Leonhard wins regional, six advance

Tyler Leonhard all but guaranteed a regional title after winning sectional last week.

Saturday he delivered.

Leonhard, a Jay County High School senior, won his fourth tournament of the season, backing up his sectional title with a regional championship in the IHSAA wrestling regional tournament hosted by Jay County.

“I’m still shaking,” Leonhard, who defeated Yorktown junior Colt Rutter by a 4-1 decision to win the 152-pound title, said about 20 minutes after earning the Patriots’ only regional crown. “I don’t think I’m going to quit shaking for the rest of the night, honestly.”

Jay County had three wrestle for regional titles and had six advance to semi-state Feb. 11 at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne. The top four in each weight class qualify for semi-state.

“I’m happy with that,” JCHS coach Eric Myers said. “I felt like we could have done better. Obviously we could have been worse also.”

South Adams junior Wyatt Miller won the lone title for the Starfires, who had three reach semi-state.

After a scoreless first period, Leonhard (35-4) started on the bottom and was awarded a point for Rutter stalling. The JCHS senior broke loose to get ahead 2-0, and Rutter scored his only point by escaping Leonhard’s grasp during the third period.

Then with 16 seconds remaining, Leonhard took Rutter to the mat for a takedown and rode him out for the championship.

“He had a great day,” Myers said. Leonhard made it back to semi-state by defeating Winchester’s Brandon Moore in the opener before beating Wes-Del’s Dylan Torbush in the semifinal. “His finals match, it felt like he controlled that entire match against a very good kid.”

At 145 pounds, Jay County freshman Mason Winner had what appeared to be back points against Yorktown’s Alex Barr during their championship match. Winner, who is ranked seventh in the state and was 32-1 entering the final, controlled Barr’s left arm and had his forearm behind Barr’s head as they were both on the mat. Winner tilted back with hopes of scoring a nearfall while trailing 4-3.

The official didn’t award him the points, and his rally fell short as he trailed 4-0 heading into the final period.

“He is a tough enough kid mentally that he’ll be fine,” Myers said. Winner pinned Delta senior Noah Richardson in the opening round before pinning Adams Central junior Parker Bates in the semifinal. “Pretty disappointed not to get those nearfall points at the end. Really felt like Mason was pushing the pace on him. He’s got the conditioning. He’s got the technique. He just came up a little short.”

Junior Gaven Hare (35-5) also wrestled for the championship at 220, but he lost by major decision, 20-6, to No. 4 Corbin Maddox of Daleville. All of Hare’s points against Maddox were because the Bronco senior allowed him to escape.

“It would be nice for Gaven to wrestle him again,” Myers said.

Junior Kaimen Sanders (126) and senior Ivan Hemmelgarn (160) both finished third in their respective weight classes to earn return trips to semi-state.

Sanders (23-10) beat Daleville’s Brandon Wills in the opening round before losing to eventual regional champion Xayvier Curtis of Yorktown. The JCHS junior then beat Adams Central’s Cayden Shaffer in the third-place match.

Hemmelgarn pinned Monroe Central’s Mason Huser in the opening round before losing a 17-4 major decision Yorktown’s Brad Laughlin, who is No. 1 in the state and went on to win regional. Hemmelgarn (34-5) responded by beating DJ Bell of Cowan by a 9-0 major decision.

Thomas Hemmelgarn (23-9), a 170-pound sophomore, also placed third to reach semi-state. He beat Kai-Man Hayden of Muncie Central in the opener, got pinned by eighth-ranked Bryce Baumgartner of Bellmont in the semifinal and defeated Sam Smith of Southern Wells by a 5-4 decision.

In the 113-pound championship match, SAHS junior Wyatt Miller (33-3) pinned Adams Central’s Logan Mosser in the third period.

“I’m glad he pinned him again,” SAHS coach Jesse Gaskill said.

At 195 pounds, Isaiah Baumgartner (32-6) lost in the second period to Bellmont’s Caleb Hankeson, who is ranked ninth and defeated the Starfire junior to win the sectional title a week earlier.

South Adams freshman Michael Rupp (28-6) , a 106-pound sophomore, finished third.

“Michael going on as a freshman is huge for him and his high school career,” Gaskill said. “Now it’s just seeing what he can do with it.”

Yorktown knocked off defending champion Bellmont to win the team title. The Tigers scored 219 points, leaving the Braves a distant second with 142 points. Jay County scored 90 points to place third. South Adams was sixth with 51 points.

“I am real happy with the third-place finish overall though,” Myers said. “That is the highest we’ve finished in that regional in a long time. … We’ll just keep working and try to get as many through as we can to state next week.”