The Warrior Wrestling team entered the Southwest Regional Tournament with three wrestlers, but only one member competed in the 2023 State Tournament, Landon Bainey. Unfortunately, Logan Folmar and Hunter Schnnars did not place at regionals or advance to the State Tournament.
Landon punched his ticket to Hershey after placing first in the 114-pound weight class in the Southwest Regional Tournament the previous weekend. In the past, Landon has placed at states in the first two years of high school. His first match was against Kevin Bagnell from Conwell-Egan High School in the round of 16. Bainey made a quick match when he pinned his opponent with two seconds left in the first period. Cole Hubert was his next opponent in the quarter-final round, where Bainey breezed through his match, winning by a (6-2) decision. Next up, Bainey wrestled Mason McLendon from Susquentia, skimming past winning (2-0) and earning him a spot in the state tournament finals.
Bainey proceeded to the final round of the state tournament, where he faced Ayden Smith from Notre Dame and unfortunately lost a close match to win the state championship. The competition ended (5-4), with Ayden Smith winning by decision. Overall, Bainey placed second in the state tournament and finished his season with a 45-2 record, wrapping up his junior year.
Landon Bainey said, “It was a crazy season with all the tournaments and not so many dual meets, cutting 16lbs to be where I wanted and get to the top of the podium was my goal. Although I got to the top of many podiums, the main one I wanted I just fell short of in the last 30 seconds. I’m still very thankful and happy for what I got and everyone that supported me along the way.”
The Warrior Wrestling team finished their overall season with a winning record of 12-6. They improved from their 2021-2022 season, which was 9-11. The three Warriors that placed in the district tournament were Logan Folmar (4th), Hunter Schnarrs (5th), and Landon Bainey (1st).
