15 area wrestlers are on the same career path as Olympic greats Kyle Snyder, Gable Steveson

FARGO, N.D. — Before Olympic champions Kyle Snyder and Gable Steveson were Olympic champions they wrestled in Fargo, N.D., at the USMC 16U and Junior National Freestyle Championships.

Ditto for two-time national champion David Carr of Perry and four-time All-American and national champion Nathan Tomasello of CVCA.

If you didn’t know just how good the 16U and Junior Freestyle National Championships were, now you do.

The Junior bracket alone on Monday had 1,813 competitors from all 50 state, Guam and Puerto Rico.

The 16U bracket boasted 1,686 individuals from 49 states, Guam and Puerto Rico.

Five area wrestlers in title hunt after Fargo Day 1 at Junior level

Lincoln Rohr (113 pounds), Emeric McBurney (126), Cameron Plotts (138) and Joseph Sanderfer (144) joined Brecksville’s Riley McPherson (215) in the round of 32 and still have championship titles in view. Rohr, McBurney and Plotts all starred at Perry High School this past season.

The highlight of the day from a Greater Akron/Canton perspective came in Rohr’s Junior bout at 113 when he beat Indiana’s Elijah Ogle in the second round.

Ogle took an 8-0 lead and was a takedown away from ending things when the 2022 All-American Rohr hit three four-point moves to win 12-8.

“It’s really about the mindset,” Rohr said. “I started the match off really slow and had to really come back and fight. You really just have to have fun with it.”

That’s the key to all of this as schools you see near the top of the state tournament in March bring their best to Fargo should they qualify.

Perrysburg has seven wrestlers in the national championships, Brecksville has six and Wadsworth and Highland have four each.

Perry qualified 19.

“It’s a big benefit with this group,” Panthers coach Brent McBurney said. “We worked really hard to get as many here as possible. Ultimately, the big goal is in March, but the more they’re together, the more they’re competing, the better their opportunity is later on.

"This group has been together since youth and junior high. They just feed off each other, so when they get to things like this — it’s a big event — but they’ve been through it. They know what to expect.”

Is a championship between Highland's Bickerton twins in store in the 16U bracket?

The battle of the Bickertons might be answered this week.

Reigning national champion Brandon Bickerton and his brother Austin are both in the 113-pound weight class and both are still alive in the championship bracket.

The Highland duo joined Sam Adams (Perry, 94), Liston Siebert (Perry, 120), Kyle Jardine (Wadsworth, 138), Brennan Warwick (Perry, 157), Zack Aquila, (Brecksville, 157), Caige Horak (Perry, 165), Xander Horak (Perry, 190) and Dustin Dodd (Perry, 285) on the winners side.

“This is what we train for,” Austin said. “We know everything each other does, so if it does happen we’d have a unique style. We’d have to make up moves no one would expect us to hit.”

Austin knocked off the 13th and 20th seed to get to the round of 16. Brandon will have the second seed in the next round.

“It would be a big deal to face him,” Brandon said. “I think we’d just go and have fun. Obviously, we’d be going for a Fargo title so it would be a big deal, but I don’t think emotions would be high after that match.”

Greater Akron wrestlers alive in the consolation brackets

• Junior Freestyle: 120 – Johnny Green, Aurora; Ethan Dimos, Jackson; 126 – Liam Montgomery, Perry; Mason Rohr, Perry; Blake Bartos, Buckeye; 138 – Cole Munn, Aurora; 150 – Jack Dinwiddie, Wadsworth; 165 – Landen Johnson, Perry; 175 – Cole Walton, Aurora

Ohio wrestlers still in contention for a national title

• 16U Freestyle: 88 – Ryker Leonard; 94 – Sam Adams; 100 – Loc Webber, Braedyn Tammarine; 106 – Tommy Wurster; 113 – William Schork. Austin Bickerton, Brandon Bickerton; 120 – Liston Siebert, Alexander Denkins, Weston Bridges; 138 – Kyle Jardine, Eddie Kessen; 157 – Brennan Warwick, Zack Aquila; 150 – Eli Esguerra; 165 – Caige Horak. Jake Hughes; 165 – Gabe McNally; 190 – Xander Horak; Dustin Dodd, Michael Boyle; 215 – Alex Taylor, Danny Zmorowski, James Moore; 285 – Chandler Moore, Dustin Dodd, Jacob Purtee
• Junior Freestyle: 100 – Bennet Wachter, Ethan Powell; 113 – Lincoln Rohr, Grey Burnett, Ayden Dodd, Konner Blaney, Marius Garcia, Scotty Fuller; 120 – Blaze Van Gundy; 126 – Emeric McBurney, Joseph Curry; 132 – Garrison Weisner, Ryan Kennedy; 138 – Cameron Plotts; 144 – Joseph Sanderfer, Brodie Dominque; 157 – Brogan Tucker, Cael Gilmore, 165 – Tyson Clear; 175 – Anthony Kroninger; Carson Mize; 190 – Carson Thomas, Gage Yackee; 215 – Riley McPherson; 285 – Jeffery Blair

Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 15 area wrestlers are on the same career path as Olympic greats Kyle Snyder, Gable Steveson