CRESTON – The Hillsdale wrestling team was fighting for a spot in the middle Friday at Norwayne in the Wayne County Athletic League Championships.
But in a field that featured nine matmen projected to potentially land on the Division III state podium this season by BorofanOhio.net, the Falcons couldn’t navigate their way past the biggest hurdles.
Hillsdale totaled 60 points, landing in sixth place – 12 points behind fourth-place Dalton for a spot in the top half of the league.
Waynedale annihilated the competition, claiming 10 individual champs en route to 274 team points.
The faraway runner-up was Smithville (92), while Northwestern ended up with 89 points in third.
The juggernaut Golden Bears – ranked third in Division III and coming off their first-ever title in the state duals – locked in their 15th straight WCAL crown.
Chippewa took fifth place with 68 points while Norwayne (50.5) and Rittman (50) finished at the bottom of the standings.
Hillsdale’s lone individual to make a championship match was Cam McCoy at 106 pounds. The freshman, who won his opener by a 9-5 count, was pinned by Waynedale’s Branton Tapp.
The lone Falcon to win a third-place match was sophomore Tyler Coleman, who topped Rittman’s Quinton Dawson at 120, 12-8.
Fourth-place finishers for Hillsdale included Bentley Denny at 126, Jason McClure at 132, Landon Despot at 138, Reed Mager at 165 and Colt McCoy at 215.
Despot had the best day of all the Falcons, putting together a pair of pins.
Other individuals winning titles in the tournament for Waynedale were Landen Hasseman (113), fourth-ranked Brock Beckler (120), fourth-ranked Isaak Skelly (126), seventh-ranked Sebastian Schmeltzer (132), fifth-ranked Stephen Patterson (138), third-ranked Riley Greathouse (144), Lane Troyer (157), seventh-ranked Maddox Kidd (165) and Brandon Walters (HWT).
Smithville had a pair of champs in Mason Haines (175) and ninth-ranked Karsen Moore (190), while Northwestern’s Colton Morris (150) and Norwayne’s Elias Zollinger (215) were the other WCAL champs.
Next up for Hillsdale and coach Dan Mager is the Division III sectional tournament at Berkshire High School on Saturday, Feb. 28.
