Bloomington North's Chase Hostetler wastes no time taking sectional title

Chase Hostetler's last chance to get his first sectional wrestling title was not getting away from him. Neither was his breakfast.

The Bloomington North senior made it to the finals last year, only to pay for a slow start. He did go on to make it to semistate, but there was a clear sense of urgency in the way he attacked Terre Haute North's Nicolas Sconce in their 170-pound final at Saturday's North Sectional.

"(It's) my confidence level. Last year before any match, I'd throw up I was so nervous," Hostetler said. "This year, I really started believing in myself. And when you start winning matches you didn't think you were going to win, it builds your confidence."

He led 13-3 after two periods and kept the heat on to post an 18-5 major decision.

"Chase really brought it today," North coach Ben Farmer said. "He seems more driven, more focused and it's showing."

More: North's Hostetler hopes it's worth the weight

Hostetler's first two matches ended in 1:40 and 15 seconds.

"What's taken me to the next level is my chain wrestling," Hostetler said. "Just constant movement, that's what makes those guys better than the rest.

"The first takedown wins the match 70 percent of the time, so try and keep that mindset the whole time."

Hostetler was one of two Cougars who moved on to next week's Bloomington South Regional, with Cael Hickok third at 160. Edgewood also sent two, with one champion, with Bloomington South claiming nine spots with four of them standing atop the podium.

For the third year in a row, the team title was a tight affair with Terre Haute South repeating with a late point surge to finish with 219½ to keep Owen Valley (218) from its second ever title. Bloomington South dropped to third (211) for the first time since 2008. Edgewood was seventh (77½) and North ninth (46).

9 lives for South

The Panthers claimed four titlists, starting with freshman Cam Meier at 106 and he was joined by Ethan Roudebush (132), Delaney Ruhlman (152) and Aiden Reynolds (160).

Evan Roudebush (138) and Aiden Akers (285) were runner-ups while Aiden Gann (126), Nicolas Castelluccio (145) and Jackson Lynch (195) bounced back from heartbreaking losses to take third.

"It's a tough sectional," South coach Mike Runyon said. "Top two teams neck and neck. One thing goes either way, you're right there in the mix."

Ruhlman (25-1), ranked second, rolled all day, taking just 41 seconds to pin Owen Valley's Logan Cain in the final while Reynolds followed with a pin of 4:38.

Ethan Roudebush's title was a bit tougher to earn, pulling out a 4-0 win over OV's Kain Mobley. He worked hard for a takedown in the first and again in the second to get a reversal with two seconds left.

More: Bloomington South's Jackson Lynch making the most of his high school wrestling career

As for Meier, he was cruising 8-0 in the second when he got in a bit of a pickle, giving up five points in a flash. But he corrected his course, hitting OV's Eli Collier with a nearfall that led to a 16-7 major.

"It means a lot since my older brother didn't get to do this," Meier said. "So it makes me pretty happy."

"Cam's been around and wrestled really well today," Runyon said. "Hopefully he can continue that."

Akers was involved in a battle at 285, tying it with a minute to go with an escape before OV's Logan McGraw came up with a takedown with seven seconds left.

"I think we'll build on that during the week of practice," Runyon said. "Take the positive things out of it."

Bounce backs

Castelluccio, a senior who took last year off from wrestling by choice, and Lynch, a junior who was forced to take last year off due to a concussion on the first day of practice, had to get to regional the hard way.

More: Top performers: Castelluccio getting his groove back

Castelluccio won his opener, then suffered a 3-2 tiebreaker overtime defeat to Terre Haute South's Nate Lommock. He didn't give up a single point the rest of the day, with a 5-0 win in the third place match.

Lynch had no trouble in his opener that lasted just one minute, but then fell prey to THS's Alex Rose, 8-7. A pin and an 11-0 major secured a spot on his home mats.

Mustang duo

Edgewood's champion was Cash Turner at 138, who remains undefeated and unbowed in his determination to make it through semistate again. Seventh at state as a sophomore, he was derailed at Jasper last year.

"I kind of just take fuel from that. I came back this year and it's been my best year yet," Turner said.

His final vs. South freshman Evan Roudebush brought an element of strength, not to mention the unknown, since the annual late season dual between the two schools was cancelled.

After watching his older brother with a 132 title, Evan spent the first period feeling out Turner, who did the same.

Turner started down in the second, and worked himself free halfway through for a reversal and turned it into a nearfall with 35 seconds left.

That was plenty for Turner (26-0), who posted a 9-1 win.

"We offered to take him to a tournament by himself," Ratliff said. "But he thought a couple weeks off would help him not be banged up going in. He wasn't banged up. It was just more of a mental recharge. We got that time to just focus on him a little bit."

Edgewood also pushed through senior Colten Hubbell, who was pinned in the semis by OV's Eli Hinshaw in a rematch from conference, then dominated his next two matches with a pin of 56 seconds and a tech fall of 16-0.

"He's such a great young man," Ratliff said. "We thought we had that semifinal match against Hinshaw. He was up 5-0. I'm proud to see Colten live to see another week."

Alternate route

On most years, the fifth place match is not much more than personal pride at stake. But given COVID issues, it's become more likely a call-up could come to fill out the regional bracket.

On the waiting list are four Mustangs: Peyton Arthur (113), Jared Owens (132), Michael Neidigh (152) and Trenton Fender (182) and South's Roberto Vargas (220).

"You need to be ready to go," Ratliff said.

Contact Jim Gordillo at jgordillo@heraldt.com and follow on Twitter @JimGordillo.

BLOOMINGTON NORTH SECTIONAL

TEAM SCORES

Terre Haute South 219½; 2. Owen Valley 218; 3. Bloomington South 211; 4. Terre Haute North 125; 5. Northview 111; 6. Indian Creek 106½; 7. Edgewood 77½; 8. West Vigo 69; 9. Bloomington North 46; 10. Sullivan 39½; 11. Paoli 6.

TOP 4 ADVANCE TO REGIONAL

106: Cameron Meier, BS, p. Keagan Soaracino, THS, :59; Hayden Tipton, THN, p. Rylie Austin, Edg, 3:51; Luke Neibert, IC, p. Cas Crevello, BN, 1:20; Meier p. Tipton, 1:55; (consolation) Soaracino p. Austin (6-8), :37; Ryan Morris, WV, md. Crevello (9-15), 9-0. FINALS: Neibert md. Tipton, 14-2 (third); Meier md. Eli Collier, OV, 16-7 (first).

113: Emery Jackson, OV, p. Peyton Arthur, Edg, 3:35; Seth Brown, THS, p. Brayton Turner, BS, 2:00; Torie Buchanan, WV, p. Gus Morrow, BN, 1:51; (consolation) Arthur d. Camden Erst, Nv, 12-8; Turner p. Morrow, 2:45; Brown p. Arthur, 1:29; Emery p. Turner, 1:38. FINALS: Arthur (15-16) p. Turner (4-6), 3:42 (fifth); Brown p. Emery, 1:47 (third); Jackson Heaston, IC, md. Buchanan, 13-5 (first).

120: North, forfeit; South, forfeit; Edgewood, forfeit. FINALS: Josiah Dedeaux, THS, md. Jason Means, OV, 9-0 (third); Lane Gilbert, Sul, p. Seth Cowden, Nv, 4:00 (first).

126: Landon Clement, Edg, p. Kanye Roberts-Gray (5-14), 2:48; Aiden Gann, BS, p. Walker Brocksmith, Sul, :57; Branson Weaver, OV, p. Clement, 1:41; Harrison May, THS, p. Gann, 4:28; (consolation) Kaden Medley, THN, tf. Clement (13-14), 18-0; Gann p. Medley, 3:25. FINALS: Gann (18-9) md. Logan Moore, Nv, 12-4 (third); Weaver d. May, 10-4 (first).

132: Carson Ringer, IC, p. Anthony Fender, BN (1-18), :18; Kain Mobley, OV, p. Jared Owens, Edg, 2:51; Ethan Roudebush, BS, p. Kobe Orten, WV, :20; Roudebush p. Coy Benderm THS, 5:12; (consolation) Owens md. Landin Moore, Nv, 14-2; Bender d. Owens, 16-8. FINALS: Owens (15-10) by forfeit over Ringer (fifth); Bender d. Ethan Proffitt, THN, 8-1 (third); Roudebush (18-6) d. Mobley, 4-0 (first).

138: Colby Gibson, THN, p. Zander Granquist (1-6), BN, 2:00; Cash Turner, Edg, p. Gibson, :44; Evan Roudebush, BS, p. Cain Garrison, Nv, 1:16; Turner p. Quaid Hinshaw, OV, :38; Roudebush p. A.J. Sauer, THS, 5:24. FINALS: Sauer p. Hinshaw, 2:16 (third); Turner (26-0) md. Roudebush (22-7), 9-1 (first).

145: Christian Couch, Edg, p. Silas Adams, Sul, :49; Jeremiah Casillas, BN, p. Kayden Murphy, WV, 2:40; Nicolas Castelluccio, BS, p. Couch, :46; Jackson Neibert, IC, tf. Casillas, 15-0; Nate Lommock, THS, d. Castelluccio, 3-2 (OT-UTB); (consolation) Rylan LaBrun, THN, p. Couch (7-4), 4:00; Conner Rogers, OV, p. Casillas (9-19), 3:52; Castelluccio md. Rogers, 8-0. FINALS: Castelluccio (16-2) d. Neibert, 5-0 (third); Lommock p. Tyler Lee, Nv, 4:19 (first).

152: Cesrick Granquist, BN p. Carter Hemrich, WV, 6:00; Delaney Ruhlman, BS, p. Jayden Miller, Sul, 1:15; Joe Whitesell, Nv, d. Michael Neidigh, Edg, 4-0; LOgan Cain, OV, p. Granquist, 1:19; Ruhlman p. Whitesell, 2:56; (consolation); Neidigh p. Miller, 2:51; Granquist d. James Hastings, THN, 8-3; Walker Forsythe, THS, d. Neidigh, 8-6; Whitesell p. Granquist, 3:40. FINALS: Neidigh (14-14) d. Granquist, 3-2 (fifth); Whitesell p. Forsythe, 4:48 (third); Ruhlman (25-1) p. Cain, :42.

160: Aiden Reynolds, BS, p. Jordan Krause, WV, 2:50; Luke Ray, p. Cael Hickok, BN, 3:40; Edgewood, forfeit; Reynolds p. Ray, :48; (consolation) Hickok p. Krause, 1:42. FINALS: Hickok (22-9) p. Landon Boland, THN, 2:09 (third); Reynolds (21-6) p. Jorge Franco, THS, 4:38 (first).

170: Tuff Fender, BS, p. Grace Freels, Sul, :22; Edgewood, forfeit; Chase Hostetler, BN, p. Aiden Miller, OV, 1:40; Nicolas Sconce, THN, p. Fender, 1:31; Hostetler p. Carson Volz, IC, :15; (consolation) Fender md. Logan Graf, Nv; 11-1; Volz p. Fender, 2:59. FINALS: Collin Casad, THS, p. Fender (2-3), 3:18 (fifth); Volz d. Rylan Hendricks, WV, 12-11 (third); Hostetler, BN (20-5) md. Sconce, 18-5 (first).

182: Jerry McBee, OV, p. Landon Kelley, BN, :52; Jackson Lynch, BS, p. Trenton Fender, Edg, 1:00; Alex Rose d. Lynch, 8-7; (consolation) Jayden Whitesell, Nv, p. Kelley (6-15), :45; Logan Wenzel, THN, md. Fender, 10-2; Lynch p. Whitesell, 4:17. FINALS: Fender (12-18) p. Whitesell, 4:05 (fifth); Lynch (20-6) md. Wenzel, 11-0 (third); McBee d. Rose, 7-3 (first).

195: Brock Higgins, WV, p. Isaac May, BN (4-6), 4:29; Drew Chandler, BS, p. Brock Bragg, IC, 1:35; Colten Hubbell, Edg, p. Higgins, 4:13; Eli Hinshaw, OV, p. Hubbell, 1:53; (consolation) Higgins p. Chandler, 2:43; Hubbell p. Dawson Land, Sul, :56. FINALS: Hubbell (20-9) tf. Higgins, 16-0 (third); Samuel Saunders, THN, d. Hinshaw, 5-2 (first).

220: Logan Porter, IC, p. Zach Yezzie (3-9), Edg, 4:45; Devin Curtis, THN, p. Chase May (3-9), BN, 1:05; Christian Verst, THS, p. Roberto Vargas, BS, 1:12; (consolation) Vargas p., Curtis, 1:28; Preston Montgomery, WV, md. Vargas, 12-3. FINALS: Vargas (8-11) p. Porter, 1:30 (fifth); Dalton Simmons, Nv, p. Montgomery, 2:33 (third); Verst tf. Bryce Mills, OV, 17-1 (first).

285: Aiden Caudill, BN, p. Keegan Lane (7-15), Edg, 1:18; Aiden Akers, BS, p. Region Hendricks, WV, 3:31; Amar Gaffney, THN, p. Caudill, 1:03; Akers p. Gaffney, 4:50; (consolation) Hendricks p. Caudill (1-2), 3:49. FINALS: Gaffney d. Josh Whitmarsh, Nv, 6-1 (third); Logan McGraw, OV, d. Akers (15-8), 3-1 (first).

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana wrestling: Bloomington North's Chase Hostetler wins sectional