BOONE, N.C. — App State Wrestling head coach
JohnMark Bentley on Thursday announced the addition of nine Class of 2023 newcomers.
The nine prep standouts combined for 15 individual state championships, 21 state finals and 30 state tournament appearances during their decorated high school careers.
Six members of the class are homegrown talents from North Carolina, while the Mountaineers are also adding standouts from Georgia, Ohio and Tennessee.
App State is moving forward from a 2022-23 season in which it went 12-2 in dual matches, finished with a No. 20 national ranking, followed a SoCon regular-season title with a tournament championship and had six wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Championships.
FULL CLASS (BY WEIGHT CLASS)
Bryson Terrell — 125 pounds; Georgetown, Tenn. (Bradley Central HS)
Aldo Hernandez — 133/141 pounds; Asheboro, N.C. (Uwharrie Charter Academy)
Jeremiah Price — 149/157 pounds; State Road, N.C. (Surry Central HS)
Jayden Dobeck – 165 pounds; West End, N.C. (Pinecrest HS)
Alex Hopper — 165/174 pounds; Wilmington, N.C. (Laney HS)
Logan Eller — 184 pounds; Trion, Ga. (Trion HS)
Tomas Brooker — 184/197 pounds; Harrisburg, N.C. (Hickory Ridge HS)
Gunnar Pool — 184/197 pounds; Centerville, Ohio (Centerville HS)
James Bankston — Heavyweight; Durham, N.C. (Hillside HS)
FULL BIOS (ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
James Bankston — Heavyweight
Durham, N.C. (Hillside HS)
BIO: State 4-A runner-up at 220 pounds as a senior … Went 43-3 in his senior season at Durham Hillside … Also a state qualifier in 2022, when he went 26-9 … Helped Raleigh Area Wrestling club win title at the I-64 Wrestling Championships …. National Honor Society and honor roll member … Also played soccer in high school.
Tomas Brooker — 184/197 pounds
Harrisburg, N.C. (Hickory Ridge HS)
BIO: State 4-A champion as a senior with a 61-0 record at 195 pounds … Career record of 134-8 in three varsity seasons … Two-time state finalist and three-time state qualifier … NHSCA All-American … League wrestler of the year and all-state member as a senior who made the all-conference team for the third time … Went 54-4 and made the state final as a junior … Posted a 19-4 record during a COVID-shortened sophomore season … Honor roll member.
Jayden Dobeck – 165 pounds
West End, N.C. (Pinecrest HS)
BIO: State champion and three-time state finalist … Career record of 164-17 with more than 100 pins … Went 57-4 as a 160-pound state finalist in 2023 … State champ at 160 pounds as a junior to cap a 36-1 season … Posted a 29-3 record as a state qualifier in 2021 … Reached state final and posted a 42-9 record as a freshman at 145 pounds … Four-time conference champion and three-time regional champion … 2023 Tiger Holiday Classic champion … 2022 Holy Angels Invitational champion.
Logan Eller — 184 pounds
Trion, Ga. (Trion HS)
BIO: Two-time state champion and four-time state placer in Georgia … Two-time NHSCA All-American … Two-time Georgia Duals state champion … Won individual state titles as a senior (with a 42-0 record) and sophomore (9-0 in 2021 spring) to go with a second-place finish as a junior (50-2) and a third-place finish as a freshman (39-4) … Multi-Sport Positive Athlete of the Year in Georgia … 2023 FCA Wrestler of the Year … Also played football and was an all-state linebacker who was named region player of the year … Four-time NHSCA Academic All-American was an honor graduate and citizenship award winner.
Aldo Hernandez — 133/141 pounds
Asheboro, N.C. (Uwharrie Charter Academy)
BIO: Three-time state champion and four-time state qualifier in North Carolina … State 1-A champion at 138 pounds as a senior with a 52-2 record … Won state final by tech fall … MVP of the 1A dual-team state championship as a senior … Dropping down to 132 pounds, secured pin against the reigning state champ at that weight to help lead Uwharrie Charter to a 39-36 victory in the final against Avery County, which had beaten Uwharrie Charter in the previous two finals … State 1-A champion at 132 pounds as a junior who went 49-3 … State 1-A champion at 120 pounds as a sophomore at Montgomery Central High School with a 25-2 record … Went 54-8 while reaching state quarterfinals at 106 pounds as a freshman … Placed seventh at NHSCA senior nationals … Member of the academic honor roll.
Alex Hopper — 165/174 pounds
Wilmington, N.C. (Laney HS)
BIO: Two-time state champion and four-time state qualifier at Laney … Career record of 172-11 with 142 pins … Won 182-pound state title as a senior, capping a 53-2 season with a pin in his final match in the 4-A tournament against an opponent who had beaten him earlier in the season … Of 53 wins, 49 came via pin, injury default or forfeit … As a junior, won 4-A state title at 170 pounds and finished that season with a 49-2 record … State qualifier as a sophomore and fifth-place finisher as a freshman … Helped lead Laney to a dual team state title in 2022 and finals appearance in 2023 … Laney finished as the 4-A team champion at the state tournament in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Gunnar Pool — 184/197 pounds
Centerville, Ohio (Centerville HS)
BIO: Two-time state qualifier in Ohio … AAU All-American … Also a team captain at Centerville … Won 39 matches as a senior, when he captured a sectional title and reached the D1 state tournament … Went 27-4 as a junior … Advanced to the state tournament as a sophomore and won his first match at the state event … In addition to wrestling, played football and was an all-conference linebacker … Named Academic All-Ohio and was a National Honor Society member.
Jeremiah Price — 149/157 pounds
State Road, N.C. (Surry Central HS)
BIO: Four-time state champion in North Carolina (just the 12th in state history, a list that includes App State coach
JohnMark Bentley) … Career record of 161-3 in high school … State 2-A champion at 152 pounds as a senior with a 43-2 record, including a 4-0 mark with four pins at the state tournament … Won state final by fall in 3:14 … Named Most Outstanding Wrestler in the 2-A state tournament for the second straight year … … Won two titles at 152 pounds and his first two at 145 … Went 42-0 as a junior, 20-0 as a sophomore and 56-1 as a freshman … Represented Boone RTC while competing freestyle in the U20 division at the US Open Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas during the 2023 summer.
Bryson Terrell — 125 pounds
Georgetown, Tenn. (Bradley Central HS)
BIO: Two-time state champion and three-time state finalist … Capped 49-1 season as a senior with a state title at 120 pounds … Posted 110-2 record over final three seasons of high school … Went 36-0 during an unbeaten run to a state title at 113 pounds as a junior and 25-1 during a sophomore season in which he took an unbeaten record into the state final at 106 pounds … Two-time NHSCA All-American … Grappler Fall Classic finalist.
