2025-26 Boys Wrestling 285-Pound National Champion, All-Americans and Final Rankings

All Boys Wrestling National Champions, All-Americans & Final Rankings:
106 | 113 | 120 | 126 | 132 | 138 | 144 | 150 | 157 | 165 | 175 | 190 | 215 | 285

2025-26 285-Pound Boys High School Wrestling National Champion:
Dreshaun Ross (Fort Dodge, IA) SR

Deshaun Ross capped off his decorated career with a fourth Iowa 3A State Championship and was recently named the Bob Steenlage Iowa High School Wrestler of the Year, an award that is named after Iowa’s first ever four-time state champ.

Ross last tasted defeat at his first school tournament as a 195-pound freshman, the Dan Gable Donnybrook. Ross opened his career with a dual meet win then won three straight at the Donnybrook before losing his final two matches to place fourth. The losses were to Penn State’s Cole Mirasola and Iowa State’s McCrae Hagarty.

Since those losses, Ross reeled off 142 wins in a row to end his career with a 146-2 tally. The senior gained his second Donnybrook Crown with wins over No. 9 Tyson Martin (Aquinas, WI) and No. 31 Joseph Favia (Marmion Academy, IL). Ross’ junior year was limited to just 20 matches as he rebounded from an injury and was not on the mats at the time of the Donnybrook.

Favia was disposed of again to win Jack Mendenhall, No. 15 Eaghan Fleshman (Alburnett, IA) was handled for a J-Hawk Title, Dowling Catholic’s Brady Hagan was Ross’ victim at Ed Winger and the 3A State Finals.

Last summer, Ross took the Junior National Fargo Freestyle Championship with a 3-2 win over No. 2 Coby Merrill (JW North, CA). Ross beat Merrill two other times at the U20 U.S. Open and the U20 World Team Trials.

Ross got another shot at Mirasola at both U20 events, and while the scores were close, he has still not closed the gap on his soon to be college rival. Ross will be at Oklahoma State next year and with their penchant for running true freshman out there, Ross may step right into the fire.

2025-26 High School On SI 285-Pound Boys Wrestling All-Americans

Coby Merrill (JW North, CA) SR

Final National Ranking: 2

As noted above, Merrill played second fiddle to Ross at three stops, so he had to be pleased when the season rolled around, and for now, that guy was in the rearview mirror.

Merrill, who is off to Iowa State didn’t attend the big tournaments of a year ago, like Reno Tournament of Champion and Doc Buchanan, and just coasted to a second state championship after being a freshman and sophomore runner-up.

Merrill enjoyed an arrangement with No. 3 Michael Mocco (Cardinal Gibbons, FL) similar to his with Ross, where in one guy has had his way with the other and that would be Merrill winning three against Mocco at World Team Trials, Fargo, and Flo’s Who’s No. 1.

At Fargo and the WTTs, Merrill beat No. 4 Dean Bechtold (Owen J. Roberts, PA).

Michael Mocco (Cardinal Gibbons, FL) SR

Final National Ranking: 3

Mocco, who won an U17 World Championship ahead of his junior season, just completed his second undefeated campaign in a row on a 54-0 tally that included crowns from the Prep Slam and Knockout Christmas Classic as well as his fourth 1A State Gold.

Mocco lost once as a freshman then twice at Ironman as a sophomore. Mocco got an Ironman crown as a junior but didn’t return this year. After the two unscathed seasons, Mocco’s career count ends at 182-3.

Mocco committed to Iowa, where his father Steve got his collegiate start, winning an NCAA Title before transferring to Oklahoma State. A bronze at Fargo was accompanied by wins versus No. 5 Mark Effendian (Faith Christian Academy, PA), Bechtold, and No. 8 Ashton Honnold (Nodaway Valley, IA).

Dean Bechtold (Owen J. Roberts, PA) SR

Final National Ranking: 4

Bechtold has scene limited action in each of the last two seasons due to injuries. After landing in sixth a the AAA states as a freshman and rising to second the next year, a 17-0 record aided his first state title. This year, there was more mat time with a 28-0 record and a second crown gained in a final with No. 26 Bradyn McConneha (North Allegheny, PA).

Bechtold’s Fargo fifth allowed him to set aside Martin and No. 35 James Hartleroad (Dekalb, IN). Mocco teched him there to gain revenge from a 2024 Super 32 Final loss to Bechtold.

Mark Effendian (Faith Christian Academy, PA) SR

Final National Ranking: 5

Effendian has been a National Heavy hitter since his junior year where he finished as an AA state runner-up, following a bronze and not placing as a freshman. Effendian was fourth at Fargo last summer and beat Martin amongst others and lost to Mocco and Ross.

Effendian did not taste defeat during his senior year, and he faced the biggest dogs he could with titles coming at Ironman and Doc B, easily the nation’s two most difficult this season, Coal Cracker and his first AA State Supremacy. Effendian beat Mount Vernon, Ohio’s Alex Taylor in the Ironman Final. Taylor did not finish the year, but if he had, he would sit right behind Effendian on this list.

A 46-0 record included wins over No. 14 Isaiah Taylor (AIM Academy, PA), No. 19 Zayne Candelaria (Sunnyside, AZ) (twice), No. 20 Trayvn Boger (South Summitt, UT), No. 24 Andrew Arroyo (Clovis, CA), and No. 29 Matthew Cooley (Oakdale, CA).

Cristian Alvarez (St. Joseph Regional, NJ) SR

Final National Ranking: 6

Alvarez emerged on the stage a year ago as St. Jospeh’s replacement for the graduated Jim Mullen and made a statement by landing in the Beast of the East finals before falling to Lake Highland Prep’s Jacob Levy.

Alvarez didn’t revisit the Beast this year and traded that out with PowerAde, where he edged No. 10 Lukas Zalota (Malvern Prep, PA) for the title. Alvarez improved on an Escape the Rock Bronze by gaining gold in a wild match with No. 11 Cael Mielnik (Blair Academy, NJ).

The senior kept the improvement pattern going at state as he stepped up one more rung on the podium from second to first with his decision of No. 13 Mateo Vinciguerra (Woodstown, NJ).

Jonathan Rulo (Belleville East, IL) SR

Final National Ranking: 7

Rulo’s place in the rankings was established with his earlier career antics that included a couple of USA Folkstyle Nationals Titles and a 16U Fargo Double Gold Run (Freestyle and Greco Roman). A part of the Fargo field Rulo defeated was Vinciguerra.

Rulo went 29-0 this season with his second consecutive 3A State Championship. Rulo posted up at 35-0 a year ago, 36-1 as a sophomore, and the 34-2 en route to a runner-up ending as a freshman. Rulo was third at the end of his sophomore campaign.

8-Ashton Honnold (Nodaway Valley, IA) SR

Final National Ranking: 8

Honnold earned his third 1A State Crown and second in a row without a loss, going 55-0 this year, and 52-0 last. The sophomore title came despite the two losses on a 49-2 count. Honnold was eighth as a first-year guy with a 47-7 tally.

The senior opened his preseason with a Brian Keck Preseason Nationals final win over Wisconsin’s previously ranked Nehemiah Lendobeja.

Remaining 2025-26 285-Pound Boys Wrestling National Rankings

9-Tyson Martin (Aquinas, WI) SR

10-Lukas Zalota (Malvern Prep, PA) JR

11-Cael Mielnik (Blair Academy, NJ) JR

12-Kameron Hazelett (Lowell, IN) SO

13-Mateo Vinciguerra (Woodstown, NJ) SR

14-Isaiah Taylor (AIM Academy, PA) SR

15-Eaghan Fleshman (Alburnett, IA) SO

16-Preston Wagner (Fremont, NE) SR

17-Cael Leisgang (Seymour, WI) SR

18-Logan Tollison (Grand Ledge, MI) SR

19-Zayne Candelaria (Sunnyside, AZ) SR

20-Trayvn Boger (South Summitt, UT) SR

21-Alex Rose (Legend, CO) SR

22-Leland Day (Grandview, CO) JR

23-Destry Lujan (Yukon, OK) SR

24-Andrew Arroyo (Clovis, CA)

25-Redmond Lindsey (Bixby, OK) JR

26-Bradyn McConneha (North Allegheny, PA) SR

27-Caleb Tyler (Fairfield, PA) JR

28-Colin Whyte (West Greene, PA) SR

29-Matthew Cooley (Oakdale, CA) JR

30-Sammy Seja (Buchanan, CA) SO

Honorable Mention:

Joseph Favia (Marmion Academy, IL) SR

Noah Larios (Imperial, CA) JR

Anderson Palian (Wyoming Seminar, PA) SR

Caleb Rodriguez (Bishop McCort, PA) SR

James Hartleroad (Dekalb, IN) SR

Kaz Morosetti (North Kingston, RI) SR

Chris Belmonte (New Hartford, NY) SR

Michael Mauro (John Jay, NY) SR

2025-26 285-Pound Boys High School Wrestling National Champion:Dreshaun Ross (Fort Dodge, IA) SR