Cluff, Rawlins win sectional titles; 10 qualify for districts
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
WASHINGTON C.H. — The Hillsboro Indians and McClain Tigers each had a sectional champion crowned at the 2019 SE District Sectional Tournament held at Washington High School, where Lane Cluff and Kade Rawlins left on top of the podium.
Hillsboro senior Cluff won his second straight sectional 285-pound championship as he was 3-0 on the day, and Rawlins, a McClain sophomore, won at 220 pounds for his first sectional championship.
The 285-pound weight class saw Cluff pin Waverly’s Michael Davis by pin in 33 seconds. In the semifinals, Cluff defeated Miami Trace’s Grant DeBruin by pin at 1:16. Cluff won a sectional championship with a first-place match win over Collin Roar of Logan Elm by pin at 1:35.
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“Lane Cluff did a good job. He ended up getting his second sectional title today,” HHS head coach Greg Rhoads said. “We had a talk today about making every match feel like it was the state finals – the way we prepare, the way we wrestle, the way we act.”
Rawlins in the 220-pound quarterfinals won by pin over Zak Green of Waverly at 1:59. Rawlins won his semifinal match against Jaiden Rittenger of Zane Trace by pin at 4:29. Rawlins won a sectional championship with a 4-1 decision over Mason Mustain of Washington in the first-place match.
As a team, the Tigers placed fourth overall with a score of 153, while the Indians were eighth place at 70. Winning the team sectional championship was Miami Trace at 202.5. In second was Logan Elm at 194.5, and in third place was Fairfield Union with a score of 182.5.
In fifth place was Westfall at 142.5, followed by Washington at 118 and Zane Trace in seventh at 83. In ninth place was Unioto with a score of 53, followed by Circleville (17) and Waverly (6).
Highland County also had three sectional runners-up in McClain’s Lucas Jensen (120) and Jake Krafthefer (138) and Hillsboro’s Richard Adkins (160).
In all, Highland County had 10 wrestlers become district qualifiers with a finish of fourth place or better, with eight from McClain and two from Hillsboro.
“The team overachieved from what I expected at the sectionals. We entered 11 into the tournament, and all 11 placed,” McClain head coach Shane Paul said. “We have eight wrestlers that qualified and will have their name on a line in the district tournament brackets.
“We also have one alternate who will need some luck getting on a line in the bracket, but he is still alive in the tournament, and if he gets in the tournament he will be ready. So that gives us nine wrestlers moving on to the districts, with three finalists and one champion. We will put in a good week of practice and work toward advancing some wrestlers on to the state tournament.”
In the 120-pound weight class, McClain’s Lucas Jansen won in the quarterfinal round by defeating Nick Lane of Fairfield Union by pin at the 1:42 mark of the match. Jansen won his semifinal match as well by defeating Washington’s Collin George by decision at 12-9. Jensen lost in the first-place match to Westfall’s Chanston Moll by pin at the 55-second mark of the first period, earning a sectional runner-up honor.
At 138 pounds, McClain’s Jake Krafthefer won in the quarterfinals over Jordan Rohrer of Washington in nine seconds by pin. Krafthefer won by decision in the semifinals over Nathaniel McCandlish at 7-6. Krafthefer placed second overall with a first-place match loss to Mcale Callahan of Miami Trace by pin at 1:08.
The 160-pound weight class had Hillsboro’s Richard Adkins win via bye in the quarterfinals. Adkins won the semifinals by a 6-4 decision over Lucas List of Westfall. Adkins placed second overall with a first-place match loss to James Munro of Miami Trace by pin at 1:07.
“Richard Adkins had a great match in the semifinals where he avenged a loss from earlier in the season,” Rhoads said. “He looks good and is peaking at the right time. We are excited for what next week holds for him and to see if we can punch a ticket to state.”
McClain’s Ethan Burns wrestled at 113 pounds in the sectionals and won his quarterfinal match against Logan Elm’s Logan Laux with a pin at 4:29. Burns lost in the semifinal match to Washington’s Brandon Dawes by pin at 13 seconds. Burns fought back in the consolation semifinal match and won against Titus Lehr of Miami Trace in 8 seconds of the first round by pin. Burns placed third overall with a win by pin over Laux in the third-place match at the 1:13 mark of the first period.
The 145-pound weight class saw McClain’s Quinton Smith win via bye in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Smith lost to Peyton Bennett of Logan Elm at 7-0. Smith won by pin over Cory Picklesimer of Westfall at 2:34 in the consolation semifinals. Smith placed third overall with a third-place match win over Jayden LeBeau of Miami Trace by pin at 52 seconds.
Hillsboro’s Isaac Lewis wrestled at 126 pounds, losing in the quarterfinals to Westfall’s Marcus Whaley by pin at 3:37. Lewis returned to the mat in the third consolation match to win by pinfall over Circleville’s Timmy Clements at 2:30. Lewis lost in the consolation semifinals to Logan Elm’s Dylan Hartranft by pin at 1:40. Lewis won his fifth place match against Kaleb Frankopolous of Zane Trace by pin at 3:14 for fourth place overall.
Also at 195 pounds, Hillsboro’s Garrett Fannin lost to Nathan Allen of Westfall by pin at 1:34 in the quarterfinals. Fannin won by major decision in the third consolation match by a 12-2 score over Fairfield Union’s Wyatt Carpenter. Fannin lost in the consolation semifinal to Washington’s Collier Brown by an 8-4 decision. Fannin placed fifth overall with a win by default.
“Garrett Fannin and Isaac Lewis are alternates for us. Lewis wrestled tough, and he got out of position on a kid that we were beating and had beaten earlier in the year,” Rhoads said. “We drop that match and have to go through the two seed to get out, so we didn’t do ourselves any favors. Like I said before, it’s a kid who constantly is improving, and I love his attitude and looking forward to next year if we don’t get in. Garrett lost two matches that we were in and felt like we had a chance, it just didn’t pan out for us.”
In the 182-pound weight class McClain’s Phil Waters won by bye in the quarterfinals. Waters lost in the semifinals by pin at 5:00 to Jordan Beyer of Fairfield Union. Waters in the consolation semifinals won over Christian Algoe of Logan Elm by a 9-2 decision. Trefz placed fourth overall with a third-place match loss to by a 9-2 decision.
Dawson Jansen of McClain wrestled in the 132-pound weight class, where he won by pin fall in the quarterfinals by defeating Circleville’s Lucky Donaldson by pin at 1:53. Jansen lost in the semifinals to Zane Trace’s Jordan Hoselton by pin at 1:32. Jansen came back and won in the consolation semifinals over Fairfield Union’s Robert Hoover by pin at 1:29. Jansen lost his third-place match against Donaldson by pin at 50 seconds for fourth place.
McClain’s Kai Borrelli lost in the 285-pound quarterfinals to Noah Dehainaut of Fairfield Union by pin at 1:52. In the consolation semifinals, Borrelli lost to Grant DeBruin of MTHS by pin at 1:39. Borrelli won his fifth-place match over Mike Davis of Waverly by pin at 53 seconds for a fourth-place finish.
The 195-pound weight class saw McClain’s Kyler Trefz lose in the quarterfinals to Washington’s Collier Brown by a 3-2 decision. Trefz won by a 3-2 score in the third consolation round over Miami Trace’s David Tyndall. Trefz went back to the mat and won again, this time in the consolation semifinals over Nathan Allen of Westfall via pin at 3:04. Fannin placed fifth overall with a win in the fifth-place match over Nathan Allen of Westfall by a default decision.
Nathan Franz of McClain wrestled at 152 pounds and won in the quarterfinals with a pin victory over Jaden Hall of Westfall at the 3:10 mark of the match. Franz lost in the semifinals by a 4-1 score to Kalub Wilkerson of Washington. In the consolation semifinal, Franz lost to Logan Elm’s Andrew Burns by major decision at 9-0. Franz placed sixth overall as he lost in the fifth-place match to Dawson Wallace of MTHS by a 9-7 decision.
Tanner Tite of McClain wrestled in the quarterfinals of the 170-pound weight class, where he lost by pin to Jeff King of Fairfield Union at 1:53. Tite won in the third consolation against Unioto’s Bryan Book by forfeit. In the consolation semifinals, Tite lost by pin to Westfall’s Scotty Mulkey at 1:48 by pin. Tite placed sixth overall with a fifth-place match loss to Jeff King by pin at 2:34.
In the first round at 120 pounds, Hillsboro’s Tanner Warner pinned Waverly’s Abbi Montgomery at the 45-second mark of the first period. In the quarterfinal round, Warner was defeated by Westfall’s Chanston Moll by technical fall (16-0). Warner lost in the third consolation by pin fall to Logan Elm’s Blake Holzschuh at the 2:49 mark of the match.
“Tanner Warner had a great tournament and a great end of the year. We didn’t make it out this time, and it’s tough to watch people we beat make it out, but I believe he gained some confidence after this tournament,” Rhoads said.
The district tournament will take place Friday and Saturday at Wilmington High School, with the Top 4 placers of each weight class qualifying for the state tournament.
Hillsboro senior Cluff won his second straight sectional 285-pound championship as he was 3-0 on the day, and Rawlins, a McClain sophomore, won at 220 pounds for his first sectional championship.
The 285-pound weight class saw Cluff pin Waverly’s Michael Davis by pin in 33 seconds. In the semifinals, Cluff defeated Miami Trace’s Grant DeBruin by pin at 1:16. Cluff won a sectional championship with a first-place match win over Collin Roar of Logan Elm by pin at 1:35.
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“Lane Cluff did a good job. He ended up getting his second sectional title today,” HHS head coach Greg Rhoads said. “We had a talk today about making every match feel like it was the state finals – the way we prepare, the way we wrestle, the way we act.”
Rawlins in the 220-pound quarterfinals won by pin over Zak Green of Waverly at 1:59. Rawlins won his semifinal match against Jaiden Rittenger of Zane Trace by pin at 4:29. Rawlins won a sectional championship with a 4-1 decision over Mason Mustain of Washington in the first-place match.
As a team, the Tigers placed fourth overall with a score of 153, while the Indians were eighth place at 70. Winning the team sectional championship was Miami Trace at 202.5. In second was Logan Elm at 194.5, and in third place was Fairfield Union with a score of 182.5.
In fifth place was Westfall at 142.5, followed by Washington at 118 and Zane Trace in seventh at 83. In ninth place was Unioto with a score of 53, followed by Circleville (17) and Waverly (6).
Highland County also had three sectional runners-up in McClain’s Lucas Jensen (120) and Jake Krafthefer (138) and Hillsboro’s Richard Adkins (160).
In all, Highland County had 10 wrestlers become district qualifiers with a finish of fourth place or better, with eight from McClain and two from Hillsboro.
“The team overachieved from what I expected at the sectionals. We entered 11 into the tournament, and all 11 placed,” McClain head coach Shane Paul said. “We have eight wrestlers that qualified and will have their name on a line in the district tournament brackets.
“We also have one alternate who will need some luck getting on a line in the bracket, but he is still alive in the tournament, and if he gets in the tournament he will be ready. So that gives us nine wrestlers moving on to the districts, with three finalists and one champion. We will put in a good week of practice and work toward advancing some wrestlers on to the state tournament.”
In the 120-pound weight class, McClain’s Lucas Jansen won in the quarterfinal round by defeating Nick Lane of Fairfield Union by pin at the 1:42 mark of the match. Jansen won his semifinal match as well by defeating Washington’s Collin George by decision at 12-9. Jensen lost in the first-place match to Westfall’s Chanston Moll by pin at the 55-second mark of the first period, earning a sectional runner-up honor.
At 138 pounds, McClain’s Jake Krafthefer won in the quarterfinals over Jordan Rohrer of Washington in nine seconds by pin. Krafthefer won by decision in the semifinals over Nathaniel McCandlish at 7-6. Krafthefer placed second overall with a first-place match loss to Mcale Callahan of Miami Trace by pin at 1:08.
The 160-pound weight class had Hillsboro’s Richard Adkins win via bye in the quarterfinals. Adkins won the semifinals by a 6-4 decision over Lucas List of Westfall. Adkins placed second overall with a first-place match loss to James Munro of Miami Trace by pin at 1:07.
“Richard Adkins had a great match in the semifinals where he avenged a loss from earlier in the season,” Rhoads said. “He looks good and is peaking at the right time. We are excited for what next week holds for him and to see if we can punch a ticket to state.”
McClain’s Ethan Burns wrestled at 113 pounds in the sectionals and won his quarterfinal match against Logan Elm’s Logan Laux with a pin at 4:29. Burns lost in the semifinal match to Washington’s Brandon Dawes by pin at 13 seconds. Burns fought back in the consolation semifinal match and won against Titus Lehr of Miami Trace in 8 seconds of the first round by pin. Burns placed third overall with a win by pin over Laux in the third-place match at the 1:13 mark of the first period.
The 145-pound weight class saw McClain’s Quinton Smith win via bye in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Smith lost to Peyton Bennett of Logan Elm at 7-0. Smith won by pin over Cory Picklesimer of Westfall at 2:34 in the consolation semifinals. Smith placed third overall with a third-place match win over Jayden LeBeau of Miami Trace by pin at 52 seconds.
Hillsboro’s Isaac Lewis wrestled at 126 pounds, losing in the quarterfinals to Westfall’s Marcus Whaley by pin at 3:37. Lewis returned to the mat in the third consolation match to win by pinfall over Circleville’s Timmy Clements at 2:30. Lewis lost in the consolation semifinals to Logan Elm’s Dylan Hartranft by pin at 1:40. Lewis won his fifth place match against Kaleb Frankopolous of Zane Trace by pin at 3:14 for fourth place overall.
Also at 195 pounds, Hillsboro’s Garrett Fannin lost to Nathan Allen of Westfall by pin at 1:34 in the quarterfinals. Fannin won by major decision in the third consolation match by a 12-2 score over Fairfield Union’s Wyatt Carpenter. Fannin lost in the consolation semifinal to Washington’s Collier Brown by an 8-4 decision. Fannin placed fifth overall with a win by default.
“Garrett Fannin and Isaac Lewis are alternates for us. Lewis wrestled tough, and he got out of position on a kid that we were beating and had beaten earlier in the year,” Rhoads said. “We drop that match and have to go through the two seed to get out, so we didn’t do ourselves any favors. Like I said before, it’s a kid who constantly is improving, and I love his attitude and looking forward to next year if we don’t get in. Garrett lost two matches that we were in and felt like we had a chance, it just didn’t pan out for us.”
In the 182-pound weight class McClain’s Phil Waters won by bye in the quarterfinals. Waters lost in the semifinals by pin at 5:00 to Jordan Beyer of Fairfield Union. Waters in the consolation semifinals won over Christian Algoe of Logan Elm by a 9-2 decision. Trefz placed fourth overall with a third-place match loss to by a 9-2 decision.
Dawson Jansen of McClain wrestled in the 132-pound weight class, where he won by pin fall in the quarterfinals by defeating Circleville’s Lucky Donaldson by pin at 1:53. Jansen lost in the semifinals to Zane Trace’s Jordan Hoselton by pin at 1:32. Jansen came back and won in the consolation semifinals over Fairfield Union’s Robert Hoover by pin at 1:29. Jansen lost his third-place match against Donaldson by pin at 50 seconds for fourth place.
McClain’s Kai Borrelli lost in the 285-pound quarterfinals to Noah Dehainaut of Fairfield Union by pin at 1:52. In the consolation semifinals, Borrelli lost to Grant DeBruin of MTHS by pin at 1:39. Borrelli won his fifth-place match over Mike Davis of Waverly by pin at 53 seconds for a fourth-place finish.
The 195-pound weight class saw McClain’s Kyler Trefz lose in the quarterfinals to Washington’s Collier Brown by a 3-2 decision. Trefz won by a 3-2 score in the third consolation round over Miami Trace’s David Tyndall. Trefz went back to the mat and won again, this time in the consolation semifinals over Nathan Allen of Westfall via pin at 3:04. Fannin placed fifth overall with a win in the fifth-place match over Nathan Allen of Westfall by a default decision.
Nathan Franz of McClain wrestled at 152 pounds and won in the quarterfinals with a pin victory over Jaden Hall of Westfall at the 3:10 mark of the match. Franz lost in the semifinals by a 4-1 score to Kalub Wilkerson of Washington. In the consolation semifinal, Franz lost to Logan Elm’s Andrew Burns by major decision at 9-0. Franz placed sixth overall as he lost in the fifth-place match to Dawson Wallace of MTHS by a 9-7 decision.
Tanner Tite of McClain wrestled in the quarterfinals of the 170-pound weight class, where he lost by pin to Jeff King of Fairfield Union at 1:53. Tite won in the third consolation against Unioto’s Bryan Book by forfeit. In the consolation semifinals, Tite lost by pin to Westfall’s Scotty Mulkey at 1:48 by pin. Tite placed sixth overall with a fifth-place match loss to Jeff King by pin at 2:34.
In the first round at 120 pounds, Hillsboro’s Tanner Warner pinned Waverly’s Abbi Montgomery at the 45-second mark of the first period. In the quarterfinal round, Warner was defeated by Westfall’s Chanston Moll by technical fall (16-0). Warner lost in the third consolation by pin fall to Logan Elm’s Blake Holzschuh at the 2:49 mark of the match.
“Tanner Warner had a great tournament and a great end of the year. We didn’t make it out this time, and it’s tough to watch people we beat make it out, but I believe he gained some confidence after this tournament,” Rhoads said.
The district tournament will take place Friday and Saturday at Wilmington High School, with the Top 4 placers of each weight class qualifying for the state tournament.