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Walton-Verona wrestlers win four matches in Region 6 championship finals to clinch first team title


By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter

Walton-Verona’s wrestling team won its first Region 6 championship and placed state qualifiers in nine of 14 weight classes on Saturday at Cooper High School.

The Bearcats topped the team standings with 219 points, followed by Scott with 188.5 and Ryle with 174. They had seven wrestlers make it to the championship finals and four of them posted victories.

Walton-Verona senior wrestler Ryan Moore will take a 42-0 record into the state championship tournament. (File photo by Angie Lewis)

Walton-Verona senior Ryan Moore was named the regional tournament’s most outstanding wrestler. He pinned his first two opponents in the 132-pound bracket and defeated Thomas Ketchen-Carter of Campbell County, 10-0, in the championship round to extend his perfect record to 42-0.

Moore, a Cornell University recruit, won the 126-pound state title last year and he has been the state’s top-ranked wrestler at 132 pounds since the beginning of this season.

The other weight class winners for Walton-Verona were senior Blake Roth (138) senior Mason Smith (170) and junior Braden Mulcahy (182).

Conner freshmen Sam Granstaff (106) and Jacob Grandstaff (120) won two of the first three matches in the championship round and their junior teammate Clayton Boyd won a close decision in the 160-pound final.

Dixie Heights had a pair of gold medal winners. In the 195-pound final, Keegan Cundiff edged Cody Lonkard of Ryle, 2-1, in double overtime. Two matches later, Kairus Washington outscored Noah Hunter of Scott, 13-2, for a major decision in the 285-pound final.

Washington won all four of his regional tournament matches to push his season record to 46-0. He was state runner-up in the 285-pound weight class last year.

Ryle was the other team with two regional champions — junior Shay Horton at 113 pounds and junior Chandler Watkins at 220. Scott had five wrestlers in the regional finals, but Seth Lutes (126) was the team’s only gold medal winner. The other two weight class titles went to Newport junior Drevon Jones (152) and Cooper junior Zach Holub (145).

The top four finishers in each weight class receive berths in next week’s state championship tournament at the Kentucky Horse Park’s AllTech Arena.  Walton-Verona and Scott have nine state qualifiers and Simon Kenton has eight.

TEAM SCORES
Walton-Verona 219, Scott 188.5, Ryle 174, Simon Kenton 170.5, Conner 130, Newport 122.5, Campbell County 121.5, Dixie Heights 92, Cooper 88, Holmes 55, Covington Catholic 49, Boone County 28.

CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
106 — Samuel Grandstaff (Conner) def. Cole Thomas (Ryle), 1:30
113 — Shay Horton (Ryle) def. Brendan Pye (Scott), 7-6
120 — Jacob Grandstaff (Conner) def. Migdoel Ocasio (Simon Kenton), 6-4
126 — Seth Lutes (Scott) def. Dillion Burton (Newport), 9-7
132 — Ryan Moore (Walton-Verona) def. Thomas Ketchen-Carter (Campbell County), 10-0
138 — Blake Roth (Walton-Verona) def. Mannie Murrer (CovCath), 5:26
145 — Zach Holub (Cooper) def. Tristen Spalding (Walton-Verona), 4-2
152 — Drevon Jones (Newport) def. Brandon Gibson (Walton-Verona). 17-1
160 — Clayton Boyd (Conner) def. Daulton Mayer (Walton-Verona), 9-7
170 — Mason Smith (Walton-Verona) def. Jared Kelsay (Scott), 5:24
182 — Braden Mulcahy (Walton-Verona) def. Daylan Bailey (Cooper), 11-2
195 — Keegan Cundiff (Dixie Heights) def. Cody Lonkard (Ryle), 2-1 OT
220 — Chandler Watkins (Ryle) def. Nathan Watson (Scott) , 1:39
285 — Kairus Washington (Dixie Heights) def. Noah Hunter (Scott), 13-2

CONSOLATION FINALS
106 — Isham Peace (Walton-Verona) def. Alex Herald (Newport), 8-2
113 — Eric Johnson (Simon Kenton) def. Spencer Moore (Walton-Verona), 3-0
120 — Sergio Morales (Newport) def. Cordell Vaske (Boone County), 5-2
126 — Brennon Conrad (Simon Kenton) def. Colby Dabbs (Cooper), 11-2
132 — Salim Mardis (Simon Kenton) def. Layne Seibert (Scott), 4:26
138 — Diontae Rone (Holmes) def. Alejandro Mejia (Simon Kenton), 8-2
145 — Kyle Mardis (Newport) def. Rictor Morgan (Simon Kenton), 12-3
152 — Josh Geiser (Simon Kenton) def. Nathan Zinser (Scott), 0:59
160 — Cody Foster (Ryle) def. Ron Shackelford (Campbell County), 6-1
170 — Jake Stegman (CovCath) def. Brandon Richmond (Campbell County), 8-3
182 — Emmanuel Merkel (Conner) def. Jacob Thompson (Scott), 4:58
195 — Gerald Seeney (Scott) def. Michael Leicht (Campbell County), 8-0
220 — Justin Penick (Dixie Heights) def. Ian Hughes (Simon Kenton), 2:00
285 — Tim Rolf (Campbell County) def. JT Daniels (Newport), forfeit


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