Columbus East High School

Columbus East wrapped up the regular season Thursday in the Orange Pit with a strong showing against Lawrence North, one that gave varsity a 50-24 victory and the junior varsity valuable mat time to sharpen up before JV state. The JV squad was especially impressive — the younger Olympians won eight of the nine bouts wrestled, while two scheduled JV matches were not held because of the IHSAA rule that prevents any athlete from competing more than once in the same dual meet. The JV wins came from Colton Foster, Mason Eubanks, Max Perry, Mario Mota, Eli Dykstra, Henry Eickmeyer, Adam Dye and Ethan Gilley. That depth on the undercard provided a big lift for the program and underscored the room’s overall strength as the East JV squad now turns its attention to JV State at Warren Central High School on Saturday, January 24th- weather pending?? On the varsity side the Olympians closed the home slate with a convincing 50-24 score line on Senior Night. East collected several falls and a technical fall on the way to the team victory, and also met stiff opposition in a few tight bouts in the middle weights. The night featured some tough matchups — including a hard test at 190 pounds against Lawrence North’s #1 nationally ranked opponent — and finished with a clear team result that sends East into the postseason with momentum. Five seniors were honored as they competed in their final regular-season match: Caleb Cooper, Caleb Kirkpatrick, Aiden Miller, Talon Jessup and Kyler Schadenfroh. Their high-school careers include a long list of accomplishments and plans beyond Columbus East: Caleb Cooper closes with a 105-39 varsity record, multiple conference and regional titles, state-level Greco-Roman honors and plans to wrestle in college or pursue an electrical trade; Talon Jessup (86-18) is a multi-time sectional and regional champion who plans to pursue engineering and a military career; Caleb Kirkpatrick (99-28) is a multi-time conference winner and ISWA state runner-up preparing to enlist and study to become a history teacher; Aiden Miller (57 career varsity wins) has seen steady development, placed at the Al Smith meet, and plans to attend Ivy Tech; and Kyler Schadenfroh (23-4 career) added All-American hardware on the summer circuit and plans on trade school for carpentry. The dual included several decisive East victories at varying weights — falls and a technical fall helped build the margin — while a handful of matches were tough, closely scored affairs. With the regular season closed, Columbus East now turns to the IHSAA Sectional being held at Jennings County High School on January 31, with action beginning at 9 a.m. The Olympians will look to carry the energy from Senior Night into the postseason push. Seeing the #1 nationally ranked opponent in town was a rare opportunity, for wrestling or any sport really. Good luck to the Olympians in the post season!