Rochester sophomore Brant Beck came up one win short of reaching the state championship wrestling match Saturday at the Ford Center in Evansville.
Beck, competing at 165 pounds, scored decision wins over Cowan’s Levi Abbott, 5-1, and Bloomington South’s Evan Roudebush, 4-3, to reach the semifinal round.
Warren Central sophomore Waylon Cressell knocked Beck out of state title contention with a 13-5 victory. Cressell went on to win the state title.
Beck returned to the mat and defeated Crown Point’s Anthony Rinehart in the third-place match. Beck finished the season with a 46-2 record.
Rochester senior Brady Beck closed out his career with a fifth-place finish at the state finals. He scored a 7-3 win Friday night over Leo’s Isaiah Coolman in the opening round matches at 285 pounds.
On Saturday, Beck was defeated by Center Grove’s Nate Johnson, who went on to capture the state title. Beck rebounded to get wins over Heritage Hills’ Hayden Smith and Bluffton’s Juan Cruz to secure fifth place in the bracket.
Beck went 46-2 this season.
Three more Rochester wrestlers lost opening round matches Friday in Evansville. Freshman Grant Holloway was defeated by Delta’s Jensen Boyd at 106 pounds. Sophomore Layne Horn lost to Jay County’s Cody Rowles at 126. And senior Alex Deming’s career ended with a loss to Cathedral’s Jackson Weingart.
