2017 Cadet/Junior National Championships

9 Can't Miss Cadet Quarterfinal Matchups

9 Can't Miss Cadet Quarterfinal Matchups

Day 2 of Fargo kicks off with the quarterfinal round of the cadet men's freestyle USA Wrestling national championships. Here are the 9 quarterfinal matchups you don't want to miss!

Jul 16, 2017 by Andrew Spey
9 Can't Miss Cadet Quarterfinal Matchups
The USA Wrestling Cadet Men's Freestyle National Championship kicks off Day 2 of Fargo this Saturday at 8:00AM ET, 9:00AM CT with a slew of incredible quarterfinal matches. 

Every weight has straight fire matchups between their final eight, but here are the top nine that you absolutely do not want to miss. 

WATCH FARGO LIVE! 

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1) 106 Pounds: No. 4 Matthew Ramos, IL vs No. 13 Caleb Rathjen, IA 

A top 20 matchup between two powerhouse states, this match will be crucial for both teams' title aspirations. Ramos has a win over No. 5 Dylan Ragusin (who's down at 100 pounds) and Rathjen has a win over the No. 6 (at 100 pounds) ranked Jeremiah Reno. This lightweight battle should help set the tone for the rest of the day. 

2) 106 Pounds: No. 9 Ryan Miller, PA vs No. 11 Aizayah Yacapin, WA

106 is the deepest bracket in the cadet tournament, as evidenced by the second quarterfinal matchup between ranked wrestlers. Miller is the Northeast region qualifier champ and Yacapin is the Western region champ. Now, based on the outcome of this match, we will finally know which is better, Northeast or West. 

3) 170 Pounds: No. 7 Patrick Kennedy, MN vs No. 11 (at 160) Albert Ferrari, TX

Kennedy was just one point away from upsetting the No. 1 (at 182) ranked Travis Wittlake. Kennedy will be a great test for Ferrari, a formidable opponent who is bumping up a weight from 160, where he is ranked at No. 11. 

4) 94 Pounds: Kase Mauger, ID vs Carter Young, OK 94 Pounds

94 pounds is to low to be ranked in the Flo High School rankings, but if the weight class did exist for interscholastic competition, you can bet these two would be at the top of it. These two were Nomad's picks to finish 1-2 in the weight, but instead they will meet in the quarterfinals. Make sure you tune in early to catch it. 

5) 195 Pounds: No. 18 Ashton Sharp, MO vs Konnor Doucet, OK

Ashton Sharp showed off some world class throwing skills when he won the UWW Cadet greco-roman team trials in Akron last June. He's in a leg-grabbing tournament at the movement, but there's a good chance he'll try some greco bombs anyway. His opponent, Konnor Doucet, should push him to the limit, as he has previous Fargo experience and is a Southern Plains qualifier champ. 

6) 126 Pounds: Gabriel Hixenbaugh, AL vs Travis Mastrogiovanni, NJ

In battle to see who can have the most letters in their names, Hixenbaugh and Mastrogiovanni make for explosive opponents and are expected to rack up plenty of points, both on the mat and as answers in a game of scrabble. Hixenbaugh is the rare Alabama standout, while Mastrogiovanni comes from the most pedigreed of prep schools, Blair Academy in New Jersey. 

7) 138 Pounds: No. 11 Kevon Davenport, MI vs Christopher Roybal, MD

Davenport is on of the most electric wrestlers in the whole tournament. The No. 1 seed at 138 has been pushed in his Day 1 matches, however, and his dynamic opponent, Christopher Roybal, may not be as credentialed but has been on an excellent run so far in Fargo. Davenport will not want to look past him in this quarterfinal test. 

8) 220 Pounds: No. 4 Luke Luffman, IL vs Hunter Catka, PA 

As the No. 4 ranked wrestler, Luffman might be the man tasked with stopping Braxton Amos's current reign of terror within the division. Before he get's that chance, however, he has to get by Hunter Catka, a Pennsylvania state qualifier who has the ability to upset Luffman before he makes it to Amos. 

9) 113 Pounds: No. 19 Anthony Clark, NJ vs Nick Masters, GA

Jersey's Anthony Clark is in one of the most brutal weight classes in Fargo. But he has the faith of the Wrestling Nomad, who picked the returning Fargo All-American to win it all. Nick Masters will not go down easy, though, as the Georgian state champ has made a big jump over last year and may be poised for another jump up here at Fargo. 

Honorable Mentions) 220 Pounds: Braxton Amos, WV vs Erich Osteen, CA

Seriously, you're going to miss a Braxton Amos match? After what he's done on the first day? That would be a huge mistake in our humble opinion.

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