February 2, 2025 at 12:24 a.m.
JCHS wrestling
Sectional seniors
Dominant.
The Patriots’ champions both left zero doubt.
Griffin Byrum and A.J. Heskett showed off their superior skills in different ways, one recording the quickest pin of the finals while the other racked up the points.
The pair of seniors — one a repeat champion and the other a first-timer — stood atop the podium Saturday as they led a group of nine regional qualifiers as the host Jay County High School boys wrestling team took third place in the sectional tournament.
"It feels great to be a two-timer and get my name on the wall twice,” said Byrum, who is ranked 16th in the state. “That's what I was after.”
"Amazing," said Heskett. "Last year I fell short just by one match right at the end. And now a year later I'm back at it, senior year, got it."
The Patriots’ 208 points left them behind champion Bellmont (250.5) and runner-up Adams Central (230). South Adams was fourth in the nine-team field with 193.
Joining Byrum and Heskett in making it to the finals were Corbin Lothridge at 106, Jason Landers at 132, A.J. Myers at 190 and Alan Ortiz at 285. Sylas Wenk and Bryce Coy finished third at 120 and 215, respectively, and Cole Carpenter placed fourth at 175.
The top four wrestlers in each weight class earned regional berths and will return to Jay County at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 8.
“Not a bad day,” said JCHS coach Eric Myers, whose team was without Jacob Robinson because of a ligament injury. “I thought we wrestled fairly well.
“We always like to have an extra place here and there, but I felt like overall we wrestled well.
“Griff’s been pretty dialed in for the last few weeks,” he added. “He’s wrestling really well.
“A.J. Heskett’s … been behind some pretty good guys the last few years. He's wrestling really well right now. We're working really hard in the practice room. I'm excited about his progress.”
Byrum (33-3) played to his strength in the championship match, getting behind Adams Central’s Myles Kaehr for a takedown 30 seconds in. From there, he worked for his signature cradle. Once he locked it in, Kaehr was done.
The championship pin in 1 minute, 14 seconds, followed his victory in 1:25 over Union City’s Joseangel Perez in the semifinal after he got a bye in the quarterfinal.
“I knew coming into that match that the biggest part of the match on the feet was gonna be level,” said Byrum, who won his second sectional title. “I knew he was going to be diving and I knew I had to have a good level for that.
“I'm extremely excited about it, but it's just another goal that I've had that I see myself getting. I expected to win.”
While Byrum took care of business in a hurry, Heskett (33-4) went a different route. He nearly got caught as Wyatt Mann of South Adams took a quick shot but was able to avoid it, setting up a battle for position. Heskett eventually came out on top, getting a cradle for a takedown and three-point near fall.
The triples started to fall en masse in the second quarter as Jacob Leas hit back-to-back shots to tie the game at 19, with Kitterman hitting one more to finish the period. Leggett, Leas, Kitterman and Kentral Toomer each hit a three as the Bruins started to pull away in the third.
“We’ve struggled with the zone this year and I told the kids, ‘This is going to be the best zone we see all year,’” said BHS coach Aaron Daniels, who was the Jay County junior varsity coach last season. “We knew that we had to be a lot more patient than we have been. I told the kids, ‘We’re a really good 3-point shooting team. The problem is we aren’t taking the right threes.
“Tonight we had a couple that weren’t the right threes, but a lot more of them were inside-out touches, they were moments that were better shots than we normally get. … Credit to Jay County’s defense, they were fantastic but we came to play and when you hit shots, it’s really hard against the zone.”
Along with leading JCHS in points, Forthofer pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. Swoveland was the only other Patriot in double figures with 11 points.
Leggett led Blackford with 16 points on 5-of-7 (71.4%) shooting. Baker and Kitterman each added 13, while Leas had 11.
Bomholt was brought to a stable condition early on Sunday and made it back home. Similarly to when Bomholt missed the Jan. 11 game, staff and the coach will evaluate if he is ready to return to the sideline for Thursday’s matchup with Southern Wells early this week.
While both Daniels and Arbuckle wished their best for Bomholt’s recovery, the Patriots will have three days to prepare for the Raiders (0-13) with or without their leader.
“It’s tough obviously and it throws a wrench in your plans and procedure, but you just have to adjust the best you can with that,” Arbuckle said. “I think the boys will come back next week and they’ll get back to work and get a good week of practice in.”
“I just want to send my best to coach Bomholt,” Daniels said. “He’s a good friend and mentor of mine and you just hope for the best.”
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