By Cort Reynolds
BLUFFTON - Tournament host Bluffton finished a solid sixth at the 11-team Allen County Invitational wrestling meet this past Saturday.
Powerhouse Allen East won the tournament crown with 400.5 points. The Mustangs far out-distanced second-place Spencerville (215), with Shawnee in third (210).
The Pirates ended up with 125 points to tie Elida for sixth.
Pirate freshman Thayne Kleman went 3-0 with three pins at 106 lbs. to win his bracket title.
Bluffton junior Tayton Kleman finished 3-1 with three pins at 113 lbs. to finish second in his weight class.
Pirate sophomore Kaden Basil took third in the 132 lbs. division. He won two pool play bouts via pin, and captured another match by a 14-1 decision.
Basil lost in the semifinals, but won by default in the third-place match.
At 195 lbs., Bluffton sophomore Trent Howard finished fifth. He went 1-2 in preliminary round matches, then won the fifth-place bout by pin.
Tourney champion AE won six of the 14 individual weight class titles at the competition.
Allen County Invite Team Standings:
1. Allen East 400.5 points
2. Spencerville 215
3. Shawnee 210
4. Delphos Jefferson 190
5. Delphos St. John's 138
6. tie Bluffton 125; Elida 125
8. Bath 117
9. LCC 109
10. Lima Senior 107
11. Pandora-Gilboa 16
The Bluffton matmen compete at the Defiance meet Friday and Saturday, December 27-28.
