BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

BELFRY — Martin County dominated the Clipson Jones Memorial Tournament on Saturday at Belfry High School. The Cardinals’ 256-point total was enough to propel them to the top in a field of 21 teams.

Ashland finished a distant second with 142 points, while host Belfry settled for third at 129.5.

The Cardinals showed up strong and ready coming off a runner-up finish at state duals. They earned eight individual championship titles, three runner-up finishes and a fourth place.

Jeremy Mollett, John Cline, Julian Stafford, Jeremy Begley, Parker Maynard, Weston Jude, Cole Jewell and Noah McCoy all won gold in their respective weight classes.

Chase Stacy, George Lemaster and Payton Lowe wrestled to silver medals and Haskel Fuggit to fourth place.

Martin County scored deep across every bracket. Jake Stafford, Kaleb Robinson, Ryan Smith, Bailey Crum, James Begley and Brandon Wells picked up wins before ending their runs in consolation.

Maynard and Jude both brought home Most Outstanding Wrestler awards.

Championship runs and podium finishes

Jeremy Mollett (37-5) wasted no time putting away his opponents and winning the 106-lb division. With three straight first-period pins, including a 32-second fall in the quarterfinals, he locked up 24 team points and the first of many titles for Martin County.

John Cline (37-7) breezed through his 120-lb bracket, capping his championship with a sudden victory win (8-5) in the finals over Cedric Stewart of Paintsville. His dominance included a technical fall in the quarterfinals and a pin in the semis, contributing 23.5 points to the team total.

With a bye in the quarterfinals and a pin in just 1:37 in the semis, Julian Stafford (35-12) set himself up for a 7-1 win in the 126-lb finals. He clinched the title and 20 team points.

Jeremy Begley (37-8) tore through the bracket to claim gold at 132 lbs. He scored two pins and a technical fall before sticking Brody Cook (Letcher County Central) in just 1:31 in the title match. Begley’s efforts put 25.5 points on the board.

Parker Maynard (39-3) never let an opponent see the third period in the 138-lb division. The freshman racked up three first-period pins to claim his title, with the fastest coming in just 1:09 in the finals. Maynard finished with 26 team points. He received the Most Outstanding Wrestler award for 140 lbs and under.

Weston Jude’s road to gold at 150 lbs was nothing short of dominant. The senior pinned every opponent in under 1:02, including a 34-second semifinal win and a 35-second fall in the finals. Jude (29-4) contributed 26 points to Martin County’s total and won the Most Outstanding Wrestler award for 150 lbs and up.

Cole Jewell (29-11) left no doubt at 165 lbs. The grappler won his title with two quick pins and a 14-0 major decision in the finals. He added 25 team points to the total.

Noah McCoy swept his bracket for the gold medal in the 175B-lb division. He had two pins, both under a minute, and a dominant 17-7 major decision in his final match over Belfry’s Gary Baisden.

Chase Stacy (36-11) fought his way into the finals at 144 lbs with two pins, one of those at 59 seconds. He fell short in the title match and brought home a runner-up finish and 20 team points.

George Lemaster’s (34-10) road to runner-up included two technical falls and a clutch 5-3 semifinal win by decision at 175 lbs. He ran into Ashland Blazer’s Nathaniel Williams in the final, falling in a major decision (16-5). Lemaster tallied 19 points for Martin County.

Payton Lowe (17-8) pinned three straight opponents to reach the heavyweight final at 285 lbs. He lost a hard-fought 7-0 final decision in the championship match to Pike County Central’s Skiler Ray. His performance racked up a silver medal and 22 team points.

Haskel Fugitt’s tournament was a grind at 157 lbs. He battled through six matches with four pins before falling in the third-place match. Fugitt walked away with 17 points for the team.

Jake Stafford picked up three pins at 157 lbs, with two of those under a minute. His run ended in the consolation semis.

Kaleb Robinson’s fastest pin of the day came in just 41 seconds but his run came to a halt in the third round of consolations in the 157-lb division.

Ryan Smith (29-20), wrestling at 215 lbs, picked up a quarterfinal pin but was stopped in the semifinals and consi-semis by top-ranked opponents.

Both James Begley and Bailey Crum battled through tough brackets at 165 lbs. Crum picked up two pins and Begley secured a 12-9 decision over his teammate before falling in the consi-semis.

Brandon Wells picked up a first-round pin at 59 seconds but was knocked out in the second round of consolations in the 285-lb division.