Freestyle quarterfinals set in Junior Boys; over 70 past Fargo freestyle placers keep title hopes alive

FARGO, North Dakota – Fargo has been one of two things for high school wrestlers – a place where stars are born and a place where the stars shine.

As the second day of action concluded in the Junior Boys division of the 2025 U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals, 24 returning Junior All-Americans moved into the quarterfinals, including three past champions – Georgia’s Christopher Swann at 113 pounds, Wisconsin’s Haakon Peterson at 144 pounds and Pennsylvania’s Melvin Miller at 165 pounds.

There’s also four past age-group World champions to contend with – New Jersey’s Paul Kenny at 126, Jordyn Raney of Kentucky at 138, Bo Bassett of Pennsylvania at 144 and Florida’s Michael Mocco at 285. Raney’s world title came in Greco-Roman.

The rising stars come from the pool of 49 past 16U All-Americans who reached the quarterfinals, led by a group of nine past champions.

All eight wrestlers have Fargo success at both 132 pounds and 285 pounds. There’s seven All-Americans at 113 and 175 pounds, while there’s six past freestyle placers at 106, 120 and 138. In all, sixty percent (73 of 120) of the Junior combatants left on the championship side have medaled here before.

Two winners of April’s Folkstyle Nationals are still alive in their chase for the Triple Crown – Utah’s Lander Bosh (126) and Arizona’s Dean Anderson at 138.

Pennsylvania 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.

Among all the hammers doing battle in the quarterfinals, it’s an all-Florida quarterfinal at 285 that pits two past champions against one another. Mocco, a 16U double champion at 220 pounds in 2023, faces 2023 285-pound champion Jacob Levy. On the opposite side of the bracket, two-time 16U champion Dreshaun Ross of Iowa looms. Ross will face South Dakota State wrestling and football signee Micah Hach of South Dakota, last year’s Junior runner-up at 285 pounds. California’s Coby Merrill, a 2022 16U champion at 182 pounds, is on the bottom side with the Levy-Mocco pairing. Merrill will face Trayvn Boger of Utah, a double 16U All-American at 285 in 2023.

At 138 pounds, Wisconsin’s Kellen Wolbert, a 2022 16U champion, will face Arizona’s Anderson with the winner seeing either Sam Herring or Tyler Dekraker, both past freestyle placewinners representing Pennsylvania. Down low, Kentucky’s Raney will face Valentin Popadiuc of New Mexico with the winner facing either Maximus Brady of Iowa or Elijah Cortez of California.

At 144 pounds, 2023 Junior champion Haakon Peterson’s return to Fargo has been a successful one. Unable to compete last year, Peterson will face Missouri’s Jet Brown, with the winner facing either Ryan Kennedy of Ohio or Pennsylvania’s Bassett, who was fourth in his only Fargo appearance back in 2022 at 2022. Down low, 2024 16U champion Clinton Shepherd has been lights out all tournament. His Round of 16 victory came via technical fall over California’s Michael Romero, a past 16U freestyle champion. Shepherd will face Oklahoma’s Jake Miller, a 2023 16U freestyle All-American.

At 165 pounds, returning Junior champion Miller takes on Wisconsin’s Liam Crook. Lucas Boe, last year’s 16U champion at 157 pounds, sits on the bottom half of the bracket. Boe will see Connecticut’s Liam Carlin in the quarters.

Past champions Swann of Georgia and Justin Farnsworth of Pennsylvania are both on the bottom side of the bracket at 113 pounds. Swann, last year’s 106-pound Junior champion, will face Illinois’ Kaleb Prett, with the winner facing either Farnsworth or Julian Rios of Massachusetts. Farnsworth won Juniors last year at 100 pounds.

The top quarter bracket at 126 pounds is loaded with past U17 world champion Kenny of New Jersey facing Georgia’s Antonio Mills, and folkstyle national champ Bosh of Utah taking on two-time All-American Brady Collins of Wisconsin. On the bottom side of the bracket, Illinois’ Nicholas Garcia picked off 2023 U17 world bronze medalist Ignacio Villasenor to reach the quarterfinals. Garcia will face California’s Siraj Sidhu.

The quarterfinals will be held on Wednesday morning during the 10:00 a.m. session, followed by the semifinals and consolation rounds. Medal matches for third, fifth and seventh place follow at 3:00 p.m. with the championship finals set for 5:30 p.m.

All of the action is broadcast live on FloWrestling.

All of the brackets are posted on USABracketing

2025 U.S. MARINES JUNIOR NATIONALS
At Fargo, North Dakota – July 15, 2025

QUARTERFINAL PAIRINGS

100

Nathan Schuman (PA) vs. Aidan Ortega (IL)

Jackson Thorn (MN) vs. Symon Woods (IL)

Alex Huddleston (IN) vs. Bennett Wachter (OH)

Joey Synan (PA) vs. Onofre Gonzales (CO)

Jakoby Odineal (TN) vs. Riley Smith (PA)

Bobby Lima (OK) vs. Jack Mulvahill (OR)

Simon Carter (CO) vs. DeVaughn Miller (AL)

Grady Swalberg (UT) vs. Jaxsen Vestal (IA)

106

Turner Ross (OK) vs. Niko Odiotti (IL)

Vincent DeMarco (IL) vs. Daniel Romero (CO)

Landon Thoennes (MN) vs. Michael Salas-Sanchez (OR)

Kaiden Belinsky (IA) vs. Cason Craft (OK)

Blake Mauch (UT) vs. Edward George (NJ)

Joseph Hamilton (IN) vs. Erik Prado (NE)

Xzander Donner (KS) vs. Eli Mendoza (CA)

Chase Dubuque (NJ) vs. Joseph Austin (GA)

113

Loc Webber (OH) vs. Oumar Tounkara (NY)

Rylan Seacrist (OH) vs. Cruzer Dominguez (NE)

Christopher Swann (GA) vs. Kaleb Pratt (IL)

Julian Rios (MA) vs. Justin Farnsworth (PA)

Layne Martin (MI) vs. Oscar Gauna (KS)

Analu Woode (HI) vs. Jarrett Smith (MI)

Charles Esposito (NJ) vs. Liam Davis (FL)

Cole Welte (NE) vs. Camden Rugg (WI)

120

Case Bell (IN) vs. Brock Rothermel (PA)

Cameron Sontz (NJ) vs. Titan Friederichs (MN)

Zaiyahn Ornelas (NE) vs. Mason Jakob (TN)

Rocklin Zinkin (CA) vs. Joseph Uhorchuk (TN)

Nico DeSalvo (IA) vs. Dunia Sibomana (NY)

Ayden Dodd (OH) vs. Brayden Wenrich (PA)

Roman Luttrell (NM) vs. Alex Rozas (LA)

Cale Vandermark (IA) vs. Abdirahman Unle (NE)

126

Paul Kenny (NJ) vs. Antonio Mills (GA)

Brady Collins (WI) vs. Lander Bosh (UT)

Mikey Ruiz (TX) vs. Vincent Anello (NJ)

Siraj Sidhu (CA) vs. Nicholas Garcia (IL)

Kavin Muyleart (PA) vs. Jake Knight (IA)

Maximus Hay (WI) vs. Eric Casula (OK)

Carson Dupill (SD) vs. Ignacio Villasenor (OK)

Czar Quintanilla (WA) vs. Isaac Novod (MA)

132

Isaiah Cortez (CA) vs. Nicholas Sorrow (MI)

Justyce Zuniga (WA) vs. Dale Corbin (PA)

Manuel Saldate (NV) vs. Slater Hicks (CA)

Moses Mendoza (CA) vs. Timothy Koester (IA)

Geronimo Rivera (UT) vs. Liam Neitzel (WI)

Blaze Van Gundy (OH) vs. DJ Clarke (GA)

Konner Larkin (AZ) vs. Vince Jasinski (IL)

Deven Casey (IL) vs. Gavin Landers (IA)

138

Kellen Wolbert (WI) vs. Dean Anderson (AZ)

Tyler Dekraker (PA) vs. Sam Herring (PA)

Valentine Popadiuc (NM) vs. Jordyn Raney (KY)

Maximus Brady (IA) vs. Elijah Cortez (CA)

Matthew O'Neill (PA) vs. Garrison Weisner (OH)

Dawson Youngblut (IA) vs. Blue Stiffler (GA)

Isaiah Schaefer (IN) vs. Cayden Rios (TX)

Blake Bartos (OH) vs. Gino Schinina (NJ)

144

Bo Bassett (PA) vs. Ryan Kennedy (OH)

Haakon Peterson (WI) vs. Jet Brown (MO)

Bobby Duffy (NJ) vs. Derek Barrows (CO)

Clinton Shepherd (IN) vs. Jake Miller (OK)

Rocco Cassioppi (IL) vs. Jesse Grajeda (CA)

Gabriel Ballard (PA) vs. Grayson Fuchs (MI)

Michael Romero (CA) vs. Hunter Stevens (WI)

Camden Baum (PA) vs. Roman Stewart (MO)

150

Logan W. Paradice (GA) vs. Maksim Mukhamedaliyev (IL)

Thomas Gibbs (IN) vs. Matthew Martino (ID)

Grayson Eggum (MN) vs. Dallas Russell (GA)

Brandon Dean (CO) vs. Davis Parrow (MN)

Conlan Carlson (MN) vs. Blase Mele (NJ)

Michael Turi (PA) vs. Justis Jesuroga (IA)

Mason Petersen (NE) vs. Charlie DeSena (FL)

Daniel Blanke (IL) vs. Gus Cardinal (AZ)

157

Bruno Cassioppi (IL) vs. Bas Diaz (IA)

David Gleason (MO) vs. Declan Koch (WI)

Zeno Moore (FL) vs. Wyatt Medlin (IL)

Reagan Milheim (PA) vs. Cole Dummer (WI)

Nolan Fellers (IA) vs. Preston Scott (OK)

Tre Haines (WA) vs. Silas Stits (IN)

Kale Baumann (MT) vs. Gabriel Delgado (NV)

Karl Ludwig II (VA) vs. Griff LaPlante (NY)

165

Melvin Miller (PA) vs. Liam Crook (WI)

Maximus Dhabolt (IA) vs. Chris Dennis (PA)

Lucas Boe (FL) vs. Liam Carlin (CT)

JayDen Williams (MI) vs. Sullivan Ramos (WI)

Titus Norman (TN) vs. Tucker Roybal (UT)

Kyler Walters (MN) vs. Blake Jacobson (VA)

Kaleo Garcia (CA) vs. Isreal Ibarra (AZ)

Jared Remington (TX) vs. Arment Waltenbaugh (PA)

175

Ladd Holman (UT) vs. Mason Ontiveros (CA)

Brennan Warwick (OH) vs. Eli Leonard (WI)

Waylon Cressell (IN) vs. Lincoln Jipp (IA)

Maximus Norman (TN) vs. Nicholas Singer (PA)

Keenan Sheridan (SD) vs. Santino Rodriguez (NJ)

Brody Kelly (IL) vs. Jackson Angelo (PA)

Anthony Kroninger (OH) vs. Elliott Humphries (MA)

Peyton Westpfahl (MO) vs. Isaiah Guerrero (WI)

190

Adam Waters (PA) vs. Michael White (IN)

Jarrett Wadsen (MN) vs. Jaxon Penovich (IL)

Alex Reyes (NJ) vs. John Murphy (MN)

Lucas Ricketts (KY) vs. Jimmy Mastny (IL)

Victor Marks-Jenkins (MD) vs. Esteban Sanchez (CA)

Robert Kucharczk (FL) vs. Xander Dossett (GA)

Sutton Kenning (MN) vs. Michael Spielman (PA)

Trey Craig (MO) vs. Adonis Bonar II (NE)

215

Levi Bussey (CA) vs. Noah Weaver (IN)

Michael Boyle (OH) vs. Alexander Smith (FL)

Cade Ziola (NE) vs. Evan Perez (CO)

Daniel Moylan (CA) vs. Kai Calcutt (IL)

Kingston Daniells Silva (CT) vs. Kal-El Fluckiger (AZ)

Carter Brown (MO) vs. Josh Hoffer (IL)

Aiden Cooley (TX) vs. Devin Downes (NY)

Garett Kawczynski (WI) vs. Ronan An (GA)

285

Dreshaun Ross (IA) vs. Micah Hach (SD)

Mark Effendian (PA) vs. Tyson Martin (WI)

Trayvn Boger (UT) vs. Coby Merrill (CA)

Jacob Levy (FL) vs. Michael Mocco (FL)

James Hartleroad (IN) vs. Dean Bechtold (PA)

Hunter Vander Heiden (WI) vs. Ashton Honnold (IA)

Caleb Rodriguez (PA) vs. Preston Wagner (NE)

Ryder Smith (TN) vs. Connor Bercume (MI)