Bout #104, Caldwell: Trying to build on his Greco feats is Tyler Caldwell. Tyler was facing an opponent from Michigan. It would be a close match that went to a first-period clinch. Tyler won the flip and quickly proceeded to toss the Wolverine for a three. In the next period, Tyler did manage to score a takedown in regulation and won the match.

Bout #145, Almaguer: A spud from Idaho would be the competition for Adam Almaguer. A very close match saw the first period ending in a tie, 6-6 and the period went to the spud on criteria. It was Idaho taking the lead in the second, monkey flipping Adam for 3. Adam began his comeback scoring 3, 1-point takedowns but once again, lost the period on criteria.

Bout #165, Hagan: Maybe it was the restless Fargo nights but Joseph Hagan didn’t wrestle his best, in his match-up with Montana. Joseph loses the first period, 0-2 and went on to lose the next, 0-7.

Bout #176, Hogan: Succumbing to a similar fate, Joshua Hogan was defeated by a fellow from Ohio. The bout score was 0-6 & 0-3.

Bout #315, Prater: In the initial shot for a takedown, Jonathan Prater was crotch lifted over and Pennsylvania was up by two. A pair of trapped-arm-guts then victimized Jonathan, as he lost the first, 0-6. In the next, he did manage a pair of takedown but lost the frame 2-5.

Bout #338, Witt: The losing streak came to a screeching halt as Phil Witt took his turn in the arena. I wondered at first, as the Georgian took him down then gutted him for 2. But then, Phil reversed the Peach and went on the score the technical fall for the frame, 9-3. In the second, Phil scored the takedown and closed out the match with a series of turns. Witt wins, 9-3 & 6-0.

Bout #422, Erisman: Next, wrestling in his last Fargo event, we had Oklahoma State signee, Neil Erisman. Neil found very little opposition from a wrestler from Virginia. Erisman wins, 6-0, 7-0.

Bout #435, Landry: Controlling the center of the mat what James Landry’s opponent did in the next bout. The lad from Florida scored four separate times on push-outs in the first period. The Gator changed tactics a bit in the second but found the same result. James loses, 0-4, 0-6.

Bout #500, Thomas: Needing to improve on his Greco performance was Alex Thomas who was competing against an opponent from Wisconsin. Alex won a close first stanza on a late push-out, 5-4. Alex had found a winning formula and went on to defeat the Badger, 6-0.

Bout #656, Fox: Taking his turn in the ring was James Fox. James is an accomplished wrestler who is going to compete for Coach Thompson and Pratt Community College next year. Fox goes on to win the bout, 6-0, 6-1.

Bout #676, Haenchen: Never quite getting on track was Andrew Haenchen in his bout against Oklahoma. The Sooner scored the early takedown and followed that up with three consecutive guts. In fact the Sooner would use the same formula in the second. Andrew loses, 0-7, 0-7.

Bout #837, Giesen: Facing a foe from New Jersey, Slade Giesen would find the Jersey boy, less than hospitable. Jersey scores the early fall.

Bout #838, Hazard: Next we had Cody Hazard in his attempts against Utah. In the first period, the Ute scored an early takedown for only points of the period. In the second, one time the Ute shot in and Cody crotch lifted him through to gain 3-points but that would be the only offense Cody could muster. Cody loses the bout, 0-1 & 3-10.

Bout #931, Oeser: Notching a win is what Karl Oeser did in this match. Karl won the bout 6-3 and 3-2.

Bout #1015, Furches: Also rolling on is Nathan Furches! Nathan wins, 6-0 and 4-1.

Bout #1079, Caldwell: In a match against Pennsylvania, Tyler Caldwell would score the 4-2, 1-0 win.

Bout #1302, Erisman: Having suffered an earlier loss that I didn’t get to see, Neil Erisman is showing no signs of distraction as he faces a foe from Iowa. Neil handles him handily, 6-0 and 5-0.

Bout #1354, Thomas. Being a bit vertically challenged himself, Alex Thomas was facing a foe that was shorter than he was. That foe was from Illinois. Alex had pretty decent defense, only giving up 3 points in 2 periods but his offense was non-existent. Thomas loses, 0-2 & 0-1.

Bout #1446, Shumate: Like the McCormick’s, I have known Nick Shumate for a long time. And my old friend handled a foe from Ohio was relative ease. Nick wins, 6-0, 7-0.

Bout #1462, Fox: Like a match described above, James Fox didn’t allow much but didn’t score much either. James loses, 0-1, 0-1.

Bout #1536, Witt: Having a decent run of things in his first trip to Fargo was Phil Witt. His run would come to an end in this match-up with Texas. Phil loses by fall.

Bout #1575, Erisman: Completely controlling the ring was Neil Erisman. Neil dispatched an opponent from North Carolina, 8-0, 7-0.

Bout #1587, Oeser: Having a great battle, Karl Oeser was one gladiator and gladiator from New Jersey was the other. The first battle went to New Jersey. The next battle went to Karl Oeser. The final battle would go down to the end, when Karl ran out of ammunition and succumbed to the pin.

Cadet Freestyle Session 3

Bout #1845, Tanenbaum: Clearly, Jake Tanenbaum had the momentum train rolling down the tracks. I was wondering if he would derail or keep rolling along! I got my answer in about 30 seconds. Jake used a “stud cradle” to put an opponent from Illinois on his back, and secured the fall. Jake keeps rolling!

Bout #1870, Napier: I joined this match in progress and both C.J. Napier and a foe from Utah had earned a period win. That should have been an indication that this bout was going down to the wire. C.J. found himself trailing with 5 seconds to go in the bout. Time was winding down but not for C.J. In a flurry of activity C.J. scored but had time expired? A conference ensued between the timekeeper and the chairman. Finally, he held up the paddle, indicating C.J. had scored 2-points. C.J. gains the win, his Mom, probably lost 5 years off of her life! (we’ll have Doc Tanenbaum standing by for the next match)

Bout #1879, Koehn: Florida offered a competitor for Tyler Koehn and he would be a tough one. Too tough for Tyler today. Tyler loses, 2-3 and 0-1.

Bout #1884, Thoman: Finding an opponent from Illinois a little too tough, Sam Thoman loses, 0-4 and 0-5.

Bout #1899, Cotton: This match would also challenge the hearts of the Kansas faithful as Romero Cotton was pitted against a foe from Washington. Romero dominated the first period, 9-4. He looked to be on the same course as he scored three 1-point takedowns in the second. Looks were deceiving as Washington scored a 3+1 takedown on Romero. Romero was on his way to losing the period but they forget to tell Romero. With 2 seconds left, Romero scored a takedown and a 2-point turn to win the period, 6-4.

Bout #1911, Andrus: The first period was scoreless and required the clinch in Stephen Andrus bout with Virginia. Steve had left his mojo in his bag and lost the flip. Virginia won the flip, the clinch and the period. In the second frame, Steve was not going to leave the results up to chance and won the period, 4-3 with a last second 3-point toss. The were warming up the band in Manhappiness as Steve won the next period, 1-0. Steve remains undefeated with the win!

Bout #1922, Slyter: Having something to prove after Greco, Sharky Slyter is doing so. Sharky was in control from the opening whistle till he pinned his foe from Iowa in the second period.

Bout #1949, Tanenbaum: Facing Iowa’s Nate Moore was a formidable task and that was the task for Jake Tanenbaum. Jake had a lot of momentum coming into this match but Moore seemed to care very little. Jake is not quite at Nate’s level yet and loses, 0-6, 0-7.

Bout #1981, Cotton: Wrestling a tight first frame, Romero Cotton still won, 1-0. Romero gained confidence as the match wore on and defeated a Mountaineer from West Virginia, 6-0 in the second. Cotton keeps his record, blemish free!

Bout #2015, Koehn: A phenomena that occurs in this tournament is that occasionally an awfully good wrestler can be absolutely humbled by another one. Such was the case for Tyler Koehn in this bout. Tyler is shut down by a foe from New York. The New Yorker wins, 1-7 & 0-7.

Bout #2022, Slyter: Showing the size of his heart in this match, Sharky Slyter had to overcome some adversity. Sharky lost the first frame by a count of 4-6. In the second he was losing 1-3. The three was scored in a bit of controversy just as the wrestlers were going out-of-bounds. Sharky seems to rely on a lot of emotion in his wrestling. At times, that makes it difficult to overcome adversity. Instead of having a meltdown, Sharky buckled down, and with 5 seconds to go scored a 2+1 takedown to earn the period win. Sharky went on to control the third frame, 2-0. An elated Sharky wins, 4-6, 4-3, 2-0.

Everyone be especially quiet now … shhhh … the day kind of started rough for the Cadets in the Freestyle rounds of the 2006 tourney. However, they ended with a bang! After the first day that had a couple of kids wrestle six matches he had seven Cadets go undefeated on the day. I don’t remember a lot of statistics but I did confirm that 7 undefeated might be the best first day in Team Kansas history.

It’s already 10:35 pm. We wrestled until 9:25. Of course Big Steve was wrestling the very last match of the day. We rushed back to eat at the cafeteria, took care of some brief business, and started typing. I figure I will be here about 4-hours. Daaaannnnggg!

Bout #3, Vesta: As a runner-up to the National Champion one tends to paint a target on oneself. Jeff Vesta had done such. Couple that with the first match in the different style and Jeff was pinned by a lad from Minnesota. I look for Jeff to make a big comeback!

Bout #12, Reed: Next was Nathan Reed in the 98-pound class. He would face an opponent from Arizona. Nathan would have his hands full as his foe handed him the 2-5 and 0-4 loss.

Bout #84, Harr: At 105-pounds Kansas has Sheldon Harr and Washington has the opponent. Sheldon is making his first trip to Fargo and perhaps he’ll have a sour taste in his mouth. Sheldon was defeated 0-6 and 2-9.

Bout #113, Jesseph: Facing a wrestler from Arizona was Zach Jesseph. Zach is a first year Cadet but he didn’t let Fargo bother him. Zach had all the offense in the first period winning it 8-0. In the second, he scored a 1-point takedown and later scored on a 3-point toss. The chap would gain an exposure on a reversal but Zach turned up the defense and won this period. 4-2.

Bout 206, Dalke: At 119-pounds we have Rylan Dalke matched up with Arizona. Ryan is a great little wrestler didn’t manage any offense. He lost the match, 0-5 and 0-3.

Bout #228, Reeb: Hoping to build off of a fairly successful Greco tourney, Zach Reeb was next in the arena. He won the first period 3-2 but in doing so, got a severe cut inside his lower lip. Maybe this distracted him as he lost the next two periods, 0-6 & 0-6.

Bout #314, Crank: Colby Crank dominated a foe from Montana earning the fall.

Bout #334, Napier: Going undefeated in the Cadet Duals, C.J. Napier looked the finish high in this tournament. His opponent from New Jersey could make the same claim, as he was also undefeated in the Cadet Duals. This would prove to be a very tough first round match-up. But C.J. was equal to the challenge. Napier wins, 3-0, 5-0.

Bout #359, Treinen: The great Northwest and Oregon would offer a test for Sawyer Treinen. Sawyer wrestled well in the first period and scored a ton of points. Unfortunately his defense was lacking a bit and he lost the first period, 8-9. Sawyer went on to lose the next, 0-7.

Bout #453, Cotton: If a runner-up to the champ has a target on his chest, surely the Champ does. The National Champion in Greco, Romero Cotton, was up in Freestyle. The state of Indiana offered his opponent. In the first, the whistle blew and Romero spun around to the back of the Hoosier. Romero lifted him, reset his hips, and did a gorgeous back arch. Romero gains the instant 5-point period win. In the second, the same scenario was underway but the Hoosier this time bailed out. The bail out simply delayed the results a bit and Romero won, 6-0.

Bout #516, Disney: An All-American in Greco, Atticus Disney would try his skills in Freestyle. Atticus would control the first frame, 4-1 but in the second, the match got interesting … well, it got scary! In the action, the foe from New York stepped on Disney’s foot, which caused Atticus to stumble. He landed on his rump, kind of rolled over his side and scrambled back to his feet. But now Atticus was struggling to stay inbounds and the New Yorker bull-rushed him out-of-bounds. The referee and the chair claimed that action earned the New Yorker 3-points for each exposure! Disney loses the 2nd, 0-6. A stunned Atticus was now very cautious. The wrestled the third with neither wrestler scoring. In Freestyle we actually can have an overtime and the clinch involves, one wrestler placing his hands on the others shoulder while your opponent approaches you from the front, grabs a head outside-single leg and the whistle blows. It might be more critical to win the Freestyle flip … and Atticus did. Atticus quickly scored from the clinch.

Bout #581, Tanenbaum: In this match, Jake Tanenbaum would even break a sweat! Literally … as his opponent never showed up!

Bout #644, Means: Facing a foe from Wisconsin, Mitchell Means would be the next Kansan up. Mitchell fought valiantly but lost the match, 3-4, 4-10.

Bout #682, McCormick: I’ve known Nathan McCormick for probably longer than any Cadet on Team Kansas. These new rules can setup some interesting ebbs and flows. Such was the tide in this bout. The foe from California won the first period, 0-6. Nathan made a slight alteration to his style and won the second period, 3-3. In the third he took an early 5-0 lead but would if be enough? The Raisin scored a takedown with about 30 seconds remaining and exposed Nathan’s back and held him there for the balance of the period. Winning ugly is still winning! Nathan won, 0-6, 3-3 and 5-4.

Bout #744, Peters: Zach Peters would take his turn in the ring for Team Kansas. It was close but Zach Peters scored the win, 3-3 and 1-0.

Bout #756, Rockhold: Baldwin High product, Nicholas Rockhold faced a wrestler from Texas. The Bulldogs are Baldwin’s mascot and Nicholas lived up to that label. Nicholas wins by pin using a cradle!

Bout #787, Tanenbaum: I was earlier speaking of tides … and the changing tides is what we had in Jake Tanenbaum’s match with a foe from Washington. Jake won the first period, 6-0. In the second, he would score 8-points but gave up 10! In the third, Jake returned to a bit of control, winning this frame, 8-2. Scoring 24 points in one bout might be the team record!

Bout #870, Napier: Winning a squeaker, he had C.J. Napier and his opponent from North Carolina. The first frame was wrestled for a full 2-minutes with no score. The flip allowed C.J. to clinch first. The wrestlers were in position and C.J. was told to lock. As he was locking (about 6 inches from) the referee blew the whistle. Now C.J. had no advantage at all. Some wrestlers would meltdown given the circumstances but instead C.J. won the period on a push-out. In the second, C.J. must have thought he would try the push-out again. He did and he earned a point. C.J. wins the bout, 1-0 and 1-0.

Bout #905, Koehn: Making short work of an opponent from Georgia, Tyler Koehn would dominate the match. Koehn wins, 7-0 and 6-0.

Bout #914, Hinckley: Fighting hard to keep his shoulders of the mat was Grant Hinckley. The head-and-arm was being applied a foe from Pennsylvania. Grant is a great kid but was caught off-guard.

Bout #947, Thoman: Subscribing to the Koehn school of match domination, we have Sam Thoman as he battled a grappler from Michigan. Sam wins, 7-0 and 8-0.

Bout #1009, Cotton: Keeping things rolling was the theme for Romero Cotton in his bout with California. Romero rolled the Californian over a few times before he pinned his shoulders to the mat. Cotton by fall.

Bout #1079, Strouhal: Making his first venture up I-29 was Tyler Strouhal and he was pitted against a combatant from Wisconsin. Tyler would find the Cheese head too stout as he was pinned in this bout. Tyler is an obviously gifted athlete who will only get better.

Bout #1099, Andrus: Having to come from behind if he wanted the win we have Steve Andrus in the battle with a New Yorker. Steve lost the first frame, 3-6. However Steve would make a different statement in the second winning that frame, 6-0. What would the last period hold? It was Big Steve scoring a 1-pointer first. It was the New Yorker scoring a 1-pointer second. And as the clock was winding down, one had to wonder if that was going to be the last point! With 4-seconds left, Andrus scored the winning takedown.

Bout #1111, Vesta: It seems that Jeff Vesta has recovered from an earlier hiccup. Vesta opened a big can on a wrestler from Ohio. Jeff won the first period, 8-0 and had dominating the second when he scored the fall.

Bout #1122, Slyter: Winning in convincing fashion we have Sharky Slyter over a foe from Michigan. Sharky wins, 6-0, 5-0.

Bout #1127, Ornelas: In the first period of this bout, Kenneth Ornelas was defeated, 0-6. In the second, Kenneth wrestled better but still lost the bout. Ornelas loses, 0-6 and 1-3.

Bout #1177, Callahan: In a tight bout from the opening whistle Alan Callahan would find himself in a battle with an Oregonian. Alan did manage a takedown in the initial frame and won it, 1-0. The second frame Alan scored a 2-point takedown. Then the Oregonian scored a 1-pointer and then scored a second 1-pointer. Time expired and the whistle blew. Alan wins based on criteria … having a higher valued score.

Bout #1274, Napier: At times, C.J. Napier can be a flight instructor and he had a willing pupil from Montana that wanted to fly. C.J. tossed him for five in the first frame. In the second, Montana decided to stay on the ground so, C.J. pinned him!

Bout #1343, Brown: It’s been an often-repeated phrase that a thrower is never out of a match. And the phrase surely describes Jordan Brown. A chap from Jersey was in control of the match until he pressed into Jordan a bit too hard. Jordan launched him with the head-and-arm and pinned him!

Bout #1347, Thoman: Seeing it as an acceptable school of thought, Sam Thoman also launched his opponent. Winner by fall, Sam Thoman.

Bout #1401, Cotton: New Jersey would offer the next foe for Romero Cotton. Romero would control this bout from the outset, winning 7-0 and 7-1.

Bout #1458, Slyter: Having to win this bout in overtime, Sharky Slyter did just that. Sharky won the flip and immediately lifted his opponent from Colorado and deposited him on his back out-of-bounds.

Bout #1509, Callahan: Sometimes in Freestyle wrestling, a person can take a nice shot, remain in control, but still give up points. That’s what happened to Alan Callahan three times in his bout with Virginia. Three times, Alan shots beautiful double legs and three times Alan was monkey-flipped. Callahan loses, 3-2, 0-6, 0-6.

Bout #1594, Koehn: Staying of a roll we have Tyler Koehn. He controlled a foe from California the entire bout.

Bout #1602, Brown: Repeating a formula for victory, we see Jordan Brown pitted against a foe from Maryland. This time Jordan was trailing 0-5 before he saw his chance to throw the head-and-arm. When he saw his chance, he took it, and earned the fall.

Bout #1641, Cotton: The last few days have been brutal for Romero Cotton. This journey he has been on would probably get the best of a lesser man but Romero, pulled his wrestling straps up, and took care of business. Romero wins, 8-3, 8-3.

Bout #1650, Deere: A great young man who has made tremendous strides in the past year is Gage Deere. But sometimes these bouts are not won by the greatest kid … Pennsylvania was the better wrestler. PA used a cradle to gain the fall over Deere.

Bout #1722, Tanenbaum: Winning the first stanza by a 2-0 margin, Jake Tanenbaum would open up the offense in the next. A Tarheel would put up a good fight but went down in the second, 6-0.

Bout #1752, Napier: On a neighboring mat we had C.J. Napier wrestling. It made things easy for this writer to cover two matches, especially when the scoring was almost identical. C.J. wins, 2-0 and 7-0.

Bout #1768, Koehn: Not to be out done by his teammates, Tyler Koehn wins his match, 6-0 and 7-1.

Bout #1776, Thoman: It’s getting a bit surreal around Team Kansas. We have been winning a bunch of matches and Sam Thoman decided to keep that trend alive. Sam puts a Terrapin on it’s back!

Bout #1800, Cotton: Matches at this stage of the competition are coming around for the surviving competitors pretty quick. So much so that they become a real test of stamina; both physical and mental. We have several guys equal to that challenge; guys like Romero Cotton. This would be a battle early but clearly the stronger of mind and body took over. Romero wins, 4-2 and 7-0.

Bout #1815, Disney: Surviving an early scare, Atticus Disney is still on the winning track. Sometimes the matches are a battle of pace … and Atticus is very good a controlling the pace. Atticus wins, 1-0 and 2-1.

Bout #1822, Andrus: A Buckeye would provide the next challenge but the Buckeye would not be up to the physical and mental part that I’ve been discussing. Up to the task is Stephen Andrus. It’s not as if the Buckeye didn’t try but Steve was in control. Steve won, 3-0 and 4-0 … all 4-points scored in the last frame were from push outs … make a clear statement of who, the bull-of-the-woods, was!

Well as I check my clock, it reads, 2:09 am. I got done quicker than I thought. We had a great day but cross your fingers! It could all change tomorrow.

This probably won’t get posted on the web until later in the morning. Mike’s turned in … as you all know … he needs his beauty sleep!

In the Junior division All-American matches Nathan Furches was first up on Mat #1 for Team Kansas. He was competing against local favorite Brian Reisenauer from Fargo, North Dakota. Furches has a goal of being a double National Champ and to do so he would have to complete step one. And he took that step with a convincing win over Reisenauer. In the first period Nathan went behind Reisenauer and in a back arch took him straight over the top for a 5-point throw. The 5, gives one as instant period win. In the second frame, when Nathan went behind, Reisenauer bailed to his belly conceding the takedown. However, Nathan lifted him and tossed him for a 3-point exposure. Up 4-0 at the end of minute, Nathan had the match comfortably in hand. Though he gave up a point for failure to score in the clinch he got it back on the defensive side. Furches won the period, 5-1, which sealed the National Championship for Nathan Furches!

Wrestling at the same time for 7th was Kansan Brandon Goodwin. Brandon had an equally dominating performance winning the bout against a foe from Oregon. Brandon used two 3-point throws in the first and a 3-point throw in the second. In that frame he followed that throw up with another 3+1 to win 6-0 and 7-0. Brandon Goodwin is an All-American at 98-pounds.

Next up we had Larry Perez and he was facing last years champ from California, Nikkos Triggas. Larry dominated the first stanza shutting out Triggas, 8-0. The second, Triggas got his act together and returned the favor to Larry, winning 0-7. In the third Larry took control early and he went behind on a takedown and picked up the caution for a leg foul. Larry led 2-0 as the first minute expired. He felt pretty confident with Larry clinching first but Triggas set his defense and countered every attempt Larry made. Up 2-1 going into the last 30 seconds Larry gave up a two-point gut. Larry scrambled for a 2-point reversal but Triggas gained one of his own. Time expired and Larry Perez came up 1-point short, 4-5. Larry repeats his 2004 performance and is still an All-American. Team Kansas will miss Larry and his lifts!

Unfortunately I didn’t get to watch very much of Tyler Caldwell's match as it was overlapping with Larry’s bout. Tyler was facing a lad from Minnesota and by the accounts I was given, Tyler was ahead early in the first period but he was unable to hold the lead and lost the period. In the second it was tied at 1 but the Gopher was the last to score. Tyler Caldwell has to settle for 8th place but still is an All-American!

Bout #44, Johnson: In this match we have Beth Johnson from Garden City facing an opponent from Hawaii. Beth is a very physical wrestler much more so than many of her opponents and that was the case in this bout. Beth controlled the action and won the bout 5-1 and 4-2.

Bout #48, Engel: McPherson is the hometown of Chandra Engel and she was pitted against a wrestler from Nevada. Chandra was all offense in this bout and showcased a lot of technique before securing the fall.

Bout #129, Beltz: It was a dominating performance for Randi Beltz in her match against a foe from California. She used a 2-point takedown, a 2-point gut before she scored the pin.

Bout #149, Engel: In this match-up against Ohio, Chandra Engel fought back in the first period to earn a tie. Chandra won the period based on criteria. But, in the next period Chandra lost that drive that gave her that tie and she lost the second, 1-5. In the third, Chandra found herself on her back where she gave up the fall.

Bout #175, Johnson: An opponent from Minnesota offered Beth Johnson very little resistance in this contest. Beth won the first period 5-0, was leading the second 4-0 before she scored the fall.

Junior Greco

Bout #1296, Altman: This match between Donnie Altman and a foe from New York would be a donnybrook. (I know, that’s bad) In the first, Donnie used a 2-point trapped arm gut to secure the period, 3-1. In the second, Donnie took control with a takedown and a hand-to-hand gut. At the one-minute mark Donnie got to clinch first but this time he couldn’t turn his foe. Leading 2-1 Donnie had to defend but gave up a 2-point gut. New York won the period 2-3. These were two equally skilled wrestlers. In the third it all came down to the last 30 seconds. If Donnie defended the clinch he would win and he did defend for 28 seconds. New York won the period and the match. The score was 3-1, 2-3, 2-3.

Bout #1314, Ely: At times, with these new rules, a lot rides on a coin flip. Aaron Ely was “victimized” by the coin flip in his match against Minnesota. Twice, neither wrestler could score from their feet in the first minute. Twice there was a coin flip to determine the order of the clinch. Twice, Minnesota won the flip. And, twice the last point being scored was on a penalty award. Ely loses on criteria, 1-1, 1-1.

Bout #1401, Goodwin: After winning a 5-5 first period on criteria, Brandon Goodwin won the second, 4-1.

Bout #1415, Furches: The time it takes to write about this bout will be substantially more than the time Nathan Furches spent on the mat. Nathan used a head-pinch, took the opponent over on a 5-point back arch, and secured the fall. Furches beats a lad from Oregon.

Bout #1525, Caldwell: Some of these matches are emotional roller coasters for the fans and the wrestlers. Tyler Caldwell gave us all a ride in this bout against Pennsylvania. Tyler wins the first period 2-1. He loses the second, 1-2. In the third he was winning but in defending in the clinch committed a phantom leg foul and lost the match.

Bout #1593, Perez: Sometimes Kansas also gets lucky. Larry Perez who has one loss in this tournament can make it to the finals if he defeats an opponent from Idaho. Larry used his reverse lift to win the first period, 4-0. In the second, he didn’t score with the lift and ended up losing the period 2-4. Sometimes, you might get the feeling that because there’s no scoring in the first minute to report, there’s no action. Clearly in most matches that’s not the case and it was not the case in this one. On their feet both wrestlers were battling for a control position, fighting for a tie up, and grappling to maintain position in the ring. Larry ended up losing a point on a step out, so he had to defend the clinch first. He did! Now Larry was on top, in the reverse lift position. Larry’s first attempt failed, he dropped to his knees and tried to load the opponent but failed. Then Larry quickly hopped over, lifted the Spud, and tossed him for a 3+1. Larry wins and is in the finals.

Cadet Greco

Bout #1676, Disney: Again it will take longer to type the results of the match than Atticus Disney spent on the mat. Atticus uses a head-and-arm to pin.

Cadet Greco, All-American matches

On the center stage, Jeff Vesta is taking on Missouri’s, Ryan Mango. Jeff had battled like a Kanza warrior and he would in this bout, but Mango was stronger and quicker. Manhattan’s Jeff Vesta is an All-American in his first Fargo appearance, finishing second in the nation.

Tyler Koehn is battling an opponent from Florida for 5th place. Tyler may have the toughest trapped-arm-gut on Team Kansas this year. He utilized the TAG to perfection as he secured the 3-0, 3-0 win. Tyler Koehn is an All-American!

Also making his first Fargo appearance is Cameron Riojas. Cameron would make the most out of his journey. Although Cameron lost his bout (1-3, 1-3) and ended up 6th he is still able to proclaim, he is an All-American!

At 171-pounds on the center stage of Mat 1, Romero Cotton stepped into the spotlight. His foe was from New York. Romero won the first period off a 3-point lift. In the second, New York won the flip, was the last to score, and won the period, 1-1. In the third, the New Yorker took the early lead scoring a 2-point takedown. Romero was going to battle back if he wanted to win the match and battle he did. From the clinch position, Romero exploded and snatched his foe and tossed him for three. As the clock was winding down Romero again lifted. I’m not sure whether Romero was awarded any points for his last throw but regardless; Romero Cotton is our National Champion!

Atticus Disney was up on the stage against Fortune from Oregon. Fortune was a double champion last year. In the first period, one-minute passed with neither wrestler scoring. Oregon won the flip but Disney gained a 1-point reversal and another point for the penalty award. Atticus clinched, was unable to score but he didn’t need to. Atticus wins the period, 2-1. In the second frame, Fortune gained a single point takedown within the first minute. Fortune gained two points on the gut and scored again as Atticus was unable to. Fortune wins the second, 0-4. In the third we were once again scoreless after 1-minute and this time Atticus won the flip. Atticus clinched first but gave up the penalty award after 30 seconds. Now it was Atticus’s turn to defend. Fortune tried to lift and was trying to score but the action led the wrestlers out-of-bounds. By rule they restarted on their feet. All Atticus had to do was keep Fortune from scoring and he would win the match. It looked like he would up until 2 seconds were left in the match. Atticus was engaging Fortune and was in contact but the Mat official offered a caution and 1-point. Through out this tournament I have twice seen a fleeing caution offered but I had not seen it confirmed … until now. The mat judge confirmed the caution. After a bit of discussion the match was over. Atticus loses, 2-1, 0-4, 2-0. Atticus Disney is an All-American!

Bout #2, Furches: One of the first Juniors in the barrel was Nathan Furches. For this tournament Nathan is at 98-pounds. And in this bout the opponent was from Iowa. Shortly after the first whistle, the Iowan was down 1-0 and found he was being lifted for a beautiful 5-point throw. In the second period, Nathan was again on the offense, and closed out the match with a 5-0 period.

Bout #71, Bahe: In our next featured bout we move to the 125-pound division where Brett Bahe faced a foe from Oklahoma. The Sooner would have nothing for Brett as he thoroughly dominated him. Bahe twice used a single takedown to open the periods and then closed the frames out with a series of guts and trapped-arm-gut wrenches. Bahe wins, 7-0 and 7-0.

Bout #109, Fox: We continue the action and James Fox is matched against a wrestler from North Carolina at 130-pounds. Fox scored his first point off a push out, his next off a snap, where he scored consecutive 2-point guts. The next period opened with Fox scoring the takedown and then lifted the Tarheel with a high gut for 3. Then James found himself in peril and committed a leg foul, which gave his opponent 2-points. But Foxy quickly closed the match with an arm throw for a 3+1 and earned the fall.

Bout #171, Haenchen: Next we have 140-pounds and Andrew Haenchen versus a combatant from Colorado. Andrew would fight valiantly but conceded defeat, 0-6 and 0-6.

Bout #302, Giesen: We move to 160 where Slade Giesen would battle against Wyoming. The Cowboy would victimize Slade with a head-and-arm. Slade fought hard but was pinned late in the first.

Bout #339, Oeser: Next was Karl Oeser at 189-pounds. Karl did battle with a foe from Oregon. The Oregonian handed Karl a 1-7, 2-6 loss in this bout but one could clearly see the promise in Oeser.

Bout #418, Thomas: Moving up to the Junior division, Alex Thomas found his first opponent from Ohio pretty tough in the heavyweight division. Alex didn’t manage any offense and lost the match, 0-6 and 0-6.

Bout #439, Perez: In this, his final competition in Fargo, Larry Perez hopes to make a splash. Perez, the University of Nebraska, Kearney signee is wrestling in the 119-pound class against a foe from Pennsylvania. Larry is a dynamic throwing machine and he illustrated those skills in this bout. Larry wins, 6-0, 6-0.

Bout #649, Witt: At 152-pounds Kansas pitted Phil Witt in a match against Nevada. In this, his first trip to Fargo he found Nevada was perhaps more than he wanted. Phil loses, 0-7 and 0-8.

Bout #825, Goodwin: I joined the match in progress. Brandon Goodwin had won the first period in this bout at 98-pounds against Pennsylvania. In the second period Brandon used a 1-point takedown and a 2-point gut to take a commanding lead but he saw that lead disappear by the end of the first clinch. Brandon was on bottom and dodging bullets. He dodged enough to earn the award for the penalty.

Bout #852, Perez: Early in our next bout, Larry Perez is controlling and opponent from Washington with the front head pinch. Both wrestlers were on their feet and the next second Larry’s opponent has tossed straight over the top for a 5-point throw. Maybe Larry thought the bout was all but over but his foe had other thoughts. Washington scored the next takedown, scored on a 2-point gut, and a 1-point hand-to-hand. The score got a bit closer as Larry reversed the position and earned the bonus 1. The score was 3-4 and Larry was on bottom at the 1-minute mark. Larry found himself being lifted for 3 and gave up a 2-point gut to close out the period. The bout was tied at 1 period each. In the decisive third, Larry earned a push out, a 3-point lift, and another 3-point lift and secured the pin!

Bout #860, Ely: One of our three 125-pounders is Aaron Ely. The Leavenworth product, Ely was pitted against a grappler from New York. This was a hard fought bout that Aaron would win. The score was 1-1 and 3-1.

Bout #906, Ramirez: This is the first Fargo trip for Wellsville’s Ray Ramirez and it will be the graduated seniors last. Ray, a 130-pounder was matched against a foe from Indiana. The Hoosier would hand Ray a defeat but Ray did make it close by winning with second period on a sweet reverse lift. Ramirez loses, 0-5, 4-2, 3-5.

Cadet Greco, Session 3

Bout #1411, Slyter: After suffering a heartbreaking loss Sharky Slyter walked off the mat shaking his head. Sharky won the first period by the score of 2-0. The Illini won the second by a 0-5 count. The third was going to be a thriller. After 1-minute had passed a coin flip determined which Sharky won. Slyter took the period lead with a 2-point gut. At the 30-second mark, Sharky got the chance to defend. The Illini lifted Sharky and Sharky committed a leg foul. After some discussion, the Illini was award 1-point for the lift and 1-point for the caution. These new rules are a bit tough to understand and apparently the corner was a bit confused. There was 20 seconds to go in the match and this time he did defend against the lift. The period ended and Sharky and the corner thought he had won, having scored the 2-pointer in the bout. However, the caution was the first determination in the tie. Sharky suffers the loss.

Bout #1451, Reeb: An undefeated Zach Reeb was matched against a wrestler from New York. However, Zach would not be spotless after this bout. Zach was defeated, 0-7 and 0-6.

Bout #1464, Crank: Also suffering his first loss of the tourney is Colby Crank. Colby loses the first period, 1-1 and the second, 1-5.

Bout #1474, Koehn: Front and center on Mat #1 was Tyler Koehn and he would make the most of being in the spotlight. Tyler would remain undefeated against a grappler from Michigan. Koehn wins, 1-1, 7-0, 3-1.

Bout #1515, Disney: Also remaining spotless was Atticus Disney but it wouldn’t be easy. When I joined the match, the score was 6-5 in favor of Atticus and it was his turn to defend the clinch. The opponent from Idaho got over-extended and Atticus caught him on his back and earned the fall.

Bout #1587, Disney: Guaranteed a status of All-American is Atticus Disney. Atticus was never in trouble and won this bout, 3-0, 3-0.

Bout #1630, Cotton: Earning a spot in the finals and cementing his All-American status is Romero Cotton. Romero handled a fairly tough foe from Missouri. Romero has not lost a period yet this week and won this bout, 4-0 and 6-0.

After hours, maybe days, and in some cases years of anticipation the wrestling action is underway in Fargo, North Dakota. The Fargodome has been my home for 8 days out of late July for the better part of a decade.

The dome houses a full size football field for the Bison of North Dakota State University. It also serves as a community venue for indoor concerts, crusades, festivals, etc. But this week, on the floor of the Fargodome, will be 23 full sized wrestling mats (Mat #1 on a center raised platform), an ample head table, an adequate media table, and an athlete bullpen and bracket area. To compare it to home … you could probably put 4 of our Expocentre’s in the Fargodome. Impressive, might be an understatement!

Bout #12, Slyter: One of the first athletes called to the mat was Sharky Slyter. Sharky is a fairly decorated wrestler but this 91-pounder was making his first appearance at the Cadet Nationals. His draw was Jamie Clark from Ohio. Clark had won his age group in the FILA Nationals last month and is the odds-on-favorite to repeat in this tourney. Slyter gave a valiant effort but went down to defeat with a relatively respectful 0-5, 1-2 tally.

Bout #116, Tanenbaum: Next we moved to Jake Tanenbaum who like Slyter had a Buckeye for an opponent. Jake, wrestling at 119-pounds, was taken down by the Buckeye and was victimized by a 2-point gut. At the 1-minute mark, as long as neither wrestler is in peril, the action stops and each wrestler gets a chance (as long as there is no victor) to clinch. In Greco, the clinch involves the “reverse lift” position. By criteria, the Ohioan got the first chance to clinch and quickly ended the period with a pair of 2-point guts. The “new rules” are like sets, in a tennis match. A wrestler needs to win two periods out of the possible three wrestled. And like tennis, the score resets to 0-0 at the start of each period. In the second, Jake again gave up the takedown and the score at the 1-minute mark was 0-1. Jake again had to defend first and in the 30 seconds on bottom, gave up a “takedown!” (Yes, even though a wrestler starts down, the action and rules, may dictate after an out-of-bounds, that the wrestlers commence on their feet … by rule, the offensive wrestler must score or be penalized a point … and in this instance, as long as the “offensive” wrestler scores, he is not penalized) Are you confused? I hope not, but trust me it all makes sense … sort of. Jake was now given his opportunity in the clinch but was unable to score. This failure caused Jake to be penalized, 1-point! Jake loses the second period, 0-3. Jake loses the match, 0-7, and 0-3. I’ll be trying to explain the “new rules” as we go along!

Bout #195, Reeb: In this bout at 125-pounds we have Topeka’s Zach Reeb facing a foe from Pennsylvania. Reeb started the match red-hot. He scored a single point takedown off of a drag and quickly locked up a gutwrench. He scored 3 consecutive 2-point guts for a 7-0 score. Anytime a wrestler is ahead by six points a technical fall is scored. The second period began and it was Reeb scoring again, this time on a snap and spin. Zach continued, scoring a 2-point gut and a 2+1 gut (earning the bonus point by holding his opponent in peril for a five count) and another tech fall. Zach wins, 7-0 and 6-0.

Bout #247, Crank: I hope you are not getting the same kind of headache trying to read and learn these rules, as I’m getting in trying to explain them. But the action continued at 135-pound where a Team Lightning product was the next to toe the line! The first minute passed and neither, Colby Crank or his foe from West Virginia, had scored. Colby won the flip and could not muster any offense. The Mountaineer earned the penalty award before he took his place in the dominant position. Colby also defend well, received the penalty award and because he was the last to score, earned the period win. The second period again, had the contestants scoreless after 1-minute. This time, West Virginia won the flip but Colby again earned the lead after 30 seconds of defense. Colby locked and lifted his foe but a scramble on their feet caused Colby to lose a point for stepping out-of-bounds. The action continued where Colby scored a 2-point takedown and earned the match win, 1-1, and 3-1.

Bout #284, Koehn: We travel to California to find a foe for Pittsburg’s, Tyler Koehn. The 140-pounder, handled this foe with relative ease, earning the win by a tally of 6-0 and 3-0.

Bout #312, Brown: Pittsburg is also the home of 152-pounder, Jordan Brown. Brown was pitted against Michigan and he followed the path the Koehn had laid. Jordan wins, 5-1 and 7-1.

Bout #422, Disney: California provided the first victim for Atticus Disney. This 215-pounder from Andover used a double over hook toss and later an over-under toss before he secured the fall.

Bout #440, Callahan: Wrestling to a scoreless tie at the end of the first minute, Baldwin’s Alan Callahan and an opponent from Washington State, watched a coin flip. Callahan, the 105-pounder, was the first to clinch but didn’t score but neither did his opponent with his opportunity. This is the classic example for the importance of winning the flip. The second period again had neither wrestler scoring. Once again, Callahan won the flip! And, once again, Alan could not score but this time he did manage to reverse the bottom position to win the period, 2-1. The match score, 1-1 and 2-1.

Bout #481, Peters: California would have a wrestler that would provide Zach Peters a foe. The 112-pounder found that foe was more than capable. The bout was close but Peters still loses, 2-3 and 1-4.

Bout #825, Thoman: At 152-pounds we have Sam Thoman pitted against a competitor from Florida. Sam took the early lead with a 3-point toss. At the minute mark, Sam extended the lead with a 2-point gut. Florida got his chance but Sam had a relatively comfortable lead. Evidently Florida had been working on his lifts and he lifted and threw Sam. The mat official scored it a 3-point lift but both the judge and the chair paddled the throw as earning 5. The 5-point throw is an instant period winner! The second period was scoreless at the 1-minute mark but Thoman won the flip. Sam gutted his foe for a 2-point lead. With 30 seconds remaining it was the Floridian’s turn. Once again, Sam was lifted and thrown for 5.

Bout #986, Slyter: Wyoming would offer an opponent for Sharky Slyter. After a brutal early draw, it appears Sharky has returned to the winning way! Slyter secures the win, 7-0 and 6-0.

Bout #1195, Deere: After securing a victory in the spotlight of the center stage, Gage Deere is next facing an accomplished wrestler from California. At 189-pounds you can get some physical mismatches. Thus was the case as Gage loses this bout, 0-6 and 0-6. This match also demonstrates one of our rule changes as in the second period the Californian hooked up a front headlock … 3 gator rolls and about 8 seconds later … he had won a period.
Bout #1228, Doxon: Earning a point for a push out, Bobby Doxon took the early lead over a wrestler from Illinois. Bobby goes on to win the period, 4-0. The second however he found he was in a battle. After 1-minute of the period had expired, neither wrestler had scored but Doxon won the flip. In the clinch position Bobby earned a 2-point gut but was reversed and held on his back for a 2+1. Bobby fought to his belly and the 30 second segment ended with him trailing, 2-3. The Illini got his chance in the advantage position but could not score. This gave Bobby the penalty award and the criteria win.

Bout #1359, Riojas: One of our three 152-pounders if Cameron Riojas. He was matched against a wrestler from Wisconsin. It was Cameron earning the victory, 3-2 and 4-1.

Bout #1407, Andrus: At heavyweight, one of our two is Manhattan’s, Steve Andrus. Big Steve was locked in a real battle with a foe from Ohio. Steve loss the first period, 2-3. Steve won the second period, 3-1. With both wrestlers needing to win this decisive third they wrestled to a scoreless first minute. Andrus won the flip! If you might recall, I was earlier lamenting the importance of WINNING the toss! Steve was about to demonstrate that critical point! Steve has the first to clinch but didn’t score … this gave the opponent a 1-point penalty award. Now, it was Steve’s turn to defend … he did … earning the last point scored. Andrus wins the period and the bout, 2-3, 2-1, 1-1.

In a little non-wrestling news from up here, it seems that the Cadet Nationals has acquired a sponsor (similar to Asics-Vaughn's support of the Junior Nationals).  The new corporate sponsor of the Cadet Nationals is Accelerade.

This evening I took the opportunity to visit with the Cadet Head Coach, Thomas Peterman. Those of you that have the pleasure of knowing Tom probably have found him to be energetic, positive and motivational young coach and those traits definitely are his attitude toward this upcoming event!

Coach Peterman feels confident that Team Kansas can place 6 to 8 wrestlers in the All-American rounds of the Greco side of this tourney. But he is quick to point out that the second session on Saturday will be the critical one. He looks at the evening bouts to make the difference and it’s those bouts where he thinks coaching plays a key part. Tom says that we might have a lot of young men with one loss or maybe two by that point in the day and the wrestlers will need to stay upbeat, positive and confident.

This past week of training camp has gone well, according to Peterman. The team spent a great deal of time working on gut defense! Coach Tom says, “that is our weakness, we needed to work in areas where we need to improve!” Team Kansas should remain dominant on their feet and much improved in par-terre, under Peterman’s leadership.

One only has to read the results of the Cadet Duals to name the wrestlers to watch within Team Kansas. Jeff Vesta and Sharky Slyter should set the tone among the lightweights. Zach Reeb, Colby Crank, Mitchell Means, Tyler Koehn, Jordan Brown and Sam Thoman should bolster the middle of our lineup. And, Romero Cotton, Atticus Disney and big Stephen Andrus can more than handle their end of the team. But with 30 total cadets wrestling in the Greco tourney there is more than enough room for other Kansans to make a splash!

I expect a few of our wrestlers to go 0-2. I see several wrestlers finishing 3-2, 4-2 and be just short of medaling. But I predict the Cadets to have a strong showing in Greco with two or three finalists and maybe 8 other All-Americans.

Time, will tell!

My trip this year began like many years before. It was Thursday morning, about 5:45, and my wife and I arose to go on a bike ride. I stepped around the suitcases that were on the living room floor, packed the night before in anticipation of my journey to Fargo. There is the usual trepidation about … “What did we forget?”

About 6 am we stepped out of the coolness of the hacienda and stepped into an already sultry Kansas day. I made my normal protests as we manned our bicycles. We rode together for about an hour and visited about my day. I sympathized with my wife for having to put up with one of our dogs who is quite the management problem whenever I’m gone. Back home, I fed our dogs and thought that this was the last meal our problem child would probably eat for a few days.

We started our showers, etc. and were enjoying a leisurely morning. About 7:45 my phone rang and my wife commented that Mike must be ready. Sure enough, Mike was in Emporia and on his way to Lyndon, our predetermined meeting spot. We hustled around, packed the car, and left to meet him.

Cellular service is a bit spotty on the way and as I neared US75 highway I was notified of a “missed call” on my cell. Puzzled, I retrieved a message to call Mike. I phoned the Jubster and was informed he had a blowout on his wife’s van. Of course, while trying to coordinate things with Mike, I lost cell service.

We did meet up and Mike was bemoaning how his wife, who is never happy that we use “her” van, was sabotaging him. This is the fourth time we’ve used her van and on three of those occasions, we’ve had to deal with a van related mishap. My gear was stowed, Mike visited a nearby service station, and we were on our way … at a tortoise pace … on the donut spare.

I recalled a couple of tire shops in Topeka and one said they would have us back on the road in an hour. While the van was getting two new shoes, Mike and I went to Mickey D’s. About half an hour later we were returning to the tire shop when a passing motorist yelled out, “What are you two guys doing?” Larry Perez Sr. was the motorist and we quickly shared the story! Back on the road … delayed about an hour … but headed North.

Mike had planned a schedule that would get us in Fargo before the registration session closed at 7 pm. It was already a bit after 10 am. Luckily the speed limit was raised in Iowa and South Dakota a few years ago and we were making good time. We made a quick pit stop in Sioux City about 2 pm and kept rolling.

We entertained ourselves with conversation about wrestling, the Tour d’ France, the recent Senior Open at Prairie Dunes but mostly about wrestling. We also kept an eye on the vans thermometer! When we left Kansas, it was already reading 90 and was climbing slowly through Nebraska. But as we continued north the temp started dropping. From a high of 94, it crept lower and lower … 90, 85, and 80 to a low of 78! For giggles, I dialed the time and temp number for Ottawa and learned the temperature at 5 pm was 110 degrees!

From Topeka to Fargo in roughly 8½ hours and one pit stop. When we did arrive in Fargo our first thoughts however, were not of wrestling!

It’s 9 a.m. on Friday morning in Fargo, North Dakota. Juby and I arrived about 6:30 last evening, got checked in, and grabbed a bite (along with Tom Peterman and Ted Witulski) at Buffalo Wild Wings. We resigned to the dorms and some rest at midnight.

I was up for my morning walk. It’s got to be about 3 miles around the campus of North Dakota State University as it took me roughly 50 minutes to make the circuit. I would be remiss if I didn’t express how the campus and community around NDSU are absolutely gorgeous. Hundreds of hanging and flowering plants, dozens of shrub and flowerbeds, and a combination of freshly planted trees and those that have been around for decades present a “postcard” scene. I always tend to think while I’m walking and today, with surroundings such as they are, was no exception.

Surroundings … must include the weather. If I were to say that the climate in Fargo was 180 degrees different from Kansas, I might be stretching the truth. However, I can accurately attest that the temperature is 45 degrees different! My wife tells me it was 110 in Ottawa yesterday while Fargo this morning is 65! I know … I know … it’s tough! (rap, rap, rap … I’m knocking on wood)

One aspect surrounding wrestling events I truly enjoy is that of being amongst “family.” Regardless whether it is Fargo, Hays, Sioux City or Carlsbad, I feel at home around wrestling people. And, Fargo is big enough to host the scale of this tournament but small enough to show they care.

But we are here … to wrestle! Part of the team arrives this morning and they will be shuttled through the administrative process. They will show-up after a night on the bus, some numb from lack of quality rest, some hungry awaiting weigh-ins, but all will be anxious for the competition to begin. Wrestling for the Cadets in Greco will begin Saturday at 11 a.m.

The reporting this year will be a bit different. Those after pure results will be able to get those quicker through other avenues. What I will attempt to do is add some color to a few matches but I will definitely undertake “setting the stage” in my reports.

… this is the first of many!