Leonhard’s win lifts Jay County

For the second time this week, Tyler Leonhard won to give the Patriots a lead.
This time, it put them in the driver’s seat to a conference championship.
Leonhard scored a late takedown to beat Hunter Bates of Adams Central, and the Jay County High School wrestling team went on to beat the Flying Jets 42-31 in the second round of the inaugural Allen County Athletic Conference dual championships.
Jay County, which beat Woodlan in the first round 51-25, sits at 2-0. South Adams defeated Bluffton 48-33 in its first round match, and had a bye in the nightcap.
The seven-round tournament resumes at 9 a.m. today with the final five rounds.
“Huge win for him against a really quality kid,” said JCHS coach Eric Myers, whose team was 5-2 in ACAC dual matches last season, losing only to Adams Central and the now-departed conference champion Leo Lions. “What an emotional pickup Tyler had, going out and wrestling an awesome match.”
Leonhard, who on Tuesday pinned Centerville’s 2015 state qualifier Isaiah Michaels in the first round, started the third period trailing Bates 1-0 and in the down position. The 152-pound Patriot tied the score with an escape, and then he and Bates continued to jockey with each another to get the advantage.
Finally, with 13 seconds remaining in the match, Leonhard capitalized on a mistake by Bates to get two points on a takedown. Bates escaped to make the score 3-2 in favor of Leonhard, but there wasn’t enough time left on the clock.
It gave Jay County a 24-22 advantage in the match. Ivan Hemmelgarn won by forfeit at 160, and JCHS freshman Daniel Ostrowski was pinned in the first period at 170 as the Jets got back to within two points.
Levi Hummel earned a first-period pin at 182, and a forfeit victory for Andy Kohler at 195 gave Jay County a 42-28 lead to secure the win.
“It was just a full team effort,” Myers said.”
Kaimen Sanders (120), Dallas Dudelston (132), Colton Compton (138) and Thomas Hemmelgarn (145) all earned wins against Adams Central.
Sophomore Gaven Hare gave Jay County its first win of the day at 220 pounds when he pinned Woodlan’s Jeremiah Cassell with two seconds remaining in the first period.
Three consecutive wins by Woodlan gave the Warriors a 16-6 advantage in round one before Sanders beat John Miller with a second-round pin.
Woodlan took a 22-12 lead with a win at 126, until Dudleston earned his victory with cradle pin in the second period against Shawn Roemer.
Casey Parisot defeated Compton at 138, but then Hemmelgarn pinned Jacob Thompson in the second period, Leonhard won by decision 11-4 for a 27-25 Patriot advantage.
Hemmelgarn and Hummel posted back-to-back pins, Max Schmit won by forfeit at 182 and Kohler put a cap on the match with a second-period pin.
Sitting pretty at 2-0, Myers said he just hopes to continue the intensity today.
“I think that those guys knew this was a big match (against Adams Central),” Myers said. “We just cannot have a letdown tomorrow. We have to come out ready to wrestle right away in the morning and wrestle all day long.”