LAPEL — Arabians wrestler A.J. Hopkins made his debut in the Madison County Tournament in a big way.
The junior had never wrestled a varsity match, but as a fill-in at the 220 weight class, Hopkins defeated Lapel’s Hunter Morris by a fall to win the title.
Originally charted as a possible fill-in for Colin Griffith, who had been ill, Hopkins got the call to fill in for Justin Stephens — who didn’t make weight for the tournament — at the last minute.
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“I came in and filled in and gave my all,” Hopkins said. “I was pumped. At first, I was a little nervous.”
He said winning the match in the first round gave him a mental boost.
Hopkins’ win was part of the Arabian effort to claim a sixth-straight county championship.
“Everyone here struggled today,” coach Dave Cloud said. “There wasn’t a team here that was completely healthy. I’m really proud of the effort the kids made, getting eight kids to the finals.”
Cloud said Hopkins’ accomplishment was special.
“He came to back up at 195 and ends up stepping into 220. You have a 195-kid wrestle at 220. Crazy, right?” said Cloud. “I was lucky I didn’t send him home.”
Pendleton Heights scored 243 points for the win.
Frankton was second with 209, and host school Lapel finished fifth.
The Arabians had a slight lead going into the final rounds, but crowning six champions boosted their winning margin.
“Very satisfying for them to come out and get falls and expand their lead in the finals. It was wonderful to see them do that. We did a really good job in the finals,” Cloud said. “Same thing in the consolation matches. Everyone contributed.”
Junior Jared Brown won his third county title. Wrestling at 132 pounds this year, Brown had Frankton’s Kelby Lapierre by fall in 52 seconds.
“I was pretty confident. I’ve put a lot of work in,” Brown said. “I’m just trying to get better and still have things to work on. I think I’m technically better than last year.”
Brown remains undefeated this season along with fellow senior Cade Campbell, who also won by fall in the heavyweight class against Alexandria’s Daniel Snyder.
Senior Maverick Hamilton, at 160 pounds, defeated Madison-Grant’s Randall Fultz by a fall with two seconds remaining in the second period.
Senior Zach Sanford followed Hamilton’s victory with a win at 170 pounds. Sanford won by fall in the final period of the match versus Anderson’s Israel Dates.
Lapel’s Gage Thompson and Pendleton Heights’ Colyn Gillespie met in the 182 finals. The Arabians sophomore scored a fall with just a full second remaining in the match.
Pendleton Heights won five of the final six weight classes.
Others scoring points for the Arabians were sophomore Nick Bronnenberg, who was fourth in 106. Sophomore Elijah Creel placed second at 113, and Blake Nicholson, sophomore, was third at 120 pounds. Another sophomore, Jake Ehrgott, earned a third-place finish at 138 pounds. Griffith was third at 195 pounds.
Junior Sarah Dix filled in for the ill Dylan Whistler at 126 pounds and finished fifth.
Lapel Coach Jake Stilwell said his team was young and still figuring out the process.
“We got a lot of young guys who are still trying to take the steps to figure how to win in matches, not just wrestle, but how to win,” Stilwell said.
Placing third were Senior Killian O’Connor at 145 pounds, freshman Alan Buzan at 113 and sophomore Grant Morris at 160 pounds. Junior Jarod Roundtree was fourth at 195. Placing fifth were junior Erik Davis at 138 and sophomore Clayton MacMillan at 170.
“Winning those matches is a great sign,” Stilwell said. “We’ve just got to keep trending in the right direction. We’ve gotten better every single week.”
On Dec. 27 and 28 Pendleton Heights and Lapel will compete in tournaments away from home.
The Arabians travel for the North Montgomery Duals to compete in the 16-team tournament, while the Bulldogs visit Connersville for 32-team event for individual competition.