Southbury’s Will Henckel keeps the pressure on Joe Sealey in Saturday night’s Who is No. 1 match at 160 pounds in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Sealey won, 4-2. (Photo courtesy Sam Janicki / SjanickiPhoto.com)
Southbury’s Will Henckel became the third Connecticut wrestler to participate in FloWrestling’s Who is No. 1 made-for-the-web preseason match.
Henckel, a junior at Blair Academy in Blair, New Jersey, battled Joe Sealey, a senior at Wyoming Seminary who has committed to Penn State, at 160 pounds on Saturday night at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside’s DeSimone Arena in Kenosja, Wisconsin.
Sealey, a 2022 U17 world champion, got a takedown and an escape to beat Henckel, 4-2. Sealey was the No. 2 seed because Henckel had beaten Sealey in a wild 9-7 decision thanks to a last-second takedown at the recent U.S. U20 World team qualifying tournament.
The tournament embraced NCAA rules with a three-minute first period, riding time and the new three-point takedown.
Sealey got on the board first with a low shot that he converted for a takedown and a 3-0 lead. Henckel stood up and got away after 16 seconds to cut the lead to 3-1. Henckel came close to getting a takedown in the waning seconds of the period and had Sealey hopping on one leg but couldn’t get the takedown.
Southbury’s Will Henckel will be a junior this fall at Blair Academy in New Jersey. (Photo courtesy Sam Janicki / SjanickiPhoto.com)
Sealey got an early escape in the second period to take a 4-1 lead. In the third period, Henckel chose down and got away quickly to cut the lead to 4-2. Henckel had two opportunities for a takedown in the third period but couldn’t convert.
The last Connecticut wrestler to compete in Who is No. 1 was Henckel’s sister, Sarah, who faced New York’s Zaynah McBryde in a match at 138 pounds in 2022. Sarah Henckel dropped a 5-4 decision.
The first Connecticut wrestler to compete in this event was Danbury’s Ryan Jack, who was one of four wrestlers to compete at 132 pounds in 2019. He lost in the semifinals.
Who is No. 1 began in 2013 and was held at Lehigh University for the first six years of the event.
At Saturday’s event in Wisconsin, the boys competed in folkstyle, which is the style used by men in college, while earlier in the day, the girls wrestled freestyle, which is the women’s college style.
Connecticut wrestlers in Who is No. 1
2023: 160 boys: No. 2 Joe Sealey (Penn.) dec. No. 1 William Henckel (Southbury CT), 4-2
2022: 138 girls: Zaynah McBridge (Buffalo NY) dec. Sarah Henckel (Southbury CT), 5-4
2019: 132 boys: No. 1 Jesse Mendez (Indiana) dec. No. 4 Ryan Jack (Danbury CT), 9-8
Who is No. 1
At Kenosha, Wis.
Boys matches
170 lbs: No.1 Angelo Ferrari, Texas dec. No. 2 Ty Eise, Colorado, 5-1
145: No. 2 Pierson Manville, Pennsylvania, vs. No.1 Kollin Rath, Pennsylvania, 2-0
160: No. 2 Joe Sealey, Pennsylvania, dec. No. 1 Will Henckel, Connecticut, 4-2
113: No.1 Christian Castillo, Arizona dec. No.1 (106) Paul Kenny, New Jersey, 4-1, OT
132: No.1 Ben Davino, Illinois dec. No. 2 Kyler Larkin, Arizona, 4-2
126: No.1 Jax Forrest, Pennsylvania vs No. 4 Jordyn Raney, Kentucky, 18-15
220: No.1 Cody Merrill, California dec. No. 2 Sawyer Bartelt, Florida, 14-3
138: No.1 Daniel Zepeda, California pin No. 2 Bo Bassett, Pennsylvania, 6:27
120: No.1 Anthony Knox, New Jersey dec. No. 2 Leo DeLuca, New Jersey, 9-3
195: No. 2 Aeoden Sinclair, Wisconsin dec. No.1 Connor Mirasola, Wisconsin, 5-1
Girls results
100 lbs: No. 3 Madison Nieuwenhuis Michigan, dec. No. 2 Rianne Murphy Indiana, 2-2, criteria
127: No. 1 Taina Fernandez Maryland tech fall No. 2 Carley Ceshker Wisconsin, 10-0, 2:57
138: No. 2 Kaidance Gerg Idaho dec. No. 1 Valerie Hamilton Illinois, 6-4
144: No. 2 Nebi Tsarni Maryland, dec. No. 1 May Prado Georgia, 10-4
164: No. 2 Naomi Simon Iowa pin No. 3 Alexandria Alli Ohio, 1:12
112: No. 3 Gabriella Gomez Illinois dec. No. 1 Clare Booe Florida, 7-1
117: No. 3 Isabella Marie Gonzales California, dec. No. 1 Karlee Brooks Arizona, 4-4, criteria
122: No. 1 Everest Leydecker Arizona dec. No. 2 Aubre Krazer Pennsylvania, 6-2
132: No. 1 Haylie Jaffe Pennsylvania dec. No. 2 Cadence Diduch Illinois, 10-2
106: No. 1 Audrey Jimenez Arizona tech fall No. 2 Anaya Falcon California, 10-0, 1:51
