With everything happening at this year's US Open, keep in mind that the U17 division is the only division that will determine a World Team for 2022. U20, U23, and Senior teams will all be decided later on, so there's a good reason that the U17 freestyle finals are part of the very last session on Sunday. With so much on the line, you'll want to get to know the contenders at these weights before U17 freestyle action kicks off on Sunday.

45 kg

Contenders

HM Carter Pearson, Sebolt Wrestling Academy, Iowa

HM Davis Motyka, XCalibur Athletics, Pennsylvania

HM Haakon Peterson, Sebolt Wrestling Academy, Wisconsin

HM Javaan Yarbrough, Arsenal Wrestling Club, Ohio

HM Aydan Thomas, Cowboy RTC, Oklahoma

Dominic Deputy, Pennsylvania

Griffin Rial, Black Fox Wrestling Academy, Colorado

Hunter Anderson, East Idaho Elite Wrestling Club, Idaho

Lawson Eller, Pinnacle Wrestling Club, Minnesota

Revin Dickman, Contenders Wrestling Academy, Indiana

Slater Hicks, Sunkist Kids/Monster Garage, California

Tyler Garvin, Lancaster Alliance Wrestling Club (LAW), Maryland

The Team USA rep here will have big shoes to fill as Bo Bassett brought Cadet Gold home from the World Championships a year ago. We have a solid field that will contend for that honor of accepting that challenge.

Wrestling fans might be most familiar with Javaan Yarbrough and Haakon Peterson who met not once, but twice last summer in Fargo on one of high school wrestling's biggest stages. Yarbrough got the victory in freestyle while Peterson took home a Greco stop sign.

Javaan Yarbrough & Haakon Peterson's 2021 Fargo Freestyle Final

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As tough as Peterson is, he's coming off a 3-4 weekend at Elite 8 Duals where he lost to three wrestlers in this field, Carter Pearson, Davis Motyka, and Aydan Thomas. Those results show the depth of this weight.

The bracket will also include Fargo placers Griffin Rial, Lawson Eller, Revin Dickman, and Tyler Garvin along with U15 placer Domenic Munaretto and U15 champ Slater Hicks.

Prediction: 1) Javan Yarbrough 2) Carter Pearson 3) Aydan Thomas 4) Haakon Peterson 5) Slater Hicks 6) Griffin Rial 7) Davis Motyka 8) Dominic Deputy

48 kg 

Contenders

#6 (106) Seth Mendoza, Region Wrestling Academy, Illinois

#7 (106) Christopher Kiser, Ponca City Wildcat Wrestling Club, Oklahoma

#10 (113) Christian Castillo, Thorobred Wrestling Club, Arizona

#13 (106) Mack Mauger, Team Idaho Wrestling Club, Idaho

#14 (106) Isaiah Cortez, California

#17 (106) Dru Ayala, Sebolt Wrestling Academy, Iowa

HM Colyn Limbert, Arsenal Wrestling Club, Ohio

HM Devin Bobzien, Poway High School Wrestling, California

HM Edwin Sierra, Poway Wrestling, California

HM Gage Singleton, Roseburg Mat Club /Umpqua Valley Wrestling Associaction, Oregon

Seth Mendoza turned in a successful freshman campaign with titles at Fargo and the Illinois State Championships and podium finishes at Ironman and Super 32. He's the highest-ranked 106-pounder in the mix, and he's the favorite.

#6 Seth Mendoza's Fargo final against #10 Christian Castillo

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While a couple of guys sit between Mendoza and #13 Mack Mauger in the rankings, the Idaho native, Mauger, is toughest to beat during freestyle season. He made the finals of this event a year ago at 45 kg and fell only to Bo Bassett. He also won a Fargo title.

#7 Chris Kiser, #10 (113) Christian Castillo, #14 Isaiah Cortez, and #17 Dru Ayala add four more top-twenty lightweights to this bracket. Castillo, like Mauger, is especially good in the international styles. He was a Fargo finalist last summer against Seth Mendoza.

Chris Kiser is coming off an impressive freshman year in Oklahoma and will look to translate that folkstyle success to freestyle. Isaiah Cortez was a 5 Counties champ and finished 3rd in the California State Championships, so he's very tough. Dru Ayala has been getting hot lately. He's coming off an impressive 6-1 performance at Elite 8 Duals and will look to continue climbing the rankings this weekend.

Prediction: 1) Seth Mendoza 2) Mack Mauger 3) Christian Castillo 4) Dru Ayala 5) Christopher Kiser 6)Isaiah Cortez 7) Edwin Sierra 8) Gage Singleton

51 kg

Contenders

#3 (106) Adrian DeJesus, NJ SCORPIONS WRESTLING SCHOOL ,LLC, New Jersey

#5 (113) Nathan Desmond, Pennsylvania

#6 (120) Luke Lilledahl, Xtreme Training, Missouri

#7 (113) Cooper Hilton, X-Calibur Athletics Wrestling Club, Pennsylvania

#9 (106) Sebastian Degennaro, Team Barracuda, Florida

HM Bo Bassett, Pennsylvania

HM Carter Nogle, HeadHunters Wrestling Club, Maryland

HM Colin Martin, Virginia Team Predator Wrestling Club, Virginia

HM Draegen Orine, Fox Wrestling Club, Missouri

HM Elijah Cortez, California

HM Gabriel Ramirez, Aces Wrestling Academy, Arizona

HM Jack Parker, Richmond Wrestling Club, Virginia

HM Kaedyn Williams, Pennsylvania

HM Moses Mendoza, California

HM Reid Spurley, Wisconsin

This just may be the only time we've ever seen returning Cadet World medalists enter at the same weight. Bo Bassett, and #6 (120) Luke Lilledahl were gold and silver medalists at 45 kg and 48 kg respectively, and as a result, they'll be separated in the bracket which sets up a potentially electric final between the two. Lilledahl has been competing up at 120 lbs for a while, so expect him to look massive at the weight. While it's strange not to see a ranking next to Bassett's name, that's just because he isn't in high school yet. He's already won a World title, something nobody else in this field has done.

Bo Bassett's U17 World Title Match

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Lillidahl's accomplishments are not far behind Bassett's. He was a World finalist last summer and won titles at Powerade and Super 32. He's coming off a victory over Fargo champ Leo DeLuca at Journeymen, and he just might have the pace and speed to beat Bassett.

Luke Lilledahl's insane comeback against Russia at U17 Worlds

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#3 Adrian DeJesus, #5 Nathan Desmond, #7 Cooper Hilton, and #9 Sebastian Degennaro add four top-ten ranked wrestlers to the mix which makes this bracket as tough as nails. Bassett just beat Desmond at the Ultimate Duals last week though, so expect to see him in the finals.

The real question at 51 kg is whether anyone can prevent a Bassett vs Lilledahl final from happening. in addition to the ranked guys, keep an eye on Draegen Orine who was third at Ironman and fifth at Fargo in the last year, and Kaedyn Williams who has ups and downs but whose ups include a Greco title at this event a year ago and a PIAA crown. 

Prediction: 1) Bo Bassett 2) Luke Lilledahl 3) Nathan Desmond 4) Adrian DeJesus 5) Cooper Hilton 6) Draegen Orine 7) Sebastian Degennaro 8) Kaedyn Williams

55 kg

Contenders

#1 (120) Mason Gibson, Pennsylvania

#4 (120) Nathanael Jesuroga, Sebolt Wrestling Academy, Iowa

#5 (120) Benjamin Davino, St. Charles WC, Illinois

#6 (113) Kael Lauridsen, The Best Wrestler, Nebraska

#8 (120) Leo DeLuca, New Jersey

#15 (120) Vinny Kilkeary, Young Guns Wrestling Club, Pennsylvania

#16 (126) Drew Gorman, Teknique Wrestling, Georgia

HM Adrian Meza, Arizona

HM Jax Forrest, Pennsylvania

HM Kale Petersen, Sebolt Wrestling Academy, Iowa

HM Kamdyn Williams, Pennsylvania

HM Nick Treaster, Newton Wrestling Club, Kansas

HM Sam Herring, Pennsylvania

HM Tahir Parkins, Pennsylvania

This is the deepest weight of the US Open in any division. From the round of 16 on, pretty much every match will be a must-watch. The field is so deep we made a whiteboard war about it. Check out a breakdown of some potential matches below.

55kg White Board War

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We know that Nate Jesuroga will be in the one spot on the bracket due to his World bronze last summer, but the rest of the bracket could look a million different ways. In an unpredictable bracket, Jesuroga is the one who's been here before and made the team. That could definitely matter, but he's relatively unfamiliar with this field. Of the group listed above, Jesuroga has only wrestled Ben Davino and Drew Gorman in recent memory, so it's tough to use history to predict how his matches with this field will look.

Leo DeLuca and Adrian Meza were Fargo champs last summer, Sam Herring was in the Fargo finals, and Kael Lauridsen was in the U17 finals. All are formidable, but so is the group in the separation criteria behind them. Mason Gibson was 3rd at Fargo and U17s last year, and Vinny Kilkeary, Drew Gorman, Jax Forrest, Kamdyn Williams, and Nick Treaster all placed at Fargo.

Of that group, Drew Gorman is an under-the-radar competitor who's been making serious strides lately. At the Elite 8 Duals, he beat Super 32 finalist Jake Crapps, and at Journeymen he beat Uzbekistan's Nordibek Jumanazarov, the World silver medalist who knocked off Jesuroga last summer in Budapest.

Jax Forrest is also worth keeping an eye on. He split matches with Crapps at Elite 8 and beat PIAA champ Kaedyn Williams last weekend at the Ultimate Duals. He's an 8th grader, like Fargo finalist Sam Herring, who could do big things this weekend.

Ben Davino is as accomplished as almost anyone in this whole tournament. He beat Anthony Knox in the U15 best of three finals last year and was an Ironman finalist in December. He's a complete wild card in this bracket because he doesn't meet separation criteria. Somebody really good is going to be disappointed to run into Davino early.

Prediction: 1) Nate Jesuroga 2) Mason Gibson 3) Ben Davino 4) Jax Forrest 5) Drew Gorman 6) Kael Lauridsen 7) Vinny Kilkeary 8) Leo DeLuca

60 kg

Contenders

#3 (138) PJ Duke, KD Training Center, New York

#9 (120) Zan Fugitt, Missouri

#12 (126) Omar Ayoub, Beast Mode Wrestling, Ohio

#12 (132) Tyler Vazquez, New Jersey

#14 (126) Dalton Perry, Pennsylvania

#15 (126) Brock Mantanona, California

#15 (132) Vince Bouzakis, Pennsylvania

HM Chris Coates, Missouri

HM Daniel Zepeda, California

HM Jacob Joyce, Rhode Island

HM Jacob Myers, Black Fox Wrestling Academy, Colorado

HM Jaxon Joy, Wadsworth Grizzly Wrestling Club, Ohio

HM Kyler Larkin, Arizona

HM Landon Robideau, MN Elite Wrestling Club, Minnesota

HM Matty Lopes, Connecticut

HM Smokey McClure, Washington

PJ Duke missed the freestyle season last year due to injury, but after a strong freshman campaign this season, he knocked the freestyle rust off with an undefeated Journeymen weekend that included a victory over #7 Koy Buesgens. He's the favorite in Vegas.

PJ Duke's Super 32 finals victory over Cory Land

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Zan Fugitt, Omar Ayoub, Tyler Vazquez, Dalton Perry, Brock Mantanona, and Vince Bouzakis all currently hold top-15 rankings. Perry and Bouzakis, like Duke, are high-impact freshmen. Both spent most of the season at 126 lbs but are now moving up a bit. The new weight is an especially welcome change for Bouzakis who was unable to compete effectively at 126 lbs by the end of the season.

Fugitt had a strong season at 120 lbs this year with 3rd place finishes at Ironman and Super 32. He's now up at 62 kg. Ohio state champ Ayoub, New Jersey state champ Vazquez, and California state champ Mantanona all had nice seasons and could win this.

Fargo champ Kyler Larkin and Fargo finalists Landon Robideau and Chris Coates are just outside the rankings, but they all have the goods in freestyle to make this team.

Prediction: 1) PJ Duke 2) Vince Bouzakis 3) Kyler Larkin 4) Dalton Perry 5) Omar Ayoub 6) Tyler Vazquez 7) Zan Fugitt 8) Brock Mantanona

65 kg

Contenders

#4 (145) Joel Adams, The Best Wrestler, Nebraska

#5 (138) Tyler Kasak, Pennsylvania

#12 (145) Pierson Manville, Pennsylvania

#13 (138) Cameron Catrabone, New York

#15 (152) Nick Kunstek, Blairstown Wrestling Club, Pennsylvania

#19 (138) Brock Herman, Seasons Freestyle Club, Ohio

HM Aliaksandr Kikiniou, Poway High School Wrestling, California

HM August Hibler, NJ SCORPIONS WRESTLING SCHOOL ,LLC, New Jersey

HM Cade Parent, Level Up Wrestling Center, Georgia

HM Casper Stewart, Curby 3 Style Wrestling Club, New York

HM Collin Guffey, Granite Wrestling Club, California

HM Gabriel Bouyssou, Mayo Quanchi Wrestling Club, Rhode Island

HM Jace Roller, Bixby Freestyle/Greco, Oklahoma

HM Jacob Bostelman, Colorado

HM Kody Routledge, Husky Wrestling Club, Oklahoma

HM Laird Root, Poway High School Wrestling, California

HM Zach Hanson, Pinnacle Wrestling Club, Minnesota

This weight has no shortage of contenders. If Joel Adams and Zach Hanson put their 2021 Fargo hardware together, they could outfit a four-way stop. Both guys are excellent, especially so in the international styles. Hanson won his double Fargo titles last year with pristine positioning while Adams ended up on the highlight reel in almost every match he wrestled.

In addition to those two Fargo champs, we'll also see Fargo finalists Tyler Kasak (who lost to Adams in a match with a crazy finish), and Pierson Manville. Kasak and Manville had perhaps the most memorable PIAA semifinal this year in a tight bout that ended with a surprise Manville fall.

Joel Adams and Tyler Kasak's incredible Fargo Final

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Brock Herman is on the heels of an undefeated outing at the ultra-tough Elite 8 Duals and could be poised for another big performance. I wouldn't be surprised to see him win this event.

Cam Catrabone was 3rd at Super 32 this year, and even though he hasn't had his strongest performances lately, he's still extremely capable of stringing together a bunch of big wins.

Prediction: 1) Joel Adams 2) Pierson Manville 3) Tyler Kasak 4) Brock Herman 5) Zach Hanson 6) Cam Catrabone 7) Nick Kunstek 8) August Hibler

71 kg

Contenders

#6 (152) Joseph Sealey, North Carolina

#9 (152) Ladarion Lockett, Cowboy Wrestling Club, Oklahoma

HM Bas Diaz, Iowa

HM Braxton Strick, Terminator Wrestling Academy, Missouri

HM Brodie Dominique, Ohio

HM Charlie Millard, Askren Wrestling Academy, Wisconsin

HM Christopher Crawford, New York

HM Christopher Mance, The Wrestling Center, Georgia

HM Creed Thomas, Georgia

HM David Mayora, Stampede Wrestling Club, Illinois

HM Dominic Bambinelli, Roundtree Wrestling Academy, Georgia

HM Evan Rizzo, Seasons Freestyle Club, Ohio

HM Isaias Jimenez, Arizona

HM KJ Evans, Oklahoma Regional Training Center, Oklahoma

HM Latrell Schafer, The Storm Wrestling Center, Georgia

HM Mekhi Neal, Maryland

HM Moses Espinoza-Owens, Sanderson Wrestling Academy, Utah

HM Paul Ognissanti, Blairstown Wrestling Club, Maryland

HM Ryan Badgett, California

HM Silas Dailey, Askren Wrestling Academy, Wisconsin

HM Travis Grace, Daniel Cormier Wrestling Club, California

HM Tyler Secoy, Georgia

HM William Henckel, Team Tugman Wrestling Club, Connecticut

Joe Sealey and LaDarion Lockett could be on a collision course for the finals, but there's no guarantee they'll be on opposite sides of the bracket. Fargo champ Will Henckel and Fargo finalist KJ Evans will have the top separation criteria in this bracket, so they'll be split up, but after that, the bracket could play out a lot of different ways. If Sealey and Lockett do end up on opposite sides of the bracket, that could make for a spicy best of three final.

Domonic Bambinelli, Charlie Millard, Latrelle Schafer, and Tyler Secoy all placed in Fargo and are major factors here.

Bas Diaz, like LaDarion Lockett, won U15s last year, and after a solid freshman season in Iowa, he just might be ready to make noise on the national level.

Prediction: 1) Joe Sealey 2) LaDarion Lockett 3) Charlie Millard 4) KJ Evans 5) William Henckel 6) Paul Ognissanti 7) Mekhi Neal 8) Bas Diaz

80 kg

Contenders

#4 (170) Gabe Arnold, Level Up Wrestling Center, Georgia

#5 (182) Jude Correa, X-Calibur Athletics Wrestling Club, Pennsylvania

#11 (160) Zack Ryder, KD Training Center, New York

#12 (182) Connor Mirasola, Askren Wrestling Academy, Wisconsin

#14 (182) Aeoden Sinclair, Askren Wrestling Academy, Wisconsin

#16 (160) Daschle Lamer, Mat Sense Wrestling, Oregon

#16 (182) Luke Vanadia, Seasons Freestyle Club, Ohio

#20 (170) Jared Schoppe, New Jersey

HM Cole Han-Lindemyer, Pinnacle Wrestling Club, Minnesota

HM De'Alcapon Veazy, Legends of Gold, Indiana

HM Dominic Thebeau, BullTrained Wrestling, Illinois

HM Elijah Diakomihalis, New York

HM Jed Wester, Pinnacle Wrestling Club, Minnesota

HM Justin Rademacher, All-Phase Wrestling Club, Oregon

HM Lars Michaelson, NWWC, Washington

HM Oscar Williams, Husky Wrestling Club, Oklahoma

HM Peyton Westpfahl, Victory Wrestling, Missouri

HM Toby Schoffstall, Bulldog Wrestling Club, Virginia

HM Will Harmon, Juab Wrestling Club, Utah

Earlier I said that 55 kg was the deepest weight at the whole US Open. This one isn't far behind. Fargo champs Gabe Arnold and Zack Ryder were two weight classes apart last summer, but they could meet up here. Fargo finalists Luke Vanadia and Daschle Lamer and U17 finalist Connor Mirasola are also legitimate contenders in this deep bracket.

Aeoden Sinclair, Jared Schoppe, Justin Rademacher, Lars Michaelson, Jed Wester, and Peyton Westphal all made the Fargo freestyle podium, while Oscar Williams and Toby Schoffstall wrestled in the Greco finals at Fargo.

All of the above wrestlers meet the separation criteria which means that they'll be spread out in one way or another. One guy who doesn't is #5 Jude Correa. He could end up seeing someone extremely good right away and could disrupt things from the start.

The fascinating thing about this bracket is that it combines elite 160-pounders like Ryder and Lamer, 170-pounders  like Arnold and Schoppe, and 182-pounders like Correa, Mirasola, Sinclair, and Vanadia. We broke this bracket down in greater depth in our White Board War.

80 kg White Board War

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Predictions: 1) Gabe Arnold 2) Connor Mirasola 3) Jude Correa 4) Aeoden Sinclair 5) Zack Ryder 6) Luke Vanadia 7) Daschle Lamer 8) Jared Schoppe

92 kg

Contenders

#5 (195) Sawyer Bartelt, Gladiator Wrestling, Florida

#10 (195) Sonny Sasso, Pennsylvania

#11 (182) Camden McDanel, Ohio

#13 (195) Max McEnelly, Waconia Wrestling Club, Minnesota

#20 (195) Cody Merrill, Daniel Cormier Wrestling Club, California

HM Austin Johnson, Pennsylvania

HM Ben Bomberger, Poway High School Wrestling, California

HM Cole Mirasola, Askren Wrestling Academy, Wisconsin

HM Hoke Hogan, Georgia

HM Hunter Sonnenberg, FordDynastyWrestlingClub, Washington

HM Kingsley Menifee, Birds of Prey Wrestling Club, Virginia

HM Max Agresti, Delaware Wrestling, Delaware

HM Max Vanadia, Seasons Freestyle Club, Ohio

HM McCrae Hagarty, Waverly Area Wrestling Club, Iowa

HM Melvin Whitehead, Gold Rush Wrestling, Nevada

HM Nathan Taylor, Team Tugman Wrestling Club, Connecticut

HM Samuel Murphy, McDonald County High School Wrestling, Missouri

HM Soren Herzog, Pinnacle Wrestling Club, Minnesota

Before the Elite 8 Duals this bracket might not have had a clear favorite, but it does now. At that event, Sawyer Bartelt beat #6 TJ Stewart, #17 Bradley Hill, and #10 Sonny Sasso twice. He's established himself as the top dog at 92 kg, but he'll be tested.

Fargo champs Max McEnelly and Camden McDanel are joined by Fargo finalists Sonny Sasso, and Cody Merrill. Other Fargo placers include McCrae Hagarty, Austin Johnson, Cole Mirasola, Soren Herzog, Nathan Taylor, and Max Vanadia. That's a whole lot of guys with significant freestyle accomplishments.

Max McEnelly and Sonny Sasso's 2021 Fargo final

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Melvin Whitehead was a USA Wrestling Recruiting Showcase finalist, and even though he's only been wrestling for a little over a year, he's made big strides. Keep an eye on him. He won't be a favorite to win, but you'll want to get familiar with him.

NHSCA champ Hoke Hogan can make a splash in this bracket, and PIAA finalist Austin Johnson could do damage. This bracket should be a whole lot of fun.

Predictions: 1) Sawyer Bartelt 2) Max McEnelly 3) Sonny Sasso 4) Cody Merrill 5) Camden McDanel 6) Austin Johnson 7) Cole Mirasola 8) Soren Herzog

110 kg

Contenders

#5 (220) Koy Hopke, Pinnacle Wrestling Club, Wisconsin

#11 (220) Carter Neves, Ohio

#18 (220) Parker Ferrell, Virginia Elite Wrestling Club, Virginia

HM Dirk Morley, Black Fox Wrestling Academy, Colorado

HM Jacob Walker, Iowa

HM Nicholas Sahakian, St. John Bosco High School Wrestling, California

Since winning his Fargo title last year, Koy Hopke has looked outstanding and even knocked off last year's 92 kg champ Gavin Nelson. He's the favorite to win this bracket.

Koy Hopke's Fargo final against Jacob Walker

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In Hopke's way will be #11 Carter Neves who was 4th at Fargo last year, #18 Parker Ferrell who was third, Jacob Walker who Hopke beat in the Fargo Finals, Nicholas Sahakian who finished 6th, and Doc B placer Dirk Morley.

This is a solid heavyweight group, but the weight lacks the depth of the other nine brackets. Hopke has looked impenetrable, and he'll expect to take the spot but not without a challenge.

Predictions: 1) Koy Hopke 2) Carter Neves 3) Parker Ferell 4) Jacob Walker 5) Nicholas Sahakian 6) Dirk Morley