Minnesota’s Paxton Creese (88 lbs) continues his march to summer glory while Nick Raimo (NJ, 126 lbs) also showed why he is a force to be reckoned with. The action got underway for the Cadets earlier today at the infamous Fargo Dome in Fargo, North Dakota.
In the quarterfinals, Creese went to battle with Kase Mauger (ID). Mauger scored first off of an over-hook counter that he turned into a takedown. Creese answered back with a nifty duck-under and got behind to tie things up at two apiece. Still, Mauger stayed right in it, doing his best to slow down the Minnesota wrestler just enough to get his own attacks in. Creese bolted on what seemed to be a game-changing front headlock but once again, Mauger wasn’t going anywhere, as Creese was only able to get one turn out of the maneuver. A brief tangle closed out the opening frame with Creese on top 6-4.
The thing about Creese is that once he gets going, he’s hard to stop. Few Cadets put attacks together quite as dynamically, and it’s a strength he showcased here. Up 6-4, Creese kept an underhook and attempted to toss it going off the edge; Mauger got heavy as they ambled out of the zone but Creese continued his hip motion and flopped Mauger over for four. The end was near. When action resumed, Creese landed another four-pointer off of an underhook, locked up a gut, and then ran it twice for the 16-4 quarterfinal victory.
At 126 lbs, Nick Raimo found momentum early against tough Jacob Garcia (AZ) with a swooping headlock and then figured since it worked once, why not try it a second time? And that’s just what happened, as Raimo nailed another and raced out to a 10-2 lead. Garcia knew going into the second that it was going to take some fighting to climb back in it. Both wrestlers were content to feel the other out, but Garcia started to press. Raimo, only needing two points to end the match, was in the driver’s seat, which meant Garcia would have to act first. He did. Garcia looped in for an arm throw only to have Raimo easily sniff it out and get behind for the match-clinching points, sending him to a semifinal showdown with Missouri’s Josh Steel.
The well-decorated Tyler Eischens (MN, 132 lbs) was someone most expected to make noise in Fargo, but not quite in the manner that he did. Alfonso Martinez (AZ) appeared well on his way to spoiling the party, as he dazzled to a somewhat surprising 7-0 lead thanks to a huge five-point throw. From there, Martinez looked to assert control but Eischens didn’t stop hunting for a window to make something happen. Time wasn’t on his side and the Minnesota coaches urged him on. Just as the seconds began to tick away, he came to life and began chipping away. It wasn’t enough just yet. With the score at 7-3 and the clock about to run out, Eischens came inside for a bodylock and instantly dropped Martinez to his back for four points, sealing the match in a dramatic, come-from-behind win he won’t soon forget.
Curd Stuns Schultz
Like Eischens, Cohlton Schultz (Colorado, 220 lbs) was a name many figured would be standing atop the podium when all was said and done. However, unlike Eischens, Schultz didn’t have any dramatics at his disposal to whip out when he needed to the most. Southern Plains Regional champ Tyler Curd (MO) used his leverage and willingness to throw to his advantage and then some to get things moving in his direction. In the 220 lbs quarterfinal, Curd threw Schultz not once, not twice, but three times in the first period to come away with the upset. Curd is now set to face Chase Trussel (UT).
2016 Fargo Cadet Greco Roman National Semifinal Match-ups
88 lbs
Paxton Creese (MN) vs. Sam Latona (AL)
Tim Levine (CA) vs. Andrew Chambal (MI)
94 lbs
Jalen Spuhler (WI) vs. Brenden Chaowanapibool (WA)
Christian Goin (IL) vs. Dylan Ragusin (IL)
100 lbs
Steele Dias (NV) vs. Ridge Lovett (ID)
Chayse La Joie (MI) vs. Lucas Byrd (OH)
106 lbs
Jace Koelzer (KS) vs. Anthony Molton (IL)
Pattrick Allis (CO) vs. Leif Schroeder (MT)
113 lbs
Reece Witcraft (OK) vs. Benyamin Kamali (MI)
Malyke Hines (FL) vs. Jordan Hamdan (MI)
120 lbs
Phil Moomey (NE) vs. Atilano Escobar (AZ)
Theorius Robison (CO) vs. Ryan Ripplinger (ND)
126 lbs
Nick Raimo (NJ) vs. Josh Steele (MO)
Carter Tuttle (PA) vs. Peyton Robb (MN)
132 lbs
Mason Phillips (WA) vs. Carnell Andrews (PA)
Tyler Eischens (MN) vs. Nick Freeman (MI)
138 lbs
Brock Hardy (UT) vs. Cameron Amine (MI)
Sam Sasso (PA) vs. Will Lewan (IL)
145 lbs
Dalton Jensen (IL) vs. Abe Assad (IL)
Markus Hartman (IL) vs. Dawon Andrews (AZ)
152 lbs
Tyler Dow (WI) vs. Sam Mora (TX)
James Rogers (WA) vs. Michael O’Malley (NJ)
160 lbs
Aaron Brooks (MD) vs. Grant Parrish (MN)
Josh Stillings (PA) vs. Jake Hendricks (PA)
170 lbs
Travis Wittlake (OR) vs. Nick Casperson (SD)
Tyler Barnes (NY) vs. Faustin Lopez (CO)
182 lbs
Ryan Karoly (NJ) vs. Julian Gorring (PA)
Lucas Davison (IN) vs. Caden Steffen (MN)
195 lbs
Kaleb Reeves (IA) vs. Kyle Lightner (NJ)
Cameron Sauerwein (OH) vs. Braxton Amos (WV)
220 lbs
Tyler Curd (MO) vs. Chase Trussell (UT)
Jace Punke (IL) vs. Tarik Sutkovic (AZ)
285 lbs
Jeff Queer (MT) vs. Montana Phillips (OK)
Spencer Ternary (IA) vs. Ronald Tucker (IL)
