By Jordan Miller
FPS Editor
The Minerva wrestling team put together a strong performance at the Division II sectional tournament at Claymont High School on Saturday, Feb. 22, finishing third in the team standings with 158.5 points. The Lions advanced five wrestlers to the district tournament in Steubenville and have two district alternates.
Minerva crowned two sectional champions, as Hunter Dietrich (165 pounds) defeated East Liverpool’s Damon Stansbury 5-2, and Hatcher Sabatin (285 pounds) pinned Philo’s Landon Gill at 3:56 to claim first-place finishes.
The Lions also had a sectional runner-up, with Lincoln Wallace (150 pounds) placing second after a 7-2 decision loss to Claymont’s Kamden Stout.
Minerva’s depth was key, as Jason Sivy (144 pounds) secured third place by pinning Claymont’s Luke Henry in 2:43, while Ethan Weaver (157 pounds) dominated his third-place match with a 19-4 technical fall over Carrollton’s Brody Gonda.
Two Lions placed fifth, making them district alternates: Timmy Kirkpatrick (175 pounds) placed fifth, pinning John Glenn’s Brayden Knowlton in 1:45. Enoch Brodzenski (190 pounds) also finished fifth, pinning Claymont’s Calvin Edwards at 3:56.
With five district qualifiers and two alternates, Minerva finished behind Carrollton (206.0 points) and Claymont (183.5 points) in the team standings, outpacing Philo (140.5 points) and Maysville (136.5 points) to round out the top five.
Minerva’s five district qualifiers will compete at Steubenville High School on Friday and Saturday, aiming for a top-four finish to punch their ticket to the state tournament in Columbus.