Guida and Cassioppi aim to repeat as Junior Fargo champions

FARGO, N.D. – Wil Guida of New Jersey and Anthony Cassioppi of Illinois are the only 2017 Junior Freestyle Fargo champs to return to the finals, navigating their ways through Monday night’s semifinals. They will look to defend their titles Tuesday afternoon at the 2018 USMC Cadet and Junior National Championships in Fargo, N.D.

At 106 pounds, Guida, who took the 2017 crown at 100 pounds, defeated Riley Parker of Virginia with a decisive 8-3 victory. He will meet up with 2017 Cadet Greco-Roman champion Anthony King of Illinois.

Cassioppi is in the hunt for his second Triple Crown at the Junior level and his third overall Junior Fargo championship. The only wrestler in history to win two Junior Triple Crowns was Adam Coon, a 2018 Senior Greco-Roman World Team member.

The University of Iowa commit will take on 2017 Cadet freestyle national champion Nash Hutmacher of South Dakota.

In addition to Cassioppi, Jack Jessen of Illinois aims for a USA Wrestling Triple Crown after winning the Junior Folkstyle title in April.

To get to the finals, Jessen defeated past Cadet champion Devin Winston of Missouri with a 12-2 tech fall. He will face 2017 Fargo All-American Joel Shapiro from Iowa for the 182-pound title.

Three past Cadet World Team members fell in Monday night’s semifinals.

2017 Junior All-American Carson Kharchla of Ohio downed 2016 Cadet World bronze medalist Travis Wittlake of Oregon in the semis at 170 pounds with a 7-4 decision.

Kharchla will face 2016 Cadet Fargo All-American Dustin Plott of Oklahoma.

Fresh off a trip to the 2018 Cadet World Championships in Greco-Roman, Brenden Chaowanapibool of Washington dropped a 6-0 bout to King of Illinois at 106 pounds.

At 120 pounds, Aden Reeves of Iowa went from taking fifth in 2017 to guaranteeing himself a top-two finish when he advanced to the finals with an 8-8 decision on criteria over 2017 Cadet World Team member and 2016 Cadet Fargo champion Julian Tagg of Ohio.

Coming through the other side of the bracket was past Cadet Greco-Roman World Team member Eric Barnett of Wisconsin, who defeated Kyle Biscoglia of Iowa in the semifinals.

At 132 pounds, a pair of 2017 Cadet World Team members will go head-to-head as Freestyle World Team member Jordan Decatur of Ohio will face Greco-Roman World Teamer Ridge Lovett of Idaho in the finals.

Decatur advanced to the finals after a barnburner semifinal against Jackson Henson of Pennsylvania. The Ohio native came out on top of a 17-16 decision.

Lovett took fifth in Juniors at 120 pounds last summer, while Decatur, who won the 2016 Cadet freestyle title at 120 pounds, did not compete last year.

Another World Team member competing in tomorrow’s finals is 2018 Cadet Greco-Roman World Teamer Luke Luffman of Illinois, who defeated Joshua Heindselman of Oklahoma with an 8-1 win.

It was a rematch of the best-of-three finals of the 2018 Cadet Greco World Team Trials, with Luffman taking two solid wins.

Luffman will go head-to-head with fellow Illinois native and 2017 Junior All-American Jace Punke of Illinois.

At 160 pounds, 2016 Cadet All-American Danny Braunagel of Illinois knocked off returning Junior finalist Tyler Dow of Wisconsin with a 12-8 win.

Tomorrow, Braunagel will face another 2017 Junior runner-up in Jared Franek of North Dakota State.

Two 2017 Junior All-Americans will go at it for the crown at 152 pound as Brayton Lee of Pennsylvania and Alex Lloyd of Minnesota are set to meet on Tuesday afternoon.

Other Junior All-Americans set to wrestle tomorrow are Michael Colaiocco of New Jersey at 126 pounds, Logan Meek of Oregon at 145 pounds and Lucas Davison of Indiana at 195 pounds.

Cullan Schriever, a 2016 Cadet freestyle champion, aims for his second overall Fargo title and first in Junior as he advanced to the 113-pound final.

The Junior Freestyle finals will be wrestled Tuesday at 1 p.m. CT live on Flowrestling.org.

2018 USMC CADET AND JUNIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

at Fargo, N.D.

Finals pairings
100: Joseph Fischer (Pennsylvania) vs. Ronan Schuelke (Illinois)
106: Anthony King (Illinois) vs. Wil Guida (New Jersey)
113: Cullan Schriever (Iowa) vs. Jonathan Prata (California)
120: Aden Reeves (Iowa) vs. Eric Barnett (Wisconsin)
126: Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma) vs. Michael Colaiocco (New Jersey)
132: Jordan Decatur (Ohio) vs. Ridge Lovett (Idaho)
138: Keegan O'toole (Wisconsin) vs. Gabriel Tagg (Ohio)
145: Logan Meek (Oregon) vs. Bryce Andonian (Ohio)
152: Brayton Lee (Indiana) vs. Alexander Lloyd (Minnesota)
160: Jared Franek (North Dakota) vs. Danny Braunagel (Illinois)
170: Carson Kharchla (Ohio) vs. Dustin Plott (Oklahoma)
182: Jack Jessen (Illinois) vs. Joel Shapiro (Iowa)
195: Lucas Davison (Indiana) vs. Peter Christensen (Illinois)
220: Jace Punke (Illinois) vs. Luke Luffman (Illinois)
285: Anthony Cassioppi (Illinois) vs. Nash Hutmacher (South Dakota)

Semifinal results

100

Joseph Fischer (Pennsylvania) dec. Guillermo Juarez (Illinois), 8-1

Ronan Schuelke (Illinois) dec. Colin Noel (Ohio), 7-5

106

Anthony King (Illinois) dec. Brenden Chaowanapibool (Washington), 6-0

Wil Guida (New Jersey) TF Riley Parker (Virginia), 8-3

113

Cullan Schriever (Iowa) dec. Dustin Norris (Ohio), 8-6

Jonathan Prata (California) dec. Brendon Garcia (Colorado), 8-6

120

Aden Reeves (Iowa) dec. Julian Tagg (Ohio), 8-8

Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) dec. Kyle Biscoglia (Iowa), 4-2

126

Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma) fall Kellyn March (South Dakota), 11-2 2:57

Michael Colaiocco (New Jersey) TF Kyle Burwick (North Dakota), 18-6 6:00

132

Jordan Decatur (Ohio) dec. Jackson Henson (Pennsylvania), 17-16

Ridge Lovett (Idaho) dec. Dylan D'emilio (Ohio), 6-4

138

Keegan O'toole (Wisconsin) TF Edward Scott (Pennsylvania), 15-4 5:58

Gabriel Tagg (Ohio) dec. Jordan Crace (Ohio), 14-1

145

Logan Meek (Oregon) fall Drew Scharenbrock (Wisconsin), 4-4 1:29

Bryce Andonian (Ohio) dec. Colton Yapoujian (Colorado), 8-3

152

Brayton Lee (Indiana) tech. Kendall Coleman (Illinois), 10-0

Alexander Lloyd (Minnesota) fall Cameron Amine (Michigan), 1:24

160

Jared Franek (North Dakota) tech. Nevan Snodgrass (Ohio), 11-0

Danny Braunagel (Illinois) dec. Tyler Dow (Wisconsin), 12-8

170

Carson Kharchla (Ohio) dec. Travis Wittlake jr. (Oregon), 7-4

Dustin Plott (Oklahoma) dec. Carter Starocci (Pennsylvania), 6-2

182

Jack Jessen (Illinois) tech. Devin Winston (Missouri), 12-2

Joel Shapiro (Iowa) dec. Jackson Turley (Virginia), 7-7

195

Lucas Davison (Indiana) tech. Austin Cooley (Massachusetts), 11-0

Peter Christensen (Illinois) tech. Wyatt Hendrickson (Kansas), 14-1

220

Jace Punke (Illinois) dec. Keaton Fogler (Illinois), 11-0

Luke Luffman (Illinois) dec. Joshua Heindselman (Oklahoma), 8-1

285

Anthony Cassioppi (Illinois) tech. Mason Parris (Indiana), 12-2

Nash Hutmacher (South Dakota) tech. Aydin Guttridge (Illinois), 14-4