Seymour’s Jesus Aguilar, left, celebrates beating Columbus North’s Jonathan Morales in the 215-pound weight class at Columbus North on Thursday.
Paige Grider | For The Tribune
Seymour’s Palik Findley, left, tries to escape Columbus North’s Liam Curfman in the 113-pound weight class at Columbus North on Thursday.
Paige Grider | For The Tribune
Columbus North’s Cohen Long, right, faces off against Seymour’s Liam Chandler in the 132-pound weight class at Columbus North on Thursday.
Paige Grider | For The Tribune
Columbus North’s Luke Spurgeon, left, wrestles Seymour’s Vaden Hanley in the 150-pound weight class at Columbus North on Thursday.
Paige Grider | For The Tribune
Columbus North’s Asher Ratliff, bottom, wrestles Seymour’s Nic Frady in the 157-pound weight class at Columbus North on Thursday.
Paige Grider | For The Tribune
Columbus North’s Asher Ratliff, right, competes against Seymour’s Nic Frady in the 157-pound weight class at Columbus North on Thursday.
Paige Grider | For The Tribune
Columbus North’s Evan Saevre, left, wrestles Seymour’s Briley Compton in the 165-pound weight class at Columbus North on Thursday.
Paige Grider | For The Tribune
Columbus North’s Keller DeSpain, right, wrestles Seymour’s Mason Nugent in the 175-pound weight class at Columbus North on Thursday.
Paige Grider | For The Tribune
COLUMBUS — An otherwise rough night of wrestling for Seymour concluded on a positive note when freshman Palik Findley pulled out a decision in the final match of the night.
Scoreless through two periods at 113 pounds, Findley built a 4-0 lead in the third, then held on for a 4-3 victory against Columbus North’s Liam Curfman to make the final team deficit a more respectable 57-21.
“That was a huge match to see where Palik has come,” Seymour coach Dan Rasey said. “That’s a freshman that we expected a lot of coming into the year, and he’s really stepped up the last couple weeks for us. To pick up a win against a two-time semistater like Curfman is definitely a good feather in your cap moving forward into conference and sectional down the road.”
The Owls’ other win on the mat came from senior 215-pounder Jesus Aguilar, who pinned the Bull Dogs’ Jonathan Morales in 1 minute, 12 seconds.
“Jesus is our senior leader,” Rasey said. “He’s been turning it on immensely the last month for us. He took fourth last week at Mooresville, so he’s been coming along on the mat.”
Seymour also picked up forfeit wins from Ana Rodriguez to begin the match at 120 and from Alexis Cisneros at 190. In between those two weight classes, North claimed eight consecutive victories, seven of which came by pin.
“I thought toward the end, we showed up and we really started showing the heart and the battle that I was hoping we were going to see a little bit earlier,” Rasey said. “Columbus North is brutal in those upper-lightweights and the middleweights, so we kind of knew that coming in. But toward the middleweights and the upperweights, we started coming in and trying to hold our own. We’re an incredibly young team, so to take that next step is nice to see, even if it doesn’t show on the scoreboard.”
The Owls forfeited the 106-pound class. Their normal 106-pounder, AnnMarie Shuler, was competing in Friday’s girls semistate at Mooresville.
“Normally, she would be in there as our 106, but I didn’t want to risk that with it being the state tournament,” Rasey said. “She has a really good shot at placing in that.”
Seymour will now compete in the Jennings County Super Dual today at Jennings County High School at 9 a.m.
Individual Results
106: Nolan Riley, Columbus North, won by Forfeit
113: Palik Findley, Seymour defeated Liam Curfman (Decision 4-3)
120: Ana Rodriguez, Seymour won by Forfeit
126: Jason Shuey, Columbus North pinned Charlie Bruce, Seymour.
132: Cohen Long, Columbus North, pinned Liam Chandler, Seymour
138: Justice Thornton, Columbus North, pinned Brody Bowles, Seymour
144: Josiah Green, Columbus North, pinned Raul Diego, Seymour
150: Liam Spurgeon, Columbus North, pinned Vaden Hanley, Seymour
157: Asher Ratliff, Columbus North pinned Nic Frady, Seymour
165: Even Saevre, Columbus North, defeated Briley Compton, Seymour (Decision 5-1)
175: Kellar Despain, Columbus North, pinned Mason Nugent, Seymour
190: Alexis Cisneros, Seymour, won by Forfeit
215: Jesus Aguilar, Seymour, pinned Jose Morales
285: Anthony Lozano, Columbus North pinned Philip Dacayo, Seymour