After tons of tough pummeling and some of the sickest throws we have ever witnessed as we crowned Cadet and Junior Greco as well as women’s freestyle champs, the top Cadet Freestyle wrestlers stepped on the mat.

 

Right off the bat things got crazy. Here are the top 5 things that happen on the first day of Cadet Men’s Freestyle competition.

 

 

David Carr Gets Tested, Then Leaves

 

The arguable 145-pound favorite got a huge test in his first bout of the day when Philip Conigliaro of Massachusetts pushed him to the brink. They went back-and-forth the entire match until it came down to a controversial finish that Carr came out on top of with a 12-12 win.  After the win, Carr questionably withdrew from the tournament.

 

The Griffith Train Leaves The Station

 

New Jersey State Champ Shane Griffith is rolling already. After leading 5-4 over Maryland’s Aaron Brooks, he collected another takedown before ending the match with a fall.

 

Griffith Rolls Over Returning Runner-Up

 

He trailed, he tied, he took the lead (with a devastating ankle pick) and moved on to the next round. After taking down Brooks, the freshman phenom matched up with returning runner-up Jaime Hernandez; and it was a dogfight. Both scored a few takedowns and were deadlocked at 6-6 when the ankle pick on a reattack by Griffith gave him the 8-6 lead that he never gave up. Griffith will now meet Anthony Marre of Illinois in the quarterfinals.

 

Schultz and Steveson On Collision Course

 

As if it was even a question, Gable Steveson , the top-ranked 220-pounder in the country, and highly touted rising freshman Cohlton Schultz, who recently won the Cadet Greco title, are crushing the field. Steveson hasn’t given up a point or crossed the 30-second mark. Schultz has put together his own pin parade with falls in 1:20 and 1:21. Schultz already admitted that he’s looking forward to the chance to meet Steveson and we know the #1-ranked Minnesota boy takes all comers. Nothing but fireworks when they meet; don’t miss it.