Joe Smith was named OW (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Fix, ranked No. 1 overall in the Class of 2017, secured technical falls in all six of the matches. That included a 10-0 victory in the final against returning Junior freestyle champion Jack Mueller (Texas).
The Oklahoma State-bound Smith, who finished ranked No. 16 in the Class of 2015, wrestled seven matches and won all seven of them by shutout technical fall. That included an 11-0 result in the final over Lucas Jeske (Minnesota). It was a first Fargo title for Smith after three previous top four finishes. He was named Outstanding Wrestler of the competition.
Smith was joined by five other graduated seniors in winning Junior freestyle titles on Saturday. The Minnesota bound Fredy Stroker (Iowa) and Larry Early (Illinois) won titles at 145 and 152 pounds respectively. No. 15 Stroker beat No. 75 Patricio Lugo (Florida), who is enrolling at Edinboro, by a 4-3 decision. No. 42 Early beat "giant killer" Evan Wick (Calfiornia) 12-8 in his final; Wick beat top 25 Class of 2016 members Hayden Hidlay (Pennsylvania) and Griffin Parriott (Minnesota) on the way to the final, while Early's big win came over defending champion Mason Manville (Virginia) in the quarterfinal.
Michigan enrollee Austin Assad (Ohio) made it repeat Junior freestyle titles with his 13-2 technical fall over Junior folkstyle champion Navonte Demison (California) at 126 pounds. The No. 56 ranked graduated senior finished his five-year Fargo career 31-6, and as a four-time All-American.
Also winning a second Fargo title was Matthew Kolodzik (New Jersey), who is enrolling at Princeton and finished as the No. 9 Class of 2015 wrestler. Kolodzik added to a Cadet freestyle title won in 2012 with a 7-7 criteria victory in the final over West Virginia bound Keegan Moore (Oklahoma) at 138 pounds; Moore finished as the No. 18 wrestler in that class.
Jacoby Seely, ranked No. 90 in the Class of 2015 and bound for Northern Colorado, won the 195 pound title with a 3-2 decision over Samuel Colbray (Oregon). The result avenged a quarterfinal loss from last year's tournament, and condemned the nation's No. 10 Class of 2016 wrestler to runner-up finishes in both styles this week.
Joining Oklahoma as states with a pair of Junior freestyle champions were Illinois and Arizona.
Early was one of the two champions for Illinois, while Louie Hayes won the Land of Lincoln's other title at 106 pounds. The senior-to-be swept to the Greco-Roman and freestyle titles this week, and in freestyle went for five shutout technical falls and a pin in six matches. Hayes' victory in the championship bout came by 10-0 technical fall over Liam Cronin (California).
Titles for Arizona were won by Jason Holmes and Brandon Courtney. Holmes won his title at 100 pounds with a 14-3 technical fall over Greco-Roman champion Jaret Lane (Pennsylvania), while Courtney won at 113 with an 11-9 decision over Drew Mattin (Ohio).
The only wrestler to join Hayes as a double champion on the Junior level this week in Fargo was Nick Reenan (Texas) at 182 pounds. The No. 9 Class of 2016 wrestler won is final by 10-6 decision over nationally ranked graduated senior Dylan Wisman (Virginia).
A pair of Greco-Roman runners-up improved upon those finishes with a title in freestyle. Taylor LaMont (Utah) avenged his Greco-Roman loss to Mitch McKee (Minnesota) with a 15-5 technical fall in Saturday morning's freestyle final at 132 pounds. The nationally ranked Class of 2016 wrestlers split matches between Junior Duals and Junior Nationals with each securing one win in each styles, while this result kept McKee at just winning one Fargo title per year each of the last four years.
Jordan Wood (Pennsylvania), ranked No. 6 in the Class of 2016, was dominant in freestyle at 220 pounds with five technical falls and a pin in six matches on the way to a title. In the final, it was a 10-0 technical fall over Rylee Streifel (Minnesota).
Rounding out the champions in Junior freestyle were a pair of wrestlers who improved upon third place finishes in Greco-Roman. Beau Breske (Wisconsin), ranked No. 13 in the Class of 2016, dominated to a 10-0 technical fall victory over nationally ranked graduated senior Xavier Montalvo (Illinois) at 170 pounds. Osawaru Odighizuwa (Oregon), ranked No. 39 in the Class of 2016, ran an impressive gauntlet on the way to his title at 285 pounds. That included an 11-0 technical fall in the final for the UCLA football recruit over Kevin Vough (Ohio), who is ranked No. 12 in the Class of 2017.
Finals Results:
100: Jason Holmes (Arizona) tech. fall Jaret Lane (Pennsylvania), 14-3
106: Louie Hayes (Illinois) tech. fall Liam Cronin (California), 10-0
113: Brandon Courtney (Arizona) dec. Drew Mattin (Ohio), 11-9
120: Daton Fix (Oklahoma) tech. fall Jack Mueller (Texas), 10-0
126: Austin Assad (Ohio) tech. fall Navonte Demison (California), 13-2
132: Taylor LaMont (Utah) tech. fall Mitchell McKee (Minnesota), 15-5
138: Matthew Kolodzik (New Jersey) dec. Keegan Moore (Oklahoma), 7-7 criteria
145: Fredy Stroker (Iowa) dec. Patricio Lugo (Florida), 4-3
152: Larry Early (Illinois) dec. Evan Wick (California), 12-8
160: Joe Smith (Oklahoma) tech. fall Lucas Jeske (Minnesota), 10-0
170: Beau Breske (Wisconsin) tech. fall Xavier Montalvo (Illinois), 10-0
182: Nick Reenan (Texas) dec. Dylan Wisman (Virginia), 10-6
195: Jacob Seely (Colorado) dec. Sam Shields-Colbray (Oregon), 3-2
220: Jordan Wood (Pennsylvania) tech. fall Rylee Streifel (Minnesota), 10-0
285: Osawaru Odighizuwa (Oregon) tech. fall Kevin Vough (Ohio), 11-0
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