Decatur Central sophomore Bryce Johnson controls Mooresville’s JJ Getts before pinning him in their 182-pound match during Saturday’s DC Dual Invitational.

By Steve Page
Correspondent
Aaron Schlueter and his coaching staff weren’t sure what to expect when the Hawks hosted five other teams in Saturday’s round-robin Decatur Central Invitational in the school’s Dave “Doc” Rather Gymnasium.
But the coaches knew what they wanted.
“We wrestled Tech on Wednesday,” Schlueter explained. “Today, we challenged our kids to be more fundamental and wrestle tougher.”
For the most part, the Hawks did just that. Outside of a loss to powerhouse Terre Haute North, the Hawks swept Mid-State Conference rivals Mooresville (42-40), Plainfield (42-36) and Greenwood (48-36) as well as Scecina (63-18).
“Overall, it was a great day,” Schlueter said. “We had Greenwood, Plainfield and Mooresville, three conference teams. That feels good for the kids. We exceeded my expectations today.
“Tough team, that Terre Haute North. Hats off to them.”
On this day, the Hawks wore many of those hats.
There were many bright spots, with three standout performances.
“We had three 5 and 0’s: Isaac Cadwell, David Oyebode and Lucas Cadwell,” Schlueter noted. “And we had many 4 and 1’s.”
Isaac Cadwell, a 152-pound senior, pinned Greenwood’s A. Haedter, outpointed Plainfield’s T. Williams 8-3, topped Terre Haute North’s M. Tanoos 10-1, pinned E. Arismendi of Scecina and pinned Mooresville’s S. Lynn.
His brother, Lucas, a 126-pound sophomore, won his Greenwood match by forfeit, stopped Plainfield’s G. Wartham 7-5, notched a 17-4 win over North’s L. Judson, won by forfeit against Scecina and pinned Mooresville’s T. Miller.
Oyebode, a 170-pound junior, pinned Greenwood’s A. Scott, pinned Plainfield’s E. Eck, topped North’s J. Hastings 3-0, won by forfeit against Scecina and pinned Mooresville’s T. Montgomery.
The Hawks registered a rare win over the Pioneers, thanks in part to eight pinfalls in a match that started at 145 pounds. One of those, Lucas Cadwell’s pin at 126, gave the Hawks a 42-34 lead with two matches to go.
The match with Plainfield was tied 36-36 before senior Karla Marmolejo took a win by forfeit to give the victory to the Hawks.
“We saw the heart and dedication of the kids,” Schlueter said. “We believe in ourselves. It’s exciting.”
The coach said his wrestlers had help.
“It was great, with the crowd,” Schlueter said, “and we had a bunch of alumni come back. It was good to see them. The kids feel supported.”
The coach said the growth is coming from within as well.
“The girls’ program is bringing energy,” Schlueter said. “There’s a lot of competition between the girls and boys. They’re matching up as a group. The girls are going phenomenal. Lydia Mulbah (152) is ranked 12th in the state. The only two she lost were to girls who are state ranked. They’re improving every time. I’m impressed with their work ethic and attitude.”
That sentiment applies to the entire team.
“We still have a lot to build off,” Schlueter said. “We’re young, but we’re headed in the right direction.”