ESSEX — Seven local elementary-school-age athletes won titles on Saturday at the Vermont State Youth Wrestling Championships in Essex, and the Middlebury Area Wrestling Association (MAWA) team edged Colchester for the title of the 20-team tournament.
Four MAWA wrestlers claimed championships, three of them competing at the 3rd- and 4th-grade level: Miles Goetz, Parker Carl and Jason Sperry. Avery Carl won a 5/6 title and was not scored upon in the tournament.
Two members of the Mount Abraham club won 3/4 titles, Isayah Isham and Duncan Husk, while Isaac Preston of the Vergennes-area team and Isaac Whitney of the Otter Valley club claimed 5/6 crowns.
MAWA scored 179 points to take the overall crown from Colchester (175). The MAWA Tigers had two second-place finishers and four other wrestlers in the top six in the weight groupings.
The other three local clubs all finished in the top six, and not far behind the top teams. Springfield (161) was third, Vergennes (150) took fourth, and OV and Vergennes finished at a tie for fifth at 145.
The local place-winners were:
3/4 LEVEL
•Group 1: 1. Miles Goetz, MAWA; 5. Karson Morris, MTA.
•Group 2: 2. Joey Maneen, V.
•Group 4: 2. Kaidin White, MTA; 5. Colton Murray, MAWA.
•Group 5: 1. Parker Carl, MAWA; 3. Emmitt Mallory, OV.
•Group 6: 2. Gabriel Duval, MAWA; 3. Colby Benoit, OV; 6. Izaiha Deyette, V.
•Group 7: 1. Jason Sperry, MAWA; 2. Blake Allen, MTA; 3. Trevor Wright, MTA.
•Group 8: 4. Max Potter, OV.
•Group 9: 1. Isayah Isham, MTA; 3. Tucker Wright, MTA.
•Group 11: 2. Caleigh White, V; 3. Benji Havey, MTA.
•Group 12: 2. Keegan Reid, OV.
5/6 LEVEL
•Group 1: 3. Mason White, MTA; 4. Brayden Hemingway, MTA.
•Group 3: 2. Logan Stearns, V.
•Group 6: 1. Avery Carl, MAWA; 5. Ethan Hallock, V.
•Group 7: 1. Isaac Preston, V; 5. Wesley Husk, MTA.
•Group 8: 1. Isaac Whitney, OV; 2. Cecilia Didyoung, V; 3. Payton Lavoie, V; 4. Steven Lackard, MAWA.
•Group 9: 2. Quincy Boone, OV; 3. Drake Felkl, OV.
•Group 11: 2. Joseph Bergevin, MAWA.