MD – Baltimore County | Archive | January, 2007

ARCADIA ââ?¬â??
When word spread that the Anderson Highland Scots wrestling team was
losing five senior starters at the end of last season, observers
predicted anything but a sectional championship in the program�s
immediate future. How wrong they were.

Riding
the wave created by the team�s five ranked grapplers � partnered by
several key individual efforts � the Scots showed why youth can never
be underestimated, winning the Hamilton Heights Sectional Tournament on
Saturday afternoon.

ââ?¬Å?Weââ?¬â?¢ve been focused on the prize all week long at practice,ââ?¬Â said 112-pound Highland
freshman Mason Berryman. ââ?¬Å?Coach (Carey House) has told us from the
beginning of the year, nothing else matters except for sectionals.
We�ve been motivated for this meet all year.�

Behind six weight class championships, the Scots scored 263 team points, fending off host Hamilton Heights (239.5) to capture their second sectional crown in four years.
 

Highland
owns six sectional titles in program history and two since the IHSAA
state tournament revamp in 2002-03. Both the Scots and Huskies advance
to Wednesday night�s team regional tournament to be held at North Central High School. The team regional berth marks Highland�s fourth in five years.

ââ?¬Å?The goal was sectional, and the goal has been met,ââ?¬Â said Highland coach Carey House with a grin after the Scots advance nine wrestlers overall.

With
two wrestlers earning runner-up honors and another placing third, the
Scots individual titles went to four first-timers and two seasoned vets
in sophomore Camden Eppert at 103 pounds and senior Chuck Bennett at
152.

Eppert,
who improved his record to a perfect 22-0, captured his second career
sectional title behind a 5:29 semifinal fall and a 17-5 major decision
over Hamilton Heights� Jarrid Logan in the finals.

Bennett,
ranked fourth in the state, rolled to 26-1 on the year by logging three
straight falls in a combined 8:29 before scoring a 6-1 decision in the
finals against state-ranked freshman Kevin Moats (37-3) of Tipton. The
title marks Bennett�s third in his career.

ââ?¬Å?Sectional
champs,� said Eppert, who entered the state tournament ranked first in
the state. ââ?¬Å?Yeah, we gave up five seniors, but we also gained three
freshmen that go out there every time and fight for us.�

The youngsters delivered as Highland
racked up 21 falls, two major decisions and two technical falls in the
tournament. The Scots sent eight wrestlers to the championship round.

Freshman
Sammy Bennett (26-2), ranked fourth in the state, notched a 3:43 fall
and a semifinal technical fall before joining Berryman (27-1) as a
first-time sectional champion with a 7-0 decision over Pendleton Heights�
Cory Wenzara in the 140-pound finals. Berryman�s path to the winner�s
podium was complete with a 7-6 decision versus Noblesville�s Dino
Hawkey.
 

Matt
Isenhour, a state-ranked junior, defeated Elwood�s Dan Kelich 5-4 in
the 145-pound finals. Sophomore Domonique Bryant (16-12) made it six
individual titles with a 12-4 major decision against Pendleton Heights� Sam Hosier (25-11) at 119-pounds, who beat Bryant by fall in the Madison County Tournament.

ââ?¬Å?Everybody just picked it up,ââ?¬Â said Berryman. ââ?¬Å?Domonique really impressed me.ââ?¬Â

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GARY ââ?¬â?? Merrillville won its third straight wrestling sectional championship Saturday,  at Calumet. The Pirates won the tournament with 308 points, which was 85 points more than second-place Hobart.

Merrillville had seven wrestlers finish in first place, the most in the tournament. Hobart had the second-most winners with four. Together the Pirates and Brickies had 17 wrestlers make it into the finals.

Pirates senior Wilson Williams (26-3) won the 103-pound weight class with a 53-second pin of Hobart senior Chris Johnson (22-8). Merrillville�s Carlo Martinez (28-6) took the 112 class with a pin of Griffith�s Nick Gonzalez (28-11). Hobart freshman Frankie Porras (32-5) won the 119 championship with a 7-3 decision over Merrillville junior Andrew Kepchar (27-7).

ââ?¬Å?He was very
tough,ââ?¬Â Porras said. ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢ve known of him for a while. Heââ?¬â?¢s a junior and
I knew he was strong and knew it was going to be a tough match.�

ââ?¬Å?It feels nice
to win. It was a tough match and I knew it was going to be, so I just
hoped to just stay in there and hopefully come out on top.�

Griffith senior Steve Siokos (22-4) won the 125 weight class with a 9-2 decision over Hobart
sophomore Johnny Dillon (31-3). Siokos took second place at sectionals
last year. He credited his coaching staff with helping him become a
more offensive wrestler.

ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢ve done a lot
of training, day and night, this past week and have really focused on
wrestling offensively,ââ?¬Â he said. ââ?¬Å?I was really wrestling defensively
and reacting to the other wrestler. I had to focus on getting my
takedowns. I wasn�t getting as many takedowns in matches before.�

Hobart
junior Eric Galka (36-0) remained undefeated in his pursuit of the 130
class title. He won the sectional with a 9-6 decision over Merrillville senior Kyle Yarnell (20-6). Merrillville senior Alex Ponce (27-6) took the 135 title with a 4-1 decision over Calumet senior Mike Welch (35-6). Taking the 140 class was Hobart junior Brennan Cosgrove (35-2), with a first-period pin of Lake Station freshman Jack Hammons (18-10).

Merrillville senior Jamal Lawrence (33-0) preserved his undefeated record with his victory in the 145 class in a 8-2 decision over Hobart junior Jake Plesac (27-9). It was Lawrence�s third straight sectional victory. Last year he won the 145 class and in 2005 won the 130 class.

ââ?¬Å?It feels like winning any other match,ââ?¬Â said Lawrence about his sectional title. ââ?¬Å?He was a tough kid and he worked hard and had a good match.

ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢m felling pretty good about how Iââ?¬â?¢m wrestling and Iââ?¬â?¢m pretty confident that Iââ?¬â?¢ll take first place in regionals.ââ?¬Â

Merrillville senior Kyle Morris (29-6) won the 152 class with an 8-4 decision over Calumet senior Joey Frey (34-9). In the 160 class, Calumet�s Brandon DelPrado (31-5) took a 7-4 decision over Merrillville senior Brad Kaczynski (30-7). The 171 class was won by Merrillville senior Joe Wing (34-1) with a 7-2 decision over Calumet senior Dustin Denisiuk (38-2).

Hobart senior Cody Greener (33-5) won the 189 class with a 4-1 decision over Calumet junior Jeremy Arcinega (14-11). Merrillville junior Jake Salas (35-2) won the 215 class with a 10-3 decision over Griffith senior Robbie Buehler (33-2). Lake Station senior heavyweight Erik Owen (28-3) won the 275 class with a second-period pin of Wirt senior Brandall Kennedy (10-4).

ââ?¬Å?It feels good,ââ?¬Â
said Owen, about winning the sectional title after winning second place
last season. ââ?¬Å?Itââ?¬â?¢s good to win, but Iââ?¬â?¢ve got to make sure I focus and
get ready for next week.�

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FORT WAYNE ââ?¬â?? Ethan DeWitt and Josh Michael won their weight classes with pins, and Peter Deutsch added a major decision Saturday to lead Columbia City to the team title at the Carroll Sectional wrestling meet.

The Eagles
collected six weight-class titles and scored 236.5 points to edge
runner-up Carroll (220). Bishop Dwenger was third with 198 points.

DeWitt pinned Kade Hardley of Leo in 3:44 to win the 140-pound title.

Michael finished
off Brendon Rudd of North Side in 3:39 in the 160 division, and Deutsch
posted a 12-4 victory over Carroll�s Cameron Lanning to improve to 29-1
this season at 152.

Eli Michel (119), David Rex (135) and Nick Peppler (171) also won for Columbia City.

Carroll got
first-place finishes from Austen Ruich (125) and Brandon Brown (130),
and Leo had three winners ââ?¬â?? Chad Friend (189), Justin Woods (215), and
Gabe Maranto (285).

The other winners were Austen Vore of Dwenger (103), Daniel Thompson of Churubusco (112), and Jared Pontius of Northrop (145).

New Haven got five first-place finishers to win its own sectional, edging Homestead 287 to 261.5. Bishop Luers was third with 211.

Drew Bark (125)
won on a 16-1 technical fall and Chris Baker (160) on a 10-8 overtime
decision. Kevin Elser (140), Kris Morton (171) and Eric Rivera (285)
also won by decision for the Bulldogs.

The runner-up Spartans had four winners ââ?¬â?? Tucker Smith (103), Justin Wight (112), Andrew Fahlsing (145), and Will Bostain (189).

Other winners
were Jim Hanlon (119), Robert Handel (152) and Tyquan Hammock (215) of
Bishop Luers; and Jacob Quinn (130) and Jordan Quinn (135) of Snider.

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CROWN POINT ââ?¬â??
Andrew Szymborski was well aware of the perfect record North Newton�s Josh Funk took into Saturday�s Crown Point wrestling sectional.

But the Crown Point 171-pounder wasn�t going to let that zero in the loss column affect him.

Szymborski topped Funk 6-3, one of four individual titles for the Bulldogs as they won their fifth straight team sectional.

ââ?¬Å?It doesnââ?¬â?¢t
bother me if they�re undefeated or not,� said Szymborski, who improved
to 28-3 and sent Funk to 27-1. ââ?¬Å?I just knew I had to wrestle my match
out there � just focus on my basics and be in control.

ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢m just glad this weekââ?¬â?¢s over and I advance to regionals.ââ?¬Â

Funk had been
ranked No. 3 in the state. Szymborski, himself ranked No. 8, was coming
off a week in which he beat two other wrestlers in the Top 10, so his
title wasn�t exactly a shock.

ââ?¬Å?Andrewââ?¬â?¢s been wrestling well,ââ?¬Â Crown Point coach Scott Vlink said. ââ?¬Å?(Funk is) a quality wrestler, but so is Andrew.ââ?¬Â

The Bulldogs had 240.5 points. Lowell had 207.5, without the benefit of a champion. Third-place Valparaiso (189.5 points) and fourth-place Hanover Central (185) both had four champions.

The top four individuals in each weight class qualified for the LaPorte Regional on Feb. 3. The top two teams, Crown Point and Lowell, move on to the Portage Regional on Wednesday.

ââ?¬Å?We always want to win the sectional,ââ?¬Â Vlink said. ââ?¬Å?We donââ?¬â?¢t want to limp over to Portage in second place.

ââ?¬Å?There were no big surprises. No big disappointments. It went pretty much as planned.ââ?¬Â

All four of the other wrestlers who entered sectionals undefeated left that way, including three from Hanover, with all three moving to 38-0.

Andrew Howe,
last season�s 140-pound state champion, continued to roll toward
another one at 152. He scored a 21-9 major decision over Crown Point�s Mark Myers.

At 160, Matt Sands had to stave off a stiff challenge from Lowell�s Max Znika. Sands held on for a 10-9 victory, as Znika nearly got the decisive takedown in the waning seconds.

At 119, George Petrov topped Crown Point�s Anthony Fennell 14-11.

And at 125, Valparaiso�s Tom Churchard improved to 37-0 with a 7-0 victory over Crown Point�s Ryan Gill.

Boone Grove 112-pounder Dan Sullivan and Hanover 135-pounder Brandon Ward both avenged earlier losses.

Sullivan defeated Lowell�s Jacob Lamb 4-2, after having lost 4-3 at the Lowell Invitational on Dec. 16.

ââ?¬Å?It feels
great,ââ?¬Â Sullivan said. ââ?¬Å?I was nervous about it because he beat me
earlier. I was worried. But I think I wanted it more because I�m a
senior. Every match could be my last � I want to finish strong.

ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢m feeling
better after this win because I hadn�t beaten too many good people.
This boosted my confidence. I knew I could beat someone good; this
shows it�s true.�

Ward downed Lowell�s
Kurt Monix 6-0, after having lost 5-4 in the teams� dual match on Jan.
10. Ward and Monix, who have known each other since second grade, have
wrestled each other eight times over the last two seasons, with Ward
actually now 7-1. He said he might have been ââ?¬Å?cockyââ?¬Â in the previous
match.

ââ?¬Å?Last time I
wasnââ?¬â?¢t feeling too good,ââ?¬Â Ward said. ââ?¬Å?I didnââ?¬â?¢t wrestle my best, and he
wrestled good. I had my head into it more today. I felt a lot better.�

Valparaiso 189-pounder Brandon Tritle topped Crown Point�s Marcus Shrewsbury 7-3. Shrewsbury had beaten Tritle 6-4 in a dual on Jan. 10, before Tritle edged Shrewsbury 4-3 at the DAC meet on Jan. 13.

ââ?¬Å?Heââ?¬â?¢s a tough wrestler,ââ?¬Â Vlink said of Tritle. ââ?¬Å?Our boyââ?¬â?¢s tough too.ââ?¬Â

Crown Point�s Tony Conway escaped a tough match at 145, pulling out an 11-8 victory over Lowell�s Shawn Franz. Conway
trailed 8-6 in the third period, before receiving a stalling point then
getting the decisive takedown and back points with less than 20 seconds
left.

Kankakee Valley heavyweight Wes Clifton was the only No. 3 seed to win a title � No. 1 seeds won 10, and No. 2 seeds won three � pinning Valparaiso�s Bryan Miller in 1:26.

In the remaining
championship matches: Crown Point�s Anthony Hawkins beat Hanover�s John
Petrov 7-1 at 103; Crown Point�s Nick Mohamed pinned Lowell�s Mark
Puskar in 3:06 at 130; Valparaiso�s Austin Zosso pinned Crown Point�s
Jeremy Pogorzelski in 4:52 at 140; and Valparaiso�s John Small defeated
Crown Point�s Nick Cottrell 7-2 at 215.

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LaPORTE ââ?¬â?? By the time the 215-pound matches arrived in the championship
of the LaPorte Sectional, Chesterton coach Chris Joll looked relaxed.

Just for a moment.

He sat back in the chair at the edge of the main mat, put his arm across the chair on his left, and let out a big smile.

For that 12-second period of time, the intensity on his face was gone.

Then he took a
short walk and returned to the chair, bringing back the intense game
face he had shown most of the meet. And he got to watch another one of
his wrestlers, Ryan Sanchez, capture an individual title.

That was one of
three weight class titles, to go with a couple runners-up and three
consolation titles for the Trojans as they dethroned Northwest Indiana�s wrestling dynasty.

Chesterton scored 254.5 points to edge Portage (236.5) to capture its first sectional title in 17 years. The Indians had won the 16 sectionals in between.

Joll only wanted to focus on his team and not the dynasty that had lost.

ââ?¬Å?We didnââ?¬â?¢t care
who was second. We didn�t care how many sectionals they won in a row,�
he said. ââ?¬Å?Weââ?¬â?¢ve been working really hard and weââ?¬â?¢re just wrestling like
Chesterton right now.�

Besides Sanchez, the other two Trojans to stand atop the awards stand were Andy St. Germain at 130 pounds and Ben Williams at 112.

ââ?¬Å?We knew we
could do it,� said Williams, who won the sectional title last year at
103 pounds. ââ?¬Å?We had to stay strong every day and practice hard. We rely
on some people and look for surprises from others. I try to be one of
the ones we rely on.�

He was on Saturday, improving his season record to 34-3, while St. Germain is now 33-2 on the season.

Sanchez had to defeat two wrestlers who had beaten him earlier this season (Andrew Pavolka of New Prairie and Billy Pearman of Portage) to notch his title.

ââ?¬Å?The only
surprise I had were kids who didn�t wrestle up to their capabilities,�
Joll said. ââ?¬Å?I thought we could have had two more finalists.ââ?¬Â

Despite losing in a sectional for the first time, Portage still advances to its own team regional on Wednesday.

ââ?¬Å?It all comes down to heart and pride at this time of the year,ââ?¬Â second-year Portage coach Jason Hayes said. ââ?¬Å?Weââ?¬â?¢re still in it as a team. They just have to believe they can win.ââ?¬Â

Portage did claim individual champs at 125 pounds (Chad Allen) and 145 pounds (Cortie Wilson).

There was one explosive incident that took away from the actual competition for a short period of time.

LaPorte
assistant coach Brian Shroll was arguing boisterously with official
Phil Jensen about the 171-pound third-place match lost by his wrestler
Ian Beach. At one point Shroll pulled out his wallet to show Jensen his
wrestling officiating license while yelling a pair of obscenities.

Jensen gave him
a coach misconduct penalty, which results in an automatic ejection, two
points deducted from the team�s score (LaPorte finished tied for fourth
as a result) and suspension for the next meet.

LaPorte�s David Oviatt won a 3-1 decision over Chesterton�s Ethan Harbrecht at 140 pounds, while Thurman Gast of Michigan City won the 171-pound title.

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ELKHART ââ?¬â?? Fairfield senior Rhys Canaday, Concord
freshman Steven Ross and NorthWood junior David Lopez were among
champions Saturday in a sectional wrestling meet at Elkhart Memorial.

The Memorial Crimson Chargers, who won seven of 14 weight classes, are team champions with 264 points.

Jimtown finished second with 176.5, followed by Elkhart Central 164.5, Goshen 148, Northridge 133, NorthWood 121, Fairfield 103.5 and Concord 71.5.

Memorial
and Jimtown advance to a team regional meet Wednesday at Jimtown. The
Jimmies will take on DeKalb while Memorial will face East Noble. The
championship follows.

The top four wrestlers in each weight class will participate in individual regionals at Goshen High School next Saturday. Northridge advances eight individual wrestlers, Goshen and Fairfield six each, NorthWood five and Concord three.

Canaday,
who has a record of 37-0 this year, continued his recent dominance. He
pinned his first opponent in 50 seconds, scored a 15-0 technical fall
on his second and needed just 55 seconds for a pin in the 140-pound
championship bout.

ââ?¬Å?It has been awhile since Rhys had a bad day,ââ?¬Â said Fairfield
coach Nate Steffen. ââ?¬Å?Heââ?¬â?¢s ranked third in the state right now and we
know how the two kids ahead of him wrestle. He has to keep doing the
same thing and stay aggressive and it could be a special year for him.�

Ross
won his two bouts with a 15-0 technical fall and a 12-5 decision to
take the 103 class. After a pin in 1:03 and an 8-7 decision, Lopez
edged Goshen junior Braden Barkes 6-4 in the 135-pound finale.

Barkes was one of four Redskins who reached title bouts but settled for second place.

Others
were freshman Zack Worcel (112) and seniors Ty Cooper (125) and Aaron
Nesbitt (152). Senior Zac Bechtel (119) and junior Kyle Edlund (285)
finished third for the Redskins.

ââ?¬Å?This is about what weââ?¬â?¢ve been
doing lately,ââ?¬Â Redskins coach Jim Pickard said. ââ?¬Å?The last rounds we
just don�t get it done. I�m not sure what it is, but at this point in
the year we can�t really blame it on our youth and inexperience anymore.

ââ?¬Å?Hopefully
this will wake some of our guys up a little bit for regionals. We�re
going to need to wrestle a lot better. At this point I�m not too
hopeful of getting anyone to state.�

Northridge also had four
second-place finishes � sophomore Ross Powell (130), junior John
Marchbanks (140), sophomore Drew Graber (171) and senior Joe Gibson
(189).

Gibson entered as the top seed in his weight class but lost 5-3 thanks in large part to two questionable stalling calls.

ââ?¬Å?I
thought we may have been on the short end of a couple calls, but you�ll
have that,ââ?¬Â said Raiders coach Joel Stoffel. ââ?¬Å?Joe didnââ?¬â?¢t have one of
his better days and that�s true of us as a team.

ââ?¬Å?But we did get
eight guys through to the next round, which we�re happy about. It only
gets tougher from here, so we�ll have to work on lots of individual
things this week.�

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LAFAYETTE ââ?¬â??
Lafayette Jeff sophomore Oscar Trujillo had already missed one big meet
this season for being over his 103-pound weight limit by mere ounces.

So Bronchos coach Tom Miller picked Trujillo
up at 6 a.m. Saturday, just in case the defending sectional champion
needed to shave some weight before the Lafayette Jeff Sectional.

“He said, ‘I
guarantee you I’m going to make weight,’ ” Miller said of their initial
conversation. “I said, ‘Are you ready to be a champion then?’ “

He was. Trujillo
and three other Bronchos won titles at Crawley Center, and each victory
was crucial as Lafayette Jeff edged Seeger by four points to win its
first sectional team title since 2001.

“It really motivated me to make weight, ” Trujillo
said of being one-tenth of a pound over weight for the Hoosier
Crossroads Conference tournament. “Once I did, all that hard work
couldn’t have gone wasted. I had to win it.”

Justin Fruits
(140), Zach Arman (171) and Travis Depew (215) also won titles as
Lafayette Jeff collected 230 points. Jacob Cook (125) and Nate Douglas
(160) won championships for Seeger, which totaled 226.

“We sat them
down and we said, we’re seniors and this is our last time ever in this
gym wrestling,” Fruits said of a senior-led team meeting. “Do it for us
and yourselves to win sectional. And they all obviously took it
serious.”

The Patriots had
a chance to win the title with a pin in the heavyweight fifth-place
match. But Lafayette Jeff’s Jordan Fruits scored a 4-3 victory over
Charles Cope.

Entering
the finals round, Seeger led with 210.5 points, followed by Jeff (208)
and Harrison (201.5). After the 152-pound matches, Jeff and Seeger were
tied at 220 with Harrison only a half-point behind.

But
the Raiders lost all four of their matches after freshman Cameron
Vlahos’ victory in the 145-pound title match. Seeger went 1-3 in its
final four matches, while the Bronchos won six of their last eight
finals matches.

Miller jokingly
collapsed in relief on the mat following Jordan Fruits’ victory. The
former Lafayette Jeff wrestler, who earned his 400th career victory
earlier this season, had never finished better than second in his four
years as Broncho coach.

“This is the
only place I’ve ever wanted to be,” an emotional Miller said.
“(Athletic director Maurie Denney) gave me an opportunity, and it’s a
real good feeling because I love this place. The kids mean a lot to me,
and the school did a lot for me.”

Seeger advances
to its first team regional. The Patriots will wrestle Logansport
Sectional champion Winamac on Wednesday at Harrison, with Jeff facing Logansport in the other semifinal.

“I’m definitely
excited by the fact that we got second,” said Cook, who is 37-0 this
season. “I wish we could have gotten first, but at least we’ll have
another chance to beat them Wednesday at team regionals.”

McCutcheon’s
Travis Dale, last year’s state runner-up, repeated as the 189-pound
champion and is 26-0. Matt Bowman (135) also defended as the two-time
defending team champion Mavericks finished fourth.

Benton Central heavyweight Bryan Benner improved to 41-0 by pinning Harrison‘s Eric MacDonald in 1:42. Fifth-place Delphi won three titles: Robert Floyd (112), undefeated Don Alderman (119) and Braden Atwood (152).

Nick Jude won the 130-pound title for Harrison, which advanced nine wrestlers to Saturday’s Logansport Regional.

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MIER ââ?¬â?? Oak
Hill had a chance to win its first wrestling sectional Saturday since
the IHSAA switched to a 10-team tournament four years ago. Yet, the
Golden Eagles came up just a bit short.

It came down to
the final match, with the Eagles trailing Western by three points and
needing a victory from heavyweight Gerry Sigworth. He had upset
top-seeded Dan Hunkeler of Northwestern in the semifinals, but the much
heavier No. 2 seed Zach Washington of Taylor dominated Sigworth 8-2 in the championship match.

Western
outscored the Eagles 33.5 to 8 in the championship round and eked out a
206-203 victory. Oak Hill will advance to the team regional at
Huntington North for the fourth consecutive year.

Oak Hill meets Peru,
champions of its sectional, at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Western competes
against Maconaquah, and then the two winners vie for the title later
that evening.

“It’s very
disappointing,” said Oak Hill coach Andrew King, whose team led
177-163.5 entering the final rounds. “It’s like (Western) got the
(football) and then went down the field with three passes and ran the
ball three straight times for the touchdown.

“Today, I know what the New England Patriots feel like,” King said.

The team
competition might have been every bit as close as the 38-34 AFC
championship game won by the Indianapolis Colts over the Patriots.
Overall, the championship round wasn’t nearly as epic for Grant County
wrestlers, with three earning sectional championships and 27 moving on
to Saturday’s Peru Regional.

Oak Hill
152-pounder Mickey Correll and 189-pounder Jared Jenkins each beat
county rivals to win their weight classes. Correll decisioned
Eastbrook’s Cody Younce 7-4, and Jenkins outpointed Mississinewa’s Zach
Ancil 8-5 in the final round.

Mississinewa’s
Chandler Pogue scored a 9-1 decision over Northwestern’s C.J. Hansen in
the 145-pound championship match. Pogue and Correll each were No. 1
seeds, but Jenkins was seeded second behind Ancil.

Ancil had just
defeated Jenkins last Saturday in the Central Indiana Conference meet
and the intensity in Jenkins’ face and demeanor was evident. Referee
Russ Isaacs warned Jenkins twice about his conduct.

“There was a lot of head butting going on,” Jenkins said. “(Ancil) was doing it and then I did it back. It was just a good Grant County rivalry match.”

Leading 4-3, Jenkins scored on a near-fall early in the second period and then rode out the remainder of the match.

Younce had
defeated Correll 4-3 in December when Eastbrook beat Oak Hill in a dual
meet for the first time since the early 1980s. Correll came back to win
10-4 in the Grant Four tournament and relied on the same strategy to
win the rubber match.

“Lots of takedowns,” Correll said. “I wanted to score on (Younce) as often as possible.”

Correll also was a sectional champion in 2005 and has his sights set on much loftier goals.

“I want to break
Justin Johnson’s takedown record and get to the state meet and get my
name on the wall with all the other great wrestlers here,” Correll said.

A year ago,
Pogue had a losing record and did not advance out of the sectional,
finishing in sixth place. The sophomore spent the summer at a wrestling
camp in Iowa and dedicated himself to the sport.

“I didn’t want to have another season like I had last year,” Pogue said.

Oak Hill will advance 10 to Saturday’s Peru individual regional, followed by Marion with seven, Eastbrook with five, Mississinewa with three and Madison-Grant with two.

Eastbrook’s
Jacob Holloway (130 pounds) and Marion’s Nick Duke (135) and Darryn
Scott (215) came into the tournament with No. 1 seeds but ended up with
runner-up finishes. Scott had fallen behind 8-2 in his match, rallied
furiously in the final minute and dropped a 10-8 decision to Eastern’s
Chad Coolbaugh.

“We had hoped to get a few more wrestlers into the championship round, but overall, I was pleased,” Marion coach Heath Duke said. “We have a very young team with one senior and we did pretty well.”

So what do you think? Share your thoughts in our Wrestling forum.

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