By Gary Abbott
USA Wrestling
The round of 32 has been completed in USA Wrestling’s interactive 32-athlete bracket featuring the best Men’s Junior Freestyle competitors of the last 50 years of the Junior Nationals., with the round of 16 pairings set and voting underway.

VOTE NOW: 50th Junior Freestyle Nationals - Fantasy Bracket

This voting is based upon their Junior National freestyle careers only, and should not reflect their successes in Greco-Roman, nor how well they did in college and the international levels.

This sets up a competitive round of 16, with voting starting today (May 11) and running for the four days.

The round of 16 includes National Wrestling Hall of Fame Distinguished Member Pat Smith and Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winners Adam Coon (2013 Michigan), T.J. Hill (1998 Missouri), Brent Metcalf (2005 Michigan and Midwest Region), Nick Simmons (2001 Michigan), Steve Mocco (2001 National), Coleman Scott (2004 National), and Teyon Ware (2002 National).

It also has our Executive Director Lee Roy Smith, who won Junior National freestyle titles in 1975 and 1976 before becoming an NCAA champion and three-time All-American for Oklahoma State Wrestling and a World silver medalist.

Round of 16 pairings, with number of Junior National freestyle titles
Alan Fried (OH, 4x) vs. Sean Hage (GA, 3x)
Alex Dieringer (WI, 2x) vs. Brent Metcalf (MI, 3x)
Johny Hendricks (OK, 2x) vs. Teague Moore (PA, 3x)
Lee Roy Smith (OK, 2x) vs. Nick Simmons (MI, 3x)
Mark Schwab (IA, 3x) vs. Steve Mocco (NJ, 3x)
Teyon Ware (OK, 2x) vs. T.J. Hill (MO, 2x)
Coleman Scott (PA, 2x) vs. Adam Coon (MI, 2x)
Steve Knight (IA, 1x) vs. Pat Smith (OK, 2x)

Round of 32 results
Alan Fried (OH) dec. Zach Roberson (KS), 81%-19%
Sean Hage (GA) dec. Sheldon Thomas (DE), 70%-30%
Alex Dieringer (WI) dec. Damion Hahn (NJ), 56%-44%
Brent Metcalf (MI) dec. Andre Metzger (MI), 66-34%
Johny Hendricks (OK) dec. Scott Schluchter (OK), 78%-22%
Teague Moore (PA) dec. Kenny Cox (OR), 66%-34%
Lee Roy Smith (OK) dec. T.J. Jaworsky (OK), 52%-48%
Nick Simmons (MI) dec. Laurence Jackson (CA), 66%-34%
Mark Schwab (IA) dec. Mike Land (IA), 82%-18%
Steve Mocco (NJ) dec. Nathan Tomasello (OH), 69%-31%
Teyon Ware (OK) dec. Grant Smith (WI), 73%-27%
T.J. Hill (MO) dec. David Kjeldgaard (IA), 63%-37%
Coleman Scott (PA) dec. Anthony Cassioppi (IL), 74%-26%
Adam Coon (MI) dec. Garrett Lowney (WI), 61%-39%
Steve Knight (IA) dec. Scott Schatzman (MO), 56%-44%
Pat Smith (OK) dec. Mark Angle (PA), 72%-28%

Notes after the first round
• Oklahoma has the most wrestlers in the round of 16 with four, with Johny Hendricks, Lee Roy Smith, Teyon Ware and Pat Smith advancing in the first round. Michigan is next with three in round two, Brent Metcalf, Nick Simmons and Adam Coon. The only other state with more than one athlete in the round of 16 is Iowa, with Mark Schwab and Steve Knight.
• The only 4x Junior Nationals freestyle champion, Alan Fried of Ohio, has advanced to the second round. In the round of 16, there is one 4-timer, six three-timers, eight two-timers and one one-timer.
• The first round included four match-ups between wrestlers from the same state. Oklahoma had a pair of first round matches, as Johny Hendricks bear Scott Schluchter and Lee Roy Smith defeated T.J. Jaworsky. In an all-Michigan battle, Brent Metcalf stopped Andre Metzger. The Iowa pairing saw Mark Schwab defeat Mike Land.
• The brothers in the bracket, Del City, Okla. stars Lee Roy Smith and Pat Smith, are in different half-brackets, and could only meet in the finals.
• The college where the most of the wrestlers in round two competed is Oklahoma State, with eight. They are Alan Fried, Alex Dieringer, Johny Hendricks, Teague Moore, Lee Roy Smith, Steve Mocco, Coleman Scott and Pat Smith. Iowa is the only college with at least two in the second round, Brent Metcalf and Steve Mocco. The other colleges represented are West Virginia (Sean Hage), Virginia Tech (Brent Metcalf), Michigan State (Nick Simmons), UNI (Mark Schwab), Oklahoma (Teyon Ware), Cal-Fullerton (T.J. Hill), Michigan (Adam Coon) and Iowa State (Steve Knight).
• One of the most intriguing second round pairings is at the top of the bracket, between four-time champion Alan Fried of Ohio and three-time champion Sean Hage of Georgia. Fried was a freestyle specialist, wrestling only in this style at the Junior National level. Hage excelled in both styles, and was the first to win six Junior National titles, three in each style. Both have a strong following among fans.

Here are the round two wrestlers in alphabetical order, with their state affiliation and the years they won Junior men’s freestyle national titles.
Adam Coon, Michigan (2012, 2013)
Alex Dieringer, Wisconsin (2010, 2011)
Alan Fried, Ohio (1986, 1987, 1988, 1989)
Sean Hage, Georgia (1993, 1994, 1995)
Johny Hendricks, Oklahoma (2001, 2002)
T.J. Hill, Missouri (1996, 1997, 1998)
Steve Knight, Iowa (1982)
Brent Metcalf, Michigan (2003, 2004, 2005)
Steve Mocco, New Jersey (1999, 2000, 2001)
Teague Moore, Pennsylvania (1993, 1994, 1995)
Mark Schwab, Iowa (1982, 1983, 1985)
Coleman Scott, Pennsylvania (2003, 2004)
Nick Simmons, Michigan (1998, 1999, 2000)
Lee Roy Smith, Oklahoma (1975, 1976)
Pat Smith, Oklahoma (1988, 1989)
Teyon Ware, Oklahoma (2000, 2001)

The rest of the voting schedule follows:
• Voting on the Round of 16 will begin on Tuesday, May 11
• Voting on the Quarterfinals will begin on Saturday, May 15
• Voting on the Semifinals will begin on Wednesday, May 19
• Voting on the Finals will begin on Sunday, May 23

The first USA Wrestling Junior Nationals was held in the Fieldhouse at the University of Iowa in 1971, and contested only in men’s freestyle. With the 2020 event cancelled due to the pandemic, this year’s version will be the 50th time our nation’s best high school wrestlers have come together to battle for national titles and All-American honors. Numerous World and Olympic champions and medalists have competed in this prestigious event.

The 2021 USA Wrestling USMC Junior and 16U National Championships will be held at the FargoDome in Fargo, N.D., July 16-23, with competition in men’s freestyle, Greco-Roman and women’s freestyle.

HOW TO VOTE

50th Junior Freestyle Nationals - Fantasy Bracket

When you click, you will see the bracket. To vote, click the “Cast Vote Now” button on the top of the bracket. You will be taken to a screen where you see each pairing and you can click a box to vote on the winner. You must enter your email to vote. If you need some additional information on any athlete, click the link for each athlete’s name and a graphic with a photo of the athlete and additional data on their Junior National freestyle career will appear.