Who are the 25 best pound-for-pound high school wrestlers in the nation in 2022-23?

Here are some of the nation’s most talented and accomplished wrestlers, irrespective of weight

Wrestlers are typically grouped by weight classification, but some deem pound-for-pound rankings to be the truest measure of greatness.

SBLive set out to find the best wrestlers in the nation, regardless of size.

RELATED: SBLive Sports National High School Wrestling Rankings (2/2/2023)

Here are 25 names to consider:

Joel Adams, Millard South (Nebraska)

A two-time state champion, Adams has yet to lose a match this season. The Michigan signee is the favorite to win a third state title at 145 pounds. Last July, Adams claimed the 65-kilogram title at the U17 World Championships in Rome. He is planning to take a gap year after graduation with the goal of wrestling in the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Josh Barr, Davison (Michigan)

Davison, who is going for his fourth state title this season, is a two-time junior national freestyle champion. The future Penn State Nittany Lion is competing at 175 pounds as a senior.

Bo Bassett, Bishop McCort (Pennsylvania)

Last March, Bassett tied a state record by winning his eighth Pennsylvania junior wrestling championship. He also took gold at the Cadet World Championships in freestyle. Bassett is competing at 113 pounds as a freshman.

Joey Blaze, Perrysburg (Ohio)

Blaze is a two-time state champion who is looking to add a third this winter at 165 pounds. The Purdue signee is unbeaten as a senior. His bother, Marcus, is a sophomore who was the 120-pound winner at last summer’s 16U freestyle National Championships.

Ryder Block, Waverly-Shell Rock (Iowa)

The Iowa signee is a two-time state champion who also notched a runner-up finish as a sophomore — his only high school loss. The 138-pound standout is part of a strong Hawkeyes recruiting class that ranks among the nation’s best.

Jude Correa, Wyoming Seminary (Pennsylvania)

One of the top performers for national power Wyoming Seminary, the 190-pound Correa is already a physical specimen as a sophomore. He was a standout junior wrestler in New England and is a prep national champion who has been dominant all winter.

Ben Davino, St. Charles East (Illinois)

Davino picked up a big win over Marc-Anthony McGowan earlier this season in the 126-pound finals of the Walsh Ironman. The two-time state champion also won a 16U Freestyle National Championship last summer.

P.J. Duke, Minisink Valley (New York)

Duke was the first seventh-grader in New York history to win a state wrestling title, and the phenom added another last winter as a freshman at 138 pounds. He is now wrestling at 150 as he continues to pile up award after award, including a first-place finish at the Walsh Ironman.

Angelo Ferrari, Melissa (Texas)

Ferrari defeated current Oklahoma State wrestler Jordan Williams, a three-time state champion, in last year’s Class 6A Oklahoma 160-pound state finals. Ferrari, a junior who now competes for Melissa in Texas, was voted most outstanding wrestler at the 6A tournament. The 165-pounder is a two-time Walsh Ironman champion and one of the best defensive wrestlers in the country.

Jax Forrest, Bishop McCort (Pennsylvania)

A silver medalist at last year’s U17 World Championships, Forrest is already one of the country’s top pound-for-pound wrestlers as a freshman. Forrest, who is competing at 120 pounds, recently inked an NIL deal with CFLWR Combat Gear and has notched several tournament titles this season.

Koy Hopke, Amery (Wisconsin)

Also a standout football player, the well-rounded Hopke is a champion wrestler who took gold in Greco-Roman and freestyle at last summer’s U17 Pan-American Championships. The junior heavyweight is a two-time state champion.

Cael Hughes, Stillwater (Oklahoma)

A three-time state champion, Hughes is looking to become the first Stillwater wrestler to win four state titles since current Oklahoma State assistant coach Chris Perry. Hughes, who is competing at 132 pounds this season, will follow in Perry’s footsteps and wrestle for his hometown Cowboys next season.

Ben Kueter, Iowa City (Iowa)

One of the best all-around athletes in the country, Kueter is a four-star football recruit and a U20 men’s freestyle world champion. He was the fifth Iowa high-schooler to win gold at the World Championships. He is competing at 215 pounds this season and will play football and wrestle for his hometown Iowa Hawkeyes.

Daschle Lamer, Crescent Valley (Oregon)

Daschle Lamer is looking to join his older brothers Chance and Legend as four-time state champions in Oregon. The 165-pound Cal Poly signee has notched strong finishes at the 16U Freestyle National Championships and Walsh Ironman.

Luke Lilledahl, Wyoming Seminary (Pennsylvania)

Arguably the country’s top junior, Lilledahl won the 120-pound bracket at the Walsh Ironman and was voted the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler. Last summer, he cruised to gold at the U17 World Cadets Wrestling Championships. He won a Missouri state championship as a freshman before transferring to Wyoming Seminary, where he won another title last winter.

Beau Mantanona, Palm Desert (California)

Mantanona lost last year’s 138-pound state title match in controversial fashion, but the senior is back with a vengeance this winter. The Michigan signee has moved up to 150 this season and is looking to bring home his first state title before heading off to college.

Max McEnelly, Waconia (Minnesota)

A three-time state champion, McEnelly earned the bronze at last summer’s U17 World Championships. His 132-match high school winning streak came to an end in December, but McEnelly is still the overwhelming favorite to win the state title at 195. The future Minnesota wrestler is also a standout football player who rushed for 31 touchdowns this fall.

Marc-Anthony McGowan, Blair Academy (New Jersey)

A decorated youth wrestler, McGowan won a Florida state title as an eighth-grader and took gold at the World Championships Cadets in 2019. The future Princeton Tiger has also won a pair of prep national titles. He is one of the best 126-pounders in the country.

Gavin Nelson, Simley (Minnesota)

Another multi-sport star, Nelson is a football and wrestling leader for Smiley. He is a two-time state champion who has signed to wrestle for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. He is looking to add a third state title at 215 pounds as a senior.

Ernie Perry III, Airline (Louisiana)

Perry recently became the third wrestler to win four titles at the Louisiana Classic. He is the first to do it in four different weight classes. Perry is also a three-time state champion who will be going for another at 126 pounds as a senior. He will wrestle in college for Cornell.

Nicco Ruiz, St. John Bosco (California)

Ruiz was the 152-pound California state champion as a junior and won every tournament he entered. The 157-pounder is staying out West for college and will wrestle for Arizona State.

Zack Ryder, Minisink Valley (New York)

A bronze medalist at the 2022 U17 World Championships, Ryder has given a verbal commitment to Penn State. He is a two-time state champion who is competing at 182 pounds.

Joseph Sealey, Wyoming Seminary (Pennsylvania)

Sealey is another talented junior who took gold at last year’s U17 World Championships. The North Carolina native won a state title for High Point Central as a freshman before transferring to Wyoming Seminary, where he earned another last season. Now competing at 157 pounds, Sealey is aiming for more hardware this winter and beyond.

Tyson Terry, Omaha North (Nebraska)

The 6-foot-3, 270-pound Terry is a high-end football recruit with several Power 5 offers. The sophomore won a state wrestling championship last season and has yet to lose a high school match. Terry’s dad, Ryan Terry, was a two-time state champion at Omaha North.

Rocco Welsh, Waynesburg (Pennsylvania)

Welsh won gold in the 175-pound bracket at December’s Walsh Ironman and has picked up several other major victories in the last calendar year. A three-time state finalist, Welsh is hoping to add a second state title to his resume before heading off to wrestle for Ohio State. 

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SBLive national high school rankings expert Billy Buckheit contributed to this report.