By GREG MENGELT
Twelve-time Indiana state wrestling champion Evansville Mater Dei ended Jeffersonville’s team season with a 40-14 defeat of the Red Devils.
Mater Dei won the first five and the final four matches of the meet to advance to the team wrestling final at Jasper on Wednesday.
“(We lost by) more than I anticipated,” Jeff coach Danny Struck said. “Mater Dei wrestled really well, and we didn’t wrestle to our potential.”
After dropping the first five events, the Red Devils closed the gap with four wins in five matches.
Jimmy Pratt earned Jeff’s first victory at 215 pounds with an 8-4 win over Justin Van Winkle. Pratt’s triumph avenged an earlier loss to Van Winkle at the Jasper Invitational.
After another Wildcat pin, Alonzo Shepherd, Curtis Smith and Devon Miller won back-to-back-to-back matches.
Shepherd defeated Evan Gibbert in a major decision, 11-2, while Miller edged out Jake Lanert, 7-6.
Smith’s win was the 160th of his career, two shy of Adam Daugherty’s school record. With three wins at Saturday’s Jeffersonville Regional and Smith, who is now 38-8 on the season, would become the all-time wins leader and the Red Devils’ third four-time regional champion.
Jeff’s most disappointing loss came at the 171-pound level, where 43-2 Caleb Browner was defeated by Mater Dei’s Josh Boots, 8-6.
Browner should get another shot at the 34-1 Boots at the Evansville Semistate in two weeks.
“Caleb is a special kid,” Struck said. “Instead of getting down, his excited that he gets to wrestle the kid again.”
The Red Devils will have 13 wrestlers compete at the regional. Struck hopes that his team carries the disappointment with it.
“I hope this inspires some of them to redeem themselves on Saturday,” Struck said.
EVANSVILLE MATER DEI 40, JEFFERSONVILLE 14
103—Shepherd (J) d. Gibbert, 11-2
112—Smith (J) d. Goebel, 15-6
119—Miller (J) d. Lanert, 8-7
125—Henderson (MD) d. Castro, 6-0
130—Schroeder (MD) d. Simpson, fall
135—Weinzapfel (MD) d. Weekley, 7-6
140—Ravin (MD) d. Harbin, fall
145—Bassemier (MD) d. Fridley, fall
152—Simms (MD) d. Tatgenhorst, 15-0
160—Stein (MD) d. Marlin, 7-4
171—Boots (MD) d. Browner, 8-6
189—Wright (MD) d. Bowen, 8-4 (OT)
215—Pratt (J) d. Van Winkle, 8-4
275—Hammelman (MD) d. Curtley, fall
