DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
The BAGUBAS had themselves a day Saturday at the Jay County Wrestling Regional, advancing six wrestlers to the semi-state and scoring two individual titles for Adams Central High School as the team finished in third place overall in a talented field in one of the toughest regionals in the northern half of the state.
Taking more than six bouts from the eleven the Jets had in the first round was an audacious goal, but the team nearly made it more than that, dropping three of their five losses by decisions.
The Jets lost to the eventual champ at 106 as Ezra Liechty was pinned by Reed Wicker of Delta and Myles Kaehr was unable to overcome a week of illness in a 9-8 loss to Muncie Central’s Nathan Spears. Jackson Bingham battled hard with Jayden Cline of Yorktown, losing 12-7 at 132, while Max Byerly could not overcome a big move by Noah Modglin, falling 9-3 in the opener to the Cowan grappler.
Heavyweight Gavin Rumple also had his season come to an end with an early loss by pin to Matthew Alberson of Winchester.
The wins for the Jets, however, were impressive in the opening round. Adams Central won three quarterfinals by tech fall and then followed those three wins up with three falls in the upper weights to put themselves in second place behind the Bellmont Braves after the opening round.
Kale Beer electrified the crowd with a late takedown to reach the finals, beating Isaiah Spurlin of Winchester, 6-5, and sparking Dylan Ogg, Brason Schortgen and Mav Dubach to bonus point wins in their semifinals.
Matt Heiser chose not to test his sore shoulder against eventual champion Kaeb Stebbins in the 175 semifinal and that move paid off when he paid back Wes Summersett for a loss last week by beating the Starfire rival by tech fall, 16-1, in the third-place match at 175.
Ethan Funk was in his match with eventual champ Luke Powers of Wes-Del in the semis at 215, but fell, 7-3.
While Kale Beer was unable to solve the riddle of Dakota Sprunger for a third straight week, the Jets did defend their titles in rematches at 138 and 150. Dylan Ogg seemed to lengthen his advantage over Henry Faurote at 138 with an 8-3 win and Brason Schortgen was able to pin Sam Wolpert at 150, giving the Jets two big wins over their rivals to the north.
The final championship bout did not go the Jets’ way, but Mav Dubach certainly showed that he is in the conversation of the state’s best 157s with his 10-6 loss to last year’s state semifinalist, Jackson Bradley.
The Jets finished a comfortable third behind Bellmont and Delta in the team race. They will hope for solid draws from the IHSAA with hopes of returning to the IHSAA State Finals after missing out last season.
WZBD will be Adams County’s source for coverage of this weekend’s semi-state as 92.7 FM will be the only media outlet covering the event.
Quarterfinals
106-Reed Wicker (Delta) p. Ezra Liechty (AC), 1:23
113-Nathan Spears (Muncie Central) d. Myles Kaehr (AC), 9-8
126-Kale Beer (AC) t.f. Carter Gregory (Yorktown), 17-2
132-Jayden Cline (Yorktown) d. Jackson Bingham (AC), 12-7
138-Dylan Ogg (AC) t.f. Eli King (Monroe Central), 18-2
150-Brason Schortgen (AC) t.f. Landon Tinsman (Monroe Central), 21-6
157-Maverick Dubach (AC) p. Brody Whiteman (Yorktown), 3:23
165-Noah Modglin (Cowan) d. Max Byerly (AC), 9-3
175-Matt Heiser (AC) p. Arell Sago (Yorktown), 4:23
215-Ethan Funk (AC) p. Isaac Spurlin (Winchester), :55
285-Matthew Alberson (Winchester) p. Gavin Rumple (AC), :51
Semifinals
126-Kale Beer (AC) d. Isaiah Spurlin (Winchester), 6-5
138-Dylan Ogg (AC) t.f. Parker Barnes (Bluffton), 15-0
150-Brason Schortgen (AC) p. Luke Dreiband (Norwell), 1:36
157-Mav Dubach (AC) m.d. Evan Duncan (Winchester), 13-2
175-Kaeb Stebbins (Delta) med. for. Matt Heiser (AC)
215-Luke Powers (Wes-Del) d. Ethan Funk (AC), 7-3
Championship Bouts
126-Dakota Sprunger (SA) d. Kale Beer (AC), 3-1
138-Dylan Ogg (AC) d. Henry Faurote (Bellmont), 8-3
150-Brason Schortgen (AC) p. Sam Wolpert (Bellmont), 3:04
157-Jackson Bradley (Cowan) d. Maverick Dubach (AC), 10-6
Third-Place Bouts
175-Matt Heiser (AC) t.f. Wes Summersett (SA), 16-1
215-Jake Boots (Bluffton) d. Ethank Funk (AC), 10-9
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