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CHURUBUSCO - There was no jumping up and down, no loud cheers, no extended celebration. Five minutes after Wawasee's wrestling team captured its second straight Churubusco Regional team title, the Warriors had walked off the gym floor and into the locker room.
Sure, they had just beaten Carroll 43-24 in the championship match. But Wawasee coach Scott DeHart said there was a reason for his wrestlers being subdued.
"They know their job is not done," he said. "They have next week to go."
The Chargers tested Wawasee early. Carroll's Kyle Brown (103 pounds), Kevin Eubanks (125), Tim Sloffer (130) and Aaron Schinbeckler (140) won four of the first eight matches to put the Chargers up 16-13 entering the 145-pound match.
But Carroll coach Ed Fox knew what lay ahead. His team led Homestead 34-4 after the 145 match in the first round; the Chargers ended up beating Homestead 34-31.
Carroll is strong in the lightweight classes and suspect in the heavyweight classes. Carroll's four heaviest wrestlers are sophomores.
Fox knew 16-13 wouldn't cut it. The Chargers needed a bigger cushion.
"Just like the first match with Homestead," Fox said. "We were up 34 to whatever. We knew we needed more (points against Wawasee).
"If we could get into the third period with some of their weight classes, I thought we'd be decent. But they have some quality wrestlers over there. I have seven kids in my lineup who are first-year varsity wrestlers. The upper weight classes are where we're struggling."
Like Homestead, Wawasee took advantage in those weight classes. The Warriors won six of the last seven matches to pull away from Carroll. Kevin Carr (145), J.J. Davis (152), Jason Carr (160), Jesse Leonard (189), Tom Bryan (215) and Jamie Salazar (275) won for Wawasee.
From 145 up, Wawasee finished the night 11-1 on the mats.
"I would have liked to have won every match," DeHart said. "But you look at things as a coach, look at the lineup and think we should have won this one, this one and this one.
"We just wrestled a little flat. (Sixteen to 13) is not where I wanted to be, but it was good for our kids. You don't get tougher unless you get the sword put to you a little bit."
Wawasee's Chet Wortinger (112) and Ryan Johnson (135) also had good nights, finishing a combined 4-0.
DeHart asked his wrestlers to do one of two things: Avoid get ting pinned. In 28 matches, opponents pinned Warrior wrestlers once.
Wawasee advanced to the championship match by beating Fort Wayne Northrop 43-18 in the first round. When Johnson pinned Jeff Esslinger, that broke open a tight match early and sent the Warriors off and running with a 17-6 lead.
The second thing DeHart asked his team to do: Stay regional champion.
"We had to come in here and defend our title," DeHart said. "It was ours. We wanted to take that plate back home and get the opportunity to wrestle state-caliber kids."
Wawasee will get that opportunity at next Wednesday's Bellmont Semistate. One year ago, No. 14 Wawasee knocked off No. 2 Bellmont 31-30 in the team semistate finals. The two teams meet again on Wednesday. Bellmont is again ranked second, while Wawasee is ninth.
Fox was asked to handicap the match, considering Carroll has wrestled against the Warriors two years in a row at the Churubusco Regional. Wawasee forfeited 171 in both rounds of the regional. That may be the key, he said.
"I think this is a better Wawasee team overall," Fox said. "It's too bad they're forfeiting 171. That makes it tough for them, because they know they have to give up six points every time they go out. Top to bottom, I think (Wawasee) is better. I've seen Bellmont, and they're strong top to bottom. You just can't give up six points to a team like that."
Before that, though, Wawasee competes in Saturday's Carroll (Allen) Regional. The Churubusco Regional is the team regional; the Carroll Regional is the individual regional for wrestlers who advanced to the finals of last Saturday's East Noble Sectional.
CHURUBUSCO REGIONAL
Championship match: Wawasee 43, Carroll (Allen) 22
Records: Wawasee 17-1; Carroll 11-7
Weight, result, Wawasee individual records, running team scores
103 pounds - Kyle Brown (C) def. Josh DeGood (23-10) 8-7; 3-0 Carroll
112 -ÊChet Wortinger (W/33-3) pinned Justen Paris, :36; 6-3 Wawasee
119 -ÊTravis Coy (W/29-8) def. Derek Kennedy 7-1; 9-3 Wawasee
125 - Kevin Eubanks (C) pinned Ken McIntosh (18-8), 2:53; 9-9
130 -ÊTim Sloffer (C) def. Jacen Hendricks (22-11) 8-3; 12-9 Carroll
135 -ÊRyan Johnson (W/27-4) def. Trey Begin 17-6 (major decision); 13-12 Wawasee
140 -ÊAaron Schinbeckler (C) def. Tyler Cline (22-8) 11-3 (major decision); 16-13 Carroll
145 -ÊKevin Carr (W/34-1) def. Dusty Runkle 8-5; 16-16
152 -ÊJ.J. Davis (W/25-8) def. Will Bowers 5-4; 19-16 Wawasee
160 -ÊJason Carr (W/33-0) pinned Jon Feichter, 1:02; 25-16 Wawasee
171 -ÊAndy Frisinger (C) won by forfeit; 25-22 Wawasee
189 -ÊJesse Leonard (W/20-14) pinned Jared Feichter, 3:32; 31-22 Wawasee
215 -ÊTom Bryan (W/17-16) pinned Chris Wilson, 2:56; 37-22 Wawasee
275 -ÊJamie Salazar (W/30-5) pinned Mike Gambino, 3:05; 43-22 Wawasee
First-round match
Wawasee 43, Fort Wayne Northrop 18
Records: Wawasee 16-1; Northrop 16-4
Weight, result, running team scores
103 -ÊJaray Ridley (N) def. Josh DeGood 6-4; 3-0 Northrop
112 -ÊChet Wortinger (W) def. Ted Sutaphong 17-4 (major decision); 4-3 Wawasee
119 -ÊJarald Ridley (N) def. Travis Coy 4-3; 6-4 Northrop
125 -ÊKen McIntosh (W) def. Andy Mossbury 15-7 (major decision); 8-6 Wawasee
130 -ÊJacen Hendricks (W) def. Chris Wolpert 10-4; 11-6 Wawasee
135 -ÊRyan Johnson (W) pinned Jeff Esslinger, 2:28; 17-6 Wawasee
140 -ÊNick Eckert (N) def. Tyler Cline 7-3; 17-9 Wawasee
145 -ÊKevin Carr (W) def. Brian Disler 21-4 (technical fall); 22-9 Wawasee
152 -ÊJ.J. Davis (W) def. Ryan Keefer 12-6; 25-9 Wawasee
160 -ÊJason Carr (W) pinned Miguel Chacon, 5:29; 31-9 Wawasee
171 -ÊJosh Snyder (N) won by forfeit; 31-15 Wawasee
189 -ÊJesse Leonard (W) pinned Gary Howard, 5:11; 37-15 Wawasee
215 -ÊMatt Gualddoni (N) def. Tom Bryan 6-0; 37-18 Wawasee
275 -ÊJamie Salazar (W) pinned Chris Amick, 1:06; 43-18 Wawasee
