Four repeat at Junior Greco-Roman Nationals with Oklahoma's Duffield claiming OW

Dalton Duffield (Oklahoma) executes a reverse lift for five points in  the 120-pound finals of the Junior Greco-Roman Nationals. Photo: John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com.

VIDEO: Junior Greco-Roman Champion Interviews

FARGO, N.D. – The conclusion of the 2016 Junior Greco-Roman Nationals was littered with spectacular performances and highlight reel finishes under the Fargodome spotlight as 15 champions were crowned on Tuesday afternoon.

Amidst the high-flying antics on the raised platform no one impressed more than Oklahoma 120-pounder Dalton Duffield who capped off his second Junior Greco-Roman title with an all-timer five-point reverse lift that shook the Fargodome rafters upon impact.

“When he circled around he was kind of towards the front of my body and I could reach my arms around him and I figured if I could lock my hands I could throw,” said Duffield.

Duffield, a four-time Oklahoma state placer for Westmoore High School, dominated his weight class to the tune of four pins and two technical falls on his road to gold. He cemented his Fargo win with a 14-2 victory over Austin Macias of Illinois in the championship bout.

“Last year I didn’t even practice that much Greco and went out there and did it. This year it was a whole different ball game. I had a lot of better people I would say,” he continued.

Duffield was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the Junior Greco-Roman competition. He will attend the University of Oklahoma in the Fall.

Several other champions placed themselves square in the middle of the OW conversation with dominant showings over the two-day tournament.

At 285 pounds, Fargo’s own Brandon Metz locked up a 28-second fall over Thomas Helton of Illinois in the championship match to give North Dakota its first champion of the week.

“I’m going to make this pretty subtle. My dad always told me since I was young, and this is a real quote, go big or go home. I knew that the toss was there and why not take it?” said Metz.

Metz tallied a total of four falls and two shutout technical falls in his six heavyweight bouts. The two-time North Dakota state champion wrestled a total of five minutes and 15 seconds in all of his matches combined. He was a Cadet Nationals champion in Greco-Roman last year in addition to finishing third in Cadet freestyle.

Two defending champions were able to repeat in Junior Greco-Roman while not surrendering a single technical point to their opponents.

Three-time Minnesota state champion Mitchell McKee picked up his fifth Fargo title by going beast mode on Jarrett Degen of Montana in the finals, 13-0. The Minnesota Gopher commit notched five technical falls and a pin during his 138-pound championships run.

Illinois state champion Dack Punke proved his mettle for the second-straight year at 113 pounds by winning all six of his Junior Greco-Roman bouts by 10-0 technical fall. Nebraska’s Joseph Harrison fell victim to Punke’s ferocious top game in the finals.

In total, four wrestlers were able to successfully repeat as Junior Greco-Roman champions with 106-pounder from Pennsylvania Jaret Lane joining Duffield, McKee and Punke atop the podium for the second-straight year.

Four-time age group U.S. World Team member Taylor LaMont is no stranger to the Fargo spotlight having won three Fargo titles prior to this year. He added stop sign number four to his collection with an electric pin of Washington’s Dalton Young in the 132-pound finals.

LaMont finished in fifth place at the Cadet World Championships in Greco-Roman last summer and will appear in his first Junior World Championships in Macon, France this September. He is a four-time Utah state champion.

Three-time Oregon state champion Sam Shields-Colbray returned to the top of the Fargo podium after coming in second place in both Junior styles last year. He downed Jeffery Allen of Virginia, 13-2, to win his second Junior Greco-Roman title. Shields-Colbray was the Junior Greco-Roman champion in 2014 and won Cadet Greco-Roman titles in 2012 and 2013.

A unique situation arose at 182 pounds when Schaumburg, Ill. high school teammates Logan Gruszka and Tony Vezzetti squared off for the championship. The 2015 Cadet World Team member Gruszka emerged victorious with a 9-2 decision.

Three-time Missouri state champion Matthew Schmitt captured his first Fargo crown by taking down defending Junior Greco-Roman champion Gabriel Townsell of Illinois in the 126-pound finals, 6-1. Schmitt finished second in Fargo three-time prior to his win today.

Thomas Brackett became Tennessee’s first Junior Greco-Roman champion after defending champion and 2016 Junior World Team member Kamal Bey forfeited in the 170-pound finals due to injury.

Colorado’s Brendon Garcia was dominant at 100 pounds as he picked up three technical falls and a fall on his way to first place. He defeated Brenden Chaowanapibool of Washington by 11-0 technical fall in the finals.

The class of 2016 Junior Greco-Roman champions also includes Ryan Deakin of Colorado (145), Griffin Parriott of Minnesota (152), Anthony Mantanona of California (160) and Haydn Maley of Oregon (195).

No Junior-age wrestlers are eligible to win the USA Wresting Triple Crown award for placing first in the USA Wrestling Folkstyle, Greco-Roman and Freestyle nationals.

Illinois continued its run of dominance in the Junior Greco-Roman division by claiming the state's ninth-straight team title. They finished a whopping 34 points ahead of second place Minnesota.

Action from the Fargodome will resume tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. (CT) with start of the Cadet freestyle competition and women’s freestyle Junior Duals.

All matches from the 2016 ASICS/Vaughan Cadet and Junior National Championships can be viewed live on Flowrestling.com with a FLO PRO account. Complete brackets, results and team scores can be found on Trackwrestling.com.

2016 ASICS/VAUGHAN JUNIOR GRECO-ROMAN NATIONALS
July 19 at The Fargodome in Fargo, N.D.

Championship Results
100 lbs. – Brendon Garcia (Colorado) tech. fall Brenden Chaowanapibool (Washington), 11-0
106 lbs. – Jaret Lane (Pennsylvania) dec. Elijah Varona (Florida), 5-2
113 lbs. – Dack Punke (Illinois) tech. fall Joseph Harrison (Nebraska), 10-0
120 lbs. – Dalton Duffield (Oklahoma) tech. fall Austin Macias (Illinois), 14-2
126 lbs. – Matthew Schmitt (Missouri) dec. Gabriel Townsell (Illinois), 6-1
132 lbs. – Taylor LaMont (Utah) fall Dalton Young (Washington), 1:33
138 lbs. – Mitchell McKee (Minnesota) tech. fall Jarrett Degen (Montana), 13-0
145 lbs. – Ryan Deakin (Colorado) dec. Jaron Jensen (Utah), 2-1
152 lbs. – Griffin Parriott (Minnesota) dec. Lenny Merkin (New York), 9-2
160 lbs. – Anthony Mantanona (California) dec. Max Wohlabaugh (Florida), 8-5
170 lbs. – Thomas Brackett (Tennessee) forfeit Kamal Bey (Colorado)
182 lbs. – Logan Gruszka (Illinois) dec. Tony Vezzetti (Illinois), 9-2
195 lbs. – Haydn Maley (Oregon) tech. fall Isaac Bartel (Iowa), 14-2
220 lbs. – Sam Shields-Colbray (Oregon) tech. fall Jeffrey Allen (Virginia), 13-2
285 lbs. – Brandon Metz (North Dakota) fall Thomas Helton (Illinois), 0:29

Team Results
1. Illinois 72
2. Minnesota 38
3. Colorado 30
4. California 29
5. Oregon 29
6. Iowa 25
7. Pennsylvania 25
8. Nebraska 23
9. Washington 23
10. Florida 20

Final Results
100 pounds
1st Place - Brendon Garcia of Colorado
2nd Place - Brenden Chaowanapibool of Washington
3rd Place - Brandon Nunez of New York
4th Place - Ezra Elliott of Illinois
5th Place - Anthony King of Illinois
6th Place - Cody Holmes of Wisconsin
7th Place - Michael Leveille of Illinois
8th Place - Chris Thomas of Texas
1st Place Match - Brendon Garcia (Colorado) won by tech fall over Brenden Chaowanapibool (Washington) (TF 11-0)
3rd Place Match - Brandon Nunez (New York) won by decision over Ezra Elliott (Illinois) (Dec 11-4)
5th Place Match - Anthony King (Illinois) won by decision over Cody Holmes (Wisconsin) (Dec 18-11)
7th Place Match - Michael Leveille (Illinois) won by decision over Chris Thomas (Texas) (Dec 10-6)

106 pounds
1st Place - Jaret Lane of Pennsylvania
2nd Place - Elijah Varona of Florida
3rd Place - Jason Holmes of Arizona
4th Place - Nathan Rankin of Texas
5th Place - Brandon Kaylor of Washington
6th Place - Ty Smith of Nevada
7th Place - Tyler Cunningham of Nebraska
8th Place - Cevion Severado of Missouri
1st Place Match - Jaret Lane (Pennsylvania) won by decision over Elijah Varona (Florida) (Dec 5-2)
3rd Place Match - Jason Holmes (Arizona) won by tech fall over Nathan Rankin (Texas) (TF 12-2)
5th Place Match - Brandon Kaylor (Washington) won by tech fall over Ty Smith (Nevada) (TF 10-0)
7th Place Match - Tyler Cunningham (Nebraska) won by decision over Cevion Severado (Missouri) (Dec 6-4)

113 pounds
1st Place - Dack Punke of Illinois
2nd Place - Joseph Harrison of Nebraska
3rd Place - Patrick Mckee of Minnesota
4th Place - Dominic LaJoie of Michigan
5th Place - Mason Hartshorn of California
6th Place - Kade Lincoln of Idaho
7th Place - Dylan Koontz of Wisconsin
8th Place - Hasan Krigger of Georgia
1st Place Match - Dack Punke (Illinois) won by tech fall over Joseph Harrison (Nebraska) (TF 10-0)
3rd Place Match - Patrick Mckee (Minnesota) won by decision over Dominic LaJoie (Michigan) (Dec 17-15)
5th Place Match - Mason Hartshorn (California) won by tech fall over Kade Lincoln (Idaho) (TF 13-2)
7th Place Match - Dylan Koontz (Wisconsin) won by decision over Hasan Krigger (Georgia) (Dec 9-5)

120 pounds
1st Place - Dalton Duffield of Oklahoma
2nd Place - Austin Macias of Illinois
3rd Place - Jet Taylor of Oklahoma
4th Place - Jack Skudlarczyk of Texas
5th Place - Jordan Martinez of Colorado
6th Place - Ian Timmins of Nevada
7th Place - Tate Carney of Kansas
8th Place - Logan Treaster of Kansas
1st Place Match - Dalton Duffield (Oklahoma) won by tech fall over Austin Macias (Illinois) (TF 14-2)
3rd Place Match - Jet Taylor (Oklahoma) won by tech fall over Jack Skudlarczyk (Texas) (TF 12-2)
5th Place Match - Jordan Martinez (Colorado) won by forfeit over Ian Timmins (Nevada) (FF)
7th Place Match - Tate Carney (Kansas) won by decision over Logan Treaster (Kansas) (Dec 7-4)

126 pounds
1st Place - Matthew Schmitt of Missouri
2nd Place - Gabriel Townsell of Illinois
3rd Place - Paul Bianchi of Wisconsin
4th Place - Clai Quintanilla of Washington
5th Place - Alex Thomsen of Iowa
6th Place - Wesley Dawkins of Nebraska
7th Place - Taylor Jokerst of Kansas
8th Place - Jack Karstetter of Oklahoma
1st Place Match - Matthew Schmitt (Missouri) won by decision over Gabriel Townsell (Illinois) (Dec 6-1)
3rd Place Match - Paul Bianchi (Wisconsin) won by tech fall over Clai Quintanilla (Washington) (TF 11-0)
5th Place Match - Alex Thomsen (Iowa) won by decision over Wesley Dawkins (Nebraska) (Dec 11-4)
7th Place Match - Taylor Jokerst (Kansas) won by decision over Jack Karstetter (Oklahoma) (Dec 12-8)

132 pounds
1st Place - Taylor LaMont of Utah
2nd Place - Dalton Young of Washington
3rd Place - Zachary Van Alst of Alabama
4th Place - P.J. Gohn of New Jersey
5th Place - Brent Jones of Minnesota
6th Place - Christopher Sandoval of Colorado
7th Place - JERRY MEALEY of Oregon
8th Place - Dylan Gregerson of Utah
1st Place Match - Taylor LaMont (Utah) won by fall over Dalton Young (Washington) (Fall 1:33)
3rd Place Match - Zachary Van Alst (Alabama) won by decision over P.J. Gohn (New Jersey) (Dec 7-4)
5th Place Match - Brent Jones (Minnesota) won by decision over Christopher Sandoval (Colorado) (Dec 16-11)
7th Place Match - JERRY MEALEY (Oregon) won by fall over Dylan Gregerson (Utah) (Fall 1:08)

138 pounds
1st Place - Mitchell Mckee of Minnesota
2nd Place - Jarrett Degen of Montana
3rd Place - Ben Freeman of Michigan
4th Place - Corey Shie of Ohio
5th Place - Alexander Crowe of Minnesota
6th Place - Jaden Enriquez of California
7th Place - Camden Fontenot of Texas
8th Place - Calvin Germinaro of Minnesota
1st Place Match - Mitchell Mckee (Minnesota) won by tech fall over Jarrett Degen (Montana) (TF 13-0)
3rd Place Match - Ben Freeman (Michigan) won by tech fall over Corey Shie (Ohio) (TF 10-0)
5th Place Match - Alexander Crowe (Minnesota) won by decision over Jaden Enriquez (California) (Dec 9-6)
7th Place Match - Camden Fontenot (Texas) won by tech fall over Calvin Germinaro (Minnesota) (TF 10-0)

145 pounds
1st Place - Ryan Deakin of Colorado
2nd Place - Jaron Jensen of Utah
3rd Place - Anthony Artalona of Florida
4th Place - Conner Noonan of Oregon
5th Place - Dylan Thurston of Illinois
6th Place - Alexander Lloyd of Minnesota
7th Place - Vincent Dolce of Arizona
8th Place - Justin Ruffin of Georgia
1st Place Match - Ryan Deakin (Colorado) won by decision over Jaron Jensen (Utah) (Dec 2-1)
3rd Place Match - Anthony Artalona (Florida) won by tech fall over Conner Noonan (Oregon) (TF 10-0)
5th Place Match - Dylan Thurston (Illinois) won by decision over Alexander Lloyd (Minnesota) (Dec 4-3)
7th Place Match - Vincent Dolce (Arizona) won by decision over Justin Ruffin (Georgia) (Dec 18-15)

152 pounds
1st Place - Griffin Parriott of Minnesota
2nd Place - Lenny Merkin of New York
3rd Place - Zemua Baptiste of Nebraska
4th Place - Billy Higgins III of Nebraska
5th Place - Andrew Cervantez of California
6th Place - Ryan Epps of Minnesota
7th Place - Michael Ordonez of Illinois
8th Place - Adrian Ojeda of Nevada
1st Place Match - Griffin Parriott (Minnesota) won by decision over Lenny Merkin (New York) (Dec 9-2)
3rd Place Match - Zemua Baptista (Nebraska) won by tech fall over Billy Higgins III (Nebraska) (TF 17-5)
5th Place Match - Andrew Cervantez (California) won by tech fall over Ryan Epps (Minnesota) (TF 11-0)
7th Place Match - Michael Ordonez (Illinois) won by tech fall over Adrian Ojeda (Nevada) (TF 15-5)

160 pounds
1st Place - Anthony Mantanona of California
2nd Place - Max Wohlabaugh of Florida
3rd Place - Layne VanAnrooy of Oregon
4th Place - Colton Clingenpeel of Iowa
5th Place - Fritz Schierl of Wisconsin
6th Place - Eric Hong of Pennsylvania
7th Place - Ricky Gonzalez of California
8th Place - Andrew Johnson of Kansas
1st Place Match - Anthony Mantanona (California) won by decision over Max Wohlabaugh (Florida) (Dec 8-5)
3rd Place Match - Layne VanAnrooy (Oregon) won by decision over Colton Clingenpeel (Iowa) (Dec 11-8)
5th Place Match - Fritz Schierl (Wisconsin) won by decision over Eric Hong (Pennsylvania) (Dec 10-8)
7th Place Match - Ricky Gonzalez (California) won by decision over Andrew Johnson (Kansas) (Dec 12-4)

170 pounds
1st Place - Thomas Brackett of Tennessee
2nd Place - Kamal Bey of Colorado
3rd Place - Andrew Berreyesa of Nevada
4th Place - Jack Jessen of Illinois
5th Place - Clay Lautt of Kansas
6th Place - Jelani Embree of Michigan
7th Place - Daniel Butler of Kansas
8th Place - Victor Marcelli of Ohio
1st Place Match - Thomas Brackett (Tennessee) won by injury default over Kamal Bey (Colorado) (Inj. 0:00)
3rd Place Match - Andrew Berreyesa (Nevada) won by tech fall over Jack Jessen (Illinois) (TF 12-2)
5th Place Match - Clay Lautt (Kansas) won by tech fall over Jelani Embree (Michigan) (TF 12-0)
7th Place Match - Daniel Butler (Kansas) won by decision over Victor Marcelli (Ohio) (Dec 3-1)

182 pounds
1st Place - Logan Gruszka of Illinois
2nd Place - Tony Vezzetti of Illinois
3rd Place - Matthew Waddell of Georgia
4th Place - James Handwerk of Ohio
5th Place - Abraham Correa-Medina of Alaska
6th Place - Kevin Parker of New York
7th Place - Dan Baker of Oklahoma
8th Place - Elias Vaoifi of Missouri
1st Place Match - Logan Gruszka (Illinois) won by decision over Tony Vezzetti (Illinois) (Dec 9-2)
3rd Place Match - Matthew Waddell (Georgia) won by fall over James Handwerk (Ohio) (Fall 0:27)
5th Place Match - Abraham Correa-Medina (Alaska) won by decision over Kevin Parker (New York) (Dec 8-0)
7th Place Match - Dan Baker (Oklahoma) won by injury default over Elias Vaoifi (Missouri) (Inj. 0:00)

195 pounds
1st Place - Haydn Maley of Oregon
2nd Place - Isaac Bartel of Iowa
3rd Place - Miles Lee of Pennsylvania
4th Place - Donovan Doyle of Iowa
5th Place - Brandon Whitman of Michigan
6th Place - Dalton Hahn of Wisconsin
7th Place - Andrew Davison of Indiana
8th Place - Jonah Lange of Minnesota
1st Place Match - Haydn Maley (Oregon) won by tech fall over Isaac Bartel (Iowa) (TF 14-2)
3rd Place Match - Miles Lee (Pennsylvania) won by tech fall over Donovan Doyle (Iowa) (TF 10-0)
5th Place Match - Brandon Whitman (Michigan) won by fall over Dalton Hahn (Wisconsin) (Fall 0:53)
7th Place Match - Andrew Davison (Indiana) won by tech fall over Jonah Lange (Minnesota) (TF 14-4)

220 pounds
1st Place - Sam Shields-Colbray of Oregon
2nd Place - Jeffrey Allen of Virginia
3rd Place - Darryl Aiello of California
4th Place - Brandon Reed of Kentucky
5th Place - Anthony Piscopo of Pennsylvania
6th Place - Andrew Fenton of Ohio
7th Place - Anthony Riopelle of Michigan
8th Place - Benjamin Kitslaar of Wisconsin
1st Place Match - Sam Shields-Colbray (Oregon) won by tech fall over Jeffrey Allen (Virginia) (TF 13-2)
3rd Place Match - Darryl Aiello (California) won by tech fall over Brandon Reed (Kentucky) (TF 10-0)
5th Place Match - Anthony Piscopo (Pennsylvania) won by decision over Andrew Fenton (Ohio) (Dec 3-3)
7th Place Match - Anthony Riopelle (Michigan) won by fall over Benjamin Kitslaar (Wisconsin) (Fall 4:01)

285 pounds
1st Place - Brandon Metz of North Dakota
2nd Place - Thomas Helton of Illinois
3rd Place - Anthony Cassioppi of Illinois
4th Place - Kayne Hutchison of Kansas
5th Place - Thomas Killoran of Pennsylvania
6th Place - Aaron Costello of Iowa
7th Place - Gavin Nye of California
8th Place - Carter Isley of Iowa
1st Place Match - Brandon Metz (North Dakota) won by fall over Thomas Helton (Illinois) (Fall 0:29)
3rd Place Match - Anthony Cassioppi (Illinois) won by tech fall over Kayne Hutchison (Kansas) (TF 11-0)
5th Place Match - Thomas Killoran (Pennsylvania) won by tech fall over Aaron Costello (Iowa) (TF 11-1)
7th Place Match - Gavin Nye (California) won by injury default over Carter Isley (Iowa) (Inj. 0:00)