By Baylee Knebel
At the Fort Wayne Semi-State on Saturday, Feb. 14, the five Delta wrestlers went 20-0 in their matches. In fact, they won 18 of those 20 matches by pin or by technical fall.
That means those five wrestlers all will enter this weekend’s IHSAA State Finals with high seedings, giving several Eagles a chance to make a run at a state championship.
In the last 30 years, only two Delta wrestlers have won a state title. They were Eric Kerkhof in 1996 and Jacob Gray in 2017.
Last year the Eagles finished seventh at the State Finals. The previous two years they were 10th both seasons. Those are the best finishes in nearly 30 years, but that could change this year.
“With this squad I think we have what it takes to surprise a lot of people and finish as a top 5, maybe top 3 team,” junior Jensen Boyd said. “Our team is special this year and we all are prepared more than ever.”
Jensen is currently ranked second in the state in the 132-pound weight class and holds a 42-5 record. Jensen placed fourth at state in 2024. He was injured last year and missed the tournament.
“In the end, I think that being injured was probably the best thing to happen to me,” Jensen said.
Over Christmas break in 2024 he was at a tournament in Crown Point, Ind., and during an intense match he broke his elbow.
Feeling devastated and defeated Jensen was forced into a cast for 3-4 weeks then wore a brace for 3-4 months. Unable to wrestle and do what he loved, Jensen contemplated his commitment and the way he contributed to the team.
Trying to stay positive and looking at the good, Jensen became a student coach.
“At tournaments I took on a different role and that made it fun, but it was hard,” he said.
Jensen helped his teammates even through his hard times and that is what being a true team player is all about.
Don’t let his injury fool you, though, Jensen is resilient and ready for every opponent that he faces.
“I am going in confident and I’m grateful to be wrestling this year,” he said. “I like being the underdog because you don’t have as much pressure on your back and you can just let it fly.”
Jensen isn’t the only Eagle who has faced adversity.
Karson Kahalekomo is a freshman transfer from Daleville. Over the past summer during wrestling practice he broke his leg.
“It was tough to recover from but now I’m recovered and doing better than ever,” Karson said.
He is currently ranked 10th in the state at 106 and has a 40-4 record.
A big part of the reason that the wrestling team is so successful is not just because of their talent, it is because of their culture and friendship.
“We’re together every day so I just know them really well,” Karson said.
Delta has been overlooked many times these past few seasons, but they are ready to take the mat with confidence.
“My mindset is to do better than last year and just show that I’ve gotten a lot better,” junior Sam Mosier said.
Sam is another big leader for Delta. He wrestles in the 144-pound class and is ranked 8th in the state with a 42-3 record. Sam finished state last year in 4th place.
Sam has made his name known in many different ways. He just recently earned 100 career victories along with a county championship.
Sam has his teammates to thank for that.
“We go through a lot together,” Sam said. “Practices suck and we can bond through that.”
Senior Kaid Jackson hasn’t had as much public attention as some of his record-breaking teammates but his stats speak on their own. Ranked 13th in the state in the 113-pouns class with a 41-3 record, Kaid finished fifth at state last year. This will be his third time being a state qualifier and he is ready to go back and fight hard on the mat.
“I’m being consistent in taking one day at a time, working hard, and trusting the outcome,” Kaid said.
Kaid describes scenes of being doubted, the underdog, misunderstood, overlooked, but never losing hope, in fact preferring this hostility toward him.
“I always wrestle good when I am the underdog and I’m not expected to beat somebody,” he said. “I come out on top and the rankings don’t matter.”
Kaid often resets his mind, takes one day at a time and most important of all stays where his feet are.
Taking time to rest your mind is a popular fad with these boys.
Reed Wicker is a sophomore who is ranked 4th in the 120-pound class with a 39-3 record. He also finished fifth at state last year.
“My mindset is the same as last year,” he said. “I’m only thinking of a good outcome.”
Reed is a man of few words but his goal is to show up and give it his all. He is solely focused on improving from last season. Of course, like all his teammates, he is hopeful for a state title to go along with his improvement.
