BY GENE NARDI
On Wednesday, Jan. 25, the Wellington High School wrestling team traveled to host Seminole Ridge High School, where their meet went back and forth between the various weight classes. In the end, Wellington came out ahead 42-30.
The Wolverines (12-3) had the advantage in the lighter weight categories, while the Hawks dominated the heavier classes. The meet featured several state-ranked wrestlers.
Wellington’s ninth-ranked Jacob Treanor, who typically represents the 152-pound class, wrestled at 145 pounds due to fifth-ranked Eric Reid being out with a knee injury. Treanor defeated Seminole Ridge’s Danny Pazos by fall in the first period.
The Wolverines added 12 more points with back-to-back forfeits in the 152-pound and 160-pound divisions. Mitchell Clark wrestled up a weight class for the Hawks as a 170-pounder, but is ranked 10th in the 160-pound class. He defeated Wellington’s Jake Pilat by decision 7-4.
Also, 10th-ranked Eric Saber wrestled up a class for the Wolverines from 170 pounds to the 182-pound class and defeated 13th-ranked Devon McMinns by fall in the second period.
The Hawks (10-17) won the remaining upper weight divisions. Juan Hernandez pinned Wellington’s Alex Zepeda in the 195-pound class. In the 220-pound division, Jethro Joseph won by first-period fall over Jacob Thomas, and Nelson Sutton won by first-period fall over Preston Morrow in the 285-pound weight division.
Wellington won the next three matches. Jesse Weinberg took a 5-3 decision over Hilton Luciano in the 106-pound class. In the 113-pound division, Tony Widrig grabbed a forfeit for the Wolverines, and Justin Henry won by second-period fall over Jayla Coombs in the 120-pound weight division.
Seminole Ridge took the next two matches. In the 126-pound weight class, Hunter Claunch won by third-period fall over Nicolas Strada, and Micah Trujillo won by 9-8 decision over Matt Soares in the 132-pound division. Finally, 13th-ranked Cameryn Townsend narrowly defeated John Arnold 4-3 in the 138-pound weight class for Wellington to seal the 42-30 win.
ABOVE: In the 285-pound division, Seminole Ridge’s Nelson Sutton tries to pin Wellington’s Preston Morrow with a head and arm technique.
