MIDDLEFIELD—Harvey earned a top-four on Saturday at Cardinal’s Russ Ward Memorial Tournament. The host Huskies finished seventh and Wickliffe placed ninth as a team.
Led by Carl Sicker, who won the 126-pound championship, Harvey placed eight wrestlers among the top four at their individual weight classes.
“We are so pleased with our performance,” Harvey coach Van McWreath said. “We have 26 wrestlers out this year and many of them are new to the sport. We have really been focusing on the basics and spending more time working on riding in the referee’s position. I think it paid off this weekend at Cardinal.”
Sicker won his title with a pin and two major decisions.
“Carl Sicker and his brother Tom both decided to follow our senior David Boykin and run cross country this year,” McWreath said. “Tom unfortunately got a stress fracture and won’t be back to wrestle for a few more weeks. Carl has come into the season in great shape and very focused. He was impressive this weekend.”
Harvey’s other place winners included Anthony McIntire (3rd at 106), David Boykin (4th at 113), Elijah Rowdy (3rd at 120), Adam Begay (4th at 160), Ricardo Valdez (3rd at 182), Trevor Purcell (4th at 195) and Alberto Reynoso (3rd at 220).
Cardinal had four wrestlers finish among the top four.
“We’re young and we made some mistakes but I was pleased,” Cardinal coach Jeff Zeigler said. “We’re still struggling in the finals so we definitely have to address that. We wrestle well all day and then in the finals, we struggle. The guys wrestled hard. It’s definitely a good group to coach. We will improve.”
Ty Zeigler and Jerry Rose both earned runner-up finishes.
Zeigler was 3-1 with two pins at 106 pounds. His only loss was to eventual champion Cody Cuerbo, a junior high state champion last winter. Rose finished 2-1 at 170 pounds with a 2-1 loss to Madison’s Brody Arrundale in the championship bout.
“I thought Ty had an excellent day. He really stepped it up and wrestled well all day. He got beat by a very good wrestler,” Coach Zeigler said. “Rose earned another tournament place. He made it to the finals and it could have gone either way.”
Austin Strever finished third at 132 and Trevor Bachna was fourth at 138.
“Strever was the only win we had in the finals, so I can’t say enough about that,” Zeigler said. “He was excellent and really battled hard all day. He won some matches he was losing and that a showed a lot of character. Bachna had a great day too. That was his second tournament and he placed again. I have to remember he’s just a second-year wrestler. He’s doing really well.”
Wickliffe’s Ernest Landi won the 145-pound championship with a pair of pins.
