Saturday, December 17, 2011
The Covington high school wrestling team competed in the 12-team Versailles dual meet invitational on Saturday, finishing with a 4-1 overall record for 5th place. The teams were separated into four groups of three and then grouped into pools of four depending on the initial record. The Buccs, missing a starter, opened with a solid 53-15 victory over Arcanum, winning 9 of the 10 matches wrestled, but fell to Northwestern 43-36 in the second round. Covington then earned 5th place by winning their next three duals. The Buccs defeated Miami East 58-18, Tri-County North 46-24, and Triad 47-6.
Five Covington wrestlers – Brock Smith, Kyler Deeter, D.J. Jennings, Cole Smith and Brian Olson – went undefeated during the tournament with 5-0 records. Deeter (138) led the way with 5 consecutive pins. Both Brock Smith (132) and Olson (182) earned 2 pins, a technical fall and a major decision victory, while Jennings (145) and Cole Smith (152) each earned 2 pins.
Finishing with 4-1 overall records were Ben Miller (160, 4 pins), A.J. Ouellette (170, 2 pins), Justin Daniel (195, 2 pins) and Jordan Wolfe (285, 2 pins). Matt Carder (120) went 2-1 with a pin in limited action, while Garrett Shafer (182) also picked up a victory for the Buccs.
In JV action, Jake Sowers (152) finished 3-0 with 2 pins and a major decision. Alex Fries (160) and Gage Looker (160) each went 1-0, while Dustin Freeman (132) finished 1-1 with a pin.
Covington hosts Mechanicsburg and Brookville in a marquee tri-match with both high school and jr. high teams on Wednesday, December 21, at 6 pm in Covington high school. Last season, Mechanicsburg and Covington finished 5th and 11th, respectively, in the state championships, while Brookville was sectional runners-up.
