David Gleason put himself in some good company in his final high school match.
The Staley graduate went to the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals and won a national title by taking first in the 157-pound freestyle bracket.
He becomes the fourth overall Fargo champion for the Northland school and the third to accomplish such a feat in freestyle, joining Rocky Elam (2018) and Zach Elam (2017). Miller Sipes won a greco champion last year.
Gleason, a Missouri signee who will wrestle for the Tigers this winter, made the trip to Fargo, North Dakota, before returning to Columbia. He moved to town the first weekend of June for training and lifting before starting the 2025-26 school year.
After not attending Fargo last year, Gleason returned to Fargo with hopes of getting back to the finals. He was a runner-up in 2023 at 138 pounds.
“I came up short in the finals two years ago and that sucked so bad,” he said. “I was just so locked in this whole tournament. I have just been wrestling probably the best I have wrestled, to be honest with you. I was just confident and I felt there was no way I’d lose.”
Gleason opened with an 11-0 tech fall over Preston Crone from South Carolina. Then, he pinned William Phillips from Tennessee at the 2:58 mark. Gleason held a 7-0 lead at the time.
Gleason posted another tech fall, 12-2, by beating Kawayran Vasquez from Florida.
That sent Gleason into the round of 16.
That matchup with Nolan Fellers from Bondurant, Iowa, proved to be his closest match of the event. He secured a 6-5 win thanks to two points scored with 23 seconds left against Fellers, who was third at the Iowa state meet earlier this season.
In the semifinals, Gleason secured a 4-1 win against Declan Koch from Wisconsin, who was a runner-up in his state finals.
Gleason capped off his run with a 10-6 against Wyatt Medlin from Illinois. After a low-scoring first period, Gleason turned a 2-0 lead into 7-0 a 1:24 into the second period.
Medlin, from Washington, Illinois, was a Class 2A champion at 157 pounds.
“Weirdly enough, I wasn’t really that nervous,” Gleason said about his finals match. “I thought I was going to be, but it was my third match of the day. I feel like I always get nervous the first match of the day and once they are out of the way, I wrestle my match. I remember two years ago, I was super nervous. This time, I felt more confident. I was ready.”
Gleason capped his high school career with back-to-back titles, but the Fargo title provided a milestone.
“We had this shirt for Missouri Wrestling and it was all the All-Americans were on the back and at the top, it was all the (Fargo) champions we’ve had,” Gleason said. “I just remember looking at this weekend and I was like it would be cool to have my name up top. It doesn’t really do a lot for me going into my collegiate career because I’m where I wanted to be and I signed with Missouri. I love where I’m at, but it’s not going to propel me anywhere in that sense, but it was really something that I wanted to do just my entire life; for my own bucket list, almost.”
Gleason expects he will wrestle at 157 pounds or 165 pounds for the Tigers. He said he was at 160 pounds before dropping three pounds before Fargo.
He will be in a wrestling room that will have some familiarity in terms of the name Elam. With decorated careers at Staley, the accolades were showcased.
The brothers went to Missouri and did the same thing.
“Rocky was a four-time All-American and Zach was a three-time All-American, you know, to have my name to be associated with guys like that,” Gleason said. “I feel like I can be that great too.”
In a unique twist, Gleason is living in the old room that Zach Elam once occupied when he was in CoMo.
“I am beyond excited (to be in Columbia),” Gleason said. “I’ve always wanted to wrestle in college, really my whole life. I remember watching Mizzou and seeing their duals and hearing about Zach and Rocky. It was the coolest thing ever and it’s kind of like I’m living the dream now. I wasn’t always sure I wanted to go to Mizzou, but now I’m here, I’m super happy that I am here. I would rather be here than anywhere else.”
Staley Fargo All-Americans
David Gleason 2025 Champ- 157 Freestyle
David Gleason 2023 2nd 138- Freestyle
David Gleason 2023 3rd 138- Greco
Miller Sipes 2024 5th 138- Freestyle
Miller Sipes 2024 Champion – Greco
Dai’Mont Mucker 2021 6th 195 Greco
Khyler Brewer 2019 8th 132 Greco
David Brooks 2019 5th 152 Greco
Rocky Elam 2019 4th 182 Freestyle
Khyler Brewer 2018 8th 120 Greco
Rocky Elam 2018 Champion 182 Freestyle
Zach Elam 2017 Champion 220 Freestyle
Rocky Elam 2017 6th 170 Freestyle
Ethan Koan 2012 3rd Greco
Patrick Rhoads 2010 6th Freestyle
Courtesy of Coach Elisha Bears
