With wrestlers like Doyle Trout, Isaac DeLoa and Matthew Clark hitting the mats again this season, there is plenty to talk about on the Nebraska wrestling circuit.
As rare as it is to win four straight state championships on the mat, a new crop of possible multi-title grapplers have already started their quests for a run through the bracket four straight seasons.
More than a handful of Nebraska's finest on the mats this season could toss and throw their names into the record books at career's end. Centennial's Doyle Trout already has three titles and is looking for one more before he wraps up his prep career.
Toss into the hat five sophomores who have already figured out how to fight themselves into the championship match and into the winner's circle, and Nebraska prep grappling fans should have plenty to talk about this season and beyond.
Plainview's Christian Miller is the only super sophomore to complete his first season with an unblemished record. But Columbus' Colton Wolfe, Omaha Skutt's Korbin Meink and Jeff Heinz, plus O'Neill's David Fox are all even in state championship wins.
Here is a look at which wrestlers in the Cornhusker State have the best opportunity to grab all of the hardware in February.
1. Doyle Trout, Centennial (Utica), 46-2Ranked as high as 11th nationally by one website, Trout will wrestle for Mark Branch at the University of Wyoming next year. After compiling a 46-2 record a year ago and winning his third Class C state championship in as many tries, Trout carried a 126-5 record into his final prep season at Centennial. Should Trout battle his way through his state meet bracket unscathed one more time he would become Nebraska's 25th four-time state champion. Trout wrestled at 106 pounds as a freshman, 113 as a sophomore and 120 a year ago.
2. Isaac DeLoa, Millard South (Omaha), 45-1Just a junior, DeLoa already has Class A championships at 113 and 138 pounds, and is well on his way to joining Trout on that four-time champion list. DeLoa compiled a 45-1 record a year ago, and pinned 34 foes along the way.
3. Matthew Clark, Syracuse, 49-0Clark qualified for the state meet as a freshman and then broke through to win consecutive championships as a sophomore and as a junior at 285 pounds. Going back to last season, Clark has now put together an outstanding string of 50 straight pins to shatter former Cambridge grappler Mike Schoff's All-Class and Class D record of 47 pins in a row. Now, Clark is going after the national record. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, Nick Simmons (Williamston, Mich.) originally set the current mark of 54 in 1998-99. Jon Reader from Davison (Mich.) tied the mark in 2005-06. Clark is ranked as high as seventh by one national website.
4. Jason Hansen, Tekamah-Herman (Tekamah), 37-3Hansen battled his way into the championship match at 106 pounds as a freshman before falling to Trout 4-3 in overtime, otherwise he would be in line to put his name in the record book as a four-time wrestling champion. Hansen won titles at 103 pounds in 2013 and 113 pounds in 2014.
5. Blake Walters, O'Neill, 42-1After finishing with runner-up efforts at 120 and 132 pounds to cap his freshman and sophomore seasons, Walters is in position to win back-to-back titles to conclude his prep career. Walters broke through for a Class C title at 152 pounds a year ago.
6. Brian Messersmith, Cozad, 47-2An 8-5 loss to Beatrice's Collin Wiens in a 2012 Class B 106-pound quarterfinal is all that kept Messersmith from reaching the finals in each of his first three seasons. Messersmith finished third at 106 pounds in 2012, second at 120 pounds to cap his sophomore year and then broke through to capture the Class B 132-pound title a year ago.
7. Zemua Baptista, Friend, 52-0Baptista is just one of four returning state champions to finish unbeaten a year ago. Baptista, a junior, has already won a pair of championships at 145 pounds in Class D.
8. Wesley Dawkins, Lincoln, 42-0As a freshman, Dawkins had to settle for third place at 106 pounds. But a year ago, Dawkins took over the tournament and battled his way into the winner's circle. He is a good bet to climb to the top of the podium following each of his next two seasons.
9. Christian Miller, Plainview, 45-0As he headed into his sophomore season, Miller had put himself into position to get through his prep career with a perfect mark. Although he has a long way to go before he can put that feather in his headgear, Miller's 45-0 mark from a year ago undoubtedly has people talking.
10. (tie) Colton Wolfe (32-1), Columbus; Korbin Meink (50-4), Skutt Catholic (Omaha); Jeff Heinz (39-11), Omaha Skutt Catholic; David Fox (48-2), O'NeillWolfe, Meink, Heinz and Fox are all sophomores this season and they all started their prep careers by winning state championships.
Others considered: Brandon Kile, Hastings; Tyler Jackson, Omaha North; Markell Vaughn, Omaha Central; Jackson Bates, Wilber-Clatonia; Wyatt Lane, Arcadia-Loup City; Marco Escalera, Winside; Grant Clausen, Sumner-Eddyville-Miller.
