Columbus East High School

Olympians Finish Runner-Up at Sectional, Send 11 Wrestlers to Regionals The Columbus East Olympian wrestling team delivered a complete, top-to-bottom performance Saturday at the IHSAA Sectional hosted by Jennings County High School, finishing second overall with 245.5 points and qualifying 11 wrestlers for next weekend’s regional tournament. Only Franklin Community stood ahead of the Olympians in the final team standings, winning the sectional with 267 points. Columbus East comfortably separated itself from the rest of the field, finishing well ahead of third-place Switzerland County (128.5). The top four finishers in each weight class advanced, and East consistently put wrestlers deep into brackets throughout the day, highlighted by five sectional champions and multiple runner-up finishes. Sectional Champions: Caleb Kirkpatrick (150 lbs) – 1st place Caleb Cooper (157 lbs) – 1st place Lincoln Cooper (175 lbs) – 1st place Clayton Miller (215 lbs) – 1st place Hank Redman (285 lbs) – 1st place Each champion showed command of their weight class, combining bonus-point wins with composure in tight matches as the tournament pressure increased. Runner-Up Finishes: Joel Smith (106 lbs) – 2nd place (freshman) Ty Brueche (126 lbs) – 2nd place Ethan Poling (132 lbs) – 2nd place Colin McMahon (190 lbs) – 2nd place Poling and Brueche both wrestled their way into finals matchups with multiple quick pins earlier in the day, while Smith’s run as a freshman underscored the program’s depth across all classes. Additional Regional Qualifiers: Cameron Cooper (144 lbs) – 3rd place Aiden Miller (165 lbs) – 4th place Just missing the regional cut were Gage Pacek (120 lbs) and Wyatt Behnke (138 lbs), each placing fifth after battling through tough brackets. Team Scores (Top Five) Franklin Community – 267 Columbus East – 245.5 Switzerland County – 128.5 Columbus North – 116.5 Madison Consolidated – 105 What’s Next: The 11 Olympian regional qualifiers will compete in the IHSAA Regional at Jeffersonville High School on Saturday, February 7. Wrestling begins at 9:30 a.m. Tickets can be purchased online at: https://public.eventlink.com/tickets?t=171454&p=261234 Bottom line: Columbus East showed it has both high-end firepower and lineup depth. The mission now shifts to Jeffersonville—where advancing wrestlers will be fighting for a spot at semi-state and beyond.