WIN on a Greco hot streak: Will freestyle follow suit?

Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine (WIN) will provide its comprehensive coverage of the 2013 Junior and Cadet Nationals in its next issue, which will be mailed on Aug. 1, 2013. WIN Magazine is printed 12 times each year, and is available through print ($29.95) and digital ($14.95) subscriptions.

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By Rob Sherrill

Some years, we’ve got it. Some years, we don’t.

This year, we’ll take some credit by putting ourselves in the former category.

Our predictions for the Fargo finalists are always one of the most-read pre-tournament features, and thanks to USA Wrestling for picking them up annually as well. The Greco-Roman portion of the tournament is now complete, and we nailed it.

That was particularly at the Cadet level, where we’re usually all over the board.

This year, we correctly predicted that 12 of the 17 Cadet National Greco-Roman champions — 70.6 percent — would advance to the finals. We projected five to reach the Cadet Greco-Roman finals, five to reach the Cadet freestyle finals and one each to advance to a Junior National Greco-Roman and freestyle final.

Louie Hayes (top) was the first of four Illinois wrestlers to win titles in Cadet Greco by beating Alexander Crowe of Minnesota for the 88-pound title.

Here’s the breakdown:

Weight class                  Wrestler (state)                  Projected AG/Style                  Projected weight

88                                    Louie Hayes (IL)                                    Cadet FS                                    94

100                                    Joey Prata (VA)                                    Cadet GR                                    100

106                                    Daton Fix (OK)                                    Cadet FS                                    106

126                                    Zahid Valencia (CA)                  Junior FS                                    120

132                                    Josh Bird (WI)                                    Cadet GR                                    126

138                                    Larry Early (IL)                                    Cadet FS                                    138

145                                    Mason Manville (NJ)                  Cadet GR                                    152

160                                    Mark Hall (CO)                                    Cadet FS                                    160

170                                    Beau Breske (WI)                  Cadet GR                                    160

195                                    S. Shields-Colbray (OR)                  Cadet GR                                    195

220                                    Lance Benick                                    Junior GR                                    195

285                                    Jake Marnin (IA)                  Cadet FS                                    285

Zahid Valencia (top) of California lost his first Greco bout in the Cadet tournament, but came back to win eight matches, including a 12-4 technical fall over Hayden Hidlay of Pennsylvania for the 126-pound championship

Yup. We’re smokin’. There’s no other way to put it.

We projected five other finalists: Alexander Crowe (MN), 88; Chris DeBien (TN), 120; Hayden Hidlay (PA), 126; Joey Gunther (IL), 145; and Keegan Moore (MN), 170.

Meanwhile, over in the Junior Greco-Roman division, we projected six finalists and earned a split. Here’s the breakdown:

Weight class                  Wrestler (state)                  Projected AG/Style                  Projected weight

132                                    Hayden Tuma (ID)                  Junior GR                                    138

152                                    Jon Jay Chavez (ID)                  Junior GR                                    152

170                                    Chandler Rogers (WA)                  Junior GR                                    170

We projected three other finalists: Skylar Petry (MN), 113; Blane Tschida (MN), 120; and Matthew Moody (GA), 145.

                  Our Junior champions percentage was 20 percent. Guess you can’t win ‘em all.

  To review, to be considered for this list, a wrestler already had participated in at least one USA Wrestling event this year. In some years, that has limited the available talent pool significantly (though we’re not using that as an excuse). No Fargo walk-ins on this list, regardless of ability. Still, plenty of the nation’s elite wrestlers have come out for one or more events this year. The only exceptions: the Cadet and Junior National Duals, which took place after the list was constructed.

Can we keep it up as the freestylers take the mat? Stay tuned as the Cadet finals take place on Friday July 19 with the Junior freestyle championship bouts beginning on Saturday July 20..