The REPORTER
After a one-day break, the nation’s best young wrestlers were back on the mats in Fargo, N.D. for the Greco-Roman portion of the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals.
Westfield’s Brayden Head competed at 113 pounds. (Manford Photography)
Westfield’s Connor Maddox led the charge for Hamilton County’s five members of the Indiana team with three wins in four matches at 113 pounds. Maddox began with two victories in the main draw, first beating New Jersey’s Logan Forgatch in a 9-0 technical fall in the Round of 128. Maddox scored another technical fall victory in the Round of 64, beating Minnesota’s Will Katherman 9-1.
Maddox went up against California’s Thiago Silva in the Round of 32, where he lost in a close 12-8 decision. That sent Maddox into the consolation bracket, and he beat Iowa’s Chase Watkinson in an 8-0 tech fall in the consolation Round of 32. Maddox moves on to the consols sub-round of 16 and takes on Nebraska’s Isaiah Tuttle today.
Noblesville’s Cale Metzler is competing at 215 pounds. He dropped his first main-draw match to California’s Andre Sandoval Espana by an 8-0 technical fall, then came back to win two consolation matches.
In the sub-round of 32, Metzler beat New York’s Bradley Tatar by a 10-0 tech fall, then followed that with a Round of 32 win over Georgia’s Christian Johnson by a 10-6 decision. Metzler wrestles Minnesota’s Xander Plath today in the sub-round of 16.
Noblesville’s Brody Weimer competed at 126 pounds. (Manford Photography)
In other matches involving county wrestlers…
Hamilton Heights graduate Michael Cain wrestled at 175 pounds. Cain won a Round of 128 match over New Jersey’s Kwabena Morgan in an 11-2 tech fall, then edged out Nevada’s Daniel Leal in the Round of 64. The final score was 7-7; Cain won on a referee’s decision.
Cain lost his Round of 32 to South Carolina’s Logan Hinton by an 11-0 tech fall, then dropped his consolation Round of 32 match to Indiana’s Jacob Cole by an 11-5 decision.
Brayden Head also represented Westfield in the 113-pound bracket. Head dropped his first-round match to Idaho’s Greysen Packer in a 9-0 tech fall. He received a bye in the consolation sub-round of 64, then won his Round of 64 match over California’s Gabriel Martinez with an 8-2 decision. Head lost to Illinois’ Julian Hartwig in the sub-round of 32 by an 8-0 tech fall.
Noblesville’s Brody Weimer competed at 126 pounds. He received a first-round bye but lost to Colorado’s Cooper Matthews by an 8-0 tech fall in the Round of 64. Weimer received a bye in the consolation Round of 64, then dropped a sub-round of 32 match to Alaska’s Kaden Costigan by a 9-0 tech fall.