National top 25 high school wrestling rankings for every weight class (12/15/2023)
We held up press time this week in hopes of seeing the Beast of the East seeds, so we could dial the latest update in with any weight changes. In addition to the Beast of the East, there are a few other high-profile tournaments unfolding this weekend, including Reno Tournament of Champions, KC Stampede, Carnahan Memorial, Al Dvorak, and Zinkin Classic.
Please use this email: billybwrestling@yahoo.com to inform us of any weight changes we may not see. I compile these rankings and as much as I put into it, I can’t see every result. I pride myself on accuracy. So, having guys in the right weights is important to me. So, if you see someone out of place, let me know. I have wrestlers positioned where I last saw them compete.
There is one caveat to that, and this will settle itself soon enough, but some guys are wrestling up from where it appears they will likely be as the season progresses (recent weights at pre-season events). If you know someone is staying up in weight, please let us know.
Since Ironman has been talked about to death, and I don’t have Beast seeds to write about, I would like to explain my rankings process/criteria.
- 1) Head-to-Head Wins – These trump everything, but obviously it gets muddy, especially on the national level. So, I have a way of handling that. Since 80% of high school rankings are based on Folkstyle, I use those H-2-H wins first, then I consider the Olympic Styles, which can lend themselves to fluky results. Then, I look at the timeline. Recent wins hold more precedence (obviously), but the past doesn’t go away (losses count too).
- 2) Common Opponent Wins – Essentially A has a win over B, B has a win over C, etc. A great example of this was granted from Asher Cunningham (State College, Pennsylvania) at 157-pounds. There are many other situations where this plays out in our rankings but we’re spotlighting this one because of Cunningham’s outstanding performance at Ironman, but also to explain why two other wrestlers have moved from the Honorable Mention section as well. Harrison Konder (Downers Grove North, Illinois) has beaten Colin Young (Belvidere (North), Illinois) twice – at states last year and in the Illinois Freestyle states. Young defeated Cunningham at Super 32, 7-2.
- 3) Accomplishments – The bigger wins and tournaments hold weight. When two wrestlers haven’t met and you have no common opponents to judge them on, you look at who has the better resume.
These chains and common opponent scenarios are the backbone of the rankings. Our rankings shift and move but are never revamped because of one event. The framework has built itself based on what the wrestlers have done. We just adjust as need be.
I keep detailed sheets like the one shown below on every wrestler. Some guys have multiple sheets because they are all over the place wrestling. Wins are black. Losses in red. By writing it all down, I also process it better. Because of these sheets, I can explain every ranking order, using the criteria above.
It is a process that has served me well in my time doing rankings.
With all that said, here are the latest SBLive Sports national high school wrestling rankings:
