BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
PIKEVILLE — By the end of a long Saturday inside Pike Central’s gym, the margin was unforgiving: 14 points. That was all that separated Martin County from a 2026 KHSAA Region 8 wrestling championship — close enough to feel within reach, far enough to sting.
Coach Josh Muncy’s Cardinals finished as runner-up with 270.5 points to Johnson Central’s 284.5 in a team race that stretched across 24 schools.
Five Cardinals climbed to the top of the podium. Four more reached the finals. Two finished third. Eleven wrestlers secured spots in the 2026 KHSAA State Wrestling Championships Feb. 26-28 at Alltech Arena in Lexington.
“So incredibly proud of these young men,” Muncy said after the tournament. “The best part is we didn’t have a junior or senior in our lineup today — all freshmen and sophomores, along with two eighth-graders. The future is bright in Martin County.”
Brody Jewell (106), Jeremy Mollett (113), Parker Maynard (157), Easton Slone (190) and Brayden Fannin (215) captured regional titles. Blake Lemaster (120), Chase Messer (126), Noah Bowen (138) and James Begley (175) earned runner-up finishes. Jeremy Begley (150) and Cole Jewell (165) placed third. Blake Stacy (285) finished sixth.
Champions
Brody Jewell produced a championship finish at 106 pounds. He earned two victories on the day, both by fall, and scored 24 team points.
Jewell opened the tournament with a first-round win over Preston Jackson of Montgomery County. He scored a takedown and near fall before securing the pin in 52 seconds to advance.
In the championship match, Jewell faced Heath May of Johnson Central. May struck first with a takedown, but Jewell answered with an escape and a takedown of his own to take control. He then converted that momentum into a fall at the 1:35 mark, sealing the crown.
Jeremy Mollett methodically worked through the field to win the championship at 113 pounds. He scored 26 team points, earning two pins and a decision en route to the crown.
Mollett began his tournament against Jaxon Allen of Boyd County. He recorded a takedown and secured the fall at the 1:11 mark to advance.
In the semifinal round, Mollett needed less than a minute to move on. He scored an early takedown and pinned Chris Richie of Perry County Central at 0:59.
The championship match paired Mollett with Evan Martin of Mason County. Mollett established control with takedowns in the opening period, dictated the pace and added a late penalty point to secure a 9-4 decision.
Parker Maynard controlled the 157-pound bracket to capture the regional championship. He mixed quick finishes with disciplined match management to finish 3-0 on the day, scoring 26 team points.
Maynard opened the tournament in the quarterfinal round with a dominant technical fall over Jace Hunter of Paintsville. He piled up points in a 14-0 victory (TF 4: 2:37), recording a takedown and multiple near falls to end the match early and advance.
In the semifinals, Maynard needed just 1:21 to secure his spot in the finals. He defeated Jack Madden of Russell by fall, taking Madden to the mat for a 3-0 finish.
The title match proved tighter, but Maynard remained in control. Facing Zac Scott of Johnson Central, Maynard earned a 4-1 decision. He struck first with a takedown in the opening period, then added an escape in the third. Scott managed an escape point, but Maynard’s early offense and steady defense preserved the win.
Easton Slone navigated the 190-pound bracket to claim the championship. He posted three victories, two by fall and one hard-fought decision in the finals, scoring 26 team points.
Slone began his tournament against Davin Nusspickel of Hazard. He recorded a first-period takedown and near fall, added a reversal in the second period and secured the pin at the 2:47 mark.
In the semifinal round, Slone faced Kasey Conley of Perry County Central. He scored a takedown in the opening period, countered a reversal and finished the match with a fall at 1:24 to advance to the championship bout.
The title match paired Slone with Gabe Blackburn of Johnson Central. Slone built an early lead with a takedown and added near-fall points in the second period. Blackburn responded with multiple third-period takedowns to narrow the margin. Slone answered with escapes and a late takedown to secure a 15-12 decision.
Brayden Fannin put together one of the most dominant runs of the day, storming through the 215-pound bracket to capture the regional championship.
Fannin finished 4-0 on the day with four falls and scored 30 team points for Martin County. Across four matches, he allowed no points and did not wrestle beyond the second period in any bout.
Fannin established control immediately, pinning Cash Dotson of Prestonsburg in just 29 seconds. He secured a first-period takedown and quickly turned it into a fall.
The quarterfinals produced a similar result. Fannin needed only 29 seconds again to pin Gage Holbrook of Rowan County after scoring a takedown and finishing the match in rapid fashion.
In the semifinals, Fannin extended his mat time but maintained control. He defeated Cameron Burnside of Ashland Blazer by fall at the 3:24 mark. Fannin built a commanding lead with a takedown and near fall in the opening period, then added points in the second before sealing the victory.
The championship bout followed the same script. Fannin delivered a first-period takedown and pinned Dylan Peck of Johnson Central in 1:21 to secure the regional crown.
Runners-up
Blake Lemaster advanced through the 120-pound field to finish as regional runner-up, scoring 20 team points for Martin County.
Lemaster opened the tournament with authority. In his first bout, he defeated Mason Baldwin of Belfry by fall at the 1:14 mark. Lemaster struck quickly, scoring seven points in the opening period before finishing the match to advance.
He followed with another strong performance in the semifinals, pinning Brody Hignite of Rowan County at the 1:13 mark. Lemaster built an early advantage with a takedown and near fall before securing the pin to punch his ticket to the championship round.
In the finals, Lemaster faced Carson Matney of Johnson Central. Matney secured two first-period takedowns and added near-fall points in the second on the way to a 12-3 major decision. Lemaster scored an escape and a third-period reversal but could not overcome the early deficit.
Chase Messer worked his way into the championship round and finished as runner-up in the 126-pound bracket. He scored 22 team points.
Messer defeated Eaven Lamb of Mason County in the quarterfinals. He surged ahead with a takedown and multiple near falls in the opening period, finishing the match with a pin at 5:58 to advance to the semifinals.
Messer pinned Hunter Fields of Johnson Central in 5:37 in a back-and-forth semifinal match. After surrendering an early takedown, he turned the momentum with near-fall points and a reversal before securing the fall in the third period.
In the championship match, Messer fell to Liam Skinner of Rowan County, who controlled the early exchanges.
Noah Bowen put together a strong championship run to earn a runner-up finish at 138 pounds, scoring 20 team points for Martin County.
Bowen opened in the quarterfinals with a dominant performance against Landon Baker of Perry County Central. He scored a takedown and near-fall points in the opening period before securing a fall at the 1:08 mark to advance.
In the semifinals, Bowen defeated Kaiden Nottingham of Boyd County by a 7-3 decision. He recorded a first-period takedown and added points through steady control and penalties, maintaining his lead through the final whistle to punch his ticket to the championship match.
The title bout matched Bowen against Ryan Smith of Johnson Central. Smith built momentum with early offense and secured a fall at the 2:29 mark.
James Begley powered through the 175-pound bracket to earn a runner-up finish, scoring 26 team points for Martin County.
Begley opened with a first-period pin over Evan Wicker of Knott County Central, securing a takedown before finishing the match in 1:21.
He followed with another quick fall in the quarterfinals, pinning Wesley Curry of Belfry in 1:27 after scoring an early takedown to take control.
In the semifinals, Begley faced Dylan Burton of East Carter in a competitive bout. After surrendering an early takedown, Begley answered with an escape and surged ahead in the final period with a reversal and near-fall points to secure a 7-3 victory and advance to the championship match.
In the finals, Begley met Nathaniel Williams of Ashland Blazer. Williams scored a first-period takedown and held position to earn a 3-0 decision.
Third-place finish
Jeremy Begley put together a strong run through the 150-pound bracket, finishing third and scoring 17.5 team points for Martin County.
Begley opened the tournament with a pin of Lane Osborne of Russell in 3:13. After scoring a first-period takedown and near fall, he added a reversal before securing the fall.
In the next round, Begley faced Taner Woodman of Ashland Blazer. Woodman built an early lead with takedowns and near-fall points, holding on for an 11-8 decision.
Dropping into the consolation bracket, Begley overwhelmed Bryson Carrington of Mason County with a 22-6 technical fall, piling up takedowns and near-fall points throughout the bout.
Begley closed his tournament with a 5-1 decision over Maddox Bryant of Johnson Central. In a controlled bout, he scored a late takedown and added escapes to secure the third-place victory.
Cole Jewell battled through a competitive 165-pound bracket to earn a third-place finish and 20 team points for Martin County.
Jewell opened with authority, defeating Gabriel Farthing of Pikeville by fall in 3:04, using a takedown, escape and near fall to set up the pin.
In the semifinals, Jewell fell to Tony Leader of Boyd County. Leader gained an early advantage with a takedown and maintained control.
In the consolation bracket, Jewell pinned Jon Falter of Letcher County in 2:10 after scoring a takedown, reversal and near-fall points.
In the third-place match, Jewell faced Ethan Brandhorst of Montgomery County. He built his lead methodically before securing the fall at 4:46.
Sixth-place finish
Blake Stacy fought through a deep 285-pound bracket to finish sixth and earn 13 team points.
Stacy began his tournament against Elijah Iddings of Russell, securing a fall at the 0:53 mark.
In the next round he dropped a 7-5 decision to Zander Smith of East Carter.
Stacy returned to the mat in the consolation bracket, pinning Jayden Collins of Belfry in 54 seconds to remain alive.
He received a default victory from Noah Price of Prestonsburg in the following round.
Stacy then went against Isaac Adkins of Johnson Central, who secured a fall at the 1:53 mark.
In his final bout, Stacy met Smith again in a rematch. Smith recorded a fall at the 2:09 mark, leaving Stacy with a sixth-place finish.