Warren’s Aden Strahler goes for the pin against Morgan’s Tanner Bankes in the 175-pound championship bout at the Hickory Grove Market Invitational at Warren High School in Vincent. (Photo by Aaron Lee)
VINCENT – At the Hickory Grove Market Invitational at Warren High School, the Warriors won their home meet easily. With a total score of 204 points, 43 points higher than any other team, their success is exceptional in the normal distribution of points.
The Warriors were led by two first-place finishers. Drake Jenkins took gold at 113 after defeating Jackson’s Brayden McGinnis 16-0. In the 175-pound weight class, Aden Strahler pinned Morgan Tanner Banks for first place.
“It feels very good to win my city meet.” Strahler said afterward. Near the end of the match, he landed a powerful but controlled strike on his opponent.
“He just shot, then he stretched out, and I shot again. I couldn’t really hold him back too much because it’s illegal. Spotlight explained.
Strahler was named Most Valuable Player after a vote by the coaches. Warren wrestling coach Jeff Parsons described his dedication to his craft, “He placed seventh in the state last year. He trained hard all summer, went through camps, wrestled on different teams all over the place, and went to the Virginia Beach nationals with the team there. He’s on a mission to move that position up from seventh.
Warren’s Jacob Berg brings Meigs’ Jacob Roblero to the mat in the 138-pound championship bout at the Hickory Grove Market Invitational at Warren High School in Vincent. (Photo by Aaron Lee)
Warren did not dominate in terms of number of champions. The total of two was the same as Morgan and Hillsborough, and Waterford collected three meetings. Instead, the sheer number of wrestlers joining the Warriors pushed them to victory.
The Warriors had three runner-up finishers, coincidentally in consecutive weight classes. Remy Fairbanks took second place at 126 pounds. Paul Harshberger took the silver with a score of 132, followed by Jacob Berg with 138.
Berg had a particularly competitive championship match against Meigs’ Jacob Roblero. The match had to be temporarily halted after he was hit hard. “To be honest, it wasn’t too bad, but when they go down like that, they put all the force from their shoulders into your gut. “You just have to get up and pretend it didn’t happen.” Berg said of the stop.
Upon his second place finish, Berg commented: “It feels really good to be honest.”
Other favorites for the home team included Brody Bollen (106, third), Mitchell Rehl (144, fourth), Levi Strahler (150, fifth), Devon Legleitner (190, fifth) and Cartier Armstrong (215, fourth).
Warren’s Drake Jenkins competes with Jackson’s Brayden McGinnis in the 113-pound championship bout at the Hickory Grove Market Invitational at Warren High School in Vincent. (Photo by Aaron Lee)
“Last week our team was split up. The boys split up in two different places. We had our experienced wrestlers in Cambridge last weekend, and the new wrestlers went to Waterford. This weekend, everyone was together, which made a big difference. They came together as a team “One and they wrestled well today.” Parsons explained.
For the Warriors, things are moving in the right direction, especially in terms of numbers. “I thought our team wrestled really well. We have one of the biggest teams out there. We have 27 boys on our high school team, 15 girls and 19 on our junior varsity team, so the wrestling is coming up here in Warren.”
Logan won second place in the meet with a total of 161 points. Jackson placed third with 131 points.
The Wildcats of Waterford had a strong showing in fourth place, earning 126.5 points. The three first-place finishers were Bryson Klein (120), Hayden Jones (150) and Judson Cooper (215). The three also won the Wildcat Invitational at home last weekend. Waterford had two other place wrestlers — Cameron Johnson (138, 6) and Trevin Zimmer (157, 2).
Marietta ranked eighth with a total of 78 points. The Tigers had four wrestlers make the podium, including Scotty Orrick (113, third), Braxton Wells (120, fourth), Ian Horsley (132, third) and Eli Wessels (190, sixth).
Fort Frye finished the day with 69 points, good for 11th place. The Cadets had two wrestlers earn bronze, Gavin Rauch (120) and Matthias Kesselring (165). In addition to that duo, Fort Frye had two top-five finishes from Murray Stewart (157) and Morgan Smith (285).
Reidsville Eastern finished 15th with 50 points. The Eagles had one champion, Landen Basham, who wrestled at 144. He also won the title at the Wildcat Invitational. Javan Smith placed third for Eastern at 175 pounds.
Frontier’s Zeke Renard placed fifth in the 138-pound weight class. Belpre’s Luke Davis placed sixth at 144 pounds.
Following the conclusion of the Hickory Grove Market Invitational, the Coliseum hosted a Division I college wrestling dual between the Ohio University Bobcats and Drexel University. It was a special occasion for the Warriors, as team alumnus Peyton Keilar wore the green and white in his hometown gym. Kellar won a major decision in his bout against the Dragons’ Tyler Williams by a score of 12-0 as the Bobcats won the dual 21-13.
Contact Aaron Lee at alee@newsandsentinel.com
The atmosphere was electric at the annual Hickory Grove Invitational tournament as the Warriors emerged victorious in a thrilling display of skill and determination. The team’s impressive performance garnered attention from sports enthusiasts and supporters alike, solidifying their position as a force to be reckoned with in the local sports scene. This impressive victory cements their place in the community and promises an exciting season ahead. With this triumph under their belts, the Warriors are ready to take on whatever challenges come their way, and their fans can’t wait to see what the future holds for this talented group of athletes.