Six Must Watch Semifinals At The 2018 UWW Junior Open
Six Must Watch Semifinals At The 2018 UWW Junior Open
Six of the best UWW Junior freestyle quarterfinals to watch on the final day of the 2018 U.S. Open.
The final day of the 2018 U.S. Open means there will be only the highest level wrestling going on, and it kicks off with UWW Junior freestyle semis at 9am pacific time.
Of the 20 semifinals being contested, here are six of the best. Make sure you set your alarms, sign up for FloArena alerts, and be prepared for anything to happen.
WATCH US OPEN JUNOR SEMIS LIVE 9AM PACIFIC
61: Vito Arujau vs Jordan Decatur
When it comes to freestyle, Jordan Decatur is a totally different animal than he is in folkstyle. The three seed has some of the cleanest leg finishes of any high school junior, but is wrestling in his first tournament above the UWW cadet level. Arujau is the returning runner-up at this weight and looks even crisper than usual after spending a year training with the Finger Lakes WC. If Decatur can handle Vito's non stop motor and hands, this will be the best semi of the morning.
65: Dom Demas vs Kaden Gfeller
The Oklahoma State Cowboy Gfeller vs the Oklahoma Sooner Demas. Gfeller was Fargo runner-up last year and then finally got the monkey off his back of winning a major tournament when he took home the Southern Scuffle title. Demas, an Ohio boy like Decatur, is a completely different guy when spring rolls around and he can do freestyle and Greco. Gfeller will need to withstand a barrage of upperbody attacks to make the finals.
70: David Carr vs Austin O’Connor
An extremely intriguing matchup. O'Connor has already bested two class of 2018 stars in Jared Franek and Jacori Teemer, but Carr might even be on a different level than them. It's clear from today that a year or two in a college room makes a world of difference, yet Carr is one of the few guys that might not affect. I think the first to three takedowns wins this one.
74: Tyler Dow vs Dustin Plott
Every time I think Tyler Dow won't do well at a tournament or I leave him off the registration, he makes me pay for it. Also the UWW Junior Greco champ at 72kg, Dow will be attempting the exceedingly rare double champ status. Plott is an absolute freak of a sophomore than won Super 32 and took out Kaleb Romero of Ohio State in the quarters, the same Romero that is expected to the Buckyey's start next.
86: Nino Bonaccorsi vs Jelani Embree
These two have met twice in folkstyle, with Bonaccorsi winning both times. The first was the 170lb FloNats finals in April 2016, followed by the Super 32 semis in October of that year. Embree already got revenge on Kevin Parker this weekend, who teched him in Fargo back in 2016, and will once again have vengeance on his mind. They did not meet during their redshirt seasons in college.
92: Jaokb Woodley vs John Borst
Familiarity breeds contempt. They might not actually hate each other, but this will be the sixth meeting of the light heavyweights. Borst won 3-2 in the 2016 Beast finals, and Woodley returned the favor 5-3 in the 2017 Escape the Rock finals. Both of those came in their senior years of high school. From their junior years, Borst had a 9-7 win at Super 32 in 2015, and Woodley got the win at FloNationals.
They also met in the backside of the 2015 Fargo Cadets at 170. That's their only freestyle meeting, and Woodley took it 16-10. Let's hope for a similar shootout affair this time around.