Junior Wildcat heavyweights dominate Carbondale tourney

On Sunday, Jan. 6, the A-J Junior Wildcat Wrestling Club sent 20 wrestlers to its first team tournament for 2013.

The squad wrestled at the “Dog Fight” Tournament in Carbondale.  

In a tournament featuring over 400 wrestlers from the tri-state area, the Junior  Wildcats squad brought home three first-place trophies and went 25-29 as a team.

What made this tournament particularly special was that it was the first tournament of the year with a full heavyweight bracket.  

“It can be hard to find matches for bigger kids,” club president Rollie Hawk explained.  

“Sometimes, they end up wrestling the same kid at every tournament. Or sometimes, there just isn’t anyone for a kid to wrestle.”

Two Junior Wildcats, first-year competitor Nicholas Jimenez and second-year  wrestler Jeff Fombelle, started on opposite ends of the heavyweight bracket and battled their way through the competition.  

Undefeated, they would face each other for their final match.

There were certainly no complaints from head coach Grover Mays.  

“Two of our kids in the championship match?  I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said.

“It’s always a great matchup with these two,” Hawk said. “You have the size advantage with Jimenez but Fombelle brings his experience as a state qualifier to bear. It could easily go either way.”

Jimenez ended up taking the top spot for the day, a big moment for a wrestler whose previous first place award was by default.  “I finally got to earn first place,” he said proudly after the final match.

The Junior Wildcats’ female wrestlers also had a big day, bringing home two trophies for second place and one for third. They are all looking forward to the O’Fallon tournament in a few weeks, the first of the season to feature an all-girls division.

Finishes compiled by the Junior Wildcats at the tournament follow, with the wrestlers’ names, age, weight and results:

Zoee Sadler, age 6, weight 41.8, results 1-2, 3rd. Drew Sadler, 6, 44.2, 3-0, 1st.

Kane Buchmeir, 6, 55.4, 0-2, 3rd. Clayton Smith, 6, 84.4, 0-2, 3rd.

Brett Smith, 7, 56.0, 0-3, 4th. Caleb Mays, 7, 55.0, 1-2, 3rd.

Kaden Lincoln, 7, 67.2, 1-2, 3rd. Blake Mays, 8, 63.8, 3-0, 1st.

Madilyn Hawk, 8, 97.2, 1-1, 2nd. Dylan Smith, 10, 62.0, 1-2, 4th.

Jacy Mays, 10, 80.2, 0-2. Avery Goines, 10, 95.2, 2-1, 5th.

Adam Mays, 10, 94.6, 0-2. Nathan Kisat, 11, 76.0, 2-1, 5th.

Clayton Ramage, 12, 79.6, 0-2. Catie Mays, 12, 88.0, 2-1, 2nd.

Jeff Fombell, 13, 205.0, 2-1, 2nd. Caiden Stone, 13, 112.2, 1-2, 4th.

Logan Jerolds, 14, 115.2, 2-1, 5th. Nicholas Jimenez, 14, 258.0, 3-0, 1st.


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