WRESTLING: ST. MARYS NOTCHES SPARTAN INVITE TITLE

LIMA – In the previous four wrestling seasons, Tate Hisey and Bo Hertenstein led the way for St. Marys. Hisey was a two-time Division II state champion (2024, 2025) and a state placer in 2022 (fifth) and 2023 (fourth). Hertenstein was a two-time state placer, which included a D-II state runner-up finish in 2024. Upon graduation last year, Hisey headed to George Mason University to wrestle, while Hertenstein went off to Wheeling University to wrestle. With the graduation of Hisey, Hertenstein and four other seniors from last year’s team, longtime St. Marys coach Larry Gruber has worked hard to fill those voids. At Saturday’s Spartan Wrestling Invitational at Lima Senior, St. Marys’ young athletes took a step forward as the Roughriders slipped past Mechanicsburg for the team title, 210-203.5. Lima Central Catholic (195), Allen East (185) and Elida (169.5) rounded out the top five teams in a field of 20. St. Marys’ Cayden McCullough (106-pound weight class) and Zaden Williams (215) won titles on Saturday. “Tate and Bo were big losses,” McCullough said. “We’re all very young (this season). We had a freshman get his first win today. There are a bunch of sophomores starting, and our seniors are doing pretty good.” After winning the title at 106 pounds on Saturday, McCullough has a 10-2 record this season. Last year, McCullough suffered a season-ending injury toward the end of the regular season. This year, McCullough wants to make a deep run in the postseason tournament. “By the end of the year, I want to be ranked top five in the state and I want to place at state (tournament),” McCullough said. Added Coach Gruber, “I think we lost six seniors, and I think three of them were state placers. So, that’s hard to replace. You know there’s going to be years when you’re up and down. With this freshman class, the majority of them never wrestled before. So, we just keep going in the wrestling room and keep working on things. That’s about all you can do.” Gruber is in his 56th year at St. Marys. LCC notches three titles on Saturday Antwain Adams (144), Jordan Neal (150) and Carter Lester (190) all won titles for LCC on Saturday. Adams, who finished runner-up at last year’s Division III state tournament in the 138-pound weight class to Eddie Kessen from Delphos St. John’s, won the title at 144 pounds at Saturday’s Spartan Invitational. Adams won Saturday’s finals with a 17-1 tech-fall over St. Marys’ Dyllan Fink. “It’s crazy, thinking back, that last year I didn’t win this tournament,” Adams (11-2) said with a grin. “I fell short in the finals to Tate Hisey. So, now I want to dominate each match, wrestle good, and just be really aggressive. That’s really just all I was thinking, coming into this week. And I came here and did what I had to do.” Neal, who won last year’s Division III state championship at 144 pounds, won Saturday’s title at 150 over Kenton’s Isaiah Mundy with an 11-0 major decision. “The end goal is to win another state title,” Neal (9-2) said. “Last year, I just went out there and pinned everybody to get me ready for the end goal. Even though I got it (state title), we have to focus on the things that make you uncomfortable. … It’s about being comfortable at being uncomfortable. With tournaments like this, you have to work on things to get you ready for down the road.” Lester, a Division III state qualifier last season, won Saturday’s title at 190 with an 8-1 decision over Mechanicsburg’s Cain Stryker in the championship match. Lester is 10-0 on the season. Saturday’s invitational was Lester’s first since he suffered an injury earlier this season. “(It was) a pretty good day, in my opinion,” Lester said about Saturday’s invitational. “I wish I would have opened up a few more things on top and probably in neutral (position) as well, but I did pretty good.” Allen East puts three on top step of podium Colt Larrison (113), Langston McClain (120), and Miles McDorman (175) all notched titles for Allen East on Saturday. Said Larrison, “I’ve worked hard, and it’s all paying off right now. I’m just going in and doing my thing – run my offense, dominate and just put them away.” Spencerville’s Jacobs named most valuable wrestler Spencerville’s Keaton Jacobs was voted the most valuable wrestler of the Spartan Wrestling Invitational. Jacobs capped off the tournament with an impressive 22-4 tech-fall victory in the 165-pound title match against Allen East’s Jacob Hawk. Other champions at the Spartan Wrestling Invitational Other champions from Saturday’s Spartan Wrestling Invitational included Crestview’s Robert Tyas (126), Elida’s Adrian Timmerman (285), Fostoria’s Anthony Kleinmark (157), Mechanicsburg’s Camryn Runyon (132) and Hayden Smith (138).