2 Reading wrestlers earn pinfalls in Wednesday night duals; 3 earn two wins
QUINCY — The Big 8 had a quad meet showdown involving Quincy, Springport, Union City and Reading on Wednesday night. The meet was held at the Quincy High School gym, and the Rangers faced off against the Spartans and Chargers.
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The Rangers had some strong individual performances but fell short in their bids for Big 8 team wins. Union City got six pinfalls in their 58-16 points win over the Rangers. The Rangers got six point wins via Isaac Westfall (215) and Aiden Aemisegger (126). Lukas Strine was one of three Rangers to go 2-0 on the day, including Isaac Westfall and Aiden Aemisegger. Strine won his first match of the night against Union City's John Olmsted (175) in a 11-3 major decision.
The Rangers quickly regrouped and got back to work against the Springport Spartans. Both Austin Neely (215) and Reid Westfall (106) would fight through two tough matchups to earn pinfalls.
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Aiden Aemisegger (132) would receive a void win for the Rangers.
In the highlight match of the night, Jaavid McCarley (138) battled Jacob Kubiak of Springport in a close battle. McCarley battled back from an early deficit with a pin attempt near the end of the first period. McCarley and Kubiak battled through the third period, and it looked like McCarley had a chance to score more points by getting Kubiak to his back but time was stopped (medical) with 18 seconds. Kubiak got a tech point at the end to win the 6-5 decision.
The Rangers would end the night with three straight wins. Connar Rudy (165) won a 4-1 decision. Strine won his second match of the night at 175 via a 6-3 decision. These were two more well-earned and hard-fought victories for the Rangers. Strine nearly had a second chance at a pinfall as the clock ran out in the third period.
Isaac Westfall got the void win at 190 to end the night. Springport won with a total team score of 42-29.
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Coach Mark Draper and the Rangers will regroup before the weekend where they will head to the annual Leslie Blackhawk Invitational. Historically speaking, the Rangers have had significant success at the tournament.
Former Rangers Eathan Westfall and Donivon Dangerfield took first place at last year's tournament. Former Ranger Hunter Dewey took second and earned his 100th career win at the tournament.
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Joining the Rangers this season will be the Jonesville varsity wrestling team. The Comets and Rangers will have a chance to compete against each other in several weight classes, should the brackets play out that way. It will be another chance for the two rivals and their fans to face off after the Comets departed the Big 8 this past offseason.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: 2 Reading wrestlers earn pinfalls in Wednesday night quad duals at Quincy High School
