Michigan Grappler's 2008 Fargo Preview
Cadet & Junior Freestyle National Championships
Cadet & Junior Greco Roman National Championships
Junior Women's Freestyle National Championships
FargoDome - Fargo, ND
July 18-26, 2008
This weekend will mark the start of one of the truly great events in amateur wrestling, the Cadet and Junior Nationals in Fargo, ND. As always, the top prep wrestlers from all over the country will converge on the Fargodome to battle it out for All-American honors in both freestyle and greco-roman. This event is inarguably the premier national tournament for high school aged wrestlers in America.
As usual Michigan will be sending a large contingency of our top grapplers to try their luck against the best the nation has to offer. Michigan Grappler will be coming to you live from Fargo from the first whistle to the last, however, here is a glance at what to watch for heading into Fargo.
Team Race Outlook
Michigan will be looking to improve upon their sub-par finishes in the team standings last year as the highest men's finish was 13th in Junior Freestyle. Our strongest finish last summer came from the Junior Women as they ended up 3rd, and Michigan has been one of the top states in terms of producing Women's All-Americans as of late. This year should be no different as top names like C.C. Weber, Jennifer Spitza, and Kristi Garr are all national title contenders in the Junior Women's division.
As a state Michigan has proved capable of contending with the traditional powerhouse states this year after finishing 2nd at the NHSCA Senior Nationals and AAU Disney Duals. Now the focus shifts as Michigan will have to prove themselves in the freestyle and greco-roman realms.
Cadets
The Cadet squads appear to be the most suited for a high team finish this year with a solid nucleus of nationally proven grapplers. Lowell super sophomore Jackson Morse is ranked Top 10 nationally and will be a favorite at 145lbs. Another nationally ranked sophomore to watch is Nick McDiarmid, who is ranked 5th among 215lb sophomores. 2x state champ Tyler Keselring has been dominant in the state of Michigan over his first two prep seasons and will be looking to carry that over into national success. Keselring was predicted by WIN Magazine to make the 125lb finals in freestyle, and he is definitely capable.
While some of the state's top freshman and sophomore will be looking to make title runs in Fargo, finishing high as a state in the cadet division may hinge on the performances of a solid group of 8th graders. Jordan Thomas of Greenville and Taylor Massa of St Johns have already made a splash on the high school scene nationally and should both be poised for national title runs this weekend. Some other freshman-to-be looking to make the podium will be Freddie Rodriguez of Holt, who finished as a double Fila Cadet All-American this spring, and Jordan Wohlfert of St Johns, who went undefeated at the Cadet Freestyle Duals last month. Alec Mooradian, who will be a freshman at DCC next fall, is a top tier 8th grader who could advance far as well at 105lbs.
Some top freshman could be in the hunt in Fargo as well. Dundee's Joe Rendina will be back after finishing just short of placing a year ago and Mason's Conor Youtsey went 6-1 in freestyle at the Cadet Duals. Holt's Ben Matthieson had a good showing at the Cadet Duals as well and could go deep into the tournament.
Juniors
If all of Michigan's best freestyle and greco-roman Juniors were in attendance Michigan would have a legitimate shot at cracking the top 5 in Fargo, however, many of the state's top seniors are not slated to compete this summer. Returning Greco National Champ Marcel Dubose and freestyle finalist Mark Weber, among others, are reportedly not competing next week.
One big name that is making the trip will be Senior National Champ Ben Bennett of Rockford, who has gained alot of freestyle expierence since last summer when he finished a round from placing at 171lbs. This year Bennett will be a favorite at 171 and is Michigan's best shot for a national title in the Junior division.
Another junior who should be around for the all-american rounds in both styles is Brenan Lyon of Ithaca. Lyon earned double all-american honors the last two years at cadet 84lbs and will be looking for more of the same this year at junior 98lbs. Another top cadet moving up to junior this year will be Mike Curby who made the Cadet Greco Roman finals last summer. Jake Bohn of East Kentwood was a junior greco all-american last year and Fila Junior greco all-american this spring, however, he suffered an injury at the Junior Duals and is up in the air whether or not he will be competing. Calib Rought of Shelby was a cadet freestyle all-american last year in Fargo, so he knows what it takes to advance far into this tournament as well.
Some other juniors who will be looking to break through nationally include Jake Walters of St Johns, who had a good showing at the Junior Duals, and possibly 3x state champ Kyle Waldo of Rockford if he makes the trip. Waldo, who hasn't traditionally been a freestyle guy, competed at the Junior Duals and did well, however, we have not received word whether or not he will be competing in Fargo. Another to keep an eye on is Swan Valley's Jared Germaine, who finished 4th at the Northeast region in a tough 119lb weight.
With some of the big names out, Michigan will need less nationally proven guys to break through and make runs if we want to finish high in the junior divisions.
Michigan's best bets in Fargo
1. Ben Bennett (Junior 171)
There is no doubt that Bennett is among the best in the country at 171lbs. He enters
Fargo ranked #3 nationally and is one of the guys to beat at 171lbs in freestyle.
WIN Magazine predicted Bennett and Iowa's Grant Gambrall, who is ranked #1, to
make the 171lb freestyle finals. It was Gambrall who knocked Bennett out of Fargo a
year ago in 3-period battle last year a round shy of being an all-american. After
winning 3 state titles and a Senior National crown, all that is left for Bennett to do
before heading to CMU next fall is win gold in Fargo.
2. C.C. Weber (Womens 105)
C.C. won in Fargo two summers ago and was third last year. She is one
of the top female wrestlers in the country and should be primed to get back
on top this summer. Already this year she has won a FILA Junior Women's National
and Pan-American championship, so a win in Fargo seems only a fitting way to cap off her summer.
3. Taylor Massa (Cadet 140lbs)
Massa exploded onto the high school scene last fall when the 8th grade phenom stormed through some of the top high school grapplers in the country at the Super 32 tournament in North Carolina. At the Super 32's Massa knocked off a handful of nationally ranked juniors and seniors, so tangling with the top Cadets should be no problem for him. He has good throws and is skilled in both greco and freestyle and he may be Michigan's best shot to win the elusive Double National Title. Massa did suffer two losses at the Cadet Duals, one in each style, so he is not a lock by any means, but he is definietlely capable of making some serious noise. WIN picked him to make the freestyle finals.
4. Brenan Lyon (Junior 98lbs)
It is hard to doubt that Lyon will be a double all-american this year as he has never not
made the all-american round in any style thus far in his Fargo career. The undersized Lyon
finally broke through in high school this year, making the Division 4 103lbs state finals at
the Palace, and is size appears to be up so 98lbs should be a good weight for him. Like
Massa, the 4x Fargo All-American is equally tough in greco and freestyle.
5. Jordan Thomas (Cadet 145lbs)
Thomas, like Massa, may not be in high school yet but has already proven himself
against some of the best preps in the country. At the Disney Duals he picked up some huge wins and will look to continue that success in Fargo. We havent seen much of Thomas in freestyle or greco yet, but there is no better stage to make a name for yourself than the FargoDome, and he is poised to do it.
6. Jackson Morse (Cadet 145lbs)
Morse had one of the most impressive performances at the Palace this year as the sophomore ran through a loaded 140lb bracket in Division 2 to win his first state title. He also scored a big win over 2x Fargo runner-up Mark Weber this year, so there is no doubt that Morse can compete with anyone in the country. An injury kept him out of Fargo last summer so this will be his first trip to North Dakota. If he can compete in Fargo the way he competed in Auburn Hills, then Michigan could have two national title contenders at Cadet 145.
7. Mike Curby (Junior 171lbs)
Curby has emerged as one of Michigan's top greco-roman wrestlers after finishing national runner-up in Cadet greco last summer and runner-up again this spring at the Fila Juniors in greco. His past sucess should give him a favorable seat in the bracket and a good shot at making the podium in his first year at the Junior level.
8. Freddie Rodriguez (Cadet 91lbs)
Rodriguez has done just about all a youth wrestler can do over the past few years, winning nearly every top national event he has entered. Therefore, he should have the confidence and expierence to step in and make an immediate impact in Fargo. At the Fila Juniors this spring Rodriguez showed that he is right there, finishing 2nd in greco and 5th in freestyle.
9. Tyler Keselring (Cadet 125lbs)
Keselring is a 2x Michigan state champ and a top name lightweight in the state of Michigan.
He was relatively unknown nationally until WIN Magazine picked him to make the freestyle
finals. A year ago Keselring failed to win a match in Fargo, however, the frantic atmosphere
that swirls around the Fargo Dome in mid-July can do that to even the best wrestler. He went
11-1 in Disney and if he shows up this year ready to go, he should be around come Day 2 and
Day 3 in Fargo.
10. Nick McDiarmid (Cadet 215lbs)
McDiarmid came out of nowwhere this year to finish runner-up at 215lbs in D2, which is rare for a sophmore. He is ranked 5th nationally among sophomore 215lbers and had a good showing at Disney with some big wins over nationally ranked guys. Real tough cadet 215lbers are few and far between so McDiarmid should be one of the top contenders in both styles.
