Pennsylvania Dominates 16U Nationals in Fargo With Four Champs and 20 All-Americans
The 16U Division of the U.S. Marine Corps Nationals at the Fargodome featured separate sessions for the Juniors before they competed side by side on Wednesday. The finals took place on the mat next to the Juniors, both under the lights with raised mats.
Pennsylvania proved dominant in the 16U team competition, securing the title with ease. They outpointed runner-up Ohio by 132 points, scoring 267 compared to Ohio’s 135. Iowa finished third with 121 points, while California came in fourth with 120. Indiana rounded out the top five with 105 points. Unlike the Girls’ Title Counts, the 16U Boys matched the Junior Boys with four champions. However, the 16U team had more finalists (7) and more All-Americans (20).
Four Individual Champions Power Keystone State Run
Leo Murillo claimed gold at 88 pounds with an 11-0 technical superiority victory over Iowa’s Jonathan Thompson in 1:23. Kooper Deputy, ranked No. 16 at 106 pounds in High School rankings, secured a 10-0 technical fall over his teammate Jack Stonebraker at 100 pounds. Honorable Mention Mario Hutcherson, who placed fifth in 2024, replicated Deputy’s performance with a 10-0 count, though it took him longer, 3:33, to defeat Michigan’s Caden Krueger.
Jayden O’Farrill made history as Pennsylvania’s fourth champion, pulling off a stunning upset in the 175-pound final. He defeated Maryland’s No. 7 Salah Tsarni, 6-5. O’Farrill capitalized on poor positioning in the first period, taking a 4-0 lead. Tsarni reversed the momentum, making it 4-3 at the break. In the second period, Tsarni took the lead, but O’Farrill tied it up and eventually won 6-5. His path to the final included a semifinal win over Florida’s Kyle Gallo.
More Underdogs Rise to the Occasion
Several underdogs made their mark in the 16U division. Indiana’s Peyton Hornsby edged out Honorable Mention Lincoln Robideau of Minnesota in a close 144-pound final, winning 8-6. Ohio’s Tommy Wurster defeated Honorable Mention Mateo Gallegos of Pennsylvania, 4-2. Wurster’s biggest win came when he defeated No. 17 Jovanni Tovar of Florida, 4-2.
New York’s Camryn Howard, favored in his 157-pound final, defeated Pennsylvania’s Asher Bacon, 5-0. Howard’s previous victory was a surprise when he beat No. 24 Justus Heeg of Illinois, 5-2, in the semifinals.
Colin Rutlin Named Outstanding Wrestler
Colin Rutlin of Missouri was named the 16U Outstanding Wrestler. He placed fourth last year and climbed to the top this time after a 10-0 technical fall in 2:46 over Tennessee’s Dylan Villers. Rutlin recorded six technical falls on the bracket, only losing to eighth-place finisher Kaygen Roberts of Kentucky, who scored a point while losing 12-2.
Ranked Wrestlers Deliver in Big Moments
Three champions who appear in national rankings won their finals matches as favorites. New Jersey’s No. 20 Sean Kenny had to overcome two Pennsylvanians to secure the 113-pound title, defeating No. 17 Chase Karenbauer and No. 16 Braiden Lotier. He then tech-falled Texas’ Oliver Pulliam, 11-1, in 2:53.
Honorable Mention Jovani Solis of Florida captured the 138-pound title with a 6-1 decision over New York’s Landyn Shaffer. In his semifinal, he amassed an 11-1 technical fall in 3:29. Minnesota’s No. 26 Miklo Hernandez shut out New Jersey’s Tommy Marchetti, 7-0, in the 126-pound final. He survived a 10-7 battle with No. 21 Paul Ruiz of California in the semifinal.
Silva Rolls in Marquee 106-Pound Matchup
A high-profile matchup at 106 pounds saw No. 7 Thiago Silva of California face off against No. 11 William Soto of New York. Soto took the initial takedown, but Silva quickly shifted the momentum, rolling to a 12-2 technical fall in just 1:14. Silva had previously defeated No. 8 Traevon Ducking of Indiana, 5-4, in the semifinals.
Heavyweight Noah Larios gave California a second championship with a 7-2 decision over Iowa’s Joe Constable. California’s Chris Anguiano finished as the runner-up at 165 pounds after dropping a 10-8 decision to Illinois’ Ethan Sonne.
Other Notable Finals and Emerging Contenders
The 132-pound and 215-pound finals featured wrestlers who are on the periphery of national rankings and may soon be included in future rankings. Arizona’s Angel Cejudo, Jr., won the 132-pound title, 5-2, against New York’s Finnegan O’Brien. Nevada’s Satoshi Davis claimed the 215-pound title with a 9-4 win over Indiana’s Caesar Salas.
Washington crowned one champion in Miro Parr-Coffin at 94 pounds. Parr-Coffin narrowly beat Ohio’s Carter Smith, 3-2. Parr-Coffin placed fourth in Greco Roman at the U.S. Open but did not place in Freestyle, while Smith was fourth in the Open Freestyle Brackets.
Pennsylvania Depth on Display in Consolation Matches
Pennsylvania’s depth was evident in the consolation matches, where all three of their third-place finishers won their consolation finals. At 106 pounds, Arav Pandey defeated Traevon Ducking, 6-2. Chase Karenbauer beat Braiden Lotier, 9-1. In another all-Pennsylvania bout, Greyson Music defeated Honorable Mention Jason Dube, 7-5, at 144 pounds.
Grayson Davis placed fifth at 132 pounds after beating his teammate Shai Sabag, 11-0 (1:45). Riley Crandall (94), Kendahl Hoare (215), and others landed in seventh and eighth places.
16U Freestyle Placement Match Results
88
1st – Leo Murillo (PA) T.F. Jonathan Thompson (IA), 11-0 (1:23)
3rd – Cyrus Millage (IA) Dec. Grady Moos (OH), 9-8
5th – Ty Martin (IA) Dec. Jaxon Holtz (OH), 14-8
7th – Shay Lundvall (IA) Dec. Dominick Sindone (MI), 6-3
94
1st – Miro Parr-Coffin (WA) Dec. Carter Smith (OH), 3-2
3rd – Knox Ayala (IA) Dec. Stephen Bagocius (NJ), 8-5
5th – Cody Bakhsh (DE) Dec. Dakota Harmer (MI), 9-4
7th – Riley Crandall (PA) Dec. Damian DuChez (MD), 3-2
100
1st – Kooper Deputy (PA) T.F. Jack Stonebraker (PA), 10-0 (1:10)
3rd – Cohen Reer (OH) Dec. Ausome Guillermo (CA), 8-5
5th – Brody Compau (MI) Dec. Shiloh Joyce (NJ), 7-6
7th – Lincoln Valdez (CO) F. Shaefer Hoffman (PA), 0:52
106
1st – Thiago Silva (CA) T.F. William Soto (NY), 12-2 (1:14)
3rd – Arav Pandey (PA) Dec. Traevon Ducking (IN), 6-2
5th – Diego Robertty (IA) T.F. Michael Bernabe (CA), 12-1 (2:10)
7th – Connor Maddox (IN) T.F. Evan Cies (PA), 12-2 (2:47)
113
1st – Sean Kenny (NJ) T.F. Oliver Pulliam (TX), 11-1 (2:53)
3rd – Chase Karenbauer (PA) Dec. Braiden Lotier (PA), 9-1
5th – Cody Clarke (GA) F. Jeremy Carver (IN), 1:45
7th – Brand’n Edstrom (ID) Dec. Erik Klichurov (IL), 6-0
120
1st – Tommy Wurster (OH) Dec. Mateo Gallegos (PA), 4-2
3rd – Jovanni Tovar (FL) Dec. Izayiah Chavez (TX), 6-5
5th – Corey Brown (MD) T.F. Nathan Reynolds (CA), 10-0 (1:51)
7th – Noel Verduzco (IN) Dec. Martez Sheard (WI), 8-3
126
1st – Miklo Hernandez (MN) Dec. Tommy Marchetti (NJ), 7-0
3rd – Jaxon Lane (TN) Dec. Paul Ruiz (CA), 13-12
5th – Jordan Manyette (PA) Dec. Parker Wickam (CO), 7-2
7th – Jaxsen Bailey (CT) F. Jack Cole (NJ), 0:35
132
1st – Angel Cejudo Jr. (AZ) Dec. Finnegan O’Brien (NY), 5-2
3rd – Gage Bjerga (MN) T.F. Cole Speer (OH), 10-0 (2:51)
5th – Grayson Davis (PA) T.F. Shai Sabag (PA), 11-0 (1:45)
7th – Illia Kyryianenko (FL) For. Thomas Lindsay (OH),
138
1st – Jovani Solis (FL) Dec. Landyn Shaffer (NY), 6-1
3rd – Gage Lohr (SD) Dec. Riker Ohearon (UT), 6-2
5th – Weston Borgers (OH) Dec. Joaquin Chacon (AZ), 6-4
7th – Vincent Rosas (KS) Dec. Bruce Li (FL), 6-4
144
1st – Peyton Hornsby (IN) Dec. Lincoln Robideau (MN), 8-6
3rd – Greyson Music (PA) Dec. Jason Dube (PA), 7-5
5th – Gideon Gonzalez (NJ) F. Calvin Rathjen (IA), 3:25
7th – Maverick Beckwith (NY) Dec. Alexander Penzkover (WI), 7-2
150
1st – Colin Rutlin (MO) T.F. Dylan Villers (TN), 10-0 (2:46)
3rd – Marcus Killgore (AZ) Dec. Gregory Torosian (CA), 10-8
5th – Tommy Rowlands (OH) Dec. Joab J Carrillo (UST), 8-5
7th – Thunder Page (KS) Dec. Kaygen Roberts (KY), 5-2
157
1st – Camryn Howard (NY) Dec. Asher Bacon (PA), 5-0
3rd – Justus Heeg (IL) T.F. Izaac Gaines (IL), 13-0 (2:16)
5th – Zane Engels (MN) T.F. Nick Schwartz (NJ), 14-4 (3:46)
7th – Parker Casey (IA) T.F. Colten Jones (VA), 15-4 (3:22)
165
1st – Ethan Sonne (IL) Dec. Chris Anguiano (CA), 10-8
3rd – Easton Kammerud (WI) T.F. Kingston Sikes (OK), 11-0 (2:48)
5th – Deacon Dressler (IN) Dec. William Fullhart (IA), 20-17
7th – Radic Dvorak (IL) Dec. Layden Acevedo (PA), 4-0
175
1st – Jayden O’Farrill (PA) Dec. Salah Tsarni (MD), 6-5
3rd – Ryder Schulte (AZ) Dec. Tomm Heiser (WI), 17-13
5th – Tate Sailer (ND) Dec. Kyle Gallo (FL), 8-6
7th – Holden Hoiness (MT) F. James Capasso (NY), 1:54
190
1st – Mario Hutcherson (PA) T.F. Caden Krueger (MI), 10-0 (3:33)
3rd – Peter Mocco (FL) Dec. Frankie Pieffer (OH), 2-1
5th – William Etu (VA) T.F. Kannon Freschette (WA), 10-0 (0:48)
7th – Reed Falk (WI) Dec. Mason Chamberlain (PA), 17-15
215
1st – Satoshi Davis (NV) Dec. Ceasar Salas (IN), 9-4
3rd – Bruno Pallone (MT) T.F. Xander Horak (OH), 12-2 (2:45)
5th – Kade Splinter (WI) T.F. Camden Williams (IN), 11-0 (1:10)
7th – Kendahl Hoare (PA) T.F. Michael Garcia (CO), 11-0 (2:30)
285
1st – Noah Larios (CA) Dec. Joe Constable (IA), 7-2
3rd – Kameron Hazelett (IN) F. Rhodes Molenda (OK), 3:59
5th – Lucas Feuerbach (IA) Dec. Jaden Wesley Rakestraw (GA), 8-4
7th – Leland Day (CO) Dec. Andrew Olson (MN), 7-6
