I’m going to start with the 16U women in this post and will follow it up with Episode 20 where we talk about both the 16U and Junior men. There is a ton to get to in this post (and we’ve got 3 interviews plus the All American results) - so I decided to break it into 2 episodes. It is also important to note that when everything is said and done from Fargo, we will do a full recap of the action (including all of the wrestlers that competed). But given how late it is in much of the Southeast and the amount of work still in front of me … this will only focus on the 16U All Americans.

We begin - at the beginning. 94 lbs. - the smallest weight in the field and Florida’s first National Champion since 2013. Valerie Solorio used her underhooks to control the action and really bullied Gabriella Gomez of Illinois around to claim the title. Gomez scored the first points on a takedown in the 1st period, but Solorio took control from there … scoring 2 takedowns plus a step-out point to lead 5-2 at the break. She controlled the action in the 2nd period - giving up just one more point and won 6-3.

Solorio was one of 4 All Americans from Florida. She was joined on the podium by Clare Booe (4th at 100), Alyssa Favara (6th at 200), and Destiny Madison (8th at 180). With 4 All Americans, Florida finished 11th in the team race (which California won with ease - they had 1 champ, 3 other finalists, and another 9 All Americans). I got an opportunity to speak with 3 of the Florida All Americans …

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Estrada and Gillmore come up just short of a National Title

South Carolina’s Zao Estrada wrestled superb to reach the finals at 112, but couldn’t figure out a way to get past Cecilia Williams of Michigan. Williams got a takedown in the 1st period and took a 2-0 lead to the break. Estrada evened the score 2-2 in the 2nd, but Williams was able to get another and seal the 4-2 win. Tennessee’s Genesis Gillmore ran into the an absolute hammer in Jasmine Robinson of Texas in the 152 lb. finals. Robinson earned the fall in just over a minute … she didn’t give up a point in the tournament and was voted the 16U outstanding wrestler. Tennessee had another All American in Maggie Graham at 144. Graham bounced back from her semifinal match to down Lizzie Shunn of Utah 10-4 to finish 3rd. Georgia’s Genevieve An and North Carolina’s Hallie Misplay round out our Southeast All Americans. An finished 5th at 138 and Misplay was 8th at 132. I got the chance to talk with both of them briefly after their tournaments …

26 16U Women began the day … and 3 SE hammers are in the finals tomorrow afternoon

Florida’s Valarie Solorio, South Carolina’s Zao Estrada, and Tennessee’s Genesis Gilmore will each wrestle for a Fargo 16U National title tomorrow afternoon. Here is a quick recap of their path to the finals, as well as, the other All Americans at their weight.

94 lbs. Valarie Solorio (FL) vs. Gabriella Gomez (IL) for 1st. Solorio had a 12-0 “tech” of Annalise Maralit of South Carolina, a 14-8 win over Gigi Bragg of Michigan, and a 13-0 “tech” of Megan Valdez of California to reach the finals opposite Gomez.

100 lbs. Clare Booe (FL) will wrestle Juliana Alejandro (NV) for 3rd. Booe only loss came to Minnesota’s Aspen Blasko in the 2nd round (Blasko will wrestle for 5th tomorrow). Other than that loss - Booe has been on a tear … with a 30 second fall, a 10-2 win, a 9-0 win over Aubre Krazer of Pennsylvania (who will wrestle for 7th), and a 7-0 win over Angelina Cassioppi of Illinois (Cassioppi will wrestle for 5th tomorrow).

112 lbs. Zao Estrada (SC) vs. Cecelia Williams (MI) for 1st. Estrada is a beast on top and really made quick work of her opponents once she was able to get to that position. She “teched” her way to the finals (11-0, 12-0, 14-2, and 12-1) - 3 of her opponents also made the podium as All Americans.

132 lbs. Hallie Misplay (NC) will wrestle Brenya Crahan (MO) for 7th. Misplay went 4-2 on the day with a pair of losses of Iowa’s Lilly Luft (she lost to her in the opening round and then again in the consi quarters). Hallie had 4 consecutive wins to make the podium.

138 lbs. Genevieve An (GA) will wrestle Taylor Miess (CO) for 5th. An had 2 wins to make the semis, but dropped her semifinal match to Lydia Roope of Michigan and then lost to Attalia Watson of Illinois in the consi semis.

144 lbs. Maggie Graham (TN) will wrestle Lizzie Shunn of Utah for 3rd. Graham finished the day 5-1 with her only loss coming in the quarters to finalist Nebi Tsarni of Maryland.

152 lbs. Genesis Gilmore (TN) vs. Jasmine Robinson (TX) for 1st. Gilmore went 3-0 with 3 falls, but it was far from easy. She was in battles vs. Emily Brown of New York and Abigail Ervasti of Minnesota. She takes on a very tough Jasmine Robinson tomorrow for the title at 152.

180 lbs. Destiny Madison (FL) will wrestle Kiley McClain (CA) for 7th. Madison lost her opening match to eventual finalist Kiara Ganey, but battled back to make the podium at 180.

200 lbs. Alyssa Favara (FL) will wrestle Madisen Pillars (WA) for 5th.

Summary: 3 finalists and 9 total All Americans from the SE. Florida currently sits in 11th in the team race and with a few wins tomorrow has an opportunity to break into the top 10. Florida put 4 of their 5 wrestlers on the podium.

FYI … this was just a quick interview with Valerie after her semifinal win. She is the first 16U finalist for Florida since 2013 when Nadie Fiege won the title at 198 lbs.

Fiege is currently Florida’s only 16U Champ. Valerie will look to change that tomorrow.

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98 16U Men began their quest for a Fargo stopsign … just 18 are still in the hunt for a spot on the podium.

Tough day for some - while others cruised into the quarters.

Dominic Bambinelli, Gabe Arnold, and Latrell Schafer of Georgia cruised into their quarters. Drew Gorman also made the quarters for Georgia, but had to battle vs. Marcello Milani of Michigan (10-8) in order to get there.

Brian Burburija, Ethan Mojena, and Roman Garcia each took care of business for Florida. Garcia has yet to allow a point to be scored as he finished the day 3-0 at 160. Tennessee’s Casen Roark (120) and North Carolina’s Jax Forrest (113) each looked superb in their brackets and are into the quarters.

Down, but not out … these wrestlers lost on day 1, but are still alive in the consis.

Wallace Blue of Alabama and William Jakeway of South Carolina are the only Cadets from their states in the hunt for a spot on the podium. Savoy New is in the consi’s for North Carolina at 170. Florida has three in the consis in Kendrick Hodge, Ethan Rivera, and Sawyer Bartelt. Bartelt lost to Pennsylvania’s Sonny Sasso in the Round of 32 and has won 3 in a row to get to this point.

Georgia also have 3 in the consolation bracket. Albert Butler at 220, Omaury Alvarez at 182, and Tyler Secoy at 160. Secoy lost his first match to Travis Smith of Minnesota and has won 4 in a row to get to this point in the bracket (including wins over Elijah Penton and Omer Barak of Florida) … Smith (the person Tyler lost to in the opening round) is in the quarters at 160.

Wrestlers in the consis need two more wins to make the podium … our quarterfinalists can get on the podium with a win in their next match.

Central Cabarrus was in a dogfight the entire day, but ended up on top when all was said and done. It would have been interesting to see how things might have been different had there been a full consolation bracket. But no matter … the 2021 North Carolina State Champs are Central Cabarrus after they scored 1.5 points more than runner-up Piedmont (71.5 vs. 70). Union Pines was 3rd, West Carteret 4th, and East Rowan 5th.

How Central Cabarrus got it done …

DH Conley came in with the most qualifiers, but quickly fell out of contention when 6 of their 8 qualifiers lost in the first round. That left Piedmont, Union Pines, Enka, and Fike battling it out after the first round - with Central Cabarrus, West Carteret, East Rowan, and North Henderson still lurking with 4 quarterfinalists. If you had told me at the beginning that Central Cabarrus would win it all without Marcus Jackson making the podium - I would have said you were crazy … it just looked like the Vikings would need those points. It really came down to the Baglio’s. Jackson Baglio led all scorers in 3A with 28 points … his brother Charleston claimed the 106 title and scored 26 points (tied for 3rd). Add in Luke Masterton taking 3rd and 13.5 points and Cabarrus would score just enough to hold off Piedmont.

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106 lbs.

1st: Charleston Baglio (Central Cabarrus) 18-2 won by fall over Josh Miller (Northwood) 22-1 (Fall 1:54)

3rd: Christian Zickefoose (West Brunswick) 21-1 won by decision over Noah Cauble (Piedmont) 26-5 (Dec 9-3)

What Happened: Not many wrestled better than the younger Baglio. He certainly seemed to get better as we got to the post-season and really excelled over the last 2 weeks. He had 2 2nd period falls before downing Zickefoose in the semis 6-5. Baglio’s takedown in the 3rd was key to the one point win. He then pinned fellow freshman Josh Miller in the finals in the 1st period. Miller won a tough quarter vs. Matthew Vindigni before downing Noah Cauble 11-9 in the semis. Zickefoose beat Cauble 9-3 for 3rd.

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113 lbs.

1st: Jackson Baglio (Central Cabarrus) 21-1 won by fall over Trevor Freeman (A.L. Brown) 27-3 (Fall 0:52)

3rd: Charlie Sly (Stuart Cramer HS) 23-2 won by fall over Lazaro Vasquez (North Henderson) 23-2 (Fall 4:00)

What Happened: Baglio continued his run from the NHSCA’s with 4 1st period falls on his way to the 113 lb. title. Baglio was one of just a handful of wrestlers in all 4 classifications to not surrender a single point on the day and finished with 28 points … huge in helping Central Cabarrus win the team title. The potential matchup with Vasquez never happened as Trevor Freeman - freshman from AL Brown - downed Vasquez 7-3 in the semis. Sly pinned Vasquez to finish 3rd.

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120 lbs.

1st: Aldo Hernandez (Montgomery Central) 25-2 won by decision over Jake Cauble (Piedmont) 35-3 (Dec 5-3)

3rd: Henry Portela (North Henderson) 21-2 won by decision over Joey Bruscino (Southeast Guilford) 24-4 (Dec 2-0)

What Happened: Sophomore Aldo Hernandez looked superb on his way to the top step at 120. He had a 19-3 tech fall and a 2nd period fall before downing Henry Portela 10-2 in the semis. Senior Jake Cauble had a 13-3 major before downing Ethan Lenyszyn 7-3 in the quarters. Cauble then pinned Joey Bruscino of SE Guilford in the 2nd period to setup the matchup with Hernandez (Cauble had finished 3rd to Hernandez and Bruscino in the midwest region the weekend before). Hernandez got out to a 4-1 1st period lead and never let Cauble back in the match (giving up stalling calls in the 3rd) and securing a 4-3 win for the title.

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126 lbs.

1st: Tripp Collins (Piedmont) 37-0 won by major decision over Chance Cottingham (North Gaston) 28-1 (MD 14-4)

3rd: Richard Williams (Gray`s Creek) 22-1 won by decision over Christian Coto (Terry Sanford) 20-5 (Dec 7-2)

What Happened: Easily the best quarterfinal match in the entire state happened in 3A 126. Cottingham downed Marcus Jackson 6-4 SV1 to advance in an outstanding comeback win for Cottingham (who was down 4-1 at one point). Collins handled things up top with relative ease … getting a fall before downing Christian Coto 14-9 in the semis. Collins downed Cottingham 14-4 to claim another title. Williams, who lost to Cottingham in the semis 1-0, bounced back to finish 3rd. Hats off to Collins for claiming another title and to Cottingham who had one of the most difficult paths to the finals … wins over Jackson and Williams.

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132 lbs.

1st: Will Lewis (Western Harnett) 27-0 won by tech fall over Antonio Caldwell (Statesville) 27-6 (TF-1.5 4:14 (16-0))

3rd: Andrew Clark (Union Pines) 24-6 won by forfeit over Stephen Cotton (Southern Guilford) 13-2 (For.)

What Happened: Was there a more dominant wrestler in 3A? You can make the argument for Jackson Baglio, but 132 lb. Champ Will Lewis would also need to be in the conversation. Lewis had a 15-0 tech fall, a 23 second fall, a 33 second fall, and a 16-0 tech fall to claim the title (he was one of just a handful of wrestlers to run through his bracket without yielding a point). Statesville’s Antonio Caldwell was 4th in last weekend’s West Region, but wrestled lights out to make the finals … he pinned Omar Tucker and Kessel Summers before downing Andrew Clark 9-4 to make the finals. Clark took 3rd on a forfeit over Cotton of Southern Guilford.

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138 lbs.

1st: Rex Howard (Crest) 27-0 won by major decision over Jacob Bennett (West Carteret) 23-3 (MD 13-0)

3rd: Dominick Molinari (Southern Alamance) 23-2 won by decision over Patrick McCullen (Fike) 26-6 (Dec 10-4)

What Happened: Crest’s Rex Howard wrestled superbly all day en route to the 145 lb. title. Howard had a 12-0 major, a 6-0 decision before giving up his first pints of the day to Patrick McCullen in a 7-2 win in the semis. Howard downed Jacob Bennett 13-0 in the finals to claim the title. Howard outscored his opponents 33-2 in his 4 matches. Bennett had a fall in the first round before grinding out a tough 8-6 win over Grant Kahlenberg in the quarters. He downed Molinari 8-1 in the semis before falling to Howard. Molinari was 3rd and McCullen was 4th.

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145 lbs.

1st: Zack Karagias (Stuart Cramer HS) 26-0 won by fall over Hunter Campbell (North Brunswick) 20-1 (Fall 1:57)

3rd: Calan Staub (Cape Fear) 25-1 won by fall over Colby Locklear (Piedmont) 31-5 (Fall 4:43)

What Happened: Karagias and Staub both cruised on the bottom side of the bracket … Karagias with a fall and a major, Staub with a fall and a 22-7 tech fall. Their semifinal was lights out with Karagias getting the 12-8 win in sudden victory (a takedown and 2 nearfall) to punch his ticket to the finals. North Brunswick’s Hunter Campbell easily handled the top side … with a 15-0 tech fall, a 10-4 decision of Trevon Hill before pinning Colby Locklear in the semis. Karagias got the fall at the end of the 1st period in the finals to claim the 145 lb. title. Staub rebounded to down Locklear for 3rd.

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152 lbs.

1st: Aaron Faison (Union Pines) 24-2 won by decision over Nicholas Williams (Triton) 20-3 (Dec 8-4)

3rd: Luke Masterton (Central Cabarrus) 21-1 won by decision over Greyson Harris (Enka) 25-2 (Dec 6-0)

What Happened: Faison did an outstanding job on his way to the 152 lb. top step. He easily handled the bottom side of the bracket - including a superb 9-1 decision over a very tough Luke Masteron in the semis. Nicholas Williams of Triton had one helluva tournament … pinning Garrett Benfield before downing Franklin Melton 11-6 and Greyson Harris 12-6 to make the finals. Faison was simply better in the finals and won the bracket with an 8-4 decision. Masterton rebounded from his loss to Faison to downed Harris 6-0 for 3rd.

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160 lbs.

1st: Oren Bost (East Rowan) 26-1 won by decision over Alexander Gunning (Chapel Hill) 27-2 (Dec 7-1)

3rd: Tony Torres (Enka) 26-1 won by decision over Yoel Del Rio (North Brunswick) 20-4 (Dec 5-2)

What Happened: Bost was outstanding on his way to the 160 lb. title. He had a 17-1 tech fall and a 10-0 major before his semifinal showdown with Tony Torres of Enka. The match ended up being all Bost as he controlled the match on his feet and downed Torres 7-1. Chapel Hill’s Gunning took care of business on the bottom side. He had a 15-0 tech fall and a fall of John Lewis in the quarters before having to grind out a tough 3-2 win over Yoel Del Rio 3-2 in the semis. Bost once again controlled the action on the feet and downed Gunning 7-1 to claim the top step. Torres bounced back from his loss to Bost to down Del Rio for 3rd.

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170 lbs.

1st: River Carroll (West Carteret) 26-0 won in sudden victory - 1 over Aiden McCafferty (Union Pines) 24-2 (SV-1 6-4)

3rd: Louden Peters (Northern Guilford) 22-2 won by decision over Logan Lambeth (Asheboro) 22-3 (Dec 2-0)

What Happened: The best final in 3A? Both Carroll and McCafferty wrestled “lights out” on their way to the finals … Carroll had 3 falls (and didn’t give up a point in any of the 3 matches). McCafferty had a fall, an 8-4 decision and an 15-0 tech fall on his way to the finals. The finals match was a treat for anyone that likes good wrestling … Carroll controlled the action and took a 3-1 lead into the 3rd before McCafferty got an escape and a takedown to take the lead 4-3. Carroll escaped moments later to tie the score 4-4 and that’s where it would end at regulation. Carroll scored a takedown in overtime to claim the title in what was a superb finals match. Louden Peters downed Lambeth for 3rd.

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182 lbs.

1st: Gavin Hartsell (A.L. Brown) 29-2 won by decision over Tayron Frost (East Rowan) 25-3 (Dec 9-4)

3rd: Samuel Cowher (Cox Mill) 22-4 won by decision over Zametrie Bagley (Fike) 23-8 (Dec 5-1)

What Happened: AL Brown’s Gavin Hartsell was just one (of two) state champs in 3A that did not claim a region title a week ago. In fact, Hartsell would get “revenge” on Tayron Frost in the finals … Frost won the Midwest region a week ago over Hartsell. Hartsell had a 10-5 win over Zambrano, a 12-2 major over Andre Britt before downing Sam Cowher 13-10 in the semis. Frost hammered the bottom side of the bracket with 3 1st period falls on his way to the finals. Hartsell sealed the deal in a close 6-4 match in the 3rd with an escape and a takedown to win the 182 lb. title wit ha 9-4 decision. Cowher was 3rd and Bagley of Fike was 4th.

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195 lbs.

1st: Jayleen Bullock (Fike) 32-0 won by decision over Colby Maxwell (Enka) 25-3 (Dec 1-0)

3rd: Max Steele (Southeast Guilford) 28-2 won by fall over Perry Sharpe (Eastern Guilford) 21-4 (Fall 4:34)

What Happened: 1 point. It all came down to 1 escape in the finals between Jayleen Bullock and Colby Maxwell. Bullock got the escape to start the 3rd period and that is all the scoring he would need on his way to the 195 lb. title. Bullock dominated the bottom side of the bracket … winning by fall, a 14-3 major over Will Parker, and a 57 second fall of Perry Sharpe. Maxwell had a 13-0 major, a 6-1 decision before downing Max Steele 4-2 in the top semis. Steel bounced back from that semifinal loss to claim 3rd over Sharpe.

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220 lbs.

1st: Triston Norris (North Henderson) 27-0 won by major decision over Elijah Hurt (North Iredell) 31-2 (MD 9-1)

3rd: Jacob Vickers (Eastern Guilford) 24-2 won by fall over Hayden Horne (Orange) 17-3 (Fall 0:49)

What Happened: Norris, the future App State heavyweight, came in a big favorite at 220 and he didn’t disappoint. Norris had a fall, a 14-2 decision of Whetzel, an 8-0 major of Jacob Vickers before capping off a perfect senior season with a 9-1 major decision over Elijah Hurt of North Iredell. Hurt, who was 2nd to Norris last weekend in the West, had a fall before taking an injury default over Andrew Macchiavello in the quarters. He then had a 12-3 major decision of Hayden Horne to setup the rematch vs. Norris. Vickers finished 3rd and Horne was 4th.

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285 lbs.

1st: Cody Hardy (Parkwood) 25-1 won by decision over Jamier Ferere (Southern Guilford) 23-1 (Dec 3-2)

3rd: Terrence Raspberry (Southern Nash) 24-4 won by forfeit over Alex McCalop (Southeast Guilford) 25-5 (For.)

What Happened: Hardy was 2nd to Ferere in the Midwest region a week ago … this meeting, in the state finals, would be different. Hardy had a 3rd period fall and a 3-0 decision before having to go extra time against Alex McCalop in the semis (a 4-2 TB1 win). Ferere looked outstanding on the bottom side with a fall and a 9-1 major of Raspberry of Southern Nash. But it would be a Hardy comeback in the final that capped off our 285 lb. bracket. Ferere had a reversal in the 2nd period, but an escape and then a takedown with just seconds left on the clock would give Hardy the 3-2 win. Raspberry took a forfeit over McCalop to finish 3rd.