The view for last year's LaPorte Sectional was a lot different for Chesterton wrestlers Ryley Harlow and Mike Double, neither of whom competed in the tournament.

Suffice it to say they both enjoyed Saturday much more.

Harlow and Double joined Chris Katsafaros as champions for the Trojans, who also captured their first team title in five years. Chesterton, which put nine in the finals, scored 260.5 points, easily outdistancing runner-up New Prairie (210).

"It's my first sectional championship ever in any sport," Harlow said. "To win individually and as a team, it's awesome."

Harlow (32-7), who missed most of last season with a neck iunjury, took the heavyweight class with a pin of LaPorte's Landon Blackburn in 1:25.

"I've got some of the best coaches around," Harlow said. "They beat the (heck) out of me. It's like they have engines with no gas tanks. They just keep going."

The finals match capped a day in which Harlow spent barely three minutes on the mat.

"Ryley did more wrestling in the room Thursday," coach Chris Joll said. "(Regionals) may be that way, too."

Double (20-10), competing in his first sectional, bested Glenn's Mike Salyer 6-3 at 126.

"He was more cautious," Double said, referring to a previous match he won by major decision over Salyer. "I knew when he started backing up, I'd have to attack, which is more my style. It makes me feel great that the team has another kid to come through with a win, and it's a huge confidence boost going into regionals."

Double built a 5-0 lead with a third-period takedown. Salyer got within 5-3 with 17 seconds left, but it was too little, too late.

"Mike's started firing on all cylinders," Joll said. "I don't know if he has four, six or eight cylinders, but he's not missing."

Chesterton's other champ was no stranger to the top of the podium. Chris Katsafaros won the 145-pound title for his fourth sectional championship.

"There aren't a whole lot of those in this particular sectional," Joll said.

Katsafaros cradled New Prairie's Cody MacLeod twice in the first period, pinning him the second time at 1:47.

"Some guys know I can hit it, so they don't let me get it. He gave it," Katsafaros said. "It's just the beginning. Winning gives me a good seed for the regional. I've still got to work on my conditioning. The coaches are beating me up pretty good to get it. I'm so excited (for the team). It's the first time in my four years here. I'm really excited for the younger classes. Hopefully they can do it again."

Six Trojans took second, five of them finishing above their seed. Kaitlin Loehmer was 106 runner-up, losing in the final by fall at 2:25 to New Prairie's Chris Trent. Matt Estill dropped a 5-2 decision to Glenn's Andrew Frey at 120. In the 132 final, Jack Davison was well on his way to an upset of Glenn's James Frey, leading 4-0 after two periods, but spent the better part of a minute caught in a tight headlock before Frey earned the fall at 5:44.

"He was blue coming off the mat," Joll said. "There was no way for (the referees) to know what was going on. It was just wrestling. That was a heartbreaker."

Davison was taken to the hospital in LaPorte as a precaution but checked out OK, according to Joll.

Jaycee Jensen (170) and Joe Ponda (195) both reached the final round by virtue of victories over top seeds. Jensen was pinned by LaPorte's Mike Eldridge in 2:37, while Ponda lost a 13-7 scramble to Knox's Michael Sustaita. Caleb Stewart of LaPorte downed Tyler Gillespie 8-3 at 182. The Trojans advanced their whole team with Tommy St. Germain (third, 160), Sawyer Hallas (third, 152), Hunter Rucklos (fourth, 138), Anthony Osorio (fourth, 113) and Conner Smith (fourth, 220) also posting top-four showings.

"With the competition here, we thought we could come out on top," Joll said. "We had close matches with LaPorte and Knox and got beat by John Glenn, so we came in thinking we had something to prove. That was a great tool to use in practice. We had some guys who had some trouble, some difficulty, some ups and downs with things, but they put it all together and did fine. We took the experience we had with the schedule we have, came here and let it all hang out."

1. Chesterton, 260.5; 2. New Prairie, 210; 3. John Glenn, 198.5; 4. LaPorte, 195.5; 5. LaVille, 129.5; 6. Knox, 116.5; 7. North Judson, 58; 8. Michigan City, 48.

106 -- Chris Trent (NP) p. Kaitlin Loehmer (C) 2:25. 113 -- Austin Coach (JG) d. Zach Wells (LP) 9-6. 120 -- Andrew Frey (JG) d. Matt Estill (C) 5-2. 126 -- Mike Double (C) d. Alex Salyer (JG) 6-3. 132 -- James Frey (JG) p. Jack Davison (C) 5:44. 138 -- Antwan Wordlaw (LP) d. Jacob Krause (K) 8-5. 145 -- Chris Katsafaros (C) p. Cody MacLeod (NP) 1:47. 152 -- Dalton Escobedo (NP) d. Kevin Land (K) 6-3. 160 -- Adam Dodson (JG) d. Wade Young (NP) 7-2. 170 -- Mike Eldridge (LP) p. Jaycee Jensen (C) 2:37. 182 -- Caleb Stewart (LP) d. Tyler Gillespie (C) 8-3. 195 -- Michael Sustaita (K) d. Joe Ponda (C) 13-7. 220 -- Ben Standifer (LP) d. Don Stanish (NP) 4-2 (OT). 285 -- Ryley Harlow (C) p. Landon Blackburn (LP) 1:25.

106 -- Shamus Troy (LP) d. Devin Becker (JG) 7-1. 113 -- Dee Collins (MC) d. Anthony Osorio (C) 10-9. 120 -- Tristan Weaver (LV) d. Matias Perez (LP) 5-3. 130 -- Bryant Hunsberger (LV) d. Tyler Kessler (NP) 7-1. 135 -- Eric Brown (NP) p. Mitchell Henry (LV) 4:26. 140 -- Jaren Young (NP) d. Hunter Rucklos (C) 3-0. 145 -- Eric Dan (K) d. Derek Hiler (JG) 10-5. 152 -- Sawyer Hallas (C) p. Ben Norton (LV) 0:50. 160 -- Tommy St. Germain (C) d. Nathan Lynch (K) 6-3. 170 -- Troy Bassell (JG) d. Chris Bailey (LV) 9-2. 182 -- Nick Dobkins (NP) p. Cody Wielgos (K) 2:03. 195 -- Steven Wajda (NJ) d. Derek Phlughaupt (NJ) 6-4. 220 -- Jacob Ayers (JG) p. Conner Smith (C) 2:56. 285 -- Austin Wilson (LV) p. Wayne Kneifel (NP) 1:56.

Posted 1/28/2013