2025-26 Boys Wrestling 157-Pound National Champion, All-Americans and Final Rankings

A dominant junior campaign loaded with national titles and elite wins cemented Melvin Miller as the top 157-pounder, as the Bishop McCort star continued to overpower the country’s best

Melvin Miller of Bishop McCort (PA) is the 2025-26 High School On SI 157-Pound National Wrestling Champion. | SBLive Sports

All Boys Wrestling National Champions, All-Americans & Final Rankings:
106 | 113 | 120 | 126 | 132 | 138 | 144 | 150 | 157 |

2025-26 157-Pound Boys High School Wrestling National Champion:
Melvin Miller (Bishop McCort, PA) JR 

Melvin Miller is a Beast. He won a 16U Fargo title between his eighth and ninth grade years then moved up to the Junior Division and added two more. Miller added his second Super 32 title, after being third last year, with a major decision of Iowa’s Maximus Dhabolt (No. 10 at 175). 

Miller also took care of Dhabolt at Flo’s Who’s No. 1, Elite 8 Duals, and Fargo. The junior also added a crown at the Clarion Open in the preseason where he beat Ohio State’s NCAA All-American, Brandon Cannon. 

Miller gained his second PowerAde Crown and was third there as a freshman. The Crusher made his first appearance at Beast of the East and put one of those titles on his mantle. A third AA state gold came on a close win over No. 9 Reagan Milheim (Warrior Run) in the finals. Miller was 54-1 this season and is 160-5 in his career.

Over the last two campaigns, Miller has lost two times. Once each year at Ironman as that is the only championship that has alluded him. This year, Miller fell to Delbarton’s World Champ, No. 1 Jayden James. 

Miller put wins in the book this year when he faced a bunch of people ranked at 165 including, No. 5 Griff LaPlante (St. Francis, NY), No. 9 Bruno Cassioppi (Hononegah, IL), No. 10 Josh Piparo (St. Peter’s Prep, NJ), and No. 15 Titus Norman (Baylor School, TN).

Miller handled the number five at 175, Faith Christian’s Nick Singer, at the AA State Duals. Weight class wins were added versus No. 5 Zeno Moore (Lake Highland Prep, FL), No. 8 Blake Cosby (Dundee, MI), and No. 15 Gabe Ballard (Northampton, PA).

2025-26 High School On SI 157-Pound Boys Wrestling All-Americans

Camryn Howard (Bellport, NY) SO

Final National Ranking: 2

Howard went out to Fargo after his freshman year that concluded with his first DI State Championship and brought home a 16U Freestyle Gold at this weight. To gain the gold, a big win was executed versus No. 3 Justus Heeg (Providence Catholic, IL).

Those actions earned Howard a Golden Ticket to Who’s No. 1 opposite Illinois’ No. 3 at 165, Wyatt Medlin, whom he edged, 7-6. Otherwise, the sophomore’s season didn’t contain much relevant to national rankings as his second state title came with a 48-0 record.

New York allows Middle School kids to wrestle amongst the varsity and at their state tournament. Howard was third as a freshman, whose only loss of a 36-1 season came at states after placing eighth in the seventh grade. 

Justus Heeg (Providence Catholic, IL) SO

Final National Ranking: 3 

Heeg came out hard at the Elite 8 Duals putting down some serious talent including No. 6 Christopher Creason (El Diamante, CA), No. 18 Mason Peterson (Columbus, NE), and No. 20 Bradley Williams (Spain Park, AL). Next came a Super 32 belt with wins against LaPlante, No. 7 Austin Paris (Layton, UT), and No. 12 at 165, Matthew Staples (New Prairie, IN). 

Once the season got underway, Heeg headed to Ironman and took his only loss of the year in the finals versus Medlin. Heeg beat Moore and Paris there. A Cheesehead Championship came after beating No. 4 Dallas Russell (Jefferson, GA) in tiebreakers of the final. 

Dallas Russell (Jefferson, GA) SR

Final National Ranking:

Russell’s only loss on the way to winning his fourth Georgia state championship came to Heeg at Cheesehead, where he beat No. 14 Justin Wardlow (Lockport Township, IL. 

Going back to the Junior National Duals last summer, Russell hit another gear and beat Paris there then left Fargo as a Junior Freestyle runner-up with a win over Cosby. 

When dealing with the national ranking landscape we like to use all results. Obviously, recent results take precedence over old, but sometimes an old result is all that we have between two guys, and such is the case for Russell and Moore.

As we’ve done with each weight, we are giving everything one last final inspection and were looking to see if we could promote Moore ahead of Russell. But wouldn’t you know it, at the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals, Russell beat Moore in the only encounter they have shared.

Zeno Moore (Lake Highland Prep, FL) SR

Final National Ranking: 5

Moore became a rare five-time National Prep All-American, which is difficult to do as it requires you to place as an eighth-grade wrestler. His second Prep title was achieved when he stuck No. 29 Brooklyn Pickett (Mt. St. Joseph, MD) in the finals. 

Moore collected crowns at the Beast of the East and Escape the Rock and was third at Ironman and second at PowerAde. Some of Moore’s biggest wins came at Ironman against LaPlante, Ballard, and No. 4 at 150, Jake Miller (Broken Arrow, OK).

Moore beat Griffin for the first time at Super 32 on the way to placing third after being tripped up by Virginia’s unranked Josiah Sykes. Moore beat No. 13 Cooper Rowe (Mound-Westonka, MN) there. Moore took down Staples to win a Grappler Fall Classic gold and was fourth at Fargo.

Christopher Creason (El Diamante, CA) SR

Final National Ranking: 6

Creason fell to Heeg and Staples at Elite 8 and looked primed to add a second consecutive California state championship when an injury at states derailed those hopes.

Creason captured the Doc Buchanan Cowboy Hat with a 12-3 major decision of Paris and beat No. 39 Jacob Perez (Everett Alvarez). Creason failed to place at Doc B a year ago and lost to Paris, 7-5. 

Austin Paris (Layton, UT) SR

Final National Ranking: 7

Paris transferred to Layton from Grand County for his final campaign and kept his state title train rolling as he collected the fourth, but first of the 6A variety. 

Paris was fifth at Ironman and beat LaPlante and Ballard. The next big event on the schedule was the Reno Tournament of Champions and Paris finally stood atop that podium after teching his teammate, Gavin Regis, 18-1. Paris was third at Reno the two years before this. 

Blake Cosby (Dundee, MI) SR

Final National Ranking: 8

Cosby spent the offseason and preseason of 2024 setting up his national rep then has picked and chosen his spots to appear over the last year. One of those times was at the Grappler Fall Classic where Cosby placed third after losing to Staples. 

Cosby won the Brecksville Holiday Tournament with a 4-1 win over Buchanan, California’s Ivan Arias (No. 23 at 150). Then concluded the year with a 44-2 record and his third state crown. The two losses came at the Detroit Catholic Central Super Duals to Miller and LaPlante.

While doing these capsules, we noticed that Creason had lost to Arias at the Zinkin Classic. We started to make a shift, but a more distinct chain suggested we had it right to begin with as Creason beat Paris, Paris beat LaPlante, and LaPlante beat Cosby. 

LaPlante being rated fifth at his weight compared to 23rd for Arias shows the scenario with LaPlante should carry more weight than the one with Arias.

Remaining 2025-26 157-Pound Boys Wrestling National Rankings

9-Reagan Milheim (Warrior Run, PA) SR

10-Colin Rutlin (Christian Brothers College, MO) JR

11-Marcus Killgore (Sahuarita, AZ) SO

12-Gage Lohr (Watertown, SD) JR

13-Cooper Rowe (Mound-Westonka, MN) SR

14-Justin Wardlow (Lockport Township, IL) SR

15-Gabe Ballard (Northampton, PA) JR

16-Valentine Popadiuc (St. Pius X, NM) JR

17-Declan Koch (Neenah, WI) SR

18-Mason Petersen (Columbus, NE) SR

19-Grayson Eggum (Stillwater, MN) SO

20-Bradley Williams (Spain Park, AL) SR

21-James Whitbred (State College, PA) JR

22-Ethan Sonne (Marist, IL) JR

23-Gavin Ciampoli (Altoona, PA) JR

24-Jon Smith (Oxford Area, PA) JR

25-Nathaniel Replogle (Central York, PA) SO

26-Jordan Thompson (Bradford, PA) SR

27-Thunder Page (Rose Hill, KS) SO

28-Jake Hughes (Beaver, OH) SO

29-Brooklyn Pickett (Mt. St. Joseph, MD) SO

30-Shea Morris (New York Military Academy, NY) 

Honorable Mention:

Brian Chamberlain (Wyoming Seminary, PA) SR

Jeremy McGrath (Greens Farms Academy, CT) 

Cole Albert (Hill School, PA) SR

Cade Campbell (Nazareth, PA) SR

James Tildsley (Shawsheen, MA) SR

Nolan Fellers (Bondurant-Farrar, IA) SR

Bailey Holman (Poway, CA)

Wyatt Lewis (Del Norte CA) JR

Jacob Perez (Everett Alvarez, CA) SR

Daniel Acosta (Canyon Randall, TX) SR

Sean Hall (Canyon Ridge, ID) SR