| Elmwood’s Nick Goebel (right) and Lakota’s Ben Timmons battle for position in the 119-pound district title match. (Photo: Andrew Weber/Sentinel-Tribune) |
It’s a hard, tough road to the state wrestling tournament.
And out of the 31 wrestlers that qualified to the Division III district at Owens Community College only
five from Wood County are moving on to Columbus.
The contingent is lead by Nick Goebel (119) and Jacob Baker (215) from Elmwood who both won district
titles.
Goebel won his semifinal match when Austin Hilty of St. Joseph couldn’t continue. Goebel had built a 9-1
into the third period.
Goebel’s championship match was with Ben Timmons of Lakota. Goebel was dominant winning by technical
fall, 19-4.
For the meet Goebel had a pin, two tech falls and the semifinal default. The senior heads to state at
34-4 and 173 career wins behind him.
"I didn’t want to go an entire match the whole tournament and I didn’t, and that’s good," said
Goebel. "I want to win state next week and I don’t care how I do it."
Timmons had an outstanding tourney of his own with a pin and two major decisions going into the final.
The Raider junior is 35-4.
"I saw coming in here (district) that I had a chance to get there (state). If I wrestled hard, the
way I have all year, I could make it," said Timmons. "That was my goal this year was to make
it to state. I got there."
"He wrestled well and I am happy for him," said Lakota coach Rick Whetsel.
Jacob Baker (215) reached the finals by way of two successive overtime matches. He scored an escape in
the tie-breaker period to defeat Marc Moser of Tinora in the semis and faced Kody Bellamy of St. Mary
C.C. in the finals. The Royal junior wasted little time by pinning Bellamy in 39 seconds. Baker is 35-6.
"I wanted to get it over with," said Baker about the quick pin as opposed to the overtime
matches. "I upset a few people in sectionals and upset a few people here."
"They were both deserving of it and they wrestled well," said Elmwood coach Dave Lee of his
champions. "Goebel was dominant like he normally is and Baker took advantage of what people gave to
him and he capitalized on it."
North Baltimore sophomore Dalton Ishmael (189) wrestled Eric Puehler of Delta for third. Puehler was the
same person who pinned him in the semifinals. Ishmael trailed 5-4 midway through the third period. The
match was tied on a penalty point. Ishmael scored a takedown with seconds left and he won 7-5, taking
third and sporting a 27-4 record.
"We had our ups and downs, but in the end we really came through," said North Baltimore coach
Jesse Thomas. "Dalton avenged the two people who beat him this year, Auston Hood, his first loss
this season and Puehler."
"Everybody I lost to I came back and beat," said Ishmael. "I can’t be too mad about that.
After I beat Hood today I stepped up my pace. The last time anyone has gone to state for North Baltimore
was 1989. It was my uncle James Ishmael."
Dusty Ferguson (112) of Elmwood placed fourth losing out to Damien Showman of Seneca East, 6-2.
"I wish I would have done better, but I’m happy with the outcome," said Ferguson.
Ferguson lost in the semis in sudden victory overtime to Jesse Gross of St.Paul, but captured his third
pin of the tourney against Kurtis Pierce of Evergreen at 3:54 in the consolation semis to win his trip
to Columbus.
Three wrestlers lost in the consolation semis and just missed qualifying for state.
Mitch Emmitt (130) of Elmwood, a state qualifier last season, won three straight matches in the
consolation before dropping a 10-7 to Luke Kern of Delta. Emmitt pinned Dexter Emch of Woodmore for
fifth. A junior, Emmitt ends the season at 29-11.
Stephen Klotz (215) of Lakota, also a qualifier, lost in the consolation semis 5-1 to Derek Johnson of
Swanton.Klotz defeated Joe Whisler of Crestview, 7-1 for fifth place.The senior ends the season at 34-6.
Lakota senior Jarrett Smith was pinned in the consolation semis by Clint Endicott of Crestview and placed
fifth when he defeated Brandon Dennie of Archbold, 1-0.Ending his season at 31-9.
