Staff report
KETTERING — Sidney High 220-pounder Javon Purk pinned twice to reach the semifinals Friday in the Division 3 District Wrestling Tournament at Trent Arena in Kettering.
Purk, a senior, wrestled sophomore Robert Brown of LaSalle in his first match and pinned him in 3:51 to raise his record this season to 22-2.
He then pinned Jacob Kirby-Sheffey of Middletown in his second match in just 1:00.
He is scheduled to face Elder’s Antonio McCloud, 41-2, in the semifinals.
Purk is trying to place in the top four and earn his first trip to the state meet.
Wrestling resumes today at 10 a.m. at Trent Arena. The finals will begin at 5 p.m.
Division 3
Lehman’s Wyatt Long won twice on Friday in the Division 3 District Wrestling Tournament to reach the semifinals in action at Troy’s Hobart Arena.
Long qualifed in the 195-pound weight class and will be trying to finish in the top four to earn a trip to the State Wrestling Meet next weekend in Columbus.
A senior, Long wrestled freshman Dakota Sargeant of Columbus Grove in his first match and took just 17 seconds to advance with a pin. He then wrestled senior Patrick Jansen of Columbus Ready and got another pin, this one in 3:41.
Now 41-6 on the season, he will wrestle in the semifinals today against Daniel Beemer, a junior from Ottawa-Glandorf who is unbeaten on the season at 31-0.
• Meanwhile, Versailles had a host of wrestlers competing in the D-3 district.
At 106, Cael Bey, a freshman, won his first match on a pin in just 34 seconds, but then lost to a Greeneview wrestler in his second match 6-0.
At 120, the story was the same for Jacob Poling. He won his first match 12-5 over a Delphos Jefferson opponent, but then lost 8-3 to Ethin Hoffman of Arcanum in his second match.
At 126, Preston Platfoot won a 15-3 major decision in his first match against a Williamsburg wrestler, but he then lost to a Wayne Trace wrestler on a pin in 2:32.
At 145, Tanner Bey has reached the semifinals. He won his first match over a wrestler from Ridgedale on a pin in 1:14, then beat an Allen East wrestler 9-4 to up his record to 42-7 this season.
At 170, Jonathan Moorman is also in the semifinals. He pinned his first opponent in 4:55, then won 9-4 in his second match against Bethel-Tate.
At 182, Jerome Bey also reached the semifinals after pinning his first opponent from Blanchester in 3:39, then winning a 20-1 technical fall over a Columbus Grove wrestler. He is now 35-9.
At 195, Jacob Rismiller pinned a Coldwater foe in 43 seconds, then was pinned in 5:25.
And at 285, Jeffrey Ware lost his first match to a Coldwater opponent on a pin in 2:56, then came back with a 23-second pin over a wrestler from Columbus Academy.
Wrestling resumes at Hobart Arena today at 10 a.m., with the finals slated to begin at 4 p.m.
