WHITEWATER — Both Darlington-Black Hawk and Pecatonica-Argyle wrestling teams finished in the top 20 of Whitewater’s Mid-States Classic on Dec. 28-29.
Owen Seffrood (138) propelled the Warbirds to tenth, scoring 43 of the team’s 169 points, as the lone champion. He won by technical fall in the first and third rounds and a pin in the second. With a 7-1 decision over Justin Teague in the semifinal, Seffrood advanced to the championship match, where he bested Nick Davidson 7-1.
Ethan Aird (120) finished second for 37 points. He received a first-round bye and wrestled his way to the championship match with three major decisions, 9-0, 9-0 and 8-0. He fell in sudden death overtime 6-4 to Lane Anderson.
Ross Crist (195) was the third top-five finisher for Darlington-Black Hawk, coming in at fifth. He received a first-round bye before pinning his next opponent in 1:23. In the semifinals, Crist narrowly fell to Porter Leith 3-1. In the consolation bracket, Crist suffered another loss to Carter Wesley, sending him to the fifth-place match. Crist then rebounded for a win, pinning Leo Delgado in 2:40.
The remaining placers for the Warbirds include Maddox Goebel (160) in seventh, Tye Crist (170) in tenth and Bryan Lazaro (285) in twelfth.
The Vikings, who finished 14th of 41 teams with 122.5 points, were led by sophomore champion Aidan Gruenenfelder (106).
Gruenenfelder received a first-round bye before pinning his next two opponents. He advanced to the championship match with a 7-2 decision over Harrison Dea. To claim the title, Gruenenfelder bested Gavin Rockey 5-1.
The only other top-five finisher for Pecatonica-Argyle was Lukas Orloff (113), coming in at fifth. Orloff made it out of the first round with an 11-2 decision but fell 9-0 in the second round. He then worked his way through the consolation bracket with a pin, two decisions and one major decision. Orloff suffered his second loss to Maximus Hay, sending him to the fifth-place match. There Orloff won by forfeit.
The remaining placers for the Vikings include Jakob Orloff (120) in eighth and Levi Paust (220) in ninth.
Elsewhere in the state, Sugar River wrestling finished 19th of 68 teams in the 31st annual Lourdes Academy on the Water Wrestling Classic.
The Raiders had three wrestlers place, led by Eli Leonard’s (152) third-place finish. Leonard received a first-round bye before pinning his next three opponents. In the semifinals, Leonard fell 8-3 to Talan Schutte. Leonard rebounded in the consolation bracket, advancing to the third-place match with a 7-2 decision. He bested Carter Lovy 5-1 for third.
The next highest finisher was Blake Endres (113) in fifth. After a first-round bye, Endres pinned his opponent in 1:09. With a 15-3 decision over Mason Dewing, Endres advanced to the quarterfinals against Wyatt Skebba. Skebba, the eventual champion, pinned Endres in 1:42. In the consolation bracket, Endres went 3-1 with a 10-2 major decision, 9-3 decision and forfeit.
Carson Loshaw (195) was the third and final placer for Sugar River, coming in seventh. He received a first-round bye followed by a 50-second pin. To advance to the quarterfinals, Loshaw won by a 13-9 decision. Ilijah Sanchez sent Loshaw to the consolation bracket with a 15-6 major decision. Once there, Loshaw went 2-1 with two pins for seventh place.
