Alexandra Hofrichter Earns All American Status with 7th Place Finish at US Marine Corps 16U & Jr. Nationals
Robby Hagerty and Hunter Cordova Also Compete
FOR THE ANTIGO TIMES
The U.S. Marine Corps Junior & 16U Nationals in Fargo, ND celebrated 50 years of competition this past week, July 17th-23rd. Three members of the Antigo Wrestling Club made the trek and competed against the best in the nation. Alexandra Hofrichter, Robby Hagerty, and Hunter Cordova all battled hard, and since all three of them will be returning to the high school team next year, the experiences they had this past week will only help them in the upcoming high school season.
Leading the way was Alexandra Hofrichter. Hofrichter has had an amazing sophomore year, winning her second WWF Folkstyle state championship and also winning the WWF Freestyle state championship. She also went undefeated at the National Duals held recently in Oklahoma. Continuing off those successes, Hofrichter was able to use 5 victories against only 2 defeats in route to a 7th place finish.
Hofrichter’s bracket, Junior Women 152 pounds, was stacked with talent, with 48 competitors, 12 of whom carried national rankings based on the latest set from Flowrestling. In the first round, Hofrichter matched up with Andrea Wilmoth of Pennsylvania, who was a state champion this year in Folkstyle.
Hofrichter was able to get on the board first 39 seconds into the match, hitting a deep inside single that she transitioned to a double leg and drove through for the takedown. 20 seconds later, Hofrichter added another two points with an outside single leg for another takedown. Up 4-0, Hofrichter was able to add another pair of points using a high gut wrench, and then was able to put both of her looks in as she took Wilmoth’s back, and used a half nelson to earn the fall at 1:32.
In the second round, Hofrichter met Emily Brown of New York, who would end the tournament in sixth place. Hofrichter was able to make good use of Russian ties to earn a passivity warning against Brown at the 45 second mark. At the 80 second mark, Brown was able to use an outside single to a double leg takedown for the first points of the match. Hofrichter was then able to tie the match at 2 with a low outside single that she was able to transition to a cradle, but did not earn exposure. Brown then was able to secure a headlock from the feet for 4 points and a 6-2 lead. Hofrichter was once again able to tie the match with a hard overhook step behind trip that tied the match at 6 at the end of the first period.
Hofrichter would start the second period earning her first lead of the match, using a hip over off of a Brown outside single leg attempt for an 8-6 lead. Brown would tie the match, earning 2 points off of a missed headlock attempt by Hofrichter. With about a minute left in the match, Brown was able to use an underhook whizzer to secure a stack and earned the pinfall victory at 5:29.
Hofrichter’s third match would be against Hannah Jackson of Kansas, a High School Folkstyle state champion, and a two-time state runner up. Hofrichter was able to start the scoring early, using an overhook for a hip toss and an initial two points 30 seconds into the match. Jackson was able to earn a reversal to cut the lead to 2-1.
At the midpoint of the first round, Hofrichter was able to use an over/under to set up a lateral, and increased her lead to 6-1 with a 4-point throw. Back on the feet, Jackson was able to tighten the match to 6-3 using a snap down to a cradle for the takedown. Near the end of the period, Hofrichter was able to hit an overhook throw for 4 points, and took a 10-3 lead into the break.
40 seconds into the second period, Hofrichter was able to use an overhook to a far ankle for a takedown. Hofrichter was then able to score with a high gut wrench to earn the 16-3 technical fall at the 3:59 mark.
Match 4 saw Hofrichter facing Bella Wazny of Michigan, a state runner-up. Wazny was able to score first, using an armspin for 2 points. Hofrichter would then take over control of the match. First, Hofrichter was able to earn a reversal with exposure to tie the match at 2. Then back on the feet, Hofrichter was able to use an overhook step behind counter for 4 to increase her lead to 6-2. Once again back on the feet, Hofrichter used a 2 on 1 to secure a near single leg for the takedown, and then used a pair of high gut wrenches to earn the technical fall at 2:27 of the first round.
Madison Byroads of Oklahoma, a state champion earlier this year, was Hofrichter’s 5th match. Hofrichter would score first 30 seconds into the match, using an overhook to a snap down to a front head lock to a step over. The 4-part takedown earned Hofrichter a 2-0 lead.
At the mid-point of the first period, Hofrichter used an overhook to shoot to a near side single leg, but a crossface by Byroads was able to cause a stalemate and no scoring. With 45 seconds left in the period, Hofrichter was able to score on a single leg attempt by using a hip bump for 2 points. Hofrichter would then add a pair of high gut wrenches to take an 8-0 lead into the second period.
In the second period, Hofrichter was able to use a hip lock to counter a shot by Byroads, and earned 2 points for the 10-0 technical fall at 3:17.
Hofrichter’s sixth match was Amarisa Manuel of Michigan. Manuel is currently ranked 14th in the nation at 144, and is a multiple time state champion. Hofrichter was able to score first, using an overhook toss for the initial 2 points. Manuel would use a front headlock to tie the match at 2, and then used an arm bar to earn exposure and a 4-2 lead. At the mid-point of the first round, Manual was able to secure a body lock off of an over/under position, and secured the fall at 2:01. Manual would finish the tournament in 3rd place.
In the 7th place match, Hofrichter faced Aspen Barber of Colorado. Barber is currently ranked 20th in the nation at 152. Hofrichter was able to string together a series of scoring moves in the first two minutes of the match, using an underhook hip toss, a pushout using a 2 on 1, and a single leg to earn a 7-0 lead. Barber was able to get on the board with a single leg roll through for 4, cutting the lead to 7-4. Hofrichter would not stay down for long, earning a reversal to end the period with an 8-4 lead for Hofrichter.
Hofrichter would come out on fire in the second period, hitting a beautiful overhook throw that led to an instant pinfall at 3:28.
Only a sophomore, Hofrichter has two years of eligibility left, and everyone at the Antigo Wrestling Club is looking forward to her continued success.
Robby Hagerty competed in the 16U Greco division. Hagerty’s first match was with Jordon Ayres of Indiana. Hagerty was able to get one the board first, earning a point with a passivity call against Ayres at the 65 second mark as Ayres tried to back out of a 2 on 1. On top, Hagerty would be able to score on a pair of side headlocks to end the first period with a 5-0 lead.
In the second period, Ayres was able to counter an armspin for his first two points of the match. Ayres would then use a gut wrench to cut the lead to 5-4. With 40 seconds remaining, Ayres would challenge a call, lose, and give Hagerty a point, increasing Hagerty’s lead to 6-4. With 30 seconds remaining, Ayres was able to secure a body lock lateral for 4 points, and earned the victory by fall at 3:40.
Hagerty’s second match was against Adam Gromatzky of Georgia, who qualified for the high school state tournament this year. In what was one of the most exciting matches of the tournament, Hagerty and Gromatzky were able to combine for 39 points.
The action started fast, with Hagerty scoring 4 points off a headlock 15 seconds into the match. Gromatzky would roll through and hit a gut wrench, deadlocking the match at 4.
At the midpoint of the first round, Hagerty was able to hit an armspin for 2 points, and added a pair of gut wrenches to increase his lead to 10-4. Near the end of the first period, Gromatzky was able to hit an armspin for 4 points, but Hagerty earned a pair of points with a roll through, and then another pair of points for a gut wrench. This ended the first period with Hagerty ahead 14-8.
Hagerty would score first again in the second period, using an armspin for 2 points. Gromatzky would roll through and earn 2 of his own. Near the mid-point of the round, Gromatzky was able to counter an arm spin attempt for 4 points, and added a pair of front headlocks to give Gromatzky his first lead of the match, 18-16. With 15 seconds remaining, Hagerty was able to tie the match with an armspin, and then earned the victory with a gut wrench in the final seconds. Gromatzky would challenge the last series of moves, and the video showed the correct calls were made, giving Hagerty an additional point and ending the match 21-18.
Hagerty’s third match was against Robert Poyner of Iowa, a state qualifier this past year. Poyner was able to score first, using an armspin counter 10 seconds into the match for the initial 2 points. Poyner would then use a reverse gut lift to increase his lead to 6-0. Hagerty would earn a reversal from here, and then a pair of side headlocks to cut the lead to 6-5. At the end of the first period, Poyner was able to hit a body lock and a half nelson to end the period with a 12-5 lead.
At the start of the second period, Poyner was able to secure a body lock that led to a belly to back suplex and earned him the technical fall at 2:13.
Competing as a Junior Heavyweight in Greco was Hunter Cordova. Cordova’s first match was against Jamikael Lytle of California, the Western States champion this year. Lytle was able to secure a body lock, and use it to score with a belly-to-belly suplex and an initial 5 points. Lytle would then score on a trio of gut wrenches, earning a technical fall victory at 34 seconds.
Cordova’s second match was against Anthony Anderson of Colorado. Anderson was able to score first, earning a push out point off a missed headlock attempt by Cordova. Anderson would then score on another push out to increase his lead to 2-0. Cordova hit an armspin to tie the match at 2. With a minute remaining, Anderson was able to secure a body lock and that led to a victory by fall at 2:37.
It was amazing seeing 4 Antigo Wrestling Club wrestlers compete at nationals this year (Nolan Kielcheski competed at youth nationals previously). It will be exciting to watch this upcoming high school wrestling season, as all 4 of these wrestler’s will be on the High School team, and these summer wrestling opportunities will no doubt help improve their skills.