Westfield’s Seth Tanner got a win by fall during the Shamrocks’ dual meet with Noblesville on Thursday. (Manford Photography)
By RICHIE HALL
WESTFIELD – Westfield and Noblesville got together for a top 10 boys wrestling showdown Thursday at the Shamrocks’ CSI Gymnasium.
Westfield won the meet 38-33. The No. 7 Rocks claimed eight of the 14 matches, including three by fall. Westfield led 32-15 with four matches to go, and that lead helped the Shamrocks hold off a surge by the No. 10 Millers at the end of the meet.
Noblesville’s Cale Metzler finished the meet with a pin. (Manford Photography)
“It was a great dual, exciting,” said Westfield coach Tom Griffin. “A lot of close matches.” The coach said the team needed some of the “swing matches” to go in the Shamrocks’ favor, “and it happened tonight.”
Noblesville won the first match: Jackson Apple got a first-period fall to win at 285 pounds. Westfield won the next three, with Charley Head getting a pin at 106 pounds. Brayden Head (113) and Connor Maddox (120) both won by technical fall; Maddox was wrestling two weight classes above his usual 106.
Maddox is coming off a victory at The Ironman tournament, which took place this past weekend. He won the 106-pound division at the prestigious national tournament, one of the first wrestlers from Indiana to win a championship there, something Griffin called “pretty incredible.”
Westfield’s Trevor Humburg (132) and Noblesville’s Justus Suddarth (138) traded decision victories, and that kept the Shamrocks ahead 19-15 at the halfway point of the meet. After that, Westfield reeled off three consecutive wins: Alic Washburn won at 144 by major decision, while Graydon Staley held on to take the 150-pound match by an 8-7 decision. Seth Tanner got a pin at 157, and the Rocks led 32-15.
The Millers’ Grant Plunkett won at 165 by injury default. Noblesville’s Aidan Kincaide took the 175-pound match by a quick pin, and suddenly the Millers were within 32-27. But Jon Stryker clinched the meet with a fall at 190 pounds.
The Millers’ Cale Metzler got a pin at 215 pounds to close the meet.
“They knew and we knew it was going to be a fun, competitive match,” said Noblesville coach Michael Weimer. “You look at the past however many years that I’ve been a head coach, it hasn’t been that competitive. It’s been basically one-sided.
“They still beat us, but we came out and we competed. It was fun to be in the mix, coming down to the last couple matches to possibly win a dual against Westfield. They’re a well-coached team.”
The Shamrocks are back in action tonight with a dual meet at Bishop Chatard, then travel to Crown Point on Saturday for The Carnahan Wrestling Invitational. The Millers are off until Jan. 2 when they compete in the North Montgomery Holiday Duals.
