By RICH TORRES
For The Reporter
PENDLETON – The Hamilton Heights Huskies were well rested heading into the Pendleton Heights Wrestling Regional last Saturday, and the result was double-edged.
The Huskies had two individual weight-class champions in Michael Cain at 160 pounds and Evan Tilton at 182, advanced 10 wrestlers overall into next weekend’s New Castle Semi-state and finished second in the team standings, 216.5-123.0, behind Cathedral.
Head coach Gary Myers was also named Regional Coach of the Year.
However, the Huskies left the tournament feeling like they could have done more.
“We’re winning matches, but we didn’t condition that much this week because I was trying to get everyone here without getting hurt. We didn’t do much live wrestling. Maybe that’s where I went wrong? We’ll pick it up a notch this week to get ready for semi-state,” Myers said.
If Saturday was the Huskies at less than optimal, then there could more to come in seven days.
Tilton (38-0), a senior, ran through the competition to remain unbeaten behind a trio of falls, spanning 3 minutes, 23 seconds, 37 seconds and 1:12 in the finals.
Ranked third in the state at 182, according to Indianamat.com, Tilton is aiming for a second straight IHSAA state finals appearance. He placed eighth at 182 as a junior.
“This one kind of just sets me up for next week, and that’s where I need to perform,” Tilton said. “I don’t really care about my record to be honest. You can see a kid with losses, but you never know if they tried to jump up to get a loss to go against tough competition. I respect that.
“I’m ready. I want that title.”
His regional title came at the expense of Lawrence North’s Michael White in the quarterfinals, Lawrence Central’s Noah Dailey in the semifinals and 19th-ranked Nolan Buckman of Brebeuf Jesuit in the championship round.
“This obviously got me setup, but it’s a confidence booster. It gives me that going in next week,” Tilton said. “We had almost everyone get there, and I think Heights can crack the top-10 at semi-state this year. The competition only gets harder. The better you set yourself up here, the better it works out there.”
Cain put himself in contention at semi-state by pinning Mount Vernon’s Shawn Taylor in 4:35 to start, followed by a 5-3 sudden victory overtime win against Cathedral’s Jackson Edwards (13-15). In the finals, he outlasted Bishop Chatard’s John Rushenberg (34-7) by decision 12-11.
“This is my second championship as a sophomore,” said Cain, who is ranked 21st in the state. “It was a tough match. That kid is real good. I wrestled him earlier in the season. He’s a real tough dude.”
Cain led his title match 9-2 early in the second period, but Rushenberg battled back to make it 12-11 with seconds remaining.
“It comes down to the basics. Working everything you know. Working the moves you’re good at and just preparing for that. Just because your name is Cathedral doesn’t really mean anything,” Cain said. “You just go out there and wrestle them like they’re just another match.”
The Huskies nearly had a third regional champion, but Jimmy Lacey (36-6) unfortunately lost by fall in 4:27 against Cathedral’s fourth-ranked Kyle Harden (36-4) in the 170 championship round.
“We did have a great day. Ten to the semi-state. I don’t think Hamilton Heights has ever had 10 to the semi-state,” Myers said. “Last year, we had seven.
“We won a lot of third-place matches, so I’m thrilled with that. It was a tough tournament today. There were stacked weight classes.”
Hamilton Heights had four third-place finishers, including Cooper Doucett (27-10) at 113, 22nd-ranked Isaac Kuhn (28-3) at 132, Alex Furst (35-6) at 138 and Carson Fettig (36-6) at 145.
Jaylen Pugh (36-5) finished fourth at 126. Josh Brown (35-7), who is ranked 21st in the state, was fourth at 220, and Mason Moran (34-7) took fourth at 285.
Guerin Catholic’s Peter Nguyen (37-2), who is ranked 10th in the state, placed third at 120. Nguyen, a junior, is shooting for his second straight state appearance after qualifying as a 113-pound in 2022.
Noblesville’s Austin Hastings (34-3) cruised into the 220 finals behind a 1-minute, opening round pin, followed by a 14-6 major decision against Lawrence North’s Brandon Johnson in the semifinals.
He lost in the championship match to Mount Vernon’s Devin Kendrex (37-3) by decision 6-2.
The Millers’ Carter Richardson (29-13) posted back-to-back pins in 35 seconds and 2:39 to face Cathedral’s Gabe Bragg (24-11) in the 152 finals. Richardson narrowly lost 6-4 by decision for second place.
Noblesville’s Aden Widget (25-20) finished fourth at 170.
The Millers’ Oscar Solis-Rodrigues (24-14) powered back to place third at 182 by defeating Lawrence Central’s Noah Dailey (26-13) by decision 6-1.
AT PENDLETON HEIGHTS
Team scores: Cathedral 216.5, Hamilton Heights 123, Mount Vernon 95, Bishop Chatard 86.5, Noblesville 50, Lawrence North 36, Frankton 31, Alexandria 28.5, Elwood 26, Pendleton Heights 24, Arsenal Tech 21, Brebeuf Jesuit 18, Anderson 11, Guerin Catholic 11, North Central 9, Lawrence Central 6.
113 pounds: 3. Cooper Doucett (HH).
120 pounds: 3. Peter Nguyen (GC).
126 pounds: 4. Jaylyn Pugh (HH).
132 pounds: 3. Isaac Kuhn (HH).
138 pounds: 3. Alex Furst (HH).
145 pounds: 3. Carson Fettig (HH).
152 pounds: 2. Carter Richardson (N).
160 pounds: 1. Michael Cain (HH).
170 pounds: 2. Jimmy Lacey (HH), 4. Aden Widget (N).
182 pounds: 1. Evan Tilton (HH), 3. Oscar Solis-Rodrigues (N).
220 pounds: 2. Austin Hastings (N), 4. Josh Brown (HH).
285 pounds: 4. Mason Moran (HH).
Hamilton County also had a good day at the North Montgomery regional last Saturday, with 31 wrestlers from the area advancing to the New Castle semi-state.
Carmel won the team championship, outdueling Zionsville 147-132.5. The Greyhounds had three individual champions and qualified nine for the semi-state.
Michael Major stayed perfect for the season (21-0) by winning the 138-pound division. Major won all three of his matches by pin. Trevor Gallagher took home first place at 152 pounds with a 9-6 decision over Hamilton Southeastern’s Zach Lang. Nathan Powell dominated at 160 pounds, winning all three of his matches with falls.
Southeastern placed third as a team with 113.5 points and also got nine wrestlers out to semi-state. Dom Burgett picked up an individual championship for the Royals with a 7-3 decision win over Zionsville’s Eli Smith in the final.
Fishers scored 81 points to take fourth place; the Tigers had two champions and advanced six to the semi-state. Chayce Yant was first at 120 pounds, beating Zionsville’s Hank Phenicie by a 19-8 major decision. Griffin Ingalls won at 126 pounds with a 4-2 decision over Southmont’s Maddox Cade.
Westfield finished sixth, scoring 67.5 points and qualifying five to semi-state. Ike O’Neill won the 145-pound championship with a 4-1 decision over Carmel’s Nayl Sbay.
Sheridan scored 42 points to take seventh as a team. Peyton Cross was the 220-pound winner, taking all three of his matches by fall, while Jacob Jones placed second at 182 pounds. Both advance to semi-state.
AT NORTH MONTGOMERY
Team scores: Carmel 147, Zionsville 132.5, Hamilton Southeastern 113.5, Fishers 81, Southmont 72, Westfield 67.5, Sheridan 42, Rossville 41.5, Western Boone 39, North Vermillion 22, Clinton Central 16, Fountain Central 11, Crawfordsville 8, Lebanon 6, North Montgomery 6.
106 pounds: 3. Aidan Smalley (HSE), 4. Will Hruskoci (F).
113 pounds: 2. Jackson Elliott (C), 3. Porter Temples (W), 4. Tyler Jackson (HSE).
120 pounds: 1. Chayce Yant (F), 3. Nick Anderson (HSE).
126 pounds: 1. Griffin Ingalls (F), 3. Caleb Mattingly (C).
132 pounds: 2. Jake Saez (W), 4. Quenton Riley (F).
138 pounds: 1. Michael Major (C), 3. Chris Casler (HSE).
145 pounds: 1. Ike O’Neill (W), 2. Nayl Sbay (C), 4. Adam Gerstner (HSE).
152 pounds: 1. Trevor Gallagher (C), 2. Zach Lang (HSE), 3. Jason Rooney (W).
160 pounds: 1. Nathan Powell (C), 3. Xavier Smith (F).
170 pounds: 2. Zack Wagner (HSE).
182 pounds: 2. Jacob Jones (S), 4. Christopher Quarles (F).
195 pounds: 3. Seth Richardson (C), 4. Jonathan Tanner (W).
220 pounds: 1. Peyton Cross (S), 3. Jackson Goodyear (HSE), 4. Vladislav Balaban (C).
285 pounds: 1. Dom Burgett (HSE), 3. Jack Milligan (C).