When the final High School On SI National Girls Wrestling Rankings were released by wrestling analyst Billy Buckheit, one message became unmistakably clear: California remains the epicenter of girls high school wrestling in America. With an astounding 77 wrestlers earning national recognition across every weight class, the Golden State once again demonstrated the depth, quality, and sustained growth of its girls…

Final 2026 High School On SI Postseason National Girls Wrestling Rankings [by Billy Buckheit] July 30, 2029 As the curtain falls on the 2026 postseason with the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota, Idaho’s rise in girls wrestling has become impossible to ignore. The release of High School on SI’s final national…

Preserving Wrestling’s Past While Building Its Future Since joining the staff at Simple Man Wrestling, my mission has remained consistent: to preserve the rich history of wrestling, highlight today’s athletes and emerging trends, and contribute to the continued growth and advancement of the sport at every level. That commitment extends far beyond the publication of articles.…

Six Decades of Champions, Coaches, and Opportunities That Helped Shape American Wrestling Introduction Through Fresno City: The Gold Standard For more than six decades, the California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) Wrestling Championships have served as one of the most influential yet underappreciated developmental systems in American wrestling. While NCAA Division I championships capture the…

For decades, California has been recognized as one of the nation’s premier high school wrestling states. The release of Billy Buckheit’s Final 2026 High School on SI National Wrestling Rankings once again reinforces that reputation, revealing a level of statewide depth unmatched by nearly every wrestling state in America. California finished the season with 58 nationally recognized wrestlers,…

As the curtain closes on the 2025-26 high school wrestling season following the prestigious U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota, Idaho once again proved it can produce elite talent capable of competing with the nation’s best. National wrestling analyst Billy Buckheit released his final High School on SI national rankings, which combine performances from the high…

Introducing the JUCO Tough Team National Top 20 Rankings, Simple Man-JUCO Tough All-American Teams & A Vision for a National JUCO Open Junior college wrestling has long been one of the sport’s greatest untold stories. Every season, future NCAA or NAIA All-Americans, future Olympians, and international standouts sharpen their skills in either the National Junior…

By nearly every measurable standard, Brand’n Edstrom of Madison High School has established himself among the elite wrestlers ever featured in the TIER ONE of Idaho Prep Wrestling / Hidden Gems series. While state championships often define high school careers, Edstrom’s résumé reveals something even more impressive—a sustained commitment to excellence on the mat, in the classroom,…

Success at the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals (Fargo) has long served as one of the nation’s premier benchmarks for identifying elite high school wrestling talent. Yet beyond determining which states produce the country’s top female wrestlers, the tournament also provides a revealing measure of how effectively states support the transition from high school success…