The Buena Vista Demons wrestled to the regional championship by more than 50 team points and qualified nine to a pared-down state field Saturday.
âThis yearâs region was different than in years past where 56 athletes per region would qualify. This year with lessening the numbers, only 28 athletes per region qualified,â BVHS coach Jared Todd explained. âState will be an 8-man bracket and not 16.
âYour Demons ate up over 30% of the allocations in our region and finished the tourney with 206 points to be regional champs by almost 50 points to the runner up team,â Todd said.
John Mall placed second with 155 points and Fowler took third with 92.
The third-ranked Demon wrestlers began the season with just a handful of grapplers at a quadrangular meet in Florence Saturday.
Due to COVID protocols, Buena Vista filled just seven weight classes from an experience-laden squad and took their lumps in the opening match, were close in the second and won the third team match of the day.
David Arellano, Elijah Evans, Haden Camp and Seth Moss had their hands raised for BV in a 52-18 loss to Lamar.
âAll seven athletes competed and never let the intensity down until the final whistle,â Buena Vista coach Jared Todd said.
Buena Vistaâs Arellano, Evans, Camp, Eli Flowers and Abram Durbin won their matches as the Demons dropped a close 42-36 match to host Florence.