FARGO, N.D. – The All-American race comes into focus on Saturday in the Junior and 16U Boys freestyle tournaments. If all goes to plan, each bracket will shrink down to 16 wrestlers—eight on the championship side and eight in the consolations. Those who survive the day are a breath away from earning All-American status in the most prestigious high school tournament in the nation.
In similar fashion to Friday’s schedule, the Juniors will take the mats for session one at 9 a.m. (CT), followed by the 16U group in session two at 3 p.m. (CT). Emphasis on that 9 a.m. start time, which is an update to the originally scheduled start time of 8 a.m. (CT).
U17 World Team Members Stand Out
The Junior division sports four top talents who have donned the Stars and Stripes in World-level competition—Sammy Sanchez of California (126), Paul Kenny of New Jersey (132), Melvin Miller of Pennsylvania (165)and Michael Mocco of Florida (285). These individuals are must-watch entertainment on the mats.
Sanchez won two straight U17 World titles in 2024-25 for Team USA and is perhaps the most credentialed athlete in Fargo this week. However, one thing is missing from Sanchez’s trophy case: a Junior Nationals stop sign. His path to the quarterfinals goes through Central Regional champion Preston Waughtel of Illinois, followed by the winner of Illinois’ Allen Woo and Indiana’s Case Bridge.
Kenny won the 48 kg gold medal at the 2023 U17 World Championships in Istanbul, Türkiye. He was a third-place finisher at last year’s Junior Nationals and is looking for his first Fargo final. A pivotal matchup looms in the round-of-16 against returning Junior All-American Kaleb Pratt of Illinois.
Of the World Team representatives, Miller is the lone returning Junior Nationals champion. He was untested on his title run in Fargo last summer, with six of his seven matches ending by technical fall, and is a clear favorite to repeat against this field. Miller took fifth place at 71 kg at the 2024 U17 Worlds in Amman, Jordan. His first opponent on Saturday is Jacob Weaver of Indiana.
Mocco makes it a third U17 World champion in the mix this week. He joined Sanchez atop the U17 World podium in 2024. They were the bookends, Sanchez winning the lightest weight (45 kg) and Mocco taking heavyweight (110 kg). Mocco doubled up at Fargo in 2023 with 16U freestyle and Greco-Roman titles, before taking third place in Junior freestyle last year. Next up for Mocco is Riley Harmon of Oregon.
Seeking Repeats and Triple Crowns
All five returning champions in the Junior division remain on the championship side of the bracket—Nathan Schuman of Pennsylvania (113), Turner Ross of Oklahoma (113), Antonio Mills of Georgia (132), Melvin Miller of Pennsylvania (165) and Nicholas Singer of Pennsylvania (195).
There was a major upset on the 16U side, with returning champion Miro Parr-Coffin of Washington taking a loss on criteria at 106 pounds. Ohio’s Cole Palma, a Central Regional runner-up, scored a takedown with nine seconds left to edge Parr-Coffin, 2-2. Leo Murillo of Pennsylvania (100) is the last returning 16U champion standing.
The day began with 25 Triple Crown contenders—12 in the Junior Boys division and 13 in the 16U Boys division. That number is down to 22 with Juniors Hendrix Schwab of Iowa (132) and Jake Mescher of Idaho (144), plus 16U hopeful Noah Thomas of Illinois (113), dropping preliminary bouts on Friday.
Still Eligible For Junior Boys Triple Crown:
· DeVaughn Miller of Alabama (100)
· Cason Craft of Oklahoma (113)
· Isaiah Jones of Oklahoma (126)
· Hendrix Schwab of Iowa (132)
· Maxwell Cumbee of Illinois (138)
· Gavin Landers of Iowa (144)
· Jake Mescher of Idaho (144)
· Mac Crosson of Iowa (157)
· Maximus Dhabolt of Iowa (175)
· Waylon Cressell of Iowa (190)
· Ladd Holman of Utah (215)
· Kal-El Fluckiger of Arizona (285)
Still Eligible For 16U Boys Triple Crown:
· Colton Wiseman of Indiana (94)
· Johnathan Thompson of Iowa (94)
· Patrick Pina III of Arizona (126)
· Jeffrey Dunaway of Illinois (132)
· Marco Costa of California (138)
· Jeremiah Hayes of Illinois (144)
· Caden Woodall of Arizona (150)
· Jaimon Mogard of Iowa (157)
· Harrison Murdock of Georgia (165)
· Dresden Beard of Kansas (190)
· Leland Havens of Wisconsin (285)
· Sawyer Schendel of Minnesota (285)
Team Race Outlook
While team points won’t officially go on the board until we reach the All-American rounds on Sunday, a good way to gauge state strength is to compare wrestlers still on the championship side of each bracket. After day one, perennial powers Pennsylvania and Ohio hold the top two spots in each division per this metric. Interestingly enough, the top 10 teams in each division are the same, save New Jersey entering in a tie for ninth place in 16U.
Similar to the international system, team points will be awarded based only on placement to the top eight wrestlers in each weight class (1st: 25, 2nd: 20, 3rd: 15, 4th: 12, 5th: 9, 6th: 7, 7th: 5, 8th: 2). There are no advancement points or bonus points in this scoring model.
Junior Boys Freestyle
Top 10 States By Wrestlers On Championships Side
1. Illinois, 48
2. Pennsylvania, 47
T3. Iowa, 29
T3. Ohio, 29
5. California, 27
6. Indiana, 26
7. Wisconsin, 21
T8. Florida, 20
T8. Oklahoma, 20
10. Minnesota, 19
16U Boys Freestyle
Top 10 States By Wrestlers On Championships Side
1. Pennsylvania, 53
2. Illinois, 40
3. Ohio, 39
4. Iowa, 35
5. California, 28
6. Indiana, 27
7. Wisconsin, 26
8. Minnesota, 23
T9. Florida, 22
T9. New Jersey, 22
T9. Oklahoma, 22
Follow The Action In Fargo
Fans can browse brackets and up-to-date results from the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals on USA Bracketing. For those unable to attend in person, our broadcast partners at FloWrestling have the live broadcast of the event.
Visit the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals Event Hub and USA Wrestling’s social media platforms for complete coverage of the action in Fargo.
