JEFFERSONVILLE
It didn’t take long for Seymour wrestling coach Adam Wolka to sum up the Owls’ performance in the Jeffersonville Regional on Saturday.
“We took thirds and fourths last week at the sectional, and that set us up for a lot of finalists, champions and runners-up,” he said.
First- and second-place finishers at the sectionals draw third- and fourth-place finishers in the first round of the regional.
“We knew today we weren’t really favored in any of our matches but set game plans out for our kids, and a lot of them followed them,” Wolka said. “We got behind early in some matches, and it was hard to come back.”
All seven Owls who were entered at the regional lost their opening matches, and that ended their 2020-21 seasons.
Ed Ramirez, wrestling at 120 pounds, went the distance with Robert Cline of Jeffersonville and lost a 9-6 decision.
Ramirez said he looked forward to competing in the regional this year after placing sixth in the sectional last year and seeing his 2020 season end early.
He said facing Cline was a tough match.
“He definitely was a lot stronger than me. I still thought I could have beat him, but it was more or less technique at this point,” Ramirez said. “Most of (Cline’s) points were on shots. He got takedowns on me. I’m going to try and control my opponents better in the future. I’m just going to try and not get taken down as much. I’ll try to work on that.”
Still, being part of regional felt significant.
“I just like the atmosphere of being here that I really like,” he said. “Ever since my freshman year, I’ve really enjoyed this sport. It’s very competitive, but also, your match depends on you. I like that one-on-one.”
Ramirez ended up 14-14 this season.
“I feel like I did a lot better this year,” he said. “I was a lot more aggressive this year. In other years, I was more timid.”
Senior 220-pounder Brody Shipley lost to Lucas Gagnon of Charlestown by fall in 4:50.
“I wrestled well,” Shipley said. “There wasn’t much I could do about it. Most of the kids I’ve wrestled are strong and they’re kind of just heavy. They’re not really good with movements. I probably could have beat the guy, but I didn’t.”
Shipley was 10-10 this season.
“I’ve enjoyed the team this season. We had a good group at the regional,” he said. “I mainly enjoyed the team during my career. It was just kind of one of those sports that everyone says is really hard, but I’ve always never minded it.”
Shipley wrestled at 180 and 195 his freshman year, so he has been facing bigger opponents as his high school career went on.
“I always tried to fight them good in the neutral position,” Shipley said. “That’s all there is to it for the fat guys. I think I got to the point to where I really didn’t think that much about it. But I do remember thinking a lot and taking it kind of slow like when I started in high school. It has been fun.”
Shipley was the only senior to wrestle for the Owls on Saturday, and Wolka said he is anxious to have the other six returning next fall.
“There are definitely some aspects we need to work on, but I’m optimistic about the future,” Wolka said. “As long as we maintain our weight throughout the offseason, we should be able to be competitive next year.”
Wolka gave credit to Rolando Baltazar-Felipo for battling Collin Cain of Jeffersonville while on his back for a long stretch before he was pinned in 5:55.
“He got put on his back for about a minute 30, and he did his best to fight it off,” Wolka said. “He got us with five seconds left.”
In reviewing the season, Wolka said, “It was a rocky year with COVID and everything. They really surprised us last weekend. We only expected to get three here, and we got seven. I just wish we would have had a better day today.”
Seymour results
113-Collin Cain (Jeff) pin Rolando Baltazar-Felipo, 5:55
120-Robert Cline (Jeff) def. Ed Ramirez, 9-6
132-Jakob Lewellen (Charlestown) pin Sam Castetter, :47
138-Jalen Stephens (Salem) pin Ben Kriete, 3:59
145-Connor Giles (Jeff) pin Alex Schlatterer, :33
182-Deke Brown (Charlestown) pin Hector Ruiz-Rosa, 2:45
220-Lucas Gagnon (Charlestown) pin Brody Shipley, 4:50