9th
Annual Wrestling USA / Cliff Keen Dream Team Classic Dual Meet
2005 USA Dream Team Member
135 Pounder Angel Escobedo
Griffith High School
Griffith, Indiana
Senior Year Record: 27-0
Career Record: 202-1
College Plans: Indiana University
I started wrestling at the age of five. I was involved in the
West Side Wrestling Club which traveled around the nation to different
national tournaments. My Uncle David has played an enormous role
in my success by taking me to training camps and entering me in
tournaments that allowed me to wrestle with the most talented
competition. Throughout middle school, I won three Tulsa Nationals
titles and two Triple Crowns. On the mat, I was always motivated
by my cousins to excel in wrestling because of our competitive
drive and because we have participated in elite wrestling across
the country and even around the world. Since the beginning of
my wrestling career, I have been training during the off seasons
with Vladimir Anoshenko and Miron Kharchilava. With them, I am
able to learn and practice both offensive and defensive wrestling
tactics and strategies.
My freshman year I attended Griffith High School where I won my first state title. During the off season, I placed second in Greco-Roman at Cadet Nationals in Fargo, third place in freestyle and I also won the Fila Cadet Nationals. My sophomore high school season I won my second state title. And, during the off season I placed second at the Junior Nationals in Fargo. My junior year I won my third state title and placed second at Junior Nationals. Currently, I am 33-0 heading into the post-season with four pins away from breaking the state record for the most pins.
BEST 2005 HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS
135
1. Angel Escobedo (Griffith, IN)
2. Mitch Mueller (Iowa City West, IA)
3. Brandon Shelton (El Reno, OK)
4. Alex Krom (Easton, PA)
5. Brandon Rader (Parkersburg, WV)
6. Cesar Grajales (Brandon, FL)
7. Stephen Mineo (Scotch Plains-Fanwood, NJ)
8. Joe Bubenheimer (Woodbridge, NJ)
9. Richard Fessler (Apple Valley, MN)
10. Justin Chrzanowski (Lapeer West, MI)
11. Brett Robbins (Bloomington, IL)
12. Charlie Ettelson (Hudson, IA)
13. Tyler Shinn (Ponca City, OK)
14. Nick Orio (Eastern, NJ)
15. Jeff Becker (Slippery Rock, PA)
16. Joe Soto (Porterville, CA)
17. Joe Mendez (Lowell, MI)
18. Mike Martinez (Sleepy Hollow, NY)
19. Jeremy Bagby (Midwest City, OK)
20. Mike Bizzle (Cascia Hall, OK)
21. Tyler Parker (Collins Hill, GA)
22. Dan Bonte (Garrettson, SD)
23. Shay Lawrence (Viewmont, UT)
24. Dave Gilio (Northampton, PA)
25. Lester Brown (Lake Stevens, WA)
26. Yasim Bribiesca (Boys Town, NE)
27. Steve Brown (Canton-Potsdam, NY)
28. Justin Hunt (Salem, NY)
29. Brandon Drucker (Edison, CA)
30. Josh Manes (Coeur d'Alene, ID)
Special Mention:
David Albrecht (Woodbury, MN)
Kenny Aubrey (Shawnee Mission South, KS)
Kelin Bidelspach (Spring Grove, PA)
Trace Billet (Dublin Coffman, OH)
Lenny Calhoun (Brockway, PA)
Michael Cannon (Chopticon, MD)
Sean Conner (Skyline, ID)
Scott Dechant (New Lenox Providence, IL)
Justin Gardner (Bonneville, ID)
Marty Gould (Niles West, IL)
Devon Hanson (Timberlane, NH)
Shane Hyman (Ephrata, PA)
T.J. Maroney (Mt. Anthony, VT)
Lance Mecham (Bear Lake, ID)
Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, LA)
Jesse Oberdove (North Royalton, OH)
Dave Paramski (Libertyville, IL)
Ivan G. Ramirez (Carlsbad, NM)
Jeremiah Reffke (Kaukauana, WI)
Dustin Rocha (Lemoore, CA)
Brian Sanquinet (Lafayette, MO)
Jamie Smith (Wheeling, IL)
Cory Sokol (Mineral Point, WI)
Sal Tirico (Lodi, NJ)
Josh Wilson (Wooster, NV)
Nick Ziegler (Lodi, WI)
April
9, 2005, will mark two firsts in the history of the Wrestling
USA/Cliff Keen Dream Team Classic Dual Meet competition. It will
be the first time that the competition will travel to TEXAS, the
Lone Star State. It will also mark the first time the competition
will feature female wrestlers. Both will contribute to showcasing
the development of the sport in the state since the UIL (University
Interscholastic League) decided to adopt wrestling as an official
high school sport and also incorporate a girl's division.
The event will be a collaborative effort between Texas USA
Wrestling and the Wrestling Association of Arlington (hosts of
the Hilton Arlington / Cliff Keen Athletic Lone Star Duals). Dream
Team members will travel to Dallas, Texas, and be housed in the
Hilton Arlington (boys) and the Hawthorn Suites (girls) in Arlington,
Texas. These hotels are next to each other and right across from
the Ballpark in Arlington and Six Flags, 10 minutes from the Dallas
Fort Worth airport. Twenty minutes west is the Stock Yard area
of Ft. Worth and twenty minutes east is the West End area of Dallas.
Team members will arrive on Friday the 8th and get an opportunity
to absorb some of the local culture. Dinner will be held to allow
the competitors to meet.
On Saturday, April 9th, two competitions will be held at the
South Grand Prairie HS Warrior Coliseum (site of the Lone Star
Duals), beginning with the first ever Girls Dream Team versus
Texas' best at 5:30 PM. Hopes are high in Texas that the Lone
Star girls will be very competitive. Since the UIL sanctioned
the sport, the number of girls participating has skyrocketed and
the enthusiastic support on the part of the coaches has resulted
in a tremendous increase in the quality of the competition. Texas
wrestlers have joined the girls teams at Neosho College, Cumberland
College, Minnesota Morris, and Missouri Valley. With Bacone College
and Pacific adding new programs, we expect to see even more.
At 7:00 PM, the best senior boys in Texas will take to the
mat against the Dream Team. While Texas has had wrestlers on the
Dream Team in the past (Buck McLamb and Danny Ruiz), there has
never been a competition between Texas and the Dream Team. Will
Rowe's matches with Mike Poeta last year, and the success of wrestlers
like Brandon Slay (2000 Olympic Champion and 2x NCAA finalist),
Ben Heizer (2x Div I NCAA All- American and Runner-up), Mohammad
Lawal (NCAA Div II National Champion and Div I Runner-up), and
JJ Holmes (NJCAA National Champ and current Eastern Michigan team
member) demonstrate the depth of talent in the Lone Star State.
Wrestlers like Matt Sansone, James Aston, and Justin Wren are
likely Texas Team members and Texas native Olympic Champion Brandon
Slay has offered to assist with coaching the Texas Team. Actual
team members will be announced at a later date. We anticipate
a great competition and a tremendous opportunity for Texas wrestlers
to meet some of the best in the country. We are also looking forward
to the opportunity to expose the Dream Team members to Texas hospitality
and culture.
Many fans may have come to the Dallas Ft. Worth Metroplex for the 2000 Olympic Trials and discovered that there are many things to do in the area. The location is terrific and the hotels will be providing great rates, so come down and enjoy the wrestling and support the greatest sport in the world. Tickets will be available on the Hilton Arlington/ Cliff Keen Athletic Lone Star Duals website (www.lonestarduals.com) and at Texas USA Wrestling website (www.txusawrestling.com).