Elijah Cortez (CA) upends Bo Bassett (PA) at the U17 Freestyle Nationals quarterfinals at 55 kg

Elijah Cortez (CA) upends Bo Bassett (PA) in the 55 kg quarterfinals. Photo by Chris Mora.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Many of the nation’s best high school stars were on display as the men’s freestyle competition at the U17 World Team Trials got underway at the South Point Arena on Saturday.

Domenic Munaretto of Illinois, a 45 kg U17 World freestyle champion last summer and the top seed at 48 kg, has moved into the semifinals, where he will face No. 5 seed Paul Kenny of New Jersey.

U17 World freestyle silver medalist Christian Castillo of Arizona is also a semifinalist at 51 kg. He will draw Keanu Dillard of Pennsylvania in the semifinals.

U17 World freestyle silver medalist Jax Forrest of Pennsylvania powered to the semifinals at 60 kg, where he draws unseeded Matthew Botello of Massachusetts. Botello knocked off No. 5 seed Matthew Martino of Team Idaho in the quarterfinals, 10-2.

Zack Ryder of New York, who won a U17 World bronze last year, has reached the semifinals at 80 kg. He will battle No. 4 seed Adam Waters of Pennsylvania in the semifinals. Waters won the U17 Greco-Roman title earlier this week.

No. 5 seed Elijah Cortez of California won a big quarterfinals match at 55 kg, stopping No. 1 seed and 2021 U17 World champion Bo Bassett of Pennsylvania, 5-3. He will face No. 5 seed Anthony Knox of New Jersey in the semifinals.

Along with Waters, three other U17 Greco-Roman champions have reached the freestyle semifinals: Lincoln Sledzianowski of Pennsylvania (48 kg), Dreshawn Ross of Iowa (92 kg) and Nicholas Sahakian (110 kg)

The winners of the best-of-three championship finals series on Sunday will represent the USA at the 2023 U17 World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, July 31-August 6.

U17 FREESTYLE NATIONALS
At Las Vegas, Nev., April 29

Semifinals pairings

45 kg
No. 8 Cameron Sontz NJ (Edge Wrestling) vs. No. 5 Kavin Muyleart PA (American Dream Wrestling Club)
No. 6 Ignacio Villasenor CO (Pomona Elite (PWCC) vs. No. 2 Haakon Peterson WI (Dodgeville High School Wrestling)

48 kg
No. 1 Domenic Munaretto IL (Illinois) vs. No. 5 Paul Kenny NJ (New Jersey)
No. 3 Lincoln Sledzianowski PA (Pennsylvania) vs. No. 2 Grey Burnett OH (Perrysburg Wrestling Club)

51
No. 1 Christian Castillo AZ (Thorobred Wrestling Club) vs. No. 5 Keanu Dillard PA (Steller Trained Wrestling)
No. 3 Seth Mendoza IL (Region Wrestling Academy) vs. No. 2 Aydan Thomas OK (Cowboy Wrestling Club)

55 kg
No. 5 Elijah Cortez CA (Gilroy High School Wrestling) vs. No. 5 Anthony Knox NJ (Rhino Wrestling LLC)
No. 3 Marcus Blaze OH (Perrysburg Wrestling Club) vs. No. 2 Jayden Raney KY (Union County High School Wrestling)

60 kg
No. 1 Jax Forrest PA (Bishop McCort High School Wrestling) vs. unseeded Matthew Botello MA (Massachusetts)
No. 3 Benjamin Davino IL (St. Charles WC) vs. No. 2 Landon Robideau MN (MN Elite Wrestling Club)

65 kg
No. 1 Kollin Rath PA (Steller Trained Wrestling) vs. No. 4 Gabriel Bouyssou RI (Mayo Quanchi Wrestling Club)
No. 6 Brock Mantanona CA (Coachella Valley Wrestling Club) vs. No. 2 Logan w. Paradice GA (The Storm Wrestling Center)

71 kg
No. 1 Ladarion Lockett OK (Cowboy Wrestling Club) vs. No. 13 Jake Stoffel WI (Askren Wrestling Academy)
Unseeded Vince Bouzakis PA (Pennsylvania) vs. No. 2 Kyler Knaack IA (Immortal Athletics WC)

80 kg
No. 1 Zack Ryder NY (M2 Training Center) vs. No. 4 Adam Waters PA (Steller Trained Wrestling)
No. 6 Brent Slade IA (Moen Wrestling Academy) vs. No. 2 De'alcapon Veazy IN (Legends of Gold Wrestling)

92 kg
No. 1 Aeoden Sinclair WI (Askren Wrestling Academy) vs. No. 4 Aiden Cooley TX (Allen High School Wrestling)
No. 3 Karson Tompkins TX (Warrior Trained Wrestling) vs. No. 2 Dreshaun Ross IA (Sebolt Wrestling Academy)

110 kg
No. 1 Jacob Levy GA (Georgia) vs. No. 4 Nicholas Sahakian CA (Sunkist Kids/Monster Garage)
No. 3 Sampson Stillwell MO (Kobra Kai Training) vs. No. 2 Kai Calcutt IL (Toss Em Up Wrestling Academy)

Quarterfinal results

45 kg
Cameron Sontz NJ (Edge Wrestling) pin Caleb Noble IL (Toss Em Up Wrestling Academy), 3:51
Kavin Muyleart PA (American Dream Wrestling Club) dec. Liam Collins MN (Pinnacle Wrestling Club), 12-3
Ignacio Villasenor CO (Pomona Elite (PWCC)) dec. Case Bell IN (Contenders Wrestling Academy), 8-4
Haakon Peterson WI (Dodgeville High School Wrestling) dec. Mac Crosson IA (Sebolt Wrestling Academy), 8-4

48 kg
Domenic Munaretto IL (Illinois) dec. Dominic Deputy PA (Pennsylvania), 7-2
Paul Kenny NJ (New Jersey) dec. 1 Eric Casula OK (Oklahoma), 10-2
Lincoln Sledzianowski PA (Pennsylvania) tech fall Ayden Bollinger IN (Delta Wrestling Club Inc.), 10-0 1:08
Grey Burnett OH (Perrysburg Wrestling Club) dec. Cole Welte NE (MWC Wrestling Academy), 7-0

51 kg
Christian Castillo AZ (Thorobred Wrestling Club) tech fall Czar Quintanilla WA (Inland Northwest Wrestling Training Center), 10-0 1:51
Keanu Dillard PA (Steller Trained Wrestling) dec. Jake Knight IA (Sebolt Wrestling Academy), 5-2
Seth Mendoza IL (Region Wrestling Academy) tech fall Cadell Lee VA (Integrity Wrestling Club), 11-0 2:40
Aydan Thomas OK (Cowboy Wrestling Club) dec. Titan Friederichs MN (No Nonsense Wrestling), 10-8

55 kg
Elijah Cortez CA (Gilroy High School Wrestling) dec. Bo Bassett PA (Bishop McCort High School Wrestling), 5-3
Anthony Knox NJ (Rhino Wrestling LLC) tech fall Jordyn Raney KY (Union County High School Wrestling), 10-0 0:35
Marcus Blaze OH (Perrysburg Wrestling Club) dec. Isaiah Cortez CA (Gilroy High School Wrestling), 3-0
Jayden Raney KY (Union County High School Wrestling) tech fall Timothy Koester IA (Big Game Wrestling Club), 13-2 2:36

60 kg
Jax Forrest PA (Bishop McCort High School Wrestling) tech fall Manuel Saldate NV (Gold Rush Wrestling), 14-4 3:55
Matthew Botello MA (Massachusetts) dec. Matthew Martino ID (Team Idaho Wrestling Club), 10-2
Benjamin Davino IL (St. Charles WC) tech fall Joshua Requena CA (Beat The Streets - Los Angeles), 10-0 1:23
Landon Robideau MN (MN Elite Wrestling Club) dec. Cooper Hilton TN (Boom Ranch Wrestling Club), 4-0

65 kg
Kollin Rath PA (Steller Trained Wrestling) dec. Gabriel Delgado NV (Gold Rush Wrestling), 3-3
Gabriel Bouyssou RI (Mayo Quanchi Wrestling Club) tech fall Nathaniel Askew GA (Georgia), 10-0 2:12
Brock Mantanona CA (Coachella Valley Wrestling Club) dec. Tyson Charmoli MN (Pinnacle Wrestling Club), 14-5
Logan w. Paradice GA (The Storm Wrestling Center) dec. Collin Gaj PA (Quakertown High School Wrestling), 5-4

71 kg
Ladarion Lockett OK (Cowboy Wrestling Club) tech fall Christopher Crawford NY (KD Training Center), 12-0 3:02
Jake Stoffel WI (Askren Wrestling Academy) dec. Gavin Davis IN (Warrior Regional Training Center), 7-2
Vince Bouzakis PA (Pennsylvania) tech fall Nicholas Campagna NJ (New Jersey), 10-0 0:17
Kyler Knaack IA (Immortal Athletics WC) tech fall Jackson Potts OR (Mountain View High School Wrestling), 11-0 3:10

80 kg
Zack Ryder NY (M2 Training Center) tech fall Jarrel Miller jr OH (Eagle Club), 10-0 1:05
Adam Waters PA (Steller Trained Wrestling) pin Bryce Burkett MN (Pinnacle Wrestling Club), 4-1 1:39
Brent Slade IA (Moen Wrestling Academy) dec. Peter Snyder MD (McDonald Wrestling Academy), 5-2
De'alcapon Veazy IN (Legends of Gold Wrestling) tech fall Jordan Chapman NJ (New Jersey), 17-5 3:54

92 kg
Aeoden Sinclair WI (Askren Wrestling Academy) pin Carson Gooley ID (Team Idaho Wrestling Club), 0:36
Aiden Cooley TX (Allen High School Wrestling) pin Melvin Whitehead NV (Gold Rush Wrestling), 3:44
Karson Tompkins TX (Warrior Trained Wrestling) dec. Vincenzo Lavalle NJ (Edge Wrestling), 11-10
Dreshaun Ross IA (Sebolt Wrestling Academy) tech fall Jay Henderson UT (Sanderson Wrestling Academy), 11-0 1:24

110 kg
Jacob Levy GA (Georgia) pin Marko Ivanisevic IL (Izzy Style Wrestling), 3:40
Nicholas Sahakian CA (Sunkist Kids/Monster Garage) tech fall Rocco Dellagatta NJ (New York Athletic Club), 18-5 3:30
Sampson Stillwell MO (Kobra Kai Training) tech fall Nick Hutchins AZ (Knights Wrestling Club), 10-0 0:17
Kai Calcutt IL (Toss Em Up Wrestling Academy) pin Adam Farha CA (Poway High School Wrestling), 0:59

World medalists Munaretto, Castillo, Forrest, Ryder reach semifinals at U17 Freestyle World Team Trials

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