Wrestling: With Ziola Their Only Commit at Fargo, Huskers Will Be Scouting and Recruiting

Going into the world’s largest wrestling tournament, the USMC/USAW 16U and Junior National Championships in Fargo, N.D. this next week, Nebraska only has one commit in the field – Omaha Skutt’s Cade Ziola. A commit for the class of 2025, Ziola joins Tyler Eise out of Colorado as the only Husker commits so far for next year.

Ziola is ranked #2 in the country at 190 pounds by MatScouts, while Eise is ranked #3 nationally at 175 and is not registered for Fargo. They look like the kind of recruits that could highlight a class.

The top-ranked 190-pounder in the country Harvey Ludington out of New Jersey is also in this field with Ziola, setting up a possible matchup between the two best wrestlers in the country at the weight.

Photo courtesy of Tim Ziola

A two-time Class B state champion for Skutt, Ziola went 49-0 as a junior and was the first Nebraska wrestler to ever win an Ironman title. A state finalist as a freshman at 152 pounds, Ziola won his first title as a sophomore at 170 before winning at 190 last season.

Just a couple weeks ago, Ziola led Team Nebraska at the Air Force Special Welfare Junior Duals by going 5-0 in freestyle, outscoring his opponents 51-1. He also went 2-0 in Greco-Roman matches.

There are a total of six ranked wrestlers in the field at 190 with Ziola a favorite to make it to his first Fargo final.

With Ziola Nebraska’s only commit in the field, I’d imagine this Husker staff will be hard at work evaluating and scouting wrestlers this weekend. I’ve already written about possible Husker targets here and some in-state talent to keep an eye on here. There is a lot of home-grown talent heading to North Dakota this weekend looking to catch some DI attention, maybe even catch Nebraska’s eye.

The Junior and 16U freestyle competition will run from Monday, July 15 through Wednesday, July 17. Greco will follow on July 19-20.

Possible Nebraska Targets

Let’s start with Jayden James out of New Jersey. Wrestling for powerhouse Delbarton High School, James is ranked #5 in the country at 150 pounds by MatScouts. His uncle is Nebraska Running Backs Coach EJ Barthel. Wrestling in the 16U division, James is going into his junior season and looks like the favorite in this bracket. James won a 16U Fargo title last year at 132 pounds and is looking for his second Fargo title next week at 150.

The top uncommitted wrestler in the state of Nebraska, Abdi Unle just made a national statement at the AFSW Junior Duals where he knocked off #4-ranked Alex Rozas out of Louisiana 16-6 and went a combined 7-0 in both styles. Ranked #7 in the country at 113 pounds by MatScouts now, Unle will compete in a field with two of the top-4 ranked guys in the country in it, as well as #11 Rozas. He’ll have his opportunity to once again turn some heads in Fargo. I expect a very deep run out of the Omaha Bryan product.

A two-time Class A state champion for Millard South, Logan Glynn heads to Fargo fresh off an impressive performance at the AFSW Junior Duals where he went 14-2 between both Greco and freestyle at 157 pounds. Back down at 150 pounds for Fargo in the Junior division, Glynn will have a chance to earn some DI attention. A 2025 recruit, he could possibly even earn a Husker offer as a future 157-pounder. He’ll be competing in both freestyle and Greco in a field that includes four of the Top-10 wrestlers in the country.

Going into his junior season, Zaiyahn Ornelas is undefeated in high school competition and a two-time Class C state champion for Wilber-Clatonia. After winning at 106 as a freshman, he won again this past season at 113. He also impressed at the AFSW Junior Duals recently, going a combined 6-1 while holding down 113 pounds with Unle. Ornelas is ranked #14 at 113 by MatScouts, coming in at #131 overall for the class of 2026. One of the best in the state, he’ll have the opportunity this weekend to up his stock nationally against a field that includes five nationally ranked wrestlers.

A two-time Class B state champion for Omaha Skutt, Tyler Harrill is going into his junior year. With a career high school record of 83-9, Harrill has been earning some national attention. He’s currently ranked #133 on MatScout’s 2026 Big Board. After going 8-2 combined between freestyle and Greco at the AFSW Junior Duals, Harrill will have another chance in Fargo to put himself in the national rankings.

Another state champion from Skutt, Riley Johnson is already a two-time Class B state finalist and 2024 champion at 165 pounds. With a career 81-11 record in high school, Johnson competed well at the AFSW Junior Duals, going a combined 10-5. He’ll be competing in both freestyle and Greco at the Junior level in Fargo.

In-State Kids With an Opportunity to Show Out

Junior Division

In the Junior division, there are a number of wrestlers with impressive accolades who could put together a deep run in Fargo. Most of them going into their senior years, some of these guys could work themselves into a position to earn some DI attention or even become late additions to Nebraska’s 2025 class. Note: wrestlers are listed in order of weight class.

At 106 pounds, Mohamed Mohamed finished third at state in Class A as a junior for Omaha Bryan. After going 53-5 as a junior, he’ll once again be a contender to make the state final as a senior. Wrestling down at 106 as a senior could be a concern for a college program, as Mohamed may not be big enough to ever wrestle at 125 pounds in college.

Another senior-to-be at a lighter weight, Cole Welte made it to the Class B state final as a junior for Omaha Skutt. Welte went 31-5 last year and fell to senior Cadyn Coyle in the final. With Coyle graduated, Welte is the early favorite to win his first state title as a senior at 113 pounds. Wrestling at 120 at AFSW Junior Duals, Welte went 4-1 in freestyle and 3-3 in Greco. He’ll be at 113 in freestyle in Fargo.

Registered at 126 pounds for Fargo in freestyle, Isaac Ekdahl of Millard South was a third-place finisher at state in Class A at 126 pounds this past February with a 43-12 record on the year.

A state champion in Class B at 138 this past year for Waverly, Brayden Canoyer finished his season with a 46-2 record. Going into his senior year, Canoyer looks to be moving up to 144 as he’s registered there for Fargo where he’ll wrestling both freestyle and Greco.

As a junior last season for Pleasanton, Gatlin Krepela made it to the Class D state final at 138 pounds. He’s since announced he’s transferring to Omaha Skutt for his senior season. He’ll likely compete at 144 pounds (he’s registered there for Fargo) where he’ll compete with Canoyer for Class B supremacy. In Fargo, Krepela will compete in both freestyle and Greco at 144 pounds.

As a sophomore for Columbus, Mason Petersen knocked off two-time state champion Miles Anderson to win his first Class A state title at 138 pounds. Petersen finished his season with a 47-6 record. At AFSW Junior Duals, Petersen went a combined 9-5 between both styles. In Fargo, Petersen will compete in both freestyle and Greco at 144 pounds.

Another guy registered at 144 pounds in freestyle, Iverson Mejia was a Class C state finalist out of Wilber-Clatonia at 138 pounds this past season. He went 31-2 on the year as a junior. He’ll be competing in freestyle.

The 150-pound state champion out of Class C this past year, Orrin Kuehn is registered at that weight for Fargo in freestyle. Kuehn went 47-2 as a junior on the way to his state title.

Out of Class C Syracuse, Cy Petersen was a state finalist last season at 165 pounds with a 50-5 record on the year. Registered for freestyle, Petersen has a big opportunity in front of him going into his senior season.

The Class B state champion at 215 pounds this past season, Tony Palmer is registered at that same weight for Fargo in both freestyle and Greco. Palmer went 49-2 as a junior for South Sioux City on the way to winning his state title. Going into his senior season, Palmer could certainly use this tournament to improve his recruiting profile.

16U Division

A sophomore-to-be for Creighton Prep, Cole Caniglia burst onto the scene early as a freshman and cemented his status as one of the best in the state. Caniglia fell short in the Class A state final but finished his season with a 43-3 record. He’ll be wrestling in freestyle at Fargo in a field that includes five nationally ranked wrestlers.

One of the state’s best freshmen a year ago, Brock Goebel of Syracuse finished fourth in Class C at 106 pounds with a 42-8 record. In Fargo, he’ll be dropping down to 100 pounds in search of his first Stop Sign. A finalist at the PNL Nebraska Freestyle Championships at 100 pounds in April, Goebel is registered in both freestyle and Greco for Fargo.

Another one of the state’s standout freshmen at 106 pounds this past season, Brody Jensen won a Class D state title at Burwell with a 45-2 record on the year. At the AFSW Junior Duals, Jensen went a combined 8-7 in both styles. Sticking to 16U competition this weekend, Jensen has a chance to earn some recruiting attention in Fargo.

The fourth and final 106-pound freshman standout from last season on this list, Ben Ziola of Omaha Skutt is already up to 120 pounds after winning the Class B state title at 106 in February. He recently wrestled at 120 at the AFSW Junior Duals but went 0-6 between both styles. I figure he’s still getting used to the move up in weight, and he’ll get the chance to prove it this week against 16U competition up at 120. Ziola is currently ranked #96 on MatScouts’ 2027 Big Board.

Making it to the Class A state final as a freshman at an upper weight is extremely difficult to do. That’s exactly what JT Smith did for Creighton Prep this past year at 175 pounds, going 36-7 on the year. Now up to 190, Smith is registered in both freestyle and Greco for Fargo. After going 1-4 at the AFSW Junior Duals in freestyle, Smith has a big opportunity here to leave a better impression.

Cruzer Dominguez has yet to set foot inside a high school as a student, yet he’s already ranked #14 in the country at 106 pounds by MatScouts. The top-ranked middle school wrestler in Nebraska, Dominguez won gold at the PNL Nebraska 16U Freestyle Championships and took third in Greco. He’s a legit talent, and I’m excited to see what he can do against more national competition with three nationally ranked wrestlers in the field. He’s registered for both freestyle and Greco at 100 pounds.