Staff writer
Area wrestling fans will get to see some of the top wrestling talent in the state Friday at the Marion County Winter Duals, hosted jointly by Marion High School and Hillsboro High School.
“We’ve got schools coming from Belleville all the way down to Wellington, so the whole central part of the state is represented — it’s going to be a great evening for watching wrestling,” Marion athletic director Grant Thierolf said. “We have 16 teams coming in, with 2 returning state champions, 15 state placers, and 48 state qualifiers.”
Teams will be placed in four, four-team pools. Two pools will wrestle at USD 408 Sports and Aquatic Center in Marion, and two will be at Robert C. Brown Gymnasium in Hillsboro.
Team matches will begin at 3, 4, and 5 p.m. After the preliminary rounds, the top four teams will be matched against each other in a championship bracket, and additional brackets will be determined by pool rank as well.
“Each team will get five duals that night,” Thierolf said. “It’s a great opportunity for kids to get better.”
Hosting an event of this caliber would not be possible if not for the collaboration between Marion and Hillsboro schools, Thierolf said.
“We look forward to working with activities director Robert Rempel and wrestling coach Scott O’Hare at Hillsboro. It looks like it’s going to be a great tournament,” Thierolf said.