Boys Best of the Week: Highland, Pleasant wrestlers fare well
SPARTA — The Highland Scots sent an early message to the rest of the wrestling programs in the area and in the Central District.
Highland won the Tom Ellis Classic at Madison over the weekend, collectively winning 42 matches.
Taking championships for the Scots were Caleb Wetzel at 138 pounds, Cael Gilmore at 144 and Rem Baker at 157, while finishing as runners-up were Konner Blaney at 113, Matthew Scarberry at 150 and Ethan Taylor at 190. Other placers were Brendan Lester at 120 for third, Landon Pedigo at 285 for third, Jacob Wymer at 157 for fourth, Hunter Taylor at 215 for fifth and Jacob Garber at 132 for sixth.
Pleasant also made a statement, finishing fifth out of 17 teams at a tournament in Mount Vernon despite having just eight healthy bodies as sickness decimated the lineup for the Spartans. Of the eight, six earned place finishes with Daxton Chase and Julien Griffith earning championships.
Here are some other highlights from around the area over the last week with high school boys teams and athletes:
∎ Marion Harding's bowlers picked up a pair of wins. The Presidents beat Galion 2,092-1,624 at Cooper's Bowl. Jayden Combs paced the squad with a 225-213 438, while Gavin Houseworth had a 224-191 415, Cameron Rayner a 359 and Jacob Beaschler a 357.
The Prexies also brought home the Route 4 Trophy after beating Sandusky 2,843-2,463 at Cedar Lanes. Combs posted a 234-210 444, Rayner a 180-258 438, Houseworth a 204-177 381 and Austen Valentine a 155-206 361.
∎ Braden Rhodes rolled a 307 series for North Union in a 2,489-1,624 loss to Urbana.
∎ Ridgedale's Bryce Harmon shot a 164 game and 324 series as the Rockets fell to Mount Gilead 2,106-1,612.
∎ In basketball, Mount Gilead trailed Danville 56-48 entering the fourth quarter and came back to post a 77-75 victory. Matthew Bland nailed seven 3-pointers and finished with 36 points for the Indians, while Aaron Gannon made four from the arc and had 22 points. In a 70-55 win over Loudonville, Bland posted 23 points, Gannon 20 and Rowan Fitzpatrick 17.
∎ River Valley rolled to a 69-38 win over Clear Fork as Carson Smith scored 22, Carson Myers 16, Brock Mosher nine and Sawyer Weston eight.
∎ In the 56-53 overtime win over Ridgedale, Elgin's Isaac Dillon pulled down 10 rebounds, all on the offensive end, while Carson Rife had seven rebounds and seven assists, and Stephen Castillo had three steals.
∎ Marion Harding led 38-23 at halftime and cruised to a 72-57 win over Galion. Marquis Long led the Prexies with 21, while Marcus Hemphill and Jeff Jones posted 11 each. In a 62-46 loss to Delaware Hayes, Long scored 15 and Jones 10.
∎ Gilead Christian controlled Temple Christian 53-23 as Diesel Myers scored 17 and Caleb Hunter had 12 points and four assists. The Eagles are 2-2.
∎ Centerburg clipped Northmor 51-49. Jaxon Wenger scored 12 for Northmor, while Maxton Lower had 10 and Hunter Fulk nine.
∎ Highland's Brock Church dropped a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Scots to a 39-36 win over Fredericktown. He finished with 10 points, while Gavin Toombs led with 14, and Zach Church added eight. Highland led 29-28 entering the fourth quarter, but saw Ontario pull away late for a 51-39 win. Ontario scored 18 of its 23 points in the fourth period at the foul line. Brock Church and Toombs scored 11 points apiece.
∎ Cardington rolled to a 57-34 win over Ridgedale, holding the Rockets to a combined seven points in the second and fourth quarters. A.J. Hall with 16 and A.J. Brehm with 15 paced Cardington in scoring, while Nathan Thiel with 13 and Gavin Parish with eight led the Rockets.
∎ North Union's Max Parish put up 16 points, Nolan Draper 14, Mikes Hall 11 and Tyler Krebehenne nine in a 67-33 victory over Benjamin Logan.
Coaches and statisticians are encouraged to send their game results to the Marion Star's Rob McCurdy at rmccurdy@gannett.com, 419-610-0998, Twitter @McMotorsport and Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star.
Marion Star Boys Performer of the Week Poll, vote:
Mount Gilead basketball's Matthew Bland dropped 7 3-pointers and 36 points on Danville in a come-from-behind victory.
Highland basketball's Brock Church hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift his team to a victory and score 10 points against Fredericktown.
Marion Harding basketball's Marquis Long produced 21 points in a win over Galion.
River Valley basketball's Carson Smith scored 22 points in a win over Clear Fork.
Voting continues at MarionStar.com and it app through early Sunday morning.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Boys Best of the Week: Highland, Pleasant wrestlers fare well
