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404Jay County Regional Preview
The Jay County Regional will once again be highlighted by two teams: Yorktown and Bellmont. With two first round matches and six possible finals matches looming, this regional could very well have the feeling of a dual meet. These two teams will battle it out Wednesday, and I am sure that the intensity from Wednesday will carry over to Saturday for both of these teams. Even though Yorktown and Bellmont will dominate this Saturday, there will be other schools that will have a say so in some of the weight classes. There will be 16 ranked wrestlers competing in this regional with all weight classes but 152 having at least one ranked wrestler. Heavyweight leads the way with three ranked wrestlers: #3 Ross Janney (Yorktown) #4 Jim West (South Adams) and    #7 Daniel Meyer (Bellmont).
103: Favorite – Cody Walburn of Adams Central
This weight class is led by two wrestlers: Cody Walburn (Adams Central) and Brock Bevans (Yorktown). Ben Fiechter (Southern Wells) is not to be overlooked either, because if Bevans is focusing on Walburn then he might have to wait until next week to get a chance to wrestle him.
Top four in alphabetical order: Bevans, Cox, Fiechter, Walburn
112: Favorite – Stevie Gonzales of Delta
There will be little, if any drama, in this weight class when deciding the champion. However, this weight class has the possibility of having three great first round matches that could all possible be classified as pick’em matches. It will not be out of the question for the Delta Sectional to have a clean sweep at this weight class, but at the same time Jay County could take three of the top four spots as well. Do not miss the first round of this weight class, because it may be some of the most competitive matches of the day in the weight class,
Top four in alphabetical order: Bryant, Gonzales, Phillips, Roe
119: Favorite – Phillip Gerber of Bluffton
This weight class is full of talented underclassmen. Leading the way is sophomore Phillip Gerber (Bluffton) and freshman Isaiah Bradley (Muncie Southside). Gerber, due to owning a win over Bradley, has to be considered the favorite in this weight class. This weight class has four wrestlers with the talent and ability to win this weight: Bradley, Gerber, Batt (South Adams), and Anderson (Yorktown). Anderson and Batt have the toughest road to winning the title because they face each other the first round, and then will most likely face Gerber in the semifinals. Waiting on that winner will probably be Bradley. We may get to see a rematch from the ECIC finals between Bradley and Gerber or we may get to see a rematch of the sectional finals between Bradley and Anderson. I am sure though that Batt and the other wrestlers in the weight class will have something different to say about that.
Top four in alphabetical order: Anderson, Bradley, Gerber, Keuneke
125: Favorite – Derek Bevans of Yorktown
The top four in this weight class have distinguished themselves over the other half. Bevans, ranked third in the latest poll, leads the way in this weight class with a perfect 42-0 record. He will await the winner of the Perry (Bluffton) v. Armantrout (Muncie Southside) semifinal. Perry and Armantrout met last year in regional and this year at the ECIC, with Perry pulling out close wins both times. This looks to be another exciting match for these two wrestlers.
Top four in alphabetical order: Armantrout, Bevans, Perry, Striker
130: Favorite – Devon Jackson of Yorktown
Devon Jackson is the second of three consecutive STUDS that Yorktown will place in the finals. Jackson, who is also ranked third, brings an unblemished record of 41-0 into the regional. This weight class will give us a rematch of last weeks upset when Hormann (Bellmont) looks to prove it was not an upset as he will face Fiechter (Southern Wells).
Top four in alphabetical order: Fiechter, Hormann, Jackson, Meska
135: Favorite – Andrew Hiestand of Yorktown
The third consecutive third ranked wrestler for Yorktown, Andrew Hiestand, will lead a talented group of wrestlers. Faurote (Bellmont) is the only wrestler here that will give Hiestand a challenge this week. Placements for this weight are crucial because next weeks semistate is a meat grinder at 135!
Top four in alphabetical order: Faurote, Harry, Hiestand, Schultz
140: Favorite – Josh Martin of Randolph Southern
This weight will be highlighted by two really good first round matchups: Busse (Bellmont) vs. Rench (Yorktown) and Burnfield (South Adams) vs. Quinn (Wes-Del).A finals match up of Schwartz and Martin looks to provide a lot of excitement.
Top four in alphabetical order: Burnfield, Martin, Rench, Schwartz
145: Favorite – Josh Ehr of South Adams
Josh Ehr is the top dog in this weight class. Harper (Yorktown) is no slouch and will be up for the challenge. Ehr must first be able to get passed Heuchan (Muncie Central) who has been known to put many talented wrestlers on their back.
Top four in alphabetical order: Boyd, Ehr, Harper, Heuchan
152: Favorite – John Mahlan of Bellmont
This weight class is arguably the most wide open with no clear cut favorite. Mahlan, Jones (Southern Wells) and Smith (Yorktown) will all have their eyes on the title. Reed (Muncie Southside) and Simmons (Winchester0 have a great shot at pulling a first round upset. This will be a fun weight class to watch because anything can and will happen.
Top four in alphabetical order: Jones, Mahlan, Simmons, Smith
160: Favorite – Ryley Hankenson of Bellmont
This weight class is down a bit at this year’s regional. Hankenson is the clear cut favorite with the other three spots up in the air. If you sit through the excitement of the 152 weight class, don’t leave because the first round at 160 will be just as exciting with no obvious favorites in any match other than Hankenson’s.
Top four in alphabetical order: Fuller, Hankenson, Higgins, Holcomb
171: Favorite – Trent Castner of Yorktown
Castner is a slight favorite at this weight class over Stebing (Bellmont). Hopefully these two will battle it out Wednesday and give us a preview of what to expect on Saturday. The Taylor (South Adams) and Mock (Winchester) will be a very competitive match.
Top four in alphabetical order: Castner, Pointer, Taylor, Stebing
189: Favorite – Travis Thatcher of Bellmont
This will be another finals match up between Bellmont and Yorktown as Thatcher and Brown (Yorktown) are the top two wrestlers in this weight class. Two first round matches worth watching will be that of Miller (Southern Wells) vs. Crabtree (Muncie Southside) and Garringer (Jay County) vs. Folkner (Wes-Del).
Top four in alphabetical order: Brown, Crabtree, Folkner, Thatcher
215: Favorite – Seth Biberstine of Southern Wells
This weight class has four wrestlers with a legit shot at winning the regional. The semifinal match ups will be great and the winner of this weight class will have to have a very solid day of wrestling. Chalfant (Winchester) Bultemeir (Bellmont) and James (Jay County) all are capable o winning this Saturday, and we can not sleep on Neff from Yorktown either.
Top four in alphabetical order: Biberstine, Bultemeir, Chalfant, James
HW: Favorite – Ross Janney of Yorktown
Ross Janney leads a very talented and highly ranked HW class at the Jay County Regional. Three wrestlers in this weight class are ranked in the top seven of the latest indianamat rankings. Throw in the Justice (Blackford) win over West (South Adams) last week and this weight class becomes very interesting. The semifinals will be fun to watch and will both be on the same level as the wrestling that will happen in the finals match. Meyer (Bellmont) and Janney may give us a preview On Wednesday, but they both got a lot of work to do before they get to the finals.
Top four in alphabetical order: Janney, Justice, Meyer, West
375Pendleton Heights Regional Preview 2010
103
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #7 Mike Venezia, 28-2, Cathedral
2. Tyler Elmore, 34-5, Hamilton Heights
3. Riley Newkirk, 31-8, Lawrence Central
4. Alex Sparks, 23-9, Lawrence North
Outlook: This is a bit of a tossup after Venezia. Elmore, Newkirk, Sparks, Alexandria's Nick Naselroad (32-9) and Pendleton Heights' Zach Wise (34-5) are all capable of advancing. In the end, I think the tough schedules wrestled by Lawrence Central and Lawrence North propel Newkirk and Sparks into the next round. Elmore had better not look too far past opening round opponent Antonio Perez of Manual (27-4).
112
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #10 Mason Todd, 37-1, Pendleton Heights
2. #9 Brian Harvey, 32-3, Cathedral
3. #8 Dominique Price, 29-3, Arsenal Tech
4. Robert Boston, 23-4, Lawrence North
Outlook: This is a remarkably loaded field, featuring 3 top-10 wrestlers, and each match, including the opening round matches, should be very competitive. North Central's Kieno Scott (23-11) is a tough first opponent for Mason Todd and Alexandria's Luke Blanton (35-5) could send Boston home. Todd, Harvey and Price are all very close in ability and results, so any of the three could win this weight, but perhaps more importantly, one of the three will finish 3rd or 4th, making getting through New Castle even more treacherous. Last year at this regional at 103, it was 1) Harvey, 2) Price, 3) Todd and 4) Boston. One of the premier regional weight classes in the state, without a doubt.
119
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #1 Brandon Nelson, 33-1, Lawrence North
2. Andre Butts, 24-12, Lawrence Central
3. Levi Lanning, 32-7, Alexandria
4. John Hummel, 21-13, Cathedral
Outlook: Nelsen should cruise here. After the Lawrence North standout, it's pretty wide open. I like Andre to steal some of his brother's postseason magic from a year ago and snare a second place finish. Lanning is very capable of finishing second here. Tri Central's Austin Anderson (25-4) could knock off Hummel.
125
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #13 Jordan Johnson, 24-11, Lawrence North
2. Justin Eshelman, 34-4, Pendleton Heights
3. #18 Charlie McGinley, 32-5, Arsenal Tech
4. Alex Collignon, 26-10, Cathedral
Outlook: '09 semistate qualifier Johnson is the favorite, but Eshelman and McGinley are formidable opponents and could provide a surprise at this weight. A possible McGinley/Eshelman matchup could be a good one; the same is true for the opening round match between Alexandria's Josh Blanton (25-6) and Collignon.
130
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #10 John Stringfield, 32-3, Cathedral
2. Greg Bell, 24-8, Lawrence North
3. Eli Walker, 38-3, Alexandria
4. Tyler Gadient, 24-9, Noblesville
Outlook: Stringfield, Bell and Gadient are all returing semistate qualifiers. Stringfield is the favorite, but Walker is a very impressive freshman coming off of an oustanding sectionals performance. Chatard's Matt Barkley (32-8)/Gadient and Anderson's Michael Achenbach (25-5)/Bell should be excellent opening round matches.
135
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #2 Mason Berryman, 26-0, Anderson Highland
2. #14 Matt Rattay, 25-8, Lawrence North
3. Keegan Pyke, 34-3, Tri Central
4. Charlie Smith, 32-7, North Central
Outlook: Berryman's domain. Beyond the talented Scots wrestler, look for fireworks from Pyke/Rattay. Some great opening round matches here: Pyke (34-3)/ Tech's Dominick Duff (32-6) and Alexandria's Jon Blanton (35-6) / Smith.
140
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. Haydon Buck, 30-2, Tri Central
2. #20 Tiandre Edwards, 27-7, North Central
3. Zach Long, 29-7, Elwood
4. Braydon Alley, 24-9, Hamilton Heights
Outlook: A fairly wide open field here, with the formidable Buck leading the way. Buck and Alley are returning semistate qualifiers. Scecina's Joseph Doucleff (27-8)/Alley and Noblesville's Wayne Specht (18-5)/Edwards are very solid opening matches.
145
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. Montrail Johnson, 39-0, Tri Central
2. Chris Lucas, 33-5, Chatard
3. Clint Nicholson, 21-11, Pendleton Heights
4. Max Hamm, 21-15, Cathedral
Outlook: Johnson and Lucas should cruise to the finals. It's a very unpredictable weight class past those two. Tipton's senior Justin Pore (28-10) might give Lucas a very tough match if he's overlooked. Noblesville's Alex Bowers (27-12) is capable of the upset in his clash with Hamm.
152
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #1 Sam Bennett, 31-0, Anderson Highland
2. Mike Taylor, 32-7, Lawrence Central
3. #17 Austin Neibarger, 31-4, Cathedral
4. Charlie Orzeske, 26-11, North Central
Outlook: Bennett will be pushed, with tough potential matches with Neibarger and Taylor, but he should prevail to sew up a top seed at New Castle and beyond. Tri Central's senior Cody Byrd (32-5) could surprise talented frosh Neibarger, but Cathedral's schedule and Neibarger's talent make me pretty skeptical.
160
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #2 Tyler Willis, 33-1, Cathedral
2. #13 Quinton Brooks, 30-6, Lawrence North
3. Dylan Gregg, 25-4, Anderson
3. Cole Kelly, 31-10, North Central
Outlook: What you talkin' about, Willis? He's talking about earning his first regional title (he was upset by North Central's Komilov last year) en route to his march to Conseco. Willis is number 2 in the state for a reason and will land the top seed at New Castle. Brooks is a pretty clear second best and will be positioned well at semistate.
171
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #17 Mike Smith, 32-1, North Central
2. #11 Kevin Moats, 36-2, Tipton
3. Anthony Bill, 27-3, Chatard
4. Casey Devlin, 17-10, Cathedral
Outlook: This is a very top-heavy weight class and a difficult one to handicap. Bill, Moats and Smith are all returning state qualifiers, with Moats actually placing higher at New Castle last year than Smith and Duckworth. Should be a dogfight for first, second and third. The senior Devlin vs. Alexandria's senior Aaron Taylor (34-7) should be a great battle for the final advancement spot.
189
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. Ibragim Komilov, 15-1, North Central
2. Austin Enghauser, 26-9, Lawrence Central
3. Derrick Holpuch, 28-10, Noblesville
4. William Carter, 36-12, Howe
Outlook: The long, tall Komilov should reign here. He had a great regionals performance last year, knocking off Tyler Willis before ultimately falling to Matt Todd in the finals. He should lock up a number one seed for New Castle, with Enghauser second best. Not the deepest weight of the day.
215
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #17 Jake Buchanan, 28-3, Cathedral
2. Kyle Smitherman,34-4, Pendleton Heights
3. #13 Arthur Wright,30-3, Arsenal Tech
4. Kevin Gaughan, 34-9, North Central
Outlook: Buchanan and Smitherman both advanced to New Castle last year and both should be able to duplicate that success this year. Wright looms as a very tough semis match for Buchanan, but he's battle-tested at heavyweight this year and should prevail. Lapel's J.R. Smart (26-4)Â had the misfortune to draw Wright, or else he might be moving on.
285
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #14 Willie Henson, 32-2, North Central
2. Eric Thigpen, 18-4, Lawrence Central
3. Wesley Stokes, 16-6, Cathedral
4. Damien Stone, 15-8, Arsenal Tech
Outlook: Henson should follow in last year's standout Ethan Cuevas' shoes and bring home a regional title to North Central. Returning semistate qualifier Thigpen is solidly second here. It's pretty unpredictable past the first two.
432Goshen Regional Preview
103lbs
Top Dawg: Danny Hamm- Prairie Heights
Onward to the Coliseum
Will Nelson- West Noble
Nico Hensely- Angola
Matt Frane- Dekalb
This weight class is a toss-up from beginning to the end. Bryce Hershberger came out of nowhere to win the Elkhart Memorial Sectional, while Danny Hamm avenged a conference finals loss at Westview. All of the first round matches are very interesting and could conceivably go either way. This could be a sweep for the Westview sectional, however.
112lbs
Top Dawg: Nick Crume- Jimtown
Onward to the Coliseum
Abraham Que- Elkhart Central
Brett Martz- Fairfield
Jonathan Weimer- West Noble
Last week Jimtown freshman sensation Nick Crume upended returning state qualifier Abraham Que for the second time this season. The two will meet again in the semi-finals this week, but Que will have to go through a tough Alex Mix of Dekalb in the first round.
119lbs
Top Dawg: Steven Ross- Concord
Onward to the Coliseum
Kaleb Jackson- East Noble
Gary Houser- Northridge
Zach Slough- Jimtown
Former state placer and two-time state qualifier Steven Ross of the mighty Concord Minutemen leads the way at 119lbs. He cannot overlook East Noble’s Kaleb Jackson who has had some close matches with many of the better wrestlers in the area. The 2vs. 3 match-ups in the first round will be interesting as all the competitors are very evenly matched.
125lbs
Top Dawg: Travis Barroquillo- Prairie Heights
Onward to the Coliseum
Kevin Kelly- Elkhart Memorial
Bryson Nesbit- East Noble
Lucas Willms- Fremont
Two-time regional champion, Barroquillo is looking for his third straight crown in Redskin country. He has been on a mission since not qualifying for state last season. He has beaten all the top competitors in the regional at least once this season except Northwood’s Zach Rhymer. Rymer will have a tough match with East Noble’s Bryson Nesbitt in the first round.
130lbs
Top Dawg: Collin Crume- Jimtown
Onward to the Coliseum
Lucas Riecke- East Noble
Logan Hayes- Prairie Heights
Tommy Poynter- Dekalb
This will be yet another hotly contested weight class. Three wrestlers are all capable of coming home as the champion with Collin Crume of Jimtown being the leading contender. Others that will challenge him are Lucas Riecke of East Noble and Tommy Poynter of Dekalb.
135lbs
Top Dawg: Jeremy Hill- Jimtown
Onward to the Coliseum
Taylor Grimes- East Noble
Cam Matteson- Elkhart Memorial
Adam Steele- Prairie Heights
The leader of the pack here is undefeated Jeremy Hill of Jimtown. Hill has blitzed through his competitors this season and will look to do the same at regional. He will likely have a rematch with Elkhart Memorial’s Cam Matteson in the finals this week.
140lbs
Top Dawg: Ryan Ntende- Goshen
Onward to the Coliseum
Travis Gaff- Dekalb
Matt Hill- Jimtown
Doug Rush- West Noble
From top to bottom this is a very good weight class. There are four wrestlers here with a shot at the title this week. All of them can beat eachother, so this will be quite an interesting weight to watch. Leading the way is Goshen’s Ryan Ntende, but he cannot overlook Doug Rush of West Noble, Matt Hill of Jimtown or Travis Gaff of Dekalb.
145lbs
Top Dawg: Tanner Boman- Dekalb
Onward to the Coliseum
Andrew Stegelmann- Goshen
Brock Bateman- Lakeland
Alberto Rios- Elkhart Memorial
This looks to be a three horse race with Boman leading out of the gate. Boman avenged an earlier loss to Bateman in the sectional finals last week. Both Bateman and Boman cannot overlook Goshen’s Stegelmann who will have home mat advantage.
152lbs
Top Dawg: Zack Corpe- Elkhart Memorial
Onward to the Coliseum
Chris Hogendobler- Concord
Jimmy LaRowe- East Noble
Aaron Mason- Dekalb
Zack Corpe is the headliner in this weight, but he will be pushed by East Noble’s Jimmy LaRowe. Both wrestlers have lost to Munster’s Alex Surma earlier in the season. Look for those two to duke it out in the finals in an exciting match.
160lbs
Top Dawg: Franciso Garcia- Goshen
Onward to the Coliseum
Ryan Chandler- Prairie Heights
Tanner Adams- Jimtown
Jacob Rupright- West Noble
This weight class is also a toss-up from the beginning to the end. Francisco Garcia of Goshen could end up winning it, but could also lose in the first round. Tanner Adams of Jimtown will have a tough match with Tyler Rimmel of Central Noble, while an NECC rivalry match occurs between Adam Kolakowski of Fairfield and Jake Rupright of West Noble.
171lbs
Top Dawg: JB Singer- Goshen
Onward to the Coliseum
Logan Counterman- Prairie Heights
Brandon Weinkauf- Jimtown
Alex Hostetler- Fairfield
This weight class is also very competitive from top to bottom. JB Singer of Goshen looks to be the favorite, but he cannot overlook Hostetler or Counterman if he wants to be the regional champ.
189lbs
Top Dawg: Brandon Dillenbeck- Goshen
Onward to the Coliseum
Carson Sappington- Elkhart Memorial
Chris Smith- Lakeland
Jordan Bontrager- Fairfield
Dillenbeck won the sectional title in the third meeting between him and Elkhart Memorial’s Cason Sappington in the past two weeks. Sappington is leading the series 2-1 and will look to avenge his loss from last week. Sappington cannot over look Lakeland’s Chris Smith if he wants a rematch with Dillenbeck.
215lbs
Top Dawg: Taylor Grubb- Prairie Heights
Onward to the Coliseum
Shane Hendrickson- Elkhart Memorial
Dalton Lepley- Dekalb
Brandon Daniels- Goshen
Taylor Grubb of Prairie Heights and Shane Hendrickson of Elkhart Memorial are the two favorites in this weight. As long as not monumental upsets occur the finals match between these two will be very competitive.
285lbs
Top Dawg: Jacob Clark- Goshen
Onward to the Coliseum
Gabe Zimmerly- Westview
Eric Forest- Jimtown
Dominique Stauffer- Elkhart Central
There are many quality big guys coming to Goshen. Hometown favorite Jacob Clark will look to win his second straight regional title this week, but will be challenged along the way from Gabe Zimmerly of Westview or Eric Forest of Jimtown. Clark is not exciting to watch, but he gets the job done.
5692010 Team State Finals Bracket
On Thursday the IHSAA announced the team state draw to the public. Many great matches could occur early on including a possible #1 vs. #2 in the first round between Mishawaka and Crown Point. Mishawaka won the first match-up 42-12 at the Traicoff Inviational. Other great potential first round match-ups include a rematch of Perry Meridian and Cathedral that went down to the last match just last week. Conference rivals New Palestine and Yorktown could also hook up in a pivotal first round match. The three headed monster out of the south Mater Dei, Castle and Reitz will all slug it out for a team state berth and go up against the Peru Team Regional champion which right now McCutcheon is the favorite. Most of the team regional pairings stayed the same, but a few changed. Peru, Seymour and Jasper Team Regionals all will have different match-ups in the first round than they had last year.
Click here for the team state bracket that will be updated throughout the tournament
409Jeffersonville Regional Preview
The Jeffersonville Regional looks to have some very competitive wrestling this Saturday. There are a total of 7 top 20 ranked wrestlers, 2 returning state qualifiers, and 22 returning semi-state qualifiers.
103
Jeff Sophomore Alonzo Shepherd (39-4)(semi-state qualifier), #20 in the state, is the defending champ and will likely have a rematch of last years finals with Corydon sophomore Matthew Lahue (22-4)(semi-state qualifier). Shepherd won their Sectional final 9-0 last week. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Caleb Happel of Floyd Central (27-7) and Adam Concannon of Mitchell (27-7).
112
Jeff Senior Curtis Smith (37-8)(3X semi-state qualifier), will be looking for his 4th Regional Crown and will likely have State Qualifier, and 16th ranked, Cody Kendle of Pike Central (29-3) in the finals. Smith won last years finals match over Kendle by 1. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Kyle Eckert of Jasper (31-7) and Zach Thomas of Floyd Central (21-15).
119
Jeff Senior Devon Miller (39-4)(semi-state qualifier), will likely meet up with Justin Olinger (26-12) of Forest Park. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Brady Meenach of New Washington (26-12) and Justin Wolf of Charlestown (21-10).
125
Jaspers Kaleb Chambers (30-7)(semi-state qualifier) will likely meet Corydon senior, Dustin Springer (23-3) in the finals. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Jordan Hedinger of Forest Part (29-8) and Derek Lunsford of Pike Central (27-8).
130
There will be a semi final rematch of last weeks Jeff sectional between New Albany’s senior Tim Martin (32-5)(State qualifier) and Floyd Centrals Aaron Witte (29-5)(semi-state qualifier). Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Shawn Simpson of Jeffersonville (31-14) and Cody Byrer of North Knox (24-4)(semi-state qualifier).
135
Jeffersonville junior Renaldo Weekley (39-5)(semi-state qualifier), #12 in the state, will be a heavy favorite. He will likely face the winner of Floyd Centrals Tom Denny (24-7) and Southridge’s Bryce Jones (28-10)(semi-state qualifier). Other likely semi-state qualifier is Lane Massingham of New Washington (35-6).
140
Jasper’s Adam Harder (33-6)(semi-state qualifier) will likely meet New Albany’s Lawrence Rickman (35-3)(semi-state qualifier) in the finals. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Drew Denny of Floyd Central (29-8) and Taylor Newcomb of Charlestown (26-6)(semi-state qualifier).
145
There is a likely repeat match of last weeks Jeffersonville Sectional finals between Floyd Central senior Ben Moberly (32-2)(semi-state qualifier), #7 in the state, and undefeated New Washington senior Josh Sampson (39-0)(semi-state qualifier). Sampson edged Moberly 2-0 in their first meeting. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Ross Schenk of Jasper (30-7) and Cory Ingram of Southridge (21-9)(semi-state qualifier).
152
Providence senior Jacob Golembeski (semi-state qualifier) will likely meet Mitchell’s Andrew Wise (15-5) in the finals. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Nick Ackerman of Jasper (26-13) and Angus Stetter of Southridge (26-14)(semi-state qualifier).
160
Drew Songer (35-4)(semi-state qualifier) of Southridge will be the favorite. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Brandon Marlin of Jeffersonville (31-14), Jacob Hall of Charlestown (25-11), and Andrew Jones of Jasper (31-7).
171
Jeffersonville senior Caleb Browner (43-1)(semi-state qualifier), #7 ranked in the state, will likely meet Jasper’s Cody Kreilein (29-7) in the finals. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Garrett Shephard of Paoli (29-12) and Ethan Bowen of Charlestown (19-11).
189
Forest Park’s Craig Vogues (37-3)(semi-state qualifier) will be the favorite and will likely have Jeffersonville junior Nelson Bowen(25-11) in the finals. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Joe Tucker (29-6) of Jasper and William Faith of New Albany(21-13).
215
The finals match will likely be Jeffersonville junior Jimmy Pratt (33-9) and Pike Central’s Hunter Manning (26-7). Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Corydon’s Ryan DeWitt (22-3) and Mitchells Trevor Phillips (28-8).
285
Jasper’s Tyler Jenkins (34-2)(semi-state qualifier) #6 ranking in the state, will be the heavy favorite and will likely have New Albany senior Taylor Hoke(32-6)(semi-state qualifier) in the finals. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Jeffersonville’s Elijah Curtley (25-12) and Southridge’s John Veatch (26-10).
8272010 IHSAA Semi-State Brackets
Date: Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010.
Admission: $6 (Final session only); $9 (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
Feeder Regionals: Carroll (Fort Wayne), Goshen, Jay County, Peru.
3. New Castle (at New Castle H.S.), 9 am
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.
5452010 Woodlan(Fort Wayne) Semi-State Preview
Bobby Cox and company made things quite interesting this week with the decision to let the Randolph County wrestlers back into the tournament at the semi-state level. These additions will add 14 rat-tail matches to start the day. I hope to see the fans cheer these wrestlers on as they get a second chance this week. The Fort Wayne Semi-State is going to be very exciting with numerous great ticket-round matches. Look for the action to be hot and heavy from the beginning until the end. Thirteen wrestlers head to Fort Wayne with unblemished records on the season. They include three wrestlers from Team State Finalists Yorktown, Derek Bevans, Devon Jackson and Ross Janney. Other undefeated wrestlers include Tony Lovejoy of Bishop Luers, Brock Norton of Carroll, Austin Waite of Maconaquah, Josh Martin of Randolph Southern, Josh Ehr of South Adams, Zac McCray of Garrett, Travis Thatcher of Bellmont, Jackson Bratcher of Eastbrook, Dylan Green of Kokomo and Korey Eck of Concordia.
103lbs
Last year this weight class failed to win a match at Conseco, but it does not look like that will happen this year. The field here is very tough from top to bottom. Leading the way in Peru Senior Shannon Garrettson. He will be challenged by Chaz Busz of Whitko and Brock Bevans of Yorktown.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Chaz Busz- Whitko vs. Cody Walburn- Adams Central
King of the Hill
Shannon Garrettson- Peru
Other State Streeters
Chaz Busz- Whitko
Brock Bevans- Yorktown
Danny Hamm- Prairie Heights
112
This is another weight class that failed to have a placer at the state finals last year. This weight will also have many great matches. Early on keep your eyes on the Gonzales vs. Que match. Both were state qualifiers last year, with Gonzales being the semi-state champion at this weight class. Logan Randle of Huntington North will also be a wrestler to watch after dealing New Castle's Brendan Campbell his first high school loss.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Steven Gonzales- Delta vs. Abraham Que- Elkhart Central
Logan Randle- Huntington North vs. Derek Roe- Adams Central
Nick Crume- Jimtown vs. Alex Richman- Heritage
King of the Hill
Steven Gonzales- Delta
Other State Streeters
Logan Randle- Huntington North
Jordan Gilbert- Whitko
Nick Crume- Jimtown
119
Tony Lovejoy won a semi-state title at 125lbs last year, but has decided to drop to 119lbs for his chance at a state title this year. He will be challenged by former state placer Steven Ross, but Ross has to get by Northwestern's Matt Miller first.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Sebastian Eckert-Huntington North vs. Phillip Gerber- Bluffton
Eckert/Gerber vs. Alex Troy- Snider
Steven Ross- Concord vs. Matt Miller- Northwestern
King of the Hill
Tony Lovejoy- Bishop Luers
Other State Streeters
Alex Troy- Snider
Andy Franklin- Homestead
Steven Ross- Concord
125
Yorktown's Derek Bevans has been nothing less than impressive this season as he looks to return to the state finals for a fourth time. His main competition is Travis Barroquillo of Prairie Heights whom he defeated earlier in the year. Barroquillo has to be thinking he is living in the twilight zone as he will most likely face an Armantrout in the ticket-round for the second straight year.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Kirs Workman- Taylor vs. Lucas Willms- Fremont
Workman/Willms vs. Bobby Perry- Bluffton
Travis Barroquillo- Prairie Heights vs. Jordan Armantrout- Muncie South
King of the Hill
Derek Bevans- Yorktown
Other State Streeters
Travis Barroquillo- Prairie Heights
Bobby Perry- Bluffton
Dylan LeTourneau- Whitko
130
Devon Jackson of Yorktown has blown through his competition all year long and looks to continue to do so. The other spots in the top four at semi-state are not so easy to pick. Carlin Horman of Bellmont looks to play spoiler as he will be in the toughest quarter bracket with Collin Crume of Jimtown and state placer Dan Rothgeb of Whitko. That quarter bracket alone will be fun to watch play out.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Collin Crume- Jimtown vs. Carlin Hormann- Bellmont
Crume/Hormann vs. Dan Rothgeb- Whitko
Tucker Smith- Homestead vs. Drake Meska- Jay County
King of the Hill
Devon Jackson- Yorktown
Other State Streeters
Dan Rothgeb- Whitko
Darin Fiechter- Southern Wells
Tucker Smith- Homestead
135
This is the weight class many have been waiting for all year long. Will Brock Norton defend his semi-state title or will Yorktown's Andrew Hiestand take it from him? Or will Norton even get a ticket to state with a ticket-round match with NHC nemesis Brooks Faurote looming? Is it Saturday yet, because this will be quite a fun weight to watch.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Brock Norton- Carroll vs. Brooks Faurote- Bellmont
Andrew Hiestand- Yorktown vs. Cody Zink- Woodlan
King of the Hill
Brock Norton- Carroll
Other State Streeters
Andrew Hiestand- Yorktown
Jeremy Hill- Jimtown
Cam Matteson- Elkhart Memorial
140
This weight class is lead by Leo's Justin Beck who qualified for state in this weight last year. He cannot overlook Randolph Southern's undefeated Josh Martin though. Martin will not have an easy go at it as he will have arguably the toughest quarter bracket.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Justin Beck- Leo vs. Ryan Ntende- Goshen
King of the Hill
Justin Beck- Leo
Other State Streeters
Josh Martin- Randolph Southern
Jarod Swartz- Adams Central
Wade Thiel- North Side
145
Just like 135lbs, this weight will be very exciting to play out. Every match here is very important and no one in this weight class can be overlooked. From top to bottom, you have a possible ACAC title rematch between undefeated Josh Ehr and Bryce Schendel of Garrett. Next up is a possible match between returning state placer Dalton Sparks of Peru and Jordan Venderley of Bishop Dwenger. Moving to the bottom bracket you have Reece Lefever of Carroll and Cody Harper of Yorktown in an interesting match-up. The last quarter bracket will be interesting too, as the first round pits two NHC rivals against eachother. Levy Francois defeated Tanner Boman just a few weeks ago, but Boman is coming off sectional and regional titles. Neither of those two can overlook Huntington North's Brant Hiple either. You might need some oxygen to catch your breath after this weight class!
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Josh Ehr- South Adams vs. Bryce Schendel- Garrett
Dalton Sparks- Peru vs. Jordan Venderley- Bishop Dwenger
Reece Lefever- Carroll vs. Cody Harper- Yorktown
Tanner Boman-Dekalb vs. Levy Francois- New Haven
Boman/Francois vs. Brant Hiple- Huntington North
King of the Hill
Josh Ehr- South Adams
Other State Streeters
Jordan Venderley- Bishop Dwenger
Reece Lefever- Carroll
Brant Hiple- Huntington North
152
Returning state placer Zach Corpe of Elkhart Memorial is the class of the field here. His stiffest competition will come from East Noble's Jimmy LaRowe who will have to battle it out with a tough Nick Duke in the ticket round. Other than that, keep your eyes on Garrett Weber of Leo who is always exciting to watch.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
John Malan- Bellmont vs. Zack Zurbrugg- New Haven
Nick Duke- Marion vs. Jimmy LaRowe- East Noble
King of the Hill
Zach Corpe- Elkhart Memorial
Other State Streeters
Garrett Weber- Leo
Jimmy LaRowe- East Noble
John Mahlan- Bellmont
160
This weight class looks to be fairly cut and dry with four wrestlers heads and shoulders above the rest. Thankfully, the bracket gods separated these four wrestlers. Leading the way is undefeated Zac McCray of Garrett. He will look to make his first state finals appearance. Following closely is arch nemesis Conner Lefever of Carroll and Bellmont's Ryley Hankenson. Zeke Lloyd of Marion had a close match with Lefever earlier in the year and could set up an interesting semi-final match.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Zeke Lloyd- Marion vs. Cody Conrad- Heritage
King of the Hill
Zac McCray- Garrett
Other State Streeters
Conner Lefever- Carroll
Ryley Hankenson- Bellmont
Zeke Lloyd- Marion
171
There are lots of landmines in this weight class. Look no further than Austin Striggle's match-up with undefeated Jackson Bratcher. Bratcher is the favorite, but he cannot overlook the super-sophomore. Other wrestlers to watch are Churubusco's Jordan Hamilton and Trent Castner of Yorktown.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Jackson Bratcher- Eastbrook vs. Austin Striggle- Whitko
Logan Counterman- Prairie Heights vs. Logan Raypole- Carroll
Trent Castner- Yorktown vs. JB Singer- Goshen
King of the Hill
Jackson Bratcher- Eastbrook
Other State Streeters
Jordan Hamilton- Churubusco
Trent Castner- Yorktown
Logan Counterman- Prairie Heights
189
This is another interesting weight class with some very fine competitors. Leading the way is Bellmont's Travis Thatcher who is undefeated on the season. He cannot overlook the Scotts, Taylor of Heritage and Darryn of Marion. Taylor Scott beat Darryn Scott earlier in the season.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Taylor Scott- Heritage vs. Carson Sappington- Elkhart Memorial
Brandon Dillenbeck- Goshen vs. Peter Waikel- Bishop Dwenger
King of the Hill
Travis Thatcher- Bellmont
Other State Streeters
Taylor Scott- Heritage
Darryn Scott- Marion
Brandon Dillenbeck- Goshen
215
This weight class will get a jumpstart with three pig-tail matches. After that we get into the mix right away. Returning state qualifier Dylan Green will get tested from the get-go by either Adam Chalfant or Matt James. If you see Scott Neff of Yorktown you will think he belongs on the basketball court, but he has proved himself on the wrestling mat with impressive wins last week at Jay County.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Taylor Grubb- Prairie Heights vs. Seth Biberstine- Southern Wells
Andrew Chalfant- Winchester vs. Matt James- Jay County
Chalfant/James vs. Dylan Green- Kokomo
Scott Neff- Yorktown vs. Shane Hendrickson- Elkhart Memorial
King of the Hill
Dylan Green- Kokomo
Other State Streeters
Scott Neff- Yorktown
Seth Biberstine- Southern Wells
Andrew Bultemeier- Bellmont
285
Not many people will leave before the heavyweights are done this year. This weight class has two undefeated wrestlers along with two others that entered the state tournament undefeated. Great match-ups include undefeated Korey Eck of Concordia and Bellmont's Mighty Mouse Daniel Meyer in the ticket round. Also, do not overlook Jay County fourth place finisher Elijah Justice of Blackford.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Korey Eck- Concordia vs. Daniel Meyer- Bellmont
Jacob Clark- Goshen vs. Elijah Justice- Blackford
Evan Floyd- Northwestern vs. Ross Janney- Yorktown
King of the Hill
Ross Janney- Yorktown
Other State Streeters
Jacob Clark- Goshen
Jim West- South Adams
Korey Eck- Concordia
6252010 Evansville Semi-State Preview
The 2010 Evansville Semi-State looks to have some top notch wrestling this Saturday. Â There are a total of 74 top 20 ranked wrestlers, 27 returning state qualifiers, of which 12 are returning State Placers.
103
First round matches to watch:
Devon Orben (10)(Columbus North)(32-10) vs. Austin Pettijohn (11)(Franklin)(24-17)
Anthony Sparks (12)(Greenwood)(25-10) vs. Kayne Pike (10)(Bloomington South)(32-6)
#18 Luke Schroeder (11)(Southwestern)(42-3) vs. Tyler Ruble (11)(North Putnam)(30-4)
Evan Vibbert (11)(Evansville Mater Dei) vs. Matthew Lahue (10)(Corydon)(25-5)
Likely ticket round matches are:
#8 Dylan Hall (12)(Evansville Harrison)(46-2) vs. Devon Orben (10)(Columbus North)(32-10)
#20 Alonzo Shepherd (10)(Jeffersonville)(43-4) vs. Kayne Pike (10)(Bloomington South)(32-6)
#18 Luke Schroeder (11)(Southwestern)(42-3) vs. Matthew Lahue (10)(Corydon)(25-5)
Anthony Schoettle (9)(Center Grove)(36-7) vs. #9 Gideon Vanhook (10)(Evansville Reitz)(34-6)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#8 Dylan Hall (12)(Evansville Harrison)(46-2)(state qualifier at 103 ’09, ’08)
#20 Alonzo Shepherd (10)(Jeffersonville)(43-4)(semi-state qualifier)
#18 Luke Schroeder (11)(Southwestern)(42-3)(semi-state qualifier)
#9 Gideon Vanhook (10)(Evansville Reitz)(34-6)
112
First round matches to watch:
Clint Plake (12)(Center Grove)(34-10) vs. #17 Logan Wedding (9)(Evansville Memorial)(37-5)
#18 Luke Welch (9)(Castle)(33-7) vs. Brayden Montgomery (9)(Danville)(40-3)
#4 Cody Kendle (11)(Pike Central)(31-4) vs. Robby Taylor (11)(Madison)(35-9)
Likely ticket round matches:
#20 Jacob Boomsma (11)(Bloomington South)(31-6) vs. #17 Logan Wedding (9)(Memorial)(37-5)
Curtis Smith (12)(Jeffersonville)(41-8) vs. #18 Luke Welch (9)(Castle)(33-7)
#3 Dusty Kief (11)(Franklin)(29-3) vs. #16 Cody Kendle (11)(Pike Central)(31-4)
Bryan Kuhn (12)(Evansville Reitz)(39-0) vs. Steven Reiker (11)(Columbus East)(36-8)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#20 Jacob Boomsma (11)(Bloomington South)(31-6)(state qualifier at)
Curtis Smith (12)(Jeffersonville)(41-8)(semi-state qualifier ’09, ’08, ’07)
#4 Dusty Kief (11)(Franklin)(29-3)(state 2nd at 103 ’09)
#3 Bryan Kuhn (12)(Evansville Reitz)(39-0)(5th at 103 ’09)
119
First round matches to watch:
Devon Miller (12)(Jeffersonville)(43-4) vs. #18 Jordan Legan (12)(Center Grove)(25-9)
Likely ticket round matches:
#7 Neal Malloy (9)(Danville)(37-2) vs. Jake Lannert (10)(Mater Dei)(31-8)
Devon Miller (12)(Jeffersonville)(43-4) vs. #10 Alex Griesemer (11)(Princeton)(34-5)
#17 Trevor Moody (10)(Evansville Reitz)(41-1) vs. #9 Derek Fisher (12)(Martinsville)(29-3)
Baron Reiker (11)(Columbus East)(38-6) vs. Cameron Williams (12)(Franklin)(28-11)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#7 Neal Malloy (9)(Danville)(37-2)
#10 Alex Griesemer (11)(Princeton)(34-5)(state qualifier)
#9 Derek Fisher (12)(Martinsville)(29-3)(7th in state at 112 in ‘09)
Baron Reiker (11)(Columbus East)(38-6)(semi-state qualifier)
125
First round matches to watch:
#10 Jordan Judy (10)(Danville)(40-3) vs. Michael Brown (11)(Castle)(34-6)
#5 Ethan Raley (11)(Indian Creek)(30-1) vs. #19 Zach Henderson (11)(Mater Dei)(32-6)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#11 Dakota Case (11)(Terre Haute South)(31-6) vs. #10 Jordan Judy (10)(Danville)(40-3)
Kaleb Chambers (11)(Jasper)(33-7) vs. Grant Collicot (12)(Plainfield)(29-10)
#5 Ethan Raley (11)(Indian Creek)(30-1) vs. Derek Lunsford (11)(Pike Central)(29-9)
Andrew Sulawske (12)(Evansville North)(37-5) vs. Zach Reiker (11)(Columbus East)(39-8)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#11 Dakota Case (11)(Terre Haute South)(31-6)
Kaleb Chambers(11)(Jasper)(33-7)
#5 Ethan Raley (11)(Indian Creek)(30-1)(state champ at 103 in ’08, state qualifier at 112 in ’09)
Andrew Sulawske (12)(Evansville North)(37-5)(semi-state qualifier)
130
First round matches to watch:
Spencer Boyd (11)(Bloomington South)(27-11) vs. #15 Derek Bratton (12)(Martinsville)(28-9)
#18 Aaron Witt (12)(Floyd Central)(31-6) vs. Quinn Schroeder (11)(Mater Dei)(33-5)
Likely Ticket round matches:
Tim Martin (12)(New Albany)(35-5) vs. #15 Derek Bratton (12)(Martinsville)(28-9)
Jacob Meliff (12)(North Posey)(30-7) vs. #17 Kaleb Heald (11)(Cascade)(34-4)
#6 Luke Schofield (12)(Franklin)(34-4) vs. Jordan Mann (11)(Castle)(26-16)
#14 Shawn Miracle (12)(Bloomington North)(35-1) vs. QuinnSchroeder (11)(Mater Dei)(33-5)
Likely State Qualifiers:
Tim Martin (12)(New Albany)(35-5)(state qualifier)
Jacob Meliff (12)(North Posey)(30-7)(semi-state qualifier)
#6 Luke Schofield (12)(Franklin)(34-4)(state qualifier)
#14 Shawn Miracle (12)(Bloomington North)(35-1)(semi-state qualifier)
135
First round matches to watch:
#19 Blake Rueger (10)(Evansville Reitz)(39-1) vs. Caden McGaha ()(Columbus North)(25-8)
#18 Matt Rassbach (12)(Avon)(30-1) vs. Tom Denny (12)(Floyd Central)(25-9)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#1 Brannigan Barlow (12)(Bloomington South)(36-1) vs. Chris Oaks (12)(Brownsburg)(30-10)
#19 Blake Reuger (10)(Evansville Reitz)(39-1) vs. #17 Cole Van Horn (11)(Franklin)(29-7)
#12 Renaldo Weekley (11)(Jeffersonville)(42-6) vs. Jordan Jansen (11)(Terre Haute South)(25-4)
#18 Matt Rassbach (12)(Avon)(30-1) vs. Andrew Konrath (11)(Mt. Vernon)(36-6)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#1 Brannigan Barlow (12)(Bloomington South)(36-1)(state qualifier)
#19 Blake Rueger (10)(Evansville Reitz)(39-1)(state qualifier)
#12 Renaldo Weekley (11)(Jeffersonville)(42-6)(semi-state qualifier)
#18 Matt Rassbach (12)(Avon)(30-1)
140
First round matches to watch:
Larry Rickman (12)(New Albany)(38-3) vs. Ethan Farmer (10)(Bloomington South)(21-6)
Tyler Raben (11)(Mater Dei)(29-9) vs. Austin Bowman (10)(Franklin)(31-10)
Likely Ticket round matches:
Larry Rickman (12)(New Albany)(38-3) vs. #5 Quayle Bealmear (12)(Tri-West)(33-2)
#16 Jeremy Salyers (12)(Edgewood)(45-2) vs. Blaine Hall (12)(Avon)(26-6)
Tyler Raben (11)(Mater Dei)(29-9) vs. Â #4 PJ Montgomery (11)(Terre Haute South)(34-3)
#3 Matt Milton (12)(Center Grove)(37-2) vs. Zach Adams (10)(Madison)(36-8)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#5 Quayle Bealmear (12)(Tri-West)(33-2)(state qualifier)
#16 Jeremy Salyers (12)(Edgewood)(45-2)(semi-state qualifier)
#4 PJ Montgomery(11)(Terre Haute South)(34-3)(state qualifier)
#3 Matt Milton (12)(Center Grove)(37-2)(6th in state at 103 in ’08)
145
First round matches to watch:
#16 Marcus Waddell (12)(Columbus North)(31-3) vs. #14 Corey Voegel (12)(Evansville Reitz)(34-8)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#7 Ben Moberly (12)(Floyd Central)(35-2) vs. Sam Horrocks (11)(Bloomington South)(27-11)
#15 Danny Waters (12)(Greenwood)(36-3) vs. #3 John Sims (11)(Mater Dei)(27-6)
#16 Marcus Waddell (12)(Columbus North)(31-3) vs. Josh Sampson (12)(New Washington)(41-1)
#2 Doug Welch (11)(Castle)(41-0) vs. Dalton Clements (11)(Monrovia)(22-6)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#7 Ben Mobery (12)(Floyd Central)(35-2)(semi-state qualifier)
#3 John Sims (11)(Evansville Mater Dei)(27-6)(4th at state in ’09, 6th at state in ’08)
#16 Marcus Waddell (12)(Columbus North)(31-3)(semi-state qualifier)
#2 Doug Welch (11)(Castle)(41-0)(5th at state in ’09)
152
First round matches to watch:
Gabe Holt (11)(Columbus North)(31-7) vs. #12 Joey Juliano (10)(Mooresville)(28-6)
#10 Dustin Parrish (11)(Plainfield)(31-3) vs. Ben Farmer (11)(Bloomington South)(20-11)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#2 Chad Welch (11)(Castle)(40-0) vs. #12 Joey Juliano (10)(Mooresville)(28-6)
Jacob Golembeski (12)(Providence)(34-5) vs. #10 Dustin Parrish (11)(Plainfield)(31-3)
#6 Quincey Richey (10)(Brown County)(30-0) vs. Tyler Rickenbaugh (11)(Heritage Hills)(36-6)
#14 Sean Mappes (10)(Center Grove)(32-4) vs. Blake Marshall (11)(Mt. Vernon)(40-4)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#2 Chad Welch (12)(Castle)(40-0)(state qualifier)
#10 Dustin Parrish (11)(Plainfield)(31-3)
#6 Quincy Richey (10)(Brown County)(30-0)(8th in state at 130 in ‘09)
#14 Sean Mappes (10)(Center Grove)(32-4)
160
First round matches to watch:
#10 Trey Reese (11)(Indian Creek)(32-0) vs. #18 Dalton Brandenstein (10)(Mater Dei)(27-8)
Caleb Smith (12)(Princeton)(33-7) vs. #6 Ryan Kolb (12)(Tri-West)(34-1)
Likely Ticket round matches:
Corey Weikel (12)(Castle)(35-5) vs. #8 Holden Fudurich ()(Sullivan)(30-3)
#10 Trey Reese (11)(Indian Creek)(32-0) vs. Andrew Jones (12)(Jasper)(33-8)
Drew Songer (12)(Southridge)(38-4) vs. #6 Ryan Kolb (12)(Tri-West)(34-1)
#19 Terry Terrell (12)(Bloomington South)(31-5) vs. Jesse Vermillion (11)(Greencastle)(30-11)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#8 Holden Fudurich (12)(Sullivan)(30-3)(state qualifier)
#10 Trey Reese (11)(Indian Creek)(32-0)(semi-state qualifier)
#6 Ryan Kolb (12)(Tri-West)(34-1)
#19 Terry Terrell (12)(Bloomington South)(31-5)(state qualifier)
171
First round matches to watch:
#3 Jeff Weiss (12)(Heritage Hills)(42-1) vs. Jacob Underwood (10)(Martinsville)(30-7)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#5 Cole Brandt (12)(Avon)(30-2) vs. Eaton Asher (12)(Madison)(32-10)
#3 Jeff Weiss (12)(Heritage Hills)(42-1) vs. Corey Kopitzke (12)(Jennings County)(37-8)
#15 Garrett Goldman (11)(Bloomington North)(29-2) vs. #9 Josh Boots (11)(Mater Dei)(38-2)
#7 Caleb Browner (12)(Jeffersonville)(46-2) vs. #2 Drake Stein (11)(Princeton)(36-2)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#5 Cole Brandt (12)(Avon)(30-2)(state qualifier)
#3 Jeff Weiss (12)(Heritage Hills)(42-1)(7th at state in ’09)
#9 Josh Boots (11)(Evansville Mater Dei)(38-2)(semi-state qualifier)
#2 Drake Stein (11)(Princeton)(36-2)(8th at state in ’09)
189
First round matches to watch:
Craig Voges (12)(Forest Park)(40-3) vs. #18 Jarrett Brownfield (12)(Columbus North)(22-3)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#19 Darren Eads (12)(Bloomington South)(30-7) vs. #11 Patrick Price (12)(North Posey)(31-4)
Craig Voges (12)(Forest Park)(40-3) vs. #13 Ryan Sandwith (11)(Memorial)(32-8)
#7 Todd Hacker (12)(Mooresville)(30-3) vs. Iyan Bass (10)(Jennings County)(34-4)
#6 Alex Rosebrock (12)(Castle)(38-2) vs. Joe Tucker (11)(Jasper)(31-7)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#11 Patrick Price (12)(North Posey)(31-4)(semi-state qualifier)
#13 Ryan Sandwith (11)(Evansville Memorial)(32-8)(semi-state qualifier)
#7 Todd Hacker (12)(Mooresville)(30-3)
#6 Alex Rosebrock (12)(Castle)(38-2)(semi-state qualifier)
215
First round matches to watch:
#11 Jake VanDeventer (12)(Bloomington North)(29-4) vs. Justin VanWinkle (11)(Mater Dei)(29-9)
#16 Travis Daugherty (12)(Castle)(24-12) vs. David Knight (11)(Terre Haute South)(38-2)
Jimmy Pratt (11)(Jeffersonville)(37-9) vs. Quincy Pirtle (11)(Avon)(22-9)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#4 Dylan Froehlich (12)(Tell City)(42-0) vs. Hunter Manning (12)(Pike Central)(28-8)
#11 Jake VanDeventer (12)(Bloomington North)(29-4) vs. Keith Knura (10)(Franklin)(29-9)
#10 Evan Wooding (12)(Mooresville)(33-0) vs. #16 Travis Daugherty (12)(Castle)(24-12)
Jimmy Pratt (11)(Jeffersonville)(37-9) vs. Mark Collett (11)(Jennings County)(37-6)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#4 ranked Dylan Froehlich (12)(Tell City)(42-0)(semi-state qualifier)
#11 ranked Jake VanDeventer (12)(Bloomington North)(29-4)
#10 ranked Evan Wooding (12)(Mooresville)(33-0)
Jimmy Pratt (11)(Jeffersonville)(37-9)
285
First round matches to watch:
#13 Zach Wimpleberg (12)(Reitz)(33-7) vs. Taylor Hoke (12)(New Albany)(35-7)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#11 James Caum (12)(Jennings County)(41-2) vs. Neil Hammelman (12)(Evansville Mater Dei)(30-8)
#18 Zack Vandemen  (12)(Whiteland)(27-5) vs. #13 Zach Wimpleberg (12)(Evansville Reitz)(41-2)
#5 Tyler Daugherty (12)(Castle)(38-2) vs. #16 Jake Stevenson (11)(Indian Creek)(25-8)
#6 Tyler Jenkins (12)(Jasper)(37-2) vs. Chris Hurst (12)(South Putnam)(33-2)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#11 James Caum (12)(Jennings County)(41-2)(semi-state qualifier)
#18 Zack Vandemen (12)(Whiteland)(27-5)
#5 Tyler Daugherty (12)(Castle)(38-2)(semi-state qualifier)
#6 Tyler Jenkins (12)(Jasper)(37-2)
7052010 Merrillville Semistate Preview
The Merrillville Semistate has a long and proud tradition in producing the state's finest wrestlers and this year should be no different. I am not sure there is as much depth at Merrillville as their has been in recent years but the top dogs are still there.
Picks by Karl Hungus and RankingsGuy
103
Warsaw’s Jarred Brooks and his golden tan are ready for the big time after a heartbreaking loss to Merrillville’s Zack Stevens in last year’s ticket round. Stevens is the likely runner-up. The story that may overshadow them all is Penn’s Sarah Hildebrandt. She has a realistic shot at Conseco and will likely be a national story item if she were to qualify for state.
Punchin’ Their Ticket
1. Brooks – Warsaw
2. Petrov – Hanover Central
3. Stevens – Merrillville
4. Hildebrandt – Penn
Potential Bracket Busters
1. Sammy Ferdig – South Bend Adams
2. Santo Marciano – Munster
112
I have been singing the praises of Mishawaka’s Paul Beck all season. His only true challenge all season has been from his likely finals opponents, Lake Central’s Kyle Ayersman. The consolation match-up should be a donnybrook as well. Look for Merrillville’s young Adam Garcia to top Highland’s Danny Rodriguez.
Punchin’ Their Ticket
1. Beck – Mishawaka
2. Ayersman – Lake Central
3. Garcia – Merrillville
4. Rodriguez – Highland
Potential Bracket Busters
1. Brandon Coopinger – Portage
119
This is clearly one of the deepest classes at the Merrillville Semi-State. I’m of the opinion that up to eight wrestlers in this class are of state qualifying caliber. Three wrestlers in this class will likely contend for for a state title if they can survive the meat grinder. My pick to click is Penn’s Alex Gregory. I see him surviving the double edged sword of Anthony Hawkins and Danny Bradley to come away with the title. Lake Central looks to get join Merrillville and Penn and get their second state qualifier in senior Marc Escobedo.
Punchin Their Ticket
1. Gregory – Penn
2. Bradley – Knox
3. Hawkins – Crown Point
4. Escobedo – Lake Central
Potential Bracket Busters
1. Al Padilla – Merrillville
2. Josh Olsen – South Bend Adams
3. Layten Binion – Mishawaka
125
Anthony Napules of Merrillville has been largely overlooked when people talk about dominating performers. He has, however, had an outstanding performance up to this point. Zack Thornton of Chesterton drew that short straw and must face Napules in the ticket round. Freshman Mitch Hartman has gotten increasingly more confident as the season progressed and will likely face unbeaten and largely unknown Jordan Hicks of Seeger in their ticket round. The top wrestlers in the bottom half of the bracket appear to have slightly easier routes to Indy. Look for Mishawaka’s Taylor Wisler and Hanover Central’s John Petrov to put on quite a show in their semifinal matchup.
Punchin’ Their Ticket
1. Anthony Napules – Merrillville
2. John Petrov – Hanover Central
3. Taylor Wisler – Mishawaka
4. Mitch Hartman – South Bend Clay
Potential Bracket Busters
1. Zack Thornton – Chesterton
2. Jordan Hicks – Seeger
130
Crown Point’s wunderkind Jason Tsirtsis continues his quest for a second state title in as many years. He will likely face the winner of Mishawaka’s Nick Schrader and Calumet’s Mike Clark. Schrader and Clark battled back and forth in their previous matchup in the Al Smith finals back in late December. Schrader is also the only wrestler that has seriously contended with Tsirtsis.
Punchin’ Their Ticket
1. Jason Tsirtsis – Crown Point
2. Nick Schrader – Mishawaka
3. Mike Clark – Calumet
4. Forest Son – Lafayette Harrison
Potential Bracket Busters
1. Justin Bogart - Bremen
135
This weight is extremely difficult to prognosticate with no clear cut favorites. I can see up to five different wrestlers legitimately winning this class. My pick to win is one of my favorite wrestlers to watch over the past two year, Matt Guerra of Mishawaka. He will face a stiff challenge in his ticket round match up with senior Dallas Schurg of Crown Point. Guerra will then like face Lafayette Jeff’s regional champ Trey Grayson. In the top half of the bracket, Juniors Bobby Marcuccilli of Wawasee will likely face Portage junior Luis Acuna in an exciting ticket round battle. Lake Central’s Bradley Wartman looks to be in fine position to get his first ticket to Indy.
Punchin’ Their Ticket
1. Guerra – Mishawaka
2. Wartman – Lake Central
3. Acuna – Portage
4. Grayson – Lafayette Jeff
Potential Bracket Busters
1. Marcuccilli – Wawasee
2. Xavier Ponce – Merrillville
3. Schurg – Crown Point
140
Hobart’s steady Frankie Porras is the unquestioned headliner of the 140 class. He wrestles with such poise and control even in close matches. He will likely face region rivals Josh Flamme of Crown Point and Cameryn Brady of Lowell on his way to a second straight semi-state crown. Look for Warsaw’s Paul Manbu to finally get an opportunity to wrestle on the floor at Conseco after coming close for a couple of years.
Punchin’ Their Ticket
1. Porras – Hobart
2. Brady – Lowell
3. Manbu – Warsaw
4. Flamme – Crown Point
Potential Bracket Busters
1. Adrian Brown – Lafayette Jeff
145
The state champion came from this semi-state last year in Culver Military’s Daniel Young. It just might happen again this year as Crown Point’s dominating Eric Roach is the heavy favorite. Roach might be tested in the semi-finals by Munster’s Alex Surma. Surma can control a match with his mat wrestling. The top half of the bracket looks to be set up for underrated Laquan Lunford of South Bend Clay. He must survive the assault of the Lake Station Launcher, Jack Hammons. Hammons will come out with guns a blazing and can put even the best wrestlers on their backs. Beware of the Reaper!
Punchin’ Their Ticket
1. Roach – Crown Point
2. Lunford – South Bend Clay
3. Surma – Munster
4. Reaper - Lake Station
[caption id=attachment_1756" align="aligncenter" width="197" caption="You must fear the Reaper!][/caption]
Potential Bracket Busters
1. Mike Torres – Portage
2. Brian Hodge – Lafayette Harrison
152
State runner-up at 140 Ryan Stahl headlines the 152 class. He has taken a couple of losses this season but those should serve him well in his quest for a state title in his senior year. Super soph, Tanner Lynde of Delphi, looks to make his second trip to the Circle City and has an outstanding 40-1 record. The other two slots are more difficult to predict. Kankakee Valley’s Dustin Schultz and Gary West Side’s Nicholas Hill appear to have the inside track.
Punchin’ Their Ticket
1. Stahl – Mishawaka
2. Lynde – Delphi
3. Schultz – Kankakee Valley
4. Hill – Gary West Side
Potential Bracket Busters
1. Isaac Yoder – Tippy Valley
2. Jared Wethington – McCutcheon
3. Tommy Renn – Crown Point
160
The real drama at the 160 class will likely be in the semi finals where Chesterton’s Anthony Quiroz will probably battle Lafayette Harrison’s Cameron Vlahos for a shot at two time defending state champ, Sean McMurray of Portage. I don’t see either one beating McMurray but their semifinal match up should be a barn burner. South Bend Washington’s long time bridesmaid, Malcolm White should win his first two and make a trip south next week.
Punchin’ Their Ticket
1. McMurray – Portage
2. Vlahos – Lafayette Harrison
3. Quiroz – Chesterton
4. White – South Bend Washington
Potential Bracket Busters
1. Derek Worden – Lewis Cass
2. Austin Kunze – Penn
171
The field here is tightly packed with only Penn’s Andy Wiseman nudging ahead as a slight favorite over Mishawaka’s Dick Morin. The other tickets to Indy will be hotly contested by a host of worthy contenders.
Punchin’ Their Ticket
1. Wiseman – Penn
2. Morin – Mishawaka
3. Molebash – Culver Community
4. Jurczak – New Prairie
Potential Bracket Busters
1. Jeremy Wengel – Merrillville
2. Nathan Nethercutt – Pioneer
3. Dylan Senff – Triton
4. Joe Peco – Hobart
5. Jimmy Krause – Knox
6. Ryne Bell – South Newton
189
Delphi’s impressive Braden Atwood will be a huge favorite to add another semi state crown to match last years. He may just face freshman upstart, Matt Hurford in the finals. Others looking for mat time at Conseco include Nate Fowler of Calumet and in a mild upset, Call Posey of Hobart. A host of bracket busters are also looming at Merrillville.
Punchin' Their Ticket
1. Atwood – Delphi
2. Hurford – Culver Community
3. Fowler – Calumet
4. Posey – Hobart
Potential Bracket Busters
1. Aaron King - Portage
2. Tyler Kral – Crown Point
3. Timmy Buckingham – South Bend Riley
4. Nick Berdine – Kankakee Valley
5. Lorenzo Motton – McCutcheon
6. Aaron King – Portage
215
Ding, Ding! Get ready for round two of this clash of titans. Lowell’s Nate Cleveland should battle Mishawaka’s Christian Lentz for a second time this year and for the second year in a row at the semi-state level. This match will probably just be a preview of next weeks state finals match. 4-5 others will battle it out for the other tickets to Indy.
Punchin’ Their Ticket
1. Lentz – Mishawaka
2. Cleveland – Lowell
3. Matt Sumner – McCutcheon
4. Devin Reagan – Penn
Potential Bracket Busters
1. Jack Seaman – Munster
2. Joe Gallegos – South Bend Clay
285
Three quarters of the heavyweight bracket will likely be won by three wrestlers that might all place at state next week. Merrillville’s James Travis is the best of the bunch. Look for him to battle Mishawaka Man Mountain Travis Thomas in the semi-finals before meeting up with Plymouth’s Damon Howe. Howe has battled Thomas closely a couple of times this year to prove he is among the state’s elite big men. I see a third qualifier coming from the Rochester regional in South Bend Clay’s gritty Evan Nixon.
Punchin’ Their Ticket
1. Travis – Merrillville
2. Howe – Plymouth
3. Thomas – Mishawaka
4. Nixon – South Bend Clay
Potential Bracket Buster
1. Jay Trappani – Lowell
1296New Castle Semistate 2010
"Veni, vidi, vici (I came, I saw, I conquered)."
"I love the name of honor, more than I fear death."
--Gaius Julius Caesar
With the Ides of March approaching, I thought it appropriate to use some quotes by the quote machine Julius Caesar. Caesar, as history tells us, was willing to sacrifice nearly everything to achieve his goals....sounds like a wrestler to me. Anyway, my second favorite sporting weekend of the year is this coming weekend. I look forward to the trip to New Castle each year, knowing it means arriving at the crack of dawn and leaving when it's dark. This year it's especially true, as I won't be able to make it to Conseco. It's also especially true because this has been such a crazy year for Indiana wrestling. New Castle and the other three semistates, really show off what's great about our sport. The very high quality of competition, the elation of the matches' winners, the supreme disappointment of the matches' losers, the unbridled emotions of the parents, the upsets, the OT matches...how can you not love it all?
103
Outlook: Although this is an extraordinarily deep field, featuring seven wrestlers ranked in the top-16 (would've had 8 in the top-19 if Bova had made it through), this is Pocket Hercules' (Cody Phillips) weight class to lose. Although Venezia, Farrell, Moss, Schmith, Brasier and others are formidable opponents, Phillips is simply humongous and outrageously strong for 103. Past Phillips, it's a toss-up for places 2-4. Venezia has a good shot at reaching the finals, although to do so, he will have to beat three top-16 ranked wrestlers. Easily one of the toughest draws of anyone at New Castle. Moss has the misfortune of potentially drawing Phillips in the semis. Brasier vs. Farrell is one of the elite ticket matches at New Castle. Schmith vs. Venezia is one of the elite opening round matches at New Castle. Should be a very exciting, unpredictable weight past Phillips.
Ranked:
#16 Clint Schmith, Beech Grove, 30-8
#7 Mike Venezia, Cathedral, 31-2
#1 Cody Phillips (defending state champion at 103), Union County, 37-0
#13 Garrett Brasier, East Central, 40-4
#10 Josh Farrell, Greenfield Central, 42-3
#6 Levi Moss, Ben Davis, 37-2
#11 Tom Gettinger, Connersville, 39-4
I've got a Golden Ticket:
[caption id=attachment_1790" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="On to Conseco][/caption]
1. #1 Cody Phillips
2. #7 Mike Venezia
3. #6 Levi Moss
4. #13 Garrett Brasier
All hail the champ:
Cody Phillips
Potential surprises/Epic matchups:
#16 Schmith vs. #7 Venezia (opening round)--Schmith is a talented kid coming off of a disappointing weekend and it's within the realm of possibility that he can pull the upset. However, to Venezia's credit, he's been awfully steady this season against some pretty formidable competition.
#11 Gettinger vs. #7 Venezia (ticket round)--These two met up at Connersville earlier this season, with the Cathedral wrestler winning comfortably 7-0.
#13 Brasier vs. #10 Farrell (ticket round)--Farrell has shown he can beat just about anyone at this weight, as evidenced by his impressive regional performance. Brasier is a senior and I'll go with him because....well, because he's a senior. Farrell could make this pick look downright foolish.
112
Outlook: This is another stacked field, featuring three returning state qualifiers. With this impressive depth, including five wrestlers ranked in the top-10, comes a decent amount of uncertainty at the top. I would personally favor New Castle's stud soph Brendan Campbell, but Mason Todd couldn't have been more impressive last weekend, as he comfortably handled Price and especially his arch-nemesis Harvey. Campbell, Harvey, Todd, Price and McKinley are all capable of winning this weight class, and with the numbers game, at least one of these fine wrestlers will not advance. Parham vs. Harvey, Price vs. McKinley and Davis/Ling vs. Todd are all potentially exciting ticket matches.
Ranked:
#5 Jared McKinley, 42-1, Perry Meridian
#7 Brendan Campbell, 48-1, New Castle
#8 Dominique Price, 31-4, Tech
#9 Brian Harvey, 34-4, Cathedral
#10 Mason Todd, 40-1, Pendleton Heights
I've got a Golden Ticket:
[caption id=attachment_1790" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="On to Conseco][/caption]
1. #7 Brendan Campbell
2. #5 Jared McKinley
3. #10 Mason Todd
4. #9 Brian Harvey
All hail the champ:
Brendan Campbell
Potential surprises/Epic matchups:
Patrick Parham, Carmel, 26-7 vs. #9 Harvey (ticket round)--Parham has been on fire in the postseason, but Harvey is rock-solid and doesn't take a match off. Parham has shown the ability to rise to the occasion in the past and he'll have to do it here to advance.
#8 Price vs. #5 McKinley (ticket round)--These two met earlier this year, with McKinley taking a 5-0 decision. Price hasn't been able to get over the hump thus far, but the ability is there and he's faced a lot of good wrestlers in his career.
Robert Boston, Lawrence North, 25-5 vs. #7 Campbell (opening round)--Boston is a very tough kid, but he has a tall task ahead of him in the form of the Cadet Freestyle All-American Campbell.
Conrad Ling, Fishers, 32-5 vs. Aaron Davis, Roncalli, 24-11 (opening round)--Ling has had an outstanding year and Davis is coming on strong late in the season, like he did last year.
#10 Todd vs. #9 Harvey (potential finals match)--It will be difficult for these two to face each other again, but it would be great if it happens. These two wrestle like they hate each other. Pendleton Heights and Cathedral fans might even be more into it than their wrestlers. The PA announcer at Pendleton Heights had to admonish the crowd in their last meeting because things were getting so heated. Great stuff.
119
Outlook: This is a very top-heavy weight class, featuring #1 Brandon Nelsen and #2 Josh Kieffer, as well as #13 Seve Duncan and #19 Josh Julian. All four are returning state qualifiers and all but Duncan are returning state placers. Nelsen and Kieffer have been head and shoulders above everyone else in this semi-state and should meet in the finals here. Each has only one loss this year--Nelsen to Kieffer and Kieffer to Nelsen. Will Nelsen's experience and technical savvy beat Kieffer's length and physical style?
Ranked:
#1 Brandon Nelsen, Lawrence North, 36-1
#2 Josh Kieffer, Roncalli, 35-1
#13 Seve Duncan, Beech Grove, 18-7
#19 Josh Julian, Lebanon, 31-7
I've got a Golden Ticket:
[caption id=attachment_1790" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="On to Conseco][/caption]
1. #1 Brandon Nelsen
2. #2 Josh Kieffer
3. Alex Catron, New Castle, 40-2
4. Thomas Ash, Hamilton Southeastern, 24-7
All hail the champ:
Brandon Nelsen
Potential surprises/Epic matchups:
Catron vs. #19 Julian (ticket round)--For some reason, Julian hasn't been quite as sharp as this time last year. He's still capable of getting hot and putting together another run to Conseco. Catron has been very close to breaking through; last year, it was Seve Duncan that de-railed his state aspirations.
Levi Lanning, Alexandria, 34-8 vs. #19 Julian (opening round)--Let me tell you, these Alexandria kids can wrestle. Although Julian will be rightfully favored, Lanning is very solid and could be a darkhorse contender to advance.
#1 Nelsen vs. #13 Duncan (ticket round)--Some people suspected that Duncan tanked at sectionals to improve his draw. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but he's in a tough spot here. Unfortunately for the tough Beech Grove wrestler, there are a few things in life you can count on: water is wet, the sky is blue and Brandon Nelsen will place at state.
Thien Tran, New Palestine, 33-9 vs. Ash (ticket round)--It's very possible that one of these two kids will be wrestling at Conseco. Both are seniors with comparable records and competition faced; I'll go with Ash due to his recent hot streak, but I won't be shocked if it's Tran.
#1 Nelsen vs. #2 Kieffer (potential finals match)--They've wrestled many times, but there isn't a clear-cut favorite between the two. It's a great battle of conflicting builds and styles.
125
Outlook: Like 119, this weight class is top-heavy, featuring #1 Brandon Wright and #2 Justin Kieffer. Like 103, it's also extraordinarily deep, featuring seven ranked wrestlers. In my opinion, this is the strongest weight class at New Castle, top to bottom. Almost every match from the opening round forward is a possible barn-burner. While it's likely that Wright and Kieffer will battle for the kazillionth time for the title, spots 3 and 4 will be very interesting. For those last two spots, you have Ben Sommer, Shelbyville sectional #1 seed Jake Williams, Jordan Johnson, Jared Huff, Josh Blanton, Jason Simmons and Brent Roman battling it out. Throw in Justin Eshelman, Charlie McGinley and Dalton Millikan and you have yourself one loaded weight class.
Ranked:
#1 Brandon Wright, Warren Central, 25-2
#2 Justin Kieffer, Roncalli, 31-3
#13 Jordan Johnson, Lawrence North, 26-12
#14 Ben Sommer, Carmel, 33-3
#15 Jason Simmons, Perry Meridian, 35-9
#16 Jared Huff, Milan, 38-4
#18 Charlie McGinley, Tech, 34-6
I've got a Golden Ticket:
[caption id=attachment_1790" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="On to Conseco][/caption]
1. #1 Brandon Wright
2. #2 Justin Kieffer
3. #14 Ben Sommer
4. #16 Jared Huff
All hail the champ:
Brandon Wright
Potential surprises/Epic matchups:
#14 Sommer vs. #13 Johnson (ticket round)--They met earlier this year, with Johnson winning an OT decision. If Sommer can get by Williams, I like his chances here against the lanky Johnson.
Dalton Millikan, South Vermillion, 37-3 vs. #2 Kieffer (opening round)--Millikan had a rough regional, which helped bring about such a rough draw. Kieffer is likely just too much here but Millikan is a solid kid.
Brent Roman, Hamilton Southeastern, 31-7 vs. #15 Simmons (opening round)--Rough matchup for both kids. Roman won't be intimidated by the Perry wrestler. A pick 'em in my eyes.
#16 Huff vs. #15 Simmons/Roman (ticket round)--In another year, all three of these high caliber wrestlers might be advancing. In this stacked semi-state weight class, only one of the three will move on. All three are seniors and any of the three could move on.
Justin Eshelman, Pendleton Heights, 37-4 vs. #1 Wright (ticket round)--This was a really bad break for Eshelman, who might be the third best in the weight class. He dominated the field last Saturday, beating McGinley and Johnson with relative ease. Unfortunately, Wright, the three time state finalist, is probably a little too much for the Arabians wrestler.
#1 Wright vs. #2 Kieffer (potential finals match)--Like Nelsen vs. Kieffer, we've seen this matchup a time or two before. Also like Nelsen vs. Kieffer, it happens to be a great matchup and a fascinating confrontation of styles. Anything is possible in this match.
130
Outlook: The talent level goes down a little bit when we get to 130. It's still a fine field, featuring two top-five wrestlers, three top-ten kids and four total wrestlers in the top thirteen in the state. Leading the charge is the dynamic Connor Mullins, who should nab the top seed. After Mullins, the very experienced Tyler Clark, a two-time state qualifier, should be a solid pick for second. The third and fourth spots are very wide open and I expect some surprises here.
Ranked:
[caption id=attachment_1790" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="On to Conseco][/caption]
#2 Connor Mullins, New Castle, 51-0
#5 Tyler Clark, South Dearborn, 36-2
#10 John Stringfield, Cathedral, 34-4
#13 Jacob McCarthy, Mount Vernon, 33-4
I've got a Golden Ticket:
1. #2 Connor Mullins
2. #5 Tyler Clark
3. Greg Bell, Lawrence North, 27-8
4. #10 John Stringfield
All hail the champ:
Connor Mullins
Potential surprises/Epic matchups:
Eli Walker, Alexandria, 39-5 vs. #13 McCarthy (opening round)--The tough freshman looks to bag some big game in the form of senior and former state qualifier McCarthy. Like the rest of his team, expect to see more and more of this talented youngster in the coming years. McCarthy might be a little too much for him at this point.
Tyler Gadient, Noblesville, 26-10 vs. #2 Mullins (ticket round)--Gadient's record is deceptive, because he's very good. He very nearly beat Stringfield this past weekend and could give Mullins a good test. Expect Mullins to pass the test.
Jordan East, Southport, 37-7 vs. #10 Stringfield (opening round)--East has a solid shot to advance here, but he'll need to beat the ever-consistent Stringfield to do so. Stringfield doesn't give anything up easily, but East is on the same level.
Eli Moore, Fountain Central, 37-2 vs East/#10 Stringfield (ticket round)--Say what you want about the different schedules these three wrestlers competed against, but 37-2 is still 37-2. Moore has a legit shot.
135
Outlook: This is a pretty evenly matched weight class, with the exception of the clear favorite, #2 Mason "The Butcher" Berryman. The returning 4th place finisher last year at state, Berryman is a legit state title threat. Berryman's heavy hands and physical style will be very tough for anyone here to handle. He should cruise to a title. Beyond Berryman, there are two other ranked wrestlers and a lot of next-tier kids. This is one of the more wide-open weights past Berryman, making it one of the most difficult to handicap.
Ranked:
#2 Mason Berryman, Anderson Highland, 29-0
#14 Matt Rattay, Lawrence North, 27-9
#16 Wayne Black, Pike, 35-2
I've got a Golden Ticket:
[caption id=attachment_1790" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="On to Conseco][/caption]
1. #2 Mason Berryman
2. #16 Wayne Black
3. #14 Matt Rattay
4. Josh Williams, Warren Central, 32-8
All hail the champ:
Mason Berryman
Potential surprises/Epic matchups:
Brandon Davis, Western Boone, 32-4 vs. Williams (ticket round)--This is senior versus senior, each sporting a pretty impressive win/loss record. Williams' schedule is the difference for me.
John Blanton, Alexandria, 36-6 vs. #16 Black (ticket round)--Blanton is just a sophomore, but he's a talented youngster and it's not a reach at all to say that he could advance. Blanton first has to get by senior Austin Shell, North Vermillion, 33-4.
Levi Rose, New Castle, 44-5 vs. #14 Rattay (ticket round)--Both are battle-tested and Rose has the advantage (pressure?) of wrestling on his home mat. Rattay tends to keep matches pretty close, whether winning or losing, so this one might be up for grabs until the very end of the match.
140
Outlook: This is a very solid weight class, although it is lacking the big guns of all the previous weight classes. There are six ranked wrestlers here, with #10 Grant Scurria leading the list. Scurria's portion of the bracket is pretty nightmarish, as his first match is versus a former state qualifier and his ticket match could be a rough one as well. There is no clear-cut favorite to speak of, and surprises are almost a certainty. Looking at the bracket, more so than any other weight at New Castle, every match is compelling and almost every kid is capable of advancing. You won't find your state champion here, but any of the four seeds from here will be capable of winning Friday night at Conseco.
Ranked:
#10 Grant Scurria, Carmel, 28-3
#12 Brady White, Westfield, 42-4
#13 Cody Fellers, New Castle, 47-4
#18 Kirk Johnson, Perry Meridian, 40-3
#19 Bailey Kesterman, Triton Central, 38-5
#20 Tiandre Edwards, North Central, 30-7
I've got a Golden Ticket:
[caption id=attachment_1790" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="On to Conseco][/caption]
1. #13 Cody Fellers
2. #10 Grant Scurria
3. #18 Kirk Johnson
4. #20 Tiandre Edwards
All hail the champ:
#13 Cody Fellers
Potential surprises/Epic matchups:
Braydon Alley, Hamilton Heights, 26-10 vs. #18 Johnson (ticket round)--Assuming Alley can get by a tough senior in Justin Enright (Centerville, 37-9), this should be a great matchup. Alley was very nearly the regional champion and had to beat two tough wrestlers to advance to the championship. Johnson has almost literally wrestled everyone in the state at 140 and had a great offseason as well. Johnson by a nose.
JR Corman, New Palestine, 19-9 vs. #10 Scurria (opening round)--The former state qualifier Corman is always capable of a big match and has been in this position before. Scurria has had an outstanding year and should be able to hold off the senior.
Mason Gesell, Union County, 39-4 vs. Haydon Buck, Tri-Central, 32-3 (opening round)--Both kids are sporting glittering records. Gesell very nearly knocked off Fellers last week. Buck wasn't as sharp, but he's talented. Gesell should win and face Scurria.
Matt Irick, Hamilton Southeastern, 33-6 vs. Kameron James, Pike, 28-7 (opening round)--I have no clue who will win this one. Both survived tough regionals and either could win this match and the next to advance to the state finals. The winner will likely get the explosive #20 Edwards.
#12 White vs. #19 Kesterman (opening round)--An awful opening round matchup for both kids, but a great one for the crowd. Like most of the matchups at this weight, it's anybody's guess who will win. The winner will likely get #13 Fellers in another potentially great bout.
145
Outlook: This weight class features two undefeated, very impressive wrestlers in Patrick Robinson and Montrail Johnson. It has three ranked wrestlers because Johnson is unranked, likely due to lack of information about him. The kid is a stud and he definitely passes the look test. It's sometimes difficult to gauge how good someone is unless they're facing excellent competition, but Johnson absolutely owned Pendleton Heights: two pins and a tech, each more impressive than the last. Robinson, the Purdue recruit, has been dominant all year and has faced better competition than Johnson. They are on the same side of the bracket, so someone else will finish second. As with a number of other weights, surprises won't be surprising.
Ranked:
#6 Patrick Robinson, Hamilton Southeastern, 25-0
#10 Kyle Riedling, New Palestine, 22-9
#17 Derek Harz, Perry Meridian, 31-10
I've got a Golden Ticket:
[caption id=attachment_1790" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="On to Conseco][/caption]
1. #6 Patrick Robinson
2. #17 Derek Harz
3. Montrail Johnson, Tri-Central, 42-0
4. #10 Kyle Riedling
All hail the champ:
#6 Patrick Robinson
Potential surprises/Epic matchups:
Ross Hoggatt, South Vermillion, 37-3 vs. #17 Harz (ticket round)--Assuming Hoggatt can get by talented sophomore Clint Nicholson (Pendleton Heights, 23-12), he has a shot at Harz. Like all Perry wrestlers, Harz is a grizzled veteran and used to the big stage and that might be the difference.
Kiefer Uphaus, Centerville, 32-4 vs. #10 Riedling (opening round)--Uphaus has a great shot to advance by beating Riedling. The New Pal wrestler had a rough weekend at Perry Meridian, but it will all be a distant memory if he can come up big in this match. 50-50 matchup.
Zach Heald, Greenfield Central, 28-5 vs. #6 Robinson (ticket round)--Robinson should win this, but Heald is a threat.
Jordan Maple, Connersville, 34-7 vs. Tre Spencer, Pike, 29-8 (opening round)--Both are talented kids with excellent records against tough competition. Should be a good one. The winner gets Johnson in another good one.
152
Outlook: Despite almost stumbling last weekend against Austin Neibarger, Sam Bennett comes in as a strong favorite. Bennett has already had a sterling career and will continue his career at Northern Illinois next year. This weight class would've been even more exciting if not for the loss of Jacob Tonte. Even without Tonte and New Castle's #18 Dusty Bennett, there are four ranked wrestlers here and twice that many kids capable of advancing. Bennett should sew up a top seed for Conseco, but past that is a mystery.
Ranked:
#1 Sam Bennett, Anderson Highland, 34-0
#8 Nick Manning, South Dearborn, 36-2
#13 James Frascella, Carmel, 24-6
#17 Austin Neibarger, Cathedral, 33-5
I've got a Golden Ticket:
[caption id=attachment_1790" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="On to Conseco][/caption]
1. #1 Sam Bennett
2. #8 Nick Manning
3. #17 Austin Neibarger
4. #13 James Frascella
All hail the champ:
#1 Sam Bennett
Potential surprises/Epic matchups:
Robert Hawthorne, Crispus Attucks, 33-6 vs. #13 Frascella (ticket round)--It would be a great story to see the Attucks wrestler and regional champ Hawthorne advance to state.
Taylor Evans, Clinton Central, 36-2 vs. #17 Neibarger (ticket round)--Evans has been on the cusp before and he has the experience advantage. However, Neibarger is not your average freshman and Evans will have to be in top form to advance.
Mike Taylor, Lawrence Central, 34-8 vs. #8 Manning (ticket round)--Although each wrestler has a tough opening match, this would be a great ticket bout. Manning's a solid favorite, but Taylor is explosive and dangerous.
160
Outlook: This is a very deep weight class, led by #2 Tyler Willis. Willis was strongly tested last weekend by Quinton Brooks, which has to boost the confidence of the field at New Castle. There are no easy opening round matches and some great wrestlers won't even make it to the ticket round. There are two top-five wrestlers, five wrestlers in the top-thirteen, and six ranked wrestlers altogether. In addition, the bracket is chock full of dangerous kids like Sam Shoaf, Jake Hockenbury, Jake Evans, Cody Becker, Dylon Gregg and Mark Brown.
Ranked:
#2 Tyler Willis, Cathedral, 36-1
#4 Jake Jennings, New Palestine, 38-2
#11 Von Wasson, New Castle, 49-1
#12 Curtis Anderson, Carmel, 29-4
#13 Quinton Brooks, Lawrence North, 32-7
#16 Jeremiah Oliver, Pike, 35-3
I've got a Golden Ticket:
[caption id=attachment_1790" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="On to Conseco][/caption]
1. #2 Tyler Willis
2. #13 Quinton Brooks
3. #11 Von Wasson
4. #16 Jeremiah Oliver
All hail the champ:
#2 Tyler Willis
Potential surprises/Epic matchups:
Sam Shoaf, Fountain Central, 39-3 vs. #4 Jennings (opening round)--Jennings put himself in the unenviable position of having to beat Shoaf and Willis to qualify for the state tourney. While he has been magnificent all year, he lost to Hockenbury last week and now has a tough road starting with the senior Shoaf.
#4 Jennings vs. #2 Willis (ticket round)--This has to be one of the premier ticket matchups, not only in New Castle, but in the entire state. Willis had a huge gash on his head that required frequent and extensive wrapping, so hopefully that won't play a role in this huge match.
Jake Hockenbury, Decatur Central, 20-7 vs. Jake Evans, Clinton Central, 35-3 (opening round)--The two Jakes will battle for the right to likely face Von Wasson. Hockenbury pulled the huge upset last week over #4 Jennings and is capable of pulling another. Evans is a very tough, underrated wrestler--two of his three losses are to Anderson.
#12 Anderson vs. #13 Brooks (ticket round)--Assuming Brooks can beat the very tough Mark Brown (East Central, 36-7), these two should battle for the right to advance to Conseco. Anderson already owns a win over Brooks this season, but Brooks was pretty impressive at Regionals. Should be very tight regardless of the winner.
171
Outlook: 171 features defending state champ and Ohio University signee Michael Duckworth. Duckworth has a very tough path to a semi-state title this year, but last year's was no picnic either and he survived. Including the Union County standout, there are seven ranked wrestlers here--this is a truly loaded field, with 12 participants with 28 or more wins this season. It's very possible that four of the ranked kids will not advance, as returning state qualifier Anthony Bill looms large in the bracket.
Ranked:
#1 Michael Duckworth, Union County (defending state champ at 171), 42-0
#11 Kevin Moats, Tipton, 38-3
#14 Scott Moore, Fountain Central, 31-3
#17 Mike Smith, North Central, 34-2
#18 Mitchell Judkins, Speedway, 29-5
#19 Mike Phelps, New Palestine, 32-4
#20 Jacob Howenstein, Zionsville, 32-5
I've got a Golden Ticket:
[caption id=attachment_1790" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="On to Conseco][/caption]
1. #1 Michael Duckworth
2. #17 Mike Smith
3. #11 Kevin Moats
4. Anthony Bill, Bishop Chatard, 30-3
All hail the champ:
#1 Michael Duckworth
Potential surprises/Epic matchups:
#14 Moore vs. #19 Phelps (opening round)--Wow, this bracket is almost tragically full of quality wrestlers. Moore and Phelps are two of the better 171s in the state, and they have to fight for the right to face the defending state champion at this weight. It's a real shame that neither of these kids is likely to advance. This should be a war.
#18 Judkins vs. Bill (ticket round)--Judkins has been in the mix in central Indiana for a couple of years now and could definitely win two matches at New Castle. He has a tough opener against Craig Fairley (Crawfordsville, 29-6).
#20 Howenstein vs. #11 Moats (ticket round)--Assuming Howenstein can get by the tough Roncalli wrestler Jake Bartley (21-10) and Moats can get by Rushville's Jon Flanary (35-5), this should be a dogfight to grab a spot in the state finals.
Dakota Gruell, Greenfield Central, 31-10 vs. #17 Smith (ticket round)--Gruell is red-hot and coming off of a regional title over some high quality wrestlers. Smith is a returning state qualifier and finished 2nd in a brutal regional.
189
Outlook: This is a very intriguing weight at New Castle, partially because it's the semi-state debut of uber-frosh Mitch Sliga. Sliga, Michael Johnson-Jones and Ibragim Komilov are pretty solid bets to advance. The final spot is pretty wide open. Not the deepest weight, but there is some quality at the top and it should be an exciting battle for the last spot.
Ranked:
#3 Mitch Sliga, Fishers, 38-1
#4 Michael Johnson-Jones, Warren Central, 36-1
I've got a Golden Ticket:
[caption id=attachment_1790" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="On to Conseco][/caption]
1. #4 Michael Johnson-Jones
2. Ibragim Komilov, North Central, 18-1
3. #3 Mitch Sliga
4. Andre Richards, Perry Meridian, 31-11
All hail the champ:
#4 Michael Johnson-Jones
Potential surprises/Epic matchups:
Kevin Wilger, South Dearborn, 31-9 vs. Richards (ticket round)--Assuming each wins his opening match (Richards' opener against Carmel'S senior Spencer Morris (23-14) is the tougher of the two), we should be treated to the fine wrestling of the soph Richards and senior Wilger and the vocal stylings of caliboy189.
Jacob Poynter, New Palestine, 25-9 vs. Komilov (ticket round)--Poynter is a very solid wrestler, but Komilov absolutely manhandled Pendlton Heights' opponents, winning with three dominant falls.
215
Outlook: This is a competitive field without a strong favorite. By the rankings, Balbach should win it, but in reality there are four or five kids with a shot at the semi-state crown. Cooper beat Balbach last weekend. There is very good depth here.
Ranked:
#6 Sam Balbach, Mount Vernon (Fortville), 35-4
#12 Logan Cooper, Perry Meridian, 23-4
#13 Arthur Wright, Tech, 33-3
#17 Jake Buchanan, Cathedral, 30-4
I've got a Golden Ticket:
[caption id=attachment_1790" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="On to Conseco][/caption]
1. #12 Logan Cooper
2. #13 Arthur Wright
3. #17 Jake Buchanan
4. Kyle Smitherman, Pendleton Heights, 35-6
All hail the champ:
#12 Logan Cooper
Potential surprises/Epic matchups:
Andy Jacquet, Clinton Central, 31-6 vs. #13 Wright (opening round)--Team Indiana member Jacquet has a draw that would wake most wrestlers up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. In order to advance, he will have to knock off regional champion Wright, then turn around and beat #6 Balbach or Forman. Needless to say, a tough row to hoe for the Bulldog wrestler
Ron Forman, South Dearborn, 28-4 vs. #6 Balbach (opening round)--Don't be too surprised if Forman trips up the highly ranked Balbach. A rough regionals performance might have cost Forman a good shot at qualifying for state.
#13 Wright vs. #6 Balbach (ticket round)--Assuming each ranked wrestler takes care of business against tough first round opponents, it sets up a huge ticket match. Wright was sharp last week, but nearly fell to Kevin Gaughan (North Central, 36-10). Wright won it OT on a tough stalling penalty against Gaughan.
Jason Pedigo, Zionsville, 28-11 vs. Smitherman (opening round)--Smitherman lost two very, very close matches last weekend or he might've been regional champ. Pedigo was, in fact, a regional champ.
Sam Carnes, Westfield, 33-12 vs. Gaughan (opening round)--These two wrestlers are both hard-nosed grinders. Gaughan was excellent last weekend, whereas Carnes lost to a wrestler he beat the week prior. The winner likely gets Logan Cooper.
285
Outlook: Liks last year, this is not the strongest field in New Castle. Last year's heavyweight competition featured the biggest upset in a while at this semi-state, when Ethan Cuevas was pinned unexpectedly by Rockville's Jake Wimsett. No one here this year is quite in Cuevas's class, but there are some tough kids like Dylan McBride, Ben Jackson, Willie Henson, Blaec Gray, Caleb Miller, Trent Wallace and Kyle White competing for the crown. As wide open as any weight at New Castle. Unlike last year, I would be willing to bet that at least one of the advancers places at Conseco.
Ranked:
#12 Ben Jackson, Milan,
#14 Willie Henson, North Central,
#17 Dylan McBride, Crawfordsville
I've got a Golden Ticket:
[caption id=attachment_1790" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="On to Conseco][/caption]
1. #17 Dylan McBride
2. #14 Willie Henson
3. #12 Ben Jackson
4. Blaec Gray, Rushville, 26-4
All hail the champ:
#17 Dylan McBride
Potential surprises/Epic matchups:
Eric Thigpen, Lawrence Central, 20-5 vs. Roddreckis Harris, Northwest, 31-3 (opening round)--This battle of Indianapolis-based juniors could come down to experience. Former semi-state qualifier Thigpen has the edge there. The winner has to face McBride.
Wesley Stokes, Cathedral, 18-7 vs. #12 Jackson (ticket round)--Stokes is kind of hit or miss, but when he's hot, he can beat some good wrestlers.
Caleb Miller, North Vermillion, 31-4 vs. #14 Henson (ticket round)--Henson has wrestled a very tough schedule and that might be the edge in this matchup between two tough heavies.
Trent Wallace, South Vermillion, 35-6 vs. Gray (opening round)--Wallace finished third in a pretty tough sectional and regional for heavyweights. Gray finished second in his regional and this one could go either way. The winner will likely face regional champ Kyle White (21-8) of Warren Central.10442010 IHSAA State Finals Brackets
Click here for brackets
Dates & Times
Friday, Feb. 19, 6 pm ET (First Round).
Saturday, Feb. 20 (Quarterfinals at 9:30 am ET with semifinals to follow; Consolations at 5 pm ET; Finals at 7:30 pm ET).
Admission: $8 per session or $20 both days.
Site: Conseco Fieldhouse, 125 S. Pennsylvania St., Indianapolis
4342010 State Finals By the Numbers
Ranked Wrestlers Remaining at 103 (13)
#1 Cody Phillips- Union County
#2 Jarred Brooks- Warsaw
#3 Zach Stevens- Merrillville
#4 Paul Petrov- Hanover Central
#6 Levi Moss- Ben Davis
#8 Dylan Hall- Evansville Harrison
#9 Gideon VanHook- Evansville Reitz
#10 Josh Farrell- Greenfield Central
#11 Tom Gettinger- Connersville
#15 Reise Overby- Lafayette Harrison
#17 Brock Bevans- Yorktown
#18 Luke Schroeder- Southwestern
#20 Alonzo Shepherd- Jeffersonville
Friday Night Match-ups Between Ranked Wrestlers at 103
Bout 1, Mat 1: #1 Cody Phillips- Union County vs. #9 Gideon VanHook- Evansville Reitz
Bout 2, Mat 1: #2 Jarred Brooks- Warsaw vs. #17 Brock Bevans- Yorktown
Bout 3, Mat 2: #11 Tom Gettinger- Connersville vs. #18 Luke Schroeder- Southwestern
Bout 6, Mat 3: #10 Josh Farrell- Greenfield Central vs. #20 Alonzo Shepherd- Jeffersonville
Bout 8, Mat 4: #6 Levi Moss- Ben Davis vs. #8 Dylan Hall- Evansville Harrison
Ranked Wrestlers Remaining at 112 (14)
#1 Paul Beck- Mishawaka
#2 Kyle Ayersman- Lake Central
#3 Bryan Kuhn- Evansville Reitz
#5 Jared McKinley- Perry Meridian
#7 Brenden Campbell- New Castle
#9 Brian Harvey- Indianapolis Cathedral
#10 Mason Todd- Pendleton Heights
#11 Steve Gonzales- Delta
#12 Brandon Coppinger- Portage
#14 Danny Rodriguez- Highland
#15 Logan Randle- Huntington North
#16 Cody Kendle- Pike Central
#18 Luke Welch- Castle
#20 Jacob Boomsma- Bloomington South
Friday Night Match-ups Between Ranked Wrestlers at 112
Bout 9, Mat 1: #14 Danny Rodriguez- Highland vs. #20 Jacob Boomsma- Bloomington South
Bout 11, Mat 2: #2 Kyle Ayersman- Lake Central vs. #18 Luke Welch- Castle
Bout 12, Mat 2: #9 Brian Harvey- Indianapolis Cathedral vs. #11 Steve Gonzales- Delta
Bout 14, Mat 3: #12 Brandon Coppinger- Portage vs. #16 Cody Kendle- Pike Central
Bout 16, Mat 4: #1 Paul Beck- Mishawaka vs. #3 Bryan Kuhn- Evansville Reitz
Ranked Wrestlers Remaining at 119 (11)
#1 Brandon Nelsen- Lawrence North
#2 Josh Kieffer- Roncalli
#3 Alex Gregory- Penn
#4 Danny Bradley- Knox
#5 Anthony Hawkins- Crown Point
#6 Tony Lovejoy- Fort Wayne Bishop Luers
#7 Neal Molloy- Danville
#9 Derick Fisher- Martinsville
#14 Isaiah Bradley- Muncie Southside
#16 Alex Troy- Fort Wayne Snider
#18 Jordan Legan- Center Grove
Friday Night Match-ups Between Ranked Wrestlers at 119
Bout 17, Mat 1: #1 Brandon Nelsen- Lawrence North vs. #14 Isaiah Bradley- Muncie Southside
Bout 21, Mat 3: #3 Alex Gregory- Penn vs. #9 Derick Fisher- Martinsville
Bout 22, Mat 3: #2 Josh Kieffer- Roncalli vs. #16 Alex Troy- Fort Wayne Snider
Bout 23, Mat 4: #4 Danny Bradley- Knox vs. #18 Jordan Legan- Center Grove
Ranked Wrestlers Remaining at 125 (9)
#1 Brandon Wright- Warren Central
#2 Justin Kieffer- Roncalli
#3 Derek Bevans- Yorktown
#4 Anthony Napules- Merrillville
#5 Ethan Raley- Indian Creek
#6 John Petrov- Hanover Central
#7 Taylor Wisler- Mishawaka
#9 Travis Barroquillo- Prairie Heights
#14 Ben Sommer- Carmel
Friday Night Match-ups Between Ranked Wrestlers at 125
Bout 28, Mat 2: #9 Travis Barroquillo- Prairie Heights vs. #14 Ben Sommer- Carmel
Ranked Wrestlers Remaining at 130 (10)
#1 Jason Tsirtsis- Crown Point
#2 Connor Mullins- New Castle
#3 Devon Jackson- Yorktown
#4 Nick Schrader- Mishawaka
#5 Tyler Clark- South Dearborn
#6 Luke Schofield- Franklin Community
#7 Daniel Rothgeb- Whitko
#8 Mike Clark- Calumet
#10 John Stringfield- Indianapolis Cathedral
#14 Shawn Miracle- Bloomington North
Friday Night Match-ups Between Ranked Wrestlers at 130
Bout 33, Mat 1: #1 Jason Tsirtsis- Crown Point vs. #5 Tyler Clark- South Dearborn
Bout 40, Mat 4: #8 Mike Clark- Calumet vs. #10 John Stringfield- Indianapolis Cathedral
Ranked Wrestlers Remaining at 135 (11)
#1 Brannigan Barlow- Bloomington South
#2 Mason Berryman- Anderson Highland
#3 Andrew Hiestand- Yorktown
#4 Brock Norton- Fort Wayne Carroll
#7 Matt Guerra- Mishawaka
#9 Bradley Wartman- Lake Central
#11 Luis Acuna- Portage
#12 Renaldo Weekley- Jeffersonville
#14 Matt Rattay- Lawrence North
#16 Wayne Black- Pike
#19 Blake Rueger- Evansville Reitz
Friday Night Match-ups Between Ranked Wrestlers at 135
Bout 45, Mat 3: #7 Matt Guerra- Mishawaka vs. #16 Wayne Black- Pike
Bout 47, Mat 4: #2 Mason Berryman- Anderson Highland vs. #11 Luis Acuna- Portage
Bout 48, Mat 4: #3 Andrew Hiestand- Yorktown vs. #19 Blake Rueger- Evansville Reitz
Ranked Wrestlers Remaining at 140 (12)
#1 Frankie Porras- Hobart
#2 Cameryn Brady- Lowell
#3 Matt Milton- Center Grove
#4 P.J. Montgomery- Terre Haute South
#6 Paul Manbu- Warsaw
#7 Justin Beck- Leo
#10 Grant Scurria- Carmel
#11 Josh Flamme- Crown Point
#13 Cody Fellers- New Castle
#14 Josh Martin- Randolph Southern
#17 Ethan Farmer- Bloomington South
#18 Kirk Johnson- Perry Meridian
Friday Night Match-ups Between Ranked Wrestlers at 140
Bout 50, Mat 1: #1 Frankie Porras- Hobart vs. #14 Josh Martin- Randolph Southern
Bout 51, Mat 2: #17 Ethan Farmer- Bloomington South vs. #18 Kirk Johnson- Perry Meridian
Bout 53, Mat 3: #6 Paul Manbu- Warsaw vs. #7 Justin Beck- Leo
Bout 54, Mat 3: #3 Matt Milton- Center Grove vs. #13 Cody Fellers- New Castle
Ranked Wrestlers Remaining at 145 (11)
#1 Eric Roach- Crown Point
#2 Doug Welch- Castle
#3 John Sims- Evansville Mater Dei
#4 Alex Surma- Munster
#5 Dalton Sparks- Peru
#6 Patrick Robinson- Hamilton Southeastern
#9 Reece LeFever- Fort Wayne Carroll
#10 Kyle Riedling- New Palestine
#13 Bryce Schendel- Garrett
#17 Derek Harz- Perry Meridian
#18 Laquan Lunford- South Bend Clay
Friday Night Match-ups Between Ranked Wrestlers at 145
Bout 59, Mat 2: #1 Eric Roach- Crown Point vs. #10 Kyle Riedling- New Palestine
Bout 60, Mat 2: #3 John Sims- Evansville Mater Dei vs. #13 Bryce Schendel- Garrett
Bout 62, Mat 3: #4 Alex Surma- Munster vs. #17 Derek Harz- Perry Meridian
Bout 63, Mat 4: #2 Doug Welch- Castle vs. #9 Reece LeFever- Fort Wayne Carroll
Ranked Wrestlers Remaining at 152 (11)
#1 Sammy Bennett- Anderson Highland
#2 Chad Welch- Castle
#4 Ryan Stahl- Mishawaka
#5 Zach Corpe- Elkhart Memorial
#6 Quincy Richey- Brown County
#7 Tanner Lynde- Delphi
#8 Nick Manning- South Dearborn
#9 Jimmy LaRowe- East Noble
#10 Dustin Parrish- Plainfield
#17 Austin Neibarger- Indianapolis Cathedral
#19 Blake Marshall- Mount Vernon (Posey)
Friday Night Match-ups Between Ranked Wrestlers at 152
Bout 67, Mat 2: #1 Sammy Bennett- Anderson Highland vs. #19 Blake Marshall- Mt. Vernon (Posey)
Bout 70, Mat 3: #8 Nick Manning- South Dearborn vs. #10 Dustin Parrish- Plainfield
Bout 72, Mat 4: #6 Quincy Richey- Brown County vs. #17 Austin Neibarger- Indianapolis Cathedral
Ranked Wrestlers Remaining at 160 (13)
#1 Sean McMurray- Portage
#2 Tyler Willis- Indianapolis Cathedral
#3 Anthony Quiroz- Chesterton
#5 Zac McCray- Garrett
#6 Ryan Kolb- Tri-West Hendricks
#7 Conner LeFever- Fort Wayne Carroll
#8 Holden Fudurich- Sullivan
#9 Cameron Vlahos- Lafayette Harrison
#10 Trey Reese- Indian Creek
#13 Quinton Brooks- Lawrence North
#15 Ryley Hankenson- Bellmont
#16 Jeremiah Oliver- Pike
#19 Terry Terrell- Bloomington South
Friday Night Match-ups Between Ranked Wrestlers at 160
Bout 74, Mat 1: #9 Cameron Vlahos- Lafayette Harrison vs. #15 Ryley Hankenson- Bellmont
Bout 76, Mat 2: #3 Anthony Quiroz- Chesterton vs. #7 Conner LeFever- Fort Wayne Carroll
Bout 78, Mat 3: #8 Holden Fudurich- Sullivan vs. #16 Jeremiah Oliver- Pike
Bout 80, Mat 4: #6 Ryan Kolb- Tri-West Hendricks vs. #13 Quinton Brooks- Lawrence North
Ranked Wrestlers Remaining at 171 (12)
#1 Michael Duckworth- Union County
#2 Drake Stein- Princeton
#3 Jeff Weiss- Heritage Hills
#4 Jackson Bratcher- Eastbrook
#5 Cole Brandt- Avon
#8 Andy Wiseman- Penn
#9 Josh Boots- Evansville Mater Dei
#10 Jordan Hamilton- Churubusco
#12 Richard Morin- Mishawaka
#16 Trent Castner- Yorktown
#17 Michael Smith- Indianapolis North Central
#20 Jacob Howenstein- Zionsville
Friday Night Match-ups Between Ranked Wrestlers at 171
Bout 81, Mat 1: #4 Jackson Bratcher- Eastbrook vs. #17 Michael Smith- Indianapolis North Central
Bout 84, Mat 2: #5 Cole Brandt- Avon vs. #12 Richard Morin- Mishawaka
Bout 85, Mat 3: #8 Andy Wiseman- Penn vs. #9 Josh Boots- Evansville Mater Dei
Bout 86, Mat 3: #16 Trent Castner- Yorktown vs. #20 Jacob Howenstein- Zionsville
Ranked Wrestlers Remaining at 189 (10)
#2 Braden Atwood- Delphi
#3 Mitch Sliga- Fishers
#4 Michael Johnson-Jones- Warren Central
#5 Travis Thatcher- Bellmont
#6 Alex Rosebrock- Castle
#7 Todd Hacker- Mooresville
#10 Timmy Buckingham- South Bend Riley
#11 Patrick Price- North Posey
#15 Brandon Dillenbeck- Goshen
#20 Taylor Scott- Heritage
Friday Night Match-ups Between Ranked Wrestlers at 189
Bout 91, Mat 2: #2 Braden Atwood- Delphi vs. #15 Brandon Dillenbeck- Goshen
Bout 94, Mat 3: #10 Timmy Buckingham- South Bend Riley vs. #20 Taylor Scott- Heritage
Bout 95, Mat 4: #4 Michael Johnson-Jones- Warren Central vs. #11 Patrick Price- North Posey
Ranked Wrestlers Remaining at 215 (11)
#1 Nathan Cleveland- Lowell
#2 Christian Lentz- Mishawaka
#3 Dylan Green- Kokomo
#4 Dylan Froehlich- Tell City
#10 Evan Wooding- Mooresville
#12 Logan Cooper- Perry Meridian
#13 Arthur Wright- Indianapolis Arsenal Tech
#14 Brad Mills- Homestead
#15 Devin Reagan- Penn
#17 Jake Buchanan- Indianapolis Cathedral
#19 Joe Gallegos- South Bend Clay
Friday Night Match-ups Between Ranked Wrestlers at 215
Bout 98, Mat 1: #4 Dylan Froehlich- Tell City vs. #12 Logan Cooper- Perry Meridian
Bout 99, Mat 2: #3 Dylan Green- Kokomo vs. #15 Devin Reagan- Penn
Bout 103, Mat 4: #10 Evan Wooding- Mooresville vs. #13 Arthur Wright- Indianapolis Arsenal Tech
Bout 104, Mat 4: #2 Christian Lentz- Mishawaka vs. #14 Brad Mills- Homestead
Ranked Wrestlers Remaining at 285 (11)
#1 James Travis- Merrillville
#2 Travis Thomas- Mishawaka
#3 Ross Janney- Yorktown
#4 Jim West- South Adams
#5 Tyler Daugherty- Castle
#6 Tyler Jenkins- Jasper
#7 Daniel Meyer- Bellmont
#9 Damon Howe- Plymouth
#12 Ben Jackson- Milan
#13 Zach Wimpelberg- Evansville Reitz
#17 Dylan McBride- Crawfordsville
Friday Night Match-ups Between Ranked Wrestlers at 285
Bout 105, Mat 1: #1 James Travis- Merrillville vs. #12 Ben Jackson- Milan
Bout 106, Mat 1: #4 Jim West- South Adams vs. #6 Tyler Jenkins- Jasper
Bout 108, Mat 2: #7 Daniel Meyer- Bellmont vs. #13 Zach Wimpelberg- Evansville Reitz
14152011 IHSAA Sectional Brackets
Date: Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011.
Admission: $5.
Advancement: The top four place winners in each weight class advance to the regional tournament. Also, the championship team in the individual sectional tournament advances to the regional round of the team tournament.
1. East Chicago Central (10) | 9 am CT
East Chicago Central, Hammond, Hammond Bishop Noll, Hammond Clark, Hammond Gavit, Hammond Morton, Highland, Lake Central, Munster, Whiting.
2. Calumet (9) | 9 am CT
Calumet, Gary Roosevelt, Gary Wallace, Gary West Side, Griffith, Hobart, Lake Station Edison, Merrillville, River Forest.
3. Crown Point (9) | 9 am CT
Andrean, Boone Grove, Crown Point, Hanover Central, Hebron, Kankakee Valley, Lowell, North Newton, Valparaiso.
4. LaPorte (8) | 9 am CT
Chesterton, Glenn, Knox, LaPorte, Michigan City, New Prairie, North Judson, Portage.
5. Mishawaka (9) | 9 am ET
LaVille, Mishawaka, Mishawaka Marian, Penn, South Bend Adams, South Bend Clay, South Bend Riley, South Bend St. Joseph’s, South Bend Washington.
6. Plymouth (9) | 9 am ET
Bremen, Culver Academies, Culver Community, Plymouth, Rochester, Tippecanoe Valley, Triton, Warsaw, Wawasee.
7. Twin Lakes (11) | 9 am ET
Cass, Caston, Frontier, Logansport, North White, Pioneer, Rensselaer Central, South Newton, Twin Lakes, West Central, Winamac.
8. Lafayette Jefferson (10) | 8:30 am ET
Attica, Benton Central, Carroll (Flora), Delphi, Harrison (West Lafayette), Lafayette Central Catholic, Lafayette Jefferson, McCutcheon, Seeger, West Lafayette.
9. Elkhart Memorial (8) | 8 am ET
Concord, Elkhart Central, Elkhart Memorial, Fairfield, Goshen, Jimtown, Northridge, NorthWood.
10. Westview (10) | 9 am ET
Angola, Central Noble, DeKalb, East Noble, Fremont, Howe Military, Lakeland, Prairie Heights, West Noble, Westview.
11. Carroll (Fort Wayne) (11) | 8 am ET
Carroll (Fort Wayne), Churubusco, Columbia City, Eastside, Garrett, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran, Fort Wayne North Side, Fort Wayne Northrop, Leo, Whitko.
12. New Haven (9) | 8:30 am ET
Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, Fort Wayne Snider, Fort Wayne South Side, Fort Wayne Wayne, Harding, Heritage, Homestead, New Haven, Woodlan.
13. Peru (9) | 9 am ET
Huntington North, Maconaquah, Manchester, North Miami, Northfield, Peru, Southwood, Wabash, White’s.
14. Oak Hill (10) | 9 am ET
Eastbrook, Eastern (Greentown), Kokomo, Madison-Grant, Marion, Mississinewa, Northwestern, Oak Hill, Taylor, Western.
15. Jay County (9) | 8:30 am ET
Adams Central, Bellmont, Blackford, Bluffton, Jay County, Norwell, South Adams, Southern Wells, Union City.
16. Delta (10) | 9 am ET
Daleville, Delta, Monroe Central, Muncie Central, Muncie Southside, Randolph Southern, Wapahani, Wes-Del, Winchester, Yorktown.
17. Crawfordsville (9) | 9 am ET
Covington, Crawfordsville, Fountain Central, North Montgomery, North Vermillion, Rockville, South Vermillion, Southmont, Turkey Run.
18. Zionsville (12) | 8:30 am ET
Carmel, Clinton Central, Clinton Prairie, Fishers, Frankfort, Hamilton Southeastern, Lebanon, Rossville, Sheridan, Western Boone, Westfield, Zionsville.
19. Hamilton Heights (11) | 9 am ET
Alexandria, Anderson, Elwood, Frankton, Guerin Catholic, Hamilton Heights, Lapel, Noblesville, Pendleton Heights, Tipton, Tri-Central.
20. Lawrence Central (11) | 8:30 am ET
Indianapolis Arlington, Indianapolis Arsenal Technical, Indianapolis Bishop Chatard, Indianapolis Broad Ripple, Indianapolis Cathedral, Indianapolis Howe Academy, Indianapolis Manual, Indianapolis Scecina, Lawrence Central, Lawrence North, North Central (Indianapolis).
21. Decatur Central (12) | 9 am ET
Ben Davis, Decatur Central, Indiana School for the Deaf, Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter, Indianapolis Crispus Attucks, Indianapolis Northwest, Indianapolis Washington, Park Tudor, Perry Meridian, Pike, Southport, Speedway.
22. Warren Central (11) | 9 am ET
Beech Grove, Eastern Hancock, Franklin Central, Greenfield-Central, Indianapolis Marshall, Mount Vernon (Fortville), New Palestine, Roncalli, Shelbyville, Triton Central, Warren Central.
23. Shenandoah (11) | 9 am ET
Blue River Valley, Cambridge City Lincoln, Centerville, Hagerstown, Knightstown, New Castle, Northeastern, Richmond, Rushville, Shenandoah, Tri.
24. South Dearborn (10) | 9 am ET
Batesville, Connersville, East Central, Franklin County, Greensburg, Lawrenceburg, Milan, Oldenburg Academy, South Dearborn, Union County.
25. Avon (10) | 8:30 am ET
Avon, Brownsburg, Cascade, Cloverdale, Danville, Greencastle, North Putnam, Plainfield, South Putnam, Tri-West Hendricks.
26. Mooresville (8) | 9 am ET
Center Grove, Franklin, Greenwood, Indian Creek, Martinsville, Monrovia, Mooresville, Whiteland.
27. Northview (9) | 9:30 am ET
Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Edgewood, Northview, Owen Valley, Sullivan, Terre Haute North, Terre Haute South, West Vigo.
28. Jennings County (9) | 9 am ET
Bedford North Lawrence, Brown County, Columbus East, Columbus North, Jennings County, Madison, Seymour, Scottsburg, Southwestern (Hanover).
29. Jeffersonville (10) | 9 am ET
Charlestown, Christian Academy of Indiana, Corydon Central, Eastern (Pekin), Floyd Central, Jeffersonville, New Albany, New Washington, Providence, Salem.
30. Southridge (10) | 8 am ET
Crawford County, Forest Park, Jasper, Mitchell, North Knox, Paoli, Pike Central, Southridge, Vincennes Lincoln, Washington.
31. Castle (9) | 8:30 am CT
Boonville, Castle, Gibson Southern, Heritage Hills, Princeton, South Spencer, Tecumseh, Tell City, Wood Memorial.
32. Evansville Central (9) | 9 am CT
Evansville Bosse, Evansville Central, Evansville Harrison, Evansville Mater Dei, Evansville Memorial, Evansville North, Evansville Reitz, Mount Vernon, North Posey.
425Delta Sectional Preview
Delta Sectional Preview
The Delta Sectional was going to be a very quiet sectional with Yorktown dominating the field. The recent buzz about Yorktown’s 140 lber has brought much attention to this sectional that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. This sectional contains 9 ranked wrestlers, 8 of them being from Yorktown. Yorktown’s dominance will continue this year, but there should be a very interesting race for 2nd place between Muncie Southside and Winchester.
103:
3rd ranked Brock Bevans (Y) is the heavy favorite to win this weight class again this year. Bevans starts the first of two sets of “Big 3†wrestlers for Yorktown. Bevans’ top two challengers will be 22-0 Travis Phenis (RS) and Tyler Rigney (MS).
112:
The second wrestler in the “Big 3†is 9th ranked Schuyler Phillips (Y). This outstanding sophomore has had a great season and it is likely to continue in the postseason. Gavin Cox (Win) seems to be Phillips’ finals opponent. The other two spots in this weight class will be up for grabs with the remaining five wrestlers battling it out.
119:
The last leg of this “Big 3†would be the Freshmen Sensation, 9th ranked Chandler Carroll. Carroll is a dominating wrestler that will continue his domination this week. The bottom bracket will have some interesting matchups that could shake out in numerous ways: Helm (WD) v Wills (MS) with the winner most likely facing 23-4 Rascon (Win). Once again a weight class where the battles for 2nd-4th will be up in the air!
125:
Another freshman for Yorktown is leading the pack at 125, Rhett Hiestand. Hiestand’s main competition will be 24-10 Adam Gordon (De). Hiestand will try to bring the first of two sectional titles home for the Hiestand family on Saturday
130:
130 is the first weight class that Yorktown does not have the heavy favorite. 1st seeded Hunter Randolph (Wap) is the favorite at this weight class, but 3rd seeded Dalton Baysinger (Y) will want to continue the Yorktown domination, and he has the talent and ability. This weight class will be the first weight class that will have a lot of suspense for all 4 placements.
135:
#1 ranked Devon Jackson (Y) leads this weight class, and leads the entire state according to the final rankings. Jackson is also the start to Yorktown’s second “Big 3â€. Jackson is joined by 7th ranked Isaiah Bradley (MS) in this weight class making it the only weight class with multiple ranked wrestlers.  The intrigue in this weight will be if Bradley can give Jackson a competitive mach or will Jackson have his way with him. Bradley will first have to get by 28-3 Scott Kohler (MuC) in the semifinals.
140:
The weight class that has brought attention to this weight class will not provide much wrestling attention on Saturday. 2nd seeded and 18th ranked Cole Van Horn (Y) is actually the favorite to win this weight class over #1 seed Joey Crabtree (MuC). Van Horn is the second wrestler in Yorktown’s second “Big 3â€.
145:
The last wrestler of this “Big 3†is 2nd ranked Andrew Hiestand. Hiestand is another wrestler who has had a dominating season, and the dominance will continue. This weight class will provide some interesting matches for placers 2nd – 4th. The Hiestand family may get to watch Rhett win his first sectional title and then watch Andrew win his last.
152:
28-1 Austin Quinn (WD) is the favorite to but this weight class will have two highly competitive semifinal matches. Returning semistate qualifier Jake Reed (MS) will meet Quinn in the semifinals while in the other semifinal Hunt (Y) will look to knock off Boyd (Win). This weight class could be full of surprises.
160:
29-1 Jordan Simmons (Win) and Andie Higgins (Y) are the top two wrestlers in this weight class. Simmons may be the slight favorite but Yorktown has a history of pulling out a few upsets in the tourney. This weight would definitely classify as a mild upset if Higgins can pull out the victory.
171:
Spencer Osborn (MuC) recovered from a broken leg suffered during soccer and had a really good season. He has only wrestled 19 matches due to the injury and recovery time, but he is wrestling well and quickly returning to his form of a year ago. Eric Sauser (Win) and Seth Edwards (Y) will both be interested in meeting up with Osborne in the finals.
189:
This weight class became a lot more interesting a few weeks ago when 19th ranked Scott Neff (Y) dropped from 215. Joining Neff as the top contender is Corey Crabtree (MS). Crabtree has been a fixture at this weight for the past few seasons, but so has a Yorktown singlet as he was beating in the finals last year by a Yorktown wrestler.
215:
Chase Edwards (Y) and Andrew Chalfant (Win) lead this weight, with a very talented Taylor Morris (MoC) close behind. This field has many athletic wrestlers and will provide a lot of fun wrestling for such a high weight class.
HW:
Micah Hill (MuC) leads a very talented HW class. There are 4 wrestlers with over 20 wins: Hill, Jacob Peckham (MoC), Dylan Williams (Da), and Jim Schafer (De). Add in Dylan Smith (Y) and Lee Reyes (MS) and this will be the most exciting and unpredictable weight class of the entire sectional.
392Jeffersonville Sectional Preview
2011 Jeffersonville Wrestling Sectional Preview
Host Jeffersonville Red Devils look to win their third straight Wrestling Sectional Crown this Saturday. The Red Devils are heavily favored with 10 of their 14 wrestlers receiving 1st or 2nd seeds (5 each). Charlestown has 4 - 1st seeds, Floyd Central has 2 – 1st seeds and 3 – 2nd seeds, New Albany has 1 – 1st seed and 2 – 2nd seeds, New Washington has 1 – 1st seed and 1 – 2nd seed, and Christian Academy has 1 – 1st seed. There are a total of 4 top 20 ranked wrestlers, 2 returning IHSAA State Finalists, 11 returning Regional Qualifiers, and 13 returning Semi-State Qualifiers.
Participating Teams: Charlestown, Christian Academy of Indiana, Corydon, Eastern Pekin, Floyd Central, Jeffersonville, New Albany, New Washington, Providence, Salem
103
# 1 seed, Floyd Sophomore Terrence Kennedy (25-5) is ranked #20 in the state, will be heavily favored and will likely meet up with # 2 seed, Eastern Pekin freshman Jordan Gray (22-8). However, Gray will have to get by # 3 seed, Christian Academy freshman Daniel Doty (21-11) to get to the finals.
Predictions: 1. Kennedy – FC 2. Gray – EP 3. Doty – CAI 4. Coureur - Je
112
#1 seed, Jeff Junior Alonzo Shepherd (38-1) (2010 State Qualifier), is ranked 7th in the state and will be looking for his 3rd straight Sectional Crown. He will be heavily favored but cannot overlook # 2 seed, Corydon Junior Matthew Lahue (2X Semi-State Qualifier). However, Lahue likely will have to get by Floyd sophomore, Chris Whitely (22-9) in the semi finals.
Predictions: 1. Shepherd – Je 2. Lahue – Co 3. Whitely – FC 4. Peavler – NA
119
#1 seed, New Albany Sophomore Austin Jamison (17-5)(semi-state qualifier), looks to get his first sectional crown and will likely meet up with # 2 seed Floyd Sophomore, Jacob Cassady (14-13). But Cassady will have to get by, # 3 seed, Sophomore Oscar Deleon (18-21) of Jeffersonville. They have split their 2 previous matches so it should set up a great semi-final match.
Predictions: 1. Jamison – NA 2. Cassady – FC 3. Deleon – Je 4. Brasfield – Co
125
# 1 seed, Jeff Senior, Kevim Castro (30-9)(Regional qualifier), is the favorite. The bottom portion of the bracket will be very competitive with 3 semi-state qualifiers trying to get to the finals. New Washington Sophomore Brady Meenach will have either Charlestown Junior Justin Wolf (14-9) or Floyd Junior Zach Thomas (1-0) in the semi-finals.
Predictions: 1. Castro – Je 2. Thomas – FC 3. Meenach – NW 4. Wolf – Ch
130
Semi-state Qualifier, Christian Academy Senior Cory Neel (23-8) got the 1st seed. But he better not overlook scrappy 6th seed Floyd Sophomore Michael Kruer (18-12). In the bottom part of the bracket, #2 seed, regional qualifier, Junior Brennan Gregory (26-9) of Providence will have a tough quarter final match against New Albany Freshman Hunter Langley (14-13). #3 seed, Charlestown Sophomore Cameron Stuart (23-10) will likewise have a tough quarter final match against Jeff Junior Jordan Schremp (27-16). This looks to be the most open weight class in the sectional.
Predictions: 1. Kruer – FC 2. Schremp – Je 3. Neel – CAI 4. Gregory – Pr
135
# 1 seed, Floyd Sophomore George Emily (19-11), will likely face the # 2 seed Jeff Junior Michael Vazquez (28-14). The two have split a pair of matches this season with Emily winning the last one.
Predictions: 1. Vazquez – Je 2. Emily – FC 3. Banet – CAI 4. Griffith – Pr
140
#1 seed, New Washington Senior Lane Massingham(semi-state qualifier) will likely meet #2 seed, Jeff Senior Tre Harbin(34-7)(regional qualifier) in the finals.
Predictions: 1. Harbin – Je 2. Massingham – NW 3. Schoenbaechler – FC 4. Weddington - Ch
145
#1 seed, Jeff Senior Renaldo Weekley (38-1)(2010 IHSAA State Qualifier), ranked #4 in the state, will be a heavy favorite. He should meet #2 seed Floyd Freshman Chase Herron (22-12) in the finals.
Predictions: 1. Weekley – Je 2. Herron – FC 3. Miles – Ch 4. Kaelin – Pr
152
#1 seed, Charlestown Junior Cory Suddeth (25-8)(semi-state qualifier) will be the slight favorite and will have a tough match against #4 seed New Albany Junior CJ Reynolds (19-5). #2 seed Jeff Junior Brent Browner (29-11) will likely meet up with 3rd seed Christian Academy Senior Levi Speth (26-4) (Semi-State Qualifier).
Predictions: 1. Browner – Je 2. Reynolds – NA 3. Suddeth – Ch 4. Speth – CAI
160
#1 seed, Charlestown Junior Jacob Hall (29-6) (Semi-State Qualifier) will likely meet #2 seed, Jeff Junior Brandon Marlin (25-15) (Semi-State Qualifier) in the finals.
Predictions: 1. Hall – Ch 2. Marlin – Je 3. Franklin – NW 4. Embry - CAI
171
#1 seed, Charlestown senior Ethan Bowen (29-5) (Regional Qualifier), will be the heavy favorite. He will likely meet #2 seed, Floyd Senior Shane Sneed (17-11) (Regional Qualifier) in the finals.
Predictions: 1. Bowen – Ch 2. Sneed – FC 3. Schindler – NA 4. Spangler - Je
189
#1 seed, Jeff Junior Elijah Curtley (22-3) (Semi-State Qualifier), ranked 18th in the state, will likely meet #2 seed, New Albany Senior Zach Faith (23-6) (Regional Qualifier) in the finals.
Predictions: 1. Curtley – Je 2. Faith – NA 3. McCutcheon – Ch 4. Youtsey – FC
215
#1 seed, Charlestown Senior Logan McCutcheon (28-8) will have to get by #4 seed Floyd Sophomore Nick Ottersbach (18-9) to get to the finals. There he will likely meet #2 seed, Jeff Senior Jimmy Pratt (23-4) (Semi-State Qualifier) in the finals. Pratt will first have to get by New Albany Senior Cheyenne Conn (8-5).
Predictions: 1. Pratt – Je 2. McCutcheon – Ch 3. Conn – NA 4. Ottersbach - FC
285
#1 seed, Jeff Senior Ryan DeWitt (31-8) (Semi-State Qualifier) will be the favorite. To get to the finals he will have to get by #4 seed Eastern Pekin Senior Austin Duncan (27-4) (Regional Qualifier). #2 seed New Albany Senior Jacob Mudd (7-2) will face either #3 seed Floyd Senior Andrew Sharp (24-9) (Regional Qualifier) or #6 seed Christian Academy Senior Caleb Delbridge (23-6) in the semi finals.
Predictions: 1. DeWitt – Je 2. Mudd – NA 3. Sharp – FC 4. Duncan – EP
10622011 IHSAA Regional Brackets
Date: Saturday, Feb. 5, 2011.
Admission: $6.
Advancement: The top four place winners in each weight class advance to the semi-state tournament.
1.    Calumet | 9 am CT
Feeder Sectionals: Calumet, East Chicago Central.
2.    LaPorte | 9 am CT
Feeder Sectionals: Crown Point, LaPorte.
3.    Rochester | 9 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Mishawaka, Plymouth.
4.    Logansport | 9:30 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Lafayette Jefferson, Twin Lakes.
5.    Goshen | 9:30 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Elkhart Memorial, Westview.
6.    Carroll (Fort Wayne) | 9 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Carroll (Fort Wayne), New Haven.
7.    Peru | 9 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Oak Hill, Peru.
8.    Jay County | 8:30 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Delta, Jay County.
9.    North Montgomery | 9 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Crawfordsville, Zionsville.
10.  Pendleton Heights | 9 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Hamilton Heights, Lawrence Central.
11.  Perry Meridian | 9 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Decatur Central, Warren Central.
12.  Richmond | 9:30 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Shenandoah, South Dearborn.
13.  Mooresville | 9 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Avon, Mooresville.
14.  Bloomington South | 9 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Jennings County, Northview.
15.  Jeffersonville | 9 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Jeffersonville, Southridge.
16.  Castle | 9 am CT
Feeder Sectionals: Castle, Evansville Central.
716Rochester Regional Preview
As north central Indiana braces for this year's “storm of the centuryâ€, 112 wrestlers will be preparing for Saturday's regional tournament at Rochester High School. The weather may play havoc with the practices but all the schools will be dealing with the same issues. The Penn Kingsmen are the big story as they qualified all 14 wrestlers to regional and stand a good chance of qualifying all 14 to next weeks's semistate.
The heavyweight class is the deepest with three wrestlers ranked in the state's top seven. (Plymouth's Damon Howe, Bremen's Abe Hall, and Culver Community's Jeremiah Harvey). These three, along with the five other talented underclassmen in the bracket, will make watching the big boys entertaining throughout the day.
Another reason to focus on the Rochester regional will be to follow the return of Penn's Sara Hildebrandt and the undefeated march of Culver Military's Kayla Miracle. Both of these young ladies would like to be the first female to qualify for state.
103
Culver Military's thirteenth ranked freshman Kayla Miracle handled the spotlight (literally and figuratively) in the sectional finals last week at Plymouth. Despite giving up some early points, she did not panic and methodically put points on the board to win 11-4. Mishawaka's junior Scott Fozo comes in as a sectional champ and is battle hardened. Penn's promising freshman, Zach Davis is also worth keeping an eye on.
Best 1st round Match: Darnell Johnson (South Bend Washington) vs. Greg Newman (Wawasee)
Not Packing a Cooler
Fozo – Mishawaka
Davis – Penn
Miracle – CMA
Greg Newman – Wawasee
112
A rematch of the Al Smith Invitational is highly likely here as the long and lanky Sam Ferdig of South Bend Adams looks to get another shot at Warsaw's Jarred Brooks. The 13th ranked Ferdig is likely studying the tape intently in order to find a way to stop the high energy Brooks, who ended the regular season ranked 4th in the state. Brooks only loss is by DQ to a Michigan wrestler.
Best 1st round match – Sarah Hildebrandt (Penn) vs. Zech Weese (Rochester)
Not Packing a Cooler
Brooks – Warsaw
Ferdig – South Bend Adams
Grant Martsoff – Mishawaka
Zech Weese – Rochester
119
The Plymouth sectional gets a chance to flex a little muscle at 119. Plymouth runner-up and third ranked Anthony McHugh will look to rebound from his first loss of the season. The transfer from suburban Columbus, OH was a state qualifier in Ohio Division II last year. Former state qualifier Garth Simpson of Rochester was the author of the upset. These two are the clear favorites to meet in a rematch.
Best first round Match: Mitch Emmons(Mishawaka) vs. Anthony McHugh (CMA)
Not Packing a Cooler
McHugh – CMA
Simpson – Rochester
Jacob Davis – Penn
Garrett Glueckert – South Bend Clay
125
The Mishawaka sectional comes roaring back at 125 and they are favored to take all four tickets to Merrillville. Third ranked Layten Binion of Mishawaka is one of the most entertaining wrestlers in the state to watch. His conference and sectional rival is 11th ranked Tyler Chapple of Penn. Chapple is a considerable talent in his own right and can hit throws from all angles.
Best first round match: William Howell-Bey(SB Washington) vs. Carlos Salinas(CMA)
Not Packing a Cooler
Binion – Mishawaka
Chapple – Penn
Ullery – South Bend Riley
Howell-Bey – South Bend Riley
130
The northern boys continue to roll at 130 as they again look to be favorites in all the opening round matches. An almost unnoticed result from Mishawaka was South Bend Clay's sophomore Mitch Hartman finding the answer to Mishawaka's fourth ranked Taylor Wisler. These two along with Penn's Trevor Manspeaker are very close and it wouldn't be surprising if any of the three win a regional title. All three also have legitimate shots at qualifying for state regardless of where they place but going into semi-state as a regional champ will make the quest for Conseco considerably easier.
Best first round match: Josh Juarez (SB Riley) vs. Seth Fincher (Tippecanoe Valley)
Not Packing a Cooler
Wisler – Mishawaka
Hartman – SB Clay
Manspeaker – Penn
Juarez – SB Riley
135
One of the few “sure things†at Rochester is that Penn's undefeated senior and fourth ranked Alex Gregory will be at the top of the podium on Saturday afternoon. Gregory has been dominant this year and should cruise to a regional title. Mishawaka's freshman Tristan Macri will likely get a rematch with his Penn rival in the finals.
Best first round match: Cliff McLeod (SB Riley) vs. Ian Randolph (Culver Community)
Not Packing a Cooler
Gregory – Penn
Macri – Mishawaka
McLeod – SB Riley
Austin Nelson – Tippecanoe Valley
140
The 140 class is the first class at Rochester that does not contain a ranked wrestler. Penn's sectional champion Dan Ginter has put together a fine 34-7 record and is a slight favorite over Riley's senior Joe Roland. Ginter edged Roland 6-4 in last weeks finals.
Best first round match: Kyle Jones (Mishawaka) vs. Justin Corl (Bremen)
Not Packing a Cooler
Ginter – Penn
Roland – SB Riley
Luther Jacobs – CMA
Corl – Bremen
145
The four horsemen of the Mishawaka sectional make a repeat appearance in Rochester. These four closely matched foes include the sixth ranked Laquan Lunford of South Bend Clay and eleventh ranked Grant Anglemyer of Penn. The lofty ranking will not intimidate Mishawaka's Sidney Logan or SB Riley's Brandon Reynolds-Smith. Any of the four could win this on any given day.
Best first round match: Logan (Mishawaka) vs. Trent Bauters (Tippecanoe Valley)
Not Packing a Cooler
Lunford – SB Clay
Anglemyer – Penn
Logan – Mishawaka
Reynolds-Smith – SB Riley
152
Eight closely bunched wrestlers are in the 152 bracket and that should make this weight class one of the more exciting to watch on Saturday. Three of the four first round matches should be doozies. The headliner of the first round is surely Mishawaka's fifteenth ranked Darius Marshall versus Rochester's tough Jacob Schroder. Marshall pinned Schroder in the semis at Al Smith but rumor has it that Marshall might be a little dinged up. The winner will likely face Riley's Kelly Kolat who seems to be peaking at the right time. The bottom of the bracket includes Penn's Mike Hummer and Tippecanoe Valley's Isaac Yoder.
Best first round matches: Marshall (Mishawaka) vs. Schroder (Rochester)
Hummer (Penn) vs. Ryan Lindsay (Wawasee)
Not Packing a Cooler
Schroder – Rochester
Yoder – Tippecanoe Valley
Kolat – South Bend Riley
Hummer – Penn
160
This class has both good quality and depth provided by the Mishawaka Sectional. Clay's 17th ranked senior Davon Alwine has seemed to separate himself from the field after majoring 20th ranked Carl McLeod of Riley. Alwine sports a fine 35-2 record and has been flying under the radar for much of the year.
Best first round match: Phillip Derrickson (SB Adams) vs. Everardo Ahuatl (Warsaw)
Not Packing a Cooler
Alwine – SB Clay
McLeod – SB Riley
Phillip Treely – Penn
Derrickson – SB Adams
171
Another South Bend wrestler that has been flying under the radar is Riley's Nate Coddens. Three losses by injury default at the Al Smith Invite have hurt his state wide notoriety but he is clearly the top dog at the Rochester regional. Warsaw's Zac Erba looks to break the Mishawaka sectional stranglehold on this weight class.
Best first round matches: Tyler Reinoehl (Mishawaka) vs. Nathan Benham (Plymouth)
Erba (Warsaw) vs. Zach Johnson (SB Clay)
Not Packing a Cooler
Coddens – SB Riley
David Stevens – Penn
Reinoehl – Mishawaka
Erba – Warsaw
189
Two top eight ranked 189 pounders, Warsaw's eighth ranked Ross Hoover and Culver Community's 5th ranked Matt Hurford headline this bracket and favored to meet for the second Saturday in row. Hurford nipped Hoover 8-6 in a hard fought battle. Penn's Mike Hamm was the suprise winner of the Mishawaka sectional and appears to be peaking at the right time.
Best first round match: Alex Skipper (SB Adams) vs. Lance Wright (Wawasee)
Not Packing a Cooler
Hurford – Culver Community
Hoover – Warsaw
Skipper – SB Adams
Hamm – Penn
215
Two more ranked individuals and a couple of others good enough to push the big names highlight the 215 bracket. South Bend Clay's Joe Gallegos is ranked 5th in the state and owns a convincing win over ninth ranked Devin Reagan of Penn. These two junior will likely battle again on Saturday afternoon. Both of these studs will be working hard for the win because the loser could draw in to fourth ranked Tyler Kral at semi state.
Best first round match: Robert Deering (Mishawaka Marian) vs. Jacob Seagraves (Plymouth)
Not Packing a Cooler
Gallegos – SB Caly
Reagan – Penn
Alan Bollenbacher – Bremen
Deering – Mishawaka Marian
285
The big boys represent the deepest field of any weight class at Rochester. Damon Howe is the clear favorite and owns victories over most of the field. The battle for the other three tickets to Merrillville will be well earned.
Best first round match: Kade Maggert (Penn) vs. Dmitri Kaplanis (Wawasee)
Not Packing a Cooler
Howe – Plymouth
Hall – Bremen
Harvey – Culver Community
Maggert - Penn
392Jeffersonville Regional Preview
The Jeffersonville Regional looks to have some very competitive wrestling this Saturday with 112 wrestlers trying to earn a spot to the Evansville Semi-State. Â There are a total of 4 top 20 ranked wrestlers, 3 returning state qualifiers, and 21 returning semi-state qualifiers.
103
Floyd Central Sophomore Terrance Kennedy (28-5), previously #20 in the state, is looking to follow up his sectional championship with regional championship this week-end. Kennedy will be a heavy favorite and will likely meet Jasper freshman Nathan Schitter (29-7) in the finals. The first round should have 2 competitive matches seeking births to the semi-state with Christian Academy freshman Daniel Doty (24-12) tries to knock off Washington sophomore Levi Graber (27-16) and North Knox freshman Benjamin Gray (29-9) tries to knock off Eastern Pekin freshman Jordan Gray (24-9).
Projections: 1. Kennedy 2. Schitter 3. Gray 4. Graber
112
Jeffersonville junior Alonzo Shepherd (41-1)(2010 State Qualifier)(ranked 7th in the state), will be looking for his 3rd Regional Crown on his quest for another trip to Conseco Field house. He will likely have a tough semi-final match against Corydon junior Matthew Lahue (2X Semi-State Qualifier). The other side of the bracket will likely feature a competitive showdown between Floyd Central sophomore Chris Whitley (25-10), who just knocked off #2 seed Lahue in last week-ends Sectional, and Jasper freshman Rueger Kersteins (29-7).
Projections: 1. Shepherd 2. Whitley 3. Lahue 4. Kersteins
119
Pike Central senior Cody Kendle (34-5)(2010 State Placer)(ranked 15th in the state), who will be looking for his first regional crown, will be a heavy favorite. He will likely meet up with New Albany sophomore Austin Jamison (20-5)(Semi-State Qualifier).
Projections: 1. Kendle 2. Jamison 3. Eckert 4. Deleon
125
North Knox senior Cody Byrer (33-3)(semi-state qualifier) will be the slight favorite. He will have a tough path to get to the finals. He will have a first round match with Charlestown junior, Justin Wolf (17-11)(Semi-State qualifier) and then likely have to get through Floyd Central junior Zach Thomas (3-1)(Semi-State qualifier). The other likely finalist will be Jeffersonville senior Kevim Castro (33-9). He will meet either New Washington sophomore Brady Meenach (22-4)(Semi-State qualifier) or Forest Park senior Justin Olinger (25-9)(Semi-State qualifier).
Predictions: 1. Castro 2. Byrer 3. Thomas 4. Olinger
130
The likely finalists will be Jasper senior Kaleb Chambers (28-7)(Semi-State qualifier) and Pike Central senior Derek Lunsford (35-4)(Semi-State qualifier). However, Chambers must first beat Christian Academy senior Cory Neel (26-8) and Lunsford must get by Providence junior Brennan Gregory (28-10).
Predictions: 1. Lunsford 2. Chambers 3. Neel 4. Gregory
135
Southridge senior Bryce Jones (25-4)(semi-state qualifier), will be the favorite. He will likely face Floyd Central sophomore George Emily (22-11). However, Jones will have to get by either Jeffersonville junior Michael Vazquez (30-15) or Forest Park senior Josh Thomas (31-7).
Predictions: 1. Jones 2. Emily 3. Vazquez 4. Meza
140
Jeffersonville senior Tre Harbin (37-7) will be the favorite here and will likely meet Southridge  junior Luke Mundy (31-10) in the finals. However, Harbin must first get by New Washington senior Lane Massingham (29-4)(Semi-State qualifier) and Mundy must get by a tough first round match against Floyd Central junior Gus Schoenbaechler (18-12) before likely facing Washington senior Raule Velazquez (35-9).
Predictions: 1. Harbin 2. Mundy 3. Massingham 4. Velazquez
145
Jeffersonville senior Renaldo Weekley (41-1)(2010 State Qualifier), who is ranked 4th in the state, will be a heavy favorite. His likely opponent in the finals will be Jasper senior Nick Ackerman (25-10). However, Ackerman must first get by a tough Floyd Central freshman Chase Herron (24-13).
Predictions: 1. Weekley 2. Ackerman 3. Herron 4. Lemond
152
This looks to be one of the more wide open weight classes. Likely finalists will be Jeffersonville junior Brent Browner (32-11) and Southridge senior Cory Ingram (33-5)(Semi-State qualifier). However, Ingram has a tough first round match against Christian Academy senior Levi Speth (29-6)(Semi-State qualifier). In the semi-finals, Browner will likely face a very scrappy New Albany junior, CJ Reynolds (22-6) and Ingram will face a dangerous Charlestown junior, Cory Suddeth (27-9).
Predictions: 1. Browner 2. Ingram 3. Suddeth 4. Reynolds
160
This will be another competitive weight class. Every first round match will be tough. The 2 favorites to be in the finals will be Jeffersonville senior Brandon Marlin (29-15)(Semi-State qualifier) and Jasper senior Ross Schwenk (26-7). However, Marlin will likely have to get by Southridge junior Angus Stetter (22-16) and Schwenk will likely face Charlestown junior Jacob Hall (31-7)(Semi-State qualifier).
Predictions: 1. Marlin 2. Schwenk 3. Stetter 4. Hall
171
The favorite for this weight will be Jasper senior Joe Tucker (27-5)(Semi-State qualifier). He will likely meet Charlestown senior Ethan Bowen (33-5) in the finals. Other likely semi-finalists will be Paoli junior Garrett Shepard of Paoli (36-4) and Floyd Central senior Shane Sneed (20-12).
Predictions: 1. Tucker 2. Bowen 3. Sneed 4. Shepard
189
Jeffersonville junior Elijah Curtley (25-3)(semi-state qualifier) will be the favorite with a wide open field to join him in the finals. Curtley will likely face Southridge junior Brad Schwinghammer (26-10) in the semi-finals. The favorites in the bottom side of the bracket will be New Albany senior Zach Faith (26-7) and Washington sophomore Aaron Cissell (33-10).
Predictions: 1. Curtley 2. Faith 3. Cissell 4. Schwinghammer
215
Jeffersonville senior Jimmy Pratt (26-4)(Semi-State qualifier) will be the favorite. He will likely face the winner of the semi-finals match between Charlestown senior Logan McCutcheon (31-9) and Paoli sophomore CJ Andry (34-7).
Predictions: 1. Pratt 2. McCutcheon 3. Andry 4. Hedrick
285
Jeffersonville senior Ryan DeWitt (34-8)(semi-state qualifier) will be the favorite and will likely face undefeated Mitchell junior Trevor Phillips(25-0)(semi-state qualifier) in the finals. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Floyd Central senior Andrew Sharp (27-10) and New Albany senior Jacob Mudd (9-3).
Predictions: 1. DeWitt 2. Phillips 3. Mudd 4. Sharp
474Carroll Regional Preview
Carroll High School in wonderful Huntertown, Indiana will once again play host to regional wrestling action on Saturday. The host Chargers will look to continue building on one of their most successful seasons ever. They are led by a quartet of seniors that look to leave the Carroll Fieldhouse with one last victory. Snider came out as the sectional winner at New Haven will look to continue their late season surge.
103lbs
This weight will be the tale of three seniors and a freshman. Leading the way is #11 ranked Andrew Bowman of Homestead, but he will be challenged by seniors Kris McKinley of Northrop and Jose Nino of South Side along with undefeated freshman Hayden Lee of Garrett. The 2 vs. 3 match-ups are interesting and could go either way, but this reporter will give the edge to the seniors.
Onward to the Coliseum(in order from top to bottom in the bracket):
Hayden Lee- Garrett
Jose Nino- South Side
Kris McKinley- Northrop
Andrew Bowman- Homestead
112lbs
The first round matches at this weight will all be very intriguing to watch with all of them toss-up matches. The easiest one to pick is probably Alex Richman of Heritage over Bryce Forrester of Columbia City, but don’t count out Forrester as he has the potential to knock off Richman if he is not ready to wrestle. Another interesting match is a battle of very familiar names with Colton LeTourneau of Whitko vs. Erique Early of Snider. LeTourneau is a very familiar name that has had quite a bit of success at Whitko and Early is the son of former state champion Erique Early. This weight also could be a clean sweep for the New Haven Sectional.
Onward to the Coliseum(in order from top to bottom in the bracket):
James Johnson- South Side
Tommie Lockett- Harding
Erique Early- Snider
Alex Richman- Heritage
119lbs
This one of many weight classes where there will be a feature match in the finals. Chas Busz of Whitko comes in undefeated on the year, while Kody George of Homestead has only one loss. Busz went to state last year at 103lbs and will look to continue his march towards Conseco once again. The 2 vs. 3 matchups look to favor New Haven, but they will both be very close and could go either way.
Onward to the Coliseum(in order from top to bottom in the bracket):
Chas Busz- Whitko
Mason Meling- Snider
Ali Al-Timeemy- Wayne
Kody George- Homestead
125lbs
Two state qualifiers highlight this weight class. Last year Jordan Gilbert of Whitko advanced to state at 112lbs, while Homestead’s Keelan Rushing qualified at 125lbs. They are expected to meet in the finals, but both will be tested in the semi-finals with solid opponents.
Onward to the Coliseum(in order from top to bottom in the bracket):
Jordan Gilbert- Whitko
Jared Wilson- Snider
Austun McCray- Garrett
Keelan Rushing- Homestead
130lbs
The headliner in this weight class is Garrett’s 19th ranked Brayden Moreau who comes in with only one blemish on his record to date. Tony Elkins of Snider is the favorite in the other half of the bracket, but will be tested all day. His first opponent, Rance Harris is way better than his 17-15 record shows and Busco’s Adam Boggess has some impressive wins this year.
Onward to the Coliseum(in order from top to bottom in the bracket):
Brayden Moreau- Garrett
Reese Sieger- New Haven
Adam Boggess- Churubusco
Tony Elkins- Snider
135lbs
This weight could see a sectional finals rematch between Michael Nix of Bishop Dwenger and Corey Botts of Leo. Homestead’s Josh Kryder cannot overlook his first opponent or he will be sent home early.
Onward to the Coliseum(in order from top to bottom in the bracket):
Michael Nix- Bishop Dwenger
Jeff Clark- Carroll
Corey Botts- Leo
Josh Kryder- Homestead
140lbs
This will be one of the best weight classes to watch all day long. All of the first round matches have some intrigue and could go either way. The champions of each sectional should advance, but they do not have any gimme matches. The 2 vs. 3 match-ups are both interesting with the first being Logan Lee of Garrett against Justin Norris of Homestead.  Both are seniors and Lee’s past two seasons have been ended by a Homestead Spartan. Sean Cooley of South Side and Busco’s mini Brock Lesnar, Zach Armstead will also be a match to watch.
Onward to the Coliseum(in order from top to bottom in the bracket):
Cody Bays- Whitko
Logan Lee- Garrett
Zach Armstead- Churubusco
Cody Zink- Woodlan
145lbs
The sectional champions from this weight should cruise in their first round matches, but as usual the 2 vs. 3 matches will be the ones to watch. KC Corey of Snider against the Busco bad boy Jason Nicodemus will be a great match. The other match will be a clash of two sophomores with Brett Schendel of Garrett against Branden Baker of Homestead.
Onward to the Coliseum(in order from top to bottom in the bracket):
Jon Timmerman- Carroll
KC Corey- Snider
Brett Schendel- Garrett
Levy Francois- New Haven
152
This weight could feature round three of the Reece Lefever and Zack Zurbrugg series. So far Lefever has got the better of Zurbrugg, but you cannot count out the motivation from Bulldog coach Barry Humble. Zurbrugg will have to fend off a very game Isaac Steury in the semi-finals and cannot overlook the lad from Lion country.
Onward to the Coliseum(in order from top to bottom in the bracket):
Reece Lefever- Carroll
Carter Delaney- Bishop Dwenger
Isaac Steury- Leo
Zack Zurbrugg- New Haven
160lbs
With an average of just over four losses per person in this weight, it will be quite a test for the undefeated cat owner Conner Lefever. Arch nemeses Cody Conrad lies waiting on the other half of the bracket, but Conrad will have to fend off ACAC rival Garrett Weber in the semi-finals . The 2 vs. 3 matches will be fun to watch as Anthony Linnear of North Side will be battling it out with Alex Brenneke of Woodlan in a very good match. Garrett Weber of Leo will not have an easy time with Harding’s Trevon Carr either.
Onward to the Coliseum(in order from top to bottom in the bracket):
Conner Lefever- Carroll
Alex Brenneke- Woodlan
Garrett Weber- Leo
Cody Conrad- Heritage
171lbs
This is another weight that will be fun to watch from beginning to the end. #16 Jeff Enrietto of Carroll is the headliner here, but he will be tested all day long. Probably the best match of the first round will be Bishop Dwenger’s super soph Ben Evans against New Haven champ Skyler Messman. Messman has been hidden deep in the Humble Stable and burst onto the wrestling scene this year.
Onward to the Coliseum(in order from top to bottom in the bracket):
Jeff Enrietto- Carroll
Jeremy Salmon- Woodlan
Spencer Cooper- Leo
Skyler Messman- New Haven
189lbs
Yet another great weight to watch and it definitely will provide many exciting matches all day long. Three of the wrestlers here have been in and out of the rankings all year long and will be itching to get after eachother early and often.  The best first round match will be undefeated Redrecus McCurrie of Wayne against Austin Gibson of Garrett. Last year McCurrie defeated Gibson with a  late takedown to advance to semi-state. Another early match to watch is Braxton Siddons of Churubusco against the Harding Hawk’s Nolan Wilson. Wilson is an excellent athlete that will give Siddons a great match.
Onward to the Coliseum(in order from top to bottom in the bracket):
Spencer Raypole- Carroll
Braxton Siddons- Churubusco
Austin Striggle- Whitko
Redrecus McCurrie- Wayne
215lbs
Word on the street is #7 ranked Brad Mills of Homestead has pulled out of the state series due to an injury and this will make this weight class wide open. With Mills’ injury this could lead to a clean sweep for the Carroll sectional. Look for Moe Talamantes of Northrop to be the favorite, but he will be tested by Alex Jakacki of Leo.
Onward to the Coliseum(in order from top to bottom in the bracket):
Moe Talamantes- Northrop
Clint Davis- North Side
Alex Jakacki- Leo
Gage Andis- Carroll
285lbs
The big guys are highlighted by undefeated Josh Mitchell of Heritage. He will have a familiar face in the first round in Carroll’s Matt McClure who almost defeated him last year in this same exact match. Another good first round match will be Eastside’s Matt Beard against Homestead’s late replacement Deshawn Lewis.
Onward to the Coliseum(in order from top to bottom in the bracket):
Ta’Quan Walker- North Side
Vernie Starks- South Side
Matt Beard- Eastside
Josh Mitchell- Heritage
15192011 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.
11282011 Merrillville Semi State
Saturday's Merrillville semi-state always guarantees fans two things. First, you will see some of best, most physical wrestling in the state and second, you will see this wrestling in one of the most uncomfortable, stifling venues imaginable.
The wrestling action is what draws the fans to the Pirates' Cove and this year is no different. Crown Point, the state's top ranked team appears ready to crown multiple champions and may approach double digits in the amount of qualifiers for state.
Not far behind them is fourth ranked Penn. The Kingsmen boast 14 semi-state qualifiers and at least eight of them stand a good chance of moving on.
One of those Penn Kingsmen is actually lady Kingsmen. 112 pound Sarah Hildebrandt will be making her second trip to the Semi State. Hildebrandt , along with 103 pound Kalya Miracle will be looking to make history by becoming Indiana's first female state qualifier.
103
Half of the state's top sixteen lightweights will converge on Merrillville and many a talented wrestler will be paying their own way next week. Crown Point's Josh Fuqua and Lafayette Harrison's senior Reise Overby appear to be wrestling the best right now. All four ticket round matches should be excellent.
Best ticket round matches: Santo Marciano (Munster) vs. Buckley(Valparaiso)
Overby (Lafayette Harrison) vs. Steven Micic (Hanover Central)
Hopping on the I-65 or US 31 Express
Fuqua – Crown Point
Overby – Lafayette Harrison
Buckley - Valparaiso
Zach Davis – Penn
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Fuqua – CP
Micic – Hanover Central
Buckley - Valpo
Davis – Penn
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Fuqua
Micic
Buckley
Davis
112
Another very deep field awaits anyone who wants to wrestle in Indy next week. Two veteran studs look to have a semistate rematch from last year in Warsaw's Jarred Brooks and Hanover Central's Paul Petrov. Petrov seems to have Brooks number. Ticket round matches here are again all excellent as there will be no easy ride.
Best ticket round match – Brian Orzechowicz(Griffih) vs. Sammy Ferdig (South Bend Adams)
Hopping on the I-65 or US 31 Express
Petrov – Hanover Central
Brooks – Warsaw
Orzechowicz - Griffith
Colton Saroff – Crown Point
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Petrov – Hanover Central
Brooks – Warsaw
Saroff- Crown Point
Orzechowicz – Griffith
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Petrov
Brooks
Orzechowicz
Saroff
119
The 119 class contains the first “sure thing†for the Merrillville semistate. Defending state champion Kyle Ayersman of Lake Central should handle the field. Relative unknowns that will look to dethrone Ayersman include Culver Military's Anthony McHugh and Rochester's Garth Simpson. Both wrestled at 125 most of the year.
Best ticket round Match: Simpson (Rochester) vs. Taylor Draper (Lafayette Jeff)
Hopping on the 1-65/US 31 Express
Ayersman – Lake Central
Simpson – Rochester
McHugh - CMA
Adam Garcia – Merrillville
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Ayersman – Lake Central
Garcia – Merrillville
Simpson – Rochester
McHugh - CMA
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Ayersman
Simpson
McHugh
Garcia
125
Fans at Merrillville have gotten used to seeing a lot of Cavemen the last few years so their absence from the finals seems slightly odd. Layten Binion should end the Mishawaka drought. He has had little trouble dispatching nearly everyone in his path with his only loss being to Perry Meridian's top Jared McKinley.
Best ticket round match: Jordan Hicks (Seeger) vs. Tyler Chapple (Penn)
Hopping on the I-65/US 31 Express
Binion – Mishawaka
Chapple – Penn
Matt Harvey – Crown Point
Julian Torres - Portage
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Binion – Mishawaka
Chapple – Penn
Harvey – Crown Point
Lopez – Lake Central
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Binion
Torres
Chapple
Aaron Ayala – Hobart
130
Mishawaka will look to get back to back champs at 130 where senior Taylor Wisler brings a 37-3 record and state hardware to Merrillville. However, the road will not be easy. In his path will probably be Crown Point's very stout Cameron Halstead. Wisler narrowly edged Halstead in mid December. On the other side of the bracket is arguably the hottest wrestler in the region, Valparaiso's senior Chad Miller.
Best ticket round matches: Chad Miller (Valpo) vs. Mitch Hartman (SB Clay)
Wisler (Mishawaka) vs. Cameron Halsted (Crown Point)
Hopping on the I-65/US 31 Express
Wisler – Mishawaka
Miller – Valparaiso
Al Padilla – Merrillville
Skyler Ringen – Rensselaer Central
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Wisler – Mishawaka
Miller – Valpo
Al Padilla – Merrillville
Patrick Manning – Hobart
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Wisler
Miller
Padilla
Manning
135
The Rochester regional should continue a roll at 135 with Penn's Alex Gregory. He is undefeated and largely unchallenged. He should receive his toughest test to date in the semi finals versus Crown Point's junior Jake Fuqua. Many might say this is the actual championship match.
Best ticket round match: Chris Pajdzik (Hammond Gavit) vs Luis Acuna (Portage)
Hopping on the I-65/US 31 Express
Gregory – Penn
Chris Katsafaros - Chesterton
Fuqua – Crown Point
Acuna - Portage
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Fuqua – Crown Point
Acuna – Portage
Gregory - Penn
Katsafaros – Chesterton
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Gregory
Katsafaros
Fuqua
Acuna
140
Tsirtsis
Best ticket round match: Dan Ginter (Penn) vs. Charlie Mavros (Lowell)
Hopping on the I-65/US 31 Express
Jason Tsirtsis – Crown Point
Brad Wartman – Lake Central
Adrian Brown – Lafayette Jeff
Ginter - Penn
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Tsirtsis – Crown Point
Wartman – Lake Central
Brown – Laf. Jeff
Ginter – Penn
RankingsGuy's Region Love Picks
Tsirtsis
Wartman
Brown
Ginter
145
Roach
Best ticket round match: Owen Dorris (Pioneer) vs Javier Avalos(Merrillville)
Hopping on the I-65/US 31 Express
Eric Roach – Crown Point
Laquan Lunford – SB Clay
Dorris - Pioneer
Sidney Logan – Mishawaka
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Roach – Crown Point
Lunford – SB Clay
Logan – Mishawaka
Avalos – Merrillville
RankingsGuy's Region Love Picks
Roach
Lunford
Logan
Avalos
152
I was tempted to have a third strait one word preview but Crown Point senior Josh Flamme has taken a back seat to his more heralded teammates to not deserve some recognition. He has been nearly as dominant as Roach and Tsirtsis and has yet to lose to an Indiana wrestler this year.
Best ticket round matches: Eric Palmieri (West Lafayette) vs Kelly Kolat (SB Riley)
Luke Smith (Munster) vs. Mike Hummer (Penn)
Hopping on the I-65/US 31 Express
Flamme – Crown Point
Palmieri – West Lafayette
Isaac Yoder – Tippecanoe Valley
Hummer – Penn
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Flamme – Crown Point
Smith - Munster
Yoder – Tippy Valley
Sandefer – Merrillville
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Flamme
Smith
Yoder
Kelly Kolat – SB Riley
160
Chesterton's junior Anthony Quiroz headlines the 160 pound class. There is not a whole lot of depth here and that is a recipe for upsets. Three ticket round matches appear to be very tight. A possible sleeper looms in the bottom of the bracket. They only speak his name in hushed tones on the East Side of Gary.
Best ticket round matches: Dusty Schurg (Crown Point) vs. Michael Green (Rensselaer)
Davon Alwine (SB Clay) Ethan Dale (McCutcheon)
Hopping on the I-65/US 31 Express
Quiroz – Chesterton
Schurg – Crown Point
Alwine – SB Clay
Cody Strange – John Glenn
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Quiroz – Chesterton
McLeod – SB Riley
Alwine – SB Clay
Schurg – Crown Point
RankingsGuy's Region Love Picks
Quiroz
McLeod
Alwine
Schurg
171
Devildog's delight at 171. A champion from the Logansport regional. Delphi's junior stud Tanner Lynde is already two for two on state final appearances and there is not enough firepower in this semi state to deny him a title. Lowell's Jeremy Crocker will be his likely foe in the finals.
Best ticket round matches: Joe Peco(Hobart) vs. Kyle Shrewsbury(Crown Point)
Hopping on the I-65/US 31 Express
Lynde - Delphi
Crocker - Lowell
Peco - Hobart
Nate Coddens – SB Riley
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Lynde – Delphi
Mike Manning – River Forest
Peco - Hobart
Crocker – Lowell
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Lynde
Crocker
Peco
Manning
189
Two top five ranked wrestlers appear to be a notch above the rest of the field at 189. Merrillville's Kourtney Berry will be wrestling in front of the hometown crowd with an outstanding 39-0 record. One of those victories was a 6-4 decision over Culver Community's sophomore Matt Hurford. Both wrestlers are aggressive and scramble well so an exciting match should be the result.
Best ticket round match: Berry(Merrillville) vs. Ross Hoover (Warsaw)
Hopping the I-65/US 31 Express
Berry – Merrillville
Hurford – Culver Community
Skipper – SB Adams
Kyle Patton – West Lafayette
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Berry – Merrillville
Hurford – Culver Community
Bisping – Hanover Central
Rich Pennington – River Forest
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Berry
Hurford
Skipper
Ham
215
Crown Point will likely finish off their day with another champion in junior Tyler Kral. Kral was likely disappointed with last years showing at Merrillville and would like to redeem himself this year. His likely finals foe should be South Bend Clay's Joe Gallegos. A very nice ticket round match might occur with Logansport regional champ, Matt Sumner of McCutcheon facing off against Devin Reagan of Penn.
Best ticket round match: Sumner(McCutcheon) vs. Reagan(Penn)
Hopping on the I-65/US 31 Express
Kral – Crown Point
Gallegos – SB Clay
Reagan - Penn
Jack Seaman – Munster
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Gallegos – SB Clay
Kral – Crown Point
Reagan – Penn
Seaman – Munster
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Kral
Gallegos
Reagan
Seaman
285
Second ranked Damon Howe of Plymouth looks to get back to his winning ways after being pinned in the semi-finals at regional. His is likely to face the wrestler that pinned him, Culver Community's Jeremiah Harvey.
Best ticket round match: Blake Ford(McCutcheon)/Abraham Hall(Bremen) vs. Montel Davis (Gary Lew Wallace)
Hopping on the I-65/US 31 Express
Howe – Plymouth
Harvey – Culver Community
Davis – Gary Lew Wallace
Kade Maggert - Penn
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Howe – Plymouth
Harvey – Culver Community
Ford – McCutcheon
Maggert – Penn
RankingsGuy's Region Love Picks
Howe
Harvey
Ford
Maggert
1752Evansville Semi-State Preview
2011 Evansville Wrestling Semi-State Preview
The competition at the 2011 Evansville Semi-State looks to be top notch this Saturday. Â There are a total of 66 top 20 ranked wrestlers, including 4 of which that are ranked #1 in their respective classes. There are 28 returning state qualifiers, 16 of which are returning State Placers.
103
First round matches to watch:
Bailey Schober (9)(Greenwood)(33-7) vs. Tyler Stock (11)(N. Posey)(33-8)
Jacob Brown (9)(Castle)(32-13) vs. Michael Thomas (9)(Center Grove)(12-7)
Skylar Lykins (9)(Franklin Community)(31-8) vs. Wyatt Seng (9)(Mater Dei)(22-9)
#8 Damon Kuhn (10)(Evansville Reitz)(40-1) vs. Tyler Ruble (12)(N. Putnam)(26-3)
Likely ticket round matches are:
#2 Jacob Boomsma (12)(Bloomington South)(40-0) vs. Tyler Stock (11)(N. Posey)(33-8)
Terrance Kennedy (10)(Floyd Central)(31-5) vs. Jacob Brown (9)(Castle)(32-13)
Wyatt Seng (9)(Mater Dei)(22-9) vs. Nathan Schitter (9)(Jasper)(31-8)
#8 Damon Kuhn (10)(Evansville Reitz)(40-1) vs. Cory O’Neal (10)(Southwestern)(36-6)
Likely State Qualifiers:
1.      Jacob Boomsma (12)(Bloomington South)(40-0)(8th at 112 in ’10, state qualifier at 103 ’09)
2.      Damon Kuhn (10)(Evansville Reitz)(40-1)
3.      Terrance Kennedy (10)(Floyd Central)(31-5)
4.      Wyatt Seng (9)(Mater Dei)(22-9)
112
First round matches to watch:
Matthew Lahue (11)(Corydon Central)(28-4) vs. Austin Pettijohn (12)(Franklin Community)(27-9)
Likely ticket round matches:
#18 Anthony Schoettle (10)(Center Grove)(36-6) vs. Sam Goebel (11)(Mater Dei)(35-5)
#7 Alonzo Shepherd (11)(Jeffersonville)(45-1) vs. Mathew Mastison (10)(Ev. Harrison)(45-6)
Blake Johns (10)(Evansville Reitz)(37-10) vs. Chris Whitely (10)(Floyd Central)(27-11)
#8 Luke Schroeder (12)(Southwestern)(45-1) vs. Austin Pettijohn (12)(Franklin Community)(27-9)
Predictions:
1.      Alonzo Shepherd (11)(Jeffersonville)(45-1)(state qualifier at 103 ‘10)
2.      Luke Schroeder (12)(Southwestern)(45-1)(3rd at 103 ‘10)
3.      Anthony Schoettle (10)(Center Grove)(36-6)
4.      Blake Johns (10)(Evansville Reitz)(37-10)
119
Likely ticket round matches:
Robby Taylor (12)(Madison)(37-6) vs. #14 Gideon VanHook (11)(Evansville Reitz)(36-5)
#15 Cody Kendle (12)(Pike Central)(37-5) vs. #13 Logan Wedding (10)(Evansville Memorial)(33-4)
Nathan Carmichael (10)(Center Grove)(36-8) vs. Austin Jamison (10)(New Albany)(22-6)
#10 Luke Welch (10)(Castle)(42-1) vs. Dakota Case (12)(Terre Haute South)(19-4)
Predictions:
1.      Luke Welch (10)(Castle)(42-1)(state qualifier at 112 ’10)
2.      Logan Wedding (10)(Evansville Memorial)(33-4)
3.      Gideon VanHook (11)(Evansville Reitz)(36-5)(state qualifier at 103 in ‘10)
4.      Nathan Carmichael (10)(Center Grove)(36-8)
125
First round matches to watch:
#14 Preston Wilson (12)(Whiteland)(29-2) vs. Joey Resch (12)(Jennings County)(38-5)
#7 Alex Griesemer (12)(Princeton)(35-4) vs. Cody Byrer (12)(North Knox)(35-4)
Likely Ticket round matches:
Kevim Castro (12)(Jeffersonville)(36-9) vs. Jerald Thompson (12)(Brownsburg)(23-15)
#6 Trevor Moody (11)(Evansville Reitz)(39-2) vs. #14 Preston Wilson (12)(Whiteland)(29-2)
Brayden Montgomery (10)(Danville)(35-1) vs. #7 Alex Griesemer (12)(Princeton)(35-4)
#9 Baron Rieker (12)(Columbus East)(39-6) vs. #5 Zach Henderson (12)(Mater Dei)(35-3)
Predictions:
1.      Zach Henderson (12)(Mater Dei)(35-3)
2.      Trevor Moody (11)(Evansville Reitz)(39-2)(state qualifier at 112 in ’09)
3.      Alex Griesemer (12)(Princeton)(35-4)(state qualifier at 112 in ’08)
4.      Kevim Castro (12)(Jeffersonville)(36-9)
130
First round matches to watch:
Zach Rieker (12)(Columbus East)(38-7) vs. #9 Michael Brown (12)(Castle)(38-5)
Connor Montgomery (10)(Jennings County)(36-9) vs. Brendon Kelley (9)(Evansville Central)(35-8)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#9 Michael Brown (12)(Castle)(38-5) vs. Derek Lunsford (12)(Pike Central)(37-5)
#16 Max Mangold (12)(Mater Dei)(24-6) vs. Cory Neel (12)(Christian Academy)(28-9)
Kaleb Chambers (12)(Jasper)(31-7) vs. #8 Jonathon Hoehn (11)(Mt. Vernon)(37-4)
#3 Neal Malloy (10)(Danville)(42-0) vs. Brendon Kelley (9)(Evansville Central)(35-8)
Likely State Qualifiers:
1.      Neal Malloy (10)(Danville)(42-0)(state qualifier at 119 in ‘10)
2.      Michael Brown (12)(Castle)(38-5)(state qualifier at 125 in ‘10)
3.      Jonathon Hoehn (11)(Mt. Vernon)(37-4)(state qualifier at 125 in ‘10)
4.      Max Mangold (12)(Mater Dei)(24-6)
135
First round matches to watch:
Luke Kriech (10)(Franklin Community)(28-8) vs. Derek Dowdy (12)(Evansville Reitz)(38-5)
#11 Quinn Schroeder (12)(Mater Dei)(31-7) vs. Kalob Heald (12)(Cascade)(34-4)
Likely Ticket round matches:
Bryce Jones (12)(Southridge)(29-4) vs. Derek Dowdy (12)(Evansville Reitz)(38-5)
#14 Steven Rieker (12)(Columbus East)(42-2) vs. #11 Quinn Schroeder (12)(Mater Dei)(31-7)
#9 Byron Konrath (12)(Mt. Vernon)(33-2) vs. Jordan Gast (11)(Jennings County)(33-7)
#3 Ethan Raley (12)(Indian Creek)(26-1) vs. A.J. Kerr (12)(Edgewood)(34-1)
Predictions:
1.      Ethan Raley (12)(Indian Creek)(26-1)(1st - 103 in ’08, state qualifier - 119 in ’09, 2nd - 125 in ‘10)
2.      Quinn Schroeder (12)(Mater Dei)(31-7)
3.      Byron Konrath (12)(Mt. Vernon)(33-2)(state qualifier at 135 in ‘10)
4.      Derek Dowdy (12)(Evansville Reitz)(38-5)
140
First round matches to watch:
Will DeWees (12)(Franklin Community)(22-5) vs. Tim Shuler (11)(Columbus East)(30-10)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#3 Blake Rueger (11)(Evansville Reitz)(40-1) vs. #8 Jordan Judy (11)(Danville)(34-1)
Tre Harbin (12)(Jeffersonville)(40-7) vs. #14 Spencer Boyd (12)(Bloomington South)(37-3)
#2 PJ Montgomery (12)(Terre Haute South)(34-0) vs. Â #19 Jordan Mann (12)(Castle)(34-10)
Will DeWees (12)(Franklin Community)(22-5) vs. #15 Jake Lannert (11)(Mater Dei)(33-6)
Predictions:
1.      PJ Montgomery (12)(Terre Haute South)(34-0)(5th at 140 in ’10, state qualifier at 145 in ‘09)
2.      Blake Rueger (11)(Evansville Reitz)(40-1)(8th at 135 in ’10, state qualifier at 125 in ‘09)
3.      Spencer Boyd (12)(Bloomington South)(37-3)
4.      Jake Lannert (11)(Mater Dei)(33-6)
145
First round matches to watch:
#4 Renaldo Weekley (12)(Jeffersonville)(45-1) vs. Sam Riggs (12)(Mater Dei)(19-9)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#16 Roy Whetstine (12)(Evansville Memorial)(36-1) vs. Dalton Clements (12)(Monrovia)(22-3)
#4 Renaldo Weekley (12)(Jeffersonville)(45-1) vs. #7 Ben Farmer (12)(Bloomington South)(18-3)
#5 Quincy Richey (11)(Brown County)(28-1) vs. Trevor Appell (11)(Evansville Reitz)(33-13)
#13 Donald Helterbrand (12)(Cloverdale)(36-0) vs. Austin Chamberlain (12)(Evansville Central)(37-5)
Predictions:
1.      Renaldo Weekley (12)(Jeffersonville)(45-1)(state qualifier at 135 in ‘10)
2.      Quincy Richey (11)(Brown County)(28-1)(8th at 130 in ’09,  state qualifier at 152 in ’10)
3.      Donald Helterbrand (12)(Cloverdale)(36-0)
4.      Roy Whetstine (12)(Evansville Memorial)(36-1)
152
First round matches to watch:
The clear favorite is Doug Welch but this weight class is loaded with talent and every first round match looks to be competitive. The question is who is going to join Welch at Conseco?
Likely Ticket round matches:
#1 Doug Welch (12)(Castle)(42-1) vs. #20 Zach Adams (11)(Madison)(45-5)
#18 Austin Bowman (11)(Franklin Community)(33-7) vs. #8 Sam Horrocks (12)(Bloomington South)(34-6)
Cory Ingram (12)(Southridge)(36-5) vs. Matt Prasek (12)(Evansville Memorial)(33-10)
#16 Tsali Lough (11)(Terre Haute South)(35-2) vs. Evan Weinzapfel (12)(Mater Dei)(20-6)
Predictions:
1.      Doug Welch (12)(Castle)(42-1)(2nd at 145 in ’10, 5th at 135 in ‘09)
2.      Evan Weinzapfel (12)(Mater Dei)(20-6)
3.      Sam Horrocks (12)(Bloomington South)(34-6)
4.      Matt Prasek (12)(Evansville Memorial)(33-10)
160
First round matches to watch:
This is another deep weight class which should be full of great first round matches. The only clear cut favorite is Chad Welch. The question is who is going to punch their ticket to Conseco?
Likely Ticket round matches:
#3 John Sims (12)(Mater Dei)(15-4) vs. #14 Clayton Fiddler (10)(Bloomington South)(32-10)
#1 Chad Welch (12)(Castle)(43-0) vs. Jacob Hall (11)(Charlestown)(33-8)
#13 Gabe Holt (12)(Columbus North)(34-3) vs. #10 Sean Mappes (11)(Center Grove)(36-5)
Brandon Marlin (11)(Jeffersonville)(32-15) vs. Tyler Rickenbaugh (12)(Heritage Hills)(44-3)
Predictions:
1.      Chad Welch (12)(Castle)(43-0)(3rd at 152-’10, state qualifier at 140-’09, state qualifier at 135-‘08)
2.      Gabe Holt (12)(Columbus North)(34-3)
3.      John Sims (12)(Mater Dei)(15-4)
4.      Tyler Rickenbaugh (12)(Heritage Hills)(44-3)
171
First round matches to watch:
#9 Dustin Parrish (12)(Plainfield)(26-4) vs. Aaron Haire (12)(Booneville)(36-7)
Joe Tucker (12)(Jasper)(30-5) vs. Cory Bland (11)(Columbus North)(22-13)
Jeff Spicer (12)(Edgewood)(41-4) vs. Ethan Bowen (12)(Charlestown)(35-6)
Garrett Shepard (11)(Paoli)(37-6) vs. Joey Todd (12)(Bloomington South)(18-11)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#9 Dustin Parris (12)(Plainfield)(26-4) vs. #18 Brock Wathen (11)(Jennings County)(42-2)
Joe Tucker (12)(Jasper)(30-5) vs. #14 Austin Warren (11)(Castle)(34-9)
#7 Jacob Underwood (11)(Martinsville)(32-2) vs. Jeff Spicer (12)(Edgewood)(41-4)
#1 Drake Stein (12)(Princeton)(38-0) vs. Joey Todd (12)(Bloomington South)(18-11)
Predictions:
1.      Drake Stein (12)(Princeton)(38-0)(1st at 171 in ’10, 8th at 152 in ‘09)
2.      Dustin Parrish (12)(Plainfield)(26-4)(6th at 152 in ’10)
3.      Jacob Underwood (11)(Martinsville)(32-2)
4.      Austin Warren (11)(Castle)(34-9)
189
First round matches to watch:
Dalton Halbig (11)(Princeton)(25-13) vs. Colton Bridges (12)(Bloomington South)(31-12)
#17 Elijah Curtley (11)(Jeffersonville)(28-3) vs. Mike Kernodle (12)(Franklin Community)(27-13)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#6 Josh Boots (12)(Mater Dei)(36-1) vs. Zach Faith (12)(New Albany)(28-8)
#4 Garrett Goldman (12)(Bloomington North)(33-0) vs. Cyle Hill (12)(Cascade)(33-3)
#2 Aaron Stevenson (12)(Indian Creek)(34-0) vs. Colton Bridges (12)(Bloomington South)(31-12)
#17 Elijah Curtley (11)(Jeffersonville)(28-3) vs. #7 Ryan Sandwith (12)(Evansville Memorial)(35-5)
Predictions:
1.      Aaron Stevenson (12)(Indian Creek)(34-0)(3rd at 189 in ‘09)
2.      Garrett Goldman (12)(Bloomington North)(33-0)
3.      Josh Boots (12)(Mater Dei)(36-1)(4th at 171 in ’10)
4.      Ryan Sandwith (12)(Evansville Memorial)(35-5)
215
First round matches to watch:
Jesse Vermillion (12)(Greencastle)(27-3) vs. #6 Iyan Bass (11)(Jennings County)(19-1)
Dalton Young (12)(Madison)(38-8) vs. Justin Helmick (12)(Cascade)(33-4)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#20 David Knight (12)(Terre Haute North)(35-0) vs. Nathan Wright (10)(Mater Dei)(22-12)
#1 Trey Reese (12)(Indian Creek)(24-0) vs. CJ Andry (10)(Paoli)(36-8)
Jared Boehm (10)(Heritage Hills)(43-5) vs. #6 Iyan Bass (11)(Jennings County)(19-1)
Jimmy Pratt (12)(Jeffersonville)(29-4) vs. Justin Helmick (12)(Cascade)(33-4)
Predictions:
1.      Trey Reese (12)(Indian Creek)(24-0)(5th at 160 in ‘10)
2.      Iyan Bass (11)(Jennings County)(19-1)
3.      David Knight (12)(Terre Haute North)(35-0)
4.      Jimmy Pratt (12)(Jeffersonville)(29-4)
285
First round matches to watch:
#13 Jake Stevenson (12)(Indian Creek)(26-4) vs. Ryan DeWitt (12)(Jeffersonville)(37-8)
Beau Judd (12)(Northview)(31-11) vs. Edward O’Connell (12)(Mt. Vernon)(34-7)
Jacob Mudd (12)(New Abany)(11-4) vs. Brian Snyder (11)(Avon)(24-9)
Likely Ticket round matches:
Ryan DeWitt (12)(Jeffersonville)(37-8) vs. Thomas Emmitt (12)(Columbus East)(35-10)
#3 Kaden Suter (11)(Martinsville)(16-0) vs. Edward O’Connell (12)(Mt. Vernon)(34-7)
#15 Mark Collett (12)(Jennings County)(41-3) vs. Trevor Phillips (11)(Mitchell)(27-1)
#14 Justin VanWinkle (12)(Mater Dei)(33-0) vs. Jacob Mudd (12)(New Albany)(11-4)
Predictions:
1.      Kaden Suter (11)(Martinsville)(16-0)(state qualifier at 285 in ‘10)
2.      Justin VanWinkle (12)(Mater Dei)(33-0)
3.      Mark Collett (12)(Jennings County)(41-3)(state qualifier at 285 in ‘10)
4.      Ryan DeWitt (12)(Jeffersonville)(37-8)
801Woodlan(Fort Wayne) Semi-State Preview
103lbs
Two of the top wrestlers from last year return to this weight class, lead by defending semi-state champion Danny “the hamminator†Hamm of Prairie Heights. His main foe will be Brock Bevans of Yorktown who defeated him earlier this season. Also in the bracket is an undefeated wrestler from Garrett that has flown under the radar for most of the season. Look for many great match-ups in this weight.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Hayden Lee- Garrett vs. Zach Krumlauf- Dekalb
Brock Bevans- Yorktown vs. Forrest Glogouski- Fairfield
King of the Hill
Brock Bevans- Yorktown
Other State Streeters
Danny Hamm- Prairie Heights
Zach Krumlauf- Dekalb
Andrew Bowman- Homestead
112
Abraham Que of Elkhart Central looks to be the favorite here, but there are numerous landmines in the bracket that could trip up the undefeated senior. There are numerous early matches that are going to be close and hotly contested.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Matt Frane- Dekalb vs. Tommie Lockett- Harding
Frane/Lockett vs. Kyle Jolas- Huntington North
Benjamin Fiechter- Southern Wells vs. Abraham Que- Elkhart Central
Erique Early- Snider vs. Cody Walburn- Adams Central
King of the Hill
Abraham Que- Elkhart Central
Other State Streeters
Kyle Jolas- Huntington North
Schuyler Phillips- Yorktown
Cody Walburn- Adams Central
119
This weight class will be one featuring many young wrestlers with only two seniors represented this year. There is no clear cut favorite this year and the only two returning state qualifiers will most likely meet in the ticket round.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Chas Busz- Whitko vs. Willie Nelson- West Noble
Evan Loe- Peru vs. Chandler Carroll- Yorktown
King of the Hill
Kody George- Homestead
Other State Streeters
Derek Roe- Adams Central
Chandler Carroll- Yorktown
Willie Nelson- West Noble
125
Four former state qualifiers highlight this weight class, but just because they have been to state before does not mean they will make it again as all of them have tough ticket round matches. Jordan Gilbert of Whitko and Nick Crume of Jimtown were both state qualifiers at 112lbs last year, but will most likely meet in the ticket round.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Nick Crume- Jimtown vs. Jordan Gilbert- Whitko
Kalib Jackson- East Noble vs. Philip Gerber- Bluffton
Jackson/Gerber vs. Kris Workman- Taylor
Keelan Rushing- Homestead vs. Tommy Poynter- Dekalb
King of the Hill
Nick Crume- Jimtown
Other State Streeters
Todd Batt- South Adams
Tommy Poynter- Dekalb
Kris Workman- Taylor
130
This weight will feature some very good wrestling led by the Philippine Phenom Travis Barroquillo of Prairie Heights who comes in undefeated on the year. Another wrestler to watch is Garrett’s Brayden Moreau who comes in with only one blemish on his record and that was at a weight class 10lbs higher. The bottom half of the bracket will be very interesting to watch with the first round match-up of Tony Elkins of Snider and Trevor Enchartea of Elkhart Central. In the same quarter-final the 1 vs. 4 match has some intrigue when Bo Ketring of Oak Hill takes on Dalton Baysinger of Yorktown. The ticket round match of Collin Crume of Jimtown and Sebastian Eckert of Huntington North will be a fun one to watch.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Collin Crume- Jimtown vs. Sebastian Eckert- Huntington North
Bo Ketring- Oak Hill vs. Dalton Baysinger- Yorktown
Trevor Echartea- Elkhart Central vs. Tony Elkins- Snider
King of the Hill
Travis Barroquillo- Prairie Heights
Other State Streeters
Brayden Moreau- Garrett
Collin Crume- Jimtown
Tony Elkins- Snider
135
Not much to say here other than Devon Jackson is the head of the class coming in with a perfect record and relatively untested this season. The bottom quarter bracket will have many interesting matches with Gabe Sprunger of South Adams going up against ACAC rival Corey Botts of Leo in the first round and the winner getting to face off with Colin Downey of Huntington North to punch their ticket to state.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Gabe Sprunger- South Adams vs. Corey Botts- Leo
Sprunger/Botts vs. Colin Downey- Huntington North
King of the Hill
Devon Jackson- Yorktown
Other State Streeters
Michael Nix- Bishop Dwenger
Isaiah Bradley- Muncie South
Colin Downey- Huntington North
140
The 140lbs weight class is a complete toss-up with many wrestlers having a shot at the championship and qualifying for state. Recent move-in Cole VanHorn of Yorktown is the class of the field right now, but he could be challenged by numerous wrestlers in this bracket.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Kevin Marsh- West Noble vs. Zach Armstead- Churubusco
Cody Zink- Woodlan vs. Drake Meska- Jay County
King of the Hill
Cole VanHorn- Yorktown
Other State Streeters
Kevin Marsh- West Noble
Drake Meska- Jay County
Brooks Faurote- Bellmont
145
As with last year, this weight class looks to be a barnburner from beginning to the end. All but one ticket-round match will pit wrestlers with four or less losses against each other, which will make for some exciting and heartbreaking wrestling. Add to that the intrigue of some under the radar wrestlers such as Jesse Goodnight of Kokomo and Josh Seldenright of the Howe School, this weight will be full of surprises all day long.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Josh Seldenright- The Howe School vs. Zeke Schultz- Adams Central
Seldenright/Schultz vs. Jesse Goodnight- Kokomo
Jon Timmerman- Carroll vs. TJ Burnfield- South Adams
King of the Hill
Andrew Hiestand- Yorktown
Other State Streeters
Cam Matteson- Elkhart Memorial
Jon Timmerman- Carroll
Zeke Schultz- Adams Central
152
Two undefeated wrestlers highlight the field here, with both Carroll’s Reece Lefever and Josh Ehr of South Adams coming in without a loss. Unfortunately the bracket gods did not help out and these two will potentially wrestle in the semi-finals instead of the finals. Adding even more drama to the potential match is that both will be teammates next year at Indiana Tech. On the other half of the bracket there will be many great matches just to get to the semi-finals. The best match of the first round at this weight class and probably any weight class will be the battle of state qualifiers when Zack Zurbrugg of New Haven faces off against Jarod Schwartz of Adams Central. Adding icing to the cake in this match is coach Barry Humble of New Haven will be facing off against Adams Central and former protégé Doug Schultz.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Jarod Schwartz- Adams Central vs. Zack Zurbrugg- New Haven
Dantrell Goodman- Elkhart Memorial vs. Reece LeFever- Carroll
King of the Hill
Reece LeFever- Carroll
Other State Streeters
Jarod Schwartz- Adams Central
Will Busse- Bellmont
Josh Ehr- South Adams
160
The other half of the LeFevers highlights this weight class. Conner LeFever of Carroll leads the way with a perfect record here, but will be challenged early and often. His first round match is not easy with the giant killer Chantz Luginbill of Adams Central in the way. After C-Lef, the rest of the state qualifiers is a toss-up. In the top quarter bracket you have three wrestlers battling it out that have three or less losses. In the second quarter bracket you will have state qualifier Garrett Weber of Leo and two wrestlers with only two losses each. Finally in the lower quarter bracket you have all the wrestlers with seven or more losses. Needless to say picking the winners here will require great skill in drawing names out of a hat.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Christian Harvey- Taylor vs. Cody Conrad- Heritage
Garrett Weber- Leo vs. Jordan Simmons- Winchester
Weber/Simmons vs. Tyler Rimmel- Central Noble
King of the Hill
Conner Lefever- Carroll
Other State Streeters
Cody Conrad- Heritage
Garrett Weber- Leo
John Mahlan- Bellmont
171
Thank you to the bracket gods for separating the best wrestlers in this weight class. Ryley Hankenson of Bellmont and undefeated Jackson Bratcher of Eastbrook lead the way in this weight class. Look for their finals match to be a great one.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Jeff Enrietto- Carroll vs. Brandon Weinkauf- Jimtown
Alex Hostetler- Fairfield vs. Spencer Cooper- Leo
King of the Hill
Jackson Bratcher- Eastbrook
Other State Streeters
Ryley Hankenson- Bellmont
Jeff Enrietto- Carroll
Alex Hostetler- Fairfield
189
This is the most wide open weight class at the Fort Wayne Semi-State. Eleven wrestlers come in with seven losses or less and many of those losses are to others in this same bracket. There are numerous match-ups in the first round that are toss-ups and no clear cut favorite. State qualifiers Brandon Dillenbeck of Goshen and Scott Neff of Yorktown are probably the slight favorites. Dillenbeck has a very dangerous Austin Striggle of Whitko in the first round. One of the best quarter brackets will be the one headlined by Alex Evans of Huntington North. Evans has had a fine season this year, but will be tested by Ben Baker of Bellmont in the first match and then with the winner of the Redrecus McCurrie of Wayne and Tanner Adams of Jimtown match.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Brandon Dillonbeck- Goshen vs. Austin Striggle- Whitko
Spencer Raypole- Carroll vs. Clayton Smith- Eastern
Alex Evans- Huntington North vs. Ben Baker- Bellmont
Redrecus McCurrie- Wayne vs. Tanner Adams- Jimtown
Scott Neff- Yorktown vs. Braxton Siddons- Churubusco
King of the Hill
Alex Evans- Huntington North
Other State Streeters
Brandon Dillenbeck- Goshen
Spencer Raypole- Carroll
Scott Neff- Yorktown
215
State placers Taylor Grubb of Prairie Heights and Travis Thatcher of Bellmont are the headliners at 215lbs. Grubb got the better of Thatcher at the Al Smith, but never count out a Bellmont Brave during the tournament series. Unfortunately this match will occur in the semi-finals and the other half of the bracket is a toss-up.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Alex Jakacki- Leo vs. Chase Spears- Elkhart Memorial
King of the Hill
Taylor Grubb- Prairie Heights
Other State Streeters
Travis Thatcher- Bellmont
Alex Jakacki- Leo
Andrew Chalfant- Winchester
285
Bellmont’s mighty mouse Daniel Meyer comes into Saturday without a blemish on his record and the state’s #1 ranking. He definitely makes the big guys fun to watch as he is very active on his feet and extremely athletic. After him though, there are about 10 wrestlers that could punch their ticket to Conseco.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Daniel Meyer- Bellmont vs. Dominique Stauffer- Elkhart Central
Clay Selman- Angola vs. Josh Mitchell- Heritage
Andrew Mason- Huntington North vs. Selman/Mitchel
King of the Hill
Daniel Meyer- Bellmont
Other State Streeters
Andrew Mason- Huntington North
Ta’Quan Walker- North Side
Eric Forrest- Jimtown
1054New Castle Semi-State 2010-2011 Preview
Here we are again. We're back once more in the outstanding venue that is New Castle Fieldhouse and I can honestly say that this might be as loaded a field as I can remember in the past 8 years of attendance. There are at least a handful of legitimate state title contenders, as well as a slew of wrestlers with very strong chances at state placement.
Without further adieu.....
103
Once you get past the presumptive champion, Nathan Boston, it's wide, wide open. Seven ranked wrestlers and one non-ranked, undefeated wrestler are included in this deep bracket. Boston has toyed with most opponents and I don't expect anyone here to push him too strongly.
Last year's champ: Cody Phillips, Union County
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 2/4, 50%
Ranked wrestlers:
#1 Nathan Boston, Lawrence North (#18 nationally, The Open Mat)
#12 Barry McGinley, Roncalli
#15 Tyler Elmore, Hamilton Heights
#16 C.J. Whitten, Ben Davis
#17 A.J. Belden, Westfield
#18 Preston Mantel, Zionsville
#19 Jordan Lile, Fishers
Epic matchups:
Lile vs. Antonio Perez, Manual (ticket round) - Perez is no joke and Lile will have be on top of his game to get by the stocky Manual wrestler. Like most matches in this bracket, either outcome is possible.
Witten vs. Ryan Bean, Crawfordsville (1st round) - Bean has shown that he's in the upper tier of 103s in this semi-state and is more than capable of not only beating Witten, but advancing to Conseco.
Elmore vs. Cole Maggard, Rushville (1st round) - Elmore didn't look sharp last weekend and hasn't been in top form thus far in the postseason. He'll need to bounce back in a big way to beat the undefeated Rushville sophomore.
Belden vs. McGinley (1st round) - Another dynamic first round matchup featuring two kids who have wrestled the upper crust in the weight class already. McGinley seems to be peaking--that might be the difference, although Belden is capable of a run to Conseco.
Mantel vs. Jacob Cottey, Perry Meridian (1st round) - Cottey has wrestled everyone and isn't out of his league at all vs. Mantel. Unfortunately, the winner of this match gets Boston in the ticket round.
Maggard/Elmore vs. McGinley/Belden (ticket round) - Whoever survives this gauntlet of tough opponents will certainly deserve his state qualification. Just brutal.
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Lile, Witten, McGinley and Boston
The Alpha Dog:
Nathan Boston
112
As with 103, there is a very strong favorite in this weight class. Also like 103, this is a deep, talented field, with seven ranked wrestlers and featuring 3 undefeated wrestlers and one wrestler with one loss. Look for 2nd and 3rd place finishers in this weight class to make strong runs at Conseco, especially Fargo AA Mason Todd. The two-time state champ Phillips will have some solid competition here.
Last year's champ: Brendan Campbell, New Castle
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 4/4, 100%
Ranked wrestlers:
#1 Cody Phillips, Union County (#3 nationally, The Open Mat)
#2 Mason Todd, Pendleton Heights
#5 Dominique Price, Arsenal Tech
#6 Cody LeCount, Perry Meridian
#11 Tom Gettinger, Connersville
#17 Alex Sparks, Lawrence North
#19 Josh King, Roncalli
Epic matchups:
Sparks vs. Chandler Moore, Southmont (1st round) - The winner gets Phillips but, that bit of bad news aside, this should be a close, entertaining match. Moore knocked off a really tough senior last weekend in Brandon Gray.
LeCount vs. Price (ticket round) - This may be the marquee ticket match of the entire semi-state. LeCount has managed to wrestle Perry's grueling schedule and remain undefeated as a freshman. Price has been a victim of some of the most difficult draws at New Castle I've personally seen this decade, and just to get to this match he has to beat a very, very capable wrestler in Fisher's Brandon Gray. Price can go with anyone, but LeCount hasn't been knocked off once this year. It's a senior looking for one last shot at the big reward vs. a freshman at the start of what could be a very special wrestling legacy. Bring your popcorn matside for this one.
Gettinger vs. Snyder (ticket round) - This should be a doozy. Snyder was very tough at Pendleton Heights and in the team matchups vs Lawrence North and Noblesville. He has a grade A gastank and will put pressure on any opponent's conditioning. Gettinger has already been to the Big Show and has primarily lost to only the very best wrestlers in the state. This one could definitely go either way.
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Phillips, Price, Todd and Snyder
The Alpha Dog:
Cody Phillips
119
Another New castle weight class, another seven ranked wrestlers. Like the two weight classes before, 119 features a strong favorite in the physical Fargo All-American Brendan Campbell. The top-level depth in this class might be the strongest of all the weight classes in New Castle. Past Campbell, there are 4 or 5 kids who could battle their way to a runner-up finish.
Last year's champ: Brandon Nelsen, Lawrence North
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 4/4, 100%
Ranked wrestlers:
#2 Brendan Campbell, New Castle
#4 Mike Venezia, Cathedral
#5 Josh Farrell, Greenfield
#6 Charlie McGinley, Arsenal Tech
#7 Robert Boston, Lawrence North
#8 Levi Moss, Ben Davis
#16 Josh Julien, Lebanon
Epic matchups:
Boston vs. Hugo Perez (ticket round) - Perez is more than capable of knocking off Boston, but Boston has faced much better competition than Perez has. Perez first has to beat a very tough Clint Schmith of Beech Grove to advance to the ticket round.
Ferrell vs. McGinley (ticket round) - Two elite wrestlers in a huge match - one will advance and have a solid shot at placing high in Indianapolis and one will go home. McGinley, like numerous other McGinleys before him, has very solid mat skills and Ferrell is just plain nasty. A true pick 'em.
Venezia vs. Moss (ticket round) - See Ferrell vs. McGinley. Two battle-tested studs, each capable of winning this match and placing at state.
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Boston, McGinley, Campbell and Venezia
The Alpha Dog:
Brendan Campbell
125
#1 Jared McKinley leads the pack at this weight class, but #2 Josh Kieffer has historically been really tough at New Castle. This is likely the most anticipated matchup of the semi-state and each has beaten the other this season. Three of the top four ranked wrestlers will be battling here on Saturday.
Last year's champ: Brandon Wright, Warren Central
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 3/4, 75%
Ranked wrestlers:
#1 Jared McKinley, Perry Meridian
#2 Josh Kieffer, Roncalli
#4 Ben Sommer, Carmel
#13 Alex Catron, New Castle
#15 Luke Blanton, Alexandria
Epic matchups:
Blanton vs. Clayton Campbell, Lebanon (ticket round) - Blanton was razor sharp last weekend. He'll need to be again to beat the very tough Tiger wrestler.
Catron vs. Kieffer (ticket round) - Two state placers from last year meet up in an unfortunate ticket match. One senior's high school career will be over.
Kieffer vs. McKinley (championship match) - This rivalry is reminiscent of Wright/Eppert. Both are national caliber wrestlers with different body types and wrestling styles. McKinley, the shorter, thicker wrestler, is a bully on his feet and is very physically strong. Kieffer, the taller, longer-limbed wrestler, is a monster on top and can is capable of a big fall at any time. I could see one winning this weekend and another winning at Conseco...we'll see what develops.
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
McKinley, Blanton, Kieffer and Sommer
The Alpha Dog:
Jared McKinley
130
Another state #1 heads the field at 130. I know he's just a high school junior, but the word that comes to mind when I see the two-time state placer wrestle is professional. He's better than solid in all aspects of wrestling - not the flashiest or most athletic, just a complete wrestler with a good gastank. Look for Johnson to once again try to knock off the top dog. He's been close and is capable of the upset.
Last year's champ: Connor Mullins, New Castle
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 4/4, 100%
Ranked wrestlers:
#1 Brian Harvey, Cathedral
#5 Jordan Johnson, Lawrence North
#7 Nick Bova, Perry Meridian
#11 Colin Campbell, Lebanon
#13 Jack Bolin, Fountain Central
Epic matchups:
Bolin vs. Levi Lanning, Alexandria (1st round) - These Alexandria kids are tough and Lanning is a senior taking on a talented freshman. Flip a coin.
Parham vs. Johnson (ticket round) - Parham has always seemed to have some tough luck at New Castle. He wasn't done any favors by drawing the talented, extremely long and tall LN wrestler. Parham will need to wrestle a nearly flawless match to advance to Conseco for the first time in a pretty successful HS career.
Harvey vs. Johnson (championship match) - Johnson is coming off a staggering stick of HSE's Tatom at Team Regionals. Johnson's heroics sent LN to the state finals and gave the Wildcat wrestler some serious momentum. Their match in Pendleton last weekend was pretty close. However, until someone beats Harvey, he has to be the pick.
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Campbell, Harvey, Bova and Johnson
The Alpha Dog:
Brian Harvey
135
Another state #1 heads the field at 130. I know he's just a high school junior, but the word that comes to mind when I see the two-time state placer wrestle is professional. He's better than solid in all aspects of wrestling - not the flashiest or most athletic, just a complete wrestler with an oversized heart. Look for Johnson to once again try to knock off the top dog. He's been close and is capable of the upset.
Last year's champ: Mason Berryman, Anderson Highland
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 4/4, 100%
Ranked wrestlers:
#2 Justin Kieffer, Roncalli
#10 Nick Roberts, Beech Grove
#16 John Tatom, Hamilton Southeastern
#17 Tyler Gadient, Noblesville
#18 Vinny Corsaro, Cathedral
#19 Joey Klinesmith, Perry Meridian
Epic matchups:
Kieffer vs. Charlie Smith, North Central (ticket round) - Smith was very impressive last week and his OT loss to Corsaro might've cost him a shot at making it to the State Finals. Kieffer is just a nasty draw for a ticket match. Smith had three tough matches and battled hard in each, but the Roncalli three-time state placer is a significant obstacle. In a similar vein, Smith must first beat a very tough Luke Decker of New Castle just to have a shot at Kieffer.
Tatom vs. Gadient (ticket round) - Tatom had a rough Team Regionals and lost to Gadient there 8-0. He has, however, also pinned Gadient this season.
Corsaro vs. Roberts (ticket match) - Corsaro has been a very impressive freshman for the Irish. The senior Hornet wrestler is a very stiff test for Corsaro's first semi-state.
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Kieffer, Gadient, Roberts and Klinesmith
The Alpha Dog:
Justin Kieffer
140
Perhaps not one of the strongest weight classes at New Castle, from an elite wrestler standpoint, 140 still features a number of fine wrestlers. Rattay returns as a state placer from last year. He normally has some of the best defense on his feet that you'll see from anyone at New Castle, his recent match against HSE's Jackson Bennett notwithstanding. White has pinned him this year, so this is a wide open weight class. Expect Rattay or White to win the weight, but they aren't so far above the rest of the field that someone else couldn't win it.
Last year's champ: Kirk Johnson, Perry Meridian
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 3/4, 75%
Ranked wrestlers:
#5 Matt Rattay, Lawrence North
#6 Brady White, Westfield
#11 Joe Kieffer, Roncalli
#12 Nick Ulrey, New Palestine
#13 Clayton Davenport, Ben Davis
#16 Levi Rose, New Castle
#17 Alex Louzon, Beech Grove
Epic matchups:
Davenport vs. Eli Walker, Alexandria (1st round) - Davenport has had some huge wins this season and is a solid favorite in this match. However, Walker is very dangerous and won't roll over against the Giant wrestler. The winner of this match's fun is just beginning - the winner gets #6 Brady White.
Louzon vs. Keegan Pyke, Tri Central (1st round) - Senior vs. Senior for the right to advance to the ticket round. Louzon has faced tougher competition, but Pyke is pretty slick. Should be a good one. The winner has a very solid shot at advancing to the State Finals as well.
Corsaro vs. Roberts (ticket match) - Corsaro has been a very impressive freshman for the Irish. The senior Hornet wrestler is a very stiff test for Corsaro's first semi-state.
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Kieffer,Rattay, White and McCoy
The Alpha Dog:
Matt Rattay
145
This weight class is led by the undefeated, returning state qualifier Grant Scurria of Carmel. Scurria is a strong favorite at this weight, which features only 4 ranked wrestlers. Two ranked wrestlers didn't make it out of regionals, including top-ten Tiandre Edwards of North Central.
Last year's champ: Patrick Robinson, Hamilton Southeastern
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 4/4, 100%
Ranked wrestlers:
#3 Grant Scurria, Carmel
#8 Kameron James, Pike
#11 Jordan Maple, Connersville
#15 Jon Blanton, Alexandria
Epic matchups:
Blanton vs. Robert Riedling, Warren Central (1st round) - Riedling is a returning state qualifier at this weight class and Blanton was a little off his game last weekend.
Scurria vs. Jonathan Decker, New Castle (semis) - Two years ago, Decker came into New Castle with a very impressive regional championship and was upset in the ticket round. He should advance to the semis, where Scurria awaits.
Maple vs. Wayne Specht, Noblesville (ticket match) - Specht is a physically strong wrestler who impressed in winning his regional last weekend. Maple is a highly ranked senior who has faced the pressure of semi-state action before.
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Specht, James, Scurria, Decker
The Alpha Dog:
Grant Scurria
152
Three top-five wrestlers occupy this very deep, very tough weight class. This weight epitomizes what people have been saying saying about quality wrestlers not advancing. Returing state placer Montrail Johnson, returing state qualifier Matt Irick and #14 Tre Spencer are all fighting for one spot to advance. I feel for the kids who won't advance, but it should make for some amazing matches. Mullins and Kirk Johnson are returning semi-state champs.
Last year's champ: Sam Bennett, Anderson Highland
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 3/4, 75%
Ranked wrestlers:
#3 Connor Mullins, New Castle
#4 Montrail Johnson, Tri Central
#5 Kirk Johnson, Perry Meridian
#11 Dylan Frauhiger, Zionsville
#12 Matt Irick, Hamilton Southeastern
#13 Alex Bowers, Noblesville
#14 Tre Spencer, Pike
Epic matchups:
Spencer vs. Irick (1st round) - Irick looked razor sharp in Pendleton last week and equally ready at Team Regionals. Spencer has been competitive with some of the best wrestlers in the weight class.
Irick/Spencer vs. Montrail Johnson (ticket round)- Johnson was head and shoulders above his competition last weekend. That will change this weekend, although I still expect him to advance.
Frauhiger vs. Bowers (ticket match) - This is just too close to call. Both are excellent, senior wrestlers and either would be a dangerous 3 or 4 seed at Conseco.
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Montrail Johnson, Mullins, Kirk Johnson, Frauhiger
The Alpha Dog:
Connor Mullins
160
One 'O' must go: Curtis Anderson and Tyler Willis are both undefeated and on opposite sides of the bracket. Returning semi-state champ and state runner-up Willis is a strong favorite, obviously, but Anderson has beaten a litany of ranked, tough opponents this season. There are a staggering 8 ranked wrestlers in this strong weight class.
Last year's champ: Tyler Willis, Cathedral
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 3/4, 75%
Ranked wrestlers:
#2 Tyler Willis, Cathedral
#6 Curtis Anderson, Carmel
#7 Max Youngs, Zionsville
#8 Austin Neibarger, Hamilton Southeastern
#9 Mitchell Judkins, Speedway
#11 Derek Harz, Perry Meridian
#12 Michael Taylor, Lawrence Central
#19 Dezman McGinley, Greenfield-Central
Epic matchups:
Neibarger vs. Harz (1st round) - The returning state placer Neibarger has faced a pretty stout array of opponents this season. Harz wrestled more than 10 ranked opponents this season. Harz is a returning state qualifier as well. Neibarger hasn't been as sharp this year as last, but he's very dangerous. Unfortunately for both, the winner gets undefeated Tyler Willis in the ticket round.
Judkins vs. Youngs (1st round) - #7 vs. #9 in the first round speaks to the depth and power in this weight class. The only common opponent I know they share is Neibarger: Youngs beat him and Judkins lost to him. The winner gets Michael Taylor of LC in another great matchup to advance to Conseco.
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
McGinley, Willis, Anderson, Taylor
The Alpha Dog:
Tyler Willis
171
This weight class is likely to come down to three competitors: Smith, Manning and Frascella. However, there are six ranked wrestlers here so there could be a surprise champion.
Last year's champ: Michael Duckworth, Union County
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 3/4, 75%
Ranked wrestlers:
#5 Michael Smith, North Central
#6 Nick Manning, South Dearborn
#8 James Frascella, Carmel
#12 Jake Masengale, Perry Meridian
#15 Mark Brown, East Central
#17 Damon Albertson, Roncalli
Epic matchups:
Masengale vs. Brown (ticket round) - Masengale has wrestled that brutal Perry schedule and still has only three losses on the year. They each faced Roncalli's Damon Albertson, with Brown beating him 6-4 and Masengale splitting two matches with him.
Manning vs. Albertson (ticket round) - Albertson has wrestled a ton of top kids this season and Manning is a returning state qualifier. Manning has a lot of ability but hasn't wrestled the same competition.
Manning/Albertson vs. Smith (Semis) - This could feature #5 vs. #6. Smith is a two-time state qualifier, but would doubtless like to pick up a number one seed at Conseco this year. Manning wants the same thing. Two men enter, one man leaves.
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Frascella, Masengale, Manning, Smith
The Alpha Dog:
Nick Manning
189
This weight is all Mitch Sliga's. He hasn't been challenged much this season, and I'm not sure there's any real danger for him before he gets to Conseco. Past Sliga, the other side of the bracket is wide open. Haskett is likely the second best here, but he was unfortunate in his draw, as Sliga lurks in the semis. This is not a particularly strong weight class compared to the other ones at New Castle.
Last year's champ: Michael Johnson-Jones, Warren Central
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 3/4, 75%
Ranked wrestlers:
#1 Mitch Sliga, Fishers (#5 nationally, The Open Mat)
#9 Jeremy Haskett, Lawrence North
#15 Sam Tasseff, Perry Meridian
Epic matchups:
Haskett vs. Sliga (semis) - It's hard to call this epic, as Sliga is a strong favorite, but it will be interesting to see if Haskett gets a chance to unleash some of his nastiness on top.
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Haskett, Sliga, Schaeffer, Fehribach
The Alpha Dog:
Mitch Sliga
215
This weight has not been, for whatever reason, particularly strong in recent years at New Castle. This year's field won't likely produce this year's state champion, but it is a deep field with some dangerous wrestlers. There is no strong favorite among the group, but look for the advancing wrestlers to fare better at Conseco than last year. Keep an eye out for Cathedral's Wesley Bernard. He's strong as an ox and very nimble for his size. He's got a pretty mean blast double, too. Broad Ripple's Joshua Jones will be strong here next year, too.
Last year's champ: Jake Buchanan, Cathedral
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 3/4, 75%
Ranked wrestlers:
#14 Logan Cooper, Perry Meridian
#15 Sam Balbach, Mt. Vernon (Fortville)
#16 Jeff Mofield, New Castle
#17 Austin Netherton, Franklin Central
#18 Wesley Bernard, Cathedral
#19 Kyle Smitherman, Pendleton Heights
Epic matchups:
Netherton vs. Smitherman (1st round) - This one could go either way. Whoever wins has a nice shot to advance to Conseco.
Mofield vs. Balbach (ticket round) - Another brutal ticket match. Mofield almost knocked off Travis Thatcher this year and has a major decision over Bernard. Balbach tries to bounce back from last year's disappointment and make it to the Conseco.
Bernard vs. Jake Tucker, Roncalli (1st round) - Tucker is one of Roncalli's unsung heros and can go with anyone in this field. Bernard has improved greatly from the beginning of the season and will likely make several more trips to New Castle in the coming years.
Cooper vs. Colin Snyder, Fishers (ticket round) - If Cooper isn't very careful, he won't make it past the very tough Fishers junior. Snyder could pull the big upset here.
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Netherton, Balbach, Bernard, Cooper
The Alpha Dog:
Logan Cooper
285
There are seven ranked wrestlers in the field, and three more wrestlers ranked #10, #11 and #17 didn't make it out of regionals. There are additional very tough competitors who aren't ranked in this group. In short, this is a strong, deep group, led by Panther Willie Henson. Henson has had some close matches against the better competition he's faced, but he has to be considered the favorite. Realistically, this is an open weight class, with surprises almost a certainty. This is often the most surprising weight class at New Castle.
Last year's champ: Dylan McBride, Crawfordsville
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 2/4, 50%
Ranked wrestlers:
#4 Willie Henson, North Central
#9 Trent Wallace, South Vermillion
#12 Richard Brown, East Central
#16 Eric Thigpen, Lawrence Central
#18 Adam Decker, Beech Grove
#19 Tyler Melby, Westfield
#20 Tre Taylor, Ben Davis
Epic matchups:
Brown vs. Taylor (1st round) - These two are stuck in a group with four ranked wrestlers, all fighting for one spot. It's really impossible to predict the winner of this match and the ticket match to follow. Thigpen or Wallace awaits the winner.
Wallace vs. Thigpen (1st round) - Wallace is probably the favorite in this match, but he'll have his work cut out for him with Thigpen. Wallace was stunned by Howard last week and will be looking to rebound. Thigpen had a time conflict and couldn't wrestle in the regional championship match. The winner gets a tough ticket match vs. Brown or Taylor.
Decker vs. Daniel Howard, Frankfort (ticket round) - This is another one that's too close to call on paper.
Henson vs. Jordan Naughton, Perry Meridian (ticket round) - Henson had a disappointing semi-state last year and a very tough Falcon wrestler is standing in his way in the ticket round. They have both wrestled and beat Thigpen this season.
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Henson, Wallace, Melby and Decker
The Alpha Dog:
Willie Henson13932011 IHSAA State Finals Brackets
Dates & Times
Friday, Feb. 18, 5:30 pm ET Parade of Champions.
Friday, Feb. 18, 6 pm ET (First Round).
Saturday, Feb. 19 (Quarterfinals at 9:30 am ET with semifinals to follow; Consolations at 5 pm ET; Finals at 7:30 pm ET).
Admission: $8 per session or $20 both days.
Site: Conseco Fieldhouse, 125 S. Pennsylvania St., Indianapolis
Doors will open to the general public:
Friday, February 18, 2011 - 5:00 p.m. (Session I)
Saturday, February 19, 2011 - 8:30 a.m. (Session II)
Saturday, February 19, 2011 - 4:00 p.m. (Session III)
Click here for brackets
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