2015 Cadet Nationals freestyle finals highlights

The following are highlights of the 17 freestyle championships matches that capped off the 2015 Cadet Nationals, July 24, in Fargo, N.D. In the above photo, Dylan D’Emilio (right) scored a takedown to jump to a 4-0 lead over Travis Ford-Melton in the 100-pound championship match. (Photo by Wyatt Schultz)

88 pounds

Mosha Schwartz (Colorado) dec. Ridge Lovett (Idaho), 11-8 — Schwartz trailed 8-6 before he turned a second takedown into a leg lace with 1:15 left to win the championship. Lovett had rallied from a 4-0 deficit in the first period with a pair of takedowns in the first period, and then built an 8-6 lead off a low-level headlock with 1:40 left.

94 pounds

Malik Heinselman (Colorado) dec. Rayvon Foley (Michigan), 6-2 — Heinselman, who is on the Cadet World team, took 5-2 lead into the second, then gave Colorado and the Sons of Thunder club a second straight Cadet freestyle title by holding off the late-charging Foley. Heinselman also won a Greco championship earlier in the week.

100 pounds

Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio) dec. Travis Ford-Melton (Illinois), 5-4 — D’Emilio led 4-0 — off a takedown in both the first and second periods — but then held off Ford whose first takedown with 28 seconds left nearly put the Ohio wrestler on his back. Ford added a second takedown in the closing seconds.

106 pounds

Jordan Decatur (Ohio) dec. Billy Simpson (Oklahoma), 14-8 — Decatur built up an 8-1 lead with about a minute left with a pair of takedowns and two gut wrench moves; then built the lead to 14-5 off a double leg with exposure points. Simpson scored a pair of takedowns, the second coming with 1:15 left to cut margin to 14-7.

113 pounds

Roman Bravo-Young (Arizona) dec. Matthew Parker (Pennsylvania), 11-4 — After a video review changed an 8-0 first period lead into just a 4-2 margin, the Arizona star earned two quick points off a scramble early in the second period.

120 pounds

Nick Raimo (New Jersey) dec. Alex Thomsen (Iowa), 15-13 — After Thomsen scored a tripod gut wrench early in the second period to tie the match 10-10, Raimo responded with a four-point headlock to lead 14-0 at the 1:11 mark. Thomsen battled back again to cut the margin to 14-13 and nearly scored a two-point gut wrench at the buzzer before a video review overturned the move and gave Raimo the title.

126 pounds

Vitali Arujau (New York) won by tech. fall over Anthony Madrigal (Illinois), 11-0 — Arujua, whose father was a World freestyle champ for the Soviet Union, led 6-0 after 26 seconds, then ended the match with a two-point gut.

132 pounds

Sam Sasso (Pennsylvania) dec. Brock Hardy (Utah), 4-1 — Sasso, who finished fifth in Greco, scored all his points in the first period with a second takedown coming off a fireman’s carry with one minute left.

138 pounds

Joe Lee (Indiana) won by tech. fall over Shane Griffith (New Jersey), 10-0 — Lee led 4-0 before a double leg with exposure doubled his lead with 38 seconds left in the first period before he ended the bout with another turn at the 30-second mark.

145 pounds

Anthony Artalona (Florida) dec. Jaryn Curry (Oklahoma), 11-4 — Curry used a first-period takedown and gut wrench to lead 4-0 before Artalona responded to take a 6-4 lead with 1:30 left in the first frame.

152 pounds

Trevell Timmons (Illinois) won by tech. fall over Giullian Nakamatsu (Nevada), 16-6 — Timmons fell behind 4-0 before he eventually tied the match 6-6 with 35 seconds left in the frame, then used a high-crotch for a takedown at the buzzer in the first. But it was a bodylock with two minutes left that helped him build a 12-6 lead.

160 pounds

Ryan Karoly (New Jersey) dec. Marcus Coleman (Iowa), 9-6 — Karoly broke open a 6-6 deadlock with 1:37 left off a takedown and pushout. This came after Coleman led 6-2 in the first period.

170 pounds

Jacob Warner (Illinois) won by tech. fall over Jack Jessen (Illinois), 15-4 — In this battle of Illinois preps, Warner clinched the technical fall when he scored a fourth takedown and gut wrench early in the second period.

182 pounds

Jacob Raschka (Wisconsin) dec. Brandon Whitman (Michigan), 6-5 — Raschka, coached by Ben Askren, battled back from a 5-0 first period lead, when he scored three second-period takedowns off a low double, scramble and ankle pick.

195 pounds

Jake Boyd (Missouri) dec. Ian Malesiewski (Pennsylvania), 9-2 — A bodylock seven seconds in the second period helped Boyd build a 6-0 lead before he added a pushout and takedown to lead 9-0.

220 pounds

Gable Steveson (Minnesota) won by tech. fall over Cohlton Schultz (Colorado), 14-4 — The bout ended with three seconds left in the first period when Steveson score a four-pointer with 24 seconds left.

285 pounds

Nicholas Boykin (Tennessee) won by tech. fall over Zach Muller (Illinois), 10-0 — Boykin’s second takedown — off a bodylock with 28 seconds left — helped him build a 4-0 lead before the Tennessean added a second-period takedown and two straight gut wrenches.