The Ada wrestling team participated at the 12-team Lincolnview Invitational Saturday, December 11, with one Bulldog winning a bracket title.
Spencerville captured the team championship, with Van Wert second.
Bulldog Liam Vieira won the 120 lbs. division title with a perfect 4-0 record on the day. He went 3-0 in pool play with a pin to reach the finals. He then won a 10-7 decision over Renson Spear of Van Wert.
"Liam wrestled a couple very competitive matches today, he worked through some difficult positions and finished his championship match strong after it was a one-point match nearly the entire time," said Ada head coach Eric Perkins.
Clayton McClain took second in the 126 lbs. bracket. He went 3-1 in pool play with two pins to reach the finals. He was pinned by Carder Miller of Spencerville in the title match at 4:16.
"Clayton wrestled some very good wrestlers today," said Perkins. "Two of them helped him figure out what he needs to work on to get to the next level, and the third he worked really hard to earn a major decision and win his pool."
Rowan West went 1-3 at 132 lbs., while Trevor McGue finished 1-3 at 138 lbs. Colton Cole posted a 1-3 record at 165 lbs.
"Trevor, Rowan, and Colton each got their first high school pins," said the coach. "For Trevor and Colton it was their first-ever win in a wrestling match. Those guys have been working really hard and getting better by the day.
"The first win is always a memorable one and we expect to keep building on that in the coming months," he added.
Josh Arnett went 3-1 in pool play at 150 lbs., then lost in the semifinals. He rebounded to win the third-place match by pin at 2:28 over Parkway's Isaac Grogg.
"Josh Arnett wrestled really well today," said Perkins. "Last week he had some places where he struggled with attention to detail, especially early in the day. Today he was sharp from the beginning and earned third place."
Aaron Arnett went 2-3 at 165 lbs. and finished fourth in his weight bracket.
"Aaron Arnett wrestled his best two matches of the season in the middle of the tournament," Perkins noted. "He was as aggressive as I have ever seen him, and that was rewarded with a fourth- place finish.
Landon Simon went 0-4 at 175 lbs., but showed improvement.
"Landon is getting so much better," said Perkins. "He didn’t quite get his first win today, but he is right there on the edge of winning.
"He wrestled a couple long matches that didn’t go his way but very easily could have with only small adjustments. It is just a matter of time before he secures that first victory."
Aedyn Beckwith also went 0-2 at 120 lbs. before injury ended his tournament prematurely.
"We are hopeful of getting him back healthy as soon as possible," said Perkins. "He is an integral part of our lineup."
Team results:
1) Spencerville 240.5 points
2) Van Wert 222.5
3) Celina 152
4) Parkway 151.5
5) Defiance 131.5
6) Crestview 129.5
7) Antwerp 90
8) Sidney-Lehman Catholic 83
9) Lincolnview 74
10) Delphos Jefferson 73
11) Hicksville 65
12) Ada 64
Ada is scheduled to host Bath and McComb Monday, December 20 at 6 p.m.
