By Kenny Varner

LEWISTOWN – With the rosters set and everything primed and ready for another edition of the classic wrestling Event Wrangle in the Wild, the night proved to be the best one to date in the local amateur wrestling  contest created by Joey Bender, Trent and Hayden Hidlay.

The major local wrestling event is in its fifth edition and lived up to its now legendary reputation of showcasing great local wrestlers from its past, present and future.

“We love this community. We don’t get to come home often this is sort of our way of giving back,” said Hayden Hidlay. “Hopefully this is a way of inspiring the next generation of student athletes to choose wrestling and realize you can do it in a great community. I’m really thankful to be a part of it. I’m thankful for all the work my partners Joey Bender and Trent do. This is a lot of work but moments like this at the end make it all worth it for the youth and the adults that come back and compete. This is what it’s all about, trying to inspire the next generation. I’m just super thankful to be apart of it.

Like in previous years Smeltz and Aumiller and Chesney Auctioneering  would be battling for the win.

It would be Smeltz and Aumiller that came out victorious winning a back-and-forth battle 35-26 in front of a full crowd at the Mifflin County High School Saturday.

Coaching the two teams were Indian Valley Alums Tye Boyer and Tyler Bedelyon.

With Benefits going to the Lewistown Wrestling Club, this year featured the theme of an “Indian Valley Warrior theme”.

Before the event, former wrestlers from the great Indian Valley team’s of the past. A lot of familiar names showed up to be honored at the event for the Warriors.

The night honored all the previous wrestlers from the past as the group will be honored during the meet.

In the first contest of the night, Smeltz and Aumiller’s Declan Miller went up against Lennox Milliken. Milliken picked up an early takedown and took a 9-0. Milliken picked up the win, :52, giving his team a 6-0 advantage.

In the second youth card it was brother versus brother when Smeltz’s Hugh Harmon faced off against Chesney’s Bennett Harmon. It was a rematch from last year.

Bennett Harmon picked up an early takedown and back points to start with a 5-0 advantage. Hugh picked up an escape to get on the board.

After one, Bennett led Hugh 11-2.

Tech fall 18-2 for Bennett Harmon in tech fall fashion.

Chesney upped its lead to 11-0 after two.

Rounding out the youth division, Smeltz’s Kylinn Swineford went up against Chesney’s Xandria Yocum.

Swineford notches an early takedown to start the match scoring. She would take that lead into the second period.

Starting in the neutral position both wrestlers were looking to get that takedown. Both worked on going for the legs and it would be Yocum that picked it up, tying things at three. Swineford was looking for the escape and got it under :20 ticks left to muscle out the 4-3 victory.

With the Swineford win, Smeltz cut the Chaney overall lead to 11-3.

In the first round of the middle card, Jay Ciccolini went up against Chesney’s Adin Thorpe. The match was Ciccolini’s debut in wrestling.

Thorpe got the takedown late in the first, taking the 3-0 advantage but Ciccolini hit a reversal cutting it to 3-2 as the second period got under way.

Ciccolini picked up the takedown to take the lead 5-3.

After a penalty on Ciccolini, Thorpe got the point cutting the lead to one, 5-4.

Ciccolini picked up the pin, 17.0 in second, putting Smeltz within striking distance at 11-9.

Next up, Harry Lowber represented Smeltz against Charlie Burger.

Lowber scored first posting takedown and back points to go up 7-0. Burger picked up an escape but Lowber rounded out the period with a takedown and back points at 13-1 as the period ran out.

Lowber kept things going in the second Lowber picked up the tech fall 17-1 with 1.36 left in the period. With the tech fall, Smeltz went into the lead 14-11.

It was an all IV match up at match number three when Chad Lamar matched up against Chesney’s Nik Christine.

Christine 1:21 with the headlock and pin, giving his team thr 17-14 advantage.

Match four on the main card put Smeltz’s Adam Stout went against Chesney’s Hadyn Crum. Crum notched a takedown in period one.

With the 3-0 Crum advantage, Stout tied it with a takedown and pin at 1:10 in the second, taking the lead back for Smeltz at 20-17.

The action continued in the fifth match when Kyle Miller went up against Chesney’s Nick Wilcox.

Pin by Nick Wilcox 53.5 in the first.

In the legends match, Mike Robinson Sr went up against Toby Yorks.

The two locked up to a scoreless first period.

Robinson got the takedown after Yorks went for Robinson’s legs, taking 3-0 advantage. Robinson held on from there, winning it 3-0.

With the win, the match was tied at 23.

On the main card, Zach Heeter did battle with Chesney’s Kyler Everly.

The match started off with a stalemate as they were trying to find an opening for a takedown. Neither could find an opening as they went into period two via a scoreless tie.

The second proved to be more of the same.

Going into the first overtime period of the night it would be Zach Heeter with the takedown to end it. Smeltz jumped back into the lead 26-23.

Sam Melikian led Smeltz into the second upper card match against a local legend Avery Aurand.

Melikian notched a last second takedown to take a 3-0 lead into the second.

That would be all Melikian would need as he won 3-0, upping the Smeltz lead to 29-23.

Chesney’s Parker Kearns was looking to keep his strong Wrangle record in tact against former Lewistown former great Jacob Shultz.

The first period provided a scoreless opening period. Both continued its scoreless streak into overtime. It was a good defensive match by both.

Parker Kearns earns the takedown in a hard fought match up 3-0, cutting the Smeltz lead to 29-26.

In the co-main event, Jacob Ferreira went up against Chesney’s Garrett Hoffman. What would be a common theme on the night, the two went into the second period stalemated at a scoreless tie.

Ferreira notched a second period takedown, going ahead 3-0. Hoffman  broke free and picked up a point for an escape.

Ferreira held on for the win, extending his team’s lead to 32-26.

Rounding out the night, Jakob Loht went up against Chesney’s Andrew Wert.

Both went into the second period stalemated at zero. Loht hit the takedown early in the second with 1:01 left.

An escape by Wert, cut it to 3-1 with thirty ticks left. Loht pulled out the victory and clinched Smeltz’s win to 35-26.

On this night there were no losers, just winners as all were provided with fun, memories and a chance to witness the great athletes that MIfflin County and the surrounding areas had to offer.