Five Durant High School wrestlers took home placing medals from the Annual Midwestern Conference Meet held this past weekend at the Kerr Activity Center in Ada.
Aiden Polk claimed runner-up honors at 144 pounds, Mac Barbush was third at 138, Adam Haney finished fourth at 165 while Britton Trotter added a sixth at 157 pounds and Gaige Rocha sixth at heavyweight.
The Lions opened the week with a 66-11 romp over Dickson in dual action while celebrating Senior Night.
Canan Walls got things rolling for Durant with a 1:26 fall win over Alexander Edwards at 120 pounds with Rocha also picking up a pin fall triumph in 1:55 at heavyweight facing Landry Baker.
In between those the Lions got a 10-4 decision by Braeden Emert versus Isiah Herrera at 150 as well as a 5-0 decision win from Axel Thurman over Jorin Green at 215 pounds.
Mason Cooper, Matt Frazer, Barbush, Polk, Trotter, Haney and Evan Smith all recorded forfeit victories.
In the tournament, Polk got off to a great start in winning his first three matches to reach the finals.
He dropped Taylor Johnson of Ada in a 19-4 technical fall, pinned Plainview’s Jaden Smith in only 56 seconds and edged Ean Wells from Community Christian for a 9-8 decision. In the finale however, he came out on the short end of an 11-6 decision against McLoud’s Ryatt Hernandez.
At 138 pounds, Barbush scored a pair of opening wins in outlasting Bo Manek of Harrah, 15-12, and dropped Ada’s Ryan Gaches in a 17-0 technical fall. A narrow loss in the semifinals dropped him into the consolation bracket where he dispatched Casten Edmonds from Bridge Creek in a 50 second fall as well as Gavin Schalk also from Bridge Creek for an 18-0 technical fall to place third.
Adam Haney won his opening match at 165 pounds with a 1:34 pin of Jones Willeford of Community Christian before having to do strong work in the consolation bracket after a quarter final defeat.
He pinned Chandler’s Landon Massie in 2:27, dropped Eliah Sherwood from Pauls Valley in a 55-second fall and blasted Jon Henry of Community Christian in a 14-0 major decision. Haney then came out on the tough end of a 14-0 major decision in the thirdplace contest.
Trotter likely had the toughest road to a placing medal at 157 pounds, suffering a fall loss in his very first match of the event. He rebounded with four straight wins, notching a 1:30 pin of Stroud Tucker from Little Axe, 1:42 fall against Noble’s Noah Lovelady, injury forfeit and 11-4 decision versus Adin Gokey of Tecumseh before the run came to an end.
At heavyweight, Rocha was a 4:42 fall victor in the opening round before a fall defeat sent him to the consolation bracket where he stopped Maddox Manuel of Lexington in 1:28 and Cathan Cruz from Newcastle at 1:50 to reach the placing round.
Smith checked with a 2-2 record at 190 pounds but fell just shy of the placing round. Following a first round defeat he bounced back to pick up a 4:44 fall win against Kaiden Wiens from Bethel as well as a 4:41 fall decision facing Noble’s James Crane.
Jacoby Briggle scored one victory – a 2:20 fall over Tecumseh’s Hayden Emro – in three matches at 126 pounds.
Durant will be back home for a rescheduled matchup with Davis on Thursday for the Lions final home date of the season.
