CROWN POINT | Make no mistake about it, Josh Flamme and Crown Point's wrestling team want to win state again.
The host Bulldogs certainly got the postseason started on the right foot, winning nine weight classes to amass 313.5 points and easily capture their ninth consecutive sectional title.
Flamme (152, 28-1) pinned Hanover Central's Tyler Scott in 2:32 to win his first individual title.
"I just went out there ready to go, looking for a win," Flamme said. "I'm glad I won it, finally."
As a team, Crown Point had a very impressive day, including pins in four matches. Defending state champion Eric Roach (145, 31-0) only wrestled one match all day, a 37-second quarterfinal pin. The rest were forfeits. 215-pounder Tyler Kral (32-0) capped C.P.'s wins with a 49-second pin of Kankakee Valley's Jacob Erwin.
Bloom Twp. transfers Jake Fuqua (135, 20-1) and younger brother Josh (103, 31-1) have proved invaluable to the success of the Bulldogs this season. Josh defeated a skilled wrestler in Valparaiso's Max Buckley 3-0 while Jake -- who is coming off a left knee injury -- scored a 5-0 decision over Lowell's Kenny Hughes in their respective championship matches.
"The room here is a lot better with Eric Roach and Jason Tsirtsis," Fuqua said. "It's making me a lot better. I feel a lot more conditioned to wrestle even though my knee is killing me."
In total, Crown Point qualified every wrestler to the Feb. 5 LaPorte Regional, something that coach Scott Vlink was quite pleased with.
"We keep the whole team, including JV and everybody in the room rather than just practice with the guys who qualified, that makes a big difference," Vlink said.
Hanover Central's Paul Petrov remained undefeated (39-0) with a 12-1 win over C.P.'s Colton Saroff at 112. Petrov kept Saroff -- a skilled opponent himself -- at bay throughout most of the match.
"I just wanted to control the match and just work my match, my tie-ups and my shots," he said.
Valparaiso's Chad Miller (21-3) got the lone win for the Vikings at 130, defeating C.P.'s Cameron Halsted 11-3.
"It feels good; it's the first time I've won finals in a sectional," he said. "I just kept working hard. I wanted to win it. Basically, good things will happen if you keep going at him. I need to keep thinking about working hard and winning will come after that."
Lowell, which finished second with 198.5 points received wins from Jeremy Crocker (171, 23-3) and Ryan Patterson (189, 16-13). K.V.'s Kyle Dalka (33-7) picked up a win at heavyweight.
Please Wait…
