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Some matches of interest:
138 pounds – No. 1 Jesse Mendez vs. No. 2 Casey Swiderski
Getting ready for this event, it will be difficult to not be excited to watch Indiana’s Jesse Mendez ahead of the wrestling action. Mendez has won this event three times in the past. The nation’s top-ranked pound-for-pound wrestler by FloWrestling made the Junior World team this year, further establishing his status as one of the best talents in the nation.
Swiderski, a Dundee High School (MI) standout, will undoubtedly look to provide a fight at 138 pounds on Saturday. A 2021 Junior Nationals finalist, Swiderski has won the Michigan D3 state championships three times. He will be a senior this season and has committed to Iowa State.
120 pounds – No. 1 Nate Jesuroga vs. No. 3 Joey Cruz
If you’re looking for excitement and firepower, here’s a match to circle.
Jesuroga is fresh off of his 2021 Cadet World Championships performance, where he brought a bronze medal back for the United States. He has firmly solidified himself as one of the top high school talents in the country, winning a state title at 113 pounds this year out of Southeast Polk High School.
Cruz recently committed to Oklahoma ahead of Saturday’s event. He is a two-time placer in the California state tournament, most recently taking second at 113 pounds in 2020. He finished third at the 2019 Cadet World Team Trials in freestyle and was a finalist at USA Wrestling’s 2020 Preseason Nationals.
145 pounds – No. 1 Hunter Garvin vs. No. 3 Jackson Arrington
Garvin, an Iowa high school standout, won his third USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals title this year, winning the Outstanding Wrestler award at April’s event. The Iowa City West wrestler is a two-time Iowa state champion and will look to lock down the nation’s top spot at 145 pounds.
Arrington, a Pennsylvania standout from Forest Hills High School, has committed to coach Pat Popolizio and North Carolina State for his college career. He has won a pair of PIAA state titles, including his standout championship performance as a freshman.
170 pounds – No. 3 Gabe Arnold vs. No. 5 Brayden Thompson
The second bout at 170 pounds is set to feature plenty of potential fireworks, as Arnold and Thompson provide another talent-filled matchup.
Arnold, who wrestles at Wyoming Seminary, has been widely touted as one of the top high school talents in the nation. He’s had plenty of sustained success that continued in July, when he won a 16U title at Fargo.
Arnold will do battle with Thompson, an Illinois native who was the Junior Freestyle runner-up at Fargo at 170 pounds, dropping his finals bout to Rojas. Thompson is a 2021 National High School Showcase champion who took third at the 2020 Illinois 3A state championships.
**The winner of these two matches will wrestle in the 170-pound final for the top spot at the weight class.
Some matches of interest:
138 pounds – No. 1 Jesse Mendez vs. No. 2 Casey Swiderski
Getting ready for this event, it will be difficult to not be excited to watch Indiana’s Jesse Mendez ahead of the wrestling action. Mendez has won this event three times in the past. The nation’s top-ranked pound-for-pound wrestler by FloWrestling made the Junior World team this year, further establishing his status as one of the best talents in the nation.
Swiderski, a Dundee High School (MI) standout, will undoubtedly look to provide a fight at 138 pounds on Saturday. A 2021 Junior Nationals finalist, Swiderski has won the Michigan D3 state championships three times. He will be a senior this season and has committed to Iowa State.
120 pounds – No. 1 Nate Jesuroga vs. No. 3 Joey Cruz
If you’re looking for excitement and firepower, here’s a match to circle.
Jesuroga is fresh off of his 2021 Cadet World Championships performance, where he brought a bronze medal back for the United States. He has firmly solidified himself as one of the top high school talents in the country, winning a state title at 113 pounds this year out of Southeast Polk High School.
Cruz recently committed to Oklahoma ahead of Saturday’s event. He is a two-time placer in the California state tournament, most recently taking second at 113 pounds in 2020. He finished third at the 2019 Cadet World Team Trials in freestyle and was a finalist at USA Wrestling’s 2020 Preseason Nationals.
145 pounds – No. 1 Hunter Garvin vs. No. 3 Jackson Arrington
Garvin, an Iowa high school standout, won his third USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals title this year, winning the Outstanding Wrestler award at April’s event. The Iowa City West wrestler is a two-time Iowa state champion and will look to lock down the nation’s top spot at 145 pounds.
Arrington, a Pennsylvania standout from Forest Hills High School, has committed to coach Pat Popolizio and North Carolina State for his college career. He has won a pair of PIAA state titles, including his standout championship performance as a freshman.
170 pounds – No. 3 Gabe Arnold vs. No. 5 Brayden Thompson
The second bout at 170 pounds is set to feature plenty of potential fireworks, as Arnold and Thompson provide another talent-filled matchup.
Arnold, who wrestles at Wyoming Seminary, has been widely touted as one of the top high school talents in the nation. He’s had plenty of sustained success that continued in July, when he won a 16U title at Fargo.
Arnold will do battle with Thompson, an Illinois native who was the Junior Freestyle runner-up at Fargo at 170 pounds, dropping his finals bout to Rojas. Thompson is a 2021 National High School Showcase champion who took third at the 2020 Illinois 3A state championships.
**The winner of these two matches will wrestle in the 170-pound final for the top spot at the weight class.
