Tiger grapplers take third at Seneca

Members of the Nevada Tigers wrestling team who competed in the Seneca Tournament are, kneeling: Daxtyn Hiestand and Jacob Johnson. Standing: Cameron Diaz, Scott Swink, assistant coach Mason Heard, Morgan Long, Johnathon Ireland, Anthony Franco, Dayton Miller, Trey Pritchett, head coach Devin White, Clay Regers and assistant coach Josh Smith.

SENECA, Mo. -- The Nevada Tigers wrestling team got back into tournament action Friday and Saturday, bringing home its strongest performance of the season in the 51st annual People's Bank of Seneca Tournament.

An individual championship by Dayton Miller and second-place finishes by Scott Swink and Clay Regers led the Tigers to a third-place finish in the tournament. Blair Oaks edged Bentonville, Ark., 296 to 295.5, for the team title and Nevada was third with 282 points.

Miller was undefeated in six bouts at 113 pounds, including a 40-second pin of Bentonville's Darian Fernandez in the finals. Swink was 6-1 and second at 182, losing to Springdale Har-Ber's Douglas Mathews in the finals and Regers was 4-2 and second at heavyweight, losing to John Karsten, Blair Oaks, in the finals.

Anthony Franco was third at 170 with a 6-1 record -- including an 8-7 decision over Har-Ber's Robert White in the third-place match. Daxtyn Hiestand was 3-3 and finished fourth at 126, with a 12-3 loss to Seneca's Jesse Rhoades in the third-place match, while Johnathon Ireland was 3-3 and also took fourth at 145, losing to Heritage High School's (Rogers, Ark.) Shae Chafin in the third-place match and Jacob Johnson was 4-2 and finished fourth at 195, losing Seneca's Dylan West in the third-place match.

Trey Pritchett was 3-2 and placed fifth at 220 and Chaden Brandt was 3-3 and finished sixth at 160. Morgan Long finished seventh at 138 and Cameron Diaz rounded out the order for the Tigers with a ninth-place finish at 132.

The Tigers are scheduled to host Springfield Parkview and Carl Junction Tuesday evening, inside Wynn Gymnasium at Nevada High School, starting the final week of the regular-season schedule. The wrestling is set to start at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, weather permitting.