The Airline Vikings won the team title in the Northwest Louisiana Regional Wrestling Championships for the third straight year on Saturday at North DeSoto.
The Vikings scored 205.5 points to 141 for runner-up North DeSoto.
Parkway was fourth (113.50), Haughton fifth (107.50), Bossier seventh (67.50) and Benton eighth (65).
Airline’s Christian Walden, who won the 160-pound class in dominating fashion, was named Outstanding Wrestler in the upper weight classes.
It took Walden one minute, 43 seconds to win his three matches.
He pinned Calvary’s Cole Bedgood in 57 seconds in the championship match.
Walden, a junior, won the 152-pound division at the Division I state meet last year.
Other Airline champions were Tucker Almond, Javarious “JuJu” Jones, Kyle Barringer and Tony Lococo.
Almond downed Parkway’s Garrett Strozier 6-2 the 113-pound finals. Jones defeated Parkway’s Trey Fontenot 13-1 in the 126 finals.
Barringer won by a 15-0 technical fall against Doyline’s Brittany Bates in the 138 title match.
Lococo needed just eight seconds to pin North DeSoto’s Cody Hickman in the 145 finals.
Other regional champs from Bossier Parish were Haughton’s Dylan Holladay, Parkway’s Nathan Pitts and Haughton’s Johnny Vanveckhoven.
Holladay pinned Airline’s Thomas Barringer in 1:04 in the 120 finals.
Pitts pinned Lakeside’s Logan McVille in 1:45 in the 152 finals. Pitts won the Division II state title in the 145-pound class last year.
Vanveckhoven pinned Benton’s Chandler Beach in 3:33 in the 220 title match.
Other runners-up from Bossier Parish were Airline’s Joshua Partin (132), Benton’s Jordan Myles (170) and Haughton’s DJ Monroe (195).
Third-place finishers from Bossier Parish were Airline’s Dakota Brace (106), Parkway’s Trevor Tamburo (120), Bossier’s Zack Elkins (145), Parkway’s Levar Allen (160), Parkway’s David Morales (170), Airline’s Alex Davilla (195) and Haughton’s Jonathan McCleskey (285).
North DeSoto’s Chase Bates, who pinned Partin in 4:42 in the 132 finals, was named the Outstanding Wrestler in the lower weight divisions.
Other regional champs were Byrd’s Clay Celli (106), Huntington’s D’Antae Anderson (170), North DeSoto’s J.D. Davlin (182), North DeSoto’s Justin Gaskin (195) and Evangel’s Joseph Presley (285).
The Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA State Wrestling Tournament is Feb. 12-13 at the CenturyLink Center.
Airline won the NW La. wrestling regional tournament for the third straight year on Saturday at North DeSoto.
— Russell Hedges, rhedges@bossierpress.com
