by Beau Wicker
Area wrestlers will compete in the Logansport Regional on Saturday in the Berry Bowl.
One win will mean a guaranteed top-four finish and a trip to next week’s Merrillville Semistate.
“It boils down to a one-match tournament,” Logan coach Frank Patacsil said. “As far as we’re concerned, our goal is to qualify everyone for the semistate, and you’ve got to do that by winning that first match. Obviously we want all the kids to be champions, but we’re saying you’ve got to win that first match or your season’s over in that tournament.”
Logansport has a defending regional champion in junior Brandon Preston. Last season Preston won the title in the 103-pound weight class, but this year he’s wrestling at 112.
“He’s got to go out and perform,” Patacsil said. “At least in this area, he’s a pretty well-known kid, so it’s not like he’s sneaking up on anyone. They know about him. So he’s got to step up and perform, as does everyone else.”
Pioneer has a defending regional champion in junior Owen Dorris. Last season Dorris won the 135-pound weight class, and now he competes at 140.
Other returning semistate qualifiers from a year ago include Logansport’s Ulises Contreras (130) and Kegan Clark (heavyweight), Winamac’s Robert Hartley (125), Pioneer’s Aaron Wagoner (145) and Lewis Cass’ Derrick Worden (160).
At last weekend’s Twin Lakes Sectional the top four individual finishers advanced.
For Logansport, Preston, Logan Baldini (125) and Derrick McQuiston (189) won individual titles, Contreras, Clark and Frank Martinez (135) each finished runner-up, Chris Espinoza (140) placed third, Dalton Christenson (171) and John Lawrence (215) placed fourth.
For Cass, Worden claimed his second straight sectional title and Jacob Reed (112), Cody McGehee (125) and Austin Moorman (145) each placed fourth to advance.
For Pioneer, Dorris repeated as a sectional champ and Nathan Nethercutt (171) was runner-up, Wagoner and Justin Johnson (119) placed third and Anthony Baxter (152), Phillip Whitlock (189) and John Mangum (heavyweight) placed fourth.
For Caston, Wil Holloway (130) repeated as sectional champ and Dylan Berkshire (119) also claimed a sectional title, David McMenamin (145) finished runner-up, Austin Ault (160) placed third and Kyle Harvey (103) placed fourth.
For Winamac, Zac Dix (heavyweight) was a sectional champ, Hartley, Quentin Chapman (140) and Matt Tolson (215) each were runner-up, Bryce Hoover (152) placed third and Shawn Mickey (135) placed fourth.
