Staff Reports
JEFFERSONVILLE — In winning their fifth consecutive regional championship on Saturday, the Columbus East wrestlers did something they’ve never done before.
The Olympians qualified all 14 of their wrestlers in the 14 weight classes to semistate. That helped East roll to the team title with 236 points to 133 for runner-up Jeffersonville.
“Winning for the fifth time in a row is great for these kids, and qualifying all 14 is phenomenal,” East coach Chris Cooper said. “It says a lot for the work they put in.”
The Olympians had five individual champions. Noah Lykins (113 pounds), Reese Fisher (132), Kade Law (160), Sam Morrill (170) and Tommy Morrill (220) won their respective weight classes.
East’s Liam Krueger (106), Tyler Williams (152), Jaden Durnil (180), Josh Schrader (195) and Ashton Hartwell (285) all finished second. Nate Anderson (120), Tony Ruiz-Tapia (138) and Eli Pollitt (145) took third, and Bo Wagner (126) was fourth.
Meanwhile, Columbus North and Jennings County tied for sixth with 31 points. Each qualified two wrestlers to semistate.
North’s Jason Shuey (120) finished second, and Hector De Dios (160) took third. Jennings’ Joey Moran (138) finished second, and Gavin Bateman (152) was third.
Brown County finished 13th with 11 points. Lane Mullins (285) qualified for semistate with a third-place finish.
The semistate, which has been at Evansville in past years, will be at Jasper this season. Competition begins at 10 a.m. Saturday.
