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CHURUBUSCO - The Wawasee wrestling team pulled out a heartstopping match against Carroll (Allen) in the first round of the team regional competition in Churubusco, but the Warrior luck ran out as Fort Wayne Northrop capitalized on Wawasee injuries and illness to win the final round.
After the 135-pound match, the score was knotted at 15, but Carroll pulled ahead 34-15 after the 160-pound match.
Kevin Carr, wrestling in the 171-pound category, pinned his opponent, Andrew Frisinger, to make the score 34-21, and Craig Jensen defeated Carroll's Chris Welch at 189 to bring the Warriors within nine, 34-25.
After Tom Bryan pinned Craig Wilson, the Warriors trailed by three points, 34-31, with one match left in the competition.
Jamie Salazar moved to the center of the mat for the final match with the fate of the Warriors resting on his shoulders. Salazar stepped up to the challenge by pinning Mike Gambino to give the Wawasee team a 37-34 victory and the chance to wrestle in the regional final match against Fort Wayne Northrop.
"The heavier weight classes have been our strength all year," said Wawasee coach Kevin Taylor. "We have some inexperienced guys in the middle. It's their first year on varsity and they don't have the experience to come through in some of the tougher situations."
After a short break, the Warriors and the Bruins squared off to decide the regional champion.
Northrop took a quick 6-0 lead after winning by pin in the 103-pound weight class.
Josh DeGood defeated Northrop's Jaray Ridley in a 8-5 decision in the 112-pound category to make the score 6-3 in Northrop's favor.
"Josh DeGood did a superb job today," said Taylor. "He pinned his opponent against Carroll, and he won a decision against a solid Northrop kid. He rose really rose to the occasion."
After Chet Wortinger pinned Ted Sutaphong in 43 seconds, Wawasee held a 9-6 lead.
That lead would be short-lived, however, as Northrop won the next six matches to take 38-9 lead over Wawasee.
"In the last roun against Northrop, we got pinned a couple of times," said Taylor. "That turned the momentum against us and hurt us."
J.J. Davis defeated Ryan Keefer 10-5 at 160, and Kevin Carr kept his undefeated record intact as he pinned Jeremy Avery in 5:00 to keep the Warrior hopes alive.
After a pin at 189, Northrop held a 44-18 lead, and Wawasee's chances for a trip to the team semistate fell by the wayside.
Northrop won the 215 weight class by decision, but Wawasee ended the night on a high note as 275-pounder Jamie Salazar pinned Jason Martzell in 1:53 to bring the final score 47-24 in Northrop's favor.
Wawasee is finished in the postseason team competition, but eight Warriors will compete in the individual competition at Fort Wayne Carroll Saturday.
