2021 US Marine Corps Junior and 16U National Championships

Fargo Will Set The Stage For Who's Number One

Fargo Will Set The Stage For Who's Number One

Fargo could set the stage for Who's Number One in a major way. Here are some big golden ticket opportunities.

Jun 24, 2021 by David Bray
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Fargo is right around the corner and it will provide a massive opportunity for wrestlers to raise their stock. This is particularly important as it will set the stage for Who's Number One which takes place in Dallas, Texas on September 17 and 18. While every weight at Fargo could have significant impacts on the rankings, here are a few weights that could really start to shape Who's Number One. Of course, a lot could happen between now and then, but it's fun to speculate about the matchups we could see.


Will McGowan Earn A Rematch With Jesuroga At 113?

Nate Jesuroga knocked off Marc-Anthony McGowan at Cadet Trials in a thriller. Jesuroga won't be in Fargo because he'll be battling for a Cadet World title, so McGowan will be the man to watch. If he wins a title, which he will be predicted to do, he'll get an invite for a rematch with Jesuroga, this time in folkstyle.

Nate Jesuroga vs Marc-Anthony McGowan at Cadet World Team Trials


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Who Emerges At 120 And 126?

Right now, Joey Cruz is in pole position at 120 lbs., and Troy Spratley is set to take over #1 at 126 after the seniors come out. If they perform at Fargo as they're expected to, they would be no brainer invites for Who's Number One. But who could challenge them?

At 120 lbs, Mason Gibson could punch his ticket to WNO with a solid performance, and there's no reason to expect that he won't. With Cael Hughes moving up to 126, the next highest guy once the seniors come out is Cory Land, the guy Gibson defeated at Super 32 in 2019. Of course Land won't be at Fargo because he'll be representing the Red, White, and Blue at Cadet Worlds.

The field at 126 lbs is more open. The aforementioned Cael Hughes won't be in Fargo, but perhaps guys like Gabe Whisenhunt, Vincent Robinson, and Sergio Lemley will. That pack has a lot of growth potential, and it wouldn't be surprising to see any one stand out and earn a spot at WNO.

Can Anyone Challenge Bouzakis, Mendez, or Chittum?

The top guys at 132, 138, and 145 have all separated themselves from the pack. Nic Bouzakis and Jesse Mendez are the top two recruits in the class of 2022, and Chittum is the top man in the class of 2023. These guys are as clear #1s as it gets, but Fargo is an opportunity for serious contenders to emerge.

At 132 lbs, Ryan Crookham hasn't competed in 15 months, and there's no indication that he'll be at Fargo. We could see Super 32 placers Zeke Seltzer and Hunter Mason make noise. They're followed in the rankings by the California trio of Jack Gioffre, Beau Mantanona, and Brock Bobzien.

The top challenger at 138 lbs is currently Casey Swiderski who beat Michael Gioffre at NHSCA Duals, but there's a hungry pack waiting to make noise behind him. At 145 lbs, Jordan Williams, Hunter Garvin (who beat Williams at Folkstyle Nationals), Meyer Shapiro, and Jackson Arrington are all incredibly solid. Shapiro will be at Cadet Worlds, but the other three could square off in Fargo.

Who Replaces The Seniors At 152, 160, And 170

Each of the next three weights had a strong senior presence at the top of the rankings, so new blood will take over. Caleb Henson, Levi Haines, Mitchell Mesenbrik, and Daniel Cardenas are super solid at 152. Haines will of course be at Cadet Worlds.

The group at 160 lbs includes Anthony Ferrari, Rocco Welsh, Josh Barr, Aiden Riggins, Braeden Scoles, Antrell Taylor, John Wiley, and honestly it could be longer. Those guys are all solid, but none of them have separated themselves from the pack.

Figuring out 170 lbs could be tricky. The top man, James Rowley, will be at Cadet Worlds, and the next two guys, Gabe Arnold and Matt Singleton, won't hit because Arnold is a Cadet and Singleton is a Junior. Still, their performances will be critical in figuring out who challenges for the #1 spot.

182 Is Up For Grabs

Of the current top nine, only one will graduate, so we have a solid core of returners that make this weight incredibly interesting. That group includes Jack Wehmeyer, Brian Soldano, Manny Rojas, Clayton Whiting, Kole Mulhauser, Joseph Martin, Bennett Berge, and TJ Stewart.

In that group, both Soldano and Rojas were Super 32 champs in 2020 while Berge was second to Soldano, and Whiting was third at 170 lbs. TJ Stewart and Jack Wehmeyer met in the National Preps finals in a tight bout this year that exemplified just how tight this pack is.

Brian Soldano and Brady Berge's wild Super 32 final


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Which Big Men Make Noise?

Rylan Rogers, Christian Carroll, Martin Cosgrove, and Seth Shumate sit atop 195. Both Rogers and Shumate competed at Who's Number One last year and are capable of doing it again. Since that time, Christian Carroll and Martin Cosgrove have established themselves as contenders as well. Cosgrove actually beat Shumate at Super 32 but fell to Carroll who was the eventual champ.

Nick Feldman will compete at 220 at Fargo, but he's moving to heavyweight after that. This means that Cadet World Teamer Gavin Nelson will step into the #1 spot. If Noah Pettigrew has a good showing at Fargo, he could find himself in a WNO bout with Nelson. Of course there's a solid group behind those two that would have something to say about that.

Once Feldman moves up, there's an extremely good chance that he claims the top spot at heavyweight. He's been as consistent as anyone in all of high school wrestling. Right now, the top man at 285 lbs is Chase Horne, last year's heavyweight champ at WNO. Cadet World Teamer Jim Mullen also looms large as he has a win over Horne, and while he won't be in Fargo, his performance at Cadet Worlds will be very important.