Hillsboro wrestler Franklin Jost reached the 220-pound championship match Saturday at Herington, leading the Trojans to a sixth-place finish among 14 teams in the invitational tournament.

Jost defeated Nate Backhus of Herington by fall and won by decision against Dustin Lister of Chapman to reach the final. He settled for second place after losing by fall to Blaise Lehman of Abilene.

“I was very happy for Franklin earning his first trip to a championship match on the varsity level,” head coach Scott O’Hare said. “Things are really starting to come together for him, and he is really starting to wrestle well.”

Levi Mendoza placed third in the 182-pound division. He won by fall against wrestlers from Herington and Wamego before a decision loss to Trey Bender of Abilene dropped Mendoza into the consolation bracket. He came back with fall wins against wrestlers from Wabaunsee and Wamego, finishing the tournament 4-1.

“Levi dominated both opponents in the opening rounds before losing 4-2 in the semifinals. He bounced back strong,” O’Hare said.

Jesse Meier won three matches by fall, one by decision, and lost one by decision to place fourth in the 170-pound division. Meier forfeited the consolation match by rule, as he had wrestled five times by that point.

Travis King, Ian Alumbaugh, Tyson Reimer, and Nathan Simhiser scored match wins that contributed points to the sixth-place team finish.

“Overall, I was pleased with our performance,” O’Hare said. “This is always a solid tournament, and it provides a good measuring stick to determine where we are. I definitely saw some improvements in some areas that we had struggled with in the early portion of the season.”

Jon Carey, Austin Morgan, and Mack Bartel missed Saturday’s contest, but O’Hare said he hoped to have them back in the lineup for a two-day tournament Friday and Saturday in Halstead.