Patriot wrestlers second at ACAC

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MONROE — The Patriots were rolling heading into the final match of the day, never giving up more than 30 points in a match.

The Jets were just as dominant, as they didn't surrender more than 24 points.

One team was bound to break.

It happened to be the three-time defending champions.

The Jay County High School wrestling team had its run of consecutive conference championships end as it finished second to the host Adams Central Flying Jets in the Allen County Athletic Conference dual tournament on Saturday at Adams Central.

“We wrestled really well all day,” said JCHS coach Eric Myers, whose team built on its single victory from Friday into four more wins through the first four rounds on Saturday. “The last match we didn't show up. We lost a bunch of close matches. We had a few guys wrestle pretty well. We lost a couple close ones and it seemed to snowball from there.”

South Adams went 4-2 to place third.

Adams Central and Jay County were both undefeated for the tournament ahead of their seventh-round battle.

At 170 pounds, JCHS junior Thomas Hemmelgarn bumped up a weight class and lost a 2-1 decision to Adams Central senior Parker Bates to begin the match, and another decision at 182 pounds gave the Jets a 6-0 advantage.

“Hemmelgarn is a solid kid, we know that,” said Adams Central coach Tony Currie.

“It takes a tough kid to bump up a weight class and wrestle another tough kid.”

Mason Winner picked up a forfeit at 195 pounds to tie the match at six apiece, and an 11-6 decision in the 220 bout gave the Jets a lead they never relinquished.

Jay County and Adams Central traded pins over the next two matches to make it 15-12 AC before the Jets tacked on three more points as Kaleb Peace won a 6-2 decision over Dylan Racster at 113 pounds.

The 120-pound match proved to be the turning point. Zakk Atkins, a JCHS junior, was tied with Evan McAfee early in the third period but ended up losing 11-6 to put Adams Central out front 21-12.

Atkins shoved McAfee after the match ended, which docked three points from the Patriots.

The Jets then recorded five consecutive pins to secure the championship.

“A lot of times they create match-up nightmares for us,” Currie said. “In years past we were just one deep in weight classes and they're able to get the matches they prefer (with their depth).

“This year throughout our middle section I have a lot of seniors and a lot of kids I feel comfortable putting in that lineup. We were able to get some of the matchups we wanted.

“Quite honestly, that is probably our best dual of the season.”

The upset of Jay County capped a dominant two days on the mat for Adams Central, which averaged 60.5 points per dual and outscored its opponents by an average of 45 points.

The Jets beat Bluffton (66-12) and Southern Wells (64-15) on Friday before steamrolling Woodlan (78-5) first thing Saturday morning. They followed with a 54-24 win over Bluffton and a 47-23 triumph over county rival South Adams.

Jay County, meanwhile, was dominating on Saturday as well after knocking off Woodlan 78-6 in the second round Friday.

The Patriots beat Heritage 69-6, bested Bluffton 57-15 and battled South Adams to a 48-30 victory. But it was the final match against Adams Central that thwarted the Patriots' hopes of a fourth consecutive title.

“We have got some adjustments to make lineup wise and we have some adjustments to make technique wise,” Myers said. “We are hoping we can improve enough to close the gap at least a little bit.”

South Adams’ wins came against Heritage (37-24) and Bluffton (45-31) on Friday before beating Southern Wells (48-36) and Woodlan (60-24).

The Starfires closed the tournament with losses to Jay County and Adams Central.