The Bombers delivered an outstanding performance on Wednesday to make their senior night one to remember, as they squared off against GMC rival Lakota West. Five seniors—Tommy Maney, Owen Koerner, Dominic Darwish, Magnus Violet, and Sammy Schwartz—were honored before the dual, and they certainly went out in style.
The night kicked off at 106 pounds with freshman Oliver Johnson securing a pin, followed by another pin from Zander Martin at 113 pounds.
Owen Koerner, the first senior to compete, had a challenging match but came through with a 7-4 victory. Next up was sophomore Vinny Soloria, who had just won the Miamisburg Invitational title. He dominated his match, earning a 17-0 tech fall early in the third period, which pushed the Bombers' lead to 20-0. Freshman Jake Ryan took the mat next but faced a tough opponent. Despite a valiant effort, he was ultimately tech-falled 17-2.
Dominic Darwish followed with an impressive performance, pinning his opponent at 138 pounds, making a statement on his senior night. At 144 pounds, Kane Shawger made his return to the lineup after an injury layoff and secured a dominant 16-0 tech fall in the second period. Senior Tommy Maney then extended the Bomber lead to 37-5 with a pin of his own, locking in a cradle.
Shaan Oerther wrestled next, but despite a hard-fought effort, he lost 10-0. Freshman Maverick Schierloh faced a tough state-ranked opponent and fell 17-2 at 165 pounds. However, the Bombers bounced back with three consecutive victories. Senior Magnus Violet earned a pin at 175 pounds, followed by Rocco Pusateri's 8-0 major decision and a pin from Elijah Avery-Brown at 215 pounds. This gave the Bombers a commanding 53-14 lead with one match remaining.
Junior Jake Naylor came out aggressively, but after a flurry of hand fighting, he was thrown to his back and pinned, bringing the final score to St. Xavier 53, Lakota West 20.
The Bombers' varsity squad will next compete in the CIT (Catholic Invitational Tournament) this weekend at Elder High School. Their next home match is scheduled for February 8th, when they'll face Milford and Sycamore in a tri-meet starting at 1:00 PM.
