnesota led the Big Ten’s recruiting haul, followed closely by Wisconsin, Northwestern, Illinois and Ohio State, to complete a sweep of the top five spots in W.I.N.’s fall recruiting analysis.

Add in Iowa (No. 7) and Michigan (No. 9), and seven of the top nine fall recruiting classes for 2007-08 are owned by Big Ten teams. Talk about an arms race. Michigan State (No. 18) and Indiana (No. 22) give the conference nine teams in the top 25.

Though many of the nation’s top wrestling schools added to their stables of talent during the early signing period, so did some schools that haven’t been traditional powerhouses.

Rookie Rutgers coach Scott Goodale may be on his way to building a wall around the potent state of New Jersey as he goes about the business of building the Scarlet Knights the same way he built the Jackson Memorial High program that won the last two “No. 1 Team in New Jersey” awards under his guidance.

In Ohio, Kent State’s Jim Andrassy and Ohio’s Joel Greenlee pulled in their best early signing classes ever. The rapidly-improving wrestling landscape in New York helped Buffalo’s Jim Beichner and Binghamton’s Pat Popolizio sign solid classes. Chris Bono impressed at Tennessee-Chattanooga with perhaps the school’s best November class.

Old Dominion’s Steve Martin, Virginia Tech’s Kevin Dresser and Virginia’s Steve Garland continue to build the Commonwealth into the collegiate wrestling mecca of the Mid-Atlantic.

Bucknell’s Dan Wirnsberger, Bloomsburg’s John Stutzman and Cal Poly’s John Avezedo are continuing to build depth into their programs.

And the Fighting Sandersons are on the way to another solid class at Iowa State, as well as helping to restore the glitz to the Iowa-Iowa State rivalry.

By my count, 202 seniors took themselves off the board by making early commitments to 66 Division 1 schools, according to this list. Here are some highlights of the big winners in the early recruiting process.

1. Minnesota: Coach J Robinson strengthened every part of his line-up. It’s possible that Jake Deitchler (149) of nearby Anoka High and Mario Mason (149-157) of Blairstown (N.J.) Blair Academy could become multiple NCAA champions. Cody Yohn (174) of Alamosa (Colo.) High, who joins freshman brother Sonny in the Twin Cities, Ryland Geiger (197) of Scappoose (Ore.) High and Atticus Disney (285) of Andover (Kan.) Central High are the upper-weight future and another local, Matt Mincey (125-133) of Apple Valley High all comprise what could be the core of three or four more future individual NCAA crowns.

2. Wisconsin: With seven recruits, coach Barry Davis went far and wide to match his Big Ten neighbors. Picture this future start of the line-up: Tom Kelliher (125) of Apple Valley; three-time Colorado champion Tyler Graff (133) of Loveland High; Trey Bertram (141) of Hastings (Minn.) High; Greco-Roman standout Cole Schmitt (141-149) of Belleville/Monticello/New Glarus High; Jimmy Duffy (149) of Naperville (Ill.) Neuqua Valley High; Andrew Howe (157) of Cedar Lake (Ind.) Hanover Central High and Ben Jordan (157-165) of St. Paris (Ohio) Graham High, whose father, Jim, is a former Wisconsin star.

3. Northwestern: Building upon last year’s fourth-place NCAA finish, coach Tim Cysewski picked up the ultimate quality group, highlighted by two No. 1 wrestlers: Jason Welch (165) of Walnut Creek (Calif.) Las Lomas High, perhaps the nation’s top recruit, and Brian Roddy (174-184) of Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward High. Also signing on: two-time Indiana champion Eric Galka (133-141) of Hobart (Ind.) High.

4. Illinois: Coach Mark Johnson has gone to both coasts for recruits in recent years. This time, he stayed home and cleaned up. He locked up the state’s top three recruits: two-time champions Conrad Polz (157-165) of Orland Park Carl Sandburg High, Jordan Blanton (174-184) of Richmond-Burton High and champion B.J. Futrell (125) of Chicago Mount Carmel High. Class A champion Kyle Dooley (157) of Monticello High also signed and place-winner Brian Reynolds (165-174) of New Lenox Providence High follows two older brothers to Champaign.

5. Ohio State: The Columbus heavyweight pipeline continues with local standout John Hiles of St. Francis de Sales High staying home. Three-time state champion Tony Jameson (141-149) of Youngstown Austintown-Fitch High and Cody Magrum (174-184) of Oak Harbor High also are staying home. Coach Tom Ryan also mined Alabama for sleeper Keaton Thompson (133) of Vestavia Hills High.

6. Oklahoma State: Coach John Smith showed the rest of the nation he still doesn’t have any problems bringing blue-chippers to Stillwater. Two-time champions Jordan Oliver (133) of Easton (Pa.) High and Alex Meade (165) of Camden Wyoming (Del.) Caesar Rodney High fit the mold perfectly and Johnny Koepp (157) is the latest member of the Dallas (Texas) Bishop Lynch High pipeline to migrate north to Stillwater. Tyson Yoder (197) of Weatherford High will stay at home.

7. Iowa: The two shining stars of hometown powerhouse Iowa City West High’s program, Nate Moore (125) and Grant Gambrall (174-184), highlight coach Tom Brands’ class. In fact, Brands didn’t have to go more than an hour and a half from home, also landing Matt McDonough (125) of Marion Linn-Mar High and Mark Ballweg (133-141) of Waverly-Shell Rock High. All four have been Fargo headliners the past two years.

8. Central Michigan: Operating in the shadow of Big Ten neighbors Michigan and Michigan State doesn’t keep coach Tom Borrelli from getting the recruits he wants. Eric Cubberly (157) of Pemberville (Ohio) Eastwood High and Ben Bennett (165-174) of Rockford High should develop into two of the nation’s top middleweights. Potential four-time Florida champion Scotti Sentes (125) of Fort Myers Riverdale High and two-time Ohio champion Ben Sergent (125) of Troy Christian High keep the lower weights in good hands.

9. Michigan: Coach Joe McFarland’s three recruits ooze quality. The state’s top lightweight, three-time champion Mark Weber (125-133) of Goodrich High, will stay at home. Ohio champion Coby Boyd (149-157) of St. Paris Graham High and three-time California placewinner Hunter Collins (174-184) of Gilroy High, perhaps the top recruit yet to win a state title, also are headed to Ann Arbor.

10. Rutgers: Goodale started at his old digs, locking up Jackson standout Scott Winston (165), then added another heralded two-time champion: Trevor Melde (149) of Morristown Delbarton High. Staying within the Shore Conference area, the state’s strongest the past couple of years, he also signed a pair of stars from Oakhurst Ocean Township High, champion Nick Menditto (149-157) and two-time placewinner Zac Coulas (133) and sleeper Joey Langel (125) of Farmingdale Howell High. Dan Rinaldi (174-184) of Lodi High and Jesse Boyden (197) of Kenilworth David Brearley High hail from North Jersey.

11. Kent State: Andrassy was effective in his tried-and-true recruiting territory, adding lightweights Steve Mitcheff (125) of Elyria High, Troy Opfer (125) of Sandusky St. Mary’s Central Catholic High and Chase Skonieczny (133-141) of Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit High, along with another Oak Harbor standout, Keith Witt (174-184). He also went East to pick up Pennsylvania-placewinner Mallie Shuster (157) of Big Spring High.

12. Iowa State: There is plenty for coach Cael Sanderson to be pleased about, starting with super heavyweight Eric Thompson from Waverly-Shell Rock. Two-time champion Andrew Long (125) of Creston High also will stay at home. Sanderson also brought back two-time Utah champion Matt Brown (133-141) of Magna Cyprus High from his home state and landed Nate Carr, Jr. (157), son of the one-time Cyclone legend, from Iowa Central CC.

13. Boise State: Coach Greg Randall got two of the best in the West, top-five prospect Jason Chamberlain (141-149) of Springville (Utah) and fellow lightweight Brian Owen (125) of nearby Spokane (Wash.) University High. Randy Larson (165) of powerful Hermiston (Ore.) High also is headed to Boise.

14. Old Dominion: Go-getter Martin headed to the Midwest for a pair of gems, Junior freestyle finalist Craig Wilson (141-149) of Farmington (Mo.) High and Wisconsin champion Joe Budi (184-197) of Kaukauna High. Locally, Jared King (157) came on at Chesapeake, Va., Great Bridge High last season and Chase Ennis (197) of Yorktown Grafton High also signed.

15. Virginia Tech: Dresser concentrated on the lower and middle weights and scored in both categories. Athletic Jarrod Garnett (133) of Bear (Del.) Caravel Academy, sleeper Peter Yates (141-149) of Conyers (Ga.) Salem High and rugged Jesse Dong (149-157) of Westerville (Ohio) North High are great gets and Brock Livorio (125) of Saltsburg (Pa.) Kiski Preparatory School and Schuyler Swanton (125) of Spring Hill (Fla.) Frank Springstead High add lower-weight depth.

16. Missouri: Coach Brian Smith emphasized connections this fall. Nathan McCormick (125) of Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley North High follows brother Tyler to Columbia and Nick Hucke (141) of Hartland (Wis.) Arrowhead High hails from the same high school as the fabulously-successful Askren brothers. Brent Haynes (184-197) comes from powerhouse Kansas City Oak Park High.

17. Oregon State: Coach Jim Zalesky assured himself of a Top 25 spot by snapping up top-five recruit Michael Mangrum (141-149) of Auburn (Wash.) Riverside High. He also kept top heavyweight Jarrett “Bubba” Owens of Tillamook High at home.

18. Michigan State: Upper weights were on coach Tom Minkel’s wish list and he delivered. Two-time Michigan champion Marcel Dubose (197) of Highland Park High is an athletic big man and Steve Andrus of Manhattan (Kan.) High is an accomplished heavyweight. Kirk Tank (157-165) is the third Oak Harbor (Ohio) High upper weight to make a Division 1 commitment.

19. Virginia: Garland’s lower-weight prize is two-time New Jersey champion Joe Trause (125-133) from Oradell Bergen Catholic High. He added two other New Jersey recruits: Derek Valenti (133) of Newton Kittatinny High and Dan Clarke (149) of Ramsey Don Bosco Preparatory High. Ohioans Jedd Moore (157) of Marion Pleasant High and Adam Cogar (184-197) of Barberton High are standouts. So is Mike Salopek (197) of Irwin (Pa.) Norwin High.

20. Northern Illinois: The Illinois talent pool that vaulted Illinois into the top five also helped coach Dave Grant’s Huskies grab a Top 25 spot. Steve Zimmerman (149-157) of Chicago St. Rita High and two-time placewinner Lucas Roth (157-165) of Lockport High are future middleweight standouts. He also went north of the border for two-time Wisconsin champion Bobby Wunnicke (125-133) of Dodgeville High and Zak Saevre (285) of Green Bay Ashwaubenon High.

21. Tennessee-Chattanooga: There were plenty of gems to be mined in the Southeast and Bono came away with two quality locals, Junior freestyle placewinner David Mang (133) of Cleveland Bradley Central High and state heavyweight champion Cody Sliger of Ooltewah High. He scored in Georgia, too, with two-time champion Josh Condon (165) of Kennesaw Carl Harrison High and Cadet Greco-Roman champion Carson Fields (133-141) of Lilburn Parkview High. Mikey Fuller (141-149) of Soddy Daisy High and Niko Brown (174) of Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola High also signed.

22. Indiana: Coach Duane Goldman picked up two Indiana champions, Cooper Samuels (174) of Floyds Knobs, Ind., Floyd Central High and George Malone (197) of South Bend Riley High, and a pair of talented out-of-state middleweights: Vince Ramos (149-157) of Carol Stream (Ill). Glenbard North High and Ryan Konz (157) of Franklin (Tenn.) High.

23. Lehigh: Coach Greg Strobel added depth with a pair of talented 141-pound recruits, Josh Fitch of Owings Mills (Md.) McDonogh School and Shane Welsh of Lower Burrell Burrell High, and a pair of 197-pounders, local Joe Kennedy of Milford Delaware Valley High and Texan Robert Prigmore of Southlake Carroll High. Patrick Wieger (125-133) of Harrisburg Central Dauphin High also signed.

24. Bloomsburg: Stutzman lured three future standouts in the lower half of the line-up: Matt Snyder (125) of Lewistown High, Josh Roosa (133-141) of Mountain Top Crestwood High and Keith Hynson (157) of New Castle (Del.) William Penn High. Ryan Sutton (197) of Meramec CC also signed.

25. Buffalo: Beichner stayed local and scored big with all five recruits coming from central New York Sections 3, 5 or 6. Christopher Conti (125) of Fredonia High, Taylor Golba (125) of Buffalo St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute, Mark Lewandowski (141-149) of Lancaster High, Ron Majerus (157-165) of Mexico High and John-Martin Cannon (157) of Brockport High all boast high state places.

(Rob Sherrill is one of the top high school wrestling analysts in the country and a long-time columnist of W.I.N. He also publishes the “American High School Wrestling Yearbook”. To order a copy, e-mail him at centermatpress@hotmail.com.)

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