TOM's Takeaways from a Wild Men's 16U Greco-Roman Finals, Plus Final Team Results

Pictured: Brady Collins (CO - Left) vs. Joel Adams (NE - Right) wrestling in the 138-pound Freestyle Finals of Fargo 2021 on July 19, 2021. Photo: NEwrestle Twitter Page (@NEBwrestle). 

What we saw:  With the end of the day at the Fargodome, another tournament has concluded, and the U16 Men's Greco-Roman tournament is in the books. Much the same way that Team Pennsylvania ran away with the men's 16U freestyle title, the Keystone State also took home the U16 Greco title in a decisive fashion.

According to Jason Bryant of Mat Talk Online, Team Pennsylvania's win (197 team points) brings an end to a seven-year winning streak for Greco powerhouse Team Illinois, which tied for eighth this year in 2021. Minnesota (128), Wisconsin (101), Idaho (91), and Oklahoma (86) rounded out your Top-5 teams. With 197 total team points, Team PA's margin of victory was a whopping 69.  

Also of note, Idaho's Mack Mauger (94) and Wisconsin's Koy Hopke (220) both won individual titles in Thursday's 16U Greco-Roman finals to win the coveted USA Wrestling Triple Crown awards.

 Nebraska's Joel Adams (138), who won his second Fargo title of the week, was named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler.

Below are the final results from the Junior Women's Freestyle Finals.

88: Haakon Peterson (Wisconsin) VPO1 Javaan Yarbrough (Ohio), 5-2

94: Mack Mauger (Idaho) VPO Brady Phelps (Illinois), 6-0

100: Layne Kleimann (Utah) VSU Trey Wagner (Pennsylvania), 13-0 1:44

106: Anthony Ruzic (Illinois) VPO1 Matthew Martino (Idaho), 4-3

113: Austin Laudenbach (Minnesota) VPO1 Nick Treaster (Kansas), 4-3

120: Kael Lauridsen (Nebraska) VSU Tanner Frothinger (Idaho), 11-0 1:07

126: Mason Gibson (Pennsylvania) VCA Kamdyn Williams (Pennsylvania), 12-9

132: Zach Hanson (Minnesota) VSU1 Dmitri Alarcon (Colorado), 12-1 3:38

138: Joel Adams (Nebraska) VSU Brady Collins (Colorado), 12-0 1:24

145: Pierson Manville (Pennsylvania) VPO1 Brett Back (Wisconsin), 6-1

152: Arvin Khosravy (California) VPO1 Nicholas Fox (Iowa), 9-6

160: Liam Scrivanich (Pennsylvania) VPO1 Jed Wester (Minnesota), 11-4

170: Oscar Williams (Oklahoma) VPO1 Toby Schoffstall (Virginia), 6-4

182: Cody Merrill (California) VPO Soren Herzog (Minnesota), 6-0

195: Sawyer Bartelt (Florida) VPO1 William Mccleary (Utah), 8-2

220: Koy Hopke (Wisconsin) VPO1 Austin Johnson (Pennsylvania), 9-4

285: Navarro Schunke (South Dakota) VPO1 Spencer Lanosga (Louisiana), 9-2

Now of TOM's Takeaways from the Men's 16U Greco-Roman Finals.

Congratulations to a Pair of Triple Crown Honorees: Winning a Fargo stop sign is no small feat in its own right. Idaho's Mack Mauger and Wisconsin's Koy Hopke took it a step further. Not only did they double-up, taking home 16U titles in Freestyle and Greco, but the pair won the 16U Folkstyle titles earlier this year as well. To string together win after win in three of the toughest tournaments in high school wrestling is remarkable. The achievement speaks for itself. These youngers, both of whom are underclassmen currently, will be a real treat to watch throughout the remainder of their prep careers.

Five Greco Grapplers Double-Up: In addition to Mauger and Hopke mentioned above, three other athletes won their second Fargo titles of the weekend: Minnesota's Zach Hanson (132), Nebraska's Joel Adams, and South Dakota's Navarro Schunke (285). Again, to be able to take to the mat 10-plus times over five grueling days of high-level wrestling is terrific. Well done.

Redemption is so Sweet: Multiple finalists were able to bounce back with titles in the Greco tournament finals after suffering brutal losses just days prior in the finals of the 16U freestyle tournament. The laser-focus and dedication it takes to do so is commendable: Haakon Peterson (Wisconsin/88), Pierson Manville (Pennsylvania/145), and Cody Merrill (California/170/182) all accomplished this feat. In Merrill's case, rather impressively, he bumped up from 170 (freestyle) to 182 (Greco) and got it done at the heavier weight.

Have Yourself a Tournament Team Idaho: Team Idaho was defiantly the surprise team of the 16U Greco field that outperformed its expectations. As a team, Idaho stormed to a four-place finish after the Gem State has 7 All-Americans, which was the most in 16U Greco-Roman in state history. Their  three finalists are the most in state history as well, according to Jason Bryant of Mat Talk Online.  

What a Comeback Mason Gibson: One of the unique things about freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling (as opposed to Folkstyle) is the ability to score many points in a hurry. We saw this play out on both sides of the all-PA Greco final at 126 between Mason Gibson and Kamdyn Williams. The match was indeed a wild one and worth a re-watch. Gibson fought back from a 9-0 deficit to earn the DQ (two leg foul cautions) while leading 12-9 in the second period at 126 pounds. That means that Kam started the match with nine straight points, and Mason ended it with 12 in a row of his own. Talk about a bout of "runs." Watch the match here

The win was probably even sweeter for Mason after coming up short in freestyle at 126 (third), where he was the favorite to win the weight. Any way you look at it, the Bishop McCort star, who is TOM's No. 1 in the Class of 2024, likely didn't jeopardize his standing in the national rankings while scrapping in Fargo. 

However, the rising-sophomore phenom was sporting a big knee brace that was heavily taped throughout the event. Hopefully, whatever the issue is, it isn't serious for the 2021 PIAA runner-up. 

Nice Throws Joel Adams: What an outstanding tournament for Nebraska's Joel Adams, who brought home titles in both 16U divisions plus another award for the Outstand Wrestler of the Greco tournament. What impressed me, though, was his ability to save his best stuff  for when the lights were brightest – the Finals. 

He got the two points needed to earn the 7-6 win at the buzzer in freestyle. Watch here.  

In Greco-Roman he stormed to a first-period tech due to a big four-point throw and a five-point throw. Watch here.  

The Joel Adams stock is clearly on the rise after a phenomenal Fargo 2021 for the young Nebraskan.  

Pennsylvania's Pierson Manville goes from Freestyle Heartbreak to Greco Glory: After losing a heartbreaker in the waning seasons of the 145-pound freestyle final earlier this week, Manville did not let the tough loss linger. Instead, the PA middleweight regrouped and won himself a big stop sign in Greco.

Also of note, according to Jason Bryant of Mat Talk Online, Pierson taking the 2021 Greco title marks the Manville family's ninth overall crown amongst the brothers in Fargo. Mason won four, Carson won four, and this was Pierson's first.

South Dakota's Navarro Schunke makes South Dakota History: Put the name Navarro Schunke in the wrestling record books in the Mount Rushmore State. Schunke's 16U Greco-Roman title is the first-ever in South Dakota history, which means he's the first 16U wrestler to double up, per Jason Bryant of Mat Talk Online.

Here are the biographies for all of your U16 Men's Greco Fargo finalists. 

Men's 16 Greco-Roman All-American Results and Final Team Standings 

16U Greco-Roman Nationals
Fargo, N.D., July 22

88 LBS

1st Haakon Peterson (Wisconsin) dec. Javaan Yarbrough (Ohio), 5-2

3rd Griffin Rial (Colorado) dec. Lawson Eller (Minnesota), 9-7

5th Cole Welte (Nebraska) tech fall Revin Dickman (Indiana), 13-0 1:59

7th Kole Davidheiser (Pennsylvania) tech. fall William Jakeway (South Carolina), 15-4 3:14

94 LBS

1st Mack Mauger (Idaho) dec. Brady Phelps (Illinois), 6-0

3rd Ezekiel Witt (Kansas) dec.  Cadyn Coyle (Nebraska), 10-3

5th Davis Motyka (Pennsylvania) tech. fall Josef Garshnick (Pennsylvania), 11-0 3:34

7th Ryker Graff (Iowa) tech. fall Devin Bobzien (California), 13-0 1:35

100 LBS

1st Layne Kleimann (Utah) tech fall Trey Wagner (Pennsylvania), 13-0 1:44

3rd Aaron Seidel (Pennsylvania) dec. Jaxton Packer (Idaho), 7-5

5th Gage Singleton (Oregon) tech. fall Cole Gentsch (Illinois), 10-0 0:58

7th Jared Johnston (Ohio) dec. Colin Martin (Virginia), 9-6

106 LBS

1st Anthony Ruzic (Illinois) dec. Matthew Martino (Idaho), 4-3

3rd Sloan Johannsen (South Dakota) dec. Carter Nogle (Maryland), 11-9

5th Noah Nininger (Virginia) pin Nathan Desmond (Pennsylvania), 2:50

7th Adam Butler (Ohio) tech. fall Sean Campbell (New York), 11-0 3:45

113 LBS

1st Austin Laudenbach (Minnesota) dec. Nick Treaster (Kansas), 4-3

3rd Marcello Milani (Michigan) dec. Drew Gorman (Georgia), 5-3

5th Logan Swensen (Minnesota) forfeit Miles Anderson (Nebraska), 0-0

7th Treygen Morin (Idaho) tech fall Sam Herring (Pennsylvania), 11-0 1:15

120 LBS

1st Kael Lauridsen (Nebraska) tech. fall Tanner Frothinger (Idaho), 11-0 1:07

3rd Zan Fugitt (Missouri) tech fall  Garrett Reece (Colorado), 12-1 3:51

5th Ruben Lorenzana (Ohio) dec. Jax Forrest (North Carolina), 13-13

7th Phoenix Contos (Ohio) dec. Marcos Torrez (Washington), 10-8

126 LBS

1st Mason Gibson (Pennsylvania) disq. Kamdyn Williams (Pennsylvania), 12-9, cautions

3rd Ayson Rice (South Dakota) dec. Aaron Lucio (Michigan), 17-10

5th Daniel Zepeda (California) dec. Adrian Meza (Arizona), 14-6

7th Rhett Koenig (Wisconsin) dec. Joshua Neiwert (Washington), 4-1

132 LBS

1st Zach Hanson (Minnesota) tech fall Dmitri Alarcon (Colorado), 12-1 3:38

3rd Casper Stewart (New York) tech. fall Gabriel Delgado (Nevada), 15-4 3:46

5th Laird Root (California) dec. JJ Mccomas-Rogers (Oklahoma), 4-3

7th Gabriel Bouyssou (Rhode Island) dec. Alex Mentzer (South Dakota), 12-6

138 LBS

1st Joel Adams (Nebraska) tech. fall Brady Collins (Colorado), 12-0 1:24

3rd Noah manuel Tapia (Illinois) dec. Jude Randall (Oklahoma), 12-5

5th Brandon Cody (Florida) VFA Cade White (Idaho), 14-3 3:46

7th Justin Avila (Iowa) VPO1 Yannis Charles (South Carolina), 15-13

145 LBS

1st Pierson Manville (Pennsylvania) dec. Brett Back (Wisconsin), 6-1

3rd Dylan Evans (Pennsylvania) dec. Ethan Mojena (Florida), 5-3

5th Duncan Christensen (Virginia) dec. Layton Schneider (Oklahoma), 5-3

7th Mike Baker (Iowa) dec. Hudson Rogers (Idaho), 9-3

152 LBS

1st Arvin Khosravy (California) dec. Nicholas Fox (Iowa), 9-6

3rd Zachary Eliszewski (Wisconsin) dec. Kj Evans (Oklahoma), 15-5 3:28

5th Lars Michaelson (Washington) dec. Dominic Bambinelli (Georgia), 7-2

7th Gavin Fernandez (California) tech. fall Braxton Strick (Missouri), 10-0 2:00

160 LBS

1st Liam Scrivanich (Pennsylvania) dec. Jed Wester (Minnesota), 11-4

3rdRoman Garcia (Florida) dec. Travis Smith (Minnesota), 14-5)

5th Talon Mccollom (Oklahoma) tech. fall Luis Mendoza (Washington), 10-0 0:20

7th Gavin Ricketts (Kentucky) dec. Tyler Martinez (Illinois), 8-3

170 LBS

1st Oscar Williams (Oklahoma) dec. Toby Schoffstall (Virginia), 6-4

3rd Noah Poe-hatten (Montana) dec. Hoke Poe hogan (Georgia), 17-11

5th Harvey Ludington (New Jersey) dec. Nick Nosler (Illinois), 13-8

7th Maximus Hanson (Minnesota) pin David Malin (Wisconsin), 2:38

182 LBS

1st Cody Merrill (California) dec. Soren Herzog (Minnesota), 6-0

3rd De'alcapon Veazy (Indiana) tech. fall Kingsley Menifee (Virginia), 15-4 4:00

5th Ian Smith (Wisconsin) forfeit Hudson Davis (Oregon),

7th Erik Mccown (Oklahoma) pin Adrian Gacek (Pennsylvania), 3:02

195 LBS

1st Sawyer Bartelt (Florida) dec William Mccleary (Utah), 8-2

3rd Mccrae Hagarty (Iowa) dec.Max Agresti (Delaware), 5-3

5th Richard Thomas (Oklahoma) dec. Dai'mont Mucker (Missouri), 12-6

7th Hunter Tibodeau (Washington) tech. fall William Caneer (Alabama), 18-6 2:18

 

220 LBS

1st Koy Hopke (Wisconsin) dec. Austin Johnson (Pennsylvania), 9-4

3rd Erick Brothers (West Virginia) pin Vaun Halstead (Oregon), 0:59

5th Parker Ferrell (Virginia) dec. Samuel Murphy (Missouri), 10-5

7th Nicholas Sahakian (California) forfeit Jacob Walker (Iowa)

285 LBS

1st Navarro Schunke (South Dakota) dec. Spencer Lanosga (Louisiana), 9-2

3rd Sebastian Lopez (Kansas) dec. Aidan Fockler (Ohio), 8-1

5th Aidan Trujillo (Colorado) forfeit Wyatt Smith (Iowa)

7th Cameron Groncki (New York) pin Willie Cox (Alabama), 0:57

Team Standings

1 – Pennsylvania 197

2 - Minnesota128

3 – Wisconsin 101

4 - Idaho 91

5 - Oklahoma 86

6 – California 80

7 - Nebraska 78

8 (tie) Colorado and Illinois 76

10 (tie) Florida and Virginia 61

12 – Iowa 59

13 - South Dakota 57

14 - Ohio 56

15 - Kansas 50

16 - Utah 45

17 (tie)   Georgia  and Missouri 31

19 - Oregon 28

20 – Michigan 27

21 - Washington 25

22 (tie) Indiana and New York 22

24 -  Louisiana 20

25 (tie)   Montana and West Virginia 15

27 (tie) Delaware, Maryland and Nevada 12

30 -  New Jersey 9

31 (tie)   Arizona  and North Carolina 7

33 (tie)   Kentucky and Rhode Island 5

35 (tie) Alabama and South Carolina 4



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