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3 earn trips to state


MERRILLVILLE, Ind. - Nick Kraus set the bar for all New Prairie wrestlers at the state tournament last season.

But 160-pound Phil Oudhuis made his own imprint on Cougar wrestling lore by becoming the first New Prairie grappler to win a semi-state title Saturday at Merrillville High School.

“Kraus, he's always been helping me,” Oudhuis said of the 2006 state finalist who holds the honor of finishing a school-best third place. “I'm sure I'll hear him going, ‘You better not lose.'”

Oudhuis, who was the only area wrestler out of nine to claim a semi-state crown, won't necessarily be alone at Conseco Fieldhouse next week at the state tourney. Michigan City's 171-pound senior Thurman Gast and Chesterton's 130-pound senior Andy St. Germain wrestled their way to state berths.

St. Germain won three straight matches and earned a trip into the title match against unbeaten Eric Galka of Hobart. Unfortunately for the Trojan, his streak ended there with Galka taking home the title by way of 4-1 decision.

Gast, a LaPorte Sectional champion, easily pinned Matt Worsham of South Bend Adams 25 seconds into their first-round match. Lafayette Jefferson's Zach Arman left Gast with no choice but to pin him after Arman built a 9-4 lead. Gast caught Arman (34-6) slightly out of position for a reversal which set up the fall with 38.1 seconds to spare.

The semifinal against Merrillville's Joe Wing, who handed Gast (40-5) his second loss of the season in a dual meet Jan. 10, stopped the run by pinning Gast 1:10 into the first period. But unlike anyone else who faced Wing during the day, Gast grabbed the first points with a takedown.

“I think he was a little bit surprised,” Gast said. “I don't think he expected me to come out and throw that.”

Rennselaer's Adam Albrecht couldn't stand up to Gast in the late going of their third-place match. Gast, who wanted an early pin because of fatigue, came close to sticking Albrecht with three near falls.

Gast, the more physical of the two, settled for a 19-3 technical fall instead.

“I was kind of hoping to get the pin in the first, but no such luck,” he said.

The first-round bye did little to help Oudhuis jump-start his day against Logansport's Isaac Homburg, who accomplished what no other wrestler had this season by putting Oudhuis on his back. Oudhuis needed a takedown and near fall in the precious and ever-dwindling seconds to escape what could have been his last high school wrestling match.

“'I need to take my shot,' that's what was going through my head,” Oudhuis said.

Oudhuis blanked Culver Military Academy's Brandon James 13-0 and picked up a 13-8 decision over Lowell's Max Znika in the championship match.

“It feels pretty good,” New Prairie coach Wes Hobart said. “I brazenly said he can win the weight class - he should win the weight class. I'm proud of how he came through some adversity.”

Contact sports writer Jesse K. Cox at jcox@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 577.