Jimtown High School

Strong effort not enough as Jimmies fall to Elkhart grapplers By Red Williams Freelance Sportswriter ELKHART - Despite winning five matches in a row, four of them by pin, Jimtown High School’s wrestling squad came out on the short end of a 46-33 score. Elkhart’s Lions showed their mettle in winning the match. A good crowd was on hand for the non-conference match-up Thursday night (1.8.26) between these neighboring rivals. “We battled well and pushed hard,” said Matt Hill, assistant coach for the Boys of Baugo. “We stayed aggressive and were physically good.” (Head coach Brandon Dillenbeck was out of town on job-related matters.) After the Lions took a commanding 24-6 lead with four matches in the can (they had three pins in that drive), the Jimmies responded by winning the next five matches. Senior Cameron Moyer got the ball rolling with a pin of Liam Dewey at the 1:41 mark of the second period in the 150-pound bout. He now stands 15-2 for the season. Blake Roberts (157) then got a quick fall over Elkhart’s J.D. Pressler, :12 in the first period. That narrowed the Lions’ lead to 24-18, and Cayden Roberts, another senior, pinned Elkhart’s Tucker Waits at 1:08 in the second. Roberts is now 21-4. The Jimmies took the lead in the next match on another pin, this one by senior Jasiah Payne (17-4) at 175 pounds over Ah’Donice Houston. The next match was the most hotly contested one of the night. Jimtown’s Ben Andresen, a junior competing at 190 pounds, outscored Gage Clemons, 9-6, in overtime. He got a take-down with just :02 on the clock. That gave Jimtown a 33-24 lead. “I started to remember who I was,” Andresen said. “I listened to the coaches and got the win. He just pinned me two weeks ago.” But the Lions won the final four matches, two of them by forfeit. The Jimmies were missing two of their top grapplers, Aden Hartman and Cole Carper, both sidelined with injuries. “I knew Jimtown was going to be short-handed, but told our guys not to let up on the gas,” said Gus Hatzipavlides, head coach of the Lions. He credited freshman Jayveon Johnson for “putting the team on his back. This was his first start, and I’m proud of the way he performed tonight.” Johnson pinned Jimtown’s Cohen Carpenter in the 215-pound class in the first period at :21 to cut into the Jimmies’ lead. Officials: Jonathan Ortiz (New Paris) and Jon Millard (Goshen).