BELLBROOK — With six weight-class champions, the Wilmington High School wrestling team coasted to a win Saturday at the Bellbrook Invitational.
“We had a great weekend all around,” WHS coach Kelly Tolliver said. “We placed in all 14 weight classes. Our team has been really working hard over the break and putting in the work. We had many enter the tournament trying out some new weight classes. It’s the first we have gotten to try out this new lineup on the road.”
Champions were Alonzo Woody, Carson Hibbs, Thane McCoy, Josh Snell, Paul McKnight and Darrick Perdue.
“The (team) win came with a convincing 4o pins from the Hurricane. “Our of 14 wrestlers in the finals, nine were victorious. We have made some strides in our conditioning and really tried to hammer on technique this weekend.
“We did make some mistakes where expected, but in the grand scheme of things, the staff and I were happy with the improvements we have been working on with the team.”
Alonzo Woody won the 106-pound weight class with a 6-4 decision over CJ Nelson of Centerville in the title match. It was the first tournament championship in the sophomore’s career.
Then seniors took over with Hibbs, McCoy, Snell and Perdue running the table.
Carson Hibbs dominated at 132 pounds. He won the championship with a 16-1 technical fall over Ivan Bao of Bellbrook.
But prior to that he had another 16-1 win and two pins in a total of 1:51 in his three pool matches.
Thane McCoy was equally impressive in winning at 138 pounds. He had five pins in all, including a 2:40 victory in the title match over Levi Griffin of Madison.
In pool competition, McCoy had four pins in a total of 4:55 on the clock.
Josh Snell overpowered the field at 190 pounds, winning five matches all by pins. His championship win came in 4:55 over Brody Bingle of Waynesville.
Paul McKnight went 4-0 with two first period pins while winning the 215 pound class. He decisioned Jeremy Sanchez of Fairborn in the title bout.
Darrick Perdue may have been the most dominant Hurricane wrestler on the day. He had just two pool matches but pinned in 14 seconds and 7 seconds.
In the bracketed finals, Perdue had a pin in 17 second and then a marathon match of 1:40. In the 285 title match, Perdue dispatched Benjamin Federle of Waynesville in 15 seconds.
Tolliver said Caydn Denniston went from 150 to 144 for this event and finished as runnerup. Perdue’s title came in his varsity debut this season.
SUMMARY
Jan 7, 2023
@Bellbrook Invitational
Teams: Wilmington 344, Centerville 173.5, Waynesville 157, Fairborn 141.5, Bellbrook 139, Madison 127.5, Kings 108.5, Northridge 92, Dayton Christian 76, Turpin 63.5, Trotwood-Madison 39, West Carrollton 4
106: Alonzo Woody first
113: Mathias Stuckey second
120: Ethan Bates second
126: Darius Stewart third
132: Carson Hibbs first
138: Thane McCoy first
144: Caydn Denniston second
150: Elijah Hibbs sixth
157: Kaison Dodge fifth
165: Gage Davis fifth
175: Owen Bloom sixth
190: Josh Snell first
215: Paul McKnight first
285: Darrick Perdue first
