PENDLETON, Ind. —
Pendleton Heights’ Mason Todd and Alexandria’s Luke Blanton won championships in their respective weight classes at Saturday’s Pendleton Heights Wrestling Regional as 15 local competitors survived to wrestle another week.
Both kept their undefeated records intact but the final match of the day couldn’t have gone any more differently.
Todd came into the 120-pound final against Lawrence North’s Alex Spraks ranked No. 1 by IndianaMat.com and No. 9 nationally in the weight class. Sparks is rated seventh in the state.
Todd was leading 4-2 when a gamble nearly cost the Arabians senior the regional title.
Todd dove for a takedown from a long way out without setting up his shot. Sparks got a hold of Todd’s head and then secured a leg and before a stunned crowd at Pendleton Heights, put Todd on his back.
If not for posting himself on his elbow to keep his shoulders off the ground, Todd would have been pinned by Sparks. Instead he trailed his opponent 7-4 going into the second period.
“I shot in without setting up and of course he put me straight (on) my back,” Todd said. “I kept my elbow down so my shoulder was up the whole time, but it was scary. I got caught, it happens. I’m moving on to semistate.”
“He got caught on bad wrestling,” PH coach Dave Cloud said. “It darn near cost him. He showed a lot of will there fighting off his back.”
Todd would outscore Sparks 12-3 in the final two periods for a 16-10 decision victory. But not without controversy.
Lawrence North coaches felt that Todd used an illegal move in the second period to secure a takedown and earn points for nearly pinning sparks. Only problem was they voiced their protest after the conclusion of the match.
“It was a question if he used a move that we call a Gable Turk, which is legal, or if it was a back bow cradle, which is illegal. If it’s a back bow you’re going up the spine and could break his neck. The Gable, you’re going across so there’s not pressure on (the neck),” Cloud said. “They’re coaches had a photo saying it was a back bow. I asked one of the other officials, who’s not on the mat and can’t make a call, ‘isn’t a Gable Turk still legal?’ He said yes. So now the question is what do we do if it was illegal? We can’t go back and change anything in the second after we’ve started the third (period). They wanted to go back, penalize Mason for the move and take away the points for the near fall. You can’t go back and re-wrestle once a period ends and you start the third.”
Luke Blanton’s match was much less harrowing.
The state’s No. 3-rated wrestler at 132 pounds pushed his record to 40-0 with a pinfall win over Manual’s Stephon Wilkins.
In the opening moments of the match, both wrestlers were looking for an opening. Wilkins got his hands on one of Blanton’s leg. In the blink of an eye, the Alexandria junior had his opponent on his back and hooked the legs for quick pinfall victory.
“He got in on a shot pretty easy, and I’m thinking ‘he shouldn’t have gotten that,” Blanton said. “I tried to switch (positions) and got my hand on his leg. I thought of the move and just (cradled) him.”
“Luke has just been unbelievable all year,” Tigers coach Jack Grimaldi said. “He hasn’t been tested really all year. He’ll be tested next week (at New Castle). Hopefully we’ll get the right draw so we see the toughest guy in the finals. That’s the way should be.”
Each will have plenty of company at the New Castle Semistate. Both from Madison County and their own wrestling rooms.
Joining Todd from Pendleton Heights will be Andrew Foley, Clint Nicholson, Jake Stillwell and Kyle Babb.
Blanton will be joined by brothers Josh Blanton and Jon Blanton and Ben Branson and Lincoln Kyle.
Frankton will be represented by the trio of Jake Beasley, Stephen Back and Connor Crawford.
Anderson, Elwood and Lapel each will have one wrestler in the field next week.
Lapel’s Kyle Nardi will make his second-straight trip to the semistate after winning his third-place match at 145 pounds against Broad Ripple’s Tyree Avery. The Indians’ Zach Chism advanced with a runner up finish at 182 pounds. Elwood’s Will Maluvac moved on with a third-place win at 195 pounds.
High School Sports
Related Photos
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Pendleton Heights' Mason Todd wrestles Alexandria's Lincoln Kyle in the 136-pound match at the Madison County Tournament. Don Knight
Discussion
Todd, Blanton grab regional crowns
15 locals move on to semistate
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