MIDDLE SCHOOL JETS TOP ACAC
Wrestlers representing the various Allen County Athletic Conference middle schools descended upon Berne on Thursday night for the ACAC Middle School Wrestling meet at South Adams.
Supporters packed into the Stardome to watch some of the best in the area square off.
Adams Central racked up a collective score of 316 to win the team championship.
Wrestling at home, South Adams finished behind Bluffton in third place with 255 points.
Max Myers of Adams Central was the first champion of the event to come from Adams County.
The 75-pounder posted a technical fall against Solomon Moord (Woodlan) in the semifinals. He locked up the championship by pinning Mitchell Byrum (Jay County).
Cruz Bowers became the second finalist for the Jets when he reached the championship stage at 80 pounds with a win over Jamison Patterson of South Adams.
Bowers settled for the runner-up spot, though, after he dropped a tough 4-2 decision versus Bear Sprunger (Bluffton).
Patterson placed fourth with a win by decision over Randy Frauhiger (Southern Wells).
Kley Beer became the second Adams Central athlete to ascend the podium after he won the title at 85.
Beer pinned Karson Hines (Jay County) to reach the final. Once there, he earned a technical fall over Briggs Fiechter (Southern Wells).
Brock Sprunger of South Adams was the runner-up at 90 pounds.
Sprunger started the evening with a firstround bye. His first competition of the meet resulted in him tallying a 5-0 decision in a win over Jaxon Minnick (Heritage).
Sprunger was defeated in the championship match by Drake Hicks (Bluffton).
In the same bracket, Braxton Gerber continued the impressive night the team from Monroe was having when he grinded out a 2-1 decision over Wade Richmond (Woodlan) in the first round.
Gerber responded from a loss in the semifinals to Hicks by beating Minnick by fall to claim third place.
Mace Summersett of the Starfires defeated Grant McAfee of the Jets in the first round at 95 with a win in overtime, 4-2.
Summersett ultimately placed fourth in the weight class.
McAfee ended his tournament with a victory over George Richmond (Woodlan) to finish fifth.
Harrison Buroker (Bluffton) beat Titus Foster (Heritage) in overtime in the final bout.
The first champion for the hosts was crowned at 100 pounds.
Colton Sprunger made it to the final when he pinned Brayden Williams (Southern Wells) after 78 seconds.
He earned the conference championship at his weight class when he pinned Parker Parr of Adams Central at the 54-second mark.
Parr pinned Alex Johnson (Heritage) in the third period of his semifinal match to get to that point.
Max Adams was impressive in his run through the 106-pound bracket.
The South Adams competitor pinned Truman Tomkinson of Adams Central inside the opening minute in the semifinals. Another fall in the second period locked up top spot.
Adams defeated Christian Herrada (Bluffton) to win it all.
Tomkinson, who topped Kameron Hawkins (Southern Wells) by decision in the opener, clinched third place with a major decision against Connor Riley (Heritage).
South Adams grappler Tristian Ehr topped Cade Foster (Heritage) with a 3-2 decision to win the 113-pound title.
He pinned Rogan Johns (Bluffton) earlier in the night.
A fall late in the match against Coltan Everett of the Jets meant that Gabe Steiner represented South Adams in the championship tilt at 120.
Steiner fell short in the final match Cameron Simpson (Bluffton).
Everett required only 40 seconds to pin Sam Sitko (Heritage) in his first match. He ended the competition in third after a 12-8 decision over Miles Jones (Jay County).
Braxytn Hough of South Adams and Owen Shane of Adams Central battled through a tense championship contest at 126 pounds.
Hough did just enough, outlasting Shane by decision, 2-1.
Shane pinned Asher Kinsey (Bluffton) to punch his ticket to the final round.
Zayden Storm gave the Starfires fifth place at 132 with a 9-6 decision versus Griffin Bluhm of Adams Central.
Jet Cohen Bluhm pulled out an 8-7 result over Starfire Hayden McIntire.
Bluhm wound up in fourth place at 138. McIntire secured a fall over Cooper Reynolds (Jay County) to claim fifth.
Josh Mickm of the home team took home second place at 144 pounds.
Mickem pinned Colin Vachon (Woodlan) in the penultimate stage of the tournament.
He was beaten in the championship round by Lyrik Maddox (Southern Wells).
Gideon Mihm reached the final match at 150 pounds for the Jets after a win by second-period fall over Andola Banter. Mihm was defeated in the decider by Caleb Sibary (Jay County).
Banter bounced back with a fall over Colton Caldwell (Southern Wells) in the third-place match.
The 157-pound champion came from Adams Central.
Max Nussbaum pinned Noah Guerra of South Adams to earn top spot.
After semifinal defeats, Jet Grant Houk and Starfire Park Shaneyfelt battled for third place at 165. Houk came out on top with a pin.
Jax Litchfield (Heritage) pinned Varen
Ridgway (Jay County) in the championship match.
Ryan Beer turned in a second-place finish for the Jets at 175.
He got to the championship match with a third-round fall against Jabraylon Hamer (Bluffton) a round prior.
He fell short against Zeb Tigulis (Heritage) in the final.
Kaleb Hackenjos wrestled for the Jets in the final match at 190.
He earned an impressive fall after 44 seconds against Joel Moeller (Bluffton) to get to that point.
His title bid was stopped at the final hurdle by Freddie Lingo (Jay County).
Spencer Smitley (Jay County) won the tournament at 215 pounds.
Jace Campbell (Bluffton) was the winner at 245.
Henry Vannette of Adams Central won the 285-pound competition in impressive fashion.
He needed only 23 seconds to pin George Plessinger (Jay County) in the final.