Wrestlers often express themselves in different ways after winning a sectional title.
For some, it’s business as usual, just a small step in a larger process with bigger goals. Their hand is raised, they shake hands and walk off, sights set on the future with little fanfare.
Then there’s Bloomington South’s Denny Allgood, a junior who had been laboring three years for this, showing as much emotion as anyone in Saturday’s Bloomington North boys sectional. He dominated in his 175-pound final against senior Terre Haute South’s Noah Fields, winner of sectionals the past two seasons, in a 13-4 major decision.
JV as a freshman, third last year, top of the heap in 2026. In part because of a loss, “that needed to happen.”
“I was really fired up,” Allgood said. “I think me losing to him at conference (13-6 decision) gave me that drive to beat him here. I’ve been practicing since conference to beat him.”
Allgood changed his approach after that loss, understanding that waiting and reacting was not the game plan to beat Fields. He needed to be more on the attack.
“I just stayed in good position,” Allgood said. “With my drill partner at 215, Mason (Grubb), he would act like Noah and just dive in on my leg like Noah does and I would do what I did out there today.”
Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. Allgood knows his history.
“My sophomore year, I got third here and I knew I didn’t want that to happen again,” Allgood said. “I knew I wanted to win.
“I think what motivated me more was the doubt that everybody else had that I couldn’t do it. If that makes sense.”
A number of area wrestlers put their nose to the grindstone during the off-season and saw it pay off with their first sectional titles. Allgood was joined in the first-time winners circle by teammate Brian Conley, who has worked his way up from sixth as a freshman, to fourth and third last year.
“It’s big because now they see the effort they put in pay off,” South coach Mike Runyon said. “The theory is we hope they see the outcome and will put in even more work.”
Area competitors won 11 of the 14 titles and will send 31 on to next weekend’s regional.
South rules roost again
South’s room has to be as competitive as any from 106 to 157, which produced seven more titles.
That was reflected in the results as sophomore Nick Russell (25-6), last year’s champ at 113, took the 106 title this time with an 8-0 decision. Junior Jaxsen Jean (29-3), who switched places with Russell, had no problems winning his third sectional title, rolling to pins of 19 and 28 seconds at 113 before finishing off OV’s Austin Boltinghouse in 3:02.
At 120, freshman Josiah Stanton (28-2) had a 15-0 tech fall over North’s Isaiah Shirley. At 132, Mark Hand repeated as a sectional champ with a pin of 1:24. At 132, a battle of two seniors looking for their first sectional title went to Brian Conley (22-7), 7-1 over North’s Yanni Nunez.
The 144 champ was Armin Pratt (28-3), who won his second sectional title with an 8-2 decision over North’s Trae Hopkins and at 157, Wyatt Cooksey (27-3) had three first period pins, taking care of OV’s Riley Martin in the final in 1:12, to three-peat.
Three other Panthers also made it out as Jude Pratt was second at 126, Mason Grubb was second at 215 and Gerardo Herandez-Ibarr was fourth at 150.
“That group is special and most of them will be back next year,” Runyon said. “They really push each other in there. It helps. You can’t win a state title by yourself. There always has to be somebody there helping you. Your team, your coaches have to help you.
“Having those drill partners in the room is pretty big.”
Not surprisingly, South dominated the team standings with 257 points for a 31st team title and 45th overall including BHS days, topping Terre Haute North 188, Owen Valley 175, Terre Haute South 166, Bloomington North 117½ and Edgewood 106.
Tedrow wins first title for North
Last year, North’s Miguel Tedrow was just able to keep his head above water, making it all the way to semi-state with back-to-back fourth place finishes in a deep local pool at 165.
This time, the senior (30-3) was floating on top of the same weight class, swimming his way to the title with three pins, the last of 2:33 in the final over TH South’s Sam May.
“It’s amazing,” Tedrow said. “First time being in the finals at sectional, it’s a huge difference. This is my last time wrestling at North so I really wanted to make it a big one.
“It’s just meant the world this season. All my team support. All my progress. 30-3 now. I’ve been giving it all at each practice like it’s my last one.”
North had three runner-up finishers with Shirley (120), Nunez (138) and Hopkins (44) while Ryan Watkins took third at 113.
“Most of the guys who worked this summer are really striving right now,” Bruce said. “It’s nice to see that hard work pay off. All five guys who wrestled really well.”
Nunez was fifth as a freshman, didn’t compete sectional in 2024 and was fifth last year.
“Really figured it out in the Bo Henry (Classic), but really at Mooresville (Holiday Classic),” North coach Roy Bruce said. “He got beat in the first round and came back and won six matches in a row. That was huge for him and he’s been on a roll ever since.”
Owen Valley ties mark
Owen Valley has titles to brag about but did gather up enough seconds, third and fourths to tie the program record for most regional qualifiers with 11.
“Hopefully, we carry that over next weekend,” OV coach Steven Spicer said. “There’s a lot of thirds and fourths and that other sectional (Southridge) is tough. We’ll get prepared and get a gameplan together.”
The Patriots had three make it to title matches only to fall short: Boltinghouse (31-5) at 113, Martin (29-6) at 157 and Zander Pendley (23-12), who was pinned in the 190 final.
Taking third were Isaiah White at 120; Hunter Sloan at 150, Collin Willen at 165 and settling for fourth were Reid Lanman at 144, Luke Burner at 175, Braddock Nickless at 215 and William Doty at 285.
“When we’re talking about advancing to regionals, it’s a lot of what our guys do the off-season,” Spicer said. “Because we’re not necessarily like the other schools where our guys have been wrestling since they were 4 or 5. A lot of our guys start in seventh or eighth grade or even in high school.
“So then they commit to the off-season so it’s nice to see them advance in the state tournament. It helps motivate them and keep them in the room in the off-season.”
Two champs for Edgewood
Senior Cayleb Stephens (17-9) got tired of a career and season full of runner-up finishes and came through with a narrow 13-11 win in the semifinals (after being up 9-0), then saved the best for last.
Battling Terre Haute North’s Ayden Muncie in a one-point match, came up with a takedown and a pin with just 12 seconds left for his first sectional title.
“I didn’t win WIC title, I haven’t won a title my whole high school career,” Stephens said. “And here I am a senior and winning when it matters.
“One thing my coaches always tell me is I have heart. I’m never going to go out there and not try. In the last couple years I’ve gotten second I don’t know how many times. I’m a three-time runner-up at Capital City Classic. I got third at WIC my sophomore year. I got second at WIC this year. So all those seconds leading up, I took it personal and I won when it matters.”
At 126, senior John Orman (17-1) won a third sectional title, methodically taking care of South freshman Jude Pratt, 12-6.
“We made an incredible improvement from the start of the season,” Edgewood coach Paul Konrath said. “John is somebody who is a good wrestler, will always be a good wrestler and if I wasn’t here, would be the same guy.
“I told him to go out here and be himself and that’s what he did.”
Also moving on is Lincoln Getts (18-5) at 285, reversing a 7-2 loss to OV’s William Doty in the quarterfinals with a 7-2 win over Doty for third.
But at 132, freshman Jack Grubaugh had the comeback of the night. He was down 10-5 on a restart with just nine seconds left against Sullivan senior Enlow Branson and somehow, came up with a takedown and a four-point near-fall in that short window, to win 12-10.
“Jack has been a very good freshman wrestler all year,” Konrath said. “But at the start of the year we had a little bit of a problem with keeping composure. He has worked on that and it’s paid off for him in the third period for him at conference twice, twice here as as well.”
BLOOMINGTON NORTH SECTIONAL
Team scores: Bloomington South 257; Terre Haute North 188; Owen Valley 175; Terre Haute South 166; Bloomington North 117½; Edgewood 106; Northview 100; Sullivan 48; West Vigo 27; North Central 16; Bedford North Lawrence 6; Brown County 0.
Top four finishers in each weight class advance to regional
106 pounds: 1. Nick Russell, BS md. Lucas Overton, THS, 8-0; 3. Cael Ellis, THN, p. Matthew Underhill, OV, 2:28. [North, forfeit; Edgewood, forfeit]. 113: 1. Jaxsen Jean, BS p. Austin Boltinghouse, OV, 3:02; 3. Ryan Watkins, BN d. Coooper Schaumleffel, THN, 9-4. [5. Nolan Phillips, THS, p Ryan Eyster, Edg (6-14). 1:34].
120: 1. Josiah Stanton, BS tf. Isaiah Shirley, BN, 15-0; 3. Isaiah White, OV c. Bryce Rupska, THN, 7-3. [DNP: Jackson Sturgis, Edg (1-12)]. 126: 1. John Orman, Edg d. Jude Pratt, BS, 12-6; 3. Bradley McCue, THS d. Bryce Alumbaugh, Sul, 4-2. [DNP: Izik Mobley, OV (15-18); Kyle Burton, BN (4-17)].
132: 1. Mark Hand, BS p. Matthew Kempf, THN, 1:24; 3. Jack Grubaugh, Edg, d. Enlow Branson, Sul, 12-10. {DNP: Will Mobley, OV (7-13); Donell Taylor, BN (0-10)]. 138: 1. Brian Conley, BS d. Yanni Nunez, BN 7-1; 3. Cameron Baugh, THN p. William Rader, THS, 1:52. [5. William Ranard, OV (17-15) p. Brock Thralls, WV, 3:24); DNP: Edgewood, forfeit].
144: 1. Amrin Pratt, BS, d. Trae Hopkins, BN, 8-2; 3. Obi Mawusi, THN, d. Reid Lanman, OV, 7-2. [DNP: Edgewood, forfeit]. 150: 1. Cayleb Stephens, Edg, p. Ayden Muncie, THN, 5:48; 3. Hunter Sloan, OV d. Gerardo Hernandez-Ibarr, BS, 5-0. [5. Ahmad Razman, BN (7-12) d. Jordan Scott, Nvw, 4-1].
157: 1. Wyatt Cooksey, BS p. Riley Martin, OV, 1:12; 3. Colton Piper, WV, md. Aiden Shepherd, 17-8. [DNP: Avery Millick, Edg (10-15); North, forfeit]. 165: 1. Miguel Tedrow, BN p. Sam May, THS, 2:33; 3. Collin Willen, OV, md. Jaiden Loftson, THN, 10-1. [5. Shaw Graf, Nvw, p. Kyle Adams, Edg, 3:37; DNP: South, forfeit].
175: 1. Denny Allgood, BS md. Noah Fields, THS, 13-4; 3. Cam Richards, Edg p. Luke Burner, OV, :52. [DNP: Jack Burchett, BN (7-17)]. 190: 1. James Ribolla, THS, p. Zander Pendley, OV, :58; 3. Carter Rains, Nvw, d. Jalan Hagans, THN, 6-1. [5. Axsel Garza, BN (12-21), md. Cristian Adorno-Stephens, Edg (4-10), 14-1; DNP: Da’shawn Potts, BS (8-16)].
215: 1. Devyn Orman, Nvw, d. Mason Grubb, BS 11-4; 3. William Hollifield, Sul, p. Braddock Nickless, OV 2:11. [DNP: Parker Bennett, Edg (2-9); Juan Sanchez, BN (9-14)]. 285: 1. Griffin Osburn, THN p. Caden Bays, NC, 3:18; 3. Lincoln Getts, Edg d. William Doty, OV, 7-2. [5. Oliver Piwoskin, BS (7-6) d. Issa Muhammad, BN (6-18), 4-0].
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: It’s all good for South wrestler Denny Allgood after sectional title
Reporting by Jim Gordillo, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
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