Winner fifth at state

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INDIANAPOLIS — His dream was dashed hours earlier.

He was competing in a match with which he didn't expect to find himself.

But Mason Winner capped his year with the first three letters of his name.

Winner, a 182-pound Jay County High School junior, bounced back from a loss in the morning to grab back-to-back victories to place fifth on Saturday evening during the IHSAA Wrestling State Finals at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

“Came up short on my goal,” said Winner, who was aiming to be the program's first state champion since 1987. “Really disappointed about that, but also improving it feels pretty good knowing that you're climbing and making a name for yourself as you climb to the top.

“Everybody always has a disappointment.”

The seventh-ranked Winner, who earned a 1-0 decision over NorthWood junior Jake Lone by a 1-0, secured his third consecutive state medal to join 2014 graduate Eric Hemmelgarn as the only two in JCHS history do so. Winner was seventh as a freshman at 140 pounds and eighth as a 160-pound sophomore.

“I know that he wanted to win that Saturday morning (match), but to come back and string together two wins like that after a disappointment shows a lot about his character,” said JCHS coach Eric Myers. “Just goes with what I said (Friday), a kid that puts in hard work like that and develops mental toughness, that helped carry him through today to go 2-1 today.

“Not a lot of guys can do that.”

Winner scored a late takedown to defeat Lone (38-6) by 3-2 decision in the semi-state championship last weekend in Fort Wayne, and he said the approach this time around was the same.

Just wrestle.

Nether Winner (43-3) nor Lone were able to score during the first two periods, and with the former choosing bottom to begin the third he needed just 19 seconds to break free for the escape and the only point of the match.

Winner got warned for stalling with 31 seconds remaining before pushing the pace to avoid being docked a point.

“Got a stall call there in the third that makes you a little nervous,” Myers said. “He went to work there, had a great sprawl and had a cradle locked there in the end.

“Just roughed it out.”

In his quarterfinal match against Edgewood senior and Levan Bellemy to begin the day, Winner fell behind with a takedown in the first period. He took a 3-2 lead with an escape and a single leg takedown in the second before Bellemy tied the score at three apiece by getting free of Winner with 53 seconds remaining.

Trailing 4-3 in the third, Winner took a shot at the third-ranked Bellemy (37-3) but wasn't able to finish it and the eventual fourth-placer took Winner to the mat for two points.

Time running out, Winner escaped to make it 6-4. The Patriot tried to shoot late but ended up on his back for two points the other way.

“I think it was just a few mistakes made,” Winner said.

“It's unfortunate but that's the way it happens,” Myers added. “You have to battle back from it. Mason got his head right after that, even though it was a disappointment, and came back and wrestled really well in defeating (Jalen Morgan in the consolation semifinal) and (Lone).”

Although it took a couple periods for him to get going in the consolation semifinal. Winner dominated his way past Morgan (42-5), an Elwood senior, for a 5-2 decision.

With the match tied at one apiece in the third, Winner nearly gave up two points on a takedown but managed to swing a scramble in his favor for two points and a 3-1 advantage. He locked an arm bar to score a two-point near fall for his 5-1 lead, and Morgan, who finished seventh, escaped with 16 seconds left.

“Really good tournament for Mason,” Myers said.