16U men's Greco-Roman update through 3 rounds

Burroughs joins his brother in reaching day 2

By AJ Traub

Preston Burroughs earned two technical falls on day one

For every move by his opponents, Preston Burroughs had an answer.

With two technical falls, the 165-pounder is flying into the second day of the 16U Greco-Roman tournament at Fargo nationals. It had been a while since he wrestled this style, but that didn’t show.

“I was just looking to come out here and do whatever I want,” he said. “I didn’t really have a strategy. I’m just going with the flow.”

Burroughs allowed a four-point move in his first bout and found himself down 6-2. The next 12 points were all his.

Preston Burroughs thrives in upper-body wrestling

“I used to really like Greco,” Burroughs said. “I enjoy upper body and freestyle more, but being able to only use the upper body part, it’s fun. I like it.”

Added coach Matt Dehney: “Preston looks dangerous right now, so that’s awesome. He looks confident. He's moving his feet well.”

Team Massachusetts brought five grapplers to the 16U Greco-Roman brackets, and three came away with wins. Along with Burroughs, Max Shvartsman (106 pounds) and Ezekiel Cherival (165) each recorded a technical fall.

Ezekiel Cherival won his second match in just 1:20

“Definitely a lot of learning experiences,” Dehney said. “But we have three going in tomorrow, chances at All-American status, so that’s exciting.”

While Burroughs goes for a championship in the 16U bracket, his brother Myles (150 pounds) and heavyweight Alex Bajoras are fighting through the back side of the junior tournament.