Kings, Delk take second, Yoder, Mueller third

Being short on experience, the Hillsboro High School wrestling team is not as concerned with winning as they are with improving throughout the year.

That’s part of the reason Trojan wrestling coach Scott O’Hare was happy with his team’s third-place performance Saturday at the Herington Invitational.

Despite the absence of a trio of teams, the Trojans still had a good test, finishing a mere seven points behind Chapman’s 97, which earned them second place out of 10 teams.

“The Herington Invitational is traditionally one of the tougher tournaments on our schedule each season,” O’Hare said. “Although the overall depth of talent was down this year due to three teams not being able to attend, there was still some very good competition at each weight class.

“Overall, I was pleased with how we wrestled. The guys competed hard and showed improvement over previous matches; that is what we are really wanting to see.

“I was very pleased to have three wrestlers advance to the championship match and was proud of the three that advanced into the consolation finals after suffering earlier losses in the semifinals.

“Although it was disappointing to win only two of the six matches in the medal round, getting them there in some instances is a step in the right direction.”

Highlighting the meet for Hillsboro were second-place finishers Justin and Jared King in the 145- and 152-pound classes, respectively, and Dylan Delk at 171.

Justin King finished the day 2-1, Jared King, 1-1, and Delk at 2-1.

Darren Mueller, 130, and Matt Yoder, 135, each took third while Bret Mueller was fourth at 119 pounds.

Justin King received an early Christmas present just before the holiday break, earning his first varsity medal.

The season continued to get better as he made his first-ever varsity final match.

“He is improving so much,” O’Hare said of Justin King. “He has always wrestled hard and is a tough kid, but he is starting to look more and more like a technical wrestler as well. The mistakes are becoming less evident and his technique just continues to improve.”

Prior to the season, a big question surrounding Delk was whether he could handle the jump from 140 pounds to 171.

The fiesty Delk has left little doubt, making the final match at both tournaments in which Hillsboro has particiated.

Despite never finishing higher than second, Delk’s gaining some experience against top-notch competition.

The semifinals proved to be an impossible mountain to climb for the Muellers and Yoder, all suffering their first defeats.

The Muellers picked up some key team points, pinning their opponents in the consolation semifinals while Yoder needed overtime to advance after overcoming a 4-0 deficit in the second period.

Yoder battled back to take a 10-9 lead in the third period, but a penalty point sent the match to overtime. Yoder used a takedown to move on to the consolation finals, where he finished third.

Darren Mueller completed his day with a 3-1 record while Bret Mueller finished 2-2.

Other Trojans competing were Lucas Sinclar, 0-2, Dimitri McClelland, 0-2, Aaron Bina, 1-2, and Evan Just, 1-2.

“Overall, I am pleased with our progress at this point in the season,” O’Hare said. “The guys continue to work hard and compete tough.

“They’ve been very coachable and willing to learn. They will need to continue to improve each day. We look forward to having a good, solid week of practice leading into the two-day, 22-team Halstead Invitational.”

Action begins in Halstead at 4 p.m. Friday and at 9 a.m. Saturday.