Eight area wrestlers headed to Indy for finals
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The Howard County area will be well represented at the IHSAA 2026 Girls Wrestling State Finals at the Indiana State Fairgrounds this weekend as eight local grapplers punched their tickets to the big show at the regional competition in Kokomo on Jan. 10.
Makayela Philapy of Tri-Central leads the group of finalists as the champion at 135 lbs. She is joined by Ja’layia Williams of Kokomo, who finished second at 135 lbs. Ava Roe of Western advanced with a second-place finish at 155 lbs., and Emersyn Adkins of Tipton took second at 170 lbs. to ensure a trip to the state fairgrounds.
Also heading to the state finals is Jade Chloe Johnson from Western, who placed third at 145 lbs. Makyila Rubush of Kokomo advanced with a fourth-place finish at 125 lbs., and Addison Cline of Kokomo also finished fourth to make state in the 130-pound weight class. Olivia Brown of Peru also advances in the 155-pound weight class.
Kokomo also played host to the sectional round of competition, which took place on Jan. 2. At that event, several local grapplers found success. Adkins from Tipton was the sectional champion at 170 lbs., and until the regional final she maintained an undefeated record.
Johnson from Western was the sectional champion at 145 lbs. and heads to the state finals with a 35-2 record. Philapy from Tri-Central also was a sectional champion at 135 lbs. and carries a 36-1 record for the season.
Other sectional champions include: Spencer Martin of Kokomo at 110 lbs.; Shaylee Walker of Western at 115 lbs.; Nevaeh Wilson of Kokomo at 120 lbs.; and Brown of Peru at 155 lbs.
Runners-up at the sectional included: Maya Wagner of Maconaquah at 235 lbs.; Layne Mercedes of Western at 190 lbs.; Roe of Western at 155 lbs.; Cline of Kokomo at 130 lbs.; Rubush of Kokomo at 125 lbs.; Analeigh Hood of Tipton at 120 lbs.; and Kayden Parado of Northwestern at 105 lbs.
At the state competition, Rubush (27-6) will open against Corabella Wesley (38-0) of Hobart. Cline (28-10) faces Abigail Gilbert (39-1) of Hagerstown. Philapy (36-1) faces Claire Bowman (25-7) of Pendleton Heights. Williams (26-11) wrestles Grace Carpenter (19-8) of Marion.
Johnson (35-2) will grapple with Aubrey Belser (35-4) of Franklin Community. Roe (30-5) will take on Mariana Castro (27-5) of Warsaw. Brown (25-5) wrestles Gaby Robles (28-9) of Hobart. Adkins (30-1) will face Lily Wolke (30-8) of Brownsburg.
The IHSAA 2026 Girls Wrestling State Finals will take place at Corteva Coliseum on the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis on Fri., Jan. 16. Tickets for the event go on sale Wed., Jan. 14, at 8 a.m.
Admission is $20 per session and the event features reserved seating. Tickets are digital-only through a mobile device and are available on Ticketmaster. Parking for the event is $10. All matches will be streamed online at www.ihsaatv.org and are available for viewing for a $20 subscription fee.
Gates will open at 8:30 a.m., and a Parade of Champions follows at 9:30 a.m. The first round of competition follows at 10 a.m. The quarterfinal and semifinal rounds take place immediately following. The consolation round will be wrestled at 4:15 p.m., and the state championship matches begin at 7 p.m.
See additional photos from the sectional round of competition, courtesy of Adam Hartsough, on the Lantern’s Facebook page or group.