High School News

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2015 IndianaMat Preview Magazine
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2024 Evansville Semi-State Preview
TRIPLE_B EVANSVILLE SEMI-STATE SPECTACULAR PREVIEW!!!!!!
 
This year Trips will hit turn the big 4-4 on Saturday, Mrs 3B will be in attendance for her first SS ever, will this be the greatest Evansville SS of all time?? Dirty brackets, blood round matches that feel like your cutting fresh onions, and all around excitement will fill The FORD Saturday February 10th. 
 
Evansville is THE BEST Semi-State in the land!! 224 wrestlers will be battling for 56 Golden tickets to Indy…..errrr…. Back to Evansville!!! Out of those 224, 138 are Semi-State ranked and 98, I Said 98 (!!!!!!) are ranked in the IndianaMat State Rankings!! Lawwwwwdy have Mercy!!!! This might be the big one Elizabeth!!!! 
 
Here’s some quotes from my rankers…. Just in case you needed more convincing of the bloodbath that is Evansville:
 
“The land encompassing Evansville was formally relinquished by the Delaware Indians in 1805 to General William Henry Harrison, then the governor of the Indiana Territory, and the namesake of Evansville’s Harrison High School.  On Saturday should anyone surrender a late takedown, escape or back points, they will find themselves relinquishing a spot on the podium.  Faltering in the first couple of rounds will likely mean a one-way ticket to palookaville.”
 
“There is going to be some blood shed this weekend. Dirty South has some match-ups that just plain SAY'S Wrestle back are NEEDED!!!! Damn Travesty! EVSS has 8 Brackets with 3 Top 25 Ranked wrestlers & the other Semi-States combined only have 9..
So yes, if you make it out of the South 
"You are a BAD Dude" pain and simple!!  Go Dirty South”
 
“Some of these were tough. I HATE these freakin' draws man! Evansville gets screwed. Crown Point looks amazing with their 'easy' draws. BB and CG get picked apart down in the toughest semi state.”
 
In other words…… WE BUILT DIFFERENT!!!!!!



 
House keeping items - 
 
Here is the link for the Indianamat Semi-State Hub - 
 
https://indianamat.com/index.php?/articles.html/high-school-news/2024-semi-state-information-center-r1358/
 
From our former inside man Markio - Ford Arena info:
 
NEW DOOR ENTRY PROCESS FOR WRESTLERS SEE UNDERLINED INFO BELOW

 
Parking and general information about the arena can be found at www.thefordcenter.com Wrestlers can enter the arena at 7:30am for weigh-ins. Wrestlers and coaches will enter at the rear double doors on 6th Street near the corner of 6th Street and Bob Jones Way.  You will pick up your credentials here. The only coolers allowed are for wrestlers and must enter at the check in table through the rear wrestlers entrance door. NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR DRINK for anyone else is allowed inside unfortunately. Not my rules, just standard building policy.  Public doors open at 8:00am CST. Enter on Main Street through the main lobby. We will look to create a separate door/entrance for those that already have tickets. $12 dollars for all session ticket, $10 for finals only.  There is NO onsite parking. Please do not have any team vehicles attempt to park in the loading dock or attached outer lot. These are reserved spots. There is no public Wi-Fi.  Please do not jump over the dasher walls to access the floor. They try to control access to the floor, so you need to enter from the lower level hallway under section 103. You wouldn't jump the wall at Gainbridge would you? lol The hospitality room for officials, etc. will be in the Corner Club. Enter from the main lobby and hang a right at the lower level hallway. If you are going to set up a camera please do not have the cord running across the aisle. You will be made to unplug any cords running across an aisle. We will have full concessions available throughout the day. Coffee and hot chocolate are also available all day as well. (get the bbq pork nachos, huge and awesome) There is no smoking on or in the Ford Center property, this includes e-cigarettes. Brackets will be updated throughout the day and posted on several of the 170 or so TVs located all over the arena. The brackets end up kind of small, but hey, they are everywhere and pretty cool. Lastly,if you are a wrestler that loses please don't kick,throw,or punch Ford Center property. We had a kid break off a door handle last year.Sent the bill to the school.   
How does this work - The exclusive Evansville Championship Selection Committee (ECSC) spent 2 days in hard deliberations over their Ford Fab 4 picks. Each member selected their ballot, points were accumulated, and from there the picks started falling into place.
 
Article features: 
 
The Charles Barkley “Turrible”  Draws - ticket round matches that shouldn’t be happening in the ticket round!
 
The Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerkers - Best first round matches!
 
The Built Ford Tough Locks - Any weight class where the pick for champion was unanimous, makes it a Ford Tough Lock. This year we have, what may be a record, 10, yes 10 FORD TOUGH LOCKS!
 
Ford Fab 4 - After the picks were gathered, points distributed, and the dust settled, we’ll have the Ford Fab 4.
 
Rankings will be featured like such (State Rank/SS Rank)
 
A big shout out to Navy80, BigToe19, DuckTails (Wooohoo!), Hook&Half and The DONNIE BAKER for their contributions. I will add some commentary throughout from our great pickers.
 
What if I didn’t agree with the ECSC or I thought they made a terrible error? Then have no fear - The TripleB Guarantee will help you sort out the madness. 

 
106: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 8/10
 
(19/7) David Alstadt crumbled this bracket up last week at Regionals and tossed it in the can. We have several great opening matches and the ticket round matches should all be competitive and great for the fans. 8 State ranked wrestlers will be competing for the 4 spots. This weight class has it all! The winner of Malone/Byrd will be the favorite, no offense Wildcat nation, and really after what we saw last weekend this weight could be wide open. Alstadt/Goelz/Jessup/Ogle/Malone/Byrd could all win or can lose in the ticket round. I’m not sure we’ve seen 106 so up for grabs in a long time!
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - There’s not alot on paper here. Let’s go with 2 great programs and 2 SS ranked wrestlers - Bloomington South’s (SS10) Jaxsen Jean and Brownsburg’s (12/5) Eli Ogle. Jean ranked 10th in the SS and Ogle is ranked 5th, both coaches know how to get their kids ready.
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - We aren’t gonna wait long for blood rounds… soooo HERE….WE….GO…. Monrovia has been known for putting out quality kids and Freshman Royce Malone will look to continue the hammers the Bulldogs. Washington Senior Brady Byrd ran off 42 straight wins…. Until getting upset last week at Regionals by Mater Dei’s David Alstadt. This now sets up a turrrrible draw… as (6/3) Malone will take on (4/2) Byrd. A Frosh vs a Senior… LETSSS GOOOOOO
 
Don’t sleep on…. Switzerland County has been building a reputation in the southeast part of the state for a few years. Sophomore Ethan Rose is making his second trip to the FORD, can he become the first Pacer to punch their ticket to state? He does have a favorable draw by avoiding all the top ranked guys!
 
The Hook&Half DL:  “Brownsburg’s Eli Ogle will pull off two—count ‘em—two upsets en route to the semis, where he will meet the winner of EMD’s David Atlstadt and Avon’s Mason Goelz.  It’s a crying shame; in opposite brackets you could be looking at a finals match between the Oriole and the Wildcat.”
 
Ford Fab 4 - Royce Malone Monrovia, Mason Goelz Avon, Talon Jessup Columbus East, Joey Hamilton Center Grove
 
113: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 6/9
 
The 4 quarter brackets at 113 couldn’t look anymore different. 2 brackets feature locks in returning state champ (1/1) Revin Dickman from Brownsburg and his counterpart Avon’s (2/2) Nate Rioux. The other 2 feature first round matches that could determine the 3rd place match. Which we’ll cover below. The big story: can the Castle Regional crash the Mooresville Party?
 
Also: Despite having a returning state champ, we do not have our first LOCK (Momma2Dickmans don’t try to fight me in the hotel lobby again). Can Rioux get one on Dickman? They’ve wrestled 1,000,453 times… and both are in the same room in the offseason at Contenders, if anyone knows Revin, it’s Nate. Could Saturday be the day?
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Now business is about to pick up!! 2 Fab Frosh from down South looks to end the season of 2 Juniors from the Mooresville Regional. In our first match up (10/3) Jr. Brennan Leonard from Martinsville gets Mater Dei’s (8/4) Freshman Caleb Schaefer. Schaefer is ranked higher in the state, Leonard is ranked higher in the semi-state. What a match!!
 
Our other first round match of state ranked wrestlers features Freshman (24/7) Wyatt Ulrey of Boonville taking on Junior (19/5) Gavin Ash of Monrovia. Will this be our first Mooresville 4 over a 1? It probably won’t be our last. 
 
Can the Castle Regional Freshman send home the Mooresville Juniors?  
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - See Leonard/Schaefer above. Two top 10 state ranked wrestlers going at it in the first round is absurd. These two should be wrestling next Friday at the Ford!!!
 
Don’t sleep on…. The “Other Guys”. After winning those first round matches will the victors look past Eli Collier from Owen Valley and Tom Nguyen from New Albany? Let me tell you, if they do, their day will end pretty quick!
 
Also a shoutout to my man Ethan “Eazy E” Pittman, Madison Freshman and Regional Champ. I don’t know who that kid’s youth coach was,but if I was a young wrestler in Southern Indiana, I’d find that guy….. Oh yeah, I’m THAT GUY!
 
Ford Fab 4 -  Revin Dickman Brownsburg, Nate Rioux Avon, Caleb Schaefer Evansville Mater Dei, Gavin Ash Monrovia
 
120: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 8/11
 
Let’s pour more gas on this fire!! All 4 quarter final matchups will feature 8 state ranked wrestlers with 2 of those matches pitting top 10 ranked wrestlers against each other!!!  120 also features one of the worst Turrible Draws of all time. This weight class is so loaded, we have 2 top ten ticket round matches!
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - A pair of super sophomores will be battling it out early. Heritage Hills Berke Eisenhauer brings a stunning 41-4 record into this match and will be battling it out with Edgewood’s John Orman. Both of these lads are battle tested and the winner gets…. Returning state champ Charlie LaRocca. But I digress, enjoy this match as it’s a warm up for the quarters!
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - Ohhhhh boy…. When Brownsburg’s Preston Haines lost in Regionals last week, every single regional started buzzing, we all knew what was gonna happen. A Haines/Hendeson ticket round match. We will get a state ranked top 4 match, in the ticket round. This just isn’t fair. Henderson got the big pinfall dub at State duals over Haines. Can Hendo do it again-o?  This match is so big it overshadows the other top 10 matchup of Walter Hagerdorn from Tell City and Isaac Ash of Monrovia. 
 
Don’t sleep on…. Floyd Central Freshman Tony Kessinger. Dude is mean and built different. He will draw a familiar foe in Corydon’s Jayden Owsley in the quarter finals. Two of Isaac Knable’s Invicta grapplers going at it with a trip to state on the line.
 
Ford Fab 4: Charlie LaRocca Center Grove, Ty Henderson Evansville Mater Dei, Isaac Ash Monrovia, Tony Kessinger Floyd Central
 
126: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 7/10
 
126 has it all, but the word is disparity as we got our first unranked quarter bracket, 2 big state ranked ticket round matches and our first of 8 First Ford Tough Locks!! I love the unranked quarterbrackets, sheer chaos and every kid wrestling like crazy. What makes this semi-state great is brackets like 126. 
 
Isaiah Schaefer also looks to join his pops as an IHSAA state champion with being our first FORD Tough Lock!
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - 2 state ranked wrestlers will be going at it with in the opening round. Returning state qualifier and #6 ranked Dominic Brown will meet up with Terre Haute South’s 19th ranked Nathan Bryan. Terre Haute has been on a tear the last few years and Brown is in that tough Center Grove room. This match should deliver!
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - Speaking of Dom Brown, if he’s successful against Bryan, it will set up another top state ranked match up in the quarters as #1 ranked Isiah Schaefer will be waiting. Here’s what I know - Schaefer is a two time state medalists and has that Schaefer dog in him. Brown is in a room full of medalists and hammers. Schaefer had a quick fall at team state and that can’t sit well w/ Brown. 
 
Switzerland County’s Peyton Richards brings in a stunning 84-1 career record into Sem–State, as a sophomore! His one loss was last year to Eddie Goss in the ticket round. This year the Pacer has Avon’s Luke Rioux. Rioux, a former state medalists, lost a tough 5-4 to eventual state runner up Jackson Heaston. It’s #11 vs #3 and maybe not a turrrrible draw, but a match for sure to watch!
 
 
Don’t sleep on…. The bottom quarter bracket, someone is gonna “sneak” thru, the early favorite is Floyd Central’s Fynn Douglas. But Heritage Hills has a one loss Freshman in Eli Hedges that could also get through. The only SS ranked wrestler in this bracket is a “Mooresville 4” in Greenwood’s Keegan Murray. And Jeff is like Charlie Puth… .they are… headlock….away!
 
Ford Tough Lock: Isaiah Schaefer Evansville Mater Dei
 
Ford Fab 4: Isaiah Schaefer Evansville Mater Dei, Braylon Reynolds Brownsburg, Luke Rioux Avon, Fynn Douglas Floyd Central
 
132: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 7/10
 
Mooresville is known for bringing absolute studs to Evansville. 2 terms have been coined because of the strength of the Mooresville Regional - The Mooresville Sweep and The Mooresville 4. We might see both here as Mooresville looks to sweep the top 4 spots and possibly our first Mooresville 4th place finisher sends a regional champ packing!
 
132 also features our next LOCK but we will keep that a secret for now! SUSPENSEFUL!!
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerkers -  An interesting quarter-bracket where a “Mooresville 4” is favored to win, but when you really look at it anybody can! Mt Vernon Sophomore Jayden Stillwagoner brings a regional championship and 32-4 record from the always tough Castle Regional while Keith Parker brings a state ranking of 13th and is a top 4 SS ranked wrestler. In the other match up. SS #12 Keegan Jochim of Franklin will take on (23/8) Hunter Banet of Floyd Central. Who’s one of those 4 losses STillwagoner has to? Hunter Banet!!
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - There are no real “Turrible Draws” if we go by criteria. We do have 2 seniors w/ phenomenal records that look to be victims of the dreaded Mooresville Regional. Terre Haute South’s Josiah Dedeaux (16/5) will go at it with Avon’s (10/3) Quentin Schoeff. Josiah has put together a great body of work. Schoeff is an Oriole from Avon and the young Oriole has had a great season. What happens when these two meet up is anyone’s guess!  The other Senior is Scottsburg’s Kellan Carter. A truly great story of toughness and grit, after missing his Junior season the Warrior from Scottsburg has put in work. He wrestled over 70 matches in the off season and has grinded non-stop. Last weekend at regionals he was upended by Columbus North Freshman (coughTripleBtrainedcough) Cohen Long. The bracket god weren’t kind w/ Carter drawing 2x state champ and Oklahoma Sooner commit Jake Hockaday in the ticket round!
 
Don’t sleep on…. It’s a turrible draw, but gotta give love to Former RoughNeck and one of TripleB OG’s - Cohen Long. The Columbus North Freshman grabbed him a regional title last weekend and will get (2/4) Eddie Goss in the ticket round!
 
Ford Tough Lock: Jake Hockaday Brownsburg
 
Ford Fab 4 - Jake Hockaday Brownsburg, Eddie Goss Center Grove, Quinten Schoeff Avon, Keith Parker Ben Davis
 
138: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 9/11
 
We have another LOCK at 138 but after Brady Ison, this weight class will be fun. After proving the doubters (myself included) wrong, no one is questioning Brady this year! A Syra/Thornton ticket round match had the rankers at odds. Tons of possible sleepers litter this bracket. Some state ranked first round matches. Don’t miss 138 on Saturday!
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker -  Let’s look at state ranked match ups in the first round. The first one is Columbus East’s (22/7) Kaleb Kirkpatrick taking on (16/12) Camden Baumann from Evansville Mater Dei. It’s OTR’s rankings vs TripleB’s rankings as Kirkpatrick is ranked higher in the semi-state but Baumann is higher in the state rankings. Grrrrrrr!!! 
 
The other state ranked draw is Floyd Central Junior (23/8) Vince Kessinger taking on (15/4) Seth Syra of Avon. Syra has all eyes on a rematch with Justice Thornton but if he’s caught dreaming of Justice…. Vinny take out his knees!!! Heeeeyyyy!!!
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - Speaking of the Syra/Thornton rematch. This was a ticket rounder a year ago and it was a banger!! Thornton won a late reversal and fought off a last second takedown attempt by Syra. Syra got redemption at IHPO with a pinfall victory. Syra is 2-1 in head to heads, can Justice prevail this time?!?!!?
 
Don’t sleep on….Landon Horning - Evansville Memorial, with all eyes on the team race and William Vander Luitgaren getting all the love from the rankers, can Horning spoil the Sophomores run in the ticket round? This is a battle built for Ancient Greece, the Tiger vs the Trojan!!! 
 
Ford Tough Lock: Brady Ison Brownsburg
 
Ford Fab 4 - Brady Ison Brownsburg, Justice Thornton Columbus North, Chase Stephens Tell City, William Vander Luitgaren Center Grove 
 
144: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 7/11
 
We are on LOCKdown as we have another LOCK, Reese Courtney will look to hold COURT on 144! The rankers actually all liked the same 4 but just in some different orders. Almost a chalk weight for the crew. Parker Reynolds will look to overcome his ticket round upset last year and he continues to show his resolve after off season health issues (look up the article on IndianaMat!). Can Branson Weaver crash this party?? Find out Saturday!
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - A rematch from the Hoosier Hills Conference finals highlights the opening matches at 144. Columbus East Caleb Cooper (19/7) has won just about everything this year - Columbus Invite, HHC, Sectionals, and Regionals. The Olympian grappler will have to get by a game Webster (SS10) to keep his run going. This match was 4-2 back in January. The Bulldog Senior will not want his season to end with another loss to Cooper!
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Bloomington South’s Wyatt Cooksey (13/4) has been chasing Branson Weaver of Owen Valley all post season. He’s yet to cook up the recipe to knock him off and that has left him w/ turrible draw of returning state runner-up and #1 ranked Reese Courtney of Center Grove! Yet another ticket round match of top 4 ranked SS guys.
 
Don’t sleep on…. This weight class was hard, lots of good kids. Last year I cursed Gabe Rose w/ the TripleB Guarantee so I’ll stay away from that. I’ve gotten several texts about this freshman from Gibson Southern. However, I’m going to go w/ one of the favorites; Owen Valleys Branson Weaver. With the #1 and #2 wrestlers in the state, Weaver will get overlooked. He is a returning SQ and has the tools to WEAVE together an impressive day Saturday. Everyone says 144 is the most wide open weight at state and I think we might also see that trickle down to Semi-State also!
 
FORD Tough Lock: Reese Courtney Center Grove
 
Ford Fab 4 - Reese Courtney Center Grove, Parker Reynolds Brownsburg, Branson Weaver Owen Valley, Deacon Dressler Gibson Southern
 
150: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 8/10
 
Nothing much going on at 150, just the top 3 ranked wrestlers in the state and one of them will not be advancing to the IHSAA state finals next weekend! I said 126 featured one of the worst Turrible draws ever, but now it’s #2… How in the world.. Nevermind we will get into it later. We have a lock… that’s not a returning state runner up… 150 is bananas… b-a-n-a-n-a-s…BANANAS!!! 
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - I’ll take Nate “Dogg” Anderson (25/8) vs Griffin “The Col” Sanders (22/6). This match features 2 seniors, with 9 total losses and this bracket really is wide open. The winner puts themselves into the blood round and one more step closer to that golden ticket!
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - Floyd’s Hunter May is one of the most decorated wrestlers in the state; 3 time state medalist, returning SS champ, Returning state runner up, returning FORD Tough LOCK. You’d think he’d be another Lock, but no fast my friend, the voters are split!! Some like (3/3) Brownsburg’s Tommy Gibbs! That’s not a typo, we have the #2 and #3 ranked wrestlers in the state going at it for a chance to just get into the top 4 at Semi-State. But NOOOOOOOO we don’t need no wrestlebacks! SMDH!!!
 
Don’t sleep on….The winner of Anderson/Griffin will get Heritage Hills Junior Alex Smith. Smith was in an open bracket last year and took a trip to Greco City, the trip became a nightmare for this Patriot. Look for Smith to get the winner of Anderson/Griffin and not take any exits on his way to the semis!
 
The Hook&Half DL: “I like North’s Cale Bonenberger.  I hate his draw against CG’s Wyatt Krejsa.  Krejsa wrestles like you kicked his dog.  Equally, Floyd Central fans hate Hunter May’s ticket round draw against Brownsburg Sophomore Tommy Gibbs.  Gibbs is going to let it fly and claim the “V”.”
 
FORD Tough Lock: Wyatt Kresja Center Grove
 
Ford Fab 4 - Wyatt Kresja Center Grove, Tommy Gibbs Brownsburg, Tyler Vanover Evansville Mater Dei, Alex Smith Heritage Hills
 
TRIBLEB GUARANTEE - Not sure why there’s a lack of respect for Hunter May, but he won’t go down without a fight! Donnie Baker and ducktails told me to bet the boat and call Randy because we ain’t coming in Monday! Da Knobs will be rocking and rolling lead by Hunter May and the rest of his state qualifiers teammates!!
 
157:  State ranked/Semi State ranked = 7/10
 
157 features our first Turrible draw in the first round! Also not a Lock after a few weights of nailing them down. Also the Jeff Regional (for once) and the Mooresville Regional will look to shut out the other 2 regionals here. Silas Stits was as close as one can be to being a LOCK but one ranker was feeling upsets in his bones at 157!
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker/Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Let’s just kill 2 birds w/ one stone. We got a first round match featuring our #3 and #4 ranked SS wrestlers. How does this happened\?!?!?! Well it’s old news now, The Mooresville Regional, that’s how this happened. Columbus North’s (9/3)  Asher Ratliff took home a regional championship last weekend and his reward is Martinsville’s (16/4) Evan Hamblin. This match was an 8-6 victory for Ratliff in the regular season. It looks like Hamblin is/was dealing w/ some type of injury. Let’s hope he’s ready to go Saturday!
 
Don’t sleep on…. Indian Creek Freshman Elijah Guyer is the popular pick in his quarter bracket but don’t sleep on Bloomington North’s Cael Hickok. He brings a sectional and regional championship and also is flying under the radar being unranked. The FORD Center might be full of Cougars Saturday, but will Hickok be the luckiest one there?
 
Ford Fab 4 - Silas Stits Center Grove, Mason Day Brownsburg, Asher Ratliff Columbus North, Elijah Guyer Indian Creek
 
165: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 8/10
 
After a slight opening, we are back on LOCKDOWN! Hey doesn’t it seem like Bloomington South always has “that guy”? This year that guy is Evan Roudebush and he’s the prohibitive favorite at 165. Be on the lookout for a great semi-final match where Indian Creek’s Oliver Hallett will go toe to toe with Roudebush. That match should be great! Hallet just has to survive a TURRIBLE draw in the quarters to get there!
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerkers - 2 matches in the 165lb bracket will get the party started for his weight class. Just wait a second on the pulled pork nachos… you got matches to watch!. 
 
I’ve heard this alot this year “I really like _____” and these names all fit in that sentence: (21/6) Matthew Pegram from Evansville North, (19/8) David Oyebode from Decatur Central, (12/3) Gage Eckels from Ben Davis, and (23/7) Spencer Turner of Evansville Mater Dei. So imagine my happiness when I saw them all pitted together Saturday in the opening round!!! Letssss GOOOOOOO!!!
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - We got another top 4 ticket round match… Jeeze Louise!!! Indian Creek Sophmore (8/2) Oliver Hallet will wrestle the winner of Eckels/Turner. While TripleB never counts one of his WildCats out, lets just assume Eckels wins. This match will be great. Eckels is a senior and a returning qualifier, does this Giant have one more Giant match in him? Or can Hallet bring the Giant down to size?
 
Don’t sleep on…. Can Spencer Turner pull some Mater Magic at the Ford and beat two top ranked SS kids?
 
FORD Tough Lock: Evan Roudebush Bloomington South
 
Ford Fab 4 - Evan Roudebush Bloomington South, Jesser Derringer Brownsburg, Coy Bender Terre Haute South, Oliver Hallett Indian Creek

 
175: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 6/8
 
Hey…. did you know that once upon a time Noah Clouser and Bray Emerine were teammates and workout partners? It’s true!!! Is that not a way to set up a potential finals match?? Two old workout partners going at it for a semi-state title on the line?!?!? Probably due to their familiarity and closeness, we don’t have a lock at 175! Will there be a “Mooresville 4” strike also at 175??
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - This first round match up features contest between two wrestlers that’s flown under the radar. Columbus North’s Keller Despain has been in and out of the line up all season with injuries and Brownsburg’s Griffin Cambpell has also had some injuries keep him sidelined. These two seniors will be going at it to try to keep their careers alive!
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - The Mooresville Regional Strikes Again!!! This time we will get (9/3) Freshman Phenom Sam Howard of Boonville (51 matches?!?!?) and (14/4) Noah Sumner of Martinsville. Their combined record is 84-5!! TUUUURRRRRIIIBBBLLLEEE
 
Don’t sleep on…. Columbus East loves pulling seniors out of nowhere and sending them to the big show. This year that could be Tyler Lake. Lake won Regionals last week, giving him the best path to a semi-final appearance. McCloy is the heavy favorite and already owns a pinfall win over Lake. Will McCloy be focused on a potential semi-final match up with Noah Clouser? If so he might drown in the Lake!
 
Ford Fab 4 - Bray Emerine Floyd Central, Noah Clouser Center Grove, Sam Howard Boonville, Cooper McCloy Terre Haute South
 
190:  State ranked/Semi State ranked = 6/10
 
If there’s one thing this Semi-State delivers, it’s exciting ticket round matches and Turrrible draws. 190 will keep that coming with Goldsberry/McConnell. I won’t spoil anymore, but this match will highlight 190. Also a potential Terry/Henry rematch. Those guys tore down Jeffersonville earlier in the year!
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - 2 more seniors going at it in the first round and the winner will be the favorite in the quarters. Pike Senior (SS7) Kameron Biven will take on Terre Haute South’s (11/5) Collin Casad. On paper The Brave looks like the favorite but Biven is battle tested and has had some close matches with some high ranked wrestlers. The other first match between state ranked wrestlers is (6/3) Noah Terry vs. (18/6) Braxton Lewis of Cascade. Terry and Gunner Henry are a potential semi-final match and had absolute barn burner (won 8-7 by Henry) back in December. IF Terry is looking past Lewis, we all know Cascade has that magic at Evansville and can certainly drop some upset L’s on people.
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - McConnell/Goldsberry…. Mannnnnnnnn……are you serious right now? Kaden McConnel is the returning state runner up and is currently ranked 2nd to his nemesis from The Burg, Gunner Henry. Jett Goldsberry is a returning SQ and is currently ranked (8/4). These two hammers will meet in the ticket round to determine who advances to the IHSAA State Championships. 
 
Don’t sleep on…. The aforementioned Kameron Biven
 
Ford Fab 4 - Gunner Henry Brownsburg, Kaden McConnell Brownsburg, Noah Terry Tell City, Collin Casad Terre Haute South
 
215:   State ranked/Semi State ranked = 5/9
 
Another bracket of unranked wrestlers, a Turrible draw and a LOCK all highlight 215! Caden Brewer’s High School story has been one of upsets and redemption, His freshman year he won a sectional and regional and got put out at Semi-State, last year he won sectionals, regionals, semi-state and got knocked out the opening round of state. This year the Bulldog from Brownsburg looks to take that next step as he hopes to climb on the podium in his Junior year, he is the LOCK at 215! From a lock…. To a wide open bracket, which we will discuss below. 215 will be a great weight class come Saturday!
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - We have a quarter bracket w/ zero ranked state wrestlers and only one ranked SS wrestler. Keep your eyes on Kellen Fellure (a 3B guarantee), Noah Owens, Aiden Beadles, and Brant Oakley. This bracket is up for grabs. There were disagreements everywhere as TripleB descented from the pickers! 
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - We also have a bracket where 2 top 4 SS guys will go at it for a spot in the state finals. Junior from Tell City (17/4) Landon Terry will hope to follow in his brother’s footsteps, but first must get through (14/3) Spencer Watson from Tri-West. Despite being the favorite in both rankings, Watson finds himself as the underdog in this match up!
 
Don’t sleep on…. Heritage Hills Parker Hart, he has a win over Terry early in the season and has been in several close matches. He does have a loss to his potential ticket round opponent, Tyson Ruhe, but still the Patriot knows what it takes to win!
 
FORD Tough Lock: Caden Brewer Brownsburg
 
Ford Fab 4 - Caden Brewer Brownsburg, Landon Terry Tell City, Tyson Ruhe Jasper, Austin Beadles South Putnam
 
TRIPLE B GUARANTEE: The Blue Cactus in Franklin Indiana will be throwing a wild party of all you can eat Chili Cheese Burritos when Franklin Community Freshman Kellen Fellure punches that ticket!!! We can’t have state in Evansville w/o a Tonte Suit on Friday!!!
 
285: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 6/9
 
One of the rare, maybe only weights where there were no official curtain jerkers as it’s all ranked vs unranked individuals. Also no Turrible Draws, none of that means this weight class won’t be fun. While it does have our last lock, Center Grove’s Nate Johnson, and all 4 picks were unanimous, not chalk, I’d be shocked if they all held up. The big quarterfinal match will feature returning state qualifier Ben Land taking on Avon Senior Oluwagbenga Orisadare. Another match up where the favored wrestler wasn’t picked to advance as the pickers like (16/5) Orisadare to beat (13/4) Land. 
 
Don’t sleep on…. Big Ben Land, dude is a throwing machine and never stops wrestling. In his earlier season 16-5 loss to (11/3) Justin Brown from Floyd, Land just kept coming and coming and giving up points to try to score points. He’s not a boring wrestler at all!
 
FORD Tough Lock: Nate Johnson Center Grove
 
Ford Fab 4 - Nate Johnson Center Grove, Justin Brown Floyd Central, Oluwagbenga Orisadare Avon, Hayden Smith Heritage Hills
 
Man we made it…….let’s end w my favorite - food recommendations
 
Hilltop Inn - Fried Brain sandwiches. Brains aren’t your thing? Turonis is a local pizza place that’s dynamite. Like German? Gerst Haus is phenomenal. Want to head out for some adult beverages? Go to Franklin St, Gerst Haus is there and a number of other watering holes and great restaurants. I’m never up early enough for Breakfast so I have no clue. I hear the nachos at the Ford are great and worth the $. And a tradition on the way home used to be Stoll’s Country Diner (RIP). 
 
We’ll end w/ this unreleased track…. I love the Ford!
 
An homage to the best Wrestling Semi-State in the Indiana! 
 
We got winners
We got losers
Dippers and boozers
We got WildCats
We got Bulldogs
We got angry fathers
And the moms all dressed up in their glitter
Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, I love the FORD
We got Trojans
We got Olympians
Broken-hearted wrestlers and seniors
And we got state placers
We got fighters
Early-pinners and over-timers
And the old timers in letter jackets talk about their battle scars
Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, I love the FORD
I love THE FORD
It's my kind of place
Just walkin' through the front door
Puts a big smile on my face
It’s actually pretty far
Come as you are
Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, I love the FORD
 
See everybody Saturday!!! 

5113 5
NHSCA National Duals Rosters
Link to brackets
https://arena.flowrestling.org/event/1fbb2aae-19bb-433b-ad34-ae370a48d3a9
 
Wrestling runs Saturday through Monday
 
High School Rosters
 
Elite Athletic Club  
106 #14 Jamarcus Smith 
113 HM Kade Kluce 
120 HM Ashton Jackson 
126 Blase Mele 
132 Hayden Brady 
138 Anthony Bahl 
145 HM Aiden Torres 
152 Kegan Knapp 
160 Connor Svantner 
170 Jesse Herrera 
182 Lane Kiser 
195 Rob Atwood 
220 Paul Clark 
285 Will Clark 
285 Trey White 
  
Fight Barn Wrestilng Club(Columbus East)  
106 Talon Jessup 
113 Cole Wright 
120 Caleb Cooper 
120 Gage Rutan 
126 Liam Krueger 
126 Rolando Ruiz-Tapia 
132 Braden Isbell 
132 Bo Wagner 
138 William Anderson 
138 Caleb Kirkpatrick 
145 Nate Anderson 
152 Kyler Rimer 
160 Tyler Lake 
170 Juan Puello 
182 Braxton Schaefer 
195 Jackson Fox 
220 Tommy Morrill 
285 Patrick McMahon 
  
High Rollers  
106 Charlie Larocca 
113 Edward Goss 
120 Michael Tharpe 
126 Blake Wolf 
132 Alex Plahitko 
138 Eli Brooks 
145 Zach Wilson 
152 Tyler Jones 
160 Kody Glitter 
170 Hayden Shepherd 
182 Jacob Skinner 
220 Trey Deckard 
285 Josh Clark 
  
Indiana Flash North  
113 Seth Aubin 
120 Daniel Mata 
126 Kaydon Kingery 
132 Xavier Roberts 
138 Tive Delgado 
145 Giancorlo Laterzo 
152 Ben Taborski 
160 Kenneth Bisping 
170 Aidan White 
182 Anthony White 
195 Demetrus Dean 
220 Michael Degrado 
285 Mitch Krolikowski 
  
Indiana Flash South  
106 Adrian Origel 
113 Zachariah Reno 
120 Anthony Fortenberry 
126 Caleb Oliver 
132 Avery Stanley 
138 Larz Hughes 
145 Mason Stanley 
152 Lody Cheatham 
160 Ben Phillips 
170 Ethan Popp 
182 Keaton Loudermilk 
195 Treton Simmons 
  
Indiana Mafia  
106 Eli Collier 
113 Jackson Emery 
120 RJ Taylor 
126 Mikey Wilson 
132 Keaton Morton 
138 Branson Weaver 
152 Quaid Hinshaw 
182 Jaylen Young 
195 Ronin Hammond 
285 Nolan Martin 
  
Indiana Outlaws Black  
106 Jalen May 
113 #13 Jake Hockaday 
120 Toby Billerman 
126 HM Kyrel Leavell 
132 Joey Buttler 
138 HM Cheaney Schoeff 
145 Dillon Graham 
152 Bryce Lowery 
160 HM Matthew Koontz 
170 Delaney Ruhlman 
182 HM Orlando Cruz 
195 HM Gunner Henry 
220 Jacob Navarro 
285 Hosia Smith 
  
Indiana Outlaws Gray  
106 Jude Heaston 
113 Jaden Farr 
120 Sam Bustamante 
126 Will May 
132 Gabriel Clay 
138 Kannon Zuber 
145 Paul King 
152 Connor Hoefling 
160 Chase Mayes 
170 Lucas Esposito 
182 Collin Casad 
195 Gregory Johnson 
220 Luke Raines 
285 Peyton Kendall 
  
Indiana Outlaws Select  
106 Cameron Meier 
113 Logan Bickel 
120 Dominic McFeeley 
126 Tylin Thrine 
132 Gavyn Whitehead 
138 Cooper Baldwin 
145 HM Rider Searcy 
152 JJ Lowe 
160 Michael Hutchison 
170 Noah Clouser 
182 Liam Farmer 
195 Eli Hinshaw 
220 Walker Van Ness 
285 Trevi Hillman-Conley 
  
Indiana Outlaws White  
106 Levi Johns 
113 Jackson Heaston 
120 Preston Haines 
126 Trevor Hott 
132 Braden Haines 
138 Romeo White 
145 Silas Stits 
152 Logan Fite 
160 Landon Boe 
170 Jude Powell 
182 Caden Brewer 
195 Wade Mettling 
220 Will Clark 
285 Paul Clark 
  
Indiana Outlaws Yellow  
106 Brennan Leonard 
113 Tanner Tishner 
120 Bryce Doss 
126 Braden Getz 
132 Mason Day 
138 Logan Stuckman 
145 Hunter miller 
152 Jackson Neibert 
160 Nick Cicciarelli 
170 Anthony Cashman 
182 Kaden McConnell 
195 Bryce Crump 
220 Jackson Weingart 
285 Liam Begley 
  
Team Iron Bear  
106 Cooper Doucette 
113 Porter Temple 
120 Kaden Golden 
126 Brian Harris 
132 Jaylyn Pugh 
138 Kaleb Jacobs 
145 Carson Fettig 
152 Hank Temple 
160 Michael Cain 
170 Charles Brown 
182 Evan Tilton 
195 Caleb Cohee 
220 Michael Henderson 
285 Josh Brown 
285 Mason Moran 
  
The Fort Hammers  
106 Tyler Tun 
113 Carter Krouse 
120 DeJuan Clardy 
132 keegan schlabach 
138 gabe miller 
145 ethan rodriguez 
152 wayne wells 
160 chase leech 
170 ethan smith 
182 De`Alcapon Veazy 
195 Mickey Daring 
220 Preston Howard 
 
Random Teams
106 Luke Rioux- Team Shutt Nation
106 Nate Rioux- Team Shutt USA
160 AJ Steenbeke- Team Shutt USA
160 Cody Goodwin- Team Shutt Dethrone
220 Peyton Kendall- Team Shutt GT
138 Noah Sessions- Roundtree Wrestling Academy Black
 
Middle School Rosters
Elite Athletic Club
75 takoda parker
80 Zayden Mansfield
85 Declan Mckee
90 Drayton DeKay
95 Matt Diley
100 Cullen Edwards
105 Logan Bellis
112 Braylon Price
119 Hunter Shike
127 AJ Kroft
135 Cooper Miller
142 JACK HARTY
154 Josh Heath
165 Diego Irizarry
230 Raul Martinez

High Rollers
75 Zavier Acuna
75 Elio Gil
85 Camden Hook
90 Tomi Campian
90 Ryder Gardner
100 Tegan Newell
105 Gunner Butt
112 Sean Breedlove
119 William Vander Luitgaren
127 Porter Kleeberg
135 Jack Davis
142 Wyatt Hoppes
154 Ben Clark
165 Zach Clark
180 Tristan Lanum
 
Indiana Flash M
80 Bella Wesley
90 Jacoby Moore
95 Aidan Diaz
100 Max Quiroz
105 Cooper Wilkins
112 Gavin Lewis
119 Chase Pekny
127 Jacob Hill
135 Aleksandar Tatum
142 Cayden Webb
154 Lucas Anderson

Indiana Outlaws Red
75 Sebastian Gracia
80 Luke Neid
85 Eli Ogle
90 Peyton Schoettle
95 Justin Williamson
100 Lucas Day
105 Braylon Reynolds
112 Cade Zuber
119 Landon Haines
127 Angelo Vargo
135 Peyton Hornsby
142 Lucas Boe
154 Mj Morton
165 Camden Jeeninga
180 Spencer Fain
230 Alan Ortiz
 
Indiana Outlaws Silver
75 Symon Schoettle
80 Blake Doss
85 Gavyn Kemp
90 Blake Getz
95 Lincoln Underwood
100 Justus Thrasher
105 Jett Mcguire
112 Trevor Bennett
119 Wayne Harden
127 Tyler Lavin
135 Tucker Billerman
142 Mason Thompson
165 Brodie Melzoni
180 Collin Whetsel
230 Mark Gonzalez

POWA
75 Alex Huddleston
119 Clinton Shepherd
127 Evan Stanley

The Fort Hammers
75 Remington Waldron
80 ramon sierra
85 brock mccartney
90 Abrum Swathwood
100 kaid jackson
105 Grant Howard
112 Carter Fielden
119 evan omelian
135 rylee biddle
142 Hartley hoover
180 aiden hunt

Elementary Rosters
The Fort Hammers
52 Layten Marsh
56 Karsten Castetter
60 Henry Riesen
65 Wyatt Melchi
70 drew hiesler
75 Maximus Kleeberg
80 Isaac Brown
85 Lane Williams
90 Joseph Warner
95 Lathen Janes
100 Braxtyn Bauer
100 Luke Oberlin
110 Tatum jones
120 Brennan mccartney

High Rollers
52 Tino Acuna
56 Ian Weber
60 Parker Stanzis
65 Parker Kleeberg
70 Logan Brickley
75 Conner Maddox
80 Xavier Flores
85 Dallas Rosenbarger
95 Jude Bratt
100 Griffan Kline
110 Issac Suddarth
110 Justus Suddarth
120 Jordan Parrett
150 Dylan Stanley

Indian Creek
52 Chase Dowty
56 Ryder Dowty
60 Tyson Doll
65 Tucker Dowty
70 Esdon Morphet
75 Ella Neibert
80 Colton Stinson
85 Maverick Smith
90 Isaac Smith
95 Patrick Dowty
100 Noah Fitzgerald
110 Bo Jackson
120 Gavin Brown
150 Wyatt Horton

Indiana Outlaws Gold
52 Joey Brown
56 Cecil Nelson
60 Lennon Jaggers
65 Henry Antrobus
70 Cameron Schofield
75 Ashton Scott
80 Kellen Schoeff
85 William Smith
90 Charlie Hutchinson
95 Nik Freeze
100 Ashton Goney
110 Hayden Mullins
120 Cohen Wuethrich
150 Jackson Smith
 
Indiana Outlaws Green
52 Joey Graham
56 Cory Buckley
60 Alexander Schnurstein
65 Jack May
70 Richie Graham
70 Jace Largent
75 Maxwell Schnurstein
80 Chase Shirley
85 Jax Hanson
90 Jonathan Nordyke Jr.
100 Vinny Berberena
110 Ezra Ostler
120 Ava Strayer
 

5056
2015 State Finals: Rankings by the Numbers
Overall
We hear the saying “rankings don’t matter” all the time, however our IndianaMat rankings have been spot on over the years. Remember that our rankings are finalized before sectional, so they do not take into account the draws at regional or semi-state. This year’s preseason magazine had an astounding 166 wrestlers ranked that made the state finals! Remember, this takes into account incoming freshmen, kids that move out of state, injuries to top wrestlers, and other reasons for top wrestlers not wrestling this year. Here are the previous year’s and how many ranked kids made the state finals.
2015- 172
2014- 171
2013- 171
2012- 170
2011- 157
2010- 159
2009- 143
106lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Ben Streeter- Fort Wayne North Side
Jon Anderson- Lafayette Jefferson
Levi Miller- North Posey
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#3 Graham Rooks- Columbus East vs. #15 Kory Cavanaugh- Penn
#8 Christian Hunt- Yorktown vs. #2 Klayton Anderson- Hamilton Southeastern
#17 Cainan Schaefer- South Dearborn vs. #16 Tanner DeMien- Northwood
#19 Geoffrey Davis- Fort Wayne Wayne vs. #4 Cameron Diep- New Palestine
#5 Tylor Triana- Hobart vs. #9 Mason Miranda- Avon
 
113lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Anthony Mosser- Adams Central
Jabin Wright- Kokomo
Kadin Poe- Decatur Central
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#11 Rickie Rodriguez- Hammond Morton vs. #16 Jacob Skaggs- Avon
#1 Garrett Pepple- East Noble vs. #10 Ethan Smiley- Beech Grove
#4 Kyle Luigs- Evansville Mater Dei vs. #17 Dustin Miller- Lafayette Jefferson
#2 Paul Konrath- Mt. Vernon vs. #9 Michael DeLaPeña- Merrillville
#5 Alec White- New Palestine vs. #8 Blake Glogouski- Fairfield
 
120lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 15
Unranked qualifiers:
Dameion Rutledge- Southport
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#9 Kyle Hatch- Warsaw vs. #14 Isaac Gomez- Plainfield
#1 Breyden Bailey- Indianapolis Cathedral vs. #11 Eddie Loraine- Leo
#7 Tyler Ferguson- Evansville F.J. Reitz vs. #4 Jeremiah Reitz- Griffith
#5 Brock Hudkins- Danville vs. #19 Ryan Hardesty- Mishawaka
#15 Hunter Langeloh- Columbia City vs. #3 Cornelious Elliot II- Perry Meridian
#6 Brendan Black- Hobart vs. #8 Will Egli- Evansville Mater Dei
#13 Caleb Bocock- Lebanon vs. #16 Ben Cauffman- Carroll (Fort Wayne)
 
126lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Chris Diaz- Hammond Clark
David Lewis- Terre Haute South
Kobe Raypole- Carroll (Fort Wayne)
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#7 Zach Melloh- Indianapolis Cathedral vs. #16 Chayce Young- Madison
#1 Chad Red- New Palestine vs. #5 Alex Johnson- Evansville Mater Dei
#12 Daniel Gunsett- Bellmont vs. #11 Branden Truver- Lake Central
#3 Elliott Molloy- Danville vs. #9 Joel McGhee- Warren Central
#4 Jason Crary- Munster vs. #8 Owen Doster- New Haven
 
132lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12
Unranked qualifiers:
Austen Laughlin- South Bend Riley
Cale McCoy- Northview
Fernando Luevano- West Noble
Jarrett Carden- Cass
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#3 Connor Knapp- East Noble vs. #11 Austin Bethel- Mt. Vernon
#8 Griffin Schermer- Bloomington South vs. #12 Kyle Egolf- Columbia City
#5 Jack Chastain- Hamilton Southeastern vs. #10 Zach Donaldson- Crown Point
#17 Blake Strawsma- Benton Central vs. #7 Nick Ellis- Roncalli
 
138lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Alan Dixon- Evansville F.J. Reitz
Connor Moore- Southmont
Kasper McIntosh- Portage
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#4 Clarence Johnson- Merrillville vs. #18 Jay Franko- Jimtown
#6 Keegan Stansberry- Hamilton Southeastern vs. #5 Kyle Todrank- Gibson Southern
#10 Isaac Eicher- Leo vs. #14 Riley Akers- Crown Point
#1 Brandon James- Perry Meridian vs. #19 Hunter Castleberry- New Albany
#17 Triston Rodriguez- Culver Community vs. #7 Brad Laughlin- Yorktown
 
145lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14
Unranked qualifiers:
Daylan Schurg- Crown Point
Tanner Shipley- Huntington North
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#6 Trent Pruitt- Warren Central vs. #19 Doug Levitz- Prairie Heights
#15 Bryant Haynes- Charlestown vs. #1 Jacob Covaciu- Merrillville
#2 Cael McCormick- Yorktown vs. #18 Alston Bane- Richmond
#14 Tavonte` Malone- South Bend Adams vs. #5 Blake Jourdan- Evansville Mater Dei
#4 Evan Smiley- Beech Grove vs. #7 Tony Vaughn- Elkhart Memorial
#3 Steven Lawrence- Portage vs. #10 Patrick Schnell- Castle
 
152lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 11
Unranked qualifiers:
Corbin Gregg- Hamilton Southeastern
Dru Berkebile- Yorktown
Gleason Mappes- Center Grove
Isaiah Michaels- Centerville
Marquis Schieber- Jimtown
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#2 Isaiah Kemper- Evansville Central vs. #13 Mike Krzyston- Andrean
#7 Elijah Dunn- Indian Creek vs. #4 Jarod Swank- Penn
#6 Kellen VanCamp- Lebanon vs. #12 Peyton Sturgill- Peru
#16 Kodie Christenson- Lake Central vs. #10 Cayden Whitaker- Martinsville
 
160lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 11
Unranked qualifiers:
Dezmen Goddard- Warren Central
Evan Stambaugh- Lebanon
Jordan Rader- Peru
Kody Caudle- Danville
Tristan Goering- South Bend Riley
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#11 Jacob Weimer- East Noble vs. #12 Tristen McDaniel- Tecumseh
#2 Gabe Koontz- Edgewood vs. #10 Bryce Baumgartner- Bellmont
#14 Jesse Archer- North Montgomery vs. #3 Darden Schurg- Crown Point
#7 Adam Dodson- John Glenn vs. #8 Ethan Briggeman- Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter
 
170lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 11
Unranked qualifiers:
Ben Norton- LaVille
Blake Jeffress- Castle
Brett Baker- Bellmont
Zach Davis- Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran
Zach Worm- Southmont
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#9 Nathan Walton- Brownsburg vs. #10 Hunter Mote- Delphi
#4 Dillon Jackson- Yorktown vs. #19 Spencer Irick- Hamilton Southeastern
#17 Ismael Cornejo- Portage vs. #5 Jacob Stevenson- Franklin Community
 
182lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Andy Kohler- Jay County
Caleb Hoots- New Castle
Gage Garpow- Winamac
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#2 Corey Hinkle- Western vs. #20 Ryan Hammond- Whiteland
#4 Conner James- Roncalli vs. #3 Andrew Davison- Chesterton
#5 Mason Parris- Lawrenceburg vs. #9 Jake Kleimola- Lake Central
#13 Hunter Hiestand- Yorktown vs. #10 Kyle Shaffer- South Putnam
#17 Matt Hayes- Providence vs. #16 David Eli- Elkhart Memorial
 
195lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 11
Unranked qualifiers:
Carter Friedt- Bellmont
Christian Redmond- Jennings County
Jake LaMar- Castle
Justin Akers- Crown Point
Scottie Evans- Delta
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#11 Sam Hipple- Carmel vs. #16 Tanner Bradley- Mishawaka
#9 Matt Hedrick- Portage vs. #4 Tristen Tonte- Perry Meridian
#5 Nick Fowler- Calumet vs. #10 Scott Fuller- Zionsville
#17 Bo Davis- Garrett vs. #18 Garrison Lee- Monrovia
 
220lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Blake Davis- Garrett
Dustyn Hangen- Winchester
Tristin Choate- Mt. Vernon
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#2 Eliseo Guerra- Elkhart Central vs. #18 Braden Majewski- Portage
#9 Kasha Wilder- Ben Davis vs. #13 Erik Hart- Lebanon
#15 Ryan Guhl- Indianapolis Cathedral vs. #10 Clayton Scroggs- Martinsville
#5 Gunnar Larson- Avon vs. #17 Noah Grable- New Palestine
#7 Seth Meyer- Harrison (West Lafayette) vs. #8 Evan Ellis- Eastern (Greentown)
 
285lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 9
Unranked qualifiers:
Brendan Sutton- Jennings County
Dax Hiestand- Yorktown
Drew Cummings- Columbia City
Drew Hobick- Zionsville
Evan Beech- North Miami
Jordan Shafer- Rochester
Robert Samuels- Lawrence North
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#7 Quinn York- Franklin Community vs. #8 Jasion Brogan- Warren Central

5056
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.

4880
Drew Hughes wins Big Ten Wrestler of the Week
Michigan State Earns Wrestler of the Week Plaudit

Spartans’ Hughes picks up the honor after winning four matches at the Reno Tournament of Champions

Wrestler of the Week
Drew Hughes, Michigan State
165 pounds – Fr. – Lowell, Ind. – Lowell

Helped lead the Spartans to a second-place finish at the Reno Tournament of Champions
The unranked wrestler picked up three technical falls before earning a 2-0 sudden victory win over 12th-ranked Branson Ashworth of Wyoming
Earns the first Wrestler of the Week Award of his career
Last Michigan State Wrestler of the Week: Michael McClure (Dec. 18, 2012)

2016-17 Wrestlers of the Week
Nov. 8: Connor Medbery, Sr., WIS
Nov. 15: Connor Medbery, Sr., WIS
Nov. 22: Kyle Snyder, Jr., OSU
Nov. 29: Brett Pfarr, Sr., MINN
Dec. 6: Logan Massa, Fr., MICH
Dec. 13: Anthony Rubinetti, Fr., NU
Dec. 20: Drew Hughes, Fr., MSU

4794 2
2020 Semi-State Information Center
Date: Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020.
Admission: $10 (Final session only); $12 (Season ticket).
Advancement: The top four place winners in each weight class advance to the state finals.
 
State Finals Pairings Show
The brackets in each weight class will be announced exclusively via IHSAAtv.org on Sunday, February 16, 2020 at 4 pm ET / 3 pm CT.
Brackets for each host site are available via TrackWrestling.com
 
1. East Chicago Central | 9 am CT 
Feeder Regionals: Crown Point, Hobart, Logansport, Penn.
TrackWrestling Brackets
IndianaMat Brackets
Pick'ems Link
 
2. New Haven (at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum) | 8:30 am ET 
Feeder Regionals: Carroll (Fort Wayne), Goshen, Jay County, Peru.
TrackWrestling Brackets
IndianaMat Brackets
Pick'ems Link
 
3. New Castle | 9 am ET 
Feeder Regionals: North Montgomery, Pendleton Heights, Perry Meridian, Richmond.
TrackWrestling Brackets
IndianaMat Brackets
Pick'ems Link
 
4. Evansville Reitz (at Ford Center) | 9 am CT 
Feeder Regionals: Bloomington South, Evansville North, Jeffersonville, Mooresville.
TrackWrestling Brackets
IndianaMat Brackets
Pick'ems Link
 
Ford Center Clear Bag Policy

 

4787
2014 IHSAA Sectional Brackets
Date: Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014.
Admission: $6.
Advancement: The top four place winners in each weight class advance to the regional tournament.

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

4660 7
Big Seven Seniors Announce College Choices
The last of the big seven has announced his college plans as Merrillville’s Purple Hulk is going to be a Boilermaker next year. Streck is going to take on double duty as he will play football also in West Lafayette.
 
With Streck’s announcement it wraps up a lot of projecting and speculating of where our top seniors are headed. The first ones to announce their intentions were Kobe Woods and Blake Rypel who both project at the 197lbs weight class. Both will stay in-state with Woods going to Purdue and Rypel to Indiana.
 
The next big announcement was Chad Red’s plans. There had been much speculation on his destination as he is one of the top recruits in the country. Red decided to head west to the Big Red and Nebraska.
 
Within the past two weeks we have had announcements from Drew Hughes, Jacob Covaciu, and Brock Hudkins. Hughes will head north and sport some green while wrestling for Michigan State. Covaicu will also head north, but his destination is Madison and to join the Badgers. Lastly, Brock Hudkins will head to Northern Illinois next year.
 
While the seven returning champions have received the most press in regards to their college choices, there have been others that have made early commitments. Austin Holmes of Hamilton Southeastern will join the Indiana Hoosiers. Drew Hildebrandt will look to man the 125lbs spot at Central Michigan. Finally, Cael McCormick will join Army West Point next year.
Good luck to all these athletes as they represent the state at the collegiate level.

4653 19
2017 Fort Wayne Semi-State Preview
Here...we....GO! The Fort Wayne semi-state has been dominated by the Tigers of Yorktown High the past five years. Will it change this year? Could there be a new sheriff in town? Likely not, but if the Tigers falter there will be others waiting to take the semi-state plaque home.
 
The friendly confines of the War Memorial Coliseum will play host to 224 wrestlers with only 56 coming away with a ticket to the state finals at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Look for lots of drama and upsets as this day is always chalk full of it.
 
This year we are adding picks to the preview again, however they are those of our Fort Wayne ranking guru Caleb Spires. Good luck to all the competitors this Saturday.
 
Team Race
This is Yorktown’s title to lose at this point. With 12 qualifiers and many of them with very favorable draws they are the heavy favorites to capture their 5th straight semi-state title. However, if they have any missteps there are plenty of teams that will be ready to take the title. Elkhart Memorial has three guys that could win titles, that may not be enough, but they could be near the top. Bellmont always pulls out some upsets none of the prognosticators pick, so they are always dangerous. Carroll could pose a threat as they have three early head to head matches with Yorktown. They would do themselves a HUGE favor by winning those matches. Lastly, you cannot overlook the mighty Panthers of Prairie Heights. The draw gods didn’t do them any favors, but they are battle tested and ready. They aren’t opposed to crashing anyone’s party and cannot be overlooked in the team race. Jimtown is the third team with a shot at making a dent in the team race. They feature two returning state placers in Hunter Watts and Kenny Kerrn along with the Gimson twins that will contend for semi-state titles.
 
Early #SlobberKnockers- Early matches you can't miss
State Street Fights- Ticket round matches that will peak your interest
#WAYL2- Who Are Your Losses To?
 
106
The head of the class in the lightest weight class is Yorktown’s Brayden Curtis. He finished 7th at state last year and is ranked #1. He has the state experience and is poised to repeat as semi-state champion. He will be pushed however by seniors JC Herring and Fernando Flores. Herring was a state qualifier last year. Garrett’s Brayden Shearer has turned it up during the post season and is a dangerous wrestler from all positions.
 
Early #SlobberKnockers
(Bout 4) - Isaac Weimer (West Noble) vs. Payton Lechner (Western)
(Bout 5) - JC Herring (Oak Hill) vs. Jon-Matthew Spaw (East Noble)
 
State Street Fights
Brayden Shearer (Garrett) vs. Nick Buchanan (Prairie Heights)
Brayden Curtis (Yorktown) vs. Isaac Weimer (West Noble) or Payton Lechner (Western)
 
Caleb's Concrete Calls
1. Brayden Curtis
2. JC Herring
3. Fernando Flores
4. Brayden Shearer
 
#WAYL2
Curtis(0)
Herring(1)- Andrew Black
Flores(2)- Gabe Smith, Danny Tolin,
Weimer(4)- Spaw, Buchanan(3),
Spaw(5)- Brendan Mattingly, Tyson Coon, Flores, Weimer, Buchanan
Lechner(5)- Tyson Coon, Herring(3),
Sturgill(6)- Lechner, Herring, Ty Haskins, Martin Cruz, Flores, Trevor Penrod,
Buchanan(6)- Flores(2), Evan Light, Danny Tolin, Weimer, Andrew Black,
Rupp(6)- Weimer, Logan Boe, Jordan George, Aaron Adkins, Suhas Chundi, Curtis,
Shearer(7)- Tanner Schoeff(3), Hunter Watts(2), Gabe Smith, Wyatt Miller,
 
113
Last year at semi-state Hunter Watts pulled a couple upsets to make his way to the finals. This year he’ll come in as the favorite. He will have a somewhat easier road to punch his ticket, but he cannot overlook Adams Central’s Logan Mosser in the ticket round. The other big names in this field include South Adam’s Wyatt Miller. Miller has stumbled at semi-state the past two years. This year he looks to be peaking at the right time and has the tools to give Watts all he can handle. The other quarter-brackets are tossups with Joe Just of Carroll and Yorktown’s Zachary Todd banging heads in the first round. Like we said earlier that match could have an important part in the team race. At the bottom, we have two guys that have had breakout seasons in Woodlan’s Chris Schuller and Evan Beasley of Northridge.
 
Early #SlobberKnockers
(Bout 9) - Gerald Pearson (Eastern (Greentown)) vs. Travis Miller (Fairfield)
(Bout 10) - Zachary Todd (Yorktown) vs. Joe Just (Carroll (Fort Wayne))
 
State Street Fights
Hunter Watts (Jimtown) vs. Logan Mosser (Adams Central)
Wyatt Miller (South Adams) vs. Tanner Schoeff (Central Noble)
Chris Schuller (Woodlan)vs. Evan Beasley (Northridge)
 
Caleb's Concrete Calls
1. Hunter Watts
2. Wyatt Miller
3. Chris Shuller
4. Joe Just
 
#WAYL2
Schoeff(2)- Beasely(2)
Pearson(2)- Miller(Fairfield), Tyler Bowling,
Watts(2)- Kory Cavanaugh(2)
Miller(3)- Mosser, Davaugh Anderson, Kobe King
Schuller(5)- Mosser, Zakk Atkins, Wyatt Miller(2), AJ Selvaggio(OH),
Chauhan(6)- Mosser, Pearson(3), Anderson, ??,
Brooks(6)- Pearson, Anderson(2), Justin Ristin, Just, ??
Beasley(7)- Schoeff, Wyat Miller, Watts(2), Travis Miller, Brayden Curtis, Fernando Flores,
Just(8)- Keegan Overton, Brayden Shearer, Evan Lawhead, Brooks Hartz, Kane Egli, Kory Cavanaugh, Sebastian Cortez, Chris Schuller,
Miller(9)- Brayden Shearer(2), Beasley, Watts, Schoeff, ??, ??, ??, ??,
Todd(9)- Mosser, Gavin Rose, Jacob Fiew, Logan Bailey, Keeghan Overton, Dylan Phelphs(MI), ??, ??, ??
 
120
Last year Christian Mejia had an impressive run at state making his way under the lights. However, he didn't even win semi-state, it was Jabin Wright who ran away with the title. Both return and highlight a deep weight class. Others to watch include Yorktown's Josh Stephenson and Homestead's Blaigh Rushing who both won their respective regionals. Non-regional champs to watch include Dekalb's Trevor Boyce who has been knocking on the state door most of his career.
Early #SlobberKnockers
(Bout 18) - Jaylyn Yoder (Fairfield) vs. Owen Krider (Carroll (Fort Wayne))
(Bout 20) - Dane Martin (Leo) vs. Trevor Boyce (DeKalb)
 
State Street Fights
Josh Stephenson (Yorktown) vs. Jaylyn Yoder (Fairfield) or Owen Krider (Carroll (Fort Wayne))
Jabin Wright (Kokomo) vs. Dane Martin (Leo) or Trevor Boyce (DeKalb)
Blaigh Rushing (Homestead) vs. Nick Liter (Adams Central)
 
Caleb's Concrete Calls
1. Christian Mejia
2. Jabin Wright
3. Josh Stephenson
4. Blaigh Rushing
 
#WAYL2
Wright(1)- Jon Anderson
Mejia(2)- Colin Poynter, Tylor Triana,
Smith(3)- Wright(2), ??,
Boyce(4)- Joe Wright(OH), Sencer Good(OH), Martin, Mejia,
Stephenson(5)- Justice Cash, Keaton Fisher, Lukasz Walendzak, Mejia, ??
Rushing(5)- Boyce, Stephenson(2), Lukasz Walendzak, Spencer Cox,
Martin(8)- Krider, Boyce(2), Rushing, Nick Brady(2), Chase Wilkerson, ??,
 
126
This weight class has numerous storylines and is one that could have a multitude of outcomes. The first storyline is the emergence of Gimson 1. He has had a fine season with only two losses on the season. Then you have the super frosh from Western Hunter Cottingham. Does he have what it takes to punch his ticket to state? He will be a tough out for sure. Back up top you have Garrett’s Dylan DeMarco who had a great regional and could make his first trip to the coliseum a memorable one. Lastly you have three wrestlers that could have a say in the team race in Xayvier Curtis, Joel Byman, and Ryan Rasler. That last quarter bracket will be fun to watch with each wrestler being one that could play spoiler on Saturday.
 
Early #SlobberKnockers
(Bout 26) - Kasey Deardorff (North Miami) vs. William Fiechter (Southern Wells)
(Bout 32) - Joel Byman (Carroll (Fort Wayne)) vs. Ryan Rasler (Prairie Heights)
 
State Street Fights
Hunter Cottingham (Western) vs. Kyle Davis (Leo)
Xayvier Curtis (Yorktown) vs. Joel Byman (Carroll (Fort Wayne)) or Ryan Rasler (Prairie Heights)
 
Caleb's Concrete Calls
1. Matt Gimson
2. Joel Byman
3. Hunter Cottingham
4. Dylan Demarco
 
#WAYL2
Cottingham(1)- Aaron Castillas
Gimson(2)- Jon Becker, Graham Rooks,
Gibson(5)- Jordan Vinson, Cottingham(2), ??, ??,
Davis(6)- Jon Becker, Jacob Hall(2), Seth Burns, DeMarco, ??
Curtis(6)- Dalton Craig, Robinson, Jon Becker, Alec White, Jordan Slivka, ??,
Deardorff(8)- Gibson, ??, ??, ??, ??, ??, ??, ??,
Rasler(8)- Seth Burns, Dallas Pugsley, Noah Hunt, Byman, DeMarco, Cummings, ??, ??,
Fiechter(8)- Curtis, DeMarco, Ledesma, Sanders, ??, ??, ??, ??,
Byman(8)- Dallas Pugsley, Chase Poynter, Carson Willis, Matt Lee, Michael DeLapena, Matt Gimson, Jacob Robinson, Kyle Davis,
Robinson(9)- Byman(2), Jadon Galvin, Davis, Jake Jenkins(2), DeMarco, Carson Willis, ??
Demarco(10)- Jayce Meyer, Austin Moore, Zane Standridge, Adam Davis, Gimson(2), Rasler, Noah Hunt, Byman, Davis
Sanders(10)- Tanner Yenter(OH), Josh Beeks, Cole Houser(OH), Carson Alfred, Larry Evans, Robinson, Jake Jenkins, Fiechter, Curtis, Dylan McClure
 
132
This is another weight where a Tiger will be the favorite. Yorktown’s Christian Hunt has grown into this weight after placing at state at 106lbs two years ago. He is a tough wrestler that is hard to score on and usually scoring more points is how you win wrestling matches. Others to watch here include Gimson 2. Conner Gimson suffered his first loss of the year at regional and will be the favorite in his quarter bracket. Central Noble’s Austin Moore was the one that handed Gimson his lone loss this year. He seems to be peaking at the right time. The most intriguing ticket round battle will be Columbia City’s Matthew Wright against Adams Central’s Anthony Mosser. Mosser was a state qualifier two years ago at 113lbs.
 
Early #SlobberKnockers
(Bout 38) - Jayce Meyer (Angola) vs. Anthony Mosser (Adams Central)
 
State Street Fights
Matthew Wright (Columbia City) vs. Anthony Mosser (Adams Central)
 
Caleb's Concrete Calls
1. Christian Hunt
2. Conner Gimson
3. Austin Moore
4. Anthony Mosser
 
#WAYL2
Gimson(1)- Moore
Mosser(2)- Jack Servies, Hunt,
Moore(2)- Hayden Lohrey, Mosser,
Hunt(2)- Breyden Bailey(2)
Price(3)- Standridge, Wright, Briar Goodwin
Wright(5)- Kyle Davis, Jon Becker, Reilly Heater(OH), Maxwell Hertensteiner(OH), Austin Roemer
Morrisett(5)- Tim Wright, Jaylon Gibson, Zach Burrell, Cordell Cowan, Colin Fletcher
Schliessman(8)- Cainan Schaefer, Gimson, Noah Robinson, Drew Kreitzer, Hunt, Mosser,
 
138
It is looking like a familiar theme with another Tiger being the favorite here. Yorktown’s Eric Hiestand is another great wrestler from the family and has been on a tear this year. He is hard to score on and will be a threat from any position for big points. After him the weight is wide open. You have some great matches and rivalries that could match up in the first round onward. Dillon Yoder and Joe Leazier will renew their NECC rivalry with the winner getting a crack at Hiestand. Others to watch include a ticket round tussle with Ethan Hicks of Carroll and Logan Macklin of Adams Central. Both have had very similar results against common opponents so it should be a fun one. On the bottom quarter there are about three or even four guys with a chance for that last ticket. Most of them are relative unknowns so it will be who wants it more.
 
Early #SlobberKnockers
(Bout 46) - Dillon Yoder (Fairfield) vs. Joe Leazier (Churubusco)
(Bout 48) - Ben Macias (F.w. South Side) vs. Chaz Boyd (Elkhart Central)
 
State Street Fights
Ethan Hicks (Carroll (Fort Wayne)) vs. Logan Macklin (Adams Central)
Owen Eveler (Northridge) vs. Grant Gutierrez (Bellmont)
Lorenzo Trevino (Marion) vs. Ben Macias (FW South Side)
 
Caleb's Concrete Calls
1. Eric Hiestand
2. Ethan Hicks
3. Grant Gutierrez
4. Ben Macias
 
#WAYL2
Hiestand(2)- Donald Campbell, Zach Melloh,
Leazier(4)- Hicks(2), Dillon Yoder, Austin Moore
Macias(4)- Chase Hissong, Leazier, Lorenzo Trevino, Zack Bullock,
Yoder(5)- Dylan DeMarco, Graham Calhoun, Boyd, ??, ??
Hicks(5)- Robert Deters, Kris Rumph, Jake Schoenegge, Grant Gutierrez, Joe Leazier
Trevino(6)- Cody McCune, Matt Wright, Treyven McKinley, Jadon Crisp, Owen Eveler, ??,
Macklin(6)- Calvin Brown(OH), Blake Hohleer(OH), Matt Laughlin, Derek Blubaugh, Payton Asbury, Eric Hiestand,
Eveler(6)- Hiestand, Graham Calhoun(2), Leazier, Jayce Meyer, Yoder
Jones(7)- Leazier, Hiestand, Macklin, Gutierrez, ??, ??, ??
Gutierrez(8)- Sam Osho, Antwaun Graves, Colt Rutter, Hicks, Jacob Laplace, Brooks Davis, Logan Macklin, Hiestand,
 
145
The theme this year seems to be the finals are in the SEMI-finals. This weight is another one with arguably the top two or even three guys in the same half. At the top we have some interesting match-ups with a quarter bracket that is a virtual pick’em. The wrestler with the least number of losses is the #4 seed, while two guys have 10+ losses. There is no big favorite here, so we’ll see who is ready to wrestle on Saturday. Going down the bracket we will get Wyro and Barr III. They have split matches this year with Barr winning early in the season and Wyro taking the match at Christmas time. Teams in the hunt for a semi-state title will be keeping tabs on this match-up. The bottom bracket will provide some fireworks. Jay County’s fab freshman Mason Winner drew the tough Riley Rasler from Prairie Heights. Winner has only one loss in the state and is as tough as they come. On the bottom side the favorite is Super Charger Joel Arney who will need to get pumped for his potential semi-final match.
 
Early #SlobberKnockers
(Bout 52) - Brady Wyro (Homestead) vs. Xander Stroud (Elkhart Central)
(Bout 56) - Parker Bates (Adams Central) vs. Cole Ridgeway (Oak Hill)
 
State Street Fights
Eli Elkins (Eastern (Greentown)) vs. Carlos Aguirre (Garrett)
Alex Barr (Yorktown) vs. Brady Wyro (Homestead) or Xander Stroud (Elkhart Central)
Riley Rasler (Prairie Heights) vs. Mason Winner (Jay County)
 
Caleb's Concrete Calls
1. Mason Winner
2. Alex Barr
3. Joel Arney
4. Carlos Aguirre
 
#WAYL2
Rasler(1)- Kasper McIntosh
Arney(2)- Rasler, Mario Traficanti,
Winner(2)- Barr, Eric Beck(OH),
Barr(4)- Wyro, Jack Ferraro, Colby Deberry(MI), ??,
Stroud(4)- Romeo Hoover, Kassius Breathitt, Haden Hensley, Rasler,
Young(6)- Winner, Barr, Bates, Owen Conklin, Richardson, ??,
Wyro(6)- Barr, Aguirre, Winner, Brayton Lee, Rasler, Tristan Lerch,
Elkins(7)- Kyle Wagner, Chad Rothwell, Ridgeway, Jeffery Closser, Ruger Ranney(MI), Carter Ciscell, ??
Aguirre(10)- Arney(3), Cooper Abramson, Rasler(2), Grant Gutierrez, Mike Humbert, Malik Hoover, Blake Webb
 
152
We knew coming into this weight there could be some cringeworthy ticket round matches here. The bracket gods were at least partially kind, but they still didn’t make it easy for anyone of the top guys to punch their tickets to state. Three wrestlers here have state experience with the fantastic Jimmie Kenny Kerrn leading the way after bringing a medal home last year. Nate Weimer earned a state medal two years ago at 126lbs and Yorktown’s Colt Rutter was a qualifier last year. Sprinkled in with those guys are tough outs in the Patriot Tyler Leonard, three-time ticket rounder Garrett Griffin of Northwood, an undefeated Christian Bratcher of Eastbrook, four loss Dylan Torbush, and finally the mighty Knight Chandler Woenker. There will be some great matches from start to finish here.
 
Early #SlobberKnockers
(Bout 60) - Garrett Griffin (Northwood) vs. Corbin Hetzner (Eastern (Greentown))
(Bout 64) - Dylan Torbush (Wes-Del) vs. Chandler Woenker (F.w. Bishop Luers)
 
State Street Fights
Tyler Leonhard (Jay County) vs. Nathaniel Weimer (East Noble)
Hunter Reed (Columbia City) vs. Garrett Griffin (Northwood) or Corbin Hetzner (Eastern (Greentown))
Christian Bratcher (Eastbrook) vs. Colt Rutter (Yorktown)
Kenny Kerrn (Jimtown) vs. Chandler Woenker (F.w. Bishop Luers)
 
Caleb's Concrete Calls
1. Kenny Kerrn
2. Hunter Reed
3. Nate Weimer
4. Christian Bratcher
 
#WAYL2
Bratcher(0)
Reed(1)- Weimer
Kerrn(1)- Kyle Hatch
Woenker(3)- Reed, Javier Johnson, Bratcher
Evans(3)- Jacob Suski, France, Bratcher
Torbush(4)- Leonard(2), Rutter, ??
Green(4)- Kerrn, Torbush(2), Rutter
Weimer(4)- Hunter Reed, Kenny Kerrn, Michael Lictenberger, Heiniger(Default),
Leonhard(4)- Hunter Perdue(OH), Andrew Negangard, Tony Mosconi, Reed,
Hetzner(5)- Bratcher(3), Clayton Cowan, Reed
Rutter(6)- Josh Cooper, Adam Hall(MI), Tyler Leonhard, Trevor Reese, Riley White, Robert Deters,
Griffin(7)- Kyle Hatch(2), Denver Aydelott, Logan Coyle, Sam Gobeyn, Kerrn(2)
 
160
Three wrestlers with state experience will come into this weight and they all seem to have some history with each other. Leading the way is state #1 and nationally ranked Brad Laughlin. He has adjusted to the 15lbs jump from last year and been extremely dominant. He will be pushed by Tony Busse who has had a fine senior year after qualifying for state last year. Both cannot overlook the ever dangerous Jed Levitz who had a defensive fall against Busse at the Al Smith this year. Levitz isn’t afraid to get funky and he is not afraid to headhunt. The last qualifying spot will be tough with three talented wrestlers looking to punch their tickets to state. Nick Potter has lost to Levitz and Busse the past two years in the ticket round. Tykease Baker and Ivan Hemmelgarn are both game competitors that could push Potter for the last ticket.
 
Early #SlobberKnockers
(Bout 72) - Ivan Hemmelgarn (Jay County) vs. Tykease Baker (Elkhart Central)
 
State Street Fights
Jed Levitz (Prairie Heights) vs. Javier Johnson (F.w. Wayne)
Delton Moore (Manchester) vs. Tony Busse (Bellmont)
Nick Potter (New Haven) vs. Ivan Hemmelgarn (Jay County) or Tykease Baker (Elkhart Central)
 
Caleb's Concrete Calls
1. Brad Laughlin
2. Tony Busse
3. Jed Levitz
4. Nick Potter
 
#WAYL2
Laughlin(1)- Burk Van Horn
Moore(3)- Evan Jeubehussen, Micah Calhoun, Nate Weimer
Levitz(3)- Laine Frazee, Gleason Mappes, Laughlin
Busse(4)- Carson Brewer, Levitz, Chase Wilson, Draker Guerrero,
Potter(5)- Busse(2), Sam Hauke, ??, ??,
Hemmelgarn(5)- Michael Baker(OH), Alston Bane, Jonyvan Johnson, Busse, Laughlin
King(6)- Ethan Stock, Josh Gee, Moore, ??, ??, ??,
Johnson(7)- Potter(3), Weimer, Dru Berkebile, Busse, Carson Brewer
Lone(7)- Lentz, Micah Calhoun, Brenden Montgomery, Micah Wray, Jordan Siddons, Baker, Levitz
Baker(9)- David Sheley, Dalton Heintzberger, Travis Sloffer, Laik Minnick, Bryce Baumgartner, Lucas Scott, Quentin Moore, Levitz, Tavonte Malone
 
170
Three returning wrestlers with state experience headline a loaded 170lbs class at Fort Wayne. Tristan Goering made the move from South Bend and is the only one with a state medal. Bryce Baumgartner has made three trips to the Bank, but never has made it to Saturday. Peru’s Jordan Rader was a state qualifier in 2015. All three were at the Al Smith this year, with only Goering making the medal stand. Look for all three to be contenders for a medal next week.
 
Early #SlobberKnockers
(Bout 74) - Thomas Hemmelgarn (Jay County) vs. Isaac Cornewell (F. W. Bishop Dwenger)
(Bout 78) - Coye Blodgett (Prairie Heights) vs. Brody Hardcastle (Oak Hill)
 
State Street Fights
Jonyvan Johnson (New Haven) vs. Brody Hardcastle (Oak Hill)
Bryce Baumgartner (Bellmont) vs. Quentin Moore (Manchester)
 
Caleb's Concrete Calls
1. Bryce Baumgartner
2. Jordan Rader
3. Tristan Goering
4. Brody Hardcastle
 
#WAYL2
Baumgartner(1)- Zack Fattore
Rader(2)- Tristan Goering, Thomas Penola,
Goering(3)- Jonah Hays, Ismael Cornejo, Conner Graber
Hardcastle(4)- Eli Stock, Silas Allred, Rader(2)
Johnson(5)- Baumgartner, Joe Mazero, Tanner Webster, Caden Friedt, ??
Moore(6)- Rader(2), Conner Graber, Colten Schuler, Hardcastle, ??
Pease(7)- Jake Orschell, Heintzberger, Eli Stock, Justin Miller, Hunter Gulden, Baumgartner, conner Brown
Cardwell(7)- Chirstopher Adams, Trizton Carson, Rader(2), Hardcastle, Moore(2)
Minnick(8)- Blodgett, Sloffer, Hayden McGee(OH), Patric Keown(OH), Johnson, Hardcastle, Cornwell(2)
Edwards(8)- Tevonte Malone, Evan Jones, Tanner Webster, Thomas Penola, Sloffer, Goering(3),
Hemmelgarn(9)- Rylee Schindler, Javier Johnson(2), Sam Smith, Dylan Hicks, Andrew Meyer(OH), Tucker Wallace, Baumgartner(2)
 
182
This weight is going to be another one that you will see some slugfests in the ticket round. Returning state placers Jacob Gray and Joey Blakeley headline this group. Gray’s only losses this year are to #1 and former #800lbGorilla teammate Nathan Walton. Blakeley is currently 1-1 this year with Conner Graber of Northridge who has had a breakout season. However, Graber will have to get past the amazin’ Apache Noah Cressell for a chance to see Blakeley for a third time. If you snuck ahead and read the #WAYL2 you will see that Cressell’s only loss this season is to Graber. Others to watch here is the Saint Stephen Nix who will have to fend off a tough Brave freshman Caden Friedt...weird there have been approximately 8,374 Friedts in the history of Bellmont.
 
Early #SlobberKnockers
(Bout 84) - DaShaun Barbary (Kokomo) vs. Jaxson Savieo (New Haven)
 
State Street Fights
Joey Blakeley (Prairie Heights) vs. Blaney Harrison (Oak Hill)
Stephen Nix (F. W. Bishop Dwenger) vs. Caden Friedt (Bellmont)
Noah Cressell (Wabash) vs. Conner Graber (Northridge)
 
Caleb's Concrete Calls
1. Jacob Gray
2. Conner Graber
3. Joey Blakely
4. Stephen Nix
 
#WAYL2
Graber(1)- Blakeley
Cressell(1)- Graber
Gray(2)- Nathan Walton(2)
Harrison(2)- Cressell(2)
Nix(3)- Jacob Hendrich(2), Cameryn Smith,
Blakeley(3)- Lucas Davison, Graber, Cameryn Smith
Barbary(6)- Graber, Evan Stambaugh, Isaac Fruits, Harrison(2), Cressell
McCann(6)- Blakeley(2), Cressell, Cole Houtz(MI), Scott Sutton(2),
Friedt(7)- Joey Szydlo, Jacob Bondon, Tyler Schlegel, Tevonte Malone, Anthony Cicciarelli, Gray, Savieo
 
195
This weight has a little bit of both state experienced wrestlers and others waiting to break out and make a name for themselves. Leading the way is two-time state placer David Eli who has all the tools to challenge the top guys in the state here. He cannot overlook recent St. Francis Cougar commit Caleb Hankenson who was a state qualifier last year. Before Hankenson takes his skills to the gridiron next fall he will take care of some unfinished business on the mat. Others to watch in this weight is a relative unknown in Wayne’s Dalyn Hart. He could play spoiler this Saturday if he is overlooked.
 
Early #SlobberKnockers
(Bout 90) - Tony Fuller (Oak Hill) vs. Draven Rasler (West Noble)
(Bout 95) - Gavin Herrera (Kokomo) vs. Codey Shafer (Prairie Heights)
(Bout 96) - Kelly Watson (Yorktown) vs. Devonte Brown (New Haven)
 
State Street Fights
Dalyn Hart (F.w. Wayne) vs. Tony Fuller (Oak Hill) or Draven Rasler (West Noble)
David Eli (Elkhart Memorial) vs. Isaiah Baumgartner (South Adams)
Gavin Herrera (Kokomo) vs. Kelly Watson (Yorktown) or Devonte Brown (New Haven)
 
Caleb's Concrete Calls
1. David Eli
2. Caleb Hankenson
3. Dalyn Hart
4. Gavin Herrera
 
#WAYL2
Hankenson(1)- Andrew Davison
Eli(1)- Andrew Davison
Sedwick(2)- Tyler Moser, Herrera,
Hart(3)- Ben Stewart, Hankenson, Victor Lee
Rasler(5)- Eli, Dylan McCune, Tyler Moser, ??, ??
Herrera(6)- Trenton Bixler, Cole Slavens, Fuller, ??, ??, ??,
Fuller(6)- Cavin Beavers, Nash Brunner, Herrera, Sedwick, ??, ??,
Baumgartner(6)- Jacob Elkins, Cordell Camp, Jayden Elwood, Hankenson(2), Levi Leffers
 
220
The light heavies will be knocking heads early. If you peak down to the ticket round matches you will see all four will be doozies. The two wrestlers in this bracket with state experience could face off for a ticket to state. Last year Corbin Maddox had a great year finishing 7th at 195 and Garrett’s mighty Railroader Beck Davis qualified for state at 195. In the top you’ll have a rubber match between NECC rivals JT Kilgore and Austin Evans, no better way to settle your differences than in the ticket round. Nick Fox and Gaven Hare could also have a great match, both are built very similar and both have the experience to punch their ticket to state. On the bottom half of the bracket you’ll have Trenton Bixler who has put up a fine season facing the Charger Tyler McKeever.
 
Early #SlobberKnockers
(Bout 99) - Nick Fox (Kokomo) vs. Austin Amstutz (New Haven)
(Bout 104) - Beck Davis (Garrett) vs. Max Clark (Northwestern)
 
State Street Fights
J.T. Kilgore (Churubusco) vs. Austin Evans (Lakeland)
Nick Fox (Kokomo) vs. Gaven Hare (Jay County)
Trenton Bixler (Northridge) vs. Tyler McKeever (Carroll (Fort Wayne))
Corbin Maddox (Daleville) vs. Beck Davis (Garrett) or Max Clark (Northwestern)
 
Caleb's Concrete Calls
1. Corbin Maddox
2. J.T. Kilgore
3. Tyler McKeever
4. Nick Fox
 
#WAYL2
Maddox(0)
Clark(1)- Fox
Kilgore(3)- Hare, McKeever, Evans
Evans(3)- Bixler(2), Kilgore,
Davis(4)- McKeever(2), Evans(2),
Fox(5)- Joey Myren, Jacob McClaine, Dalton Clouse, ??, ??
Hare(5)- Wyatt Hillard(OH), Jared Brinkman, Blake Ripperger, Zach Klostrman(OH), Maddox
Bixler(5)- Watson, Devonte Brown, Kilgore(2), Cordell Camp(2),
Amstutz(7)- Ethan Bailey, Joe Myren, Jaden Elwood, Kilgore(2), Davis, Ryan Leslie,
McKeever(8)- Tahji Irving, Cordell Camp, Kilgore(2), Riley Peterson, Justin Akers, Michael Boots, Eli Pokorney
 
285
From the beginning of the year we have known this could be a fun weight class to watch. Evan Ellis is the only one with a state medal in the group while Owen Perkins has been to state twice. Carroll's big man Jessie Lawson has had a fine season, but suffered some hiccups along the way. If he's consistent he might give Ellis a good match. Jacob Rhoades had a great season last year, but suffered an injury and was not able to wrestle the state series. He will have a really good ticket round match with Perkins. Don’t overlook the BIG Brave Braiden Shaw, he is a very formidable opponent that has some impressive wins this year. The bottom quarter bracket is a virtual pick’em with Ault and Conner being the favorites to wrestle for a ticket to state.
 
Early #SlobberKnockers
(Bout 106) - Avery Jones (Peru) vs. Vince Yoder (Fairfield)
 
State Street Fights
Jacob Rhoades (Yorktown) vs. Owen Perkins (Oak Hill)
Evan Ellis (Eastern (Greentown)) vs. Braiden Shaw (Bellmont)
Nick Conner (Elkhart Central) vs. Dakota Ault (F.w. North Side)
 
Caleb's Concrete Calls
1. Evan Ellis
2. Jessie Lawson
3. Jacob Rhoades
4. Dakota Ault
 
#WAYL2
Ellis(0)
Rhoades(2)- Rickie Clark, ??,
Lawson(3)- Rickie Clark, Robert Samuels, Shaw
Ault(3)- Lawson(2), Ellis,
Perkins(4)- Ellis(4)
Conner(5)- Lawson, Gio Murillo, Alex Faulkner, Isaiah McWilliams, ??
Shaw(6)- Brett Henson, Tyler Selm, Rhoades(2), Robert Samuels, Steve Woolbright
Jacobs(7)- Yoder, Conner(2), Elisha Tipping, Watson, Nick Fox, Rhoades,
Yoder(8)- Chase Leeper, Conner(2), Alexander McBee, Contreras, Jacobs, ??, ??
Camp(8)- Yoder, JT Kilgore(2), Max Steward, Brian Fuller, Chase Leeper, Ault, Lawson
Contreras(9)- Chanlder Austgen, Lawson, Shaw, Conner(2), Ault, Yoder(2), Jacobs

4643 17
History of the State Tournament
This information was compiled by Dave Holman in his book "Ready Wrestle" and Dick Neal better known as The Ancient Elder.
1922-1949
“The first Indiana state high school wrestling tournament was held by Indiana University in 1922 under the auspices of the IHSAA. There were 19 wrestlers from 7 schools participating in this first state tournament. The individual champions in each weight class were awarded gold medals and the championship team was awarded a plaque.
It is interesting to note that from 1922-1935 a regulation high school wrestling match consisted of one eight-minute period with both wrestlers starting in the neutral position on their feet. There was no point system and the winner was determined solely on riding time or by a fall. If a wrestler could gain a takedown, ride his opponent and accumulate the majority of riding time, or if he could pin his opponent, he would be the winner. In the 1935-36 season, a point system and periods were added to make the matches more interesting for spectators.
From 1922 to 1951, the only IHSAA rules that governed Indiana high school wrestling were the general IHSAA rules that applied to all sports in Indiana, such as eligibility and age requirements. The rules used for the state tournament and for meets during the regular season were the National Intercollegiate Wrestling coaches and enforced as rules by the tournament officials. As the sport of wrestling grew, and as more teams and coaches began to participate in the state tournament, it became harder to enforce these rules. Beginning with the 1951-52 wrestling season, a new set of rules was adopted by the IHSAA for the governing of Indiana high school wrestling. The rules were written jointly by coaches Chauncey McDaniel of Southport High School and Clifford Myers of Bloomington High School. These rules remained in effect until the 1957-58 wrestling season when certain modifications were made. One of these modifications resulted from a controversy over weight loss. Prior to 1957, the so-called "50 percent rule" was in effect. This rule stated that in order to be eligible for the sectional tournament a wrestler must merely wrestle at a certain weight for 50 percent of his matches. At a tournament a boy could wrestle several times and each of his matches would count toward the 50 percent. There 'was basically no restriction on how much weight a wrestler could lose during the season. There was nothing to prevent him from weighing-in at a weight for 50 percent of his matches, then going up to any other weight for the rest of the season, and then dropping back down for the sectional. It was decided that all of this was a misinterpretation of the purpose of the rule, which was to prevent excessive weight loss during the season. The new rules stated that a wrestler must be certified at a certain weight by mid-season. The wrestler could not go down in weight after that date and must weigh-in at that weight at a minimum number of meets during the regular season in order to be eligible for the sectional tournament. The modified rules remained in effect until 1973 when the National Wrestling Federation Rules were written, for which the Indiana rules served as a model.
From 1922 to 1932 the IHSAA bought the awards and paid for lodging; however, Indiana University actually hosted the tournament. The state tournament created great interest in wrestling and a rapid growth followed. By 1930 there were about 20 teams throughout Indiana. Due to the rapid growth of wrestling in the state, the IHSAA took over the complete sponsorship of the state tournament from 1933 to 1943). During these years the tournament was still hosted by Indiana University. Sadly, during the years of the "Great Depression" and the early years of World War II, many schools dropped their wrestling programs and a steady decline followed.
From 1944 to 1949, Indiana high school wrestling was at its lowest point and the IHSAA was forced to drop sponsorship of the state tournament. During these years a few of the schools throughout the state still continued to compete. These schools kept the state tournament alive by hosting an invitational tournament each year. The main schools which participated and the years these various schools hosted the tournaments were: Southport in 1944 Crawfordsville in 1945 and 1946; Bloomington in 1947 and 1949; and Lafayette Jeff in 1948.In 1950 the IHSAA once again took over sponsorship of the state tournament, and it continues to do so today. From 1950 to 1959, the tournament was hosted on alternate years-by Bloomington and Lafayette Jeff. From 1960 to 1980 the tournament was hosted by Southport, who at that time had one of the largest high school field houses in Indiana with 7,200 seats. The state tournament finally outgrew even this facility and from 1981 through 1999 the tournament was moved to Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. Again size became an issue and in 2000 the tournament was shifted to Conseco Field house in Indianapolis. 
    
From 1922 to 1949, the tournament was held over one weekend. During these early years of the state tournament, a school could enter an entire team or just a few individuals. All of the wrestlers entered in a certain weight class were paired up by a "blind draw". Since it was possible for the two best wrestlers to meet in the first round, it was made a double elimination tournament with full wrestle-backs. Wrestle-backs were actually used from 1922 to 1949, long before the modern state tournament used them between 1981 and 1984.
Growing from 7 teams in 1922 to approximately 20 in 1949, the day finally came when it could no longer be held in just two days. Beginning in 95O the tournament format consisted of various sectionals throughout the State serving as a preliminary to reduce the number of wrestlers competing at the state finals. The following sections of this chapter will outline the growth and changes that have occurred in the tournament format from 1950 to the present. 
1950
In 1950, the state tournament began at two sectional sites around the state with ten teams in each sectional. The two sectional sites were located at Bloomington and East Chicago. There were 20 schools and 240 wrestlers participating in the 1950 state tournament. Both the champion and runner-up in each weight class from each sectional advanced to the state finals held one week later. There were 48 wrestlers from 13 schools participating in the state finals. There were four finalists per weight class competing with the top four place finishers each awarded a medal. The finalists were paired up so that the champion and runner-up from the same sectional were in opposite brackets and the sectional champions would not meet until the final match. There were two semifinal matches. The two semifinal winners wrestled a championship match to determine first- and second-place finishers. The two semifinal losers wrestled a consolation match to determine third- and fourth-place finishers.
1951-1953
From 1951 to 1953, the state tournament began at four sectional sites around the state with five or six teams in each sectional. The following were the four sectional sites from 1951 to 1953: Bloomington, Lafayette Jeff, Southport, and South Bend Central.
There were 22 schools and 264 wrestlers participating in the 1951 state tournament. From 1951 to 1953 only the champion in each weight class from each sectional advanced to the state finals held one week later. There were 48 wrestlers from 12 schools participating in the state finals in 1951. There were four finalists per weight class competing with the top four place finishers each awarded a medal. The four sectional champions were paired by a blind draw. There were two semifinal matches. The two semifinal winners wrestled a championship match to determine first- and second-place finishers. The two semifinal losers wrestled a consolation match to determine third- and fourth-place finishers.
1954-1957
From 1954 to 1957 the state tournament began at four sectional sites around the state with nine teams in each sectional. The following were the four sectional sites from 1954 to 1957: Bloomington, East Chicago Lafayette Jeff and Muncie Central. 
There were 35 schools and 420 wrestlers participating in the tournament. From 1954 to 1957 both the champion and runner-up in each weight class from each sectional advanced to the state finals held one week later. There were 96 wrestlers from 27 schools participating in the state finals in 1954. There were eight finalists per weight class competing with the top four place finishers each awarded a medal. The finalists were paired up so that the champion and runner-up from the same sectional were in opposite brackets and the sectional champions would not meet until the semifinal and final matches. There were four quarterfinal matches and the winners advanced to the semifinals and the losers were eliminated. The two semifinal winners wrestled a championship match to determine first- and second-place finishers. The two semifinal losers wrestled a consolation match to determine third- and fourth-place finishers.
1958-1962
Due to the rapid growth in interest in wrestling, the number of sectionals was doubled from four to eight and two regional meets were added between the sectional and state finals. From 1958 to 1962, the state tournament began at eight sectional sites around the state with six to ten teams in each sectional. The following were the eight sectional sites from 1958 to 1962: Bloomington, East Chicago, Indianapolis Broad Ripple, Indianapolis Manual, Kokomo, Muncie Central, New Albany, and South Bend Adams. There were 62 schools and 744 wrestlers participating in the 1958 state tournament. From 1958 to 1962, both the champion and runner-up in each weight class from each sectional advanced to one of two regionals, which were held one week later. Bloomington and Lafayette Jeff hosted the regional action from 1958 to 1962. Qualifiers from 4 of the eight sectionals went to a northern regional, usually held at Lafayette Jeff. Qualifiers from the other four sectionals went to a southern regional, usually held at Bloomington. There were eight wrestlers per weight class competing in the regional tournament and they were paired up so that the champion and runner-up from the same sectional were in opposite brackets. They would not wrestle each other again until the final match of the regional and two sectional champs would not meet until the second round. During the years from 1958 to 1962, the champion and runner-up in each weight class from each regional advanced to the state finals, which was held one week later. There were 48 wrestlers from 26 schools participating in the state finals in 1958. There were four finalists per weight class competing with the top four place finishers each awarded a medal. The finalists were paired up so that the champion and runner-up from the same regional were in opposite brackets and the two regional champions would not meet until the finals. There were two semifinal matches. The two semifinal winners wrestled a championship match to determine first- and second-place finishers. The two semifinal losers wrestled a consolation match to determine third- and fourth-place finishers.
1963-1971
Once again due to the rapid growth in interest in wrestling, the number of sectionals was doubled from 8 to 16 and the number of regionals doubled from 2 to 4. From 1963 to 1971, the state tournament began at 16 sectional sites around the state with 12 to 14 teams in each sectional. The following were the 16 sectional sites from 1963 to 1971: Anderson, Crawfordsville, Crown Point, East Chicago, Elkhart, Evansville Mater Dei, Franklin Central, Gary Wirt, Hammond Tech, Indianapolis Broad Ripple, Indianapolis Washington, Kokomo, New Albany, New Castle, South Bend Adams, and Warren Central.
   
There were 103 schools and 1,236 wrestlers participating in the 1963 state tournament. From 1963 to 1971, only the champion in each weight class from each sectional advanced. Qualifiers advanced to one of four regionals, which were held one week later. Regional sites from 1963 to 1971 were Bloomington, East Chicago, Indianapolis Arlington, and Lafayette Jeff. Qualifiers from 4 of the 16 sectionals went to each regional site. There were four wrestlers per weight class competing in the regional tournament and they were paired up by a blind draw. During the years from 1963 to 1971, only the champion in each weight class from each regional qualified for the state finals held one week later. There were 48 wrestlers from 26 schools participating in the state finals in 1963. There were four finalists per weight class competing with the top four place finishers each awarded a medal. The finalists were paired up by a blind draw. As in the regional tournaments there were two semifinal matches. The two semifinal winners wrestled a championship match to determine first- and second-place finishers. The two semifinal losers wrestled a consolation match to determine third- and fourth-place finishers. By the early 1970' s the various sectionals had grown to include as many as 16 to 18 teams in each sectional. Some sectionals had as many as 20 teams. In 1972, the tournament format would have to be expanded further.
1972-1975
From 1963 to 1972, wrestling had, perhaps, its most rapid growth. Due to this growth, the tournament format was changed to include 32 sectionals and 8 regionals. From 1972 to 1975, the state tournament began at 32 sectional sites around the state with 8 to 10 teams in each sectional. The following were the 32 sectional sites from 1972 to 1975: Anderson, Bellmont, Bloomington, Brookville, Calumet, Crown Point, East Noble, Elkhart, Evansville Mater Dei, Franklin Central, Greencastle, Greenfield Central, Greenwood, Hobart, Jasper, Lafayette Jeff, Lawrence Central, Logansport, Mooresville, Muncie Southside, New Albany, New Castle, New Haven, Noblesville, Indianapolis Pike, Portage, Rensselaer, South Bend Adams, South Bend Washington, Taylor, Triton, and Wabash.    There were 265 schools and 3,100 wrestlers participating in the 1972 state tournament. From 1972 to 1975, both the champion and runner-up in each weight class from each sectional advanced to one of eight regionals, which were held one week later. The following were the eight regional sites from 1972 to 1975: Bloomington, Fort Wayne Northside, Gary Wirt, Indianapolis Arlington, Indianapolis Pike, New Castle, South Bend Adams, and Twin Lakes.
There were eight wrestlers per weight class competing in the regional tournament and they were paired up so that the champion and runner-up from the same sectional were in opposite brackets. They would not wrestle each other again until the final match of the regional and two sectional champs would not meet until the second round. During the years from 1972 to 1975, only the regional champion in each weight class from each regional advanced to the state finals, which was held one week later. There were 96 wrestlers from 63 schools participating in the state finals in 1972. There were eight finalists per weight class competing with the top four place finishers each awarded a medal. The finalists were paired up by a blind draw. As in the regional tournaments there were four quarterfinal matches and the losers were eliminated. The winners advanced to the semifinal round. There were two semifinal matches. The two semifinal winners wrestled a championship match to determine first- and second-place finishers. The two semifinal losers wrestled a consolation match to determine third- and fourth-place finishers.
1976-1980
Due to the continuing growth in wrestling, the state tournament format was changed once again in 1976. This was the last major change and included 64 sectionals and 16 regionals. Also added were four semistate tournaments held between the regional and state finals. From 1976 to 1980, the state tournament began at 64 sectional sites around the state with 4 to 6 teams in each sectional. The following were the sectional sites from 1976 to 1980 and most have continued to be sectional sites up to the present: Adams Central, Bloomington South, Brookville, Brownsburg, Calumet, Center Grove, Crawfordsville, Crown Point, Culver Military, Delphi, East Chicago Washington, East Noble, Jeffersonville, Jennings County, Knightstown, Lafayette Jeff, Lakeland, Lawrence Central, Lebanon, Logansport, Manchester, Marion, Mishawaka, Mooresville, Elkhart Memorial, Evansville Mater Dei, Evansville Reitz, Fort Wayne Carroll, Fort Wayne Northside, Fort Wayne Wayne, Fountain Central, Franklin Central, Gary Wirt, Goshen, Greencastle, Greenfield Central, Greensburg, Hagerstown, Hammond High, Highland, Huntington North, Indianapolis Chatard, Indianapolis Howe, Indianapolis Pike, Jay County, Mount Vernon, Muncie Northside, Muncie Southside, New Castle, New Haven, New Prairie, Noblesville, Pendleton Heights, Rensselaer, Shelbyville, South Bend Washington, Southport, Southridge, Taylor, Terre Haute North, Valparaiso, Warsaw, Washington, and Wes-Del.
There were 305 schools and almost 4,000 wrestlers participating in the 1976 state tournament. From 1976 to 1980, both the champion and runner-up in each weight class from each sectional advanced to one of 16 regionals, which were held one week later. The following were the 16 regional sites from 1976 to 1980 and most have continued to be up to the present: Bloomington North, Calumet, Crown Point, Elkhart Central, Castle, Fort Wayne North, Fort Wayne Snider, Indian polis Arlington, Indianapolis Pike, Lebanon, Muncie Northside, New Castle, New Prairie, Seymour, Shelbyville, and Twin Lakes.    There were eight wrestlers per weight class competing in the regional tournament and they were paired up so that the champion and runner-up from the same sectional were in opposite brackets. They would not wrestle each other again until the final match of the regional and two sectional champs would not meet until the second round. From 1976 to 1980 both the champion and runner-up in each weight class from each regional advanced to one of four semi-state tournaments, which were held one week later. The following were the four semi-state sites from 1976 to 1980: Bloomington South, Fort Wayne Northside, Indianapolis North Central, and New Prairie.
There were eight wrestlers per weight class competing in the semi-state tournament. The same format was followed that was used at the regional tournaments. From 1976 to 1980, both the champion and runner-up in each weight class from each semi-state advanced to the state finals, which were held one week later. There were 104 wrestlers from 74 schools participating in the state finals in 1976. There were eight finalists per weight class competing with the top four place finishers each awarded a medal. The same format was followed that was used at the regional and semi-state tournaments. There were four quarterfinal matches and the losers were eliminated. The winners advanced to the semifinal round. There were two semifinal matches. The two semifinal winners wrestled a championship match to determine first- and second-place finishers. The two semifinal losers wrestled a consolation match to determine third- and fourth-place finishers.
1981-1983
From 1981 to 1983, the state tournament format remained basically the same but with the following minor changes. The top three placers in each weight class from each semi-state advanced to the state finals. There were 1 2 finalists per weight class competing which made it necessary to begin wrestling on Friday evening. During the first round, the second- and third-place finishers from different semi-states wrestled and the semi-state champions would wrestle the winners of these preliminary matches in the second round. The first round losers were eliminated. From 1981 to 1983, wrestle-backs were used. Wrestlers losing in the quarterfinals to an eventual semifinal winner would have an opportunity to qualify by wrestle-backs for the consolation match to determine third- and fourth-place finishers. From this point on, the format remained the same with the top four 'place finishers each awarded a medal. In 1981, there were 320 teams with 4,070 wrestlers competing in sectional action. The finals of 1981 saw 93 teams competing with 156 wrestlers. By 1983, there were 314 teams with 4,070 wrestlers competing in sectional action. The finals of 1983 saw 87 teams with 156 wrestlers in action.
1984-1985
From 1984 to 1985, the state tournament format again remained basically the same except for some additional minor changes. The top four placers in each weight class from each semi-state advanced to the state finals. There were 16 finalists per weight class competing which made it necessary to continue the Friday evening first round session. The main difference was that everyone wrestled on Friday. This change was brought about because many felt it a disadvantage for the semi-state champions not to wrestle the first round, as had been the case during 1981 to 1983. The previous format also had prevented the semi-state champions from earning fall points during the opening round.  During the first round, the first- and fourth-place finishers from different semi-states wrestled and the second- and third-place finishers from different semi-states wrestled. The first round losers were eliminated and the winners advanced to the second round. Wrestle-backs were also used in 1984. In 1985, a snow storm delayed the tournament for one week, therefore the tournament site had to be moved from Market Square Arena to New Castle. Since the tournament had to be held on one day, wrestle-backs were eliminated because of the time factor. From this point on true wrestlebacks were excluded from the tournament. The format remained the same with the top four place finishers each awarded a medal. Participants in 1984 included 316 teams with 4,100 wrestlers at sectional sites and 113 teams with 208 wrestlers at the state finals. In 1985, participants included 312 teams with 4,050 wrestlers at sectional sites and 106 teams with 208 wrestlers at the state finals.
1986-1991
From 1986 to 1991, the state tournament format still remained basically the same. Some additional changes finally resulted in the current format used today. The most recent changes were as follows. The top three placers in each weight class from each regional advanced to the semi-state. There were 12 wrestlers per weight class competing in the semi-state. This made it necessary to wrestle a preliminary round between the second- and third-place finishers from different regionals. The winners would wrestle the regional champions in the second round. From this point on, the format remained the same. The top four placers in each weight class from each semi-state advanced to the state finals. The format of the state finals remained unchanged except from 1986 to 1991 the top six place finishers were each awarded a medal. Wrestlers who lost in the Quarterfinals to the eventual finalists wrestled consolation matches to determine fifth- and sixth-place finishers. In 1986 there were 311 teams with 4,037 wrestlers involved in sectionals and 118\teams with 208 wrestlers involved in the state finals. The 1991 tournament had 306 teams with 3,775 wrestlers competing in sectional action and 112 teams with 208 wrestlers advancing to the state finals.
1992
The format of the state finals remained unchanged in 1992 except the top eight place finishers were each awarded a medal. The first round losers were eliminated and the winners advanced to the second round. Wrestlers who lost in the Quarterfinals to the eventual finalists wrestled consolation matches to determine fifth-and sixth-place finishers. Wrestlers who lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual semifinal losers wrestled consolation matches to determine seventh- and eighth- place finishers. The 1992 tournament had 307 teams with 3,724 wrestlers competing in sectional action and 123 teams with 208 wrestlers advancing to the state finals.”
- Dave Holman
"Ready, Wrestle" - 1992
1996-2009
In 1995-1996 the IHSAA implemented a team state championship series to be ran parallel to the individual series.
In 2002-2003 the number of sectionals were reduced from 64 to 32. And the third and fourth place finishers from each sectional were advanced to the regionals.
In 2008-2009 the 4th place finishers from each regional were advanced to the semi-state.
As mentioned in the last few sections of this chapter, the number of teams and individuals participating in the state tournament had increased dramatically until the mid-1970's. However, for the past 15 years the numbers have remained fairly constant. This does not mean that the interest in wrestling has declined. The main reasons are that almost all of the schools in Indiana had started wrestling programs by the mid-1970's, and that many of the smaller schools, which had wrestling by the 1960’s, were involved in consolidations. As a result, the increase in the number of teams during this period was offset by a decrease due to many school consolidations. Many changes have been made through the years to keep pace with the growth of the sport and no doubt further changes will be made in the future. For the benefit of the high school wrestlers in the state of Indiana and through the efforts of many dedicated individuals, wrestling will continue to be the great sport it has always been. 
- Dick Neal aka The Ancient Elder

4621 1 1
2023 State Finals By the Numbers
Overall
We often hear that the rankings don't matter and while it is true it doesn't mean they aren't very, very accurate. The staple of this website is rankings and this year Mike Reiser knocked it out of the park having 200 of 224 state qualifiers ranked including having all 16 qualifiers at 120lbs ranked. To add to the difficulty is that the rankings are locked before the first sectional whistle. Every year we lose top kids to injuries, missing weight, or running into another ranked wrestler during the tournament. 
 
As always our information center has brackets and will be updated multiple times with information throughout the week. Bookmark this page and check it often for updates.
Click here for the Info Center with links to download the brackets
 
Season by season ranked wrestlers advancing to state
*Note Mike Reiser took over the rankings in 2012
2023- 200
2022- 190
2021- 186
2020- 180
2019- 175
2018- 179
2017- 169
2016- 175
2015- 172
2014- 171
2013- 171
2012- 170
2011- 157
2010- 159
2009- 143
 
106lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 15
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Matthew Baylor (Milan)
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#6 Mason Jones (Lake Central) vs. #19 Connor Bayliss (Mt.  Vernon (Fortville))
#1 Layne Horn (Rochester) vs. #4 Nathan Rioux (Avon)
#11 Hruai Lian (Perry Meridian) vs. #22 Logan Haney (Crown Point)
#9 Cameron Meier (Bloomington South) vs. #5 Julianna Ocampo (FW Snider)
#3 Ayden Bollinger (Delta) vs. #8 Isaac Campbell (Floyd Central)
#24 Xavier Chavez (Mishawaka) vs. #23 Gunner Butt (New Palestine)
#2 Revin Dickman (Brownsburg) vs. #13 Rex Moore (Manchester)
 
113lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Brayden Raber (Maconaquah)
Cameron Senter (Wawasee)
Porter Temples (Westfield)
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#11 Aiden Dallinger (McCutcheon) vs. #10 Levi Johns (Bluffton)
#12 RJ Taylor (Perry Meridian) vs. #8 Isaac Ash (Monrovia)
#15 Drew Waldon (DeKalb) vs. #20 Seth Aubin (Hobart)
#1 Preston Haines (Brownsburg) vs. #18 Jackson Elliott (Carmel)
#13 Tommy Frazier (Zionsville) vs. #6 Jackson Heaston (Indian Creek)

120lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 16
 
Unranked qualifiers:
None
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#16 Bryce Doss (New Palestine) vs. #23 Logan Bickel (Cascade)
#9 Dominic Brown (Lowell) vs. #5 Neal Mosier (Delta)
#2 Jake Hockaday (Brownsburg) vs. #10 Peter Nguyen (Guerin Catholic)
#12 Carter Fielden (Garrett) vs. #19 Sonny Sessa (Crown Point)
#4 Tanner Tishner (Western) vs. #25 Isaiah Wilson (Chesterton)
#7 Eddie Goss (Center Grove) vs. #14 Elijah Broady (Mt.  Vernon (Fortville))
#1 Ashton Jackson (LaPorte) vs. #11 Linkin Carter (Eastside)
#22 Gavin Bragg (Cathedral) vs. #3 Isaiah Schaefer (Ev. Mater Dei)
 
126lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Alejandro Ramirez (River Forest)
Nasir Christion (Merrillville)
Jesus Aquino-Morales (Union County)
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#4 Keegan Schlabach (Lakeland) vs. #13 Hyatt Yeager (Center Grove)
#14 Griffin Ingalls (Fishers) vs. #16 Guillermo Rivera (Lake Central)
#3 Evan Seng (Ev. Mater Dei) vs. #8 Cody Rowles (Jay County)
#17 Landen Haines (Brownsburg) vs. #10 Hayden Brady (Garrett)
#6 Jackson Bradley (Cowan) vs. #18 Chase Stephens (Tell City)
 
132lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Essiah Kamer (Fremont)
Hayden Fritz (West Central)
 
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#7 Easton Doster (New Haven) vs. #18 Justice Thornton (Columbus North)
#5 David Maldonado (Merrillville) vs. #12 Keaton Morton (Perry Meridian)
#2 Joey Buttler (Whiteland) vs. #19 Brody Hagewood (Prairie Heights)
#15 Josh Johnson (Cathedral) vs. #10 Griffin VanTichelt (Crown Point)
#4 Zar Walker (Mishawaka) vs. #23 Jacob Weaver (Rossville)
#9 Odin Fortune (Ev. Reitz) vs. #14 Mikey Kallimani (Jimtown)
 
138lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 15
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Christian Arberry (Warren Central)
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#6 Michael Major (Carmel) vs. #17 Brock Hagewood (Prairie Heights)
#12 Kelby Glenn (Tell City) vs. #5 Jeffrey Huyvaert (New Prairie)
#4 Tony Wood (Jay County) vs. #10 Max McGinley (Cathedral)
#11 Lucas Clement (Merrillville) vs. #9 Reese Courtney (Center Grove)
#1 Cole Solomey (Kankakee Valley) vs. #8 Branson Weaver (Owen Valley)
#25 Cooper Baldwin (Peru) vs. #15 Gavyn Whitehead (New Castle)
#2 Cheaney Schoeff (Avon) vs. #7 Wesley Harper (Penn)
 
145lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 15
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Bradley Owen (Jeffersonville)
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#3 Wyatt Krejsa (Center Grove) vs. #4 Jack Todd (Pendleton Heights)
#5 Wesley Smith (Plymouth) vs. #11 Cameron Clark (Jay County)
#9 Dillon Graham (Cathedral) vs. #10 Mason Day (Brownsburg)
#15 Kolten Rhonemus (Delta) vs. #2 Anthony Bahl (Crown Point)
#1 Aidan Torres (Chesterton) vs. #14 Luke Teusch (Huntington North)
#23 Luke Robards (Ev. Central) vs. #8 Ike O'Neill (Westfield)
#17 Braxton Miller (DeKalb) vs. #19 Jayden Lewis (New Prairie)
 
152lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 15
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Carter Richardson (Noblesville)
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#7 Beau Brabender (Mishawaka) vs. Jason Rooney (Westfield)
#16 Jackson Todd (Carroll (FW)) vs. #6 Silas Stits (Center Grove)
#1 Bryce Lowery (Roncalli) vs. #12 Bryce Denton (Penn)
#10 Tyce DuPont (Tell City) vs. #8 Gavin Davis (Bellmont)
#3 Hunter May (Ev. Mater Dei) vs. #22 Christian Wittkamp (Jay County)
#14 Hunter Miller (Wawasee) vs. #13 Zach Lang (Hamilton Southeastern)
#4 Mitchell Betz (Western) vs. #23 Gage Eckels (Ben Davis)
 
160lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Levi Abbott (Cowan)
Braden Moore (Charlestown)
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#1 Sam Goin (Crown Point) vs. #10 Brant Beck (Rochester)
#11 Chase Wagner (Zionsville) vs. #8 Andre Merritt (Center Grove)
#2 Logan Farnell (Maconaquah) vs. #17 Cameron Crisp (Merrillville)
#13 Michael Hutchison (Cascade) vs. #7 Nathan Powell (Carmel)
#5 Luke Kemper (Ev. Central) vs. #18 Zach Huckaby (Perry Meridian)
#15 Ben Shaffer (Chesterton) vs. #19 Conner Watts (Jimtown)
 
170lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 15
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Carlos Perez-Xochipa (Harrison (WL))
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#4 Kyle Harden (Cathedral) vs. #15 Isaac Valdez (Mishawaka)
#16 Jaquan East (Kokomo) vs. #22 Noah Terry (Tell City)
#2 Cody Goodwin (Crown Point) vs. #10 Zack Wagner (Hamilton Southeastern)
#3 Noah Clouser (Center Grove) vs. #11 Braxton Russell (Delta)
#7 Duke Myers (Bellmont) vs. #23 Jett Goldsberry (Heritage Hills)
#1 Delaney Ruhlman (Bloomington South) vs. #9 Tanner Reed (Columbia City)
#19 Noah Weaver (Rossville) vs. #5 Aidan Costello (Hobart)
 
182lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Vincent Freeman (Penn)
Brayden Tincher (Eastern Hancock)
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#6 Caden Brewer (Brownsburg) vs. #11 Laish Detwiler (Goshen)
#3 Evan Tilton (Hamilton Heights) vs. #10 Connor Cervantes (Griffith)
#2 De'Alcapon Veazy (FW Snider) vs. #17 Jackson Fox (Columbus East)
#9 Bray Emerine (Floyd Central) vs. #8 Kaden Lone (NorthWood)
#5 Luke Penola (Zionsville) vs. #22 Ethan Popp (Harrison (WL))
#4 Hunter Page (Monroe Central) vs. #13 Julian Weems (Center Grove)
 
195lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Cael Albaugh (Clinton Central)
Donovan Blair (Wawasee)
Bazle Owens (Tippecanoe Valley)
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#4 Luke Hansen (Roncalli) vs. #12 Chad Washburn (Kokomo)
#11 Neil Johnson (New Prairie) vs. #1 John Purdy (Castle)
#10 Armen Koltookian (Concord) vs. #17 Orlan Foster (Connersville)
#5 Christian Chavez (Mishawaka) vs. #7 Kaden McConnell (Center Grove)
#9 Wyatt Woodall (Southmont) vs. #22 Nash Shupert (Elkhart)
 
220lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Spencer Watson (Tri-West)
Hadyn Ball (Triton Central)
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#3 Tommy Morrill (Columbus East) vs. #25 Jayden Bartoszek (Hanover Central)
#5 Keagan Martin (Bellmont) vs. #7 Devin Kendrex (Mt.  Vernon (Fortville))
#4 Austin Hastings (Noblesville) vs. #2 Brady Beck (Rochester)
#8 Nate Johnson (Center Grove) vs. #20 Cole Chicoine (McCutcheon)
#10 Brandon Johnson (Lawrence North) vs. #19 Jackson New (Yorktown)
#22 Clayton Deutscher (New Prairie) vs. #11 Alex Rose (Terre Haute South)
 
285lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 15
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Tyler Wright (Eastern (Greentown))
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#2 Paul Clark (Crown Point) vs. #15 Austin Vanover (Ev. Mater Dei)
#8 Brayden Jellison (Elkhart) vs. #18 Eli Smith (Zionsville)
#1 Leighton Jones (Brownsburg) vs. #4 Anthony Popi (Plymouth)
#9 Andrew Just (Franklin Central) vs. #22 Zac Wurm (Adams Central)
#16 Tyler Schott (Center Grove) vs. #10 Aramis McNutt (Highland)
#7 Titus Waters (Muncie Central) vs. #20 John Broadwell (Beech Grove)
#13 Jordan Cree (Rensselaer Central) vs. #5 Kelton Farmer (Ev. Memorial)

4518 5
2015 State Finals: Takedown and Release
A family that wrestles together stays together
There are seven sets of brothers at the state finals this year, including two sets from Crown Point. The biggest difference in weight is between the Akers brothers coming in at 138lbs and 195lbs.
Sets of Brothers
Riley and Justin Akers from Crown Point
Bo and Blake Davis from Garrett
Dax and Hunter Hiestand from Yorktown
Nick and Joe Lee from Evansville Mater Dei
Darden and Daylan Schurg from Crown Point
Evan and Ethan Smiley from Beech Groove
Jake and Nate Weimer from East Noble
 
Grade Breakdown
There are 19 freshmen that qualified for state, none above 182lbs and 8 qualified at 106lbs.
There are 43 sophomores that qualified for state with nine coming at 113lbs and at least one in every weight class.
There are 66 juniors that qualified for state with the most being at 145lbs with 8 and least being 285lbs with 3.
There are 96 seniors that qualified for state with 10 at 138lbs and 285lbs and with zero at 106lbs.
 
Wins are good, losses are bad
The most wins coming into the event is 52 by Harrison’s Seth Meyer. Mason Parris of Lawrenceberg has the most wins without a loss with 51. There are 21 wrestlers with zero losses, 22 with one loss, and 25 with two losses.
 
The most losses belong to Gleason Mappes of Center Grove with 19 losses on the season. There are 15 wrestlers with 10 or more losses.
 
In total the wrestlers at the state finals have combined for 8,149 wins and 989 losses or an average of 36.4 wins and 4.4 losses.
 
Rankings Matter
In the preseason magazine there were 166 wrestlers ranked that made the state finals, which is 66%. Note that the preseason rankings only rank 16 wrestlers. In the final rankings there were 172 ranked wrestlers or 75% that qualified for state. Of the unranked wrestlers to make it to state, three were semi-state champions: Austen Laughlin, Dru Berkebile, and Dezman Goddard.
 
I am #1
Seven wrestlers were ranked preseason #1 and still ranked #1 at the end of the season: Colten Cummings at 106lbs, Garrett Pepple at 113lbs, Chad Red at 126lbs, Tommy Forte at 152lbs, Blake Rypel at 182lbs(now at 195lbs), Kobe Woods at 220lbs, and Shawn Streck at 285lbs. Brandon James started the season ranked #1 at 138lbs, but was #2 for a few weeks and now is #1 once again. The same goes for Dylan Lydy at 170lbs, who started the season at #1 and fell, but is now back at #1.
 
Conference foes qualify for state
Four wrestlers from the Northeast Hoosier Conference all qualified for state at 126lbs: Nate Weimer, Owen Doster, Daniel Gunsett, and Kobe Raypole. Even more interesting is all of these wrestlers are underclassmen AND the alternate is also from the same conference.

4512 2 1
2022 IHSWCA Team State Information
Date: January 8th, 2022
 
Qualification Procedures
Click here to see the qualification procedures for teams participating
 
Qualification Leaderboard
Click here to see the leaderboard throughout the state series
 
Locations 
1A and 2A- Martinsville High School
3A- Franklin Community High School
4A- Brownsburg High School
 
Schedule
Weigh-ins 7:30am
Doors open 8:00am
Wrestling beings at 9:00am
 
Admission
$15- Adults and Students
Preschool and IHSWCA members FREE
 
Teams
1A Event Link
1A: Adams Central, Cascade, Centerville, Cowan, Daleville, North Posey, Prairie Heights, Rensselaer Central, Rochester, Southmont, Southridge, Tell City
Vote In: Cascade
 
2A Event Link
2A: Bellmont, Charlestown, Delta, Garrett, Hamilton Heights, Jay County, Monrovia, New Prairie, Oak Hill, Peru, Wawasee, Western
Vote In: Delta and Monrovia(Tippecanoe Valley withdrew from the event)
 
3A Event Link
3A:  Columbus East, East Central, Floyd Central, Franklin Community, Hobart, Mishawaka, Roncalli, Terre Haute South
Vote In: Hobart and Roncalli(Columbia City withdrew from the event)
 
4A Event Link
4A: Brownsburg, Carmel, Cathedral, Center Grove, Evansville Mater Dei, Perry Meridian, Penn, and Crown Point
Vote In: Carmel
 
TrackWrestling Link
****Including Streaming Info****
Streaming is through TrackWrestling/FloWrestling and cost is a yearly subscription of $150.
Click here to access the event
 
*Note: If you want a monthly subscription option you can subscribe to FloBowling and utilize that membership to watch wrestling or any other sports they offer. The cost is $30 per month for a monthly option.
 
Brackets





4427 4
2016 State Finals By the Numbers
Overall
Once again we have shown how accurate our rankings are with another great year for the final rankings. Note that our rankings are locked before sectional and these do not take into account injuries or semi-state draws as the state series progresses. This year we had a record 175 ranked wrestlers that made it to state. The top weight classes were 120 with 15 of the 16 state qualifiers being ranked. Also 132 had 14 ranked wrestlers and 106, 126, 152, and 182 all had 13. Unfortunately bringing up the rear was 195lbs with only 10 ranked wrestlers. That shows you how crazy of a weight that was.
 
2016- 175
2015- 172
2014- 171
2013- 171
2012- 170
2011- 157
2010- 159
2009- 143
 
106lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Devon Casebolt-Castle
Hunter Watts-Jimtown
Trey McCartney-Harrison (WL)
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#2 Ty Mills- Brownsburg vs. #16 Gavin Rose- Greenfield-Central
#5 Tanner DeMien- Northwood vs. #9 Jacob Moran- Crown Point
#4 Kory Cavanaugh- Penn vs. #20 JC Herring- Oak Hill
#11 Brycen Denny- Monrovia vs. #6 Sammy Fair- Perry Meridian
#13 Lukasz Walendzak- Indianapolis Cathedral vs. #8 Asa Garcia- Avon
 
113lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Jabin Wright- Kokomo
Hunter Whitman- Jimtown
Donovan Johnson- Logansport
Hayden Lohrey- Shenandoah
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#3 Skylour Turner- Warren Central vs. #16 Dalton Craig- Jennings County
#8 Baxter Annakin- Castle vs. #12 Jordan Slivka- Indianapolis Cathedral
#2 Alec White- New Palestine vs. #10 Alex Mosconi- Indian Creek
#7 Austin Slates- Penn vs. #14 Geoffrey Davis- F.w. Wayne
#20 Christian Mejia- Elkhart Memorial vs. #15 Colin Poynter- Portage
 
120lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 15
Unranked qualifiers:
Adam Davis- Culver Academies
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#7 Blake Mulkey- Brownsburg vs. #18 Mason Mendez- Bellmont
#15 Jonathan Moran- Crown Point vs. #14 Ethan Smiley- Beech Grove
#4 Hunter Langeloh- Columbia City vs. #12 Noah Hunt- Bloomington South
#10 Caleb Bocock- Lebanon vs. #2 Jeremiah Reitz- Griffith
#1 Drew Hildebrandt- Penn vs. #20 Isaac Castro- Lawrence North
#6 Kyle Luigs- Evansville Mater Dei vs. #5 Blake Glogouski- Fairfield
#11 Christian Hunt- Yorktown vs. #3 Graham Rooks- Columbus East
 
126lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Travis Davenport- Oak Hill
Reese Rodriguez- Hammond Morton
Bryce Niewoehner- Kankakee Valley
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#8 Marcus Mejia- Elkhart Memorial vs. #7 Logan Dilbeck- Gibson Southern
#4 Austin Holmes- Hamilton Southeastern vs. #9 Michael DeLaPeña- Merrillville
#3 Gaige Torres- Portage vs. #11 Johnny Loos- Franklin County
#19 Dawson Combest- Columbus East vs. #15 Jon Becker- Bellmont
#14 Jack Franklin- Homestead vs. #6 Isaac Gomez- Plainfield
 
132lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14
Unranked qualifiers:
Nathan Conley- Avon
Aaron Orr- Rochester
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#4 Brendan Black- Hobart vs. #17 Josh Elpers- Evansville North
#16 Boone Welliever- Southmont vs. #8 Owen Doster- New Haven
#11 Fernando Luevano- West Noble vs. #13 DJ Brookbank- Perry Meridian
#5 Drake Rhodes- Homestead vs. #18 Skyler Collins- Frankfort
#3 Elliott Molloy- Danville vs. #7 Kris Rumph- Portage
#1 Chad Red- New Palestine vs. #9 Daniel Gunsett- Bellmont
 
138lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12
Unranked qualifiers:
Nathan Housholder- East Noble
Cole Lukaszka- Benton Central
Gabe Lane- East Central
Jerrod Smith- Carmel
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#3 Evan Eldred- Westfield vs. #16 Brooks Wathen- Jennings County
#14 Riley Rasler- Prairie Heights vs. #8 Jason Crary- Munster
#11 Tristan Dembowski- Valparaiso vs. #18 Colt Rutter- Yorktown
#10 Cale McCoy- Northview vs. #4 Matthew McKinney- Warren Central
 
145lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12
Unranked qualifiers:
Matthew Cullen- Avon
Szhantrayle Roberson- Kokomo
Clay Jones- Lafayette Jefferson
Clayton Cowan- Hamilton Heights
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#8 Austen Laughlin- South Bend Riley vs. #20 Derrick Motley- North Central (Indianapolis)
#2 Jared Timberman- New Palestine vs. #6 Triston Rodriguez- Culver Community
#19 Tyler Crowl- Floyd Central vs. #7 Kenny Kerrn- Jimtown
#5 Isaac Eicher- Leo vs. #10 Austin Bethel- Mount Vernon
 
152lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Jacob Clark- Avon
Matt Burns- Hobart
Jacob Ferris- Hamilton Southeastern
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#3 Trent Pruitt- Warren Central vs. #15 Mitch Lehman- Evansville Mater Dei
#12 Diego Lemley- Chesterton vs. #17 Hunter Bates- Adams Central
#13 Peyton Sturgill- Peru vs. #9 Denzyl Prentice- Penn
#1 Steven Lawrence- Portage vs. #19 Cross Dietrich- Columbia City
#5 Elijah Dunn- Indian Creek vs. #6 Brett Johnson- Perry Meridian
 
160lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12
Unranked qualifiers:
Mitchell Mundy- Southridge
Jed Levitz- Prairie Heights
T.C. Perry- Southern Wells
Sam Bublick- Carmel
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#18 Gleason Mappes- Center Grove vs. #9 Tavonte Malone- South Bend Adams
#10 Jarod Swank- Penn vs. #7 Burk VanHorn- Franklin
#5 Cayden Whitaker- Martinsville vs. #13 Oszkar Kasch- Crown Point
#8 Tony Busse- Bellmont vs. #2 Alston Bane- Richmond
 
170lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12
Unranked qualifiers:
Jacob Hendrich- Northview
Nick Ritchie- Elkhart Memorial
Zach Davis- F.W. Concordia Lutheran
Steven Trammell- Lawrence Central
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#2 Nathan Walton- Brownsburg vs. #6 Tristan Goering- South Bend Riley
#15 Tanner Webster- North Montgomery vs. #3 Jacob Gray- Delta
#9 Thomas Dull- Terre Haute North vs. #8 Ismael Cornejo- Portage
#5 Bryce Baumgartner- Bellmont vs. #13 Dezmen Goddard- Warren Central
#4 Hunter Mote- Delphi vs. #12 Kameron Fuller- Jeffersonville
 
182lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Bristen Dial- Brown County
Grant Goforth- Indian Creek
Russell Gibbs- Lake Central
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#2 Andrew Davison- Chesterton vs. #16 Spencer Irick- Hamilton Southeastern
#5 Andy Kohler- Jay County vs. #13 Hunter Dalton- Bloomington North
#6 CJ Damler- Brownsburg vs. #10 Caleb Hankenson- Bellmont
#9 Zach Worm- Southmont vs. #7 Isaac James- Lowell
#17 Ashton Mutuwa- Hanover Central vs. #3 Cameron Jones- Lawrence North
 
195lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 10
Unranked qualifiers:
Keith Barclay- South Spencer
Derrick Craig- New Albany
Luke Elliott- Eastbrook
Beck Davis- Garrett
Damari Embery- South Newton
Cedrick Vakalahi- Penn
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#8 Nick Fox- Carmel vs. #11 Isaac McCormick- Brownsburg
#5 Kurtis Wilderman- Evansville Mater Dei vs. #10 Kolby Ferris- Hamilton Southeastern
#20 Scottie Evans- Delta vs. #17 Evan Larsen- Hanover Central
 
220lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12
Unranked qualifiers:
Joey Pier- Yorktown
Patrick Ernst- Mishawaka Marian
Donnie Crider- Harrison (wl)
Brandon Streck- Merrillville
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#4 Evan Ellis- Eastern (Greentown) vs. #16 Scott Fuller- Zionsville
#8 Sam Hipple- Carmel vs. #10 Derek Paz- Goshen
#1 Kobe Woods- Penn vs. #15 Tristin Choate- Mount Vernon
#13 Blake Davis- Garrett vs. #9 Ryan Guhl- Indianapolis Cathedral
 
285lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12
Unranked qualifiers:
Austin Fleck- Evansville Mater Dei
DeAndre Hodge- Marion
Dan Phifer- Tipton
Austin Dollens- Westfield
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#15 Owen Perkins- Oak Hill vs. #17 Isaiah McWilliams- South Bend Washington
#19 Chris Ridle- Perry Meridian vs. #4 Quinn York- Franklin
#1 Shawn Streck- Merrillville vs. #12 Braxton Amos- Prairie Heights
#6 Robert Samuels- Lawrence North vs. Austin Fleck- Evansville Mater Dei
#18 Nick Mammolenti- Jimtown vs. #11 Givoni Murillo- Portage

4368 26
2024 State Finals Conundrum
After the state finals our good friend Brandon Sisson of Floyd Central made a post about a potential conflict with the 2024 NBA All-Star game and our state finals. In 2021 the All-Star game was supposed to be held in Indianapolis, but they had a different date that did not conflict with the wrestling state finals. However, the 2024 game will indeed conflict with the wrestling state finals. The IHSAA along with the IHSWCA now has just under two years to figure out a plan for the state finals. On top of the wrestling state finals having a conflict, the boys basketball state finals in 2024 will have issues with Indianapolis hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.
 
Before I go on with the options for 2024, a couple things to consider. The girl’s basketball state finals are slated for the week after wrestling. The IHSAA likely does not want two of their bigger state finals events on the same weekend. Even so this would push the girls out of Gainbridge Fieldhouse which would in turn likely cause a lot of negative press. Pushing the wrestling state finals to the week after our normal date would seem to be an option that would be the hardest to pull off. That would almost certainly require pushing the girl's basketball state finals to the next weekend and possibly start the boys tournament a week later. The chain reaction of that is enough to make administrators at the IHSAA and school level cringe.
 
Here are the options that we have
 
Keep the date, but change the venue.
This will be a big obstacle as there are some venues big enough to host the event, but location is a huge factor. Venues such as the Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne and Ford Center in Evansville both can hold about 10,000 in a hockey arena setup. They are however in the furthest corners of the state which would not be well received by many people further away. Arenas such as Mackey Arena, Assembly Hall, Butler Fieldhouse, or Indiana State’s updated Hulman Center would likely be able to handle the crowds. Of course, that poses the availability issue along with hotels and restaurants capable of handling a two day event at the college locations.
 
Move the date, but keep the venue
With this option we have a few different scenarios that could play out
1. Move the whole state series back a week.
Pros: Keep our 4 week state series
Cons: Possibly lose a week of the season
Commentary: We have two options with this, the first is simply cutting a week off of the regular season and the second starting the season a week earlier. With both we have potential conflicts. If we start the regular season a week earlier we still have a lot of conflicts with football early in the season. Both of these options would create scheduling issues with conference tournaments and simply being able to fill schedules with one less week.
 
2. Create a 3 week state series
Pros: No scheduling issues
Cons: Logistics with a new state series configuration
Commentary: With this option we have a multitude of different options that might just be the most feasible. There have been murmurs for a while about a three week state series from those within the wrestling community. One of the biggest proponents include the referee associations that are finding it harder and harder to find enough referees for the state series. One factor to consider is the events being held at the Ford Center and Memorial Coliseum and the availability of having our semi-state a week earlier. With any of the plans there could be a chain reaction that goes all the way back to the first week of the state series.
 
Here are the options that we could see
16-20 team sectionals
The new super-super sectional that is basically a regional compacted into one weekend. With just over 300 schools it would mean we have an average of 18 schools in the new bigger sectionals. This would likely require a two-day event due to the possibility of some weight classes having over 16 entries. The logistics of a two-day event are big when you are talking about a state series event. Mid-week regional
With regional being an 8 man bracket this is very logical to have it mid-week and get it done on a Wednesday. There would possibly be some travel issues, however schools are a little more forgiving for tournament series events. Create 5 sectionals with Top 3 advancing to each regional/semi-state
This is the most radical change, but something to ponder. This would give us sectionals with no more than 16 teams thus being able to keep it at a one day event. The biggest drawback would be the absolute chaos at the new qualifying event super semi-state. There would be a random bye and then two #1’s would meet for a spot at state. The draws here could be absolutely brutal in some areas.  
One of the biggest questions that would arise after 2024 is, will the IHSAA continue with the modified system? We might need an emergency coaches vote at state to change something, much like this past year. 
 
There are likely other options, but these are some that come to mind. Which one do you like? Do you have a better option that the IHSAA could explore?
 

4367
Carroll Regional Preview
Link to the brackets
http://www.trackwrestling.com/predefinedtournaments/VerifyPassword.jsp?tournamentId=146555009
 
Team Race
This could be the easiest prediction of the whole regional, the host Chargers will keep the regional faceplate for the third straight year. They bring in 13 wrestlers with 11 of them having a higher “seed,” while the next biggest contingents are Leo and Huntington North with 9 and Columbia City and Snider with 8. Baring any catastrophic event the team race will be well and decided after the first round.
 
106lbs
SAC rivals Geoffrey Davis of Wayne and Ben Streeter of North Side are on a collision path once again. Davis won the SAC title match 13-6, but this one is more important as it will make the path to state a little easier. Get to the Carroll Fieldhouse early on Saturday as the 2 vs. 3 match-ups at this weight will be great with freshman Joe Just of Carroll going against sophomore gage Malott of Bishop Luers and a battle of freshmen between Leo’s Sam Richard and Garrett’s Brayden Shearer.
 
113lbs
Jack Franklin won a regional title last year at 106lbs and comes in with only one blemish on his record. He looks to be the favorite, while Carroll Sectional champion Joel Byman will need to navigate the rest of the field to meet him for the fifth time this year.
 
120lbs
This is probably the most anticipated weight class of the regional with three ranked wrestlers battling it out. Eddie Loraine, Hunter Langeloh, and Ben Cauffman all know the importance of being a regional champion in order to make the trip to the state finals. All three also are exciting and fun to watch, which will make for some high scoring matches. Dylan Demarco vs. Kyle Rothgeb will be a good first round match to keep your eye on.
 
126lbs
This is a weight you don’t want to miss either. Owen Doster is having a great season so far, but he cannot overlook solid opponents like Brandon Miller, Kobe Raypole, Drake Rhodes or Nik Hoot. Don’t be deceived by Rhodes’ 12 losses, he had a close 3-2 match with Doster just last week.
 
132llbs
This weight will be led by Columbia City senior Kyle Egolf. After having an injury shortened junior year, he has been on top of his game this year with only two losses. He could face a solid Ryan Shaffer of New Haven in the finals or another NHC nemesis Joel Arney of the host Chargers.
 
138lbs
While the Carroll sectional had a surprised 3 seed win the crown last week, at New Haven Isaac Eicher made quick work of his competition. He comes into the Carroll Fieldhouse without a loss for the second straight year. He will have some formidable foes looking to be the first to knock him off including super turtle Chase Downing and a pair of NHC rivals Nathan Smith of Columbia City and Joe Israbian of Carroll.
 
145lbs
Tanner Shipley is looking for his second regional title this year after finishing second as a junior. He will need to be on top of his game from the start. The bottom half of the bracket will be fun to watch as there should be good matches from the start of the day. Kyle Leland of Homestead has had a great second half of the season and North Side’s Logan Capps won a solid weight at the Carroll sectional last week.
 
152lbs
Carroll’s Josh Garman is looking for his second straight regional title at this weight and comes in without a loss. He could run into a solid Archer in Nate Garcia or NHC and sectional foe Cross Dietrich in the finals. Dietrich has a tough first round match against last year’s 145lbs regional runner-up Bailey Shockome of Huntington North.
 
160lbs
This weight is led by Bulldog Nick Potter who comes in battle tested. He will have to get through Carroll sectional champion Erick Loe if he wants to bring back a championship. One first round match to watch is Snider’s Jamison Stiebeling against Eastside’s Gage Delong. Don’t be surprised if the winner of this match ends up in the finals either.
 
170lbs
The Carroll sectional was stacked at this weight and it should show on Saturday. Cadet superstar Zach Davis comes in without a blemish on his record, but needed an extra stanza to get by Churubusco’s Caleb Partin. Don’t sleep on red hot Jacob Lay of Homestead who won sectional with a losing record out of the three seed.
 
182lbs
This will be one of the better weights to watch in the first round with three good matches that are all toss-ups. First Homestead’s Wyatt Clem cannot overlook Beck Davis of Garrett, who has shown he can battle with the better kids at the weight. Wally Grinager of Leo and Stephan Nix of Bishop Dwenger will square off in a match that is too close to call. Lastly, Russell Davies of Snider will battle Whitko’s Zach Baughman in the first round. If everything plays out by the seeds, you could see the 3rd match in four weeks between Carroll’s Kayne Duncan and Clem in the finals.
 
195lbs
The highlight of this weight could be Davis vs. Dunten III. So far Dunten has won two nailbiters in both the dual and sectional matches. However, neither can overlook the likes of returning state qualifier Tristin Anglin or guys like Mikey Rivera and Trevor Thomas.
 
220lbs
Blake Davis of Garrett seems to be the top wrestler here, but was pushed hard last week by Carroll’s Ammon Carr. This weight has many potential landmines as everyone comes in with solid records. Woodlan’s Edwin Barberena is a wildcard as he comes in relatively unknown with only three losses. Also you cannot overlook Layne Emery from Huntington North who won the New Haven sectional.
 
285lbs
The top three wrestlers at this weight come in with a combined 6 losses. This weight will feature a few size disadvantages as Columbia City’s Drew Cummings tips the scales at around 280lbs, while Bishop Luers’ Daemen Williams is around the 220 mark. Snider’s Matt Swartz is right in between and can wrestle with the best. This weight will be very interesting to watch as we will see the different styles and body types collide.

4344 1
2015 Al Smith Preview
By Chad Hollenbaugh
Senior Writer
 
Seven state ranked teams will invade Michiana over the next few days as Mishawaka High School will once again play host to the state’s premiere individual tournament. Several new teams will be making their Al Smith debut this year or will be returning after an absence of several years. Warren Central will not be there this year but Portage and Fort Wayne Carroll will add plenty of strength to the tournament. Leroy Vega’s Portage Indian squad and Brad Harper’s Penn Kingsmen are probably in a class by themselves when it comes to the team race. Penn has won the event several years in a row but should be severely tested by Portage. The team state duals event at the end of the week might have some effect on the event as wrestlers who have been dinged up might not be able to compete in both events.
 
106
Four state ranked flyweights including returning state placer (7th) Tanner DeMien of Northwood headline the 106 pound class. Kory Cavanaugh of Penn is a state qualifier from last year is actually rated one spot higher than DeMien and might just meet him in the finals. Freshman Cayden Rooks of Columbus East has likely been beat up often enough by big brother to be extra tough and he no doubt wants to break out state wide with a victory in the frozen north.
113
Lowell’s Colton Cummings is a two time Al Smith champ at 106 and the returning state champ from last February. He is the clear #1 in this year’s field. Penn’s Austin Slates was banged up last year but has looked outstanding so far this year. A budding rivalry with Elkhart Memorial’s Christian Mejia might be relived in the semi finals on Wednesday. There might be a bitter fight to avoid the #4 and #5 seeds as to avoid Cummings but those slots are probably going to go to Portage’s Colin Poynter, Columbus East’s frosh, Jake Shoenegge, and placer from last year, Kyler McKinney of Princeton.
120
Things get real interesting at 120 where a couple of high state placers stand out from the field. Penn’s Drew Hildebrandt is a Division 1 signee to Central Michigan and a returning state runner up. On the other side of the bracket will likely be Columbus East’s Graham Rooks. Rooks has a 3rd place medal from last year’s state meet as well as a runner up finish is last years Al Smith. Bellmont’s Mason Mendez and Lawrence North’s Miguel Castro appear to be in good shape to also place high this year.
126
An absolute stacked field awaits the fans at 126, including a possible preview of the state title matchup. The top dog in the field is Northern Illinois recruit, Brock Hudkins. Hudkins won the state title last season at 120 but has never won an Al Smith title. Portage’s Gaige Torres also wrestled under the lights last season and will make his debut in Mishawaka over the next couple of days. Torres is ranked 3rd and is the prohibitive favorite to meet Hudkins in the finals. Both of these studs will have to navigate a talented group looking to make a name for themselves by knocking off one of the big boys.
132
The Danville Duo of Hudkins and Molloy have had a statewide reputation for quite some time but have yet to click at the same time at Mishawaka. Injuries or weather have both been the culprit denying the Michiana fans from seeing these two back to back. Molloy is legitimate threat to wrestle under the lights and was quite possibly the only Hoosier wrestler to take down Chad Red last season. Hobart’s Brendan Black (ranked 4th) and Bellmont’s Daniel Gunsett (ranked 6th) are both state streeters that can give Molloy a run for his money.
138
Two studs that have plenty of experience at both Mishawaka and on the state level highlight the 138 pound weight class. Warsaw’s Kyle Hatch and Munster’s Jason Crary are virtual locks for the top two seeds here. Both juniors have two state medals and an Al Smith title to their name. If the bracket holds chalk this should be a very entertaining final on Wednesday.
145
The race for the team title should be close between Penn and Portage and this weight class might go a long way in determining who takes the team title. The likely #1 seed is Portage’s Kasper McIntosh, Penn’s Cameron Beam might not get a top 6 seed but has the skills to knock off McIntosh. Throw South Bend Riley’s always dangerous Austen Laughlin into the mix and you have a bracket that might break several different ways and skew the team race.
152
One of Indiana Mat’s favorite grapplers leads the charge at 152 in Portage’s Steven “Bam” Lawrence. Bam is the top ranked wrestler in the state and big favorite to win here. Peru’s Peyton Sturgill and Prairie Heights’ Doug Levitz both have state experience and top four finishes at Al Smith. Penn’s Denzyl Prentice did not qualify for state last year but did reach the finals at the Al Smith and holds a higher state ranking. This is another weight class where seeding will be important in the team race.
160
The Merrillville Pirates have long been a mainstay at Mishawaka and are often among the top two or three in the team race. They may need some Maldonado magic to stay that high in team standings this year but they should have two of the most dominant individuals in the entire field. Senior Jacob Covaciu was last year’s state and Al Smith champion and should cruise to another title this year. There will, however, be a melee to figure out the other places. Seven other wrestlers are ranked, five have state experience, and two or three others have common opponent or head to head victories over higher ranked athletes. This one might extend the seeding meeting.
170
Lowell’s Drew Hughes has been a fixture at the top of the Al Smith podium and will attempt to become a rare four-time champion. Last year he spent less than eight minutes total on the mat in five matches when he wrapped up his 3rd title. The Michigan State recruit has 4 other top ten ranked wrestlers in the bracket but it shouldn’t matter much for the Red Devil hammer.
182
The region offers up another potential champion at 182 in Chesterton’s nationally ranked Andrew Davison. Despite the lofty ranking, Davison might not have as easy a route as Hughes or Covaciu. Lawrence North’s Cameron Jones has a state medal but has also improved significantly from last year. Jones is ranked 3rd in the state and might have a rematch with Elkhart Memorial’s David Eli in the semis to earn a crack at Davison.
195
This weight class is probably the most wide open bracket in field. Lake Central’s Jake Kleimola is ranked 3rd in the state and placed 3rd last year at 182. Besides Kleimola, the field has Erik Hobbs from Peru who is ranked 15th and Andrew Williamson at 16th. Will Portage or Penn be able to sneak a guy into day two and score some valuable team points?
220
Penn’s Kobe Woods is another wrestler looking to repeat as both Al Smith and Indiana state champion. The Purdue recruit will probably not be challenged as 8th ranked Garrett grappler Blake Davis is the probable two seed. Goshen’s Derek Paz has the talent to do very well at both this tournament and in the state tournament.
285
Merrillville will likely have its second champion on the day at 285 with big Shawn Streck looming at the top of the bracket. The rest of the bracket will be difficult to seed but there are potential state level talents here in Lawrence North’s 9th ranked Robert Samuels, Portage’s 6th ranked Gio Murillo, and Prairie Heights’ 13th ranked Braxton Amos.

4290
Alex Dolly Ranked 19th in World Freestyle Rankings
Mishawaka native Alex Dolly remains in the latest FILA Freestyle rankings. He dropped from 17th to 19th in the World. Currently he wrestles for Ireland due to having dual citizenship in both the USA and Ireland.
 
Russians Crowd Men's Freestyle Rankings After Successful Ali Aliev Tourney
by William May
 
CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (June 3) – Russian wrestlers won seven of the eight gold medals on offer at the Ali Aliev wrestling tournament and crowded onto the FILA World Rankings after a quiet month for senior-level competition following the continental championships.
 
Russian representatives won 18 of the 32 medals awarded in the capital of the Dagestan Republic, Makhachkala, with 10 wrestlers making their way into the top 20 at their respective weights.
 
Artyom GEBEKOV (RUS) took his second Ali Aliev crown, this time at 57kg, and was joined by world bronze medalist Nariman ISRAPILOV (RUS) as they led the Russian assault on the rankings.
 
World and Olympic team veterans Albert SARITOV (RUS) and Anzor URISHEV (RUS) pushed their way up the rankings at 86kg behind European champion Abdul Rashid SADULAEV (RUS) and ahead of 2013 world team member Shamil KUDIYAMAGOMEDOV (RUS).
 
Four of the eight weight categories now feature four wrestlers from Russia in their ranks with a total of 26 wrestlers from Russia named in this month’s rankings.
 
Despite the rush of Russians onto the rankings, diversity reigns on top as six countries – Georgia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, the United States, and Turkey -- can boast top-ranked wrestlers with only Russia and Iran having two each.
 
Veteran Ali ISAEV (AZE), who hails from Dagestan but wrestles for neighboring Azerbaijan, was the only wrestler not representing Russia to win a title Ali Aliev as he defeated junior world runner-up Abdollah GHOMI AVILI (IRI) at 125kg.
 
The only casualty at the top of the rankings was Asia champion Rasul KALIEV (KAZ), who slipped from No.1 after finishing in seventh place at 57kg. European champion and London 2012 silver medalist Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) became the new bantamweight leader.
 
Entries in the rankings are listed by name, country code, most recent or most significant result in the last 12 months, and ranking the previous month.
 
Click Here for FILA Ranking Criteria
 
57kg – Artyom GEBEKOV (RUS) won his second title at the Ali Aliev tournament while Universiade gold medalist Nariman ISRAPILOV (RUS) bagged his third bronze medal since winning last summer’s University Games to join the rankings at No.8 and No.9, respectively.
 
1. Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) – Europe No.1 (2)
 
2. Rasul KALIEV (KAZ) – Asia No.1 (1)
 
3. DAMDINBAZAR Tsogtbaatar (MGL) – Asia No.2 (3)
 
4. Fumitaka MORISHITA (JPN) – Asia No.3 (4)
 
5. Samat NADYRBEK UULU (KGZ) – Asia No.3 (5)
 
6. Viktor LEBEDEV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.5 (6)
 
7. Hassan RAHIMI (IRI) – World Cup No.1 (7)
 
8. Artyom GEBEKOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (not ranked)
 
9. Nariman ISRAPILOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.3 (nr)
 
10. BATBOLD Nomin (MGL) – Yasar Dogu No.1 (10)
 
11. Amit KUMAR (IND) – Schultz Memorial No.2 (9)
 
12. Rustam AMPAR (RUS) – Yarygin No.1 (8)
 
13. Ghenadi TULBEA (MON) – Europe No.2 (11)
 
14. Garik BARSEGHYAN (ARM) – Europe No.3 (12)
 
15. Zoheir EL QUARRAQE (FRA) – Europe No.3 (13)
 
16. JIN Jong-Hak (PRK) – Takhti Cup No.1 (14)
 
17. Sezer AKGUL (TUR) – Yasar Dogu No.3 (15)
 
18. Andrei DUKOV (ROU) – Dan Kolov No.3 (16)
 
19. Vladislav ANDREEV (BLR) – Medved Prizes No.3 (17)
 
20. Mehrab REZAZADEH (IRI) – Asia No.5 (18)
 
61kg – Murshid MUTALIMOV (RUS) defeated two-time world champion Victor LEBEDEV (RUS), who was wrestling up one category, in the semifinals and went on to win the Ali Aliev crown and earn No.7 in the rankings.
 
Junior world champion Akhmednabi GVARZATILOV (AZE), a bronze medal winner at Yasar Dogu in February like Mutalimov, held steady at No.8 after a bronze medal in Makhachkala.
 
1. Haji ALIEV (AZE) – Europe No.1 (1)
 
2. Dyamal OTARSULTANOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.1 (2)
 
3. Bekhan GOYGEREEV (RUS) – Europe No.2 (3)
 
4. Masoud ESMAILPOUR (IRI) – Asia No.1 (4)
 
5. Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) – Asia No.3 (5)
 
6. Bajneesh BAJRANG (IND) – Asia No.2 (6)
 
7. Murshid MURTALIMOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (nr)
 
8. Akhmednabi GVARZATILOV (AZE) – Ali Aliev No.3 (8)
 
9. ENKHSAIKHAN Nyam-Ochir (MGL) – Yasar Dogu No.2 (7)
 
10. Behnam EHSANPOUR (IRI) – Ali Aliev No.3 (nr)
 
11. LHAMGARMAA Nazmandakh (MGL) – Asia No.3 (9)
 
12. Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR) – Europe No.3 (10)
 
13. Andrei PERPELITA (MDA) – Europe No.3 (11)
 
14. Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL) – Europe No.5 (13)
 
15. Vladimir DUBOV (BUL) – Dan Kolov No.3 (7)
 
16. James KENNEDY (USA) – Yasar Dogu No.1 (9)
 
17. Bazar BAZARGURUEV (KGZ) – Mongolian Open No.2 (15)
 
18. Vasyl FEDORISHIN (UKR) – Takhti Cup No.2 (16)
 
19. Noriyuki TAKATSUKA (JPN) – Takhti Cup No.3 (17)
 
20. Sayatpek OKASOV (KAZ) – Medved Prizes No.1 (nr)
 
65kg – Yarygin Grand Prix bronze medalist Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS) won his second tourney of 2014 at Ali Aliev and leapt into the rankings at No.7. It was Chakaev’s third international triumph in Russia over the last seven months.
 
Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA), a world bronze medalist at 55kg for Cuba in 2010, stood on the medals podium for a third straight tourney with a bronze medal at Ali Aliev to climb to No.12 in the rankings.
 
1. Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS) – Europe No.1 (1)
 
2. Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR) – CAC Games No.1 (2)
 
3. Servet COSKUN (TUR) – Europe No.2 (3)
 
4. Borislav NOVACHKOV (BUL) – Europe No.3 (4)
 
5. Konstantin KHABALASHVILI (GEO) – Europe No.3 (5)
 
6. Sayed Ahmad MOHAMMADI (IRI) – Asia No.1 (6)
 
7. Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (nr)
 
8. Mustafa KAYA (TUR) – Yasar Dogu No.3 (7)
 
9. KANG Jin-Hyeok (PRK) – Asia No.2 (8)
 
10. GANZORIG Mandakhnaran (MGL) – Mongolian Open No.1 (9)
 
11. Daichi TAKATANI (JPN) – Takhti Cup No.5 (10)
 
12. Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA) – Ali Aliev No.3 (18)
 
13. BATMAGNAI Batchuluun (MGL) – Asia No.3 (11)
 
14. Furkat FARMANOV (UZB) – Asia No.3 (12)
 
15. Andrey KVIATKOVSKI (UKR) – Ali Aliev No.2 (13)
 
16. Magomed MUSLIMOV (AZE) – Yasar Dogu No.2 (14)
 
17. Azamat NURIKOV (BLR) – Medved Prizes No.1 (15)
 
18. Dauren ZHUMAGAZIEV (KAZ) – Takhti Cup No.3 (16)
 
19. Alibeggadzhi EMEEV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.2 (17)
 
20. Hernan GUZMAN IPUZ (COL) – CAC Games No.2 (20)
 
70kg – Dshamaluddin KURBANALIEV (RUS), the Ali Aliev runner-up one year ago. defeated London Olympian Andrey KVIATKOVSKI (UKR) in this year’s final to rebound from a lackluster showing at the Medved Prizes in March and grab No. 10 in the rankings.
 
Ramazan SHAMSHUTDINOV (RUS), an early rankings leader at 70kg after a runner-up finish at the Yarygin Grand Prix in January, finished with a bronze medal at Ali Aliev to regain No.11 in the rankings after a lackluster winter and spring.
 
1. Moustafa HOSSEINKHANI (IRI) – Asia No.1 (1)
 
2. Ruslan DIBIRGADZHIYEV (AZE) – Europe No.1 (2)
 
3. Yakup GOR (TUR) – Europe No.3 (3)
 
4. Peyman YARAHMADI (IRI) – Takhti Cup No.2 (4)
 
5. Grigor GRIGORYAN (ARM) – Europe No.2 (5)
 
6. Israil KASUMOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.1 (6)
 
7. Khetag TSABOLOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.3 (7)
 
8. Miroslav KIROV (BUL) – Europe No.3 (8)
 
9. Somirshoh VOKHIDOV (TJK) – Asia No.2 (9)
 
10. Dshamaluddin KURBANALIEV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (nr)
 
11. Ramazan SHAMSHUTDINOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.3 (nr)
 
12. Ken HOSAKA (JPN) – Asia No.3 (10)
 
13. Ibrahim NURIDDINOV (UZB) – Asia No.3 (11)
 
14. LING Haiwei (CHN) – Asia No.5 (12)
 
15. Amit Dhankar KUMAR (IND) – Asia No.5 (13)
 
16. Zhombor GULYAS (HUN) – Europe No.5 (14)
 
17. Adrian Ionut MOISE (ROU) – Europe No.5 (15)
 
18. Geandry GARZON CABALLERO (CUB) – Granma Cup No.1 (16)
 
19. BUYANJAV Batzorig (MGL) – Buryatia Cup No.1 (19)
 
20. Zaur EFENDIEV (SRB) – Paris GGP No.1 (11)
 
74kg – Kamal MALIKOV (RUS), a bronze medal winner in 2013, took the Ali Aliev crown after ninth-place finishes at the Golden Grand Prix Final in November and the Yarygin Grand Prix in January to enter the rankings at No.9.
 
Ali Aliev runner-up Magomed ZUBAIROV (RUS), who bounces back-and-forth between 74kg and 86kg, comes in at No.10.
 
1. Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) – World No.1 (1)
 
2. Aniuar GEDUEV (RUS) – Europe No.1 (2)
 
3. Reza AFZALI PAEMAMI (IRI) – Asia No.1 (3)
 
4. Yabrail HASANOV (AZE) – Europe No.2 (8)
 
5. Ali SHABANOV (BLR) – Medved Prizes No.1 (6)
 
6. Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) – Europe No.3 (4)
 
7. Krystian BRZOZOWSKI (POL) – Europe No.3 (5)
 
8. Akhmed GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.2 (7)
 
9. Kamal MALIKOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (nr)
 
10. Magomed ZUBAIROV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.2 (nr)
 
11. PUREVJAV Unurbat (MGL) – Asia No.2 (9)
 
12. Innokenti INNOKENTYEV (KGZ) – Asia No.3 (12)
 
13. Hamid Reza REZAEI (IRI) – Ali Aliev No.3 (nr)
 
14. Leonid BAZAN (BUL) – Dan Kolov No.1 (11)
 
15. Ryoichi YAMANAKA (JPN) – Asia No.3 (13)
 
16. Essadollah AKBARI (IRI) – Takhti Cup No.3 (14)
 
17. Kiril TERZIEV (BUL) – Europe No.7 (15)
 
18. Yakob MAKARASHVILI (GEO) – Europe No.9 (16)
 
19. Parveen RANA (IND) – Schultz Memorial No.1 (17)
 
20. Akzhurek TANATAROV (KAZ) – Int’l Kunaev No.1 (18)
 
86kg – 2011 world bronze medalist Albert SARITOV (RUS) added the Ali Aliev crown to earlier wins in the Mongolian Open and Buryatia Cup and climbed to No.6 in the rankings.
 
Two-time former European champion and London Olympian Anzor URISHEV (RUS) narrowly missed a chance to meet Saritov in the Ali Aliev final, but takes a bronze medal for No.7 in the rankings.
 
1. Abdul Rashid SADULAEV (RUS) – Europe No.1 (1)
 
2. Murad GAIDAROV (BLR) – Europe No.2 (2)
 
3. Meisam MOSTAFA JOUKAR (IRI) – Asia No.1 (3)
 
4. Rashid KURBANOV (UZB) – Asia No.3 (4)
 
5. Azlan KAKHIDZE (KAZ) – Asia No.2 (5)
 
6. Albert SARITOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (14)
 
7. Anzor URISHEV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.3 (nr)
 
8. Ibragim ALDATOV (UKR) – World No.1 (6)
 
9. Reineris SALAS PEREZ (CUB) – Granma Cup No.1 (7)
 
10. Ehsan LASHGARI (IRI) – World No.3 (8)
 
11. Istvan VEREB (HUN) – Europe No.3 (9)
 
12. Gamzat OSMANOV (AZE) – Dan Kolov No.1 (10)
 
13. Shamil KUDIYAMAGOMEDOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.2 (11)
 
14. Dato MARSAGISHVILI (GEO) – Europe No.5 (12)
 
15. Musa MURTAZALIEV (ARM) – Europe No.3 (13)
 
16. Clayton FOSTER (USA) – Yasar Dogu No.5 (16)
 
17. Uitumen ORGODOL (MGL) – Asia No.3 (15)
 
18. Pedro CEBALLAS FUENTES (VEN) – CAC Games No.1 (19)
 
19. Alexander DOLLY (IRL) – Europe No.5 (17)
 
20. Taymuraz FRIEV NASKIDEAVA (ESP) – Paris GGP No.1 (18)
 
97kg – Yuri BELONOVSKI, eighth place at the Yarygin Grand Prix, defeated London 2012 gold medalist Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE), 5-2, to go from unranked to No.5 with his triumph at Ali Aliev.
 
Sharifov, who won the gold medal in London at 84kg, won the Dan Kolov crown in February as he battles for a place in the Azerbaijani line-up between promising newcomer at 86kg Gamzat OSMANOV (AZE) and veteran Khetag GAZUMOV (AZE), 96kg silver medalist at the 2013 world meet.
 
1. Reza YAZDANI (IRI) – World No.1 (1)
 
2. Abdusalam GADISOV (RUS) – Europe No.1 (2)
 
3. Khetag GAZUMOV (AZE) – Europe No.2 (3)
 
4. Ivan YANKOUSKI (BLR) – Europe No.3 (4)
 
5. Yuri BELONOVSKI (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (nr)
 
6. Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) – Ali Aliev No.2 (5)
 
7. Pavlo OLEYNIK (UKR) – Europe No.5 (6)
 
8. Nicolae CEBAN (MDA) – Europe No.3 (7)
 
9. William HARTH (GER) – Europe No.5 (8)
 
10. Lyuben ILIEV (BUL) – Dan Kolov No.3 (9)
 
11. Riza YILDIRIM (TUR) – Medved Prizes No.1 (10)
 
12. DORJKHAND Khuderbulga (MGL) – Asia No.1 (11)
 
13. Magomed MUSAEV (KGZ) – Asia No.2 (12)
 
14. Satyavart KADIAN (IND) – Asia No.3 (13)
 
15. Rustam ISKANDARI (TJK) – Asia No.3 (14)
 
16. Ibrahim BOLUKBASI (TUR) – Dan Kolov No.3 (15)
 
17. Dato KERASHVILI (GEO) – Takhti Cup No.3 (16)
 
18. Radoslaw BARAN (POL) – Ali Aliev No.3 (nr)
 
19. Hamed TALEBIZARRINKAMAR (IRI) – Takhti Cup No.1 (18)
 
20. Yusup JALILOV (BLR) – Medved Prizes No.2 (19)
 
125kg – Former European champion and Beijing 2008 Olympic team member Ali ISAEV (AZE) defeated 2010 Asia junior champion Abdollah GHOMI AVILI (IRI) in the only Ali Aliev final without at least one Russian representative in the final.
 
World silver medalist Alen ZASEEV (UKR) slipped a notch to No.8 after a bronze medal in Makhachkala. European bronze medalist Aleksander KHOTSIANIVSKI (UKR) held steady at No.5 with the second bronze medal at Ali Aliev.
 
1. Taha AKGUL (TUR) – Europe No.1 (1)
 
2. Komeil GHASEMI (IRI) – Asia No.1 (2)
 
3. Alan KHUGAEV (RUS) – Europe No.2 (3)
 
4. Khadshimourad GATSALOV (RUS) – World No.1 (4)
 
5. Aleksander KHOTSIANIVSKI (UKR) – Europe No.3 (5)
 
6. Ali ISAEV (AZE) – Ali Aliev No.1 (nr)
 
7. Jamalladin MAGOMEDOV (AZE) – Dan Kolov No.1 (6)
 
8. Alen ZASEEV (UKR) – Ali Aliev No.3 (7)
 
9. Parviz HADI (IRI) – Takhti Cup No.1 (8)
 
10. Daulet SHABANBAY (KAZ) – Asia No.3 (10)
 
11. Abdollah GHOMI AVITI (IRI) – Ali Aliev No.2 (nr)
 
12. Daniel LIGETI (HUN) – Europe No.3 (9)
 
13. NATSAGSUREN Zolboo (MGL) – Asia No.2 (11)
 
14. Andranik GALSTYAN (ARM) – Dan Kolov No.3 (12)
 
15. JARGALSAIKHAN Chuluunbat (MGL) – Mongolian Open No.2 (14)
 
16. Tervel DLAGNEV (USA) – World No.5 (15)
 
17. Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ) – Asia No.5 (13)
 
18. David MODZMANASHVILI (GEO) – Europe No.5 (16)
 
19. Kurban KURBANOV (UZB) – Asia No.7 (17)
 
20. Luis VIVENES URBANESA (VEN) – CAC Games No.2 (19)

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2015 State Finals Pick'ems
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4237 2
Hildebrandt and Miracle punch their tickets to Tokyo
Photos by Tony Rotundo
 
One weekend, two matches, and a lifetime of preparation are what separated wrestlers from their dreams of being an Olympian. Five Indiana natives took the mat this weekend with a trip to Tokyo in August on their minds. The competition is a who’s who of wrestling with former Olympians, World medalists, World team members, NCAA champions, and more going after that elusive spot on the team.
 
In men’s freestyle we saw Nick Lee and Mason Parris put it on the line while they still had college eligibility. Lee lost to the eventual champion Jordan Oliver in his second match. That did not deter him as he take out three consecutive NCAA champions to earn a third place finish. In his first consolation match he took out former Cornell national champion Nahshon Garrett by tech fall 12-2. In the consolation semi-finals he faced off with Nittany Lion Wrestling Club teammate, friend, and training partner Zain Retherford. Utilizing two big 4-point moves Lee pulled the upset 10-4. The final match, with a spot on the US National team on the line, was no easier as he had two-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis. The match was an instant classic as they both let it fly. There were three crazy scrambles that ended up with multiple scores for each wrestler. Lee came out on top in the end by the score of 16-8. The National Team designation includes perks such as preference for national team camps, overseas competitions, a stipend, and more.
 
Mason Parris came into the weekend as the third seeded wrestler. His first match did not go as planned as he lost to Daniel Kerkvliet 4-4(criteria). Parris had defeated Kerkvliet at the Big Tens a month ago. Battling back through the consolations Parris beat Tanner Hall, Dom Bradley, and Anthony Nelson in succession to also earn a spot on the US National Team. In the end, he actually finished higher than Kerkvliet who defeated him in the quarter-finals.
 
The success did not stop on the women’s side of the bracket. Alara Boyd was in the challenge tournament, while Kayla Miracle and Sarah Hildebrandt both sat until Saturday’s best of three finals.
 
Boyd came into the event seeded 5th in the challenge bracket. She quickly upended the 4th seed, Ashlynn Ortega, in the quarter-finals to earn a spot in the semi-finals. Her next opponent was veteran Forrest Molinari. Boyd was up for the task, but came up short 4-3. Boyd battled back to make it to the third place match where she lost to the 2nd seeded Alexandria Glaude 2-2 on criteria. She was just shy of making the US National team designation. Being only a college sophomore, she has a bright future and will be in the hunt for the 2024 squad.
 
Sarah Hildebrandt had the luxury of sitting out of competition until the best of three finals on Saturday night. The only caveat was that she would have to make scratch weight both on Friday and Saturday for the competition. As she waited the bracket that would determine her finals opponent was hotly contested. There were a few upsets of the top seeds and the 3rd seeded Victoria Anthony prevailed to face Hildebrandt. Anthony was a formidable foe as she had twice placed 5th in the World on the senior level and was a two-time junior level champion.
 
In the first match Anthony fired off a double leg to start and took Hildebrandt down. Hildebrandt was able to get a takedown of her own before the end of the first period. It was almost two minutes into the second period when Hildebrandt got her second takedown. With about 30 seconds left, Hildebrandt got another takedown and three consecutive leg laces to end the match 12-2 and put herself one win from Tokyo.
 
The second match was slower getting started, but dominated by Hildebrandt from start to finish. She got a takedown and leg lace about 2 minutes into the first period to take a 4-0 lead to the break. In the second period she executed three takedowns to secure the tech fall and her spot in history.
 
Kayla Miracle was in the same situation as Hildebrandt with the privilege of waiting until Saturday night for the best of three series. Her challenge bracket was won by Macey Kilty who has many world level accolades including two junior level silver medals and a cadet level championship.
 
In the first match Miracle came storming out and lead 6-0 after the first period. The second period saw Kilty score a takedown and a couple step-outs to Miracle’s one takedown. The final score was 8-4 with Miracle one match from going to Tokyo.
The second match had a much different feel to it. Miracle was stifled by Kilty’s defense and never really got her rhythm. Kilty took Miracle down late in the first period and early in the second to storm out to a 4-1 lead. Miracle could only muster a couple step-outs to make the final score 4-3 and force a pivotal round three.
 
The third match saw Kayla Miracle come out with a sense of urgency and hunger for her spot in Tokyo. Less than 20 seconds after the whistle Kayla was in deep on a shot and looking for a turn. That is when it appeared that Kilty injured her shoulder. Kilty tried to finish the match, but it was ended 30 seconds into the match after she could not continue. While the type of win was not what Miracle envisioned, she punched her ticket to Tokyo and into history.
 
Hildebrandt and Miracle will join Stevan Micic in Tokyo in August. Micic qualified for the Olympics for Servia and will represent them at 57kg in men’s freestyle. This is the first time Indiana has had multiple Olympic participants in wrestling and the first since Muncie Northside’s David Butler in 1988. The last time an Indiana native brought back an Olympic medal was Richard Voliva when he took silver in 1936.
 
 
 

4235 30
2017/18 IHSWCA Team State Draws
TrackWrestling link
Schedule
9:00 AM – Rounds 1 through 3 (4 mats)
Pool Play – 4 pools with 3 teams in each pool – seeded
Rd 1 Bye – Lower seeded team in each pool
Rd 2 Bye – Higher seeded team in each pool
Rd 3 Bye – Unseeded team in each pool
2:00 PM(approx) – Round 4
Bracketed event begins based on how teams finished in their pool (4 mats)
Consolation Matches (2 mats – 2nd  – 8th Place teams)
-Pool A 2nd Place vs Pool D 2nd Place
-Pool B 2nd Place vs Pool C 2nd Place
Consolation Matches (2 mats – 3rd Place teams)
-Pool A 3rd Place vs Pool D 3rd Place (winner ties for 9th place/loser ties for 11th place)
-Pool B 3rd Place vs Pool C 3rd Place (winner ties for 9th place/loser ties for 11th place)
4:00 PM(approx) – Round 5
Bracketed Consolation Matches (4 mats)
Championship Bracket Semi-Finals (2 mats – 1st Place teams)
-Pool A Winner vs Pool D Winner
-Pool B Winner vs Pool C Winner
5th/6th Place Dual and 7th/8th Place Dual (2 mats)
6:00 PM(approx)– Round 6
Finals for Places 1st – 4th (2 mats per class – 6 mats total for Event)
3A Teams
Pool 1
#1 Brownsburg
#8 Roncalli
Center Grove
Pool 2
#2 Perry Merdian
#7 Penn
Castle
Pool 3
#3 Evansville Mater Dei
#6 Columbus East
Carroll
Pool 4
#4 Portage
#5 Avon
Harrison (WL)
2A Teams
Pool 1
#1 Yorktown
#8 New Haven
New Prairie
Pool 2
#2 Wawasee
#7 Bellmont
Franklin County
Pool 3
#3 North Montgomery
#6 Edgewood
Lawrenceburg

Pool 4
#4 Garrett
#5 Jimtown
Indian Creek
1A Teams
Pool 1
#1 Prairie Heights
#8 Milan
Attica

Pool 2
#2 Central Noble
#7 Eastern (Greentown)
Shenandoah
Pool 3
#3 Frankton
#6 North Posey
South Adams
Pool 4
#4 Adams Central
#5 Knightstown
Cass

4225 4 11
#WrestlingWednesday with Jeremy Hines: Patience and Perseverance have paid off for Byrd
By JEREMY HINES
Thehines7@gmail.com
 
When Brady Byrd was young, he would wake up early, pack his wrestling gear in his parent’s vehicle and make the long journey to whatever tournament they could find. Often, hours later, he would return with a couple of losses to show for his effort.
 
“Brady started wrestling in fifth grade,” his father, Sean said. “Every tournament around us was at least an hour drive. Normally he would go 0-2. But he kept doing it and kept doing it. Sometimes he would even move up weight classes just to get matches.”
 
While the losses piled up, so did Byrd’s determination. If wrestling was easy, he might not have ever fallen in love with the sport. The losses helped build him into one of the best wrestlers in Washington High School history.
 
“That prepared me,” Brady said. “Not a lot of kids at this level have been on the losing side like I have. It took me a long time before I started to see success. For the longest time my worst sport was wrestling. Being on that losing side taught me to never shy away from anything. I was not going to quit just because I wasn’t good at it. That’s never a valid reason to quit. You have to get better. That’s the only option.”
 
Now, Byrd is the first Fargo double All-American to ever come out of the prestigious Maurer Caughlin Wrestling Club. Byrd finished third in freestyle this year and seventh in Greco-Roman. He is currently ranked No. 5 in the state at 106 pounds and has his sights set on taking the top of the platform at the state finals. He’s come a long way – but it was never easy.
 
“The biggest thing with Brady, is that a lot of guys see him now, succeeding and being a good wrestler,” Washington coach Aaron Cissell said. “But nobody looks deep enough to see all the struggles and tournaments where he would lose. He stuck with it. It’s all paying off now. He has overcome all of that and fought to be successful.”
 
Brady started wrestling 106 pounds as a freshman. At the time he weighed just 91 pounds. He’s always been a smaller guy. This, his senior season, is the first time he’s had to cut any weight at all. And even now, the cut is minimal.
 
Sean, his dad, was a state placer in high school.
 
“I placed seventh my senior year at 112 pounds,” Sean said. “Our styles are similar except that I was all heart and toughness and didn’t have technique. Brady is heart, toughness and has excellent technique.
 
“I was a Region guy who was coached by Hall of famer Walt Prochno Kankakee Valley. Brady wrestles the region style in southern Indiana - tough and gritty.”
 
Brady agrees that toughness and grit are keys to his success.
 
“The grit is what makes me successful,” Brady said. I’ve always had it. A lot of kids don’t like to wrestle me. I stay in their face and stay physical.”
 
Injuries have plagued Brady in his young career. He has suffered an ankle and a knee injury but has bounced back from both.
 
“Brady is the most determined and hardest working guy I’ve ever seen,” Cissell said. “He is tough in all areas.”
 
Brady owns Washington’s winning percentage record, but he wants to set the school’s win record and pin record this season. Both are well within his grasp. He also wants to become the third wrestler from his school to qualify for the state finals (Mark Kelsey did it in 1984 and Aaron Brower in 2003). He also wants to become the first Washington wrestler to place at state.
 
Brady also does whatever is necessary to help his team. Coaches have learned to rely on him with helping teach moves in a way the other wrestlers can understand.
 
“People really respect Brady,” Sean said. “So, when we are teaching moves, it’s better to have a Brady show them because he can speak their language and they really feed off of him.”
 
Brady would like to wrestle in college and even the Olympics one day. He has excellent grades and was named to the Academic All-State Team. Outside of wrestling Brady enjoys competitive bass fishing, hunting and playing pickle ball.
 
“Brady is the most determined kid you’ll ever meet,” Sean said. “He works hard at everything, and the work is finally starting to pay dividends.”
 
Brady has started this young season off with 15 consecutive wins. He hopes for much more as the year goes on. He loves the sport and enjoys working at it.
 
“Wrestling is one-on-one,” Brady said. “People call me crazy because I train so much. I don’t like relying on other people to win. I like relying on myself. What I put in is what I get out.”

4186
Karl Komments on the State Finals
106 - I have it on good authority that Indiana Mudflap is a fan of the lil’ guys on the mats. He says he will be eating some hot wings before invading Banker’s Life but I can guarantee he will be there for the fireworks on display as four, count ‘em, four ranked wrestlers will tangling in the first two matches. Returning state runner up Ty Mills of Brownsburg is the top ranked kid in the bracket and he should get by 16th ranked Gavin Rose of Greenfield Central. Mills will then rest up for Saturday morning where he face off against the winner of one of the premier Friday night tilts. Northwood’s Tanner DeMien is ranked fifth and is a returning 7th place finisher from last year. He will square off with Crown Point’s super frosh Jacob Moran. Moran does a nice impression of Jared Brooks with his athleticism and leg attacks and I feel he will be too much for the Panther.
In the second quarter bracket, Warren Central’s powerful Keyuan Murphy is a strong favorite after his championship run at New Castle. He should get by Castle’s Devon Casebolt on Friday night. The other match features Wheeler’s Jose Diaz and Jimtown’s Hunter Watts. Diaz has impressed region rats with his goer mentality and he has become his school’s first state qualifier. Jimtown’s mighty mite Watts frankly did not look like a state qualifier earlier in the season. A great day at team state has seemed to jump start his season and he has been on a nice run. Another great match up.
In the third quarter bracket there are another four ranked wrestlers and two legitimate threats to win a state championship. Fourth ranked Kory Cavanaugh of Penn has state experience and has been rock solid all season. He will likely see nemesis Sam Fair of Perry Meridian. Fair has two razor thin wins over Cavanaugh. This will be a great Saturday morning tussle. Set your alarms and don’t miss this one.
The final quarter bracket is completely wide open in my mind. Cathedral’s Lukasz Walendzak has wins over some of the best 106ers in the state. Walendzak will face Avon’s ace, Asa Garcia. Garcia is the author of one of the bigger upsets of the semi state weekend when he dashed the dreams of top ranked Cayden Rooks in Evansville. The other tilt features Yorktown’s #7 ranked Brayton Curtis, who won the Ft. Wayne semi state, and Trey McCartney who was impressive at East Chicago.
 
113 – This class is probably not as wide open as the 106ers because of the dominance shown by Lowell Red Devil Colton Cummings. Cummings has shredded everyone put in his path this season with a lethal combination of leg attacks and pinning power. A potential #1 versus #2 is possible in this class as New Palestine’s overshadowed Alec White is poised on the other side of the bracket. White is a three time qualifier and former medalist. White must first survive a brutal quarter bracket that also features seniors 14th ranked Geoffrey Davis of Ft. Wayne Wayne HS, #7 Austin Slates of Penn and frosh #10 Alex Mosconi of Indian Creek. The bottom quarter bracket features super hot grapplers, Colin Poynter of Portage and Nick Weaver of Brownsburg. Poynter vs. Weaver should be outstanding if they meet on Saturday morning.
In that top half, Colton Cummings looms large but he will still need to survive a Saturday morning clash with #3 Skylour Turner of Warren Central and a semi final match with a largely unknown group of wrestlers.
120 - All the top contenders are in the bracket and most of the top names are split in the opposite sides of the bracket. Fifteen of the sixteen state street spots are taken by ranked wrestlers. An impressive display by IndianaMat’s rankit ngs guy. At the top of the bracket, we have one of the most unheralded semi state champs in Brownsburg’s Blake Mulkey. The Bulldog sophomore has an unblemished record but is only ranked 7th. I look for him to win Friday night over Bellmont’s Mason Mendez and then advancing past Beech Grove’s Ethan Smiley on Saturday morning.
The battle to meet Mulkey in the semi’s will be fought by some studs who have a ton of state experience. Columbia City’s fourth ranked Hunter Langeloh, Lebanon’s tenth ranked Caleb Bocock and Griffith’s second ranked Jeremiah Reitz all have multiple years of experience on the floor at Banker’s Life. The projected matchup between Langeloh and Reitz is state final quality wrestling on Saturday morning. Indiana wrestling fans are the winners here.
Top ranked Drew Hildebrandt tops the next quarter bracket but the Kingsman will have no easy road as the winner of the Friday night match up between fifth ranked Blake Glogouski of Fairfield and sixth ranked Kyle Luigs of Mater Dei awaits last year’s state runner up.
The final set of four contains New Castle champ Dylan Culp of Warren Central and third ranked Graham Rooks of Columbus East. The depth of quality wrestling at 120 is quite impressive and this is a weight class that will provide great matches from the beginning.
 
126 - Danville’s Brock Hudkins will look to defend his state title this year and comes into the tournament with an unblemished 43-0 record. The Northern Illinois bound senior will have to top fifth ranked Joel McGhee of Warren Central on Saturday morning and fourth ranked IU bound Austin Holmes of Hamilton Southeastern in the afternoon to make a return to the match under the lights. I like Hudkins chances to do just that.
The other side of the bracket has both the second and third ranked wrestlers and if they hold chalk, Portage’s Gaige Torres and Cathedral’s Breyden Bailey should battle for the right to wrestle Hudkins. Torres versus Bailey should be one of the better semi final matches as they wrestle almost opposite styles. It will be the funky always exciting style of Bailey matched up with the classic in your face toughness of Torres. The top four kids in the state with one in each quarter bracket, what more could wrestling fans ask for.
 
132 - Ali versus Frazier, Red Sox versus Yankees, Michigan versus Ohio State, Chad Red versus Nick Lee. It has been the most talked about match up in the state over the past two years and it appears that we are all going to see the greatest match up ever in the state finals this year at 132.
In one corner you have a returning champ in Mater Dei’s Nick Lee. Lee has shown he is afraid of no one as he squared off against Steven Micic in his freshman year. Lee won a title last year and then followed it up with an impressive spring and summer. He ended up his summer with a scholarship offer to Penn State and top ten national ranking.
In the other corner you have New Palestine’s incredible Chad Red. All he has done is beat everyone put in front of him over the past three years, not only in the state of Indiana but also in the entire country. A fourth state title and an unblemished high school record are what Red puts on the line. The Nebraska recruit is so fun to watch and I, like many, have been dreaming about the potential scrambles these two studs will get into on Saturday night.
 
138 - It has been 150 plus years since those in the north have had to worry about an invasion by Lee but now Indianapolis will have two worry about three Lee’s all coming for Evansville semi state. Nick was the first Lee at 132 and at 138, we see top ranked Brayton Lee of Brownsburg. Brayton is another Bulldog with an perfect record who will be the odds on favorite to win Brownsburg a state title. Lee has exorcised the ghosts of last year’s shocking defeat in the ticket round with a dominating performance last week. The talented sophomore will likely see Westfield’s Evan Eldred in the semi’s. The Shamrock senior’s only loss on the season is a narrow 5-3 loss to…..Brownsburg’s Brayton Lee.
On the other side of the bracket, all eyes will be on the quarter final match up between second ranked Sage Coy of Delta and fourth ranked Matt McKinney of Warren Central. The winner of this match up will likely be under the lights.
 
145 – The third Lee is sophomore Joe Lee of Mater Dei. The younger brother of Nick wrestled under the lights last year and seemed poised to join his brother on top of the podium until Tommy Cash struck with an excellent counter to secure the win. This season looked to be all about Joe until suffering a pair of defeats to New Palestine’s Jared Timberman and Mount Vernon’s Austin Bethel. So what we have is a weight class that is wide open with four or five wrestlers that can make a legitimate run for the crown.
The top half of the bracket looks like an absolute meat grinder. Top ranked Brad Laughlin of Yorktown has one blemish on his record and that was at 160 pounds. He must overcome 2nd ranked Timberman, or 3rd ranked Lee, or 6th ranked Triston Rodriguez of Culver to wrestle Saturday night. No easy task.
On the other side of the bracket we have returning state runner up Jordan Vaughn of Franklin Central and Kasper McIntosh of Portage who come in as semi state champs. But for these two to reach the semis, they must beat Jimtown’s Kenny Kernn and Leo’s Isaac Eicher respectively. Eicher has a state medal on his resume and Kernn has been nothing short of dominant since midseason. I predict a lot of maroon and gold under the lights.
 
152 – No one named Lee is contending at 152 but a similar bracket has been built with one side looking significantly deeper than the other. The bottom half contains #1 BAM Lawrence of Portage, #2 Cael McCormick of Yorktown, #4 Dru Berkebile of Frankton and #5 and #6 Elijah Dunn of Indian Creek and Brett Johnson of Perry Meridian. Can you say meat grinder? I like McCormick and BAM to survive but honestly would not be surprised if any of the other three ranked wrestlers to get to the semis because of the depth at this weight class.
At the other end, the bracket gods smiled down on Trent Pruitt. The third ranked Warren Central junior has a stacked quarter bracket with a tough Friday night tilt with Mater Dei senior Mitch Lehman. Pruitt will face the winner of a likely Denzyl Prentice/Andrew Herrin match up that looks to be a donnybrook. Both are coming off excellent semi states where Herrin throttled the field at Evansville and Prentice looked as good as he ever has, giving Lawrence a great match in the finals.
 
160 – Speaking of bracket gods, they were not too kind at 160 as #1 Jacob Covaciu and #2 Alston Bane were both bracketed on the same side. However, Bane’s Batman last week, Noah Warren of Perry Meridian won the New Castle semi state and put himself in a position to wrestle under the lights on Saturday night. Warren has only one blemish on his record and that was to Jarod Swank of Penn at team state. For Warren to get to the semis he might need to avenge his loss to Swank and then also defeat either the Fort Wayne champ Josh Garman or the ultra talented Tavonte Malone of South Bend Adams.
The other side of the bracket has top ranked and Wisconsin bound Jacob Covaciu of Merrillville. I honestly don’t think he will be seriously challenged until he reaches the finals. 12th ranked Laine Frazee of Fountain Central and Jed Levitz of Prairie Heights is an interesting battle Friday night between a couple of small school studs. Upset Alert: Bellmont’s Tony Busse will be focused and ready to knock of the 2nd ranked Alston Bane of Richmond.
 
170 – This is another weight class where one side of the bracket appears to be a little top heavy. The first quarter bracket contains four ranked grapplers including the 2nd and 3rd ranked Nathan Walton of Brownsburg and Jacob Gray of Delta. Walton is one of the most exciting wrestlers in the state to watch and his match up with Tristan Goering of South Bend Riley will be filled with all kinds of fireworks. Wait for this match to be done before you get your 3rd Shave Ice. Three unranked wrestlers will try to slay “Dragon” Drew Hughes. “Winter is coming” for any of Hughes opponents. He probably won’t be challenged by anyone in the state this year.
On the other side, semi state champs Ricky Samuels and Bryce Baumgartner thanked the bracket gods and both have a shot to wrestle under the spotlight. These two are by no means shoe ins as Thomas ‘Launcher’ Dull and super soph Kameron Fuller will look to make a name for themselves statewide.
 
182 – You win some and you lose some when you randomly draw brackets. Not being able to see the potential match between nationally ranked Big Ten recruits Andrew Davison and Blake Rypel is a shame but let’s not dwell on that and just enjoy this battle between Davison, the undefeated junior from Chesterton and Rypel, the undefeated senior from Cathedral. Davison has committed to Michigan and Rypel to IU. Hopefully they will match up down the road as well.
A couple of other wrestlers look to crash the party. They include Lawrence North’s 3rd ranked Cameron Jones, 4th ranked David Eli, 6th ranked CJ Damler of Brownsburgh and 7th ranked Isaac James of Lowell. James is my pick to click in this half of the bracket. No real reason, just a feeling I have after watching him last weekend.
 
195 – I see at least five potential state champs in the 195 pound class. This makes this bracket incredibly hard to predict but incredibly fun to watch. The top quarter bracket features semi state champ Jake Kleimola of Lake Central. Kleimola is ranked 6th and will face the winner of Carmel’s Nick Fox and Brownsburg’s Isaac McCormick. These two suburban Indy studs have met earlier in the season with the Greyhound winning a narrow 3-1 match.
The second group of four has Fort Wayne semi-state champ Corbin Maddox of Daleville. The Broncos are the third smallest school to send a wrestler to Banker’s Life and he will have a tough road to get through Cedrick Vakalahi of Penn and second ranked Ben Stewart of Indy Cathedral.
In the bottom half, Kurtis Wilderman appears to have a relatively clear path to the semi finals but might have to beat the talented Damari Embery of South Newton (the second smallest school to qualify a finalist) to reach the semis.
The bottom four includes three ranked wrestlers but ‘T Squared’ Triston Tonte is the clear favorite due to his experience, talent and coaching.
 
220 – Ahhhh…… after a few weight classes where the top two were located on the same side of the bracket, we have a match up where two national ranked big men are poised to wrestle under the lights. But this weight class features more than just the big two. All four semi state champs are undefeated and three of them are non seniors. This is good news for the future.
In the top half of the bracket, the semi state champs Mason Parris of Lawrenceburg and Evan Ellis of Eastern (Greentown) are a combined 90-0. Parris is ranked 2nd in the state and 19th in the country. Ellis will be looking to make his bones on Saturday afternoon.
The bottom half of the bracket features 3rd ranked Gunnar Larson of Avon. It seems like he has been around forever but he is still just a junior and comes into the state finals with a 39-0 record with a semi state crown to his name. He is likely to face returning state champ, Kobe Woods of Penn. Woods record is spotless at 33-0. Some have questioned if Kobe is as sharp as he needs to be to win this weight class. I would expect the senior to be ready to rock and roll this weekend.
 
285 – Shawn Streck has been an absolute joy to watch perform the past four years. In many people’s minds he is the finest heavyweight wrestler the state has ever produced. He is the best I have seen in the past 15 years. Unfortunately for 2nd ranked Cory Klem of Gibson Southern that he is in the same quarter bracket as Streck.
In a race for second, 6th ranked Robert Samuels of Lawrence North and 5th ranked Sean Galligar of Columbus East appear poised to match up in the semi finals for a shot to take on the big Pirate in the finals. Samuels would present a nice style contrast whereby Galligar might be able to match Streck for pure strength.

4179
2017 State Finals By the Numbers
Overall
 
Once again we have shown how accurate our rankings are with another great year for the final rankings. Note that our rankings are locked before sectional and these do not take into account injuries or semi-state draws as the state series progresses. This year we had a record 169 ranked wrestlers that made it to state. The top weight class was 132 with 15 of the 16 state qualifiers being ranked. Also 126, 152, and 220 had 14 ranked wrestlers. Unfortunately bringing up the rear was 138, 145, and 195 with only 10 ranked wrestlers.
 
2017- 169
2016- 175
2015- 172
2014- 171
2013- 171
2012- 170
2011- 157
2010- 159
2009- 143
 
106lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 10
Unranked qualifiers:
Eli Hickman- Rensselaer Central
Danny Tolin- Chesterton
Colin Reagan- Frontier
Logan Boe- Danville
Jake Armstrong- Winamac
Logan Stephenson- Terre Haute South
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#1 Brayden Curtis- Yorktown vs. #3 Brendan Mattingly- Carmel
#14 Brayden Shearer- Garrett vs. #2 Seth Johnson- North Montgomery
#4 Andrew Black- Shenandoah vs. #19 Fernando Flores- Goshen
#5 Brayden Lowery- Perry Meridian vs. #13 JC Herring- Oak Hill
 
113lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12
Unranked qualifiers:
Tanner Schoeff- Central Noble
Alex Petro- Center Grove
Chris Schuller- Woodlan
Caleb Oliver- Indianapolis Cathedral
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#18 Joe Just- Carroll (Fort Wayne) vs. #4 Kory Cavanaugh- Penn
#2 Alec Viduya- Roncalli vs. #17 Kane Egli- Evansville Mater Dei
#6 Hunter Watts- Jimtown vs. #20 Ryne Webb- Rensselaer Central
#7 Gavin Rose- Greenfield-Central vs. #9 Seth Horty- Evansville Memorial
 
120lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12
Unranked qualifiers:
Braxton Alexander- Wawasee
Blaigh Rushing- Homestead
Zane Sullivan- Edgewood
Trevor Ragle- New Castle
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#1 Ty Mills- Brownsburg vs. #15 Carter Noehre- Greenfield-Central
#12 Sunny Nier- Perry Meridian vs. #8 Alex Mosconi- Indian Creek
#2 Tylor Triana- Hobart vs. #14 Josh Stephenson- Yorktown
#5 Colin Poynter- Portage vs. #6 Jabin Wright- Kokomo
#7 Christian Mejia- Elkhart Memorial vs. #10 Tanner DeMien- Penn
 
126lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14
Unranked qualifiers:
Reese Rodriguez- Hammond Morton
Dylan Demarco- Garrett
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#1 Blake Mulkey- Brownsburg vs. #16 Hunter Cottingham- Western
#12 Matt Gimson- Jimtown vs. #7 Matt Lee- Evansville Mater Dei
#15 Joel Byman- Carroll (Fort Wayne) vs. #18 Noah Hunt- Bloomington South
#3 Colton Cummings- Lowell vs. #5 Alec White- New Palestine
#4 Michael DeLaPena- Merrillville vs. #13 Dallas Pugsley- Shenandoah
#6 Jordan Slivka- Indianapolis Cathedral vs. #11 Ian Dembowski- Valparaiso
 
132lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 15
Unranked qualifiers:
Austin Moore- Central Noble
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#1 Jeremiah Reitz- Griffith vs. #14 Jack Servies- Perry Meridian
#2 Breyden Bailey- Indianapolis Cathedral vs. #12 Miguel Prado- Portage
#3 Kyle Luigs- Evansville Mater Dei vs. #6 Conner Gimson- Jimtown
#4 Christian Hunt- Yorktown vs. #19 Noah Franklin- New Washington
#5 Ethan Smiley- Beech Grove vs. #13 Jack Tolin- Chesterton
#7 Dawson Combest- Columbus East vs. #18 Anthony Mosser- Adams Central
#8 Manzona Bryant- Culver Academies vs. #9 Cainan Schaefer- South Dearborn
 
138lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 10
Unranked qualifiers:
Logan Macklin- Adams Central
Ryan Surguy- Shenandoah
Jacob LaPlace- Mishawaka
Levi Miller- North Posey
Chaz Boyd- Elkhart Central
Jacob Redd- Connersville
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#11 Grant Gutierrez- Bellmont vs. #3 Kris Rumph- Portage
#5 Nathan Conley- Avon vs. #17 Jesus Mancera- Lawrence Central
 
145lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 10
Unranked qualifiers:
Xander Stroud- Elkhart Central
Elliot Rodgers- Indianapolis Cathedral
Corban Pollitt- Columbus East
Brooks Wathen- Jennings County
Carlos Aguirre- Garrett
Darian Padgett- North Central (Indianapolis)
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#5 Joel Arney- Carroll (Fort Wayne) vs. #2 Kasper McIntosh- Portage
#7 Mason Winner- Jay County vs. #10 Mario Traficanti- Crown Point
#9 Kain Rust- Perry Meridian vs. #8 Logan Coyle- Center Grove
 
152lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14
Unranked qualifiers:
Tucker Schank- Southridge
David Kitko- Noblesville
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#1 Joe Lee- Evansville Mater Dei vs. #10 Clay Jones- Lafayette Jefferson
#12 Noah LaMore- Crown Point vs. #4 Austin Bethel- Mount Vernon
#18 Cody Klettheimer- Frankton vs. #15 Hunter Reed- Columbia City
#2 Noah Warren- Perry Meridian vs. #17 Colt Rutter- Yorktown
#6 Jacob Clark- Avon vs. #8 Kassius Breathitt- South Bend Riley
#9 Nathaniel Weimer- East Noble vs. #11 Andrew Negangard- East Central
 
160lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12
Unranked qualifiers:
Josh Gee- Shenandoah
Matthew Wertz- Zionsville
Jacob Atkins- South Bend Riley
Justin Miller- Westfield
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#1 Brad Laughlin- Yorktown vs. #20 Jaylen Adkins- Decatur Central
#10 Jed Levitz- Prairie Heights vs. #14 Ethan Stock- Monrovia
#11 Chase Wilson- Princeton vs. #12 Tony Busse- Bellmont
#6 Gleason Mappes- Center Grove vs. #18 Nick Potter- New Haven
 
170lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12
Unranked qualifiers:
Joe Mazero- Hamilton Southeastern
Bradley Groover- River Forest
Jonyvan Johnson- New Haven
Brad Lowe- Greenfield-Central
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#10 Ismael Cornejo- Portage vs. #1 Burk Vanhorn- Franklin Community
#15 Jordan Rader- Peru vs. #9 Jake Ruberg- Lawrenceburg
#16 Anthony Cicciarelli- Brownsburg vs. #7 Zack Fattore- Hobart
#6 Jarod Swank- Penn vs. #14 Jonah Hays- Center Grove
 
182lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Jonah Rolfes- Lawrenceburg
Tyjonn Lockett- Merrillville
Stephen Nix- F. W. Bishop Dwenger
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#17 Jeremy Torres- Portage vs. #14 Jake Moore- Franklin Community
#2 Thomas Dull- Terre Haute North vs. #16 Austin Faulkner- Mishawaka
#3 Lucas Davison- Chesterton vs. #12 Jacob Hendrich- Northview
#4 Jacob Gray- Delta vs. #10 Cameron Simmons- Lawrence Central
#8 Joey Blakeley- Prairie Heights vs. #6 Evan Stambaugh- Lebanon
 
195lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 10
Unranked qualifiers:
Nick Schoonveld- Kankakee Valley
Jack Michel- Southridge
Draven Rasler- West Noble
Anthony Maceo- Portage
Gavin Herrera- Kokomo
David Delph- Frankton
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#1 Tristen Tonte- Warren Central vs. #16 Bradley Philpot- Floyd Central
#13 Tyler Moser- Bremen vs. #9 Caleb Hankenson- Bellmont
#5 Kurtis Wilderman- Evansville Mater Dei vs. #2 Ben Stewart- Indianapolis Cathedral
 
220lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14
Unranked qualifiers:
Austin Evans- Lakeland
Andy Guhl- Indianapolis Cathedral
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#1 Mason Parris- Lawrenceburg vs. #3 Clayton Scroggs- Martinsville
#17 Tyler McKeever- Carroll (Fort Wayne) vs. #6 Donnie Crider- Harrison (wl)
#2 Gunnar Larson- Avon vs. #10 Kyle Cornwell- Elwood
#4 Corbin Maddox- Daleville vs. #18 Will Vakalahi- Penn
#5 Eli Pokorney- Chesterton vs. #13 Gaven Hare- Jay County
#7 Jacob McClaine- Lebanon vs. #12 Garrison Lee- Monrovia
 
285lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 11
Unranked qualifiers:
Aron Ceglarek- Kankakee Valley
Dylan Cain- Greensburg
Tyler Selm- Franklin County
Dan Clark- Rochester
Clark Minges- East Central
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#14 Jessie Lawson- Carroll (Fort Wayne) vs. #7 Rickie Clark- Brownsburg
#2 Evan Ellis- Eastern (Greentown) vs. #12 Brendan Sutton- Jennings County
#3 Wade Ripple- Mount Vernon vs. #18 Dakota Ault- F.w. North Side