Going into the final round of Saturday’s Columbus East Invitational, the host Olympians trailed Terre Haute South by about 25 points.
East won all four of its head-to-head championship matches against the Braves to cut the margin to single digits, but Terre Haute South held on to outscore the Olympians 232.5-223 for the team title.
“The last round of the tournament, we wrestled incredibly well,” East coach Chris Cooper said. “The kids in the finals for sure stepped up. Terre Haute is a real quality program, and we were pretty close.”
The Olympians had five champions of their respective weight classes. Noah White was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler after capturing the 182-pound title.
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White scored a takedown in the closing seconds by beat Terre Haute South’s Brendan McPike in the final.
“I was looking to score the whole match and set up my offense, and the opportunity just presented itself late and I capitalized on it,” White said. “I think it just shows all the hard work I put in the wrestling room. I thought I competed pretty good, but it showed me I have some things to work on like setting up my shots and hand fighting.”
East’s Sam Morrill also beat a Terre Haute South wrestler in the final, pinning Nate Lommick in 1 minute, 9 seconds at 160.
“I thought Sam Morrill looked really good,” Cooper said. “Coming off of an injury, you never quite know what to expect. He’s been real limited in practice, and he came out and got two big wins in the semis and the finals.”
Noah Lykins (113) pulled out a 7-5 decision in double overtime against Richmond’s Jake Necessary in the final at 113. James Thompson (138) won a 12-5 decision against Terre Haute South’s Nate Recknor in 138. Kade Law claimed an 11-4 decision against Terre Haute South’s Moses Hamm at 152.
“I thought Noah Lykins wrestled fantastic,” Cooper said. “Kade Law looked really good, and the kid that Noah White beat in the finals, that’s a quality kid.”
Liam Krueger (106), Tyler Williams (145) and Jaden Durnil (170) all finished second for the Olympians. Shawn Tyler (220) and Ashton Hartwell (285) took third, and Eli Pollitt (152) was fourth. Reece Fisher (132) and James Sawyer (195) finished fifth, and Jacob Shaver (138) took sixth.
“It was a pretty solid day,” Cooper said. “We’re still wrestling with a lot of youth. We have a bunch of sophomores and freshmen in spots. There are just going to be days where things go your way and other days where you struggle a little bit. So it’s kind of growing pains with those young kids, but they’re working hard and they’re getting better every day.”
Meanwhile, Brown County had a pair of champions on its way to a seventh-place team finish with 99 points. David Tucker beat Williams 8-4 in the final at 145, and Sam Allen pinned South Dearborn’s Jackson Goodall in 3:45 in the final at 285.
Four other Eagles finished fifth — Brandon Phelps (160), Reid Davis (170), Evan Bradshaw (195) and Lane Mullins (220).
“Everyone won their last match, so that was exciting,” Brown County coach Josh Sparks said. “It was nice to see some guys like Sam come back and do well. His conditioning is definitely improving, and I’m excited to see where he’ll be at next semester.”
