Hesston won its meet with 126 points, but Hillsboro was right behind with 125. Halstead followed at 101.5 and Marion at 101.
?I can?t say I am satisfied with finishing in second place in the team race, as our expectations are to go in and win the tournament,? coach Scott O?Hare said. ?However, I am pleased with the performance overall in such an early-season tournament, especially considering we were going in a little shorthanded.?
Robby McClelland, a returning state qualifier, did not compete because of an ACT exam.
?It?s hard to speculate, but with the team scoring coming down to only a one-point difference, it is hard to believe the outcome would not have been different had he been available for us,? O?Hare said.
The Trojan coach said this is the third Hesston tournament title for Mueller, a senior.
?He wrestled a solid tournament and had a nice win in the finals, avenging his early-season loss to (Cody) Wildin of Marion,? O’Hare said. ?This will be a good matchup that we expect to see a few more times throughout the year.?
O?Hare said Hein?s work in the weight room during the off-season is paying off for the senior, who earned his first tourn?a?ment championship.
?That, along with the fact that he is wrestling at a more natural weight than he was a year ago, are really going to benefit his performance,? he said.
The Jones brothers? losses in the finals were their first of the season, but O?Hare said they wrestled well.
?It is nice to see Toby getting back into things after being away from wrestling for the past year?he has so much natural ability and his technique continues to improve,? O?Hare said. ?Tyler continues to show his competitiveness as he dominated all three opponents on his way to the championship match.?
All 11 Trojans competing at Hesston contributed points to the team total. The other seven athletes were: Bret Mueller, 1-2 at 112 pounds; Darren Mueller, 2-2 at 125; Matt Yoder, 1-2 at 135; Aaron Bina, 2-2 at 140; Jared King, 2-2 at 160; Lonnie Benda, 2-2 at 171; and Gabe Anderson, 2-2 at 215.
?I was pleased by the improve?ment shown since our first competition a week ago,? O?Hare said.
The Hesston tournament concludes Hillsboro?s pre-holiday varsity schedule.
?It gives us a good feel for where we are at,? O?Hare said. ?We will use the next couple of weeks to continue to improve on our technique and look forward to see what we can accomplish the remainder of the season.?
