A year ago, Team USA brought back a nice chunk of the Cadet Freestyle World Championship hardware, including gold medals from Kurt McHenry, Yianni Diakomihalis, and Gable Steveson. Diakomihalis and Steveson both won their second straight titles last year, and now McHenry will be looking to do the same.

The 42kg champion is registered to compete at 46kg at this weekend's Cadet World Team Trials in Akron, Ohio, in hopes of making his second world team. Also returning to this year's cadet tournament is bronze medal winner Travis Wittlake and world team member Aaron Cashman.

While both McHenry and Wittlake are front-runners to make the world team once again this year, it will definitely not be easy as they are both in weight classes that are riddled with top talent.

Here is our full Cadet World Team trials preview along with the top five weights to keep an eye on this weekend.

42kg

Blaine Brenner, WI
Blake Noonan, MI
Jett Strickenberger, CO
Kase Mauger, ID
Chance Lamer, OR
Cole Skinner, OH
Drake Ayala, IA

Commentary: There are plenty of first-year cadets here who are looking to make the world team. Kase Mauger is the lone returner this year after placing seventh a season ago. Mauger and fellow Fargo All-American Cole Skinner are the front-runners in this weight class. Mauger was eighth in Fargo last year, while Skinner was fourth at the same weight (88lbs). Outside of Mauger and Skinner, the other two guys to keep an eye on are Chance Lamer and Jett Strickenberger.

Holmes' picks: 1. Skinner 2. Mauger 3. Strickenberger 4. Lamer
Smalls' picks: 1. Skinner 2. Mauger 3. Lamer 4. Ayala

46kg

Kurt McHenry, VA
Andrew Chambral, MI
Jeremiah Reno, MO
Brendan Chaowanapibool, WA
Cullan Schreiver, IA
Paxton Creese, MN
Wyatt Yapoujian, CO
Carter Young, OK
Dylan Ragusin, IL
Jacob Moran, IN
Gary Steen, PA
Ryan Crookham, PA
Jacob Moran, IN
Richard Figueroa, CA

Commentary: This weight is seriously loaded. Last year, McHenry and Reno met in the best-of-three finals, with McHenry taking the series 2-1. Reno defeated Chambral a year ago in the semifinals before finishing as the runner-up. Reno was also the Fargo champ, while Chambral finished fifth. Chaowanapibool is a bit of an ironman. In Fargo, he wrestled in both the cadet and junior freestyle and Greco divisions and claimed All-American status in three of the four with runner-up finishes in both the cadet and junior Greco divisions. Schreiver is a Fargo champ and was probably one of the most talked-about junior high wrestlers coming up. Creese is all about throws, and if you're not careful, you'll be flying through the air before you know it. Ragusin impressed in Fargo as well, coming away with a Greco title and freestyle third.

Holmes' picks: 1. McHenry 2. Reno 3. Ragusin 4. Latona
Smalls' picks: 1. McHenry 2. Schreiver 3. Reno 4. Young

50kg

Anthony Clark, NJ
Caden McCrary, GA
Julian Tagg, OH
Lucas Byrd, OH
Trevor Mastrogiovanni, NJ
Riley Weir, OK
Steele Dias, NV
Matt Ramos, IL
Hunter Lewis, WI
Sam Latona, AL
Angelo Rini, OH

Commentary: McCrary was sixth at 46kg last year. Byrd and Tagg have had some battles in folkstyle including a close one at Ironman won by Tagg. Mastrogiovanni showed off his freestyle chops at the World Classic, where he was tossing guys all around. He will be an interesting guy to watch. Clark is a strong competitor who had a pretty nice freshman season. Sam Latona opened some eyes in Fargo, so keep him on your radar. I've never been to a tournament where I wasn't impressed with how Byrd performs. He's got some highlight-reel throws, which will also be on display during the Greco tournament as well and seems to get tougher each time out. I'm expecting him to make the finals with another hard-fought battle with Tagg on the way there. There's something about Mastrogiovanni that has me looking to him to have a breakout performance.

Holmes' picks: 1. Mastrogiovanni 2. Byrd 3. Tagg 4. Latona
Smalls' picks: 1. Clark 2. Mastrogiovanni 3. Tagg 4. Latona

54kg

Brody Teske, IA
Chris Cannon, NJ
Gabe Tagg, OH
Robert Howard, NJ
Ridge Lovett, ID
Justin Hoyle, WA
Aaron Cashman, MN
Ben Kamali, MI
Gabriel Hixenbaugh, AL
Jakob Camacho, CT
Eric Barnett, WI
Joey Otero, NM
Nick Masters, GA
Christian Nunez, CA

Commentary: What do I need to say that hasn't been said about this group of guys. I think that this will be one of the most exciting weights to watch because of how each one of these guys likes to attack and really mix it up. Howard is one of my favorites. Overlooking him is never smart. And Teske, well, when he's on, he's a nightmare. Lovett was a double Fargo finalist last year, winning Greco with a win over Byrd and taking second to Julian Tagg in freestyle. Cashman is the returning world team member, but it's going to be tough for him to repeat again this year. He relied a lot on his defense last year to earn the spot, which ultimately worked out for him, but that could be tough to duplicate against his field of attackers.

Holmes' picks: 1. Teske 2. Tagg 3. Cashman 4. Lovett
Smalls' picks: 1. Cashman 2. Tagg 3. Camacho 4. Teske

58kg

Andrew Alirez, CO
Beau Bartlett, PA
Jesse Vasquez, CA
Nick Raimo, NJ
Carson Manville, MN
Jordan Decatur, OH
Alex Cruz, WA
Bryce Andonian, OH
Josh Saunders, MO
Matt Lee, IN
Ryan Moore, KY
Job Greenwood, CO

Commentary: The list may not be long, but it's tough as nails. Four-time Fargo champ Nick Raimo is the guy to beat here. But we all know what Jordan Decatur is bringing and it can be very deadly. In my opinion, Beau Bartlett isn't far behind, and neither is Carson Manville from what we saw at the World Classic when he met Raimo. Manville's staunch defense was pretty tough for Raimo to breakdown. These bouts are going to be close, and I am really hoping that Raimo opens up more with some attacks of his own. But I will say this, beware of his head pinch. He did some serious damage with it last year in Akron. Saunder is always so close. He's right there, but he's still growing fundamentally.

Holmes' picks: 1. Decatur 2. Raimo 3. Bartlett 4. Manville
Smalls' picks: 1. Raimo 2. Decatur 3. Vasquez 4. Alirez

63kg

Sammy Sasso, PA
Jacori Teemer, NY
Malcolm Robinson, NJ
Mason Phillips, WA
Colton Yapoujian, CO
Frankie Tal-Shahar, FL
Jason Kraisser, MD
Jett Merlo, MO
Victor Voinovich, OH
Luka Wick, CA

Commentary: Sammy Sasso returns after placing second last year, and I am looking at him and Jacori Teemer as the guys to meet in the finals. However, in no way does that mean I'm overlooking Malcolm Robinson or Mason Phillips. Remember, Phillips and Teemer put on an incredible show in the finals last year in Fargo. Teemer ultimately came out on top of that one in the final seconds, but Phillips was right there with him. Victor Voinovich is a young up-and-comer who still has plenty of growing to do, but he's tough for sure. In that same category is Frankie Tal-Shahar. Robinson has some slickness to him just like Teemer. Fingers crossed we can see them clash at some point this weekend.

Holmes' picks: 1. Sasso  2. Teemer  3. Robinson  4. Phillips
Smalls' picks: 1. Sasso  2. Teemer  3. Robinson  4. Phillips

Watch Teemer vs. Phillips' crazy Fargo final.

69kg

Mason Reiniche, TN
Matt Grippi, NY
Sam Dover, OH
Cameron Amine, MI
Danny Braunagel, IL
Jared Franek, ND
Peyton Robb, MN
Ricky Cabanillas, NJ
Rodrick Mosley, OK
Will Lewan, IL
Tyler Dow, WI
Connor Brady, OH
Carter Starocci, PA
Justin McCoy, PA
Michael Weber, MT
Peyton Robb, MN

Commentary: There is so much Fargo hardware at this weight it's incredible. I'm really excited to see how this one shakes out. My favorites here are Franek, Lewan, Dow, and Amine. Lewan is as tough as they come. Franek made his presence known with a Fargo title last year. But honestly, this weight is pretty wide open for me. With how Franek has performed in big tournaments (Fargo champ, FloNational runner-up), I like the possibility of him being the guy in the end. I'm not counting out Lewan though. He's a gamer with big performance capabilities too.

Holmes' picks: 1. Franek  2. Lewan  3. Amine  4. Dow
Smalls' picks: 1. Brady  2. Amine  3. Franek  4. Lewan

76kg

Travis Wittlake, OR
Aaron Brooks, MD
Jake Hendricks, PA
Josh Stillings, PA
Julian Ramirez, FL
Michael O'Malley, NJ
Chris Foca, NJ
Edmond Ruth, PA
Gerrit Nijenhuis, PA
Jacob Lagoa, OH
Patrick Kennedy, MN
Grant Cuomo, NY
Zach Braunagel, IL

Commentary: Returning cadet world bronze medalist Travis Wittlake returns and is the man to beat here. The top contenders coming after him are Aaron Brooks, Julian Ramirez, Patrick Kennedy, and Michael O'Malley. My dark horse is Josh Stillings, who can create problems with his long, lanky, ankle-picking style. The potential rematch between Brooks and Ramirez, who met in the Fargo finals, is very intriguing. Brooks has put on some size, whereas Ramirez is coming up to this weight. But, with all due respect to these contenders, it's Wittlake's world until someone takes it from him.

Holmes' picks: 1. Wittlake  2. Brooks  3. Kennedy  4. Ramirez
Smalls' picks: 1. Wittlake  2. Brooks  3. Ramirez  4. O'Malley

Wittlake wins Cadet World bronze medal.

85kg

Gavin Hoffman, PA
Austin Cooley, MA
Charlie Cadell, MO
Julian Gorring, PA
Lucas Davison, IN
Ryan Karoly, NJ
Tyler Barnes, NY
Joel Shapiro, IA

Commentary: Recent Ohio State recruit Gavin Hoffman is dropping a few to make this weight, and I am very intrigued to see how he feels coming down and how well he competes. The contenders outside of Hoffman are Barnes and Karoly. I think a potential matchup between the two could be a shootout. Davison still has plenty to prove, but I like how he competes.

Holmes' picks: 1. Hoffman  2. Karoly  3. Barnes  4. Cooley
Smalls' picks: 1. Hoffman  2. Karoly  3. Davison  4. Shapiro

100kg

Daniel Kerkvliet, MN
Cohlton Schultz, CO
Jace Punke, IL
Wade Drugac, NJ
Kyle Lightner, NJ
Santos Cantu, OR

Commentary: Daniel Kerkvliet versus Cohlton Schultz. That's the match here. Schultz will be trying to make both teams again this year after earning a spot on the Cadet Greco team last year. Kerkvliet, well, he's a beast. These guys meeting has show-stopping potential because Schultz is a Freco (Greco + Freestyle) guy and Kerkvliet is a goer.

Holmes' picks: 1. Schultz  2. Kerklviet  3. Lightner  4. Punke
Smalls' picks: 1. Schultz  2. Kerklviet  3. Lightner   4. Cantu

Now that wee've given you the insight on each weight class, here are the five things you want to watch out for at the Cadet World Team Trials.

WATCH CADET & UNIVERSITY NATIONALS LIVE!

58kg: Manville, Raimo, Decatur, Bartlett, Saunders
This group of five is going to be something to keep an eye on. Nick Raimo and Carson Manville had a tight battle at the World Classic that was won by Raimo on a caution-2 in the last few seconds of the match. So if they get a chance to meet again at any point, expect it to be intense. Jordan Decatur is returning as well this year after finishing second to Roman Bravo-Young in last year's best-of-three finals. Beau Bartlett defeated Joey Silva in a close one last year in which he was able to keep Silva from claiming the winning takedown in the last few seconds of the match. And Saunders is right there. He's in every match, just still having a tough time getting over the hump. Like I said, this is going to be incredible to watch.

Watch Raimo vs Manville at the World Classic.


76kg: Wittlake, Brooks, Ramirez and… a Dark Horse
Travis Wittlake returns after claiming bronze at the Cadet World Championships last year and naturally is the guy to beat at the weight. Aaron Brooks lit the Fargo stage on fire when he defeated Julian Ramirez to win his second stop sign of the weekend after taking the Greco title. Surely, a rematch between him and Ramirez is very intriguing. The dark horse I'm looking at is Josh Stillings. He's a long and lanky problem for plenty of guys, and I think he could frustrate plenty of the guys in the field.


46kg: Deepest The Weight Has Ever Been?
Returning cadet world champ Kurt McHenry is the guy here. But the field has some pretty tough contenders that make you question if this is the most depth we've ever seen at the weight. Not only that, it's quite possibly the deepest bracket in the entire tournament. For the sake of being redundant, I'll let you take a look at the list of contenders in the preview, but just know that it's riddled with Fargo placers along with a host of guys who are looking to improve upon where they finished last year.


100kg: Daniel Kerkvliet vs. Cohlton Schultz
Kerkvliet is a guy that you may not know much about, but let me just tell you, he's a hammer. At the World Classic, he took out Jake Woodley, who he also beat on the backside at Super 32 before placing fourth. Cohlton Schultz is one of the many guys doing double duty and has the potential to make both teams. Last year, he was on the Cadet Greco World team and came up short in freestyle. But this match is going to be amazing. I'd expect them to meet in the finals. 

Get a glimpse at Kerkvliet as he took out Woodley.


85kg: Gavin Hoffman vs. Ryan Karoly
This might be one of the most unexpected matchups simply because of the weight difference between these two guys, but I think that it's going to be one of the best matches of the tournament if it happens. Both guys have great offense and move very well. I'm most interested in seeing Hoffman down -- he's normally a 195-pounder. But I'm not surprised that he would opt to come down to 85kg instead of going up to 100kg. He may have been a runner-up at 220 to Cohlton Schultz in Fargo, but he didn't like being up that high and said he felt slower. Him down to this weight and hitting Karoly will be entertaining.

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