Jayden Fletcher

Year in and year out the Holton Wildcats have proven why they are one of the top wrestling programs throughout the state and at the 4A state meet in Salina on Saturday the Cats showed that once again with a sixth-place team finish and five guys earning medals on the day.

One of those guys was sophomore Jayden Fletcher who worked his way to a fourth-place finish at 152 pounds with a 2-2 day.

He opened his tournament with a tough 4-2 win in the first round before falling in a heartbreaker in the semifinals 2-1.

That moved him into the consolation side of the bracket where he won his consolation semifinal match 2-1 before falling in the third-place match by an 8-3 decision.

The fourth-place finish ended his stellar sophomore campaign with a record of 31-6 which featured a second-place finish at districts along with a pair of third place finishes at regionals and sub-state.

It was already the second year Fletcher had made it to state as he was a regional runner-up a year ago to qualify as a freshman, although he did not place at 152 pounds.

There’s still plenty of opportunities for Fletcher heading forward as he will look to perfect his craft and get back to state and pursue a state title in the coming years.