Bentz earns state title

BROWNSBURG — Three Jay County wrestlers competed in the grade school state championships.

One stood atop the podium.

Khoden Bentz dominated everyone who stood in front of him Sunday, winning the 50-to-55-pound third/fourth grade title in the Indiana Grade School State Championships at Brownsburg High School.

Bryce VanSkyock finished third, and Blake Wood was sixth.

Bentz’s championship match was a blowout as he beat Joseph Brown III of Region Wrestling Academy by an 11-0 major decision. He won each of his previous three matches at the state finals by pin.

VanSkyock advanced to the semifinal round in the third/fourth grade 68-74 bracket before losing by a 12-2 major decision to Rhyno Academy of Wrestling’s Emilio Ortiz. He bounced back to close the day with two wins, pinning Greentown Wrestling Club’s Knox Hannah in 52 seconds in the third-place match.

Wood went 2-1 in his contested matches beating Greentown’s Easton Hall 6-2 in the consolation third round before taking an injury default.

Jay County Wrestling Club also competed at the Adams Central Folkstyle Beginners Tournament, with Jax McClain and Eli Michael winning, Owen Michael placing second and Benjamin Root taking third.



Affolder leads

INDIANAPOLIS — Mattie Affolder’s third-place finish led Jay County to a fourth-place team effort this weekend in the Indiana Frosh-Soph State Wrestling Championships at Southport High School.

Jay County scored 122.5 points to trail third-place Heritage Hills by 1.5. Southport totaled 154 points to win by one over Portage.

Affolder dropped her first match in the girls 250-pound bracket to Terre Haute North’s Camryn Cheesman by pin but swept the rest of the way. Her run included a revenge win over Cheesman by pin in 1 minute, 31 seconds, and a pin of Jennings County’s Bresa Coan in the third-place match.

Christian Wittkamp (boys 145) made it to the semifinal round on the way to a fourth-place finish. Katie Rowles (girls 101) and Emily Manor (girls 130) each placed fifth, Maleah Parsons (girls 155) was sixth and Landon Mills-Blowers (boys 160) took eighth.



Hosts place third

Jason Landers and Leighton Brown won championships Saturday to lead the host Patriots to a third-place finish in the Jay County Junior High Invitational.

The JCJH wrestlers scored 304 points to trail champion Delta (370) and runner-up Yorktown (356.5) in the 16-team field.

Landers and Brown both pinned their way to the finals in the 132-pound and 160-pound brackets, respectively. Brown finished off his title with a 12-1 major decision over Wes Summersett of South Adams while Landers beat Monroe Central’s Cory Brown 6-2 in the championship match.

Adding second-place finishes for the Patriots were Logan Wendel (90), Caleb Sibray (138) and Wyatt Bihn (170).

Jay County also defeated Blackford 82-30 in a dual meet Monday, with contested wins coming from Corbin Lothridge (85), Jackson Bonifas (95), Cooper Glassford (113), Sadie Garringer (120), Jason Landers (132), Vasen Ridgway (152) and Keegan Wittkamp (195).