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When the request came across a direct message on Ryan Crookhams Instagram account, he didnt hesitate to say yes.

It was a no-brainer, he said.

The request was an invitation to wrestle in FLOWrestlings annual Whos Number 1 (WNO) preseason classic.

Crookham, a junior at Notre Dame, will be joined by Northampton senior Jagger Condomitti in the eighth annual event, to be wrestled Oct. 3 in Austin, Tex.

Crookham, a two-time PIAA 2A champion, will wrestle Wyoming Seminary junior Nic Bouzakis, a National Prep champion, at 132 pounds, while Condomitti, a two-time PIAA 3A medalist and 2020 runner-up, will take on Brecksville (Ohio)s Victor Voinovich, an Ohio state champion, at 152 pounds.

For Condomitti, a Nebraska commit, his selection fulfills a longtime dream.

I have been to all of the WNOs except last year, he said. When I went to WNO at Lehigh (in Grace Hall) it just seemed like another level of high school wrestling, at the next level. I wasnt sure Id ever get the chance to wrestle in it but then it all kind of fell into place.

It surely did for Crookham as well, whose matchup with Bouzakis is a real No. 1 v. No. 2. They ended their sophomore seasons ranked No. 1 (Bouzakis) and No. 2 by Intermat at 126 pounds -- the sole difference being a 4-3 decision by Bouzakis over Crookham in the final at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman Tournament.

I have been looking forward to that matchup for almost a year now, said Crookham, who went 51-1 as a sophomore. Thats the one guy I have had on my mind.

Crookham leads the overall series with Bouzakis, a Florida native, 2-1, having won a couple of freestyle bouts. But the Ironman bout still stings.

It was 2-2 heading into the third period, Crookham said. I was riding on top and they called him for stalling so I was winning 3-2. With 15 seconds left he got to his feet, and reversed me, you could call it a buzzer-beater. I have not forgotten that at all. Hes really strong and uses his strength a lot in his wrestling.

Condomitti doesnt have a history with Voinovich, an Oklahoma State recruit who was ranked No. at 145 for a while last season by Intermat. The season ended with Voinovich ranked No. 7 and Condomitti (39-4 as a junior) ranked No. 11 by Intemat.

Victor and I were in the same bracket at the Beast of the East, but we didnt wrestle, Condomitti said. I have wrestled him a little in practice two years at a camp at Cornell, we drilled a little. We have some common opponents. He wrestled at WNO last year (where he pinned Jesse Vasquez of California).

Condomitti said he was originally set to wrestle another opponent before the organizers changed to Voinovich.

It doesnt matter to me, he said.

Training during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge even for top wrestlers like these two.

I havent been working on anything specific in my training, Condomitti said. I was working out in my house with my brother (Bug, a Northampton sophomore) and sometimes working out with (coach Jeff) Buxton and guys from the Lehigh Valley Wrestling Club. It was wrestling, and (weight)lifting, wrestling and lifting. Only in the last couple of days have I been getting back to regular practices.

Crookham said he has been working on his conditioning.

I want to be able to put a pace on my opponents, not just technique them but be able to wear them down, he said. I have been training non-stop; in fact, I was overtrained. I wasnt able to wrestle any real matches.

Bouzakis will be a real good match, and maybe even a present of sorts for Crookham.

My birthday is the day before WNO, he said. I always had in my mind that I could wrestle at WNO, and I always dreamed of myself on that stage, getting my hand raised.

Whos Number One? Full Lineup

(in match order)

138 pounds: Shayne Van Ness (Blair Academy) v. Jordan Williams (Collinsville, Okla.)

138: Joel Vandervere (Warren Twp., Ill.) v. Jesse Mendez (Crown Point, Ind.)

126: Jordan Titus (Center Moriches, N.Y.) v. Dean Peterson (St. John Vianney)

152: Victor Voinovich (Brecksville, Ohio) v. Jagger Condomitti (Northampton)

285: Kyonte Hamilton (Georgetown Prep, Md.) v. Chase Horne (West Laurens, Ga.)

220: Kyle Haas (Maize, Kan.) vs Nick Feldman (Malvern Prep)

145: Cody Chittum (Blair Academy) v. Wyatt Henson (Waynesburg Central)

195: Seth Shumate (Dublin Coffman, Ohio) v. Tate Picklo (Mustang, Okla.)

73 kg (women): Kennedy Blades (Wyoming Seminary) v. Amit Elor (College Park-Pleasant Hill, Calif.)

132: Nic Bouzakis (Wyoming Seminary) v. Ryan Crookham (Notre Dame)

160: Paddy Gallagher (St. Edwards, Ohio) v. Travis Mastrogiovanni (Blair Academy)

120: Richie Figueroa (Selma, Calif.) v. Drake Ayala (Fort Dodge, Iowa)

170: Alex Facundo (Davison, Mich.) v. Cael Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.)

138: Van Ness/Williams winner v. Vandervere/Mendez winner

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Brad Wilson may be reached at bwilson@lehighvalleylive.com.

Read more from the original source:
Whos No. 1? Could be Crookham and Condomitti - lehighvalleylive.com