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Fargo Biggest Winners

By Flowrestling - Willie Saylor, 07/25/16, 11:15AM PDT

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"Summer wrestling makes winter champions."

Everyone who competed in Fargo is a winner. That will be proven next season during the state championships. 

But for a select few who outperformed expectations (in some instances there were no expectations at all), their names are now etched into our memories. 

Let's examine the kids who have jumped on to the national radar, or who has seen their stock jump, in the aftermath of #Fargo2016. I'm focusing on underclassmen which rules out the performance of Canten Marriott, Ian Parker, Kevin Parker, and other graduates.
 

10. Sam Latona - 88 Cadet - Alabama

Severely undersized as a high school freshman, Latona shined this summer when he was able to be in a more natural weight class. He was a double finalist at SE Regionals at 94lbs, before making the finals in both styles at 88lbs as a Fargo Cadet. 
 

9. Mason Phillips - 132 Cadet - Washington

The Junior-to-be was one to watch coming up as a schoolboy and appeared on the JR HS Board. Last year he DNP'd but this year he cashed in, making the finals in both styles. He didn't give up a single point in FS until he lost 12-10 in the finals to Jacori Teemer.

8. Brock Hardy - 138 Cadet - Utah

Hardy is the third straight double finalist on the list. In fact, in the last two years at Fargo, he made the finals in both styles. In both results (wins over Sasso, Lewan, Figueroa, and Hagan) and in style points (check out his craftiness below), Hardy has cemented himself as one of the best Juniors in the country.
 

7. Tyler Curd - 285 Cadet - Missouri

It's hard to get one by me, but I didn't, at all, see this big man from Missouri coming. Curd was 3rd at the state tournament as a Freshmen in February. And in Fargo he splashed on to the scene with a WWE type move and a Greco win over Cadet World Team Member Colton Schultz. Schultz would go on to be Curd's only loss in a 1st and 3rd place performance that made everyone notice Tyler Curd.
 

6. Nico Aguilar - 113 Junior - California

Anyone looking for a career 125lber? Yeah, pretty much everyone. So keep an eye on Aguilar who picked up his second Fargo FS title, this one at JR 113. In my opinion, he went from 'good little wrestler' to serious DI prospect this week.
 

5. Jake Allar - 160 Junior - Minnesota

Like Hardy above, Allar came in as a staple in the rankings and a known commodity. However, winning Fargo going in to his Senior season dramatically ups his stock and notoriety. As mentioned in the lead up to Fargo, Allar has had a fine track record in folk and greco, but his freestyle resume (and elite wins) were lacking. That's not the case any longer.
 

4. Miles Lee - 195 Junior - Pennsylvania

A success story of Beat the Streets - Philly, Miles Lee has improved leaps and bounds in such a short time. He's only been wrestling two years following some experience with jiu jitsu. Lee qualified through a tough Northeast Region to get to the state tournament but went 0-2.Fargo was a different story with a medal for each style - 3rd in GR, 6th in FS. He reached the semi's in FS by beating one ranked foe, but then fell to three more ranked wrestlers. Still, there's upside here and he's one to monitor.
 

3. Anthony Cassioppi - 285 Junior - Illinois

When you pull all the seniors out of the rankings (especially at the upper weights) rankings sometimes seem hollow. So when you saw Cassioppi at #6 when the new rankings were released last month, you might have thought, 'who is this kid?" But he had all the goods. 3rd in a loaded IL bracket ahead of ranked guys. Double Akron titles. And now his Fargo performance - 3rd in GR, 2nd in FS - where two highly ranked guys. Cassioppi is surely proven.
 

2. Josh Ramirez - 170 Junior - Lousiana

Out. Of. Nowhere. This is one the types of stories that happen often at Fargo and makes it so special. Ramirez got a late jump on wrestling, only being talked into it by his buddies a couple years ago. He was a state champ in both his freshman and sophomore campaigns and posted a big win over Marcus Coleman (IA) in Akron.At Fargo, Ramirez blitzed to the semifinals by beating 2015 double finalist Jack Jessen (IL) with two other ranked wins. Although he defaulted to 6th, Ramirez is a guy recruiters have to follow up on.

 

1. Aaron Brooks - 160 Cadet - Maryland

Considered one of the best wrestlers coming in to high school, Brooks didn't get a lot of exposure over the last two years despite solid campaigns. His in-season high school schedule didn't offer him much in the way of elite competition. Sandwiched in between titles at NHSCA FR Nationals (at 126) and Sophomore Nationals (at 138), Brooks DNP'd in both styles at Fargo last summer. But boy, did he redeem himself. Now up at 160, Brooks looked like a man on fire. Not only was he technical, but physically, and mentally tough. Of all the competitors in Fargo this year, his was the biggest breakout performance.