Penn advances all 14 wrestlers while winning 4th straight sectional title
MISHAWAKA — Several winning streaks were extended during Saturday’s IHSAA wrestling sectional at Mishawaka.
Dylan Bennett and Wesley Harper became only the sixth and seventh wrestlers in Penn High School history to claim four individual sectional championships. Bennett won the 126-pound weight class, while Harper finished first at 150.
Mishawaka’s Zar Walker added his name to the list of four-time sectional champs as well, rolling through the 144 class.
Conference swimming: Penn, Northridge win NIC, NLC high school boys swim titles
But most of all there was Penn’s team, which won its fourth consecutive sectional title by almost 100 points. It’s the Kingsmen’s 13th championship in 14 years.
Nine Penn wrestlers won individual titles. The Kingsmen racked up 320 ½ points, while Mishawaka — with four champs — scored 226 in second. Riley finished third.
Penn’s entire team — 14 of 14 — advances to next week’s regional meet at, ironically, Penn. The top four finishers in each weight class qualify for regional competition.
Mishawaka and Riley each advance 10.
“The goal is to peak at the right time and I think we’re building to that,” said Kingsmen coach Brad Harper. “We’ll make some adjustments with some of our kids and go in hard to regionals.”
Penn’s team title was never really in doubt, though the Cavemen managed to keep it relatively close till the finals began.
Mishawaka sophomore Brody Blevins upset Penn’s No. 1-seeded Aidan Diaz, 13-1, in the 106-pound class as the championship round began. But then Penn ran off five consecutive victories to blow the meet open.
One of those victories belonged to Bennett, who pinned Marian’s Caden Garza in 1:22 to wrap up his title at 126.
“It feels good. It shows that all my hard work is paying off,” said Bennett, a senior who stands 26-6 on the season. “The secret to winning four is hard work and consistency.”
Bennett previously won championships at 106 as a freshman, 113 as a sophomore and 120 his junior year.
Harper, who is 26-2 in the 150-pound class, built a reputation in previous seasons for wrestling extremely close matches and pulling out a victory at the very end.
Those days are gone, said Harper, much to the relief of his family members. He pinned Riley’s Trayvon Fleming in 1:58 in Saturday’s finale.
“I’ve grown more confident in myself and my abilities, so now I can go out there and just finish a match real quick,” said Wes Harper, who previously won sectionals at 132 and 138 (twice).
“I’m very happy for them,” said Brad Harper. “They’ve put in the work and they do what they need to do. They step on the mat and we just tell them, ‘Do your job.’”
Penn’s other champs included Brady Harper at 113, Ryann Schmidtendorff (120), Angelo Vargo (132), Jake Petras (138), Zymarion Holyfield (175), Vinnie Freeman (190) and Brody Brown (heavyweight).
Mishawaka had five wrestlers who finished as runners-up and four champs: Blevins (106), Walker (144), Beau Brabender (157) and Will Kennedy (165).
“I feel good about (the regional),” said Mishawaka coach Steve Sandefer. “Next week’s more important. Maybe we can avenge some of those losses next week and set ourselves up for semistate.”
Walker was one of the sectional’s dominant wrestlers, working four takedowns and a couple nearfalls against Penn’s Aiden Whitten in his championship bout. He won 19-6.
As a freshman, Walker took the title at 120, followed by wins at 132 as both a sophomore and junior.
If nothing else, LaVille’s Jonathan Neese should be remembered as the only sectional champ who wasn’t wearing a Penn or Mishawaka uniform.
In a wild — but short — 215-pound title bout, Neese fought off a couple deep double leg shots from Penn’s Malachi Evans, eventually throwing him for a fall in 1:42.
“We knew he was going to shoot those doubles. But I’m a throws guy,” said Neese. “If he comes in on me that deep, I’m going to take him for a ride and I’m going to throw him.”
IHSAA MISHAWAKA WRESTLING SECTIONAL RESULTS
TEAM SCORES: Penn 320 ½, Mishawaka 226, Riley 195 ½, LaVille 132, Saint Joseph 116 ½, Marian 110, Adams 72 ½, Washington 64, Clay 16.
CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
106: Brody Blevins (Mish) maj. dec. Aidan Diaz (Penn), 13-1. 113: Brady Harper (Penn) maj. dec. Chance Smith (Mish), 14-3. 120: Ryann Schmidtendorff (Penn) dec. Joshua Kite (Mish), 7-4. 126: Dylan Bennett (Penn) pinned Caden Garza (Mar), 1:22. 132: Angelo Vargo (Penn) pinned Colby smith (Mish), 5:56. 138: Jake Petras (Penn) pined Jonah Skiles (LaVille), 1:45. 144: Zar Walker (Mish) maj. dec. Aiden Whitten (Penn), 19-6.
150: Wesley Harper (Penn) pinned Trayvon Fleming (Riley), 1:58. 157: Beau Brabender (Mish) pinned Christophe Scott (Penn), 2:42. 165: Will Kennedy (Mish) maj. dec. Marques Young (Riley), 17-7. 175: Zymarion Holyfield (Penn) maj. dec. Keith Szajko (Mish), 11-1. 190: Vincent Freeman (Penn) dec. Trey Dunning (Mish), 7-3. 215: Jonathan Neese (LaVille) pinned Malachi Evans (Penn), 1:42. 285: Brody Brown (Penn) pinned Shawn Peck (Wash), 1:46.
CONSOLATION ROUND
(For 3rd Place)
106: Saul Delarosa (SBSJ) dec. Lilly Anderson (Mar), 7-3. 113: Jayden Fleming (Riley) pinned Drayden Moutray (Mar), 0:37. 120: Alex LaCava (Mar) pinned Anthony Wang (SBSJ), 2:15. 126: Braxton Shines (Riley) pinned Kane Miller (Adams), 2:30. 132: Preston Manzuk (Mar) dec. Rylan Davis (LaVille), 9-2. 138: Brock Beshires (Riley) pinned Darrion Mitchel (Wash), 4:00. 144: Eduardo Gomz-Aguilar (Adams) dec. Trevor Crump (Riley), 5-4.
150: Brock Gest (LaVille) dec. Bradyen Reed (Mish), 11-6. 157: Isaiah Rivas (Riley) dec. Jaylen Johnson (Wash), 4-1. 165: Leonardo Santiago (Penn) pinned Harry Givens (Mar), 1:18. 175: Jeirmi Scales (Riley) pinned Ron Addo (SBSJ), 4:52. 190: Tavion Lee (Wash) pinned Micah Jacobs (Adams), 0:50. 215: Justin Smith (Riley) dec. Jaden Laurence (Adams), 9-2. Adrion Griffin (Riley) won by med. Forfeit over Jesus Rodriguez (SBSJ).
NOTE: Top four finishers in each weight class advance to regional meet at Penn High School on Saturday, Feb. 3.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Penn wins IHSAA Mishawaka Wrestling Sectional, advancing all weights
