Cards finish as Region 8 runner-up, crown three champions
BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
ASHLAND – Martin County’s wrestling team delivered a powerhouse performance to finish as runner-up at the KHSAA Region 8 Championships. The event took place Saturday at Boyd County High School.
The Cardinals amassed 267.5 points, finishing behind only Johnson Central (336 points). Boyd County rounded out the top three with 235 points.
Eleven of Coach Josh Muncy’s Martin County wrestlers will advance to the state championships this weekend at Alltech Arena in Lexington.
“Great showing today,” Muncy said. “I’m so proud of our guys. They have worked so hard this season.”
For Martin County, three wrestlers stood atop the podium as regional champions—Jeremy Mollett (106 lbs.), Blake Lemaster (113 lbs.) and John Cline (120 lbs.).
Four Cardinals finished as runners-up—Julian Stafford (126 lbs.), Jeremy Begley (132 lbs.), Parker Maynard (138 lbs.) and Chase Stacy (144 lbs.).
Martin County saw four grapplers finish in third place—Weston Jude (150 lbs.), Cole Jewell (165 lbs.), George Lemaster (175 lbs.) and Ryan Smith (215 lbs.).
Mollett, a dominant force at 106 pounds, pinned Bentlee Lawson of Pike County Central in just 1:53 to capture his title. The standout matman also secured a quick first-round pin in 59 seconds. He followed it up with an 11-3 major decision in the semifinals.
Blake Lemaster was equally commanding at 113 pounds, needing just 51 seconds to pin Mason County’s Evan Martin in the finals. His road to the championship was paved with first-period falls, including an opening-round pin in just 15 seconds.
Cline rounded out Martin County’s regional champions at 120 pounds. He pinned Landon Howard of Johnson Central in 34 seconds to claim gold. The grappler showcased his skill in the semifinals with a technical fall victory over Adam Miller of Mason County, controlling the match and ending it in 3:10.
While the Cardinals celebrated three individual titles, they also saw four wrestlers reach the championship match before ultimately finishing as regional runners-up.
At 126 pounds, Julian Stafford fought his way to the finals with a pin and a disqualification victory but fell to Johnson Central’s Zac Scott in just 20 seconds.
Begley (132 lbs.) looked strong throughout the tournament. He notched a tech fall and a pin, but was overwhelmed in the finals by Johnson Central’s Dakota Ferguson, who secured a technical fall at 4:36.
Martin County also had strong finals performances from Maynard (138 lbs.) and Stacy (144 lbs.), who each reached the championship round.
Maynard pinned his first two opponents before falling to Johnson Central’s James Morris, who earned a technical fall in 5:58.
Stacy, meanwhile, put together an impressive tournament run. He won by tech fall and pin before losing to Johnson Central’s Christian Barnes in a 6-minute technical fall in the title match.
Adding to Martin County’s point total, four wrestlers claimed third-place finishes. At 150 pounds, Jude rebounded from a semifinal loss and finished strong. He earned a 3:11 technical fall victory over Bryson Carrington of Mason County to secure third.
Jewell (165 lbs.) battled through the consolation bracket and won an ultimate tie-breaker thriller over Dante Davis of Belfry (5-4). He then pinned Pike County Central’s Caden Ratliff in 4:32 to take third place.
George Lemaster (175 lbs.) won four straight matches in the consolation rounds. He ultimately pinned Caleb Jackson of Montgomery County in 2:24 for third place.
At 215 pounds, Smith secured third with a major decision (14-3) over Boyd County’s Cayden Thompson, capping off a strong tournament for the Cardinals.
Other notable performances came from Payton Lowe (285 lbs.) and Jake Stafford (157 lbs.), who each picked up wins but fell short of a podium finish. Noah McCoy (190 lbs.) notched a victory with a pin over Spencer Gross of Russell in 2:15 before exiting the tournament.