For the Tribune
John Shuffitt, Garrett Johnson and Cheaney Reichenbacher came up with pins, and Dalton Miller won a decision, but that wasn’t enough to prevent the Seymour wrestling team from losing its opening match to Bloomington North on Tuesday night in the Lloyd E. Scott Gymnasium.
The Cougars came up with five pins, two decisions and thee forfeits to go home with a 55-21 win.
“We had a few kids wrestle well,” Owls coach Todd Weaver said. “We looked very tired tonight, and I guess some of it is we’ve been going pretty hard, but if you’re going pretty hard and you’re in shape, then on the flipside, you shouldn’t look too tired.”
After North came up with two forfeits and two pins to take a 24-0 lead, Johnson put the Owls on the scoreboard by pinning Conner True in 4:55 of their 132-pound match.
“Garrett was so excited to be wrestling,” Weaver said. “He went to a (wrestling) camp. It was 28 days of intense training, one of the premier camps in the country. He hasn’t wrestled a lot of competition since then and had been itching to get on the mat.
“He started to run this move, and he started to run that move and he didn’t settle on anything. Once he settled down, settled on a pinning combination he got a hold of the kid and turned him.”
Shuffitt followed with a pin in 5:19 against Arik Sheets at 138.
“John, moved up a weight class and just kept scrapping,” Weaver said. “I think he and (Sheets) kept rolling around, and we’d kind of have him and then we were in trouble. He finally settled down, find a way, and when he finally got him in a good pinning combination he got that pin.”
Reichenbacker made it three straight pins for the Owls by gaining a fall against Cordell Johnson in 1:15 of their 145-pound match.
“I’m pretty happy with the way
Cheaney wrestled,” Weaver said. “He wrestled one direction — and it’s forward. It’s going after a kid. Cheaney moved up a weight class and wrestled tough like he always does.”
Weaver said he is having a lot of kids wrestle outside of their weight classes.
“We’re actually wrestling a lot of kids out a weight class, (Reichenbacker) a 138-pounder, he’s up a weight class,” he said. “Our 152-pounder (David Shuffitt) is actually a 138-pounder. We’ve got kids we haven’t convinced to cut a little weight and get to a weight class and then be a big guy in their weight class. We’re sending out some small kids, and that’s not a recipe for success by any means.”
Miller got off to a good start against Casey Brock at 220 by taking a 5-2 lead at the end of the first period and won 7-3.
“I can’t be more pleased with Dalton Miller,” Weaver said. “Again, he’s wrestling out of his weight class. He’s just kind of wrestling consistent. We’ve got to get him a little more physical.”
Braden Thomasma lost a 14-5 decision at 160, and Tristan Sitterding lost 15-8 at 182.