Fargo Day 7 preview (7/20): Intense Junior Greco-Roman finals moved up to 2:00 p.m. CT
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Nash Hutmacher of South Dakota launches Mitchell Trigg of Minnesota at 285 pounds. Photo by Jim Thrall, Matfocus.com
On the seventh action-packed day at the Fargodome in Fargo, N.D., it all comes down to the sixth and final set of championship medal matches in Junior Greco-Roman.
USA Wrestling and FloWrestling have made a slight schedule change, moving up the start of the finals to 2:00 p.m. Central time, one hour earlier than previously announced. All wrestling fans need to mark that down, so they don’t miss any of the fantastic matches expected on Friday afternoon.
The other change is that the quarterfinals, originally scheduled for Thursday night, were moved to Friday morning. Fans of great wrestling won’t want to miss the 9:00 a.m. session, for two rounds of dynamite action which will end with the finalists determined.
A few notes going into the final two sessions in Fargo:
* Will there be two Junior Triple Crown winners this year? The toughest age-level to get a Triple Crown is the Junior level, and two Illinois stars are gunning for it on Saturday, Jack Jessen at 184 and Anthony Cassioppi at 285.
* Who will emerge at 120 pounds? This weight is loaded. There’s returning champion Brandon Kaylor of Washington. Also Junior World medalist Cevion Severado of Missouri. 2017 Junior Nationals runner-up Anthony Molton of Illinois. 2017 Cadet Nationals champion Dylan Ragusin of Illinois. 2017 Junior All-American and 2018 Junior freestyle champion Eric Barnett of Wisconsin. The big quarterfinal match will be Barnett vs. Ragusin. The semifinals should be wonderful.
* The 182 bracket is also interesting. Jessen will have a big test in the quarterfinals against returning Junior Greco All-American Victor Marcelli of Ohio. Also in the draw are returning All-American Tate Samuelson of Colorado and 2016 Junior National champion Tommy Brackett of Tennessee, who is a Greco specialist.
* Six 2018 Junior freestyle champions are still alive on the winners side, including Luke Luffman of Illinois (220), who was on the UWW Cadet Greco-Roman World Team, plus Bartnett, Cassioppi, Jessen, Lucas Davison of Indiana (195) and Danny Braunagel of Illinois (160).
* Cassioppi could battle his finals opponent in Junior freestyle, Nash Hutmacher of South Dakota, in the Greco finals as well. However, don’t overlook returning All-American Montana Phillips of Oklahoma, who is on Hutmacher’s side of the bracket.
* Don’t expect anybody to challenge Illinois in the team race, which has 20 athletes in the quarterfinals and another 14 in the consolation rounds. With 34 still wrestling Sunday, the next team with the most athletes remaining are Minnesota and Washington with 14 total.
NEW FRIDAY SCHEDULE
9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. – Junior Greco-Roman: Session III Quarterfinals, Semi-Finals and Consolation
2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – Junior Greco-Roman: Session IV Finals, Medal Matches & Awards
On the seventh action-packed day at the Fargodome in Fargo, N.D., it all comes down to the sixth and final set of championship medal matches in Junior Greco-Roman.
USA Wrestling and FloWrestling have made a slight schedule change, moving up the start of the finals to 2:00 p.m. Central time, one hour earlier than previously announced. All wrestling fans need to mark that down, so they don’t miss any of the fantastic matches expected on Friday afternoon.
The other change is that the quarterfinals, originally scheduled for Thursday night, were moved to Friday morning. Fans of great wrestling won’t want to miss the 9:00 a.m. session, for two rounds of dynamite action which will end with the finalists determined.
A few notes going into the final two sessions in Fargo:
* Will there be two Junior Triple Crown winners this year? The toughest age-level to get a Triple Crown is the Junior level, and two Illinois stars are gunning for it on Saturday, Jack Jessen at 184 and Anthony Cassioppi at 285.
* Who will emerge at 120 pounds? This weight is loaded. There’s returning champion Brandon Kaylor of Washington. Also Junior World medalist Cevion Severado of Missouri. 2017 Junior Nationals runner-up Anthony Molton of Illinois. 2017 Cadet Nationals champion Dylan Ragusin of Illinois. 2017 Junior All-American and 2018 Junior freestyle champion Eric Barnett of Wisconsin. The big quarterfinal match will be Barnett vs. Ragusin. The semifinals should be wonderful.
* The 182 bracket is also interesting. Jessen will have a big test in the quarterfinals against returning Junior Greco All-American Victor Marcelli of Ohio. Also in the draw are returning All-American Tate Samuelson of Colorado and 2016 Junior National champion Tommy Brackett of Tennessee, who is a Greco specialist.
* Six 2018 Junior freestyle champions are still alive on the winners side, including Luke Luffman of Illinois (220), who was on the UWW Cadet Greco-Roman World Team, plus Bartnett, Cassioppi, Jessen, Lucas Davison of Indiana (195) and Danny Braunagel of Illinois (160).
* Cassioppi could battle his finals opponent in Junior freestyle, Nash Hutmacher of South Dakota, in the Greco finals as well. However, don’t overlook returning All-American Montana Phillips of Oklahoma, who is on Hutmacher’s side of the bracket.
* Don’t expect anybody to challenge Illinois in the team race, which has 20 athletes in the quarterfinals and another 14 in the consolation rounds. With 34 still wrestling Sunday, the next team with the most athletes remaining are Minnesota and Washington with 14 total.
NEW FRIDAY SCHEDULE
9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. – Junior Greco-Roman: Session III Quarterfinals, Semi-Finals and Consolation
2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – Junior Greco-Roman: Session IV Finals, Medal Matches & Awards
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