BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
LOUISVILLE — Martin County Middle School Wrestling battled Saturday in a field of 84 teams in the KFWC Middle School State Championships at the Expo Center in Louisville. The Cardinals walked away as state runner-up with a 285 lbs state champ in tow in Spencer Workman.
Along with Workman, who is the second Martin County Cardinal in history to bring home a middle school state title, Martin County won two bronze medals and put two on the podiums in fourth place and three in fifth place.
“We battled all day, battled sickness all week and couldn’t be more proud of these kids,” Coach Andrew Chaffin announced. “We came up short of our overall goal but not hanging our heads.”
Workman (28-1) was in a league of his own in the 285 lbs category. He cruised through the bracket, pinning every opponent except in the finals, where he dominated the undefeated Ian Tibbs of Central Kentucky Wrestling in an 8-3 decision to claim the state title.
Kenleigh Estep (27-5) took third place in the 70 lbs division, dominating early rounds, pinning the first three opponents in under two minutes. After a semifinal loss by tech fall, Estep battled back, clinching third place with an 11-9 decision over Letcher County’s Gage Gross.
Blake Lemaster (25-3) finished third at 108 lbs. He was unstoppable in the early rounds, winning three straight by fall, including a lightning-fast 15-second pin. Though Lemaster fell in the semifinals, he rebounded to take third with a late-match pin and earned 24 points for the team.
Jaxon Scott (24-6) finished fourth at 115 lbs. He fought through the consolation rounds with a series of gritty decisions and a sudden-victory win. Scott reached the third-place match but was pinned. He added 18 points for the team.
Wrestling at 210 lbs, Keegan Moore (32-3) clawed his way to a fourth-place finish. He ripped through the consolation bracket with five straight pins. In a rematch against an earlier opponent for third place, Moore was pinned but gave the team 22 points.
Wrestling at 89 lbs, Brody Jewell (10-4) powered through his first rounds, including a tech fall win to claim a fifth-place finish. After dropping a tough semifinal match, he secured the win with a decisive pin in the placement round. He contributed 14.5 points to the team.
Noah Bowen (29-5) finished fifth at 129 lbs. He rolled through the opening rounds, racking up three pins before dropping a semifinal heartbreaker in overtime. A tech-fall loss pushed him to the fifth-place match, where he rebounded with a pin and 19 points for the team.
Easton Slone (27-5) finished fifth at 150 lbs. He looked dominant early, winning by fall and tech fall before getting caught in the semis. Slone finished with a 10-6 decision to secure fifth and 16.5 points for the team.
Colten Anderson (19-7) competed at 83 lbs and earned 8 points for the team. He started strong with two quick pins but fell in the quarterfinals. A sudden-victory loss in the consolation bracket ended his tournament run.
Kennedy Maynard had a tough draw at 108 lbs, suffering back-to-back losses by fall.
Chase Messer opened with a solid pin at 122 lbs but was shut down in the next two rounds, ending his tournament early.