Wrestlers win two duals
Twenty-one teams grapple Saturday in Halstead meet
By JILLIAN OVERSTAKE
Intern Staff-Writer
Hillsboro High School wrestlers defeated Halstead 48-21 and Hesston 30-23 at a double dual match at Hesston this past Thursday.
On Saturday, the Trojans placed fifth at the 12-team Herington Invitational.
"This was a good way to begin our post-Christmas schedule," said coach Scott O'Hare. "The varsity had not competed since Dec. 10 and it was nice to get them back out on the mat. The guys are showing some good signs of improvement and our technique continues to get better."
The team hits the mats again this Saturday in Halstead.
In the first match Thursday, Alex Jost, 103 pounds, started the day off right with a 36-second pin against Halstead's Ryan White. Following suit was Ryan McClelland, 112 pounds, who pinned Halstead's Dylan Farmer in 1:34, putting Hillsboro up 12-0 in two matches.
Isaac Leihy, 160 pounds, pinned Chase Cargile in 23 seconds, propelling Hillsboro to a 30-point lead. Closing the dual against Halstead was a 2:57 pin by John Hein in the 189- pound weight class against Ty Ramsey, putting Hillsboro at the top 48-21.
Against Hesston, Hillsboro's 135- pound Toby Jones pinned his opponent in 39 seconds, putting Hillsboro ahead by one point. Tyler Jones, 145 pounds, pinned Kevin Schultz of Hesston in 31 seconds, followed by Grady Stultz with a pin in 1:56, helping Hillsboro to win 30-23.
This past Saturday Hillsboro finished in the top five at what coach O'Hare calls "one of the tougher tournaments" of the season.
Nicholas Mueller, 130-pound sophomore, was an individual champion at the meet.
John Hein, 189-pound sophomore, was a runner-up, 140-pound sophomore Tyler Jones placed fourth, 145- pound senior Sean Leihy placed third, and 171-pound junior Jacob Yoder placed third.
Jost pinned Nathan Ellerman from Council Grove in 1:39, followed by 112-pound Robbie McClelland's 12-0 victory over Jayce DeMont of Herington. Tyler Jones, fourth place at 140 pounds, pinned Abilene's Cody Biffel in 47 seconds, followed immediately by 145-pound Sean Leihy's pin of Tyler Lough of Wamego in 53 seconds. Leihy's performance was good enough to land third place.
Jacob Yoder, 171 pounds, pinned Flinthills' Zach Trumpower in 35 seconds, and Abilene's Troy Padgett in 57 seconds in the second period, as well as Marion's Brad Klenda in 2:21 in the second period, earning him third place overall.
"This is traditionally one of the tougher tournaments we compete in," said coach O'Hare. "Despite missing a couple of varsity wrestlers, finishing in the top five was good. We were really only a few breaks away from finishing higher."
O'Hare has a schedule of tough practices set up in preparation for the Halstead Invitational. "We still have technical issues to work out and some new stuff to get in," he said. "I am hoping for a very strong week of practice leading into a tough 21-team tournament."
