If there was any doubt that Region One was the best wrestling region in the state, those doubts were erased Saturday at the KHSAA State Wrestling Tournament. Union County won their fifth straight state title, and Christian County finished second – the best finish for the program since winning the 1988 state title.
The Colonels had 11 wrestlers begin Saturday on the mat. Nine of those advanced to the medal podium and three wrestled for a state title.
Niko Bussell, who was a state runner-up last year, took down Union County’s Darius Moore by fall 1:33 into the second round. Bussell had a large lead when the match ended. He is the 21st state champion in Colonel wrestling history.
Cameron Coleman and Gage Fowler also made it to the championship match in their respective weight classes. Coleman was pinned by Union County’s Micah Ervin in the title match at 182. For Ervin, it’s his second straight state title.
Gage Fowler lost to Union County’s Trayce Eckman in the title match at 113 in a second round pin. It’s the third straight year the Colonel junior has found the medal podium.
Sophomore A.J. Harvey finished sixth in the 195-pound class, while freshman J.T. Adams finished seventh in the 170-pound class. Junior TyDarius Kelly was fourth in the 285-pound class.
Several Colonel seniors closed out their wrestling careers on the medal podium.
Jakerion Merritt finished third in the 145-pound class. He was the No. 1 wrestler all season and suffered his only loss in Friday’s quarterfinals to eventual state champion Ty Lehman.
Austin Grant-Hall finished fourth at 138, and Ethan Wells finished sixth in the 126-pound class.
Union County set a new state record with 299 points in their title win. Christian County finished second with 200.5 points, setting a new school record. Their previous high point total was 125 when they finished third in 1994.
The runner-up finish is the third for the Colonel wrestling program at state. The other two preceded a state championship in 1986 and 1987.
Colonel coach Robert Burnham was named the statewide coach of the year by the Kentucky Wrestling Coaches Association.
