Akron is right around the corner, which means the nation's best young wrestlers will be converging on Northeast Ohio to determine our Cadet world team.

WATCH UWW CADET TRIALS LIVE ON FLO

Where: Akron, Ohio | When: June 2-3

Every year, there is at least one weight that is an absolute bear. The winner has to go through multiple Fargo champs, Super 32 winners, or just outright top-10 guys to represent Team USA overseas. Three years ago, that weight was 54kg. This time around, it's 55kg (remember, there are new weights this year).

Though there are not four world teamers all in one bracket, there are two, plus a FloNats champ, a Fargo champ, and a Super 32 champ, along with a couple stud eighth- and ninth-graders who haven't "won" anything of note yet.

Let's start with the world teamers. Robbie Howard and Julian Tagg were teammates on last year's Cadet team in Athens. Both of their Akron runs nearly came to an end in the quarterfinals, as Brody Teske tried to Granby out of a last-second Howard takedown and Tagg came back from 7-0 down in the second period against Trevor Mastrogiovanni.

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In that same bracket with Tagg was Noah Surtin, a Fargo champ from Illinois who is committed to wrestle for Missouri in college. Meanwhile, in Howard's bracket, was Dominick Serrano, himself a Fargo runner-up from Colorado who terrorized the field on his feet en route to a FloNats title.

Now comes the group of youngins, those who are currently in the eighth or ninth grade. Ryan Crookham became the first eighth-grader to win the Super 32 high school division, and last month beat fellow eighth-grade star Nic Bouzakis. Crookham's two losses last year in Akron were to Jeremiah Reno and Dylan Ragusin.

 Illinois native Vinny Zerban, who was a state runner-up for Christian Brothers College in Missouri, is currently wrapping up his freshman year of high school. He was fifth at Fargo last year and just teched Isaac Salas in the Western Regional finals; Salas was in the Akron finals opposite Tagg a year ago.

If you missed FloNationals, you might want to get caught up on Joey Cruz. He was a runner-up there to Richard Figueroa in the last time he'll ever see 106lb. A seven-time Flo Tulsa Nationals champion, Cruz will be the 120lb starter for California's Clovis North this year and has a pace most will find difficult to handle, even in this bracket.

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Also making a name for himself at FloNats was Jesse Mendez out of Indiana. His third-place finish there followed a runner-up placement at Folkstyle Nationals, as well as Super 32 middle school and Flo Tulsa national titles this year.

National Prep champ Zeke Escalera is not registered yet but is rumored to also be competing next weekend. Originally from Kentucky, Escalera had a crazy 18-13 quarterfinal win over Zerban en route to his Fargo title last July.

So who's the favorite? Right now I'm leaning toward Mastrogiovanni based on some recent results from the Journeymen World Classic. Howard took a 12-9 loss to Cadet world bronze medalist Adlan Askarov (KAZ) in the world dual. Mastrogiovanni teched Askarov 11-1 in 3:47, yikes.

If you can't make it to Akron, make sure you're tuned in next Saturday morning for all of the carnage that will ensue at 55kg.