2021 Junior World Championships

Get To Know Your Greco-Roman Junior World Team

Get To Know Your Greco-Roman Junior World Team

Get to know your Greco-Roman wrestling team in advance of the Junior World Championships held in Ufa, Russia on August 16-22.

Aug 9, 2021 by Kyle Klingman
Get To Know Your Greco-Roman Junior World Team

Get to know your Greco-Roman wrestling team in advance of the Junior World Championships held in Ufa, Russia on August 16-22.

Billy Sullivan

Weight: 55 kg
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
High School: SLAM Nevada
College: Oklahoma City University
Club: Legends of Gold Las Vegas
Instagram: @billyxsullivan

What you need to know: Sullivan was a conference champion for Oklahoma City University and qualified for the NAIA championships. He was a 2019 Fargo Junior Greco-Roman National champion and a bronze medalist at the Junior Greco Pan-Am Championships. 

Championship Series: Sullivan over Aizayah Yacapin, 2-1
Match One: Yacapin def. Sullivan, 4-1
Match Two: Sullivan def. Yacapin, 10-6
Match Three: Sullivan def. Yacapin, 4-1

Nic Bouzakis

Weight: 60 kg
Hometown: Shavertown, Pennsylvania
High School: Wyoming Seminary
College: Undecided
Club: Team Greco/Xcaliber
Instagram: @nicbouzakis 

What you need to know: Bouzakis was a 2019 Fargo 16U Freestyle National champion and a double freestyle All-American in 2021. He won the 2020 National Prep Championships and is a two-time Super 32 champ, three-time Florida state champ, Beast of the East champ, and a Powerade champ. 

Championship Series: Bouzakis over Phillip Moomey, 2-0
Match One: Bouzakis def. Moomey, 12-2 4:29
Match Two: Bouzakis def. fall Moomey, 13-5, 5:11

Chayse LaJoie

Weight: 63 kg
Hometown: Gaylord, Michigan
High School: Gaylord
College: Cornell
Club: Spartan Combat RTC
Instagram: @chayselajoie 

What you need to know: LaJoie is a two-time Fargo Junior Greco-Roman National champion (2018-19) and a third-place finisher in the 16U division (2016). He was a two-time Michigan state champion and a four-time finalist. 

Championship Series: LaJoie over Richard Fedalen, 2-0
Match One: LaJoie def. Fedalen, 8-0 2:47
Match Two: LaJoie def. fall Fedalen, 10-0 3:43

Dominic Damon

Weight: 67 kg
Hometown: Seattle, Washington
High School: Nathan Hale
College: Northern Michigan
Club: NMU-National Training Center
Instagram: @dominic.damon 

What you need to know: Damon currently competes for the Northern Michigan Greco-Roman program. He placed seventh at the 2017 Fargo 16U Greco-Roman Nationals, third at the 2019 Junior World Team Trials, fifth at the U23 Trials, and was a member of the 2018 Cadet World Team.

Championship Series: Damon over Payton Jacobson, 2-1
Match One: Damon def. Jacobson, 5-4
Match Two: Jacobson def. Damon, 5-1
Match Three: Damon def. Jacobson, 5-2

Justus Scott

Weight: 72 kg
Hometown: Henderson, Nevada
High School: Green Valley
College: Baker
Club: Legends of Gold Las Vegas
Instagram: @juicetiss

What you need to know: Scott finished his high school career as a two-time Nevada state champion with placings of 3-1-1-2 during his prep career. He placed fourth at the Heart of America conference championships for Baker but did not place at the 2021 NAIA tournament. 

Championship Series: Scott def. Noah Wachsmuth, 2-1
Match One: Scott def. Wachsmuth, 8-8
Match Two: Scott def. Wachsmuth, 7-0

Matthew Singleton

Weight: 77 kg
Hometown: Moreland, Georgia
High School: Woodward Academy
College: Committed North Carolina State
Club: Compound Wrestling
Instagram: @matty.singleton

What you need to know: Singleton enters his senior season at Woodward Academy as a three-time state champion after winning his second NHSCA title this year. He also placed seventh at the UWW Junior Nationals at 79 kg and is a double Fargo 16U finalist in 2019.

Championship Series: Singleton over Justin McCunn, 2-0
Match One: Singleton def. McCunn, 8-6
Match Two: Singleton def. McCunn, 9-0 3:12

Jonathon Fagen

Weight: 82 kg
Hometown: Fruitland, Idaho
High School: Fruitland
College: Cornell
Club: Spartan Combat RTC
Instagram: @jonny_gun101

What you need to know: Fagen missed the 2021 season due to the cancellation of all Ivy League athletics but compiled a 6-7 record during his freshman campaign. He was a four-time Idaho state champion, a Cadet Greco national champion in 2017, and a 2018 Cadet Greco-Roman World teamer. 

Championship Series: Fagen over James Burks, 2-1
Match One: Fagen dec. Burks, 5-1
Match Two: Burks tech fall Fagen, 9-0, 0:31
Match Three: Fagen dec. Burks, 6-0

Kodiak Stephens

Weight: 87 kg
Hometown: Arnold, California
High School: Bret Harte High School
College: Oregon State
Club: Ebbetts Pass Wrestling
Instagram: @kodiak_the_maniac

What you need to know: Stephens will compete for Oregon State in the fall after finishing fourth at the California state tournament in 2020 as a junior and missing his senior season due to COVID-19 protocols within the state. He also placed eighth at the UWW Junior Nationals in freestyle. 

Championship Series: Stephens over Tyler Hannah, 2-1
Match One: Hannah def. Stephens, 10-0 1:32
Match Two: Stephens def. Hannah, 10-2 3:55
Match Three: Stephens def. Hannah, 10-2, 3:37

Braxton Amos

Weight: 97 kg
Hometown: Mineral Wells, West Virginia
High School: Parkersburg South
College: Wisconsin
Club: Wisconsin RTC
Instagram: @thebraxtonamos

What you need to know: Amos had quite a year in 2021 even though he didn’t compete in a college match. He made Junior World teams in freestyle and Greco and made the final Olympic Trials in both styles — reaching the best-of-three finals in Greco. Amos is a five-time Fargo champion and a six-time finalist.

Championship Series: Amos over Christian Carroll, 2-0
Match One: Amos def. Carroll, 8-0, 0:48
Match Two: Amos def. Carroll, 10-0, 0:44

Luke Luffman

Weight: 130 kg
Hometown: Urbana, Illinois
High School: Urbana
College: Illinois
Club: Illinois RTC
Instagram: @luke.luff 

What you need to know: Luffman was a three-time Illinois state champion (2017-19) and a double Junior National champion in 2019. He currently wrestles at 285 pounds for Illinois with a 26-18 career record, including an appearance at the 2021 NCAA championships where he went 1-2. 

Championship Series: Luffman over Peter Christensen, 2-0
Match One: Luffman def. Christensen, 12-4 4:55
Match Two: Luffman def. Christensen, 9-4