Valencia drops 12-11 Sargsyan Cup final after 8-2 lead
Zahid Valencia and Cam Amine both took silver at the Stepan Sargsyan Cup, Joey McKenna won bronze, and Izzak Olejnik wrestles for gold Sunday after a 20-second comeback.
Big news
Valencia drops Sargsyan Cup final 12-11 after 8-2 lead, Amine silver
Zahid Valencia led Askhab Khadzhiyev of Kazakhstan 6-0 early, 8-2 at the break and, per Pyles, 11-6 with 47 seconds left, then lost the Stepan Sargsyan Cup freestyle final 12-11. Kozak and Pyles both said he got tired, and Pyles and Basch both noted Aeoden Sinclair teched Khadzhiyev 12-2 at U20 Worlds last month. Cam Amine dropped his final 3-1 to Imam Ganishov, who Kozak says won Russian Nationals in 2025 and is ranked No. 10 in the world at 74kg. Joey McKenna won bronze 10-1, and Izzak Olejnik reached Sunday's gold medal match by turning a 5-0 semifinal deficit into an 8-5 win with a takedown and three turns in the last 20 seconds.
He was up 6-0 early and 11-6 with 47 seconds to go. He lost 12-11.
Izzak Olejnik was down 5-0 in his semifinal match at the Stepan Sargsyan Cup with just 20 seconds left before getting a takedown to 3 turns to win 8-5!
Ganishov won Russian Nationals in 2025 and was bronze this year. Currently ranked #10 in the world at 74 kg.
Why it matters: Our take: two US finalists losing late, one after leading by six and gassing, is the honest read on where this senior freestyle group stands against Russian and Kazakh-level opposition. Olejnik is the last shot at a US gold in Armenia.
- Olejnik wrestles for gold in Armenia on Sunday.
Results and matchups
No. 8 Newman-Winfrey DQ'd for biting Mannello at Elite 8 Duals
Marcarlo Mannello was leading No. 8 Amir Newman-Winfrey 10-6 when Newman-Winfrey bit him, per New York Wrestling News, and the match ended as a DQ win for Mannello. The same post says Newman-Winfrey had already headbutted Mannello earlier in the match. Elsewhere on Day 1, MatScoutWillie had Dean Anderson over Orbeta big, Keegan Bassett over Angel Cejudo 6-5 at 132, New Jersey's Pete Velardi over Fargo champ Sebastian Gutierrez, and Justus Heeg over Bruno Cassioppi 4-1 at 175.
Mannello was leading 10-6 before Newman-Winfrey bit Mannello (full top and bottom) resulting in a DQ win. This was after Newman-Winfrey had already headbutt Mannello as well.
Keegan Bassett over Angel Cejudo (at 132), 6-5
Why it matters: Head-to-heads between top high schoolers are what move the recruiting boards, and a No. 8 losing by DQ for biting is going to follow Newman-Winfrey. Bassett over Cejudo at 132 and Velardi over a Fargo champ are the results rankers will chew on.
- Day 2 of the Elite 8 Duals, with MatScouts posting preview material on the head-to-heads.
Quick hits
Tommy Gantt submits Klose, now 2-0 in UFC and 13-0 in MMA
Wolf Pack alum and All-American Tommy Gantt submitted Drakkar Klose in Round 3 at UFC Noche, per Basch. He is 2-0 in the UFC and 13-0 overall in MMA, and Christian Pyles was among the wrestling crowd celebrating it.
No. 1 Dean Anderson gets Gavin Mangano at WNO on Sept 26
Flo announced No. 1 Dean Anderson vs Gavin Mangano for Who's Number One on September 26. Flo bills Mangano as the last high schooler to beat Anderson.
Bartachek's recruit photo: Skrocki, Von Gonten, Mullin, Fernandez, Huffman, Sturgill
Ross Bartachek posted a group shot of recruits in town: Eve Skrocki, Landri Von Gonten, Larra Mullin, Taina Fernandez, Brooke Huffman and Ryleigh Sturgill. No commitments announced, just the visit.