Bell County wrestling took the mat at Wayne County and dominated the competition up to the final round where they ran into a dominant Wayne County squad. Bell defeated Pulaski in the first round 48-30 and then beat Lynn Camp, Southwestern and Somerset consecutively by the same score of 60-18. The championship ended up going to Wayne County after defeating the Bobcats 48-30.
The first dual of the day against Pulaski County featured an extremely rare feat in the sport of wrestling. Bell County senior Hayden Canady achieved his 200th career victory. His very first career win was over Danville’s Alicia Campbell on Dec. 1, 2018, when he was a member of the Perry County Central wrestling team. The victory was at the Luke Troxtel Duals at Wayne County High School. In 2021 at the Bell County Apex Physical Therapy Bobcat Brawl, Canady earned his 100th win over Perry Central wrestler Colten Stacy. Canady’s former coach, Tim Cory, was there to present him with a commemorative plaque. Major Cory was his coach for his first 88 career wins. Canady’s 200th came against Pulaski County’s Boone Godby by pin 45 seconds into the match.
“I’m happy about the 200 wins, but I’m more happy the team did well,” said Canady. “I’d like to thank my former coach, Major (Tim) Cory, and all my past and current teammates for helping get to 200.”
“I am very proud of Hayden’s accomplishments first as his father and second as his coach,” said Belll County coach Ovie Canady. “You’ll never hear him boast about the 200th win. You’ll never see him disrespect an opponent or teammate. That’s probably what I’m most proud of. He’s earned every one of the victories.
Canady went on to have four more victories by pin Saturday, all in the first period, giving him a 5-0 record for the day. Isaiah Troutman and Matthew Howard also went 5-0 for the Border Wars dual tournament. Shelby Collins (4-0), Hunter Goodin (3-0), Alexis Holman (3-0) and Spencer Phipps (2-0) were also perfect on the day.
Collins got the Bobcats off to a hot start in the first dual of the morning when she pinned Pulaski’s Quentin Troxell. After a double forfeit at 113, Bell went on a seven-match streak which featured Canady’s milestone victory. That run and the win by Collins put the dual out of reach. Howard, Matthew Dowlin and Payton Burnett also had pins during the first dual. Goodin and Johnathan Tapp earned victories by pins in extra matches.
The second dual of the day for the Bobcats got off to a similar start. The Bobcats reeled off six straight wins to start the dual. Dowlin got it started. Holman, Troutman, Blake Lambert and Howard all picked up wins. Canady finished the opening flurry off with a pin against Jonah Cox in 51 seconds. DJ Wren stopped the onslaught for Lynn Camp when he pinned Bell’s Payton Burnett. McKenzie Webb got the Bobcats back on the board with a pin over Allie Messer. Tapp was able to pin Lynn Camp’s Martin Shepherd late in the second period. Collins and Brayden Pace also picked up wins in the dual. Phipps pinned Thomas Jones in an extra match.
The third dual of the day wasn’t much different as the Bobcats dominated Somerset. The starting weight for the dual was 120 pounds. Dowlin got the victory there, and seven other Bobcats followed with consecutive victories. The only pin of that run came when Canady got his third pin of the day. This one was over Nathaniel Mounce in under 30 seconds. Holman, Troutman, Howard, Lambert, Burnett, and Webb earned wins during the opening stretch. Jonathan Fuson pinned Mason Payne in just 27 seconds followed by a win by Collins to close out the scoring. Tapp and Phipps also pinned opponents during extra matches vs Somerset.
Southwestern was the fourth opponent for the Bobcats. This time the Bobcats didn’t get the start they wanted. Brendan Roach of Southwestern pinned Chase Berry in the opening match. However, the Bobcats were able to quickly turn it around. Troutman pinned Nicholas Britt to get the Bobcats back on track. Goodin followed with a win. Howard, Canady, Burnett and Webb all pinned their opponents to compete a 36-point run. Pace pinned Daniel Hughes to start another run to close out the dual. His big win was followed by pins from Tapp, Dowlin, and Collins.
The championship dual vs Wayne County started much like most of the other dual for Bell County. The Bobcats jumped out to a 30-0 lead. Troutman opened the scoring by pinning Bryson Smith. Howard pinned Donavan Hoover followed by a win by Lambert. Canady pinned Jace Horton in the first period followed by a Burnett win. Thorin Johnson, of Wayne County, broke the streak by picking up a victory. The Cardinals never looked back, winning all of the remaining matches to clinch the Border Wars title.
During middle school and junior varsity action, the Bobcats were able to pick up several wins at Wayne. Phipps had a win by pin. Aden England and Chase Brock also picked up good wins by pinning their opponents. Goodin also picked up a middle school victory by pin.
Due to George Rogers Clark canceling its tournaments for the upcoming weekend, Bell County will next be in action at home on Jan. 3 in a quad meet with McCreary Central, Letcher Central and Perry Central.