state-wrestling-stock-300x168-3

Many of the area’s top high school wrestlers descended on Riverside this weekend for the Gary Curtis Invitational, and Saturday was a particularly good day for the Washington Demons. All but one of Washington’s nine wrestlers who participated walked away with a medal.

Leading the way for the Demons was sophomore Aaron Boone, who continued his undefeated season by winning the championship in the 120-pound weight class. Boone pinned his first opponent before winning decisions by final scores of 11-5 and 6-1. Freshman Caden Greiner was the runner-up at 126 lbs, winning with two pins and a 10-4 decision before getting pinned in the final. Junior Chase Greiner was third at 160 pounds after bouncing back from a technical knockout to get a pin in his last bout. Sophomore Nate Edmonds and junior Lane Schrock finished fourth at 106 and 145, respectively, while seniors Jack Kleese and Curtis Stender had sixth-place finishes to help the Demons finish third in the team standings.

Columbus ended up sixth as a team and had a tournament champ in Russell Coil. The junior picked up a pair of pins before winning a 3-1 overtime decision to claim the 285-lbs title. Junior Ty Scorpil was the runner-up to Washington’s Boone at 120, while sophomore Jacob Nelson took third at 106. A fifth-place medal for junior Cael Phillips at 138 and sixth-place finishes for sophomore Riley Kaalberg at 170 and senior Ethan Palmer at 182 rounded out the Wildcats’ top results.

The host Highland ended up 11th as a team, but they did feature a winner in senior Carlos Valenzuela, who took the title at 132 with a pin, a technical knockout, an 8-0 major decision and a 4-3 decision. Another state-ranked Husky wrestler, junior Luke Guseman, was fourth at 120, while sophomore Landon Bell was fifth at 106.

Mid-Prairie earned a top-10 finish with five medalists, with the top finish belonging to Mose Yoder. The senior picked up a pair of pins before dropping the final at 113 lbs. The Golden Hawks also got fifth-place finishes from junior Tucker Miller at 132 and sophomore Burke Berry at 285, as well as sixth-place spots on the medal stand for seniors Evan Phillips and Kaden Meador. The WACO Warriors had just the one medalist in sophomore Louden Huisenga, who made it all the way to the 160-lbs final before losing a 23-11 decision.