Fargo Coverage, Year Two, is complete. We cannot express the thankfulness that we felt getting the opportunity to cover the NC athletes that decided to make the trip and test themselves against the best in the country. Below are just a few quick thoughts of reflection. We will do a more comprehensive reflection on a CTT episode in the near future. 

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North Carolina brought the biggest delegation that it has in a decade. This isn't just a numbers game though. North Carolina had the #1 Big Boarders from all four high school classes (2026, 2027, 2028, 2029). We are on an upward trajectory.

 

The Men's Freestyle portion didn't provide any All-Americans this year. However, I feel better about this year's performance as a team than last year. We had more wrestlers advance to day two and more overall wins than a year ago. 

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To continue the progress, there is no secret sauce. Our best kids are committed to going. Now they need to commit to more freestyle specific throughout the year. The team that was in the Fargodome spoke to this and their thoughts on how to better prepare themselves for next year. It also includes the emphasis on 14u duals and Kid's Freestyle Nationals. Our 14u dual team performed well this year and when those kids hit the 16u scene, they will be problems. 

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Faith Bane in particular proved this. She trained a lot of freestyle this year. Traveled to Washington, Vegas, was on dual teams in the past and was at Fargo last year. She will be back too.

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In order to get the repetitions in that is necessary for Fargo success, our athletes need to prioritize the Regionals, the Tarheel, the State Tournament and if they can U17 trials or the National Dual team. 

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Fargo is one of the three pinnacle tournaments in High School in the current landscape. Right now, Fargo, Super 32 and U17 World Team Trials are the three toughest tournaments in the country. We know that North Carolina can perform at these tournaments. 

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We have said it over and over again, but we will say it again, there is nothing quite like being in Fargo and being Team North Carolina. No matter the battles that are had during the year, all these kids are rooting and supporting each other, and we feel that sense of comradery.

 

Getting to spend this time around the athletes, coaches and families is a ton of fun and something we cherish about this trip. Getting to know everyone on a more personal level is our favorite part of the trip. 

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We can't wait to be back in the Fargodome again next year! 

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Stock Up from Fargo: 

 

While there were many standout performances from the men and women from Fargo these are just a few that rose their stock for various reasons. 

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Faith Bane 

-We really shouldn't have to explain. She made the semifinals and finished in fifth place, earning All-American honors on the biggest stage. She has improved tremendously in several areas and still has a ton of potential to grow. 

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Bentley Sly 

-Bentley made the blood round last year. This year he was unable to advance to day three. So, why do we feel better about his performance this year? Well, after being upset in round one, Bentley got back to work and strung together several tough wins including a win over #1 (Flo)/#2 (Matscouts) wrestler in the country, Crosby, by tech fall and pinned Owen McMullen, who is an Iowa commit. Those two wins are both massive and once again prove that Bentley is right there with the best in the country. 

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Aiden White 

​-We could not be any more impressed with Aiden, even if he won Fargo. He has a ton of skills that can't be measured in wins and losses. First, the kid is super coachable. We watched him soaking up every word from every coach all week long. It was evident that he was there to learn and get better and knew the coaches could help him get there. Secondly, he is tough as nails. He went out each match and just scraped as hard as he could. Despite his freestyle and Greco inexperience, he won some matches on pure grit. His wrestling IQ is off the chart. We could see the tactics that he was growing in from period to period. The rapid knowledge gain was impressive. 

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Savada Kitchen

-All-American! She got it done when it mattered most! 

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Mia Pardo 

​-Mia will be a Fargo AA. We have zero doubts about it. She is super tough and very skilled. The girl is not just talent but a lot of work ethic. Her leg attacks are going to help propel her into the next phase of her career.

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Jake Amiott 

-The level jumps that Jake made from the state tournament to Fargo are pretty wild. He grew in weight and still was able to add tools to his toolbelt. We walked away thinking that this kid could develop into a superstar for the state over the next few months. 

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Troy Shannon 

-Unfortunately, we don't get to watch Troy again in High School. I don't think there was a more emotional moment of Fargo then Troy losing in the blood round in Greco. That hurt. Regardless, Troy proved he can compete with the best in the country in the Olympic styles. Personally, we hope Troy continues to focus on Greco moving forward.   

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Aaron Ellison 

-We left Fargo last year absolutely blown away by Aaron. This year we are ten times more impressed with him, and it has nothing to do with the fact that he All-Americaned. It has everything to do with the improvement over time. Aaron is a superstar and he isn't anywhere close to done. 

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Andrew Meadows 

-This kid is so much fun to watch. He isn't scared of any exchange and that is so much fun to watch! 

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Joshua Stonebraker

-A private school kid that we don't get to see a ton. but dang he was impressive. His down-block go behinds are next level and his single leg is elite. He proved in Fargo that he is at the top of talent in our state, and he will be quickly climbing the big board. 

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Gabe Rogers

-When we talk about improvement, Gabe is up there with anyone with his progression over the last year. His single leg is the best in the state. Period. However, he has built upon that with several new setups and his defense. He got absolutely hosed in his last match in Fargo, so we didn't get to see the full run. We believe it was about to be a ridiculous one. 

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Drew Teeter 

-Don't miss a Teeter match. He is going to let it fly every time. The most impressive piece for Drew this week was his clutch gene. He came up big in big moments. 

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Ammon Scott 

-This dude has maybe the most potential of any athlete that was in the Fargodome, and we aren't just talking about NC athletes, we are talking of anyone. The young man is still learning how to wrestle through positions and once he figures that out he is going to be scary and we mean, scary good. 

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​Carson Raper 

This kid is so tough. The way he finished his last match when he was clearly injured was all guts. He was right there with the All-American kids at Fargo. He will be a Fargo AA before his career is over. We have zero doubts about that.  

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Aaron Angel-Ruiz 

-The young big man can move! He is the next star of the upper weights for our state. His leg attacks are going to separate him from the field in the coming years. 

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Connor Reece

-We all know that Connor is good. The stock up comes from his quick improvement from the duals to Fargo in freestyle positions. This proves that not only is this kid a talent but that he is willing to make adjustments and has the ability to make those adjustments quickly.

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Ayden Sumners 

-This kid works like a madman. Good things come to those who work. Every time he steps on the, mat he is better than the time before and that is saying something.  ​​

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Campbell Tufts 

-Hard-nosed, great leg attacks, fights through positions....what is not to love about this kid? The Millbrook/Cap City product is a stud. We really like him as a prospect moving forward with how much better he has gotten over the last year. 

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Jack Harty

-Warrior. Jack is going to fight in every match and for every point. We love this kid's heart and determination. Despite not having the results he was hoping for we believe he showed the willingness to fight and the work ethic that is necessary to succeed at this level.

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Tye and Mac Johnson 

-Okay, putting them together is probably unfair to both. They are their own people. We put them together her because we feel similar about both their Fargo performances. It was not the week that they had hoped for, despite that they were right there with some of the best in the country. A few minor adjustments and we could be adding them on the All-American list. 

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Dom Blue 

-Dom is always known for putting up big points. However, we noticed a drastic improvement in gritty situations where he needed to rely on his head hands defense. 

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Dom Hittepole

-His point scoring ability is underrated. His ability to let it fly and get to legs stood out to us as an asset moving forward. 

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Ryan Thompson 

-Freestyle situations hindered him here. Despite that the sky is the limit for this kid. He stays in great positions and makes people pay for bad shots. He also has his own offense that his approaching elite. 

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Catoe Bryd

-Don't look at his record. Look at the toughness this very young kid displayed. 

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Hayden Smith 

-Once Hayden believes that he is a bad dude, the country is in trouble. He has all the skills to make serious noise.

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Gavin Lopez 

-Much improved on baseline skills that are going to make him a state title threat in his junior campaign. 

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Jekai Sedgwick

-Jekai is known for his scoring ability. What we saw in Fargo was pure grit and toughness. 

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Chase Hernandez 

-Tough kid who was able to mix it up in exchanges. Once he refines a few skills, he is going to be extremely dangerous. 

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Bryce Perry 

-Nails. We love this kid's skillset and the potential he has moving forward. 

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Chris Braxton 

-Get to know him. You won't be disappointed, and you'll be on the hype train too. 

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Morgan Foy 

-She only has been wrestling for a few short months, and she won a match in Fargo. If that doesn't scream potential, then we don't know what does. 

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Iyanna Crawford

-A healthy Iyanna wins Fargo. Period. 

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Marley Williams

-Oh Marley. This kid is hilarious and a lot of fun to be around. On top of that, he came to Fargo and snagged some wins with some big throws despite not having the credentials of others. 

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