Five Cadet Freestyle Semis You Don't Want To Miss
Five Cadet Freestyle Semis You Don't Want To Miss
Sunday’s semis are set at the Cadet World Team Trials. Here’s a look at five you don’t want to miss.
Sunday’s semis are set at the Cadet World Team Trials with 40 wrestlers ultimately vying for 10 tickets to Budapest.
Here’s a look at five you don’t want to miss:
51 kg — #1 Marc-Anthony McGowan (Florida) vs. #3 Nathanael Jesuroga (Iowa)
The high-octane offense and shutdown defense that made McGowan a Cadet World champion two years ago was back on display Saturday as he cruised into the semis with a pair of 10-0 techs. Jesuroga poses challenges with his strength and positioning. The Iowa state champion grinded through a pair of tight decisions Saturday, beating Fargo finalist Alan Kohler 2-0 and eighth-grade phenom Dalton Perry 4-1.
55 kg — #5 Spencer Moore (Kentucky) vs. #14 Cael Hughes (Oklahoma)
Hughes, a 2019 Fargo champ, delivered one of the day’s most emphatic victories on Saturday when he teched Super 32 champ Mason Gibson in the quarterfinals, breaking open a tie match with a four-point takedown early in the second period. Moore is a North Carolina recruit who placed sixth last year at the Super 32. The three-time Kentucky state champ registered three techs on Saturday, including an opening-round win against Fargo All-American Kolby Warren.
60 kg — Brock Bobzien (California) vs. Emilio Ysaguirre (Arizona)
Bobzien has been on fire this weekend, following up a dominant Greco performance on Friday by outsourcing his four opponents by a combined 35-2 count. The powerful California native’s day included a 10-0 tech against #13 Ryder Block, who defeated Bobzien in a 17-15 shootout at last weekend’s Ultimate Club Duals. Ysaguirre’s resume includes Super 32 victories over Jordan Titus and Kelly Dunnigan. He rolled up his four opponents Saturday by a combined 43-2 margin.
71 kg — Joseph Sealey (North Carolina) vs. #9 Levi Haines (Pennsylvania)
These two collided in folkstyle last fall at the Olympic Club Duals, where Sealey built an 8-4 lead and still had his foot on the gas when Haines hit a headlock for a fall. Haines, a Super 32 finalist, outscored his four opponents Saturday by a combined 35-3 count. Sealey registered three techs before pinning #8 Antrell Taylor in the quarters.
92 kg — #4 P.J. Casale (New Jersey) vs. #12 Ben Kueter (Iowa)
Casale skipped this weekend’s New Jersey state tournament to take a shot at making the Cadet World Team. He prevailed in a 13-12 quarterfinal shootout against Oklahoma state champion Jersey Robb. Kueter’s stock is trending upward after a Folkstyle Nationals title and a pin last weekend against then-#2 Christian Carroll. He blanked his three opponents Saturday by a combined 32-0 count.