Jesse Mendez got an early scare in his state championship match, while Chesterton's Evan Bates controlled things throughout in his final.

Both local wrestlers finished with titles. Mendez, a Crown Point sophomore, won at 132 pounds, while Bates was victorious at 220 in the state finals Saturday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Perry Meridian's Matthew Koontz put Mendez on his back in the first period and the match was tied at 8-8 at one point.

Mendez, ranked No. 1 by Indiana Mat, staved off a pin attempt from Koontz, who is No. 2, before recovering to take over the match and repeat as a state champion with a 25-13 major decision.

"I think everyone took a deep breath," Crown Point coach Branden Lorek said. "We had deep confidence in Jesse's ability. He wasn't going to panic. That's what makes matches so great, because it can change in second."

Things changed for the rest of the match, as Mendez, who won at 126 last season, outscored Koontz 17-5 the rest of the way.

"He stayed calm," Lorek said of Mendez. "He adjusted really fast. He's looking to score constantly."

Mendez spoke highly of his competition,

"Matthew is a great wrestler," Mendez said. "We've been wrestling since we were young. He's one of my best friends.

"It's so exciting."

Bates remained in control the entire match, winning 9-0 over West Lafayette Harrison's William Crider. Bates advanced to the title match with a 6-5 win over No. 2 Drew Webster of North Montgomery in the semifinals. Bates, ranked No. 1, defeated Crider, who was No. 4, in the championship match of the EC Central Semistate. Crider had a height advantage, but that didn't seem to bother the Trojans junior.

"Definitely wrestling a guy that tall is difficult," said Bates, who was third at 182 last year. "I just had to stick to my game plan."

Mendez's teammate, Noah Hollendonner, battled No. 1-ranked Eli Dickens of Evansville Mater Dei before falling 9-3 in the 160 final.

"He believes that he belonged in that match," Lorez said of Hollendonner, who entered ranked No. 7. "He kept fighting. He showed lots of heart this weekend, and we are so proud of him."

Region rematches

Wheeler's Giovanni Diaz gained local bragging rights for the final time this season, edging Crown Point's Riley Bettich 3-2 for third place at 120 pounds.

In other Region matchups in the consolation rounds, Crown Point's Stephen Roberson defeated Chesterton's Aiden Torres 5-1 for fifth at 126 and Chesterton's Brock Ellis defeated Merrillville's Jacob Maldonado 3-1 for fifth at 145.

Mixed results

Crown Point's Logan Frazier finished third at 113 pounds with a 3-1 sudden-victory win over Sullivan's Lane Gulbert. Merrillville's Khris Walton lost 7-2 to Perry Meridian's Aiden Warren for third at 182. At 285, Portage's Darian Dancy lost 3-1 to Dorian Keys of Brownsburg to finish fourth.