TOLEDO — Bowling Green wrestling finished fourth in the Northern Lakes League Cardinal Division tournament, scoring 83½ points to finish behind champion Napoleon (214½).

Clay and Fremont Ross finished third for third at 122½ points at Whitmer’s Memorial Fieldhouse.

Sylvania Southview (77) was fifth and Springfield (46½) finished sixth. The Cardinal Division Co-Wrestlers of the Year were Clay’s Garrison Weisner and Napoleon’s Isaac Lehman.

BG wrestlers finishing in fourth place were junior Noah Quintero (16-20) at 126 pounds and senior Paul Archer (21-20) at 165 pounds.

BG coach K.C. Hale felt Archer had a chance to advance to finish third but fell in the consolation final to Fremont Ross junior Broderick Barth (31-13), 7-0.

“Paul wrestled his opponent well, had a couple opportunities on the edge, but at the end of the day lost,” Hale said.

BG junior Hunter Kozlowicz (26-12) placed fifth at 285. Bobcats placing sixth were sophomore Cohen Lewis (25-11) at 120, junior Landon Deiter (30-13) at 144, senior Ryan Cornel (18-11) at 157 and senior Luke Feehan (11-23) at 175.

Hale said this is a BG team that may not be setting any records as a team, but brings their best effort every opportunity they get.

“Luckily for us we fill every weight class. Our depth is pretty good,” Hale said. “The biggest part about this team is everyone wants to wrestle for each other and they love the team aspect of it.

“Everyone shows up to practice every day in a good mood, good attitude, wanting to work hard for each other and get better every day in the room.”

Top contributing wrestlers who returned from last year’s team that finished 11-4 in dual meets and fourth in the NLL are Lewis (113/120), Quintero (126/132), Deiter (144/150), Archer (157/165), senior Xavier Scott (132/138), sophomore Owen Rath (215) and junior Hunter Kozlowicz (285), but Hale says a lot of new wrestlers filled in other weight classes this year.

“We are growing as a program. We are excited to see the efforts pay off,” Hale said, adding that his team is bonding as a unit, and that is all he can ask.

“Outside of wrestling practice and outside of wrestling meets, our kids are hanging out more and more,’ Hale said. “They are really just feeding off each other with postiive attitudes every day, which is really good. But that’s what you want.

“We just hope they’ll keep coming into practice and into events, in the dual meets and tournaments and just keep getting better all the time. When you’re getting better for each other, it tends to just breed its own success.”

This is Hale’s sixth year with the team, including fourth as head coach, and every year BG has qualified a wrestler to state.

The Bobcats participate in the Division II sectionals at Clyde this weekend and Hale hopes he can get a couple wrestlers advancing to districts the following weekend in Norwalk. Lewis placed sixth last year at the district meet.

Hale says keeping the run of state qualifiers going could be a challenge, but he’s hoping his best wrestlers can make it happen.

“That is tough to say,” Deiter said. “I think if we go out every match and put our best foot forward, on paper it may say something, but that is why you actually tow the line and actually wrestle that match. You never know exactly what is going to happen.”