Anthony Artalona (Photo/Jim Thrall)The 2018 edition of Fargo -- officially named the U.S. Marine Corps Junior and Cadet National Championships -- commences this Saturday and will conclude next Friday. This is the second year of the restructured format for the event, which seems the freestyle competition for the Cadet and Junior levels wrestled first with the Greco-Roman competition wrestled at the conclusion of the week.
In years prior to 2017, it was Greco that went first and then freestyle. There has already been a schedule change made from last year, as the second Saturday of the event has been eliminated, with the Greco-Roman competitions being contained in two days instead of medal matches being held on a third day. It will be interesting to see if they maintain the freestyle then Greco after this year, or switch it back to Greco then freestyle, which is how it should be in my opinion.
Tournament Schedule
The following is the schedule of events for all the tournaments during the "Fargo Week" (all times Eastern):
Cadet Freestyle
Friday 7/13 -- weigh-in at 5 p.m.
Saturday 7/14 -- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday 7/15 -- second weigh-in 8 a.m., (quarterfinal round) 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., (semifinal round) 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Monday 7/16 -- (consi semis, if necessary) 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., (medal matches) 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Cadet Women
Friday 7/13 -- weigh-in at 5:30 p.m.
Saturday 7/14 -- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., (quarters and semis) 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday 7/15 -- (consi semis, if necessary) 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., (medal matches) 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Junior Freestyle
Saturday 7/14 -- weigh-in at 8:15 p.m.
Sunday 7/15 -- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Monday 7/16 -- second weigh-in 8 a.m., (round of 16 and quarterfinals) 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., (semifinal round) 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Tuesday 7/17 -- (consi semis, if necessary) 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., (medal matches) 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Junior Women
Monday 7/16 -- weigh-in at 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday 7/17 -- 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Wednesday 7/18 --10 a.m. to 1 p.m., (medal matches) 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Cadet Greco-Roman
Tuesday 7/17 -- weigh-in at 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday 7/18 -- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., (round of 16 and quarterfinals) 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Thursday 7/19 -- (semifinal round) 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., (medal matches) 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Junior Greco-Roman
Wednesday 7/18 -- weigh-in at 5 p.m.
Thursday 7/19 -- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., (round of 16 and quarterfinals) 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Friday 7/20 -- (semifinals) 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., (medal matches) 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Cadet and Junior World Championships participants
Moving on to the potential participants, a chunk of Fargo-eligible wrestlers were and/or will be on the United States' Cadet and Junior world teams in freestyle and Greco-Roman this summer. The Cadet-level events were already held last week in Croatia, while the Junior-level events will be held in Slovakia in mid-December. With the Cadet events already concluded, and the Junior events more than two months away, there may be a chance for more of these athletes than normal to compete in Fargo. Below is a list of those that qualified for the world championships this summer.
Benjamin Peak (Wisconsin) -- 132 pounds, Junior Greco-Roman*
Alston Nutter (Wisconsin) -- 138 pounds, Junior Greco-Roman*
Peyton Omania (California) -- 147 pounds, Junior Greco-Roman
Tyler Dow (Wisconsin) -- 158 pounds, Junior Greco-Roman
Aaron Brooks (Maryland) -- 174 pounds, Junior freestyle
Daniel Kerkvliet (Minnesota) -- 213 pounds, Junior freestyle (also 242 pounds, Cadet freestyle)
Gable Steveson (Minnesota) -- 275 pounds, Junior freestyle
Cohlton Schultz (Colorado) -- 286 pounds, Junior Greco-Roman
*Peak and Nutter were Class of 2018 athletes, but spend the past year at the Northern Michigan program for Greco-Roman
Chance Lamer (Oregon) -- 99 pounds, Cadet freestyle
Cale Anderson (Wisconsin) -- 99 pounds, Cadet Greco-Roman
Richard Figueroa (California) -- 106 pounds, Cadet freestyle
Brenden Chaowanapibool -- 106 pounds, Cadet Greco-Roman**
Matthew Ramos (Illinois) -- 112 pounds, Cadet freestyle**
Jakason Burks (Nebraska) -- 112 pounds, Cadet Greco-Roman
Robert Howard (New Jersey) -- 121 pounds, Cadet freestyle
Hunter Lewis (Wisconsin) -- 121 pounds, Cadet Greco-Roman**
Joshua Saunders (Missouri) -- 132 pounds, Cadet freestyle**
Phillip Moomey (Nebraska) -- 132 pounds, Cadet Greco-Roman**
Carson Manville (Pennsylvania) -- 143 pounds, Cadet freestyle
Dominic Damon (Washington) -- 143 pounds, Cadet Greco-Roman**
Alex Facundo (Michigan) -- 156 pounds, Cadet freestyle
James Burks (Nebrasa) -- 156 pounds, Cadet Greco-Roman**
Abe Assad (Illinois) -- 176 pounds, Cadet freestyle**
Jonathon Fagen (Idaho) -- 176 pounds, Cadet Greco-Roman**
A.J. Ferrari (Texas) -- 203 pounds, Cadet freestyle**
Jacob Kaminski (Illinois) -- 203 pounds, Cadet Greco-Roman**
Luke Luffman (Illinois) -- 242 pounds, Cadet Greco-Roman**
**Only Junior eligible for Fargo, not Cadet eligible (UWW Cadet eligibility extends to the 2001 birth year, USA Wrestling eligibility for Cadet classification is the 2002 and 2003 birth years)
In terms of the Cadet World championships, these were the medalists plus those that lost in a bronze medal bout:
Gold -- Ramos
Silver -- Figueroa, Kerkvliet
Bronze -- Facundo, Assad, Ferrari, Kaminski
Fifth place -- Lamer
Returning champions
Many wrestlers that won weight class titles in last year's Junior and Cadet Nationals can return for this year's event, though the vast majority of the Cadet champions will be moving up to the Junior level in next week's competitions. As a result, the Cadet National tournaments become a breeding ground for emerging stars and names to watch for in the upcoming seasons of scholastic wrestling.
Cadet champions who can repeat at the Cadet level this coming year (listed by weight class in which they won their title last year):
Drake Ayala (Iowa) -- 88 pounds, freestyle
Chance Lamer (Oregon) -- 88 pounds, Greco-Roman
Jett Strickenberger (Colorado) -- 94 pounds, freestyle
Carter Young (Oklahoma) -- 94 pounds, Greco-Roman
Yusief Lillie (Washington) -- 100 pounds, Greco-Roman
Zeke Escalera (Kentucky/Pennsylvania) -- 106 pounds, freestyle
Ryan Sokol (Minnesota) -- 120 pounds, freestyle
Carson Manville (Pennsylvania) -- 132 pounds, freestyle and Greco-Roman
Alex Facundo (Michigan) -- 145 pounds, freestyle
Cadet champions that move up to the Junior level:
Dylan Ragusin (Illinois) -- 100 pounds, freestyle; 106 pounds, Greco-Roman
Noah Surtin (Illinois) -- 113 pounds, freestyle
Hunter Lewis (Wisconsin) -- 113 pounds, Greco-Roman
Phillip Moomey (Nebraska) -- 120 pounds, Greco-Roman
Josh Saunders (Missouri) -- 126 pounds, freestyle
Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma) -- 126 pounds, Greco-Roman
Fidel Mayora (Illinois) -- 138 pounds, freestyle
Kevon Davenport (Michigan) -- 138 pounds, Greco-Roman
Michael Weber (Montana) -- 145 pounds, Greco-Roman
Carter Starocci (Pennsylvania) -- 152 pounds, freestyle; 160 pounds, Greco-Roman
McKay Foy (Utah) -- 152 pounds, Greco-Roman
Robert Kanniard (New Jersey) -- 160 pounds, freestyle
A.J. Ferrari (Texas) -- 170 pounds, freestyle
Abe Assad (Illinois) -- 170 pounds, Greco-Roman
Devin Winston (Missouri) -- 182 pounds, freestyle
Jonathon Fagen (Idaho) -- 182 pounds, Greco-Roman
Ashton Sharp (Missouri) -- 195 pounds, freestyle and Greco-Roman
Braxton Amos (West Virginia) -- 220 pounds, freestyle and Greco-Roman
Nash Hutmacher (South Dakota) -- 285 pounds, freestyle
Eli Pokorney (Indiana) -- 285 pounds, Greco-Roman
Junior champions eligible to compete again:
Will Guida (New Jersey) -- 100 pounds, freestyle
Anthony King (Illinois) -- 100 pounds, Greco-Roman
Sam Latona (Alabama) -- 106 pounds, freestyle
Brendon Garcia (Colorado) -- 106 pounds, Greco-Roman***
Ty Smith (Nevada) -- 113 pounds, freestyle
Brandon Kaylor (Washington) -- 113 pounds, Greco-Roman
Patrick McKee (Minnesota) -- 120 pounds, freestyle
Alex Thomsen (Iowa) -- 126 pounds, Greco-Roman
Atilano Escobar (Arizona) -- 132 pounds, freestyle
Mason Phillips (Washington) -- 138 pounds, Greco-Roman
Anthony Artalona (Florida) -- 145 pounds, freestyle***
Will Lewan (Illinois) -- 152 pounds, freestyle
Peyton Robb (Minnesota) -- 152 pounds, Greco-Roman
David Carr (Ohio) -- 160 pounds, freestyle
Aaron Brooks (Maryland) -- 170 pounds, freestyle
Jack Jessen (Illinois) -- 182 pounds, Greco-Roman
Zach Elam (Missouri) -- 220 pounds, freestyle
Anthony Cassioppi (Illinois) -- 285 pounds, freestyle and Greco-Roman
***seeks third consecutive Junior National title in the style
2017 champions by the numbers … trend for 2018?
At the Junior level, here was the breakdown of champions in terms of grade level from the 2017 tournament.
Freestyle: graduating senior 4, rising senior 9, other 2
Greco-Roman: graduating senior 7, rising senior 7, other 1
At the Cadet level, here was the breakdown of champions in terms of grade level from the 2017 tournament.
Freestyle: rising freshman 6, rising sophomore 7, rising junior 4
Greco-Roman: rising freshman 4, rising sophomore 3, rising junior 10
Rising freshmen to watch in Cadet Nationals
As mentioned earlier in this article, the Cadet Nationals serve as proving ground for many an emerging star. Yes, that does include incoming ninth graders. Last summer, nine wrestlers combined to win ten "stop signs" at the Cadet Nationals before stepping on the high school mats.
Among the top Class of 2022 wrestlers, some of the more likely to capture (or at minimum contend for) a stop sign include:
No. 1 Ryan Crookham (Pennsylvania) -- The top wrestler in this grade has already demonstrated freestyle prowess in earning a pair of All-American honors at the UWW Cadet Nationals in Akron. Furthermore his talent level showed clear and obvious when winning the high school division of the Super 32 Challenge at 113 pounds this past fall.
No. 2 Nick Bouzakis (Florida) -- Already a two-time state champion in high school varsity competition, he earned the first leg of the Cadet Triple Crown this spring at the UNI Dome by winning gold at 120 pounds in Cadet folkstyle.
No. 3 Anthony Ferrari (Texas) -- He was runner-up at last month's UWW Cadet Nationals in freestyle at 112 pounds, only losing two narrow matches in the championship series to eventual world gold medalist Matthew Ramos.
No. 4 Jesse Mendez (Indiana) -- He was runner-up to Bouzakis in Cadet folkstyle three months ago, and was one match from All-American honors at the UWW Cadet Nationals in freestyle last month; included in that tournament was a victory over 2017 Cadet National freestyle champion Noah Surtin. Mendez also placed third in the Flo Nationals high school division at 113 pounds this spring.
No. 13 Robert Paul Perez (California) -- He was champion in Cadet folkstyle this spring at 145 pounds
No. 14 Jordan Williams (Oklahoma) -- The Roller World of Wrestling triple crown winner was also champion in Cadet folkstyle this spring at 100 pounds. He placed fifth at 99 pounds in freestyle at the UWW Cadet Nationals last month.
No. 15 Alex Almeyda (New Jersey) -- He placed fourth at 99 pounds, ahead of Williams, at the UWW Cadet Nationals last month. Included in that tournament was a 6-6 criteria loss to Cadet World team member Chance Lamer; Almeyda was third in Cadet folkstyle at 100 pounds, finishing behind Williams.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now