Vote: Who should be SBLive's Lower Weight National Wrestler of the Week (1/8/2024)?
It's time once again for you to help us decide who is SBLive Sports National High School Lower Weight Wrestler of the Week.
Below are the details on the candidates we have selected for your consideration. Share this post with your friends, family, teammates and classmates and encourage everyone to support the wrestler they find most deserving. You can vote as often as you like and the winner will be announced in next week's poll. Voting ends on Sunday, January 14th at 11:59 p.m. (Pacific).
Congratulations to last week's winner: Ayden Dodd of Perrysburg (OH).
Here are this week's nominees:
Brandon Bickerton (Highland, OH) 106 – Bickerton had a tournament to forget over the Holiday break, placing seventh at the Brecksville Holiday tournament where No. 21 Ayden Dood came out as champion. Flash forward to this weekend’s Perrysburg Invitational where Bickerton met Dodd in the finals and walked away with a 6-4 overtime win.
Michael Ruiz (Randall, TX) 113 – Ruiz claimed the title at the Geary Invitational. In the finals, Ruiz beat Van Smith (Mustang, OK), 8-5. His big win came before that, though, with a 3-1 upset of No. 21 Aydan Thomas (Stillwater, OK).
Bodie Abbey (Hartland, MI) 120 – Abbey captured a title at the Detroit Catholic Central Invitational with a win over Fargo placer Nicholas Sorrow (Hudson Area, MI), 4-3 TB1. Sorrow currently resides in the honorable mention section of our rankings at 120.
Chris Vargo (Bentworth, PA) 127 – Vargo defeated No. 16 Andrew Binni (Canon-McMillan, PA) in the finals of the Tricada Tournament 5-4 in tiebreaker two.
Isaiah Cortez (Giroy, CA) 126 – Cortez (No. 4) captured his second straight Doc Buchanan crown with a 3-2 decision of Clovis’s Nikade Zinkin (HM).
Nikade Zinkin (Clovis, CA) 126 – Zinkin reached the Doc B finals by pulling off a major upset over No. 7 Gage Walker (Bixby, OK), 4-3, in the semifinals.
Carson Exferd (Nampa, ID) 138 – In the finals of the Rollie Lane Tournament, Exferd (HM at 132) met Kolter Burton (Century, ID), who is ranked No. 21 at 126. Regardless of weight, Exferd’s 3-2 decision of Burton is considered an upset.
Paul Kelly (Poway) 138 – No. 8 Kelly captured a Doc B crown a year after failing to place. But more than that, it was who he beat to do it that lands him here. In the finals, Kelly beat No. 4 Drew Gorman (Buford, GA), 4-2. To reach that match, Kelly dominated No. 5 Jace Roller (Bixby), 18-3. Roller beat Kelly at Doc B last year.
Nolan Ambrose (Jackson County Central, MN) 139 – Ambrose, who is unranked, authored the biggest upset of the Clash XXI Duals with a 12-3 win over No. 19 Wyatt Medlin (Washington, IL).
Ryan Bennett (St. Edward, OH) 144 – A week after placing seventh at PowerAde, Bennett bounced back at Doc B, winning the championship with a huge 2-1 win over No. 4 Joseph Toscano (Buchanan, CA) in the finals.
