Three Northern Kentucky wrestlers finished one step from state wrestling titles Friday.
Highlands senior Rilen Pinkston came closest to an undefeated season, but he lost to Louisville Trinity’s Malachia Harris, 5-4, in the 157-pound final at Alltech Arena in Lexington.
Walton-Verona’s TJ Meyer lost the 138 final to LaRue County’s Breyden Whorton, 4-2, and Union County’s Jayden Raney pinned Simon Kenton’s Jonah McCloskey at 3:19 in the 126 final.
Pinkston finished his three-year high school career with a 120-13 record – including 43-1 this year – Region 5 championships at 150 and 157 pounds and three state placings. (Seventh at 144 in 2022 and sixth at 150 last year were the others.)
“I’ve had Malachia in my bracket for two years now,” a teary-eyed Pinkston said. “He’s got me twice. He’s a good kid.”
Highlands coach Colin Roth said Pinkston had to prevent Harris from doing two things: the “blast double-leg” takedown – putting his nose and eyebrows in the opponent’s sternum and driving Pinkston to the mat – and an underhook and shoulder lock.
A two-point reversal gave Pinkston a 4-2 lead in the second period. Harris countered with an escape and underhook-shoulder lock.
“He’s got that down pretty good,” Pinkston said.
Pinkston’s legacy at Highlands is secure because he’s the first Bluebird to place in the top eight.
“Not much of the credit is due me,” Pinkston said. “We’ve got good things ahead, we’ve got good wrestlers underneath … God’s led us to this place.”
Meyer and Whorton spent most of the first period locked up, but Wharton led 2-1 after one period. After Meyer escaped early in the second to tie things at 2-all, Wharton got a point when Meyer locked his hands.
Walton-Verona coach John Roth said Meyer allowed Whorton to escape in the third for what became the final score.
“We let him go and gave him a free point so that we could work on our feet ‘cause we were definitely the better person on our feet,” Roth said. “We just ran out of clock.”
Simon Kenton coach Jarrod Peebles said McCloskey’s strategy against Raney was simple: try to slow him down. It didn’t happen – for every one-point escape for McCloskey, Raney all but once countered with a two-point takedown.
“(Raney) does that to everybody,” Peebles said.
McCloskey said he did everything he could.
“I had nothing to lose, really,” McCloskey said.
Union County easily won the team title over Great Crossing and Johnson Central, 220-147. Paducah Tilghman was fourth with 146.5, and Oldham County was fifth with 126.5.
Ryle’s seventh-place finish with 118.5 points was best among local teams. Walton-Verona was 12th with 79, Simon Kenton was 16th with 56.5, Conner was 19th with 51.5, Highlands was 27th with 33, Campbell County was 30th with 29.5, Cooper was 40th with 18.5, and Covington Catholic was 45th with 15.
Boone County, Dixie Heights and Holmes did not score.
Father and son coaches
Walton-Verona coach John Roth watched his son Colin. He pronounced the day “awesome.”
The Roths are one of two Northern Kentucky father-and-son coaching families; Wayne, Johnny and Tristin Badida are assistants at Conner. John said he returned to coaching because he wanted to expose Colin and son Blake to wrestling.
“Colin’s done a phenomenal job at Highlands,” John Roth said. “We feed off each other.”
Colin said John has taught him how to teach wrestling moves – and a lot more.
“Obviously, there’s the technical element of it,” Colin said. “ … But then also, ‘here’s how you should conduct yourself with other coaches, and here’s how you should conduct yourself in tournaments, and here’s what you should do when it comes to matches and trying to argue calls.
“Just little nuance things about being in the wrestling world.”
Duke survives sepsis
Ryle senior Caleb Duke finished eighth at 175.
“I had a rough start to the season,” Duke said after winning his second straight Region 5 title Feb. 10. “I was sick, real sick.”
That Duke even wrestled was miraculous – he said he was within an hour of dying.
After getting a tattoo on his left forearm last Oct. 16 – a cross, praying hands with “In God’s Hands” wrapping around them – Duke developed sepsis, in which the body responds to an infection by attacking tissues and organs.
“I went into sepsis shock,” Duke said. “I was on a ventilator for four days. My blood pressure was 40 (points) under what it should’ve been. I was on four blood pressure medications.”
The medicine also blew veins in his right arm.
At first, Duke couldn’t hold down any food or drink. A trip to St. Elizabeth Health Care in Edgewood became a transfer to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
Duke spent about a week in the hospital. He said doctors weren’t sure if the tattoo caused the infection.
“Some said it did, some said it didn’t, but they never had 100% proof that it did cause it,” Duke said.
Friday, Duke said being on the podium and receiving a medal were good ways to end a high school career.
“Honestly, I came in this season weak; I wasn’t where everyone else was,” Duke said. “I’m happy just to place, honestly. It was a nice feeling to be able to even wrestle and get on the mat.”
The girls state wrestling tournament begins at 10 a.m. Saturday.
For complete boys results, visit trackwrestling.com. (bit.ly/3T2fPrF)