MT. ORAB — In one of the most dominating team performances in recent SBAAC history, Wilmington ran away with the conference championship Saturday at Western Brown High School.
“This is not an easy conference to win,” Wilmington assistant coach Isaac Bray said. “Lots of well-coached wrestlers. This performance is a testament to our team’s disciplined commitment to trust the plan and compete every day in practice.”
The last three conference tournament have been decided in the final few matches. This one was over early. Wilmington had 203.5 points while runnerup Blanchester had 124 and third-place Clinton-Massie had 115.5.
“I knew we were going to have a good showing,” long-time WHS head coach Kelly Tolliver said. “I was surprised by the margin. They (WHS wrestlers) really did turn it on.”
Blanchester finished as the National Division champion, not a surprise, but maybe a surprise second overall in the tournament behind the Hurricane.
“This team started off a little slow in the first round but started picking up the rest of the day,” BHS head coach Ryan Shafer said. “I’m very pleased with how they wrestled. It’s a good confidence booster for sectionals.”
Hunter Smith of BHS was the lone champion for the Wildcats. He recorded a 7-3 decision over Carson Kessen of Goshen in the 120-pound title bout.
While Cody Kidd did not win a championship, the BHS senior did notch the 100th win of his career during Saturday’s tournament.
With champions Cody Lisle and Brodie Green, Clinton-Massie was third overall.
“We had a good tournament for a young team,” head coach Spencer Running said. “Cody had a very dominant tournament. He’s shown improvement all year. Brodie won a few good matches with toughness. He’s been a great leader that leads by example.”
Lisle pinned Alonzo Woody of Wilmington in 67 seconds in the 106 championship match. The 150 pound title went to Green who decisioned Brayden Day of Western Brown in the title match.
East Clinton’s top finish came at 215 pounds where Owen Roberts was third overall. Cooper Rack placed fourth at 150 pounds.
Wilmington had five champions. Led by the wrestler of the year Thane McCoy, WHS champions included Carson Hibbs, Gage Davis, Josh Snell and Paul McKnight.
“Carson is the model of consistency,” Bray said. “His is a quiet, humble approach to competition. Gage has really turned the corner this year and positioned himself well for the post-season. Last year, Josh was an athlete on the wrestling mat. He’s now a wrestler with exceptional competitiveness. Good to see Paul finally get that league title. Paul has been in the conversation for a few years now.”
At 132 pounds, Hibbs dominated the class, finishing with a 19-4 technical fall of Corbyn Cunningham of Western Brown in the championship.
Davis topped the field at 165 pounds, winning 7-3 over Hunter Darnell of Bethel-Tate in the championship.
Snell gave Wilmington another champion at 190 pounds, scoring a major decision 17-7 over Tristen Malone of Blanchester.
McKnight, who missed the league tournament last season, made up for it with a 9-4 win over Cody Kidd of Blanchester in the 215-pound championship.
McCoy was the clear dominant wrestler in the entire tournament, especially the 138 pound class, closing things out with a 16-1 technical fall over Ryan Hager of Williamsburg in the finale.
“He is putting in the work and has really started to open up and expand his takedown game,” Tolliver said. “But I’m really excited about his improvements on top. He will find a way to score. It’s in his nature.”
Bray said McCoy’s preparation puts him in a class above many wrestlers.
“Thane handles himself like a professional,” said Bray. “His performance is a product of his elite preparation in the (practice) room and in the off-season. He does the little things right, the things most athletes aren’t disciplined enough to do. Again, no disrespect to his competitors, but Thane’s greatest challenge that last few weeks have been to compete against himself; to evaluate his performance based on the level of competition he’ll see in Columbus.”
SUMMARY
Feb 18, 2023
SBAAC Wrestling Championship
@Western Brown High School
TEAM SCORES
Wilmington 203.5; Blanchester 124.0; Clinton-Massie 115.5; Batavia 103.5; Goshen 75.0; Bethel-Tate 65.0; Western Brown 58.0; New Richmond 53.0; CNE 51.0; Williamsburg 50.0; East Clinton 30.0
WEIGHT CLASSES
The top four placers in each weight class
106: Cody Lisle (CM); Alonzo Woody (WHS); AJ Sturwold (WBG); Kevin Foster (G)
113: Logan Dean (BT); Mat Jones (WBG); Mythias Stuckey (WHS); Evan Jett (CM)
120: Hunter Smith (BL); Carson Kessen (G); Gatlin Newkirk (CM); Ethan Bates (WHS)
126: Tate Bein (BA); Cole Moorman (CM); Darius Stewart (WHS); Joey Morris (WBG)
132: Carson Hibbs (WHS); Corbyn Cunningham (WB); Zack Musselman (BL); Quade Wainscott (G)
138: Thane McCoy (WHS); Ryan Hager (WBG); Caleb Sears (BL); Aiden Kyle (WB)
144: Nathan Kulbe (BAT); Colby Johnson (CNE); Caydn Denniston (WHS); Silas Jacob (NR)
150: Brodi Green (CM); Brayden Day (WB); Dylan Short (BL); Cooper Rack (EC)
157: Trenton Grigsby (BT); Wyatt Eppert (BAT); Zach Westendorf (G); Kaison Dodge (WHS)
165: Gage Davis (WHS); Hunter Darnell (BT); Cash Mounce (CM); Blake Martin (BAT)
175: Josh Groeber (CNE); Collin Moeller (BAT); Jude Huston (BL); Brendan Musser (CM)
190: Josh Snell (WHS); Tristen Malone (BL); Elijah Burkholder (NR); Izaiah Snow (WB)
215: Paul McKnight (WHS); Cody Kidd (BL); Owen Roberts (EC); Keith Bell (BAT)
285: Billy Foster (NR); Chasen Allison (BL); Matthew Zirkle (G); Brylin Ruddle (WHS)
