Jax Forrest defeated Aaron Seidel of Virginia Tech at 133 pounds in a Cowboys-Hokies dual despite falling victim to three takedowns, ultimately staging a stellar comeback to win by a narrow 10-9 margin.
Hokies coach Tony Robie reflected on the match and noted that the close loss would give Seidel a perspective of his position right now, having gone up against one of the country’s best wrestlers.
Hokies Coach Lets Feelings Known About Jax Forrest’s Loss to Aaron Seidel at 133 Pounds
Forrest, one of the standout wrestlers of Bishop McCort High School, also balances an elite wrestling career, competing at 61kg. He entered the 2025-26 high school season nationally ranked No. 1 in his weight class.
But the 19-year-old signed with Oklahoma State early in 2025 and even moved to Stillwater to train with the RTC for months. However, he didn’t compete until the latter part of the season, starting as a redshirt freshman.
He made his debut on Jan. 11, going up against Carter Schmidt of Oklahoma and pinning his opponent in just 47 seconds. He scored two takedowns, helping Oklahoma State dominate, 37-0. In his next match against Gage Walker of Missouri, Forrest won by technical fall, 16-1, sealing with takedowns and near-fall points.
Three days later, he was in contention at the Cyclone Open tournament, outclassing Reineri Andreu Ortega of Iowa State. Considering his 100% win rate, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility for the teenager to repeat his dominant feat in the Virginia Tech-Oklahoma State dual. He had a rough start while giving up three takedowns, but he ultimately bounced back for the one-point win.
After the feat, Robie heaped praise on his mentee for achieving three takedowns against a wrestler who’s hard to defeat. He also mentioned the loss was a good gauge for Seidel of where he stands as he continues to improve.
“I thought Aaron outwrestled him. I thought he wrestled well, with the exception of, you know, 10 -20 seconds there where you got caught for seven. Um, you put yourself in a position against a really good guy that’s tough to come back on. But, you know, he scored three takedowns, you know, which isn’t easy to do.
“So I think as much as anything for Aaron, it just it’s a sign of where he’s at. We all know how good forced is. Um, but Aaron’s, I think, continues to jump levels and getting better, and he’ll be excited about that match, he said.”
The two met at the PIAA AA State Championships last March, where Forrest emerged as the winner, 7-1.
Forrest was a driving force at the 2025 Powerade Wrestling Tournament, where he defeated St. Edward’s Karson Brown at 139 pounds, 20-13. With that, he extended his Powerade win tally to four, only the seventh wrestler in history to do so.
Following his feat, Forrest expressed that it was a proud moment for him to win by seven points against a No. 1 or No. 2 in the country. He also made it clear that he wants to reach the pinnacle of NCAA wrestling, saying:
“I want to be the best in the NCAA regardless of when it is, and that’s what I’m going to be.”
