Roughriders take title at South Loup Invite

The Southwest Roughriders dominated at the South Loup invite on Friday, Dec. 18, hosted at Arnold earning 120.5 total points for the firstplace finish. Anselmo-Merna followed with 104 points and Palmer with 82.5 points for second and third, respectively.

Garett Latimer, 138, and Matt VanPelt, 152, led the Roughriders with their firstplace finishes in their respective weight classes, earning 21.5 points each en route.

Latimer won the pool rounds with pins of 1 minute 28 seconds, 1:29 and 1:44. He won his two bracketed matched with scores of 20-4 for a technical fall and 3-2.

VanPelt won three of his four matches with pins in times of 1:16, 3 minutes and 2:55. His final match was a 16-0 technical fall.

Brett Tryon, 160, also finished in first with 19.5 points. He earned a 1:56 pin, 1:44 pin and 16-0 technical fall.

Carter VanPelt, 120, and Clayton Hardy, 220, finished in second with 15 points each. Carter VanPelt clocked a 1:22 pin, a 6-3 decision, and 1:19 pin. He fell in 1:o7 in the final match for his second-place finish. Hardy won with pins in 35 seconds and 52 seconds. He fell in his final match in 4:26 to finish second.

Other additional wins from the team included Bryson Shoemaker, 285, winning one match with a 43-second pin; Tyler Ellis, 145, with a 58-second pin; and Gage Overton, 106, with a 3:44 pin.

Cole Downey, 182, was en route to high scores earning three wins in pool rounds with a 1:46 pin, 35-second pin and 8-6 decision. He, unfortunately, fell in the first match of the bracketed matched due to a medical forfeit. He then forfeited the last match of the day to finish fourth in his bracket with eight points.