2026-27 Boys National High School Wrestling Rankings: Preseason Update Brings Big Changes
The second preseason update moves wrestlers toward their projected starting weights as Dawson Youngblut, Austin Ellis, Mac Crosson and other national standouts find their places.
With this, the second update to the 2026-27 High School On SI Boys Preseason National High School Wrestling Rankings, we have begun moving wrestlers into the weight classes where we believe they are most likely to begin the upcoming season. We say begin for a couple of reasons. First, some wrestlers have a history of starting the season at a higher weight before working their way down. Second, some compete at a higher weight during the high school season than they do in national events.
Projecting the Right Weight Is Part of the Puzzle
A pair of wrestlers at 138 pounds are good examples of the latter: Iowa’s Dawson Youngblut and Utah’s Austin Ellis. Both spent the majority of their national competition at 138 pounds while wrestling at 144 during the high school season.
Where Does Mac Crosson Fit?
Another Iowan, Mac Crosson, presents a more complicated case. Crosson could make some appearances at 175 pounds this season, but for now we’ve placed him at 157, where he was the Junior National runner-up at Fargo. Last fall, Crosson competed at 157 in several events and even dropped to 150 for Super 32.
Crosson spent most of the high school season around 165 pounds while making a few appearances at 175. But because he competed at 157 nationally during the spring and summer, we’re projecting him to begin there again, including a likely appearance at that weight at Super 32. These are the kinds of decisions we’ve made throughout this second edition of the preseason rankings.
How We Project Each Wrestler’s Starting Weight
We’ve taken a close look at each wrestler’s recent history to determine where he’s most likely to begin the year. Of course, no projection can account for every growth spurt or the weight a high school wrestler might add as he matures. We’re using what they’ve done in the past to make the best educated guess about where they’ll compete next.
Current No. 1 Ranked Wrestlers
285: Lukas Zalota (Malvern Prep, PA) SR
106: Kooper Deputy (Chestnut Ridge, PA) SO
113: Caleb Noble (Warren Township, IL) SR
120: Landon Sidun (Norwin, PA) SR
126: Grey Burnett (Perrysburg, OH) SR
132: Paul Kenny (Christian Brothers Academy, NJ) SR
138: Dean Anderson (Valiant Prep, AZ) SR
144: Jesse Grajeda (St. John Bosco, CA) SR
150: Michael Romero (St. John Bosco, CA) SR
157: Mac Crosson (Indianola, IA) SR\
165: Melvin Miller (Bishop McCort, PA) JR
175: Jayden O’Farrill (State College, PA) JR
190: Salah Tsarni (Blair Academy, NJ) SR
215: Michael Boyle (Bishop Watterson, OH) SR … more at … https://www.si.com/high-school/wrestling/2026-27-boys-national-high-school-wrestling-rankings-preseason-update-brings-big-changes-01m0yyn0swkc?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
No comments yet.
TDR blog
After 20 seasons of publicizing wrestling The TakeDown Report’s (TDR) focus has changed to the collecting of college coaching records from North America since 1903. We will continue to recognize and reward successful wrestlers in eastern North Carolina (east of Raleigh & Fayetteville), assist with schools in starting or re-starting a team and this blog. Join us on our FaceBook Page – “The TakeDown Report” for photos and news. Please send results, stories, links and news to pass along. E-mail us at takedownreport@gmail.com
Martin Fleming, Editor
Takedown Report
Leave a comment