NEAL LEADS LCC

LIMA – It’s been labeled as one of the most competitive regular-season Division III wrestling tournaments in the state. This weekend’s two-day Thunderbird Invitational at Lima Central Catholic’s Monsignor E.C. Herr Gymnasium showcased 38 teams with many previous state qualifiers and state-placers present. When finals were completed on Saturday afternoon, Delta came away with the first-place team trophy as it defeated second-place Waynedale, 290.5 – 247. Swanton (129), Miami East (124) and Covington (114) rounded out the top five teams. Allen East was the top area team as it finished sixth with 113 points, while Bluffton placed ninth (93.5). Lima Central Catholic finished a close 11th with 85.5 points. Longtime Allen East coach Mike Abbey was pleased at how his young squad competed this weekend. “(It’s) an excellent tournament. You get to see Delta, one of the powerhouses. Tinora comes down from up north, and you have the teams coming up from the south. … And that’s who we are going to see at districts. It’s great to see Miami East, Troy Christian and Legacy. … Those are state-caliber teams. It’s just a great tournament. “We had a third (Jacob Pinks, 165-pound weight class), a fourth (Braylon Paxson, 190) and quite a few sevenths and eighths today. So, we’re wrestling OK. We’re still grinding, but we need to get better.” Neal leads LCC Sophomore Jordan Neal led the way for Lima Central Catholic on Saturday with a title in the 144-pound weight class. Neal (32-3), who placed fifth at 144 pounds at last year’s Division III state tournament while attending Allen East, won Saturday’s Thunderbird Invite title at 144 with a 14-0 major decision over Delta’s Landon Lintermoot. Neal was pleased with his performance this weekend but said it’s just part of the process. “These are good building blocks. I want to wrestle the best competition that I can and just go out and battle. Leading up to State, I just want to work as hard as I can every day. I want to win State, obviously. I just want to dominate everybody.” LCC junior Antwain Adams (32-4) finished runner-up at 138 pounds on Saturday. Waynedale’s Caden Schmeltzer (39-0) defeated Adams in the championship match, 12-6. “I didn’t wrestle to the best of my ability,” Adams said. “But like my teammate (Neal) said, ‘It happens’. You have to get over it and look forward to March (the state tournament). As long as I am on top of the (awards) podium in March, it all will be worth it.” LCC freshman Carter Lester (31-9) notched a third-place finish at 190 pounds on Saturday. Lester defeated Allen East’s Braylon Paxson in the third-place match, 10-5. “I’m pretty happy,” Lester said. “I came back after losing this morning in my first match and then came back to win third. “I’ve wrestled him (Paxson) before, two other times this year. I beat him at (Allen) County (Tournament). Then, I lost to him at the Spartan Invite. So, I knew I had to come back and redeem myself.” Spencerville’s Jacobs places second Spencerville freshman Keaton Jacobs (29-7) finished second at 150 pounds on Saturday. Jacobs was defeated by Covington’s Caleb Ryman (39-0) in the championship match by way of a tech-fall, 17-1. Jacobs had four pins on the day. “First place is always the goal, but I came in second,” Jacobs said. “Now we know where I am at and what I need to work on. I have three years after this, so I can always improve and get better.” Jacobs said he is not surprised at how well he has performed at the high school level. “Honestly, I expected this for myself because I’m always putting in the extra work. I do more than just school practices. … So, I expect it,” he said. Kessen notches third place Delphos St. John’s junior Edward Kessen (30-5) placed third at 138 pounds on Saturday. Kessen suffered a hard-fought 2-1 loss to LCC’s Antwain Adams in Saturday’s semifinal match. Kessen bounced back later in the third-place bout and soundly defeated Northridge’s Sulaiman Muhammed with a 16-1 tech-fall. Last year, Kessen placed seventh at 138 pounds in the Division III state tournament. “I like to win, but this isn’t March (the state tournament),” Kessen said after notching the victory in Saturday’s third-place match. “So, I’m just here to wrestle, see what I need to work on and have fun. … That’s the most important thing. I love to go out on the mat and compete. So, that’s what matters to me.” Other champions on Saturday (not already mentioned) included Delta’s Thomas Hernandz (106) and Cass Chiesa (215), Lakota’s Braxton Quaintance (165), Legacy Christian Academy’s Nathan Attisano (132), Miami East’s Aaron Mills (157), Newark Catholic’s Max Childers (126), Swanton’s Evan Smigelski (285), Triad’s Awsom Mitchell (175), Waynedale’s Brock Beckler (113), Isaak Skelly (120) and Robert McCrork (190).