The grittiness and toughness of the Covington wrestling team was on display at the GMVWA Holiday Tournament as the Buccaneers finished 8th overall out of 53 teams despite missing a number of key wrestlers due to injury and illness.
GMVWA Holiday Tournament – Day 1
Monday, December 27, 2021
Covington put in a solid showing during the first day of the Greater Miami Valley Wrestling Association (GMVWA) holiday wrestling tournament, even without several wrestlers. The Buccs are currently in 10th place out of 53 teams.
Carson Taylor (106), Michael Hagan (113) and Izaiah Sherman (175) all advanced to the semifinals. Carson advanced with a bye, then three consecutive pins over Tippecanoe’s Riley Hull, Miamisburg’s Matthew Wright, and Springboro’s Joey Franz.
Michael advanced with a bye, then consecutive pins over Versailles’ Blake Schmitmeyer, Washington Courthouse’s Talon Freeze and Vandalia-Butler’s Louden Maxwell. Izaiah pinned Great Crossing’s Nolan Yost, earned an 18-3 technical fall over Sidney’s Wyatt Biddle, and then pinned Xenia’s Jayden Ramsey.
Jericho Quinter (120), Connor Sindelir (157) and Jensen Wagoner (190) all advanced to the second day of wrestling and will wrestle in the fifth consolation round. Jericho and Connor went 3-1, while Jensen went 2-1.
Caleb Miller (150) finished 2-2 with two pins, while Jackson Shiverdecker (138) and Hayden Barker (215) also earned pins for the Buccs.
GMVWA Holiday Tournament – Day 2
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Despite missing a number of wrestlers, Covington put in a strong performance at the Greater Miami Valley Wrestling Association (GMVWA) holiday wrestling tournament, finishing in 5th place out of the 29 Division 2 and 3 schools, and finishing in 8th place overall out of the 53 Division 1, 2 and 3 teams. All competing wrestlers won matches and earned valuable points for the team.
Carson Taylor led the Buccs with a runner-up finish at 106 lbs., dropping a 25-10 technical fall to Graham’s Beric Jordan. Taylor earned his fourth consecutive pin over Mason’s Marsel Sabirdjanov to advance to the finals.
Michael Hagan (113) and Izaiah Sherman (175) both finished in fourth place for the Buccs. Hagan fell to eventual champion Brogan Tucker in the semifinals before pinning Springboro’s Michael Gosselin in the consolation semifinals, then dropped a tight 5-4 decision to Legacy Christian state runner-up Eli Campbell in his final bout.
Sherman fell to Kentucky state champion Noah Duke of Ryle in the semi-finals, before rebounding with a pin over Springboro’s Jack Hoffman, then dropped a 12-5 decision to Miami Trace’s Kylan Knapp.
Jensen Wagoner (190) finished in 7th place for Covington with a win by injury default over Piqua’s Landen Martin. Wagoner pinned his 5th consolation round opponent, Connor Whitt of Ben Logan, then won by forfeit over Miami Trace’s Jayden LeBeau, before falling to Vandalia-Butler’s Tyler Pennington.
Jericho Quinter (120) fell one win away from placing, dropping a close 2-0 overtime decision to Jonathan Alder’s state alternate Xavier Pierce. Connor Sindelir (157) dropped a back-and-forth 7-4 decision to Wapakoneta’s Corbin Mitchell in the fifth consolation round.
Covington competes next at the Troy Invitational on January 8.
