Junior high grapplers' season off to successful start

Summerland junior high Bobcat wrestlers started the season with a meet in Battle Creek.

On Nov. 7, three girls and 10 boys earned hardware.

In the girls under 100-pound category, Lenora Kester earned first place, earning three wins by fall.

In round one, Kester defeated Hannah Marten, of Pierce, in 2:30. She followed up with a win against Alexandria Huwaldt, Pierce, in 2:27. In round three, she defeated Manuela Vicente, of Wakefield, in :29.

Raina Krebs placed first in the girls' 200 class.

Sydni McConnell placed fourth in the 100-110 division.

McConnell lost, by fall, in :40, to Ella Reeves of Battle Creek in the first round. During a round-two match, Mia Sackville, Pierce, won, by fall, in :20. In round three, Zoey Ebmeier earned a win, by fall, in :37.

Connor Thompson finished first in the 110-112 division.

Thomson earned two wins by fall. In round one, he won over Jaden Sievers, of Wakefield, in :30 and in the second round, Thomson earned a victory, by fall, in :25, over Ponca's Thomas Beavers.

Wyatt Shabram earned silver in the 95-102 division. Shabram started competition with a 10-2 major decision over Holden Velez, of Ponca.

In round two, Jackson White, of Pierce, earned a 4-1 decision over Shabram.

Shayne Jenkins placed second in the 132-140 class. He started with a win, by fall, in :58, over Braydon Morton, of Ponca and earned a 4-2 decision over Blayze Meyer, of Pierce, in the second round. Mason Lamprecht, Wakefield, earned a win, by fall, in 1:00, in round three.

Matt Umphress finished second in the 139-140 class.

Following a first-round bye, Casey Schnebel, of Battle Creek, earned a 5-0 decision over Umphress. In round three, Umphress won, by fall, in :45, over Cael Johnson, of Wakefield.

Cash Wickersham placed second in the 136-142 division.

He started the meet with a loss, by fall, in :46, by Conner Neuhalfen, of Battle Creek. In the second round, Wickersham claimed a win, by fall, in 1:57, over Ruben Vega, of Wakefield.

Keaton Thiele earned silver in the 144-153 division. He started competition with a win, by fall, in :37, over Jesse Lundahl, of Wakefield. In round three, Jaxon Mettler, of Battle Creek, pinned Thiele in 1:57.

AJ Hobbs went one and one in the 161-178 class. After a first-round bye, Hobbs won, by fall, in :53, over Bradyn Schwartz, Pierce. In the third round, Battle Creek's Gavin Olson defeated Hobbs, by fall, in 2:22.

Ethan Kester finished third in the 108-112 division.

In the first round, Pierce's Brendan Bolling picked up a 3-0 decision. Kester lost a 9-2 decision to Ayden Wintz, Battle Creek, in round two. In the final round, Kester won, by fall, in 2:47, over Elijah Streff, Pierce.

Logan Kester placed third in the 116-121 division.

Hudson Last, Battle Creek, earned a 7-2 decision over Kester in the first round. In the third round, Jackson Fischer, of Pierce, won by a 4-1 margin.

Parker Napier finished fourth place in the 98-106 class.

In the first round, Napier dropped a 9-8 decision to Nolan Schweers, of Ponca. Napier earned a second-round decision, 14-7, over Haiden Hurlbert of Battle Creek. In round three, Colton Campbell, of Laurel-Concord-Coleridge, earned a 16-5 major decision.