Whomever makes the Junior finals will have quite the act to follow.
On a Thursday afternoon that promised to offer its fair share of highlights, the Cadets who battled it out for national supremacy earlier today inside the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota did not disappoint.
At 113 lbs, 2017 UWW Cadet Trials runner-up (and headgear clad) Parker Decker (TX) gutted his way to victory over Illinois’ Joey Cape, in a literal sense. After collapsing on a takedown, Decker caught Cape’s arm for a trap-arm gut. When Cape’s arm escaped, Decker adjusted his lock and rolled four more times to seal up the tech, his fourth of the two-day tournament. Last year, the Texan also won the Schoolboy National event along with Estonia’s Tallinn Open, the grand age-group escapade that has provided plenty of US age-groupers with important experience overseas.
As can’t-miss of a prospect as it gets around these parts, Carson Manville (PA) enjoyed another dominant Fargo run that culminated with his second straight Cadet National crown. Manville was rarely tested until he reached the semis, where Brock Ellis (IN) managed to stay in the fight to the bitter end. When the spotlight took over the arena later on in the day, it was Camdyn Ingram from Louisiana standing across. Ingram is going to be heard from again with how impressive he performed this week, but it was Manville’s show just the same, as he picked up a pair of first-period takedowns to head into the break up 4-1. In the second, Manville probably should have netted two near the edge when Ingram went down, but it was scored a step-out. The high school star grabbed one more takedown off of an Ingram throw attempt to put the score at 7-1 and he coasted the rest of the way home.
He wasn’t voted Outstanding Wrestler, but there was not a more devastating Cadet competitor in Fargo than Adrian Cramer (160 lbs, Ill). The headlock, it’s an elite weapon in the right hands and Cramer wasn’t shy about letting everyone know about it. He pinned his way through the tournament. That’s what he did. Six matches, all pins, in under eight combined minutes. Brayden Randolph (MI) likely knew what was coming in the final. And sure enough, Cramer spiraled a headlock at his first available opportunity. However, Randolph rolled through out of danger and reversed. 4-2, Cramer. Later in the period, Randolph collected two on a nice high dive, and for all intents and purposes, he was in this. But following an exchange near the boundary, Cramer struck again. His second headlock of the bout threw Randolph to his back. The Michigan wrestler briefly came close to finding daylight only to have Cramer settle back into position and wait for the pin to be called.
You know who else was pin-happy in Fargo? Ohian Alex Coleman (285 lbs). Coleman wasn’t high on the radar entering this week for most observers but that hardly mattered by the time Thursday arrived. Facing off with Colby Whitehill (PA), Coleman surged forward in unpretentious fashion. He wanted contact. Whitehill very nearly used Coleman’s oncoming force against him for some points, but Coleman regained his footing and charged back in to bodylock Whitehill and twist him to the surface. It was over quickly. Coleman perched and arched from top and the fall followed at just :14 into the bout.
Immensely-talented Kyle Haas (KS) advanced to the 182 lbs final on the strength of three pins and a tech, and he looked good doing so. Hass also seemed to be headed in the right direction opposite Tyler Hannah (WI) when he quickly scored two on a correct throw. He’s strong, aggressive. Slick. But Hannah, a Greco athlete the US has its eye on for the future, answered back immediately on an arm throw attempt he used to expertly come out the back door. The pair jousted for the remainder of the period with Hannah holding a 2-2 criteria lead, though a whole lot more would be going in the Wisconsinite’s direction soon enough. A bulldozing four-point bodylock early in the second put Hannah up 6-2. He went after it again, but this time Hass landed on top for his own two. With just over :30 left up 8-4, Hannah bombed one more bodylock and added a step-out point on yet another attempt to walk away the champ via lopsided 13-4 decision.
Fargo has its moments for every athlete. Just ask Mason Gehloff (MN). At 94 lbs, Gheloff had to fight eventual bronze Maxximus Martinez (CA) tooth-and-nail in the semis just to have a shot and the final match certainly wasn’t going to be a cakewalk. Facing off with Kai Owen (FL), it was a struggle from start to finish for the Storm rep. Owen opened up a 4-2 lead late in the first period and was seemingly on his way, when, up 5-2 with a 1:14 remaining, he was penalized for a caution-and-two. Owen responded with what looked like a solid throw attempt but Gehloff nimbly adjusted and landed on top to take a 6-5 advantage that turned into a 6-6 criteria lead when Owen forced a step-out. It was the quintessential race to the wire. With time becoming a factor, both wrestlers met in the middle, likely understanding that the next big score would decide the title.
Owen made the first move, coercing Gehloff out for a point, retaking the lead at 7-6. Then with :10 on the clock, Gehloff frantically searched for something to latch onto and found a headlock. The initial call was two, sealing the match. Owen, understandably distraught, asked for a challenge. Upon further review, the sequence was upgraded to a four-pointer — plus the challenge point lost by Owen — resulting in an adrenalizing last-second victory for Gehloff and quite the heartbreaker for Owen. Following the tournament, Gehloff was named the 2018 Fargo Cadet Nationals Outstanding Wrestler.
Notes:
- To the surprise of no one, Illinois earned the team title with 85 points, followed by Washington (56), Pennsylvania (47), and Minnesota (44).
- Five of the 17 Cadet finals matches ended via tech fall. There were three pins, eight decisions, and one mutual default.
- The default/no contest came at 132 lbs, where Illinois brothers Fabian Lopez and Damian Lopez both made the finals. The siblings combined for six techs and a pin throughout the tournament.
2018 Fargo Cadet Greco-Roman Nationals
July 18-19 — Fargo, North Dakota
FINAL RESULTS
88 lbs: Kaden Ramos (ID) def. Daniel Sheen (Ill) 11-0 TF
94 lbs: Mason Gehloff (MN) def. Kai Owen (FL) 11-7
100 lbs: Kenndyl Mobley (WA) def. Richard Treanor (NC) 5-2
106 lbs: Sheldon Seymour (PA) def. Kenneth Crosby (CO) via fall
113 lbs: Parker Decker (TX) def. Joey Cape (Ill) 10-0, TF
120 lbs: Haiden Drury (WA) def. John Wiley (OK) 10-0 TF
126 lbs: Davin Rhoads (OH) def. Vincent Zerban (Ill) 11-0, TF
132 lbs: Damien Lopez (Ill) & Fabian Lopez (Ill) share National title
138 lbs: Brayden Roberts (WV) def. Luke Mechler (WI) 4-0
145 lbs: Robert Perez III (CA) def. Cael Valencia (CA) 7-0
152 lbs: Carson Manville (PA) def. Camdyn Ingram (LA) 7-1
160 lbs: Adrien Cramer (Ill) def. Brayden Randolph (MI) via fall
170 lbs: Greyden Penner (MO) def. Sam Skillings (WI) 7-2
182 lbs: Tyler Hannah (WI) def. Kyle Haas (KS) 13-4
195 lbs: Kolby Franklin (PA) def. Brandon Hoselton (Ill) 14-4, TF
220 lbs: Braxton Mikesell (WA) def. Gage Cook (WA) 12-5
285 lbs: Alex Coleman (OH) def. Colby Whitehill (PA) via fall
2018 Fargo Cadet Greco-Roman Placewinners
88 lbs
1st: Kaden Ramos (ID)
2nd: Daniel Sheen (Ill)
3rd: Christopher Martino (ID)
4th: Jacob Van dee (PA)
5th: Jore Volk (MN)
6th: Carson Nishida (Ill)
7th: Brandon O’brien (IA)
8th: Christian Forbes (OK)
94 lbs
1st: Mason Gehloff (MN)
2nd: Kai Owen (FL), 11-7
3rd: Maxximus Martinez (CA)
4th: Caleb Coyle (NE), 0:52
5th: Sefton Douglass (Wyoming)
6th: Chad Bellis (Ill), 12-4
7th: Payton Jacobson (WI)
8th: Sam Smith (WI), 11-0
100 lbs
1st: Kenndyl Mobley (WA)
2nd: Richard Treanor (North Carolina)
3rd: Trae Mcdaniel (Tennessee)
4th: Abraham Hinrichsen (Ill)
5th: Zeth Romney (CA)
6th: Blaine Brenner (WI)
7th: Archer Heelan (NE)
8th: Jeremy Bockert (Alaska)
106 lbs
1st: Sheldon Seymour (PA)
2nd: Kenneth Crosby (CO)
3rd: Yusief Lillie (WA)
4th: Cael Swensen (MN)
5th: Angelo Lozado (CO)
6th: Daniel Wask (NJ)
7th: Dante Rigal (NY)
8th: Jonathan Gurule (NM)
113 lbs
1st: Parker Decker (TX)
2nd: Joey Cape (Ill)
3rd: Jacob Rundell (Ill)
4th: Chase Randall (WA)
5th: Sam Freeman (MI)
6th: Chase Deblaere (MN)
7th: Lane Aikey (PA)
8th: Hunter Garvin (Iowa)
120 lbs
1st: Haiden Drury (WA)
2nd: John Wiley (OK)
3rd: Conor Knopick (NE)
4th: Keegan Slyter (KS)
5th: Caleb Henson (GA)
6th: Jesse Ybarra (AZ)
7th: Cooper Birdwell (MT)
8th: Khyler Brewer (MO)
126 lbs
1st: Davin Rhoads (OH)
2nd: Vincent Zerban (Ill)
3rd: Cody Chittum (TN)
4th: Matthew Singleton (GA)
5th: Vance Vombaur (CO)
6th: Robert Avila (Iowa)
7th: Dylan Kohn (FL)
8th: Carson Prim (CA)
132 lbs
1st: Damien Lopez & Fabian Lopez (Ill) share National title
3rd: Ryan Franco (CA)
4th: Dominick Serrano (CO)
5th: Robby Vaughn (WA)
6th: Preston Decker (TX)
7th: Tarrell Wallace (FL)
8th: Cael Berg (MN)
138 lbs
1st: Brayden Roberts (WV)
2nd: Luke Mechler (WI)
3rd: Chase Warden (TX)
4th: Joshua Edmond (MI)
5th: Luke Odom (Ill)
6th: Dalan Jones (MN)
7th: Kobe Ames (AK)
8th: James Johnston (MI)
145 lbs
1st: Robert Perez III (CA)
2nd: Cael Valencia (CA)
3rd: John Martin Best (WV)
4th: Aaden Valdez (CO)
5th: Daniel Segura (OH)
6th: Nicholas Gallegos (CO)
7th: Steven Villalobos (FL)
8th: Tyler Okada (CA)
152 lbs
1st: Carson Manville (PA)
2nd: Camdyn Ingram (LA)
3rd: Tate Picklo (OK)
4th: Tyler Ross (MO)
5th: Kaden Reetz (WI)
6th: Brock Ellis (IN)
7th: Riley Van scoy (WA)
8th: Keegan Rothrock (PA)
160 lbs
1st: Adrien Cramer (Ill)
2nd: Brayden Randolph (MI)
3rd: Jack Darrah (MO)
4th: Aaron Morton (OH)
5th: Matthew Rodgers (NV)
6th: Branson Britten (TX)
7th: Triston Brooks (KY)
8th: Julian Kennedy (WA)
170 lbs
1st: Greyden Penner (MO)
2nd: Sam Skillings (WI)
3rd: Darwin Hull (TX)
4th: Seth Shumate (OH)
5th: Asa Terrell (Ill)
6th: Colin Jagielski (MI)
7th: Kaden Krouse (WA)
8th: Spencer Mooberry (IA)
182 lbs
1st: Tyler Hannah (WI)
2nd: Kyle Haas (KS)
3rd: Samuel Fisher (VA)
4th: Macaron Kukowski (MN)
5th: Colton Hawks (MO)
6th: Josh Labarbera (Ill)
7th: Brock Locnikar (AZ)
8th: John Meyers (PA)
195 lbs
1st: Kolby Franklin (PA)
2nd: Brandon Hoselton (Ill)
3rd: Dorian Crosby (PA)
4th: Cameron Dubose (WA)
5th: Gavin Carter (KS)
6th: Brent Paulus (OH)
7th: Noah Pettigrew (GA)
8th: Micah Downs (Ill)
220 lbs
1st: Braxton Mikesell (WA)
2nd: Gage Cook (WA),
3rd: Nathaniel Deasey (AZ)
4th: Daniel Striggow (MN)
5th: Dominik Vacura (MN)
6th: Chase Horne (GA)
7th: Chris Island (CA)
8th: Jacob Christensen (CA)
285 lbs
1st: Alex Coleman (OH)
2nd: Colby Whitehill (PA)
3rd: Gavin Layton (MN)
4th: Steven Culberson (OK)
5th: Hayden Copass (Ill)
6th: Tony Caldwell (KS)
7th: Josiah Hill (CA)
8th: Nate Miller (PA)
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