The Washington wrestling team competed in sectionals Saturday, with nine of the 12 Demon wrestlers advancing through to the district round this weekend.
The day got started off right with wins from Matt Collett at 113 and Brandon Dickel at 126 to advance to the semifinals after most Demon wrestlers were into the semifinals right away because of seeding and the amount of competition in their respective weight classes. Caden Evans and Matt Collett took the losses at 106 and 113, but the remaining 10 wrestlers won their matches and advanced to the finals.
Six Demons were champions in their weight classes: Garrett Ikerd at 138, Dillan Sanders at 145, David Hora at 160, Tristin Westphal at 182, Logan Escher at 195 and Tristan Allender at 220. Walker Ikerd placed second at 120 after falling in the finals due to a knee injury, Brandon Dickel also advanced after falling in the finals and taking second, and Ayden Frazier advanced at 152 after taking second via the wrestle-back.
After a successful day, nine Demons are one weekend away from the state tournament. Senior Tristin Westphal has qualified for state each of the last three years, and is undefeated on the season. For him, though, qualifying for the state tournament just won’t be enough; he’s got bigger things in mind.
“I haven’t gotten what I wanted at the state tournament the last three years, so that’s something that’s really motivated me,” Westphal said. “Last year I was third, and I’m hoping to be in the state finals and do big things [this year]. I like to stay motivated; I want that state championship.”
On top of the individual success, the Demons also ran away with it in terms of team scores, finishing with 230 points on the day. As a result, the team advances to the regional dual team round, which will be on Tuesday at West Delaware, where they’ll take on the hosting Hawks. If they win, they’ll face either West Liberty or Camanche for a bid to the state dual team tournament. Coverage of Tuesday’s regionals will be live on KCII with coverage starting at 5:30.