CALABASAS — A slight, first-day hiccup for Calabasas junior Arel Francke became the catalyst for the traps the 175-pounder was bound to set inside Fargo Nationals — the world’s largest wrestling tournament set in North Dakota.
It was Francke’s first time going to Fargo and he finished in sixth place.
“It’s been a great experience,” Francke said. “At the beginning, it was hard to find my flow. It was a new environment, but I found my groove I started. Once I started locking in and following the game plan of my coaches, wrestling became easy.”
Francke became one of four wrestlers from the San Fernando Valley and Daily News area to earn All-American status.
Joining Franke were 144-pound Birmingham incoming senior and Harvard commit Galoust Torosian, a three-time CIF state qualifier, and his younger brother, incoming 157-pound freshman Jack Torosian. The two became Greco-Roman All-Americans after finishing in third place Wednesday.
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Simi Valley native Olivia Munson locked up All-American honors after she finished third in 105-pound freestyle.
Francke used arm drags and single legs and followed the game plan devised by BETSU club head coach Charlie Lind and Aftershock Wrestling coach Tim Chadrick to shock the wrestling world and put him on the map as one of the top Greco-Roman wrestlers in the country.
“It’s a really big tournament, it’s all mental and if you go approach each match one at a time, it’ll help you set those things up,” Francke said. “You’re wrestling all the best kids from every state and it’s just an experience I won’t forget.”