Fargo is regarded as the most difficult high school wrestling tournament in the nation and for good reason. According to Flowrestling there were 369 total ranked wrestlers registered for this tournament across all age brackets and weight classes. Fargo is one of those tournaments that if you do well, you could very well walk away with the attention of several collegiate programs. To be frank, it’s the real freakin deal and you better be strapped in tight if you plan on making a run in this tournament.
Historically, Georgia wrestling has done ok at this tournament, but with us never being viewed as a blue blood wrestling state we have always lived up to expectations. Being just good enough to get our asses kicked. This year is slightly different since we have several nationally ranked wrestlers, girls and boys, who are moving into college and have done well at this tournament in the past. This seems to be the year we can begin to put ourselves into the conversation of a state to be respected and feared for years to come.
Below you can find a general recap of the 16u and Junior women’s wrestlers from Georgia.
The Outstanding:
Greta Garbuzovas wrestled exactly to her seed as she was the number 2 seed going into the 16u tournament and finished in 2nd place. She went 5-1 in the tournament with 5 tech falls. She never surrendered a single point until the finals where she fell 11-5. The only word to describe this young lady is outstanding.
Genevieve An was clearly outstanding in this tournament. Even though she underperformed her seed for the tournament, she was the number 1 seed going in, she was the only Junior Girl to place and bring home a medal from North Dakota. Finishing in 3rd place overall with a bracket of 65 of the toughest women in the nation is pretty outstanding.
The Good:
Abigail Plemons was unseeded going into this tournament, she is a 2 time state placer finishing in 2nd and 3rd the past 2 years respectively. She flies under the radar, even to those of us who follow GA wrestling religiously. But going out to North Dakota and coming home with a 5-2 record is something to pay attention to.
Delilah Betances had high expectations going into this tournament and came up just short in my opinion. She is a folkstyle state champion in GA and a runner up in FL last year. If you have seen her wrestle she is an absolute monster. The 17 seed going into Fargo, she went 4-2 on the weekend, losing in the round of 16 to the number 1 seed and eventual champion. She tried to wrestle her way back through the wrestleback rounds but just didn’t have enough in the gas tank to get on the podium this year.
Kori Campbell is probably the most athletic female wrestler in the state and it’s not particularly close. She is not only athletic but a very well rounded wrestler with excellent technique. She wrestled a good tournament but just fell short of the podium. Going 3-2 for the tournament she was probably disappointed in her results but she represented this state well.
Ella Kaufmann, the 25 seed going into the tournament won her first 2 matches to put her into the round of 32 where she lost a close one to the number 8 seed from Washington. She won 1 more match on the conso side of the bracket before getting kicked out of the tournament by the number 9 seed from Rhode Island. The 2 time state champ from Ga did well but ran into some tough competition.
The Disappointing:
May Prado was once the queen of wrestling in Georgia. Competing on the international level and Who’s Number 1, and winning national level tournaments going 2-2 at this tournament has to be a disappointment. I am not sure if the face of female wrestling in GA is struggling with an injury or what but she has not looked the same since winning the USMC National Championship last year.
Samantha Patton won her first state championship this past year for Cook County. She is an absolute monster in folkstyle, she is long and lanky and can flat out get after it. Her first time competing on the national stage was for the national duals team last month. She got off to a rocky start but quickly found her groove going 6-1 over the span of 2 days. IN her defense she had a tough draw and ran into some serious competition, but for a wrestler of her caliber to go 0-2 has to be disappointing.
Vera Spencer is one of the best wrestlers this state has to offer on the female side of wrestling. She is the reigning 2x state champ for this state and has spent her fair share of time on the national stage. Going into the final match of the tournament our 22nd seed was dominating the match. Getting in on her leg attacks and really couldn’t be stopped. Up 8-2 but made a crucial mistake in the second period that cost her the match. I’m sure she is disappointed with a 1-2 record for the tournament.
You can check out the brackets and results all GA wrestlers here.
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