Jay knocks off Eagles

In the first minute of his match, Matt Segraves was staring at the ceiling.

He gave up a three-point near fall, and looked as if he'd be quickly pinned to give Oak Hill a 10-point lead. But it only took him a few seconds to change his fate, and the fate of his team.

Segraves got out of the pinning situation and recorded the fall himself, picking up key points for the Jay County High School wrestling team Wednesday in its 41-35 victory over the visiting Golden Eagles.

The key moment came in Segraves' 125-pound bout against Oak Hill freshman Devin Taylor. A takedown early led to the near fall, and Taylor looked ready to finish the match in a hurry.

Instead, Segraves came up with a reversal with 53 seconds left in the first period. He added a two-point near fall and then pinned Taylor with 18 seconds to go in the opening period.

The victory pushed Jay County to a 26-24 lead and keyed a run of five victories in six matches. Without the comeback, the Patriots would likely have fallen to a five-point defeat.

"We go from giving up possibly six to getting a reversal and putting a kid on his back," said JCHS coach James Myers. "That's a confidence booster for Matt."

The pin from Segraves was of three in the key stretch for the Patriots and five on the night overall.

Drake Meska (130), who is now 19-1 on the season, followed with a 5-0 shutout of Bo Ketring to push JCHS to a 29-24 lead. But Oak Hill pulled ahead again by one point with a bin from Myles Dennis in the 135-pound match.

However, Dyllan Derrickson put the Patriots back ahead for good. He was in control throughout his 140-pound match against Jacob Lines, building an 8-0 lead in the first period and then scoring a pin in 3:46.

Freshman Luke Wiemer (145) trailed 3-2 at the close of the first period, but like Segraves he mounted a comeback. He started the second period in the down position, scored a quick reversal and needed just 30 seconds to finish the match with a pin.

"Drake (Meska) wrestled one of their better kids and controlled the entire match. That's a positive," said Myers, who also complimented Wiemer for his efforts since stepping into the varsity lineup at Saturday's Delta Duals. "Dyllan Derrickson looked as sharp as he has all year."

The pins from Derrickson and Wiemer ended the run of five wins in six matches started by Chase Louck.

The 119-pound freshman dominated Oak Hill junior Curtis Jones from start to finish. He had a near fall in the opening minute and built a 7-0 first-period lead. He was up 10-2 after two periods and rolled to a 17-5 major decision.

"Chase is so aggressive and so physical at 119," said Myers. "His toughness is what really helps him out."

Eric Beougher opened the match for JCHS by pinning D.J. Roberson in 3:47 at 160 pounds.

Jake Boyer (HWT) added a pin of Thomas Linna in 1:11, and Matt James (215) defeated Art Harper III with a 14-4 major decision.

All three of the Patriots' dual matches have been tightly contested this year, but they have won all of them and are now 13-7 overall.

"That's a big positive for our team, especially as young as we've wrestled the last few weeks," said Myers, whose team opened the year with a 41-34 win over Muncie Southside and later edged Winchester 42-37. "We've had really close dual meets with Oak Hill (in the past). We're 3-for-3 in these close dual meets this year. As long as we keep getting wins, we'll be happy."

Junior varsity

Every match ended with a pin and the Patriots won eight out of 12 for a 48-24 win over Oak Hill.

Dyllan Cope needed just 54 seconds to defeat Jagen Millspaugh in their 160 pound match. Austin Bentz (130) and Brandon Poore (140) each finished their matches with pins in 57 seconds.

Other pins came from Ceasar Castor (119), Preston Overholser (130), Richie Keen (152), Nick Spahr (215) and Matt Shrack (HWT).[[In-content Ad]]