Fargo blog (2025)

Articles

Stories I wrote on Team Massachusetts at Fargo in 2025 from the Fargodome. All photos were taken by me.

Preston Burroughs places fourth at Fargo

For his first act as a Fargo All-American, Preston Burroughs sprung a cartwheel into a backflip on the Fargodome’s featured stage.
The 165-pounder went 5-2 to earn fourth place in the 16U men’s Greco-Roman tournament. He secured three technical falls to reach the quarterfinals, a 14-9 decision in the quarters, and a pin in his consi-semi.
“It feels amazing,” Burroughs said. “I’ve wanted to place at Fargo ever since eighth grade, first time I heard about the tournament. It’s an unreal place. I didn’t really think I could.”

Junior men's Greco-Roman update through three rounds

For the second time in under a week, Alex Bajoras and Myles Burroughs have reached the second day of a tournament at Fargo.
Bajoras, who placed sixth last year in Greco-Roman, earned a pin and two technical falls to advance in the consolation ladder. He said the wrestling style is similar to how he often wrestles as a heavyweight.
“It’s so much [about] who’s the stronger and tougher guy,” Bajoras said. “When I go out there, I’m used to wrestling [Chelmsford’s Thomas Brown]. I’m used to wrestling good competition, so these matches where it comes down to who’s stronger, I just am.”

Isaac Novod leads Team Massachusetts freestyle men in wins

Win after win, Isaac Novod bulldozed his way through the consolation bracket.
Though he ended up one match shy of placing, the 126-pounder from Medford racked up a team-high seven wins at the Fargodome.
“I trained for this,” said the rising junior at Belmont Hill. “I trained my cardio a lot, so I just kept going and took the loss lightly. I kept my head in the game and didn’t worry about it, didn’t worry about how many matches I needed to win, just my next match.”

Junior men's freestyle update through 2 rounds

Combining to earn eight technical falls and a decision, five Team Massachusetts junior men’s wrestlers made it through to the round of 32.
The lone decision of the top side wrestlers saw Declan Bligh (165 pounds) rebound from a 0-3 start to win 14-5, a point shy of a tech fall over New Jersey’s Barry Norman Jr.
Julian Rios (113) spent a total of 2:29 on the mat, not allowing a point to either opponent on the first day. Ryan Meier joins Bligh as 165-pounders to stay in the winners’ bracket into Tuesday.

Corynne McNulty wins third place at Fargo

Her back to the mat while trying for her final turn, Corynne McNulty thought about trying to get back to her feet. Instead, she put her energy into completing that move.
Because she knew this was her match.
After a run of intense rounds, Corynne McNulty put away her 130-pound third place bout in 42 seconds, earning a 10-0 technical fall over Ohio’s Abigail Mozden and giving Team Massachusetts a placer in the women’s tournaments at Fargo nationals.

Men's Fargo Preview

With 20 wrestlers providing points in the junior men’s freestyle category, Team Massachusetts vaulted to 16th place (32 points) in the U.S. Marine Corps Nationals tournament last year.
The performance, highlighted by Elliott Humphries earning second place at 165 pounds and Matthew Botello finishing fourth at 132, is something coach Matt Dehney said was “special” and “will be hard to match.”
Humphries returns at 175 this year for his final high school contest after that inspirational run. Though he does not base expectations on previous tournaments, he leads a group looking to prove Massachusetts can be formidable again.

Junior women's freestyle update through 4 rounds

Two bouts. Two minutes and two seconds on the mat.
With a technical fall and a pin, Livi Polansky (95 pounds) reached the quarterfinals (to continue Sunday) starting at 10 a.m. eastern, looking for her first placement at Fargo nationals.
"It's amazing," she said, "Especially going into quarters. I dropped a weight class this year, because I was thinking the 100-pound girls are cutting down to 100, and it's only a five-pound step for me.

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