The Covington wrestling team competed in the six-team Miami East Invitational Saturday, winning the tournament with a 4-1 dual meet record. Three teams – Covington, Miami East and Madison Plains – each had only one loss on the day, but the Buccs won the tiebreaker with the most overall team points, while Madison Plains took second and Miami East, third.
In round one, Covington defeated Northridge, 64-9, then topped Northwestern in round two by a 63-9 score. In round three, the Buccs wrestled their best, defeating a strong Madison Plains squad, 46-30. Covington then topped Springfield Shawnee, 64-9, before dropping their final dual to Miami East, 30-33. Earlier, the Vikings lost their dual with Madison Plains to give each squad a 4-1 record.
Four wrestlers went undefeated on the day. At 152 lbs, Bobby Wiltshire went 5-0 with 4 pins and a major decision over Jordan McClure of Northwestern. At 160 lbs, Logan Hall went 4-0 with a pin, a technical fall and a major decision. At 189 lbs, Logan Brown went 5-0 with one pin, while at 275 lbs, Josh Mahan went 5-0 with a pin.
Going 4-1 for the Buccs were Sam Herron (103 lbs), Jordan Tebbe (112 lbs, 2 pins) and Brian Ely (171 lbs, 1 pin). Going 3-2 were Jake Jennings (119 lbs, 1 pin), Quentin Layman (125 lbs) and Jake Wise (215 lbs, 1 pin). Finishing 2-3 were Cody Swabb (130 lbs) and Justin McMillion (140 lbs, 1 pin). At 160 lbs, Ryan White found himself on the short end of a couple of close decisions to finish 1-3 with 1 pin.
The Buccs will travel to Troy this Thursday, Jan. 19, at 6 pm for a tri-meet with Troy and Tri-County North. The Trojans are fielding one of the best wrestling teams in the Miami Valley, while Covington’s dual with Tri-County North will likely decide the Cross County Conference championship. The Buccs hope to have a few wrestlers back in their lineup by then, including Richie Watkins, Jesse Pearson and C.J. Potter.