Day 5 preview: Junior and 16U boys freestyle concludes with quarters, semis and finals

Day five of the 2025 U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals brings us the completion of the boys freestyle competitions, with both the Junior division and the 16U division finishing up. The gold-medal finals of both tournaments are being held side-by-side on the two raised mats at the end of the arena.

Key Junior quarterfinals matches to watch

126 – Antonio Mills (Georgia) vs. Paul Kenny (New Jersey)

Kenny, a 2023 U17 World champion and second in the 2025 U17 World Team Trials, will battle Mills, who was second at the 2025 U20 Nationals and second at the 2025 U20 World Team Trials. Kenny has the No. 1 seed in the weight class. Mills has won four straight technical falls, while Kenny has two technical falls and three decisions. It will be interesting to see who sets the pace in this match.

285 – Michael Mocco (Florida) vs. Jacob Levy (Florida)

This all-Florida battle pits Mocco, a 2024 U17 World champion, against Levy, a 2023 16U Nationals champion. At the 2023 16U Nationals, Mocco was a double champion at 220 pounds, while Levy, wrestling for Georgia, was the 285-pound champion. Mocco beat Levy in the 2024 U17 World Team Trials semifinals, 11-3. You can expect Levy to have learned from their previous match-up.

285 – Dreshaun Ross (Iowa) vs. Micah Hach (South Dakota)

Ross has had tremendous success competing at 195 pounds and 215 pounds earlier in his career, including a 2023 16U double title in Fargo and a 2024 U17 Trials title. He has moved up to heavyweight, where he is expected to compete at Oklahoma State. Hach was a 2024 Junior Nationals runner-up in freestyle and has wrestled heavyweight his entire high school career.

150 – Grayson Eggum (Minnesota) vs. Dallas Russell (Georgia)

Yes, you have heard the name before. Grayson is the son of Senior World silver medalist and Minnesota head coach Brandon Eggum. He is also one of the rising young stars in the tournament. Eggum was a 2023 U15 Nationals champion. Russell is a Georgia state high school champion who is also on the rise.

138 – Kellen Wolbert (Wisconsin) vs. Dean Anderson (Arizona)

Wolbert is a proven freestyle talent, placing seventh in the 2024 Junior Nationals and second in the 2024 U17 World Team Trials. Wolbert was the top seed in this weight class. Anderson won the 2025 Junior Folkstyle Nationals and is still alive for Triple Crown. Anderson won his first three bouts here by technical fall.

The Junior Team Race

We are two days into the boys freestyle tournament, and not a single team point has been scored. Once the quarterfinals are completed Wednesday morning, the semifinalists are guaranteed to be a top-six All-American, and team points begin to accumulate.

At this point, it is all about keeping athletes in the tournament and getting as many as possible into the finals.

Pennsylvania leads all states with 26 wrestlers still in the tournament, followed by Illinois with 18. Both Iowa and Wisconsin have 16 wrestlers still alive, and California is in the hunt with 15 still in the bracket.

Pennsylvania also leads all states with 15 wrestlers in the quarterfinals, followed by Illinois with 11, and Wisconsin with 10. California has nine in the quarterfinals, including three of the eight wrestlers at 132 pounds.

Key 16U quarterfinals matches to watch

88 - Max Lindquist (Missouri) vs. Johnathan Thompson (Iowa)

This will be a battle between Lindquist, a 2025 Folkstyle Nationals champion who is eligible for the Triple Crown, against Thompson, a 2024 14U Nationals champion who moved up an age-group this year. Thompson has the No. 1 seed in the weight. Thompson won the 2025 U15 World Team Trials in Greco-Roman, beating Lindquist in the finals, 9-5.

100 – Wyatt Dannegger (Missouri) vs. Shiloh Joyce (New Jersey)

Both of these opponents have a ton of achievements already in their career. Dannegger won the 2025 USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals and remains eligible for the Triple Crown. He was a double All-American at the 16U Nationals, and also placed in both styles at 2025 U17 Trials. Joyce was a 2024 14U Nationals champion. When Joyce placed third at the 2025 U17 Trials in freestyle, he beat Dannegger 14-3 in the consolation bracket.

105 – Cruz Gannon (Iowa) vs. William Soto (New York)

This will be a battle between a pair of 2024 16U Nationals All-Americans. Gannon was seventh at 94 pounds, while Soto was fifth at 100 pounds. The 106-pound weight class featured six returning 16U All-Americans when it started, and will be very difficult to win. Soto has international experience, as a 2024 U15 Pan American champion in freestyle for Puerto Rico. Gannon was fifth in the 2025 U17 World Team Trials.

113 - Sean Kenny (New Jersey) vs. Braiden Lotier (Pennsylvania)

In the round of 16, in a highly anticipated match, Kenny scored a 3-3 criteria decision over the No. 1 seed and fellow returning 16U All-American Chase Karenbauer of Pennsylvania. That moves Kenny into a quarterfinal battle with another Pennsylvania, Braiden Lotier, Kenny was seventh in the 2024 16U Nationals and was eighth at 2025 U17 World Team Trials. While Lotier does not have Kenny’s resume, Lotier won the Northeast 16U Regional this year. In most cases, you can expect a tough battle from anybody wearing the PA singlet.

138 – Jovani Solis (Florida) vs. Carson Neubert (Wisconsin)

This quarterfinal features a returning 16U double All-American in Solis, against Neubert, a 2024 14U Nationals champion. Solis was fourth in freestyle and second in Greco-Roman at the 16U Nationals last year in Fargo. Neubert remains eligible for the Triple Crown this year.

The 16U Team Race

There has been a consistent theme this year in Fargo. So far, Pennsylvania has been ahead of the pack, and this is looking to be the case in the 16U boys freestyle tournament as well.

After two days, most of the field has been eliminated. Pennsylvania has the most athletes who remain alive in the tournament with 34. Behind them is a close pack of teams, with Ohio with 24, Iowa with 21, Illinois with 20 and California with 17.

In regards to athletes who remain in the championship side of the bracket, Pennsylvania has the most with 19, followed by Iowa with 12 on the winners side. Ohio is third with 10, followed by Illinois with nine. Three states have eight wrestlers on the championships side, California, Indiana and Wisconsin.

Triple Crown candidates have to win three more freestyle bouts, then also win in Greco-Roman

After two days of Junior boys freestyle action, there are two wrestlers who still are in the hunt for the Junior Triple Crown: Lander Bosh of Utah (126) and Dean Anderson of Arizona (138). They were champions in the Junior division at the 2025 USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals in West Des Moines, Iowa in April. Bosh will face Brady Collins of Wisconsin in the quarterfinals. Anderson has drawn Kellen Wolbert of Wisconsin in the quarterfinals.

After two days of 16U boys freestyle competition, the number of wrestlers who remain eligible for the Triple Crown remains healthy, with nine wrestlers who still have a chance. They are Max Lindquist of Missouri (88), Wyatt Dannegger of Missouri (100), Blake Nevils of Idaho (132), Carson Neubert of Wisconsin (132), Riker Ohearon of Utah (138), Thunder Page of Kansas (150), William Fullhart of Iowa (165), Ceasar Salas of Minnesota (215) and Andrew Olson of Minnesota (285). 

These wrestlers will need to win three more matches on Wednesday to reach the top of the podium in men’s freestyle, then have to come back on Friday and Saturday and win the Greco-Roman title.

Age-Group World Champion update – Bassett, Mocco, Raney and Kenny all in the quarterfinals

2024 U17 World freestyle champion Michael Mocco of Florida has had two technical falls and a pin at 285 pounds. He will face 2022 16U Nationals champion Jacob Levy of Georgia in the quarterfinals. If Mocco wins, he draws the winner of Travyn Boger of Utah against Coby Merrill of California.  

2021 U17 World freestyle champion Bo Bassett of Pennsylvania has had three technical falls and a pin at 144 pounds. He will face Ryan Kennedy of Ohio in the quarterfinals. If he wins, he faces the winner of 2023 Junior Nationals champion Haakon Peterson of Wisconsin and Jet Brown of Missouri in the semifinals.

2023 U17 World Greco-Roman champion Jordyn Raney of Kentucky has won all five of his freestyle matches by technical fall at 138 pounds. In the quarterfinals, he draws Valentin Popadiuc of New Mexico. If he wins, his semifinals opponent would be either Maximus Brady of Iowa or Elijah Cortez of California.

2023 U17 World champion Paul Kenny of New Jersey has scored two technical fall and three decision victories at 126 pounds. Kenny will face Antonio Mills of Georgia in the quarterfinals. If he wins, his semifinals opponent will be either Lander Bosh of Utah or Brady Collins of Wisconsin.

All of the action is broadcast live on FloWrestling.

All of the brackets are posted on USABracketing

Wednesday, July 15th

10:00 AM to 2:30 PM - Session IX

16U Boys & Junior Boys Freestyle - Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Consolation (3 Rds), and Consolation Semifinals

3:00 PM to 4:30 PM - Session X

16U Boys & Junior Boys Freestyle - Medal Matches (3rd, 5th, 7th place matches) 

5:30 PM to 8:00 PM - Session XI

16U Boys & Junior Boys Freestyle - Parade of All-Americans and Championship Finalists, Championship Finals