Bellport's Camryn Howard wins 157-pound title at USA Wrestling National Championship
Camryn Howard exults after pinning Pittsford’s Samson McKissick Staley in state 138-pound final. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Add another line to Camryn Howard’s resume.
The Bellport rising sophomore just conquered the USA Wrestling National Championship in Fargo, North Dakota. The tournament, known as “Fargo,” is widely considered the toughest in the country.
The top-seeded Howard defeated No. 2 Asher Bacon (Pennsylvania) by 5-0 decision on Wednesday night to win the 157-pound title in the 16U Men’s Freestyle and become Bellport’s first Fargo champion.
“I’ve definitely been thinking about it for a long time, so I knew if I could get it done just how big that would be for me,” he said. “It’s a really big milestone.”
Howard took a 1-0 lead into the second period and went right to his offense. He earned a single-leg takedown with 44 seconds left to give himself some breathing room and added another takedown with 20 seconds left to seal the title.
“[Bacon] was just tying him up and trying to slow him down and trying to negate his attacks,” Bellport coach Chuck Maragioglio said. “He just stayed patient and waited for an opening. All he needs is one opening and he capitalizes on it.”
Howard picked up four technical falls and two decisions on his way to the final. He outscored his opponents 62-7 throughout the three-day tournament.
Howard placed third at 144 pounds in last year’s 16U Men’s Freestyle tournament. Though he had seen the atmosphere surrounding the finals a year earlier, it’s a different feeling when you’re the center of attention.
Before each final match, both wrestlers walked down the arena steps with spectators on either side of them. They walked through a smoke machine before reaching the mat, which was lit up in red and blue.
“It was definitely something I haven’t gotten to experience yet,” Howard said. “Just seeing other people doing it and watching from the stands last year really helped me to stay calm. I knew that I deserved to be there and that my training would help me get it done.”
Though Howard just completed his freshman year, there isn’t much he hasn’t accomplished. He already has won three Suffolk titles, and he and Shoreham-Wading River legend Jesse Jantzen are the only wrestlers in Suffolk history to win county titles in seventh, eighth and ninth grades.
Howard placed eighth and third in the state tournament in seventh and eighth grade, respectively, and won the state Division I title at 138 pounds in March. A few weeks later, he won the 145-pound championship in the freshman division of the NHSCA Virginia Beach Nationals.
With a Fargo title under his belt, Howard has solidified himself as one of the best high school wrestlers in the country. But he has no plans to slow down.
“It’s just about not being complacent and staying hungry for more,” he said. “I know what I’ve been doing works for me and I feel like I’m getting better. I just can’t let up because then people will pass you or you won’t wrestle your best. I just love wrestling, so that keeps me training and I’ll keep improving.”
