Fargo Delivers Stunning Upsets as Four Lower-Ranked Wrestlers Capture Junior Freestyle National Titles

Upsets are part of the tradition at the USA Wrestling Junior National Championships, but Sunday's Junior Freestyle finals at the Fargodome delivered several of the tournament's biggest surprises, especially when viewed through the lens of our latest High School on SI Boys’ National Rankings.

Major Upsets Shake the Finals

The two grapplers doing the most head-turning during the final round were Ohio’s Zachary Aquila (175 pounds) and Minnesota’s Davis Parrow (150). Both completed comebacks to win Fargo’s Big Stop Sign Trophy.

Aquila Stuns No. 2 Mario Carini

Aquila had the greatest disparity in his ranking, which is No. 31, to that of his California foe, Mario Carini, who came in ranked second in the nation.

In the early going, it appeared, Carini, who did not place here a year ago, was going to win the title and do so with ease as he built a 6-1 lead ahead of the break. Carini got two exposure points off a bad shot and added two more points before Aquila scored a Step Out point. Carini closed the period with another takedown.

Carini added a push out point in the second before the tide shifted. Aquila seemed to injure his elbow at some juncture and at one point it seemed as if consideration was being given to throwing in the towel. It wasn’t pretty, but Aquila persevered.

Out of nowhere, the comeback began when Aquila reached down for a leg and grabbed around the lower thigh and locked up a single leg takedown. Aquila then wrapped up a leg lace and rolled it twice for four points to tie it at seven all. After a reset, the Ohioan worked a leg for his final points on a Go-behind for the 9-7 lead. Carini received a caution point and had Aquila on his heels as time expired but fell, 9-8.

Aquila started his upset run in the round of 16 and just couldn’t be stopped. Missouri’s No. 10 Jordan Fincher was Aquila’s first victim, and it came on an 11-0 technical fall in 2:28. The soon to be senior, endured a close quarterfinal with No. 33 Brody Sendele (Illinois), winning 3-1, before he got back to upsetting folks.

Another Illinois Boy awaited Aquila in the semifinals, No. 11 Bruno Cassioppi. A 7-4 score was put up to advance to the final opposite Carini. Aquila did not appear in Fargo a year ago and was fourth in the 16U Division as a freshman.

Parrow Rallies Past Jason Dube

Parrow is ranked 21st in the country, with his final opponent, Jason Dube of Pennsylvania, coming in with the No. 4 ranking. Like Aquila, Parrow picked off the No. 10 guy in the round of 16, New Jersey’s Bobby Duffy, on an 11-0 tech (2:04). Parrow edged No. 28 Xavier Chavez (Arizona), 5-4, in the semis.

The semis resulted in a 10-0 tech of Michigan’s Deacon Morgan, who surprised No. 7 Hunter Stevens of Wisconsin in the quarters.

Parrow fell behind to Dube, 4-0, before showing real life and getting back in it with 30 seconds left on a Go-behind off a cradle, plus a Gut Wrench for two exposure points to make it 4-4. With time winding down, Parrow landed a four-point move then held on as Dube reversed him and used a Gut Wrench for two more and an 8-7 count.

A lost challenge from Dube gave Parrow one more point to make the final score, 9-7. Parrow was sixth in 2025 with one of his wins coming over this year’s 157-pound champion, Charlie DeSena of Florida.

Woode's Cinderella Run Ends with Gold

Analu Woode made his trip over from the Big Island of Hawaii very fruitful as he collected, an unexpected by everyone but him, 113-pound National Championship. When we wrote our preview, we mentioned No. 8 Camden Rugg (Wisconsin), No. 9 Connor Maddox (Indiana), and two Oklahoma stars, who were 106-pound finalists in 2025, No. 10 Cason Craft and No. 11 Turner Ross.

The big semifinal we thought we’d see with No. 2 Killian Coluccio (New Jersey) and No. 4 Jarreau Walker (Ohio) was sent off the rails by their own upsets. There were two wrestlers we did not mention, No. 16 Woode and No. 14 Thales Silva (California), that met in the finals.

Silva stuck Rugg in his semifinal. Woode took out three of the aforementioned dudes – Maddox, Ross, and then Craft, in succession from the round of 16 through the semis.

And wouldn’t you know it? Just like our other upset wrestlers, Woode was in the hole when he pulled his off by decking Silva 15 seconds into the second period after he hit a low single and dumped Silva to his back and then wrapped up the head. It was 3-0 with Silva in front after the first period.

Wenrich Flips the Script

Our final upset specialist, Pennsylvania’s No. 7 Brayden Wenrich, was of the milder variety and his bout with No. 5 Michael Batista (New Jersey) was never in question as it was a one-way affair from the start to its early tech fall finish of 14-2 in 2:06.

It was quite the reversal of fortunes from the last time these two characters crossed paths at the Phil Portuese Northeast Regional. That was a final bout, too, but Batista was the man in that one with a 16-5 tech.

Wenrich had a pretty uneventful trip to the finals with a 10-6 decision of Maryland’s No. 32 Tyler Verceles right after Verceles shocked No. 3 Anthony Garza (California). In the semis, Wenrich handled unranked Brand’n Edstrom of Idaho, 12-5. Edstrom squeezed by No. 17 Tee Mills (Georgia) as he moved through the bracket.

Wenrich’s crown was one of two, along with Melvin Miller’s, for Pennsylvania, pacing them to a third-place finish in the Junior Freestyle Team Race with 157 points. Iowa edged them for second with 158 points. The top dogs were California with their tally of 197.

Melvin Miller Makes Fargo History

Melvin Miller’s path to the 165-pound finals saw him engaged in a closer than expected situation with No. 25 Grayson Eggum (Minnesota) that ended with a 5-4 win. Illinois’ No. 40 Aiden Arnett was given a 10-0 tech fall.

Another Illinois Showdown awaited No. 2 Miller in the finals with No. 4 Rocco Cassioppi. Cassioppi defeated No. 7 Joe Bachmann of Pennsylvania, 3-1, in the quarterfinals and was hoping to carry that over but Miller spoiled that early on, taking a 4-0 lead into the break. Miller’s four came on a takedown and chest lock roll for exposure.

A low shot kept the scoring going for Miller in the second period as he secured a takedown to go up 6-0. Miller gained a step-out point but was done scoring for the match. Cassioppi tried a late comeback, but time was not his friend as he was only able to gain two takedowns to end at a 7-4 final.

For Miller, this was his third consecutive Junior Freestyle Crown at Fargo. The soon to be senior’s title count is up to four now as he gained a 16U one as an eighth grader. He became just one of the few wrestlers to win four Fargo freestyle championships.

Antonio Mills Repeats as Champion

Georgia’s No. 3 Antonio Mills has a semi-recent history with No. 5 Paul Kenny (New Jersey), the wrestler he would face in the 132-pound final. The two met last year at Fargo with Mills winning by a point then going on to win it all, while Kenny placed third.

They met last fall at FloWrestling’s Who’s No. 1 with Mills yet again winning by one-point. Kenny gained the upper hand in this meeting taking a 3-0 lead with a step out and quick exposure with a front headlock. Mills used a sweep single to make it 3-2.

Later in the round, Kenny countered a shot and turned it into four points with exposure to jump out front, 7-2. Mills added a point at the end of the first and quickly shot on the legs to begin the second, picking up a takedown that led to exposure points to even it up at seven.

Takedowns were exchanged and the expectation was, oh, this is going to be another one-pointer, but Mills was eventually able to shut Kenny down and throw up more takedowns than his rival at the end to author a 12-9 tale.

California Claims Team Title

California were the Kings in the team race and in the champions count with three – Sammy Sanchez (126 pounds), Luke Loren (106), and Jesse Grajeda (144 pounds).

World Champ Gets First Fargo Gold

Sammy Sanchez was off chasing world titles for the last two summers and was successful in doing so, as he came home as the champ twice. With no world trip on the docket this summer, Sanchez made his Fargo debut and was featured in one of the more high-powered finals as he is ranked second in the nation and squared off with No. 3 Hayden Schwab (Iowa).

Sanchez earned his 2025 World Team Birth by sweeping Schwab in the U17 Finals at the U.S. Open, 9-0 and 6-0. This one fit that bill as well but was more one-sided and ended with an 11-1 technical fall in 3:45. It didn’t start that way, though, as it was just 2-1 at the conclusion of the first period.

Sanchez scored a takedown by coming out the back door of a scramble and Schwab posted a point. Sanchez exploded in the second frame with a takedown and exposure points then gained an extra point on a lost challenge to leave it at 7-1. Sanchez went back to a low single leg which led to two more exposure points and the 11-1 tech.

Loren Holds Off Williams

When the Fargo rosters were released No. 2 Luke Loren was the only top ten guy that was in the Junior 106-pound brackets. The next highest was No. 26 Derik Kiefer out of Georgia. Upon the completion of weigh-ins, it was revealed that two from 113 pounds had made the cut to 106, Oklahoma’s Cache Williams and Minnesota’s Jackson Thorn.

Loren would end up running into both, with Williams, now holding the No. 6 ranking, being his finals foe. We ranked Thorn at No. 16, and he met Loren in the quarters, ending in a 13-10 win for Loren. Interestingly, in a quarterfinal on the other side of the bracket, Williams sent Kiefer packing to the consolation rounds.

It was all Loren in the beginning of the finals, and he was knocking on the door of a technical fall as he built an 8-0 lead. Loren countered Williams early in the first period and got a takedown then locked up a Gut Wrench for three rolls and six points.

Williams gained two exposure on a reversal and then Loren answered his reversal to make it 9-2 before revisiting the Gut Wrench for another two-point turn and an 11-2 edge. Williams picked up two exposure points to end a busy first period at 11-4.

Loren only added one more point in the second, but Williams could only muster four before running out of time and succumbing to a 12-8 count.

Grajeda’s Grand Improvement

The way the Fargo seeding worked out at 144 pounds it appeared there would be a semifinal meeting with No. 7 Jesse Grajeda and No. 6 Dale Corbin (Pennsylvania). When Grajeda teched No. 46 Adante Washington (Illinois) in the quarters, he was guaranteed a higher finish than last year’s eighth.

Grajeda already knew he wasn’t going to see Corbin in the semis as Colorado’s No. 33 Michael Lopez picked him off, 12-7, in the early rounds. Lopez also defeated No. 27 Cole Speer (Ohio), 10-0, to move into the Grajeda match before his mojo ran out with a 10-0 loss.

Grajeda kept the tech fall rolling into his finals matchup with No. 11 Braylon Reynolds (Indiana), taking a 3-0 lead after the first then closing it down at the 5:37 mark. To his credit, Reynolds tried to make something happen and had throw attempts countered by Grajeda both times in the second with the last one resulting in the fateful points of an 11-0 tech.

DeSena Goes Out on Top

Florida’s No. 1 Charlie DeSena was ranked second at 150 pounds and decided to make the move to 157 for Fargo. We placed him atop the 157-pound rankings and as fate would have it, he really got a chance to prove it as he faced off with No. 2 Mac Crosson of Iowa in the only one versus two matchup of the finals.

DeSena was close to securing an opening takedown but was not able to break Crosson fully down to the mat but gained a step out point during the scuffle.

Most of the scoring in this match came in that way with each putting a step out on the ledger in the second. A late Go-behind ended almost the same as the first one, but with no points at all this time as time expired while DeSena was working to break down Crosson.

DeSena, who had never placed at Fargo before this year, had a pretty easy time reaching the finals, even laying a 12-1 tech on No. 9 Jake Miller (Oklahoma). Florida’s three champs tied California and led to their fourth-place finish and 119 points. One of the other champs was a teammate of DeSena’s at National Power Lake Highland Prep, Tyler DeKraker. Heavyweight Michael Mocco is the third titlist.

DeKraker Does It in Style

DeKraker walked into Fargo ranked second, the highest rated in the field. It was possible he could see his Highlander teammate No. 9 Shamus Regan if things went according to the rankings. But this is Fargo, and that is not a given, as Regan’s loss to No. 38 Austin Ellis (Utah) attests too.

The graduating senior did toe the line with No. 8 Dawson Youngblut of Iowa in the 138-pound finals. DeKraker wrestled a beautiful match that saw him on the attack and moving with purpose. It was efficient and powerful with the end being a 10-2 decision that was built from scoring takedowns, exposures, and pushouts. The whole arsenal was used expertly.

Mocco Climbs Fargo Mountain, Again

Michael Mocco’s first Fargo trip came as a 16U freshman and that concluded with him as the champion. A year away was taken and a World Championship was accrued. Mocco returned to the Dome last year and entered the Junior Ranks where he placed third.

The outgoing senior was favored to win it all as he held the No. 4 ranking. A 10-0 tech of Iowa’s No. 8 Ashton Honnold in the quarters represented the highest ranked guy Mocco would face. In the finals it was No. 9 Ty Martin (Wisconsin), who wasn’t intimidated by the Decorated Mocco.

Martin put up the first points with a takedown that was equaled by Mocco to end the first in a 2-2 draw. Martin took the lead again to kick off the second period with a nice low double leg takedown. Mocco wasn’t going away easily and chipped away at the deficit.

A big Blast Double gave Mocco a brief 6-5 lead as Martin hit an immediate reversal to tie it back up at six. Mocco was able to add some exposure points during that fray and ended with a 9-6 score.

Other Champions Crowned

Waylon Cressell came in third here a year ago and while he was favored in his final with No. 21 Nicholas Singer (Pennsylvania), nothing was guaranteed. Cressell is ranked second this year, but last year Singer beat him on the way to winning the 175-pound title.

So, that was the backdrop of their bout. It was close until the second period when Cressell blew it open on a spin behind and trapped an arm and rolled with it for exposure points. Singer was visibly in pain when they stopped the roll and favored the arm the rest of the way.

From there, Cressell took over, adding two more takedowns to grow his margin over Singer to 8-3.

Iowa’s second champ came in the lightest Junior weight class, 100 pounds, by No. 30 Ty Martin, who teched Illinois’ Symon Woods, 10-0 (3:22). Martin was fifth at 88 pounds in 16U last season.

Howard Wins Wildest Final Over Moylan

Indiana’s No. 20 Sam Howard was in a hotly contested final with No. 18 Daniel Moylan (California) that reinforced their close proximity in the rankings with Howard eking out an 11-10 win.

It’s too chaotic to get into all of it but Howard was winning 6-2 after the first period when Moylan started going off, even tossing Howard for two points during one exchange. Late in the second period they worked to an 8-8 tie that was answered by a slide by shot from Howard and an extra point. Moylan kept coming with a very late takedown as he was trying to cause more chaos.

Full Brackets for each weight class.

Junior Freestyle Team Standings (Top 10)

1-California 197

2-Iowa 158

3-Pennsylvania 157

4-Florida 119

5-Illinois 105

6-Indiana 98

7-Ohio 92

8-Minnesota 91

9-Wisconsin 68

10-Oklahoma 53

JR Boys FS

Medal Match Results

100

1st - Ty Martin (Iowa) T.F. Symon Woods (Illinois), 10-0 (3:22)

3rd - DeVaughn Miller (Alabama) T.F. Logan Raske (Tennessee), 18-7 (5:32)

5th - Ryker Leonard (Ohio) T.F. David Serrano (Florida), 12-1 (1:48)

7th - Parker Williams (Florida) F. Jaxson Tocco (New York), 5:00

106

1st - Luke Loren (California) Dec. Cache Williams (Oklahoma), 12-8

3rd - Jackson Thorn (Minnesota) T.F. Frank Fuentes (California), 13-2 (3:35)

5th - Aidan Ortega (Illinois) T.F. Alex Huddleston (Indiana), 14-3 (2:45)

7th - Dakota Harmer (Michigan) T.F. Michael Densmore (Georgia), 11-0 (3:22)

113

1st - Analu Woode (Hawaii) F. Thales Silva (California), 3:15

3rd - Cason Craft (Oklahoma) Dec. Camden Rugg (Wisconsin), 6-5

5th - Koa DeLoach (Florida) Dec. Niko Odiotti (Illinois), 14-12

7th - Turner Ross (Oklahoma) F. Traevon Ducking (Indiana), 1:50

120

1st - Brayden Wenrich (Pennsylvania) T.F. Michael Batista (New Jersey), 14-2 (2:06)

3rd - Thiago Silva (California) T.F. Landon Thoennes (Minnesota), 15-5 (3:51)

5th - Loc Webber (Ohio) T.F. Brand'n Edstrom (Idaho), 13-1 (2:46)

7th - Aiden Garcia (California) T.F. Tyler Verceles (Maryland), 10-0 (2:27)

126

1st - Samuel Sanchez (California) T.F. Hayden Schwab (Iowa), 11-1 (3:45)

3rd - Mateo Gallegos (Pennsylvania) Dec. Cale Vandermark (Iowa), 3-0

5th - Van Smith (Oklahoma) Dec. Matthew Mulligan (New Jersey), 10-8

7th - Cody Clarke (Georgia) T.F. Isaiah Jones (Oklahoma), 17-7 (3:28)

132

1st - Antonio Mills (Georgia) Dec. Paul Kenny (New Jersey), 12-9

3rd - Nathan Rioux (Indiana) Dec. Blaze Van Gundy (Ohio), 9-4

5th - Tommy Wurster (Ohio) Dec. Miklo Hernandez (Minnesota), 5-1

7th - Jamiel Castleberry (Illinois) Dec. Eddie Woody, Jr. (Iowa), 3-3

138

1st - Tyler Dekraker (Florida) Dec. Dawson Youngblut (Iowa), 10-2

3rd - Nicholas Sorrow (Michigan) Dec. Tanner Guenot (Pennsylvania), 6-2

5th - Urijah Lopez (Ohio) Dec. Gage Bjerga (Minnesota), 6-4

7th - Austin Ellis (Utah) Dec. Shamus Regan (Florida), 3-2

144

1st - Jesse Grajeda (California) T.F. Braylon Reynolds (Indiana), 11-0 (5:37)

3rd - Dale Corbin (Pennsylvania) Dec. Cole Speer (Ohio), 5-2

5th - Michael Lopez (Colorado) T.F. Cody Trevino (Iowa), 10-0 (1:07)

7th - Gavin Landers (Iowa) T.F. Nico DeSalvo (Iowa), 10-0 (4:40)

150

1st - Davis Parrow (Minnesota) Dec. Jason Dube (Pennsylvania), 9-7

3rd - Peyton Hornsby (Indiana) T.F. Austin Collins (Colorado), 18-8 (2:27)

5th - Matthew O'Neill (Pennsylvania) Inj. Deacon Morgan (Michigan), 2:58

7th - Bennett Kujawa (Minnesota) Dec. Bobby Duffy (New Jersey), 15-13

157

1st - Charlie DeSena (Florida) Dec. Mac Crosson (Iowa), 3-2

3rd - Lincoln Robideau (Minnesota) T.F. Jet Brown (Missouri), 16-6 (5:12)

5th - Wyatt Medlin (Illinois) T.F. Mason Petersen (Nebraska), 10-0 (2:45)

7th - Brooklyn Pickett (Maryland) Med. For. Jake Miller (Oklahoma),

165

1st - Melvin Miller (Pennsylvania) Dec. Rocco Cassioppi (Illinois), 7-4

3rd - Jacob Perez (California) T.F. Aiden Arnett (Illinois), 10-0 (2:08)

5th - Joe Bachmann (Pennsylvania) Med. For. Declan Koch (Wisconsin),

7th - Grayson Eggum (Minnesota) Dec. David Ogunsanya (Illinois), 6-2

175

1st - Zack Aquila (Ohio) Dec. Mario Carini (California), 9-8

3rd - Tomm Heiser (Wisconsin) Dec. Lucas Boe (Florida), 13-11

5th - Bruno Cassioppi (Illinois) Dec. Jakob Hoke (Ohio), 13-4

7th - Maximus Dhabolt (Iowa) T.F. Noah Tucker (Maryland), 11-1 (3:00)

190

1st - Waylon Cressell (Iowa) Dec. Nicholas Singer (Pennsylvania), 8-3

3rd - Mason Ontiveros (California) T.F. Jaxon Penovich (Illinois), 13-0 (4:54)

5th - Kyle Gallo (Florida) Dec. Everett Joyce (Kansas), 8-7

7th - Eli Leonard (Wisconsin) Dec. Victor Marks-Jenkins (Maryland), 3-3

215

1st - Sam Howard (Indiana) Dec. Daniel Moylan (California), 11-10

3rd - William Ward (North Dakota) F. Ceasar Salas (Indiana), 4:01

5th - Ladd Holman (Utah) Med. For. Decker Bechtold (Pennsylvania),

7th - Maximus Konopka (Connecticut) F. Carter Brown (Missouri), 3:37

285

1st - Michael Mocco (Florida) Dec. Tyson Martin (Wisconsin), 9-6

3rd - Ashton Honnold (Iowa) Dec. Kal-El Fluckiger (Arizona), 7-7

5th - Cael Leisgang (Wisconsin) T.F. Kaz Morosetti (Rhode Island), 10-0 (5:44)

7th - Kade West (Washington) F. William Glesing (Indiana), 5:12

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