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Round of 16 results in, as quarterfinals set for 50th Junior Nationals fantasy bracket, with three Oklahoma wrestlers still going
by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
The round of 16 has been completed in USA Wrestling’s interactive 32-athlete bracket featuring the best Men’s Junior Freestyle competitors of the last 50 years of the Junior Nationals., with the quarterfinals set and voting underway.
This voting is based upon their Junior National freestyle careers only, and should not reflect their successes in Greco-Roman, nor how well they did in college and the international levels.
Round of 16 results
Sean Hage (GA) dec. Alan Fried (OH), 61%-39%
Brent Metcalf (MI) dec. Alex Dieringer (WI), 59%-41%
Johny Hendricks (OK) dec. Teague Moore (PA), 56%-34%
Nick Simmons (MI) dec. Lee Roy Smith (OK), 52%-48%
Steve Mocco (NJ) dec. Mark Schwab (IA), 66%-34%
Teyon Ware (OK) dec. T.J. Hill (MO), 58%-42%
Coleman Scott (PA) dec. Adam Coon (MI), 57%-43%
Pat Smith (OK) dec. Steve Knight (IA), 84%-16%
This sets up a competitive quarterfinals, with voting starting today (May 15) and running for the four days.
Quarterfinal pairings, with number of Junior National freestyle titles
Sean Hage (GA, 3x) vs. Brent Metcalf (MI, 3x)
Johny Hendricks (OK, 2x) vs. Nick Simmons (MI, 3x)
Steve Mocco (NJ, 3x) vs. Teyon Ware (OK, 2x)
Coleman Scott (PA, 2x) vs. Pat Smith (OK, 2x)
USA Wrestling fans will be able cast their vote for each round by going to:
50th Junior Freestyle Nationals - Fantasy Bracket
Notes after the round of 16:
* Oklahoma leads the list of states with three quarterfinalists: Johny Hendricks, Teyon Ware and Pat Smith. The only other state with two quarterfinalists is Michigan with Brent Metcalf and Nick Simmons.
* Other states with quarterfinalists are Georgia (Sean Hage), New Jersey (Steve Mocco) and Pennsylvania (Coleman Scott)
* Along those lines, five of the eight quarterfinalists competed in college in the state of Oklahoma. Oklahoma State wrestlers making the next round are Hendricks, Smith, Mocco and Scott. OU put a wrestler in the quarterfinals with Teyon Ware.
* Other colleges represented in this new round are West Virginia (Hage), Iowa (Metcalf and Mocco), Virginia Tech (Metcalf), Michigan State (Simmons).
* Oklahoma State fans will have to choose between two of their stars, Coleman Scott, who won two Junior National titles for Pennsylvania, and Pat Smith, who won two for Oklahoma. On the college side, Smith was the first four-time NCAA Div. I champion ever, while Scott was an NCAA champion and four-time All-American. This vote does not reflect college achievements, so it will be interesting to see what way it goes, as both are popular with fans nationwide.
* The closest round of 16 battle was Simmons’ 52%-48% win over Lee Roy Smith of Oklahoma. On the final voting day, it was a dead-even 50%-50% situation. Smith jumped to a 51%-49% lead next, but Simmons rallied for the win over the final hours of the day.
* Some fans may be surprised to see Hage advancing against the only four-time Junior Nationals freestyle champion, Alan Fried of Ohio. Hage won three freestyle titles, but also had three Greco-Roman titles, the first six-time Junior Nationals champion. The other six-time Junior Nationals champion is also in the quarterfinals, Metcalf.
* Two of the quarterfinalists wrestled at two colleges. Metcalf started his career at Virginia Tech, then transferred to Iowa. Mocco started out at Iowa, and finished up at Oklahoma State.
*Two of the quarterfinalists became Olympians, with Scott winning an Olympic bronze in 2012 and Mocco competing in the 2008 Olympic Games.
Here are the quarterfinal wrestlers in alphabetical order, with their state affiliation and the years they won Junior men’s freestyle national titles.
Sean Hage, Georgia (1993, 1994, 1995)
Johny Hendricks, Oklahoma (2001, 2002)
Brent Metcalf, Michigan (2003, 2004, 2005)
Steve Mocco, New Jersey (1999, 2000, 2001)
Coleman Scott, Pennsylvania (2003, 2004)
Nick Simmons, Michigan (1998, 1999, 2000)
Pat Smith, Oklahoma (1988, 1989)
Teyon Ware, Oklahoma (2000, 2001)
The rest of the voting schedule follows:
• Voting on the Quarterfinals will begin on Saturday, May 15
• Voting on the Semifinals will begin on Wednesday, May 19
• Voting on the Finals will begin on Sunday, May 23
The first USA Wrestling Junior Nationals was held in the Fieldhouse at the University of Iowa in 1971, and contested only in men’s freestyle. With the 2020 event cancelled due to the pandemic, this year’s version will be the 50th time our nation’s best high school wrestlers have come together to battle for national titles and All-American honors. Numerous World and Olympic champions and medalists have competed in this prestigious event.
The 2021 USA Wrestling USMC Junior and 16U National Championships will be held at the FargoDome in Fargo, N.D., July 16-23, with competition in men’s freestyle, Greco-Roman and women’s freestyle.
HOW TO VOTE
50th Junior Freestyle Nationals - Fantasy Bracket
When you click, you will see the bracket. To vote, click the “Cast Vote Now” button on the top of the bracket. You will be taken to a screen where you see each pairing and you can click a box to vote on the winner. You must enter your email to vote. If you need some additional information on any athlete, click the link for each athlete’s name and a graphic with a photo of the athlete and additional data on their Junior National freestyle career will appear.
This voting is based upon their Junior National freestyle careers only, and should not reflect their successes in Greco-Roman, nor how well they did in college and the international levels.
Round of 16 results
Sean Hage (GA) dec. Alan Fried (OH), 61%-39%
Brent Metcalf (MI) dec. Alex Dieringer (WI), 59%-41%
Johny Hendricks (OK) dec. Teague Moore (PA), 56%-34%
Nick Simmons (MI) dec. Lee Roy Smith (OK), 52%-48%
Steve Mocco (NJ) dec. Mark Schwab (IA), 66%-34%
Teyon Ware (OK) dec. T.J. Hill (MO), 58%-42%
Coleman Scott (PA) dec. Adam Coon (MI), 57%-43%
Pat Smith (OK) dec. Steve Knight (IA), 84%-16%
This sets up a competitive quarterfinals, with voting starting today (May 15) and running for the four days.
Quarterfinal pairings, with number of Junior National freestyle titles
Sean Hage (GA, 3x) vs. Brent Metcalf (MI, 3x)
Johny Hendricks (OK, 2x) vs. Nick Simmons (MI, 3x)
Steve Mocco (NJ, 3x) vs. Teyon Ware (OK, 2x)
Coleman Scott (PA, 2x) vs. Pat Smith (OK, 2x)
USA Wrestling fans will be able cast their vote for each round by going to:
50th Junior Freestyle Nationals - Fantasy Bracket
Notes after the round of 16:
* Oklahoma leads the list of states with three quarterfinalists: Johny Hendricks, Teyon Ware and Pat Smith. The only other state with two quarterfinalists is Michigan with Brent Metcalf and Nick Simmons.
* Other states with quarterfinalists are Georgia (Sean Hage), New Jersey (Steve Mocco) and Pennsylvania (Coleman Scott)
* Along those lines, five of the eight quarterfinalists competed in college in the state of Oklahoma. Oklahoma State wrestlers making the next round are Hendricks, Smith, Mocco and Scott. OU put a wrestler in the quarterfinals with Teyon Ware.
* Other colleges represented in this new round are West Virginia (Hage), Iowa (Metcalf and Mocco), Virginia Tech (Metcalf), Michigan State (Simmons).
* Oklahoma State fans will have to choose between two of their stars, Coleman Scott, who won two Junior National titles for Pennsylvania, and Pat Smith, who won two for Oklahoma. On the college side, Smith was the first four-time NCAA Div. I champion ever, while Scott was an NCAA champion and four-time All-American. This vote does not reflect college achievements, so it will be interesting to see what way it goes, as both are popular with fans nationwide.
* The closest round of 16 battle was Simmons’ 52%-48% win over Lee Roy Smith of Oklahoma. On the final voting day, it was a dead-even 50%-50% situation. Smith jumped to a 51%-49% lead next, but Simmons rallied for the win over the final hours of the day.
* Some fans may be surprised to see Hage advancing against the only four-time Junior Nationals freestyle champion, Alan Fried of Ohio. Hage won three freestyle titles, but also had three Greco-Roman titles, the first six-time Junior Nationals champion. The other six-time Junior Nationals champion is also in the quarterfinals, Metcalf.
* Two of the quarterfinalists wrestled at two colleges. Metcalf started his career at Virginia Tech, then transferred to Iowa. Mocco started out at Iowa, and finished up at Oklahoma State.
*Two of the quarterfinalists became Olympians, with Scott winning an Olympic bronze in 2012 and Mocco competing in the 2008 Olympic Games.
Here are the quarterfinal wrestlers in alphabetical order, with their state affiliation and the years they won Junior men’s freestyle national titles.
Sean Hage, Georgia (1993, 1994, 1995)
Johny Hendricks, Oklahoma (2001, 2002)
Brent Metcalf, Michigan (2003, 2004, 2005)
Steve Mocco, New Jersey (1999, 2000, 2001)
Coleman Scott, Pennsylvania (2003, 2004)
Nick Simmons, Michigan (1998, 1999, 2000)
Pat Smith, Oklahoma (1988, 1989)
Teyon Ware, Oklahoma (2000, 2001)
The rest of the voting schedule follows:
• Voting on the Quarterfinals will begin on Saturday, May 15
• Voting on the Semifinals will begin on Wednesday, May 19
• Voting on the Finals will begin on Sunday, May 23
The first USA Wrestling Junior Nationals was held in the Fieldhouse at the University of Iowa in 1971, and contested only in men’s freestyle. With the 2020 event cancelled due to the pandemic, this year’s version will be the 50th time our nation’s best high school wrestlers have come together to battle for national titles and All-American honors. Numerous World and Olympic champions and medalists have competed in this prestigious event.
The 2021 USA Wrestling USMC Junior and 16U National Championships will be held at the FargoDome in Fargo, N.D., July 16-23, with competition in men’s freestyle, Greco-Roman and women’s freestyle.
HOW TO VOTE
50th Junior Freestyle Nationals - Fantasy Bracket
When you click, you will see the bracket. To vote, click the “Cast Vote Now” button on the top of the bracket. You will be taken to a screen where you see each pairing and you can click a box to vote on the winner. You must enter your email to vote. If you need some additional information on any athlete, click the link for each athlete’s name and a graphic with a photo of the athlete and additional data on their Junior National freestyle career will appear.