GALION — Three teams contending for the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference wrestling championship this season met on the mat Wednesday as Galion played host to Clear Fork and Pleasant.
The Tigers defeated the defending conference champion Colts 54-24, but dropped a hard fought battle against the Spartans, 39-36.
“We split with a couple tough MOAC teams,” Galion head coach Brent Tyrrell said. “Overall, we wrestled well, but we learned a lot as well. This weekend we have our first varsity tournament action. We wrestle at home in an 11-team pool tournament.”
Clear Fork won the first three weight class matches and four of the first five. Galion’s first win of the evening came at 126 pounds when Arius Swaim scored a pinfall victory against RJ Carmen in 5:09. After the Colts won the 132-pound bout, the Tigers rallied to win the next nine matches.
Aydan Reyes (138 pounds fall, :57), Brodyn Butcher (144 pounds; fall, 3:57), Sam Wegesin (150 pounds; fall, 1:51), Linkon Tyrrell (165 pounds; fall, :59), and Alex Griffith (285 pounds; fall, 1:20) each won by pinfall. Other winners for Galion during its sweep of the final nine matches included Ryder McCabe (157 pounds; 5-2 decision), Braxton Prosser (165 pounds; forfeit), Landon Campbell (190 pounds; forfeit), and Caden Roberts (215 pounds; 12-6 decision).
Pleasant won the first two matches (106 pounds and 113 pounds) by forfeit before Galion rallied with wins by Kiddren Clark at 120 pounds (fall, :20) and Arius Swaim at 126 pounds (fall, 1:41) to knot the score at 12-12.
Pleasant’s Daxton Chase (fall, :55), Anwar Ali (5-2 decision), and Skylar Wolf (fall, 6:04) gave the Spartans wins at 132 pounds, 138 pounds, and 144 pounds, respectively, that allowed them to regain the lead, 27-12.
Galion wrestlers won five of the final seven bouts, but the Tigers came up just short in the end. Sam Wegesin (150 pounds; 8-7 decision), Linkon Tyrrell (165 pounds; 9-2 decision), Landon Campbell (190 pounds; fall, 2:27), Caden Roberts (215 pounds; fall, :47), and Alex Griffith (285 pounds; fall, 1:18) each won their matches.
Galion will host an 11-team tournament on Saturday. Schools scheduled to compete include Bellevue, Big Walnut, Buckeye Central, Lakewood, Mansfield Senior, Marion Harding, Greenfield McClain, Norwalk, Shelby, and Van Wert. Wrestling begins at 10 a.m.
