Sixth man

INDIANAPOLIS — His dream came true.
In front of more than 13,000 people, Andy Kohler stood on the podium, bent down and had a medal placed around his neck.
He couldn’t hold back a smile.
As he stood above the number 6, with a spotlight shining on him and television cameras focused on him and his blue hooded sweatshirt, none of that mattered.
It was the hardware, the orange ribbon around his neck that signified there are only five wrestlers in the state better than him.
At that moment, that is what was important.
Kohler, a Jay County High School senior, finished in sixth place Saturday at the IHSAA Wrestling State Finals at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
“Great feeling,” said Kohler, who became the 19th wrestling state medalist in JCHS wrestling history. “It is everyone’s dream to go to state. Ever since my freshman year I’ve been dreaming of getting here and medaling.”
What exactly did it take to get here, to be on the short list of wrestlers to earn a medal?
“Lot of hard work, sweat, not eating, sleeping with a heater on, five blankets, two sweatshirts on, sweatpants, two layers of socks … It’s been a good ride,” he said. “Looking back on it, it is going to be something I remember for the rest of my life. I’m going to have that hardware for the rest of my life.”
After dominating his match Friday night to secure a medal, Kohler lost his 182-pound quarterfinal match by a 3-2 decision to Hamilton Southeastern’s Spencer Irick, who had upset second-ranked Andrew Davidson on Friday and later finished third.
Kohler bounced back from the loss to pin Joey Blakeley of Prairie Heights, but lost in the fifth-place match to Elkhart Memorial’s David Eli.
“He’s a really tough kid,” JCHS coach Eric Myers said of Eli, who is sort of Kohler’s kryptonite. In five career matches against the Charger junior, Kohler is winless, including the semi-state semifinal each of the last two seasons. “He wrestled (Eli) tough, he just couldn’t quite get over the hump. That doesn’t diminish what he’s done this weekend.”
The fourth-ranked Eli won 6-4, but the match nearly went into overtime. Kohler escaped with 25 seconds left and almost had a takedown to pull even at time out.
“He’s just a good wrestler,” Kohler said of Eli, saying that he didn’t change his approach much heading into the final match of his career. “Just give it (my) all. Worst thing I can get is sixth in the state. I don’t regret anything.”
Despite losing two matches Saturday, Myers was still happy for the JCHS senior.
“He wanted to medal and I’m glad he wasn’t content with just medaling,” he said. “He came back and finished just short of being in the top four. To get a sixth-place medal, it is a good weekend.”
Kohler, who lost in the opening round of the state finals as a junior, wasn’t able to get much offense during his quarterfinal match with Irick.
Every time Kohler tried to take a shot, the 16th-ranked Irick sprawled and prevented Kohler from scoring any points. The first period went scoreless, and Kohler escaped four seconds into the second period for a 1-0 lead. Nearly a minute later, Irick took Kohler to the mat for a takedown, and with 35 seconds left Kohler escaped once again to tie the score at two.
Starting the third on top, Kohler let Irick escape in hopes of getting a takedown, but Irick, who Friday night upset second-ranked Andrew Davidson, prevented Kohler from scoring.
“That is what is really frustrating,” Myers said of the match. “I felt like we really pushed the action there and we didn’t really get rewarded for it. That is the way it goes sometimes, that sort of thing depends on the official you have on the match and you want to keep it in your own hands.
“He worked hard for a takedown. He gave up one he just couldn’t get one.”
Kohler had a wild match against the eighth-ranked Blakeley during the consolation round. It appeared he was going to cruise to a commanding victory, leading 4-0 after the first period thanks to a takedown and a two-point nearfall.
“The first takedown with two nearfall was definitely a life-saver,” Kohler said.
But the second is when the match got crazy, as they combined for five reversals. Blakeley had three of them, getting within two points each time, but Kohler didn’t allow him to score any points while on the offensive.
“He was able to maintain good hips and was able to minimize the damage on some of those reversals,” Myers said. “He gave them up, but didn’t give up a nearfall or didn’t go to his back.”
The sixth and final reversal of the match — this one by Kohler — gave him a 10-6 advantage, and a three-point nearfall led to a 13-6 advantage before Kohler earned the pin with nine seconds remaining in the third period.
“It’s nice to be able to, after this, sit back and appreciate all that he’s accomplished,” Myers said. “Career-wise it has been a pleasure to coach a kid like him. Just a confident kid, and very, very driven young man. (He) kind of set a new path for some of those guys to follow.
“I’m really proud of him.”