Telegraph Staff Writer
Jared Goetzman, Sheppard Wingate, Alyx Nichols and Cody Saley each earned a third-place finish for the Keystone Heights High School wrestling team at the Jan. 8 Marine Corps Challenge at Jacksonville’s Riverside High School.
The Indians collected 65 points as a team to place sixth ahead of Paxon and Stanton, who each had 57 points.
Episcopal, which won last year’s inaugural event, took first out of 10 teams with 184 points.
Goetzman lost 10-1 to Stanton’s Elias Spurlin in the 113-pound class, but since he was one of only three wrestlers in the class, he earned third-place honors and received a medal.
Spurlin went on to pin Mainland’s Aiden West in 26 seconds to win the championship.
In the 152 class, Wingate pinned Matanzas’ Jesse Henry in 2:21 in the third-place match. Wingate, who was earlier pinned in 2:49 by eventual runner-up Ke’Eric Merrell of Englewood, also had a win by pinning Episcopal’s Chance Wolffe in 2:16.
Nichols took third in the 160 class by pinning Episcopal’s Frank Owens in 2:44. Nichols, who was earlier pinned in 23 seconds by eventual runner-up Bradyn Cox of Matanzas, also had a win by pinning teammate Huntley Dennis in 1:40.
Like Nichols and Wingate, Saley also won by a pin in his third-place match, defeating Fernandina Beach’s Gabriel Martinez in 2:29 in the 285 class. Saley, who was earlier pinned in 1:42 by eventual runner-up Keith Forbes of Englewood, also had a win by pinning Riverside’s An’Dreas Washington in 2:30.
Keystone was coming off the Jan. 6 District 4-1A duals tournament at Clay High School, where it was defeated 67-12 in the quarterfinals by Baker County. Jason Bowden (126 class) and Matthew Delano (220) each had pins.
Before the holiday break, the Indians won four weight classes and topped five teams in winning the Bishop Snyder Cardinal Classic on Dec. 11.
The Indians won by the following team scores: 42-36 over Dunnellon, 40-35 over Bishop Snyder, 36-33 over Tocoi Creek and 42-36 over Ed White.
Three wrestlers went undefeated for the Indians. Baron Bryson and Phoenix Contes went 4-0 in the 120 and 126 classes, respectively, with Contes earning one victory by a major decision. Wingate, who recorded two pins, went 3-0 in the 160 class.
Ethan Cosby, who had three pins, and Jacob Andrews, who had two pins, went 3-1 in the 132 and 195 classes, respectively.
On Dec. 21, Keystone placed fifth at Oakleaf’s 12-team Hammer Invitational, getting fourth-place finishes from Wingate and Delano.
The Indians finished with 77 points, putting them ahead of Englewood, West Nassau, Orange Park, Springs Academy, Riverside, Mainland and Sandalwood.
Fleming Island won the event, with Oakleaf, Apopka and Palatka taking second through fourth.
