Faith Christian Academy Dominates Walsh Ironman Wrestling Tournament, Claims National Glory

FCA tops Pennsylvania rival Bishop McCort for Walsh Ironman title; Bachmann brothers and Adam Waters lead the way with standout performances."

Billy Buckheit | Dec 9, 2024

Joseph Sanderfer of Massillon Perry (foreground) wrestles Bo Bassett of Bishop McCort during their 144 pound semifinal match during the 2024 Ironman Wrestling Tournament at Walsh Jesuit High School on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. Bassett won the match and went to capture the 144 pound title. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It was suspected that No. 2 Faith Christian Academy may unseat fellow Pennsylvania squad, Wyoming Seminary from the top spot in the national team rankings at the Walsh Ironman hosted by Walsh Jesuit High School in Ohio over the weeknd. After Friday night’s quarter finals, the Lions were sitting atop the team standings, but Pennsylvania AA rival No. 4 Bishop McCort was just 4.5 points behind them. The Blue Knights were in third with 112 points.

When the semifinals concluded Saturday afternoon, it was obvious Faith Christian Academy was going to win the crown barring some unforeseen circumstances. The battle in the team race was for the rest of the slots in the top five. The Lions three champions and four finalists paced the field and propelled them to a 213-177.5 margin of victory over second place Bishop McCort. The Lions’ nine place winners were also a tournament high.

All three champs were seeded number one, The Bachmann brothers, Fred (113) and Joe (120), and Adam Waters (190). Fred is the top ranked 113-pounder in SB Live’s national rankings. The freshman edged No. 4 Ignacio Villasenor (Stillwater, OK), 4-3, in his final bout.

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Joe (No. 6 in the nation) captured his second crown in two trips to Ironman, winning the 106-pound honors as a freshman last year. Overtime was needed to get by No. 10 Revin Dickman (Brownsburg, IN), 6-3, with Bachmann securing the winning takedown shortly into the first overtime frame. Dickman handled No. 3 Domenic Munaretto (St. Charles East, IL), an U17 Freestyle World Champion this year, 7-1, in the semis.

No. 2 Waters picked up the only pin in the championship finals when he flattened No. 5 Lane Foard (Benedictine Prep, VA) as the third period got underway, 4:19. No. 10 Mark Effendian (285) came up short in his title bout versus another Freestyle World Champ, No. 6 Michael Mocco (Cardinal Gibbons, FL), 16-6.

The other Lions who reached the podium were fourth place finishers, No. 8 Gauge Botero (126) and No. 10 Cael Weidemoyer (165), No. 25 Nick Singer (5th at 175), honorable mention Max Stein (6th at 150), and unranked Mason Wagner, who was eighth at 144 lbs.

The Crushers settled into the second spot 20.5 points ahead of Florida’s No. 5 Lake Highland Prep, 177.5-155. McCort went two for three in the finals with No. 1 Jax Forrest (132) claiming his first Ironman crown in three attempts and No. 1 Bo Bassett (144) picking up his third straight title.

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Forrest found himself in a dog fight with No. 4 Jayden Raney (Union County, KY), who upset No. 3 Matthew Botello (Wyoming Seminary) in the semis, ending regulation in a 7 all draw and securing the winning takedown in overtime for a 10-7 win. Forrest posted technical falls over all his opponents prior to the finals.

Bassett did the same and then added one more in his finals trouncing of No. 9 Carlos Stanton (Sunnyside, AZ), 22-4. Stanton’s 2:23 seconds on the mat was the longest anyone lasted versus Bassett.

No. 4 Melvin Miller fell to U17 World Champ (2023) and U20 World Silver Medalist (2024), No. 2 Ladarion Lockett of Stillwater, OK, 10-1 in the 165lb finals. No. 7 Sam Herring was fourth at 138 and No. 8 Devon Magro placed fifth at 157 for Bishop McCort.

Lake Highland Prep tends to overperform more times than not, and with eight placers, it is fair to say, the Highlanders outperformed expectations, placing third, four points ahead of Wyoming Seminary (157-153).

Prep did their damage in the consolation brackets as they had no wrestlers reach the championship finals. 190lber, No. 25 Robert Kucharczk improved his national stock the most with a fourth-place finish. A rough showing at the Journeymen Fall Classic pushed Kucharczk down the rankings. Wins over No. 6 De’ Alcapon Veazy (Ponderosa, CO) and No. 12 Matt Kowalski (Springboro, OH) will propel the senior back up the ranks.

Other Highlanders taking hardware home were bronze medalists, No. 8 Zeno Moore (150), No. 17 CJ Torres (165), and No. 11 Jacob Levy (285). No. 8 Jayce Paridon was fifth at 138. Placing sixth were No. 12 Charlie DeSena (144) and No. 23 Alex Smith (215). No. 11 Lucas Boe was seventh at 157 lbs.

Torres battles inconsistency, which is why he is carrying a number 17 ranking after his Super 32 showing. At Ironman, the good Torres showed up and registered wins over No. 10 Weidemoyer and No. 13 Liam Carlin (Green Farms Academy, CT).

Wyoming Seminary’s fourth place finish came with two champs and four others stepping on the podium. No. 5 Nathan Desmond (126) and No. 1 Jude Correa (215) finished atop their brackets.

Desmond needed overtime tie-breaker periods to eek out a 3-2 victory over No. 6 Keanu Dillard (Bethlehem Catholic, PA). Correa won a battle of defending champs versus No. 3 Cade Ziola (Skutt Catholic, NE, 190 last year), 4-3.

Botello was third at 132 for the Blue Knights. No. 24 Shamus Regan was sixth at 120, honorable mention Wyatt Stauffer finished seventh at 106 and picked up big wins over No. 5 Brayden Wenrich (Northampton, PA) and No. 10 Cruzer Dominguez (Creighton Prep, NE). No. 20 Anthony Evanitsky landed in the eighth position at 157.

Malvern Prep’s fifth place finish is the most surprising aspect of the team race. Malvern came in ranked 16th in the nation and placed ahead of numerous teams above them in those rankings (No. 10 Stillwater, No. 12 St. Edward (OH), No. 8 Blair Academy (NJ), and No. 11 Brownsburg).

No. 6 Justin Farnsworth was their only finalist, and he fell to No. 1 Caleb Noble (Warren Township, IL), 4-1 in overtime. No. 26 Lukas Zalota was fourth at 285 and No. 16 Lukas Littleton-Mascaro was fifth at 120. Two unranked guys helped Malvern Prep crash into the top five, Matt O’Neill was third at 126 and Tyler Conroy finished sixth at 132.

O’Neill’s inconsistency on the national level is why he came in unranked. In recent months he has compiled some nice wins only to offset them with puzzling losses. Four upsets propelled O’Neill to third as he took out No. 8 Botero, No. 17 Sebastian Degennaro (Jensen Beach, FL), No. 18 Karson Brown (St. Edward), and No. 30 Stephen Myers (Parkersburg, WV).

Conroy has been stuck behind stud after stud in his time at Malvern. Wins over No. 6 Zachary Stewart (Marmion Academy, IL) and No. 25 Luke Satriano (Valley Central, NY) have marked Conroy as a force to be reckoned with.

Perrysburg’s No. 1Marcus Blaze was able to put his first Ironman championship in the book with a 4-1 win over No. 3 Seth Mendoza (Mt. Carmel, IL) at 138 lbs. Mendoza defeated No. 2 Sergio Vega (Sunnyside), 5-4, in the semifinals.

No. 2 Kody Routledge (Edmond North) had little trouble with No. 1 Will Denny (Marist, IL), rolling to a 12-4 major decision. Denny had defeated wrestlers who owned recent wins over Routledge when he captured his Super 32 belt, which is why he sat above the Oklahoman in the rankings. Denny was almost upset is his semifinal with McCort’s Magro, edging him, 5-4.

Blair’s No. 2 Wiliam Henckel had to fend off a wrestler with an upset on his mind at 175 lbs, No. 5 Asher Cunningham (State College, PA). Cunningham took out No. 4 Aaron Stewart (Warren Township) in the semis and looked like he was going to replicate that feat versus Henckel as he was holding a late lead only to watch his foe rally to tie it up then win it with an overtime takedown, 15-12.

Staunton River’s Noah Nininger helped his Virginia team place 15th, ahead of three nationally ranked teams (No. 13 Massillon Perry (OH), No. 19 Crown Point, and No. 23 Green Farms Academy) with his championship run at 150 lbs. Nininger came up one-point shy of a major decision in his 16-9 win over Edmond North’s No. 7 Joseph Jeter.

Team Scores (Top 15)

1-Faith Christian Academy, PA 213

2-Bishop McCort, PA 177.5

3-Lake Highland Prep, FL 157

4-Wyoming Seminary, PA 153

5-Malvern Prep, PA 132

6-Stillwater, OK 117.5

7-St. Edward, OH 104

8-Edmond North, OK 98.5

1st Place Match

Michael Mocco (Cardinal Gibbons) 4-0, Jr. over Mark Effendian (Faith Christian Academy) 4-1, Jr. (MD 16-6)

3rd Place Match

Jacob Levy (Lake Highland Prep) 5-1, Sr. over Lukas Zalota (Malvern Prep) 6-2, So. (Fall 1:45)

5th Place Match

Trayvn Boger (South Summit) 4-2, Jr. over Alex Taylor (Mount Vernon) 3-1, Jr. (M. For.)

7th Place Match

Mike Millin (Perry (Massillon), OH) 4-2, Sr. over EJ German (Brecksville) 3-3, Jr. (UTB 3-2)

Published Dec 9, 2024|Modified Dec 9, 2024

BILLY BUCKHEIT

Billy Buckheit is a long-time high school wrestling expert and journalist who has been doing the individual national high school wrestling rankings for SBLive Sports since 2022. He also provides coverage a major high school wrestling tournaments throughout the year. Billy previously served as the senior wrestling writer for Varsity Sports Network and the Baltimore Banner. He has also served on the seeding committees for many prestigious regional and national tournaments. In addition, he is the editor of Billy B's Wrestling World, a popular Facebook page dedicated to high school wrestling, and is an editorial contributor for the Maryland State Wrestling Association (MSWA).

Faith Christian Academy Dominates Walsh Ironman Wrestling Tournament, Claims National Glory

Billy Buckheit | Dec 9, 2024

2024-25 National High School Wrestling Rankings: Adjustments, Ironman Seeds, and Missing Stars (12/5/2024)

HSOSI unveils our inaugural National High School Wrestling Team Rankings (11/27/2024)

Team Scores (Top 15)

Individual Results

106

113

120

126

132

138

144

150

157

165

175

190

215

285

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