Warrior wrestlers finish 3rd at Onaga

The Marion High School wrestling team finished third Friday at the Onaga tournament in Onaga.

The Warriors defeated Pleasant Ridge, Onaga, and Horton but lost to Rock Creek and Burlington.

Randy Regnier won the 125-pound bracket to bring his overall record to 25-2. Regnier’s only two losses have come from the No. 1 wrestler in the state, Brogan Humphrey, 5-2, and Michael VanderLinden of Burlington in the Warriors first tournament of the year.

“He’s been pretty dominant,” coach Chad Adkins said.

Three Warrior wrestlers also finished second in the tournament. Eric Regnier placed second in the 119-pound weight class.

“He’s been wrestling a lot better lately,” Adkins said of Eric Regnier.

Brody Carroll lost to VanderLinden in his only defeat in the 130-pound class Friday. Carroll is 27-4 for the season.

“He’s a talented wrestler but he’s also a good athlete,” Adkins said of the sophomore wrestler who has been dominant over the course of the season.

Galen Funk was the other Marion wrestler to finish second in the 152-pound class. Although he finished 3-2, Funk won a tiebreaker for the most near falls.

“He was a lot more aggressive,” Adkins said of Funk. “He just worked his offense a lot.”

Zach and Cole Lewman finished 3-2 for the tournament losing tiebreakers for second place. Cole Lewman ended up facing one dominant wrestler in the 140-pound class and lost another match by merely a point.

Adkins said freshman Zach Lewman appears to be learning how to win matches in the 171-pound class.

“He’s really figuring some things out,” Adkins said.

Another wrestler feeling his way through competitions is senior Andy Shipman. Shipman recently switched from 135 pounds to 145. Shipman was also just outside of placement at Onaga.

“He’s just having to figure out that some things work at 135 that don’t work at 145,” Adkins said.

Adkins said the Warriors are primed for a home tournament Thursday, senior night for the wrestlers, the Chase County Tournament Saturday, and then regionals begin Feb. 18.

“We’re such a young team,” Adkins said. “We’ve really outperformed ourselves. The guys are getting better every week.”