The matches will start at 7 p.m. ET, and here is a preview of them in order of being wrestled.
132: Chad Red (New Palestine, Ind.) vs. Taylor LaMont (Maple Mountain, Utah)
This match features a pair of past Fargo freestyle champions, both of whom are in the top 20 for the Class of 2017. Red was a Cadet National champion in 2014, and is a three-time state champion in the Hoosier State, without a scholastic loss. The No. 5 overall senior was champion at the Super 32 Challenge and FloNationals during the 2014-15 season. Like Red, LaMont is a three-time state champion. He is ranked No. 19 overall in the senior class, and was a double finalist at the Junior Nationals this summer at 132 pounds, winning the title in freestyle.
132: Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe, Pa.) vs. Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.)
This match features a pair of two-time defending champions at the Super 32 Challenge; Pletcher winning the last two years at 120 and 132 pounds, while Diakomihalis has won titles at 106 and 120. Pletcher, a two-time state champion and three-time state finalist, is ranked No. 9 overall in the senior class; also a three-time FloNatonals finalist, he has runner-up finishes the last two years after winning in 2013. Diakomhalis, a three-time state champion when considering the title he won in eighth grade, is ranked No. 4 overall in the Junior Class; he is also a two-time FloNationals finalist, winning a title in 2014, and a UWW Cadet World freestyle champion this summer.
182: Dakota Geer (Franklin, Pa.) vs. Beau Breske (Hartford, Wis.)
Both wrestlers in this match are ranked within the top 50 of the Class of 2016. Ranked No. 41 overall, Geer was a state champion this past season, after placing third the prior season. In addition, he placed seventh at the Super 32 Challenge, won a FloNationals title, and went undefeated at the Disney Duals. Breske is currently No. 13 overall in the senior class, and was a Junior National freestyle champion this summer at 170 pounds; he also is a three-time state finalist, having won state titles during his freshman and sophomore campaigns.
113: Gavin Teasdale (Jefferson Morgan, Pa.) vs. Roman Bravo-Young (Sunnyside, Ariz.)
This match features a pair of wrestlers ranked in the top 15 overall for the Class of 2018, each of whom won state during their freshman year of high school. Ranked No. 3 overall in the sophomore class, Teasdale has made the UWW Cadet World Team in freestyle each of the last two years, first at 42 kilos then at 50 kilos. Bravo-Young is ranked No. 15 overall in the sophomore class, finishing third at the UWW Cadet National freestyle tournament in the 50 kilo weight class and winning double title in the Cadet Nationals at 113 pounds this summer.
145: Jared Verkleeren (Belle Vernon Area, Pa.) vs. Kyle Bierdumpfel (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.)
Despite failing to make even the semifinals of his high school state tournament during his two years of high school to date, Verkleeren has already won a UWW Cadet World title in freestyle, and is a two-time team member at 63 kilos. Ranked No. 6 overall in the Class of 2017, he also placed fourth in the Super 32 Challenge at 138 pounds last fall before his fourth at state finish in the 145 pound weight class during the 2014-15 season. A three-time state finalist in as many seasons, Bierdumpfel won the elusive state title during his junior year after runner-up finishes the previous two seasons. Ranked No. 35 overall in the Class of 2016, he placed fourth in Junior freestyle this summer.
152: Hayden Hidlay (Mifflin County, Pa.) vs. Mason Manville (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.)
This is a fourth meeting for the wrestlers across styles during the last three calendar months, with Hidlay having won the previous three meetings; Junior National Greco-Roman final, Junior National freestyle consolation quarterfinal, and Journeymen Classic final in folkstyle. The pair of wrestlers occupy back-to-back positions in the Class of 2016 rankings, North Carolina State commit Hidlay is No. 14, while Penn State commit Manville is No. 15. In addition, Hidlay is a two-time state placer (third and sixth), finished third at the Super 32 Challenge last fall, and a FloNationals champion this spring; Manville was a UWW Cadet freestyle world champion last summer, and placed third at the FloNationals this spring.
195: Nick Reenan (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Samuel Colbray (Hermiston, Ore.)
Both wrestlers in this match occupy top ten positions within the Class of 2016. Ranked No. 7 overall in the senior class, Reenan was a National Prep champion and FloNationals champion in folkstyle during 2015 at 170 pounds, before winning double titles at 182 pounds in Fargo at the Junior level. The No. 10 ranked Colbray is a three-time state champion, a NHSCA Junior Nationals champion at 195 pounds, and a Junior Nationals double runner-up at 195 in Fargo this summer.
220: Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn.) vs. Jordan Wood (Boyertown, Pa.)
This match features the last two United States representatives on the UWW Cadet World Team at 100 kilos in freestyle. Steveson earned a world championship this summer, while Wood was a silver medalist the year before; Steveson earned a decisive victory over Wood in the semifinals of the UWW Cadet Nationals on the way to his national title this spring. Ranked No. 1 overall in the Class of 2018, Steveson was a state champion during his freshman year after a runner-up finish in eighth grade, and was also Cadet National freestyle champion this summer at 220. Wood is ranked No. 6 overall in the Class of 2016, earning his elusive state title this past high school season after runner-up finishes as a freshman and sophomore; in addition, Wood was a Junior National double finalist at 220 pounds, winning the title in freestyle.
126: Daton Fix (Sand Springs, Okla.) vs. Rudy Yates (Carl Sandburg, Ill.)
Fix is the nation's top ranked Class of 2017 wrestler after his two match sweep of Spencer Lee at the UWW Cadet Nationals in freestyle competing at the 54-kilo weight class. The two-time state champion earned a bronze medal on the world level, and during the 2014-15 year was a finalist at both the Super 32 Challenge and FloNationals in the 120 pound weight class (runner-up to Diakomihalis at Super 32, beating Diakomiahlis to win at FloNationals). Yates is ranked No. 17 overall in the senior class, winning state titles as a freshman and junior to sandwich the fourth place finish from his sophomore campaign
132-pound final: winners of the matches to open the evening at 132
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