ERIE — Multiple area wrestlers medaled at the Red Devil Kickoff Monday.
The match-limited tournament seemed a strong indication of a promising upcoming season.
“We only wanted two matches today, just to see where we’re at ahead of the tournaments this weekend,” Iola Mustangs coach John Taylor said. “I didn’t get to watch everybody, because we had so much going on, but overall, it feels like we did really well as a team. We won a lot more matches than we lost, so it was a good day.”
Wrestling in the 125-pound weight class, Iola senior Trapper Boren was Iola’s first title recipient after opening with a first-period pin of Erie’s Owen Coover, then pinning Cherryvale’s Joshua Cumpton in the second period.
Sophomore Kevon Loving, 145 lbs., put the area on notice with a first-place finish after opening with a 13-5 major decision victory over Uniontown’s Kyson Stock and later pinned Cherryvale’s Conner Slane.
At 156 pounds, Iola junior Beau Erickson took first after opening with a second-period pin of Uniontown’s Joseph Robinson and ended the evening with a first-period pin of Cherryvale’s Tyson Watkins.
Returning state qualifier Kale Pratt took first in the 161-pound class after opening the tournament with an 8-1 decision over Humboldt freshman Broc Ivy, then trounced Cherryvale’s Caleb Slane via 13-4 major decision. Ivy took third after falling to Slane via first-period pin.
Iola junior Landon Shelton, 173 lbs., took first after setting the tone with a 15-0 technical fall of Erie’s Anthony Pasquarelli, then defeated Cherryvale’s Bently Davis with a third-period pin.
At 175 lbs., Iola sophomore B.J. Seance took first after opening with a first-period pin of Erie’s Davey White, then defeated teammate Joseph Holding via first-period pin for the title.
Iola junior Franklin Kerr made a dramatic turnaround from last season. Taking the 191-pound title, he opened with a first-period pin of Cherryvale’s Jacob Overall, then defeated junior teammate Rohan Spring with a second-period pin.
At 215 lbs., Iola junior Alston Nelson took first after pinning Humboldt’s Bentley Kolb in the first period.
Humboldt grapplers make strong debut
Freshman Envy Oberbeck, 142 lbs., was Humboldt’s first gold medalist after making a stunning debut with a first-period pin of Fredonia’s Lucas Anderson, and took the title with a third period pin of Uniontown’s Bently Mize.
Making his high school return after suffering a severe knee injury before the summer break, Emmitt Carson took first with a second-period pin of Fredonia’s Clarence Goodman, then locked down the 154-pound title with a second-period pin of Cherryvale’s Chandler Amberg.
“We had some ups and downs tonight, and some stuff we have to get back in the room to practice,” Humboldt coach Kent Goodner said. “The jamboree helps us see what we need to clean up. We did fairly well and we just need to get ready for the big tournaments.”
Second-place finishers
