Last weekend, the Kings Wrestling Team wrestled in the Sectional round of the state tournament. Five wrestlers managed to advance to the Regional round. Senior Nick Park, junior Colton Copeland, sophomores Eli Grist and Hunter Sellers, and freshman Abraham Baker all advanced. In order to advance to the next round of the tournament, a wrestler must place in the top four. There is fierce competition in our sectionals, with heavy-hitting teams like North Miami and Maconaquah. However, these five wrestlers placed in the top four, moving on to Regionals.
Junior Colton Copeland placed fourth at the 144-pound weight class. Copeland was able to defeat Manchester’s Tallon Selleck in order to reach the third-place match. Earlier in the season, Selleck had defeated Copeland by technical fall. However, Copeland brought his A-game and defeated Selleck 10-4. Copeland felt very good about his victory, stating “I felt good after getting off to a good start being up 7-0 in the first period… I felt good after, especially for it being my first sectional and wrestling up two weight classes to beat someone who beat me the previous weekend.” Copeland hopes to bring his skills and knowledge to the team as a senior leader next year. “ I hope it can show everyone else on the team no matter what you’re up against or how good they are if you run your moves and wrestle smart you can do well throughout the season…”
Sophomore Eli Grist, placed second in the 126-pound weight class. Grist also defeated a difficult opponent who had defeated him the weekend prior. In the semi-final match, Grist defeated Northfield’s Brayden Rice by pin. Grist has wrestled a very difficult schedule this year, including many semi-state and state placers. “Beating Rice in the second round of regionals was definitely memorable considering he had just beaten me the week before in the finals match during conference”, Grist stated. “I think every match helps me improve. Nobody ever has a flawless match so you always have something to improve on.” Grist plans on attending wrestling camps over the offseason in order to hone his skills. He plans on conditioning harder and doing more cardio-based workouts.
Sophomore Hunter Sellers placed fourth at the 215-pound weight class. Sellers fought his way out of the loser’s bracket, managing to reach the third-place match. “I feel really good about the accomplishment,” Sellers stated. “ I was kind of expecting to advance but I wasn’t sure.” Sellers has had an impressive record of 27-13 for the season. Over the next two years, he will have many opportunities to improve and go farther in the state tournament. When asked about his goals, Sellers answered, “I feel good about my future career. I think in the next 2 years I could get a lot better and maybe make it farther.”
Freshman Abraham Baker placed fourth at the 106-pound weight class. The small but mighty freshman has had a very successful rookie season with an impressive 30-11 season. Baker said he “feels good” about his achievement. He hopes to make it on to the semi-state round of the tournament. Baker has been thinking about the future of his career. Baker stated, “How I plan to improve for the future is to work on new things and learn from my losses. I hope to attend off-season tournaments.” Having 75% percent of his career in front of him, Baker is sure to make great progress and have an impact.
Senior, Nick Park placed second at the 190-pound weight class. Park lost to Maconaquah’s Ethan Farnell, the #2 ranked wrestler in Indiana for 190 pounds, by technical fall. He hopes to place in the top four in the Regional tournament in order to advance to semi-state. These five wrestlers will compete on Saturday, February 8, at Peru High School. Wrestling begins at 9 AM. We wish these wrestlers good luck. Go fight win!
