Warsaw’s Kyle Hatch (at left above) won his first-round match by a fall at the State Finals in Indianapolis Friday night (Photos provided by Scott Gareiss)

INDIANAPOLIS – Kyle Hatch checked the first goal off his State Finals wish list Friday night.

The Warsaw sophomore earned a tough first-round win during action at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Hatch topped Isaac Gomez of Plainfield by fall at the 5:11 mark in first-round action in the 120-pound weight class.

“Kyle wrestled really well tonight,” said Warsaw coach Justin Smith in a phone interview. “It was a good Friday night match for him. I credit the Plainfield kid. He was strong and was able to tie Kyle up early on.

“Kyle was able to open his offense up and then was able to get the pin. He was the only 120-pounder from the Merrillville Semistate to win tonight. That’s quite an accomplishment for him.”

Hatch placed third at the Merrillville Semistate last Saturday. The three other wrestlers in his weight class who advanced from there all lost in the first round Friday night.

Hatch and Gomez were deadlocked at 0-0 after the first period Friday night. Hatch got going late in the second period and took a 7-2 lead with an escape early in the third period before getting the pin for the win.

“Kyle’s feeling good right now,” said Smith from the hotel. “The key now is to rest for Saturday.”

Hatch, who earned an eighth-place finish at 106 at State as a freshman, is now 43-2. Gomez finishes his junior season at 25-3.

Hatch will see a familiar foe in his quarterfinal match Saturday morning. He will face Sawyer Miller. The South Adams senior, who improved to 43-0 with a 10-2 win in his first-round match Friday night, handed Hatch his first loss of the season. Miller beat Hatch 4-3 at the Garrett Tournament back on Jan. 17.

“It’s a rematch of sorts and Miller is a solid wrestler,” remarked Smith. “It was a fight the first time and I don’t expect Saturday to be any different.

“Facing someone a second time is much harder for both wrestlers. There will be a little extra motivation for Kyle and that’s good. He will be fired up to wrestle Miller.

“The thing is that Kyle wants to advance farther than last year and better his place. It’s just one match at a time on Saturday.”

The quarterfinal round is scheduled for a 9:30 a.m. start Saturday. The semifinals will then start at 5 p.m. with the finals at 7:30 p.m.

Kyle Hatch strikes a familiar pose after another win. The WCHS sophomore is now 43-2 on the season and will compete in day two of the State Finals on Saturday.