Claymont sends wrestlers to Division II state tournament

Claymont will conclude its wrestling season in typical fashion, at the Division II state tournament, after four of its wrestlers qualified, including two district champions.

Junior DeVonn Searcy and Kamden Stout each won his weight class in the Gallia District, Searcy at 138 pounds and Stout at 165. Joining them in Columbus at the Schottenstein Center will be junior Daniel McGarr at 132 and junior Nile Abbuhl at 144.

That quartet led the Mustangs to 125 team points in the district tournament, which put them in third place among 37 scoring teams. Ahead of them were only New Lexington with 151 and Beaver with 129.5.

Searcy recorded three pins and a major decision en route to his title. His pin of Carrollton’s Cael Lowdermilk in 1:37 in the final was his easiest match of the two days. Searcy will take a 37-4 record to Columbus.

Stout posted a technical fall, pin and decision before winning the championship match by forfeit over Malachi McCullough of Washington Court House. Stout heads to Columbus at 41-4.

McGarr won his first two matches to reach the semifinals before falling to top-seeded Maddox Laymon of Sheridan. McGarr bounced back to win his first consolation match before dropping an 8-4 decision to Wyatt McCune of East Liverpool in the third-place match.

Abbuhl lost his opener to Nolan Haught of Richmond Edison 16-12, then went 5-0 in the consolations, including a pin in 2:24 in the third-place match against Mason Hill of Cambridge. Abbuhl had three pins and a technical fall in his consolation bouts, but it was a 5-2 win in a rematch with Haught in the blood round that sent him to state.

Also competing at districts for Claymont were freshman Lukas Patterson at 106; sophomores Nash Edwards at 113, Kole Wallace at 120, Luke Henry at 150, Quaid Shaw at 175 and Calvin Edwards at 190; junior Broady Cameron at 285; and senior Kendall Rennicker.

Nash Edwards, Henry and Wallace each went 2-2. Patterson, Calvin Edwards and Shaw each won one of three matches.

A day later, Claymont’s girls team placed 12th out of 101 represented schools, 76 of which scored at least one point, at the Northeast Ohio Regional tournament at Mentor. Girls wrestling has just one division, so schools of all sizes competed.

Freshman Laiken Warner went 4-2, including a strong run through the consolations, to place fourth and earn a state berth at 105 pounds. Junior Kyndall Boitnott at 130 went 4-2 and was one match away from going to state before finishing fifth to be an alternate.

Also competing were sophomore Arika Flickinger at 100 pounds and juniors Chloe Tufford at 135, Melody Parrish at 155 and Jadyn Sproul at 235. Tufford and Parrish each won one match.

Claymont boys end basketball season in district semifinal

Claymont’s run through the boys basketball postseason ended with an 87-65 loss to John Glenn on March 3 at Coshocton High School in the East 2 Division IV district semifinals.

John Glenn went on to defeat Cambridge 66-45 in the district final. John Glenn took a 23-game winning streak into regional play. Claymont finished its season 16-8.