Warriors claim 3rd in county dual tournament

By OLIVER GOOD

Staff writer

The Warriors nabbed third and the Trojans placed ninth of 12 teams that wrestled in the county duals tournament Friday in Marion and Hillsboro.

With a bye in the first round, Marion defeated Douglas 42-36 in the second round, and trounced Bluestem 44-13 in the third.

They faced eventual tournament champion Burlington in the championship bracket, losing 66-8.

However, the Warriors bounced back, defeating Fredonia 39-22 to claim third place.

Coach Tyler McMichael was satisfied with the way the team finished, especially since Marion only filled nine of 14 weights.

“We had a few wrestlers come up really big when we needed them to,” McMichael said. “My favorite dual of the night was Douglass.  The guys knew going in that we were giving up a total of 30 points because of forfeits.  They wrestled how they needed to and won.  It was awesome!”

He noted that 195-pounder Tyler Palic fell to the No. 4 ranked wrestler from Royal Valley, but came back to beat a No. 1 ranked wrestler in the dual against Douglass.

McMichael also said that 132-pounder Jarrett Johnson went 5-0 for the night with four pins, which gives Johnson an undefeated record going into Christmas break.

Trojans take 9th

Giving up a total of 168 points to forfeits for the tournament, Hillsboro still managed to take ninth.

The Trojans lost to Wellington 24-60, but won four of the six matches wrestled in the first round. Losing 18-51 to Minneapolis, Hillsboro won three of six matches. Against Clearwater, Hillsboro picked up two wins but lost 12-69.

However, the Trojans turned it around by defeating Wabaunsee 30-18 and Bluestem 30-24.

“They are showing a lot of grit and determination to battle through tough situations,” coach Scott O’Hare said. “However, it is becoming more obvious they’ll have to step up the learning curve to improve on some particular techniques and fundamentals.”

At 133 pounds, Raymond Johnston went 5-0 with four pins and 120-pounder Mac Bartel was 4-1 with four pins had the best records for the evening.