HHS wrestlers pin 2nd at Hesston

Alex Jost placed second at 112 pounds and Frankie Martin did the same at 171.

Also finishing in the top four of their respective classes were John Hein, third at 215, and Lonnie Benda, fourth at 152.

?This was a nice performance from the boys in such an early-season tournament, especially considering that we were going in a little shorthanded,? said coach Scott O?Hare.

The Trojans were without a couple of wrestlers due to a combination of injury and ACT testing.

?It is hard to speculate, but with the team scoring coming down to only a 7.5-point difference, it is hard to believe that the outcome would not have been different had either Grady Stultz or Zach Jost been able to compete at 160 pounds and CJ Shaw been able to wrestle at 285 pounds,? O?Hare said.

The Trojan coach said he was pleased that all 11 wrestlers contributed to the final team score by winning at least one match.

?It is hard to imagine putting five wrestlers in the championship finals, winning three of them, and not coming out on top in the team race,? O?Hare said. ?However, I was very pleased that Nicholas, Tyler and Jacob came away with individual titles.?

Mueller and Yoder are repeat champions from last year?s tournament, while Jones was competing in his first Hesston tournament.

All three are undefeated this season.

Mueller and Jones competed against state qualifiers in their title match and won by fall. Yoder won by a 4-1 decision.

O?Hare said Martin was a ?pleasant surprise? for Hillsboro.

?Although I am very aware of his ability, and never doubted that he could wrestle his way into the championship match, it was the way he did it that is very promising,? he said.

Martin, the fourth seed coming in, defeated the No. 1 seed in the semifinals, which he did by a convincing 14-2 margin.

Meanwhile, Marion had three wrestlers finish as runners-up in their respective weight classes: Cody Wildin a at 125, Dillon Wildin at 135 and Derek Riggs at 215.

Other Warriors placing among the top four were: Andy Shipman, fourth at 119; Adam Regnier, third at 130; Tyler Neil, fourth at 140; Charlie Holub, third at 145; and Hector Cardinas, fourth at 160.

Coming?The Hillsboro varsity won?t return to competition until after the holiday break. However, a junior varsity tournament is planned in Hillsboro on Saturday. Matches begin at 9:30 a.m.