Best wrestler never to get to State...

[NavyGonzo]

Now that the season has ended, its time for this discussion again simply because I believe we have a new front-runner for the title of "Best wrestler never to get to State"

My pick would have to be:   

Curtis Smith from Jeffersonville High School @ 112

Won 4 regional titles but never could quite get past the ticket round. Great job on a great career! Good luck in what ever it is you are going to do beyond High School. I'm sure all of the Jeffersonville coaching staff was proud to have you around the last four years!!!

Does anyone else have any nominations?

[ontherise219]

Marc Escobedo Lake Central had a pretty good career and Never made it down
2x regional champ
3x Semi State 

[Coach Peck]

Antoine Neal (Lawrence North)

[Cale Hoover]

I wrestled with Anoine Neal in college.  What an athlete!   He wrestled at Purdue for a year and then made the football team and went to four bowl games. 

He was a freestyle/greco machine.

[AJ]

I wrestled with Anoine Neal in college.  What an athlete!   He wrestled at Purdue for a year and then made the football team and went to four bowl games. 

He was a freestyle/greco machine.

He lived next to me in the dorms our freshman year.  He cracked everyone in the Quad up.  He was quiet at first, but once you got to know him he was hilarious.

[AJ]

Chris Gonzales...Muncie Southside... 4x semistate qualifier

[GrecoCoach]

I remember being on Team Indiana trips with Antoine back when we were schoolboys.  He was a lot of fun and an outstanding athlete.

Another name to throw (pun intended) out there would be Jade McCammon from Sullivan.  He placed at Fargo multiple times, and was an amazing Greco wrestler.

[achenbach]

Justin Eshelman from pendleton heights

[DelphiHWT]

Mike Dubes Delphi 4x semi-state qualifier

[Iwin99]

Justin Cooper from Whiteland

Sophomore year got beat beat by Hasseman in the regional finals and drew Maurer in the round to go.  He beat the 3rd place finisher at state that season. Hasseman and Maurer got 1st and 2nd

Junior year lost to Orrin Klienheinz from Columbus North 6-5 in the round to go.  Orrin went to to win state and beat his finals opponent 11-5

Senior year 32-0 ranked #2 and got DQ'd the match before sectionals and couldn't wrestle.  Beat many state place winners from that year including Barnhizer who placed 3rd.

He was also a Fargo All American

[tkdwn2]

Joey Arthur- Fargo Champ  and now wrestling at North Dakota State. Great kid also!!

[naco228]

Jacob Cook from Seeger
Undefeated jr and sr year going into semi state
Drew Churchard in the ticket round
Then drew Young in the ticket round
Very unfortunate

[rockies62]

Chase lewandowski
3x semi state qualifer lost in the ticket round all three times

[GrecoISU]

Jade McMammon - Sullivan

BEAST in Greco and freestyle.  I believe he lost  3x ticket round matches to great kids.

[fmb15291]

Joey Arthur- Fargo Champ  and now wrestling at North Dakota State. Great kid also!!

yes he was i miss watchin him wrestl one of the nicest kids off the matt!! and a tremenfdous wrestler

[navy80]

Jade McCammon lost 4x in the ticket round, his losses were to Matt Coughlin, Joel Jeffries, Joe Lehman, Craig Macke

Joe Arthur comes to mind although i dont know who his losses were to, last year he was in a stacked semistae where all four eville hwts placed

[Flightinstructor]

Antoine Neal (Lawrence North)

Nice pull coach as I am sure that bag of yours is very deep. Antoine was an amazing athlete w/  the lowest body fat I have ever seen. If I recall it was only 5%.

[stevens103]

Marc Escobedo Lake Central had a pretty good career and Never made it down
2x regional champ
3x Semi State 

agreed

[bbulldog152]

Adam Thompson from Franklin county graduated in 03 I dunno what his records was his frosh and soph year but he was undefeated as a jr and sr going into the ticket round and lost both times to James from pike. I think he was a regional champ as a soph though but not sure.

[hammer]

Josh Lovejoy of FW Luers has to be in the discussion.  As a freshman, he lost a ticket round match (119) to a kid who placed 5th in the state that year, 18-13.  As a sophomore, he beat Bobby Howard of Lowell, who would win state the following year.  Josh was upset the first round of regionals by a Carroll wrestler who would go on to be a state qualifier that season.  He was a regional champ the next two years, only to lose in the ticket round both times.  His junior year he beat Brownlee of Snider, who would place 3rd at state the following year, during the season.  His senior year he lost to a wrestler he had beaten a month earlier.  Not many non-state qualifiers have beaten as many placers as Josh did.

[wnmarsh]

Jeremy Hill from Jimtown

[jimmie323]

Jeremy Hill from Jimtown

At the Hill household we call it the semi-state jinx.  Jeremy is 0 for 6 in the semi-states. 3 loses in football and didn't get out of Fort Wayne 3 times. Twice lost in the ticket round, and last year broke his collar bone in the first round. Wrestled for about a minute and a half with the broken collar bone before he just couldn't go anymore.  Brother Matt, 2 semi-state loses in football and 1 in wrestling. So Matt is 0-3 at semi-states.  I'm hoping Matt can brake the jinx next year.

[Jon H]

Buddy Riggs from Gibson Southern - 143 career wins - only 1 behind DJ Radnovich for the most ever at GS.  He was quite a character also - loved the cowboy boots!

I think he won ISWA folkstyle state his Senior year?

[rey mysterio]

sam mitchell 4x semi state qualifier , brett worden and joey beck 3x semi state qualifiers of peru

[BlueBolt]

Buddy Riggs from Gibson Southern - 143 career wins - only 1 behind DJ Radnovich for the most ever at GS.  He was quite a character also - loved the cowboy boots!

I think he won ISWA folkstyle state his Senior year?

Now there is a name I haven't heard in a while...