By RICHIE HALL
ELWOOD – The last time Noblesville won a wrestling team sectional championship was 2021, when this year’s senior class were freshmen.
Everything came full circle for the Millers’ Class of 2024 last Saturday at the Elwood sectional, it’s 22nd IHSAA sectional title in program history. Noblesville scored the sectional trophy with outstanding performances from its seniors and the Millers’ underclassmen as well.
Noblesville had three individual champions at the meet, including seniors Gage Gulley at 175 pounds and Austin Hastings at 285 pounds. Both men made first-period falls in their championship matches, earning extra bonus points for the Millers.
Gulley remembered his freshman year and how that year’s seniors “led very well and that helped a lot.” Now that he and his classmates are seniors and taking on that role, “I’d day it just makes the win even better.”
“Going into the season, we knew the younger kids that were coming through were going to be really good,” said Hastings. The seniors took on that leadership role, telling those youngsters “This is how we do things and you guys are going to follow that for the next people to come in and just get better and better every single week and every single day.”
The next circle may have already started, as Noblesville’s third champion was a freshman. Aidan Kincaide won at 157 pounds, winning a hard-fought 9-4 decision over Hamilton Heights junior Michael Cain.
The Millers had three more wrestlers reach the championship match. Cody Prater was the 106-pound runner-up, Caleb Leeman was second at 150, and Carter Richardson, another senior, finished a very close runner-up at 165 pounds. Richardson fought to the end, nearly getting a last-second takedown.
“This entire week, we talked about how we wanted to go in and we wanted to dominate,” said Hastings. “We want to make a statement as a team, because we believe we could.”
Noblesville had 12 wrestlers in total finish in the top four, which qualifies them all to Saturday’s Pendleton Heights regional.
“Everyone’s still in the room training,” said Millers coach Michael Weimer. “So that’s fun.”
The Huskies finished second in the team standings this year, relinquishing their team trophy but scoring a still strong 198.5 points. Heights had the most individual champions with four, including one that made history.
Hamilton Heights’ Kendall Moe made history by being the first girls champion in a boys wrestling sectional from Hamilton County. Moe won the title at 106 pounds. (Richie Hall)
Kendall Moe, this year’s 100-pound state champion at the Indiana High School Girls Wrestling state finals, became the first girl from Hamilton County to win a sectional title in the boys tournament. Moe edged out Prater in a 9-7 decision; she trailed 7-4 early in the match.
“I just kept fighting through like any match,” said Moe. “Like any match, you got to keep pushing and do your best. Just score and score until you can’t anymore.”
Cooper Doucette was next up, and he claimed the 113-pound championship with a second-period fall. Isaac Kuhn won at 132 pounds in a 6-0 decision and Carson Fettig was first at 150 pounds, getting a second-period pin over Leeman.
The Huskies had three more in the championship match. Cain reached the 157-pound final, as did Alex Furst at 138 and Jaylyn Pugh at 144. Heights had three more top-four finishers, sending them on to Pendleton Heights and the regional next week.
Guerin Catholic’s Peter Nguyen repeated as sectional champion,
winning at 126 pounds. (Richie Hall)
Guerin Catholic’s Peter Nguyen repeated as sectional champion, winning at 126 pounds. Nguyen cruised past Pendleton’s Max Bowers in a 10-2 major decision to claim the final match. Nguyen is also headed to the regional next week.
“I think I wrestled okay for the first two periods,” said Nguyen. “I got sloppy at the end, I gave him some points.” Nguyen said he was playing it safe but promised that “next time I’m just going to go score points and not worry about it.”
AT ELWOOD
Team scores: Noblesville 236, Hamilton Heights 198.5, Pendleton Heights 187.5, Alexandria 156.5, Tipton 133, Frankton 115, Anderson 104.5, Guerin Catholic 38.5, Elwood 34, Lapel 28.
106 pounds: 1. Kendall Moe (HH), 2. Cody Prater (N).
113 pounds: 1. Cooper Doucette (HH), 3. Bryan Young (N).
120 pounds: 4. Julian Wenger (N), 6. Joshua Getchel (HH).
126 pounds: 1. Peter Nguyen (GC), 3. Josh Kauzlick (N).
132 pounds: 1. Isaac Kuhn (HH), 4. Mason Presits (N).
138 pounds: 2. Alex Furst (HH), 3. Luke Chastain (N).
144 pounds: 2. Jaylyn Pugh (HH), 4. Evan Nicholls (N).
150 pounds: 1. Carson Fettig (HH), 2. Caleb Leeman (N).
157 pounds: 1. Aidan Kincaide (N), 2. Michael Cain (HH), 5. Dominic Moringiello (GC).
165 pounds: 2. Carter Richardson (N), 6. Jack Hubbard (GC).
175 pounds: 1. Gage Gulley (N).
190 pounds: 4. Joey Sigler (HH), 5. Luke Hargis (N).
215 pounds: 4. Simon Knott (HH), 6. Cale Metzler (N).
285 pounds: 1. Austin Hastings (N), 4. Andrew Laitus (HH).