Alex Thomas becomes latest in line of Central Catholic sectional wrestling champs
LAFAYETTE − Alex Thomas had never placed first at a tournament before.
If ever there was a perfect time for a breakthrough, it was in the final sectional tournament of his high school wrestling career.
This time, Thomas would not be denied.
Last Saturday at Crawley Center, Thomas pinned three straight opponents in the second period and earned his place atop the podium.
"I've been working for this my entire life," Thomas said. "It's insane. It's amazing."
Thomas, who improved to 33-6 at 120 pounds this season, needed 2:44 to pin McCutcheon's Austin Standerfer, 3:41 to pin Delphi's Brandon Terrell and 3:53 to pin West Lafayette's Rose Kaplan, who won the girls state championship this season at 120 pounds, in the final.
This moment nearly came one year earlier.
As a junior, Thomas lost the 113-pound sectional championship match to McCutcheon's Jake Stall 4-3.
Two years ago, Kaplan beat Thomas 10-6 in the consolation brackets at the sectional, eliminating him from the postseason. Thomas placed fourth at 113 pounds in 2020, advancing to the regional his freshman season.
"We try to get the ones out that are dedicated to it," CC wrestling coach Pat O'Keefe said. "We talk to kids and say, give it a try, you never know. Alex never wrestled before and he came out in junior high and he was kind of one dimensional his freshman year. This year’s he’s kind of put it all together."
In doing so, it marked the fifth time since 2019 a Knights wrestler earned an individual sectional championship, a feat that hadn't been accomplished in two decades before that. In 2019, Dominic Skees and Isaac Switzer ended the drought. Andrew Kline won back-to-back sectional titles in 2021 and '22.
And now, Thomas, a semistate qualifier last season by virtue of finishing fourth in the regional, following getting pinned in the semifinal round and losing the third-place match 7-0.
Thomas had to injury forfeit his spot at semistate.
"It is huge from what happened last year when he was out here against Stall and he got a shoulder dislocated in the championship match," O'Keefe said. "For him to battle back and fight through, and be as decisive as it was, it was incredible. I am really happy for him."
Now Thomas turns his attention to standing atop the podium again, this time at Saturday's Logansport Regional, and making a return trip to semistate healthy.
"He made it last year but he was injured and couldn’t wrestle," O'Keefe said. "This being his senior year, he wants to get it."
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
IHSAA Regional
At Logansport
Saturday, 10 a.m.
Advancement: The top four place winners in each weight class advance to the East Chicago Semistate on Feb. 11.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Thomas becomes latest in line of Central Catholic sectional champs
