You hope Tim Ruschell rested easy Saturday night.
Ryle’s wrestling coach should’ve had sweet dreams because the Raiders won the Region 5 meet over Walton-Verona, 233-215, on the Bearcats’ mats.
“I could sleep, relax and breathe for a while,” Ruschell said. “I’ve been doing this a long time. It wears on you after a while.”
Walton-Verona coach John Roth felt like the Raiders and Bearcats were the top two teams.
“I really felt like we had a shot,” Roth said. “They had some more horsepower than we had. We were down for most of the day and came back and fought.”
There were at least four reasons Ruschell and the Raiders should’ve awakened refreshed on Sunday. Landon Evans (113 pounds), Rider Trumble (132), Caleb Duke (175) and Travis Steiber (190) claimed individual titles.
Trumble is ranked first in the state in his weight class. He had two pins Saturday, including Walton-Verona’s Timothy Sulfsted, with five seconds left in the second period.
“I believe I hit a far-side cradle,” Trumble said. “It’s something I do very often.”
Like Ryle, Walton-Verona claimed four titles: TJ Meyer at 120 pounds, Hunter Isaacs at 138, Mason Schweitzer at 144 and Luke Hyden at 215.
Like Trumble, Isaacs is first in the state in his class. He defeated Keegan Bishop of Covington Catholic, 9-1.
“I was hoping to pin him,” Isaacs said. “He stopped my chicken wing and my half (nelson) … He kept fighting.”
Campbell County was third with 210 points. Christopher Ferraro turned in the Camels’ lone individual win at 126 pounds by defeating Conner’s Maalik Washington, 8-2.
“It was a team effort to get all the way to third place,” Camels coach Sam Steele said. “… I can’t say that I’m disappointed with any of the kids’ performances.”
Bluebirds bag first title
Quickly, name Northern Kentucky’s lone undefeated wrestler who won his school’s first regional title.
The answer: Highlands junior Rilan Pinkston, who improved to 33-0 by pinning Simon Kenton’s Gaven Pugh for the 150-pound championship.
Pinkston, 16, has been a wrestler for about a decade. At first, he went to the mats to stay in shape for football – until he went to Spatola Wrestling, a studio in Fort Thomas.
“I didn’t get tired of (football) as much as I realized my talents were in other places,” said Pinkston, who is also the defending Class 2A state pole vault champion. “… I just wasn’t very good at football.”
Highlands coach John Hazeres said bringing wrestling to Fort Thomas three years ago seemed like a good fit.
“I felt like I could,” said Hazeres, a full-time substitute teacher for the Covington Independent School District. “It’s a good school, there’s good kids, they really work hard … I’m too old to play around.
Arnold’s the MVW
Holmes senior Emauryon Arnold won the meet’s Most Valuable Wrestler award along with the 285 title, an 8-7 win over Covington Catholic’s Willie Rodriguez.
What was more: the win was Arnold’s first regional title.
“It feels good,” Arnold said. “All the practice, all the hard work, my coaches pushing me. Some days I don’t feel like doing nothing, but Coach (Andrew) Price and Coach Bach (assistant Ken Bachman), they push me.”
Arnold’s plan: crowd Rodriguez and go lower to the mat. He secured the win by going at Rodriguez’s right leg for a two-point takedown with only a few seconds left in the third period.
The state first round begins at 9 a.m. next Saturday at Ryle, followed by the rest of the tournament Feb. 24-25 at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester.
Results
Team totals: 1. Ryle 233; 2. Walton-Verona 215; 3. Campbell County 210; 4. Simon Kenton 162; 5. Conner 139; 6. Covington Catholic 97; 7. Highlands 96; 8. Holmes 88; 9. Scott 78.5; 10. Cooper 72; 11. Dixie Heights 62; 12. Boone County 46; 13. Newport 22.
Individuals
106 pounds
Championship: Braden Blevins (Simon Kenton) pinned Brennen East (Walton-Verona), 1:34.
Third place: Clayton Badida (Conner) def. Luke Cornwell (Ryle), 11-6.
113
Championship: Landon Evans (Ryle) pinned Mason Orth (Campbell Co.), 4:54
Third place: Aiden Marquis (Conner) def. Michael Smith (Scott), 4-3
120
Championship: TJ Meyer (Walton-Verona) def. Jonah McCloskey (Simon Kenton), 7-2
Third place: Jeremiah Wilbers (Campbell Co.) Jagger Irvin (Ryle), 8-5
126
Championship: Christopher Ferraro (Campbell Co.) def. Maalik Washington (Conner), 8-2
Third place: Seth Page (Ryle) pinned Xavier Montanez (Dixie Heights); 4:07
132
Championship: Rider Trumble (Ryle) pinned Timothy Sulfsted (Walton-Verona), 3:55
Third place: Deacon Heisler (Campbell Co.) def. Reese Hill (Holmes), major decision, 9-0
138
Championship: Hunter Isaacs (Walton-Verona), def. Keegan Bishop (CovCath), major decision, 9-1
Third place: Cordion Abernathy (Conner), def. Eli Depperschmidt (Campbell Co.), major decision, 17-4
144
Championship: Mason Schweitzer (Walton-Verona) def. James Haas (Ryle), 7-1
Third place: Robert Cameron (Holmes) def. William Gallagher (Highlands), 5-2
150
Championship: Rilan Pinkston (Highlands) pinned Gaven Pugh (Simon Kenton), 1:21
Third place: Drew Johnson (Cooper) def. Hunter Schimming (Ryle), 11-5
157
Championship: Kyle Richmond (Campbell Co.) def. Colin Ross (Ryle), 5-3
Third place: Ben Turner (Cooper) def. Aidan Dierker (CovCath), major decision, 9-1
165
Championship: Aiden Zinser (Scott) def. Kaden Lamier (Dixie Heights), 7-4
Third place: Bryce Dennemann (Campbell Co.) def. Lucas Hughes (Cooper), major decision, 14-5
175
Championship: Caleb Duke (Ryle) def. Charlie Alford (Campbell Co.), 7-1
Third place: Benjamin Walton (Walton-Verona) def. Harrison Smith (CovCath), 3-2
190
Championship: Travis Steiber (Ryle) pinned Cody Mershon (Campbell Co.), 1:51
Third place: Haydn Walters (Simon Kenton) pinned Noah Kenton (Conner), :27
215
Championship: Luke Hyden (Walton-Verona) pinned Emmanuel Mills (Scott), :57
Third place: Brayton Haaser (Conner) def. Joshua Brophy (Simon Kenton), 2-1
285
Championship: Emauryon Arnold (Holmes) def. Willie Rodriguez (CovCath), 8-7
Third place: Ben Teipe (Walton-Verona) pinned Ethan Waid (Simon Kenton), 1:57