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We'll have Mike, Caleb, and myself on tonight talking about the East Chicago and Fort Wayne semi-states. We'll try a dual broadcast on YouTube and Facebook

The academy training is a huge advantage here. We have club and our off-season, but many of our younger guys and high school guys supplement it with Red Cobra and Contenders. We did not have this option at Mishawaka. It makes life much easier. Here is somethint that has not been said yet: Administrative Support. I loved my AD, Assistant AD, and Principal at Mishawaka. I barely knew any of my Superintendents. I don’t even remember their names or how many there were. At any of our competitions, you will see multiple Brownsburg Administrators- Principal, Asst Prinicipals, AD, Assistant AD, and my superintendent has missed one tournament since I’ve been here. It was for a wedding and he made me promise to send updates. This week he text me to tell him when brackets came out on trackwrestling for semistate. 30 minutes later he sent me a list of questions about how we match up with everyone. I have never even heard of anything like this from the top. The way they courting me during my hardest time was insane. I was planning to go coach in another state. Looking at houses. He won me over in 10 minutes. I don’t think people realize how much of an impact he has on Brownsburg in general, especially wrestling. His name is Dr. Jim Snapp. I tried calling him Dr. Snapp for months. Finally, he pulled me off to the side and said, “My name is Jim and you are my friend Darrick.” How did we land a Kyle Ayersman? Jim met with him and I for over an hour. I called him and asked him to meet with Kyle. We were in his office the next morning. I’m very lucky. Snyder

This is the biggest difference and factor between successful large schools and small schools. We are a school of 375 kids. We have a pretty solid feeder program and are pretty successful for our size at the high school level. We have wrestled duals versus Brownsburg, Perry Meridian, Yorktown, Chesterton, Bloomington South, Mishawaka, Bellmont, etc within the last two years. The overwhelming factor is the depth of talent those programs have. Depth is my concern every year. 1-2 kids/ injuries can significantly affect our line up. I personally love the classed state duals. That event has allowed the smaller programs to show case their kids who otherwise may not get that kind of exposure. And it is a good recruiting tool. I also am a fan of the single class individual tourney. I love our state finals event. The only thing missing is wrestlebacks. So we need to really sit down and come up with options that would increase participation across all school sizes. I think that should be the underlying goal. If participation numbers go up, more programs can develop depth, which in turn will raise the level of wrestling, more kids get noticed by colleges, etc. Just my 2 cents. Tony Currie

Dingo's garage? I was told he was in a porta potty outside of Steak and Shake

Wabash College (Indiana) Boys Ranked in DIII Ranking_8_20180206.pdf d3wrestling.com rankings Owen Doster #2 @ 133# New Haven High School Austin Bethel Contender (11th on list) @ 149# Mt. Vernon High School Kyle Hatch #6 @ 157# Warsaw High School Darden Schurg #5 @ 174# Crown Point High School Grant Gough Honorable Mention @ 197# Winchester High School The Little Giants are at Manchester this weekend for the Mid-States Invitational then in 2 weeks Wabash College will host the NCAA DIII Midwest Regional (Feb.23-24 in Crawfordsville, IN) with the top 3 wrestlers going to the National Championships in Cleveland, OH on March 9-10. #WAF #littlegiantswrestling #clevelandbound

From what I hear he didn't use his eligibility this year. He has an option of competing next year if he chooses. This is a very young and exciting group of wrestlers. They have 42 of 44 kids that are eligible to return next year (all but one starter). Also, 32 of the 44 still have 2 years left (This include 6 kids that look to be this years regional wrestlers IMO). Great place for our local Indiana wrestlers to go after high school, if they have the grades and want to put in the work (in and out of the classroom)!

FWSS AKA the only semi state that matters

You just need heart and determination to become a semi-state qualifier!

Just as a point of contention, the same argument (growing the sport and getting more participation) was also used for class basketball but the results haven't really been seen. My point in bringing that up isn't just to say it was a failure per se...it's a complicated issue and there's a LOT that goes into it. But just as importantly, my contention is that splitting into classes will not dramatically have an effect on participation numbers. A 1A school with a struggling program will not magically attract 20 kids to wrestle just because they think they have a chance at a sectional title. It is a very real concern, when we have forfeits now, that you don't have 3 entries at 106 in an 8 man field in the 1A sectional. That would suck. Equally, splitting into a multi-class individual tourney will not ruin Indiana High School wrestling. Nothing will be diluted...it's not diluted elsewhere. So I think we all need to concede that good points are being made on all sides. I can only go by what I know, which is that I am someone that loves HS sports, is a coach at the HS level, and appreciates everything that HS sports does. I also have first hand knowledge and witness to what has been done at Brownsburg, where a program was dead and is now the beast it is. Sure, having BLee living a good 4-iron away from the school helped, but it's so much more than that. Coach Snyder and staff have absolutely worked their backsides off to actively get the most out of the kids they have, but also DEVELOP the program from the ground up. I've shared in a previous post, but I'm new to this sport. My son is a 6th grader that started wrestling after vising Bankers Life in 2016 to watch the state finals...a trip we initially went on because I had some football players there. I didn't know it then, but that lit a spark in my little dude. After being a good basketball player his entire life, he surprised me last year in the middle of football season by stating he wanted to wrestle that winter. Was this due solely to the #PainTrain success in 2016? Not hardly, but it obviously did have an effect. Every summer, Coach Snyder and staff have a 1 day wrestling camp specifically for beginners. But they don't just have it and show up and pass out Tshirts, they WORK it and identify with kids...and specifically target those with some natural ability. So my son wanted to sign up for that 1 day camp. He did, had some "success" in that environment (fun), and either Fabio or Snyder said something to him that took the spark and lit a fire I didn't even know was burning. He then participated in Club, loved it, and now is in an academy practice after his middle school practice every day there isn't a meet. All the while he still sucks at wrestling and gets it handed to him against older and more experienced boys, but knows in this sport that hard work and dedication will eventually be rewarded. But, like anything, the encouragement and care shown by the high school staff at every chance really matters. This is not unique to our family. Numbers are up a crazy amount throughout the entire program. So why share this? Because this class discussion is really about participation. Here's some ideas I have: If you think you have to have kids that specialize in wrestling, get over yourself. You gotta share athletes...and that truly means keeping your hands off during another season (besides showing up and cheering your a$$ off for one of your wrestlers). Nathan Walton is a phenomenal wrestling talent...he's also a phenomenal SS/OLB. Not once was he told to come to a wrestling activity during football season. The same holds true in reverse...and at Bburg coaches will actively kick kids out if they are in the middle of another season. This is a must if you want increased numbers for all. Get team state (classed) moved to a different time and promote it differently. I'm sure it's a long story, but why is the IHSAA not a part of this?? Why is it at the worst possible time (Over Christmas)? Why are not more teams involved? There is no substitute for hard work...as a wrestler or as a coach. You're going to have to get out in the community and identify talent as early as possible. You're going to have to develop them. Make it fun. There's a reason there is a DJ, spotlights, and a fog machine when the #PainTrain has a dual. You think the little guys aren't noticing how freaking cool it is? Consider training for parents! The wrestling community is awesome in how supportive it is...but it also suffers by the curse of knowledge and has a language all it's own. If you have an intro event for kids, also have an intro for the parents in the stands. Explain scoring, philosophy, etc. It wasn't until recently that I understood that yelling to whizzer to a kid does not mean that the kid needs a bathroom break. My mom, God love her, is 74 and never been around the sport. I need to heed my own advice and not get frustrated when she asks me for the 149th time "why did that kid get a point??" or "why do they go back to the middle, and why is that other boy on top??" As a newbie my kid and I have gone hard core for the sport, but we're fortunate to be where we are. If we had an average program or an average coach and staff, I'd still be posting on a hoops board somewhere. And that is the same if we were at a 6A school or a 1A school. Keeping this awesome individual tournament won't be the death of wrestling. But neither will classing it. Instead, devote energy to growing this awesome sport however and by whatever means necessary.

Wrestling will survive in a multi-class system or in a single class system. The question is better versus best. Class wrestling seems to help develop depth this seems fairly quantifiable considering 1) surrounding states such as Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and New York are historically considered better wrestling states than Indiana; 2) it exposes more kids to college coaches, giving more student-athletes the opportunity to compete in college, gain experience, earn a degree and go back to their community and contribute to their local wrestling community. If wrestling wants to grow in numbers its about promotion. Does specializing in a sport hurt the overall sport? I think this is to be determined. Indiana is battling against history. However, wrestle-backs throughout the state tournament would help improve an already great state tournament dramatically (no intention to open pandoras box with this sentence). It is ingrained in the fan base that they want a single class with "one true state champion." However, none of our systems are set up that way look at the NCAA. There are division I, II, III national champions as well as NAIA national champions. Depending on the size of the school even at the collegiate level they are afforded more resources and opportunities. And I highly doubt Mr. LeFever the four time national champion doesn't consider himself a "true national champion." The reality in life is not everyone can be doctors, or lawyers, or politicians, or professional athletes but all can optimize their potential given their specific skill set and exceed their perceived limitations. Wrestling is a sport that helps promote mental, physical, and emotional toughness and if classing the sport gives more individuals opportunities to further develop those skill sets then it should be considered. Also, success leads to growth. People love being part of a successful movement. If some of the smaller schools start to have more success eventually the community and students will get behind them because it is exciting to be part of a winning tradition or a foundation that leads to a winning tradition. One thing that I will say is special about this message board and Indiana wrestling fans in general is that they are passionate and truly want to grow the sport. As someone who has lived in Indiana, Arizona, and now Texas - I wish the great state of Texas had a community as passionate about yours as growing the sport.

Yes, I am very familiar with Graham, however, that is one look he gets in the room, Turley has quality and quantity!

I never said I was underestimating him, I simply don't see what you see. Turley has some of the best partners a freshman could ask for in (Triana)(Hunter)(Colza)(Fattore). Hobart has a much tougher schedule as well. Turley is battle tested and brings a lot to the table. Good luck to Gavin!

Whomever has Mason Parris. That would make me upset.

No disrespect but are any of those scenarios changed because we go to a class system?

106 has two tough ticket round matches for me Ross vs Dalton (this is toss up for me but I chose Ross only because I got to watch him at mater dei. Also who’s is Dalton’s one loss too? Scott vs Montgomery, Scott showed last week that he can hang with the big dawgs but does he have enough to top Montgomery? I think not, look for Montgomery to take 1st and to try and meet Moran under the lights next weekend. My picks: Montgomery,Ross,Gardner,Alstott 113 4 very exciting ticket round matchs! Spears vs Boarman, boarman should not have a problem taking this one but spears is a seasoned wrestler who’s put in the work. Next you have a very open 4 man bracket anyone of them could take it Brown took the first meeting vs Kendall can he do it again and then the winner should have Conley. Sutton vs Petro is another good one. Last you have Clark vs Casebolt, Clark has shown that he is peaking at the right time but does he have enough to stun Casebolt? My picks: Boarman,Casebolt,Petro, Brown 120 Two ticket round matches stick out to me, Egli vs Rouix and the big one Boe vs Cash Boe has peaked at the right time again this year but draws a very tough Cash, cash doesn’t have a lot of Notable matches but he held his own against Curtis and Fair guys that some people consider a lock. #8 vs #9 will be fun, two extremely talented kids who have been tested all year unfortunately one goes home early. My picks: Cash, Campbell, Egli, Antunez 126 Well I could write on and on about this weight class, but first I will say thank you to the wrestling gods for not matching up Garcia and Rooks in the go round, because hopefully they will meet under the lights next weekend! With a weight class this stacked your bound to have very terrible draws. Unfortunately Willis draws mills, Willis has gotten terrible terrible draws for 3 years in a row now! He in my opinion should be at least a 3 time qualifier but draws have perverted that. Is this the year he makes it does he pull of the “upset”? Next you have Egli vs Garcia, Garcia has lost two weeks in a row now to a very tough and seasoned mills but look for him to bounce back this week and take home a Semi state title I think Rooks get the best of mills why Garcia gets the best of Denny I do think Garcia gets Rooks this week but I do expect a different outcome at the Bank. My picks: Garcia, Rooks, Mills, Denny 132: Not much to say about this class for em look for Rooks to take home the title and be looking for another title next week. But he will be tested against Dickens in the finals. There is one tough ticket round match for me Craig vs Kreitzer two well deserving qualifiers. My picks: Rooks, Dickens, Kreitzer, Sullivan 138: A brutal draw for Miranda sticks out to me he draws in my opinion the state champ Combest, Miranda is tough and has plenty of accolades to back him I wouldn’t be to surprised if he upsets Combest. Next you have a pretty open bottom bracket, Donald Campbell was 7th a year ago now sitting with a 11-10 record? Was he hurt? Just having a bad season/tough competition? Hunt comes in as the one seed and I do expect him to take this quarter bracket but wouldn’t be surprised if Kincaid wins it castle wrestles one of the toughest schedules in the state and Kincaid has wrestled the best. In the finals Combest and Mulkey will be fireworks first round Combest won in overtime I expect another overtime low scoring match. My pick: Combest, Mulkey, Lee, Hunt 145 This is a wide open weight class for me, Normally I think Sellmer is the clear favorite but he looked a little off to me last week at regionals maybe he was sick? I do look for him to take the semi state title and look for a run under the lights next week at the bank. He will have a tough go round though in a talented Peyton Pruett. My picks: Sellmer, Conley, Schoenegge, Fitts 152 LOTs of could win this weight class... except they have the #1 kid in the nation they will have to get passed in order to do it. Look for a lot of scraping in this weight class lots of good ticket round matches the one that sticks out to me the most is Blubaugh vs Parkinsons, Blubaugh has been solid all year and my pick for this match up. my picks: Lee, Blubaugh, Deters, Pollitt 160 Another weight i don’t have much to say about other then I am extremely excited for Mappes vs South V2 is the finals I think this is also the match under the lights next weekend. I look for South to take this match. My picks: South, Mappes, Singleton, Osho 170 This will definitely be a scrappy weight lots of well deserving kids trying to punch there ticket! Bad draw for Carson and Beineke! I look for brewer to continue his outstanding season and continue on his run for a title next week at the bank should be a exciting finals match between him and fuller! My picks: Brewer, Fuller, William, Hayes 182 A exciting weight for me (bias reasons) this weight it the only weight with 3 Undefeated wrestlers Walton, Mosley and Guerrier! Not any go round matches stick out to me should have a lot of kids trying to punch there ticket in the 2nd quarter bracket personally I’d like to see Wilks punch his ticket for north Harrison considering it’s there first year as a program! Mosley is tough would have really liked to see him and Guerrier go at it and the winner get Walton but unfortunately that didn’t happen. Look for Walton to continue his dominating season and to be ready for a title run next weekend. My picks: Walton, Guerrier, Mosley, Wilks 195: (Another bias weight) Sonner looks like he has finally broken threw in the state series after his in my opinion dominating performance against in my opinion the 2nd best kid in the semi state in Goforth. Look for sonner to continue his great season and to be trying for a run under the lights next weekend! Lots of kids in this weight could punch there tickets no real heavy favorites in any quarter bracket! My picks: Sonner, Goforth, Smith, Stits 220: Another weight with a lot of kids brawling for a ticket to the bank Boots and Hammond are the two front runners for this weight I expect a finals match between the two! My picks: Hammond, Boots, Williams, Sisk 285: The most open weight in my opinion I think who ever shows up will win this weight no favorites for me! my picks: McCubbins, York, Graves, Kramer

But at the end of the day I always pull for the region. Hopefully he stays hot and makes a run. The kid is exciting

All great points, thats why i love this state. Such educated wrestling fans. I was in the Army and couldn't believe the lack of wrestling in the states I was stationed. Honored to get a response from ontherise219! Watch u weekly on the streams awesome job! Wrestling4ever great points as well! Cant wait to see how state plays out!

I am thankful every single day to be a Bulldog. This is not a knock on any other school system. For what I want for myself, my wrestlers, my students, and my family Brownsburg is perfect.

Lets speed this up I got a bedtime, ya'know.

A perfect storm: a top notch coach, big school in a growing and prosperous area, wrestling-friendly administration and a superior academy in your back yard

Of course he did not get Matt lees draw in 2017...Lee beat him for the regional title!

Along the way they have had other HM kids: Nier @ 125, Everson @ 141, Bates @ 184, Guzier @ 125, Schermer @ 141, and Shaffer @ 197 (transferred to Indiana Tech). This should be an interesting and fun run through Regionals and Nationals. Definitely a very young and talented team! Any senior in high school with good grades that hasn't consider Wabash should give it a second look! They will be missing out on being on a wonderful team! This is a talented and very diverse group of young men! The cool part is that 42 of the 44 wrestlers are eligible to be on next years team.

Wow.. Thanks for sharing, you have great leadership from the AD to the Super... from what is sounds. You are in a special position there at Brownsburg.

Decbell....I am saying the information is available. I cannot imagine each school not knowing their enrollment annually. Y2....I agree, what is that number. In my mind, I am not sure why the cut off would not be seven wrestlers, which is what is needed to at least tie the match. I think we have to quit comparing this tournament to the IHSAA, as I said earlier if we think they will take over a formula driven invite tournament we are mistaken. Until a tournament is developed that may be accepted by the IHSAA this format needs to be reviewed annually on how we can make this better. Standing pat leads to complacency which leads errors which leads to failure. Ways to improve should be discussed annually and changes that can be made to improve the tournament should be made annually. Do people outside the IHWCA even know how the formula works? If I show up Sunday in New Castle, end up sitting by a father from let's say Cambridge City Lincoln, we have a wrestling discussion and he is feeling good about the direction of their program and I say to him do you think within the next few years when your son is in high school that your team has a chance to score enough points to qualify for team state at least once? My bet is he gives me a blank look and has no idea what I am talking about. Shouldn't the new fan, the new or novice parent have an understanding of just how his team can qualify?

andres big cat moreno? i feel like he is slept on and very under rated i feel he has a very good chance at takeing that state title this year

1. no clue 2. no clue 3. BBurg had the ground work for this great wrestling talent, but it was never harvested before. He came in and knew exactly what to do to harvest it and grow it and build it up. Yea the current senior class is a once in a life time group of kids, but the rest of the team was there and @Darrick Snyder made them as successful as they currently are. He took back up JV kids and made them state ranked kids in 2-3 yrs because of his knowledge, system, off season working and encouragement to branch outside to utilize the local academy training. In short he is a coaching genius !! Now having @Fabio Jr. obviously is just icing on the cake. Bburg will be a team to contend with for years to come because of the talent in the community. This simply would not have happened under the previous "system" of wrestling from Nov to Feb w/no off season or academy supported training. #PainTrain

What a break for Ragle.

All of those options sounds great, but who organizes and sponsors all of it? I think this would be great to incorporate regardless of classing versus not classing. One thing that people who haven't seen both sides of the fence fail to realize is that small schools and larger schools are very nearly playing a different game. It isn't even about "fairness" it is about having an appropriate tournament for each game being played. Small schools are playing a game where success is a full line-up, starters making it through the season, coaching staff remaining consistent year-to-year. Who has spent meaningful time at a small school (less than say 650 students) and at a large school (more than say 1000 students) and is honestly against classing the tournament?

A few others... 132 Brooks over Rodriguez (toss up) 145 Turley over Banks (not an upset, but Freshman over Senior) 160 Snook over Kensinger (4 over 1) 160 Hooley over Conklin (3 over 2) 170 Miller over Brown (4 over 1)

Joe I'm curious - for your first state qualifier -- was he from a wrestling family? Another pattern I have seen over the years is that a small school will sometimes get a "bubble" of kids that might start in the sport young due to a former wrestler (or wrestling coach) getting them into the sport and then they all come up together. Not always,but sometimes there is a dropoff once the coach's kid and their bubble group get through the system as there isn't a consistent pipeline of development just a highly increased interest in one age group.

The other major contributing factor is the multi sport kid at a small school. The pool of athletes is smaller therefore we have to share kids to maintain successful programs. We have a very good football program. 20 of my 27 high school wrestlers played football and a couple run cross country. Come spring time several are playing ball. The hard work argument is not an issue. They work hard, just not always in the sport of wrestling. We try to coordinate our off season schedule with the football guys so the boys can participate in both.

I’m surprised more people are not favoring Douglas from Attica at 145 to make it to state. Yeah Attica is a tiny school and doesn’t wrestle the best competition, but Douglas went 44-3 last year and lost in the ticket round to Brayden Bailey 14-1. Douglas beat Hayden lohrey (37-4) first round 3-2. Judging by these results I have him punching his ticket.

@Fabio - no offense taken by that, and I also don't want to just argue but to discuss options. I'd like to take what you experienced and add that to my argument. You went to a LARGE school. The numbers were also down there. You increased participation, not by splitting into a segment so that your kids would be successful, but by using a combination of good coaching, great communication with parents, fantastic self-promotion of of the program and dedicating tons of the coaches time to getting a thriving youth program going. I believe you were also blessed with arriving at a program that already had some national-level wrestlers (BLee and Walton at least) among the teammates. That formula could work at a small school too, to some extent. And in fact, my guess is that it is happening at some of the more successful small schools. The limiting factor is number of potential wrestlers. Without doing some of these other things, even adding 3 or maybe 7 wrestlers to an already struggling program isn't going to do much. I am proposing that the coaches association try to promote some additional measures that could raise the level of quality across the board. I don't think that is selfish. The multi-class approach will not guarantee that a 185 pound wrestler is going to have quality practice partners if a team moves from 5 to 12 wrestlers.

@Sig40 @montymo118 New Castle should be fixed now, thanks

Possible 4 unbeatens- Curtis ft Wayne, Moreno ec, Lowery new castle Boarman Mater Dei a lot can change in the next 2 weeks but maybe something To get excited about

I feel like I am beating a dead horse, but the IHSAA (and most competitive people I know) have only one goal for the entire tournament... crown 14 individual champions. They don't care about class our second chances. I can't quote the commissioner, but in football, basketball, volleyball... you lose once and you're done. I know wrestling is individual but the mentality is the same in the IHSAA office - crown one champion in each class and move on. Know it. Live it. Love it.

At 145, while the safe bet is Slivka, I refuse to count out Servies in the probable ticket round bout. He’s a tough, experienced senior, and he’ll give everything in the tank. The match-up is reminiscent of the Brookbank/Melloh clash two years ago that resulted in the Cathedral wrestler and medalist being knocked out. Saturday will be a fun day of wrestling!

Ah, finally just in time to muddy the waters of the year-end tournament and turn strangers into dire enemies!! I am still on the #SingleClass side of the argument after several years of debating the topic. I do concede some good points to the multiple class side, or will at least admit that it could possibly work to solve some issues. My main argument is that the goal is never really clearly defined. What is it that Y2 and others believe that a move to class wrestling will fix? Is it to have more high-end wrestlers? Provide college wrestling opportunities to more kids? Increase the sheer number of wrestlers in the state, regardless of quality? Raise the level of wrestling as a whole for the "average" wrestler in the state?? Is the real problem in Indiana at the small school level only? Depending on the goal, I've offered my opinion on some others ways these problems could be solved. I definitely don't think that class wrestling is a silver bullet for solving them all.

Asbury 4040 for your noble efforts.

Gavin Banks is legit that is a tough bracket.

Turley @145 won’t be an easy out. Definitely making some major strides late in his freshman season. Don’t be surprised if he grabs one of those golden tickets to Bankers Life.

We shouldn't even have weight classes, way too watered down already. If no one can beat Mason Parris they are scum of the earn anyway.

By STEVE KRAH stvkrh905@gmail.com A quiet leader continues to make noise for the Goshen High School wrestling program. By scoring three first-period pins and earning a second straight Goshen Regional title GHS 106-pounder senior Fernando Flores heads to the Fort Wayne Semistate with a 2017-18 season record of 39-3. At 145-26, “Nando” is No. 2 on Goshen’s all-time victory list. Program No. 1 Andrew Yoder, who went 40-4 and placed fourth at the state meet as a senior in 1998, finished his prep mat career at 156-36. “I like going out there and competing and having a good show for the fans,” says two-time Elkhart Sectional champion Flores when asked about his favorite part about wrestling. “I try to score as fast as I can.” Fernando is one of Goshen’s captains. But his leadership style is not a vocal one. “He’s a quiet kid,” says RedHawks head coach Jim Pickard. “But he leads by example. It’s his work ethic and what he produces. “He does speak up when he needs to, but he’s really that example: ’Let’s do what Nando’s doing.’ You go and you work hard all the time.” With its physicality, wrestling can be a grueling sport and pain is inevitable. Flores pushes past it with plenty of support from his family, teammates and coaches. Shawn Haley and Marquita Flores have four boys — Victor, Hector, Fernando and Ricky. Victor, a 152-pounder, was a Goshen senior in 2015, 126-pound Hector in 2016. Ricky, a 120-pounder, is younger than Fernando and was on the RedHawks team last season. Fernando started his mat career as a sixth grader and chose wrestling over basketball when he got to high school. He was a semistate qualifier as a sophomore and a state qualifier as a junior. Where has he improved most since last season? “I’ve gotten better at getting off the bottom,” says Flores. “I’ve worked a lot on that. Last year, I had some trouble with it. “I’ve also gotten more confident.” That confidence has been helped by his coaches, including Jim Pickard and assistants Matt Katzer, Troy Pickard, Travis Pickard, Josh Abbs, Carl Creech, Gerardo Quiroz, Ben Schrock and Miguel Navarro, telling him that he could do well in the state tournament series if he performed to his capabilities. “It was a whole experience for me,” says Flores of going to the State Finals at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. “I just want to go down there again. What will it take to get back there? “A lot of hard work and just putting in the time over the summer,” says Flores. “That’s a big difference for a lot of guys. Working over the summer, you get so much better coming into the next season.” Some of Fernando’s favorite wrestlers are Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder and NCAA champion Nathan Tomasello — both at Ohio State University — and world and Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs. “I try to shoot a high crotch,” says Flores. “Tomasello is really good at those. I went to one of his camps. He showed us a whole bunch of set-ups and uses.” Pickard has encouraged Flores to open up his offense in recent weeks. “We don’t want to just do the same moves,” says Pickard, who is in his 25th season at Goshen. “Sooner or later, someone is going to shut down some of those moves. We’ve worked a little bit on some stuff he hasn’t done that much. “You’ve got to have that second, third, fourth move.” Pickard says moves must be practiced over and over again until they become muscle memory. “We drill everyday and we drill multiple moves,” says Pickard. “We don’t just drill your favorite moves. “You’ve got to be able to switch off. I tell kids all the time that by the time you think I should do this, it’s too late. You just have to do it.” Pickard says Flores is beginning to get to the point where he can make the necessary on-the-fly changes. “He’s getting there,” says Pickard. “It’s one-week-at-a-time, but I think he has what it takes to get where he wants to be in two weeks. “He’s more committed than most. And he’s put in the time needed. He’s believing in himself. He’s focused and determined.” While Flores has been a 106-pounder at state tournament time the past four seasons, he has competed at 113 and 120 this season. Flores is still contemplating his future plans. He says he is considering college or joining the U.S. Air Force. View full article

BENJAMIN *whatever your middle name is* DALTON.... picture... In your moms voice...... don’t read or listen to these haters say/picks about anything . They know zero about wrestling and your hard work & determination Champ ! Use it as #motivation Champ !

Attica (one of the smallest schools in the state with wrestling - an enrollment of about 205) has 6 underclassmen qualified for SS

Moran,Alexander,Diaz,Reagan Moreno,Diaz,Tolin,Hegedus Triana,Peele,Schuller,Hickman Poynter,Demien,Kelly,Gomez Bryant,Betourne,Brooks,Luna Rumph,Demboski,Davis,Risner Mcintosh,Douglas,Laplace,Ellis Calhoun,Lamore,Wahington Jr, Ruble Kasch,Lemley,Hoover,Hooley Fattore,Crary,Traficanti,Brown Chafee,Boland,Girgenti,Kieffer Davison,Fowler,Hurley,Ford Streck,Lafree,Kidwell,Simpkins Porkorney,Mcwilliams,Crider,Atria

106-Moran, Cruz, Diaz, Reagan 113-Moreno, Diaz, Hegedus, Tolin 120-Triana, Peele, Bautista, Kaiser 126-Poynter, Gomez, Kelly, DeMien 132-Bryant, Rodriguez, Betourne, Taylor 138-Rumph, Dembowski, Davis, Burford 145-McIntosh, Ellis, LaPlace, Pack 152-Washington, Lamore, Calhoun, Ruble 160-Kasch, Lemley, Hoover, Kensinger 170-Fattore, Crary, Traficanti, Brown 182-Girgenti, Sneed, Lockett, Washington 195-Davison, Fowler, Schoonveld, Hurley 220-Streck, LaFree, Mochen, Thomas 285-Pokorney, McWilliams, Atria, Crider portage will edge Chesterton out with 5 champs. Some really good kids going home due to some rough draws in the ticket round.

Throw all the rankings out now and just keep wrestling Andres like you have......the rest will take care of itself.

Well on the newest rankings I see from 1-25 has Moreno at #6. let's take a little closer look at the guys in front of Moreno. And see why the rankers would have them ahead of Moreno. At # 1 it is a no brainer. #1-Brayden Curtis- undefeated and is a returning state champion and also ranked in the nation. #2-Jose Diaz-state qualifier 2 years ago and placed 8th last year at this same weight class losing to eventual state champion 7-3 but inj defaulted his next 2 matches to get 8th. also placed 4th at IHPO beating some really good kids in a stacked weight.Undefeated at time of rankings.(lost twice to Moreno since) #3-Brayden Lowery- 3rd in state last year(losing only to eventual state champion) also still Undefeated. Has several great wins. Common opponent is Alex Petro- Lowery won 9-1 and Moreno won 6-3 #4-Andrew Black- State Runner up last year. Lost to #1 Curtis in OT at conference 6-4 #5-Blake Boarman- He just doesn't lose much.He is still Undefeated. As an EIGHTH grader Just a few weeks after High School State Finals was over he pinned runner up Hunter Watts and then beat 4th place finisher Brock Peele who Moreno beat this year 11-9 in OT. Finally the rankings aren't who they think will win the state championship. It's who is getting the best wins and wrestling the better competition and it gives them recognized. I personally think Moreno will win it this year but if I was a ranker then I'd have him at 6 at the time these came out.(has beaten Diaz twice since)

You can't answer my questions, that's fine because it would hurt your argument. I understand because you are the same as the others. You're a fan, I don't care about you, I care about the health of the sport and the number of kids participating in the sport. If there is a good product on the mat people will come, they won't care about classes. Gable Steveson has won three world titles and is wrestling in a classed system right now. How will he survive? Why is he even doing it? He probably is going to throw his medal in the trash with the other four classed medals he has. Such a great rebuttal because YOU think one kid would Feel free to tell me why Gable Steveson left a single class state to go wrestle in a classed state. I can't wait to hear this reasoning since only the top kids would want to wrestle in a single class state according to you.