Recently, several Jr. Grappling Indians traveled to Duluth to take on a national field of tough wrestling competition in the Georgia Grind. The Grind is one stop in USA Wrestling’s “Folkstyle Tour of America” which includes tournaments in Utah, Wisconsin, and Iowa.
The Georgia Grind is also an official USA Wrestling Future Olympians event created to rank wrestlers in the United States. After a full day of very tough wrestling against some of the best in the country at their respective age/weight classes, three Indians emerged with national rankings.
Anthony Mannella, competing in the Pee Wee Festival division clawed his way to a second place finish to earn his first ever national ranking as a five-year-old wrestler.
His older brother, Vincent Mannella, took a shot at winning it all in the Intermediate 55 pound class. Boasting a 16 man bracket and with only one loss in the tournament, Vincent settled for a hard fought third place finish in his first national competition.
Equally impressive, Christian Grauberger, wrestling in the Intermediate 75 pound class against a bracket full of past state placers, displayed guts and determination with only one loss of the day in overtime to the eventual second place winner. Christian earned a third place finish and a place in the national rankings.
Also competing for the Indians were Porter Faulk and Aiden Greer.
