Escanaba Wrestler Captures National Championship

INDEPENDENCE, Mo.---"This is pretty special!"

That about summed up the feeling that Escanaba High School sophomore Kaleb Rahoi had on Sunday after he won a national wrestling championship at the 2013 Brute National Wrestling Finals in Independence, Missouri.

Rahoi completed his perfect weekend by defeating Austinn Goin of Belton, Missouri, 15-2, on a major decision. Rahoi went undefeated in the 148-pound, tenth-grade bracket.

Escanaba's Kaleb Rahoi wins his national championship match Sunday in Missouri.

"He (Goin) was a four-time national placer from Missouri," Rahoi said. "I think that the key over the weekend for me was staying tough on my feet.

"I got takedowns on each of my opponents, and that really made the difference. I knew once I got on the mat, it was my match (to win)."

Rahoi began the weekend by pinning Missouri's Brian Lanning in 4:59. Then, he beat another Missouri boy, Matt Garza, on a 15-0 "tech fall".

Rahoi says that his toughest match was the third of the weekend...against Travis Deegan of Willmar, Minnesota.

"I wrestled a really tough guy from Minnesota," he said. "A nail-biting match, and I had a one-point lead. But I pinned him toward the conclusion of the third period."

Rahoi has competed against some of the best wrestlers in Michigan during his two years with the Eskymos. Many times, the kids were older than Rahoi. But at this tournament in Missouri, Rahoi competed against kids in his own grade (tenth) and weight (148).

"Well, the competition was definitely tough," Rahoi said. "The third-place finisher won two AAU state titles in Illinois. Most of the guys in my bracket were state qualifiers."

The tournament was held at the 5,800-seat Independence Events Center.

Meanwhile, Gladstone seventh grader Jared DeMeuse also won a national championship, topping Kaukauna, Wisconsin's Keaton Kluever, 2-0, in overtime, in Sunday's final match.

DeMeuse also beat Kluever, 9-0, earlier in the weekend...and he beat Oklahoma's Justin Johnson, 4-1, on Friday. Those were the only two boys in the bracket with DeMeuse, because many middle schoolers went to a different tournament in Iowa this weekend.

DeMeuse's older brother, Austin DeMeuse, finished third overall in the 148-pound Eighth Grade national bracket. DeMeuse pinned Corbin Miller from downstate Manistee, Mich., in 1:22, in Sunday's consolation match.

Gladstone High School sophomore Jeremy Kadish also competed in the 148-pound bracket with Rahoi, but he lost both of his matches in the double-elimination round.

Braves junior Jared Syverson won his first match in the Eleventh Grade, 133-pound bracket, beating Zachary Winston of Arkansas on a pin in 43 seconds.

But Syverson then lost his next two matches.

Michigan was well-represented in the high school portion of this tournament. Besides the Escanaba and Gladstone boys, Benzie Central's Tyler Knudsen and Jared Fekete both competed in the event...along with boys from Saline, Manistee, and Union City.

There were roughly 1,400 wrestlers from 30 states competing at this event. They were broken down into "grade" from First Grade to Twelfth, and then by weight class.

Escanaba sophomore Kaleb Rahoi (right) begins his final 148-pound match with a handshake on Sunday.

Date	Time	Opponent	Score	Record

12/6	7:00 PM	at Coleman, Wis.	15 - 59 (L)

12/13	6:30 PM	at Gladstone Braves	21 - 43 (L)

1/10	6:45 PM	Marquette Redmen	53 - 21 (W)

1/31	7:00 PM	Gladstone Braves	19 - 41 (L)

2/2	10:00 AM	Gladstone Braves	223 - 203 (W)