By RICHIE HALL
ZIONSVILLE – The Hoosier Crossroads Conference boys wrestling meet took place Saturday, Jan. 17 at Zionsville, and it was once again the Brownsburg Invitational.
The two-time defending team state champion Bulldogs were their usual dominant selves at the meet, totaling 245.5 points to easily win their 12th consecutive conference title. Brownsburg had six champions and placed 13 of its 14 wrestlers on the podium.
While no one would catch the Bulldogs that day, Hamilton County’s HCC teams did put together some highlights at the meet. Noblesville was the highest-placing local squad, finishing fourth with 138 points.
The Millers also had a champion at the meet. Aidan Kincaide continued his dominance with a victory at 165 pounds. Kincaide, a junior, seemed to get stronger as the meet went on, pinning all three of his opponents, with each pin faster than the previous one. Kincaide, the No. 3-ranked wrestler at 165, took down Avon senior Griffan Larson in the championship match with a 22-second pin.
“I just want to be the most dominant person I can,” said Kincaide, who is now 24-0 for the season. “I’ve been chasing this goal of winning a state title ever since I was a young kid.”
Noblesville had two additional wrestlers reach the championship matches of their divisions. Brody Weimer was the 126-pound runner-up; the 14th-ranked Miller freshman gave a battle to fourth-ranked Ryan Hockaday of Brownsburg before the Bulldog sophomore won in a 17-5 major decision. Weimer collected two pins to reach the final.
Lone all-county final
The only all-county final of the day took place at 190, where Noblesville’s Yan Tioua met up with Fishers senior Camden Funk. That match was one of the tightest of the day, with the No. 22-ranked Funk edging out Tioua 2-1. It was Funk’s third decision victory of the tournament.
“I knew it was going to be a tough match,” said Funk. “I was going to have to wrestle six minutes. But I really just trusted my gas tank, my coaches, they pushed me every day. That’s really what I came down to is wrestling all six minutes.”
The Tigers picked up another championship right away, as Julian Burgett claimed the 215-pound crown. The third-ranked Burgett won his first two matches by technical fall, then cruised to a major-decision win over Zionsville’s Brody Aeschilman 13-2 in the title bout. Burgett is 29-2 for the year.
“The past two years I’ve gotten second,” said Burgett. The senior said he was “grateful that I got to win my first one my senior year.”
Fishers finished eighth with 88.5 points, but Burgett pointed out the Tigers have “a pretty young team” this year.
“Not everyone’s been at the sectional tournament before, but this was definitely a good stepping stone towards that,” said Burgett.
Westfield scored 130 points to place fifth as a team, getting 11 wrestlers on the podium. Brayden Head was the runner-up at 113 pounds.
Hamilton Southeastern took seventh, scoring 117.5 points. The Royals had two runners-up at the meet: Nolan Culp at 106 pounds and A.W. VanKirk at 285 pounds.
Team scores: Brownsburg 245.5, Avon 165.5, Zionsville 152, Noblesville 138, Westfield 130, Franklin Central 122.5, Hamilton Southeastern 117.5, Fishers 88.5.
106: 2. Nolan Culp (HSE), 3. Charley Head (W), 5. Henry Antrobus (N).
113: 2. Brayden Head (W), 4. Eli Kincaide (N), 6. William Lakes (HSE).
120: 3. Seth Lamb (F), 4. Aiden Driscoll (W), 6. Raj Nagra (HSE).
126: 2. Brody Weimer (N), 3. Cale Beattie (HSE), 5. Keegan Carson (W).
132: 4. Zachariah Nekolite (N), 132. Will Hruskoci (F).
138: 4. Parker Culp (HSE), 5. Justus Suddarth (N), 6. Brayden Rhea (W).
144: 4. Alic Washburn (W), 5. Max Inman (HSE).
150: 4. Luke Chastain (N), 5. Graydon Staley (W), 6. James Schwartz (F).
157: 3. Seth Tanner (W), 5. Kyle Howard (N), 6. Ezekiel Kramer (F).
165: 1. Aidan Kincaide (N), 4. Cohen Davis (HSE), 5. Blake Glodowski (W).
175: 3. Maxwell Brown (W), 5. Evan Biehl (HSE), 6. Luke Hargis (N).
190: 1. Camden Funk (F), 2. Yan Tioua (N), 4. Jon Stryker (W), 6. Reid Snider (HSE).
215: 1. Julian Burgett (F), 4. Cale Metzler (N), 6. Brandon Alvarez (HSE).
285: 2. A.W. VanKirk (HSE), 3. Ryan Dungee (F).
