The Allen County Youth Wrestling program reached the climax of another outstanding season with six wrestlers qualifying the weekend of March 19 for the USAWKS Folkstyle Championships in Topeka.
“I am proud of all the kids for a very successful season,” Allen County coach John Taylor said. “We competed in several large tournaments against teams that had double our numbers, and we still finished ahead of them in team standings.”
Logan Brown and Cole Mathes each led the way to Topeka with their first-place finishes in district competition in Mulvane.
Brown wrestled in the 12 and under, 215-pound division. Mathes earned his first-place finish in the 8 and under, 73-pound division.
Trenton Jones, wrestling in the 12 and under, 110-pound weight class, qualified for state for the third time in his career. Jones took second in his weight class in the Mulvane tournament.
T.J. Taylor qualified for the state tournament for the fourth time. The grappler earned a third-place finish in the 12 and under division of the 68-pound weight class.
Rounding out the state qualifiers, Adam Atwell and Dylon Reiter each took fourth-place finishes in their respective weight classes. Atwell wrestled in the 12 and under, 84-pound weight class. Reiter competed in the 12 and under, 140-pound bracket.
Drayden Reiter fell just one match short of qualifying in his 10 and under, 85-pound division.
“I know how hard they all work day in and out and how much each of them has sacrificed to get that chance,” Taylor said. “To fall short is devastating but not the end of the world.”
Taylor said he was pleased with how his team worked throughout the season.
“As the season progresses, practices get harder,” Taylor said. “I get tougher on them. And they have no issue giving 110 percent every time. We doubled our number of qualifiers this year from last. It goes to show that the hard work they are putting in is paying off.”
He also emphasized how far the program has come recently and gave credit to the community’s support.
“We have really come a long way in a short amount of time,” Taylor said. “I am glad to be part of the Allen County Wrestling family and thank the community and our parents for their continued support.”
