New York USA Wrestling

The only one of the four Empire State medalists last weekend who has yet to advance to the NYSPHSAA Finals during his career; it was poetic and proper to see the 2024 Large School 6th place finisher for the Red Raiders being the individual that enjoyed the breakout effort/headline-grabbing accolades...

Sitting in the #10 spot of the 2026 class rankings, but waging quite the convincing argument to be elevated, Edwards amassed a 6-0 record that featured conquests of multiple USAW youth and/or scholastic All-Americans...

Imposing his will at the beginning of Saturday, he'd pick up his first banner win in the round of 32 when he climbed out of a brief 3-0 hole (surrendered the opening TD) by answering back with 19 unanswered points (3 takedowns, 2 sets of swipes, 2 escapes) to earn the 19-3 TF in a time of 4:49 over 2024 Florida State Qualifier, Tyler White...

His grit/determination especially tested in a R16 bout with Colin Strayer (2024 Indiana Middle School State Champion; 2024 USAW 16U Folk National Bronze medalist), Edwards did not take his first lead of the match until the waning moments (last :05), as down 4-3, he'd get in on a low-single and then came out on top of an extended scramble just in the nick of time, to steal the 6-4 decision at the buzzer by notching his only TD of the six-minute battle!!!

Pointing flying up on the scoreboard in droves during the quarterfinal showdown with another Hoosier rep, Abrum Swathwood, Edwards again experienced some initial adversity (surrendered a TD and turn to be down 6-0 less than 60 seconds into the 1st); But alas, never wavering in his perseverance, he seized control of a then 10-9 deficit in the last 1:00 of the middle stanza by securing a reversal and transitioning to a tilt to carry a 15-10 edge into the 3rd...He pulled away further in the last 120 seconds, adding a 2pt NF, an escape, a penalty pt, and a takedown (compared to just a reversal by Swathwood) to cap off a 22-12 major decision!

Sticking with the pattern of being a comeback kid, he logged one of the most significant wins of his high school career in the semifinals, when trailing 3-2 early in the 2nd period versus Lincoln Rohr (2024 Ohio State Bronze medalist; 2022 Fargo 16U FS 6th), he'd turn defense into offense, as he fought off a deep single by countering with a cutback ankle pick for the takedown to vault himself in front, 5-3....Unfortunately, during this sequence, the Buckeye State entry would suffer an injury that would cause him to medical default; thus formally enabling Edwards to punch his ticket to the 'ship!!!

Squaring off against decorated Florida up-and-comer, Lucas Barrios (2024 NHSCA MS National Champion; 2023 Super 32 MS 7th; 2024 Tulsa Nationals true 2nd) in the money match, Edwards refused to be denied, as he claimed the 9-4 decision in a war that was much closer than the scoreboard may suggest..

Ducking into a double-leg to draw first blood with a TD approximately :45 into the 1st, Edwards carried a 3-2 lead at the end of 2:00....He'd lock up a cradle off of bottom for a reversal in the 2nd to increase the advantage to 5-2...And then tacked on an escape + TD (after allowing a reversal) in the third to account for all of his output...

Posting respective 10-4, fall 2:26, and 1:18 pin dubs in his R64 thru R16 outings against lesser credentialed opponents from Illinois (Aiden Noyes), Michigan (Aiden Durham), and Florida (Marco Rivera), the present-day #3 2025 Big Boarder recorded the first of a pair of victories over fellow state placers in the quarterfinals...

Opposed by 2024 Michigan 4th, Wyatt Burns, the University of Buffalo commit [Gillings] prevailed in the wild back-and-forth contest when down 5-4 in the last :40 seconds of regulation, he responded by earning his third reversal of the bout before adding a 4pt NF via a side headlock/Merkle to propel himself to the 10-5 decision!!

A hard fought 7-4 defeat in the semis to 2024 Michigan State Champion/2024 Fargo 16U FS 6th, Grayson Fuchs, taking him out of the title hunt; the 5x NYS medalist (2023 runner-up)/2024 NHSCA AA bounced back to split his penultimate and ultimate appearances...

In the consolation semifinals, he'd utilize a takedown (stepped over a whizzer and spun behind off of the ensuing scramble) and a 4pt bar to jump out to a 7-0 cushion versus 2024 Tennessee State silver medalist, Mal Puckett....A 2nd period reversal padded that lead to 9-0....And in the last half-minute of the 3rd, he'd lock up a Merkle for 3+3 to close out what should have marked as a 15-0 TF (incorrectly recorded as a 9-3 decision)!!!

2x Illinois State placer/2024 3rd, Maksim Mukhamedaliy, was up 6-1 when Gillings was forced to medical forfeit due to an injury sustained at the end of the 2nd period!

While the 2x NYS DI medalist (2024 runner-up)/2x NHSCA AA (2024 National Champion) most certainly had grander ambitions than 5th place on his mind; the truth is that NY-USAWs #3 ranked in-state Junior performed quite well, even if it did fall short of his always high standards...

Reaching the 160-pound semifinals behind back-to-back-to-back victories over fellow respective state royalty---Rocco Redmon (2023 Michigan State 5th), Joey DiVello (2x Virginia State medalist/2023 runner-up), & Owen Segorski (3x Michigan State finalist/2x Champion); the NC State verbal commit has plenty of reason to hold his chin up....

Stockpiling five takedowns and 2pt reversal on his way to building a 17-3 lead against Redmon; if not for the fact that the latter suffered an injury causing him to forfeit while being dropped to the mat (TD #5), all signs pointed at LaPlante picking up an easy tech!!

Picking up where he left off in the R16, LaPlante struck for one takedown apiece as the crux of his 10-4 decision over DiVello...

His marquee coup occurring in the quarters, all of LaPlante's point came during the 2nd period, as he'd earn a reversal to go up 2-0; and then later converted to make the score 5-2....Segorski rounded out the scoring by registering his third escape of the bout in the 3rd period!

The future member of the Wolfpack endured a bit of a mini slide, as he tasted defeat by scores of 13-9 (was within 10-8 after being down 7-0 early in the 1st) and 4-1 in the semis and consol semis to the likes of Jay`Den Williams (2x Michigan State runner-up; 2x Fargo 16U All-American/2024 FS Runner-up) & Jake Hughes (2024 Fargo 16U FS 7th; 2024 NHSCA MS National Champion; 2024 Ohio TOC Runner-up; 2024 Tulsa Nationals runner-up; 2023 Super 32 MS 5th)!!

However, he made sure to finish up on the "good foot", as deadlocked in a 1-1 showdown, he'd win a scramble with just over :30 to go in sudden victory to emerge as a 4-1 victory over Ohio's Jared Goldberg, to punctuate a 4-2 resume!!

Feeding off of the mojo he created during a 2023-2024 that witnessed him advance to the NYSPHSAA DI finals (runner-up at 190), lock up his second NHSCA All-American distinction, and finish top-8 in Fargo, the Red Raider upper-weight added to the list of bullet points via a 6th-place display this weekend...

Earning New York's fourth semifinal berth of the event, the #9 overall 2026 Big Boarder was dynamite in all positions during the first half of the day, as he'd pick up wins by scores of 15-9 and 9-1 against 2024 state qualifiers from Michigan (Tommy Jaynes) & Illinois (Xavier Bitner)...

Against the former [Jaynes], Caldwell relied on a big 3rd period to create separation, as a 9-5 edge (two takedowns, a 2pt reversal, and an E1) at the end of the 2nd ballooned to a 15-9 verdict, thanks to a reversal (in response to a TD that made it 9-8 on the board), his third takedown of the bout, and the riding time point (1:39 of net top control)...

The match with Bitner was a pure exhibition of how agile and fluent the Buffalo area resident is with his low-level attacks, he struck for one takedown apiece in both the 1st and 3rd period, while adding a quick 2nd period reversal on his way to the bonus point "w"!!!

Regrettably, as the tournament progressed and the challenges become more apparent, Caldwell's fortune took a downward turn as he'd be upended in his next three trips to the mats by eventual runner-up, Reid Hiltunen (2x Michigan State placer/2024 bronze), Ashton Boswell (2024 Tennessee 4th), and 2024 Florida State 6th, Myron Mendez!

ADDITIONAL SHOUTOUT

*Jaron Barrientos (Lewiston-Porter; 3-2/Blood Round at 112)----The returning NYS DII State 5th for the Lancers may have fallen just short top-8 status; but he still turned in a solid effort, getting his arm raised on three of five occasions en route to being a 112-pound blood rounder!!

Dominant at the start of the day, Barrientos would register commanding victories in each of his first three outings, as he knocked off Cameron Leone (MI), Justin Grissom (MI), and Kahl Cannon (OH) by outcomes of fall in 5:09, 15-0 TF, and 17-1 TF!!!

His opening round triumph over the two-time Michigan State qualifier, Leone, being his highlight dub, Barrientos would actually surrender the initial TD to fall into a 3-0 hole....But responded by going on an 8-0 run before putting the Wolverine State rep on his back and holding him there for the stick in the last minute of the 3rd period...

His losses this weekend came at the hands of the eventual runner-up and 7th-place finisher---Layne Martin (2024 Michigan State Qualifier; 2024 Fargo 16U FS 6th; 2023 USAW 16U Folk Bronze medalist) and Jacob Buffum (2024 Virginia State runner-up) in quarterfinal and blood round bouts! 

Demonstrating just how close NY-USAW's #24 Senior Big Boarder was to the podium, only a 2pt reversal at the early stages of the 3rd period haunted him in his head-to-head with Buffum, as he dropped the 2-0 decision!

FULL RESULTS