SYRACUSE - A few years back the rodeo movie "8 Seconds" hit the big screens.

If Wawasee wrestling coach Scott DeHart directed a movie, he would name his "6 Minutes."

That's what DeHart is preaching to his wrestlers this week as they prepare for today's Churubusco Regional: If you don't win your match, make sure you at least go the distance. By lasting six minutes, his wrestlers will avoid a six-point loss by a pin.

"Our whole goal," DeHart said, "is to make (other wrestlers) wrestle at our pace for six minutes."

Wawasee has made the competition do many things the past two years, namely lose. The Warriors tore through the Churubusco Regional last year, dismantling Carroll (Allen) 50-19 in the first round, then pounding Homestead 56-13 in the championship match.

The Warriors, 14-4 last season, then knocked off No. 2 Bellmont 31-30 in the semistate to advance to the state finals, where they lost their opening match.

This year's Warriors went 15-1 and climbed as high as eighth in the polls. Reporters the last two weekends - after the Northern Lakes Conference tournament and the East Noble Sectional - have asked DeHart to compare this year's team to last year's team, but it's a question DeHart hemmed and hawed on.

Last year's team had state finalists 42-2 Darrell Carr and 39-3 Shaun Belin, as well as veteran wrestlers like John Merchant, Rob Burke and Jeremy Walls. They graduated.

Those are five major losses.

DeHart acknowledged this much when he said: "Last year's team may have had more depth."

But?

"This year's team, these guys just keep coming at you."

Indeed, this group of wrestlers came away with one more sectional champion than last year's. Wawasee won 12 sectional titles in 14 weight classes, compared to 11 in 14 a year ago.

"We all wrestled well last weekend," DeHart said. "Our kids are peaking at the right time, but it gets harder every week. Now we have to raise the bar. We wrestled a tough schedule, so our kids should be used to the competition."

Now the Warriors face 16-3 Fort Wayne Northrop in the first round of the regional. Should Wawasee win that and advance to the championship round, the Warriors would meet the winner between 9-2 Homestead and 10-6 Carroll (Allen).

"Northrop is solid up and down their lineup," DeHart said. "Their 103-pounder and 112-pounder won sectional titles, and their 119-pounder wrestled in the sectional finals. Their first three weight classes are strong.

"This is not a team we can run away and hide from."

For DeHart's team, the message is simple: Last six minutes, avoid six-point losses. The wins will take care of themselves.

"Anytime you can get six points and not give up six, that's a tremendous thing," DeHart said. "We're prepared to wrestle a six-minute match. We can't get on our backs. We have to put people away if we can pin them."

Wawasee individuals - class, sectional result, season records

103 pounds -ÊJosh DeGood (9th), second place, 23-8

*112 - Chet Wortinger (11), first place, 31-3

119 -ÊTravis Coy (12), first place, 28-7

125 -ÊKen McIntosh (11), first place, 17-7

130 -ÊJacen Hendricks (11), first place, 21-10

135 - Ryan Johnson (12), first place, 25-4

140 -ÊTyler Cline (11), first place, 22-6

*145 -ÊKevin Carr (11), first place, 32-1

152 -ÊJ.J. Davis (11), first place, 23-8

*160 - Jason Carr (12), first place, 31-0

171 -ÊNone

189 -ÊJesse Leonard (12), first place, 18-14

215 - Tom Bryan (10), first place, 16-15

*275 -ÊJamie Salazar (11), first place, 28-5

*Kevin Carr is ranked third, Jason Carr fourth, Wortinger 12th and Salazar 13th in the state in their weight classes. [[In-content Ad]]