Marion’s 10 wrestlers finished ninth among 15 teams competing at the Wellington Invitational Saturday with 52 points.
“The competition we were able to face at Wellington was much larger schools than we are used to facing,” coach Tyler McMichael said. “It was good for our guys to get to see new competition rather than the same kids every weekend. I believe that level of competition will help us tremendously in the long run of the season.”
Six Warriors scored points, led by Charlie Nordquist, who finished second at 220 pounds with 22 points and a 3-1 record. After pinning his first two opponents, Nordquist won a 6-3 decision in the semifinals before losing by fall to Andover’s Tyler Wilson in the championship.
Jarret McLinden went 3-1 at 285 pounds and finished fifth with 15 points. McLinden won his first two matches by fall, then lost by fall in the semifinals to Mulvane’s Kyle Smith. McLinden pinned Wellington’s Tyler Jimenez to place fifth.
“Charlie and Jarret did well on Saturday,” McMichael said. “They showed a lot of good things that we can continue to build on moving forward in the season.”
Ethan Darnall went 1-3 on the mat at 132 pounds to finish sixth, scoring seven points. Following a first-round bye, Darnall won a 2-1 decision, then lost in double overtime to Andover’s Brendan Alfers, 8-3. In the consolation bracket, Darnall lost a 4-3 decision, then lost by fall to Wichita West’s Wilford Hemans in the fifth-place match.
Calib Mallory went 1-2 on the mat at 138 pounds, scoring four points. He opened by losing a 9-2 decision, then had a bye. Mallory pinned Andover’s Josh Sparks before losing an 8-7 decision to Ark City’s Jaden Sprague.
Luke Lanning, participating in a round robin, went 0-5 to finish sixth at 195 pounds, scoring three points.
Todd Palic went 1-2 at 170 pounds, scoring one point. Following a first-round bye, Palic lost by fall, then won a 7-3 decision over Wichita Trinity’s Andrew Gerace. Palic concluded the day with a loss by major decision, 9-0.
Completing the Warrior roster were: Will Alleven, 0-2 at 113 pounds with two byes; Brock Mitchell, 0-2 at 145 pounds with one bye; Kyle Horton, 0-2 at 152 pounds with one bye; and Kolton Brewer, 0-2 at 160 pounds with one bye.
“Some things that we have to work on are not overthinking during our matches and mat awareness,” McMichael said. “These are things that have to be worked on with the individual wrestler as well as with the whole team. We have plenty of time to get these things figured out before the end of the season.”
Coming—The Warriors will co-host the Marion County Duels Friday. Matches are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.
