Columbus East High School

The largest snowstorm in three years may have blanketed the area with winter beauty, but it brought challenges for local sports teams, including the Columbus East wrestling squad. Weather-related school closures kept the team out of practice for several days, which proved costly during their senior night dual. The Class 3A No. 3 Olympians faced their first dual meet defeat of the season, falling 41-27 to Class 4A No. 7 Cathedral. Columbus East started strong, building a 16-0 lead. Clayton Miller claimed a major decision at 165 pounds, followed by pins from Hank Redman at 175 and senior James Moss at 190. However, the momentum shifted when Cathedral’s Kyle Harden, pinned No. 8 Colin McMahon with seven seconds left in the match. That pin launched Cathedral on a seven-match winning streak. The Irish secured an overtime victory at 285, took a forfeit at 106, and dominated with a technical fall at 113 and pins at 120 and 126. At 132, Cathedral’s Cullen Crowley defeated Gage Rutan in a 4-1 decision. Senior wrestler Rutan showed impressive determination and controlled much of the action during his match for the Olympians. He appeared to be the more aggressive competitor, repeatedly attempting takedowns that were ruled as stalemates or went out of bounds throughout the second and third periods. His defeat was certainly not due to a lack of effort. The Olympians mounted a late rally. Caleb Kirkpatrick, ranked No. 13 at 138, recorded a technical fall, while Caleb Cooper and Lincoln Cooper earned wins at 144 and 150 pounds, respectively. Despite their efforts, Cathedral clinched the match with a final pin at 157. Columbus East wrestled without 120-pounder Talon Jessup, ranked No. 7 in the state, who was out due to injury. His status is unknown for the remainder of the season. Match Results: 165: Clayton Miller (CE) over Jimmy Pappas (INCA) (MD 17-3) 175: Hank Redman (CE) over Austin Wright (INCA) (Fall 2:42) 190: Colin McMahon (CE) over Jeremiah Jefferson (INCA) (Fall 1:15) 215: Kyle Harden (INCA) over Colin McMahon (CE) (Fall 4:54) 285: Phillip Brown (INCA) over Dominic Piper (CE) (SV-1 3-0) 106: Tate St. Laurent (INCA) over (CE) (For.) 113: Nathan Reyes (INCA) over Ethan Poling (CE) (TF 20-3 5:31) 120: John Bissmeyer (INCA) over Ayden Hamm (CE) (Fall 5:08) 126: Connor Bayliss (INCA) over Wyatt Behnke (CE) (Fall 2:35) 132: Cullen Crowley (INCA) over Gage Rutan (CE) (Dec 4-1) 138: Caleb Kirkpatrick (CE) over Luke McGinley (INCA) (TF 15-0 4:11) 144: Caleb Cooper (CE) over Owen Reyes (INCA) (Dec 8-3) 150: Lincoln Cooper (CE) over Tyler Lavin (INCA) (MD 14-3) 157: James Grimme (INCA) over Aiden Miller (CE) (Fall 4:21) Congratulations to Columbus East seniors James Kinman, Rohan McWilliams, James Moss, and Gage Rutan on celebrating their Senior Night! Your hard work, dedication, and leadership have made a lasting impact on the wrestling program. Best wishes as you finish the season strong and continue to represent the Olympians with pride! Next Up: The Olympians take their talents a few miles north of Columbus, when they head to Franklin, IN to participate in the IHSWCA Team State Duals at Franklin Community High School on Saturday, January 11th. The Olympians, seeded #3, have lofty goals to claim a possible 3A State Team Dual championship! Wrestling starts at 9 a.m.! Good luck O's!