Katie to state

MUNCIE — Katie Rowles squared off against Claire May for the first time since they met at the state finals last season.

She thought back to that match, which she led before getting caught by May for a third-period pin.

Donning the Wonder Woman-themed singlet she designed, Rowles fell behind her second-ranked rival from Roncalli. But she bounced back, built a lead and after scoring a quick escape in the third period looked every bit like the superhero.

Rowles, a Jay County High School senior who is ranked seventh in the state at 100 pounds, bowled May over and pinned her in the semifinal round of Saturday’s IHSAA regional tournament at Muncie Central.

“That felt great,” said Rowles. “She stuck me for the third-fourth place match last season, and I got that right back this year. I’m pretty darn happy about it.”

Though she dropped the title match to third-ranked Aaliyah Brown of Center Grove, the victory over May was key to positioning herself for Friday’s state finals.

Rowles was the only JCHS wrestler to advance to state — it takes two regional wins to earn a berth — as a couple of her fellow Patriots took tough losses in the quarterfinal round.

“Our record of having people at the state finals goes way back to when we first started the girls program,” said Patriot coach Troy Jacks. “And we’re looking for hardware.”

Jay County’s 32 points placed it 18th in the regional out of 55 competing teams. No. 2 Franklin Central (160.5) dominated for the regional title with 160.5 points while No. 18 Beech Grove (80.5) edged No. 2 North Central for the runner-up spot.

“We’re a young team and I was really proud of the girls for working hard to get here with seven,” Jacks said. “First round was challenging. We dropped four right away. And ticket round we had some real tough losses.”

Rowles (28-4) breezed her way to a state berth, building an 11-0 lead on Josenit Vasquez Ochoa of Franklin Central before pinning her in the third period and then blitzing Eastern (Greentown) senior Nichole Smile in just 33 seconds in the quarterfinal.

Aggressiveness was the story of the rematch with May, even when Rowles gave up points. She made a single-leg attack early but couldn’t finish it, resulting in a takedown for May. But Rowles got an escape and was up 8-3 by the end of the first period.

Her advantage was six heading into the third period when May chose to start on top. It took Rowles just six seconds to escape — not typically her strong suit — and the quick turn proved to be a spark as she drove through May, powered her to the mat and scored the pin 37 seconds into the final period.

“I got that escape and I was like, ‘Oh, this is mine,’” Rowles said to her coaches as they walked off the mat.

“I don’t get up from the bottom very often. And I got that,” she elaborated later. “I just decided I was getting up. I had the opportunity. I took it.

“And when I got that escape, especially that quickly, I just knew this match, this is mine.”

The finals did not go so well, as Brown used two takedowns, a four-point near fall and an escape to build an 11-0 lead through two periods. She extended that advantage in the third period before pinning Rowles in 5:42.

“Just made a couple mistakes and it added up,” she said. “Nothing I can’t fix.”

While Rowles will be back on the mat Friday hoping for another chance at Brown and a state title in the process, the season came to an end for the rest of the Patriot wrestlers.

After needing just 42 seconds for a pin in the opening round, 12th-ranked 135-pounder Maleah Parsons seemed primed to join Rowles with a state berth. She scored the first seven points of her ticket-round match against No. 6 Dayonna Dyson of Franklin Central.

Parsons (28-8) pushed the advantage to 11-2 in the second period, but Dyson never showed signs of being flustered. Instead, she bided her time and waited for an opening. When it came, Dyson got a reversal and pin in 2:54.

“Maleah took her down right away, put her on her back right away, put her on her back again right away,” said Jacks, referring to the loss as “heartbreaking.” “But when she ran that one arm bar and put Dyson on her back — she got three near fall — Dyson came back on top and really had Maleah just pancaked out and flat. … And then Dyson was able to just reach up and put that half (nelson) in and put it down.”

No. 7 Amara Crawford (25-5) of Jay County scored a pin in the opening round at 190 to set up a match against No. 11 Aneesa Thompson of Perry Meridian with a state berth on the line. They wrestled a scoreless first period, but Crawford was called for stalling when she was 19 seconds away from riding out Thompson in the second. An escape midway through the third gave Thompson a 2-0 lead and she held on as Crawford attacked her head while trying to find a throw.

“She was really going for that takedown at the end,” said Jacks. “It was a little too little, too late.”

Each of the other Patriots lost in the opening round:

•Alexis Tipton (12-13) by pin in 1:06 to sixth-ranked Olivia Lemus of Roncalli at 115

•Gracie Rowles (8-7) by a 19-8 major decision to North Central’s No. 8 Monica Alvarado at 125

•Madison Gage (23-10) by a 10-1 major decision to Elizabeth Fish of Eastern Hancock at 155

•Kenady Lyons (7-12) by pin in 1:12 to Frankton’s Hailey Salisbury at 235