Wood to semifinal

EVANSVILLE -- For the first time in a decade, a Patriot will wrestle in the state semifinals.

Tony Wood, a Jay County High School senior, scored his only points of his 138-pound quarterfinal match in the final eight seconds Saturday morning to advance to the semifinals of the IHSAA Wrestling State Finals at the Ford Center.

Cody Rowles of JCHS dropped his quarterfinal match and will wrestle for fifth through eighth places later today.

Wood, who is No. 4 in the state and now 46-0, will take on second-ranked Kyrel Leavell (39-1) of Warren Central in the semifinal round immediately following the conclusion of the quarterfinals. No. 1 Clinton Shepherd (31-3) of Crown Point and No. 3 Brady Ison (30-6) of Brownsburg will meet in the other semifinal.

With a win, Wood would become the first JCHS wrestler to make the state championship match since Casey Kenney in 2008.

Unlike Friday night, when Wood built an 11-0 lead en route to locking up his second state medal, points were difficult to come by Saturday. The first period was scoreless, and Wood was unable to get an escape against No. 13 Justice Thornton  (35-3) of Columbus North after choosing the bottom position in the second period.

Thornton finally broke the deadlock with an escape with 1:08 left in the match, and the score was still 1-0 as the wrestlers returned to the center of the mat in the neutral position with 15 seconds left. That was enough time for Wood.

The Patriot senior got to Thornton’s body, forced him to the mat and gained control for a takedown. Thornton scrambled to find an escape or reversal as the final seconds ticked away, but Wood held him off for a 2-1 victory and a spot in the top four in the weight class.

The last JCHS wrestler to make the top four was Eric Hemmelgarn in 2014.

Rowles (32-11), ranked 18th at 126 pounds, also wrestled a different style from Friday night, when he trailed 2-0 and 5-2 to No. 7 Layne Horn of Rochester before rallying. This time, he got a single-leg takedown with four seconds to go in the first period and then pushed to a 4-1 lead in the second. But No. 3 Luke Rioux (38-5) of Avon got an escape and takedown to pull even, then rode out Rowles in the third period. 

In sudden victory, Rowles was unable to hold off Rioux’s double-leg takedown as he fell 6-4.

He now moves into the consolation bracket, where he will wrestler No. 10  Matthew Maldaonado (38-6).