As the competition was whittled down on Saturday at the Super 32 Tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina, it led to the anticipation of Sunday’s stage being set for No. 1 Bo Bassett (Bishop McCort, Pennsylvania) to become the first ever four-time champ in the boy’s division.
We need to designate boys’ division specifically now because, in running order, shortly before Bassett’s bout came Maryland’s Taina Fernandez’s 138-pound final on the lady’s front. Fernandez’s 10-0 technical fall of Arizona’s No. 2 Morgan Lucio (Valiant Prep) made Fernandez the first ever four-time champ, with Bassett joining the club not long after her. Fernadez, a junior at Archbishop Spalding in Maryland, won a Super 32 Belt when she was an eighth grader. More coverage of her escapades can be found in our girls Super 32 article.
Bassett’s four all came as a high schooler with the senior pocketing the 113-pound title as a freshman, then taking the 132-pound belt as a sophomore, 144 last year, and now, 150 pounds. A year ago, Bassett endured his closest Super 32 final winning an overtime battle with California’s Daniel Zepeda, 10-7. Zepeda was the last high school wrestler to defeat Bassett (Who’s No. 1 of 2023).
The 2025 crown wasn’t as difficult as last year’s to claim but Florida’s No. 5 Charlie DeSena (Lake Highland Prep) did not lay down or make it easy on Bassett, hitting a sweet snap down in the second period to post a rare takedown against the Crusher.
Bo Bassett flashes four fingers in recognition of his four consecutive Super 32 titles. / Dee Torres
Bassett was still operating in his usual machine-like manner with it being 8-1 after the first on a couple of takedowns and a set of back points. An escape that followed DeSena’s takedown was the only scoring for Basett in the middle frame. The third saw one more Bassett takedown and a stalling point tacked on for the final 13-4 tally.
The former World Champion racked up six tech falls to reach the finals with three coming over nationally ranked foes, No. 3 Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah, Illinois) was discarded, 20-5, in the semifinals. Christiansburg, Virginia’s Brady Hand (No. 19 at 144 pounds) was dropped 19-4 in the quarters. The round of 16 saw No. 26 Jackson Weller (Delran, New Jersey) disposed of by a 21-2 count.
Bassett’s McCort teammate No. 1 Melvin Miller (165 pounds) claimed a Super 32 Belt as a freshman then settled for third a year ago, the junior got back on top with a 16-6 major decision of Iowa’s Maximus Dhabolt (Ankeny Centennial) in the 165-pound final.
This was their fifth meeting since the Fargo semis, where Miller won 12-1. There were two more meetings at September’s Elite 8 Duals that resulted in tech fall wins for Miller. And just a week ago at Flo’s Who’s No.1 that resulted in a 19-8 major.
A third Pennsylvanian claimed his first belt after not placing a year ago, No. 2 Brandt Harer (Montgomery), at 144 pounds with a 4-0 blanking of No. 3 Clinton Shepherd (Crown Point, Indiana). Harer did his point scoring work in the second with an escape and eventually a single leg takedown to build the advantage.
Brandt Harer of Mongomery (Pa.) works for an advantage during his 4-0 win over Clinton Shepherd of Indiana in the 144-pound final. / Dee Torres
The only two points Harer allowed the entire tournament came on escapes in a 5-1 win over Tennessee’s Braylan Cooper in the round of 32 and a 16-1 tech. A 16-0 tech opened the bracket for Harer, who handled four consecutive ranked wrestlers from the round of 16 on, taking down No. 25 Christian Jelle (Grand Rapids, Minnesota), 4-0, Virginia’s No. 12 Tyler Traves (Mountain View), 5-0, and No. 9 Michael Romero (St. John Bosco, California), 12-0.
A St. John Bosco grappler did earn one of California’s three championships as Jorje Rios came in under the radar at 113 pounds. Rios was registered at 120 pounds and just placed sixth at the Journeymen Fall Classic at that weight where he was listed as an honorable mention entry in our national rankings report.
The sophomore, who did not place at 106 pounds last year, did a switcheroo at the scales and came down in weight, which left him unseeded in the brackets. It was a move that paid incredible dividends as Rios collected two stalling points in the third period of the 113-pound final versus No. 8 Sean Kenny (Christian Brothers Academy, New Jersey) for a 2-1 win. Kenny’s point came on a second period escape.
Rios’ run to the finals saw him take out 2025 World Champion Keegan Bassett (Bishop McCort), who is ranked No. 3 at 106 pounds but decided to test the waters at 113, 8-7, in the semis, and avenge a 10-5 loss from last year’s edition to No. 9 Chase Karenbauer (Grove City, PA), 3-2, in the early rounds.
Regarding weight movement and no shows, the latter impacted the 120-pound bracket as No. 1 Landon Sidun (Norwin, Pennsylvania), No. 2 Paul Kenny (Christian Brothers), and No. 4 Dominic Munaretto (St. Charles East, Illinois) were registered but did not make the voyage, leaving No. 3 Rocklin Zinkin (Buchanan, California) as the highest rated man in the bracket.
That showed on the mat, too, as Zinkin cruised to the title with an 18-3 technical fall in 3:42 over No. 7 Mason Jakob (Dobyns Bennett, Tennessee) in the finals. A lateral drop midway through the opening frame put Zinkin in the driver’s seat after collecting four near-fall points to go up 7-0. It never stopped for Jakob after that as Zinkin piled up points quickly hitting takedown after takedown, including one particularly beautiful duck under. Zinkin easily defeated New Jersey’s No. 13 Johnathon McGinty by 11-3 major decision in the semis.
Zinkin wasn’t here last year and didn’t place as a sophomore, but No. 3 Moses Mendoza (Gilroy) was here and took third. Mendoza had a scoreless first period with Missouri’s Israel Borge (No. 8 at 144 pounds) in the 132-pound finals. Borge, who will be wrestling for Bixby in Oklahoma this season, was slotted at 144 on the seeds, so his drop to 132 was unexpected to say the least.
Mendoza escaped in the second, then Borge got in on a single and bulldogged it into a takedown. Mendoza would escape and when it looked like Borge was going to come up with another takedown, the scramble shifted in Mendoza’s favor and he ended the period up, 5-3. In the third period another wild scramble unfolded off a Mendoza shot with him securing it for three and the 8-3 final tally.
The Mills Brothers of Athens Christian in Georgia made headlines at Who’s No. 1 and followed that up at Super 32 with both earning the coveted championship belts.
Ariah Mills, who is top-rated at 106 pounds, failed to reach the podium at Super 32 as an eight grader but came on strong during the national prep season winning a National Prep Title then going on a run that included a National Championship at the U.S. Open and then earning an U17 World Gold Medal over the summer.
Georgia’s Ariah Mills, the nation’s top-ranked 106-pounder, won the Super 32 crown with a 4-2 win over Pennsylvania’s Kooper Deputy. His brother Antonio also won at 126. / Dee Torres
The freshman had a close match with fellow freshmen, No. 8 Kooper Deputy (Chestnut Ridge, Pennsylvania), winning 4-2 in an uneventful match that saw one takedown by Mills and three escapes, with two accounting for Deputy’s points.
In the Who’s No. 1 article we talked about Antonio Mills seemingly having a love affair with close matches because he’s always involved in them, and somehow, always comes out ahead. Take the 126-pound Super 32 final as the latest example of the pattern, with a 3-2 win in the ultimate tiebreaker versus No. 4 Ignacio Villasenor (Stillwater, Oklahoma).
Antonio’s win bettered his runner-up finish from a year ago and avenged a loss to Villasenor from the U20 World Team Trials, 7-0. Other factors have placed Mills ahead of Villasenor in the rankings and those factors proved true today. Antonio put another tight match with a ranked rival on the bracket with a 1-0 semifinal win against Signal Mountain, Tennessee’s JoJo Uhorchuk (No. 9 at 120 pounds).
In addition to Rios, there was only one other upset in the championship finals and that came at 157 pounds when No. 14 Justus Heeg (Providence Catholic, Illinois) shutout No. 5 Matthew Staples (New Prairie, Indiana), 7-0. Heeg is a sophomore who did not reach the podium as a freshman. En route to the finals, Heeg picked up another upset win, 4-3, over New York’s No. 10 Griffin LaPlante (St. Francis).
The finals match was all Heeg as he posted a takedown in the opening window. Staples chose down for the second and was held in check by Heeg and could not break free. Heeg went defensive in the third, getting an escape then adding a final takedown for the 7-0 ending.
Marian Central Catholic’s No. 3 Jimmy Mastny brought a second championship belt back to Illinois, his being of the 190-pound variety. After not placing in his first two trips, Mastny hit paydirt as a junior authoring a 14-4 major decision deconstruction of Minnesota’s William Ward (Moorhead).
Ward was listed as an honorable mention wrestler for us at 190 as he was coming down from 215 pounds and had a loss on his ledger to No. 14 Sutton Kenning (St. Cloud Tech, Minnesota). Our placement of Ward proved to be way too low, as after he avenged the loss to Kenning, 4-2, Ward decked No. 10 Ladd Holman (Juab, Utah) in 1:28, and then upended No. 2 Lucas Ricketts (Union County, Kentucky), 4-3, in the semis.
Florida was another state with two champions, one of which is a former World Champion, heavyweight No. 3 Michael Mocco (Cardinal Gibbons). The senior finished the two previous Super 32s as the runner-up but made it to the top rung this year with a dominating string of pins and tech falls including a 20-4 tech of Indiana’s Kameron Hazelet (Lowell) in the finals. A 20-5 tech of No. 16 Cael Leisgang (Seymour, Wisconsin) in the semis was preceded by four pins with all but one in the first period.
Lake Highland Prep’s No. 2 Tyler DeKraker (138 pounds) is known for wrestling strategic matches where his leg riding comes into play. After a scoreless first with No. 5 Sam Herring (Bishop McCort), Herring chose down and DeKraker went to work, not allowing Herring to get away. DeKraker replicated Herring’s choice but was able to maneuver away from Herring for the winning escape point, 1-0. DeKraker beat Herring twice at Fargo, 11-0 and 2-2.
Iowa’s Waylon Cressell (Janesville), formerly of Indiana’s Warren Central, came out of self-imposed retirement to claim a Super 32 belt a year after finishing sixth. Cressell is sitting out his senior season as he prepares for life at the University of Northern Iowa. When Cressell was spotted in the seeds, we reinserted him into the rankings at No. 4.
Cressell handled Bishop McCort’s impressive sophomore No. 10 Jayden O’Farrill, 13-4, in the 175-pound final. O’Farrill edged Maryland’s No. 2 Salah Tsarni (now at Blair Academy), 7-6, in the 16U Finals at Fargo. All the rankings outlets, including ours, still favored Tsarni in the ratings, though.
That will all change now after O’Farrill stuck Tsarni halfway through their semi-final match, 2:57. O’Farrill also surprised No. 6 Isai Fernandez (St. John Bosco), 3-2 in overtime, in the quarters, and dropped Tsarni’s former teammate, No. 25 Noah Tucker (Bullis School), 14-6.
Arizona’s No. 6 Kal-El Fluckiger (Valiant Prep) registered the only pin of the gold medal matches at 215 pounds when he wrapped up a cradle and put No. 27 Kendahl Hoare (DuBois, Pennsylvania) to sleep at the 3:20 mark of the second period. Fluckiger did not place a year ago.
Brackets can be viewed here (this is the link for the Classic View – not the new style):
106 lbs
1st Ariah Mills, Dacula, GA (GA) DEC Kooper Deputy, New Paris, PA (PA), 4-2
3rd Michael Bernabe, Fresno, CA (CA) DEC Luke Loren, Foothill Ranch, CA (CA), 6-2
5th Thales Silva, Clovis, CA (CA) TF Noah Watkins, Kingsport, TN (TN), 19-4 5:10
7th Hudson Chittum, Cleveland, TN (TN) DEC Connor, Maddox Westfield, IN (IN), 4-1
113 lbs
1st Jorje Rios, Pico Rivera, CA (CA) DEC Sean Kenny, Bayville, NJ (NJ), 2-1
3rd Caleb Elvin Noble, Gurnee, IL (IL) DEC Keegan Bassett, Windber, PA (PA), 6-2
5th Cody Clarke, Buford, GA (GA) M FOR Anthony Garza, Fresno, CA (CA)
7th Braiden Lotier, Camp Hill, PA (PA) M FOR Brayden Wenrich, Northampton, PA (PA)
120 lbs
1st Rocklin Zinkin, Fresno, CA (CA) TF Mason Jakob, Kingsport, TN (TN), 18-3 3:42
3rd Johnathon Mcginty, Ridgewood, NJ (NJ) DEC Jovanni Tovar, Palmetto Bay, FL (FL), 3-2
5th Alex Rozas Breaux, Bridge, LA (LA) M FOR Anthony Lagala Ryan, Ridge, NY (NY)
7th Brock Rothermel, Dornsife, PA (PA) DEC Nicolas Enzminger, Bismarck, ND (ND), 7-1
126 lbs
1st Antonio Mills III, Dacula, GA (GA) DEC Ignacio Villasenor, Stillwater, OK (OK), 3-2 UTB
3rd Joseph Uhorchuk, Signal Mountain, TN (TN) MD Elijah Collick, Berlin, MD (MD), 10-0
5th Paul Ruiz, Clovis, CA (CA) DEC Sean Willcox, La Crescenta, CA (CA), 4-2
7th Braiden Weaver, Altoona, PA (PA) DEC Cael Floerchinger, Great Falls, MT (MT), 5-4
132 lbs
1st Moses Mendoza, Gilroy, CA (CA) DEC Israel Borge, Richland, MO (MO), 8-3
3rd Dale Corbin, Bear Creek Township, PA (PA) DEC Fred Bachmann, North Wales, PA (PA), 4-0
5th Shamus Regan, Fort Mill, SC (SC) DEC Chris Huerta, Clovis, CA (CA), 1-0
7th Slater hicks Hicks, Valencia, CA (CA) MD Deven Lopez, Pueblo, CO (CO), 14-2
138 lbs
1st Tyler Dekraker, Orlando, FL (FL) DEC Sam Herring, Bellefonte, PA (PA), 1-0
3rd Gavin Mangano, Shoreham, NY (NY) DEC Dean Anderson, Mesa, AZ (AZ), 1-0
5th Matthew Orbeta, Chula Vista, CA (CA) MD Dawson Youngblut, Jesup, IA (IA), 12-4
7th Camden Baum, Dillsburg, PA (PA) DEC Valentine Popadiuc, Albuquerque, NM (NM), 8-6
144 lbs
1st Brandt Harer, Montgomery, PA (PA) DEC Clinton Shepherd, Crown Point, IN (IN), 4-0
3rd Hunter Stevens, Linden, WI (WI) DEC Joseph Toscano, Clovis, CA (CA), 5-3
5th Ivan Arias, Clovis, CA (CA) M FOR Michael Romero, West Covina, CA (CA)
7th Tyler Traves, Fredericksburg, VA (VA) DEC Grayson Fuchs, Brownstown, MI (MI), 4-2
150 lbs
1st Bo Bassett, Windber, PA (PA) MD Charlie Desena, Orlando, FL (FL), 13-4
3rd Rocco Cassioppi, Roscoe, IL (IL) F Bentley Sly, Cramerton, NC (NC), 3:56
5th Michael Turi, Scranton, PA (PA) DEC Mason Petersen, Scribner, NE (NE), 6-1
7th Brady Hand, Christiansburg, VA (VA) DEC Joseph Joyce, Chepachet, RI (RI), 4-1 SV
157 lbs
1st Justus Heeg, Lemont, IL (IL) DEC Matthew Staples, Crown Point, IN (IN), 7-0
3rd Zeno Moore, Orlando, FL (FL) DEC Griffin Laplante, North Tonawanda, NY (NY), 4-0
5th Cooper Rowe, Mound, MN (MN) DEC Liam Kelly, Mokena, IL (IL), 4-0
7th Jake Hughes East, Liverpool, OH (OH) M FOR Josiah Sykes, Stephens City, VA (VA)
165 lbs
1st Melvin Miller, Windber, PA (PA) MD Maximus Dhabolt, Ankeny, IA (IA), 16-6
3rd Lucas Boe, Orlando, FL (FL) DEC Nadav Nafshi, Winter Park, FL (FL), 5-1
5th Arment Waltenbaugh, Telford, PA (PA) MD Samuel Almedina, Dickson City, PA (PA), 10-0
7th Liam Crook, Kaukauna, WI (WI) MD Jaelen Culp, Tega Cay, SC (SC), 9-0
175 lbs
1st Waylon Cressell, Cedar Falls, IA (IA) MD Jayden Ofarrill, Johnstown, PA (PA), 13-4
3rd Mario Carini, Poway, CA (CA) F Salah Tsarni, Montgomery Village, MD (MD), 4:55
5th Eli Leonard, New Glarus, WI (WI) DEC Brennan Warwick, Canton, OH (OH), 7-2
7th Santino Rodriguez, East Hanover, NJ (NJ) DEC Gage Wentzel, Montoursville, PA (PA), 4-1
190 lbs
1st Jimmy Mastny, Oregon, IL (IL) MD William Ward, Moorhead, MN (MN), 14-4
3rd Ryder Wilder, Kingsland, GA (GA) DEC Lucas Ricketts, Sturgis, KY (KY), 1-0
5th Michael White, Indianapolis, IN (IN) DEC Alex Reyes, Holmdel, NJ (NJ), 12-9
7th Devin Downes, Massapequa, NY (NY) TF Ladd Holman, Nephi, UT (UT), 19-3 5:57
215 lbs
1st Kal-el Fluckiger, Chandler, AZ (AZ) F Kendahl Hoare, Du Bois, PA (PA), 3:20
3rd Daniel (Mick) Moylan, Carlsbad, CA (CA) F Carter Brown, Ballwin, MO (MO), 1:49
5th Ceasar Salas, Merrillville, IN (IN) DEC Decker Bechtold, Pottstown, PA (PA), 8-3
7th Peter Mocco, Parkland, FL (FL) DEC Colton Tupper, Transfer, PA (PA), 4-2
285 lbs
1st Michael Mocco, Parkland, FL (FL) TF Kameron Hazelett, Gary, IN (IN), 20-4 3:52
3rd Preston Wagner, Fremont, NE (NE) DEC Isaiah Taylor, Wayne, PA (PA), 5-4
5th Logan Tollison, Grand Ledge, MI (MI) M FOR Cael Leisgang, Seymour, WI (WI)
7th Zayne Candelaria, Marana, AZ (AZ) DEC Kaden Stitt, Coralville, IA (IA), 7-2