By RYAN WALKER
Norwell jumped on Bluffton early with four straight pins to eventually win 45-25 Wednesday night at The Castle.
The Knights got 24 points rather quickly thanks to Cody Cox at 165, Eli Behning at 175, Zach Wilson at 190 and Ethan Michael (by fall), and held on to that 24-0 lead all night, winning by 20 over the Tigers.
Norwell needed every bit of it with the injuries they’ve sustained to multiple weights, including handing over 113 by forfeit (120 was missing for Norwell, but was a double forfeit). But Norwell emphasized taking six points instead of three or four.
“We talked about that in the locker room before we came out about being able to start the dual with those big wins,” Norwell head coach John Johnson said after the match. “Starting with six on the board, that puts a lot of energy for the team, and then it helps you at the end when it gets close at the end when you can get six versus three.”
Bluffton’s top guys — Levi Johns (126), Johnny Cruz (285) and Brody Lewis (157) — took care of their business with big wins, but the others didn’t fare as well.
“The rest of the team, we can be in that match if we don’t get pinned,” Bluffton head coach Ben Sprunger said. “The difference between winning and losing a match like tonight is if you lose as an individual, you can’t get pinned. That just proved that (Norwell’s) tougher than us when we get pinned and they don’t.”
Norwell picked up 18 more points by fall with Wyatt Lukins (144), Luke Dreiband (150) and Chace Behing (138). Conner Lothamer (132) won 8-0 and was the only non-fall victory.
For Bluffton, Will Frettinger won his match at 106 over Eli Thomas, two wrestlers who are under their weight by at least 10 pounds. Both had quite the match with many twists and turns, but Frettinger came out on top 10-3.
Sprunger was elated for his lightweight, mentioning that he comes in at about 80 pounds and is a filler to avoid giving up six in a forfeit. But tonight, he provided the Tigers with points on the scoreboard.
“It was great for Willy to get a win,” Sprunger said. “Not too often he gets to wrestle someone his weight when you’re weighing at 80 and you’re wrestling at 106, it’s a big deal to get a win. Sometimes (he’s) just trying not to get pinned for the team, but when he can get a pin for us or help our team score, it’s always a big deal.”
Johnson was also thrilled for his banged-up bunch to get a win, saying “anytime we can get a win, it’s a lot better.”
There have been some season-ending injuries in lower weight classes where the Knights lose points. But another reason for the excitement is that it’s the school just nine miles away and shares a county.
Johnson and Sprunger gave their props to one another after the match, both echoing respect for their programs. Some of the wrestlers know one another and have mutual respect like their coaches. Even in this rivalry, it can be sweet.
“I think it’s a Wells County rival, but the other thing we talked about is I love Ben (Sprunger), I love the program they’ve built,” Johnson said. “A lot of these kids are super close to each other. We had Levi (Johns) come to camp with us this summer, so there’s a lot of friendships also that make it cool as well. But, it’s still a rivalry, so it’s always a good win.”
“It’s a match we always want. You always want to be the best in the county. It’s just not going to happen this year. (John Johnson’s) got a good program. They do a good job here at Norwell.”
Bluffton will be at the IHSWCA Team State at Rochester High School, facing Cowan at around 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 6.
Norwell will travel to New Haven for the Bill Krabel Invitational at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 6.
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Individual Winners
• Will Frettinger (B) wins by decision 8-0 over Eli Thomas at 106.
• Double forfeit at 113.
• Bluffton wins by forfeit at 120.
• Levi Johns (B) wins by major decision 9-0 over Jason Prough at 126.
• Conner Lothamer (N) wins by decision 8-2 over Parker Nash at 132.
• Chace Behning (N) wins by pin over Kaden Simpson at 138.
• Wyatt Lukins (N) wins by fall over Brockton Osborne at 144.
• Luke Dreiband (N) wins by fall over Bryce Patrick at 150.
• Brody Lewis (B) wins by fall over Aden McJury at 157.
• Cody Cox (N) wins by fall over Chris Kramer at 165.
• Eli Behning (N) wins by fall over Christian Castanada at 175.
• Zach Wilson (N) wins by fall over Tavin Fress at 190.
• Ethan Michael (N) wins by fall over Lukas Gehrett at 215.
• Johnny Cruz (B) wins by fall over Carson Powell at 285.
