Eaton advances in dual tourney

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EATON — The Eaton wrestling team convincingly upended both Meadowdale and Tippecanoe in the regional quarterfinals of the Division II State Dual Tournament on Wednesday, Jan. 28.

It was the first time in the tournament’s four-year history that the Eagles, who were seeded No. 1 in Region 16, have advanced to the next round.

“It will be a great opportunity just to have a chance to be in the top eight in the state. We’ll see what happens,” said Eaton head coach Mark Silvers. “The kids are working really hard. We’re building and we’re getting to the place where we need to be. We’re still not there yet but we’re closer than we were. It’s good.”

Eaton only lost six matches between the two duals – two of which were forfeits – and won 11 matches by pin.

They opened up the day against Meadowdale, winning that match-up 69-12.

Cameron Schmidt (120), Brandon Weaver (132), Justin Welcome (138), Drew Moore (160), Spencer Reynolds (182), and Kevin Melling (195) all won their matches by pin. They also won five matches via forfeit and Parker Wilken (170) won a tough 9-4 decision as well.

The Eagles then turned around and put together a similarly dominating performance against Tippecanoe – the team that sent them to an early tournament exit just a season ago.

Eaton made sure it wasn’t a repeat performance, earning five pins and one major decision to come away with a 58-22 win.

Monebrake started the team out with a 9-0 major decision as Eaton took five out of the first six matches.

Schmidt, Manning, Weaver, Reynolds, and Todd all earned pins during the dual. They also had four wins by forfeit on the day.

“We just have to keep working to improve and get better at the things – each kid needs to improve on the things they do best. We’re building right now to get ready for the sectional, district, and regional,” said Silvers. “Right now, I can’t individually point (a wrestler) out. As a team, they are really stepping up. They’ve improved as a group really, really well.”

Eaton will wrestle three-seeded Madison on Wednesday, Feb. 3, at Ross High School starting at 5 p.m. The winner of that match will go on the face the winner of Reading and Ross.

An Eaton wrestler attempts to flip his Meadowdale opponent on his back during the first round of the Division II dual tournament held at Eaton on Wednesday, Jan. 27. Eaton advanced to the regional semi-finals for the first time in the tournament’s four year history after beating both Meadowdale and Tippecanoe on the day.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2016/02/web1__DSC5385.jpgAn Eaton wrestler attempts to flip his Meadowdale opponent on his back during the first round of the Division II dual tournament held at Eaton on Wednesday, Jan. 27. Eaton advanced to the regional semi-finals for the first time in the tournament’s four year history after beating both Meadowdale and Tippecanoe on the day. Jeremy Erskine | The Register-Herald

An Eaton wrestler takes down a wrestler from Tippecanoe during the first round of the Division II dual tournament held at Eaton on Wednesday, Jan. 27. Eaton only lost four matches against Tippecanoe, earning five pins in the process.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2016/02/web1__DSC5511.jpgAn Eaton wrestler takes down a wrestler from Tippecanoe during the first round of the Division II dual tournament held at Eaton on Wednesday, Jan. 27. Eaton only lost four matches against Tippecanoe, earning five pins in the process. Jeremy Erskine | The Register-Herald

Eaton’s Spencer Reynolds gets ready to face off against his Tippecanoe opponent. Reynolds pinned the wrestler in 22 seconds, earning one of the Eagles five pins during the match.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2016/02/web1__DSC5536.jpgEaton’s Spencer Reynolds gets ready to face off against his Tippecanoe opponent. Reynolds pinned the wrestler in 22 seconds, earning one of the Eagles five pins during the match. Jeremy Erskine | The Register-Herald

By Jeremy Erskine

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Reach Jeremy Erskine at 937-683-4061 or on Twitter @jerskine_RH.

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