By Dennis Clark
Brazil — All the Northview high school wrestling sectional champions sported smiles of all shapes and sizes, but the largest smile by far belonged to Terre Haute South sophomore Tsali Lough.
Entering the day with a 16-12 record, Lough outlasted Zach Ferguson of Edgewood in a 5-1 decision to win the 145-pound championship — as a No. 5 seed, no less.
Lough reached the finals by topping West Vigo’s Dyman Lewellyn (No. 4-seed) with an 8-2 decision, then pinning Sam Horrocks (No. 1 seed) of Bloomington South in four minutes, 26 seconds.
“I didn’t think I was going to be champion, but I knew I had a chance,” Lough admitted. “I just wanted to win it for my grandpa. He’s had cancer for the past two years and I didn’t think he was going to be here.
Asked what was the secret of his success, Lough simply said, “I just fought hard and wanted it more than the other guys.”
“To be honest, I wasn’t surprised,” South coach Gabe Cook described Lough’s accomplishment. “Tsali is all heart. If he’s even with a kid as far as talent, he’s going to win. He’ll outwork him.
“Tsali’s been wrestling up at 152 and 160 pounds the entire season. His 5-seed was based more on his record than to who he lost. I think being up at that weight during the regular season was an advantage coming in here at 145 pounds.”
North, West Vigo and Northview all had one sectional champion apiece.
North’s David Knight (215) won a 5-2 decision over Bloomington North’s Jake Vandeventer, West Vigo’s Edwards (119) won a 7-3 decision over Bloomington South’s Dru Spires and Northview’s Beau Judd (285) overwhelmed West Vigo’s Nick Brownfield in a 5-0 decision.
“I’ve wrestled Jake before, he’s a real competitor,” Knight said. “This is the first time I’ve ever beaten him. That was kind of my goal coming here today was to try and upset the No. 1 [seed]. I had good takedowns, I was good on top. I felt like I accomplished something today.”
Edwards improved to 36-3 with his sectional title for the Vikings.
“Real proud and happy for Levi Edwards … ” West Vigo coach Scott Rohrbach said. “Sectional champion to go with his [Western Indiana] Conference championship last week. Hopefully he can make it real deep in the state tournament.”
Judd took the heavy weight title in shutout fashion.
“Real proud of Beau Judd,” Northview coach Dan Mikesell added. “That’s the fourth time he’s wrestled [Brownfield], and I think [Beau’s] gotten better against him each time.”
Dakota Case was South’s second sectional champion, topping Seth Seitzinger of Bloomington South in a 5-0 decision at 125 pounds. Three other South wrestlers Jordan Jensen (135), P.J. Montgomery (140) and Austin McClain (152) were runner-ups.
“Jordan Jensen was 20 seconds left in the match, tied with the kid that’s undefeated, ranked No. 1 in the state,” Cook mentioned. Jensen lost a tight 5-3 decision to Brannigan Barlow (33-0) of Bloomington South.
“Kind of slipped away the last 15 seconds,” Cook added. “Now he knows he can compete with those guys.”
Sullivan had one finalist, but No. 2 seed Holden Fudurich (28-2 at 160) lost a close 3-2 decision to No. 1 Terry Terrell of Bloomington South.
Sullivan’s other No. 2 seed hopeful, John Walker (20-5 at 130), hit his head on the rolled-up bleachers when he and Robert Stewart of Owen Valley both tumbled off the mat during a semifinal match. Walker was unable to continue for the day.
The top four individuals in each weight class advanced to the Bloomington South regional coming up Saturday. Bloomington South led with 13 individual qualifiers, six of those being crowned sectional champions.
Of the Big Four schools, Northview led with nine individuals qualifying for the regional. South was second with eight, followed by West Vigo five and North four.
Bloomington South was the team champion, outpointing Northview 268-168.5. South was a close third at 158, North was fifth (121) and West Vigo sixth (110.5). Only the sectional champion qualified for the regional round of the team state tournament at Greencastle on Wednesday.
“Second place finish as a team, we’re real happy with that,” Mikesell commented. “Nine guys going on [to regional] … we got the most of anybody in the area so we’re real proud of that.”
Team results
1. Bloomington South 268 (13 individual regional qualifiers, 6 sectional champions), 2. Northview 168.5 (9, 1), 3. Terre Haute South 158 (8, 2), 4. Bloomington North 154.5 (7, 2), 5. Terre Haute North 121 (4, 1), 6. West Vigo 110.5 (5, 1), 7. Edgewood 102 (5, 1), 8. Sullivan 53.5 (3, 0), 9. Owen Valley 49 (2, 0).
Individual results
103 — Kayne Pike (BS) pin. Gage Lynch (WV) 1:17; Steven Stanford (THS) pin. Mike Mest (E) 1:06; Caleb Nicosin (Nv) pin. Franklyn Camp (THN) 1:00; Ethan Wampler (BN) pin. Ben Myers (OV) 1:47; Pike (BS) pin. Stanford (THS) 3:23; Wampler (BN) dec. Nicosin (Nv) 5-2.
Championship: Pike (BS) dec. Wampler (BN) 9-0.
Third place: Nicosin (Nv) pin. Stanford (THS) 1:45.
Fifth place: Camp (THN) m.dec. Mest (E) 11-9.
112 — Jacob Boorsma (BS) pin. Renner Winston (THS) :17; Kaelan Shouse (OV) dec. Mark Elia (THN ) 13-12; Sam Summitt (BN) pin. Dallas Owen (E) 1:28; Skyler Hall (Nv) won by forfeit; Boorsma (BS) pin. Shouse (OV) 1:11; Hal (Nv) pin. Summitt (BN) 3:17.
Championship: Boorsma (BS) def. Hall (Nv), injury default.
Third place: Summitt (BN) pin. Shouse (OV) 4:53.
Fifth place: Winston (THS) pin. Owen (E) 3:47.
119 — Levi Edwards (WV) pin. Joe Chambers (THS) 1:11; Colt Thomson (S) dec. Adrian Alexander (THN) 10-4; Dru Spires (BS) m.dec. Cody Cowden (E) 8-0; Austin Bell (Nv) pin. Nate Baker (BN) :40; Edwards (WV) pin. Thompson (S) 1:19; Spires (BS) dec. Bell 5-1.
Championship: Edwards (WV) dec. Spires (BS) 7-3.
Third place: Bell (Nv) pin. Thompson :41.
Fifth place: Alexander (THN) pin. Cowden (E) 2:52.
125 — Dakota Case (THS) won by forfeit; Sean Jewart (BN) dec. Anthony Kerr (E) 7-5; Connor Curley (THN) dec. Nathaniel Sullivan (S) 8-5; Seth Seitzinger (BS) pin. Kyle Jackson (OV) 3:09; Case (THS) m.dec. Jewart (BN) 12-3; Seitzinger (BS) dec. Curley (THN 1-0.
Championship: Case (THS) dec.. Seitzinger 5-0.
Third place: Kerr (E) dec.. Jewart (BN) 5-4.
Fifth place: Curley (THN) pin. Sullivan (S) :40.
130 — Shawn Miracle (BN) pin. Bryan Hyde (THN) 1:09; Spencer Boyd (BS) pin. Nick Kellams (WV) 1:14; Robert Stewart (OV) pin. Brandon Helms (THS) :13; John Walker (S) won by forfeit; Miracle (BN) dec.. Boyd (BS) 3-1; Stewart (OV) won by injury default.
Championship: Miracle (BN) m.dec. Stewart 21-6.
Third place: Boyd (BS) pin. Hyde (THN) :42.
Fifth place: Helms (THS) won by injury default.
135 — Brannigan Barlow (BS) pin. Robert Graves (S) :40; Jack Petry (OV) pin. Jacob Creasey (WV) 5:54; Jordan Jensen (THS) m.dec. Jedidiah Page (THN) 14-3; Luke pin.gleton (Nv) m.dec. Adam Joraanstad (BN) 15-4; Barlow (BS) pin. Petry (OV) 1:17; Jensen (THS) dec. pin.gleton 11-5.
Championship: Barlow (BS) dec.. Jensen (THS) 5-3.
Third place: pin.gleton (Nv) tech.fall Joraanstad (BN) 21-4.
Fifth place: Creasey (WV) won by forfeit.
140 — P.J. Montgomery (THS) tech.fall Riley Witvoet (S) 17-1; Nathaniel Page (THN) pin. Patrick Durcholz (Nv) 2:58; Ethan Farmer (BS) dec. Zachary Arthur (BN) 6-0; Jeremy Salyers (E) pin. Shane Huffman (WV) :15; Montgomery (THS) dec. Page (THN) 6-3; Salyers (E) dec. Farmer (BS) 9-5.
Championship: Salyers (E) dec. Montgomery 6-5.
Third place: Farmer (BS) pin. Page 4:22.
Fifth place: Arthur (BN) dec. Durcholz (Nv) 7-1.
145 — Sam Horrocks (BS) pin. Brenden Longfellow (THN) 4:26; Tsali Lough (THS) dec. Dyman Lewellyn 8-2; Zach Ferguson (D) pin. Baylor Girton (Nv) 1:30; Jedidiah Cox (W) pin. Daniel Newforth (OV) 4:42; Lough (THS) dec. Horrocks (BS) 6-3; Ferguson (E) dec. Cox 3-2.
Championship: Lough (THS) dec.. Ferguson (E) 5-1.
Third place: Horrocks (BS) dec.. Cox 2-0.
Fifth place: Lewellyn (WV) tech.fall Girton (Nv) 17-2.
152 — Ryan Roach (WV) m.dec. Dustin Query (THN) 12-0; Ben Farmer (BS) pin. Nathaniel Longston (Nv) :13; Austin McClain (THS) tech.fall Conner McMasters (BN) 15-0; Larry Shaffer (Nv) pin. Mason O’Neal (S) :46; Farmer (BS) dec. Roach (WV) 10-8; McClain (THS) dec. Shaffer (Nv) 9-2.
Championship: Farmer (BS) pin. McClain 3:53.
Third place: Roach (WV) dec. Shaffer (Nv) 15-10.
Fifth place: Query (THN) dec. McMasters (BN) 6-2.
160 — Terry Terrell (BS) pin. Branson Gilliland (BN) :36; Casey Anderson (THS) pin. Dillon McGraw (OV) 1;14; Brady Silvers (Nv) pin. Joseph Hughes (THS) 1:35; Holden Fudurich (S) pin. Shane Livingston (WV) :29; Terrell (BS) pin. Anderson (THS) 1:18; Fudurich (S) m.dec. Silvers (Nv) 15-2.
Championship: Terrell (BS) dec. Fudurich (S) 3-2.
Third place: Anderson (THS) dec. Silvers (Nv) 4-3.
Fifth place: Gilliland (BN) dec. Hughes (THN) 5-2.
171 — Garret Goldman (BN) pin. Warren Bryant (THS) 1:35; Nathan Duregger (Nv) dec. Jacob Schneider (THN) 4-2; Jeff Spicer (E) pin. Tyler Fiddler (BS) 2:28; Ben Bird (WV) pin. John Hathaway (S) 1:34; Goldman (BN) pin. Duregger (Nv) 1:47; Bird (WV) dec. Spicer (E) 5-2.
Championship: Goldman (BN) pin. Bird (WV) 1:18.
Third place: Fiddler (BS) dec. Spicer (E) 6-3.
Fifth place: Duregger (Nv) m.dec. Schneider (THN) 11-2.
189 — Darren Eads (BS) pin. Jordan Chatman (THS) 1:28; Blake Ray (WV) pin. Chase Behrman (OV) 5:06; Brandon Pleake (Nv) pin. Justin Crohn (BN) 3:35; Doug Collett (THN) pin. Ben Patton (E) :20; Eads (BS) pin. Ray (WV) 5:05; Collett (THN) pin. Pleake (Nv) 1:07.
Championship: Eads (BS) pin. Collett (THN) :59.
Third place: Pleake (Nv) m.dec. Ray (WV) 12-2.
Fifth place: Crohn (BN) pin. Chatman (THS) 2:29.
215 — Jake Vandeventer (BN) pin. Jeremiah Terrell (E) :56; Aaron See (Nv) pin. Ryan Childers (WV) 1:30; Juan Valentin (BS) pin. Sam Cook (THS) :50; David Knight (THN) pin. Michael Hill (OV) :58; Vandeventer (BN) dec. See (Nv) 4-2; Knight (THN) pin. Valentin (BS) 3:52.
Championship: Knight (THN) dec. Vandeventer (BN) 5-2.
Third place: Valentin (BS) dec. See (Nv) 9-4.
Fifth place: Hill (OV) pin. Childers (WV) 5:32.
285 — Beau Judd (Nv) pin. Kendall Monk (S) 2:58; Joel Blakely (THS) dec. Colton Dixon (BS) 5-4; Nick Brownfield (WV) pin. Jordan Robinson (THN) 1:32; Seth Sturgeon (E) pin. Luke Ruddick (BN) 1:51; Judd (Nv) pin. Blakely (THS) 3:08; Brownfield (WV) pin. Sturgeon (E) 1:56.
Championship: Judd (Nv) dec. Brownfield (WV) 5-0.
Third place: Sturgeon (E) pin. Blakely (THS) :15.
Fifth place: Robinson (THN) pin. Dixon (BS) 1:21.
Next — The top four individuals in each weight class qualified for the Bloomington South individual regional at Bloomington South on Saturday. The top team (Bloomington South) qualified for the team regional tournament at Greencastle on Wednesday.
