SCOTTSBURG — The Seymour wrestling team had an impressive showing this weekend in the Fugate Memorial meet.

The Owls squared off against nine different teams and went a perfect 9-0 to leave Scottsburg with a first-place trophy.

Seymour defeated New Washington 72-9, Clarksville 69-9, Scottsburg 60-24, Southwestern Hanover 69-9, Silver Creek 59-17, Jennings County B team 57-21, Switzerland County 51-27, Salem 48-27 and Paoli 66-12.

The Owls had three undefeated wrestlers throughout the day. Those were sophomores Dane Botkin and Ricky Bogard and senior Sam Chandler.

There were then seven wrestlers who had only had one loss: Freshman AnnMarie Shuler, freshman Charlie Bruce, senior Jonathan Venegas, freshman Briley Compton, senior Brenden Bridgewater, senior Lalo Bustos and freshman Logan Cunningham.

“Every wrestler who wrestled more than one match came away with a winning record on the weekend,” head coach Dan Rasey said.

The Fugate Memorial started on Friday evening, and the Owls finished the night 4-0, securing victories over New Washington, Clarksville and Southwestern Hanover.

Rasey said the middle weights carried the team on Friday night.

“Having senior leaders in Chase Rogers and Sam Chandler leading in the middle weights helps a great deal,” Rasey said. “Sam and Chase were great all weekend in changing momentum swings or setting the tone when leading off early is of great help with the youth we have in our lineup. To have these two show the right way for our young wrestlers is a huge benefit.”

Rasey also credited seniors Bridgewater and Venegas, who went 8-1 and 7-1, respectively, on the weekend.

The tournament came down to Seymour and Switzerland County, and Rasey said the Owls rallied together to pick up the victory.

“This weekend was a total team effort,” he said. “When we lost, we minimized bonus points, and when we won matches, we maximized getting bonus points. Bonus points add up quick in wrestling, and to see the fight we had for each other makes things feel promising for the future.”

This is a Seymour team that struggled out of the gates in its first few matches, albeit against stellar competition. Rasey hopes this performance brings his team confidence for the remainder of the season.

The Owls will next be in competition on Dec. 15 when they host Bedford North Lawrence.

“The team rallied and wrestled by far the best we have wrestled this year,” Rasey said. “We need to take that performance and build on it as we have amazing potential moving forward with focus and drive. The kids having tasted winning a tournament excites them to get that feeling again. It was awesome seeing how excited they were.”