Given that those still to be in high school next year are among the youngest of the competitors in this event, being a shining star in the tournament would be impressive, though in some cases it is very expected. Let's take a look at five such individuals from the events of this past weekend. It's going to be a heavy read indeed.
Gable Steveson defeated Jordan Wood 9-2 in the finals (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn.)
The nation's top-ranked Class of 2018 wrestler, and the No. 1 wrestler this past season at 285 pounds in the country, showed why he's worth all the buzz. The two-time Cadet World freestyle champion at 100 kilograms made his UWW Junior debut, and showed the form that everyone knows is within him as Steveson won gold at 120 kilograms.
Four shutout technical falls propelled Steveson to the final, the fourth of those came in the semifinal round against returning Junior National freestyle runner-up Anthony Cassioppi (Hononegah, Ill.). In the championship match, Steveson upended 2014 Cadet World silver medalist Jordan Wood 9-2; Wood redshirted this past season at Lehigh University, and is their likely starter in 2017-18 at 285 pounds. It should be noted that Steveson beat Wood in the UWW Cadet National semifinal in 2015 on his way to qualifying for his first Cadet World team and title.
Steveson would still be age-eligible for the Cadet World team this year, though there is no weight class above 100 kilograms - a weight that he has already surpassed - at the world championships. It might not be crazy to suggest that the future Golden Gopher is a viable NCAA title contender in 2020 (if not as a true freshman in 2019) and legitimately in the hunt to be the Olympic representative for the United States in freestyle that same year.
Cohlton Schultz earned a spot on the Junior World Team in Greco-Roman (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Cohlton Schultz (Ponderosa, Colo.)
Like Steveson, Schultz is the top ranked wrestler in his class and age eligible for the Cadet World team. The nation's No. 2 ranked wrestler at 220 pounds this past high school season, he sits atop the Class of 2019. Schultz won the UWW Junior National title in Greco-Roman at 120 kilograms, after last year qualifying for Cadet Worlds in Greco-Roman at 100 kilos.
Schultz won his opening match of the trials by hitting a five-point move during the first period (it happened to be the first points of the bout), while he advanced to the championship match with a 9-0 technical fall. In the championship series he swept two-time Fargo third in Greco-Roman (2016 Junior, 2015 Cadet) Anthony Cassioppi; the first match was an 8-7 victory, while the second bout was a 13-4 technical fall victory within the first period.
Joe Lee reached the finals at 69 kilograms before losing to Griffin Parriott (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Joe Lee (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.)
The current junior Lee was ranked No. 16 overall in the most recent rankings for the Class of 2018. The two-time high school state champion is also a very seasoned freestyle wrestler, earning a runner-up finish at 69 kilograms in last spring's UWW Cadet Nationals and winning a Cadet National freestyle in Fargo during the summer of 2015. His older brother Nick was a Junior National freestyle champion last summer, and the No. 5 overall wrestler in the Class of 2017. Both Lee brothers will be headed to Penn State, Nick this coming fall and Joe the following year.
The first four matches of the UWW Junior Nationals tournament in freestyle at 70 kilograms for Lee were technical fall victories. The first three were 10-0 shutouts, while the fourth was a 19-9 victory. That set up a semifinal rematch of last year's UWW Cadet Nationals final against David Carr (Massillon Perry, Ohio), who is ranked No. 8 overall in the Class of 2018; Carr swept last year's series. However, on this occasion, Joe Lee came through with a 14-5 victory. Lee's tournament did end in a runner-up finish, as he fell 9-0 to Purdue's redshirting freshman Griffin Parriott, a 2016 Junior National freestyle champion.
An interesting question to watch is if Joe Lee will take the same path as older brother Nick in forgoing his senior season of high school to train at/near the Penn State campus. However, Joe does have the chance to be a three-time state champion and four-time finalist, while Nick had just one state title (3-1-2) in his first three seasons of high school.
Malik Heinselman (Castle View, Colo.)
Heinselman is one of the most talented "little guys" in the country, finishing the 2016-17 season ranked No. 1 in the country at 106 pounds. The Ohio State verbal commit is ranked No. 47 overall in the Class of 2018. He is also a three-time Fargo freestyle champion (Cadet 88 and 94 in 2014 and 2015, Junior 100 in 2016).
The two-time Cadet World team member in freestyle (42 kilograms in 2015 and 46 kilos in 2016) won the under 50 kilogram weight class at the UWW Junior Nationals this past weekend. His tournament included a 13-2 technical fall over nationally ranked 113 pound wrestler Brandon Kaylor (Bonney Lake, Wash.) and a 12-2 technical fall against Junior National freestyle runner-up Brendon Garcia (Pueblo County, Colo.) on the way to the final.
In that championship match, Heinselman upended nationally ranked 120 pound wrestler Dack Punke (Washington, Ill.) by a 4-0 decision. Punke is a two-time Junior National champion in Greco-Roman in Fargo, along with a two-time scholastic state champion.
Anthony Cassioppi (Hononegah, Ill.)
Though lost in the midst of the very talented Steveson and Seth Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), Cassioppi is also a very talented Class of 2018 projected 285 pound wrestler. The Northwestern verbal commit ended the 2016-17 season a state champion and ranked No. 5 nationally in his weight class; Cassioppi commit is also ranked as the No. 33 overall wrestling prospect in his graduating class.
This year's Junior National folkstyle champion, a title won last month in Cedar Falls, Cassioppi has been most excellent in Fargo the previous two years. Third in Greco and runner-up in freestyle at the Junior level last year and double third as a Cadet in 2015.
The UWW Greco-Roman tournament for Cassioppi started with a shutout technical fall and a 13-2 technical fall before a 7-0 decision over returning UWW Junior Greco runner-up Nick Boykin (Riverdale, Tenn.) advanced him to the final against Schultz; Boykin also won both Cadet titles in Fargo back in 2015 when Cassioppi was double third. In freestyle, Cassioppi reached the semifinal with a 13-2 technical fall over Brandon Metz (West Fargo, N.D.); Metz was ranked No. 4 nationally at 285 at the end of the most recent high school season.
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