BURLINGTON — Following a tough 3-2 loss in the semifinals Saturday, Iola High senior Devin Culler attacked opponents in the consolation bracket. Culler captured the third-place medal in the 160-pound weight class at Burlington High’s Invitational wrestling tournament.
Culler was one of three medal winners for the Mustangs at the tournament. The Mustangs also earned the tournament’s team sportsmanship award.
Iola finished sixth with 78 points in the team standings. Holton claimed the tournament title with 247.5 points with Prairie View in second at 238.5. There were 19 teams in the tournament.
The late Don Johnson of Elsmore was inducted into the BHS Wrestling Hall of Fame in ceremonies before the tournament’s finals Saturday. Johnson was a wrestling official and contributor to the sport of wrestling.
Culler earned a first-round bye then pinned J.R. Dunnivan of Central Heights in 1 minute, 59 seconds in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Culler lost 3-2 to Jacob Ewing of Holton.
Culler posted a major decision, 8-0, over Burlington’s Joe Metzger in the consolation semifinals. He defeated Kaden Housel of Cherryvale 5-1 in the third-place match. Culler is 13-2 on the season.
Medals were awarded to the top five finishers in each weight class.
Trey Colborn took fourth in the 285-pound class. Colborn earned the right to wrestle for third place but had to default because he had reached the five-match-per-day limit.
Colborn opened with a pin of Austin Ryder of Coffeyville in 35 seconds the lost by fall in 1:29 to Cooper Zeller of Holton. Colborn pinned Quade McCoy of Eureka, 2:42, Hunter Knopp of Oskaloosa, 10 seconds, and Billy Mesereau of Cherryvale, 33 seconds.
Chase Roettgen placed fifth in the 220-pound division. He lost 8-2 to Blake Anderson of Central Heights then recorded pins over Chance Miller of Anderson County, 2:50, and Devin Howard of Fredonia, 4:56.
Roettgen was pinned in 2:01 by Bradley Hooper of Holton. He won the fifth-place match 9-2 over Brandon Quaney of Burlingame.
Zach Vaughn tied for fifth-place in the 170-pound class but finished sixth on tiebreaker of five-match limit. Vaughn began with a pin of Eureka’s Connor Torrey.
He lost by a major decision, 18-5, to Burlington’s Josh Hoch. Vaughn claimed back-to-back major decisions — 17-5 and 15-6 — over Holton’s Clayton Folk and Central Heights’ Dillon Schwab.
Jon Higgenbotham of Mission Valley got the 1-0 decision for the tiebreaker over Vaughn.
Mike Armstrong placed seventh in the 120-pound division. He pinned Joe Gleason in 1:40 in his final match of the day. Jacob Rhoads lost the seventh-place match in the 145-pound class, 6-3 to Andrew Monge of Burlington.
