AKRON – It’s hard not to root for a person like Jake Hendricks. The New Ringgold, PA native is a junior at Wyoming Seminary where he has excelled for the Blue Knights and head coach Scott Green. In February 2017 Jake qualified for his second straight National Prep Tournament earning his first career medal with a fifth place finish at 170 lbs. 

The junior faced much more than the battles on the mat this season. 

In October 2016 Jake’s mother, Jennifer Hendricks, passed away suddenly at the age of 47. It is hard to imagine the pain and anguish a teenager endures when losing a parent. How does a high school student-athlete move forward in their life, especially at the start of what is often deemed a critical year for college bound athletes?

Jake had already been on the rise following his sophomore season in Kingston, PA. He was a Cadet Double Medalist at the UWW Nationals in Akron, taking sixth in Freestyle and seventh in Greco-Roman. A month later at the UWW Cadet Pan-American Championships Hendricks competed in his first International event. In Lima, Peru Hendricks competed in the Pan-American Tournament earning a Silver Medal in Greco-Roman and claiming the Gold Medal in Freestyle a day later. Also in July, Hendricks travelled to Fargo where he was a USAW Cadet Double All-American with a second place in Greco and third in Freestyle.

Fast forward a year and Jake is now competing at 76 kg/167 lbs. with a chance to once again represent the United States on the International stage. After finishing seventh in Akron a year ago at the Cadet Greco World Team Trials, Hendricks received the third seed in 2017. In his first two bouts Jake only needed a total of (1:32) to dismantle his opponents winning by technical superiority (8-0) in each match. In the semifinals he took on Michael O’Malley (New Jersey) who last year in Akron finished one spot higher than Hendricks with a sixth place medal. Like his two previous matches Jake connected on two four point throws in the second period to clinch the win by technical superiority (11-0).

In the best-of-three finals Jake faced Bergen Catholic wrestler Chris Foca (New Jersey). Hendricks is no stranger to Foca, who in 2017 was third at the New Jersey State Championships, as the two met twice last summer in Freestyle. In both of those Freestyle matches Hendricks won by tech-fall over Foca. With a Cadet World Team spot on the line Foca jumped out ahead of Hendricks in the first match. Foca connected on a 4 point throw in each period to claim the first match (15-8) over Hendricks. In the second match Jake faced elimination against Foca but rebounded to even the best-of-three series. After a scoreless first period Hendricks scored a 4 point throw to start the second period and never looked back winning (10-2) over Foca. The win by Hendricks forced a decisive third match. 

Hendricks came out firing on all cylinders in the first period scoring a 4 point throw followed directly by a 2 point exposure to go up (6-0) on Foca who responded with a 4 point throw of his own. As the two battled on their feet a 50/50 position ensued with Henricks coming out on top, earning a fall over Foca. The fall secured the win for Jake and gave him the best-of-three series victory to claim a spot on the U.S. Cadet Greco-Roman World Team. 

Hendricks will now compete at the 2017 UWW Cadet World Championships in Athens, Greece on September 6th.

Jake may have been the only Champion but five other Pennsylvania wrestlers finished in the top eight in Akron. At 58 kg/127 lbs. Benton wrestler Joe Klock placed eighth while Hendricks’ Wyoming Seminary teammate Carter Tuttle finished sixth at 63 kg/139 lbs. Hendricks was one of three Keystone State wrestlers in the top eight at 76 kg/167 lbs. with PIAA State Champion Edmond Ruth (Susquehanna Twp.) placing fourth and PIAA State Runner-up Josh Stillings (Pennridge) taking fifth. Rounding out the placewinners from Pennsylvania was Julian Gorring (Fort LeBoeuf) who took seventh at 85 kg/187 lbs.

Medalists are found below with full results on the FloArena.

 

Cadet Greco-Roman Results

 

42 KG/95 lbs.

1st Kase Mauger Wendell, ID (Delchev Trained Academy) SP Joseph Manno Lodi, NJ (Apex)
3rd Tommy Curran Warrenville, IL (Gomez WC) SP Laz Maldonado Fresno, CA (SONS OF THUNDER), 12-3 2:22
5th Nathan Rubino Omaha, NE (MWC Wrestling Academy) VT Blaine Brenner Stanley, WI (Team Wisconsin), 4-0 0:24

 

46 KG/101 lbs.

1st Dylan Ragusin Elk Grove Village, IL (Izzy Style Wrestling) ST Parker Decker Keller, TX (Mile High WC)
3rd Sam Latona Calera, AL (Warrior WC) PO Paxton Creese Shakopee, MN (Pinnacle), 4-0
5th Brenden Chaowanapibool Auburn, WA (Team Aggression) ST Angelo Lozado Denver, CO (SONS OF THUNDER), 9-0 0:39
7th Christian Goin Washington, IL (OS/WN) PO Brody Norman Washington, IL (OS/WN), 5-0

 

50 KG/110 lbs.

1st Lucas Byrd Cincinnati, OH (Unattached) SP Anthony Molton Joliet, IL (Colt Wrestling)
3rd Hunter Lewis Madison, WI (Team Wisconsin) ST David Stepanian Macomb, MI (Titan WC), 8-0 1:37
5th Darrick Stacey Shelley, ID (East Idaho Elite) PP Blake Boarman Evansville, IN (Maurer Coughlin WC), 8-4
7th Caden Mccrary Cartersville, GA (Compound Wrestling) PP Jakason Burks Omaha, NE (MWC), 2-1

 

54 KG/119 lbs.

1st Ridge Lovett Post Falls, ID (Team Real Life) PP King Sandoval Waldorf, MD (Team Maryland)
3rd Delon Kanari Round Lake, IL (LCWC) PP Vicente Loiaza Tucson, AZ (Unattached), 6-4
5th Ezra Elliott Hoopeston, IL (Patton Trained WC) ST Trent Svingala Schodack Landing, NY (Journeymen), 8-0 0:58
7th Aidan Nutter Fennimore, WI (Team Wisconsin) PP Benyamin Kamali Lansing, MI (Shamrock Select), 8-5

 

58 KG/127 lbs.

1st Malik Johnson Florissant, MO (Team Punishment) PP Jevon Parrish Olathe, KS (KCTC)
3rd Carson Manville Shakopee, MN (Shakopee Mat Club) ST Phillip Moomey Kearney, NE (Nebraska WC), 8-0 1:14
5th Braeden Dickinson Twin Falls, ID (Delchev Trained) VA Nicholas Raimo East Hanover, NJ (Apex)
7th Joseph Otero Rio Rancho, NM (TWC) PP Joe Klock Benton, PA (BTWC), 15-13

 

63 KG/139 lbs.

1st Mason Phillips Stanwood, WA (Top Notch Training WC) PP Trevor Mansfield Belton, SC (Caveman Wrestling)
3rd Kevon Davenport MI (Shamrock Select) SP Anthony Ulaszek Greeley, CO (Colorado), 12-1 2:40
5th Jared Thieler Mandeville, LA (Gator Wrestling Club) ST Carter Tuttle New Ringgold, PA (X Calibur), 8-0 1:25
7th Fidel Mayora Melrose Park, IL (Izzy Style Wrestling) VF Colton Yapoujian Byers, CO (Mile High WC)

 

69 KG/152 lbs.

1st Will Lewan Chicago, IL (Izzy Style Wrestling) SP Mason Reiniche TN (Baylor)
3rd Peyton Robb Medford, MN (Pinnacle) ST Desmond Bowers Henderson, NV (Team Nevada), 8-0 0:34
5th Farouq Muhammed Cleveland, OH (Unattached) PP Michael Weber Forsyth, MT (Nebraska RTC), 11-4
7th Tyler Dow Stoughton, WI (Team Wisconsin) EV Deshawn Herbert Garden City, NY (NYAC)

 

76 KG/167 lbs.

1st Jake Hendricks New Ringgold, PA (X Calibur) SP Christopher Foca Hackensack, NJ (RedNose Wrestling)
3rd Zachary Braunagel O’Fallon, IL (Quest) VT Edmond Ruth Harrisburg, PA (Iron Eagle), 5-5 3:16
5th Josh Stillings Green Lane, PA (LVWC) VF Michael O’Malley Hasbrouck Heights, NJ (Apex)
7th Isaiah Alford Lincoln, NE (MWC Wrestling Academy) SP Lucas Roland Grinnell, IA (Unattached), 15-6 2:31

 

85 KG/187 lbs.

1st Ashton Sharp Kansas City, MO (Greater Heights Wrestling) PP Peter Christensen Harwood Heights, IL (Izzy Style)
3rd Joseph Miller Reno, NV (Team Nevada) PP Jonathon Fagen Fruitland, ID (Suples WC), 8-1
5th Hunter Dejong Sibley, IA (MWC Wrestling Academy) VT Charlie Cadell Saint Charles, MO (USWA), 10-1 2:29
7th Julian Gorring Erie, PA (Bad Karma) PP Austin Cooley Somerset, MA (X Calibur), 4-1

 

100 KG/220 lbs.

1st Cohlton Schultz Garden City, NY (NYAC) ST Tyler Curd Oak Grove, MO (MOWest)
3rd Jace Punke Eureka, IL (OS/WN) ST Luke Luffman Urbana, IL (OS/WN), 8-0 0:42
5th Kaleb Reeves Sigourney, IA (Eastern Iowa Wrestling) VT Bradley Smith OH (Beaver Creek), 4-0 0:13
7th Ronald Meinhard OH (Team Thrill) VT Nick Shepard OH (Samurai WC), 4-0 0:38