High School News

865 articles in this category

405
Woodlan Invitational Brackets
Teams include
Woodlan, Greenville(Ohio), Leo, Fremont, Churubusco, Bluffton, Elmhurst, Wayne Trace(Ohio), and Bishop Luers
 
Complete brackets
 
130lbs update

510
Woodlan Invitational Brackets
Teams:
BISHOP LUERS KNIGHTS
BLUFFTON TIGERS
CHURUBUSCO E AGLES
FREMONT EAGLES
LEO LIONS
GREENVILLE GREEN WAVE
WAYNE TRACE RAIDERS
WOODLAN WARRIORS
 
Click here for brackets

466
Woodlan Invitation Brackets
Click here for Woodlan Invitations brackets
 
Teams include: Bishop Luers, Bluffton, Churubusco, Elmhurst, Fremont, Greenville(Ohio), Leo, Wayne Trace(Ohio), and Woodlan

844
Women's Wrestling in Indiana
The sport of wrestling has been a male dominated sport for a long time, but women are increasingly making their mark. From USA National Team member Katie Downing to current High School and Nationally Ranked Juniors Sarah Hildebrandt and Demi Strub, Indiana has its share of Women who are striving in the sport of wrestling. There are many opportunities in wrestling for women, but they require research and dedication. This page will provide some brief information to help you succeed.
 
Women’s wrestling has two styles, Folkstyle and Freestyle. Folkstyle is the form that you wrestle in school. Freestyle is the only women’s style for International, College, and most National competitions. Freestyle is very fast-paced and makes for great women’s tournaments. The USGWA is a woman’s only wrestling organization that has great state and regional tournaments for only women and an exceptional National Championship. USA Wrestling has added a Folkstyle Nationals, with Freestyle at the Junior Nationals & Body Bar Nationals.
 
The ISWA provides numerous state and local competitions for women in both styles, they also provide the only avenue for a women’s team in Indiana, competing at the Junior Nationals in late July. Wrestling with your local school or club will teach you much about wrestling. But to be able to measure your ability and skill, you need to wrestle other women. This is the best way to judge your success and how far you can go in wrestling.
 
The three websites listed are the major sites for women’s wrestling. There you will find tournaments, clubs, schedules, blogs, forums, and everything you will needed to start your journey in women’s wrestling.
 

 
Remember, YOU need to take the next step to further your wrestling career. The help is there and the competition is great. If you want more out of wrestling, don’t hesitate to ask for help! For information and assistance about Women’s Wrestling contact:
 
ISWA Women’s Director Darren Strub - darrenstru@aol.com - 513-375-4903
 

 
2009 Junior National All-Americans Sarah Hildebrandt and Demi Strub
Demi is a two time All-American and both are Juniors in High School this season.

576
Women's Freestyle Day One Recap
For Team Indiana, 2010 is the year of "go big or go home."  Of the six All-Americans, five of them will finish on the raised mat wrestling for first, while one will be wrestling for third.  The women's wrestlers are no different as both Sarah Hildebrandt and Demi Strub will be representing Indiana on the raised platform looking for national titles.  Both will be the first in Indiana history to wrestle for a championship in women's wrestling.
 
Hildebrandt has been dominant all day long with two falls in her six matches. She has only allowed three total points to two different opponents on the day and will look to continue her dominance tomorrow in the finals.  She will face Kayla Brendlinger of Pennsylvania in the finals.

 
Strub has been on fire since the day started, only allowing one point on the day and pinning three of her four opponents.  She will face Julia Salata of Michigan in the finals.


389
Winfield Leads Three Junior All-Americans
Donte Winfield lost a close 1-0, 1-0 to Michigan's Adam Coon in the finals to lead a trio of All-Americans in Junior Freestyle.  Coon won a Cadet World Championship last year and is ranked as one of the top wrestlers in the class of 2013.  In the championship match, Coon scored on a push-out in each period to get the victory.  Neither wrestler was ever in much position to score otherwise.
 
Neal Molloy and Jared McKinley both advanced to the 5th place match in their respective weight classes.  Molloy won his match over West Virginia's Justin Arthur very convincingly, 7-2,6-0.  Arthur was the wrestler who eliminated Tommy Forte in round 7.  McKinley dropped his 5th place bout to Sam Branacle 4-0,4-2.  McKinley finishes as a two-time Junior Freestyle All-American as he will be attending Indiana University in the fall.
 
Junior-132 - Jared McKinley's place is 6th.
Match #1 Jared McKinley (Indiana) over Chance Driscoll (Ohio) Dec 6-0,6-1
Match #2 Jared McKinley (Indiana) over Nick Frank (Maryland) Dec 6-3,3-1
Match #3 Jared McKinley (Indiana) over Jayce Carr (Kentucky) Fall 7-1,1:29
Match #4 Jared McKinley (Indiana) over Mitchell Lexvold (Minnesota) Dec 1-0,1-0
Match #5 Jared McKinley (Indiana) over Jonce Blaylock (Oklahoma) Dec 4-0,3-1
Match #6 Jared McKinley (Indiana) over Sammy Jones (Louisiana) Dec 0-1,1-1,4-1
Match #7 Jared McKinley (Indiana) received a bye.
Match #8 Nick Kelley (New York) over Jared McKinley (Indiana) Dec 0-1,5-0,3-1
Match #9 Jared McKinley (Indiana) over Tate Robinson (Missouri) Dec 3-1,8-2
Match #10 Nick Kelley (New York) over Jared McKinley (Indiana) Dec 0-1,5-0,3-1
Match #11 Zain Retherford (Pennsylvania) over Jared McKinley (Indiana) TF 6-0,9-1
Match #12 Jared McKinley (Indiana) received a bye.
Match #13 Sam Brancale (Minnesota) over Jared McKinley (Indiana) Dec 4-0,4-2
 
Junior-138 - Neal Molloy's place is 5th.
Match #1 Neal Molloy (Indiana) over Cameron Sypher (Colorado) Fall 7-0,0:25
Match #2 Neal Molloy (Indiana) over Daniel Downes (Delaware) TF 7-0,7-0
Match #3 Neal Molloy (Indiana) over Walker Dempsey (New Jersey) Dec 3-2,3-1
Match #4 Neal Molloy (Indiana) over Luke Zilverberg (Minnesota) TF 7-0,6-0
Match #5 Neal Molloy (Indiana) over Coltan Laganiere (Minnesota) TF 7-0,7-0
Match #6 Neal Molloy (Indiana) over Colt Cotton (Pennsylvania) Dec 4-1,8-0
Match #7 Bryce Brill (Illinois) over Neal Molloy (Indiana) Dec 2-4,3-2,7-0
Match #8 Neal Molloy (Indiana) over Jacob Velarde (Washington) Dec 2-1,7-0
Match #9 Anthony Ashnault (New Jersey) over Neal Molloy (Indiana) Dec 3-1,6-1
Match #10 Neal Molloy (Indiana) received a bye.
Match #11 Bryce Brill (Illinois) over Neal Molloy (Indiana) Dec 2-4,3-2,7-0
Match #12 Neal Molloy (Indiana) over Justin Arthur (West Virginia) Dec 7-2,6-0
 
Junior-285 - Donte Winfield's place is 2nd.
Match #1 Donte Winfield (Indiana) over Zachary Newton (Virginia) TF 6-0,6-0
Match #2 Donte Winfield (Indiana) over Ben Calamari (Illinois) Fall 0:22
Match #3 Donte Winfield (Indiana) over Garrett Lee (Kansas) Fall 0:43
Match #4 Donte Winfield (Indiana) over Brandon Johnson (Washington) Dec 2-0,2-0
Match #5 Donte Winfield (Indiana) over Josh Marchok (Illinois) Dec 1-0,1-0
Match #6 Donte Winfield (Indiana) received a bye.
Match #7 Donte Winfield (Indiana) over Evan McGee (Oklahoma) Dec 2-1,1-0
Match #8 Donte Winfield (Indiana) over Jake Scanlan (Iowa) Dec 1-0,2-0
Match #9 Adam Coon (Michigan) over Donte Winfield (Indiana) Dec 1-0,1-0

3589 26 1
Who do you want in your corner?
Throughout the history of the state finals the number of state placers has grown from four to six and finally to eight in 1992. With the addition of the 7th and 8th place finishers came the Friday night win or go home match for all the competitors. Throughout the years we have seen amazing matches and crazy upsets on Friday night.
 
After some thought we wanted to know which coach had the best winning percentage on Friday night. We compiled all the data from 1992 until 2019 and came up with the following information. Please note that included in these statistics are qualifiers that did not end up participating at state due to injury. This mildly affects a coach’s percentage as it is a rare occurrence an athlete does not participate on Friday night.
 
Click here for all of the data
 
Current coaches with 10+ state qualifiers from 1992-2019
 
Rank Coach Qualifiers Placers Friday % Current School 1 Wade McClurg 11 10 90.91% Roncalli 2 Brian Weaver 11 9 81.82% Elkhart Memorial 3 Sean McGinley 100 78 78.00% Indianapolis Cathedral 4 Darrick Snyder 85 64 75.29% Brownsburg 5 Chris Cooper 31 22 70.97% Columbus East 6 Maurice Swain 10 7 70.00% Center Grove 7 Jim Tonte 102 70 68.63% Franklin Community 8 David Maldonado 79 53 67.09% Merrillville 9 Matthew Behling 17 11 64.71% Culver Academies 10 Matt Schoettle 22 14 63.64% Perry Meridian 11 Dan Briggs 16 10 62.50% Carroll(Fort Wayne) 12 Joshua Holden 18 11 61.11% Greenfield-Central 13 Zach Errett 20 12 60.00% Avon 14 Kevin Blundell 10 6 60.00% Monrovia 15 Greg Schaefer 69 40 57.97% Evansville Mater Dei 16 Branden Lorek 14 8 57.14% Crown Point 17 Ed Pendoski 65 37 56.92% Carmel 18 Bill Flatt 23 13 56.52% South Bend Riley 19 Tony Abbott 31 17 54.84% Cowan 20 Bob Read 24 13 54.17% Plymouth 21 Eric Myers 21 11 52.38% Jay County 22 T. Howard Jones Jr. 22 11 50.00% Jennings County 23 Mark Kirchgassner 10 5 50.00% East Central 24 Bob Harmon 57 28 49.12% Castle 25 Chris Joll 47 23 48.94% Chesterton 26 Jim Pickard 40 19 47.50% Goshen 27 Mike Runyon 15 7 46.67% Bloomington South 28 Louie Kuzdas 24 11 45.83% LaPorte 29 Lou Silverman 35 16 45.71% North Central 30 Clint Gard 16 7 43.75% Rochester 31 Brad Harper 62 27 43.55% Penn 32 Scott Ferguson 38 16 42.11% Evansville Reitz 33 Steve Pugliese 22 9 40.91% Tri-West 34 Dave Cloud 27 11 40.74% Pendleton Heights 35 Dean Branstetter 15 6 40.00% Attica 36 Brandon Sisson 10 4 40.00% Floyd Central 37 Chad Shepherd 18 7 38.89% Western 38 Danny Struck 18 7 38.89% Jeffersonville 39 Larry Mattingly 31 12 38.71% Evansville Memorial 40 Andy Hobbs 39 15 38.46% Peru 41 Dan Mikesell 13 5 38.46% Mooresville 42 Doug Smoker 19 7 36.84% Angola 43 Rod Williams 11 4 36.36% Leo 44 Jim HIttler 17 6 35.29% Huntington North 45 Jamie Welliever 12 4 33.33% Southmont 46 Andrew King 20 6 30.00% Oak Hill 47 Tim Alcorn 10 3 30.00% Mount Vernon (Posey) 48 Paul Gunsett 14 4 28.57% Bellmont 49 Jim Wadkins 22 6 27.27% Calumet 50 Blane Culp 11 3 27.27% Columbia City 51 Nick Kraus 11 2 18.18% Garrett 52 Tom Miller 17 2 11.76% Lafayette Jefferson  
All coaches with 10+ state qualifiers from 1992-2019
Rank Coach Qualifiers Placers Friday % Current School Past School 1 Wiley Craft 12 11 91.67%   Lawrence Central 2 Wade McClurg 11 10 90.91% Roncalli Roncalli 3 Todd Kendrick 13 11 84.62%   Franklin Central 4 Frank Svarczkopf, Jr. 12 10 83.33%   Lawrence North 5 Brian Weaver 11 9 81.82% Elkhart Memorial Elkhart Memorial 6 Travis Walls 26 21 80.77%   Griffith 7 Dan Gelarden 15 12 80.00%   Munster 8 Brett Crousore 39 31 79.49%   Lawrence North 9 Nick Petrov 24 19 79.17%   Hanover Central 10 Sean McGinley 100 78 78.00% Indianapolis Cathedral Indianapolis Cathedral 11 Perry Summitt 13 10 76.92%   Bloomington North 12 Darrick Snyder 85 64 75.29% Brownsburg Brownsburg 13 Al Smith 26 19 73.08%   Mishawaka 14 Justin Smith 11 8 72.73%   Warsaw 15 Rod Wartman 11 8 72.73%   Lake Central 16 Chris Cooper 31 22 70.97% Columbus East Columbus East 17 Keith Grant 10 7 70.00%   Indian Creek 18 Maurice Swain 10 7 70.00% Center Grove Center Grove 19 Alan Goddard 10 7 70.00%   Ben Davis 20 Dennis Miesle 10 7 70.00%   Woodlan 21 Duboris Dickerson 13 9 69.23%   Pike 22 Grodie Crick 13 9 69.23%   Evansville Central 23 Jim Tonte 102 70 68.63% Franklin Community Warren Central 24 Mike Atwood 19 13 68.42%   Delphi 25 Paul Nicodemus 19 13 68.42%   Plainfield 26 Lance Rhodes 31 21 67.74%   Indianapolis Cathedral 27 David Maldonado 79 53 67.09% Merrillville Merrillville 28 Mike Goebel 111 74 66.67%   Evansville Mater Dei 29 Paul Voigt 15 10 66.67%   Carroll(Fort Wayne) 30 Bill Kelly 26 17 65.38%   East Chicago Central 31 Lance Ellis 17 11 64.71%   Roncalli 32 Matthew Behling 17 11 64.71% Culver Academies Culver Academies 33 Chad Red 28 18 64.29%   New Palestine 34 Matt Schoettle 22 14 63.64% Perry Meridian Perry Meridian 35 Brian Seltzer 40 25 62.50%   Lawrence North 36 Dan Briggs 16 10 62.50% Carroll(Fort Wayne) Union County 37 David Walpole 16 10 62.50%   Decatur Central 38 Robert Emerick 29 18 62.07%   Lake Central 39 Bob Jarrett 13 8 61.54%   Eastern (Greentown) 40 Jack Grimaldi 13 8 61.54%   Alexandria 41 Joshua Holden 18 11 61.11% Greenfield-Central Greenfield-Central 42 Rob Willman 18 11 61.11%   Floyd Central 43 Zach Errett 20 12 60.00% Avon Avon 44 Kevin Blundell 10 6 60.00% Monrovia Monrovia 45 John Kopnisky 10 6 60.00%   Carmel 46 Brent Faurote 109 65 59.63%   Bellmont 47 Kevin Troy 32 19 59.38%   Roncalli 48 Larry Tharp 22 13 59.09%   Portage 49 Russel Feigert 41 24 58.54%   Beech Grove 50 Dave Thompson 24 14 58.33%   Whiteland 51 Greg Schaefer 69 40 57.97% Evansville Mater Dei Evansville Mater Dei 52 Royce Deckard 64 37 57.81%   Bloomington South 53 Steve Balash 52 30 57.69%   Hobart 54 Keith Hoffar 28 16 57.14%   East Noble 55 Kyle Poyer 28 16 57.14%   Hamilton Southeastern 56 Mike Smorin 14 8 57.14%   South Bend Riley 57 Jim Nicholson 14 8 57.14%   Elkhart Central 58 Branden Lorek 14 8 57.14% Crown Point Crown Point 59 Ed Pendoski 65 37 56.92% Carmel Carmel 60 Bill Flatt 23 13 56.52% South Bend Riley South Bend Riley 61 Trent McCormick 103 58 56.31%   Yorktown 62 Bobby Howard 16 9 56.25%   Lowell 63 John Cook 16 9 56.25%   Valparaiso 64 Bob Hasseman 68 38 55.88%   Franklin Community 65 Lance Beehler 18 10 55.56%   Mishawaka 66 Danny Williams 20 11 55.00%   Warren Central 67 Tony Abbott 31 17 54.84% Cowan Cowan 68 Jamie Wingler 11 6 54.55%   New Palestine 69 Jason Warthan 11 6 54.55%   Columbus North 70 James Colias 11 6 54.55%   Munster 71 Kenny Wallace 11 6 54.55%   Princeton 72 Bob Read 24 13 54.17% Plymouth Plymouth 73 Clarence Warthan 24 13 54.17%   Frankfort 74 Israel Blevins 37 20 54.05%   Avon 75 Mike Ester 26 14 53.85%   Fort Wayne Snider 76 Jake Harreld 13 7 53.85%   Fishers 77 Bob Brennan 15 8 53.33%   Zionsville 78 Jared Williams 40 21 52.50%   Zionsville 79 Eric Myers 21 11 52.38% Jay County Jay County 80 Scott Vlink 86 45 52.33%   Crown Point 81 Rex Peckinpaugh 73 38 52.05%   New Castle 82 Andy Simon 35 18 51.43%   Carmel 83 Leroy Vega 43 22 51.16%   Portage 84 Mark Kerrn 38 19 50.00%   Jimtown 85 Randy Kearby 34 17 50.00%   Columbia City 86 Jim Ledbetter 28 14 50.00%   Warren Central 87 T. Howard Jones Jr. 22 11 50.00% Jennings County Jennings County 88 Todd Sacksteder 20 10 50.00%   Beech Grove 89 Kevin King 18 9 50.00%   Indianapolis Bishop Chatard 90 Chris Campbell 14 7 50.00%   Greenwood 91 Bill Yozipovich 14 7 50.00%   Greenfield-Central 92 Mark Bruner 12 6 50.00%   Brown County 93 Mark Kirchgassner 10 5 50.00% East Central East Central 94 Lee Fry 10 5 50.00%   Prairie Heights 95 Chris Svarczkopf 10 5 50.00%   Fort Wayne North Side 96 Larry Hazuga 10 5 50.00%   Jeffersonville 97 Christopher Kern 10 5 50.00%   Zionsville 98 Bob Harmon 57 28 49.12% Castle Castle 99 Chris Joll 47 23 48.94% Chesterton Chesterton 100 Henry Wilk 43 21 48.84%   Penn 101 Dennis Lewis 27 13 48.15%   NorthWood 102 Jim Pickard 40 19 47.50% Goshen Goshen 103 Terry O'Neill 19 9 47.37%   Westfield 104 Scott Dehart 17 8 47.06%   Wawasee 105 Mike Runyon 15 7 46.67% Bloomington South Bloomington South 106 Ryan Wells 15 7 46.67%   Kokomo 107 Cale Hoover 26 12 46.15%   Center Grove 108 Louie Kuzdas 24 11 45.83% LaPorte LaPorte 109 Tony Boley 24 11 45.83%   Warsaw 110 Lou Silverman 35 16 45.71% North Central North Central 111 Bud Palmer 11 5 45.45%   Delta 112 Steve Wewe 11 5 45.45%   Franklin County 113 Bo Henry 11 5 45.45%   Bloomington North 114 Clint Gard 16 7 43.75% Rochester Rochester 115 Brad Harper 62 27 43.55% Penn Penn 116 Rick Stenftenagel 14 6 42.86%   Jasper 117 David Caple 14 6 42.86%   Floyd Central 118 Scott Schwarz 26 11 42.31%   East Central 119 Scott Ferguson 38 16 42.11% Evansville Reitz Evansville Reitz 120 Steve VanderAa 17 7 41.18%   Winamac 121 Steve Pugliese 22 9 40.91% Tri-West Danville 122 Dave Cloud 27 11 40.74% Pendleton Heights Pendleton Heights 123 Scott Raypole 15 6 40.00%   Carroll(Fort Wayne) 124 Dean Branstetter 15 6 40.00% Attica Attica 125 Brandon Sisson 10 4 40.00% Floyd Central Floyd Central 126 James Binkley 10 4 40.00%   New Albany 127 Sam DiPrimio 10 4 40.00%   Fort Wayne Northrop 128 Gene Backes 10 4 40.00%   Evansville Reitz 129 Murray Miller 10 4 40.00%   South Bend Washington 130 James Phillips 10 4 40.00%   Indianapolis Emmerich Manual 131 Kevin Taylor 10 4 40.00%   Wawasee 132 Al Hartman 36 14 38.89%   South Bend Clay 133 Chad Shepherd 18 7 38.89% Western Western 134 Danny Struck 18 7 38.89% Jeffersonville Jeffersonville 135 Larry Mattingly 31 12 38.71% Evansville Memorial Evansville Memorial 136 Andy Hobbs 39 15 38.46% Peru Peru 137 Dan Mikesell 13 5 38.46% Mooresville Mooresville 138 Ed Fox 13 5 38.46%   Carroll(Fort Wayne) 139 Greg Gastineau 13 5 38.46%   Hamilton Southeastern 140 Mark Line 21 8 38.10%   Kankakee Valley 141 Doug Smoker 19 7 36.84% Angola Angola 142 Gary Fox 11 4 36.36%   Franklin Central 143 Rod Williams 11 4 36.36% Leo Leo 144 Tony Grater 11 4 36.36%   McCutcheon 145 Tony Starks 11 4 36.36%   Ben Davis 146 Todd Fakes 11 4 36.36%   Monrovia 147 Derek Bocock 14 5 35.71%   Lebanon 148 Matt Koontz 14 5 35.71%   Whitko 149 Jim HIttler 17 6 35.29% Huntington North Huntington North 150 Mark Scott 20 7 35.00%   Muncie Central 151 David Errett 20 7 35.00%   Martinsville 152 Barry Humble 18 6 33.33%   South Adams 153 Josh Dommer 15 5 33.33%   Leo 154 Jamie Welliever 12 4 33.33% Southmont Southmont 155 Robert Freije 16 5 31.25%   Brownsburg 156 Randy Pursley 13 4 30.77%   Homestead 157 Andrew King 20 6 30.00% Oak Hill Oak Hill 158 Chuck Fleshman 10 3 30.00%   Central Noble 159 Tim Alcorn 10 3 30.00% Mount Vernon (Posey) Mount Vernon (Posey) 160 John Bennett 10 3 30.00%   Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger 161 Paul Gunsett 14 4 28.57% Bellmont Bellmont 162 Nicholas Eckert 14 4 28.57%   North Posey 163 George Gardner 18 5 27.78%   South Dearborn 164 Jim Wadkins 22 6 27.27% Calumet Calumet 165 Blane Culp 11 3 27.27% Columbia City Columbia City 166 Ron Anderson 11 3 27.27%   Winchester 167 Eric Burres 12 3 25.00%   New Albany 168 Doug Deters 13 3 23.08%   Franklin County 169 Kevin Wilkinson 10 2 20.00%   Southmont 170 Ken Houston 16 3 18.75%   Twin Lakes 171 Denny Schwartz 16 3 18.75%   Adams Central 172 Nick Kraus 11 2 18.18% Garrett Garrett 173 Scott VanDerAa 15 2 13.33%   Harrison (WL) 174 Tom Miller 17 2 11.76% Lafayette Jefferson Lafayette Jefferson 175 Al Thomas 10 1 10.00%   Logansport 176 Tim Sloffer 12 1 8.33%   Carroll(Fort Wayne) 177 Doug Schultz 13 1 7.69%   Adams Central  

867
Who do you want in your corner on Saturday?
After putting out the original article on Monday we got to talking on Gorilla Radio on which coach had the best winning percentage on Saturday morning. Well, since we have the data we decided to put it out there with some great results. Note that this data is from the 1992 state finals through the 2019 state finals. It includes how many state placers(1st-8th) and how many of them made the semi-finals and even the finals.
 
You can view all the data at this link under the Saturday tab.
Click here to view
 
Current Coaches with 5 or more placers, winning percentage in the quarter-finals.

Coach Placers Semi-Finalists Quarter % Current School Dan Briggs 10 9 90.00% Carroll(Fort Wayne) Michael Lapadat 5 4 80.00% Evansville Central Mark Kirchgassner 5 4 80.00% East Central Wade McClurg 10 7 70.00% Roncalli Chris Cooper 22 15 68.18% Columbus East Darrick Snyder 64 43 67.19% Brownsburg Zach Errett 12 8 66.67% Avon Steve Pugliese 9 6 66.67% Tri-West Jerimiah Maggart 6 4 66.67% Jimtown Sean McGinley 78 51 65.38% Indianapolis Cathedral Matt Schoettle 14 9 64.29% Perry Meridian Bill Flatt 13 8 61.54% South Bend Riley Bob Harmon 28 17 60.71% Castle Dan Mikesell 5 3 60.00% Mooresville Greg Schaefer 40 23 57.50% Evansville Mater Dei Jim Tonte 70 40 57.14% Franklin Community David Maldonado 53 29 54.72% Merrillville Dave Cloud 11 6 54.55% Pendleton Heights Ed Pendoski 37 19 51.35% Carmel Jim Wadkins 6 3 50.00% Calumet Andy Hobbs 15 7 46.67% Peru Bob Read 13 6 46.15% Plymouth Matthew Behling 11 5 45.45% Culver Academies Chris Joll 23 10 43.48% Chesterton Maurice Swain 7 3 42.86% Center Grove Mike Runyon 7 3 42.86% Bloomington South Chad Shepherd 7 3 42.86% Western Pat Dowty 5 2 40.00% Indian Creek Brad Harper 27 10 37.04% Penn Eric Myers 11 4 36.36% Jay County Frank Bumgardner 6 2 33.33% Wawasee Kevin Blundell 6 2 33.33% Monrovia Jim HIttler 6 2 33.33% Huntington North Lou Silverman 16 5 31.25% North Central Tony Abbott 17 5 29.41% Cowan Danny Struck 7 2 28.57% Jeffersonville Doug Smoker 7 2 28.57% Angola Joshua Holden 11 3 27.27% Greenfield-Central T. Howard Jones Jr. 11 3 27.27% Jennings County Jim Pickard 19 5 26.32% Goshen Larry Mattingly 12 3 25.00% Evansville Memorial Branden Lorek 8 2 25.00% Crown Point Brian Weaver 9 2 22.22% Elkhart Memorial Scott Ferguson 16 3 18.75% Evansville Reitz Dean Branstetter 6 1 16.67% Attica Louie Kuzdas 11 1 9.09% LaPorte Clint Gard 7 0 0.00% Rochester Andrew King 6 0 0.00% Oak Hill Zach Whickcar 5 0 0.00% Elkhart Central  
All coaches since 1992 with 10 or more state placers

Coach Placers Semi-Finalists Quarter % Current School Past School Dan Briggs 10 9 90.00% Carroll(Fort Wayne) Union County David Walpole 10 8 80.00%   Decatur Central Mike Ester 14 11 78.57%   Fort Wayne Snider Robert Emerick 18 14 77.78%   Lake Central Travis Walls 21 16 76.19%   Griffith Nick Petrov 19 14 73.68%   Hanover Central Jared Williams 21 15 71.43%   Avon Bill Kelly 17 12 70.59%   East Chicago Central Wade McClurg 10 7 70.00% Roncalli Roncalli Lance Beehler 10 7 70.00%   Mishawaka Larry Tharp 13 9 69.23%   Portage Keith Hoffar 16 11 68.75%   East Noble Chris Cooper 22 15 68.18% Columbus East Columbus East Darrick Snyder 64 43 67.19% Brownsburg Brownsburg Zach Errett 12 8 66.67% Avon Avon Sean McGinley 78 51 65.38% Indianapolis Cathedral Indianapolis Bishop Chatard Mike Goebel 74 48 64.86%   Evansville Mater Dei Scott Vlink 45 29 64.44%   Crown Point Matt Schoettle 14 9 64.29% Perry Meridian Perry Meridian Rob Willman 11 7 63.64%   Floyd Central Danny Williams 11 7 63.64%   Warren Central Kevin Troy 19 12 63.16%   Roncalli Bill Flatt 13 8 61.54% South Bend Riley South Bend Riley Bob Harmon 28 17 60.71% Castle Castle Bob Hasseman 38 23 60.53%   Franklin Community Frank Svarczkopf, Jr. 10 6 60.00%   Lawrence North Perry Summitt 10 6 60.00%   Bloomington North Todd Sacksteder 10 6 60.00%   Beech Grove Royce Deckard 37 22 59.46%   Bloomington South Leroy Vega 22 13 59.09%   Portage Cale Hoover 12 7 58.33%   Center Grove Mark Kerrn 19 11 57.89%   Jimtown Greg Schaefer 40 23 57.50% Evansville Mater Dei Evansville Mater Dei Jim Tonte 70 40 57.14% Franklin Community Connersville Brent Faurote 65 37 56.92%   Bellmont Steve Balash 30 17 56.67%   Hobart Kyle Poyer 16 9 56.25%   Anderson Highland Chad Red 18 10 55.56%   Lawrence Central Brett Crousore 31 17 54.84%   Lawrence North David Maldonado 53 29 54.72% Merrillville Hammond Bishop Noll Wiley Craft 11 6 54.55%   Lawrence Central Todd Kendrick 11 6 54.55%   Franklin Central Lance Ellis 11 6 54.55%   Roncalli Scott Schwarz 11 6 54.55%   East Central Dave Cloud 11 6 54.55% Pendleton Heights Pendleton Heights Mike Atwood 13 7 53.85%   Delphi Lance Rhodes 21 11 52.38%   Indianapolis Cathedral Brian Seltzer 25 13 52.00%   Elkhart Memorial Ed Pendoski 37 19 51.35% Carmel Carmel Trent McCormick 58 29 50.00%   Yorktown Dan Gelarden 12 6 50.00%   Munster Paul Voigt 10 5 50.00%   Carroll(Fort Wayne) Andy Hobbs 15 7 46.67% Peru Peru Bob Read 13 6 46.15% Plymouth Plymouth Matthew Behling 11 5 45.45% Culver Academies Bremen Chris Joll 23 10 43.48% Chesterton Chesterton Henry Wilk 21 9 42.86%   Penn Dave Thompson 14 6 42.86%   Whiteland Jim Ledbetter 14 6 42.86%   Warren Central Al Hartman 14 6 42.86%   South Bend Clay Al Smith 19 8 42.11%   Mishawaka Randy Kearby 17 7 41.18%   Bluffton Paul Nicodemus 13 5 38.46%   Plainfield Clarence Warthan 13 5 38.46%   Frankfort Dennis Lewis 13 5 38.46%   NorthWood Russel Feigert 24 9 37.50%   Beech Grove Brad Harper 27 10 37.04% Penn Benton Central Rex Peckinpaugh 38 14 36.84%   New Castle Eric Myers 11 4 36.36% Jay County Jay County Tony Boley 11 4 36.36%   Elwood Lou Silverman 16 5 31.25% North Central Hamilton Southeastern Tony Abbott 17 5 29.41% Cowan Cowan Andy Simon 18 5 27.78%   Carmel Joshua Holden 11 3 27.27% Greenfield-Central Greenfield-Central T. Howard Jones Jr. 11 3 27.27% Jennings County Jennings County Jim Pickard 19 5 26.32% Goshen Goshen Israel Blevins 20 5 25.00%   Avon Larry Mattingly 12 3 25.00% Evansville Memorial Evansville Memorial Scott Ferguson 16 3 18.75% Evansville Reitz Evansville Reitz Louie Kuzdas 11 1 9.09% LaPorte LaPorte
1470
Who do you want in your corner in the semi-finals?
The third edition of this article dives into which coaches have the most success in the semi-finals. We have created three different categories with this as we can break this down in terms of the total number of qualifiers that a coach gets to the finals, the number of placers that a coach gets to the finals, and finally the record in the semi-finals.
 
Click here to view all of the data

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


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

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

Coach Semi-Finalists Finalists Semi % Current School Steve Pugliese 6 5 83.33% Tri-West Bob Read 6 5 83.33% Plymouth Zach Errett 8 6 75.00% Avon Chris Joll 10 7 70.00% Chesterton Brad Harper 10 7 70.00% Penn Dan Briggs 9 6 66.67% Carroll(Fort Wayne) Dave Cloud 6 4 66.67% Pendleton Heights David Maldonado 29 18 62.07% Merrillville Jim Tonte 40 24 60.00% Franklin Community Matthew Behling 5 3 60.00% Culver Academies Bob Harmon 17 10 58.82% Castle Matt Schoettle 9 5 55.56% Perry Meridian Ed Pendoski 19 10 52.63% Carmel Sean McGinley 51 26 50.98% Indianapolis Cathedral Darrick Snyder 43 21 48.84% Brownsburg Wade McClurg 7 3 42.86% Roncalli Andy Hobbs 7 3 42.86% Peru Chris Cooper 15 6 40.00% Columbus East Lou Silverman 5 2 40.00% North Central Greg Schaefer 23 9 39.13% Evansville Mater Dei Tony Abbott 5 1 20.00% Cowan Jim Pickard 5 1 20.00% Goshen Bill Flatt 8 1 12.50% South Bend Riley
1116 8
Who do you want in your corner at state? 2024 Version
Our latest edition of this annual article will always garner lots of responses from everyone. The simple fact is, we have coaches that have a lot of success of Friday night. Winning on Friday gets the kid to the award stand and they get to take home a nice souvenir. This year's list has the usual suspects at the top in Sean McGinley, Darrick Snyder, Branden Lorek, and the pride of Osceola Jerimiah Maggart. Obviously these guys do not do it alone and are surrounded by great assistants, but the bottom line is when these guys are the leaders good things happen on Friday night.
 
Over the course of Indiana history only two coaches have reached 100 state placers during their career. Sean McGinley heads into the state finals with 97 state placers and he has seven chances to get three to the podium. Not too far behind is Brownsburg's Darrick Snyder who is at 87 and will have a shot to hit 100 next year with a good Friday evening.
 
Check out our coaches history page for more information on the top coaches
https://indianamat.com/index.php?/history/coachingstate.html/
 
Remember this is strictly data driven analysis and we will all have our own opinions based on who we want in the corner. 
 
If you want to see all the data here is the link. 
Click here for all of the data
 
Current coaches with 10+ state qualifiers from 1992-2023

Coach Qualifiers Placers Fri % Current School Sean McGinley 127 97 76.38% Indianapolis Cathedral Darrick Snyder 115 87 75.65% Brownsburg Branden Lorek 52 39 75.00% Crown Point Jerimiah Maggart 12 9 75.00% Jimtown Zach Whickcar 11 8 72.73% Elkhart Alex Johns 10 7 70.00% Avon Chris Cooper 42 29 69.05% Columbus East Joshua Holden 19 13 68.42% Greenfield-Central Maurice Swain 36 24 66.67% Center Grove Greg Schaefer 94 61 64.89% Evansville Mater Dei Jake O'Neill 14 9 64.29% Warren Central Gary Black 11 7 63.64% New Castle Pat Dowty 11 7 63.64% Indian Creek David Maldonado 93 59 63.44% Merrillville Jim Tonte 112 71 63.39% Franklin Community Matt Schoettle 43 25 58.14% Perry Meridian Bill Flatt 23 13 56.52% South Bend Riley Dan Briggs 25 14 56.00% Carroll (Fort Wayne) Tony Abbott 36 20 55.56% Cowan Bob Harmon 63 34 53.97% Castle Mike Runyon 25 13 52.00% Bloomington South Chad Shepherd 29 15 51.72% Western Ed Pendoski 82 42 51.22% Carmel Doug Welch 14 7 50.00% Zionsville Louie Kuzdas 29 14 48.28% LaPorte Dennis Lewis 27 13 48.15% NorthWood Jim Pickard 44 21 47.73% Goshen Gabe Cook 13 6 46.15% Terre Haute South Clint Gard 24 11 45.83% Rochester Jason Cook 11 5 45.45% Wheeler Eric Myers 32 14 43.75% Jay County Scott Ferguson 39 17 43.59% Evansville Reitz Brandon Sisson 21 9 42.86% Floyd Central Brad Harper 82 33 40.24% Penn Dan Mikesell 15 6 40.00% Mooresville Luke Triveline 10 4 40.00% Lake Central Adam Wolf 10 4 40.00% East Central Andy Hobbs 43 17 39.53% Peru Danny Struck 21 8 38.10% Jeffersonville Dean Branstetter 16 6 37.50% Attica Tony Currie 19 7 36.84% Adams Central Dave Cloud 30 11 36.67% Pendleton Heights Nick Brobst 11 4 36.36% Hamilton Southeastern Jamie Welliever 14 5 35.71% Southmont James Linn 14 5 35.71% New Haven Doug Smoker 21 7 33.33% Eastside Andrew King 28 9 32.14% Oak Hill Brett Smith 13 4 30.77% Prairie Heights Johnny Henry 13 4 30.77% Harrison (WL) Jim Wadkins 22 6 27.27% Calumet Steven Sandefer 22 6 27.27% Mishawaka Bobby Whitenack 11 3 27.27% New Prairie Sam Riesen 11 3 27.27% East Noble Nick Kraus 21 5 23.81% Garrett Blane Culp 17 4 23.53% Columbia City Doug Deters 13 3 23.08% Franklin County Tom Miller 18 2 11.11% Lafayette Jefferson  
All coaches with 10+ state qualifiers from 1992-2023

Coach Qualifiers Placers Fri % Wiley Craft 12 11 91.67% Todd Kendrick 13 11 84.62% Frank Svarczkopf, Jr. 12 10 83.33% Wade McClurg 17 14 82.35% Travis Walls 26 21 80.77% Dan Gelarden 15 12 80.00% Brett Crousore 39 31 79.49% Nick Petrov 24 19 79.17% Perry Summitt 13 10 76.92% Sean McGinley 127 97 76.38% Darrick Snyder 115 87 75.65% Branden Lorek 52 39 75.00% Jerimiah Maggart 12 9 75.00% Brian Weaver 12 9 75.00% Al Smith 26 19 73.08% Zach Whickcar 11 8 72.73% Justin Smith 11 8 72.73% Rod Wartman 11 8 72.73% Alex Johns 10 7 70.00% Keith Grant 10 7 70.00% Alan Goddard 10 7 70.00% Dennis Miesle 10 7 70.00% Duboris Dickerson 13 9 69.23% Grodie Crick 13 9 69.23% Chris Cooper 42 29 69.05% Joshua Holden 19 13 68.42% Mike Atwood 19 13 68.42% Paul Nicodemus 19 13 68.42% Lance Rhodes 31 21 67.74% Mike Goebel 111 74 66.67% Maurice Swain 36 24 66.67% Paul Voigt 15 10 66.67% Kevin Blundell 12 8 66.67% Bill Kelly 26 17 65.38% Greg Schaefer 94 61 64.89% Lance Ellis 17 11 64.71% Jake O'Neill 14 9 64.29% Zach Errett 28 18 64.29% Chad Red 25 16 64.00% Gary Black 11 7 63.64% Pat Dowty 11 7 63.64% Joe Virgin 11 7 63.64% David Maldonado 93 59 63.44% Jim Tonte 112 71 63.39% Matthew Behling 19 12 63.16% Brian Seltzer 40 25 62.50% Robert Emerick 29 18 62.07% Bob Jarrett 13 8 61.54% Jack Grimaldi 13 8 61.54% Rob Willman 18 11 61.11% John Kopnisky 10 6 60.00% Brent Faurote 109 65 59.63% Kevin Troy 32 19 59.38% David Walpole 17 10 58.82% Russel Feigert 41 24 58.54% Dave Thompson 24 14 58.33% Matt Schoettle 43 25 58.14% Royce Deckard 64 37 57.81% Steve Balash 52 30 57.69% Bob Read 26 15 57.69% Keith Hoffar 28 16 57.14% Kyle Poyer 28 16 57.14% Mike Smorin 14 8 57.14% Jim Nicholson 14 8 57.14% Bill Flatt 23 13 56.52% Larry Tharp 23 13 56.52% Trent McCormick 103 58 56.31% Bobby Howard 16 9 56.25% John Cook 16 9 56.25% Dan Briggs 25 14 56.00% Bob Hasseman 68 38 55.88% Tony Abbott 36 20 55.56% Lance Beehler 18 10 55.56% Danny Williams 20 11 55.00% Jamie Wingler 11 6 54.55% Jason Warthan 11 6 54.55% James Colias 11 6 54.55% Kenny Wallace 11 6 54.55% Clarence Warthan 24 13 54.17% Israel Blevins 37 20 54.05% Chris Joll 63 34 53.97% Bob Harmon 63 34 53.97% Mike Ester 26 14 53.85% Jake Harreld 13 7 53.85% Bob Brennan 15 8 53.33% Jared Williams 40 21 52.50% Rex Peckinpaugh 73 38 52.05% Mike Runyon 25 13 52.00% Chad Shepherd 29 15 51.72% Andy Simon 35 18 51.43% Scott Vlink 76 39 51.32% Ed Pendoski 82 42 51.22% Leroy Vega 43 22 51.16% Randy Kearby 34 17 50.00% Jim Ledbetter 28 14 50.00% Doug Welch 14 7 50.00% T. Howard Jones Jr. 22 11 50.00% Todd Sacksteder 20 10 50.00% Kevin King 18 9 50.00% Frank Bumgardner 16 8 50.00% Chris Campbell 14 7 50.00% Bill Yozipovich 14 7 50.00% Mark Bruner 12 6 50.00% Mark Kirchgassner 12 6 50.00% Lee Fry 10 5 50.00% Chris Svarczkopf 10 5 50.00% Larry Hazuga 10 5 50.00% Christopher Kern 10 5 50.00% Henry Wilk 43 21 48.84% Mark Kerrn 39 19 48.72% Louie Kuzdas 29 14 48.28% Dennis Lewis 27 13 48.15% Jim Pickard 44 21 47.73% Terry O'Neill 19 9 47.37% Scott Dehart 17 8 47.06% Cale Hoover 26 12 46.15% Gabe Cook 13 6 46.15% Rod Williams 13 6 46.15% Tony Boley 24 11 45.83% Clint Gard 24 11 45.83% Jason Cook 11 5 45.45% Bud Palmer 11 5 45.45% Steve Wewe 11 5 45.45% Bo Henry 11 5 45.45% Eric Myers 32 14 43.75% Phil Smith 16 7 43.75% Scott Ferguson 39 17 43.59% Brandon Sisson 21 9 42.86% Rick Stenftenagel 14 6 42.86% David Caple 14 6 42.86% Lou Silverman 40 17 42.50% Scott Schwarz 26 11 42.31% Eric Highley 19 8 42.11% Jim HIttler 12 5 41.67% Ryan Wells 17 7 41.18% Steve VanderAa 17 7 41.18% Larry Mattingly 37 15 40.54% Brad Harper 82 33 40.24% Mark Line 20 8 40.00% Dan Mikesell 15 6 40.00% Luke Triveline 10 4 40.00% Adam Wolf 10 4 40.00% Scott Raypole 15 6 40.00% Ryan Landis 10 4 40.00% James Binkley 10 4 40.00% Sam DiPrimio 10 4 40.00% Gene Backes 10 4 40.00% Murray Miller 10 4 40.00% James Phillips 10 4 40.00% Kevin Taylor 10 4 40.00% Andy Hobbs 43 17 39.53% Steve Pugliese 23 9 39.13% Al Hartman 36 14 38.89% Ed Fox 13 5 38.46% Greg Gastineau 13 5 38.46% Danny Struck 21 8 38.10% Dean Branstetter 16 6 37.50% Tony Currie 19 7 36.84% Dave Cloud 30 11 36.67% Nick Brobst 11 4 36.36% Gary Fox 11 4 36.36% Gary Schliessman 11 4 36.36% Tony Grater 11 4 36.36% Tony Starks 11 4 36.36% Derek Bocock 14 5 35.71% Jamie Welliever 14 5 35.71% James Linn 14 5 35.71% Mark Scott 20 7 35.00% Paul Gunsett 20 7 35.00% David Errett 20 7 35.00% Barry Humble 18 6 33.33% Robert Freije 18 6 33.33% Josh Dommer 15 5 33.33% Doug Smoker 21 7 33.33% Todd Fakes 12 4 33.33% Andrew King 28 9 32.14% Matt Koontz 13 4 30.77% Randy Pursley 13 4 30.77% Brett Smith 13 4 30.77% Johnny Henry 13 4 30.77% Chuck Fleshman 10 3 30.00% John Bennett 10 3 30.00% Lonnie Chamberlain 10 3 30.00% Nicholas Eckert 14 4 28.57% George Gardner 18 5 27.78% Jim Wadkins 22 6 27.27% Steven Sandefer 22 6 27.27% Bobby Whitenack 11 3 27.27% Tim Alcorn 11 3 27.27% Sam Riesen 11 3 27.27% Ron Anderson 11 3 27.27% Eric Burres 12 3 25.00% Nick Kraus 21 5 23.81% Blane Culp 17 4 23.53% Doug Deters 13 3 23.08% Byron Sweet 10 2 20.00% Kevin Wilkinson 10 2 20.00% Ken Houston 16 3 18.75% Denny Schwartz 16 3 18.75% Scott VanDerAa 15 2 13.33% Tom Miller 18 2 11.11% Al Thomas 10 1 10.00% Tim Sloffer 12 1 8.33% Doug Schultz 13 1 7.69%
1483 11
Who do you want in your corner at state? 2023 Version
One of our favorite articles of the year is here! The premise of this is to show which coaches and let's be honest COACHING STAFFS have the most success at the most crucial times during the state series. Winning on Friday is simple, you win and you get a medal. If you lose you go home with only a ribbon from last week. Getting kids to peak at the right time is a juggling act that Barnum and Bailey would be impressed by. The coaches at the top of the list simply get things done in crucial moments and that takes years of experience along with trial and error. This article by no means says any coach is better than another, just simply looks at the data from 1992 until 2022 and shows which coaches win at state more often. 
 
This year we have a new leader of the current coaches with the highest winning percentage on Friday night. Congratulations to everyone's favorite Osceola native Jerimiah Maggart for taking the lead! We all know there will be some coaches hot on his tail this year.
 
Take the data as you want, but it is always a great conversation starter during this week.
 
Click here for all of the data
Current coaches with 10+ state qualifiers from 1992-2022

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

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

2812 9 1
Who do you want in your corner at state? 2022 Version
Winning is easy, well not that easy, but winning consistently is much, much harder. One of our more controversial articles of state week is "who do you want in your corner?" This was conjured up when we wanted to know which coaches had the most success on Friday night. After that we moved to the quarter-finals and of course semi-finals and the championship match. With our system of one and done on Friday the data is easy to decipher on which coaches have the most success. The numbers are staggering for certain coaches. We also understand fully that this isn't just a one man show, many of the top head coaches will divide and conquer and have top assistants in the corner for specific individuals. 
 
Take the data as you want, but it is always a great conversation starter during this week.
 
Click here for all of the data
Current coaches with 10+ state qualifiers from 1992-2019
Coach Qualifiers Placers Friday % Current School Sean McGinley 114 88 77.19% Indianapolis Cathedral Darrick Snyder 97 72 74.23% Brownsburg Chris Cooper 36 26 72.22% Columbus East Maurice Swain 17 12 70.59% Center Grove Branden Lorek 30 21 70.00% Crown Point Joshua Holden 19 13 68.42% Greenfield-Central Matt Schoettle 34 23 67.65% Perry Meridian David Maldonado 84 56 66.67% Merrillville Jim Tonte 111 70 63.06% Franklin Community Greg Schaefer 84 52 61.90% Evansville Mater Dei Frank Bumgardner 12 7 58.33% Wawasee Bill Flatt 23 13 56.52% South Bend Riley Tony Abbott 32 18 56.25% Cowan Dan Briggs 22 12 54.55% Carroll (Fort Wayne) Ed Pendoski 74 40 54.05% Carmel Gabe Cook 10 5 50.00% Terre Haute South Mike Runyon 20 10 50.00% Bloomington South Randy Kearby 34 17 50.00% Wabash Phil Smith 10 5 50.00% Westfield Bob Harmon 57 28 49.12% Castle Chad Shepherd 25 12 48.00% Western Brandon Sisson 17 8 47.06% Floyd Central Jim Pickard 43 20 46.51% Goshen Eric Myers 26 12 46.15% Jay County Lou Silverman 37 17 45.95% North Central Louie Kuzdas 27 12 44.44% LaPorte Clint Gard 16 7 43.75% Rochester Scott Ferguson 38 16 42.11% Evansville Reitz Brad Harper 72 29 40.28% Penn Dan Mikesell 15 6 40.00% Mooresville Danny Struck 20 8 40.00% Jeffersonville James Linn 10 4 40.00% New Haven Larry Mattingly 33 13 39.39% Evansville Memorial Andy Hobbs 41 16 39.02% Peru Tony Currie 13 5 38.46% Adams Central Dean Branstetter 13 5 38.46% Attica Jamie Welliever 13 5 38.46% Southmont Brett Smith 11 4 36.36% Prairie Heights Doug Smoker 20 7 35.00% Eastside Dave Cloud 25 8 32.00% Pendleton Heights Andrew King 26 8 30.77% Oak Hill Tim Alcorn 10 3 30.00% Mount Vernon (Posey) Blane Culp 14 4 28.57% Columbia City Jim Wadkins 21 6 28.57% Calumet Doug Deters 13 3 23.08% Franklin County Steven Sandefer 13 3 23.08% Mishawaka Sam Riesen 10 2 20.00% East Noble Nick Kraus 16 3 18.75% Garrett Tom Miller 18 2 11.11% Lafayette Jefferson  
All coaches with 10+ state qualifiers from 1992-2019
Coach Qualifiers Placers Friday % Wiley Craft 11 10 90.91% Todd Kendrick 13 11 84.62% Wade McClurg 17 14 82.35% Travis Walls 26 21 80.77% Dan Gelarden 15 12 80.00% Brett Crousore 39 31 79.49% Nick Petrov 24 19 79.17% Sean McGinley 114 88 77.19% Perry Summitt 13 10 76.92% Brian Weaver 12 9 75.00% Darrick Snyder 97 72 74.23% Justin Smith 11 8 72.73% Rod Wartman 11 8 72.73% Chris Cooper 36 26 72.22% Maurice Swain 17 12 70.59% Keith Grant 10 7 70.00% Branden Lorek 30 21 70.00% Al Smith 20 14 70.00% Alan Goddard 10 7 70.00% Joshua Holden 19 13 68.42% Mike Atwood 19 13 68.42% Paul Nicodemus 19 13 68.42% Mike Goebel 102 69 67.65% Matt Schoettle 34 23 67.65% David Maldonado 84 56 66.67% Paul Voigt 15 10 66.67% Kevin Blundell 12 8 66.67% Robert Emerick 27 18 66.67% Duboris Dickerson 12 8 66.67% Bill Kelly 26 17 65.38% Lance Ellis 17 11 64.71% Zach Errett 28 18 64.29% Lance Rhodes 28 18 64.29% Chad Red 25 16 64.00% Kevin Troy 30 19 63.33% Matthew Behling 19 12 63.16% Jim Tonte 111 70 63.06% Brian Seltzer 40 25 62.50% Greg Schaefer 84 52 61.90% Jack Grimaldi 13 8 61.54% Russel Feigert 39 24 61.54% Rob Willman 18 11 61.11% Bob Jarrett 10 6 60.00% John Kopnisky 10 6 60.00% Kevin King 15 9 60.00% Brent Faurote 107 64 59.81% Dave Thompson 24 14 58.33% Frank Bumgardner 12 7 58.33% Royce Deckard 64 37 57.81% Steve Balash 47 27 57.45% Bob Read 21 12 57.14% Keith Hoffar 28 16 57.14% Kyle Poyer 28 16 57.14% Trent McCormick 100 57 57.00% Bob Hasseman 67 38 56.72% Bill Flatt 23 13 56.52% Bobby Howard 16 9 56.25% Tony Abbott 32 18 56.25% Lance Beehler 18 10 55.56% Danny Williams 20 11 55.00% Larry Tharp 20 11 55.00% Dan Briggs 22 12 54.55% Jim Nicholson 11 6 54.55% Clarence Warthan 22 12 54.55% John Cook 11 6 54.55% Jamie Wingler 11 6 54.55% Jason Warthan 11 6 54.55% Ed Pendoski 74 40 54.05% Israel Blevins 37 20 54.05% Jake Harreld 13 7 53.85% Mike Ester 26 14 53.85% Chris Joll 60 32 53.33% Bob Brennan 15 8 53.33% Scott Vlink 72 38 52.78% Jared Williams 40 21 52.50% Rex Peckinpaugh 67 35 52.24% Andy Simon 33 17 51.52% Mark Kerrn 35 18 51.43% Leroy Vega 43 22 51.16% Gabe Cook 10 5 50.00% Mark Bruner 12 6 50.00% Mark Kirchgassner 12 6 50.00% Mike Runyon 20 10 50.00% Randy Kearby 34 17 50.00% Phil Smith 10 5 50.00% Jim Ledbetter 28 14 50.00% Todd Sacksteder 20 10 50.00% Scott Dehart 14 7 50.00% Christopher Kern 10 5 50.00% Bob Harmon 57 28 49.12% Henry Wilk 37 18 48.65% Chad Shepherd 25 12 48.00% Dennis Lewis 25 12 48.00% T. Howard Jones Jr. 21 10 47.62% Terry O'Neill 19 9 47.37% Brandon Sisson 17 8 47.06% Ryan Wells 15 7 46.67% Jim Pickard 43 20 46.51% Cale Hoover 26 12 46.15% Chris Campbell 13 6 46.15% Eric Myers 26 12 46.15% Rod Williams 13 6 46.15% Lou Silverman 37 17 45.95% Tony Boley 22 10 45.45% Louie Kuzdas 27 12 44.44% Scott Schwarz 25 11 44.00% Clint Gard 16 7 43.75% Rick Stenftenagel 14 6 42.86% Eric Highley 19 8 42.11% Scott Ferguson 38 16 42.11% Ed Fox 12 5 41.67% David Caple 12 5 41.67% Mark Scott 17 7 41.18% Al Hartman 32 13 40.63% Brad Harper 72 29 40.28% Scott Raypole 15 6 40.00% Dan Mikesell 15 6 40.00% Danny Struck 20 8 40.00% Ryan Landis 10 4 40.00% Mark Line 20 8 40.00% James Binkley 10 4 40.00% James Linn 10 4 40.00% Gene Backes 10 4 40.00% Murray Miller 10 4 40.00% Steve Wewe 10 4 40.00% Kevin Taylor 10 4 40.00% Larry Mattingly 33 13 39.39% Steve Pugliese 23 9 39.13% Andy Hobbs 41 16 39.02% Tony Currie 13 5 38.46% Dean Branstetter 13 5 38.46% Jamie Welliever 13 5 38.46% Greg Gastineau 13 5 38.46% Steve VanderAa 16 6 37.50% Brett Smith 11 4 36.36% Gary Fox 11 4 36.36% Gary Schliessman 11 4 36.36% Tony Grater 11 4 36.36% Tony Starks 11 4 36.36% Derek Bocock 14 5 35.71% Matt Koontz 14 5 35.71% Jim HIttler 14 5 35.71% Doug Smoker 20 7 35.00% Paul Gunsett 20 7 35.00% Barry Humble 18 6 33.33% Josh Dommer 15 5 33.33% Dave Cloud 25 8 32.00% David Errett 16 5 31.25% Robert Freije 16 5 31.25% Andrew King 26 8 30.77% Randy Pursley 13 4 30.77% Chuck Fleshman 10 3 30.00% Tim Alcorn 10 3 30.00% John Bennett 10 3 30.00% Lonnie Chamberlain 10 3 30.00% Blane Culp 14 4 28.57% Jim Wadkins 21 6 28.57% George Gardner 15 4 26.67% Eric Burres 12 3 25.00% Doug Deters 13 3 23.08% Ken Houston 13 3 23.08% Steven Sandefer 13 3 23.08% Nicholas Eckert 13 3 23.08% Kevin Wilkinson 10 2 20.00% Sam Riesen 10 2 20.00% Nick Kraus 16 3 18.75% Denny Schwartz 16 3 18.75% Scott VanDerAa 15 2 13.33% Tom Miller 18 2 11.11% Tim Sloffer 12 1 8.33% Doug Schultz 13 1 7.69%
2560 18
Who do you want in your corner at state? 2021 Version
Last year this article produced many comments and since it was so popular, let's bring it back. Over the course of the state finals we have seen the placers grow from 4 to 6 to 8. With the addition of the 7th place match came the dreaded Friday night do or die match. Coaches make a living on Friday night getting kids on the stand. Year after year we notice a lot of the same teams with wrestlers on the podium. However, how good are these coaches at getting kids on the stand, to the semi-finals, or even finals? Well, you neighborhood gorilla has crunched the data and has it for everyone to see. 
 
You can view all the data for both Friday and Saturday success
Click here to view
 
Current coaches with 10 or more qualifiers sorted by winning percentage.

Coach Total Qualifiers Total Placers Friday % Wade McClurg 15 13 86.67% Maurice Swain 13 10 76.92% Sean McGinley 108 83 76.85% Brian Weaver 12 9 75.00% Darrick Snyder 92 68 73.91% Chris Cooper 33 24 72.73% Matt Schoettle 25 17 68.00% David Maldonado 83 55 66.27% Jim Tonte 106 70 66.04% Joshua Holden 20 13 65.00% Kevin Blundell 11 7 63.64% Branden Lorek 22 14 63.64% Zach Errett 24 15 62.50% Frank Bumgardner 10 6 60.00% Greg Schaefer 77 46 59.74% Dan Briggs 19 11 57.89% Bill Flatt 23 13 56.52% Ed Pendoski 71 39 54.93% Tony Abbott 31 17 54.84% Eric Myers 23 12 52.17% Bob Harmon 58 29 50.00% Brandon Sisson 12 6 50.00% Randy Kearby 34 17 50.00% Chris Joll 55 26 47.27% Lou Silverman 36 17 47.22% Mike Runyon 17 8 47.06% Jim Pickard 41 19 46.34% Louie Kuzdas 25 11 44.00% Clint Gard 16 7 43.75% Brad Harper 64 27 42.19% Scott Ferguson 38 16 42.11% Rod Williams 12 5 41.67% Chad Shepherd 22 9 40.91% Steve Pugliese 22 9 40.91% Larry Mattingly 32 13 40.63% Brett Smith 10 4 40.00% Dan Mikesell 15 6 40.00% Brett Smith 10 4 40.00% Tony Currie 10 4 40.00% Tony Currie 10 4 40.00% Dave Cloud 28 11 39.29% Andy Hobbs 41 16 39.02% Danny Struck 18 7 38.89% Dean Branstetter 16 6 37.50% Paul Gunsett 17 6 35.29% Doug Smoker 20 7 35.00% Blane Culp 12 4 33.33% Jamie Welliever 12 4 33.33% Tim Alcorn 10 3 30.00% Jim Wadkins 22 6 27.27% Andrew King 23 6 26.09% Steven Sandefer 12 3 25.00% Steven Sandefer 12 3 25.00% Nick Kraus 14 3 21.43% Tom Miller 17 2 11.76%  
Current coaches with more than 10 qualifiers getting wrestlers to the semi-finals by winning percentage

Coach Current School Qual Placer Semi-Finalists Qual to Semis Wade McClurg Roncalli 15 13 10 66.67% Zach Errett Avon 24 15 11 45.83% Dan Briggs Carroll (Fort Wayne) 19 11 9 47.37% Matt Schoettle Perry Meridian 25 17 12 48.00% Sean McGinley Indianapolis Cathedral 108 83 56 51.85% Darrick Snyder Brownsburg 92 68 46 50.00% Steve Pugliese Tri-West 22 9 6 27.27% Jim Tonte Franklin Community 106 70 40 37.74% David Maldonado Merrillville 83 55 30 36.14% Bob Harmon Castle 58 29 18 31.03% Chris Cooper Columbus East 33 24 15 45.45% Steven Sandefer Mishawaka 12 3 2 16.67% Maurice Swain Center Grove 13 10 5 38.46% Joshua Holden Greenfield-Central 20 13 3 15.00% Chris Joll Chesterton 55 26 11 20.00% Greg Schaefer Evansville Mater Dei 77 46 26 33.77% Dave Cloud Pendleton Heights 28 11 6 21.43% Nick Kraus Garrett 14 3 3 21.43% Ed Pendoski Carmel 71 39 20 28.17% Branden Lorek Crown Point 22 14 6 27.27% Brad Harper Penn 64 27 10 15.63% Frank Bumgardner Wawasee 10 6 2 20.00% Tim Alcorn Mount Vernon (Posey) 10 3 2 20.00% Kevin Blundell Monrovia 11 7 2 18.18% Jim Wadkins Calumet 22 6 3 13.64% Randy Kearby Evansville Central 34 17 7 20.59% Brandon Sisson Floyd Central 12 6 3 25.00% Brian Weaver Elkhart Memorial 12 9 2 16.67% Rod Williams Leo 12 5 1 8.33% Andy Hobbs Peru 41 16 7 17.07% Dan Mikesell Mooresville 15 6 3 20.00% Paul Gunsett Bellmont 17 6 2 11.76% Lou Silverman North Central 36 17 5 13.89% Danny Struck Jeffersonville 18 7 2 11.11% Chad Shepherd Western 22 9 3 13.64% Bill Flatt South Bend Riley 23 13 8 34.78% Eric Myers Jay County 23 12 4 17.39% Tony Abbott Cowan 31 17 5 16.13% Larry Mattingly Evansville Memorial 32 13 3 9.38% Jim Pickard Goshen 41 19 5 12.20% Mike Runyon Bloomington South 17 8 3 17.65% Brett Smith Prairie Heights 10 4 1 10.00% Doug Smoker Eastside 20 7 2 10.00% Tony Currie Adams Central 10 4 1 10.00% Scott Ferguson Evansville Reitz 38 16 3 7.89% Dean Branstetter Attica 16 6 1 6.25% Louie Kuzdas LaPorte 25 11 1 4.00% Andrew King Oak Hill 23 6 0 0.00% Blane Culp Columbia City 12 4 0 0.00% Clint Gard Rochester 16 7 0 0.00% Tom Miller Lafayette Jefferson 17 2 0 0.00% Jamie Welliever Southmont 12 4 0 0.00%  
Current coaches with more than 10 qualifiers getting wrestlers to the finals by winning percentage

Coach Current School Qual Place Finalists Qual to Finals Wade McClurg Roncalli 15 13 5 33.33% Zach Errett Avon 24 15 8 33.33% Dan Briggs Carroll (Fort Wayne) 19 11 6 31.58% Matt Schoettle Perry Meridian 25 17 7 28.00% Sean McGinley Indianapolis Cathedral 108 83 29 26.85% Darrick Snyder Brownsburg 92 68 22 23.91% Steve Pugliese Tri-West 22 9 5 22.73% Jim Tonte Franklin Community 106 70 24 22.64% David Maldonado Merrillville 83 55 18 21.69% Bob Harmon Castle 58 29 11 18.97% Chris Cooper Columbus East 33 24 6 18.18% Steven Sandefer Mishawaka 12 3 2 16.67% Maurice Swain Center Grove 13 10 2 15.38% Joshua Holden Greenfield-Central 20 13 3 15.00% Chris Joll Chesterton 55 26 8 14.55% Greg Schaefer Evansville Mater Dei 77 46 11 14.29% Dave Cloud Pendleton Heights 28 11 4 14.29% Nick Kraus Garrett 14 3 2 14.29% Ed Pendoski Carmel 71 39 10 14.08% Branden Lorek Crown Point 22 14 3 13.64% Brad Harper Penn 64 27 7 10.94% Frank Bumgardner Wawasee 10 6 1 10.00% Tim Alcorn Mount Vernon (Posey) 10 3 1 10.00% Kevin Blundell Monrovia 11 7 1 9.09% Jim Wadkins Calumet 22 6 2 9.09% Randy Kearby Evansville Central 34 17 3 8.82% Brandon Sisson Floyd Central 12 6 1 8.33% Brian Weaver Elkhart Memorial 12 9 1 8.33% Rod Williams Leo 12 5 1 8.33% Andy Hobbs Peru 41 16 3 7.32% Dan Mikesell Mooresville 15 6 1 6.67% Paul Gunsett Bellmont 17 6 1 5.88% Lou Silverman North Central 36 17 2 5.56% Danny Struck Jeffersonville 18 7 1 5.56% Chad Shepherd Western 22 9 1 4.55% Bill Flatt South Bend Riley 23 13 1 4.35% Eric Myers Jay County 23 12 1 4.35% Tony Abbott Cowan 31 17 1 3.23% Larry Mattingly Evansville Memorial 32 13 1 3.13% Jim Pickard Goshen 41 19 1 2.44% Mike Runyon Bloomington South 17 8 0 0.00% Brett Smith Prairie Heights 10 4 0 0.00% Doug Smoker Eastside 20 7 0 0.00% Tony Currie Adams Central 10 4 0 0.00% Scott Ferguson Evansville Reitz 38 16 0 0.00% Dean Branstetter Attica 16 6 0 0.00% Louie Kuzdas LaPorte 25 11 0 0.00% Andrew King Oak Hill 23 6 0 0.00% Blane Culp Columbia City 12 4 0 0.00% Clint Gard Rochester 16 7 0 0.00% Tom Miller Lafayette Jefferson 17 2 0 0.00% Jamie Welliever Southmont 12 4 0 0.00%  
Current Coaches winning percentage under the lights with over 10 state qualifiers

Coach Current School Finalists Champs Lights Jim Wadkins Calumet 2 2 100.00% Bill Flatt South Bend Riley 1 1 100.00% Brandon Sisson Floyd Central 1 1 100.00% Larry Mattingly Evansville Memorial 1 1 100.00% Tony Abbott Cowan 1 1 100.00% Kevin Blundell Monrovia 1 1 100.00% Chris Cooper Columbus East 6 5 83.33% Steve Pugliese Tri-West 5 4 80.00% Bob Harmon Castle 11 8 72.73% Branden Lorek Crown Point 3 2 66.67% Wade McClurg Roncalli 5 3 60.00% Darrick Snyder Brownsburg 22 13 59.09% Greg Schaefer Evansville Mater Dei 11 6 54.55% Jim Tonte Franklin Community 24 12 50.00% David Maldonado Merrillville 18 9 50.00% Ed Pendoski Carmel 10 5 50.00% Chris Joll Chesterton 8 4 50.00% Zach Errett Avon 8 4 50.00% Dan Briggs Carroll (Fort Wayne) 6 3 50.00% Dave Cloud Pendleton Heights 4 2 50.00% Maurice Swain Center Grove 2 1 50.00% Steven Sandefer Mishawaka 2 1 50.00% Brad Harper Penn 7 3 42.86% Sean McGinley Indianapolis Cathedral 29 12 41.38% Joshua Holden Greenfield-Central 3 1 33.33% Matt Schoettle Perry Meridian 7 2 28.57% Andy Hobbs Peru 3 0 0.00% Randy Kearby Evansville Central 3 0 0.00% Lou Silverman North Central 2 0 0.00% Nick Kraus Garrett 2 0 0.00% Chad Shepherd Western 1 0 0.00% Dan Mikesell Mooresville 1 0 0.00% Danny Struck Jeffersonville 1 0 0.00% Eric Myers Jay County 1 0 0.00% Frank Bumgardner Wawasee 1 0 0.00% Jim Pickard Goshen 1 0 0.00% Tim Alcorn Mount Vernon (Posey) 1 0 0.00% Brian Weaver Elkhart Memorial 1 0 0.00% Paul Gunsett Bellmont 1 0 0.00% Rod Williams Leo 1 0 0.00%
1882
Where are they now? With Jeremy Hart
[caption id=attachment_377" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Former South Adams wrestler Jeremy Hart in action at Penn State][/caption]
 
By Corey Sparks
 
Wrestler Name: Jeremy Hart
 
High School: South Adams Jr.-Sr. High School, IN & State College High School, PA
 
College: Penn State University
 
First things first, who is Jeremy Hart and why has he been selected to be featured in the first article of "Where are they now?"  Jeremy Hart is one of the most driven individuals I have ever met.  I first met Jeremy as an elementary wrestler back in the early 90's.  The Gold Wrestling Club was in the beginning stages, and Jeremy's father, Brad Hart was one of the founders of the organization.
 
I returned to the South Adams Wrestling program in 1998.  The short and pudgy Jeremy Hart was now a freshman at South Adams and to my surprise, he had grown up.  I know that's what kids do, I always hated it when grandparents would say that, "Wow, kid...you have grown since the last time I seen you!"  Jeremy Hart had become a young man.  He worked harder as a freshman, then any other kid in the room.  There were juniors and seniors coming to us after practice once or twice a week asking, no begging us to talk to Jeremy about going 100% all the time from the start of practice to the end of practice.
 
Jeremy's passion for wrestling and to achieve greatness is why he was my choice for this first write up of "Where are they now!"
 
Interview by Corey Sparks, South Adams Wrestling
 
Talk a little about your High School Wrestling Experience:
 
[caption id=attachment_378" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Former South Adams wrestler Jeremy Hart in action at Penn State][/caption]
 
I wrestled my freshman season at South Adams. I had a decent season and record for a freshman, but fell short of my goal of winning a state title when I didn't even make it out of sectional. The loss my freshman year at sectional to Chad Bollenbacher from Adams Central stuck with me throughout my High School career and served as a great source of motivation.
 
Soon after my freshman year my family moved from Berne, IN to State College, PA. In State College I had access to resources like I never knew existed. At the outset I trained year round with a former Penn State wrestler and Olympian, Ken Chertow. At the beginning of my sophomore year at State High I began training with former Penn State wrestler, Chad Dubin. I really credit Ken and Chad for my high school success. Ken laid a foundation of good technique and taught me how to push myself. Chad developed my style and showed me the finer points of the sport.
 
I ended up placing in Pennsylvania AAA state three times in high school. As a sophomore I placed 7th. I was runner-up as a junior, losing to 4-2 to Rocky Mantella in the finals, and as a senior I placed third. I lost a 5-4 heartbreaker in the semifinals to Jake Herbert, giving up a takedown in the last 10 seconds of the match.
 
After high school I decided to attend Penn State University on a wrestling scholarship.
 
High School Wrestling in Indiana vs. Pennsylvania:
 
I think that Indiana has some great high school wrestling. However, I don't see it consistently producing the same quantity or quality of wrestlers as Pennsylvania. I think one of the big reasons for this is the strength and seriousness of the youth programs in Pennsylvania. Granted, Indiana has youth wrestling clubs. However, they're not the same as clubs that exist in PA like the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, Angry Fish, Ken Chertow's Olympian Wrestling School, and many others that bring the best wrestlers within a 100 mile radius together in one place to train. Additionally, these clubs are led by professional coaches; former NCAA wrestlers and All-Americans who have devoted their lives to developing young wrestlers into state and NCAA champions coach these clubs.  The proof is ultimately in the performance of the state's athletes at the highest levels of competition. Each year there are far more All-Americans at Fargo from PA than from IN, and PA always has more All-Americans at NCAA's. I think it all begins with the quality and seriousness of the feeder programs.
 
Views on Class Wrestling (A big debate within the State of Indiana, I just want to get your perspective since you were a part of both sides):
 
I think this debate must be analyzed according to the purposes of high school wrestling. At the end of the day, the purpose of high school wrestling is to develop character, hard work, and discipline in the boys who participate. The existence of a class structure has no bearing on the accomplishment of this aim. However, a secondary purpose of high school wrestling is to give the largest number of young men the opportunity to wrestle at a collegiate level, possibly with financial assistance for the fruits of their labor on the mat. This objective cuts toward a class system. The placement of a wrestler at the state tournament is a quality indicator for college coaches. It's not the only quality indicator, but it is an important one nonetheless. A state with a single class is doing an incredibly inefficient job at exposing the spectrum of quality of its wrestlers because, by definition, only eight wrestlers can place. Thus, a wrestler who may have placed in a smaller school division, or in a bigger school division, but failed to place in a single class structure may be denied exposure to college coaches which he would have had if he had competed in a class system. If the high schools in a state really wish to maximize the opportunities for their athlete's to compete at the collegiate level, they will ensure them maximum exposure. Sure, a single class system results in one state champion. That may give that individual something to brag about, but it does little for the overall good of wrestling in the state. When more wrestlers are exposed to colleges due to placement in the state tournament, more wrestlers wrestle in college. When more wrestlers wrestle in college, more college wrestlers populate the state from which they came. These wrestlers then become the coaches of the youth clubs and high schools sowing the knowledge gleaned from collegiate wrestling into younger wresters, and thus the entire level of wrestling in the state is raised. In short, classes are a good thing. Instead of eight placers per weight, you now have 16 or 24 depending on the number of classes. More exposure means more college wrestlers, more college wrestlers means better wrestling in the state.
 
I've gotten somewhat long-winded above, but that argument doesn't even take into account the non-wrestling benefits of class wrestling: increased revenue potential from the state tournaments, increased educational opportunities for those wrestlers who do get financial assistance to go to college, etc...
 
Summer Wrestling & Summer Camp Experiences:
 
I wrestled every summer all summer without exception. I was either at a camp or wrestling for a national team in Fargo. The saying is cliché, but true, "Summer wrestling makes winter champions."
 
National & International Experiences:
 
I competed nationally at Fargo twice as a Cadet and twice as a Junior. I was a Junior National All-American in freestyle in 2001. In college I wrestled FILA Junior Nationals, where I was an All-American, and University Nationals. I won one international tournament which was held in Puerto Rico.
 
D1 College Wrestling Experiences:
 
Wrestling at the D1 level is like nothing else I've ever experienced. It is truly not only a sport, but a way of life. Everything revolves around training and competing, and nearly every aspect of your life (My relationship with Jesus and my family still had priorty) gives way to the goal of being a national champion.
 
You compete against the best wrestlers in the country every match. Every single dual is like wrestling a state championship match.
 
What was it like to wrestle for Penn State?
 
Wrestling for Penn State was a dream come true. There is no program east of the Mississippi with the wrestling heritage that Penn State has. I was proud to wear the Blue and White, and I did my best to represent Penn State well. There is nothing like wrestling in front of 5,000 screaming fans at Rec Hall.
 
Favorite practice partner & why?
 
James Yonushonis. He was always one of the most intense guys in the room, and he never took the easy way out or did anything halfway. We got into fist fight at least once a week because our matches would be so physical and intense, but we pushed each other and made each other better.
 

 
Who was your toughest opponent and why?
 
Troy Letters from Lehigh. He was one of the few guys I wrestled who was both strong as an ox and flawless in technique. His defense was so good that you had to get desperate to try and score, which, of course, made his offense look even better.
 

 

 
Most memorable match?
 
My junior year in the state semi-finals I was wrestling a senior ranked number one in the state. The match went into double overtime and I got the flip, took down, and escaped with :07 on the clock. All 7,000 people in Hershey arena went nuts. That was probably when I first realized that none of the success I had had up to that point was a fluke. I realized that I belonged wrestling at a high level.
 
What impact has wrestling had on your life?
 
It has taught me how to work harder than even the hardest workers that never wrestled. I am able to go the extra mile and do what no one else is willing to do to succeed because I did it for so long on the mat. Wrestling taught me rigorous discipline, how to perform under pressure, and how to learn from mistakes and correct them. Most people are simply lazy, crack under pressure and would rather be mediocre than learn from mistakes and improve.
 
If you would have had to choose a different sport, what would it have been?
 
Lacrosse. You get to hit people with a stick, and I hear they don't have to make weight!
 
What was your main source of motivation?
 
I motivated myself. I'm a perfectionist by nature. So, I was always, and still am my biggest critic and motivator.
 
Do you have any future plans with Wrestling?
 
I'll always be involved in the sport in one way or another. Serious coaching isn't really for me, but I'll always have my hand in the sport in some way.
 
What are you doing presently?
 
I am currently in law school at the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.
 
What are your future plans?
 
I'm going to graduate from law school, hopefully clerk for a judge, and then develop a practice in commercial and/or employment and labor litigation. Any attorneys who are wrestling fans out there that want to discuss job opportunities should give me a call!
 
Any last words you would like Wrestling Fans to know?
 
I would like to thank them. Wrestling fans, like wrestlers, are a special breed, and the fans are a large part of what makes a wrestling experience like mine memorable. Thank You!

5062
Where are they now with Brad Traviola
Wrestler’s Name: Brad Traviolia
 
High School: Wawasee
 
College: Northwestern University
 
Talk a little about your high school wrestling experience:
 
Coach Rich Welborn had developed Wawasee into a very respectable wrestling program by the time I reached high school. Our team annually had high expectations. I was part of a group of kids from our area that competed in freestyle competition throughout the spring and summer months from a fairly early age - which I believe was a first for Wawasee. This additional time spent wrestling paid off as Wawasee had a nice run of sectional and regional championships and several state place winners.
 
 
What other sports did you play/enjoy in high school?
 
Football. The Wawasee Warriors were state runners-up in Class 3A in 1985. This was the first year in which the state championship format included all teams. Our team was barely over .500 during the regular season but we got hot during the playoffs and made a run all the way to the state finals. It was great fun being part of that experience and playing in the Hoosier Dome.
 
Memories of your state championship:
 
I recall feeling a sense of relief more than anything else. I lost in the semi-finals as a junior and I put a lot of pressure on myself to finish my senior year on top. I think for any state champion the accomplishment serves as a validation of the time, effort and commitment put forth by that individual or team.
 
Summer wrestling & summer camp experiences:
 
As part of the Indiana junior freestyle team I attended a week-long training camp at Doug Blubaugh’s “Top of the World Camp” in Bloomington. My parents almost turned around and took me home after arriving and seeing dogs running all over the wrestling mats, the “swimming facility” (an overgrown pond), and several coaching staff members clearing land around the camp with heavy construction equipment in between wrestling sessions. I’m glad I stayed because I learned the front-headlock from one of the very best.
 
College wrestling experiences:
 
Northwestern was a great fit for me. The campus was close (3 hours drive) but not too close to home. My teammates became my extended family. The camaraderie among my teammates was so important because the hardest part about jumping from high school to college for me was adapting to the high level of competition every day in the practice room. Taking fourth place as a team at the 1990 NCAA Wrestling Championships was definitely the highlight.
 
National & international experiences:
 
While I competed in a few national freestyle tournaments I never really got into it. High school was great in that football served as a nice break from wrestling and vice versa. After my freshman year of college I didn’t want to see a wrestling mat for months.
 
Favorite practice partner & why? (High school or college)
 
I was fortunate to have great practice partners in both high school and college. At Wawasee I practiced every day with Lance Lantz who won a state championship at 167 lbs. our senior year. There is no substitute for facing top level competition every day. At Northwestern the talent level was incredible and being a middle weight I found it beneficial to practice with both smaller, quicker guys, as well as, heavier, stronger teammates so I could work on different parts of my style depending my opponents’ strengths and weaknesses.
 
Who was your toughest opponent and why?
 
One of the toughest had to be David Lee of Wisconsin (1989 NCAA Champion at 167 lbs.). He was one of the few opponents that I don’t know whether I could have beaten even on a good day.
 
Most memorable match?
 
One match that I think about from time to time is an early round match against Marty Morgan of Minnesota at the 1989 NCAA Championships. This was the fourth time I wrestled Marty that year and he had won two of the previous three. I wrestled one of the best matches of my career this time and won our final bout decidedly. The ironic part about it, and probably the reason I think about the match occasionally, is that I lost my next two matches and came up just short of earning All-America honors. Marty went on to eventually earn 6th place while only losing to the same two individuals I did. He just met them later in the brackets because I won our match! So let that be a lesson for all of the youngsters out there - keep your intensity up at all times, especially after a big win!
 
What were your main sources of motivation as a wrestler?
 
I just wanted to be the best.
 
What impact has wrestling had on your life?
 
Like many people, sports provided me opportunities to learn from both my successes and failures. The incredible demands of wrestling are what helped me develop my work ethic and my ability to dedicate myself to a goal. Wrestling provided me an education and eventually employment as a coach at Northwestern. It absolutely opened the door for me to continue my career in college athletics.
 
What are you duties with the Big Ten and NCAA?
 
I’m the Deputy Commissioner of the Big Ten and serve as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the conference. My responsibilities include managing the day-to-day operations of the conference office.
 
I also serve on the NCAA Wrestling Committee. The committee reviews the rules and policies that govern collegiate wrestling and can recommend changes that it feels are in the best interest of the sport.
 
Where do you see college wrestling in 20 years?
 
My optimistic outlook foresees the number of Division I programs staying around 85. I believe that we will continue to see a growth of programs at the Division II and Division III levels. It is my hope that the NCAA will eventually sanction a dual meet championship and that will help re-energize the regular season. If wrestling has a chance to reach a broader fan base it will be through the dual meet format.
 
Views on class wrestling based on school enrollment (A big debate within the state of Indiana):
 
I must admit that I carry a rather silly sense of additional pride knowing that I won a single-class state championship. A little bit of bragging rights when trash-talking with teammates from other states. However after having seen the benefits that a class system provides, both in promotional value for the sport and a better student-athlete experience, I can’t really argue against it.
 
Any last words you would like wrestling fans of Indiana to know?
 
It’s great to see more and more quality wrestlers coming out of the state.

436
Western Indiana Conference Brackets
Click here for WIC brackets
 
Click here for WIC info
 
Teams include: Brown County, Edgewood, Northview, Owen Valley, South Vermillion, Sullivan, West Vigo

845
Western Indiana Conference Brackets
Attached are the brackets for this year’s Western Indiana Conference Wrestling Tournament set for this Saturday, January 23rd. This tournament shall be held at South Vermillion High School in Clinton, Indiana. Wrestling is slated to begin at 10:00 a.m. Teams at this year’s tournament will be Brown County, Edgewood, Owen Valley, Northview, Sullivan, West Vigo, and the hosts, South Vermillion. The doors will open at 8:30 a.m. for general admission and tickets are $5.00.
 
Wrestling will be done on three mats for all sessions except the finals, as the wrestlers will report to the first available mat. For the finals in each weight class, mats will be designated for the championship rounds and each weight class will be completed before the next weight class is started.
 
A hospitality room will be open at 8:30 am for officials, coaches, administrators and media personnel in the SV Wrestling Room located under the north bleachers in the gymnasium. This room is hosted by the South Vermillion wrestling parents.
 
The Tournament Director will be Lynn Branz and Cody Barnard will be the announcer for the event. The officials for the tournament shall be Chuck Barnett, Tom Lambert, Mike Golando and Marty Schloeeser. Last year’s tournament champion were the Wildcats of South Vermillio
 
Click here for brackets

1853 2 2
West Vigo's Torieonna Buchanan working to make history
By JEREMY HINES
Thehines7@gmail.com
 
Torrieanna Buchanan’s wrestling coach, Brian Otte, gave her a choice about an upcoming tournament. He told her she could wrestle at 106 pounds and probably win the tournament, or she could wrestle at 113 pounds and face a few ranked wrestlers. The decision was an easy one for the West Vigo senior – she wanted to face the ranked guys.
 
“I want to wrestle all the ranked kids I can in my weight class,” Buchanan said. “Even if I get beat by them, they’re going to make me a better wrestler. You don’t get better wrestling kids you know you can beat. I want to wrestle the ones that are up there, that are going to push me the most.”
 
That mindset is what has fueled Buchanan since she started wrestling at just 4-years-old. She challenges herself to get better every day. That’s led her to three consecutive girls state titles. She also became West Vigo’s first-ever female to reach the IHSAA semistate tournament.
 
“Torrie never backs down from anything,” Otte said. “She is willing to outwork anyone. She’s not been treated as a girl ever in our room. She proves herself every single day.”
 
For Buchanan, the key to her success is in her technique. She believes her strength will help her compete against girls, but it’s her technique that gives her the edge against the guys.
 
“I really have to rely on technique,” Buchanan said. “Technique is the most important thing to me. You can have strength, but the person with the better technique is going to win almost every time. Technique has helped me more than anything else.”
 
Coach Otte also believes Buchanan’s mental toughness is the key to her success.
 
“Her best strength is her mental toughness,” Otte said. “She’s one of the toughest kids I’ve ever been around, mentally. She’s willing to do whatever it takes to become better. She trains here in the spring and summer, then she’ll go over to Red Cobra and train with Coach Red on the same day. She’s willing to work harder than anyone else.”
 
That work ethic helped her with her college search as well. She has committed to wrestle for Campbellsville University. There she will wrestle for Coach Lee Miracle, the father of one of the wrestlers Buchanan has been a fan of for a long time – Kayla Miracle.
 
Miracle was on hand when Buchanan signed with Campbellsville. She was also there when Buchanan tried out for the World Team.
 
“She talked to me and told me I need to have fun in wrestling,” Buchanan said. “I need to go out there with the mentality that I want to win. She talked about not cutting wait and being the best version of me that I can be.”
 
Miracle is one of the wrestlers Buchanan has always looked up to. She is the only female in Indiana to qualify for the state tournament, a goal Buchanan says would be her dream.
 
“I really want to win girls state for the fourth time,” Buchanan said. “But I also want to make a run for boys state. I know Kayla was the last girl to make it to Friday night, and I want to make it past Friday night.”
 
Buchanan has changed her perspective on her losses this season. In the past she would get frustrated at losing. Now she uses those losses to learn how to do better the next time.
 
“I used to think that I sucked after a loss,” she said. “Now I take them as a win and I learn from them. They make me get better. The next time I wrestle the same kid, I’m hoping I can learn from that loss and go out and beat them.”
 
Buchanan would like to get into coaching after college, and ultimately would love to represent the United States at the Olympic level.
 
“She’s a great kid,” Otte said. “You really couldn’t ask for anything better. My wife and I call her one of our daughters. She’s polite and willing to help anyone with anything. She’s been raised right.
 
“She’s the only girl in our room but she’s also the one that I use to demonstrate any move I’m teaching. She’s a leader on our team.”

580
Wes Wesley Coming to Indianapolis December 4th!
Come see Comedian Greg Warren in
Indianapolis on Sunday 12/4!



Greg has made appearances on Comedy Central, The Bob and Tom Show, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, CMT, BET and NBC’s Last Comic Standing. He is a former All-American wrestler at The University of Missouri and is sometimes known as Wesley “Wes” Wesley on Flowrestling.
 




This is a special show for wrestlers, coaches and fans!
 
-Stand-up comedy featuring wrestling  jokes and stories
-Live Q&A session with Wesley “Wes” Wesley
-Show is open to anyone high school age and up
-Content will be PG-13.
-5 pm Sunday 12/4 at Crackers Comedy Club in Broadripple
-Tickets are $10 
 
Call 317-255-4211 for reservations or go to
 www.CrackersComedy.com.
 
RED ALERT!

Click here for details on how to win six free tickets to the show.

 



514
Weekend Recap
This past weekend saw many wrestlers participating and doing well at national level events.
 
NHSCA National Duals
 
The exact details are sketchy, but Indiana took three teams to Virginia Beach this weekend and did quite well. The Indiana Elite made the quarter-finals before dropping a tough match with Team Griffin Select. They posted dominant wins in seven of their eight victories throughout the tournament. The High Rollers were rolling with four of a kind on their way to finishing 9th in the field of over 120 teams from across the country.
 
In the middle school division Indiana had a team make the fifth place match and also had an elementary team place 7th.
 
FILA Cadet Nationals
 
The Indiana contingent was small, but might at the FILA Cadet Nationals in Akron, Ohio this weekend. On the Greco-roman side Dylan Lydy finished 4th in a tough weight class. Also Blake Schjoll finished 6th in Greco-roman.
 
Only four competitors took the mat in the freestyle portion of the tournament. Nick Lee lead the way with a runner-up finish for the second straight year. He dominated his opponents with six tech falls in his eight wins. He beat several nationally ranked wrestlers during his run. Nick’s younger brother, Joe, went 1-2 with a tough draw. He drew eventual champion Daton Fix in his second match. Then he had another tough opponent in Ohio state champion Jose Rodriguez. Lee took a 4-0 lead into the second period, but was unable to finish with the victory. Dylan Lydy started with a victory, but had to pull out due to injury or he would have likely made a deep run. Also, Danville’s Elliot Molloy won his first match, then dropped his next two.
 
University Nationals
 
There were numerous wrestlers with Indiana ties wrestling in the University division over the weekend. Leading the way was Indiana University’s Lucas Sheridan who finished second. He had a big win over this year’s national champion at 197lbs J’Den Cox in the semi-finals. Sheridan pinned Cox in just 53 seconds. The only other placers with Indiana ties were a couple region wrestlers. Jason Tsirtsis finished 5th after dropping a tough semi-final bout and Paul Petrov finished 7th in a tough weight class.
 
On the Greco-roman side, Sheridan also placed 3rd for the Hoosiers. Also placing was Garret Goldman, who brought in a 7th place finish.

669
Warren Central sectional up for grabs
Even Nostradamus would be scratching his head trying to predict the team that will reign supreme at Warren Central Saturday morning. #14 Roncalli, #16 New Palestine, Warren Central, Greenfield-Central, Franklin Central, Mt. Vernon (Fortville) and Beech Grove all bring strong squads to bear against one another this weekend. While on paper Roncalli and New Pal might appear to have the inside track, Warren was ranked just a couple of weeks ago and lost close matches to both ranked teams. It's also important to consider that Warren's record is a little deceiving; the Warriors have run a gauntlet of tough teams, including some tough competition at the Gateway Duals in Missouri. So, who will win? Will it be Roncalli's team of topflight lower weights, led by the Kieffer clan? The Rebels have 5 #1 seeds and 2 returning state placers.  Will it be the always consistent Dragons from New Pal, with 3 #1 seeds and 5 wrestlers seeded 2nd through 4th? Warren, with its 3 #1 seeds and a roster of battle-tested Warriors? Or even Beech Grove, with 5 #2 seeds and 8 total top-4 seeds? There's no doubt that bonus points are going to play a huge role in the outcome. Just on a hunch, I'm going with Roncalli. From 103 to 125, there are few, if any, lineups in the state that can compete with the Kieffers, err, Rebels. However, it won't be a big surprise if New Pal or Warren are standing atop the heap at the end of Saturday's action.
 
One interesting feature of this sectional is that 2 #4 seeds are returning state qualifiers: Mt. Vernon's Jake McCarthy at 119 and New Pal's JR Corman at 140.
 
103 Favorite: Aaron Davis (Roncalli), Probable regional qualifiers: Kaleb Barajas (Franklin Central), Clint Schmith (Beech Grove), Cody Morgan (Mt. Vernon)
 
112 Favorite: #5 Josh Kieffer (Roncalli), Probable regional qualifiers: Kaleb Kemp (Franklin Central), Lucas Ruff (Greenfield-Central), Kris Cushing (Eastern Hancock)
 
119 Favorite: #5 Justin Kieffer (Roncalli), Probable regional qualifiers: Seve Duncan (Beech Grove), Matt Mooreland (Warren Central), Jake McCarthy (Mt. Vernon)
 
125 Favorite: Joe Kieffer (Roncalli), Probable regional qualifiers: Alex Louzon (Beech Grove), Jake Williams (Shelbyville), Zach Baughman (Warren Central)
 
130 Favorite: #9 Nick Odom (Warren Central), Probable regional qualifiers: Nick Roberts (Beech Grove), Coltin Dickey (Roncalli), Joal Mogollan (Mt. Vernon)
 
135 Favorite: Josh Williams (Mt. Vernon), Probable regional qualifiers: Bailey Kesterman (Triton Central), #14 Tommy Pearson (New Palestine), Kyle Ettner (Franklin Central)
 
140 Favorite: Josh Ramage (Beech Grove), Probable regional qualifiers: Travis Varga (Greenfield-Central), #14 Blaik Kesterman (Triton Central), #15 JR Corman (New Palestine)
 
145 Favorite: #13 David Waldroup (New Palestine), Probable regional qualifiers: Zach Heald (Greenfield-Central), Nick Gates (Beech Grove), Kenny O'Brien (Franklin Central)
 
152 Favorite: #14 Jake Jennings (New Palestine), Probable regional qualifiers: Cody Pinkinston (Beech Grove), Brian Larner (Shelbyville), Dylan Tackett (Mt. Vernon)
 
160 Favorite:  #6 Brett Durphey (Shelbyville), Probable regional qualifiers: Nick Holaway (Greenfield-Central), Jaymes Horan (New Palestine), Stephen Lutgring (Roncalli)
 
171 Favorite:  Mike Phelps (New Palestine), Probable regional qualifiers: Dakota Gruell (Greenfield-Central), Jimmy Melene (Eastern Hancock), Grant Randolph (Triton Central)
 
189 Favorite: #8 Michael Johnson-Jones (Warren Central), Probable regional qualifiers: Cruz Dyson (Beech Grove), Austin Netherton (Franklin Central), Jacob Poynter (New Palestine)
 
215 Favorite: #5 Gabe Berry (Warren Central), Probable regional qualifiers: Antonio Halbert (New Palestine), Sam Balbach (Mt. Vernon), Josh Matthews (Roncalli)
 
HWT Favorite: Tony Bell (Roncalli), Probable regional qualifiers: Kyle White (Warren Central), Zach Kirages (Franklin Central), Brandon Howe (Greenfield-Central)

1059
Wabash Wrestling Tabbed Third in Preseason Poll
Wrestling | 11/5/2014 5:17:00 AM
| Brent Harris
 
Wabash is ranked third nationally in the 2014-15 preseason rankings released by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.

While appreciative of earning a place in the top-three positions, this Little Giant team has only one spot that on their mind --- finishing as national champions.

"I think the number-three ranking says we're doing the right things as a program," Wabash head coach Brian Andersonsaid. "Our expectation this year is to get a qualifier to nationals in all 10 weight classes. If we do that and compete the way I expect us to, we could bring a very special trophy back to this school. We need to stay focused on our efforts week in and week out by making progress individually. If we do that, everything else will take care of itself."

Wabash received 28 total points in the preseason poll conducted the NWCA. The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater was the top selection with 31 points. Messiah College earned 29 points for second. Delaware Valley College sits in fourth with 27 points, followed by Coe College in fifth with 21 points. The Little Giant wrestling team's social media efforts continue to be rewarded, as well. Wabash ranks 22nd in the first NWCA/Elite Level Sports Marketing Best of Brand Rankings.

Last year Wabash sent six wrestlers to nationals, including four returning competitors who are listed in the top-10 individual rankings to open the season. Tommy Poynter is ranked ninth at 125 pounds to open the year. Conner Lefever is listed third at 174 pounds. Reece Lefever, who earned All-America honors for the second consecutive season with a fourth-place finish at 157 pounds, is ranked third in that weight class to open the season. Riley Lefever claimed the first national championship for a Wabash wrestler by winning the 184-pound weight class in his freshman season. He earned d3wrestle.com Freshman of the Year honors and is picked number one in the preseason rankings at 184 pounds.

"Having four returning wrestlers who competed at nationals sets a great tone for our team," Anderson said. "The other wrestlers on our team realize qualifying for nationals is an attainable goal."

Wabash finished ninth overall in the team scoring at last year's national championship meet. Reece Lefever knows this year's preseason ranking is more tribute than reality.

"It's cool to be ranked third and receive that type of recognition for what we accomplished last year," Reece Lefever said. "But our goal this year is not to get third, it's to finish first. That's what we're training for this season. We know we wrestle against top-level competition every week. That will help us get ready for nationals this year, as well."

Reece's twin brother, Conner, and younger brother, Riley, understand the tone the veteran members of the team need to provide to the team if the Little Giants are going to achieve their goal of ten qualifiers.

"I'm trying to lead by example this year," Conner Lefever said. "I'm not the type of guy who talks a lot, but I want to work hard in practice and do the extra things that are necessary to qualify for nationals and earn a place on the podium as a national champion."

"Our motto this year is 'One Vision'," Riley Lefever added. "The fact we're ranked third changes nothing. It's definitely a sign of respect for what we accomplished as a team last season, but this is a new season. The coaches have stressed having the veteran wrestlers work with the younger wrestlers to show them the level of effort it takes to earn that place at nationals."

Poynter expects nothing to be easy this season as he charts a course to return to nationals and a chance to earn All-America honors and a national title in his senior season.

"I need to keep working hard this year just like I did last year," he said. "I'm working to be a good student-athlete here at Wabash, represent the College and our team both academically and on the mat. I feel a tremendous responsibility. I am trying to do all the right things to show hard work and perseverance can help achieve those goals."

The path back to nationals starts next Thursday when the Little Giants face Olivet College. The dual meet will take place at Carroll High School in Fort Wayne at 7 p.m. Prior to the official start of the season, the Little Giants will compete in the annual Red-White duals Friday night at 6:30 p.m.

590
Wabash Wrestling Makes Solid Service Finalist List
Brent Harris
5/20/2014 3:03:00 PM
 
The National Wrestling Coaches Association and Elite Level Sports Marketing announced six finalists for the Best of Brand "Solid Service" Award, which included the Wabash College wrestling program.
 
The Little Giants made the finals list along with Indiana Tech, Johns Hopkins, North Carolina, Ouachita Baptist, and Wayland Baptist. The "Solid Service" Award recognizes wrestling programs which created videos that highlight community service outreach during the season.
 
"I am excited for Wabash wrestling to be named a finalist for this 'Solid Service' Award because it will help bring more attention to JDRF (formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), which was one of our overall goals for the 2013-14 season," said Little Giant head coach Brian Anderson.
 
"Our guys put forth tremendous effort in raising money and awareness for JDRF," assistant coach and social media coordinator Danny Irwin added. "We hope through our video helps get that message out and strengthens the impact we have as a program with JDRF."
 
Wabash has participated in JDRF walks the past two season, working as "Team Kelsey." Anderson's daughter, Kelsey was diagnosed with diabetes over two years ago. Wabash wrestler Conner Lefever, a 2014 Midwest Regional champion and NCAA Division III national qualifier at 174 pounds, is also a diabetic. The wrestling team provided additional support for JDRF by creating an Outdoor Takedown Tournament in the fall of 2013. The team moved wrestling mats on the Mud Hollow Stadium soccer and lacrosse field and raised money through donations throughout the tournament held prior to a home Wabash football game.
 
Criteria for determining the "Solid Service" Award recipient includes a panel of judges assessing video performance (70 percent) and an online voting competition (30 percent). The online voting component will include 15 percent allocated to the actual vote totals and 15 percent to the creativity of the campaign during the Battle Round voting. The quarterfinal round of voting begins at noon on June 9 and runs until 9 p.m. (EDT). Voting information can be found at http://www.nwcaonline.com/nwcawebsite/best-of-brand-battle-rounds.

943
Wabash Little Giants Bring in Stellar Freshmen Class
From Wabash Athletics
 
Wabash College head coach Brian Anderson has announced the addition of twenty-eight student-athletes who will join the Little Giants wrestling program in the fall. The twenty-eight wrestlers come from five different states with the majority coming from Indiana. This is a big class of freshmen coming in that will provide depth from top to bottom. 10 out of the 28 wrestlers competed at their state tournament at least once, with another 16 of them falling in the state qualifying tournament. On top of the athletic accomplishments of these individuals, this class comes in with an average grade point average of 3.4.
 
Wabash started seven underclassmen this past season with four of those being freshman. This incoming class will make a strong impact on the 2009-2010 starting line-up, one which will see a heavy dose of youth again. The youth of this team will look to the two returning senior starters, Michael Burke at 197 and Rob Arnett at 285. Both seniors bring great leadership and plenty of mat experience to anchor down this young team.




Name
High School
Weight Class
State Finishes


Chad Barrett
Greentown, IN
141/149
3x State Qualifier (6th '08, 3rd '09)


Julian Cernuda
Hickory, NC
285



Patrick Clegg
Clarendon Hills, IL
285
6th @ State 2009


Willy Costakis
Merriville, IN
125
Semi-State Qualifier


Winston Craft
Attica, IN
125
2x Semi


Johnny Dillon
Hobart, IN
141/ 149
3x State Qualifier (5th '08)


Jordan Dulaney
Muncie, IN
149/ 157
2x State Qualifier (8th '09)


Jeramey Hicks
West Lebanon, IN
133/ 141
2x Semi-State Qualifier


Quinten Hizey
Nipomo, CA
125
Masters Qualifier


Martin Lantz
Goshen, IN
184/ 197
State Qualifier 2008


Ryan Lutz
Sacramento, CA
165/ 174
Masters Qualifier


Tyler McCoy
Lafayette, IN
165/ 174
State Qualifier 2009


Austin O'Neal
Griffith, IN
184
Semi-State Qualifier


Alex Orton
Clarendon Hills, IL
133
2x Sectional Qualifier


Garrett Payne
Michigan City, IN
141
3x Semi-State Qualifier


Corbin Richards
Avon, IN
149/ 157
2x Semi-State Qualifier


Derek Rowe
Logansport, IN
184
2x Semi-State Qualifier


Daniel Sandberg
Indianapolis, IN
184/ 197
Semi-State Qualifier


Jeromy Sisk
Peru, IN
133/ 141
State Qualifier 2007


Drew Spriggs
Thorntown, IN
133



Zach Stone
Elkhart, IN
285
Semi-State Qualifier


Jacob Strausbaugh
Orrville, OH
133
3x State Place Winner (6th, 4th, 5th)


Oscar Trujillo
Lafayette, IN
125
State Qualifier 2009


Gabe Watson
Columbus, IN
165/ 174
2x Semi-State Qualifier


Ryan Wells
Grove City, OH
165
2x District Qualifier


Ethan Wilson
Indianapolis, IN
157
Semi-State Qualifier


Bill Wood
Palos Heights, IL
133/ 141
3x State Qualifier


Devan Young
Chino Hills, CA
285
Masters Qualifier


2289
Wabash Fourth At National Duals, Second at Manchester
By Brent Harris
 
Wabash captured fourth place on the final day of the 2015 National Duals, while the remainder of the Little Giant team took second place at Saturday's Spartan Mat Classic.

Wabash advanced to Saturday's showdown of nationally-ranked Division III teams in the semifinals and finals of the National Wrestling Coaches Association's showcase event at the Allen County War Memorial. The Little Giants, ranked third in the latest NWCA poll, lost to second-ranked Wartburg 34-9 in the semifinals. Fourth-ranked Concordia-Moorhead edged Wabash in the finals 21-19 to take third place. Wartburg went on to defeat number-one ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater 20-13 to claim its fourth consecutive Duals title and ninth championship overall.
 
Wabash scored three decisions against Wartburg in Saturday's semifinals, with all three wins coming from the Lefever brothers. Reece Lefever, ranked fifth at 157 pounds by the NWCA, fought to a 4-3 victory over fourth-ranked Drew Wagenhoffer in their second meeting of the season. Wagenhoffer scored a 9-6 win earlier this season against Lefever at the Concordia Open.

"It's nice to avenge my only loss to another Division III competitor from earlier in the season," Lefever said. "Defeating Wagenhoffer shows I'm improving and doing the right things every day."

Twin brother Conner Lefever, ranked second at 174 pounds, scored an equally impressive win with a 7-6 decision against fifth-ranked Brandon Welter. Younger brother Riley Lefever scored a 6-3 win against Devin Peterson at 184 pounds.

The Little Giants battled back and forth against Concordia-Moorhead in the finals before the deciding final bout. The Cobbers opened with three consecutive wins before Nick Bova scored a pin at 2:31 of his 149-pound bout against Yonas Gebreab. Reece Lefever added four more team points to the score with an 11-1 major decision at 157 pounds versus Ben Cousins. Conner Lefever's 5-3 victory against Sebastian Gardner at 174 pounds put Wabash up a point at 13-12. Riley Lefever scored six points for the Little Giants when his opponent at 184 pounds, Dane Ringquist, was unable to continue their match due to an injury. However, the Cobbers scored nine points in the final two bouts to take the two-point victory and third place overall.

"I always look forward to wrestling talented competition, and every team at the National Duals is tough," Riley Lefever said. "I don't necessarily know each and every opponent I wrestle or their ranking, but I step on the mat with the same mindset --- to beat my opponent physically and mentally in order to score as many points possible. Looking back, you can always learn things from any match, but you learn more when you wrestle tougher opponents."

"While we would have preferred placing higher, we're happy to have improved from our fifth-place finish last year," Conner Lefever said. "All of the teams here are top-notch. We lost against two of the best teams in the nation. We look to get better so we can avenge these losses later in the season."

Wabash head coach Brian Anderson echoed his senior wrestler's comments.

"We learned quite a bit from last year's fifth-place finish and used that to perform better this year. While it's nice to know this year's team produced the highest finish in Wabash history at the National Duals, I know we are not satisfied with the overall result.

"This was a big weekend for many reasons but most important was putting these guys in the toughest situation possible to know exactly where we are at as a team. We know our weaknesses and our strengths after the last two days of battle which we will use to keep building toward our goals in March as individuals and as a team. Several different individuals stepped up in each of the duals, however all three Lefevers showed why they will be contending for individual national titles at the end of the year."

While several of the Wabash wrestlers competed at the National Duals in Fort Wayne, another portion of the Little Giant team wrestled at the Spartan Mat Classic at Manchester University. The Spartans won their home tournament with a total of 131 points, while Wabash took second with 87.5 points in the five-team event.

Pat Parham won the 149-pound individual title with a 3-0 record, opening with a pin at 2:04 against Manchester's Ryan Gossett. Parham fought to a 2-1 victory against Luis Godines from Mount St. Joseph University in round two before defeating teammate Mack Neal in the final by a score of 8-3. Neal took second with a 12-2 major decision over Paul Mikesell from Manchester before his loss to Parham in the finals. Jeremy Chen scored a 12-0 major decision against Gossett in the finals to take fifth place.

Christian Rodriguez won the 157-pound weight class with a 9-2 win over Alex Arney from Manchester before picking up a 5-4 victory over fellow Wabash wrestler Chance Brown in the finals. Brown advanced to the finals after scoring a 5-4 victory against teammate Jeff Mucha in the semifinals. Mucah took fifth place, scoring a pin a at 48 seconds in first match of the day against Joe Kammerer from Mount St. Joseph before adding a pin at 2:35 in the final versus Arney.

Jacob Cottey won a round-robin matchup at 133 pounds with three victories. He scored an opening round 4-2 decision over Chase Wilson from Manchester, followed by a pin at 4:48 versus Brennen Storey of Manchester in round three. A final pin round five gave Cottey the first place finish. Robbie Carter posted a pair of wins in the weight class to finish fourth overall. He pinned Storey at 3:45 in the second round before handing Cottey his only loss by a score of 5-2 in round four.

Mak Maldonado earned a third-place finish at 174 pounds, opening the tournament draw with a pin at 3:21 versus Taylor Ferrill from Manchester. After a two-point loss in the semifinals, Maldonado rallied for a 16-1 technical fall against Jack Knoll of Heidelberg before a forfeit by teammate Luke Davis provided the final victory. Davis advanced to the finals after a 9-5 win against Ferrill and an 8-6 decision over teammate Grant Gough in the consolation semifinals. Gough won his opening bout by a major decision of 13-2 against Knoll, then defeated him for a second time in the finals by a score of 7-0 to finish fifth.

Corey Hawk added a third-place finish in the round robin 141-pound weight class after scoring an 18-1 technical fall in the opening round versus Clayton Capes from Manchester. Nolan Fenwick won 7-6 in the consolation semifinals at 197 pounds on the way to a fourth-place finish.

The Little Giants return to action Saturday when Wabash will serve as host for the annual Max Servies Duals. Competition begins at 9 a.m. at Chadwick Court.