Trio of Tigers earn sectional berths

Princeton’s Logan McCauley works for position during Saturday’s 1A Wrestling Regionals at Newman. McCauley finished fourth in the 140-pound division. (BCR photo/Chris Yucus)

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STERLING — It may not be Disney World, but for the Bird brothers, freshman Reese and junior Reiter, their reward trip for third-place finishes at the Newman 1A Wrestling Regional and a sectional tournament berth is just as sweet, especially after a long season of having to make weight.

“We’re going to Grandma Paddles,” Reese said with visions of fried pie, after securing a 12-11 decision win over Amboy’s Trevor Ullrich in the 103-pound weight division and watching older brother Reiter claim a pin 4:56 into his third-place 130-pound contest with Morrison’s Sterling Parks.

While it’s not clear if teammate Colton Pate joined the Birds in their celebratory meal, Pate will be joining them when they making the trip to the Byron Sectional next Saturday, after taking second place in the 160-pound bracket.

Pate scored a technical fall win over Amboy’s Bailey Appleman in his first action of the day and scored an 8-7 decision win with a last second takedown to top Newman’s Carlos Salazar in the second round, to punch his ticket into the 160-pound championship match against Erie’s Derek Stoddard.

Stoddard managed to secure a pin on Pate with only four seconds left in the first round of the title match, but Pate said he was glad to better his goal coming in off a third-place finish.

“I came into the day seeded third, so I was hoping to get at least third,” Pate said. “I came out of here with a second, so that’s big.”

“Colton wrestled well today. I think he surprised a lot of people here,” said PHS coach Steve Amy. “He wrestled real well this morning in his first match and battled through a tough match with Salazar and got a takedown at the end to win the match.”

For Reese Bird, his decision win against Ullrich came as a surprise, as the Amboy grappler closed out the match with reversal and near fall to score four points in the closing moments of the third round. Ullrich’s late rally fell short, however, as the buzzer sounded with Bird holding a 12-11 advantage.

“I thought I was down at first; I didn’t know I won,” Bird said, adding that a quick glance at his coaching staff on the floor, his father, Jason Bird, and Amy, was all needed to realize he had in fact won.

“I was putting it all together when I turned him twice with the cradle; that helped me a lot,” said Bird, who used the lock to stake a 12-7 lead in the third period before Ullrich’s late flurry.

Reiter Bird’s trip to the 130-pound, third-place match started with a pin win, 1:10 into his contest with Amboy’s Evan Akre. Bird then dropped a 15-10 decision to Newman standout Jonathon Ortman and registered a pin at 2:33 over Ashton’s Byron Howlett.

Once in the third-place contest against Morrison’s Parks, Bird jumped out to a 7-1 advantage scoring a near fall just before the buzzer at the end of the first period.

“Coach told me to take some shots, work on the double, so I did. I caught him as he was coming up in a half and put him on his back and held him there,” Bird said.

After a scoreless second frame, Bird locked up a pin at 4:56 in the third to cap off his day with a bronze medal.

“He looked good all day,” said Amy of the elder Bird. “He just ran into one of the best kids in the state in the semis. He did a good job; he looked good.”

Other Tigers wrestlers that made their way to the third-place match, but fell short of earning the third-place medal and sectional berth included Eric Bickett at 119 pounds, Logan McCaulley at 140, Dylan Olson at 171, and heavyweight Ben Staton, with all four wrestlers losing to pinfall. They will be alternates at the Byron Sectional.

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