Warsaw’s Kyle Hatch. (Photo provided by Carol Mills)

EAST CHICAGO — It was not the weekend local grapplers were hoping for. Nine area wrestler entered Saturday’s semi-state tournaments but none were able to advance their seasons.

At Fort Wayne it was Whitko’s Dillon Alma that had his season come to a close. Alma entered as one of the four seeds of the 170-pound bracket. The Whitko junior wrestled a top-seeded Bryce Baumgartner of Bellmont. Baumgartner (40-1) earned a 21-6 tech fall over Alma and would go on to win the semi-state. Alma closes his season with a 27-16 record.

Across the state Triton Warsaw and Wawasee competed in the East Chicago Semi-State, all three teams struggling as much as the next.

The Trojans, who planned on just having two representatives on the day, picked up an additional competitor in Adonic Salinas. Salinas, the first alternate at 126, got the call to wrestle Saturday morning.

The senior faced Justin Porter (34-2) of Logansport in the opening round and fell by way of a 16-0 tech fall. Porter lost in the second round. Salinas finished the year with a 26-18 record.

At 120 it was Malachi Greene that took an opening round loss for the Trojans. Greene dropped a 5-1 decision to Valparaiso’s Ian Dembowski, who would fall in the following round. Greene, a junior, wraps up at 34-7.

Gage Waddle was the lone Trojan to make it to a ticket round. Waddle, competing at 160, opening his day with a 4-3 win over Drake Guerrero of Portage. Top seed Oszkar Kasch (32-4) was waiting for Waddle in the ticket round and advanced over the Triton senior with a 5-0 decision. Kasch finished fourth. Waddle ends the year with a 38-4 mark.

Neither competitor cracked the semi-state code for Warsaw.

Kyle Hatch entered with a 39-0 record but would leave at 40-1 and with no ticket to state. Hatch, who had qualified for state each of the past two seasons, pinned Tristan Pinto of Lake Central to start his day. But in the second round the Warsaw junior struggled and eventually fell to Tristan Dembowski (37-7) of Valparaiso. Dembowski would win with a 13-6 decision and eventually finished third.

Andrew Brock represented Warsaw at 220 and would find himself on the outside looking in after the first round. Brock lost a 6-5 decision is his opening match to Seth Rincon (23-15) of Hammond Morton. Rincon lost in the ticket round. Brock finishes the season with a 32-11 record.

Wawasee had three wrestlers compete at East Chicago with two getting the shot in the ticket round.

Braxton Alexander picked up an overtime win in the opening round at 113 over Valparaiso’s Austin Line. In the second round Alexander was pinned by Colin Poynter (32-9). Poynter went on to be the runner-up. Alexander, a freshman, closes his year with a 32-7 record.

Tristin Ponsler started his day at 132 with a 20-6 major decision over Kankakee Valley’s Denver Smith. In the ticket round Ponsler faced Hobart’s Brendan Black (34-1). Ponsler struggled and eventually fell 14-2. Black would go on to win the semi-state with his closest match being a 6-2 decision. Ponsler ends his season with a 34-5 mark.

Jeremiah Dilley ended his season in the opening round of the 195-pound bracket. Dilley fell 9-2 to Hanover Central’s Evan Larsen (35-2). Larsen went on to be the bracket’s runner-up while Dilley closes his junior campaign with a 21-17 record.