Nguyen 4-0, wins for Marion at Hoisington
Staff writer
Marion and Hillsboro varsity wrestlers traveled Friday to Hoisington. Marion was host for a junior varsity tournament Saturday.
Marion
Varsity wrestler Brian Nguyen continued a strong senior campaign with a first-place finish in Hoisington. He was the only Warrior participating in the event.
Nguyen finished 4-0 for the day, beating the sixth-ranked wrestler in Classes 3-2-1A by a score of 12-6.
“It was a good tournament for Brian, as we saw him get back on the right track after a bit of a rough tournament last weekend,” coach Tyler McMichael said. “I am excited for where he is with only a couple of weeks left until regionals.”
The JV team fared well Saturday at home.
Sam Rziha led the team with a first-place finish and a 5-0 record.
Cadence Bialek placed second, Vyolett Dawson placed fourth, and Sigsbee Ostlee placed sixth.
“I hope that the weekend fits in as a confidence boost for our younger wrestlers and shows them that they are able to do the right things in a wrestling match when they want to,” McMichael said.
The Warriors’ next event will be Friday at Onaga for a boys’ dual and girls’ mixer.
“Obviously our team goal is to get as many people to state as we can, but some of our wrestlers also have individual goals that they would like to achieve at regionals and possibly state,” McMichael said. “We have discussed what it is going to take to qualify for the state tournament, and I have tried getting the kids in the right mindset for our final push of the season.”
Hillsboro
Trojan varsity wrestlers racked up two top-five finishes at Hoisington.
Phoenix Fickes placed fourth after falling to Payton Samson of Rawlings County in the final match.
Magnusson Cathey placed fourth as well, falling to Owen Ostberg of Lakin.
“The highlight of the day was having two freshman, Phoenix and Magnusson, pick up a couple nice wins to finish in the top four in their brackets,” coach Scott O’Hare said. “We continue to battle illness and injuries, but on the positive side, this week was a great opportunity for several of our younger and less experienced wrestlers to get a lot of mat time.”
At the JV event Saturday in Marion, Seth Schafers, Magnusson Cathey, and Jackson Kliebers all placed fourth in boys’ brackets.
Aimee Kelley placed second in the girls’ bracket after beating Scarlett Smith from Augusta.
“This group continues to make progress, and we have plenty to work on as we enter the final weeks of the season,” O’Hare said.
The Trojans will be on the road Friday and Saturday for a two-day tournament at Circle.