When the lights come on for RAF 12 in Cleveland, the biggest names in American wrestling will take center stage.
But before the professionals take over, some of the country's best young wrestlers will have their own opportunity to make a statement.
RAF 12 NEXT GEN comes to Cleveland on August 23, bringing together hundreds of young wrestlers across the 8U, 10U, 12U and 15U divisions. And based on the current registration list, the 12U and 15U boys divisions are loaded with talent.
These aren't just local youth tournaments. The fields include wrestlers from some of the country's most recognizable youth wrestling programs, along with competitors who have already made deep runs at major USA Wrestling events.
The 15U Division Has Serious National Talent
The 15U boys field may be the most intriguing division of the weekend.
Among the current entries are several wrestlers with significant national-level experience, including Gavin Brown, Sanchir Edington, Apollo Cardenas, Rolly Walylko and Iaromir Bitarov.
Gavin Brown — 175
If you're looking for the biggest name in the 15U field, start with Gavin Brown.
Brown is entered at 175 pounds for Contenders Wrestling Academy. He already has considerable national experience, including a third-place finish at 155 pounds at the 2025 USA Wrestling Kids Nationals.
More recently, Brown was ranked No. 1 in the nation at 75 kg in USA Wrestling's 2026 U15 freestyle PIN ratings heading into the U.S. Open.
He subsequently won a bronze medal at 75 kg at the 2026 Tallinn Open, competing against an international field.
Now registered at 175 pounds in Cleveland, Brown is one of the wrestlers who immediately makes his weight class a must-watch.
Sanchir Edington — 120
Another nationally accomplished wrestler in the field is Sanchir Edington, entered at 120 pounds for Suplex Wrestling Club.
Edington was ranked No. 4 at 52 kg in the 2026 U15 freestyle PIN ratings.
He backed that up by winning the U15 52 kg freestyle division at the 2026 PNL Freestyle & Greco Club Cup.
He has also been successful in folkstyle. At the 2025 USA Wrestling Kids Folkstyle Nationals, Edington finished third at 115 pounds.
He's now listed at 120 pounds in Cleveland, setting up what could be one of the most competitive middleweight brackets of the tournament.
Apollo Cardenas — 150
Apollo Cardenas brings another impressive résumé to the 15U field.
The Best Wrestler product has competed extensively at the national level and was among the wrestlers ranked in the 2025 USA Wrestling Kids Folkstyle Nationals PIN ratings.
Cardenas is entered at 150 pounds, where he could find himself in a fascinating bracket alongside Leonidas Fonseca and Dalin Mendell, among others.
Rolly Walylko — 130
Rolly Walylko gives the 130-pound division another nationally experienced competitor.
Walylko has competed extensively on the national circuit at 126–135 pounds. His recent tournament history includes a deep run at a May 2026 national event, where he faced a number of highly regarded young wrestlers.
He's entered at 130 in Cleveland, making an already crowded weight class even more interesting.
Iaromir Bitarov — 130
For Midwest wrestling fans, Iaromir Bitarov is another name to watch.
Bitarov is entered at 130 for Suplex Wrestling Club, joining Edington and several other Suplex wrestlers in the Cleveland field.
The 130-pound class could ultimately be one of the tournament's marquee divisions. In addition to Bitarov and Walylko, the field includes Blake Aguayo, Dylan Daugherty, Gabriel Fisher, Glenn Gotts, Ian Kuhn, Omar Niyazov, Dylan Osolin and Erkhbayar Tsogtbaatar.
That's a lot of quality competition packed into one bracket.
The 15U Heavyweights Are Worth Watching Too
The upper weights should provide plenty of fireworks.
In addition to Brown at 175, the field includes Preston Jaros, Jace Klendworth, Connor McDonald-Bryan and Gabriel Paraniuk at 175.
At 205, Corbynn Clemens is currently entered, while Travis Hinton is listed at 225.
Those divisions often produce some of the most unpredictable matches of a youth tournament, and Cleveland should be no different.
The 12U Division Is Loaded With Young Talent
If the 15U field represents wrestlers approaching the next stage of their careers, the 12U division offers a look at the generation that could eventually follow them.
And there are some very interesting names here as well.
Blaine Adams — 170
At 170 pounds, Blaine Adams of Team Nazar Training Center is one of the first names that jumps off the registration list.
Adams has already competed successfully in Wisconsin youth wrestling, including competition at the state level. His name also appears throughout regional youth tournament results.
Now entered at 170 pounds, Adams will be one of the biggest wrestlers in the entire 12U tournament.
Croix Ashcraft — 110
Croix Ashcraft of Tri State Hammers is another particularly interesting entry.
Ashcraft has already competed on some of the biggest youth stages in the region, including the Ohio Tournament of Champions.
He's now entered at 110 pounds, where he will have plenty of competition. The field includes Lee Delia, Iraklis DiRienzo, Hudson Drake, Trenton Hutchinson Fry, Kingdom Miller, Dominic Pangrazio, Maximillian Romano and Chase Winkle.
That's shaping up to be one of the deepest brackets in the 12U tournament.
Sampson Goffena — 80
Sampson Goffena of Sidney Youth Wrestling is another wrestler to watch.
Goffena has already competed in major Ohio youth events, including reaching the championship match at the 2025 OHWAY Championships.
He's entered at 80 pounds in Cleveland, putting him in a packed bracket that also includes Grady Collins, Reid Dupreez, Zak Horn, Kye Johansen, Yousif Khaleel, Joseph Leben, Andrew Morgan and Tyler Pajestka.
12U Weight Classes to Circle
Several divisions immediately stand out simply because of the depth of the registration list.
75 Pounds
The 75-pound field includes Luca Babli, Carter Leibensperger, Camden Place, Geo Rinaldi, Ezekiel Mitchell, Brett Van Vacter, Garrett Vasquez and Beckham Walztoni.
With wrestlers from All I See Is Gold, BTW, Clarkston, Pinnacle and Immortals Athletics represented, this could be a very competitive bracket.
80 Pounds
The 80-pound division might be even deeper.
Along with Goffena and Collins, the field includes Angel Crespo III, Reid Dupreez, Zak Horn, Kye Johansen, Yousif Khaleel, Joseph Leben, Andrew Morgan and Tyler Pajestka.
That's a bracket where a wrestler could be forced to win several tough matches just to reach the championship.
90 Pounds
At 90 pounds, keep an eye on Anthony Delpero, Wyatt Hatten, Graeme Lockhart, Payton Long, Sullivan Miller, Jaeger Salcedo, David Sargsyan and Barrett Seeling.
With Beat The Streets Cleveland, Contenders, Immortals Athletics, Port Clinton, Lakeland and Steel Valley represented, the division has a distinctly regional flavor.
95 Pounds
The 95-pound class features Myles Babcock, Bryken Causey, Edgar Shinar, Knox Stamp and Walker Wilson.
It may not have the same obvious national names as 15U's 130-pound division, but the combination of clubs represented makes it another bracket worth watching.
110 Pounds
The 110-pound division could be one of the tournament's showcase brackets, particularly with Croix Ashcraft leading a deep group.
120 Pounds
The 120-pound class features James Carey, Sawyer Fry and JoJo Igneri, along with several other intriguing entries.
The Club Battle Could Be Almost as Interesting
One of the coolest aspects of RAF NEXT GEN is the number of established wrestling programs represented.
The 12U and 15U fields feature wrestlers from programs including:
All I See Is Gold Academy, Team Nazar Training Center, Suplex Wrestling Club, Contenders Wrestling Academy, Nolf Wrestling Academy, Steel Valley Renegades, The Compound RTC, Beat The Streets Cleveland, Westshore, Maverick Elite, Donahue Wrestling Academy, MATPAC, Backyard Brawlers Midwest, Scrapyard Wrestling Club and many more.
That makes the event much more than a local Cleveland tournament.
Young wrestlers from throughout the region are coming together under the RAF banner to see where they stand.
The Future of American Wrestling
That's ultimately what makes NEXT GEN so compelling.
On one side of the weekend, fans will see established stars competing at RAF 12.
On the other, they'll see athletes who are still years away from college wrestling — and potentially even further away from professional wrestling — beginning to build their own rĂ©sumĂ©s.
Some of these names will eventually become household names in the sport.
Others will take different paths.
But for one weekend in Cleveland, they're all chasing the same thing:
a chance to prove they're among the best of their generation.
The 12U and 15U fields already suggest that RAF NEXT GEN won't simply be an undercard to the main event.
It could be one of the best youth wrestling tournaments of the summer.
Who Will Emerge?
With the brackets still to be determined, there are plenty of questions heading into Cleveland.
Can Gavin Brown continue his remarkable run at 175?
Can Sanchir Edington carry his national-level success into the 120-pound bracket?
Will Rolly Walylko, Iaromir Bitarov or Omar Niyazov emerge from the loaded 130-pound field?
Can Blaine Adams dominate the upper weights in 12U?
And will Croix Ashcraft make another deep run against a loaded 110-pound field?
We'll get the answers on August 23.
For fans who want to see the next generation before they become the stars of tomorrow, RAF 12 NEXT GEN may be the place to be in Cleveland.
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