By Cort Reynolds

ROSSFORD__The Bluffton High School wrestling team sent six grapplers to the double elimination Div. III tournament at Rossford Friday and Saturday, March 1-2.

A top-four finish in any weight bracket advances a wrestler to the state meet at Ohio State University‘s Schottenstein Center in Columbus March 8-10. However, no Bluffton wrestlers made it to state.

Three Pirates won their first round match but fell in the next two rounds. One lost his first bout, then rebounded to win three in a row and advance to the fifth-place bout. 

The other two Pirate matmen lost twice on Friday to be eliminated on day one of the two-day event.

Senior Kyle Basil posted the best Bluffton showing by finishing sixth in the 190 lbs. division.

Basil lost his first round bout by technical fall 16-1 to Delta junior Connor Sintobin. In the first consolation round of the 190 bracket, Basil pinned freshman Hayden Butcher of Bucyrus in 2:07.

In the second consolation round Saturday, he pinned Monroeville junior Ian Patchen at 1:25 to advance. Basil then decisioned Tristen Nickoli of St. Paul by a 7-5 count to keep his state hopes alive.

But Basil then lost to Evergreen senior Grant Richardson 2-1 to fall into the fifth-place bout, just missing out on a top-four finish and state qualification had he beaten Richardson. 

In that match he lost to Millbury Lake senior Walker Howell by pin at 3:38 to finish sixth.

Basil finished the tournament with a 3-3 record, and ended his season 34-11.

Sophomore Wyatt Knauss pinned freshman Adam Foster in 3:39 in the first round of the 113 lbs. bracket. He then lost in the quarterfinals by pin to South Central junior Diton Farnsworth at 1:07.

Knauss then wrestled freshman Logan McBride of Eastwood in the second consolation round and fell by pin at 46 seconds to be eliminated. 

Knauss ended his season with a 24-16 record.

Freshman Mason Shank pinned fellow freshman Jayden Ash in 3:38 in the first round of the 215 lbs. class. Ayersville senior Abe DeLano then pinned Shank at 32 seconds in the quarterfinals.

In the second consolation round, he lost by 6-2 decision to senior Scott Smith of Oak Harbor. Shak ended his campaign at 18-18.

Freshman Branden Cross edged Hicksville junior Braedon Dix by a 4-3 decision in the first round of the 120 lbs. class. Cross then lost by 7-0 decision to Otsego senior Trevor Wilcox in the quarterfinals to fall into the consolation bracket.

In the second consolation round, Milan Edison junior Quentin Cox knocked Cros out of the tourney with a 6-4 decision. Cross ended his season with a record of 25-14.

Junior Jett Blackburn lost in the 144 lbs. class first round to Ashland Crestview sophomore Liam Kuhn by a 5-3 decision. He then lost to Port Clinton senior William Jackson by pin in 3:43 to end his season 24-16.

Sophomore Evan Grothause lost by pin in round one of the 165 lbs. bracket  to Monroeville junior Brencyn Evans by pin at 2:44. 

Oak Harbor junior Brady Losie then eliminated Grothause in the first consolation round by a 3-2 decision to end his season with a 33-17 record.