Friday, February 26, 2010
Covington had mixed results after day one of the Kettering Fairmont Division III District wrestling tournament as they sit in 24th place out of 53 schools with 14 points. Three Buccaneers advanced to the second day of competition; while two wrestlers saw their seasons come to an end.
Andrew DeHart led the way for the Buccs as he advanced to the semifinals of the 145 lb. weight class. Andrew defeated his first opponent, Anthony Patterson of Lima Central Catholic, by pin in the first round. He then nearly scored a technical fall against sectional champion Wyatt Running of Clinton-Massie, before pinning his opponent in the third period. DeHart will face another sectional champion – Mitch Bloom of Mohawk – in the semifinal round.
Seniors Matt Breisch (119) and Josh McMillion (152) both kept their seasons alive by winning their first consolation bouts after dropping their matches in the opening round. Breisch lost a tight 9-7 decision to Alex Nedved of Clinton-Massie, before rebounding with an 11-2 major decision over Will Buettner of Delphos St. Johns.
McMillion opened the tournament against defending state champion Jake Howe of Blanchester, falling 17-2, and then found himself down 5-0 in his first consolation bout against Logan Niese of Cory-Rawson. Josh came back to tie the score, 6-6, only to fall behind once more, before eventually prevailing, 15-10, to keep his season alive.
Concluding their seasons were Sam Angle (125) and Kyler Deeter (130). Angle dropped his bouts to Aaron Merschman of Delphos St. Johns and Cole Smith of Greenview to finish his junior year as a two-time district qualifier with a 28-16 overall record. Deeter wrestled competitively against state-placer Alex Panno of Blanchester in his opening bout, before falling by pin in the third period. He then lost a back-and-forth bout with Chris Boroff of Lincolnview, losing in the final seconds, 11-10. Kyler finishes his outstanding freshman campaign as a district qualifier with a 41-8 overall record.
Wrestling resumes Saturday morning at 10 am. Finals are set for 4 pm.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
After the second day of wrestling at the Division 3 Southwest District wrestling tournament, Covington moved up a few spots to 21st place out of 53 schools with 34 points. Troy Christian won the event, followed by runner-up Mechanicsburg.
Andrew DeHart wrestled an outstanding tournament, claiming his first District title by winning the 145 lb. championship with a 5-0 decision over state runner-up Kyle Burns of Troy Christian. In a rematch of last week’s Sectional finals – a match Burns won 2-1 – Andrew scored first with a reversal in the second period and later added three near fall points to claim the victory.
DeHart advanced to the finals with a dominating semi-final win over Mitch Bloom of Mohawk, building up a 7-0 lead before pinning his opponent in the second period. In total, Andrew racked up three pins at the tournament, bringing his season total to 34 pins to break the single-season school record of 33 pins set by Logan Brown during the 2005-06 season. His record now stands at 49-3.
Josh McMillion (152) opened the day in exciting fashion, initially falling behind 6-0 to sectional champion Grant Dues of Allen East, but scoring a takedown straight to the back for a pin to take the win in the final period. McMillion then lost his next bout, 8-0, to Mechanicsburg’s Max Erwin to fall a match short of placing. Josh concludes his senior season with a 40-12 record and as a three-time district qualifier.
Matt Breisch (112) lost a heartbreaker in a back-and-forth match with state qualifier Taylor Henderson of Mariemont, dropping an 8-7 decision to conclude his season. Matt finishes his senior year with a 41-7 record and as a four-time district qualifier.
DeHart will compete at the state wrestling championships this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 4-6 at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center.
