Jonathan Alder’s Owen Crabtree (top) shrugs by Scotty Gaskin (bottom) in a last-minute scheduled match in Pioneer country. Crabtree won his match by pin in the second period.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff)
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After the gym became free, Jonathan Alder invited the Logan Elm Braves for a last-minute dual wrestling meet to round out the regular season.
The Pioneers took a 42-32 triumph.
“We had half a point left,” JA head coach Tony Watson said in reference to the team’s limit on the number of duals in which it can compete. “I scheduled it just in case for some guys to get down to weight.”
After the JA boys basketball team rescheduled its matchup against St. Charles to tonight, Watson opted to fill in one last dual meet prior to the sectional tournament later this month.
“A couple of my seniors who are not in the varsity lineup got to compete tonight, along with a couple of my backups,” he said. “I probably had three starters out here today.”
The visiting Braves opted to battle the Pioneers as both attempted to iron out any rough spots before the postseason.
The Pioneers fell behind, starting at 106 pounds, as Sadie Napier was pinned in the second period by freshman Blaine Holzchuh.
That gave Logan Dlm a 6-0 lead.
After forfeiting 113 pounds, JA’s 120-pounder Trenton Moodispaugh found himself on the short end of a technical near-fall at the hands of Gavin Hoover.
Alder’s Xavier Pierce (126) racked up four takedowns in the first period .
He pinned the Braves’ Tristan Hanning in the final period for JA’s first points.
However, the Pioneers suffered another loss at 132 pounds after JA’s Ethan Kuhns fell to Brady Allen by a decision.
The Pioneers secured another win at 144 pounds with senior Owen Crabtree pinning Scotty Gaskin in the latter half of the second period.
Another pin went to Logan Elm at 150 pounds with JA’s Brennan Nichols falling to Wesley Entler in the second period.
Henry Sivillo claimed another six points for the Pioneers at 157 pounds after he pinned Austin Cordle.
JA took the next two forfeits at 165 and 175 pounds with Isaak Riker and JJ Bay stepping up to get their hands raised.
Alder’s Jimmy Finke (190) suffered a loss to the hands of Andrew UK Barns with a first-period pin.
Younes Moussa (215) and Andrew Richey (285) claimed the next two forfeits for JA with the Pioneers eclipsing the Braves to round out the season.
“It was a night that was low-key,” Watson said with a scarce number of fans present for both teams. “It was good for some guys to get out there and get a win.”