Hoxie High Wrestlers are the MCL Champs!
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Hoxie High Competes at MCL Wrestling Tournament
By Kalleigh Baier
On Friday, January 30th, the Hoxie High boys and girls wrestling team traveled to WaKeeney for the MCL Wrestling Tournament. This tournament was very successful for Hoxie, with the boys’ team placing first with 224 points and several girls’ team members placing in the top four individually. The girls placed 8th with 40.5 points. At the start of the day, the announcer described how the MCL is one of the most competitive leagues in the state, with multiple 3-2-1A state placers from this area, which amped up the competitive spirit among the athletes.
For the boys’ team, junior Max Foote (175) competed well but ended the day early with a 0-2 record. Sophomores Beau Koster (138) and Carter Giancola (165), as well as junior Alex Bufkin (285), competed in 8-man brackets, ending the day with records of 3-1 and all earning 3rd place.
Freshman Porter Meyer (106) competed in a round-robin bracket, ending the day with a 3-1 record and earning 2nd place. Sophomore Bradyn Wilson (113) also competed in a round-robin bracket, ending the day at 2nd place with a 2-1 record. Junior Gunner Wente (120), freshman Simon Watkins (126), sophomore Travis Johnson (157), and junior Mat Bretz (215) competed in 8-man brackets, and all earned 2nd place for the tournament.
Senior Ian Giancola (132) competed in an 8-man bracket, ending the day with a record of 3-0 and winning the championship, extending his overall record this year to 24-0. Junior Chase Meyer (144) competed in an 8-man bracket, ending the day 3-0 and earning 1st place. Sophomore Noah Nickelson (150) competed in a 12-man bracket, earning 1st place with a 4-0 record. Finally, senior Draden Herl (190) competed in an 8-man bracket, ending the day with a 1st place finish and a record of 3-0.
For the girls, sophomores Lillie Denio (105) and Wyntr Kroeker (115), as well as senior Sarah Dardis (170), competed well within their respective brackets but came up short, ending the day early by not making the semi-final round. This was the first tournament that freshman Keiley Kincaid (155) competed at, and she went 1-2 on the day.
Senior Gabbi Meyer (110) competed in an 8-man bracket, ending the day with a record 2-2 and earning 4th place. Sophomore Molly Rahier (235) competed in a round robin bracket, ending the day at 2nd place with a 2-1 record. Junior Josie Bell (120) led the team in a competitive bracket, earning 1st place with a 3-0 record.
Next week, on Thursday, February 5th, the Hoxie wrestling team will travel to Plainville to compete in duals against the Cardinals. On Friday, February 6th, the Lady Indians wrestling team will travel to Phillipsburg to compete in the Panther Classic, with the Hoxie boys team to follow on Saturday, February 7th.