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SV Junior Josh Jones Finishes Fifth at Fargo National Tournament

While many high school students spend the dog-days of summer hanging at the beach or lounging at the pool, Panther junior Josh Jones was competing, tooth and nail, against the best wrestling competition the United States has to offer.  Jones spent the last week in Fargo, North Dakota participating in the U.S. Marine Corps Cadet National Championships on the campus of North Dakota State University.

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Saucon Valley junior Josh Jones.

While many high school students spend the dog-days of summer hanging at the beach or lounging at the pool, Panther junior Josh Jones was competing, tooth and nail, against the best wrestling competition the United States has to offer.  Jones spent the last week in Fargo, North Dakota participating in the U.S. Marine Corps Cadet National Championships on the campus of North Dakota State University.

For his efforts Josh Jones earned All-American status on Friday by finishing fifth overall in the Greco-Roman Cadet class (15 & 16 year olds).  With just one more win, Jones would have become an All-American in Freestyle as well.  Jones went a very respectable 7-2 in the Freestyle championship but lost in the “Blood-Round” where a victory would have secured that second All-American title.

According to Saucon Valley wrestling coach Chad Shirk,  Jones earned his trip to Fargo by winning his way through a series of qualifying tournaments throughout Pennsylvania. His successes led him to the Pennsylvania state tournament held at the end of May in Chambersburg where he won his spot on Team Pennsylvania.  Jones then spent dozens of hours practicing with Team Pennsylvania.  After much preparation, Team Pennsylvania loaded up their bus and headed to Fargo for last week’s competition.

Fargo Greco-Roman Cadet Results (Josh Jones)

Round of 128:  Bye

Round of 64:   defeated A. Caravantes of Arizona by Fall

Round of 32:   defeated C. Eastmond of Utah by Fall

Round of 16:   defeated P. Truntich of Maryland by Tech Fall (16-6)

Quarterfinals:   defeated J. Bianchi  of Wisconsin by Tech Fall (10-0)

Semi-Finals:   lost to R. Ripplinger of North Dakota by Fall

Consolation Semis:  lost to D. Serrano of Colorado 15-4 by Tech Fall (15-4)

Fifth Place Bout:  defeated E. Scott of Pennsylvania by Tech Fall  (17-7)

Jones two defeats came to Ryan Ripplinger who entered the tournament as the #2 seed and Dom Serrano, the #3 seed.  True to their seedings, Ripplinger finished second and Serrano finished third. #1 seed, Reece Witcraft from Oklahoma, was crowned the 126 pound champion.

Coach Shirk congratulates Josh Jones on his 5th Place finish in the 2017 PIAA State Tournament.

When asked his thoughts about Josh’s Fargo experience Shirk said, “Fargo is an opportunity to wrestle the absolute best the country has to offer.  It is an amazing experience for Josh and it will likely open the doors to a few colleges.”  Fargo is one of the best recruiting showcases in the nation for college wrestling coaches.

In regard to Jones’ path to success Shirk continued, “Josh has a tremendous positive attitude toward wrestling.  He has identified his goals and is constantly working hard to achieve those goals.  Josh is a great role-model for young wrestlers and it shows that hard work pays off.”

Now, hopefully this All-American will take a couple of days and enjoy some beach time with his family and friends before he gets back to work.

Great job Josh, the Source is with you!

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About the author

Keith Riefenstahl

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