High School News

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1586 2 4
2021 NCAA D1 Nationals Preview
By Drew Hughes
This year there will be 13 Indiana guys competing in St. Louis across 8 different weight classes. This puts only 7 other states ahead of us for the number of qualifiers. Out of these 13 qualifiers only 1 of them is not from the Big Ten.
 
Drew Hildebrandt will be competing in the 125-pound bracket for the Central Michigan Chippewas. This will be Drew’s 3rd NCAA tournament appearance and has earned the 4th seed. The Penn High School graduate also won his 2nd MAC title to qualify for the tournament and is undefeated on the season.
 
Nick Lee will be competing in the 141-pound bracket for Penn State and will be in the hunt to win a national title. Lee comes into the tournament as the 2nd seed just like he was last year for the cancelled championships. The Evansville Mater Dei graduate is 8-1 on the season with his 1 loss coming in the Big Ten finals to the 1st seed Eierman.
 
Chad Red will be competing in the 141-pound bracket for Nebraska where he will be looking to All-American like he has at every NCAA tournament he’s wrestled in. Red comes into the tournament as the 8th seed with his only losses this year coming from the 1st and 3rd seeds of the tournament. As most people have seen, the New Palestine grad has always showed up for the big show.
 
Cayden Rooks will be competing in the 141-pound bracket for Indiana where he will be wrestling in his first NCAA tournament. Rooks earned an at-large bid to qualify for the tournament and will be the 32nd seed. Cayden is a Columbus East High School graduate where he won 2 state titles.
Graham Rooks will be competing in the 149-pound bracket for Indiana, and this was his 2nd time qualifying for the NCAA tournament. After a 6th place finish at the Big Ten tournament, Rooks earned himself the 21st seed. Graham is also a Columbus East grad and is the older brother of previously mentions Cayden Rooks. 
 
Brayton Lee will be competing in the 157-pound bracket for Minnesota, and this was his 2nd time qualifying for the NCAA tournament. After being seeded 7th for last year cancelled tournament Lee will be 1 spot higher at the 6th seed this year. The Brownsburg native is coming off of an impressive 3rd place Big Ten finish.
 
Jake Tucker will be competing in the 165-pound bracket for Michigan State, and it is a little controversial to claim him for Indiana. Tucker went to Mount Carmel High School in Illinois BUT has lived in Lowell Indiana his entire life. Since he has an Indiana driver’s license, I think it’s only fair we get to claim the now 2-time NCAA qualifier. Tucker earned the 25th seed after finish 6th place at the Big Ten tournament.
 
Joe Lee will be competing in the 165-pound bracket for Penn State where he will be wrestling in his first NCAA tournament. The Evansville Mater Dei grad will be the 23rd seed of the tournament after placing 8th at Big Tens. While Joe didn’t get a top 8 seed like his brother Nick, he does still have 1 more state title then his older brother.
 
Donnell Washington will be competing in the 174-pound bracket for Indiana where he will be wrestling in his first NCAA tournament. The Portage grad has really proved himself this year and will be the 9th seed. Washington is coming off a 6th place Big Ten finish and holds a win over the 3rd seed.
 
Drew Hughes (also the person writing this article) will be competing in the 174-pound bracket and is the 32 seed. This will be his 4th NCAA tournament and holds one of the worst records in the entire tournament at 3-7 on the year. All that we can know for sure is that the Lowell High School grad is going to choose top and probably get hit for a few stalling calls.
 
Lucas Davison will be competing in the 197-pound bracket for Northwestern, and this will be his 2nd time qualifying for the NCAA tournament. Davison is coming into the tournament as the 12th seed after placing 5th at Big Tens. The Chesterton native will be looking to become an All-American just like his dad was back in the day.
 
Thomas Penola will be competing in the 197-pound bracket for Purdue, and this will be his 2nd time qualifying for the NCAA tournament. Penola qualified for last years cancelled tournament at 285-pounds. This year he’s down a weight and earned himself the 19th seed of the tournament. The Zionsville High School graduate finished 7th at the Big Ten tournament.
 
Mason Parris will be competing in the 285-pound bracket for the Michigan wolverines, and this will be his 3rd NCAA tournament. Parris will be the 2nd seed of the tournament for the 2nd year in a row. The Lawrenceburg native has placed 2nd at the big ten tournament the last 2 season and will be looking for a rematch of the Big Ten finals in the NCAA finals. 

1577
Purdue Corrals Mustangs in Ersland's Debut
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - Powered behind four bonus point victories, the Purdue wrestling team corralled Cal Poly, 30-9, in its season opening and first-year head coach Tony Ersland's debut Friday in the Mott Athletics Center. The Boilermakers (1-0, 0-0 B1G) received bonus points at 133, 141, 149 and 197.
"There were a lot of good things, I really like that we took the fight to them to start," Ersland said. "I think we need to do a better job of closing out matches though. We showed that we can wrestle hard, but we need confidence to finish it."
The aggressive mindset that Ersland has instilled in the Boilermaker grapplers showed. Purdue registered 16 takedowns to the Mustangs' nine and combined for 18 back points while giving up none.
"Overall I was very happy with the tone of most of the matches; guys went out and scored points and put a lot of points on the board, we just need to make sure we finish matches," Ersland said. "I think tonight should be a big confidence booster for all of these guys; first time down to weight on a one-hour weigh-in, they competed hard and I am happy with the effort. I think we should make a big jump in confidence knowing that we can hold up, wrestle hard and take control of these situations."
Purdue took five of the first six weights from the Mustangs (0-3) to build a 23-3 lead. The Mustangs won the 125-pound match in sudden victory, but the Boilermakers took over from there. A forfeit from Cal Poly at 133 gave the Old Gold & Black six points, to which Nick Lawrence followed with six of his own. The redshirt senior, who was wrestling in his first dual since Feb. 23, 2013, built on an offensive clinic with five takedowns and had a two-point nearfall before sticking Connor Kim at the 3:56 mark to improve to 4-2.
Redshirt sophomore Alex Griffin (5-2) put on a show with a 17-0 technical fall of Jacob Leon. In 4:51, Griffin took the Mustang down twice, got a pair of five-counts for two three-point nearfalls and a trio of two-point nearfalls. He also escaped to start the second period. The team's leader in points scored pushed his early season total to 67 while winning his second match via technical fall.
"I liked Griffin's aggressiveness," Ersland said. "We know that he will go out and tilt and turn and he got to his positions. You saw how he took control of the match right away."
Wrestling in the first match of his final season, Braden Atwood showed why he is the nation's ninth-ranked 197-pounder with a 12-3 major decision of J.T. Goodwin. Atwood struck for an early takedown and went to work for back points, receiving a pair of two-point nearfalls. Starting the second period from bottom, he added an escape and Goodwin back down to the mat and rode him out for the red of the period. The Mustang opted to start the final period neutral, to which Atwood took advantage of by taking him down again. He accumulated 4:52 worth of riding time for his final point.
The Boilermakers also received decisions from Doug Welch (157), Pat Robinson (165) and Patrick Kissel (184). Welch used a second period escape and two-point nearfall, plus 1:49 of riding time to shut Colt Shorts out, 4-0. Robinson's takedowns in the first and third periods and an escape lifted him to a 5-3 decision of Travis Berridge in his first match of the season. Kissel improved to 4-1 with a 12-10 come-from-behind decision over Nick Feigener.
Purdue will be back in action at the Roadrunner Open hosted by Cal State Bakersfield on Sunday in Fresno, Calif. The tournament will get underway with preliminary matches at 1 p.m. ET. The finals and medal matches are set for a 9 p.m. ET start.
PURDUE 30, CAL POLY 9
125 // Yoshito Funakoshi (Cal Poly) dec. Aaron Assad (Purdue), 5-4 (SV1)
133 // Danny Sabatello (Purdue) won by forfeit
141 // Nick Lawrence (Purdue) pinned Connor Kim (Cal Poly), 3:57
149 // Alex Griffin (Purdue) tech fall Jacob Leon (Cal Poly), 17-0 (4:51)
157 // Doug Welch (Purdue) dec. Colt Shorts (Cal Poly), 4-0
165 // Pat Robinson (Purdue) dec. Travis Berridge (Cal Poly), 5-3
174 // Dominic Kastl (Cal Poly) dec. Chad Welch (Purdue), 5-1
184 // Patrick Kissel (Purdue) dec. Nick Fiegener (Cal Poly), 12-10
197 // No. 9 Braden Atwood (Purdue) maj. dec. J.T. Goodwin (Cal Poly), 12-3
285 // Nick Johnson (Cal Poly) dec. Tyler Kral (Purdue), 7-4

1568 6
2020 IndianaMat/WZBD State Pre-Show
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Dane Fuelling and Rex Brewer talk with Kevin Whitehead, Nick Kraus, Mike Reiser, and Mike Goebel about wrestling.

1563 1
Indiana Wrestling Season Preview: 165-285
BLOOMINGTON, Ind.– The Indiana wrestling team begins the season this week with the Michigan State Open on Nov. 2. The Hoosiers will host their first dual on Nov. 22 against North Dakota State.
 
IU head coach Angel Escobedo said he has been pleased with the dynamic between the freshmen and upperclassmen.  
 
"The one thing we have been trying to gain in the program is for it to be a lot more competitive to make the team," Escobedo said. "Our freshmen are pushing our upperclassmen and knocking on the door of beating them, which is good. It is going to elevate everyone and that is what we are looking for this season."
 
165 POUNDS
165 will likely be Davey Tunon or Dillon Hoey. Both have experience in the lineup. The Hoosiers will look for one of these guys to step up and be the guy at this spot. Tunon tallied a record of 10-5 last season and Hoey went 4-11 on the season. The Hoosiers will be looking to fill the void left by national qualifier Bryce Martin, who graduated.
 
174 POUNDS
Jacob Covaciu is the expected starter at 174. He is the leader of the team and the only returning NCAA qualifier from last season. Coach Escobedo said he is hungry and working the hardest he has ever seen him work. He wants to be an All-American and a National Champion and he is training for that. Covaciu posted a record of 17-14 last season and won five bouts in dual matches. Covaciu helped the Hoosiers beat No. 12 North Carolina at the South Beach Duals last season with an 18-5 major decision. Covaciu won the Edinboro Open last season and finished second at the Cleveland State Open. Covaciu has been ranked 30 by TrackWrestling in their preseason rankings. 
 
184 POUNDS
Jake Hinz will be moving up from 174. He was in the lineup a couple matches last year. He has made a big jump over the summer and it will be exciting to see what he can do. He has the potential to be an NCAA qualifier. Hinz finished in second at the Greyhound Open last season.
 
197 POUNDS
Jake Kleimola or Spencer Irick will be the expected starters at 197. Kleimola finished in eighth-place at the 2019 Big Ten Championships. Kleimola and Irick are going into their last year of competing and both will be looking to make nationals for the first time in their careers.
 
285 POUNDS
Rudy Streck will start the season at heavyweight. Streck was the starters for the first half of last season. He is experienced and has one year under his belt. The Hoosiers will look for him to build on that experience from last year.

1563 1 3
#MondayMatness with Steve Krah: DeKalb’s Waldon heading back to Fort Wayne Semi-State with focus
By STEVE KRAH
stvkrh905@gmail.com
 
Drew Waldon stepped onto the mat at the 2023 IHSAA State Finals as a 113-pound sophomore.
 
Now a 126-pound DeKalb High School junior, Waldon will be again be aiming for the state meet — this time Feb. 16-17 at the Ford Center in Evansville instead of Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis — when he represents the Barons on Saturday, Feb. 10 at the Fort Wayne Semi-State at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
 
Waldon’s first-round foe in the 16-man bracket is Norwell junior Jason Prough. It takes two victories at semi-state to place in the top four and qualify for the State Finals.
 
“I’m just trying to stay focused and disciplined,” says Waldon of his pre-semi-state practice week.
 
Waldon (28-4 in 2023-24 with two losses coming against Ohio foes in the Defiance Border War event on Dec. 28-29) is coming off a second straight Goshen Regional title on Feb. 3. This time around, he topped Wawasee sophomore Cameron Senter 4-2 in the finals. Up 2-1 going into the final period, Waldon allowed an escape then scored two points in the third period.
 
Before that, Waldon reigned at the West Noble Sectional on Jan. 27, pinning Prairie Heights junior Boston Baas in 5:40 for the title.
 
Waldon placed third in the Northeast Eight Conference meet at Huntington North on Jan. 20. He lost 2-1 to eventual NE8 champion and Leo freshman Nolan Butcher in the semifinals and later came back to best Columbia City senior Dale Cassidy for third.
 
“That loss was a surprise, but it’s good to learn from these mistakes now,” says DeKalb head coach Justin Wight of his comments at the time. “We make adjustments and come back for (IHSAA) tourney time.”
 
At the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association Team Duals, Waldon went 2-1 as DeKalb placed 12th in Class 3A.
 
What’s the best thing Waldon does in the circle?
 
“I’m pretty equal at everything,” says Waldon, who is heading to his third semi-state in three seasons (He placed third at 113 in 2023 and did not place at 106 in 2022.). “On my top game, I can turn almost anybody.”
 
As a junior, Waldon embraces a leadership role at DeKalb.
 
“I try to push my teammates,” says Waldon with a hoarse voice from cheering on his fellow Barons at regional, including sophomore James Hartleroad (who won at 285), junior Jadon Teague (who placed fourth at 144), junior Graham Blythe (who placed fourth at 175), junior Dominic Dunn (who did not place at 165) and junior Brady Long (who did not place at 190). “I want them to be better.”
 
Hartleroad was a 16U Greco-Roman national champion and ISWA Greco-Roman and Freestyle State winner at 285 in 2023.
 
Teague made it to semi-state as a freshman at 138 and Blythe was a regional qualifier as a sophomore at 160.
 
Drew is the middle child of the three born to James and Heather Waldon, behind Jared and Deanna. Little sister grappled in junior high.
 
“My dad takes me everywhere so does my mom,” says Drew. “It really gave me so many opportunities to get better and advance my skill set.”
 
Waldon, who took up in the sport in junior high, placed sixth at Frosh-Soph State sixth at 120 in 2023, sixth at Indiana State Wrestling Association Folkstyle State at 113 in 2022 and seventh at ISWA Freestyle State at 100 in 2021.
 
Wight, who works in industrial refrigeration, is in his second year coaching wrestling at DeKalb after about a 10-year gap when he coached at Homestead. He took over as Barons head coach at midseason.
 
A piece of coaching advice that resonates with Waldon: “No matter what, keep your head up and keep wrestling.”
 
Says Wight of Waldon, “He’s one of the most disciplined and hard-working kids. You don’t have to babysit him all the time. He’s going to be doing the right things.
 
“He wins with grace. He loses with grace. He’s just one of those rare kids. He’s very humble. He’s very polite.”

1562
2013 Conference Tournament Brackets
Hoosier Hills: Bedford North Lawrence, Columbus East, Floyd Central, Jeffersonville, Jennings County, Madison, New Albany, Seymour.
Team Scores
 
Southern Indiana Wrestling Conference: Christian Academy, Charlestown, Crawford County, Eastern(Pekin), Forest Park, Milan, Mitchell, New Washington, Providence, Paoli, Salem, Scottsburg. Southwestern, Switzerland County
 
Hoosier Crossroads Conference: Avon, Brownsburg, Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern, Harrison (West Lafayette), Lafayette Jefferson, McCutcheon, Noblesville, Westfield, Zionsville.
 
Sagamore: Crawfordsville, Danville, Frankfort, Lebanon, North Montgomery, Southmont, Tri-West Hendricks, Western Boone.
 
Mid-State: Decatur Central, Franklin Community, Greenwood, Martinsville, Mooresville, Plainfield, Whiteland.
 
Hoosier: Benton Central, Delphi, Lafayette Central Catholic, Rensselaer Central, Sheridan, Tipton, Twin Lakes, West Lafayette.
 
Allen County: Adams Central, Bluffton, Garrett, Heritage, Leo, South Adams, Southern Wells, Woodlan.
 
Metropolitan: Ben Davis, Carmel, Center Grove, Lawrence North, North Central (Indianapolis), Terre Haute North, Terre Haute South, Warren Central.
 
North Central: Anderson, Huntington North, Kokomo, Logansport, Marion, Muncie Central, New Castle, Richmond.
 
Summit: Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, Fort Wayne Concordia, Fort Wayne North Side, Fort Wayne Northrop, Fort Wayne Snider, Fort Wayne South Side, Fort Wayne Wayne.
 
Indianapolis Public Schools: Indianapolis Arlington, Indianapolis Arsenal Technical, Indianapolis Broad Ripple, Indianapolis Emmerich Manual, Indianapolis George Washington, Indianapolis Howe Academy, Indianapolis Northwest.
 
Northern State: Bremen, Culver Community, Glenn, Jimtown, Knox, Laville, New Prairie, Triton.
 
Northeast Corner: Angola, Central Noble, Churubusco, Eastside, Fairfield, Fremont, Lakeland, Prairie Heights, West Noble, Westview.
 
Northeast Hoosier: Bellmont, Carroll (Fort Wayne), Columbia City, Dekalb, East Noble, Homestead, New Haven, Norwell.
 
Mid-Indiana:
Team Scores Cass, Eastern (Greentown), Hamilton Heights, Maconaquah, Northwestern, Peru, Taylor, Western.
 
Western Indiana: Brown County, Edgewood, Northview, Owen Valley, South Vermillion, Sullivan, West Vigo.
 
Great Lakes Athletic: Hammond, Hammond Clark, Hammond Gavit, Hammond Morton.
 
Eastern Indiana: Batesville, East Central, Franklin County, Greensburg, Lawrenceburg, South Dearborn.
 
Three Rivers: Manchester, North Miami, Northfield, Rochester, Southwood, Tippecanoe Valley, Wabash, Whitko.
 
Central Indiana: Alexandria, Blackford, Eastbrook, Elwood, Frankton, Madison-Grant, Mississinewa, Oak Hill.

1558 2 1
Triples with TripleB
Our newest weekly article is a quick hit look at the week ahead and a recap of the previous week. TripleB will give you three things you need to know, three events to watch for this week, and three questions with someone in wrestling. 
 
3 Things You Need to Know
1. New Coaches look to make an impact
40 programs have new coaches at the helm this season, including 5 ranked teams. will it be business as usual or will there be a disruption in the force??
 
#7 1A Eastern(Greentown)- Zach Pence
#2 1A Southridge- Kurt Collins
#18 Franklin- Jim Tonte
#17 Portage- Andrew Bradbury
#5 Warren Central- Matt Krulik
                
2. Post Season Dynasties
There’s dominant, then there’s #PainTrain dominant. Brownsburg is a phenomenal 16-0 at IHSWCA Dual Team State Championships and have won the last 4 in a row. Can the Bulldogs add a ring to their thumbs this year??
 
Brownsburg Coach Darrick Snyder, “At Brownsburg we take a lot of pride in our performance at dual state. We want to be the best team in the state. We put a huge emphasis on dual state because we know that shows the best team”
 
Cathedral needed 4 leaf clovers and all the luck of the Irish last year as Jordan Slvika and Elliott Rodgers turned in monumental efforts to lock up individual state championships and help Cathedral rally for a 3rd consecutive big old Indiana plaque at Bankers Life. Will the luck of the Irish be on their side for a fourth consecutive title?
 
Indianapolis Cathedral Coach Sean McGinley, “Look for the Irish to struggle a bit out of the gate.  However, if we do our jobs and keep getting better each week, by tournament time we feel we will be one of the few teams that people are talking about with a chance to bring home a team state championship.”
 
3. How will the football runs impact early season matches?
7 of the top 10 preseason ranked teams are still alive as Indianapolis Cathedral, Evansville Mater Dei, Warren Central, Roncalli, Carmel, Merriville, and Hobart all played in regional games on Friday night. Will these ranked hammers stumble out of the gate as teams patiently wait for football players to wrap up, get healed, and get in wrestling shape? Look for the holiday tournaments before some of these teams are fully loaded. Merrillville, Carmel, Mount Vernon(Fortville), Hobart, and Adams Central will all be playing this week at semi-state.
 
3 Feature Matches
1. Opening dual of the season! 
The Battle for the Paddle; Madison at Southwestern
 
Since the incarnation of the Battle, Madison has ran the tables winning all nine duals. What this match has lacked is over all dual excitement as forfeits on both sides have been an issue, but the scuttlebutt is that this year both teams will be bringing full line ups into the Dual and Southwestern is hoping to keep the paddles in Hanover!
 
2. Crown Point vs Portage  
Portage graduates 4 state qualifiers and new coach Andrew Bradbury jumps right into the frying pan in this Region kick off dual.  Returning state qualifiers Ty Haskins and Damari Dancy will look to keep this dual close but on paper Crown Point appears to be too strong. Lead by returning state champ Jesse Mendez, with 5 freshman and 2 sophomores in starting lineup, the Bulldogs will look to rack up bonus team points early and often!
 
3. Capital City Classic 
Through the years Triple C is one of the toughest opening weekend tournaments with teams like Beech Grove, Perry, Warren, Bloomington North, Mishawaka, and North Central winning the very first one. Perry Meridian looks to be the front-runner for the 38th annual Capital City Classic.This years line up includes - Beech Grove, Franklin Central, Greenwood, Indian Creek, Jeffersonville, Perry Meridian, Plainfield, Westfield
 
3 Questions with Mike Reiser
1. What is your background in wrestling? 
I wrestled for Coach Jim Wadkins at Calumet High school.  I graduated in 2001 and was a part of some successful teams. We were three-time team sectional champs, two-time regional champs, and two-time Lake Athletic Conference champs. Individually I was a two-time sectional champ and two-time semi state qualifier.
 
2. Why do rankings, it seem very stressful and thankless, what drives you to do rankings? 
There are times that the rankings can be stressful, but I learned early on that you can’t make everyone happy. I love doing the rankings both semi state and state. I think it is the best job in the state it has given me a lot of opportunities to broadcast and do the gorilla radio. 
 
3. What do you do when you are not neck deep in wrestling? 
When I am not doing the rankings and going over results, I work my actual job which is a Project Manager for an Environmental Company. I also coach my 2 daughters in softball which is becoming a full time job also.

1551
Four Hoosiers Earn Podium Spots at Harold Nichols Open
Harold Nichols Open

 Taylor Walsh (165) - Champion
 Nate Jackson (174) - 2nd Place
 Matt Irick (184) - 4th Place
 Luke Sheridan (197) - 4th Place

 Full Results
 Next Event: Keystone Classic at the Palestra (Philadelphia, Penn.) -- November 23, 2014
 Follow On Social Media: Twitter | Facebook
AMES, Iowa - Fourteen Hoosiers travelled to Ames, Iowa today to take on the Harold Nichols Open. For nine of them, this was their first action of the season. Indiana finished the day with four wrestlers on the podium.
In his first bout of the day, redshirt senior Taylor Walsh earned a pin in 1:42 to become the all-time leader in career pins at Indiana with 48. He followed up his record setting pin with three more in as many matches to advance to the championship. Although he did not earn a fifth fall on the day, Walsh defeated England of Missouri 16-4 in a major decision. Walsh is now 5-0 on the season with a career pin total of 51.
Redshirt Sophomore Nate Jackson came close to giving Indiana two Harold Nichols champs, when he was defeated in a 5-3 decision in the championship bout. Jackson ended his day and the first event of the season 4-1.
Senior Luke Sheridan went 4-2 for the tournament to obtain a fourth place finish. He added three pins to bring his career total to 24, his last of which was in 21 seconds. Fellow wrestler redshirt shopomore Matt Irickhad a similar day, also finsihing fourth and had a record of 5-2. Irick completed his day with two pins.
On the day, there were four other Hoosiers who finished with multiple wins. Sophomore Sean Brown (141) won back-to-back bouts after dropping his first to end 2-2. Also winning two bouts was sophomore Luke Blanton (157), who earned a fall early in the day, with a second period pin of Iowa Western's Gray. Redshirt sophomore Trevor Moody (149) won his first two matches to advance to the quarterfinals where he was defeated in a major decision. Moody wrapped-up the open at 3-2. Redshirt junior Garret Goldman (HWT) lost his first match-up of the day, but won three consecutive bouts by decision (7-3, 2-0, 2-0) in the consolation bracket to finish 3-2.
Check out the Hoosier wrestlers at the first home match-ups of the season when they take on SIUE and Manchester on December 13 (10am).
Media Contact: Riley Greene, rigreene@indiana.edu

1550
Indiana Tech Announces Inaugural Recruiting Class
Indiana Tech Warrior head coach Mike Ester has released the recruiting class for the first season of Indiana Tech wrestling.  The class is very impressive with many state placers from not only Indiana, but Michigan, Georgia and Florida.  The first Warrior team will also benefit from transfers from Lincoln Junior College(Illinois), Darton Community College(Georgia), Muskegon Community College(Michigan), Trine University and Calumet College of St. Joe. 
 
125#
 
FR-Nico Hensley: Angola HS, IN
FR-Conner Hughes: Portage, MI (Northern HS)        *MHSAA DII- SQ, 7th, SQ, 7th
FR-Kristopher McKinley: Ft. Wayne, IN (Northrop HS)
FR-Andre Sanders: Farmington Hills, MI (Harrison HS)        *MHSAA DI- SQ, 7th
FR-Preston Wilson: Whiteland HS, IN
FR-Lucas Willms: Fremont HS, IN
FR-Brett Yarbrough: McDonough, GA (Henry Co, HS)       *GHSAA DIII - 2nd, 1st.
 
The 125lbs weight class is highlighted by Georgia State Champion Brett Yarbrough, who also finished as a runner-up one time.  Two Michigan standouts in Conner Hughes and Andre Sanders are also the front runners to start at this weight.
 
133#
FR-Travis Barroquillo: Wolcotville, IN (Prarie Heights, HS)      *IHSAA- 7th,SQ,3rd
FR-Jordan Bosma: Hesperia HS, MI      *MHSAA D IV- 4th, 1st, 4th
S0-Jarrard Edwards:  South Bend, IN (Washington, HS)     *Transfer from Muskegon CC
FR-Montana Gipson: Indianapolis, IN (Avon, HS)
FR-Matt Simmons: Angola HS, IN
 
The 133lbs weight class also has a state champion in Jordan Bosma of Michigan.  He will be pushed by the first ever Indiana Tech wrestler, Travis Barroquillo. 
 
141#
FR-T.J. Burnfield: Berne, IN (South Adams HS)     *IHSAA SQ
SO-Adam Fahs: Portage, MI (Central HS)       *Transfer from Trine U.
FR-Alex Gregory: South Bend, IN (Penn HS)      *IHSAA- 4th, SQ, 4th
FR-Kyle King: Bluffton HS, IN
FR-Andrew Syndram: New Haven HS, IN
FR-Lukas Wygant: Huntington, IN (Huntington North HS)
 
At 141lbs the Warriors will have transfer Adam Fahs and Alex Gregory as the top contenders.  Fahs is a former 4th place finisher in Michigan and Gregory has two 4th place finishes in Indiana to his credit.
 
149#
JR-Kafuba Donzon: Albany, GA (Rockdale Co. HS)      *Transfer from Darton CC
FR-Dyllan Derrickson: Portland, IN (Jay County HS)     
FR-(149/157#) Josh Ehr: Geneva, IN (South Adams HS)     *IHSAA SQ, SQ
FR-Tiandre Edwards:  Indianapolis, IN (North Central HS)
FR-Drake Meska: Dunkirk, IN  (Jay County HS)       *IHSAA SQ
FR-Timothy Scott: Detroit, MI (Highland Park HS)   *MHSAA DI SQ;
FR-(149/157#) Isaac Yoder: West Mentone, IN (Tippecanoe Valley HS)    *IHSAA SQ
 
This weight class features four state qualifiers and one transfer.  Kafuba Donzon will venture from Georgia to Fort Wayne after attending Darton CC and finishing last year with a 17-4 record.  The state qualifiers include Josh Ehr, Drake Meska and Isaac Yoder from Indiana and Timothy Scott from Michigan.
 
157#
JR-(157/165# James Bennett: Bowden, GA (Carrolltown, HS) *Transfer from Darton CC
FR-Quaylan Boone: Ft. Wayne, IN (Snider HS)        *IHSAA SQ, 7TH
FR-Sean Johnson: Ft. Wayne, IN (North Side HS)
JR-Kyle Long: South Bend, IN (Washington HS)      *Transfer from Trine U.
FR-Reece Lefever: Ft. Wayne, IN (Carroll HS)      *IHSAA SQ, 3RD
 
At 157lbs the Warriors will have two transfers and two former Indiana state placers in the mix.  James Bennett will be coming from Darton CC where he had a 13-9 record last year.  Kyle Long will be getting back on the mat after taking last year off, as a sophomore he was 34-9 for the Trine Thunder.  Former Snider wrestler Quaylan Boone will be rejoining his high school coach after graduating in 2004.  Last, but not least Reece Lefever who finished 3rd in Indiana this past season will look to be in the mix for the starting spot.
 
165#
FR-Adam Bonner: Rockford, MI (Greenville, HS)       *MHSAA D2- 8TH, 2ND, 2ND
FR-Dominic Diaz: Davison HS, MI
(165/174#) Ladarious Jackson: New Port Richey, FL (Gulf HS)    *FHSAA DIII- SQ, 1ST, 1ST
FR-Conner Lefever: Ft. Wayne, IN (Carroll HS)      *IHSAA 8TH, 4TH
JR/SO-(165/174)Caleb Norville: Mishawaka HS, IN        *Transfer from Trine U.
SO-Dalton Sparks: Peru HS, IN          *Transfer from Trine U.
 
This could be one of the most competitive weights in the Tech room with a two-time state champ, two-time state runner-up, two-time state placer and two transfers in the mix.  Ladarious Jackson of Florida was a two-time state champion and also comes to Indiana with a very inspiring story(click here for information).  Add to the mix Adam Bonner of Michigan who has finished second to 2012 top recruit Taylor Massa the past two years.  The Warriors will also have the benefit of two Trine transfers in Dalton Sparks and Caleb Norville.  Conner Lefever will make the short drive from Huntertown to round out this weight class.
 
174#
FR-Jeff Enrietto: Ft. Wayne, IN (Carroll HS)      *IHSAA SQ
JR-Kelvin Jordan: Albany,  GA (Bibb Co. HS)     *Transfer from Darton CC
FR-Michael Smith: Indianapolis, IN (North Central HS)      *IHSAA SQ, SQ, 5TH
 
This weight class looks small compared to the others, but a couple of the 165lbers could make their way to this list.  Kelvin Jordan is yet another transfer from Darton CC, he finished with a 5-7 record last year.  Indiana state placer Michael Smith will be battling for the top spot here along with state qualifier Jeff Enrietto.
 
184#
SO-Dustin Boyd: Mishawaka HS, IN         *Transfer Calumet College St. Joe
FR-Jedidiah Bressman: Powell, OH (Worthington Kilbourne HS)
FR- (184/197) Jeremy Haskett: Indianapolis, IN (Lawerence North HS)        *IHSAA SQ
FR- (184/197) Jarrad Labelle: Davison HS, MI         *MHSAA DI-SQ, 4TH SQ
Fr- Tanner Martin: Ft. Wayne, IN (Snider HS)        *IHSAA SQ
FR- Joshua Morgan: Maconaqua HS, IN
 
This weight looks to be extremely competitive with three state qualifiers and a transfer in the mix.  Dustin Boyd will be coming over from Calumet College of St. Joe.  Jarrad Labelle will be heading south from Michigan powerhouse Davidson after finishing in 4th place there.  Also in the mix will be former Snider wrestler Tanner Martin and Jeremy Haskett of Lawrence North.
 
197#
FR-Brandon Bisping: Cedar Lake, IN (Hanover Central HS)
FR-Ashton Brierly: Columbus IN (Columbus East HS)
FR-Carlos Harbin: Detroit, MI (Highland Park HS)       *MHSAA DI-SQ
FR-Moe Talamantes: Ft. Wayne, IN (Northrop HS)
 
Just like 174lbs, this weight could feature a few of the 184lbers.  Leading the way here is Carlos Harbin who was a state qualifier in Michigan’s big school division.
 
285#
FR-Nick Cooper: Huntington, IN (Huntington North HS)      *IHSAA SQ
JR-Andre Dunn: Kewanee, HS       *Transfer from Lincoln CC
 
Only two heavyweights will be on the roster this year, but they will be tough ones to handle.  Nick Cooper qualified for state as a junior, but did not get to step on the mat as a senior due to a football injury.  Andre Dunn will don the orange and black after compiling a 27-11 record at Lincoln CC last year.

1548 20 1
IHSAA Approves Girls Wrestling as a Varsity Sport
In an 18-0 decision the IHSAA has moved forward with fully sanctioning girls wrestling as a varsity sport in Indiana. The sport was officially approved this afternoon after running as a separate event under the IHSGW since 2017 and two years under the IHSAA's Emerging Sport status.
 
Indiana has been a training ground for many of the top women's wrestlers in the country with Olympians Sarah Hildebrandt and Kayla Miracle leading the way. Indiana has a strong tradition in women's wrestling and as a fully sanctioned sport it will continue to produce wrestlers with national and world level success.

1542
Andrew Howe Advances to the Trials Championship
By STEVE KRAH
stvkrh905@gmail.com
 
It took a three-time world champion and defending Olympic champion from allowing Indiana’s Andrew Howe from getting a chance to represent the USA at the 2016 Rio Games.
 
For the second straight U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Jordan Burroughs bested Howe in the finals at 74 kg (163 pounds).
 
Burroughs, a New Jersey native who now lives in Nebraska and represents Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club, beat Howe in 2012 and went on to win it all at the London Olympics. He has only lost twice in the past five years and never to Howe.
 
On Sunday, April 10, Burroughs bested the former Hanover Central High School, University of Wisconsin and Oklahoma University standout 9-3 and 10-0 in the best-of-3 finals before 11,162 at the University of Iowa’s famed Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
 
In the first bout, Burroughs built a 7-0 lead before Howe scored a first-period reversal. The scoring in the second period was a takedown by Burroughs followed by a one-point push-out for Howe. Both periods were three minutes.
 
The second bout saw Burroughs win in just under 90 seconds. He got an early takedown and then executed four consecutive two-point “leg lace” rolls to win by superiority and earn the Olympic berth.
 
“I dominated,” Burroughs said after celebrating with his family. “I’m excited.
“The approach is always to be one of the best ever. It’s hard to be a husband and father and be the best wrestler in the world. But I want to be a role model to all fathers out there.”
 
On his way to the finals, the 26-year-old Howe drew a first-round bye then beat Mark Hall 10-0, Alex Dieringer 5-2 and Nick Marable 2-1 in the challenge tournament. Burroughs earned the right to by-pass the challenge and went right to the finals.
 
Before taking on Burroughs in a “do-or-die” showdown (only the champion advances to the 2016 Rio Olympics), Howe said he needed to “just relax” and “go take it.”
 
He just wasn’t able to get the job completed and still remains winless against Burroughs during his mat career.
 
A five-year member of Team USA, Howe came in ranked No. 4 at 74 kg.
 
Howe’s 2016 resume includes a U.S. Open championship and a fifth-place finish at the Yarygin Grand Prix in Russia.
 
An assistant coach at Oklahoma and a member of the Sooner Wrestling Club, Howe joined the staff after his senior season for the Sooners. He graduated from OU with a bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary studies and is currently working toward a master’s degree in human relations.
 
“It’s a great situation I have. I really appreciate (head coach) Mark Cody and (associate head coach) Michael Lightner freeing me up at times during the year and letting me get ready for this event.
 
“I wrestle with the college guys almost daily and it helps.”
 
The other wrestler from the Region at Iowa City was Angel Escobedo, who came in No. 3 in the Team USA rankings and a three-year member of Team USA.
 
The four-time state champion while at Griffith High School and three-time Big Ten Conference champion while at Indiana University, lost 12-9 to Nahshon Garrett in his only match Sunday.
 
Escobedo, 29, dropped out of the challenge tournament at 57 kg (125.5 pounds) because of injury. He is now an assistant coach at Iowa State University in Ames.
 
The member of the New York Athletic Club placed seventh at the 2016 U.S. Open.

1541
Indiana Tech Names Mike Ester as Wrestling Head Coach
Indiana Tech Names Mike Ester as Wrestling Head Coach

Indiana Tech Sports Information
 
Fort Wayne, IN — Indiana Tech is proud to announce the arrival of Warrior Wrestling! Leading the program will be first year Head Coach, Mike Ester. Coach Ester brings a wealth of experience and success from the High School and College levels as a competitor and coach.
 
A Fort Wayne native, Ester coached his at his alma mater Snider High School from 1998-2006. He led the Snider Panthers to eight SAC Conference titles, eight IHSAA Sectional titles, one team Regional Championship, one team Semi-State Championship, and 2002-03 Team State Finalists. During his tenure at Snider, there were 26 individual state finalists, 18 of which were medalists, three IHSAA state champions, and one IHSAA Mental Attitude award winner. Coach Ester’s squad produced six IHSAA Academic All-State wrestlers and added five other Honorable Mentions.
 
From 2006-2010, Ester was the Head Assistant Coach at Trine University which was in its second year of competition when he arrived. Ester had the pleasure of helping the program grow to national prominence, eventually landing the program as high as a #16 ranking in the NWCA DIII polls with as many as seven nationally ranked wrestlers at one time, was a two-time Team NCAA Midwest Regional runner-up, and the school's first ever NCAA Qualifier (Nick Kraus).
 
In High School, Coach Ester was a member of Snider’s wrestling team. He was a two-time state qualifier and a third place medalist during his senior campaign (1992). Ester was also a co-captain for the Panthers when they claimed the school’s (and city’s) first ever team Semi-State Championship.
 
After high school Ester attended Manchester College where he was a member of the wrestling team from 1992-1996. For the Spartans, Ester was a 4-year letter winner, two year captain, three-time conference champion, the first Spartan wrestler to be crowned champion at the prestigious “Midwest Classic” and was a NCAA qualifier his senior season.
 
"It is an honor and privilege to have this opportunity to start a wrestling program here”, Coach Ester says. “My family and I feel blessed!  Indiana Tech has committed leadership from the very top down who are dedicated to the success of their student athletes.  I'm excited to be a part of the Warrior athletic family and intend to represent the program with class and success as has been modeled by the other coaches and athletes here.  Our mission will be to use this program as a mechanism to produce productive members of our society who are accomplished not only as athletes, but as scholars and citizens as well."
 
Coach Ester currently resides in Fort Wayne, IN with his wife, Tami, and two children Brittani (12) and Brady (9).
 
For more information on Indiana Tech athletics please call the Athletic Office at 260-422-5561 ext. 2262 or visit our website at http://www.indianatech.edu/athletics

1541
Bulldog Breakdown: Mental Side of Hockaday’s Game Propels Two-Time Champ
By Anna Kayser
 
Mere seconds after securing his second consecutive IHSAA State Wrestling title in February, No. 2 Jake Hockaday ran over to his coaches’ corner, hugged assistant coach Kyle Ayersman… and flipped him down onto the mat.
 
“We planned that far before,” Hockaday said. “I had to win it first, but right after I won I called him over and we had to do that. That was the first time [I had ever done that], I saw it on TikTok, so I thought I had to hit it.”
 
With his Saturday night victory over No. 1 Ashton Jackson of LaPorte, Hockaday became Brownsburg’s second two-time state champion following now-Minnesota standout after being the first freshman in school history to win it all in 2022. As part of a cohort of a program-record four finalists, Hockaday’s win followed freshman 106-pounder Revin Dickman’s title, marking the first time in school history that Brownsburg has crowned multiple champions in a year.
 
As someone all too familiar with the spotlight on the center mat at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Hockaday’s confidence shined. He looked strong and light on his feet all still sets that are vital to coming out on top following a grueling wrestling season.
 
“First of all, we were thinking of going 113 [before the season], but I decided to make the jump to 120 to not cut and just train as hard as I could all year,” Hockaday said. “I felt pretty good not cutting a lot of weight. I felt like I was quick, I was strong, and I had a huge advantage over the other guys who were cutting weight.”
 
Hockaday looked strong, light on his feet and in his mind – all skillsets that are vital to coming out on top following a grueling wrestling season. Leading up to his 2022 run to become Brownsburg’s first freshman in school history to win a state title, that confidence wasn’t always there.
 
At the Avon Sectional a year ago, Hockaday rolled through the bracket to the title match against conference rival Luke Rioux of the host school, an opponent he was beyond familiar with. He lost that match, 10-6.
 
“He looked like a deer in headlights, he had no facial expression, and his face was just pale,” head coach Darrick Snyder said. “He had the pressure of the world on him. So we did a lot of work with him the next few weeks about getting his head right and trying to get him to understand that those feelings are normal.”
 
As the No. 1 ranked wrestler at 106 pounds during the 2022 season, all eyes on the Brownsburg side were on him to win the title as a freshman. All eyes on opposing sides, however, were to take him down.
 
 
“It was kind of hard being ranked No. 1, everyone was kind of giving me their all,” Hockaday said. “After that [loss] we had to turn the jets on, and I had to get my mental right. That’s really all we looked forward to, winning the state title.”
 
The mental side of wrestling is something that Snyder and his coaching staff continue to put an emphasis on with their wrestlers, setting them up for success as they start to wrestle on the biggest stages not only in Indiana, but in the country.
 
This past season, they took a number of wrestlers to the Walsh Ironman tournament to face some of the best nationally ranked competition.
 
“The longer I coach, the more time we spend on the mental side of [wrestling],” Snyder said. “For a lot of our kids, it’s not physical. They’ve got the skills and the ability… a lot of times it’s just dealing with the pressure.”
 
Snyder preached the same thing throughout the state series, so much so that when asked about it, Hockaday nearly recited it word-for-word: It’s just a wrestling match, that doesn’t change regardless of the scenario.
 
“It’s helped me realize that it’s a match – I’ve wrestled thousands of them,” Hockaday said. “The only thing that’s changing is they put it in a cool venue and call it the State Finals. Really, I just had to wrestle my match and win.”
 
And it paid off. He took what he learned last year with that lesson this season and used it to his advantage again, staying confident in himself no matter what the situation.
 
He’s an electric wrestler when he’s on his game, and now there’s very little that makes him forget it.
 
“I learned that I can’t wrestle [other] people’s style,” Hockaday said. “I just have to stay calm, breathe, force my style and not do anything stupid.”
 
 

1539
2013 IHSAA Sectional Brackets
Date: Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013.
Admission:$6.
Advancement: The top four place winners in each weight class advance to the regional tournament.

1.    East Chicago Central (10)
East Chicago Central, Hammond, Hammond Bishop Noll, Hammond Clark, Hammond Gavit, Hammond Morton, Lake Central, Merrillville, Munster, Whiting.
 
2.    Calumet (9)
Calumet, Gary Wallace, Gary West Side, Griffith, Highland, Hobart, Lake Station Edison, Portage, River Forest.
 
3.    Crown Point (9)
Andrean, Boone Grove, Crown Point, Hanover Central, Hebron, Kankakee Valley, Lowell, Valparaiso, Wheeler.
 
4.    LaPorte (8)
Chesterton, Glenn, Knox, LaPorte, LaVille, Michigan City, New Prairie, North Judson.
 
5.    Mishawaka (8)
Mishawaka, Mishawaka Marian, Penn, South Bend Adams, South Bend Clay, South Bend Riley, South Bend St. Joseph, South Bend Washington.
 
6.    Plymouth (10)
Bremen, Caston, Culver Academies, Culver Community, Plymouth, Rochester, Tippecanoe Valley, Triton, Warsaw, Wawasee.
 
7.    Twin Lakes (10)
Cass, Logansport, North Newton, North White, Pioneer, Rensselaer Central, South Newton, Twin Lakes, West Central, Winamac.
 
8.    Lafayette Jefferson (10)
Benton Central, Carroll (Flora), Delphi, Faith Christian, Frontier, Harrison (West Lafayette), Lafayette Jefferson, McCutcheon, Rossville, West Lafayette.
 
9.    Elkhart Memorial (8)
Concord, Elkhart Central, Elkhart Memorial, Fairfield, Goshen, Jimtown, Northridge, NorthWood.
 
10.  Westview (10)
Angola, Central Noble, DeKalb, East Noble, Fremont, Howe, Lakeland, Prairie Heights, West Noble, Westview.
 
11.  Carroll (Fort Wayne) (10)
Carroll (Fort Wayne), Churubusco, Columbia City, Eastside, Garrett, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran, Fort Wayne North Side, Fort Wayne Northrop, Whitko.
 
12.  New Haven (9)
Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, Fort Wayne Snider, Fort Wayne South Side, Fort Wayne Wayne, Heritage, Homestead, Huntington North, New Haven, Leo, Woodlan.
 
13.  Peru (8)
Maconaquah, Manchester, North Miami, Northfield, Northwestern, Peru, Southwood, Wabash.
 
14.  Oak Hill (9)
Eastbrook, Eastern (Greentown), Kokomo, Madison-Grant, Marion, Mississinewa, Oak Hill, Taylor, Western.
 
15.  Jay County (9)
Adams Central, Bellmont, Blackford, Bluffton, Jay County, Norwell, South Adams, Southern Wells, Union City.
 
16.  Delta (10)
Daleville, Delta, Monroe Central, Muncie Central, Muncie Southside, Randolph Southern, Wapahani, Wes-Del, Winchester, Yorktown.
 
17.  Crawfordsville (11)
Attica, Covington, Crawfordsville, Fountain Central, North Montgomery, North Vermillion, Rockville, Seeger, South Vermillion, Southmont, Turkey Run.
 
18.  Zionsville (11)
Carmel, Clinton Central, Clinton Prairie, Fishers, Frankfort, Hamilton Southeastern, Lebanon, Sheridan, Western Boone, Westfield, Zionsville.
 
19.  Hamilton Heights (11)
Alexandria, Anderson, Elwood, Frankton, Guerin Catholic, Hamilton Heights, Lapel, Noblesville, Pendleton Heights, Tipton, Tri-Central.
 
20.  Indianapolis Arlington (9)
Brebeuf Jesuit, Indiana Blind, Indianapolis Arlington, Indianapolis Bishop Chatard, Indianapolis Cathedral, Lawrence Central, Lawrence North, North Central (Indianapolis), Park Tudor.
 
21.  Indianapolis Northwest (13)
Indianapolis Arsenal Technical, Indianapolis Broad Ripple, Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter, Indianapolis Crispus Attucks, Indianapolis Howe, Indianapolis Manual, Indianapolis Northwest, Indianapolis Scecina, Indianapolis Washington, Perry Meridian, Pike, Southport, Speedway.
 
22.  Warren Central (10)
Beech Grove, Franklin Central, Greenfield-Central, Indianapolis Marshall, Mt. Vernon (Fortville), New Palestine, Roncalli, Shelbyville, Triton Central, Warren Central.
 
23.  Shenandoah (11)
Blue River Valley, Cambridge City Lincoln, Centerville, Eastern Hancock, Hagerstown, Knightstown, New Castle, Northeastern, Richmond, Shenandoah, Tri.
 
24.  South Dearborn (10)
Batesville, Connersville, East Central, Franklin County, Lawrenceburg, Milan, Oldenburg Academy, Rushville, South Dearborn, Union County.
 
25.  Avon (10)
Avon, Ben Davis, Brownsburg, Cascade, Cloverdale, Danville, Greencastle, North Putnam,  South Putnam, Tri-West Hendricks.
 
26.  Mooresville (10)
Center Grove, Decatur Central, Franklin Community, Greenwood, Indian Creek, Martinsville, Monrovia, Mooresville, Plainfield, Whiteland.
 
27.  Northview (10)
Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Edgewood, North Knox, Northview, Owen Valley, Sullivan, Terre Haute North, Terre Haute South, West Vigo.
 
28.  Southridge (9)
Bedford North Lawrence, Crawford County, Forest Park, Jasper, Mitchell, Paoli, Salem, Southridge, Washington.
 
29.  Jennings County (10)
Brown County, Columbus East, Columbus North, Greensburg, Jennings County, Madison, Scottsburg, Seymour, Southwestern (Hanover), Switzerland County.
 
30.  Jeffersonville (9)
Charlestown, Christian Academy of Indiana, Corydon Central, Eastern (Pekin), Floyd Central, Jeffersonville, New Albany, New Washington, Providence.
 
31.  Castle (10)
Boonville, Castle, Evansville Bosse, Evansville Harrison, Evansville Memorial, Evansville Reitz, Heritage Hills, Mt. Vernon, South Spencer, Tell City.
 
32.  Evansville Central (10)
Evansville Central, Evansville Mater Dei, Evansville North, Gibson Southern, North Posey, Pike Central, Princeton, Tecumseh, Vincennes Lincoln, Wood Memorial.


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1536
SIAC Preview
The youth movement is real in the SIAC as five favorites are freshmen or sophomores. 15 wrestlers in the field boast state rankings and an additional 12 hold semi state rankings.
 
106- Freshman sensation Baxter Annakin has thrilled the folks in Paradise with his 12th state ranking and number one seed in the SIAC tourney. Annakin seems likely to begin the post-season with an SIAC title. In his path is Mater Dei's two-seed, Nolan Weidner.
 
113- Mater Dei's sophomore Kyle Luigs is no longer under radar. Beating three ranked opponents at team state vaulted Luigs to a state ranking of fourth. Memorial's Seth Horty and Central's Carson Willis should battle it out for the other slot in the final.
 
120- Luig's classmate, Will Egli, begins his post season quest looking for a second SIAC championship. Ranked seventh, Egli has another year of seasoning under his belt and looks to be the best in the field. Kyle McBride (6th SS) and North's Dawson Matherly will lock horns for the other spot in the final.
 
126- The "Nick Lee Effect" is on display at 126. A 2014 SSQ, Central's Conner Willis could muster no better than a fourth-seed in this deep class. This has the attention of Mater Dei's top-seed, senior Alex Johnson. Willis always wrestles Johnson tough and will do so again in the semi final. Last Saturday, Castle's Braedon Clopton and Reitz's Caleb Craig had a barnburner; expect a semifinal of the same magnitude on January 24.
 
132- Mater Dei's top-ranked sophomore, Nick Lee, has not been scored upon this year and brings his 18-0 record to the table. Expect him to meet North's Josh Elpers in the final.
 
138- Joe Lee gets the other end of big brother's effect, competing in the deepest weight class in the field. Leading Mater Dei in takedowns, Lee has built an impressive freshman portfolio, culminating with the top SIAC seed. Memorial's Johny Wargel has drifted in and out of the state rankings and should meet Lee in the semi final. Reitz's AJ Dixon and Castle's Austin Ramsey went to war last Saturday; seven days later, they will do it again in Paradise. The winner gets a slot in the final.
 
145- Returning SIAC champ, junior Blake Jourdan, is midway through a tremendous junior season with a 15-2 record. Bosse's four-seed, Nigel Buchannan meets Reitz's Tyler Kloenhamer in an interesting first-round bout. The winner will get Jourdan in the semi final. On the other side of the bracket is Castle senior Patrick Schnell and Central senior, Hunter McCormick. Schnell is the favorite to prevail in his semi final match-up with McCormick. Schnell is a proven veteran and is bent on evening the score after dropping an early-season decision to Jourdan.
 
152- Starting at running back last fall, Central's Isaiah Kemper ran the ball over 50 times against Reitz's vaunted defense. One-on-one on the wrestling mat is no big deal; Kemper will be in the final. Only a sophomore, Castle's Jacob Farmer (5th SS) is already a tested veteran. He will have a showdown with Mater Dei junior Mitch Lehman (7th SS) in the semifinal for the right to face Kemper for an SIAC title.
 
160- Turner Lockyear has met expectations and delivered a stellar senior campaign, rolling up 30 wins against only two setbacks. Mater Dei's Nick Buedel is a first-year starter. At the end of the day, expect Buedel and Lockyear to mix it up on the center mat.
 
170- Castle's Blake Jeffress has quietly put together at 22-win season resulting in his top seed. A 2x state qualifier, Mater Dei's Ashton Forzley should meet him in the final. This is my pick for the second-best championship match. North's Justin Naylor meets Memorial's Chris Voegel in the first round, in what should be a good race.
 
182- Mater Dei senior Sam Bassemier returns to this weight class and looks to a likely rematch of last year's final with Castle's Evan Dowell. This should be a humdinger as Bassemier puts his 12th state ranking on the line against Dowell's 4th SS ranking.
 
195- Chase Anslinger get the nod for the top-seed at 195. The Mater Dei senior will likely meet Memorial's Marcus Gahagen or Castle's Jake Lamar in the final. Lamar will need to be on his toes the first round. Reitz's Blake Huggins knows how to control the tempo and presents a formidable opponent.
 
220- LaTerrance Kyles is this year's standard-bearer for Coach Mark Mastison's Harrison Warriors. Kyles leads the entire field in wins with 43. Reitz's Adam Auten and North's Cody Smith will meet in the first round for a very competitive bout. Look for Mater Dei's Kurtis Wilderman to compete with Kyles for the top spot on the podium, my pick for the third-best final.
 
285- Mater Dei's Adrian Butler (7th SS) get the nod for the top-seed. Danger lurks, as Butler will likely meet Memorial's Will Page in the semi final. Page is very solid and quite capable of an upset. Central's Jordan Libby and Castle's Jake Kough will meet in the other semifinal in what should also be a very good match.
 
Best First Round Matches: 113 pounds, Reitz's Alec McNeely vs. Castle's Bailey Anderson. McNeely is better than his 13-15 record reflects and is capable of an upset. 145 pounds, Nigel Buchannan of Bosse vs. Tyler Kloenhamer of Reitz. Buchannan has put together a solid season, defeating Reitz's Jacob Pace before he moved to 152. Buchannan/Pace should be a good one!
 
Best Semifinal Match: 120 pounds, Castle's Kyle McBride vs. North's Dawson Matherly. McBride has put together a solid freshman campaign and seems poised for a break-out performance. Matherly brings a lot of athleticism, 28 wins and an early-season, 2-0 win over McBride. This one is a coin toss.
 
Best Final: 160 will be a study in contrast. Castle's Turner Lockyear is calculating and rock-solid.
Mater Dei's Nick Buedel is unpredictable and can be wild. Look for a high-scoring, very entertaining affair.
 
Team- Mater Dei will place a large percentage of their roster en route to a team title, followed closely by Castle. Central and Memorial will battle for third. Reitz is in a position for some upsets. If they perform, they can crack the top four.
 
Hook and Half's Recommendations: #1- Castle's parking lot can be cold and windy, so park on the south side of the building. It is a short walk to an entrance door. #2- Castle gets an A plus for serving up pizza slices as big as your face. #3- Thank the Castle folks for hosting. They know what they are doing and keep things moving. #4- If you are a Reitz, Central, Mater Dei or North fan, do not be at the intersection of Highway 41 and the Lloyd. I realize it is Saturday; do not chance it. #5- Find WrestleMan or BlueBolt and engage them in an insane wrestling conversation. No, wait. I recommend that you DO NOT do that.

1533
2014 Junior Freestyle Preview
Last 5 Years All-Americans
[table]
2009 119 5th Camden Eppert 2009 130 1st Cashe’ Quiroga 2009 145 8th Ryan Stahl 2010 135 3rd Jason Tsirtsis 2011 112 2nd Jarred Brooks 2011 130 5th Jared McKinley 2011 145 1st Jason Tsirtsis 2012 285 2nd Donte Winfield 2012 138 5th Neal Molloy 2012 132 6th Jared McKinley 2013 126 7th Brandon James 2013 152 6th Vinny Corsaro 2013 182 2nd Riley Lefever 2013 195 1st Mitch Sliga 2013 220 3rd Fletcher Miller 2013 285 4th Wes Bernard [/table]Last year the Junior Freestyle team brought home six All-Americans and a 5th place team finish. Two of those All-Americans return along with two from last year's Cadet group. Leading the way is three-time Fargo placer Brandon James. He has been money here as he placed 7th in a loaded weight class last year. Before that he placed 6th and 8th as a Cadet. The other returning Junior All-American is Fletcher Miller. He will look to finish his high school career off on Mat 1 this year after taking a 3rd place plaque home to Kokomo last year. Randy Scott and Dylan Lydy will both move up an age group and hope to repeat their performances from 2013. Both had breakout performances at Fargo last year with Lydy placing 4th and Scott finishing 8th.
 
Others with some national accolades that will look to make their first appearance on the Fargo podium include USAW Folkstyle runner-ups Drew Hildebrandt and Jacob Aven, along with USAW Folkstyle Natonals 3rd place finisher Garrett Pepple. All three will need to navigate the always tough minefield that Fargo presents. State placers Clarence Johnson, Ben Harvey, and Scottie Sopko will all be looking to wrestle deep into the tournament.
 
[table]
Name Weight State Credentials National Credentials Drew Hildebrandt 106 2014 State 6th2013 State 8th 2014 USAW Folkstyle 2nd Garrett Pepple 113 2014 State 2nd2013 State 2nd 2014 USAW Folkstyle 4th2013 USAW Folkstyle 5th2012 USAW Folkstyle 7th Christian Warren 120 [/td] Jack Franklin 120 Tyler Futrell 120 Brandon James 132 2014 State 2nd2013 State 5th2012 State 3rd 2013 Junior Freestyle 7th2012 Cadet Freestyle 6th2011 Cadet Freestyle 8th Clarence Johnson 132 2014 State 7th William Bernard 132 Anthony Williams 138 Kyle Todrank 138 Andrew Herrin 145 Dan Reed 145 Bryant Haynes 152 Kellen Van Camp 152 2014 State Qualifier Ben Harvey 160 2014 State Qualifier2013 State 3rd2012 State 7th Dylan Lydy 170 2014 FloNationals 4th2013 Cadet Freestyle 4th Scottie Sopko 170 2013 State Qualifier2012 State 8th Randy Scott 195 2014 State 3rd 2013 Cadet Greco-Roman 2nd2013 Cadet Freestyle 8th Jacob Aven 195 2013 State Qualifier2014 State Qualifier 2014 USAW Folkstyle 2nd2013 USAW Folkstyle 6th Austin Cossel 220 Christian Redmond 220 Fletcher Miller 220 2014 State 2nd2013 State 2nd 2014 USAW Folkstyle 1st2013 Junior Freestyle 3rd Nick Joyner 285 [td][/table]
1529
2011 IHSAA Semi-State Brackets
Date: Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011.
Admission: $6 (Final session only); $10 (Season ticket).
Advancement: The top four place winners in each weight class advance to the state finals.
 
1. Merrillville (at Merrillville H.S.) | 9 am CT
Feeder Regionals: Calumet, LaPorte, Logansport, Rochester.

2. Woodlan (at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum) | 9 am ET
Feeder Regionals: Carroll (Fort Wayne), Goshen, Jay County, Peru.

3. New Castle (at New Castle H.S.) | 9 am ET
Feeder Regionals: North Montgomery, Pendleton Heights, Perry Meridian, Richmond.

4. Evansville Reitz (at Roberts Stadium) | 9 am CT
Feeder Regionals: Bloomington South, Castle, Jeffersonville, Mooresville.

1503
Purdue Wrestling Season Preview: 149-165
2019-20 Schedule
Always Aggressive Podcast
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue wrestling team is ready to launch a new era in its middle weights, featuring a few familiar faces at a new weight and some freshmen eager to launch their varsity careers for the Old Gold & Black.
149 POUNDS
The Boilermakers will open 2019-20 with two NCAA qualifiers vying for time at the same weight. As mentioned in the lower-weight preview, senior Nate Limmex will open the season at 149 pounds, garnering a variety of national rankings in the 141-pound preseason polls. On the other end, junior Griffin Parriott is coming down a weight from 157 pounds, where he advanced to the national tournament in 2018-19.
Limmex has 57 wins under his belt over the last three seasons, including a 19-17 mark last year that featured a second-place effort at the Princeton Open and a runner-up finish at the Journeymen Classic. He earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships in Pittsburgh, where he went 1-2 with a win in the wrestlebacks over Northern Colorado’s Christopher Sandoval 7-4.
Parriott finished 17-13 in 2018-19 at 157 pounds and is 33-26 for his career, earning his first NCAA Tournament appearance last year. He made the most of his trip to Pittsburgh, knocking off the No. 13 and No. 14 seeds as he finished 2-2. Parriott also finished second at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, knocking off No. 1 seed Tyler Berger of Nebraska on his way to the finals, and won the Loras Open. He’s been ranked in the top-20 of every preseason poll released for 2019-20, including the No. 12 spot at 149 from TheOpenMat.com and a No. 14 nod from FloWrestling.
Other names at 149 pounds are sophomore Pat Cody and freshman Aaron Galef, who both will stay ready for opportunities on the year and aim to see action at the season-opening Michigan State Open.
157 POUNDS
Freshman Kendall Coleman aims to be the man at 157 pounds for Purdue head coach Tony Ersland, and aims to pick up where he left off on an outstanding summer on the freestyle circuit. The three-time Illinois high school state placewinner took fifth at 70 kg at the U23 Freestyle World Team Trials in June and was seventh at 70 kg at UWW Junior Freestyle National Championships in April.
Sophomore Elijah Davis and freshman Hayden Lohrey bolster the ranks at 157 and are ready to step in as needed. Davis logged 12 matches in his rookie season, including a Big Ten dual appearance against Penn State in 2019, while Lohrey comes to Purdue from nearby Middletown, Indiana, where he won 158 career matches at Shenandoah High School.
165 POUNDS
Another Boilermaker rookie sits ready to start his career at 165 pounds as Emil Soehnlen is primed to take on a varsity schedule. The Canton, Ohio native did enough in his redshirt campaign to earn a pair of preseason rankings, getting the No. 23 spot via FloWrestling and a No. 28 ranking from TrackWrestling. He placed at four different open tournaments in 2018-19, winning the Indianapolis Greyhound Open and Maryville Kaufman/Brand/Bayly Open Amateur Division, and taking second in the Frosh/Soph Division at Michigan State.
Sophomore Tanner Webster will look to get in the mix as well, going 5-7 in his first varsity season including dual appearances against Missouri and North Carolina State. He also placed third in the Amateur Division at Maryville Kaufman/Brand/Bayly Open.

1495 2 2
Bulldog Breakdown: Dominant Opening Performances Propel Brownsburg to Avon, Ironman
By Anna Kayser
 
As the clocked ticked down toward the end of November into the beginning of December and the temperature dropped below freezing, the heat of the 2022-23 IHSAA wrestling season was cranked to high and since, the Brownsburg Bulldogs have surged. 
 
No match of which, in the first official varsity competition, was more indicative of that than No. 9 Mason Day’s electric, overtime win over No. 6 Ike O’Neill – a senior and 2022 state qualifier at 138 pounds – with the entire gymnasium on its feet last Wednesday. 
 
Sandwiching a quartet of pins by No. 11 Landon Haines (126), Tommy Gibbs (132), No. 138 Parker Reynolds (138) and No. 20 Jesse Derringer (152), Day gritted his way through a season-opening victory. After opening the match with a takedown late in the first period, he found himself in a one-point deficit in the waning seconds of the third until an escape in the waning seconds forced overtime. 
 
“We went into overtime, and I could see that he was tired,” Day said. “I kind of looked over at my coaches and smiled. I was ready to work.”
 
With an escape forcing a number of overtime periods and his entire team, coaching staff and fanbase behind him as he clung to O’Neill’s leg to avoid a point scored against him, he raised his hand in triumph for his first varsity victory after the ultimate ride out.
 
“We felt pretty good going into overtime because Mason’s a tough kid,” head coach Darrick Snyder said. “He’s only a sophomore, but the kid’s been wrestling his entire life. He’s been in dozens and dozens of overtime matches, so I would just think his mentality [was the biggest part].”
 
And without a number of prominent, ranked wrestlers on the mat, Brownsburg kicked off its season in a frenzy, defeating the Westfield Shamrocks, 60-13. 
 
“I thought we competed well, and I was really excited,” Snyder said. “We had some young kids – some backups –perform really, really well. Overall, I thought it was good considering it was our first meet.”
 
Most notably missing from the Bulldogs’ Wednesday night lineup were No. 1 Preston Haines (113), No. 2 Jake Hockaday (120) and No. 2 Leighton Jones (285), but as the week came to a close, those three made their presence known.
 
In Harrison, OH at the William Henry Harrison Invitational, the Bulldogs continued their dominant opening to the season with a perfect 5-0 record in duals against Oak Hills, Miamisburg, Lebanon, East Central and Harrison. Leading the squad were nine undefeated wrestlers donning purple singlets – Revin Dickman, Kyle Callahan, Preston Haines, Hockaday, Landon Haines, Gibbs, Brady Ison, Gunner Henry and Jones. 
 
As the campaign – and winter cold and flu season – progresses and the Bulldogs lineup shifts due to injury and illness, having a stacked lineup of wrestlers who can compete at a high level brings advantages not only to team success, but individual success as well. 
 
“You can’t replace their experience and success,” head coach Darrick Snyder said. “I think when you’re competing for a team state championship, when you have all your guns and you have some of the dudes we have, it leaves a little room for error.
 
“I think it allows everyone to relax a little more, wrestle free because they know they’ve got some friends that can pick up the slack if they have an off match or a tough tournament.”
 
After getting into the weeds on how the Bulldog wrestling program – now rated No. 2 in the IndianaMat State Power Poll behind Crown Point – was built from the ground up with Snyder at the helm over nearly a decade, now we look forward. 
 
Snyder isn’t shy about building his schedule to make the athletes better in their quest to reach the podium at Gainbridge Fieldhouse come February. 
 
Tonight, Brownsburg opens its home schedule to take on Avon before heading to – arguably – its biggest non-championship event of the season: the Walsh Jesuit Ironman Invitational.
 
Dickman, Preston Haines, Hockaday, Ison, Reynolds, Caden Brewer, Henry and Jones will take the mat in the nationally recognized tournament to kick the season into full gear, especially with the lack of matches leading up to the tournament from Dec. 9-10. 
 
“We’re hoping everyone gets at least four or five matches just because the way I [put together] our season, we don’t compete early because I think it takes a lot of time to get into wrestling shape,” Snyder said. “We’re not going to have a lot of opportunities to compete before Ironman, so we’re trying to get as many matches as we can this weekend.”
 
Of the Bulldogs’ eight representatives at Ironman this weekend, four are returning placers at IHSAA state last season and are anchors to a lineup that is hard to score points against: Hockaday, who became the first freshman to win a state title in team history; Preston Haines, runner-up at 113; Henry, third-place at 182 and Jones, who is entering his senior season with a drive for a title after placing third at heavyweight. 
 
Following this weekend, the schedule doesn’t slow until the holiday break approaches. On Dec. 17, Brownsburg travels to the Crown Point Invitational, hosted by the team’s main competitive rival following a second-place team finish in the state tournament last year. 
 
Even as the level of competition rises, one of the main focuses of Bulldog wrestlers is keeping an even mentality, despite what might have occurred – good or bad – in the last match. 
 
“I wouldn’t say [my win against Westfield] really changes anything. I go into every match thinking the same – that I need to win it no matter what,” Day said. “You’ve got to keep a good, good, good head. You’ve got to stay clear minded and just work for your goals.”
 

1494 2
Ersland Adds Leroy Vega to the Purdue staff
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue head coach Tony Ersland rounded out his coaching staff Monday, naming Leroy Vega as his volunteer assistant coach for the 2019-20 season. A three-time NCAA All-American, Vega will work primarily with the lower weight classes. 
 
Vega's name is widely known on the Indiana high school wrestling scene, from his days on the mat and to most recently, his days in the corner. He joins the Purdue staff after eight years as the head coach at his alma mater, Portage High School, in northwest Indiana. During his span as head coach, Vega had 41 Indiana High School Athletic Association state tournament qualifiers, with 10 appearing in the finals and three Portage wrestlers claiming an individual title. In 2015, the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association named Vega its coach of the year.
 
As a prep at Portage, Vega was a two-time state champion in 1996 and 1997. His success translated on the international scene as well. In 1998, Vega placed ninth at 60 kg the UWW Junior Greco-Roman World Championships. The following year, competing at 54 kg in freestyle, he placed seventh at the world championships.
 
Vega wrestled collegiately at Minnesota from 1999 to 2002 and scattered his name throughout the legendary program. Individually, Vega earned All-America honors three times at 125 pounds and captured the Big Ten Conference 125-pound title in 2002. His performances helped the Gophers win three Big Ten team titles and back-to-back NCAA team titles in 2001 and 2002.
 
Vega tallied a career record of 135-26, with his 135 wins ranking fifth all-time at Minnesota and his .839 winning percentage ranking 17th. He owned a career dual record of 65-14, with the 65 wins tied for seventh on the Gophers' individual dual wins list.
 
Prior to his head coaching appointment at Portage, Vega was named the inaugural head coach at Calumet College of St. Joseph in Whiting, Indiana, with the birth of the program in 2008. He was at the helm through the 2009-10 season before returning to his roots in Portage.
 
Vega earned his Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education and teaching from Minnesota in 2002. He and his wife, Sarah, have two daughters, LillyAnna and Lilah, and a son, Lydon.

1494 11
Who do you want in your corner at state? 2023 Version
One of our favorite articles of the year is here! The premise of this is to show which coaches and let's be honest COACHING STAFFS have the most success at the most crucial times during the state series. Winning on Friday is simple, you win and you get a medal. If you lose you go home with only a ribbon from last week. Getting kids to peak at the right time is a juggling act that Barnum and Bailey would be impressed by. The coaches at the top of the list simply get things done in crucial moments and that takes years of experience along with trial and error. This article by no means says any coach is better than another, just simply looks at the data from 1992 until 2022 and shows which coaches win at state more often. 
 
This year we have a new leader of the current coaches with the highest winning percentage on Friday night. Congratulations to everyone's favorite Osceola native Jerimiah Maggart for taking the lead! We all know there will be some coaches hot on his tail this year.
 
Take the data as you want, but it is always a great conversation starter during this week.
 
Click here for all of the data
Current coaches with 10+ state qualifiers from 1992-2022

Coach Total Qualifiers Total Placers Friday % Current School Jerimiah Maggart 10 8 80.00% Jimtown Sean McGinley 121 93 76.86% Indianapolis Cathedral Darrick Snyder 106 80 75.47% Brownsburg Branden Lorek 41 30 73.17% Crown Point Chris Cooper 40 28 70.00% Columbus East Joshua Holden 19 13 68.42% Greenfield-Central Maurice Swain 24 16 66.67% Center Grove David Maldonado 88 57 64.77% Merrillville Greg Schaefer 90 58 64.44% Evansville Mater Dei Matt Schoettle 39 25 64.10% Perry Meridian Jim Tonte 112 71 63.39% Franklin Community Pat Dowty 10 6 60.00% Indian Creek Doug Welch 10 6 60.00% Zionsville Frank Bumgardner 12 7 58.33% Wawasee Bill Flatt 23 13 56.52% South Bend Riley Tony Abbott 34 19 55.88% Cowan Dan Briggs 24 13 54.17% Carroll (Fort Wayne) Phil Smith 13 7 53.85% Westfield Bob Harmon 62 33 53.23% Castle Ed Pendoski 79 40 50.63% Carmel Randy Kearby 34 17 50.00% Wabash Chad Shepherd 27 13 48.15% Western Mike Runyon 23 11 47.83% Bloomington South Brandon Sisson 19 9 47.37% Floyd Central Jim Pickard 43 20 46.51% Goshen Eric Myers 28 13 46.43% Jay County Louie Kuzdas 28 13 46.43% LaPorte Clint Gard 20 9 45.00% Rochester Lou Silverman 40 17 42.50% North Central Scott Ferguson 38 16 42.11% Evansville Reitz Gabe Cook 12 5 41.67% Terre Haute South Tony Currie 17 7 41.18% Adams Central Andy Hobbs 42 17 40.48% Peru Dan Mikesell 15 6 40.00% Mooresville Danny Struck 20 8 40.00% Jeffersonville Adam Wolf 10 4 40.00% East Central Brad Harper 78 31 39.74% Penn Larry Mattingly 36 14 38.89% Evansville Memorial Jamie Welliever 13 5 38.46% Southmont Dave Cloud 29 11 37.93% Pendleton Heights Dean Branstetter 16 6 37.50% Attica Brett Smith 11 4 36.36% Prairie Heights Johnny Henry 11 4 36.36% Harrison (WL) Doug Smoker 20 7 35.00% Eastside Andrew King 28 9 32.14% Oak Hill James Linn 13 4 30.77% New Haven Jim Wadkins 22 6 27.27% Calumet Sam Riesen 11 3 27.27% East Noble Tim Alcorn 11 3 27.27% Mount Vernon (Posey) Blane Culp 16 4 25.00% Columbia City Steven Sandefer 17 4 23.53% Mishawaka Doug Deters 13 3 23.08% Franklin County Nick Kraus 19 4 21.05% Garrett Tom Miller 18 2 11.11% Lafayette Jefferson  
All coaches with 10+ state qualifiers from 1992-2019

Coach Total Qualifiers Total Placers Friday % Wiley Craft 12 11 91.67% Todd Kendrick 13 11 84.62% Frank Svarczkopf, Jr. 12 10 83.33% Wade McClurg 17 14 82.35% Travis Walls 26 21 80.77% Jerimiah Maggart 10 8 80.00% Dan Gelarden 15 12 80.00% Brett Crousore 39 31 79.49% Nick Petrov 24 19 79.17% Perry Summitt 13 10 76.92% Sean McGinley 121 93 76.86% Darrick Snyder 106 80 75.47% Brian Weaver 12 9 75.00% Branden Lorek 41 30 73.17% Al Smith 26 19 73.08% Justin Smith 11 8 72.73% Rod Wartman 11 8 72.73% Chris Cooper 40 28 70.00% Keith Grant 10 7 70.00% Alan Goddard 10 7 70.00% Dennis Miesle 10 7 70.00% Duboris Dickerson 13 9 69.23% Grodie Crick 13 9 69.23% Joshua Holden 19 13 68.42% Mike Atwood 19 13 68.42% Paul Nicodemus 19 13 68.42% Lance Rhodes 31 21 67.74% Maurice Swain 24 16 66.67% Paul Voigt 15 10 66.67% Kevin Blundell 12 8 66.67% Mike Goebel 111 74 66.67% Bill Kelly 26 17 65.38% David Maldonado 88 57 64.77% Lance Ellis 17 11 64.71% Greg Schaefer 90 58 64.44% Zach Errett 28 18 64.29% Matt Schoettle 39 25 64.10% Chad Red 25 16 64.00% Jim Tonte 112 71 63.39% Matthew Behling 19 12 63.16% Brian Seltzer 40 25 62.50% Robert Emerick 29 18 62.07% Bob Jarrett 13 8 61.54% Jack Grimaldi 13 8 61.54% Rob Willman 18 11 61.11% Pat Dowty 10 6 60.00% Doug Welch 10 6 60.00% John Kopnisky 10 6 60.00% Brent Faurote 109 65 59.63% Kevin Troy 32 19 59.38% David Walpole 17 10 58.82% Russel Feigert 41 24 58.54% Frank Bumgardner 12 7 58.33% Dave Thompson 24 14 58.33% Royce Deckard 64 37 57.81% Bob Read 26 15 57.69% Steve Balash 52 30 57.69% Keith Hoffar 28 16 57.14% Kyle Poyer 28 16 57.14% Mike Smorin 14 8 57.14% Jim Nicholson 14 8 57.14% Bill Flatt 23 13 56.52% Larry Tharp 23 13 56.52% Trent McCormick 103 58 56.31% Bobby Howard 16 9 56.25% John Cook 16 9 56.25% Tony Abbott 34 19 55.88% Bob Hasseman 68 38 55.88% Lance Beehler 18 10 55.56% Danny Williams 20 11 55.00% Jamie Wingler 11 6 54.55% Jason Warthan 11 6 54.55% James Colias 11 6 54.55% Kenny Wallace 11 6 54.55% Dan Briggs 24 13 54.17% Clarence Warthan 24 13 54.17% Israel Blevins 37 20 54.05% Chris Joll 63 34 53.97% Phil Smith 13 7 53.85% Jake Harreld 13 7 53.85% Mike Ester 26 14 53.85% Bob Brennan 15 8 53.33% Bob Harmon 62 33 53.23% Jared Williams 40 21 52.50% Rex Peckinpaugh 73 38 52.05% Andy Simon 35 18 51.43% Scott Vlink 76 39 51.32% Leroy Vega 43 22 51.16% Ed Pendoski 79 40 50.63% Randy Kearby 34 17 50.00% Chris Campbell 14 7 50.00% T. Howard Jones Jr. 22 11 50.00% Mark Bruner 12 6 50.00% Mark Kerrn 38 19 50.00% Mark Kirchgassner 12 6 50.00% Kevin King 18 9 50.00% Lee Fry 10 5 50.00% Bill Yozipovich 14 7 50.00% Jim Ledbetter 28 14 50.00% Todd Sacksteder 20 10 50.00% Chris Svarczkopf 10 5 50.00% Larry Hazuga 10 5 50.00% Christopher Kern 10 5 50.00% Henry Wilk 43 21 48.84% Chad Shepherd 27 13 48.15% Dennis Lewis 27 13 48.15% Mike Runyon 23 11 47.83% Brandon Sisson 19 9 47.37% Terry O'Neill 19 9 47.37% Scott Dehart 17 8 47.06% Ryan Wells 15 7 46.67% Jim Pickard 43 20 46.51% Eric Myers 28 13 46.43% Louie Kuzdas 28 13 46.43% Cale Hoover 26 12 46.15% Rod Williams 13 6 46.15% Tony Boley 24 11 45.83% Bud Palmer 11 5 45.45% Steve Wewe 11 5 45.45% Bo Henry 11 5 45.45% Clint Gard 20 9 45.00% Rick Stenftenagel 14 6 42.86% David Caple 14 6 42.86% Lou Silverman 40 17 42.50% Scott Schwarz 26 11 42.31% Scott Ferguson 38 16 42.11% Eric Highley 19 8 42.11% Gabe Cook 12 5 41.67% Tony Currie 17 7 41.18% Steve VanderAa 17 7 41.18% Andy Hobbs 42 17 40.48% Dan Mikesell 15 6 40.00% Danny Struck 20 8 40.00% Adam Wolf 10 4 40.00% Scott Raypole 15 6 40.00% Ryan Landis 10 4 40.00% Mark Line 20 8 40.00% James Binkley 10 4 40.00% Sam DiPrimio 10 4 40.00% Gene Backes 10 4 40.00% Murray Miller 10 4 40.00% James Phillips 10 4 40.00% Kevin Taylor 10 4 40.00% Brad Harper 78 31 39.74% Steve Pugliese 23 9 39.13% Larry Mattingly 36 14 38.89% Al Hartman 36 14 38.89% Jamie Welliever 13 5 38.46% Ed Fox 13 5 38.46% Greg Gastineau 13 5 38.46% Dave Cloud 29 11 37.93% Dean Branstetter 16 6 37.50% Brett Smith 11 4 36.36% Johnny Henry 11 4 36.36% Gary Fox 11 4 36.36% Gary Schliessman 11 4 36.36% Tony Grater 11 4 36.36% Tony Starks 11 4 36.36% Derek Bocock 14 5 35.71% Matt Koontz 14 5 35.71% Doug Smoker 20 7 35.00% Mark Scott 20 7 35.00% Paul Gunsett 20 7 35.00% David Errett 20 7 35.00% Barry Humble 18 6 33.33% Josh Dommer 15 5 33.33% Jim HIttler 18 6 33.33% Robert Freije 18 6 33.33% Todd Fakes 12 4 33.33% Andrew King 28 9 32.14% James Linn 13 4 30.77% Randy Pursley 13 4 30.77% Chuck Fleshman 10 3 30.00% John Bennett 10 3 30.00% Lonnie Chamberlain 10 3 30.00% Nicholas Eckert 14 4 28.57% George Gardner 18 5 27.78% Jim Wadkins 22 6 27.27% Sam Riesen 11 3 27.27% Tim Alcorn 11 3 27.27% Ron Anderson 11 3 27.27% Blane Culp 16 4 25.00% Eric Burres 12 3 25.00% Steven Sandefer 17 4 23.53% Doug Deters 13 3 23.08% Nick Kraus 19 4 21.05% Kevin Wilkinson 10 2 20.00% Ken Houston 16 3 18.75% Denny Schwartz 16 3 18.75% Scott VanDerAa 15 2 13.33% Tom Miller 18 2 11.11% Al Thomas 10 1 10.00% Tim Sloffer 12 1 8.33% Doug Schultz 13 1 7.69%  

1487
Micic to take on #1 Gross at NWCA All-Star Classic
Flash and fun expected as NWCA announces next two matchups for NWCA All-Star Classic
Manheim, Pennsylvania -- Flashy, dynamic, exciting and tenacious are four terms that can describe the athletes announced on Thursday to compete at the 52nd annual NWCA All-Star Classic set for Princeton University’s Jadwin Gym on Sunday, November 5.
 
The NWCA All-Star Classic is hosted by Wrestlers in Business Network and sponsored by Princeton Brain and Spine and Northwestern Mutual Life.
 
On the men’s side, South Dakota State’s Seth Gross will face Michigan’s Stevan Micic at 133 pounds, while Megan Black of McKendree will take on Shelby Hall of Campbellsville at 130 pounds on the women’s side.
 
Gross, a junior from Apple Valley, Minnesota, became South Dakota State’s first NCAA Division I finalist with his runner-up finish a year ago at 133 pounds. All-American Micic, a native of Cedar Lake, Indiana, finished fourth at 133 pounds in 2017.
 
The two didn’t meet last season and haven’t met previously as Gross dropped from 141 pounds to 133 last season and Micic moved up from 125 to 133 after he started his career at Northwestern. Micic finished 29-7 a year ago and Gross was an impressive 34-2.
 
Gross will be South Dakota State’s second wrestler to appear in the event all-time. Cody Pack competed at the 2015 All-Star Classic in Atlanta, losing to Lehigh’s Mitch Minotti in overtime. Micic will make Michigan’s 38th appearance in the All-Star Classic. Overall, Wolverine wrestlers are 15-19-3.
 
At 130, McKendree’s Megan Black, a native of Batavia, Iowa, will become the second McKendree wrestler to compete, joining teammate Brandy Lowe (170 pounds). A three-time WCWA All-American, Black has twice been a runner-up at the national championships. She finished seventh as a freshman competing for King University.
 
Black was the first girl in Iowa high school state wrestling history to place at the state wrestling tournament when she finished eighth in 2012 at 106 pounds. She recently won the UWW U23 World Team Trials in Rochester, Minnesota.
 
Hall, a native of Doylestown, Ohio, is also a three-time WCWA All-American, finishing eighth, third and fourth in her three trips to the tournament. A 2016 Olympic Trials participant, Hall is looking to exact a little revenge as Black eliminated Hall from championship contention at the 2017 WCWA nationals with a 31-second fall in the semifinals.
 
Hall’s presence for Campbellsville also represents the seventh different school thus far to be represented on the women’s side at the All-Star Classic. Eight different schools are represented thus far on the men’s side.
 
 
WHAT: 52nd NWCA All-Star Classic hosted by Wrestlers in Business Network
WHEN: Sunday, November 5, 3 p.m.
WHERE: Jadwin Gym, Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.
TICKETS: $20 (group discounts available)
SOCIAL MEDIA: #ComeBackToJadwin #allstarclassic2017 #wrestleback
INFO: www.goallstarclassic.com
 
ANNOUNCED MATCHUPS
Men
125: Darian Cruz, Sr. (Lehigh) vs. Nick Piccininni, So. (Oklahoma State)
133: Seth Gross, Jr. (South Dakota State) vs. Stevan Micic, So. (Michigan)
141:
149:
157:
165:
174: Mark Hall, So. (Penn State) vs. Zahid Valencia, So. (Arizona State)
184:
197: Kollin Moore, So. (Ohio State) vs. Jared Haught, Sr. (Virginia Tech)
285:
 
Women
101:
109:
116: Fayth Woodward (Emmanuel) vs. Makayla Bourbon, Sr. (U. of the Cumberlands)
123:
130: Megan Black, Sr. (McKendree) vs. Shelby Hall, Sr. (Campbellsville)
136:
143: Mallory Velte, Sr. (Simon Fraser) vs. Desiree Zavala, So. (Grays Harbor)
155:
170: Jessika Rottier, Jr. (U. of the Cumberlands) vs. Brandy Lowe, Sr. (McKendree)
191:
Note: Women’s college wrestling competes under international freestyle rules.

1484 1
Miracle Takes 4th at Olympic Trials
By STEVE KRAH
stvkrh905@gmail.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Kayla Miracle is studying education at Campbellsville (Ky.) University.
The Culver Academies graduate knows about learning.
Miracle, 19, learned more about her herself while preparing for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials.
And while she came away from the event Saturday, April 9, at the University of Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena with a 3-2 mark, fourth place at 58 kg (127.75 pounds) and disappointment, she also saw the positive in her performance and started looking toward her mat future.
Miracle, a Campbellsville sophomore who counts father Lee as her head coach, pinned Axa Molina (age 22) in 2:59 and beat Randi Beltz (25) 8-3 before losing 6-4 to national champion Alli Ragan (23) in the winners' bracket.
With her chances at the Rio Olympics gone (only the champion moved on), Miracle beat Jenna Burkert (22) 10-5 before losing 12-4 to Beltz in the fourth-place match.
“I feel like I’m ready technically to be with these girls,” Miracle said. “But there’s so much more. There’s the mental side and the game planning. I’ve never really had to gameplan for a match. I need to do that so I know exactly what I need to do.
“I just need to continue to develop. I’ve gotten so much better. I’ve made so many great strides.”
Miracle, who turns 20 on April 26, said she “took a really bad shot” near the end of the match against Ragan.
“I don’t know what was going through my mind,” Miracle said. “I just dove in.
“I had like 45 seconds left, so I had plenty of time to set up the perfect shot and score. Even 40 seconds seems like five hours.”
The freestyle matches were contested with two three-minute periods and criteria was used to break ties.
After dominating Beltz earlier in the day, Miracle was not able to duplicate her result in the rematch.
“I just wasn’t myself,” Miracle said. “I went against all these tough girls all day and then I just bogged down.”
She said she also let a tweak to her back get the best of her.
“I don’t know what was going on with my head,” Miracle said. “(Finishing in the top three) was definitely important because it would have put me on the senior national team and I would get to train with these girls.
“I just lose a lot of respect for people who drop out after they lose. If you’re going to retire as an Olympic athlete, that’s different. But if you’re still and up-and-coming athlete, you can still get third and be on the national team. To forfeit is far worse.”
Miracle, who came into Iowa City with University Nationals and Dave Schultz Memorial International championships on her 2016 resume, sees herself being in the 2020 Olympic Team Trials with a shot at the Tokyo Games.
“I won’t be satisfied until I’m on top of that Olympic podium,” Miracle said. “I had a goal and I didn’t meet it. But give me four years and I’ll be back.”
But her immediate focus will now turn to getting ready for University Worlds and Junior Olympic Trials and, of course, her studies back in Kentucky.
Saturday’s two Olympic Trials sessions drew 21,922 fans (11,067 for the finals).
Sunday’s action from Carver-Hawkeye Area will air on NBC Sports Network on a tape-delay basis starting at 9:30 p.m. (CDT). All matches will be streamed live on the Internet at NBCOlympics.com.

1480
Who do you want in your corner in the semi-finals?
The third edition of this article dives into which coaches have the most success in the semi-finals. We have created three different categories with this as we can break this down in terms of the total number of qualifiers that a coach gets to the finals, the number of placers that a coach gets to the finals, and finally the record in the semi-finals.
 
Click here to view all of the data

Current coaches with 10+ state qualifiers and their percentage of wrestlers making the finals.


Coach Qualifiers Finalists Finalist % Current School Dan Briggs 16 6 37.50% Carroll(Fort Wayne) Mark Kirchgassner 10 3 30.00% East Central Zach Errett 20 6 30.00% Avon Wade McClurg 11 3 27.27% Roncalli Sean McGinley 100 26 26.00% Indianapolis Cathedral Darrick Snyder 85 21 24.71% Brownsburg Jim Tonte 102 24 23.53% Franklin Community David Maldonado 79 18 22.78% Merrillville Steve Pugliese 22 5 22.73% Tri-West Matt Schoettle 22 5 22.73% Perry Meridian Bob Read 24 5 20.83% Plymouth Maurice Swain 10 2 20.00% Center Grove Chris Cooper 31 6 19.35% Columbus East Matthew Behling 17 3 17.65% Culver Academies Bob Harmon 57 10 17.54% Castle Joshua Holden 18 3 16.67% Greenfield-Central Ed Pendoski 65 10 15.38% Carmel Chris Joll 47 7 14.89% Chesterton Dave Cloud 27 4 14.81% Pendleton Heights Greg Schaefer 69 9 13.04% Evansville Mater Dei Brad Harper 62 7 11.29% Penn Tim Alcorn 10 1 10.00% Mount Vernon (Posey) Kevin Blundell 10 1 10.00% Monrovia Nick Kraus 11 1 9.09% Garrett Jim Wadkins 22 2 9.09% Calumet Rod Williams 11 1 9.09% Leo Brian Weaver 11 1 9.09% Elkhart Memorial Dan Mikesell 13 1 7.69% Mooresville Andy Hobbs 39 3 7.69% Peru Branden Lorek 14 1 7.14% Crown Point Jim HIttler 17 1 5.88% Huntington North Lou Silverman 35 2 5.71% North Central Chad Shepherd 18 1 5.56% Western Danny Struck 18 1 5.56% Jeffersonville Eric Myers 21 1 4.76% Jay County Bill Flatt 23 1 4.35% South Bend Riley Larry Mattingly 31 1 3.23% Evansville Memorial Tony Abbott 31 1 3.23% Cowan Jim Pickard 40 1 2.50% Goshen Brandon Sisson 10 0 0.00% Floyd Central Mike Runyon 15 0 0.00% Bloomington South Doug Smoker 19 0 0.00% Angola T. Howard Jones Jr. 22 0 0.00% Jennings County Paul Gunsett 14 0 0.00% Bellmont Scott Ferguson 38 0 0.00% Evansville Reitz Dean Branstetter 15 0 0.00% Attica Louie Kuzdas 24 0 0.00% LaPorte Clint Gard 16 0 0.00% Rochester Andrew King 20 0 0.00% Oak Hill Jamie Welliever 12 0 0.00% Southmont Blane Culp 11 0 0.00% Columbia City Tom Miller 17 0 0.00% Lafayette Jefferson  
Current coaches with 5 or more placers and their ability to make the finals

Coach Placers Finalists Finalists % Current School Dan Briggs 10 6 60.00% Carroll(Fort Wayne) Mark Kirchgassner 5 3 60.00% East Central Steve Pugliese 9 5 55.56% Tri-West Zach Errett 12 6 50.00% Avon Bob Read 13 5 38.46% Plymouth Dave Cloud 11 4 36.36% Pendleton Heights Matt Schoettle 14 5 35.71% Perry Meridian Bob Harmon 28 10 35.71% Castle Jim Tonte 70 24 34.29% Franklin Community David Maldonado 53 18 33.96% Merrillville Sean McGinley 78 26 33.33% Indianapolis Cathedral Jim Wadkins 6 2 33.33% Calumet Darrick Snyder 64 21 32.81% Brownsburg Chris Joll 23 7 30.43% Chesterton Wade McClurg 10 3 30.00% Roncalli Maurice Swain 7 2 28.57% Center Grove Chris Cooper 22 6 27.27% Columbus East Matthew Behling 11 3 27.27% Culver Academies Joshua Holden 11 3 27.27% Greenfield-Central Ed Pendoski 37 10 27.03% Carmel Brad Harper 27 7 25.93% Penn Greg Schaefer 40 9 22.50% Evansville Mater Dei Michael Lapadat 5 1 20.00% Evansville Central Dan Mikesell 5 1 20.00% Mooresville Andy Hobbs 15 3 20.00% Peru Jerimiah Maggart 6 1 16.67% Jimtown Kevin Blundell 6 1 16.67% Monrovia Jim HIttler 6 1 16.67% Huntington North Frank Bumgardner 6 1 16.67% Wawasee Chad Shepherd 7 1 14.29% Western Danny Struck 7 1 14.29% Jeffersonville Branden Lorek 8 1 12.50% Crown Point Lou Silverman 16 2 12.50% North Central Brian Weaver 9 1 11.11% Elkhart Memorial Eric Myers 11 1 9.09% Jay County Larry Mattingly 12 1 8.33% Evansville Memorial Bill Flatt 13 1 7.69% South Bend Riley Tony Abbott 17 1 5.88% Cowan Jim Pickard 19 1 5.26% Goshen Pat Dowty 5 0 0.00% Indian Creek Mike Runyon 7 0 0.00% Bloomington South Doug Smoker 7 0 0.00% Angola T. Howard Jones Jr. 11 0 0.00% Jennings County Scott Ferguson 16 0 0.00% Evansville Reitz Dean Branstetter 6 0 0.00% Attica Louie Kuzdas 11 0 0.00% LaPorte Clint Gard 7 0 0.00% Rochester Andrew King 6 0 0.00% Oak Hill Zach Whickcar 5 0 0.00% Elkhart Central  
Current coaches with 5 or more semi-finalists and their ability to make the finals

Coach Semi-Finalists Finalists Semi % Current School Steve Pugliese 6 5 83.33% Tri-West Bob Read 6 5 83.33% Plymouth Zach Errett 8 6 75.00% Avon Chris Joll 10 7 70.00% Chesterton Brad Harper 10 7 70.00% Penn Dan Briggs 9 6 66.67% Carroll(Fort Wayne) Dave Cloud 6 4 66.67% Pendleton Heights David Maldonado 29 18 62.07% Merrillville Jim Tonte 40 24 60.00% Franklin Community Matthew Behling 5 3 60.00% Culver Academies Bob Harmon 17 10 58.82% Castle Matt Schoettle 9 5 55.56% Perry Meridian Ed Pendoski 19 10 52.63% Carmel Sean McGinley 51 26 50.98% Indianapolis Cathedral Darrick Snyder 43 21 48.84% Brownsburg Wade McClurg 7 3 42.86% Roncalli Andy Hobbs 7 3 42.86% Peru Chris Cooper 15 6 40.00% Columbus East Lou Silverman 5 2 40.00% North Central Greg Schaefer 23 9 39.13% Evansville Mater Dei Tony Abbott 5 1 20.00% Cowan Jim Pickard 5 1 20.00% Goshen Bill Flatt 8 1 12.50% South Bend Riley
1475
Gelen Robinson - A Man for All Seasons
By Chad Hollenbaugh
IndianaMat Senior Writer
 
Winter, spring, summer or fall.....it never mattered to Gelen Robinson, he competed through them all. The recently graduated Robinson, from Lake Central High School (St. John, IN) completed his storied high school career a few weeks back with a state championship in the discus and a third place finish in the shot put. A third place medal and a state title are impressive graduation presents and very few athletes ever get to end their high school athletic career on such a high note. For Robinson it was perhaps a little more, it was the capstone, the culmination of the greatest four year run of athletic achievement in the history of the state of Indiana.
 
FOOTBALL - THE FIRST LOVE
 
Physical by nature, Robinson had a stand out career as an outside linebacker for Lake Central. As a sophomore he was named the area's Defensive Player of the Year and was all state. His name quickly circulated in the recruiting game as he attended football camps during his summer "off-season." His junior year included another player of the year honor and multiple all state team selections.Scholarships offers from multiple B1G conference schools followed and Robinson chose Purdue University as his next stop. An outside linebacker who is equally comfortable playing with his hand on the ground or in space, Robinson is the highlight of Purdue's recruiting class and according to ESPN B1G conference guru, Brian Bennett. Robinson will compete from day one for playing time for the rebuilding Boilermakers.
 
Football might be the first love, but Robinson's name will go down in history because of his achievements he accumulated during the rest of his high school career.
 
WRESTLING - WHERE HARD WORK GETS REWARDED
 
I first became aware of Robinson five years ago after reading a small article about him winning a Middle School "state" title. Following a moderately successful freshman campaign which included over 30 wins and qualifying for semi-state, Robinson broke out as a state force in his sophomore year. Using a Greco based offensive attack, he was very exciting to watch as he would constantly attack from his feet and looked to toss his opponents. He finished his sophomore year with a 47-5 record and a third place finish in the state meet. It was at this state meet where many became impressed with Robinson's poise and maturity. During his semifinal match, he had several close calls not go his way and lost by decision to the eventual state champion. The stoic Robinson never batted an eye and continued to execute the game plan of attacking. It was an impressive display of maturity and class for a sophomore in high school.
 
Not one to rest on his laurels, Robinson spent what time he could in a local club to try to improve as an overall wrestler. This hard work paid off as major improvements could be noted between his sophomore and junior years. In addition to his upper body arsenal, Robinson had mastered a single leg takedown, a high crotch, and a devastating blast double. These were on display along with his amazing shot defense in his final two seasons where he was rarely challenged and ran off 101 straight victories and two state titles.
 
This spring, Robinson was named to the honorable mention list of the Asics All-American team. What would have happened if Gelen would have chosen wrestling over football in college? No one knows for sure but with his penchant for hard work combined with plenty of God given talent, the sky would be the limit in many experts estimation.
 
TRACK AND FIELD - ATTENTION TO DETAIL
 
Spring sports in general seem to get the short shrift in terms of media attention but for Gelen Robinson, it was another opportunity to keep the competitive juices flowing. In the discus and shot put rings, Robinson achieved marks that, on a national scale, outpaced his impressive resume on the football field and wrestling mat. As a frosh, Robinson qualified for state in the discus and had a season's best of nearly 160 feet. He also tossed the shot over the 50 foot mark.
 
The following three springs saw Robinson pick up six medals in the shot put and discus. A 1st in discus this spring along with two runner-up finishes, two third places, and a 7th his sophomore year. Medaling that many times in the state meet is very impressive but the distance in which he tossed the discus the past two seasons put Gelen in a nationally elite group. His tosses of over 200 feet in 2013 and slightly under 200 feet this spring both ranked as the 6th best prep efforts in the nation.
 
HISTORY - BEFORE OUR VERY EYES
 
In the late 1960s, Indianapolis Washington produced George McGinnis, who was all-state in both football and basketball. On the hardwood, he was LeBron, fifteen years before LeBron was even born. McGinnis was a do-it-all power forward who scored, rebounded (better) and dished the ball like the aforementioned King James.
 
The 1980s produced Rod Woodson, out of Fort Wayne. Woodson is, of course, a NFL Hall of Famer but in his high school and college days, he was also a state champion and All-American hurdler in track and field. As icing on the proverbial cake, Woodson played basketball in his junior and senior years of high school and was an all-conference performer.
 
Tim Bishop of Valparaiso was an All-State performer in football, basketball and baseball in 1993-94. Bishop was offered a full ride for football at Indiana University, led his team to a state runner-up in basketball and was drafted by the New York Mets. He was playing in their minor league system when his life was tragically cut short in an auto accident.
 
Valparaiso High School produced another of Indiana's all-time great high school athletes in Jeff Samardzija (2003 graduate). A multiple time all-state honoree in both football and baseball, the lanky Samardzija also played basketball in high school. He played both football and baseball for Notre Dame and was a two time All-American in football. Drafted by the Cubs, he is currently the ace of their staff and recently turned down a 5 year, $85 million dollar contract offer by the Cubbies.
 
How does Gelen Robinson stack up against those studs listed above? In terms of just high school accomplishments, I think Robinson stands atop the group. No matter what the future brings for the youngster, folks in Indiana will surely remember him as "A Man for All Seasons."