Mount Lebanon Wrestler Looking Stout In Fargo

FARGO, N.D. – Luke Stout is making an impression in his first Fargo appearance.

A rising junior at Mount Lebanon, Stout if off to a 4-0 start in the Cadet Freestyle National Tournament, but it might be the one victory that didn’t come by technical fall that has been most impressive.

Stout fell behind Missouri’s Greyden Penner in their round of 16 match, but scored seven second-period points for an 8-2 victory.

“I went to the second period 2-1, down. I made some adjustments in the first, got him tired. I just kept at it and eventually got him gassed,” Stout said. “I needed a tough match. My first two were kind of easier opponents. It was nice, proving myself out here, having a tough one.”

He didn’t get a tough one on Sunday morning, either. Stout scored a pair of four-point moves in a 13-1 tech fall over Minnesota’s Wyatt Lidberg.

“I thought I wrestled pretty good,” Stout said. “I should have taken more shots, but it as a good match.”

Stout gained plenty of notice by placing fourth in the PIAA 3A last season, but he knows that winning a stop sign at Fargo will put him on the national radar.

“I really think I’m showcasing myself and putting myself out there for once,” he said. “I’m showing what I’ve done in the offseason.”

His performance has helped keep Pennsylvania in the hunt for a team title even after losing potential champions Hunter Catka, who was injured, and Rocco Welsh, who didn’t make weight.

“We’re doing really well, Team PA,” Stout said. “It’s nice when it’s all a team race. You get a lot closer with each other. It’s more fun. We’ve all started talking. We’re all pretty close now, just more competitive, for PA as a whole, to show how good we actually are.”