2024 Fargo 16U Men's FS Recap: Mangano & Howard Each Land Bronze; Soto & Caldwell Rally Their Ways to 6th 8th

100 Pounds: William Soto---6th Place

The draw doing him no favors, New York Wrestling News' #2 overall 2027 prospect had the misfortune of suffering an early day #1 loss when as the #32 seed, he got plagued with having to square off with Pennsylvanian, Chase Karenbauer (2024 PJW State Champion; 4x UWW U15 Pan-American Gold Medalist; 2023 Super 32 MS runner-up), in the round of 32!

Getting the short end of the stick (6-3) in that highly-anticipated showdown, while some would see a curse; the 2x NYSPHSAA DI medalist/2024 champ saw an opportunity to truly demonstrated the guts and grit that drives him to be the best...

Peeling off SIX consecutive victories in the consolation bracket, Soto's resume featured marquee victories over the likes of Austin Hayes (2024 Maryland runner-up); returning Fargo All-Americans from Iowa---Ethan Humphrey (2024 Iowa State 8th; 2023 Fargo 16U FS 8th) & Urijah Courter (2024 Iowa State 3rd; 2023 Fargo 16U GR 6th); not to mention conquests of 2x Ohio State placer/3rd in '24, Braedyn Tammarine, and NJ youth standout, JoJo Burke (2024 U.S. Open U17 4th; 2023 U.S. Open U15 Bronze medalist; Multiple-time Super 32 MS AA)!!!

Teching Hayes, 10-0 (4pt double-leg, 2pt dump, 2pt single into a double finish, + a leg-lace), in a sub-1:00 time in his first wrestleback appearance, the Newburgh rising sophomore was just warming up as he'd later emerge with 21-8 and 11-9 triumphs against his Hawkeye foes...

Versus Humphrey, he's utilize two takedowns, a 2pt counter crotch lift, and a 1pt reversal to carry a 7-2 lead into the break; but it would be in the 2nd period where all the tools were put on display, as repeated dumps, a low-single, and solid par terre work (had turns via both gut and leg-lace) enabled him to rack up 14 points in a span of two minutes...

The bout with Courter one of two absolute nailbiters that Soto managed to survive, after leading for the majority of the bout, the NYer actually found himself trailing on criteria (9-9) late; but he rose to the occasion when needed, as in the final :10, he'd get in on a high-C and then double off for a 2pt exposure at the exact right moment to steal "w"...

His blood round affair versus the Buckeye State rep [Tammarine] being one of his most dominant/commanding performances of his three-day stay in Fargo; Soto came out of the gates throwing bombs; as he connected with a 4pt feet-to-back TD :22 into the opening stanza and never looked back, tacking on a 4pt double into a cartwheel during the final 1:00 of the 1st, and then punctuating his All-American clinching moment by rolling through a pair of Jonesy tilts in the last 60 seconds of the 2nd en route to a 15-6 TF...

His eighth (sixth in a row) and last win in the consolation quarters proved to be an instant classic, as down 3-2 to Burke and under attack, Soto would be able to get to a standing crotch-lift to toss the Garden Stater for a 4-pointer less than 20 ticks into the 2nd to jump in front 6-3....

This one sequence was invaluable as Burke did come on strong at the end, tying the match on the scoreboard, but still down on criteria...

With nothing to lose, the NJ tried a unsuccessful desperation challenge at the buzzer to turn what would have still been a 6-6 win into a 7-6 victory for Soto!!

His sixth place finish the perfect complement to the two medals he won last month at the UWW U15 Pan-American Championships (FS-gold, GR-Silver), Soto is heading home as the owner of an 8-3 record with his only other blemish on the mat occurring in the consolation semis when he was defeated by the #6 ranked wrestler in the land, Turner Ross (2024 Minnesota State Champion; 2024 U.S. Open U17 FS runner-up)...

His body beaten up from having to run such a gauntlet; Soto elected to forfeit the 5th/6th contest to Ohio's Loc Webber (#19 ranked; 2024 Double UWW Pan-American U17 Finalist/FS Champion;  2023 Fargo 16U GR National Champion; 2024 U.S. Open Double U17 AA/GR Champion; 2023 U.S. Open Double U15 AA/GR runner-up; 2023 Super 32 MS Champion)!!!

132 Pounds: Gavin Mangano---3rd Place

Already having claimed a NYSPHSAA DII crown in February, followed by a NHSCA Freshman National Title in April, NYWN's top-ranked in-state prospect from the class of 2027 capped off his season of brilliance by delivering a bronze-yielding effort under the Dome...

Compiling a 7-1 record, the Shoreham-Wading River Wildcat boasted a plethora of victories over fellow state medalists/champs on his path to the podium....

Untouchable for large portions of the tournament, the "unseeded" Long Islander set the tone for what we should expect when in his round of 64 match, he'd utilize two takedowns and 2pt head-pinch as the nucleus of a 10-0 shutout against 2024 Missouri State Champion, Blaine Wallace!

Resuming on Tuesday what he had started the day before, the VHW trained student-athlete needed a mere 95 seconds to convert two takedowns and then repeatedly roll through with leg-laces as he exploded for 12 unanswered points to claim the 12-2 TF against the two-time Montana State king, Makael Aguayo, in the round of 32!

A 14-5 victory at the expense of Wisconsin's Max Gonzalez (2024 Wisconsin State bronze; 2022 USAW 14U FS National bronze) advancing him safely into the quarterfinals, Mangano was masterful in the championship round of 8, as he struck for the only three takedowns of the match to pitch the 6-0 shutout as a means of garnering his second decisive win versus a Mizzou champ [Jet Brown] in as many attempts...

His stop sign ambitions unfortunately darted in the semifinals by the eventual champion, Indiana's Clinton Shepherd (2024 State runner-up; 2024 U.S. Open U17 5th; 2023 Fargo 16U FS Bronze medalist), the young standout from Suffolk did not stay down on the canvas for long; as he'd conclude his debut in the Roughrider State by mustering a two-match winning streak comprised of 10-0 TF in the consolation semis over Grayson Fuchs; and a barn-burning, down-to-the-wire 4-4 criteria decision against Jovani Solis!

The match with the former [Fuchs; 2024 Michigan State Champion; 2023 U.S. Open U15 runner-up) went only :59, as the NYer went duck into a double for the takedown and then proceeded to lock up a leg-leg for three turns to increase the cushion to 8-0....After a restart, he stuffed a shot and stepped over for a 2pt counter exposure!!!

Saving his closest, but finest triumph for last, Mangano did all of his scoring in the first half minute of the 1st period, when while under attack, he'd reach toss and toss the 2x Florida State Champion/2024 Double UWW U15 Pan-American finalist (FS gold), Solis, to propel himself to a 4-0 advantage...

The margin cut to 4-2 (1pt reversal, 1pt induced stepout in the 1st), Solid did make things interesting at the end, as he'd even the match with a 2pt head-pinch in the waning seconds (:10 to go); but he'd be unable to pop the move over again; thus allowing Mangano to take the "w" on the basis of high-scoring maneuver!

144 Pounds: Camryn Howard---3rd Place

We said in our preview that a strong showing under the Dome might might be the recipe needed for the Bellport rising freshman to assume the top spot in the 2028 class rankings; and there is little question as to whether or not Howard lived up to his end of the bargain!!!

The only person to go the distance (8-1 decision) with the eventual champion, despite suffering his lone blemish in the semifinals to eventual champ, Noah Bull (2x Utah State medalist/2024 Champion; 2024 USAW 16U Folk National titlist), the two-time NYSPHSAA State placer did nothing but raise his stock in our eyes, as he amassed a 7-1 vitae!

Steamrolling his way through everyone in the field not named Bull, Howard enjoyed a 75-10 margin in terms of points scored versus/allowed in his seven arm-raising outings...

Banner performances taking the shape of respective 10-4, 5-0, 12-0, and 11-0 victories in the round of 16, quarterfinals, consolation semis, and bronze medal contest versus the likes of Nathaniel Carter (2x Michigan State placer/2023 3rd), Raymond Fitzgerald (2024 Prep National Qualifier; 2024 NHSCA Freshman 5th), James Whitbred (2024 PIAA Qualifier; 2024 U.S. Open U15 GR Bronze; 2023 USAW Kids 14U Double AA/GR Champion), & Colin Rutlin (2024 Missouri State runner-up; 2023 USAW 14U Folkstyle Nationals 5th)!!!

Ever the aggressor that seeks to light up the scoreboard whenever he steps on the mat, the Long Islander wasted little time in asserting his will against Carter on day #2, striking for six quick points in the first half minute of the opening period via a 4pt feet-to-back double-leg and a 2pt gut to seize the 6-0 lead...He'd defend a head-pinch attempt in the last :25 of the 1st period for a 2pt exposure and then rounded out his scoring when he converted a reshot single in the final :20 of regulation...

In the head-to-head with the first of his two Keystone State foes [Fitzgerald], Howard secured All-American status by generating three stepouts (two during the opening 2:00) and added a double-leg TD in the 2nd...

Like a"poked bear", as good as Howard was prior to his aforementioned loss; the defeat seemed to awake something in him, as arguably his two most commanding/signature victories transpired down the homestretch...

Already up 7-0 (two takedowns, a 2pt gut, 1pt stepout), be brought the audience to their feet in the waning moments of the 1st period of the consolation semis when he launched Whitbred with a 5pt back-arching suplex to complete the technical fall!!

Jumping out to an instant 3-0 lead behind a TD + caution 1 in his encore outing versus Rutlin, the big blow was dealt in the final :30 of the 1st period, as the New Yorker connected with a 4pt toss (head over heels) out a whizzer position to increase the cushion to 7-0....A 2pt cartwheeling double-leg, complemented by a 2pt exposure from a dump in the last :20 of the stanza was responsible for punctuating the early day at the office as Howard got on and off the mat in a time of 1:54!!!

Howard's bronze yielding exploits yesterday came just weeks removed from his Double gold voyage to South America at the UWW U15 Pan-American Championships!!

215 Pounds: Zach Caldwell---8th Place

Having previously claimed All-American honors in folkstyle on two separate occasions in Virginia Beach, the 2024 NYSPHSAA DI State runner-up showed off some solid freestyle chops during the past three days, as he'd be the architect of a 5-3 record that sufficiently produced top-8 status!!

Sitting at #12 in the NYWN on the NYWN 2026 Big Board, the Red Raider rising junior certainly made a valid case for a massive boost in the polls as he'd overcome a loss in the round of 16 by methodically and tactfully constructing a three-match winning streak in the consolation bracket to fight his way back to the podium...

The climb to AA commencing with a 12-2 TF against 2024 NJSIAAA State Qualifier, Jake Zemsky, Caldwell put on a clinic from the feet, racking up five takedowns...

Subsequent appearances witnessed him topple back-to-back fellow NHSCA AAs, as he prevailed by scores of 2-0 and 3-3 against the likes of California's Jeremiah Mora and Caleb Tyler of the Keystone State...

Staying alive by virtue of simultaneously inducing a stepout at the same precise moment that the Golden Stater [Mora] was hit for an activity clock violation, it may not have been the flashiest of victories, but it did the job, as the Section 6 resident/CHSAA also relied on impeccable defense to pitch the shutout over the 2024 NHSCA Sophomore 8th!!

His blood round bout keeping us on the edge of our seats, Caldwell trailed this year's NHSCA Freshman National Champ [Tyler], 3-1, in the last :40 of the 2nd period, but kept his composure and found a way to snatch the "w", when he'd defend a dump attempt, stuff the head, and then spin behind on the edge of the mat for what would be the winning TD with :25 showing on the clock en route to the criteria [last pts scored] conquest..

Clearly possessing that clutch gene, the win over Tyler marked the second time that the St. Francis stud as able to come on strong late in a bout; as earlier in the formal proceedings, he'd kick off day #2 in Fargo by clawing his way out of a 5-2 deficit (end of the 1st period) by converting a TD with :28 remaining in the 2nd period to vault himself to an 8-7 decision over 2024 Arizona State 4th, Joseph Figueroa, in the round of 32!

In his only outing on Monday, he threw up a 6-0 goose-egg versus 2024 USAW Folk Nationals 16U 5th, Liam O'Neil (MI), in R64!

No bad losses attached to his name, Caldwell was defeated by the eventual stop sign winner, Alex Taylor (2x Ohio State placer/2023 3rd; 2023 Fargo Double 16U medalist/FS National runner-up; 2023 NHSCA Freshman 4th) in the round of 16; then dropped consolation bouts to California State Qualifier, Noah Larios, and the entry from Kansas, Noah Mathis (2024 Kansas State 4th; 2024 USAW 16U Folk National Champion)!!!
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‍Team NY 16U Men's FS Breakdown