By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Scott senior Brendan Pye finished his high school wrestling career with a state championship medal after placing second and third the last two years.
In the 113-pound title match at the state tournament on Saturday, Pye pinned Isaac Thornton of Grant County at the 2:43 mark in the second period to finish his senior season with a perfect 30-0 record and become Scott’s first state champion since 2001.
Brendan Pye
Pye was state runner-up in the 113-pound weight class last year and he placed third at 106 when he was a sophomore. Over the last three years, he compiled a 118-12 record.
The state championship round started with one of the best matches of the day between two local freshmen. Cole Thomas of Ryle defeated Spencer Moore of Walton-Verona, 3-2, in an ultimate tiebreaker. Thomas, who placed third in the state as an eighth-grader last year, finishes this season with a 48-1 record.
The other local wrestlers who came home with state runner-up medals were Ryle senior Shay Horton at 120 pounds and Conner senior Clayton Boyd at 170.
In the consolation bracket finals, local wrestlers won seven of the 14 matches. The third-place finishers included brothers Sam and Jacob Grandstaff of Conner, Walton-Verona teammates Daulton Mayer and Braden Mulcahy, Migdoel Ocasion of Simon Kenton, Thomas Ketchen-Carter of Campbell County and Jared Kelsey of Scott.
Ketchen-Carter entered the state tournament with a perfect record in the 152-pound weight class, but he was upset in the semifinals. With his win in the consolation final, the sophomore finished the season with a 59-1 record.
CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
106 — Cole Thomas (Ryle) d. Spencer Moore (Walton-Verona) 3-2, ultimate tiebreaker.
113 — Brendan Pye (Scott) d. Isaac Thornton (Grant County) fall 2:43.
120 — Preston Mattingly (Apollo) d. Shay Horton (Ryle) 7-2.
170 — Micah Ervin (Union County) d. Clayton Boyd (Conner) 5-3.
CONSOLATION FINALS
120 — Sam Grandstaff (Conner) d. Trevor Frietsch (Simon Kenton), 5-0
126 — Migdoel Ocasio (Simon Kenton) d. Seth Lutes (Scott), 9-4.
132 — Jacob Grandstaff (Conner) d. Layne Siebert (Scott), 5-1.
152 — Thomas Ketchen-Carter (Campbell County) d. Isaiah Newberry (Moore), 7-4.
170 — Jared Kelsey (Scott) d. Jack Fuller (Apollo), 10-5.
182 — Daulton Mayer (Walton-Verona) d. Chase Blanton (Harrison County), 2-1.
195 — Braden Mulcahy (Walton-Verona) d. Ben Bush (Central), 4:49.
220 — Bryan Prett (Meade County) d. Casey Rauch (Campbell County), 1:49.
TOP TEAM SCORES
1 — Union County 227, 2 — Johnson Central 146.5, 3 — St. Xavier 135.5.
TOP LOCAL TEAMS
5 — Scott 108.5, 7 — Walton-Verona 98.5, 8 — Ryle 88.5, 12 — Campbell County 72.5, 13. Conner 70.5,
That’s my boy!!! So happy he reached such an accomplishment to finish out his high school career!