With fourth place finish at Triad, Highland wrestlers surge toward 2A Regional

It was a very positive way to roll into next weekend’s Class 2A Regional for the Highland wrestling team.

The Bulldogs traveled to Triad High School in Troy last Saturday and turned in a solid showing thanks to a fourth-place finish in the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Duals meet.

“They performed really good, really good,” Highland coach Shorty Ohren said. “I was well pleased with all the boys.”

Highland finished behind first-place Waterloo, Civic Memorial, and Triad. The Bulldogs finished ahead of Mascoutah and Jerseyville which placed fifth and sixth respectively.

Highland started off the tournament strong with a 48-27 victory over Mascoutah in its first match.

Top performers include Gavin Merkle at 113 pounds, Tyson Rakers at 150 pounds, Ashton Zobrist at 215 pounds, and Thomas Mitchell at 175 pounds.

Merkle defeated Mascoutah’s Preston Newell by fall at 1:30. Rakers beat Sean Murphy of Mascoutah by fall at 48 seconds. Zobrist defeated Kody Lyles of Mascoutah by fall in 52 seconds, and Mitchell downed Mascoutah’s Tom Harrison in 1:48.

“We started out slow but then we came in hard towards the end (of the match) and the kids we were wrestling well,” Ohren said. “We got a forfeit at 120 that helped and been if we did have that forfeit, we would still have beaten those guys. Tyson, Ashton, Ethan (Greenwald) all wrestled well.”

Highland lost to Civic Memorial 42-36, Waterloo 53-26, and Triad 48-30.

The Bulldogs’ second and final win of the day came against Jerseyville as they rolled to a 60-21 victory over the Panthers.

Dalton Balint, Cody Throwbridge, Mitchell, and Ethan Greenwald all turned in strong performances.

Balint came up big at 126 with a victory over Traven Hahn of Jerseyville. Cody Throwbridge defeated Jace Marshall of Jerseyville at 165 pounds, Thomas Mitchell stopped Jerseyville’s Hagen Buchanan at 175 pounds, and Greenwald defeated She Herrera in his 195-pound match.

“They had a few weight classes they were forfeiting but the boys were just wrestling hard and it didn’t matter, who, what, they were just giving it everything they had for me,” Ohren said.

Next up for Highland is the Class 2A Regional meet on Saturday Civic Memorial High School in Bethalto.

Ohren knows that his group will have their hands full competing with CM, Triad, Chatham-Glenwood, and Jacksonville.

“Our regional is going to be different this year with Chatham and Jacksonville there it’s gonna be tougher. If you come out of regionals, you’ve got s good chance of making it to state,” Ohren said.

Ohren is hoping to get at least five wrestlers through to the Class 2A section meet at Mahomet-Seymour on Feb. 9-10.

“Last year I brought five here and I’m hoping to match that or go one better and get six out if not five,” Ohren said. “Ideally in team (standings), we are hoping to finish eight or nine there but it’s going to be tough. Chatham should win it.”