SIAC Re-Cap

[hook and half]

Only one seed did not hold in what largely amounted to a Castle and Mater Dei dual.  With 13 entries in the final compared to Castle's 10, the Wildcats' depth carried the day.  Bob Harmon's Knights are also deep.  It's a shame they did not get a bid to Team State; Castle would have been in the mix.

 

If you see Larry Mattingly, give him a hug, a bandage and some aspirin.  All of the SIAC teams have been touched by illness/injury, but his Tigers seemed to have cornered the market. If Memorial hopes to defend their 2014 Castle sectional title next weekend, they had better get healthy in a hurry.

 

Central's Isaiah Kemper along with Mater Dei's Kyle Luigs, Alex Johnson, Nick Lee, Ashton Forzley, Sam Bassemier and Adrian Butler receive NO overtime pay, as all seven settled for nothing less than pins.  Lee may get his pay docked as he spent 1:52 on the mat...in three matches. 

 

Castle's wrestling community did their usual outstanding job of keeping things going, offering hospitality and running on time.  The gym was cleared by 3:30.

 

106-  Castle's Baxter Annakin carried the banner for the home team beating Mater Dei's Nolan Weidner 9-2, for the gold.  Annakin looked fit, strong and poised for a post-season run.

 

113-  If you like scrambles, booing/cheering referees, hating/loving Mater Dei fans, refs putting/taking points off the board, lead changes and ground and pound....then the final between Mater Dei's Kyle Luigs and Central's Carson Willis was for you.  This match had it all.  Luigs eventually came out on top, but I defy anyone to point to a match in which more things happened in 3:47.  Both are extremely dangerous.  Folks at the Central sectional might catch a rematch next weekend.

 

120-  Mater Dei's Will Egli was all business en route to a pair of technical falls and his second SIAC title.  As promised, North's Dawson Matherly and Castle's Kyle McBride delivered a doozy in the semifinal, with McBride prevailing, 2-1.

 

126-  Castle's Braedon Clopton was caught in an improvised throw by Alex Johnson that decided the title.  Reitz's Caleb Craig  beat Central's Connor Willis in a tight 3-2 match for third.

 

132-  Give North's Josh Elpers credit, he came for win and went after the Wildcats' Nick Lee hard.  At the end of the day, however, Lee owned his second SIAC bracket board.

 

138-  Mater Dei freshman Joe Lee came out on top in the Muscle & Fitness weight class.  Castle's Austin Ramsey beat Reitz's AJ Dixon, 4-2, in a tremendous semifinal match.  Dixon beat Memorial's Johny Wargel for third.  138 was ridiculous in Warrick county on January 24.

 

145-  Newspapers aside, Mater Dei's Blake Jourdan and Patrick Schnell of Castle delivered an exciting final.  Jourdan drew first blood with a quick takedown and back points and proceeded to hold Schell at bay for the balance of the match.  Two great athletes--and kids--offered a lot to the spectators. 

 

Who is a fan of Bosse's Nigel Buchannan?  I am!  Buchanan is a gamer and claimed a medal for the Bulldogs.

 

152-  Central's Isaiah Kemper was fit, fast, strong, technical and focused.  His number-two ranking looks justified.  Look for Castle's Jacob Farmer and Mater Dei's Mitch Lehman to find a seat at the table in the next couple of weeks.

 

160-  Castle's Turner Lockyear and Mater Dei's Nick Buedel delivered a match that will not be done justice in this space.  They got busy early as Buedel threw Lockyear to his back for a pi...No wait!  Buedel is getting, pinned, no, Lockyear.  Wait, wait, WAIT!  Watch a video of this match five days in a row and you will not score it the same way twice.  Lockyear reveled in holding the top spot of the podium in his home gym.

 

Lockyear/Buedel provided the wildest scramble I have seen this year, maybe ever.  I would pay a full ticket price to see a rematch tonight.  Wow! 

 

170-  When Castle's top-seeded Blake Jeffress toed the line across from MD's Ashton Forzley, I'm sure he expected a lot of scoring.  So, of course, the first period ended 0-0.  The crowd settled in for what looked to be a triple overtime chess match, when, out of nowhere, Forzley hit a spladle for a second period fall.  You will see these two again.  North's Justin Naylor beat Memorial's Chris Voegel, in overtime, for what was the premier first round bout.

 

182-  Mater Dei's Sam Bassemier beat Castle's Evan Dowell for the title on the center mat.  Both looked very good and could make a deep run in the State Tournament.

 

195-  It's white-knuckle time when Mater Dei's Chase Anslinger takes the mat.  Anslinger earned a razor-thin win over Central's Gabe Patterson in the semis, followed by a very tight match, that ended in a fall, over Castle's Jake LaMar in the final.  The trio are very close; you will likely see a round two.

 

220-  Harrison's Terrance Kyles, a standout defensive football player for the Warriors, got his prayers answered:  Six minutes alone on a mat with a quarterback.  Mater Dei's Kurtis Wilderman accepted the challenge and hit Kyles with everything he had.  Kyles claimed a victory in a match that left the audience applauding both grapplers.  This bout was non-stop action.  Note to any wrestler over 182 pounds:  Get a copy of a video of this match and live it.  This is what a wrestling match looks like.

 

285-  A very aggressive Adrian Butler showed up for the final against Memorial's Will Page, and Mater Dei's Greg Schaefer was happy about it.  Butler kept Page on his heels and walked away with his first SIAC title.  Reitz's Devin Reed nearly provided the upset of the tourney in the semifinal.  Up on Butler late in the third period, Reed got caught and gave up the fall.  Reed is only a sophomore.  Look for him to regroup next weekend.

 

Great crowd, good wrestling and a nice facility provided a wonderful day of wrestling in Paradise.

[carseller0822]

Great recap. Thanks

[toddlockyear]

Well done Hook... And to MD...

[Jayruss]

Nicely done sir