By Cort Reynolds
Bluffton High School senior wrestler Kaden Basil won the Div. III district championship in the 175 lbs. division at Rossford Sunday, March 6.
Basil pinned junior Colton Sparks of Plymouth at 2:55 in the championship bout to win the crown.
He improved his record to 38-5 this season with a perfect 4-0 mark at the two-day district event. Sparks fell to 39-3 with the defeat.
In the semifinals earlier on Sunday, Basil earned a 7-5 decision win over Gibsonburg senior Dominick Whetsel.
The Pirate senior went 2-0 Saturday in the 175 lbs. bracket to reach the semifinal round.
In his first district match Saturday, Basil pinned Margaretta junior Bobby Suto in 35 seconds.
In his quarterfinal bout vs. sophomore Cameron Urivez of Defiance Tinora, Basil won by pin in 75 seconds.
Winning the district crown will give Basil a higher seed and better draw for the state tournament March 11-13 at Ohio State University's Schottenstein Center.
As a district champion, Basil will be one of the top four seeds in the 16-wrestler 175 lbs. bracket at the state meet.
Bluffton finished 21st out of 50 teams in the district standings with 31 points.
Milan Edison won the Rossford district team crown with 136 points, followed by Delta (124) and Liberty Center (100.5).
