HANCOCK COUNTY — The 2020-21 wrestling season ended abruptly for the Greenfield-Central Cougars.
Left wondering what could have been, the Cougars were forced to withdraw from the IHSAA state tournament series last month due to COVID-19 protocols, which unfortunately closed their campaign after the Warren Central Sectional.
With nine regional qualifiers set for Southport, the Cougars appeared primed to make a push at possibly sending a handful of wrestlers to the New Castle Semistate with a chance to continue their individual state-qualifying trend.
While Greenfield-Central never had the opportunity to see what its wrestlers could do, the team made the most of its mat time prior to early February, leading to Cougars’ Josh Holden being named the 2020-21 Hancock County Wrestling Coach of the Year.
“As a coach and as a father of a wrestler, my heart breaks not just for my wrestlers, but for any kid, who for some reason out of his/her control, has had something he/she has worked as hard for taken away,” Holden told the Daily Reporter after his team’s state tournament series withdraw. “I could not be more proud of these young men and women. From the wrestlers to the managers and trainers, from the parents and administration to the teachers and our strength coach, this program is full of the best kind of people.”
The Cougars were winners this season, regardless of the uncontrollable, finishing 17-8 on the year and more importantly the kings of the Hoosier Heritage Conference.
Greenfield-Central utilized its depth and heart to hoist the HHC team trophy this past January inside New Castle Fieldhouse, marking the program’s first title since 2012.
A collective victory, the Cougars advanced five wrestlers into the HHC’s championship finals and claimed four weight classes to best county foe New Palestine in the standings 238-205.
In the process, they finished ahead of Pendleton Heights (170) and Mt. Vernon (160) to add to their HHC title runs in 1984, 1986, 1994, 1998 and 1999. Holden was also named the HHC Coach of the Year.
The Cougars didn’t have a single wrestler place lower than fifth in any weight class during the HHC tournament with individual titles won by junior Dakota Herald at 113 pounds, senior Matt Torres at 145, junior Chase Gardner at 160 and senior Scott Stanley at 182.
At the Warren Central Sectional, Greenfield-Central had six third-place finishers in junior Cohen Hager at 120, sophomore Isaiah Holden at 126, Torres, Gardner, senior Jacob Blevens at 220 and freshman Brayden Flener at 285.
The Cougars had three fourth-place finishers to round out their nine regional qualifiers, including Stanley at 182, junior Matt Wickham at 132 and freshman Kannon Zuber at 113.
Beyond the boys wrestling team, Holden also instructed Greenfield-Central freshman Kyle Smith-Foster to a runner-up placement at 98 pounds during the 2021 Indiana High School Girls Wrestling state finals this past January.
In addition, Cougars’ Livia Quigley, a junior, placed third at 145 in her second state finals appearance.
