Wadsworth senior wrestler Tim Knipl (170) will wrestle for a Div. I high school championship on Saturday in Columbus. Knipl was undefeated in his two matches on Friday and will take on Andrew McNally of Uniontown Lake in the championship match.
Knipl finished fifth in the state tournament last year. Coming into the championship match, Knipl’s individual record on the season is 44-5 while McNally, a junior, is 46-1.
Knipl defeated Jordan Paul of Loveland 10-7 in the quarterfinals at 170 and JT Brown of Elyria 5-1 in the semifinals to get to the final round.
Overall, Wadsworth is fourth in the team standings with 54 points. St. Edward is first with 87.5, Massillon Perry is second with 76.5 and Elyria is third with 71.
The other four Wadsworth wrestlers who went to Columbus will wrestle in the consolation semifinals on Saturday. Noah Baughman (113), Connor Gray (120), Joey Baughman (145) and Shane Mast (160) all were defeated in their championship semi-final matches late Friday night. A victory in the consolation semifinal will allow those wrestlers an opportunity to finish in third place in their weight classes.
Earlier in the tournament, the five Wadsworth wrestlers won both their opening and quarterfinal matches, sending them into the championship semifinals. At one point, Wadsworth wrestlers won their first 10 matches.
Best of luck to all five Wadsworth wrestlers in their Saturday matches. Here’s hoping Tim Knipl can bring a state title home!
