Before the Senior World Wrestling team trials could start in Omaha, the issues with the venue had dampened the fandom. However, in the last 24 hours, the occasion has been able to reclaim fame more essentially. Jordan Burroughs is set to face Chance Marsteller in the best-of-three finals in the 79-kg weight bracket. Zahid Valencia, on the other hand, is waiting for David Taylor in the 92-kg weight bracket, before earning the final qualification. But in the middle of these Olympic giants, a teenager is slowly making his path to glory. 

The 17-year-old phenom from Perrysburg Wrestling Club is slated to be the overall top recruit in the class of 2025, a position that frames Bo Bassett for the 2026 class. But the phenom is already making his name count in the leagues of big names. He is just one win away from showing up in Tirana, Albania. 

A day when a high schooler drops three NCAA wrestling finalists

Today, in the Reddit community, the wrestling fans lined up to celebrate the rise of Marcus Blaze, the high schooler. His most commendable achievement is that he is one match away from entering the Senior World Wrestling team and in paving his route so far, he has defeated three wrestlers with stunning resumes. In the 61 kg weight bracket, he subdued Seth Gross, Nahshon Garrett, and Daton Fix—all in a single day. These three wrestlers have made eight NCAA finals, grabbing two titles. They have also been on four senior world wrestling teams. So expectedly, the grappling with these names could not have gone without breaking sweats. Blaze surely followed that drill. But what remained of the difference was his hold over the nerve. 

Yesterday, in the quarterfinal event, Marcus Blaze had been on the verge of losing the battle against Seth Gross. But a late comeback saved his day to claim the big win. In the semi, he left no choice for veteran Nahshon Garrett except to accept a defeat (5-0). However, the principal challenge came in the final when Blaze faced Daton Fix, coming from David Taylor’s Cowboys pack. But the junior world champion stunned him with 2-2 at the buzzer. The final scoreline stood at 3-2. Now, he is at the final frontier, scheduled to face Vito Arujau. As per the wrestling fans, the uncommitted wrestler has a high chance to pull off a blinder. 

Fans cheer for someone who once bundled Matt Ramos 

Despite having a junior world championship title, Marcus Blaze is still not a familiar name among the fans. But his performance yesterday did the job for him. One such fan showed up on Reddit, penning, “Bro who is this kid?! F*****g crazy what he’s done today.” But someone reminded him in the comment box, “He’s been on the scene for a while. Pretty sure he went to Paris with Spencer as his alternate.” Notably, Blaze’s Olympics wrestling trials didn’t go as planned this year. 

Despite showing an initial spark, he had to face a defeat to Nick Suriano. But his three victories earned him third in the 57-kg weight bracket. But that’s not his only achievement. 

Last year, Marcus Blaze subdued Matt Ramos, another NCAA standout. A fan brought that up in the discussion, “Beat Matt Ramos last year and was an Olympic alternate too.” So yet, after having such an impressive resume, he is still uncommitted. Although, he visited Penn State, Ohio State, Purdue, and Iowa, Michigan. But a final decision has yet to come. However, a fan quipped, “I just hope he comes to Ohio State. He’s a generational guy.” 

But the fan fact makes it into the comment box when someone notes, “Crazy if him and jb end up on the same world team. Maybe the biggest age difference ever.” The age gap between Jordan Burroughs and Marcus Blaze stands to be 19 years. And both are now on the brink of making it to the senior team for the USA.