I've been pretty fortunate to be close to a few great rivalries.
In order of when they happened:
1. Vega vs Schaefer
Schaefer beats Vega in the semis and wins in 1995. Vega with thrilling last second win in 1996. Vega wins in the finals in 1997. The one thing that really impacted me as a young coach and I will never forget this. Vega wins in the battle of two top 10 guys in the country. 10,000 fans cheering and as a young coach, I'm crazy ecstatic for his win.....Schaefer comes over to shake my hand. He looks me in the eye and says with the utmost sincerity, "Congratulations coach, Leroy is a great competitor". I will always be a fan of Greg Schaefer because of that.
2. Bradbury vs Ramos
Not sure the Hobart faithful would call this one a rivalry because Ramos was 13-0 verse Bradbury. If anyone knows the Hobart faithful of that time, you would understand why I would hesitate to say that Bradbury was winning in the third period 6 or 7 times. (the Hobart faithful were quick to correct any error and let me know if it was only 5 or maybe 9.....and my corrections from the Hobart faithful usually ended with a "come on Eddie" and a very region insult. The 13th time they wrestled was in the state finals. Bradbury was up 4 with choice going into the third. We thought for sure this was the match he would win. Ramos was a great competitor and once again, found a way to win.
3. Eppert vs Wright
I believe these two wrestled in the finals of Regional, Semi State, and State three years in a row. Eppert was a workhorse and Wright was the ultimate athlete. Every time Eppert made an adjustment to what Wright was doing, Wright would add a new skill. It was a great chess match. Wright and his dad were brilliant, and Camden just kept adjusting.
All six of these guys are great people and it was great for Indiana wrestling to have been able to watch!