Emotions run high as Penn nips Mishawaka for wrestling sectional title
MISHAWAKA – Emotions through the roof. Fans having to be restrained after they tried to rush the mat. Parents shouting threats at each other in front of the awards stand. Team championship not decided till the very last match.
Yup, just another day at the Mishawaka wrestling sectional.
These things are always intense, but Saturday’s contest was even more heated than usual, with Penn coming from one-point down to claim the team title when senior heavyweight Peyton Kendall pinned Mishawaka’s Trevor Wendt in the final bout of the day.
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Final score: Penn 308, Mishawaka 303, and have no doubts, it could have gone either way. Riley, the only other team to really make a dent, was third at 227 ½.
And here’s the fun part: They get to do it all over again in a week. The Penn regional starts at 9 a.m. next Saturday, and every wrestler from Penn and Mishawaka will be there. None were eliminated at the sectional.
“Mishawaka really brought it today. We knew it was going to be a battle, but wow!” said Penn coach Brad Harper. “I’m just glad we had some guys step up when we needed it.
“It was tough, but we knew it would be tough,” said Harper. “We are coming to a peak and we are going to be a (better) team at the regional.”
Penn claimed its third consecutive sectional championship and 12th in the last 13 years. Mishawaka interrupted Penn’s string in 2020, just as the Cavemen broke Penn’s string of Northern Indiana Conference titles in 2020, unlike what was previously reported.
The top four finishers in each weight class advance to regional competition. Riley advanced 13 along with all the Kingsmen and Cavemen.
Penn had seven individual champs Saturday, with Mishawaka claiming six and Saint Joseph getting one. All 14 Kingsmen advanced to the finals, while the Cavemen had 10 finalists.
Penn entered the final round with a 22-point lead, but Mishawaka chipped away, utilizing bonus points from eight falls in the championship and consolations. By the time they got to the final weight class, the Cavemen had moved ahead, 303-302.
But Kendall, a senior with a 24-10 season record, caught Wendt, a sophomore, late in the first period, bearing down for the fall in 1:34. That gave Penn a five-point victory.
“We were loose and prepared, and except for a few places, I thought we wrestled great,” said Mishawaka coach Steve Sandefer. “At the same time, we’re walking out of here knowing that we could have won this thing.”
At one point, during an extremely physical 170-pound weight class final between Penn’s Zymarion Hollyfield and Mishawaka’s Isaac Valdez, Sandefer and other school administrators had to act as security guards.
Several Mishawaka fans rushed the mat after what they considered to be a cheap shot by the Penn wrestler. Officials had to restrain the crowd as injury time was called. Caveman athletic director Dean Huppert moved between team members and fans to calm the situation, but then another injury timeout was needed and passions flared again.
Eventually, order was restored and Hollyfield went on to claim a key 9-8 victory.
“I just tried to block out (all the noise) and stay in sound position,” said Hollyfield, who stated that the match got chippy after Valdez said something disrespectful in his direction.
Valdez said that didn’t happen, but also noted that wrestling is a tough sport.
“We were getting after it,” said Valdez. “I didn’t want the match to go that way but everything happens for a reason. I trust in God and I’ll be better next time.”
Others winning titles for Penn were Dylan Bennett (120), Wes Harper (138), Evan Eutsey (145), AJ Steenbeke (160), and Vinny Freeman (182).
Mishawaka champs included Zavier Chavez (106), Joshua Kite (113), Will Mason (126), Zar Walker (132), Beau Brabender (152) and undefeated Christian Chavez (195), who now stands 33-0.
The only blue-ribbon winner not from the Big Two was Saint Joseph senior John Aranowski, who only started his season about three weeks ago. He won the 220-pound championship, improving to 9-1.
“I hurt my knee in football,” said Aranowski, who wears a stiff brace after being diagnosed with a torn meniscus. “I didn’t think I would be able to wrestle, but I missed it too much, and a few weeks ago I decided I’ve worked too hard not to do this.”
Though he still looks rusty, Aranowski beat Penn’s Josiah Williams in the 220 finale, 9-4.
“My knee hurts so much that last week in practice, I couldn’t run any moves,” said Aranowski. “But I still won and I’m looking forward to next week.”
There were several swing matches, including the 12-9 victory by Penn’s Evan Eutsey over Riley’s Trayvon Fleming at 145. It took two third-period escapes and a takedown for Eutsey to pull out the win.
“Honestly, I came in here too cocky and overconfident,” said Eutsey, a senior. “That won’t happen at the regional, I promise.”
IHSAA WRESTLING SECTIONAL
At Mishawaka
TEAM SCORES: Penn 308, Mishawaka 303, Riley 227 ½, Marian 137, Saint Joseph 103, Washing ton 62 ½, Adams 42, Clay 25.
CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND106: Xavier Chavez (Mishawaka) pinned Travis Sears (Penn), 0:20.
113: Joshua Kite (Mishawaka) pinned Ryan Schmidtendorff (Penn), 4:11.
120: Dylan Bennett (Penn) dec. Gunnar Sandefur (Mishawaka), 10-7.
126: Will Mason (Mishawaka) pinned Braden Ashe (Penn), 1:45.
132: Eleazar Walker (Mishawaka) maj. dec. Jake Petras (Penn) 16-6.
138: Wesley Harper (Penn) dec. Michael Robles (Mishawaka) 7-5.
145: Evan Eutsey (Penn) dec. Trayvon Fleming (Riley), 12-9.
152: Beau Brabender (Mishawaka) won by inj. def. over Bryce Denton (Penn).
160: AJ Steenbeke (Penn) pinned Marques Young (Riley) 4:56.
170: Zymarion Hollyfield (Penn) dec. Isaac Valdez (Mishawaka), 9-8.
182: Vincent Freeman (Penn) pinned Jeirmi Scales (Riley), 4:21.
195: Christian Chavez (Mishawaka) pinned Samuel Sullivan (Penn), 1:55.
220: John Aranowski (Saint Joseph) dec. Josiah Williams (Penn), 9-4.
285: Peyton Kendall (Penn) pinned Trevor Wendt (Mishawaka) 1:34.
CONSOLATION ROUND
(For 3rd Place)
106: Josh Raabe (Riley) pinned Lilly Anderson (Marian), 2:21. 113: Alex LaCava (Marian) tec. Fall Braxton Shines (Riley), 23-7 in 4:51. 120: Jaylen Fleming (Riley) maj. dec. Andrew Erla (Marian) 18-5. 126: Caden Garza (Marian) pinned Garret Sparke (Saint Joseph), 4:31. 132: Vernahn Johnson (Washington) pinned Ben Walatka (Riley), 2:32. 138: Zach Pflugner (Riley) pinned Delton Swiscz (Adams), 3:09. 145: Chris Peacock (Mishawaka) pinned Eduardo Gomez-Aguliar (Adams), 0:21.
152: Jamaiel Lowe (Riley) pinned Markes Warren (Washington), 0:48. 160: Courtney Rider (Mishawaka) pinned Patrick Loesch (Marian), 3:00. 170: Ron Addo (Saint Joseph) pinned Isaiah Rivas (Riley), 2:01. 182: Caiden Williams (Mishawaka) pinned Terrion Lee (Washington), 1:31. 195: Justin Smith (Riley) maj. dec. Kaleel Murphy (Saint Joseph), 15-2. 220: Zander Paden (Mishawaka) pinned Deanthony Johnson (Riley), 1:31. 285: Adrion Griffin (Riley) pinned Landon Roberts (Adams), 2:46.
NOTE: Top four finishers in each weight class advance to IHSAA regional at Penn on Saturday, Feb. 4.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Penn edges Mishawaka for wrestling sectional title.
