Vote: Who is the National High School Lower Weight Wrestler of the Week? (2/25/2025)

Here are 9 nominees for your voting consideration

Clovis (CA) wrestler Thunder Lewis upset national ranked Paris Ruiz (Buchanan) last week. / Thunder Lewis Instagram/Den Esquibel

The 2024-25 high school wrestling season is winding its way through postseason events all across the nation. With the best of the best going head to head, its time to pick our National High School Lower Weight Wrestler of the Week.

Here is this week's list of nominees. Voting ends at 11:59 PT on March 2, 2025.

Ariah Mills (Athens Christian, GA) 106

Mills, an eight-grader, who is ranked 25th in the nation was seeded third at the National Prep Tournament and went on a title run that included two upset victories over No. 4 Justin Farnsworth (Malvern Prep, PA) in the finals, 11-2, and a semifinal, 20-5, technical fall versus No. 20 Tanner Tran (Father Ryan, TN). If an eighth grader is eligible to compete in their state, we include them in our national rankings.

Liam Davis (Lake Highland Prep, FL) 113

Davis, a honorable mention entry at 113, helped his squad win the National Prep Team Race by winning an unexpected crown. Seeded fourth, Davis defeated top-seeded No. 6 Julian Rios (Phillips Andover, MA), 4-1 in overtime in the semis, then downed No. 16, second seeded, Michael Batista (Blair Academy, NJ), 7-3, in the finals.

Wilmont Kai (Whitehall, PA) 114

Kai is unranked nationally and took out No. 26 Emilio Albanese (Emmaus, PA), 2-1, in the finals of the AAA District XI Tournament.

Nathan Rioux (Avon, IN) 126

Rioux locked down the Indiana state crown with an upset of national honorable mention Gavin Jendreas (Crown Point), 4-1. It reverses a 7-1 loss to Jendreas at December’s Carnahan Memorial.

Thunder Lewis (Clovis, CA) 126

The unranked Lewis upended No. 13 Paris Ruiz (Buchanan), 9-2, in the finals of the Central Section Masters.

Isaiah Cortez (Gilroy, CA) 126

No. 9 Cortez posted a mild upset in his high-powered finals with No. 5 Antonio Rodriguez (Los Gatos, CA) at the Central Coast Section Masters, 7-2. Rodriguez beat Cortez twice at the Reno Tournament of Champions in December, 12-5 and 4-3.

TJ Koester (Bettendorf, IA) 132

Koester, who is No. 16 in the country, decked No. 13 Cater Pearson (Southeast Polk) to claim the 3A state crown in the third period, 5:21.

Ethan Uhorchuk (Signal Mountain, TN) 138

Uhorchuck, who started his high school career in the eighth grade, claimed his fifth Tennessee State Championship this weekend with a 21-5 tech fall of Craig Sudderth (Montgomery Central) in the state final.

Seth Mendoza (Mt. Carmel, IL) 138

No. 2 Mendoza became Illinois’ 15th four-time state champion with a 17-1 tech of Hononegah’s Thomas Silva in the 3A State Finals.