By Fred Kroner
Freshman Holden Brazelton placed first and sophomore Emmitt Holt took second on Saturday (Jan. 29), helping St. Joseph-Ogden’s wrestling team to an eighth-place finish in the 15-school Quincy Notre Dame Invitational.
Brazelton won all three of his matches – two by pin – and was the 120-pound tournament champion. Holt won two of his three bouts, one by pin, and was the runner-up in the 113-pound weight class.
SJ-O filled nine of 14 weight classes in the regular season-ending tournament. Four Spartans besides Brazelton and Holt secured top-eight placements.
Owen Birt went 2-1 and finished third at 195 pounds. Birt posted two pins.
Teammates Quincy Jones (220 pounds) and Austin Cotter (285 pounds) each compiled 3-2 tourney marks and ended in sixth place. All three of Jones’ wins were by pin. Cotter pinned two of his opponents.
The other SJ-O placer was 126-pound Landen Butts. He was 2-3 and finished in eighth place. Butts registered one pin.
Conrad Miller (160 pounds) was the only Spartan non-placer to win a match. Miller had a 1-2 tourney mark.
Overall, SJ-O’s cumulative record at Quincy was 16-15 with 11 pins.
Chatham Glenwood captured team honors with 238 points. Jacksonville (202 points) was second, followed by Kirkwood, Mo. (144). SJ-O was eighth with 95 ½ points.
On Thursday (Jan. 27), Spartan wrestlers Brazelton and Hunter Ketchum were each double winners as St. Joseph-Ogden split two wrestling dual meets at home.
SJ-O topped Hoopeston Area, 54-9, before being edged by Georgetown-Ridge Farm/Westville, 31-27.
Brazelton posted two pins, one at 126 pounds in 4 minutes and 47 seconds and another at 126 pounds in 4:49. Ketchum competed at 182 pounds and collected pins in 1:03 and 3:43.
Four other teammates won non-forfeited matches, including 285-pound Cotter, whose 25-second fall was the night’s quickest.
Also posting pins for SJ-O were Birt (195 pounds) in 2:45, Miller (160 pounds) in 3:34 and Peyton Sarver (220 pounds) in 1:16.
SJ-O (9-17) returns to action on Saturday (Feb. 5) in the Class 1A Heyworth Regional. Eleven schools are in the field. Others besides the Spartans and Heyworth are Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin, Clinton, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, Hoopeston Area, LeRoy, Oakwood/Salt Fork, Rantoul, Stanford Olympia and St. Thomas More.
