PENDLETON — Wrestling Sectional 19 on Feb. 1 at Elwood is a rematch of sorts of the Madison County tournament, with a few other schools thrown in.

Both Lapel and Pendleton Heights are geared toward getting as many athletes as they can from the sectional mat on to the regional.

The Arabians also will look to retain last year’s sectional title, but according to coach Dave Cloud, the field is full of talent, and Anderson, Frankton, Hamilton Heights and Noblesville all could be in the mix for the title race.

“I don’t think there’s a clear favorite,” Cloud said.

One individual favorite going into Saturday’s matches is Arabians junior Jared Brown. Ranked as one of the top wrestlers in the state in the 132-pound category, Brown has been cleared to wrestle after having to sit out at the Hoosier Heritage Conference (HHC) meet because he was going through concussion protocol sustained in a match against Mt. Vernon.

Brown, who was a state qualifier last year at 126, has lost just one match this season.

The Arabians have most of their strength and experience in the higher weight classes, while the Bulldogs feature their power in some of the lower and middle weight classes.

Pendleton Heights sophomore Colin Gillespie (182), and seniors Cade Campbell (Hwy) and Justin Stephens (220) are coming off conference title wins. At 195, senior Colyn Griffith is another Arabian Cloud believes will have a good sectional.

For the Bulldogs, seniors Bryan Rodriguez (126), and Teague Scherer (Hwy) and junior Erik Davis (138) have had great seasons as well as sophomores Grant Morris (160) and Kyle Shelton (152). Freshman Alan Buzan (113) is another Bulldog who could score points and move onto the regional.

“We are peaking at the right time,” coach Jake Stilwell said. “The last two to three weeks have been our best weeks.”

Unfortunately, junior Gage Thompson who advanced to regionals last year will miss the sectional because of an injury.

In term of prospects for the Arabians, “I think we have a really balanced field, and those third and fourth-place finishes will really make a difference,” Cloud said.

He said there will be no time to worry about not advancing to a championship match because getting a fall in a third-place match is worth two bonus points.

The sectional is at Elwood High School and first-round matches will begin at 9 a.m.