Columbus East High School

The Columbus East Olympian boys wrestlers open postseason competition this weekend as they travel to Jennings County High School for the 2026 IHSAA Wrestling Sectional, the first step on the road to the state finals. Wrestling begins at 9 a.m. - Digital ticket link: https://public.eventlink.com/tickets?t=171453&p=261233 The stakes are clear and unforgiving: the top four finishers in each weight class advance to the IHSAA Regional, set for Saturday, February 7, at Jeffersonville High School. From there, every match matters even more. Columbus East enters the sectional with a balanced lineup featuring a mix of tested seniors, battle-hardened juniors, and promising freshmen. Several Olympians will open with byes, while others jump straight into contested opening-round bouts against sectional opponents. Sectional Opening Round Matchups – Columbus East 106: Joel Smith (14-14) Fr. – forfeit 113: Kade Stephens (12-8) Fr. – bye 120: Gage Pacek (15-14) Fr. – bye 126: Ty Brueche (12-10) Jr. – forfeit 132: Ethan Poling (16-2) Jr. vs. Braxton Severinsen (Scottsburg) 138: Brian Findley (8-8) Jr. vs. Luke Byrum (Salem) 144: Cameron Cooper (21-8) Fr. vs. Alex Hammond (Seymour) 150: Caleb Kirkpatrick (28-4) Sr. – bye 157: Caleb Cooper (24-5) Sr. vs. Logan Rosales-Stepp (Southwestern) 165: Aiden Miller (20-13) Sr. vs. Trekker Suvak Jr. (Western Washington) 175: Lincoln Cooper (29-1) Jr. – bye 190: Colin McMahon (28-3) Jr. – bye 215: Clayton Miller (26-5) Jr. – bye 285: Hank Redman (27-4) Jr. vs. Matthew Dansby (Eastern Pekin) With multiple Olympians entering the weekend boasting strong records and postseason experience, Columbus East is positioned to make noise throughout the sectional brackets. Execution, toughness, and composure will decide who keeps their season alive. Good luck to the Olympians—wrestle hard and earn it.