Bo Nickal, pictured with Lee Kemp, was named Outstanding Wrestler (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)FARGO, N.D. -- Four wrestlers entered Friday's Cadet National freestyle finals in Fargo with the opportunity to win a Cadet Triple Crown. All four came out victorious.
Wisconsin's Hunter Marko (94), California's Aaron Pico (132), Texas' Bo Nickal (160), and Minnesota's Lance Benick (195) won Cadet National freestyle titles on Friday to cap off a Cadet Triple Crown, which is Cadet National titles in all three styles, folkstyle, Greco-Roman, and freestyle. Only 13 wrestlers have ever accomplished the feat at the Cadet level.
Marko, a Wisconsin native who trains at the PINnacle School of Wrestling in Minnesota, claimed his Cadet Triple Crown by shutting out Nick Lukanich of Illinois in the finals at 94 pounds. Marko took the first period 1-0 and closed out the victory with a 4-0 second-period win.
Pico, who is ranked as the nation's No. 2 overall incoming freshman, doubled up as a Cadet National Greco and freestyle champion in Fargo for the second straight year. He was dominant in the early part of the week in the Greco-Roman competition, picking up OW honors. The 15-year-old Pico was almost as dominant in the freestyle competition, picking up six wins by technical fall, one by fall, and two by decision. He registered a shutout in the finals, 4-0, 4-0, over Indiana's Cody LeCount.
Nickal, a state champion and two-time state finalist for Allen High School in Texas, gave up the first point in his finals match against Cadet National Greco-Roman champion Kimball Bastian, but shut down the Utah wrestler the rest of the way, winning the first period 1-1 and the second period 1-0. Nickal, a FILA Cadet National runner-up in freestyle and Greco-Roman this past spring, earned Most Outstanding Wrestler honors in the Cadet National freestyle competition.
Minnesota's Lance Benick won 7-0, 6-0 in the finals at 195 (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Benick was one of three InterMat JJ Classic champions to claim a Cadet National freestyle title on Friday, along with Seth Gross (126) and Mark Hall (152). Both Gross and Hall were state champions this past season for Apple Valley High School in Minnesota.
Minnesota's Seth Gross won his second Fargo title (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Hall, who is ranked as the nation's No. 1 incoming freshman, defeated New Jersey's Myles Martin in two periods, 1-0, 3-1. Hall won the first period from the leg clinch after neither wrestler scored in the first two minutes. He used two takedowns and a turn in the second to win the period 3-1. It was Hall's second win over Martin this year, having beaten him in three periods at FILA Cadet Nationals in freestyle this past spring.
In addition to the four Cadet Triple Crown winners who all won double titles in Fargo, three other wrestlers claimed double titles in Fargo by winning the Cadet National freestyle competition on Friday. Those wrestlers were Pennsylvania's Devin Schnupp (88), Utah's Roy Nash (220), and Oregon's Wyatt Spears (285).
Schnupp, who will be a freshman at Warwick High School in Pennsylvania, capped off his double titles with a three-period victory over Maryland's Michael Doetsch. The first period went to Doetsch, who stole the period in the closing second with a two-point tilt. Scnupp won the second period, 2-1, scoring a one-point takedown and one-point gut wrench. Schnupp scored a point off a pushout in the first minute, but Doetsch took the lead 2-1 with a two-point tilt. Schnupp added a takedown to make it 2-2, but was still trailing due to Doetsch's two-point move. However, Schnupp got a two-point tilt of his own in the closing seconds to win the period and the match.
Nash, a Western Regional double champion, cruised to his freestyle title at 220 pounds, outscoring Oklahoma's Kyler Childers 8-1 in two periods. He was a USA Wrestling Schoolboy Nationals double champion in 2010.
Spears, who attends Sheldon High School in Oregon, shut out Illinois' Nicky Allegretti, 2-0, 4-0, in the finals at 285 pounds.
Pennsylvania won the Cadet freestyle team title with 66 points, finishing nine points in front of Cadet National Duals double champion Illinois. Individual champions for Pennsylvania were Schnupp (88) and Scott Parker (106). Parker earned his title by defeating Oklahoma's Kaid Brock in three periods. Parker claimed the first period by scoring a one-point takedown with 20 seconds remaining. The second period went to Brock, who threw Parker to his back for three and nearly pinned him. But the third period was all Parker as he used a three-point move and one-point takedown to win 4-0.
California had the most individual champions with three. All three wrestle for St. John Bosco.
California's three champions: Anthony Valenica, Zahid Valencia, and Aaron Pico (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Zahid Valencia's title on Friday at 113 pounds came over New Jersey's Charles Tucker. Valenica needed only two points in two periods, winning 1-0, 1-0. He scored with lightning-fast attacks and shut down Tucker's offense. Valenica finished this past season ranked No. 1 nationally at 106 pounds.
Anthony Valenica came back from a loss in pool competition to win the title at 138 pounds. His victory in the finals came over one of the nation's top sophomores, Pat Duggan of Pennsylvania. Valencia outscored Duggan 6-1 in his two-period victory.
Illinois' Miguel Silva earned the championship at 100 pounds with a victory in three periods over New Jersey's Kyle Bierdumpfel. In the third period Silva countered a Bierdumpfel double leg and chin-whipped Bierdumpfel to his back, picking up three points. Bierdumpfel added a one-point takedown, but it was not enough as Silva held on for the win. It marked the second runner-up finish this week for the Eclipse-trained Bierdumpfel, who lost to Minnesota's Mitchell McKee in the Greco-Roman finals on Monday.
In a battle of two of the nation's top 10 wrestlers in the Class of 2015, Ohio's Matthew Kolodzik upended Oklahoma's Joe Smith in two periods at 120 pounds. The first period went to the leg clinch after a scoreless two minutes. Smith, the son of Oklahoma State coach John Smith, had choice and the dominant position, but was unable to capitalize as Kolodzik not only avoided the takedown, but scored a three-point move to seal the period. The second period was all Kolodzik as he scored a one-point takedown before transitioning into a two-point turn that he used to roll to a 6-0 second-period shutout.
Florida's Fox Baldwin spoiled Minnesota's Mason Manville's chance at becoming a Fargo double champion this week by winning a hard-fought match in three periods. Manville had beaten Baldwin in their two previous meetings this year, once at FILA Cadet Nationals and once at Cadet National Duals. Manville looked to be in control of Friday's match, winning the first period 3-0 and getting the first takedown in the second period. But Baldwin, who owns a high school record of 171-9 over the past three seasons, battled back and found a way to win. Baldwin, who went 9-0 with six pins and two tech falls, scored the most classification points of any wrestler in the tournament. He also notched a win over California state champion Niko Villarreal in pool competition.
Ryan Christensen defeated fellow Washington wrestler Chandler Rogers, 3-1, 2-1, in the finals at 170 pounds, turning around the result of the Cadet Greco-Roman finals match won by Rogers.
Missouri's Michael Pixley, a Cadet National finalist in all three styles this year, earned his second Cadet National title this year by defeating Georgia's Chip Ness in the finals at 182 pounds. Pixley won Cadet National titles in folkstyle and freestyle, and finished runner-up on Monday in the Greco-Roman competition.
Finals Results:
88: Devin Schnupp (Pennsylvania) dec. Michael Doetsch (Maryland), 1-2, 2-1, 4-2
94: Hunter Marko (Wisconsin) dec. Nick Lukanich (Illinois), 1-0, 4-0
100: Miguel Silva (Illinois) dec. Kyle Bierdumpfel (New Jersey), 4-1, 1-5, 3-1
106: Scott Parker (Pennsylvania) dec. Kaid Brock (Oklahoma), 1-0, 1-4, 4-0
113: Zahid Valencia (California) dec. Charles Tucker (New Jersey), 1-0, 1-0
120: Matthew Kolodzik (Ohio) dec. Joe Smith (Oklahoma), 3-0, 6-0
126: Seth Gross (Minnesota) dec. Cole Weaver (Michigan), 0-2, 4-4, 4-3
132: Aaron Pico (California) dec. Cody LeCount (Indiana), 4-0, 4-0
138: Anthony Valencia (California) dec. Pat Duggan (Pennsylvania), 1-0, 5-1
145: Fox Baldwin (Florida) dec. Mason Manville (Minnesota), 0-3, 5-1, 5-3
152: Mark Hall (Michigan) dec. Myles Martin (New Jersey), 1-0, 3-1
160: Bo Nickal (Texas) dec. Kimball Bastian (Utah), 1-1, 1-0
170: Ryan Christensen (Washington) dec. Chandler Rogers (Washington), 3-1, 2-1
182: Michael Pixley (Missouri) dec. Chip Ness (Georgia), 2-1, 5-3
195: Lance Benick (Minnesota) dec. Landon Pelham (Michigan), 7-0, 6-0
220: Roy Nash (Utah) dec. Kyler Childers (Oklahoma), 4-1, 4-0
285: Wyatt Spears (Oregon) dec. Nicky Allegretti (Illinois), 2-0, 4-0
Junior National freestyle finals set
Pool competition in the Junior freestyle competition wrapped up on Friday night, and the finals are now set. Illinois' Nkoski Moody (106) and Michigan's Adam Coon (285) will be in search of Junior Triple Crowns on Saturday. Moody was a Junior Triple Crown winner a year ago and is looking to become the first two-time Junior Triple Crown winner.
100: Carlos Fuentez (Illinois) vs. Tanner Rohweder (Iowa)
106: Nkosi Moody (Illinois) vs. Paul Mascarenas (New Mexico)
113: Tommy Thorn (Minnesota) vs. Adrian Cordova (Colorado)
120: Nathan Tomasello (Ohio) vs. Zac Hall (Michigan)
126: Cory Clark (Iowa) vs. Joey McKenna (New Jersey)
132: Zane Richards (Illinois) vs. Zain Retherford (Pennsylvania)
138: Quinton Murphy (New York) vs. Bryce Brill (Illinois)
145: Anthony Collica (Ohio) vs. Austin Eads (Missouri)
152: Josh Llopez (Maryland) vs. Yoanse Mejia (Florida)
160: Isaiah Martinez (California) vs. Nick Wanzek (Minnesota)
170: Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma) vs. Micah Barnes (Minnesota)
182: Jordan Rogers (Washington) vs. Glenn Climmons (Georgia)
195: Sam Brooks (Illinois) vs. Broc Berge (Minnesota)
220: J'den Cox (Missouri) vs. Michael Swider (Illinois)
285: Adam Coon (Michigan) vs. Donte Winfield (Indiana)
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