Knights get 7 on podium at Marion Harding Classic
The West Holmes varsity wrestling team had arguably its best performance of the season at the 37-team Marion Harding Classic held Friday, Dec. 29 and Saturday, Dec. 30, placing seven of nine wrestlers on the podium and earning a fifth-place team finish.
Bringing home runner-up honors were Hunter McCluggage (junior, 150 pounds) and Grant Miller (senior, 215). Grady Toye (senior, 126) and Cole Porter (junior, 175) finished fourth, Louden Dixon (sophomore, 144) snared fifth, and Cam McCluggage (sophomore, 157) and Dylan Sours (sophomore, 190) both placed sixth.
Just missing the go-to placement rounds were Gabe Umstead (sophomore, 120) and Lincoln Goans (freshman, 165), who were knocked from the tournament in the fourth round of consolations. They both finished 2-2 with a fall win.
The Knights (146.5 points) trailed only team champion Lakewood St. Edward (241), Port Clinton (170), Liberty Center (166.5) and Highland (156.5) in the team scoring.
“This tournament had a little bit of everything for everyone,” Knights coach Scott Vaughn said. “Our high-level wrestlers certainly got pushed, and our younger wrestlers had winnable matches. I think the biggest thing I take away from this weekend is that we have drastically improved since wrestling last at Waynedale. The mantra is to always constantly be improving.
“After Waynedale I challenged all the wrestlers to come in with the mindset to improve every day — have things to improve on and work with a purpose. For the most part, they improved. We certainly have more to work out, but we are heading in the right direction.”
Toye, Dixon, Hunter McCluggage, Cam McCluggage, Porter, Sours and Miller all won their championship quarterfinal matches on Saturday morning to guarantee a podium finish. However, only Hunter McCluggage and Miller won their championship semifinal bouts to reach the gold medal match.
Hunter McCluggage topped Anthony LaVerdiere (Bexley) by a 6-2 decision while Miller scored his fourth straight fall win, a 2:36 decking of Colton Moskal (Black River).
With the win over LaVerdiere, Hunter McCluggage faced top seed and returning Division III state placer Jackson Bartels (Liberty Center) in the championship match. And what a match it was, ending 3-3 after regulation. Unfortunately, McCluggage gave up a takedown in the extra period, losing 5-3 in sudden victory.
Miller faced Dagan Meyers (Port Clinton) for the gold medal and suffered a fall loss.
“Hunter and Grant wrestled well, making it to the finals,” Vaughn said. “Both of them had winnable matches. Hunter lost in OT to a returning state placer and two-time state qualifier. Hunter is improving each week and gaining more confidence in what he can do.
“Grant dominated on his way to the finals. In the finals he found himself against a kid that didn’t mind going upper body. I think he got a little out of his game plan and got thrown. He will learn from this and move on.”
After suffering losses in the championship semifinals, Toye and Porter both scored consolation semifinal wins to reach the bronze medal match. Toye (4-2, four falls) flattened Landon Massie (Port Clinton) at the 1:37 mark while Porter (3-2, fall) scored a 7-4 decision win over Talan Kirtland (Hilliard Davidson) to wrestle for third place.
Toye matched up with Musa Jalloh (Gahanna Lincoln) for the bronze medal but came up short, dropping an 11-2 major decision. Porter squared off with Landon Froelich (Buckeye Valley) in the third-place match but came up shy, losing by a 7-3 count.
Dixon (4-2, three falls) dropped the championship and consolation semifinal bouts, but he regrouped in the fifth-place match to overwhelm Treven Angus (Northridge) by an 11-0 major decision win.
Cam McCluggage fell by fall to Anthony Hunt (Kenton) and Ethan Lewis (Upper Sandusky) in the championship and consolation semis matches. He then fought hard in the fifth-place match but came short against Porter Knowles (Canal Winchester) by a 6-2 decision.
Sours dropped two fall losses in the championship semis and the consolation semis, the first to returning Div. III state champion Xander Myers (Liberty Center) and then to Muhammad Jallaq (Bexley). Wrestling Cole Donovan (St. Marys Memorial) in the fifth-place match, Sours suffered an 11-3 major decision loss.
Umstead was upended by No. 1 seed Cameron Wagers (Plymouth) by fall and then lost by fall to Nick Griffis (St. Marys Memorial) to end his tournament.
After a first-round bye, Goans lost to Malakaii Pinkleton (Port Clinton) by a 13-5 major decision to fall into the consolation brackets. Goans fell from the tournament after a 14-5 major decision loss to Caleb Turner (St. Marys Memorial).
Middle school Knights face stiff competition
In what is arguably the toughest tournament the West Holmes Middle School wrestling team competes in yearly, the Bobcats Middle School Invitational Tournament proved to be exactly that, as only one Knight cracked the top 10 podium at the meat grinder of a tournament held Wednesday, Dec. 27 at Cambridge High School.
Liam Angle (eighth grade, 98) posted an eighth-place finish after a 3-2 day that included three fall wins.
In the team race, the Knights racked up 36 points to place 24th in the 46-team field. Louisville (168) was crowned tournament champion with Medina Highland (130) and Wadsworth (109.5) completing the top three.
“I told the team leading up to this tournament that we had to be ready to go to war at Cambridge,” Knights coach Justin Wilcox said. “We knew the competition there is some of the toughest in the state, and many of the boys saw some of the best that the state has to offer.”
Angle opened with a fall win and then fell into the seventh-place consolation bracket after suffering a decision loss. Angle scored two fall wins, stopping Clint Mello (Claymont) and Paxton Young (Ashland) to reach the seventh-place match. Angle fought a good fight against Nathanael Kline II (Edison) but came up short, losing by decision.
“The standout today was Liam,” Wilcox said. “Liam lost a heartbreaker of a (quarterfinal) match but picked himself back up and battled back to place. I know he was hoping to win his last match, but I feel this was the most controlled and composed we’ve seen Liam to date in a tournament. He was aggressive and wrestled to win but was much more concise with his movement. Again, still lots to work on but massive improvement from that young man.”
Finishing 2-2 with two falls each were Wade Miller (eighth, 134), Silas Baker (seventh, 142) and Easton Ross (eighth, 205). Also finishing 2-2 but with one fall was Grady Jones (eighth, 110-extra). All four wrestlers came up one win shy of placing in the tournament.
Posting 1-2 records with one fall were Dylan Ferrebee (seventh, 122) and Oliver Hiller (eighth, 134) while Brady Milam (eighth, heavyweight) finished 1-2. All three won their opening round matches by fall, then lost two in a row to fall out of the tournament.
A dozen elementary wrestlers place at New Year’s Eve tournament
A group of 20 Holmes Area Wrestling Club elementary wrestlers took advantage of getting mat time over the long holiday break, competing Sunday, Dec. 31 at the Wooster New Year’s Trophy Open Tournament held at the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Wooster.
And it paid off as 12 of those wrestlers came away with top four podium finishes and medals.
Snaring championships were Trace Towner (Div. I open, weight 9) and Andrew Tuitama (Div. II rookie, weight 8), who both finished 2-0 with one fall.
Runner-up honors fell to Brody Shriver (Div. III rookie, weight 9, 2-1, fall), Rowand Mathie (Div. IV open, weight 3, 3-1, fall) and Grantham Lovell (Div. IV open, weight 10, 3-1, two falls).
Third-place finishes went to Tevin Shaffer (Div. III rookie, weight 14, 2-2, fall) and Adalynn Garens (girls Div. II, weight 3, 0-2).
Placing fourth were Graham Mathie (Div. II open, weight 7, 2-3, fall), Carter Boals (Div. II rookie, weight 3, 2-2), Mack VanSickle (Div. II rookie, weight 9, 2-2), Kolston Wagers (Div. IV open, weight 10, 1-3, fall) and Jackson Shriver (Div. IV rookie, weight 5, 1-3).
Four elementary wrestlers earn podium finishes at Cambridge Open
With an extended break in the Holmes Area Wrestling Club elementary schedule, a group of Attack Team wrestlers headed south on Tuesday, Dec. 26 to compete in the Cambridge Open Youth Tournament at Cambridge High School.
Chansen Hart (fourth, Div. III, 86) brought home a runner-up finish after posting a 3-1 record with one fall. Snaring a fourth-place finish was Dawson Miller (fourth, Div. III, 66) with a 1-3 mark including a fall win. Sawyer Miller (third, Div. III, 76, 1-4, fall) and Greyson Hart (sixth, Div. IV, 85.3, 0-4) both placed fifth.
