First in ECIC

Before the finals, Jay County High School inducted five graduates to its Wall of Fame.

The group included three boys who were state medalists in their careers. Even with that trio gone, no one came close to the Patriots on Monday.

After honoring three of the top wrestlers in the history of the program, the current Jay County crew hit the mat and won five championships to cap off a fourth straight East Central Indiana Classic title.

The Class 2A No. 10 host Patriots got championships from Corbin Lothridge, Griffin Byrum, A.J. Heskett, Jacob Robinson and Alan Ortiz as they cruised to the ECIC championship, scoring 226 points to outdistance runner-up Central Noble (182.5) and third-place Alexandria (175) in a field of 17 scoring teams.

“We’ve had some really good teams the last few years,” said JCHS coach Eric Myers, acknowledging the Wall of Fame inductions of Tony Wood, Cameron Clark and Cody Rowles. “But these guys have stepped up and worked really hard and they deserve the recognition that they get for winning this tournament. I’m proud of them for stepping up today and wrestling hard and getting this win. It’s a lot of fun. They definitely deserve it.”

Lothridge at 106 pounds and Byrum at 113 were wrestling simultaneously in the finals. Both faced some early adversity, giving up takedowns to fall behind 3-0.

Byrum (17-1), ranked 13th in the state and looking for a repeat championship, reclaimed control with a takedown of Central Noble’s 16th-ranked Charlie Fleshman 22 seconds into the second period and then added two near-fall points in the closing seconds for a 6-3 advantage. He left no doubt in the third period, locking Fleshman in a cradle for a pin with 1:26 left on the clock.

“I knew that was my match to win,” said Byrum, who pinned Fleshman to win the 106-pound ECIC championship last season. (Fleshman was a 2024 state qualifier.) “It’s always better to beat a guy a second time because it’s always harder. …

“I didn't start out well, but I just kept with the grit and kept being stingy, found my points and found a way to win.”

Lothridge got an escape and takedown to lead Bluffton’s Will Frettinger 4-3 after the first period, but fell behind again 6-5 on a takedown midway through the second. It took him just 16 seconds to score a reversal that he converted into a four-point near fall for control of the match.

    Freddie Lingo of Jay County works for a pin against Muncie Central’s Braxton Johnson during the opening round of Monday’s East Central Indiana Classic at JCHS. Lingo pinned Johnson in the second period before dropping his next match to move to the consolation bracket. He went 3-2 on the day to finish in seventh place at 215 pounds. (The Commercial Review/Andrew Balko)

Frettinger made a move for a pin in the third period only to have Lothridge roll through to gain control. He pinned Frettinger about 25 seconds later to improve to 13-5 and secure the ECIC title in his first opportunity.

“It felt really good,” said Lothridge. “Being a freshman and winning ECIC, it felt really good.”

“(I was) being aggressive … and having confidence.”

The ninth-ranked Ortiz took some time to feel out Central Noble’s Parker Boots in the final championship match of the day as they wrestled to a scoreless first period. He took the down position to start the second and scored a quick escape for the only point he would need. He went on to get a takedown midway through the period and added a reversal in the third for a 6-0 win to earn the 285-pound championship.

“I was a little nervous in the beginning,” said Ortiz. “I knew he was going to be fast. … But I ended up figuring out that he wasn’t going to take the shot.”

Heskett (16-2) gave up the first points of his championship match at 132 pounds against Centerville’s Conner Frazier but a late takedown in the second period turned the tide of the match. Heskett took a 5-3 lead into the third period, got a quick escape and then put an exclamation point in his win with a takedown at the buzzer for a 9-3 win.

Robinson (15-2) and Coldwater's Tanner Stammen went back-and-forth for the 150-pound title, with the former scoring the first takedown 30 seconds into the match before falling behind 4-3 at the close of the first period. A double-leg takedown that he converted to a cradle and three-point near fall pushed Robinson ahead 9-4. Stammen rallied back, getting to within 9-7 before Robinson scored an escape as he held on for a 10-7 win to repeat as ECIC champ.

Cooper Glassford (13-5) also wrestled in a championship match, finishing in second place at 126 pounds as Dakota Sprunger of South Adams pinned him in 3 minutes, 41 seconds. Glassford advanced to the finals with two technical falls and a pin.

Jason Landers took third place at 138 pounds, winning his first two matches by pin before taking a technical fall loss to undefeated and third-ranked Tylin Thrine of New Castle in the semifinals. He bounced back to rack up a 15-2 major decision over Eli Loshe of South Adams in the third-place match.

Others placing in the top eight for the Patriots were A.J. Myers (fifth – 190), Sylas Wenk (sixth – 120) and Freddie Lingo (seventh – 215).

“We wrestled really well,” said Myers. “I felt like there were some spots that were a little dicey, but I felt like we ended the day really well.”