first of all I would like to say my thoughts and prayers are with Mason Morningstar and his family. That's a tough way for a senior to go out and I hate hearing that...
next, my opinion on Coy vs Stephenson. I would have to disagree with some of the posts I've read on the two wrestlers….. I'm not sure how anyone could say Coy is on another level compared to Stephenson… Coy won the match by 3 points.. and keep in mind two of his points were penalty points.. one for fleeing the mat and one for stalling. I will say I believe the lateral drop was in bounds and that would definitely have altered the final outcome, but it wasn't scored. the match was very competitive and I believe we'll see another great match this weekend between the two!! Coy is extremely explosive and strong. Both wrestlers have a shot at ending their season with a medal around their necks... with that being said…. my picks:
106: Hunt, Miller, Liter, Harris- I expect the finals to be very competitive with Hunt winning a close one
113: Stephenson, Mosser, Mendez, Goodwin- should be a very competitive weight. any of the top three coming out on top wouldn't surprise me a bit
120: Miller, Becker, Rutter, House- I would consider Miller on another level. Becker pinned Rutter at team state. Rutter and House for third should be a great match
126: Hiestand, Gunsett, Schliessman, Renner- Hiestand is a kid that continues to improve. Gunsett is a battler and is used to being in tough matches. should be a good one
132: Coy, Stephenson, Dudelston, Siefring- I think Coy has a little too much God given ability to lose. He has potential to be elite. Should still be a close finals match
138: Laughlin, Gutierrez, Ford, Brown- Laughlin is going to have to wait another week to even be tested
145: McCormick, Bates, Becker, Beeks- McCormick shouldn't overlook Bates… And if he doesn't, he should win handily (my state champ pick this year)
152: Busse, Burkebile, Perry, Leonhard- Burkebile has a great chance to win, but he's still a freshmen and I don' t think he has enough experience to pull off the win against a tough Bellmont kid in Busse (how many dang Busse's are there??)
160: Baumgarter, Gray, Liter, Drown- the finals match is one I am REALLY looking forward to seeing!! honestly wouldn't be surprised with either winning. both great
170: Jackson, Luginbill, Baker, Guy- I got Jackson winning the redemption match from earlier this year… will definitely be a great one though!!
182: Hiestand, Kohler, Hankenson, Baron- one of the deepest weights at the tourney… I could see about 5 different kids making it to the finals. Very deep!
195: Howard, Friedt, Evans, Stout- Howard should win and never should be in trouble. The scores may not show how dominant he will be though
220: Hangen, Uloa, Hughes, Brunner- the finals match should be exciting!
285: Hiestand, Bollenbacher, George, Phillips- another deep weight class!! you truly never know with heavyweights… Can't wait to was the semi finals and finals here!