Marines Cadet & Junior National Championships

Fargo 2018's Toughest Cadet Weight Class: 126lb

Fargo 2018's Toughest Cadet Weight Class: 126lb

The toughest Cadet men's freestyle weight at Fargo 2018 will be 126 pounds, which features 13 wrestlers ranked in their grade level's Big Board.

Jul 12, 2018 by Wrestling Nomad
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Winning Fargo is always a monumental task, but some weights can be a little trickier to navigate than others. When Cadet men's freestyle kicks off this year's event on Saturday morning at the Fargodome, 126 pounds will look like the most difficult division to win.

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What makes it the hardest bracket? Probably the 13 wrestlers ranked in their grade level's Big Board, more than any other field this year. Yes, that means even if only guys ranked on the Big Boards place, there will still be a bunch left off the podium.

Who are those 13 hammers? Glad you asked.

FIRST NAMELAST NAMESTATEBB RANKBB CLASS
DominickSerranoCO142020
Mick
Burnett
OH
40
2020
VincentZerbanIL112021
IsaacSalasCA312021
ReidBallantyneMN322021
Joey
Olivieri
NJ
34
2021
VanceVomBaurCO402021
WyattHensonPA482021
ZackWitmerPA842021
JesseMendezIN62022
CodyChittumTN132022
RobertAvilaIA142022
CalebHensonGA462022

FloNats champ Dom Serrano looks to be the favorite going in. Currently ranked fourth at this weight, he finished sixth at 55kg in Akron and was runner-up at 120 a year ago. Also joining Serrano in representing Colorado is FloNats placer Vance VomBaur, who had an excellent second-round match there with Jesse Mendez of Indiana, whom we'll get to a little later.

Along with Serrano, another returning Fargo All-American is Vinny Zerban, who was a Missouri state runner-up for Christian Brothers College this season. Originally from Illinois, he placed fifth last year in Fargo at 106, then went 120 for folkstyle season, and then up to 60kg/132lbs for Akron. The rising sophomore did not place there at UWW Cadet Trials, including a loss to Wyatt Henson, who will also be going 126.

WATCH FARGO 2018 LIVE

Henson placed fifth in Pennsylvania's big school AAA this season. After going 4-2 and not placing in Fargo 2017, he rebounded to win USAW preseason nationals, which included a win over Kai Orine in the finals, the same Orine that beat Zerban to win Missouri states. This spring and summer, Henson won PA freestyle states at 132 and then went undefeated in Cadet duals at the same weight.

I have not yet mentioned Zerban's pin over Isaac Salas to win the Western Regional. Salas was in the Akron finals in 2017 down at 50kg, but then DNP'd in Fargo up at 120. If his weight is right, he should be considered among the favorites.

Another returning AA is Mick Burnett, who is the son of legendary Ohio coach Erik Burnett. A big school finalist for Elyria, Burnett met Serrano in the semis a year ago. A rising junior, he is among the most dangerous wrestlers in this bracket.

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Jesse Mendez carries the highest grade-level rank of anyone at this weight and is also #13 at 120. I was very high on him heading into Akron, but after losing close in the first round, he ultimately fell in a tight one against Dylan Ragusin in the bloodround. Despite the controversial loss, Mendez has his head on straight, but once again finds himself in an absolute meat grinder of a weight. His best win at Cadet Trials was 11-0 over Fargo champ Noah Surtin.

Like Henson, Zack Witmer also placed in PA as a freshman. Witmer was only fifth in small school PA states, while Joey Olivieri won single school New Jersey as a freshman. Olivieri was second at the Northeast Regional, losing to Cody Chittum of Tennessee. Chittum will be attending Blair Academy next year.

WATCH FARGO 2018 LIVE

Robert Avila of Iowa won both USAW preseason and folkstyle nationals. He would go on to get second at Iowa freestyle states to Caleb Rathjen, a Fargo AA last year. Avila's only loss at Cadet duals was to Witmer, and he took a loss at National Middle School Duals in November to Chittum.

Finishing us off is Caleb Henson of Georgia, who to my knowledge has no relation to Wyatt Henson. Caleb wrestled in Fargo last year and did not place, but his losses were to Super 32 champ Cullan Schriever and FloNats champ Brock McMillen. He also teched Zeke Escalera at Cadet duals last year. Below is Mendez beating Caleb Henson at MS Duals.

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Ballantyne has lost just one match the past two years in big school Minnesota but did not do Cadet duals or Fargo last year.