By Fred Kroner
Three St. Joseph-Ogden wrestlers qualified for the Class 1A sectional tournament based on their performance on Saturday in the Heyworth Regional.
At each of 14 weight classes, the top three finishers secured advancement.
Representing SJ-O at the sectional will be Emmitt Holt (113 pounds), Holden Brazelton (120 pounds) and Owen Birt (195 pounds).
Brazelton and Birt both reached the regional final and placed second in their respective weight classes. Birt was 2-1 for the day, reaching the 20-win mark for the season. He is 20-8.
Brazelton was 1-1 and raised his team-leading record to 37-3.
Holt won the third-place match and was 3-1 at the regional. His season record is 30-6.
Other Spartans who won matches at the regional, but did not advance were Landon Butts (2-2 at 126 pounds), Matt Falls (1-2 at 145 pounds) and Austin Cotter (1-2 at 285 pounds).
SJ-O filled eight weight classes at the regional. Falls and Cotter were the lone seniors to take the mat for the school.
Overall, Spartan wrestlers had a cumulative 10-13 record at the regional, winning two matches by pin. The falls were by Birt and Cotter. Cotter’s pin was the team’s quickest, coming in 50 seconds.
SJ-O totaled 56 points at the regional and placed 10th in the 11-school field.
The three SJ-O individual advancers will compete in the two-day Stanford Olympia Sectional, which will start on Friday (Feb. 11).
