State runner-up (02/18/08)

Casey Kenney walked off the mat disappointed. But being the state runner-up is certainly nothing to be ashamed of.

The Jay County High School junior won three matches at the IHSAA Wrestling State Finals Friday and Saturday, extending his perfect record to 47-0 before falling to Indian Creek's Ethan Raley in the 103-pound state championship match.

"I would have liked to have won, but I guess you can't win them all," said Kenney on the floor of Conseco Fieldhouse.

"I feel a little bit disappointed, but I guess I did all right."

South Adams 130-pounder Josh Mann advanced to the state semifinals with an unblemished record before dropping back-to-back matches to finish fourth in the state. Josh Ehr of the Starfires was eliminated from the 112-pound bracket during Friday's opening round.

Adam Chalfant of Winchester joined Kenney in reaching the state championship match at heavyweight, where he lost 3-2 to defending champion Chico Adams of Perry Meridian.

Kenney, the first JCHS wrestler to reach day two of the state finals since 1999, was within a point midway through the second period against Raley. But the key moment came late in that second period.

Trailing just 2-1 after scoring an escape at the 1:01 mark of the period, Kenney got caught in a double-leg takedown. Raley converted it for two points with just three seconds on the clock for a 4-1 lead.

"As soon as we got to our feet he chewed in real quick," said Kenney. "I didn't have really time to do any of my offense. He was tough on top.

"Towards the end I started to get him a little figured out, but he kind of surprised me at the very beginning."

The Indian Creek freshman, who finished the season 33-0, added another takedown with 48 seconds remaining in the match. Kenney scored his only offensive points with just 10 seconds left, and Raley went on to the 7-3 state championship win.

"We're not used to wrestling from behind," said JCHS coach James Myers, who had emphasized scoring first throughout Kenney's tournament run. "We've been there a couple times, but if we could have got a lead and put some pressure on the youngster it might have been a different story.

"Give credit to Ethan. He came out and was aggressive with us today. He took some shots and scored on us. ... We started to warm up late in the match it looked like, but even if we had another two or three minutes I don't think it would have mattered. Ethan was solid. He deserved to win."

Kenney turned in a couple of impressive efforts Saturday to reach the state title match.

In the quarterfinal round Kenney knocked off Mishawaka's Paul Beck (42-3) by a 4-3 decision in overtime.

And then in the semifinal round he trailed Brandon Nelson of Lawrence North 2-1 heading in to the final period. He scored a takedown early in the third and rode Nelson out for the victory and a berth in the championship.

Nelson went on to a third-place finish, and Beck placed seventh.

"Those were dogfights, both matches," said Myers. "You anticipate that when you're here on the second day of the state tournament. He overcame some calls and some good wrestling to get to the finals."

"Those were exciting matches," added Kenney. "It was fun that I won. The finals match was the worst, I don't know how to explain it."

Like Kenney, Mann entered the state finals with a perfect record at 42-0. He opened Friday night with a 3-1 win over Jacob Plesac of Hobart, and then pinned Indianapolis Cathedral's Dominic Corsaro in 1:20 to reach the semifinal round.

But his perfect senior year came to an end there with a 6-0 loss to eventual state champion Tom Churchard (46-2) of Valparaiso. Mann went on to lose the third-place match 2-0 to Culver Academy's Daniel Young.

Kenney followed the same path as JCHS graduate Glen Glogas, who carried an undefeated record through the 1982 season before dropping the state championship match. The only state champions in school history are Geoff Glogas and Dave Ferguson, both of whom won in 1987, and the last Patriot wrestler to place in the state meet was James Brewster in seventh in 1999.

The last Jay County athlete to win a state title in any sport was Kerri McClung, the shot put champion in 2000.

"We're very proud of him," said Myers. "The coaching staff, his parents, friends, we're all proud of him. It was a great season. He fell a little short, and we told him, 'Just let this motivate us for next year to take that next step.' And I'm sure it will.

"He's a little disappointed right now ... but overall it was a great effort today and this season."[[In-content Ad]]