Athletes impress in championship bouts at second-annual High School Recruiting Showcase
by Charles Klepps, Special to TheMat.com
Photo of Tate Naaktgeboren (L) vs. Aeodon Sinclair in the 182-pound championship. Photo by Koral Sugiyama.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Wrestlers representing 16 different states competed in championship matches at the National High School Recruiting Showcase. In an absolutely loaded tournament, 20 of the 28 finalists were high school state champions.
At 106 pounds, it was a battle of Idaho state champions, as Mack Mauger and Dedrick Navarro, both competing for Team Idaho Wrestling Club, squared off for the title. Mauger is a two-time state champion, a Cadet Folkstyle Champion and a Triple Crown winner in 2021. Mauger ended up controlling the match with a 9-2 decision.
In the 113-pound championship, Daniel Guanajuato of Arizona squared off against two-time Montana state champion Keyan Hernandez of Team Champs Wrestling Club. Hernandez was also an All-American at the Showcase in 2021. Hernandez got the first takedown, but Guanajuato responded with a couple of his own including one with a minute left in the match to go up for good.
Nick Treaster of Newton Wrestling Club is a three-time Kansas state champion and was a runner up in 2021 in 16U Greco Roman. He battled Jackzen Rairdon of Bear Cave Wrestling Club. Rairdon won a Colorado State Title in 2021. After a 0-0 score in regulation, Rairdon countered Treaster’s shot with a leg cradle in sudden victory to win 4-0.
The 126-pound title bout featured five-time Alabama state champion and 2021 Greco-Roman Cadet World silver medalist at 55 kg Cory Land of Ironclad Wrestling Club. He took on South Dakota state champion Owen Hansen. Land, a UNI commit, controlled the match from start to finish in front of his future crowd. He won by major decision 11-1.
132 had seven combined titles between the two finalists. Four-time Idaho champion Kyle Rice battled with three-time Illinois champion Phoenix Blakely. Blakely found himself on the wrong side of a five-point move in the first period, but responded to outscore Rice 8-1 the rest of the way. Blakely won by a final score of 8-6.
2021 Junior Freestyle runner-up Emilio Ysaguirre Jr of Arizona matched up with three-time North Dakota state champion LJ Araujo in the 138-pound title match. The future Arizona State Sun Devil Ysaguirre was a man on a mission all weekend and dealt with a banged up shoulder on his way to a 4-2 decision.
At 145 pounds, both finalists fell just short of becoming a state champion, as it pitted California state runner-up Sloan Swan against Wisconsin runner up Cody Goebel. Swan controlled the match and was winning 5-0 with about 30 seconds left. However, Goebel went big for a four-point move to almost pull off the comeback. Swan ultimately won the match by a 6-4 decision.
Three-time Iowa state champion and 2021 Junior Folkstyle Nationals champion Hunter Garvin of Big Game Wrestling Club competed with Garrett Willuweit of Marshfield Wrestling Club for the 152-pound title. It was all Garvin all weekend, as the Stanford commit would dominate the tournament winning every match by fall, including the championship at the 4:49 mark. Garvin also won Outstanding Wrestler of the Showcase division.
At 160, Aydin Rix McElhinney of Betterman Elite Wrestling was paired with two-time Iowa champion Daniel Magayna of Immortal Athletics WC. Magayna would get on top and run a tight power half to get the fall in 1:38.
In the 170-pound championship match, Oregon state champion Riley Davis and Kansas state champion Connor Padgett squared off for the top spot. Davis was up 5-0 going into the second period and he eventually earned the pin at 3:09.
In perhaps the most highly anticipated match of the Showcase Finals, two-time Iowa champion Tate Naaktgeboren of Big Game Wrestling Club battled Aeoden Sinclair of Askren Wrestling Academy Lake Country at 182 pounds. Naaktgeboren was a 2021 Junior Folkstyle champion, while Sinclair won 15U National titles in both Freestyle and Folkstyle. The two competitors are 1-1 on the year, but today was Naaktgeboren’s day. The future Iowa State Cyclone pulled off some wild scrambles in the third period to earn a 5-3 decision.
195 featured Wyatt Voelker of Big Game Wrestling Club taking on Melvin Whitehead of Gold Rush Wrestling. Voelker is a two-time Iowa state champion, a Junior Greco-Roman national champion, and a Junior Freestyle All-American. Whitehead impressively made it to the finals in both the Showcase and 16U 195 this weekend. Voelker, committed to UNI, proved to be too much for Whitehead and earned a fall in the second period in his future college home.
Iowa state champion Jared Thiry of Immortal Athletics WC was matched up with Vincent Mueller of Pinnacle Wrestling in the 220 pound division. Scoring was hard to come by in this one, as Thiry had a 1-0 lead going into the third. He would strap on a gutsy ride to cling to the decision and the national championship.
At heavyweight, Idaho state champion and Junior Greco-Roman runner-up Aden Attao competed with Adley Bufford of USA Edmond Freestyle in Oklahoma. These two were on the mat for only one period, but they definitely caught the eyes of the crowd. Bufford matched the Greco-Roman runner-up and put Attao to his back. Attao ended up fighting off his back and winning the next upper body exchange. He earned the fall at 1:56.
Recruiting Showcase All-Americans were also given out to the top-eight wrestlers in each weight division. Here are the full results of the championship and placement bouts.
High School Showcase Final Results
At Cedar falls, Iowa, April 2
100
1st - Aidan Gruenenfelder of Pec-Argyle Youth Wrestling
2nd - Dustin Duette-Hall of Betterman Elite Wrestling
3rd - Austin Duette-Hall of Betterman Elite Wrestling
Round Robin
Aidan Gruenenfelder (Pec-Argyle Youth Wrestling) won by fall over Austin Duette-Hall (Betterman Elite Wrestling) (Fall 3:00)
Dustin Duette-Hall (Betterman Elite Wrestling) received a bye () (Bye)
Aidan Gruenenfelder (Pec-Argyle Youth Wrestling) received a bye () (Bye)
Dustin Duette-Hall (Betterman Elite Wrestling) won by fall over Austin Duette-Hall (Betterman Elite Wrestling) (Fall 0:54)
Aidan Gruenenfelder (Pec-Argyle Youth Wrestling) won by decision over Dustin Duette-Hall (Betterman Elite Wrestling) (Dec 15-10)
Austin Duette-Hall (Betterman Elite Wrestling) received a bye () (Bye)
106
1st - Mack Mauger (Team Idaho Wrestling Club) won by decision over Dedrick Navarro (Team Idaho Wrestling Club) (Dec 9-2)
3rd - Jacob Fitzpatrick (LaCrosse Area Wrestlers) won by major decision over Brady Phelps (Illinois) (Maj 8-0)
5th - Ezekiel Witt (Junction City High School Wrestling) won by decision over Kaiden Powell (Paola Wrestling Club) (Dec 6-5)
7th - Adam Bilby (South Central Punisher Wrestling) won by major decision over Kaiden Triche (Scorpion Wrestling Club) (Maj 13-3)
113
1st - Daniel Guanajuato (Arizona) won by decision over Keyan Hernandez (Team Champs Wrestling Club) (Dec 7-6)
3rd - Alexander Hague (Bear Cave Wrestling Club) won by decision over Guy Clevenger (Oklahoma) (Dec 12-9)
5th - Wyatt Skebba (Aviators Wrestling) won by decision over Gabriel Ramirez (Aces Wrestling Academy) (Dec 4-0)
7th - Hans Newby (Team Idaho Wrestling Club) won by major decision over Cole Dummer (Wisconsin) (Maj 12-0)
120
1st - Jackzen Rairdon (Bear Cave Wrestling Club) won in sudden victory - 1 over Nick Treaster (Newton Wrestling Club) (SV-1 4-0)
3rd - Braiden Kort (Nebraska) won by decision over Gauge Shipp (Young Guns Wrestling Club) (Dec 7-2)
5th - Oscar Alvarez (Victory Wrestling-Central WA) won by major decision over Lucas Ryan (Askren Wrestling Academy Lake Country) (Maj 10-2)
7th - Jagger French (USA Gold) won by major decision over Jaxon Mackey (Legends of Gold Las Vegas) (Maj 11-3)
126
1st - Cory Land (Ironclad Wrestling Club) won by major decision over Owen Hansen (South Dakota) (Maj 11-1)
3rd - Markel Baker (Alber Athletics Wrestling Club) won by decision over Derek Guanajuato (Arizona) (Dec 3-0)
5th - Teegan Vasquez (Kalispell Wrestling Club) won by decision over Joey Showalter (Ringers Wrestling Club) (Dec 6-3)
7th - Tanner Frothinger (Team Idaho Wrestling Club) won by decision over Hayden Myers (Mayo Quanchi Wrestling Club) (Dec 8-6)
132
1st - Phoenix Blakely (Alber Athletics Wrestling Club) won by decision over Kyle Rice (Team Idaho Wrestling Club) (Dec 8-6)
3rd - Aj Rallo (Purler Wrestling Academy) won by decision over Brock Smith (Young Guns Wrestling Club) (Dec 3-2)
5th - Nicholas Gorman (Texas) won by decision over William Heger (Tironook Wrestling Club) (Dec 4-3)
7th - Carter Schmidt (Big Game Wrestling Club MT) won by major decision over Drew Bell (Next Level Training Academy) (Maj 12-1)
138
1st - Emilio Ysaguirre Jr. (Arizona) won by decision over Leandro (lj) Araujo (MATPAC Wrestling Club) (Dec 4-2)
3rd - Avery Allen (Big Game Wrestling Club MT) won by decision over Jason Mara (Team Idaho Wrestling Club) (Dec 2-1)
5th - Brady Collins (Wray Wrestling Club) won by injury default over Caleb Nadig (Alber Athletics Wrestling Club) (Inj. 0:00)
7th - Pierre Baldwin (Proviso Power House Wrestling Club) won by decision over John Provencio (Arizona) (Dec 8-2)
145
1st - Sloan Swan (The Empire Wrestling Club) won by decision over Cody Goebel (Askren Wrestling Academy Lake Country) (Dec 6-4)
3rd - Bryce Griffin (Combative Sports Athletic Center) won by decision over Corbin Ramos (Kenosha Wrestling Academy) (Dec 4-2)
5th - Cael Erickson (Askren Wrestling Academy Lake Country) won by decision over Jonathan Malovich (Colorado) (Dec 6-2)
7th - Jacob Schmadeke (Arizona) won by fall over Gabe Maki (Andover Wrestling Club) (Fall 1:49)
152
1st - Hunter Garvin (Big Game Wrestling Club) won by fall over Garrett Willuweit (Marshfield Wrestling Club) (Fall 4:49)
3rd - Zane Licht (Askren Wrestling Academy Lake Country) won by decision over Gray Ortis (Ironclad Wrestling Club) (Dec 5-0)
5th - Landon Weidner (2 Tuff Gym Wrestling Club) won by medical forfeit over Brayden Peet (Greg Gomez Trained Wrestling) (MFF)
7th - Ryker Fullmer (Team Idaho Wrestling Club) won by decision over Brennan Amos (Big Game Hunters Wrestling Club) (Dec 6-4)
160
1st - Daniel Magayna (Immortal Athletics WC) won by fall over Aydin Rix McElhinney (Betterman Elite Wrestling) (Fall 1:38)
3rd - Mason Espinoza (The Empire Wrestling Club) won by decision over Cash Stewart (Poynette Panther Youth Wrestling) (Dec 5-2)
5th - Magnus Kuokkanen (Askren Wrestling Academy Lake Country) won by decision over Derek Johnson (Next Level Training Academy) (Dec 9-6)
7th - Dante Hutchings (Pomona Elite (PWCC)) won by decision over Jordan Faifai (Syracuse Wrestling Club) (Dec 9-7)
170
1st - Riley Davis (Oregon) won by fall over Connor Padgett (Maize Wrestling Club) (Fall 3:09)
3rd - Noah Mulvaney (Askren Wrestling Academy Lake Country) won by decision over Markell Rivera-Cain (Grindhouse Wrestling Club) (Dec 5-4)
5th - Paolo Salminen (Billings Wrestling Club) won by decision over Bryce Garcia (Colorado) (Dec 15-8)
7th - Brian Petry (The Best Wrestler) won by decision over Judah Yates (Washington) (Dec 6-5)
182
1st - Tate Naaktgeboren (Big Game Wrestling Club) won by decision over Aeoden Sinclair (Askren Wrestling Academy Lake Country) (Dec 5-3)
3rd - Clinton Walrath (DC Elite Wrestling) won by major decision over Mason Christian (Mine Yard Dogs Wrestling Club) (Maj 13-2)
5th - Evan Danowski (Askren Wrestling Academy Lake Country) won by medical forfeit over Devin Wasley (Victory School of Wrestling) (MFF)
7th - Karson Tompkins (Texas) won by decision over Gunner Henry (Indiana) (Dec 8-6)
195
1st - Wyatt Voelker (Big Game Wrestling Club) won by fall over Melvin Whitehead (Gold Rush Wrestling) (Fall 3:43)
3rd - Connor Barket (Red Cobra Wrestling Academy) won by fall over Wade Stanton (Buchanan County Wrestling Club) (Fall 3:27)
5th - Ronan Melani (Utah) won by decision over Ian Smith (CrassTrained: Weigh In Club) (Dec 8-3)
7th - Chase Matthias (Askren Wrestling Academy) won by fall over Gabriel Christensen (Iowa) (Fall 3:30)
220
1st - Jared Thiry (Immortal Athletics WC) won by decision over Vincent Mueller (Pinnacle Wrestling Club) (Dec 1-0)
3rd - James Campbell (Michigan) won by fall over Samuel Murphy (Threestyle Wrestling Of Oklahoma) (Fall 1:22)
5th - Shilo Jones (Team Idaho Wrestling Club) won by decision over Jayden Johnson (Gold Rush Wrestling) (Dec 4-3)
7th - Tucker Jensen (Jackson Bronc Wrestling Club) won by fall over Grant Stromberg (Mukwonago High School Wrestling) (Fall 1:00)
285
1st - Aden Attao (Team Idaho Wrestling Club) won by fall over Adley Bufford (USA Edmond Freestyle) (Fall 1:56)
3rd - Lee Smith (Illinois) won by major decision over Cameron Geuther (Big Game Wrestling Club) (Maj 10-1)
5th - Noah Iobe (Michigan) won by fall over Faustino Chaydez (Arizona) (Fall 2:28)
7th - Trey White (Portage Wrestling Club) won by medical forfeit over Jesus Gonzalez (Reedsburg Area High School Wrestling) (MFF)