It was the start of the postseason for the varsity while the JV saw its competition season come to a close with the conclusion of the Northern Lakes Conference Championships and the Plymouth JV Invite.

NLC Championships at Mishawaka

Wawasee saw three individuals reach the championship mat working for an NLC title, and two came away with the bracket posters and the blue ribbon.

Kaleb Salazar added another NLC title to his lengthy résumé with a 6-3 win in a match anticipated final against Goshen’s Cole Hinkel. After not meeting in the regular season, the two came in state-ranked and both having 30 wins coming into the championship match. Tied at three with the clock running in the third period, Salazar worked from off bottom to get the point and a 4-3 advantage, but a desperate Hinkel shoot in the final minute had Salazar counter into a takedown and the two to put him on top of the podium.

Wawasee’s second NLC champion was Donnie Blair, who navigated a very tough 190-pound bracket to claim his first-ever conference championship. Always in the shadow of Mishawaka’s Christian Chavez, Blair would once again have to beat a Caveman to get a title, on Saturday facing Trey Dunning. Down 3-2 after an escape to open the third, Blair got the opening he needed and took down Dunning, then comboed the move into a near two for a 6-3 cushion. A reversal from Dunning in the waning seconds was too little, too late as Blair’s arm was raised as NLC champion for the first time.

A takedown with four seconds remaining in the third period was the deciding factor as NorthWood’s Will Hahn unseated Cameron Senter, 3-1, as NLC champion in the 126 bracket.

Ethan Rodriguez and Carson Nine both ended their days with wins in the third-place match at 150 and 165, respectively, as did Gaige Boyd in the fifth-place match at 144. Jaxon Senter and Derek Morrison were both fourth place at 120 and 215, respectively, and Alex Dibble was sixth place at 175.

Wawasee as a program placed sixth with 131 points. Plymouth ended Mishawaka’s reign as NLC team champion with an impressive 188 points to hold off NorthWood’s 182.5 points and Mishawaka’s 180 points.

JV Invite at Plymouth

Eight Warriors made the trip to Plymouth Saturday morning for the final JV event on the 2023-24 calendar.

With multiple classes in most weights, it was just about working through the brackets. Wawasee had three compete for first place, but none were able to break through.

Brody Young at 150 along with Will Hoy and Treyvonn Senders at 175 all reached the finals of their brackets, but all were beat by decisions. Young lost to Plymouth’s Luca Giordano 8-5, Hoy to Columbia City’s Jace Pettigrew 9-3 and Senders to NorthWood’s Ethan Miller 10-3.

Wawasee did have competitors finish their season with a win, led by 138-pound senior Anthony Hughes, who finished his career with a pin at 1:25 over Aiden Burnett of Logansport. Devin Sewell and Blake Rolston also finished wins to take third in the 157 and 175 grids, respectively. Kyron Cantu was fifth at 145 and Dewey Lindsey was seventh at 150.

Full results for both tournaments can be found on Track Wrestling.