After a dramatic win over Indian Lake at the state duals last Wednesday, Bellefontaine’s wrestling team rode that momentum to a third-place finish Saturday at the 24th annual Benjamin Logan Raider Invitational.
Urbana won the 17-team tournament with nine placers and two champions. The Hillclimbers ended with 161 points. Graham’s B squad came in second with 143 points, while Bellefontaine was two points behind in third with 141 points. Ben Logan finished 10th with 78 points.
In the second year with a bracket-style format, the Raider Invitational proved to be another tough test. Graham’s B team along with defending Division III state champions Dayton Christian added depth and talent to the field.
“I felt there was good wrestling throughout the tournament,” said BL head coach Kyle Seeley. “Top to bottom it was solid in specific weight classes. We had several state placers that were challenged in the finals and other district qualifiers that had tough matches.”
Bellefontaine did not have any wrestlers in the finals for first place, despite seven semifinalists, but depth proved to be a key factor. The Chieftains placed 10 out of 12 wrestlers and went 7-3 in the finals Saturday afternoon.
“It was a big week for us,” said Bellefontaine head coach Aaron LaBatt. “We had some momentum after the state duals and wrestled very well on Friday night. “We didn’t wrestle so well in the semifinals, but we bounced back after that with a lot of pins.
“We were really pleased with how our guys responded after a poor semifinals performance. It was a good team performance and a boost for our kids to walk away with a trophy.”
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ABOVE: Benjamin Logan’s Mason Plikerd holds down Urbana’s Timmy Sidders during the 160-pound championship match. HOME PAGE SLIDE SHOW PHOTO: Bellefontaine’s Lance Houchin works to pin Tecumseh’s Caleb Young during their 152-pound thirdplace match in Saturday’s Raider Invitational. (EXAMINER PHOTOS | MATT HAMMOND) |
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