Fantastic freshmen

Eric Myers knew he had a strong freshman class entering this season.

They’ve continued to prove their worth.

Four freshmen and a pair of seniors were all crowned Allen County Athletic Conference champions in their respective weight classes Friday in the individual tournament held at Jay County.

“They’ve got a lot of experience and they just continue to climb this season,” Myers, Jay County’s coach, said. “Looks like they’re ready to peak at the right time.”

Jay County, which won the round-robin tournament earlier this season, backed it up by claiming the championship Friday night as well. The Patriots’ six winners helped them score 282 points for the title. Adams Central scored 227 for second, and South Adams was third with 217 points.

Cody Rowles, a 106-pounder, barely broke a sweat in winning his title. He received a bye to the semifinal, then Brandy Beer of Bluffton forfeited the next match, thrusting Rowles into the final without even seeing an opponent. In the final, Rowles (29-1) pinned Kaden Davidson of South Adams in 61 seconds to start a string of three straight JCHS championships.

“The Davidson kid isn’t a bad wrestler,” Myers said. “He threw the whole dresser drawer at him as far as turns and he was able to pin him.”

Taye Curtis, a 113-pound Yorktown transplant, had a slightly tougher route to claim his title. He too got a pass to the semifinal because of a forfeit from Southern Wells before pinning Karson Moore of Woodlan with seven seconds remaining in the first period.

However, he was challenged a bit in his finals match against Colton Bollenbacher of South Adams. Curtis trailed 2-1 entering the second period, then scored a takedown from the neutral position for a 3-2 advantage. Beginning the third from the bottom, Curtis got a reversal for a 5-2 lead, then pinned Bollenbacher with 23 seconds remaining in the match. He improved to 23-4 after his title.

Tony Wood, who is ranked 10th in the state at 120 pounds, gritted out a 7-1 decision against Bluffton’s Austin Lewis in the 126-pound championship match. Wood’s semifinal win, a 11-0 major decision, came against Silas Loshe of South Adams after he was granted a forfeit in the opener from Heritage.

“I felt like he dominated him,” Myers said of Wood. “That was a solid performance by Tony.”

Cameron Clark made Jay County four-for-four in championship matches with his 132-pound crown. He topped Evan McAfee of Adams Central by a 4-2 decision. Clark (22-2) pinned Grayson Williams of South Adams 1:38 into their semifinal match after a forfeit from Heritage.

Unlike his four previous teammates, RJ Heskett actually had to wrestle against opponents all the way to the 138-pound championship. However, the 24-5 senior made quick work of those who stepped on the mat against him. He pinned Caine Clark of Southern Wells, Dakota Perry of Adams Central and Maverick Summersett of South Adams in a total time of 2:15.

“Super hard worker,” Myers said. “He’s kind of a team leader being the first year with our program. He didn’t get into that captain position, but he acts like one because he’s such a leader. He goes right after it and he got a lot of big pins and big wins.”

Blake Pruett, another JCHS senior, didn’t give up a point in his two contested matches. He received a forfeit in the first round from South Adams, then topped Bluffton’s Aidan King by a 5-0 decision. In the championship match against Adams Central’s Caden Funk, Pruett (21-7) won 6-0.

“He’s wrestled a tough kid and he controlled it the entire time,” said Myers, whose team hosts the sectional tournament Jan 30. “He’s been a solid wrestler for us, maintains a good position and he’s consistent. I’m really happy for him to get a conference championship.”

Logan Kelley reached the 170-pound final but lost to Trevor Currie of Adams Central. Kelley got pinned in 2:45, after getting to that point with a forfeit and a pin of Bluffton’s Chris Kramer.

At 220 pounds, Jay County freshman Conner Specht got pinned by Jacob Plattner of South Adams in the championship match.