Calvary Chapel’s Elijah Palacio capped the NHSCA Junior Nationals in strong fashion, Sunday.
Palacio won by fall in the finals at 126 pounds to take the title in Virginia Beach.
Palacio pinned Weston Diblasi of Missouri in the finals at 5:20. Palacio defeated Melquisedec Ortiz of Connecticut, 2-0 in the semifinals. Ortiz is a two-time champion.
At 182 pounds, Gerardo Hernandez bounced back from a loss in the semifinals to finish in third place. Hernandez defeated Thomas Penola (Indiana), 3-0 and Jake Thompson (Ohio), 3-2 in the third-place match.
This is the second consecutive year that Hernandez has earned all-American honors.
In the Sophomore Division, Luciano Arroyo (Calvary Chapel) won his first three matches by technical fall, but unfortunately had to default out.