Everybody's Wrestling All-Americans

The return of one of Illinois' top wrestlers to his original home in Michigan has helped tilt the balance of power in the country this year to the Wolverine State.

Ben Whitford, who won state titles the past two seasons in Illinois, will compete for St. Johns (Mich.), where he grew up. Whitford's transfer gives St. Johns two wrestlers in the MaxPreps Everybody's All-American list, three for the state of Michigan.

Pennsylvania, a perennial top state in the preseason national rankings, also has three on the list, including two of the five unanimous picks.

Everybody's All-Americans is based on the compilation of four national preseason ranking services - Amateur Wrestling News, Intermat, The OpenMat and WIN Magazine - to determine the most highly regarded wrestler in each weight class.

Not all of the choices have gotten off to a strong start. Mark Grey of Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.) and Jimmy Gulibon of Derry (Pa.) are both unanimous picks but have lost already this season while competing at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman Tournament. Both Grey and Gulibon will be listed here, however, since these rankings are preseason rankings.

While Michigan and Pennsylvania each had three selections, New Jersey and Indiana had two apiece while Washington, Oregon, New York and Wisconsin had one each. Blair Academy and St. John's were the only schools with more than one wrestler on the list.

EVERYBODY'S WRESTLING ALL-AMERICANS

106 - Ronnie Bresser, Henley (Klamath Falls, Ore.)
The junior has won 15 national championship medals over the course of his career, including first place in the national finals last year in both folkstyle and Greco-Roman at 98 pounds. He won the Oregon 103-pound state championship last year.

113 - Jarred Brooks, Warsaw (Ind.)
Brooks is not a returning state champion, however he did finish second in the Indiana state finals at 112 pounds last year. Brooks also placed second to Nathan Tomasello of Ohio at 112 pounds at the ASICS/Vaughan Junior Freestyle National Championships last summer in Fargo (N.D.). However Brooks' 3-2 win over Tomasello at the 2011 Super 32 Challenge in Greensboro (N.C.) in October elevated Brooks to the top spot heading into his senior season.

120 - Nick Roberts, North Star (Boswell, Pa.)*
A unanimous selection, Roberts is a two-time state champion in Pennsylvania and he was a member of the Team USA that competed at the Junior World Freestyle Championships in Bucharest, Romania last summer. Roberts has committed to wrestle at Ohio State next year.

126 - Jimmy Gulibon, Derry (Pa.)*
The Penn State commit is on pace to become a four-time state champion in Pennsylvania. A unanimous selection, Gulibon has a 111-3 record heading into his senior season, however he did lose by pin to Dean Heil of St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) in the finals of the Walsh Jesuit Ironman last week.

132 - Mark Grey, Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.)*
Like Gulibon, Grey suffered an upset in the semifinals of the Walsh Jesuit Ironman last week, falling to No. 18 seed Randy Cruz of Bethlehem Catholic, 9-4. Grey then fell to Alex Cisneros of Selma, who could potentially win his fourth-straight California state championship, 3-0 in the third-place match. However, Gray was a unanimous pick in the preseason rankings based on his fifth-place finish at the Junior World Championships in Romania and his stellar summer wrestling resume. He is a two-time cadet greco national champion, a junior freestyle All-American and a Pan-American Cadet Freestyle champion.

138 - Ben Whitford, St. Johns (Mich.)
One of the top juniors in the country, Whitford won two state titles for Marmion Academy (Ill.), but has since moved to St. Johns, where he lived prior to moving to Illinois following his eighth-grade season. Whitford also won the freestyle and Greco-Roman national championships at Fargo over the summer and finished first at the Super 32 Challenge. He has given a verbal commitment to Michigan.

145 - Jason Tsirtsis, Crown Point (Ind.)*
A unanimous pick for this weight class, Tsirtsis has won three state titles in Indiana. A commit to Northwestern, Tsirtsis is aiming to become the eighth four-time state champion in the state. He has lost just twice in his high school career and he won a freestyle junior national championship at Fargo in July.

152 - Brian Realbuto, Somers (Lincolndale, N.Y.)
A two-time Division I state champion in New York, Realbuto won the Junior National Freestyle tournament in Fargo last summer. A Cornell University commit, Realbuto has a career mark of 230-11.

160 - Chance Marsteller, Kennard-Dale (Fawn Grove, Pa.)
As a freshman last year, Marsteller placed second on the Asics All-American Team at 152 pounds. He was one of just two freshmen to be named to any of the top three teams. A state champion as a freshman with an unbeaten record, Marsteller reportedly defeated last season's top recruit in the nation, Destin McCauley, at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., last spring.

170 - Taylor Massa, St. Johns (Mich.)
A three-time state champion in Michigan, the recent Michigan commit has never lost a high school match. He's gone 187-0 at the high school level and picked up a FILA Junior National freestyle championship in the spring.

182 - Jordan Rogers, Mead (Spokane, Wash.)
Headed to Oklahoma State next season, Rogers is a two-time state champion in Washington. He is also a two-time FILA Cadet National champion and was named the Outstanding Wrestler in the Greco-Roman national championships last spring.

195 - Devin Peterson, Lincoln (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.)
Peterson won a FILA Junior National Greco-Roman championship last spring and a Junior National freestyle championship and a Junior National Greco-Roman title during the summer. He is a two-time state runner-up in Wisconsin and plans to stay in-state and wrestle for the Badgers next season.

220 - Adam Coon, Fowlerville (Fowlerville, Mich.)
A state champion last year as a sophomore, Coon also won a Cadet World Championship in Hungary, becoming the first American to do so in more than 12 years. Coon also earned first-team All-State honors at linebacker this past season. He is a two-time all-state pick at Fowlerville.

285 - Brooks Black, Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.)*
A unanimous pick, Black was a national prep champion last year and recently placed first at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman Tournament.

*Indicates unanimous selection.