BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Five Union County High School wrestlers saw their seasons end at the Feb. 28-March 1 Region 1-1A tournament at Bay High School in Panama City, with three earning one win each.
Wrestlers needed to place in the top four to qualify for the state finals.
Gavin Sparkman, who wrestles in the 138-pound class, opened with a win over Parker’s Joshua Coppock, pinning him in 1:27. Sparkman was then pinned in 2:47 by Liberty County’s Jay Brown (the eventual class champion) before being eliminated with an 8-7 loss to Suwannee’s Jonathan Gonzalez.
Wyatt Elixson, who wrestles in the 165 class, pinned Baker County’s Ceylub Winn in 5:11, but then lost 16-1 by technical fall to Liberty County’s Josh Mercer, who would go on to place fourth. Elixson was eliminated when was pinned in 4:24 by Marianna’s Jaden Cody.
Like Elixson and Sparkman, Carsen Thomas also went 1-2. Thomas, who wrestles in the 175 class, was pinned in 2:21 by Suwannee’s Clay Starling, who’d go on to place third. He bounced back by pinning Rocky Bayou Christian’s Cameron Ross in 52 seconds, but then lost 23-7 by technical fall to Yulee’s Austin Weise.
Union’s Breydan Peugh (113 class) and C.J. Ivey (190) each went 0-2. Peugh was pinned by Wakulla’s Patrick Cooksey (eventual fourth-place finisher) and Stanton Prep’s James Leiby, while Ivey was pinned by Rocky Bayou Christian’s Clay Nelson (eventual champ) and Jackson’s Johnathan Cummings.
