Obadiah Willis Leads a Historic Fargo for Beat the Streets Chicago

Beat the Streets Chicago is proud to celebrate a historic first: Obadiah Willis is our program's first-ever Fargo National Champion.

We constantly remind our wrestlers that winning is never the primary goal as our mission is to build Life Champions through values-based coaching and meaningful coach-to-wrestler relationships. But when young people commit themselves to the pursuit of excellence, success often follows, and Obie's title is a powerful example.

Obie is a special young man and a true leader who makes everyone around him better. As Coach Larry Early III put it:

"There is no one better to start this National Champion road than Obadiah Willis."

Obie's championship headlines an even bigger milestone: BTSC brought home four Fargo All-Americans in 2026, a program record. Alongside Obie, Jaden Washington earned All-American honors in 16U Greco (7th) and David Ogunsanya in Junior Freestyle (8th), while Charlotte Nold placed 6th in 16U Freestyle, tying the highest placement in BTSC women's wrestling history.

Just a few years ago, BTSC had never produced an IHSA state champion. Wrestlers like Roy Phelps, Maggie Zuber, and Sean Larkin changed what our kids believed was possible, and this past season alone, we celebrated three IHSA state champions. Now, that same belief is carrying our program onto the national stage.

We know Obie's Fargo title and the historic performance of our four All-Americans, will carry that same weight moving forward. When young wrestlers see someone from their own program reach the highest level, it changes what they believe they can achieve. This is more than an individual accomplishment. It's another step forward for our whole community, and we can't wait to see the doors it opens for the next generation of BTSC wrestlers.

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