This past Saturday, the McCracken County Mustang wrestling program placed seventh out of 12 Teams at the KYWCA Class 3A State Duals in Lexington. In pool play, the team defeated Male (51-21), then fell to Oldham County (65-14). In the bracket rounds, the Mustangs first fell to Trinity (54-27), but bounced back to defeat Henderson County (39-37) in the 7th/8th place match.
“A possible re-match with Henderson County was a situation we were anticipating,” McCracken County head coach Steven Spadafino said. “Losing to Henderson at sectionals didn’t sit well with us the past two weeks. The determination and extra effort displayed during the most exhausting moments of their matches are what offered their team the opportunity to win.”
Mustangs 51, Male 21
The Mustangs opened pool play by facing off against Louisville Male. McCracken County found now issue dispatching Male, picking up nine victories alongside one disqualification victory. Elliot Houser, Hudson Tucker, Hunter Hawthorne, Bryce McTaggart, Malachi Gray, and Landon Newman all scored pinfall victories, while Benjamin Kale, Nash Smallwood, and James Barragan won their bout by decision.
Mustangs 14,
Oldham County 65
To wrap up pool play, the Mustangs took on the Oldham County Colonels. The Mustangs fell short for the first time on the evening, as the Colonels picked up the victory in 11 of 14 bouts. Camryn Freiburg picked up their first win of the evening via major decision, while Smallwood and Barragan claimed their second victory, by pinfall and major decision respectively.
Mustangs 27, Trinity 54
As pool play concluded following the Oldham match, the Mustangs faced Trinity in their first match of the bracket. McCracken County couldn’t bounce back, as they fell 54-27 to the Shamrocks. Kale (Dec.), Freiberg (Fall, 0:51), and Gray (Fall, 0:19) each picked up their second victory of the tournament, while Smallwood and Barragan each secured a fall to stay undefeated.
Mustangs 39, Henderson County 37
Following the defeat to Trinity, the Mustangs played for a 7th place finish against Henderson County. Pins in the final dual were earned by Kale, Barragan, Hunter Hawthorne, McTaggart, Gray, and Landon Newman to keep the team in the hunt. Freiberg scored a takedown in the finals seconds of his match to earn a major decision, and Hudson Tucker fought off his back against a state ranked wrestler preventing a pin and keeping his match 1 point shy of a technical fall. The Mustangs secured a come-from-behind win in the final bout, where McTaggart needed either a technical fall or pin to secure victory for the team. McTaggart came through in grand fashion, scoring a pin fall in the second period to lead the Mustangs to a seventh place finish.