The Sheridan wrestling team successfully defended its Hoosier Heartland Conference championship on Saturday.
The Blackhawks edged out Eastern 258.5-246 at the HHC meet, which took place at Clinton Central. Sheridan had a very consistent tournament, with all 13 of its wrestlers placing in the top five, 12 of them reaching the top four.
“We had a talk yesterday at practice that, even if we do lose a match, we settle for nothing less than third place, and we wrestle back and do whatever it takes to wrestle back,” said Sheridan coach Steve Leonard.
The Blackhawks had three champions at the tournament. Junior Shane Cox won at 106 pounds, beating Clinton Prairie freshman Kadie Fearnow by a fall in the third period. Senior Austin Bond was the 126-pound champion, in a 4-1 decision over Eastern’s Eli Ferguson. Another senior, Noah Ehrie, won the 145-pound title bout with a second-period pin over Carroll junior Hunter Simpson.
The conference title is another chapter in the Blackhawks’ highly successful season. Sheridan coach Steve Leonard attributed that to the dedication of his athletes – “A lot of dedication over the summer,” he said.
“We’ve had several wrestlers have been wrestling in different clubs, going to different rooms every week, just trying to better themselves,” said Leonard.
The coach also noted his team has been hitting the weight room more often. “We’re a lot stronger now than we have been in the past,” said Leonard.
The Blackhawks will now prepare for the sectional tournament, which takes place next Saturday at Frankfort. It will be a loaded field, with three teams ranked in the top 20 of IndianaMat.com’s ratings: Carmel is No. 8, Hamilton Southeastern is No. 16 and Westfield is No. 18.
“We’re just hoping to get a few kids through and let them know that we’ve got some good kids in the pipeline,” said Leonard. “It’s a big win for us just to get a few kids out of sectionals.” Leonard said the Frankfort sectional is one of the toughest in the state, “so if we get a couple three kids through, that’s huge for us.”
Team scores: Sheridan 258.5, Eastern 246, Rossville 159, Carroll 158, Clinton Central 137.5, Tri-Central 137, Clinton Prairie 116.5, Delphi 98, Taylor 35.
Sheridan results
106: 1. Shane Cox
113: 2. Nakia Bogus
120: 4. Trai Fitzgerald
126: 1. Austin Bond
132: 3. Alden Hamersley
138: 5. Erich Retz
145: 1. Noah Ehrie
152: 3. Presten Weir
160: 3. Jace Warren
170: 4. Gabe Holler
182: 3. Jacob Jones
195: 4. Timmy Vyner
220: 2. Peyton Cross