Senior night celebrated at tri-match
By Cort Reynolds
ADA – The Ada High School wrestling team swept a Blanchard Valley Conference tri-match convincingly on January 15.
The Bulldogs beat Riverdale 48-27, and trounced McComb 54-12. Ada finished on a 24-6 run vs. the Falcons to pull away and win what had been a close match at the midway point.
The Bulldogs raced to a 36-0 lead vs. the Panthers and were never threatened.
The decisive wins punctuated the night for Ada senior fourth-year grapplers Liam Vieira and Landon Simon.
“Those two guys have been consistently dominant for us all season, and that continued tonight,” said Ada head coach Eric Perkins.
“Liam was aggressive right from the beginning of both his matches and never gave his opponents any chance to score,” he said. “When he is at his best, he is really hard to beat.”
Vieira won his first match by pin over McComb in 32 seconds. He then captured his second bout vs. the Falcons via pin in just 25 seconds to solidify Ada’s lead at 30-21.
“Landon had to wrestle up (in weight class) to get a match, and he also got to work right away and was in full control all match,” said Perkins. “Landon has been gaining confidence and is getting better and more consistent every time he goes out on the mat.”
Simon won two matches by forfeit, and one by pin in 1:22.
Layne Simon took one match by forfeit and lost at 190 lbs. by pin vs. Riverdale.
“Layne Simon always competes,” said Perkins. “We asked a lot of him today, barely making 175 on the low end and bumping up another weight class to compete at 190.
“He didn't complain, he didn't back down, he just went out and gave his very best against the person they put across from him. His fearless approach is something some guys never get but is so valuable.”
Junior Silas Riblet triumphed by pin in 1:27 vs. Riverdale, and won by forfeit vs. McComb.
“Silas is a solid wrestler,” said Perkins. “He has been simplifying his approach to some things and finding a lot of success with that. He is someone we have to be able to rely on to achieve things as a team, and it's rare that he doesn't deliver for us.”
Heavyweight Easton Lane was victorious by pin in 2:33 vs. the Falcons, and won by forfeit vs. McComb.
“Easton is a confident wrestler who has been getting better and more consistent,” said Perkins. “He controlled both matches from start to finish. He works really hard in practice, and some of the things he has been focusing on he was able to translate to competition tonight.”
Wyatt Fisher pinned his Panther opponent at 138 lbs. in 68 seconds, then lost a 9-8 decision vs. Riverdale as the Falcons pulled within 24-21.
“Wyatt is a really good wrestler,” Perkins noted. “He needs to be more consistent to win a lot more often, but for parts of nearly every match he has wrestled he has looked dominant.
“Tonight was no exception,” he continued. “When he took his shots he scored, but there were a couple positions in the Riverdale match that weren't good for him, and resulted in coming up short.”
Ada wrestles at Fostoria Wednesday, January 22 at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs then grapple in the Sally George Marion Pleasant Invitational January 24-25.
