MIDDLE SCHOOL WRESTLING
Winning a conference title is something that Jones County’s middle school wrestlers have gotten used to as of late. Even as grapplers may move up to the high school ranks, the expectation remains to win a conference crown each year.
That expectation was met last Wednesday at the JCHS gym as host Jones County lassoed another MGMSAL title, beating out six other teams to win first. That dominance was followed up on Saturday with a win in the Bulldog Invitational as well.
All told, 12 Jones County middle-schoolers finished within the top three in the conference tournament, getting wins early on to be in position for strong finishes in the final rounds of the night.
“I think this is our third in a row. Particularly for my eighth graders, that’s three years of what they have put into it,” Jones County middle school head wrestling coach Bryan Ulrich said. “We talk a lot about building a program, and we’re starting to do that. When they get to the high school wrestling room, they are ready to go.”
Leading the first-place finishes were Canyon Ulrich at 105 lbs., Noah Pieterick at 120, Nathan McDaniel at 128, Waylon Lumley at 136, Nate Wilson at 144, Aden McMahan at 152 and Luke Thompson at 256.
Four other second-place finishes added to the overall showing with runner-ups by Lelan Gaskins at 84 lbs., Cruz Hasty at 112, Hunter Swearingen at 160 and Barrett Rosenberger at 175. Harrison Page was also third in the 91-pound division.
“We were excited to be able to host it this year,” Ulrich said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to again in the future. It’s really good for our community that we’re able to.”
