By Anna Kayser
Brownsburg advanced five of six wrestlers in the first half of the Round of 16
After a successful start to the State Series, the Brownsburg Bulldogs didn’t falter in the first round of the State Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday afternoon. With six of nine qualifiers wrestling in the first half of the Round of 16, five punched their tickets through to the quarterfinal rounds and a marathon of Saturday wrestling.
In terms of the team race, Brownsburg advancing five wrestlers from the first half of the session just boosts its chance at being a strong contender for the team title. Crown Point advanced four of six wrestlers to the quarterfinals tomorrow morning.
“Every point matters and it comes down to how many guys you can get onto the mat on Saturday, then we have to have a couple of guys make runs throughout the day,” Brownsburg head coach Darrick Snyder said. “There are a couple powerhouses here and it’s so top heavy – we scored 180 points at semis and got 2nd, when only a few years ago we would have won with 130.”
The second half of Round of 16 bouts will feature three Bulldogs: Caden Brewer at 182, Gunnar Henry at 195 and Leighton Jones at heavyweight.
“On paper, we feel like we’re the favorite. We’ve got two semi-state champions and we feel like we’re better at all three weights,” Snyder said. “Even Gunnar at 195 after placing third at semi-state, we had a stacked semi-state where any of the top four guys there could end up winning this this. Now we just have to go out and execute.”
106 – Revin Dickman
After compiling a 37-5 record throughout the season, Revin Dickman made quick work of Rex Moore of Manchester with a first-period fall, kicking off what would be a successful day for the Bulldogs in downtown Indianapolis.
The freshman’s been dominate throughout the State Series thus far, taking home titles at the Mooresville regional and Evansville semi-state over the past two weekends to earn his place in the State Finals Round of 16.
To open up Session II for Brownsburg, Dickman, who is ranked as the No. 2 106-pounder by IndianaMat, will face off against Milan’s unranked Matt Baylor. Baylor, also a freshman, is coming off a third-place finish at the New Castle semi-state after securing sectional and regional titles. Baylor’s lone State Series loss came via fall to Perry Meridian’s Hruai Lian, who Dickman defeated via 1-0 decision in a dual on Jan. 18.
113 – Preston Haines
No. 1 Preston Haines dominated on top against Carmel’s No. 18 Jackson Elliot to prove why he’s the top-ranked 113-pounder in the state and continue Brownsburg’s strong Friday showing. The junior jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first period and turned Elliot in the second for additional back points. He went on to beat the senior by a 14-1 major decision.
Haines is set for another battle against No. 2 Gavin Jendreas of Crown Point in tomorrow morning’s quarterfinal after defeating him twice already this season at the IHSWCA 2023 Team State Duals on Jan. 7 and Hoosier Crossroads Conference tournament on Jan. 14. Crown Point’s sophomore is one of a record-setting12 qualifiers for the state tournament.
120 – Jake Hockaday
Brownsburg’s first freshman state champion in school history continued his school’s roll of bonus points during his sophomore State Finals on Friday, defeating No. 10 Peter Nguyen of Guerin Catholic 15-3. Jake Hockaday, who is ranked as the No. 2 120-pounder in Indiana, went 29-4 this season with first place finishes at conference, regionals and semi-state over the past month.
To secure his place on the podium, Hockaday will face off against No. 12 Carter Fielden of Garrett tomorrow morning. Fielden, a freshman, is 33-8 on the season and defeated Crown Point’s Sonny Sessa to advance. Sessa had defeated Fielden earlier this season and lost to Hockaday by technical fall at the HCC tournament in January.
126 – Landen Haines
Freshman No. 17 Landen Haines knocked off Garrett senior No. 10 Hayden Brady on Friday afternoon with a tight 8-7 win. Haines entered the tournament with a 23-10 record following a third-place finish at semi-state last weekend.
Haines will look for another upset tomorrow morning as he faced off against No. 5 Tylin Thrine of New Castle, a freshman who has yet to lose a match this season.
132 – Brady Ison
No. 3 Brady Ison, who has been a foundational member of Brownsburg’s lineup all season, dominated in his opening match of the State Finals with a 15-0 third-period technical fall over unranked Essiah Kamer of Fremont.
After rolling over his first opponent, the junior’s battle for a spot on the podium gets tougher tomorrow morning as he is set to face No. 4 Eleazar Walker of Mishawaka in the quarterfinals. Walker, who has lost one match this season, hasn’t lost a match yet during the state series while Ison is coming off back-to-back runner-up finishes at regionals and semi-state.
Ison, however, has excelled against tough opponents all season. During Brownsburg’s toughest stretch of nationally-ranked competition in December, Ison placed third at the Crown Point Carnahan Memorial Invitational and was crowned a champion at Brecksville.
145 – Mason Day
Facing a 1-0 deficit to No. 10 Mason Day in the second period, Indianapolis Cathedral’s No. 9 Dillon Graham tied the match and scored a third-period takedown to advance to the quarterfinals tomorrow.
Day, a sophomore who entered the tournament with a 29-11 record, was Brownsburg’s first wrestler to lose in the Friday afternoon session.
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