The season is around the corner and this weekend will be the ultimate test for Indiana grapplers at the Super 32. There are 45 Indiana athletes registered for this year’s event in Myrtle Beach. Of interest will be a few wrestlers that will be new to Indiana wrestling this year that could make a big impact at Bankers Life in February.
Belt Contenders
Three state champions along with a sophomore with a load of national success highlight the Indiana wrestlers that will contend for a coveted Super 32 belt. Sergio Lemley is back in Indiana after winning an Illinois state title last year. He is nationally ranked and won IHPO in September. He will be in the mix at a deep 120lbs weight class.
State champion Zeke Seltzer took an early loss last year and was unable to crack the top 8. This year he will take on a lot of top guys at 126lbs. His weight features the two top ranked guys in the nation, but Zeke has shown he belongs in this group.
Chesterton’s Evan Bates won a state title at 220lbs but will be looking for a belt at 195lbs this weekend. He placed 5th here last year at 195lbs. His toughest foes include a couple top 5 wrestlers in Seth Shumate and Brandon Hoselton.
Lastly, Christian Carroll is also in the mix at 195lbs. Everyone in Indiana has known for a while he is extremely talented. However, he did not get to show it off as an injury sidelined him last year. He won the Grappler Fall Classic at 215lbs a couple weeks ago knocking off a couple ranked wrestlers. He is one that many inside and outside of Indiana are watching this weekend.
Podium Contenders
Some wrestlers to watch that are contenders to reach the podium include state champion Alex Cottey, runner-up Cheaney Schoeff, third placer Hayden Watson, and three-time placer David Pierson. Cottey made a deep run last year and will return to 113lbs this year. He will be big at this weight and his extremely physical style will bode well for him. He has had some national success in the past at Fargo so he is no stranger to big event placements.
Schoeff had a great run last year at the state finals. Look for him to make a deep run in Myrtle Beach at 120lbs. He gave Lemley a great match at IHPO. This could be his breakout national event.
Watson and Pierson both had great IHPO tournaments. Watson lost a close match in the finals to a top 5 wrestler, while Pierson won a deep weight in…. David Pierson style. Watson is going to be trouble for everyone that he faces with a relentless in your face style. Pierson is a wildcard that can end a match at any time. He will need to string together multiple solid matches in a row to make the podium.
Others to keep your eyes on
A couple new faces to Indiana will be interesting to watch. Crown Point will have Javen Estrada in the lineup this year. He was a state qualifier in Illinois last year and had a really good IHPO event. South Carolina state champion Matteo Vargo will be new to Granger this year and is entered at 126lbs. Obviously South Carolina is not a power state so it will be interesting to see him in a field this deep.
Brownsburg freshman Preston Haines will be another wrestler to watch. He placed 4th at IHPO and could be a contender for a state title this year. Evan Dickey will be back at 106lbs and keeps improving each year. He could be a sleeper at a weight loaded with younger athletes.
State placers to watch include runner-ups Matthew Koontz and Jujuan Anderson. Third place finishers Logan Frazier, Kysen Montgomery, Jaden Reynolds, and Aiden Warren could be in the mix to make the podium. Reynolds won an IHPO title in September and has had a very good off-season. Montgomery and Frazier are both solid wrestlers that could put together a run of wins to put themselves in a good spot to place. Warren is taking a week off from the gridiron to hit the mats this week. Another wrestler to watch is Gavinn Alstott. He was 4th in 2019 at state, but had a death draw at semi-state this year. Lastly, the other state placers entered include Stephan Roberson Jr., Ian Heath, and Christian White.
Super 32 History
Indiana has had 45 placers at the Super 32. The first placer was Camden Eppert in 2008. There have been four champions from Indiana: Blake Rypel(2015), Chad Red(2014), Jarred Brooks(2011), and Ethan Raley(2010). There have been seven runner-ups in the event: Nick South(2018), Lucas Davison(2017), Neal Molloy(2012), Devon Jackson(2011), Jason Tsirtsis(2010), Brandon Wright(2009), and Jason Tsirtsis(2009). There have been six wrestlers place twice, they include Blake Rypel, Brayton Lee, Chad Red, Drew Hughes, Jason Tsirtsis, and Joe Lee.
To see all the past placers, click here.
Indiana Entries
Weight | Name | School | State Place |
106 | Evan Dickey | Indianapolis Cathedral | Qual |
106 | Preston Haines | Brownsburg | |
113 | Alexzander Cottey | Perry Meridian | 1st |
113 | Dylan Driver | Westfield | Qual |
113 | Keaton Morton | Perry Meridian | |
120 | Logan Frazier | Crown Point | 3rd |
120 | Brac Hooper | Carmel | Qual |
120 | Sergio Lemley | Chesterton | 1st |
120 | Cheaney Schoeff | Avon | 2nd |
120 | Tony Wood | Jay County | |
126 | Stephen Roberson Jr | Crown Point | 5th |
126 | Zeke Seltzer | Indianapolis Cathedral | 1st |
126 | Matteo Vargo | Penn | 1st |
132 | Gavinn Alstott | Floyd Central | 4th |
132 | Cameron Clark | Jay County | |
132 | Alecsander Freeman | Mater Dei | 6th |
132 | Kysen Montgomery | Brownsburg | 3rd |
132 | David Pierson | Warren Central | 4th |
132 | Christian White | New Palestine | 5th |
138 | Luke Goodwin | Southport | 7th |
138 | Ian Heath | Leo | 6th |
138 | Matthew Koontz | Perry Meridian | 2nd |
138 | Hayden Watson | Center Grove | 3rd |
145 | Javen Estrada | Crown Point | Qual |
145 | Cody Goodwin | Crown Point | |
145 | Brady Mckivitz | Perry Meridian | |
145 | Jaden Reynolds | Avon | 3rd |
152 | Jajuan Anderson | Warren Central | 2nd |
152 | J Conway | Floyd Central | 6th |
152 | Orlando Cruz | Crown Point | Qual |
160 | Trae Anderson | Laporte | |
160 | Brody Baumann | Mater Dei | Qual |
160 | Tyler Jones | Warren Central | 7th |
160 | Kade Law | Columbus East | Qual |
160 | Jakob Sheets | Perry Meridian | |
170 | Sam Morrill | Columbus East | 8th |
182 | Johnny Parker | Cathedral | Qual |
182 | Keon Sullivan | Warren Central | |
195 | Connor Barket | West Lafayette | Qual |
195 | Evan Bates | Chesterton | 1st |
195 | Christian Carroll | Penn | |
195 | Aiden Warren | Perry Meridian | 3rd |
220 | Joshua Howell | Terre Haute South Vigo | Qual |
220 | Conner Specht | Jay County | |
285 | Jacob Johnson | Franklin Community | Qual |
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