Minnesota's Mason Manville remains undefeated in Fargo (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)FARGO, N.D. -- In what represents an increase from the last two years by about four percent, 778 wrestlers started the competition in the Cadet National Greco-Roman Championships that started on Sunday. That number is pretty commensurate with the field from 2009, but is a close to ten percent drop from the field in 2005-2008. None the less, it was a formidable field that started the day, but it has waded down to the last few. The All-American rounds will be held Monday morning with championship medal matches in the afternoon.
At 88 pounds, the first championship finalist has been determined, and it is Devin Schnupp (Pennsylvania) coming out of Pool A with an undefeated 5-0 record. His opponent will either be Breandan Coughlin (Maryland) or Matt Schmitt (Missouri). Those two wrestlers are 5-0, with Schmitt yet to give up a single point.
The 94 pound weight class in Pool A is down to two wrestlers seeking the championship spot, Joey Prata (Virginia) and Hunter Marko (Wisconsin). Both wrestlers are 5-0, with Marko holding his opposition scoreless to date. In Pool B, the round-robin is also in progress, though any of the three wrestlers could make the final. However, it is Paul Fitterer (Minnesota) who controls his own desinty with a 5-0 record having only given up one point tournament to date.
At 100 pounds in Pool A, the round-robin stage has been reached with Ethan Koan (Missouri) undefeated at 6-0 with one round-robin win already. All of his victories coming by pin or technical fall. Also undefeated is Kyle Bierdumpfel (New Jersey), while Frankie Bruno (Florida) remains alive despite having a loss in preliminary competition and suffering defeat against Koan in the round-robin. In Pool B, it is Mitchell McKee (Minnesota), who holds the clear driver’s seat with a 6-0 record and a round-robin win in hand.
Four wrestlers remain alive in Pool A at 106 pounds, and all have chance to win it. Undefeated are Perez Perez (California) and Blaine Tschida (Minnesota), while also earning All-American honors were Vincenzo Jospeh (Pennsylvania) and Devon Brown (Ohio); Brown lost to Joseph, while Joseph lost to Perez. FILA Cadet Greco champion Kyle Norstrem (Florida) has been the dominant figure in Pool B with a 6-0 record, but he has yet to face either opponent in the round robin. Despite losing to fourth place in pool Sage Coy (Indiana), Doyle Trout (Nebraska) has an excellent position in the round-robin – as he pinned Kamden Krum (Arizona) during prelim, and that carries to the round-robin.
The first weight where All-Americans have not been determined is Pool A at 113 pounds with six wrestlers remaining. Returning Junior Greco-Roman finalist Dante Rodriguez (Nebraska) and Coy Ozias (Virginia) each are undefeated with 6-0 marks. Ozias has only given up points in one of twelve periods, while Rodriguez has been extended to three periods twice. Five wrestlers are alive in Pool B, with undefeated competitors Drake Foster (Idaho) and Joshua Temple (Nevada) having clinched All-American finishes.
Pool A at 120 pounds will have its All-Americans determined in the seventh round, as the six wrestlers remain with the four wrestlers on losses facing one another. Without a loss is Matthew Floresca (Washington) and now repeat All-American Jon Marmolejo (Illinois), but each wrestler has been extended to a third period at least once. One of the biggest shocks of the event happened in Pool B where Matthew Iwicki (Washington) is undefeated at 6-0 and has shutout his last five opponents, including Zahid Valencia (California) – the nation’s top wrestler in the Class of 2015. Iwicki is 6-0, Valencia is 5-1. In the next round, with six wrestlers left, Valencia faces 5-0 Vincent Turk (Illinois), while Iwicki faces fellow 6-0 wrestler Joe Velliquete (Missouri).
All-Americans have been determined in Pool A at 126 pounds, with three of the four remaining without a loss; Cole Weaver (Michigan) is 5-0, while 6-0 Ryan Heiden (Oklahoma) will face off against 5-0 Luke Rowh (Minnesota) in round seven. Each has been extended to a third period at least once. Three of the six remaining in Pool B are undefeated, with Seth Gross (Minnesota) and Jacob Rubio (Texas) facing off in the seventh round. Each is 6-0, Rubio yet to give up a single point, and Gross a single point in two periods. Also undefeated at 5-0 is Ben Brancale (Minnesota).
Four remain in Pool A at 132 pounds, and three are undefeated. Teammates from New York, Sam Ward and Jesse Porter, face off in round seven – while Brady O’Keefe (Nevada) joins them without a loss. Aaron Pico (California) has absolutely eviscerated six opponents in Pool B of this weight class, as he seeks the Cadet triple crown. It has been all technical falls but one, and Pico has held the opposition scoreless. The round-robin is in progress, and also without a loss is fellow Cadet folkstyle champion Nick Reenan (Texas).
Pool A at 138 pounds will move to the round-robin from the four left after round seven, as undefeated wrestlers Joseph Nelson (Wisconsin) and Colston DiBlasi (Missouri) collide -- so do those on a loss. That does include FloNationals champion Anthony Valencia (California), who lost by shutout technical fall in round five to Nelson – a returning Cadet Greco All-American. In Pool B, defending champion Jon-Jay Chavez (California) has a 6-0 record, giving up points in only one period, and a bye in round seven. Of the four other wrestlers, only Joey Gunther (Illinois) is without loss -- he did not allow a point in his first five matches before being extended to a third period in round six.
A round-robin will be established after round seven at 145 pounds in Pool A, where four wrestlers remain right now. Undefeated wrestlers Mason Manville (Minnesota) and Jacob Armstrong (Utah) will face off, while the other two on a loss do the same. Manville is 5-0 with five victories by shutout technical fall. Four wrestlers also remain in Pool B, but only Dustin Williams (Kansas) is undefeated with a 6-0 record.
Seven wrestlers remain through five rounds of wrestling at 152 pounds in Pool A, with three holding undefeated records. Bobby Reece (Washington) and Bo Nickal (Texas) will face off in round six, while Ricky Regas (Texas) is 4-0 having given up just a single point against. Nickal has been similarly dominant in five matches, only giving up points in a single period and winning his last three matches by fall. Likewise seven wrestlers remain in Pool B with three undefeated in Travis Hettinga (Wisconsin), Zach Carlson (Minnesota), and Keiffer Taylor (Utah).
The round-robin has begun in Pool A at 160 pounds, with returning Cadet Greco finalist Kimball Bastian (Utah) and Billy Duffert (Wisconsin) holding undefeated records. Bastian has held his opposition scoreless through six matches. Pool B round-robin has already started, with Mason Reinhardt (Wisconsin) and Nick Fiegner (California) still not having lost. Fiegner has not given up a period in five matches, while Reinhardt is 6-0 but having been extended to three periods his last two matches.
Four wrestlers remain in Pool A at 170 pounds, with only Terrell Fields (Pennsylvania) being undefeated. He is 6-0 but has been extended into a third period on two occasions. Four also remain in Pool B, with defending Cadet Greco champion Chandler Rogers (Washington) and Nathan Marek (Oklahoma) both undefeated. Rogers is 6-0, only giving up points in one of twelve periods to date; while Marek is 5-0 and has been extended to the third once. These wrestlers face opposition with a loss in round seven. Either chaos or clarity will ensue.
A second championship finalist has been determined, this one is Michael Pixley (Missouri) coming out of Pool A at 182 pounds, as he went 6-0 on Day 1. In Pool B, it is down to two wrestlers for the championship position, and both wrestlers happened to lose earlier in the tournament. Samuel Colbray (Oregon) is at 5-1 with four pins and a 1-1 record in three period matches; while Nick Osowski (Wisconsin) is also 5-1 and a 1-1 record in three period matches. Osowski lost to the third place pool finisher, while Colbray lost to the fourth place pool finisher.
A championship finalist has also emerged out of Pool A at 195 pounds in incoming freshman Landon Pelham (Michigan). Pelham went 4-0, with all wins coming in two periods. Pool B is in the round-robin stage with Cadet folkstyle champion Lance Benick (Minnesota) in the driver’s seat with a 4-0 record. This includes a 1-0, 2-0 win over returning Cadet Greco finalist Jovon Reyes (Pennsylvania), and that result also carries through into the round-robin.
Pool A at 220 pounds features one match left to determine the finalist between undefeated wrestlers in Roy Nash (Utah) and Christian Jenco (New Jersey). Nash is 5-0 and has only given up a single point to date, while Jenco went 4-0 on Day 1 and was extended to third periods three times. Pool B has one round-robin match, with Connor Tulley (Indiana) in the driver’s seat, as he is the lone undefeated wrestler left. Tully went 4-0 on Day 1 winning all matches in two periods.
Pool A at 285 pounds has one match left in the round-robin with Tanner Farmer (Illinois) controlling his own destiny as the lone undefeated wrestler. Then, in Pool B, a single match between the undefeated Jake Marnin (Iowa) and 3-1 Wyatt Spears (Oregon) will decide the finalist. Spears lost in the opening round to Luis Pinto (Minnesota) in three periods, before Pinto would lose 2-0, 1-0 decisions to a pair of All-Americans while Spears would have a second round bye and bounce back to three consecutive wins.
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