Bellefontaine’s wrestling team earned a fifth-place finish to start its season Saturday at its own Jimmy Mac Duals.
The Chieftains went 1-4 on the day in the six-team dual event.
“Overall, we had some good, some bad and some ugly that went with it,” said BHS head coach Brady Hiatt. “We were a little bit of a Clint Eastwood movie today.
“Our attitude and effort was better for some than others. Some guys, who despite inexperience, wrestled very hard and we had some guys who struggled finishing matches and fighting through. That is something we have to address.”
Kettering Fairmont went 5-0 to win the tourney. Runner-up honors went to Celina with a 4-1 record and Coldwater was third with a 3-2 mark.
Bellefontaine started the day losing to Fairmont 57-22 and was dropped by Celina 76-6. The Chieftains bounced back with a 36-30 win over Van Wert, but went on to lose to Bowling Green 58-18 and Coldwater 60-21.
“It’s always fun to wrestle in front of people who love you,” said Hiatt. “Sometimes it can add a little extra pressure. We had some guys who definitely saw nerves get the better of them.
“We wrestle live for 30 to 40 minutes and are fine, but two minutes into a match and they are huffing and puffing, so they need to work on controlling that.”
Bellefontaine gave up four weight classes on Saturday and saw two wrestlers get injured during the first dual of the tournament. That heavily impacted the dual scores.
Leading the Chieftains on the mat with 3-2 records were Makayla Young (106), Carson Thomas (132), Zayne Reed (170) and Ryan Stuhlemmer (195). Reed led the way with two pins and a major decision, while Stuhlemmer had two pins.
Finishing with 2-3 records were Chelsea Horsley (113), Blayden Hurley (145) and Noah Yoesting (152) with Josh Steiner (220) also winning a match.
“Ryan had a good day and is wrestling to his strengths,” said Hiatt. “I was really happy with how Makayla and Chelsea competed. They are both giving up weight, but fought through positions and didn’t quit, which is always exciting to see.”
Bellefontaine competes again Saturday at the Findlay Invitational.