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    2012 Junior & Cadet Nationals Day 4 Recap

    FARGO, N.D. -- Nkosi Moody of Illinois has never won a state championship at the high school level, but now stands one tournament title away from making history as the first back-to-back Junior Triple Crown winner -- a Junior National champion in all three styles, two years in a row.

    Nkosi Moody claimed the Junior National Greco-Roman title at 106 pounds (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)
    The 18-year-old Moody was one of 15 champions crowned on Tuesday in the Junior National Greco-Roman competition. To cap off his second straight Junior Triple Crown, Moody must come out on top in the Junior National freestyle competition, which gets underway on Thursday.

    Moody's victory on Tuesday in the Junior National Greco-Roman finals came over fellow statesman Tommy Pawelski in three periods. Moody took the first period by scoring with a two-point gut wrench with 10 seconds remaining in the period. Pawleski came out on top 3-0 in the second period, scoring with a one-point turn, followed by a two-point turn. Moody took control of the match in the third, scoring a one-point takedown off a high dive and then adding another two points off a counter.

    Moody, who bounced back from a loss in his pool on Monday, was one of five Junior National Greco-Roman titlists for team champion Illinois. The other Land of Lincoln champions included Jabari Moody (100), Kevon Powell (120), Zane Richards (132), and Sam Brooks (185).

    Jabari Moody, the younger brother of Nkosi Moody, claimed his first Junior title in Fargo with a 1-0, 2-1 victory over J.J. McClelland of Wisconsin in the finals at 100 pounds. The younger Moody won the first period by successfully defending in par terre, then came back to win the second period 2-1 after giving up the first takedown of the period.

    Powell, a two-time state runner-up for Montini Catholic High School, sent shock waves through the FARGODOME when he knocked off returning Junior National Greco-Roman champion Isaiah Varona of Florida in pool competition at 120 pounds. In the finals Powell needed three periods to defeat Washington's Josh Newberg. Powell won the first period 6-0, with all six of his points coming in par terre with three two-point gut wrenches. Newberg took the second period 1-0. The third period went to par terre, where Powell had choice and chose the down position and successfully defended to win the period and the match.

    Illinois had five champions and claimed the team title (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)
    Richards, a five-time Fargo finalist, shut out Pennsylvania's Tyson Dippery, 1-0, 2-0, in the finals at 132 pounds. Richards won the first period by successfully defending in the 30-second forced par terre. Richards scored a one-point takedown and one-point turn to win the second period 2-0.

    Brooks, a University of Iowa recruit, defeated Michigan's Kevin Beazley to win his title at 182 pounds. Brooks won the first period 2-0 by getting a reversal and additional point for defending in par terre. He then closed out the match by winning 1-0 in the second period.

    In addition to Brooks, two other University of Iowa recruits claimed titles, Cory Clark (126) and Alex Meyer (170), both from Iowa.

    Clark, a four-time state champion for Southeast Polk High School, cruised to the title at 126 pounds, winning 9-0, 6-0 over Joel Shump of Illinois in the finals. Clark was able to get to his dominant reverse lift position three times, scoring two five-point throws and a leg foul.

    Meyer, a state champion for Southeast Polk High School, battled fellow Iowan Justin Koethe in the finals at 170 pounds. Koethe appeared to be on his way to claiming the title after winning the first period 5-0 and racing out to a 3-0 lead in the second period. But midway through the second period Meyer threw Koethe to his back and secured the pin.

    Meyer is one of four wrestlers who remain alive for a Junior Triple Crown, along with the aforementioned Nkosi Moody (106), Texas' Oliver Pierce (152), and Michigan's Adam Coon (285).

    Pierce handled Ohio's T.J. Fox in the 152-pound finals, 7-0, 2-0. Pierce was dominant in the par terre position, scoring with three gut wrenches in the first period, and adding another two-point gut wrench in the second period. Pierce, who will be a senior at Allen High School in Texas, has already committed to the University of Oklahoma.

    Coon, who is ranked as the nation's No. 2 senior recruit by InterMat, proved to be too much for Stanford recruit Josh Marchok of Illinois. Coon took the first period 1-0 before closing out the match with a dominating 6-0 second period.

    Grant LaMont earned Most Outstanding Wrestler honors (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)
    Utah's Grant LaMont, a FILA Cadet National champion, turned in one of the most dominating finals performances, earning a 7-0, 7-0 technical fall shutout over North Dakota's Ryan Blees. In the first period Lamont scored a one-point takedown, then followed it up with three two-point trapped-arm gut wrenches to win 7-0. LaMont was equally as dominant in the second period, once again winning 7-0 and closing out the match with a five-point throw. He finished the tournament with a 10-0 record, which included three pins, two technical falls, and four shutout victories. He won 20 of 21 periods. LaMont earned Most Outstanding Wrestler honors in the Junior National Greco-Roman competition.

    Hayden Tuma, a two-time FILA Cadet National champion, defeated Minnesota's Mitch Bengtson in three periods to claim the title at 138 pounds. The first two periods went to par terre, with Tuma winning the first period and Bengtson the second period. Tuma took the final period 2-0. Tuma has now beaten Bengtson in two Greco-Roman finals in Fargo.

    Florida's Geordan Speiller, a Junior World Team member, repeated as champion with a 6-0, 3-0 shutout victory over Wisconsin's Matt Gray in the finals at 160 pounds. In the last 16 months, Speiller has two Fargo Greco-Roman titles and two FILA Junior finals appearances.

    Jarred Oftedahl celebrates after winning the title at 113 pounds (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)
    Minnesota's lone champion was Jarred Oftedahl, who claimed the title at 113 pounds with a three-period victory over Javier Vieyra of Kansas. Vieyra took the first period on the strength of a two-point trapped-arm gut wrench in the final 10 seconds of the period. Oftedahl, a two-time InterMat JJ Classic placewinner, was able to shut down Vieyra the rest of the match, while earning a pushout point in each of the final two periods.

    Maryland's Kyle Snyder, whose road to the finals included a victory over Missouri's J'den Cox, which reversed last year's Cadet Greco-Roman final, won in two periods over California's Dan Chaid, 2-0, 1-1, in the finals at 220 pounds.

    At 195 pounds, it was a battle of Pennsylvania wrestlers as Ryan Solomon shut out Alen Turcinhodzic, 1-0, 3-0, in the finals. It was Solomon's fifth All-American finish in Fargo.

    Finals Results:
    100: Jabari Moody (Illinois) dec. J.J. McClelland (Wisconsin), 1-0, 3-1
    106: Nkosi Moody (Illinois) dec. Tommy Pawelski (Illinois), 2-0, 0-3, 3-1
    113: Jarred Oftedahl (Minnesota) dec. Javier Vieyra (Kansas), 1-2, 1-0, 1-0
    120: Kevon Powell (Illinois) dec. Josh Newberg (Washington), 6-0, 0-1, 1-0
    126: Cory Clark (Iowa) tech. fall Joel Shump (Illinois), 9-0, 6-0
    132: Zane Richards (Illinois) dec. Tyson Dippery (Pennsylvania), 1-0, 2-0
    138: Hayden Tuma (Idaho) dec. Mitch Bengtson (Minnesota), 1-0, 0-2, 2-0
    145: Grant LaMont (Utah) pinned Ryan Blees (North Dakota), 7-0, 1:42
    152: Oliver Pierce (Texas) dec. T.J. Fox (Ohio), 7-0, 2-0
    160: Geordan Speiller (Florida) dec. Matt Gray (Wisconsin), 6-0, 3-0
    170: Alex Meyer (Iowa) pinned Justin Koethe (Iowa), 0-5, 0:56
    182: Sam Brooks (Illinois) dec. Kevin Beazley (Michigan), 2-0, 1-0
    195: Ryan Solomon (Pennsylvania) dec. Alen Turcinhodzic (Pennsylvania), 1-0, 3-0
    220: Kyle Snyder (Maryland) dec. Dan Chaid (California), 2-0, 1-1
    285: Adam Coon (Michigan) dec. Josh Marchok (Illinois), 1-0, 8-0

    Junior women's freestyle champions crowned

    Katie Germain earned Most Outstanding Wreslter honors (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)
    Florida's Katie Germain, a FILA Cadet World Team member, earned Most Outstanding Wrestler honors in the Junior women's freestyle competition on Tuesday after earning a first-period pin over Michigan's Rachel McFarland in the finals at 130 pounds.

    Germain was one of 12 champions crowned in the Junior women's freestyle competition. Other champions included Georgia's Amy Hou (97), Colorado's Cody Pfau (105), Iowa's Megan Black (112), Alaska's Hope Steffensen (117), Indiana's Kayla Miracle (121), Texas' Evalyn Reyna (125), New York's Alexis Porter (139), Texas' Natalia Hinojo (148), New York's Mary Westman (159), Oregon's Sam Urban (172), and Texas' Kierra Boyce (198).

    Finals Results:
    97: Amy Hou (Georgia) dec. Thai Ha Sloan (Hawaii), 1-0, 1-0
    105: Cody Pfau (Colorado) dec. Haley Moreno (Texas), 6-0, 6-3
    112: Megan Black (Iowa) dec. Hanna Grisewood (New York), 3-0, 2-0
    117: Hope Steffensen (Alaska) dec. Cassy Herkelman (Iowa), 0-1, 3-1, 6-4
    121: Kayla Miracle (Indiana) dec. Steffanie Hampton (Michigan), 4-0, 8-2
    125: Evalyn Reyna (Texas) dec. Jenna Elmlinger (Wyoming), 2-0, 1-0
    130: Katie Germain (Florida) pinned Rachel McFarland (Michigan), 1:20
    139: Alexis Porter (New York) dec. Jasmine Mendoza (California), 1-0, 1-0
    148: Natalia Hinojo (Texas) dec. Desiree Harms (Washington), 0-1, 3-0, 2-0
    159: Mary Westman (New York) dec. Kiaya Van Scoyoc (Washington), 2-7, 7-2, 3-1
    172: Sam Urban (Oregon) dec. Kaitlyn Hill (Michigan), 3-2, 1-5, 5-0
    198: Kierra Boyce (Texas) dec. Tiaira Scott (Illinois), 3-2, 1-0
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