EVANSVILLE WRESTLING SEMI-STATE: State-bound Beadles finishes third again; Mowery-Shields falls one match short of finals

EVANSVILLE – Aiden Beadles will represent South Putnam at the IHSAA Wrestling State Finals next weekend, making a return trip the Ford Center in Evansville after finishing third at 215 pounds in the IHSAA Evansville Semi-State Saturday afternoon.

Beadles and teammate Keenan Mowery-Shields were the final Putnam County wrestlers going into the penultimate weekend of wrestling and both nearly came out the other side still going.

Both wrestlers won their opening round matchups as Beadles pinned North Posey’s Brant Oakley in the opening period while Mowery-Shields won a 9-0 major decision over Vincennes Lincoln’s Gabe Vieck at 285 pounds.

In the ticket round, Beadles grabbed an early 2-0 lead over Franklin Community’s Kellen Fellure but saw the lead erased at the end of the second period after Fellure took bottom to start the round and scored a reversal to level things at 2-2.

Beadles scored an early escape to start the third period and, in the closing seconds, scored a late takedown and back points for a 7-2 win and a berth in the state finals.

Mowery-Shields, paired off with Floyd Central’s Justin Brown, nearly found his way to the finals as well after a late takedown and near fall at the end of the opening period saw the freshman take a 5-0 lead into the second period.

Brown was able to ensnare Mowery-Shields right after an escape to start the second period, however, and finished Mowery-Shields’s first high school season at 37-5.

Beadles suffered a second-period fall against Tell City’s Landon Terry in the semifinal round but was in familiar territory, wrestling for third place for a third-straight weekend as a result, and capped a fantastic day with another first period fall over Heritage Hill’s Parker Hart.

The IHSAA Wrestling State Finals will take place at the Ford Center next Friday and Saturday, moved from Gainbridge Fieldhouse due to the upcoming NBA All-Star Weekend. The draw for the finals will take place Sunday night.