Pilot Point wrestler earns spot at Regionals meet
Scholastic wrestling season is hurtling toward its main event, and two Pilot Point Bearcats, Eli Knoblet and Augustus Westbrook, competed at the district tournament alongside 13 other schools to claim their spot Jan. 30.
Bearcats’ sophomore, Knoblet, earned a spot at the regional tournament, finishing in third place in his weight division, while his teammate, Westbrook, missed qualifying for the next round by one spot, with a fifth-place finish.
“I’m tremendously proud of them,” head wrestling coach Reed Eichenberger said. 'They showed a lot of grit and a lot of determination as they competed through the day. A lot of their matches went all the way to the third period, and they were behind in a lot of those and foundways to come back and win in the last minute.”
Knoblet, who served as the Bearcats team captain this season, found himself in a hole after losing his opening match against Whitesboro, which placed him in the consolation bracket.
He responded with back-to-back wins—a come-from-behind victory over Gainesville and last-second win over Creekview that was tied at 3 points with seconds to go in the final period— to secure a bronze medal and a spot at the regional tournament.
“I didn’t think I had it in me, but the hours of work paid off,” Knoblet said. “I just wrestled the way I was taught: technical [and] not giving up too many points.”
Knoblet, who qualified for the regional tournament for the first time, credited his performance to his teammate, Westbrook.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do this without my wrestling partner, Gus,” he said. “He may not have advanced to the next round, but he definitely helped me get there, and he deserves a spot too.”
Westbrook came out of the gate on fire, with consecutive victories over Whitesboro and Celina.
He was behind by 5 points or more in both matches, coming from behind to win both via pinfall.
Despite the strong start, Westbrook went on to lose his next three matches, finishing fifth in his weight division.
“The work really paid off,” Westbrook said. “Last season, at district, I lost both of my first matches and went home early, [so] it was nice to see that I got two wins this year. The improvement was definitely visible.”
Westbrook thanked Eichenberger and Knoblet for the progress he made this season.
“I want to thank coach [Eichenberger],” he said. 'I’m so glad he came back …, and I’m happy for Eli and that he’s advancing. Without him at practice, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to improve.”
Eichenberger spoke highly of Knoblet and Westbrook, who were the only two Bearcats to qualify for the district tournament.
“Those two showed up every day and worked extremely hard,” he said. 'They put in a lot of time, and they were dependable. I’m excited at how much they’ve improved since we started. … Now our goal is to do well at regionals and advance to state.”
Knoblet will represent Pilot Point at the regional wrestling tournament Friday and Saturday, hosted at Alfred J. Loos Complex in Addison.
Pilot Point junior wrestler Augustus Westbrook throws his opponent to the mat during the varsity district wrestling tournament. Westbrook finished fifth in his weight class at the event. Martin Edwards/The Post-Signal
