Maurice Swain’s first exposure to the Johnson County wrestling tournament was seven hours he won’t soon forget.
The first-year Center Grove coach experienced what the event annually entails — close competition, occasional hints of controversy and a down-to-the-wire conclusion that kept spectators interested until the end.
Swain’s Trojans captured the team championship on Saturday at Indian Creek, defeating Franklin, 36-27, in a battle of the tournament’s last undefeated teams. Both squads previously had 3-0 marks on the day against the other teams in round-robin competition.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
“It was exciting,” Swain said. “We had some emotional ups and downs, but you always expect that out of a big county tournament. The guys battled hard and it came down to the last match.
“We knew that when you have a county rivalry that those toss-up matches can go either way. You might have some pins in there that you don’t expect to happen, but that’s how it is at a county tournament. The good thing is our guys kept battling all the way through the day and came out on top.”
The Trojans held a 30-27 lead with one match remaining when Center Grove 152-pounder Sam Hesser recorded a pin 40 seconds into the first period to seal it.
“I was a little nervous at first, but got more confident. I just had to wrestle my match,” said Hesser, a sophomore.
Six Center Grove wrestlers won their respective weight classes — Michael Tharpe (106), Hayden Watson (113), Brayden Littell (120), Drake Buchanan (138), Peyton Pruett (160) and Owen Green (220). Tharpe, Watson, Buchanan and Green are freshmen.
Littell, a junior ranked No. 1 in the state in his weight class, dominated the 120 division on Saturday to win the trophy for Most Outstanding Wrestler.
A spectator at last season’s tournament after undergoing knee surgery, Littell witnessed Franklin’s 40-30 triumph that also came down to the final match. He was more interested in watching his Trojan teammates raise the team hardware on Saturday than his own individual honor.
“It was fun,” Littell said. “There were some kids that actually got in my face a little bit, but I like it. It was good. We lost last year, which was kind of a bummer. The dual was a battle, and this one was a battle, too.”
Greenwood produced three county champions in Juron Franklin (126), Jake Stover (182) and Nick Willham (195). The Grizzly Cubs had two titlists in sophomores Tyler Fuqua (132) and Jalen Ward (170), while Indian Creek had two in juniors Owen Sego (145) and Cameron Elmore (285).
Whiteland’s Cole Hughes won the 152-pound class.
The day’s scariest moments came when Whiteland 220-pounder Eli Scalf lay motionless on the mat for close to 25 minutes while being observed by trainers. Scalf was attended to by trainers and eventually taken to Community South Hospital in Greenwood, where he was diagnosed with a chest contusion and bruised ribs.
The sophomore was released from the hospital Saturday night and is expected to make a full recovery, according to Warriors coach Anthony Meister. It is uncertain whether Scalf wrestles any more this season.
