Minerva sweeps lanes, wrestlers place third at Kilted Klassic

Three days, three matches. Talk about the hectic holidays.

The Lions had an away-and-home match with EBC foe Alliance Dec. 8 and 10, and sandwiched between that, they visited Canton McKinley.

First up, Minerva visited Alliance Elks to roll against the Aviators and both the boys (2,183-1,719) and girls (1,599-1,095) cruised to victory. Bailey Wood posted a high game of 191 and series of 344 for the girls, while Rylan Klitz was right behind with a 343 as the Lions took a 467-pin lead into the Baker games, making them a mere formality.

For the boys, Owen Frazier (224-204) rolled a 428 series, while Lane Hawk (205-219) carded a 424 series as Minerva took a 293-pin lead into the Bakers, where the Lions went off, winning the two games 204-113 and 192-112.

The next day, Minerva visited McKinley at Strike Zone Lanes and again swept the competition as the boys won 2,524-2,316 while the girls rolled, 1,718-1,401. Klitz (221-184) caught fire with a 405 series as the Lions held a 292-pin advantage following the series.

Frazier was lights out for the boys, rolling games of 259 and 214 for a 473 series, while Austin Ailing (179-212) logged a 391 series to give Minerva a 188-pin lead going into the Baker games. The Bulldogs won the first two Bakers, but still trailed by 142 pins. The Lions crushed them192-126 in the third for the final margin of victory.

Minerva wrapped up its week Dec. 10 by returning home to Minerva Bowl, where the Lions faced Alliance again. The home cooking made the wins even more impressive as the girls easily bested the Aviators 1,693-1,129 while the boys cruised to a comfortable 2,432-1,917 victory.

Frazier (227-223) rolled a 450 series for the Lions, while Ailing posted a high game of 230 in finished with a 430 series. For the girls, Wood registered the high game of 201 as she finished with a 389 series. Klitz added a 342 series.

Wrestling

The Lions had a busy – and successful – weekend as they competed at the 2025 Jeremy Ammons Kilted Klassic, hosted by Marengo Highland High School. 

Going up against a field of 19 teams, Minerva finished third overall with a score of 203.0 points. Medina won the team title, edging Highland 211.5-211.0.

Wrestling at 215, Timmy Kirkpatrick was the Lions’ sole champion as he pinned Ontario’s Trenton Maglott in 55 seconds. Minerva raked in more points by having four runners-up. Most prominent was Jason Sivy at 157, who dropped a 10-6 heartbreaker in double overtime to Ontario’s Gavin Miller. Meanwhile, Colton Godsey lost a 4-1 match in OT to Watkins Memorial’s Cole Herb.

Also placing second were Kolton Almasy (126) and Shawn Weaver (120), who both lost by pins in the finals. Placing third was Lincoln Wallace, who won by fall at 165, as well as Ethan Weaver (175) and Enoch Brodzenski (190) who both scored decisions.

Aiden Reagan placed fourth at 215, losing by a technical fall, and Alex Wright (106) finished fifth after losing his round by pin. Lastly, Tyler Phillips (113) was seventh and Cole Sivy (138) finished ninth as both won their final matches through falls.