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Williams & Copass repeat as 16U Fargo freestyle champs

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Updated: July 15, 2019

Photo: Jordan Williams (right) of Oklahoma scored a last-second takedown to beat Zeke Seltzer of Indiana for 120-pound championship of the 2019 U.S. Marines 16U freestyle national tournament Monday in Fargo, N.D. (Photo by G. Wyatt Schultz)

FARGO, N.D. — Hayden Copass of Georgetown, Ill., and Jordan Williams of Tulsa, Okla,  won their second consecutive  16U (Cadet) National championships while a pair of 2018 runner-ups — Jore Volk of Lakeville, Minn., and Kolby Franklin of DuBois, Pa. — moved up one spot to grab title at the 2019 U.S. Marines 16U Freestyle national championships, Monday afternoon, in the Fargodome.

Copass needed a little over two minutes to beat Griffin Little of Davenport, Iowa, 11-1, in the 285-pound title bout, while Williams, a 2018 champ at 100 pounds, scored a match-deciding takedown in the final seconds to beat Zeke Seltzer of Indianapolis, Ind., 6-5, for the 120-pound championship.

Meanwhile, Volk, a runner-up at 88 pounds in 2018, scored seven straight points to dec. Caden Horwath of Davison, Mich., 12-5 at 100 pounds, before Franklin, second at 195 pounds a year ago, dominated another Pennsylvania prep Dustin Swanson of New Hollard, 10-0, at 220 pounds.

Kolby Franklin (right) dominated fellow Pennsylvania prep Dustin Swanson for the 220-pound championship. (G. Wyatt Schultz photo)

Pennsylvania and Minnesota each featured two champions and 12 All-Americans in this two-day event with the Keystone State earning the team title with 61 points.

Oklahoma, which finished sixth in the team standings, featured the most individual champions as Cael Hughes (94 pounds) of Glencoe and John Wiley (182) of Mustang joined Williams on the top step of the victory stand.

Nic Bouzakis of Orlando, Fla., was named the O.W. as the sophomore from Lake Highland Prep pinned Ramon Ramos of Gilbert, Ariz., for the 126-pound championship.

Dean Hamiti of Joliet, Ill., earned the award for most pins in least amount of time after the junior at Joliet Catholic High School flattened Matt Singleton of College Park., Ga. For the 145-pound championship. Hamiti pinned five foes in 8:54.

Dean Hamiti (left) of Illinois scored five falls, including over Matt Singleton in the 145-pound final, en route to his 16U freestyle championship. (G. Wyatt Schultz photo)

The week-long event continues with Junior freestyle finals tomorrow at 1 p.m., followed by Junior women on Wednesday, 16U Greco-Roman finals on Thursday and Junior Greco finals on Friday.

WIN will provide comprehensive from Fargo 2019 in its next issue, which will be printed early in August. Click here to subscribe to WIN Magazine.

 

Top-10 Teams

Pl. State (Ch/AA) Pts.
1. Pennsylvania (2/12) 61
2. Minnesota (2/12) 51
3. Ohio (1/10) 50
4. Georgia (0/9) 42
5. Illinois (2/9) 40
6. Oklahoma (3/7) 39
7. Michigan (2/5) 35
8. Florida (1/5) 29
9. Wisconsin (0/7) 27
10. Washington (0/5) 21

 

 

16U Men’s Freestyle Championship highlights

88 – Braeden Davis (Belleville, MI) won by TF over Alan Koehler (Prior Lake, MN), 10-0 (2:33)

Davis struck first with a takedown with :35 to go in the first, 2-0; Davis then got his second takedown six seconds into the second period to take 4-0 lead, then won the championship bout with three straight guts.

94 – Cael Hughes (Glencoe, OK) won by TF over Dillon Campbell (Springboro, OH) 12-2 (3:43)

Hughes struck first with a takedown midway through the first, then turned Campbell three straight times off gutwrenches for the 8-0 early lead.

Campbell got behind on a takedown about 45 seconds in the second period for his first points of the match, but Hughes responded with a takedown and ankle lace with :18 seconds to go in the match.

100 – Jore Volk (Lakeville, MN) dec. Caden Horwath (Davison, MI), 12-5

Horwath was awarded a takedown in the first 20 seconds but a video review took the points of the board. At the 1:14 mark, Volk responded with a takedown for the 2-0 lead. A second Volk takedown late in the period gave him a 4-0 going into the break. To start the second, Volk was able to force a step-out for the 5-0 lead. Horwath got a stepout of his own, then a takedown and two point turn to tie the match 5-5. However, shortly after the Horwath exposure points, Volk exploded with just under 30 seconds to go with a reversal and three straight turns for the 12-5 win after finishing second in 2018.

106 – Evan Tallmadge (Brick, NJ) dec. Mitchell Neiner (Port Orchard, WA) 10-8

Tallmadge opened the match with a takedown eight seconds into the match, then three straight ankle laces on the board at the :30 mark of the first for an 8-0 lead. Neiner responded a chest roll from the front headlock position just under halfway through the match to make it 8-2. Neiner a takedown with under 10 seconds left in the period to make it 8-4 at the break. Tallmadge used an inside-trip takedown to make it 10-4 to start the scoring in the second. Neiner used a takedown and gut in the final 20 seconds to pull within two points, but wasn’t able to get the final turn to tie the Garden State’s Tallmadge.

113 – Wilfried Tanefeu (Bismarck, ND) won by TF over Gabe Whisenhunt (Corvallis, OR), 10-0, 1:29

Tanafeu countered a Whisenhunt shot to open the scoring :30 seconds into the match, 2-0. At the :52 second mark of the first, Tanefeu threw Whisenhunt for four points on the edge for 6-0 lead, then turned Whisenhunt twice with a gut for the 10-0 technical superiority win with just over :30 seconds to go in the first period for the home-state title in a battle of Oregon and North Dakota state champs.

120 – Jordan Williams (Tulsa, OK) dec. Zeke Seltzer (Indianapolis, IN) 6-5

Williams trailed 5-2 pulled within one point after using a trip for his second takedown of the match with about 30 seconds to go in the bout before the Oklahoma state champ then got the match-winner with seven seconds to go, snapping down Seltzer for the win.

Seltzer opened the scoring with a takedown four seconds into the match, 2-0. Williams tied the match with a takedown of his own with :16 to go in the first period.  Seltzer got his second takedown :14 into the second period for a 4-2 lead, then forced a step-out at the :56 mark of the second period for the 5-2 lead.

126 – Nic Bouzakis (Orlando, FL) pinned Ramon Ramos (Gilbert, AZ), 12-9 (4:00)

10 seconds into the match, Bouzakis threw Ramos for four to take the early lead. Ramos responded just a little over halfway through the period with a takedown and two ankle laces for the 6-4 lead. Ramos forced a step-out point at the buzzer of the first period for the 7-4 lead.

After a couple three-point exchanges in the first half of the second period, Ramos got a takedown with about 40 seconds to go in the match to pull within one, 10-9. Down b a point, Ramos tried a desperation throw at the final buzzer and gave up the touch fall at the final buzzer to the three-time Florida state champion.

132 – Daniel Cardenas (Westminster, CO) dec. Antrell Taylor (Omaha, NE), 10-8

Taylor used a slick throw-by for a takedown, then a gut-wrench for the 4-0 lead. Cardenas responded with a takedown and four straight turns for exposures for the 10-5 lead going into the break.

With :33 seconds left in the match, Taylor drove Cardenas off the mat with a double, with the mat officials giving Taylor exposure points in the process tying the match at 10-10. Cardenas’ corner challenged the call on the exposure points and the call was reversed, making it 10-8 for Cardenas and the Colorado state champ was able to hold off Taylor for the Fargo 16U title.

138 – John Wiley (Mustang, OK) dec. Nicholas Vafiadis (Quinton, VA) 10-4

Vafiadis opened scoring countering a Wiley shot, 2-0. Wiley responded quickly with a takedown and exposure of his own for a 4-2 lead, then got a second takedown mid-way through the first period for a 6-2 lead. Wiley used a gut to make it 8-2 with about 40 seconds to go in the first period.

Vafiadis countered a Wiley shot 40 seconds into the second period to pull within four points, 8-4; Wiley countered a Vafiadis arm spin attempt with 10 seconds to go for two points for the 10-4 win to make it the third Oklahoma 16U title in the first nine weights.

145 – Dean Hamiti Jr (Joliet, IL) pinned Matthew Singleton (College Park, GA), 6-2 (1:25)

Singleton forced a step-out to open scoring, but Hamiti responded with a takdown for 2-1 lead. Singleton tied the match by forcing a second step-out with :50 to in the first period; Hamiti then got a takedown and put Singleton on his back shortly after the two-pointer for the touch fall at the :35 mark of the first.

152 – Stoney Buell (Temperance, MI) dec. Manuel Rojas (Bay City, MI) 5-4

Buell scored first points of the match with 30 seconds to go in the first period when Rojas was put on the shotclock, 1-0. Buell countered a Rojas takedown attempt to start the second period for a takedown and the 3-0 lead. With :52 to go in the first second, Buell got his second takedown for 5-0 lead. Rojas got his first points with :30 to go in the bout to pull within three points, 5-2, then added another takedown with a second to go, but Buell had the one-point win in the battle of Michigan natives.

160 – Thomas Stewart (Rockville, MD) dec. Mac Stout (Pittsburgh, PA) 5-0

Stewart opened the scoring with a quick takedown and gutwrench 20 seconds into the match for the 4-0 lead. Stewart added a step-out point for a 5-0 lead, and kept Stout of his legs the rest of the match for the five-point lead for the Blair Academy sophomore to be who finished third in the Nationals Preps this year.

170 – Leonard Pinto (Stroudsburg, PA) dec. Rylan Rogers (Clarkson, WA), 7-1

Pinto opened the scoring with a takedown :40 into the match. Pinto added a two-point exposure with about 20 seconds left in the first, but Rogers came out on top of a scramble with a 4-1 Pinto lead at the break.

Pinto got a takedown off a counter mid-way through the first period for a 6-1 lead. Pinto got a seventh point after a failed Rogers’ corner challenge on a two-point turn call with about 20 seconds to go, and the match ended 7-1 for the third-place state finisher from Pennsylvania.

182 – Bennett Berge (Mantorville, MN) won by TF over Michael Tal-Shahar (Delray Beach, FL), 10-0 (3:00)

At the 1:13 mark of the first, Berge came out on top of a scramble for a two-point takedown then got a turn in on Tal-Shahar for the 4-0 lead. Berge opened the scoring with a takedown off a scramble about 30 seconds into the second period, then put two straight ankle-laces on the board for the 10-0 win for the two-time Minnesota state champ.

195 – Seth Shumate (Galion, OH) won by TF over Evan Bates (Porter, IN) 11-0 (2:49)

Shumate opened scoring 10 seconds into the bout with a takedown or the 2-0 lead. Shumate then got an exposure of a short scramble with about :50 to go in the first period for the 4-0 lead, then got a takedown on the edge at :26 to take 6-0 lead.

Shumate blasted Bates with a double to start the second period, then added a step-out point off another shot for a 9-0. The Ohio state freshman champ ended the match at the 1:13 mark with a takedown for the 11-0 win.

220 – Kolby Franklin (Du Bois, PA) won by TF over Dustin Swanson (New Holland, PA), 10-0 (1:50)

Franklin opened scoring with a takedown 40 seconds into the match, also getting exposure points for a 4-0 lead. Franklin added another exposure not long after, 6-0; with about :25 left in the first period, Franklin got a takedown and gutwrench not long after for the 10-0 technical superiority win.

285 – Hayden Copass (Georgetown, IL) won by TF over Griffin Liddle (Davenport, IA), 11-0 (2:05)

Copass defended his 16U national championship when he used a low shot for a takedown six seconds into the match for a 6-0 lead. He used the same shot for a second takedown at the 1:24, this time adding a quick ankle lace for the 6-0 lead. Liddle responded by forcing a step-out point, 6-1. Copass’s third takedown came with about :50 to go in the first period, then added an ankle lace for the 10-1 lead.  Copass ended the match five seconds into the second period with a step-out point for the 11-1 16U Fargo title win at 285 pounds.

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