It's Fargo week. The stars of high school wrestling are making their annual pilgrimage to the Fargodome in North Dakota for the 2017 Cadet and Junior national championships.

If you missed it, here is the complete schedule for the event. Remember, we're starting off with cadet men's freestyle this year, so that's where our previews begin.



We're going to take a look at the lightweights, from 88 pounds to 120 pounds. Complete entries and brackets can be found on FloArena. Let's see who could be our next potential stars.

PLEASE NOTE. This preview is based on where guys are pre-registered now, as well as some educated guesses on where guys will be going. Wrestlers can change weights, or get hurt, or might not be registered yet. On to the preview.

88 Pounds

The Contenders:
Chance Lamer, OR
Drake Ayala, IA
Blake West, MN
Richard Treanor, NC
Joshua Koderhandt, IL

Commentary: The smallest weight tends to be where future 106 hammers congregate. Last year, No. 7 Cullan Schriever (IA) beat No. 3 Sam Latona (AL) in a great final. This year's 42kg cadet world team member in Cole Skinner was fourth in last year's bracket.

Skinner's opponent in the Akron finals is my pick to win this year, Chance Lamer of Oregon. Draka Ayala of Iowa is another stud who should be on everyone's radar. Lamer beat Ayala (video below) in Akron in what could very well have been a preview of the Fargo finals.



Look for the south to have another high placer the year after Latona made the finals, as Richard Treanor of North Carolina has a very strong resume. Blake West of Minnesota and Joshua Koderhandt of Minnesota have had great summers on the freestyle circuit. With such a small field, bracket placement will have a lot to do with where these young men finish.

Nomad's Picks

1. Chance Lamer, OR
   
2. Drake Ayala, IA
   
3. Joshua Koderhandt, IL
   
4. Richard Treanor, NC
   

94 Pounds

The Contenders:
Carter Young, OK
Kase Mauger, ID
Sawyer Nash, IL
Blake Noonan, MI
Laz Maldonado, CA

Commentary: Mauger is the only All American from 88 or 94 returning at this weight. He could be challenged by incoming freshman Carter Young from Oklahoma. Mauger stuck to Greco for Akron, while Young focused on freestyle.



Both are dropping down after spending time at 100lbs this summer. Young took two losses at cadet duals to guys who should be favorites to place, and Mauger was second at the Western regional.

Blake Noonan (MI) and Laz Maldonado (CA) both placed in Akron. Sawyer Nash not only won the Illinois state freestyle tournament, which is kind of a big deal in that state, he also won the Central regional over a game Cael Saxton of Ohio.

Nomad's Picks

1. Carter Young, OK
   
2. Kase Mauger, ID
   
3. Blake Noonan, MI
   
4. Sawyer Nash, IL
   

100 Pounds

The Contenders:
No. 6 Jeremiah Reno, MO
Paxton Creese, MN
Yusief Lillie, WA
Brenden Chaowanapibool, WA
Andrew Chambal, MI
Kyle Rowan, OH

Commentary: Our first weight with more than a couple big names in it. I really like two studs from Washington in Yusief Lillie and Brendan Chaowanabipool. A couple guys we should absolutely see in the mix are Jeremiah Reno of Missouri and Andrew Chambal of Michigan. Chambal was third last year at 88lbs but is looking to bounce back from a disappointing Akron.

Paxton Creese of Minnesota may not win this weight, but he is appointment viewing. The tiny tornado from Shakopee has been competing at both the junior and cadet levels, but took some big losses to Ryan Crookham and Jacob Moran. Kyle Rowan (OH) is also an intriguing prospect here after going undefeated at Cadet duals down at 94lbs and winning the Central regional.

For me, I love Reno's high level experience already. He won Fargo last year at 94 (finals match below) and has made the Akron finals two years in a row.

Nomad's Picks

1. Jeremiah Reno, MO
   
2. Paxton Creese, MN
   
3. Yusief Lillie, WA
   
4. Andrew Chambal, MI
   

106 Pounds

The Contenders: 
No. 4 Matthew Ramos, IL
No. 5 Dylan Ragusin, IL
No. 7 Cullan Schriever, IA
No. 9 Ryan Miller, PA
No. 10 (at 113) Isaac Salas, CA
No. 11 Aizayah Yacapin, WA
No. 13 Caleb Rathjen, IA
No. 15 Caden McCrary, GA

Commentary: Our toughest weight so far, and another one with a returning champ. Cullan Schriever was the 88lb champ last year, and was undefeated this year to win large school (3A) in Iowa as a freshman. Although he walks in as the likely favorite, or at least at the most credentialed athlete in the field, he has been battling injuries and could be at less than 100% this weekend.

Outside of Schriever, there are several ranked wrestlers here. They include Matthew Ramos (IL), Dylan Ragusin (IL), Ryan Miller (PA) and Aizayah Yacapin (WA), Caleb Rathejen (IA) and Caden McCrary (GA). Not to mention Akron finalist Isaac Salas of California, ranked 10th at 113lbs.

Miller won a solid Northeast regional bracket, and Yacapin took the Western regional bracket up at 113. Ramos beat Ragusin 22-20 in a ridiculous Illinois freestyle state final. Rathjen was undefeated at Cadet duals, including a pin over Jeremiah Reno, but was also teched twice by Conor Knopick of Nebraska at Northern Plains.

Ramos struggled a little at Akron when he was 50kg, but won the Central regional up at 113. McCrary placed in both Fargo and Akron last year, but has losses to Miller from Cadet duals and Zeke Escalera of Kentucky at the Southeast regional. Karen Kuenzi of Oregon is a returning All American, adding to this bracket's depth.

With Schriever not being 100%, Salas could very well be the favorite and the biggest kid in this bracket. Ragusin has already won a stop sign (although it was in Greco) and wrestles for the state that is the perennial favorite to win Fargo every year. I also like Miller to have a breakout performance.

Nomad's Picks

1. Isaac Salas, CA
   
2. Dylan Ragusin, IL
3. Cullan Schriever, IA
   
4. Ryan Miller, PA

113 Pounds

The Contenders:
No. 13 Dylan Shawver, OH
No. 17 Noah Surtin, IL
No. 19 Anthony Clark, NJ
Nick Masters, GA

Commentary: Shawver has had some up and down freestyle results this summer. He's gone from a second place finish at an Ohio freestyle state qualifier at 126, to a 4th place finish at the Central regional down at 120, before posting an undefeated record at cadet duals at this weight. There, he teched Akron semifinalist Noah Surtin of Illinois, though Shawver himself went 0-2 at the UWW Cadet trials. 

Clark won a New Jersey state title this year at 106lbs and returns as an All American from 100 last year. Nick Masters won the Southeast regional and had an undefeated Cadet duals, but also went 0-2 to Akron. Surtin was the state freestyle champ of Illinois. I was also clued in to Jesse Ybarra (AZ), a schoolboy nationals runner-up last year at 98lbs and an Arizona state champ at 106 earlier this year.

Nomad's Picks

1. Anthony Clark, NJ
2. Noah Surtin, IL
3. Dylan Shawver, OH
4. Nick Masters, GA

120 Pounds

The Contenders:
No. 14 (at 113) Trevor Mastrogiovanni, NJ
No. 18 Ryan Sokol, MN
No. 19 Jacob Lindsey, IL
Cael Happel, IA
Mick Burnett, OH

Commentary: Incoming freshman Sokol is a breakout star waiting to happen. Already a two-time placer in the power state of Minnesota, Sokol is one of three currently ranked guys registered at this weight.

Sokol went undefeated at cadet duals, with a 14-0 tech of national prep champ and returning All American Mastrogiovanni. He also won a Northern Plains title, taking out Cael Happel of Iowa in the finals. Happel also went undefeated at Cadet duals. Mastrogiovanni, a rising sophomore for Blair Academy, won the Northeast regional and is the highest ranked athlete in this bracket after coming in third in Akron at 50kg.

Mick Burnett (OH) has an extremely high upside, and is starting to pile up accolades. He placed at Ironman and in Ohio this year, and had an undefeated record at Cadet duals. Both he and Jacob Lindsey of Illinois are good enough to make the finals.

Nomad's Picks

1. Ryan Sokol, MN
2. Trevor Mastrogiovanni, NJ
3. Mick Burnett, OH
4. Cael Happel, IA

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