Franklin’s Jazlinn Diaz-Avalos, top, tries to keep control of her opponent during the 145-pound state championship match.
Rob Baker | For the Daily Journal
KOKOMO
Franklin sophomore Jazlinn Diaz-Avalos understood what she was up against with Lake Central’s Elly Janovsky.
Janovsky captured her third consecutive 145-pound state championship by pinning Diaz-Avalos in 3:18 on Friday night at the Indiana High School Girls Wrestling state finals at Kokomo Memorial Gymnasium. Janovsky finished 34-0, while Diaz-Avalos concluded with a 32-1 record.
“I knew it was going to be a tough one,” Diaz-Avalos said. “Last year she beat me in the second round. I tried to do something different, but she’s a very tough opponent. I was trying my best not to get pinned. I feel bad. I’m still going to keep my head up. I wanted it for all my teammates and my coaches who supported me.”
Diaz-Avalos placed seventh in last year’s state finals.
The experience being center stage under the lights should help.
“I’m a very nervous person and all this was pretty new to me,” Diaz-Avalos said. “Once I got on the mat, I just tried to focus on my game plan.”
Diaz-Avalos won three matches to get to the final, including a victory by fall in 5:42 over New Haven’s Olive Bohde in the semifinals.
Indian Creek sisters Libby and Phoebe Dowty both won their third-place matches after losing in the semifinals.
Libby, a sophomore who won the individual state cross country title in late October, won by fall in 1:54 over Hobart’s Joanna Cantu in the 105-pound class. Libby finished with a 14-1 mark. It was a much improved experience after last year’s state finals.
“I got eighth after I broke my hand,” Libby Dowty said.
Phoebe, a senior who pinned Rensselaer Central’s Delaney Koebcke in 3:45 in the 120-pound class, was emotional after the victory.
“I guess it just all hit me,” she said. “I think every year I’ve been here I’ve gotten third. I’ve loved sharing this with my sister. It’s brought us a lot closer together.”
Phoebe, who finished with an 18-2 record, also competed in cross country and plans to run track in the spring.
“Obviously, I’m not up with (Libby), but I run,” Phoebe said.
Libby said her older sister was the inspiration for her to wrestle.
“It was a good year and I’m glad we got to share it together,” she said. “I think I’ll do it next year. I like the challenge.”
Indian Creek finished third in the team standings with 52 points.
Whiteland senior Leila Thomas edged New Haven’s Heather Gardner with a 7-5 overtime victory at 170 pounds. Thomas rallied from a 4-0 deficit.
“I stopped thinking about so much,” said Thomas, who finished with a 25-4 record.
Thomas said she was looking to shoot right from the start in the overtime period. She placed third for the second year in a row.
Whiteland coach Anthony Meister said they practice being down in a match.
“She got to one of her good moves and did it and ended up winning the match,” Meister said. “She almost got a pin, but she was a good opponent. She fought off the mat. In the overtime, (Thomas) went to what got her here and got to her leg.”
Center Grove’s Aaliyah Brown lost her third-place match to Portage’s Madisyn Mikels 8-4 at 100 pounds.
Indian Creek’s Hannah Seitzinger, who lost in the quarters at 130 pounds, took fifth place with a fall in 3:10 over Kankakee Valley’s Lilly Culbreath.
Falling in the opening round were Greenwood’s Sophia Rygiel (155 pounds) and Natalie Flores (170), Franklin’s Avalee Reynolds (100) and Lily Bridges (155) and Whiteland’s Kayci Woods (130).
