Cowden gets No. 100 as Knights win on Senior Night

Andy Amey, The Tribune-Star, Terre Haute, Ind.
·3 min read

Jan. 11—Seth Cowden led Northview's celebration of Senior Night with his 100th career victory Wednesday night as the Knights downed West Vigo 57-21 in a dual high school wrestling meet.

Both teams are now looking forward to Saturday's Western Indiana Conference meet, and so is Cowden.

"I'm looking to put up 18 teams points with three pins and get my third conference win," said the Northview senior, who is undefeated in WIC championship-meet competition but had to miss last season with COVID.

The Knights, rolling at 14-2 for the season, are planning to do damage as a team too, coach Tony Sanabria said.

"Most of our kids are seeded," Sanabria pointed out. "We expect to win and have multiple champions."

The Knights looked like potential conference champions early, taking an 18-0 lead in just 77 seconds on the mat — two first-period pins and a forfeit — and having an 8-0 lead in the 170-pound match.

But West Vigo's Jordan Krause came back from that deficit for a second-period pin, starting something of a trend for the Vikings — "They always wrestle us tough," Sanabria said later.

The Vikings got a decision from Brock Higgins over Dalton Simmons, in a spirited battle between two senior football standouts; Preston Montgomery, moving up from his usual 220 spot to wrestle heavyweight, was down 5-0 in the first 30 seconds against emerging sophomore Brandon Brewer before coming back for a third-period pin; and Easton Roberts got a pin at 120.

"I think [the Vikings] battled well," coach Brian Otte of the Vikings said after the match. "We've struggled all year giving up forfeits, and there were four kids in the lineup who have only wrestled since November. But they battled pretty well, and they're getting better."

The Vikings had made up that 18-0 deficit — despite a second forfeit — and were within 39-21 after Roberts' win, but the Knights closed things out with three straight pins, the first of those by Cowden in a feisty match against West Vigo's Caleb Sparks.

"He kept clubbing me," Cowden said after the match. "He was getting too aggressive ... so I took care of business."

"There were some matches I wish we had back," Sanabria said, "but we got a good win on Senior Night and most of the seniors got wins."

145 — Bobby Styck (Nv) pinned Hunter Davis 0:41.

152 — Gilbert Clear (Nv) pinned Williams Marrs 0:36.

160 — Tyler Lee (Nv) won by forfeit.

170 — Jordan Krause (WV) pinned Tom Gilliam 3:26.

182 — Richard Alexander (Nv) won by forfeit.

195 — Brock Higgins (WV) def. Dalton Simmons 8-4.

220 — Devyn Orman (Nv) pinned Christian Beattie 0:36.

285 — Preston Montgomery (WV) pinned Brandon Brewer 5:52.

106 — Landin Souder (Nv) def. Aiden Boyles 9-7, OT.

113 — Camden Erst (Nv) pinned Jarrett Stone 0:54.

120 — Easton Roberts (WV) pinned Olivia Slaughter 2:54.

126 — Seth Cowden (Nv) pinned Caleb Sparks 3:02.

132 — Cain Garrison (Nv) pinned Kobe Orten 2:27.

138 — Preston Heiliger (Nv) pinned Cole Bell 2:48.

Next — Both teams will compete Saturday in the Western Indiana Conference meet at Edgewood.