Western Boone Jr. - Sr. High School

On Thursday, January 19, 2023, the main gymnasium at Western Boone was filled with wrestlers and screaming parents/fans. The varsity wrestling team hosted a youth night which saw the WeBo Wrestling Club compete in a friendly competition with the Lebanon Wrestling Club. At the same time, the junior high wrestling team held its season opener against Clinton Central, and there were four JV wrestling matches against Lebanon’s junior varsity wrestlers. The Western Boone Junior High wrestling team opened its season against a tough Clinton Central team. All the wrestlers competed well, but Webo ended up getting defeated by the Bulldogs, 33-63. Winning wrestlers for the Stars were Klayton Mikesell (75), Jackson Mathews (80), Jackson Bloss (85), Charlie Jones (95), Lane Rose (106), and Eli Balentine (126). In JV action, Braedyn Mathews, Aden Conner, Ben Fortner, and Landen Humphreys each had a match. While none of the four wrestlers were able to come away with a victory, they each fought hard and showed much improvement from the beginning of the season. There were about 40 individual club matches that took place, providing many intense moments for parents of the young grapplers. At the conclusion of the club, junior high, and JV matches, the high school varsity team competed in an exciting dual meet with the Lebanon Tigers. The team score went back and forth a few times, but unfortunately the Tigers ended the evening with more points, 28-46. The action started at 106lbs. Isaac Moore faced the 2023 conference champion. Moore wrestled well, but was pinned in the second period. Jacob Anderson (113) was next. Jacob continues to improve week to week and was able to tie up the team score with a third period pin over his opponent. Lebanon then regained the lead with back to back pins at 120lbs (Isaiah Garland) and 126lbs (Lincoln Rose). Trey Fuston (132) got Western Boone back in the win column with a come from behind third period victory over Lebanon’s Austin Crouch. In the waning seconds of the match, Fuston scored a takedown to tie things up. It looked as if things were heading into overtime, but with just over two seconds to go, Fuston turned Crouch onto his back and received two near-fall points to seal the comeback. At 138lbs, Kameron Mikesell showed poise and patience as he wore down his Tiger opponent with several attacks in the first period. Mikesell’s conditioning proved key in a close 5-3 victory for the Stars. At 145lbs, Mason Adams faced Zach Tranum in a rematch of the recent conference championship. It was the third time the two have wrestled each other this year, and the third time Adams walked away with the win. This time, Adams was able to pin Tranum in the second period. That pin was Adams’ 27th pin of the season, tying the school record set in 1991. A showcase match-up between Webo senior, Evan Trent (152), and Vincent Laney was next for the evening. This was another conference championship rematch and was also the third time the two had wrestled each other this season. Trent had come up short in his endeavors to defeat the Tiger in the previous two matches, but this time, Trent put together a solid and aggressive plan of attack that proved more than Laney could handle. Trent was victorious in a dominating major decision, 12-4, in his final home wrestling match. At 160lbs, Jacob Smith wrestled a tough, experienced opponent. While Smith was unable to overcome the battle-tested Tiger, he fought hard and managed to avoid the pin, losing 4-14. Next, Heath Williams (170) stepped-up to fill in at 170lbs. Heath put up a good fight, but was unable to overcome his varsity opponent, and lost by way of a first period pin. Senior Ethan Williams (182) also competed in his final home wrestling match. Ethan did not take any time to savor the moment, however, pinning his opponent in a mere 45 seconds and tying the dual meet score at 28. Western Boone had to forfeit the 195 and 220 pound weight classes, which unfortunately secured the victory for the Tigers. The final match of the night was between Joshua Dickey (285) and Nabih Soumah. Both wrestlers were aggressive from the first whistle, but unfortunately Dickey succumbed to a first period pin. The wrestlers will have a few days to rest before getting back to work on Monday. The Stars will spend the entire next week preparing for the IHSAA sectionals, which will take place at Crawfordsville High School on January 28, 2023. Wrestling will start at 9:00am.