Paulding Claims Sectional Wrestling Title; Etter Leads County with Championship Win
By: Carrie Kimmel
The sectional wrestling tournament at Lima Central Catholic delivered a full day of high‑level competition, with the top four finishers in each weight class advancing to Districts and fifth‑place wrestlers earning alternate status for a potential opportunity to compete.
Paulding High School captured the Sectional Team Championship with 154.4 points, while Wayne Trace finished in a tie for ninth place and Antwerp placed thirteenth.
Thor “Stroker” Etter stood atop the podium as the county’s only sectional champion, claiming the 157‑pound title. Etter opened with a first‑round bye before pinning Antwerp’s Braxton Peters in 2:14. He continued his dominant run with a 21‑9 major decision over Coldwater’s Matt Uhlenhake in the semifinals. Etter sealed the championship with a 1:44 pin over Crestview’s Luke Sawmiller.
Four other county wrestlers reached the championship round:
- 113 pounds – Brandon Hire (Paulding): After two byes, Hire defeated Crestview’s Dylan Cress 17‑1 before falling to Allen East’s Colt Larrison by the same score in the finals, finishing as runner‑up.
- 120 pounds – Colton Kimmel (Wayne Trace): Kimmel pinned Delphos Jefferson’s Brentley Lindeman in 1:21 and then defeated Paulding’s Landon Shartzer in just 15 seconds. He dropped a 7‑3 decision to Allen East’s Langston McClain in the championship match.
- 150 pounds – Landon Dasher (Paulding): Dasher celebrated his 100th career win during the tournament. He pinned Lima Perry’s Alex Robertson in 3:28 and earned a 19‑1 victory over Spencerville’s Austin McMichael before falling 19‑4 to Delphos St. John’s Edward Kesson in the finals.
Three county wrestlers battled back to secure third place and automatic District qualification:
- 132 pounds – Ben Gurney (Wayne Trace)
- 150 pounds – Landon Shartzer (Paulding)
- 165 pounds – Michael Clifford (Paulding)
Fourth‑place finishers also punched their tickets to Districts:
- Gage Clevinger (Antwerp)
- 150 pounds – Zac Salas (Antwerp)
- 190 pounds – Avery Cooper (Paulding)
Two wrestlers finished fifth to earn alternate status:
- 126 pounds – Hunter Webb (Paulding)
- 138 pounds – Seth Rosswurm (Wayne Trace)
Rounding out the county’s placements:
- 138 pounds – Leonel Reyes (Paulding)
- 285 pounds – Josh Perez (Paulding)
Congratulations to all wrestlers who competed at Sectionals, and best of luck to those advancing to Districts. The District tournament will be held March 6–7 at Hobart Arena in Troy, Ohio, where athletes will battle for their chance to qualify for the State Championships.
