A little bit of enthusiasm went a long way for the Fishers wrestling team on Thursday.
The Tigers hosted Noblesville in an all-county dual meet and won 52-12. Fishers won the first eight matches of the meet, and took 11 of the 14 bouts overall.
Tigers coach Frank Ingalls called the win “a total team effort tonight, which is what we’ve been working on.” He said the team is working on “trying to get pumped up for matches, and I think it’s getting better.”
“I think guys are really showing some enthusiasm now,” said Ingalls. “We weren’t seeing that earlier in the year.”
Fishers won three of their first four matches by pins, with 138-pounder Zaac Morey getting a second-period fall. Josh Reardon (at 152) and Zach Pairitz (at 160) both got pins in the third period.
“We’ve been pretty tough in our middle weights, lower to middle weights, pretty much most of the season,” said Ingalls.
Preston Putzback took the 195-pound match by fall in the second period. In addition to the four falls, the Tigers won four major decision bouts, from JD Farrell at 182, Bo Pickett at 220, Zachary Strueder at 113 and Josh Thompson at 126. Those matches gave Fishers bonus points, which was a point of emphasis for the Tigers.
“We talk a lot about scoring bonus points, so that’s what the guys were shooting for,” said Ingalls.
Fishers’ decision winners were Tyler Lindamood at 145, Mason McCartney at 170 and PJ Pritchett at 106.
Sam Wertz put the Millers on the board with a decision victory at 285 pounds. Tim Alexander won at 120 by decision, and Dalton Huffman finished the meet by getting a pin at 132 pounds.
Fishers will wrestle Saturday at the Avon Invitational, with top-rated teams such as the Orioles and Perry Meridian also competing. Noblesville is off until next weekend, when it wrestles at the North Montgomery Duals on Dec. 28 and 29.
Fishers 52, Noblesville 12
Meet started at 138 pounds
138: Zaac Morey (F) def. Daniel Gallinato (N) by fall, 3:15
145: Tyler Lindamood (F) def. Joey Kitko (N) by dec., 5-4
152: Josh Reardon (F) def. Sebastian Dillon (N) by fall, 5:05
160: Zach Pairitz (F) def. Dewayne Simpson (N) by fall, 5:29
170: Mason McCartney (F) def. Josh Evans (N) by dec., 7-2
182: JD Farrell (F) def. Zack Knoll (N) by major dec., 9-1
195: Preston Putzback (F) def. Blake Killion (N) by fall, 2:34
220: Bo Pickett (F) def. Nick Myers (N) by major dec., 14-6
285: Sam Wertz (N) def. Nathan Pairitz (F) by dec., 2-7
106: PJ Pritchett (F) def. Doug Walkley (N) by dec., 6-2
113: Zachary Strueder (F) def. Keaton Sepiol (N) by major dec., 9-0
120: Tim Alexander (N) def. Dylan Parodi (F) by dec., 5-2
126: Josh Thompson (F) def. Cesar Sierra (N) by major dec., 11-3
132: Dalton Huffman (N) def. Truman Abel by fall, 3:21
Noblesville’s Blake Killion (left) and Fishers’ Preston Putzback wrestled in the 195-pound match at the Tigers-Millers dual meet Thursday at the Tiger Den. Fishers won the meet 52-12. (Richie Hall)
Noblesville’s Sam Wertz (top) and Fishers’ Nathan Pairitz wait for the referee’s signal to begin wrestling. (Richie Hall)