Pennsylvania still flying high in USMC Junior Nationals in men’s freestyle with six finalists
by Jason Bryant, Special to TheMat.com
Fargo, North Dakota – With six finalists, Pennsylvania is set to win another Junior men’s freestyle team title as the semifinals concluded on Wedneday afternoon at the 2024 U.S. Marine Corps Junior and 16U Nationals at the Fargodome.
In addition to the six finalists, the Keystone State has 13 more placewinners and held a 100-point lead on second-place New Jersey in the team race. Returning champion Jax Forrest and high school teammate Melvin Miller lead the way.
Forrest topped Massachusetts’ Matthew Botello 12-1 in the semifinals for his sixth consecutive technical fall. Forrest will face returning All-American Seth Mendoza of Illinois in the 132-pound final. Mendoza pinned Indiana’s Jake Hockaday with just over a minute remaining in the bottom bracket semifinal. Mendoza jumped out to an 11-4 lead before Hockaday closed the gap rapidly, finishing a double leg takedown for four points and a quick gutwrench to trail 11-10 with two minutes remaining. Mendoza scored two in a scramble and pounced on Hockaday to quickly get the fall out of the sequence.
Miller, last year’s 16U champ, topped Oklahoma’s Kody Routledge 5-3 in the bottom bracket semifinal. Miller scored two second-period takedowns to built a 5-1 lead. Routledge picked up two late points – a stepout and a caution point – to make it 5-3.
One returning champ who won’t be returning to the finals is Pennsylvania’s Vince Bouzakis, who defaulted out of the tournament and didn’t take the mat for his semifinal against Arizona’s Isais Jimenez. With the walkover, Jimenez will face Miller in the 157-pound final.
It'll be an all-Pennsylvania final at 120 pounds between Gauge Botero and Brock Rothermel. It’s the first all-PA final in Junior men’s freestyle since Andrew Alton topped Josh Kindig in three periods at 140 pounds in 2009.
At 126, Pennsylvania’s returning runner-up Aaron Seidel will have another crack at trying to win gold. Seidel beat fellow Pennsylvania state champion Nathan Desmond 7-2 in the semifinals and will face Iowa’s Koufax Christensen on Wednesday night. Christensen, one of two Iowans in the finals, led start-to-finish in his 4-3 victory over California’s Edwin Sierra.
At 100 pounds, Illinois’ Michael Rundell quickly topped Nebraska’s Brock Goebel 11-0 to reach the finals where he’ll face Pennsylvania’s Xavier Diaz.
New Jersey had a solid semifinal round, punching five into the finals with returning Junior All-Americans Ryan Burton and Rocco Dellagatta wrestling lights out thus far. Burton bested top-seed and returning All-American Adam Waters of Pennsylvania in the semifinals. Burton will face Connecticut’s William Henckel in the finals at 174 pounds. Henckel is Connecticut’s first finalist since 2019 when Nico Provo finished second at 113 pounds. Henckel will try to become the state’s second Junior men’s freestyle champion. Ross Spencer was the other, winning at 105 pounds in 2010.
Dellagatta rolled past Pennsylvania’s Dean Bechtold 14-3 in the semifinals and will face Iowa’s Daniel Herrera in the 285-pound final. Herrera upended Virginia’s Parker Ferrell 6-1 in the semifinals.
California, Illinois, Arizona, and Georgia have multiple finalists. California’s three finalists include 150-pounder Paul Kelly, 215-pounder Angelo Posada and 144-pounder Daniel Zepeda, who knocked off Pennsylvania’s Pierson Manville 3-1 in the semifinals. Trailing 1-0 after an inactivity point in the first and Manville on the clock, Zepeda countered a half-shot by Manville, scoring the go-behind with 1:45 remaining in the bout. Zepeda’s third point came as Manville’s 30-second activity period expired. Zepeda will take on Washington’s Smokey McClure, who was a 9-2 winner over Oklahoma’s Jace Roller.
Kelly will face Minnesota’s lone finalist – Landon Robideau at 150 pounds.
Arizona’s other finalist is Sergio Vega at 138 pounds. He’ll face Drew Gorman of Georgia. Gorman is one of two Georgia finalists – Christopher Swann at 106 is the other. Swann will face Antonio Quiroz, who’s the state’s first finalist since Ty Smith and Andrew Berreyesa wrestled for gold in 2017.
Massachusetts has a Junior men’s freestyle finalist for the first time since Jesse Webb represented the state in the 285-pound finals in 2014. Elliott Humphries will take on New Jersey’s Alessio Perentin at 165 pounds. New Jersey’s also present at 190 pounds as Harvey Ludington will take on Nebraska’s Cade Ziola
One of the more inspiring stories in wrestling over the past several years has been that of Dunia Sibomana. As a child in Congo, he was mauled by monkeys and the story of him overcoming the physical disfigurement that followed through the sport was the subject of a Flowrestling documentary in early 2023.
Sibomana is also product of Beat The Streets New York and is a three-time New York state placewinner, finishing as a runner-up this past season and previously winning a 102-pound title as an eighth grader.
His Fargo run has been impressive. Sibomana punched through to the finals after an 8-1 win over four-time Fargo All-American Revin Dickman of Indiana in the semis. His quarterfinal win Tuesday night was even more impressive, as he teched four-time 16U finalist Caleb Noble of Illinois. Sibomana will face Ohio’s Ayden Dodd, a returning Junior freestyle All-American. Dodd reached the finals with a 14-3 tech fall over Illinois’ Brayden Teunissen.
2024 U.S. MARINE CORPS JUNIOR AND 16U NATIONALS
JUNIOR MEN’S FREESTYLE
FINALS PAIRINGS
100 pounds
Michael Rundell (IL) vs. Xavier Diaz (PA)
106 pounds
Christopher Swann (GA) vs. Antonio Quiroz (NV)
113 pounds
Ayden Dodd (OH) vs. Dunia Sibomana (NY)
120 pounds
Gauge Botero (PA) vs. Brock Rothermel (PA)
126 pounds
Koufax Christensen (IA) vs. Aaron Seidel (PA)
132 pounds
Jax Forrest (PA) vs. Seth Mendoza (IL)
138 pounds
Sergio Vega (AZ) vs. Drew Gorman (GA)
144 pounds
Daniel Zepeda (CA) vs. Smokey Mcclure (WA)
150 pounds
Landon Robideau (MN) vs. Paul Kelly (CA)
157 pounds
Isaias Jimenez (AZ) vs. Melvin Miller (PA)
165 pounds
Elliott Humphries (MA) vs. Alessio Perentin (NJ)
175 pounds
Ryan Burton (NJ) vs. William Henckel (CT)
190 pounds
Harvey Ludington (NJ) vs. Cade Ziola (NE)
215 pounds
Angelo Posada (CA) vs. Anthony Harris (NJ)
285 pounds
Daniel Herrera (IA) vs. Rocco Dellagatta (NJ)
SEMIFINAL RESULTS
100 pounds
Michael Rundell (IL) tech fall Brock Goebel (NE) 11-0 0:28
Xavier Diaz (PA) dec. Ethan Powell (OH) 7-0
106 pounds
Christopher Swann (GA) dec. Brady Byrd (IN) 7-3
Antonio Quiroz (NV) pin Cason Craft (OK) 3:54
113 pounds
Ayden Dodd (OH) tech fall Brayden Teunissen (IL) 14-3 4:41
Dunia Sibomana (NY) dec. Revin Dickman (IN) 8-1
120 pounds
Gauge Botero (PA) dec. Davis Motyka (PA) 6-0
Brock Rothermel (PA) dec. Blake Beissel (MN) 6-4
126 pounds
Koufax Christensen (IA) dec. Edwin Sierra (CA) 4-3
Aaron Seidel (PA) dec. Nathan Desmond (PA) 7-2
132 pounds
Jax Forrest (PA) tech fall Matthew Botello (MA) 12-1 2:41
Seth Mendoza (IL) pin Jake Hockaday (IN) 4:58
138 pounds
Sergio Vega (AZ) dec. Hunter Hollingsworth (OK) 6-0
Drew Gorman (GA) pin Carter Freeman (IA) 4-2 1:23
144 pounds
Daniel Zepeda (CA) dec. Pierson Manville (PA) 3-1
Smokey Mcclure (WA) dec. Jace Roller (OK) 9-2
150 pounds
Landon Robideau (MN) dec. Maddox Shaw (PA) 5-4
Paul Kelly (CA) dec. Daishun Powe (AL) 8-4
157 pounds
Isaias Jimenez (AZ) inj. def. Vince Bouzakis (PA) 0:00.
Melvin Miller (PA) dec. Kody Routledge (OK) 5-3
165 pounds
Elliott Humphries (MA) dec. Travis Grace (CA) 11-3
Alessio Perentin (NJ) tech fall Clayton Giddens (OK) 11-1 5:36
175 pounds
Ryan Burton (NJ) dec. Adam Waters (PA) 8-2
William Henckel (CT) tech fall Keenan Sheridan (SD) 10-0 3:38
190 pounds
Harvey Ludington (NJ) tech fall Anders Thompson (MT) 10-0 0:37
Cade Ziola (NE) dec. Carson Thomas (OH) 7-6
215 pounds
Angelo Posada (CA) dec. Michael Calcagno (IL) 12-9
Anthony Harris (NJ) tech fall Evan Mcguire (MN) 10-0 1:22
285 pounds
Daniel Herrera (IA) dec. Parker Ferrell (VA) 6-1
Rocco Dellagatta (NJ) tech fall Dean Bechtold (PA) 14-3 4:15
Team Scores (through semifinals)
1. Pennsylvania 211
2. New Jersey 111
3. California 85
4. Illinois 67
5. Arizona 60
6. Iowa 55
7. Minnesota 50
8. Georgia 44
8. Oklahoma 44
10. Ohio 41
11. Nebraska 36
12. Indiana 35
13. New York 29
14. Massachusetts 27
15. Nevada 24
16. Connecticut 20
16. Washington 20
18. Wisconsin 18
19. Michigan 14
19. Utah 14
19. Virginia 14
22. Florida 11
23. Alabama 7
23. Montana 7
23. North Dakota 7
23. South Dakota 7
27. Colorado 4
28. Idaho 2
28. Maryland 2
28. Missouri 2
28. Rhode Island 2
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