Two-time champions

Neither match was easy.
But they are repeat sectional champions.
Jay County High School senior Andy Kohler and South Adams sophomore Wyatt Miller were both challenged, yet prevailed, in winning their second sectional championship in as many seasons Saturday in the IHSAA sectional tournament at Jay County.
Isaiah Baumgartner, also a sophomore at South Adams, earned a sectional title as well.
“Feels damn good,” said Kohler, who had to come from behind to win his 182-pound title match against Caleb Hankenson of Bellmont. “Sounds better too … two-time sectional champ.”
The Patriots finished third for the second consecutive year. Bellmont won the team title with 252 points, ahead of runner up Adams Central (218.5) and Jay County (215).
South Adams, which had five qualify for regional, finished fourth with 113 points.
The top four place winners at each weight class advance to regional, which is Feb. 6 at Jay County.
“We got 12 of our 14 kids through (to regional), which I thought was a good day,” said JCHS coach Eric Myers, whose team had five compete for sectional championships. “I would never guess we’d finish third and get 12 through, but I thought we wrestled pretty well.”
First-year South Adams coach Jesse Gaskill was also pleased that five of his wrestlers are moving on.
“(There were) a few guys I would have liked to see get through, but I’ll take the five that we’ve got,” he said.
Kohler, who is ranked fifth in the state by IndianaMat, got a surprise from Hankenson in the championship match, falling behind 4-1 after the first period. Kohler left his leg to go unprotected allowing the Bellmont junior to get two single-leg takedowns.
“I was real nervous,” said Kohler, who as the top seed earned a bye in the opening round, received a forfeit in the quarterfinal and beat Blackford’s Robby Gardner to reach the title match. “I had to knock whatever off that I was doing and start wrestling like I should be.”
It worked.
Kohler, who moved to 39-0 on the season, had two takedowns and an escape in the second period for a 6-5 lead, and rode out Hankenson in the third period for the win.
It was an uncharacteristic match for Kohler, who had hardly been challenged throughout the season while he wrestled up a weight class at 195 pounds.
“Those two are the best two in the regional, and for (Kohler) to have a match like that in the sectional final, that is OK,” Myers said. “As the match progressed he started to get a better feel for him, stopped his shots (and) started taking him down.”
Miller (28-3) had to hang on for his championship, getting a reverse just before the buzzer to beat Norwell’s Kade Zadylak by a 16-14 decision. The second-seeded Miller reversed a Zadylak takedown for a 14-9 advantage, but a reversal into a three-point near-fall tied the score at 14.
The SAHS sophomore rolled Zadylak to his back and grabbed the Norwell freshman’s leg to get the reverse and the win.
“Holy cow, that was sweet,” Gaskill said of Miller’s match. “Wyatt didn’t stop.”
Miller admitted after he got ahead early 5-0 and again 12-6 after two periods, he tried coasting to victory.
“I thought it would work but he started scoring back points and I knew I would have to get something if I wanted to win,” he said. “That’s what fired me up, I think.
“Feels pretty good (to repeat), but I was hoping to win it more clearly; get a more definite win.”
At 195 pounds, Baumgartner wasn’t able to get much going against Adams Central’s Chandler Schumm. The Adams Central sophomore led 1-0 heading into the third period, but a reverse early in the period and a takedown in the final minute gave Baumgartner (25-2) a 4-2 decision.
“I was looking to see more intensity and aggressiveness,” Gaskill said. Both of Baumgartner’s losses this season are to Kohler. “He wrestled smart, didn’t get out of position.”
Jay County had four wrestlers fall in their title matches, including senior Dallas Dudelston (132 pounds), junior Tyler Leonhard (152), senior Levi Hummel (170) and Gaven Hare (220). Finishing third for the Patriots were sophomore Kaimen Sanders (120), junior Tristan Atkins (126), senior Colton Compton (138) and junior Ivan Hemmelgarn (160).
Freshmen Thomas Hemmelgarn (145) and Daniel Ostrowski (195) as well as junior Jacob Ferguson (285) all finished fourth.
“Going into (regional) I don’t want to talk to them about who they could see in the final or the semifinal,” Myers said. “The only thing we are going to worry about is that first round match because that is what keeps you alive and moves you on to semi-state.”
Earning regional berths for South Adams include Brandon Wynn (fourth – 120), Briar Goodwin (second – 126) and Logan Hicks (third – 182).