Performances in Fargo can shape the narrative about wrestlers headed into the next scholastic season, as well as the perception that college coaches will have about the prospective student athlete. They can also serve as important confidence and development boosts for the athletes themselves.
Let's take a look at five young men from each the Junior and Cadet levels whose performances during the Fargo week enhanced their stock.
Juniors
1. Isaiah White (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) -- 145-pound freestyle champion
White built upon an excellent Junior Duals event in which he went 7-0 at 145 pounds, four of those wins coming against wrestlers who were ranked in their weight class at the end of the 2013-14 season (including three against wrestlers ranked ahead of him at 138 pounds -- 12-2 and 6-4 over Logan Ryan from Iowa, 12-2 over Zac Hall from Michigan). In Fargo, White went 7-0 on the tournament, with three clear decision victories over nationally ranked wrestlers, and technical falls against all other opposition.
All three of those wrestlers were ranked higher at the end of the 2013-14 season, and returning Junior freestyle All-Americans. In the third round, he beat Grant Leeth (Missouri) by a 10-1 score; in the quarterfinal, it was a 9-2 victory over Michael Kemerer (Pennsylvania); and the impressive run was capped off by a 9-3 finals victory over Vincenzo Joseph (Pennsylvania).
Already ranked all the way up at No. 8 nationally in the Class of 2016, a group which is rather deep, moving up significantly within his grade level is not too likely. However, White's Fargo (and Junior Duals) results create a plausible scenario for him to be ranked No. 1 nationally in his weight class at the start of the 2014-15 season; having ended the 2013-14 season ranked No. 4 among underclassmen at 138 pounds, and No. 12 overall.
2. Jacob Armstrong (Salem Hills, Utah) -- 182-pound double All-American
Despite a pair of state titles and a pair of All-American finishes in Greco-Roman (Junior 6th in 2013, Cadet 3rd in 2012), most would not have placed the rising senior Armstrong on a list of candidates for a national rankings, either top 100 for the Class of 2015 or in a weight class this fall. A pair of top-four place finishes in Fargo later, the narrative has changed.
Armstrong went 6-1 in contested matches during Greco-Roman on the way to a third-place finish. The tournament started with a pair of technical falls sandwiched around a pin, before a 13-5 quarterfinal loss against top 100 Class of 2015 prospect Seth McLeod (Idaho). Next was a crucial bounce back win over another top 100 Class of 2015 wrestler, a 15-1 technical fall against Dylan Wisman (Virginia) to earn All-American honors. A pair of 11-0 technical falls would advance Armstrong to the third place match, where he beat McLeod this go around by injury default in the first period.
During the freestyle tournament, it was four opening wins for Armstrong to propel him to the semifinals. The initial two wins were by 10-0 technical fall and pin, before a 10-0 win over nationally ranked Class of 2016 wrestler Nathan Traxler (Illinois) and a 10-6 decision against top 50 Class of 2015 prospect Justan Rivera (Georgia). While he did lose 12-4 to eventual champion Myles Martin (New Jersey), the No. 4 ranked Class of 2015 wrestler, those points were the only ones that Martin allowed in the tournament. The consolation semifinal match was a 12-1 technical fall over top 100 Class of 2015 prospect Cash Wilcke (Iowa), and then he fell short in the third place match by a 14-13 score to Wisman.
3. Sean DeShazer (Wichita Heights, Kan.) -- 126-pound double All-American
Despite a Junior folkstyle runner-up finish at 126 pounds in April, three-time state champion DeShazer did not enter Fargo ranked among the top 100 Class of 2015 prospects. Headed out of Fargo, he provides a compelling case for inclusion. Between the Greco-Roman and freestyle competitions, DeShazer went 12-3 in finishing third and fourth place in the competitions.
During his 6-1 Greco-Roman "run," DeShazer had a pair of wins over the talented Cody Karstetter (Oklahoma), and upended two-time Cadet Greco-Roman champion Mitchell McKee (Minnesota) by 10-4 decision in the consolation semifinal. The lone loss was to eventual champion Taylor LaMont (Utah), as he was cautioned out of the semifinal.
DeShazer advanced to the quarterfinals in freestyle with three wins over Greco-Roman All-Americans in as many matches, including a 3-3 criteria victory over LaMont to flip the Greco-Roman semifinal loss. After a somewhat baffling 3-2 loss to Jonathan Gabriel (Pennsylvania) in the quarterfinal, he bounced back with a 10-0 technical fall over Greco-Roman runner-up Kegan Calkins (Illinois), which was a second win over Calkins in the freestyle event. Consecutive wins versus top 100 Class of 2015 prospects, 8-7 over Lincoln Olson (Michigan) and a 12-1 technical fall against Kaid Brock (Oklahoma), propelled him to the third place bout; one that did end in a 10-0 defeat against Domenic Forys (Pennsylvania).
4. Josh Maruca (Franklin Regional, Pa.) -- third place at 145 pounds
Maruca entered the summer season ranked No. 55 in the Class of 2015, and potentially enhanced that perception with earning Outstanding Wrestler honors at the Disney Duals in late June. However, the 145-pound weight class was the toughest bracket in Junior freestyle, so there were no guarantees of an All-American finish.
The tournament started off with limited fanfare as a bye, 10-0 technical fall, and 10-6 decision over state placer Eric Barone (Illinois) placed him into the round of 16. However, that match was not a fortuitous one for Maruca, as he was upset by Jordan Kutler (New Jersey), 8-8 on criteria. Then, it was a six match onslaught through consolation for the rising senior.
Three victories by technical fall assured Maruca his All-American finish. The last two of those were over Max Thomsen (Iowa), who is ranked No. 32 in the Class of 2015, and a returning Junior freestyle All-American in Jonce Blaylock (Oklahoma). The next match was a 7-3 victory over another wrestler ahead of him in the Class of 2015 rankings, No. 20 Patrick Duggan. Next in line for Maruca was an 11-1 victory in the consolation semifinal, before a third victory over a class of 2015 wrestler ranked ahead of him; this time it was an 11-0 technical fall over No. 10 Fredy Stroker (Iowa).
5. Tate Orndorff (University, Wash.) -- double third place at 285 pounds
Orndorff ended the 2013-14 season outside the weight class rankings at 285 pounds, and appeared outside the top 100 for the Class of 2015 in the late June initial rankings for the 2014-15 season. For the freestyle tournament, he opened with three 10-0 technical falls prior to a 10-4 quarterfinal loss against top 50 Class of 2015 prospect Jake Marnin (Iowa). He bounced back with three consecutive decision victories to advance to the consolation final, a match in which he avenged that quarterfinal loss to Marnin with a 13-3 technical fall victory.
Earlier in the week, Orndorff advanced to the semifinal with three consecutive decision victories. The semifinal was a 9-0 defeat against Northern Iowa bound Adarios Jones (Illinois), who would finish runner-up in Greco-Roman and win the freestyle title. Consolation wrestling would see him bounce back with a 4-2 victory over now two-time Junior double All-American Michael Hobbs (Illinois), before pinning Marnin in 48 seconcs in the third place bout.
Cadets
1. Ethan Karsten (Platte County, Mo.) -- 138-pound double champion
Though he won state this past high school year as a sophomore, Karsten has never really been in the conversation for a top 50 spot in the Class of 2016. Nor was he viewed as the pre-tournament favorite in either style.
The returning fourth-place finisher in Cadet Greco-Roman down three weight classes at 120 pounds started this year's Greco-Roman competition in spectactular fashion with three first minute falls. In the quarterfinal round, it was a 20-10 technical fall victory over FILA Cadet Greco-Roman champion Dominick Demas (Ohio). The semifinal was another technical fall, and the championship match was an 8-3 victory over 2013 FILA Cadet Greco-Roman champion Devin Bahir (Wisconsin), who had won the Cadet folkstyle title in this weight class.
6-0 in Greco-Roman would be replicated in freestyle, as that tournament started with a pin and 11-0 technical fall. The round of 16 match was a 9-7 victory over Hunter Bolen (Virginia), his third of four victories over top 30 Class of 2017 prospects between both competitions. Karsten's run continued with a pin over Preseason Nationals champion Colin Clingenpeel (Iowa) in the quarterfinals, and was followed up with a second victory over Bahr on the week, this time 8-7 in the semifinal. The finals match was a valedictory affair, a 10-0 victory over Shayne Oster (Illinois).
2. Matt Stencel (Oregon Clay, Ohio) -- 195-pound double champion
Yet another rising junior that won double titles at Cadet Nationals last week, Stencel was a runner-up during this past high school season. Though given that state tournament finish, most thought of him as a bona fide title contender, his magnitude of dominance was more than thought likely. Five Greco-Roman matches for Stencel all ended in first period wins by fall, and his total mat time was less than that of one full match (5:38 in all). The quarterfinal victory was a pin in 2:12 over Kobe Woods (Indiana), which reversed his only loss in either style at the Cadet Duals last month.
Five matches in freestyle for Stencel were similarly dominant. The opening two matches were shutout technical falls, and a 14 second pin followed in the quarterfinal. His signature bout of the Fargo week was a 16-10 victory over pre-tournament favorite Matt Correnti (New Jersey), who entered the tournament ranked No. 35 in the Class of 2016. The championship match was a 13-4 victory over Cadet folkstyle champion Woods to cap off a stellar week.
3. Ian Timmins (Wooster, Nev.) -- 106-pound double finalist, Greco-Roman champion
Even with a state title during his freshman year of high school, and fifth-place finish in Cadet folkstyle, Timmins did not enter the Fargo week as an individual that was truly on the national radar. However, his run to the finals in both styles will most certainly change that narrative. The Greco-Roman competition for Timmins opened with two technical falls and a first period pin before a 13-8 quarterfinals victory over another wrestler who won state as a freshman this past year. In the semifinal it was a 10-6 victory over Drew Mattin (Ohio), before a second period pin in the final over Drew West (Iowa), who was the FILA Cadet Greco-Roman champion at 110 pounds.
The freestyle campaign for Timmins started out with similar success, as he opened with a pair of technical falls. Next up was consecutive pins to advance to the semifinal. Those pins came over Cadet folkstyle champion Rylee Molitor (Minnesota) and returning Cadet freestyle champion Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma), who is ranked No. 39 in the Class of 2017. The semifinal bout was a 14-10 victory over Anthony Madrigal (Illinois), a top 20 rising freshman. Despite falling to Cadet folkstyle champion Paul Konrath (Indiana) by 8-2 decision in the final, the week was a noted success for Timmins.
4. Alex Lloyd (Shakopee, Minn.) -- 126-pound double All-American
Alex Lloyd (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)The Greco-Roman tournament did not start well for Lloyd with a 6-4 loss to Zachary Krause (Illinois), who would end up not earning All-American honors during the tournament. However, he bounced back with eight consecutive wins to finish inside the top six. It took seven of those wins to clinch All-American status with a finish inside the top eight. For the sixth of those wins, he beat Chad Red (Indiana), the nation's No. 22 ranked wrestler in the Class of 2016 and a returning Cadet Greco-Roman All-American.
After a sixth-place finish in Greco-Roman, the nation's No. 15 ranked rising freshman, built upon this with a fifth-place finish in freestyle. In his second match, during the round of 32, it was a 10-7 loss to now two-time Cadet freestyle All-American Corey Shie (Ohio); who also was the Cadet folkstyle champion. Lloyd bounced back with six consecutive wins to assure a top-six finish, five of those wins necessary to confirm All-American status. Two of those wins were over returning Cadet freestyle All-Americans, 18-12 over Andrew Mehrholz (Illinois) and then a 6-5 victory over Quentin Hovis (Arizona) in the "blood round."
5. Matthew Park (Centennial, Idaho) -- 145-pound double finalist, Greco-Roman champion
Though he won a state title during this past season, which was his sophomore campaign, Park entered the Fargo week as an unknown on the national scale. At the FILA Cadet Nationals in Akron two months ago, Park went 1-2 in the Greco-Roman competition; but more positively was 3-2 in six rounds of wrestling in the freestyle tournament.
It was total dominance during Greco-Roman, as he had three pins in about a minute or less, a 14-3 technical fall, and an injury default in about a minute. Prior to losing by 11-0 technical fall to FILA Cadet freestyle champion Jared Verkleeren (Pennsylvania) in the Cadet freestyle final, it was extreme dominance for Park. His first five matches of the tournament were wins by fall in a total of 5:27, which is less than the length of a full match. Among those wins by fall were those over Brady Berge (Minnesota), a top five ranked Class of 2017 wrestler, and returning Cadet freestyle runner-up Jonathan Ross (Pennsylvania).
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