ORION — The Byron High School varsity wrestling team placed second out of 23 schools with 180.5 points during the 42nd Annual Bob Mitton Invitational at Orion High School from Jan. 24-25. The Tigers landed two champions and three additional top-4 finishers in the meet.
Jackson Norris (21-2) won the title at 120 pounds, going 4-0 over four bouts. Norris won all four bouts via fall, defeating Rockridge’s Cooper Larson and Riverdale’s Triton Pulfrey to reach the semifinals, where Norris pinned Monmouth-Roseville’s Landon Peterson. Norris clinched the championship with a second-period fall against Macomb’s Ethan Hoyt in the finals.
Will Julian (25-3) won the title at 157 pounds and also went 4-0 in the tournament. Julian recorded back-to-back falls over St. Bede’s Jordan Coventry and Clinton’s Jacob Hubble before scoring a 17-1 technical fall over Galesburg’s Jack Bernardi in the semifinals. Julian sealed his championship with a hard-earned 6-2 decision against Macomb’s Cohen Green in the finals.
Brody Stien (26-5) took third at 165 with a 4-1 record over five matches. Stein reached the semifinals after a 19-4 technical fall over Camp Point Central’s Mason Collins and a fall over Macomb’s Atsard Aplogan. After a loss, Stein rebounded with back-to-back falls against Rock Falls wrestler Trail Stonitsch and Geneseo’s Dominic Ritter to seal his third-place finish.
Jared Claunch (22-6) took third at 285 with five consecutive wins in the consolation bracket. Claunch’s run included falls over Macomb’s Alex Brown, Monmouth-Roseville’s Sailas Cung and Riverdale’s Jake Baustian. The heavyweight earned his third-place finish after a 4-1 decision over Geneseo’s Brayden Franzen and a 4-0 decision over Kewanee’s LeoCadio Gandarilla.
Jarett Ross (18-8) rounded out Byron’s top-4 finishers, placing fourth at 215 with a 4-2 record over six matches. Ross recorded falls over Walther Christian’s Joshua Lewis and St. Bede’s William Sramek before receiving a medical forfeit from Orion’s Aiden Fisher. Ross scored a 9-8 decision against Rockridge’s Tanner McKeag in his first match on the consolation side.