The REPORTER
The Noblesville boys wrestling team won its 23rd sectional championship last Saturday, and this one might be the most satisfying one of all for the Millers.
Noblesville triumphed at the Elwood sectional, defending its title by scoring 221.5 points. The Millers finished 34.5 points ahead of a strong Alexandria team by winning three individual weight classes and placing 12 in the top four – which also qualifies them for this weekend’s regional at Pendleton Heights.
“This team has gone through so much adversity this year. Injuries, sickness, skin funk,” said Noblesville coach Michael Weimer. But the coaching staff kept telling the wrestlers “keep fighting and believe in themselves,” and that’s what the Millers did.
“We have eight freshmen in the lineup,” said Weimer. “There’s a lot of nerves, a lot of things can happen with young ones. And these kids, they fought and they believed in each other and they did it. That’s what I was proud of.”
Seven of those freshmen qualified for the regional, and there was one champion from that group. Zach Nekolite won the 126-pound division; he received an injury default in the championship match. Nekolite won his quarterfinal match with a first-period fall, then scored a 15-0 technical fall in the semifinals.
Senior Mason Presits won the 150-pound class, getting a 10-2 major decision over Hamilton Heights’ Aiden Furst in an all-county championship. Junior Jackson Apple was the 285-pound winner, beating Frankton’s Ty Everson with an 11-2 major decision in the final.
Major decisions, technical falls and pins all score extra points, and those points helped the Millers in their championship quest.
“It came down to bonus points,” said Weimer. “I told them, we need the bonus every time we can.”
Four Noblesville wrestlers finished as runners-up: Kai Kaohi at 106, Blake Weimer at 120, AJ Kramer at 144 and Yan Tioua at 190. Evan Nicholls (at 175) and Cale Metzler (at 215) both placed third, while Isaac Suddarth (at 132), Justus Suddarth (at 138) and Aden Widget (at 157) all placed fourth.
Hamilton Heights finished in third place as a team with 175.5 points. The Huskies had two team champions and qualified eight to the Pendleton Heights regional.
Justin Tilton won the 144-pound title with a first-period pin over Kramer in the championship. Senior Michael Cain cruised to a 165-pound victory; he made a 19-second pin in the semifinals before beating Pendleton Heights’ Turner Seale in the final with an 18-5 major decision.
Simon Kuhn placed second at 138 pounds, joining Furst as a runner-up finisher. Finn Bowman (at 113), Cooper Doucette (at 120) and Joey Sigler (at 190) all placed third, with Koulter Galloway taking fourth at 126.
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Westfield marched back into the winner’s circle after a 17-year wait by finishing first at the Frankfort sectional on Saturday.
The Shamrocks scored 242.5 points to claim their first sectional title since 2008. Westfield led a county parade of top four finishers: Fishers placed second with 222.5 points, Hamilton Southeastern finished third with 201 points and Carmel took fourth with 144.5 points.
“The kids have worked really hard for this, so it feels good to have the payoff for them,” said ‘Rocks coach Tom Griffin.
Westfield had five individual champions at Frankfort. Freshman Connor Maddox was the first, winning the 106-pound division with a second-period fall over the Royals’ Cale Beattie. Porter Temples claimed the 120-pound title by a 12-7 decision over HSE’s Nick Anderson.
Alic Washburn was next, and he won at 138 with an 8-6 decision over Lebanon’s Seth Wilson. Graydon Staley claimed the 150-pound title over Carmel’s Elijah Penquite in a 7-1 decision, and Job Mavrick won at 285 pounds by a first-period fall against Fishers’ Camden Funk.
“I thought we wrestled really well,” said Griffin. “I still feel like we’ve got some room for improvement. Everybody performed really well and just getting ready for that next step next week.”
The top four wrestlers in each weight class advance to the North Montgomery regional on Saturday. The Shamrocks had three runners-up: Brayden Head at 113, Carter Niccum at 132 and Jake Saez at 144. Westfield got three third-place finishes, from Padraig Oatis at 157, Eli Tuner at 175 and Jon Stryker at 190. Trevor Humburg placed fourth at 126.
The Tigers picked up four individual champions. Chayce Yant won at 126 pounds with a 17-0 technical fall over Rossville’s Luke Weaver. Will Hruskoci was next, claiming the 132-pound title with a 10-1 major decision over Niccum. Xavier Smith was the 175-pound champion, in a 21-6 technical fall against Lebanon’s Thomas Thompson, and Chris Quarles won at 190 with a third-period fall over Carmel’s Adel Navarrete.
Fishers had 11 wrestlers qualify for the regional. Julian Burgett (at 215) and Camden Funk (at 285) were runners-up, Owen Ingalls (at 120) and Zeke Kramer (at 144) both placed third, and Seth Lamb (at 113), Andrei Bogdan (at 157) and Diego Carabano (at 165) all finished fourth.
Southeastern’s Chris Casler won the 144-pound title, beating Saez in a 5-2 decision. The Royals will send 10 wrestlers to North Montgomery for the regional, including runners-up Beattie, Anderson and Landon Hicks at 157.
Five HSE wrestlers placed third: Aidan Smalley at 126, Parker Culp at 132, Cohen Davis at 165, Evan Lawhead at 215 and AW Vankirk at 285. Matthew Billet placed fourth at 138.
Carmel had two sectional champions. Carlo Federici won the 113-pound title with an 11-1 major decision over Head, while Michael Major claimed the 165-pound championship by injury default.
The Greyhounds qualified five for the regional, including runners-up Penquite and Navarrete. Tyler Elliott also finished third at 138.
Sheridan placed seventh as a team with 51 points. Two Blackhawks advanced to the regional by placing fourth. Camdyn Vespa at 106 and Ryker Ream at 190.
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