Headed to conso finals

EVANSVILLE — The dream of a state championship came to an end early Saturday afternoon.

Jay County High School senior Tony Wood never quite food his footing against No. 2 Kyrel Leavell in Saturday’s 138-pound semifinal match and will now wrestle for third place in the IHSAA Wrestling State Finals at the Ford Center.

Cody Rowles, meanwhile, will close his tournament against a former teammate for the fourth week in a row.

Wood (46-1) fell behind 5-0 against Leavell (40-1) before getting an escape with 1:23 on the clock in the second period. He got to within three points with a quick escape to start the third period but gave up two more takedowns in a 9-3 defeat.

The fourth-ranked Patriot senior will now No. 3 Brady Ison (30-7) of Brownsburg in the third-place match. The consolation finals begin at 5:30 p.m.

Rowles (32-12), who is ranked 18th at 126 pounds, suffered his second loss of the day in the consolation semifinals. A double-leg takedown put him ahead in the first period, but No. 10 Matthew Maldonado (36-6) of Merrillville caught him in a headlock for a takedown and two-point near fall. Rowles tried to respond with a headlock but was never able to lock it in, instead giving up four more points in the third period in a 9-3 loss.

Now in the seventh-place match, Rowles and former East Jay Middle School teammate Bradin Daniels (39-4) of Union City will collide for the fourth straight week. Daniels won their battles for the sectional and semi-state championships while Rowles took the regional title bout.