Nearly two weeks ago, the Jeffersonville wrestling team made history by repeating as Hoosier Hills Conference champions for the first time ever.

On Saturday at Johnson Arena, the Red Devils will attempt to pull off another unprecedented repeat.

Jeff will vie to win back-to-back sectional championships for the first time ever. Based on seeding, the Red Devils are the favorites to win their second sectional crown in a row and their third title in the last four seasons.

Jeff head coach Danny Struck says his entire team has had its sights set all season on pulling off the double repeat.

“The kids have had a goal of winning back-to-back sectional and HHC titles, as no team here has done that. So this will be another item pushing them toward knowing their dream of a state finals is a reality,” Struck said. “It has been fun winning the last two of three. But to do that, it takes 365 days of effort. It is not an easy task. No task worth achieving is easy, so my kids are very proud of it.”

The Red Devils have the most No. 1 seeds in the sectional with seven. Leading Jeff will be senior Curtis Smith, who is the top seed in the 112-pound division. Smith has won two sectional titles along with three regional crowns in his prep career.

Another returning sectional champion for the Devils was Alonzo Shepherd, the No. 1 seed at 103 pounds. Jeff’s other top seeds are Devon Miller (119), Renaldo Weekly (135), Brandon Marlin (160), Caleb Browner (171) and Nelson Bowen (189).

Jeff’s lone No. 2 seed is Jimmy Pratt at 215. He enters the sectional with a 30-9 record and Struck likes his chances of capturing a championship on Saturday.

Despite having one top seed, Charlestown is projected to finish second. Taylor Newcomb (140) is the Pirates’ lone No. 1 after claiming both a Southern Indiana Wrestling Conference and a Mid-Southern Conference title in the past two weekends.

Five of Newcomb’s teammates are No. 2 seeds. The two seeds are Jeff Stotridge (125), Mark Daugherty (152), Jacob Hall (160), Ethan Bowen (171) and John Slaten (285).

Charlestown comes into the sectional on a hot streak by winning its fifth consecutive MSC crown last Thursday. Head coach Adam Doherty hopes the Pirates remain on a roll on Saturday.

“The team wrestled really well and I look for them to carry their momentum into sectionals (this) weekend,” Doherty said.

Floyd Central will vie to regain its sectional glory after dominating the tournament for so many seasons. The Highlanders’ last sectional title was 2008. Prior to that, they won 10 consecutive sectional championships from 1997-2006.

“In order for us to win a sectional title, we will need some guys to set up and beat their seeds and get bonus points. It would also require some teams to knock off some of Jeff’s wrestlers,” Floyd head coach Brandon Sisson said. “I would say Jeff has to be the favorite after wrestling well at conference two weeks ago. Our season and practices are scheduled to help us peak at this time of year, and I am looking forward to seeing some of our guys do well this weekend.”

The Highlanders are projected to finish third, as they have one No. 1 seed and two No. 2 seeds. The lone one seed is Ben Moberly at 145, while the second seeds are Aaron Witt (130) and Zach Thomas (112). Floyd also has four No. 3 seeds in Caleb Happel (103), Tom Denny (135), Drew Denny (140) and Andrew Sharp (215).

New Albany is projected to place fourth and has one top seed in Taylor Hoke at 285. Larry Rickman (140) is the Bulldogs’ lone No. 2 seed, while New Albany has five three seeds in Austin Jamison (112), Tre Marler (125), Tim Martin (130), Matthew O’Connell (160) and Zack Faith (189).

Providence senior Jacob Golembeski is the No. 1 seed at 152, while teammate Joey Libretto is seeded second at 189.

New Washington has three No. 2 seeds in Brady Meenach (119), Lane Massingham (135) and Josh Sampson (145). Last week in the Milan Invitational, Sampson finished the regular season by winning the 145 title and becoming the first wrestler in school history to go undefeated during a campaign. The next goal for Sampson is to win his first sectional title in his career.

“As a team we are small, but are goals are not,” Mustangs’ head coach Jeremy Campbell said about the sectional. “Our kids will have to execute with precision, utilize what they know and believe. When they do these things, they have as much chance as any.”

Christian Academy of Indiana has only one wrestler seeded in the top four. That grappler is junior Ethan Banet at 135.

The team sectional champion will advance to the Jasper Team Regional a week from today. Individual sectional championship will move on to the Jeff Individual Regional on Saturday, Feb. 6.



WRESTLERS OF THE WEEK



CAI’s Caleb Delbridge, Ethan Banet and Nate Dunn

Three Christian Academy of Indiana wrestlers each went 3-0 at the Jeffersonville Junior Varsity Invitational last Thursday. Delbridge and Dunn each made two pins, while Banet had one.



New Washington’s Josh Sampson

The senior became the first wrestler in Mustang history to finish the regular season undefeated. Sampson went 5-0 in the Milan Invitational at 145 pounds to finish the perfect regular season. He will be vying for his first sectional title this weekend at Jeffersonville.



WRESTLING RUNDOWN



CHARLESTOWN

• PIRATES EARN FIFTH STRAIGHT MSC TITLE: Six individual champions led Charlestown to its fifth consecutive Mid-Southern Conference championship last Thursday at Scottsburg. It was the Pirates’ seventh MSC title in the last eight seasons. The six conference champs were Bryan Lowery (112), Jason Beevers (135), Taylor Newcomb (140), Cory Suddeth (145), Mark Daugherty (152) and John Slaten (285). Charlestown also had six runner-up finishers in Justin Wolf (119), Kevin Gonzales (125), Dakota Bungcoyao (130), Jacob Hall (160), Ethan Bowen (171) and David Enteman (215). All 14 Pirate grapplers finished in the top three and either made the all-conference team or were an honorable-mention selection.

• UPCOMING MEET: Jeffersonville Sectional, Saturday, 9 a.m.



CHRISTIAN ACADEMY OF INDIANA

• CAI HAS THREE UNBEATEN WRESTLERS AT JEFF: A trio of Warrior wrestlers recorded 3-0 records in the Jeff Junior Varsity Invitational last Thursday. The three undefeated grapplers were Caleb Delbridge (285), Ethan Banet (135) and Nate Dunn (130). Delbridge and Dunn each made two pins, while Banet had one. Teammate Levi Speth (152) went 2-1 in the tournament. Last Tuesday, the Warriors suffered a dual-meet loss at New Washington.

• UPCOMING MEET: Jeff Sectional, Saturday, 9 a.m.



FLOYD CENTRAL

• HIGHLANDERS’ WIN STREAK CONTINUES: After a slow start, Floyd Central ended the regular season with an 11-match dual-meet winning streak. Last Wednesday, the Highlanders won a matchup with Evansville North. Then last Saturday, Floyd went 4-0 at the New Albany Invitational. The four victories were against Indian Creek, Martinsville, Southwestern and Louisville Manual.

• UPCOMING MEET: Jeff Sectional, Saturday, 9 a.m.



NEW ALBANY

• BULLDOGS 3-1 IN OWN INVITE: New Albany posted a 3-1 record at its own invitational last Saturday. The three victories came against Southwestern, Louisville Manual and Indian Creek, with the setback coming against Martinsville. New Albany head coach Eric Burres said he got outstanding performances from the following wrestlers: Josh Coomer (103), Austin Jamison (112), Chase Laughead (119), Tre Marler (125), Tim Martin (130), Tyler Weddle (135), Larry Rickman (140), Ethan Lee (152), Matt O’Connell (160), Nick Lynch (171), Zack Mann (171), Zack Faith (189), Cody Leasor (215) and Taylor Hoke (285).

• UPCOMING MEET: Jeff Sectional, Saturday, 9 a.m.



NEW WASHINGTON

• SAMPSON SETS RECORD AT MILAN: Despite the Mustangs going 0-5 at last Saturday’s Milan Invitational, senior Josh Sampson completed an undefeated regular season by winning all five of his matches at 145. Sampson became the first New Washington wrestler to go unbeaten during a regular campaign. Also, the Mustangs defeated Christian Academy in a home dual meet last Tuesday.

• MUSTANGS HAVE TWO CHAMPIONS AT SIWC: At the Southern Indiana Wrestling Conference meet on Jan. 16, New Washington had two conference champions for the first time in program history. Sampson was one of them at 145, while Lane Massingham was the 135-pound champion.

• UPCOMING MEET: Jeff Sectional, Saturday, 9 a.m.



PROVIDENCE

• PIONEERS THUMP CRAWFORD COUNTY: Providence won 11 of the 14 matches to trounce host Crawford County in a dual meet last Saturday, 66-12. Winning for the Pioneers were the following: Zach Hellinger (103), Brennan Gregory (119), Alec Hendershot (130), Adam McDermott (135), Jared Griffith (140), Jordan Kaelin (145), Garrett Baumgardner (152), Devan Evanczyk (160), Daniel Fernandez (171), Dalton Schell (189) and Joey Libretto (215).

• UPCOMING MEET: Jeff Sectional, Saturday, 9 a.m.