Bo Bassett’s relentless pace and forward pressure kept coming Sunday, and so, too, did the points and lopsided victories as the seventh-grade phenom steamrolled his way onto his second Cadet World Team of the weekend. 

On the other end of the spectrum, Beau Mantanona walked the high wire from the freestyle quarterfinals all the way to a title and a ticket to Budapest. 

The California native trailed 8-0 in the quarters against Koy Buesgens and was on the verge of getting trap-arm gutted into the consolations before he locked up a cradle and scored a fall to advance. Each victory from there on was a battle of survival for Mantanona, who scored a last-second takedown to win in the semis, bailed himself out with another cradle in the first match of the 60-kilogram final series and withstood a late flurry in the decisive bout to edge fellow Californian Brock Bobzien in the best-of-three. 

The newly minted freestyle Cadet World Team was filled Sunday with wrestlers who turned in masterful performances and others who displayed grit in tight-match, pressure-packed situations. 

Here’s a look at the team that will represent the United States this July at the Cadet World Championships and some of the facts and figures of how they navigated through the brackets this weekend in Wisconsin Dells. 

45 kg — Bo Bassett (Pennsylvania)

The final tally in Wisconsin Dells: Bassett 86, opponents 12. The young Pennsylvanian backed up a dominant Greco performance with an even more impressive freestyle showing. Bassett outscored his five freestyle opponents by a combined 48-5 count. He registered four technical superiority victories and capped his weekend with a fall in the 45-kilogram final series against Idaho’s Mack Mauger. 

“You’ve got to stay at your pace the whole match,” Bassett said. “You’re like a warrior out there, nothing fazes you. I knew he’d break. I didn’t realize he’d break that fast, but at that pace they’re gonna break.”

48 kg — Luke Lilledahl (Missouri)

Lilledahl followed up his freshman state championship season with a strong showing in Wisconsin. He blanked his opponents in four of his five matches in the tournament. The lone exception was the first bout of the best-of-three against Pennsylvania’s Nathan Desmond. Lilledahl trailed on criteria in the final minute when he got in on a shot and had Desmond draped over his back. He wisely took Desmond to the edge and took him straight back for four to seize control of the bout. 

“My (high school) coach is (Cadet freestyle coach) Cornell Robinson, so it’s a lot easier to pick up things when you have that kind of coach,” Lilledahl said. “The training partners I have are amazing, too.” 

51 kg — Nate Jesuroga (Iowa)

The third-ranked sophomore took home the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler Award after a lockdown performance Sunday. Jesuroga used two step-out points, a takedown and turn in the final minute to rally past 2019 Cadet World champ Marc-Anthony McGowan in the semifinals. The final series required some more last-minute work. Jesuroga converted a go-behind with eight seconds left and tacked on a lost challenge point to beat Aden Valencia 5-2 in the first bout and used two activity clock points to prevail 2-0 in the second match. 

55 kg — Spencer Moore (Kentucky)

The North Carolina recruit authored one of the day’s most stunning comebacks, rallying from six down in the final seconds to beat Cael Hughes 6-6 on criteria after scoring a takedown and a pair of turns on a leg lace. Moore had a late lead evaporate in the first match of the best-of-three when he got exposed just before time expired to drop a 5-3 decision to Kael Lauridsen. But Moore battled back to even the series with an 11-4 victory and then took the decisive third bout 2-1. 

60 kg — Beau Mantanona (California)

Beau Man bailed himself out of trouble time and again throughout the two-day tournament, scoring a pair of cradle falls to overcome eight- and six-point deficits and a last-second takedown to pull out a 9-7 semifinal win against Christopher Coates. Mantanona prevailed in a highly entertaining three-match series against Cadet Greco World Teamer and fellow Californian Brock Bobzien. 

Bobzien led 8-2 midway through the second period in the first match when he got cradled and pinned. A late Bobzien takedown forced a decisive third match, which featured three lead changes before Mantanona prevailed 12-10. 

65 kg — Meyer Shapiro (Maryland)

Shapiro blitzed through the bracket, outscoring his opponents 37-2 to reach the finals before putting on an offensive display in the best-of-three against Greco champ Jadon Skellenger. Shapiro showed off an array of attacks, winning the first bout 17-6 and the second 10-0. His only real hiccup of the weekend came in the first match against Skellenger when he got takedown down and gutted twice. 

“That kid’s gut is nasty,” Meyer said. “I was expecting it to be an ordinary gut, but he got super low and put some pressure on my back and I was like, ‘Damn.’ That was not fun to be in. The game plan in (the second) match was to get on the legs, finish clean, just get behind him. No need to try to do anything fancy again.” 

71 kg — Levi Haines (Pennsylvania)

The three-time Pennsylvania state finalist, who broke through this year and won his first state title, showed some late-match savvy on Sunday. Haines won a challenge in the closing seconds of the semifinals to pick up a step-out point that pushed him past Joe Sealey 6-6 on criteria. He needed three matches to dispose of Iowa state champ Aiden Riggins in the finals. Haines rolled up Riggins 12-2 in the first match, dropped the second bout 6-6 on criteria and raced out to an 8-0 lead on two takedowns and a pair of turns on his way to a 10-4 win in the decisive third bout. 

80 kg — James Rowley (Oregon)

Rowley sailed into the semis with three shutout techs before encountering his tightest match of the tournament. He defeated Tate Naaktgeboren 2-1 on a pair of activity clock points. Rowley cranked the offense back up in the finals, defeating Connor Mirasola 10-0 and 9-4. 

92 kg — Gavin Nelson (Minnesota)

The Minnesota state champ and Super 32 runner-up turned in the most dominant performance of the freestyle tournament, outscoring his opponents by a combined 53-1 count in five matches. He made quick work of fourth-ranked P.J. Casale in the finals, notching a pair of first-period techs. 

“I felt so strong and felt like I had the best of everybody, so I pushed the pace,” Nelson said. “I’m just trying to prove I’m #1 and nobody can stop me along the way.” 

110 kg — Jim Mullen (New Jersey)

Mullen won a New Jersey state heavyweight title last year as a freshman and passed on an opportunity to chase his second state championship this weekend, opting instead to pursue international glory. He won the Cadet Greco title on Friday, but making the freestyle team required some Mullen magic in the closing seconds of the semis. Mullen trailed 7-4 with 18 seconds left when he doubled Koy Hopke for four on his way to a 10-7 win. He took care of Bradley Hill in the finals, winning 18-5 in the first match and 9-7 in the second. 

“(I feel) really good about my decision,” Mullen said. “I can’t wait to represent my country. The four-time New Jersey state champ talk is really cool, but you never know what’s going to happen.”