High School News

865 articles in this category

4353 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.

875
2014 Women's Freestyle Preview
Last 5 Years All-Americans




2009
Junior
109
4th
Sarah Hildebrandt


2009
Junior
139
6th
Demi Strub


2010
Junior
109
2nd
Sarah Hildebrandt


2010
Junior
139
2nd
Demi Strub


2011
Cadet
108
1st
Kayla Miracle


2011
Junior
112
8th
Gibby Paxton


2011
Junior
112
2nd
Kayla Miracle


2011
Junior
121
1st
Sarah Hildebrandt


2011
Junior
159
3rd
Demi Strub


2012
Cadet
124
3rd
Kayla Miracle


2012
Cadet
115
4th
Courtney Grey


2012
Cadet
101
7th
Brook Bunch


2012
Junior
121
1st
Kayla Miracle


2013
Cadet
101
4th
Lindsey Prozanski


2013
Cadet
124
4th
Courtney Grey


2013
Junior
139
2nd
Kayla Miracle


Women's wrestling in Indiana continues to be on the rise and this year is going to be no different at Fargo. Leading the way on this year's team is once again highly decorated Kayla Miracle. She will be performing double duty this weekend trying to earn a spot on the World Team and then later in the week wrestling in the junior championships. Her laundry list of accomplishments are too much to mention, just know that she is extremely talented and will continue to win at a high level. Two other Fargo All-Americans return in Lindsey Prozanski and Courtney Grey. Both were on the podium last year as Cadets and hope to repeat that performance as Juniors. Two other All-Americans in different events will make their Fargo debuts this week. The mighty Baron Susan Fozo will wrestle in the Junior division after placing 8th at Folkstyle Nationals this spring. Lastly, Mackenzie Turner will wrestle both Cadet and Junior divisions after a 3rd place finish at the FILA Cadet championships this spring.




Name
Division
Weight
Credentials


Mackenzie Turner
Cadet/Junior
198
2014 FILA Cadet Nationals 3rd


Susan Fozo
Junior
112
2014 Folkstyle Nationals 8th


Lindsey Prozanski
Junior
112
2013 Cadet 4th


Courtney Grey
Junior
125
2013 Cadet 4th


Makayla Bushman
Junior
130



Kayla Miracle
Junior
130
2014 Folkstyle Nationals 1st2014 Body Bar 1st
2014 World Team Trials 6th




971
2014 State Finals: Team Race Breakdown
by Chad Hollenbaugh
 
A year ago the IHSAA went old school and awarded the team championship the old fashioned way, by tournament scoring. Most would agree that this is not the ideal way to determine the best “team," but it should certainly add some excitement to the weekend. The team race will clearly have much more excitement than last year, when Perry Meridian nearly lapped the field and defeated runner up Yorktown by forty points. No team this year will be that dominant and there may be as many as six to eight squads who will be fighting it out for state hardware.
 
THE PROCEDURE
 
I projected every match this weekend to get placers and scored the placers: 16,12,9,7,5,3,2,1. I then went back and looked at individual draws and projected a best case scenario for each of the qualifiers. The first number is what my projections have each team scoring and the second number is their best case team score. Remember these are just one person's thoughts on how the weekend will go. Not trying to offend anyone. Note a * is for a qualifier that is not projected to place.





Total
106
113
120
126
132
138
145
152
160
170
182
195
220
285


Penn
38
2
*
X
7
X
X
X
*
9
12
5
3
*
X


61
5
0
12
0
9
16
5
9
5


Cath
57
5
3
X
X
*
X
5
X
16
X
12
X
X
16


63
5
5
0
5
16
16
16


YT
31
X
X
X
3
1
X
X
12
5
7
3
X
X
X


52
5
5
16
12
9
5


Merr
41
X
12
X
5
X
5
3
7
X
X
X
X
X
9


50
12
5
12
5
7
9


Fran
57
X
16
X
X
X
16
X
X
X
16
*
X
9
X


69
16
16
16
9
12


Mish
39
X
X
12
X
2
X
16
9
X
X
X
X
X
X


50
16
2
16
16


PM
26
*
2
*
*
12
X
12
X
X
*
*
X
X
X


52
0
5
5
5
16
16
0
5


MD
16
3
X
*
12
*
1
*
X
*
*
X
X
X
X


52
12
7
16
0
5
0
5
7


Penn 38/61
Cathedral 57/63
Yorktown 31/52
Merrillville 41/50
Franklin 57/69
Mishawaka – 39/50
Perry Meridian – 26/52
Mater Dei – 16/52
 
 
 
THE PRETENDERS
 
Mater Dei – The Wildcats are close but they are not quite yet back to the juggernaut of a decade ago. Coach Schaeffer's crew did qualify seven for the Big Show but the combination of tough draws and only two “sure thing” placers will make a run for the big trophy highly unlikely this year. Fear not west side whackos, MD is young and on the rise.
 
Mishawaka – The Cavemen only qualified four to state this year but what a foursome. Three of the four have a legitimate shot at wrestling under the lights. It would probably take all three winning along with some other help to put Mishawaka in serious contention.
 
CONTENDERS
 
Perry Meridian – The three time defending champs will know after Friday night if they will stay in the contenders status or be banished to the pretenders. Eight Falcons will make the effort at the title defense, led by hammers Cody LeCount and Brandon James. For the Perry to make a run, the other six boys in blue must get in the win column on Friday night despite many 50/50 draws. Upon reflection, I probably have PM losing too many of those 50/50 draw in my picks.
 
Yorktown – Last year's runner up would need to put together a nice weekend to be in contention for a trophy but it is definitely doable. All of the Tiger qualifiers stand a good shot of scoring points and the three headed monster of Chandler Carroll, Rhett Hiestand and Dillon Jackson all could score serious points.
 
Merrillville – Much like Yorktown, the Pirate's entire crew has a great chance to score points this weekend. Coach Maldonado's club just lacks a couple more studs that could be depended on to score some big points. All three of these teams in the contenders category have a long history of maximizing their opportunities and I would expect to hear all three schools on the PA system.
 
THE FRONT RUNNERS
 
Penn – Penn will travel down US 31 with near three quarters of their starting line up in an effort to not only earn medals but also make a run at a team state title that eluded them at the team duals back in January. The difference between them being champs or just contenders will come down to how a couple of their boys perform. The Kingsmen have a chance to pick up some big points at 195 and 220 that would keep them in contention.
 
Franklin – Veteran Grizzly Cub mentor Bob Hasseman might just have his strongest club ever in 2014. They won the coaches association team dual title in exciting fashion back in January and they currently hold national rankings in some polls. Franklin did themselves no favors by “only” qualifying five studs to the big show. The blue ring might just come down to a Friday night match between veteran Mike Petrole and Kankakee Valley's Timothy Schoonveld. I would project the winner of this matchup as a favorite to get to the semifinals and if Petrole were to make it, it would mean good things for Franklin.
 
Cathedral – Will it finally be the Year of the Irish? It appears that the stars might be aligned for Coach McGinley in 2014. Four legitimate title contenders (Bernard, Rypel, Corsaro, Bailey) and another big point producer in Ben Harvey make Indianapolis Cathedral the team to beat. Other squads have qualified more to Indy, but few will have as many standing high on the medal stand. I for one hope that fans of Indiana wrestling will keep it classy and give the Irish their due. In all my years of watching them under Coach McGinley, their kids have been great representatives of the sport and they deserve the appreciation of all the wrestling fans.
 
HOW IT ALL SHAKES OUT
 
Photo Finish? To close to call? My projections have Franklin and Cathedral in a dead heat for the crown. Looking deeper, I like Cathedral's “sure things” better than Franklin's and would give the slight edge to Fighting Irish. The great thing for fans is that an upset here or there might dump the entire apple cart and allows for other teams to make a run. And on a personal note, this will be the first time in four years that I am not helping coach a qualifier so I plan to sit back, relax and enjoy the show. See you Friday!!

1648
2014 State Finals: Rankings Breakdown
Overall
 
There will be 224 wrestlers gracing the mats on Friday night with one goal in mind. Of those 224 wrestlers 171 of them were in our final Panko Strength and Speed Individual Rankings. Another 22 were on our watch list. On average each weight class has 12.2 ranked wrestlers. The best weight class was 160lbs where we had 15 of the 16 wrestlers ranked. Note that our rankings are finalized before sectional and do not take into account regional or semi-state draws. Thus there are many match-ups that cause ranked kids to lose in the ticket round. 106lbs
 
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Jaron Katzer- Goshen
Kyle Hatch- Warsaw ***Watch List***
Mason Kaufer- Corydon Central ***Watch List***
Noah Franklin- New Washington
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#19 Ryan Hawkins- Perry Meridian vs. #3 Will Egli- Evansville Mater Dei
#1 Paul Konrath- Mt. Vernon vs. #14 Karl Wilhelm- Carmel
#15 Nathaniel Weimer- East Noble vs. #6 Drew Hildebrandt- Penn
#5 Colton Cummings- Lowell vs. #9 Hunter Langeloh- Columbia City
113lbs
 
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 10
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Austen Laughlin- South Bend Adams
Colton Dawes- Southwood
Edward Loraine- Leo
Jacob Skaggs- Greenwood
James Pritchett- Ben Davis
Tyler Flood- Pendleton Heights ***Watch List***
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#20 Jon Becker- Bellmont vs. #8 Austin Holmes- Hamiliton Southeastern
#14 Austin Slates- Penn vs. #3 Tyler Ferguson- Evansville FJ Reitz
120lbs
 
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 15
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Tristan Dembowski- Valparaiso ***Watch List***
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#7 Brock Hudkins- Danville vs. #20 Jake Hartman- South Bend Clay
#10 Jacob Cottey- Perry Meridian vs. #3 Forrest Glogouski- Fairfield
#6 Jake Sinkovics- Mishawaka vs. #13 Alex Johnson- Evansville Mater Dei
#11 DeLawerence Gayfield- Concord vs. #9 Matthew McKinney- Warren Central
#1 C.J. Red- New Palestine vs. #15 Brad Laughlin- Yorktown
#18 Ruben Rodriguez- Hammond Morton vs. #2 Bailey Lahue- Corydon Central
#5 Connor Knapp- East Noble vs. #19 Endrece Stansberry- Hamiliton Southeastern
126lbs
 
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 11
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Anthony Vaughn- Elkhart Memorial
Austin Bethel- Mt. Vernon
John Hunting- Rochester
Logan Aldrich- F.W. Northrop
Quinton Harris- Avon
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#14 Elliott Molloy- Danville vs. #9 Clarence Johnson- Merrillville
#4 Cael McCormick- Yorktown vs. #8 Aidan Kenny- Perry Meridian
#7 Erique Early- F.W. Snider vs. #17 Rylan McCarty- New Palestine
132lbs
 
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 10
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Clayton Moore- Manchester ***Watch List***
Devin Childers- Tippecanoe Valley
John Devine- Indpls. Cathedral ***Watch List***
Kegan Kern- Peru ***Watch List***
Logan Campbell- Yorktown ***Watch List***
Scott Warner- South Bend Riley
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#5 Blake Jourdan- Evansville Mater Dei vs. #2 Brandon James- Perry Meridian
#20 Lance Syverson- Fishers vs. #9 Joshua Davis- Evansville FJ Reitz
#1 Deondre Wilson- Warren Central vs. #16 Mitch Anderson- Mooresville
138lbs
 
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Dominic Garrett- F.W. Bishop Dwenger
Jake Ruberg- Lawrenceburg
Mike Krzyston- Andrean
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#5 Zachery Krumlauf- DeKalb vs. #16 Ross Abram- Bloomington South
#18 Steven Lawrence- Portage vs. #8 Trent Pruitt- Warren Central
#1 Drew Hughes- Lowell vs. #17 Dillon Eldred- Westfield
#10 Dustin Hinkle- Western vs. #4 Tyler Fleener- Center Grove
#15 Wyatt Seng- Evansville Mater Dei vs. #13 Derek Ellinger- Adams Central
145lbs
 
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Alexander Arney- Carroll (FW) ***Watch List***
Jake Sebahar- Lake Central ***Watch List***
Parker Fritz- West Central
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#2 Tommy Forte- Mishawaka vs. #14 Ryan Baxter- Northridge
#15 Zach Batts- Cascade vs. #3 Ben Harvey- Indpls. Cathedral
#9 Jordan Lile- Fishers vs. #20 Korbin Karges- Princeton
#1 Cody LeCount- Perry Meridian vs. #5 Josh Pierre- Evansville Mater Dei
#19 Logan Neher- Bellmont vs. #4 Isaac Rentas- Merrillville
#11 Bailey Schober- Greenwood vs. #12 Kellen VanCamp- Lebanon
152lbs
 
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 11
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Andrew Jones- Columbus North ***Watch List***
Austin Bauer- Angola
CJ Damler- Brownsburg ***Watch List***
Nathaniel Ryan- Alexandria
Willie Armstrong- Merrillville ***Watch List***
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#1 Brendon Kelley- Evansville Central vs. #7 Alex Rinehart- Penn
#10 Michael Steele- Westfield vs. #17 Tylor Willms- Fremont
#13 Chad Gaddis- Kokomo vs. #8 Eli Carlson- Carmel
160lbs
 
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 15
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Luke Decker- New Castle ***Watch List***
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#7 Joseph Mammolenti- Penn vs. #16 Maximilian Dole- East Central
#18 Shaun Johnson- F.W. Wayne vs. #6 Jordan Partee- Madison
#1 Vinny Corsaro- Indpls. Cathedral vs. #11 Adam Dodson- Glenn
#8 Isaiah Kemper- Evansville Central vs. #4 Kyle Jolas- Huntington North
#14 Gabe Koontz- Edgewood vs. #9 Bryce Baumgartner- Bellmont
#5 Rhett Hiestand- Yorktown vs. #15 Ashton Forzley- Evansville Mater Dei
#13 Edmond Hogan- Culver Academies vs. #3 Nick Borta- North Montogmery
170lbs
 
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Bennet Kempf- Evansville Mater Dei
Hunter Mote- Delphi
Jimmy Fisher- Columbus East ***Watch List***
Wade Young- New Prairie ***Watch List***
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#3 Jacob Stevenson- Franklin Community vs. #17 Tristen Tonte- Perry Meridian
#16 Kaine Luginbill- Adams Central vs. #15 Michael Bates- South Bend Washington
#4 Chase Osborn- Penn vs. #12 Keair Ross- Kokomo
#2 Jake Rickenbaugh- Heritage Hills vs. #8 Colton Gonzalez- Connersville
182lbs
 
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Daniel Wright- Harrison (WL)
Evan Smith- Goshen ***Watch List***
Myron Howard-Anderson- Yorktown ***Watch List***
Tristin Anglin- Columbia City
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#2 Ryan Jankowski- South Bend St. Joseph vs. #14 Andy Fischer- Southridge
#12 Evan Elmore- Avon vs. #7 Jeffry Wiseman- Penn
#5 Corey Hinkle- Western vs. #11 Ben Elliot- Noblesville
#8 Timothy Schoonveld- Kankakee Valley vs. #6 Michael Petrole- Franklin Community
195lbs
 
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Bo Davis- Garrett ***Watch List***
Nick Cress- Peru
Noah Schrader- Indpls. Bishop Chatard
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#2 Morgan Kral- Crown Point vs. #13 Randy Scott- Mooresville
#5 Dakota Thacker- Bloomington South vs. #3 Kobe Woods- Penn
#15 Mitchell Sandlin- Madison vs. #18 Kevin Winkle- Twin Lakes
#12 Tyler Scott- Hanover Central vs. #14 Blake Brown- Evansville Memorial
#9 Jacob Aven- Zionsville vs. #6 Kanez Omar- F.W. Wayne
220lbs
 
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Christian Warner- Zionsville
George Brantley- Hamiliton Southeastern
Kasha` Wilder- Ben Davis ***Watch List***
Steven Potosky- Crown Point ***Watch List***
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#7 Brandon Joest- East Noble vs. #12 Ben Schoolcraft- Martinsville
#13 Gunnar Larson- Avon vs. #10 Eliseo Guerra- Elkhart Central
#3 Connor Tolley- Franklin Community vs. #8 Bradley Sadilek- Carroll (FW)
#11 Clayton Stohler- Penn vs. #6 Seth Vaughn- Franklin Central
285lbs
 
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Caleb Coffel- Bremen
Chet Maxey- Hamiliton Southeastern
Guss Dajani- Bloomington South ***Watch List***
Owen Perkins- Oak Hill
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#6 Nathon Trawick- Richmond vs. #8 John Duvall- West Lafayette
#14 Landon Blackburn- LaPorte vs. #11 Tyler Beeson- Greenfield Central
#16 Jacob Smith- Southwood vs. #15 Guy Henson- Avon
#7 Gavan Jolley-Little- Jeffersonville vs. #17 Darrius Connell- Muncie Central

1250
2014 State Finals: Expert Picks
[table id=55 /]

1584
2014 State Finals MEGA Preview
by Chad Hollenbaugh
 
The fireworks will begin around 6pm Friday night on south Pennsylvania street. Approximately three and a half hours later, dreams will be dashed for 112 young men... but the dream will continue for the 112 winners on the four mats of fun. Some very interesting story lines have emerged over the course of the season and all wrestling eyes will be focused this weekend to see how they play out.
 
[caption id=attachment_6275" align="alignleft" width="300] Gelen Robinson(right) could face a rematch with Fletcher Miller(left) in the 220lbs finals this year.[/caption]
 
BIG STORY #1 – THE ATTACK OF THE FROSH (106)
Talented freshman always make themselves known at the lightest weight class but the sheer number of highly skilled freshmen in this year's class is not normal. Nine of the sixteen finalists are in their first year of high school. A quick look at the rankings will show that the top five ranked kids are all frosh.
 
BIG STORY #2 – THE BIG RED MACHINE (120)
 
If you are as old as me, you remember “The Big Red Machine” was the nickname of the 1970s Cincinnati Reds. They got the nickname because they were a dynasty that won two World Series an were a yearly contender. Last season, freshman Chad Red burst on the scene and was dominant on his way to a state title at 106. As this young Dragon from New Palestine grows, will he develop into a one man grappling dynasty?
 
BIG STORY #3 – MICIC VERSUS LEE....OMG (126)
 
Stevan Micic is a two time state champ with various national wrestling credentials and scholarship to attend Northwestern University next season. You would think that he would be stone cold lock for his third state championship. However, a storm has been brewing in Evansville in the name of Nick Lee. This freshman from Mater Dei has plenty of credentials and has yet to be tested in his high school career.
 
BIG STORIES #4 & #5 – THE REMATCHES (132/145)
 
At 132 the entire state has the chance to be treated to round three of the rivalry developing between Warren Central's Deondre Wilson and Perry Meridian's Brandon James. Wilson has come out on top at the both the regional and semi-state, both by the slimmest of margins. The other big rematch could happen at 145 between a couple of state champs. Perry's Cody LeCount narrowly edged Mishawaka's Tommy Forte last month at Bellmont's Main Event. This rivalry has a chance to continue at the collegiate level as LeCount has signed with Central Michigan and Forte will join his former coach at Buffalo.
 
BIG STORY #6 – BIG CHIEF'S FINAL TOUR (220)
 
I have an admitted bias to three sport athlete's and the top dog at 220, Gelen Robinson, is one of the finest all around athlete's the state of Indiana has ever seen. A scholarship to play football at Purdue is Robinson's future but there is no doubt in my mind that if he focused on wrestling in college he could be a national champion. He is also an elite track athlete and one of few Hoosier high schoolers to ever toss the discus 200 feet. In this era of specialization, Gelen is a national level athlete in three sports. A rare competitor that should be appreciated this weekend. WEIGHT CLASS BREAKDOWNS
 
106 - As mentioned earlier this class is packed full of young talent and that talent is spread throughout the state. Evansville semi-state champ Paul Konrath of Mt. Vernon has separated himself from the other talented southerners by a slim margin. Cathedral's Breyden Bailey has shown he is the class of the Indy area this season and Griffith's Jeremiah Reitz has risen to the top in the North. Other talented lightweights are certainly capable of upsetting the frontrunners. Drew Hildebrandt is a returning medalist at this weight, Colton Cummings of Lowell and Will Egli of Mater Dei are just a tick behind their respective area rivals, and coming onto the radar fast is Lukas Long of Lakeland.
 
Projected Key Match Ups
 
Friday Night Fight – Lukas Long vs. Kyle Hatch – Long surprised the field at Fort Wayne on is run to the title and the veteran senior grappler from Lakeland High School does not have much tournament experience. He must face the highly talented Hatch of Warsaw; who placed fourth in the deep field at Merrillville. Upset Alert.
 
Saturday Morning Slugfests – – Colton Cummings vs. Breyden Bailey and Will Egli vs. Jeremiah Reitz – Are you serious? These two battles are semifinal or final quality and we get to see them on Saturday morning. The crystal ball is telling me the region boys will reign supreme here.
 
Semifinal Smackdown – Cummings vs. Paul Konrath – Two super frosh from different corners of the state should be very entertaining for the fans of Indiana.
 
113 – There will be no shortage of excitement at the second weight class this weekend. A great mix of veteran studs and young guns will make this an exciting and unpredictable class to forecast. The veteran studs will be led by Franklin's DJ Smith, East Noble's Garrett Pepple and Merrillville's Michael Garza. Young guns and new faces on the state wide scene will be led by Evansville Reitz' Tyler Ferguson and Munster's Jason Crary. No clear cut frontrunner will make this an exciting class to keep an eye on.
 
Projected Key Match Ups
 
Friday Night Fight – Austin Slates vs. Tyler Ferguson – Ferguson is the clear favorite in this match up but this will be no walkover. Slates has wrestled one of the states toughest schedules and has performed well in the post season. Ferguson is seen by some as a state title contender....a solid win over Slates would make a believer of me.
 
Saturday Morning Slugfests – – Skylour Turner vs. D.J. Smith and Tyler Ferguson vs. Garrett Pepple – Turner is flying under the radar at this point in time and he is talented enough to sneak up and beat some of the higher profile names in this weight class. Ferguson and Pepple should be an epic battle of two legitimate studs.
 
Semifinal Smackdown – Jason Crary vs. D.J. Smith – Crary has some legit wins against the studs of the north and this potential semifinal match up with Smith should be excellent. Smith is a super strong veteran of the two day state tournament looking to be a state champion and also helping his team fight for a state title. Crary is a slick freshman with potential to be a multi time finalist.
 
[caption id=attachment_6276" align="alignright" width="300] Chad Red(right) will bump up two weights in search of his second title.[/caption]
 
120 – Chad Red is the headliner here and most definitely the odds on favorite to win his second state title. However this class is one of the deepest and most talented group of sixteen to take the mats this weekend. I could see at least six other grapplers with a legitimate shot at the top spot if Red were to falter. The mix of styles and athletes will make this class very fun to watch.
 
Projected Key Match Ups
 
Friday Night Fights – Jacob Cottey vs. Forrest Glogouski, DeLawerence Gayfield vs. Matthew McKinney and Ruben Rodriguez vs. Bailey Lahue – These matches should really start Banker's Life cooking Friday Night and all three could go either way. Lahue was a pre-tournament favorite to make the finals but was tripped up at semi-state. Gayfield and Cottey are former medalists but have drawn studs for their first matches.
 
Saturday Morning Slugfests – – Brock Hudkins vs. Forrest Glogouski and Chad Red vs. Bailey Lahue. Two awesome matches potentially await the fans Saturday morning. Hudkins and Glo should be a low scoring grind it out affair with some tough riding throughout. Red vs. Lahue is a finals quality match up with contrasting styles that should provide lots of fireworks.
 
Semifinal Smackdown – Glogouski/Hudkins winner vs. Jake Sinkovics – Sinkovics talk was all the rage last year at this time and the young caveman had a disappointing weekend. This season Sinko has had a much lower profile but he has been no less dominating. The winner of Glo vs. Hudkins will come into the match with confidence and momentum.
 
126 – If the state association had any sense of drama, they would have adjusted the brackets so that the main event of the entire weekend, the potential match up of Stevan Micic and Nick Lee would have happened in the finals and not the semis. Oh well, this is the big one that has been the talk of the Indiana wrestling world this winter. Both old man Micic and young gun Lee seem to wrestling their best right now so lets all enjoy.
 
Projected Key Match Ups
 
Friday Night Fights – Elliott Molloy vs. Clarence Johnson, Cael McCormick vs. Aidan Kenny, AJ Belden vs. Anthony Vaughn. Molloy has the name recognition in this first key battle on Friday night but never underestimate a relative unknown from Merrillville. Coach Maldonado and staff have made old habit of having their kids peak at the right time of the season. The second match up of McCormick vs Kenny might have implications in the team race. Belden and Vaughn are evenly matched veterans.
 
Saturday Morning Slugfest – Erique Early vs. Molloy/Johnson winner. Fort Wayne Snider's Erique Early is a former state medalist who has been largely forgotten despite having an unblemished 26-0 record. He also has a strong wrestling bloodline as both his dad and uncle were former state champions. If Early can stay unbeaten he puts himself in position to possibly wrestle under the spotlight.
 
Semifinal Smackdown – Early vs. Zach Davis – OK, OK. Everyone knows that the big one is on the other side of the bracket but I am also interested in a potential Early/Davis match. Davis' strong run and tough battle with Micic last year put him on the radar for 2014. The future Midshipman from Penn is a clear favorite here but I'm feeling nutty....going with Early in an upset.
 
132 – This could be the most anticipated match under the lights Saturday night if both Brandon James and Deondre Wilson hold chalk. They have already battled the past two weekends with Wilson winning both in nail bitting fashion. These two studs are obviously evenly matched and both are very well coached. Don't leave for a shave ice during this tussle.
 
Projected Key Match Ups
 
Friday Night Fights – Blake Jourdan vs. Brandon James, Sam Lovejoy vs. Devin Childers, Daniel Hesch vs. Clayton Moore. Jourdan versus James sounds like an NBA argument but this battle Friday night will have implications on the team title race. James must be ready to go Friday night or he could be upset. Childers vs. Lovejoy is an interesting match up as both of these juniors are extremely strong, stout competitors. Hesch, from state power Mishawaka, has put together a very nice post season this year squares off against the very talented Moore, who hails from the virtually unknown North Manchester.
 
Saturday Morning Slugfest – Josh Davis vs. Seth Carithers. Carithers must survive a tough Friday night clash with Kegan Kern to match up with Davis, a seasoned tough southerner from Reitz. Can Carithers conjure up some Alex Griffin magic and make a run similar to his former teammate a couple of years ago.
 
Semifinal Smackdown – Devin Broukal vs. Deondre Wilson. Broukal of Bloomington South is one of those athletes that seems to have been around forever. That's a compliment because he is a multiple time state qualifier. I haven't seen Bloomington South wrestle much this year but if they coached as well as they were under Royce Deckerd, Broukal has a chance to slow the Tasmanian devil that is dressed as Deondre Wilson.
 
138 – The depth at the 138 is impressive but I am having a tough time getting real excited about any of the potential match ups. I'm not really sure why because there are plenty of talented grapplers in the field of sixteen. Three contenders stand out as having the best shot for the top of the podium: Drew Hughes of Lowell, Tommy Cash of Lawrence North and Skyler Lykins of Franklin.
 
Projected Key Match Ups
 
Friday Night Fight – Jake Ruberg vs. Jacob Covaciu and Steven “Bam” Lawrence vs. Trent Pruitt. These two Friday night clashes involving three sophomores and one freshman might be glimpse into the future of middleweights in Indiana. Ruberg is a virtual unknown out of Lawrenceburg who impressed at Evansville. He will square off against Jacob Covaciu of Merrillville. Covaciu had a defining ticket round win over Jake Fuqua of Crown Point. “Bam” surprised me at semi-state and looked very strong. Pruitt is an up and coming stud from Warren Central looking to take the next step.
 
Saturday Morning Slugfests – – Tommy Cash vs. Wyatt Seng and Tyler Fleener vs. Drew Hughes. The bottom of the bracket serves up a couple of potentially interesting match ups. Cash is long and funky. How that style will play with the solid Seng will be fun to watch. Fleener is one of Indiana's premier brawlers who can score in bunches. Hughes is slick and hammer on top.
 
Semifinal Smackdown – Hughes vs. Cash. These two talented underclassmen should provide plenty of entertainment if they both reach the semis.
 
[caption id=attachment_6277" align="alignleft" width="300] Cody LeCount will look to capture his second state title.[/caption]
 
145 – Two division 1 titans dominate this bracket and if all goes to plan, they will face a second time. Cody LeCount and Tommy Forte are quite simply two of the states premier wrestlers. Their match in mid January was awesome to watch. Grab your popcorn and enjoy.
 
Projected Key Match Ups
 
Friday Night Fights – Evan Loe vs. Parker Fritz and Logan Neher vs. Isaac Rentes. Loe is a semi-state champ and Fritz is an unknown on the state level but I have a hunch this might be a heck of a match. Loe is solid but Fritz is a powerful and explosive athlete.
 
Saturday Morning Slugfest – Tommy Forte vs. Ben Harvey. Harvey has been ranked third for the entire season and got the unfortunate draw into Forte at the quarter bracket level. Harvey certainly won't be intimidated by the mighty Caveman and is certainly talented enough to pull off the upset if Forte is not on his game.
 
Semifinal Smackdown – Tommy Forte vs. Evan Loe. I'm not sure how close this will be but it appears to be the more compelling of the two semifinal matches. Similar styles could lead to a tight match but if Forte has his game right he just wrestles at a different level than most kids in the state.
 
152 – Another weight class where a threesome has appeared to separate themselves from the rest of the field. Top ranked Brendon Kelley of Evansville Central is on the same side of the bracket as second ranked Tristan Macri of Mishawaka. These two met last year in the state finals with Kelley losing to Macri in the 3rd/4th clash. Whomever wins the semifinal clash this year will likely face the ultra talented Chandler Carroll, who already has three state medals on his resume.
 
Projected Key Match Ups
 
Friday Night Fights – Willie Armstrong vs. Seth Ferguson and Michael Steele vs. Tylor Willms. The first Friday night clash pits the Pirate from Merrillville against the Artesian from Martinsville. This opener is made most interesting because the winner has to like his chances to make it to the semifinals. The second battle features Steele, who has been battle tested, against Willms. Willms represents tiny Fremont high school in the far northeast corner of the state. The Willms name is well known in that area of the state but 2014 is the first time in ten years that the Eagles have had a state qualifier.
 
Saturday Morning Slugfest – Darden Schurg vs. Brendon Kelley. Contrasting styles again should make this battle highly entertaining. The exciting and funky Kelley has been a joy to watch the past few years and he will have to deal with one of the thirty-four Schurg boys, all of whom are technically sound and rarely find themselves out of position.
 
Semifinal Smackdown – The aforementioned potential clash between #1 Kelley and #2 Macri is the highlight match of this bracket. Will Macri be able to neutralize the funk that Kelley will bring to the table? I'm not sure but it will be awfully fun to watch.
 
[caption id=attachment_6278" align="alignright" width="300] Vinny Corsaro has dominated all his opponents this season.[/caption]
 
160 – There is much chatter about the 160 state class despite the fact that the number one ranked wrestler, Vinny Corsaro, has been the undisputed number one guy all season. For some reason, wrestlers like Kenny Hughes of Lowell, Nick Borta of North Montgomery, Kyle Jolas of Huntington North and Joey Mammolenti of Penn are being spoken of as possible contenders for the crown. I am not buying it.
 
Projected Key Match Ups
 
Friday Night Fights – Isaiah Kemper vs. Kyle Jolas and Edmond Hogan vs. Nick Borta. Kemper, out of Evansville Central is a real goer and could catch the more hyped Jolas off guard on Friday night. Hogan should know best to keep the match with Borta on his feet and off the mat. Friday night in this weight class has plenty of great match ups throughout the bracket.
 
Saturday Morning Slugfests – – Rhett Hiestand vs Nick Borta and Jordan Partee vs. Joey Mammolenti. Borta has had his way with Yorktown's Hiestand in two previous match ups this year. An upset here could propel Yorktown into the team race title talk. Partee has quietly fashioned one of the best seasons in Madison's wrestling history but will he be able to stand up to the peaking Mammolenti of Penn.
 
Semifinal Smackdown – Kenny Hughes vs. Nick Borta – Will this be the year that three time qualifier Hughes lives up to his press clippings and makes a run for the state title or will the hard nosed Borta grind his way to a win and another match up with Corsaro in the finals.
 
170 – This class is as wide open as any weight class I have seen in some time and that makes it very difficult to project and predict. Couple that with the fact that there are some legitimate dark horses who might have slipped slightly at semi-state and it should make for interesting wrestling up and down the class.
 
Projected Key Match Ups
 
Friday Night Fights – Jacob Stevenson vs. Tristen Tonte and Jake Rickenbaugh vs. Colton Gonzalez. The first match up is particularly interesting because it could definitely impact the team race. Stevenson is the clear favorite here but if I know Tonte, I know there is a side headlock that could come from any angle. The second clash pits two wrestlers with a combined 92-2 record. The winner has a realistic shot at making the finals.
 
Saturday Morning Slugfests – – Jacob Stevenson vs. Tristan Wilson and Chase Osborn vs. Jake Rickenbaugh. Stevenson is the top ranked wrestler in the state but the top eight in this weight class are so closely bunched an upset is possible at every level. Wilson is not talked about a lot but his resume matches any in the bracket. Chase Osborn of Penn just keeps getting better and a projected match up with Rickenbaugh should be most entertaining.
 
Semifinal Smackdown – Dillon Jackson vs Chase Osborn – Osborn has one of the quietest one loss season I have ever noticed and he must win two tough matches to reach the semis but I like his chances. Who knows.....He has a legitimate shot to be Penn's first state champion in a long time. His potential semifinal foe would be Dillon Jackson of Yorktown. Jackson is peaking at the right time for the Tigers.
 
182 – As we move up the weight classes, I get into more familiar territory when it comes to prognosticating. I see the 182 class as a three man race for the title. South Bend St. Joe's Ryan Jankowski, Edgewood's Damien Chambers and Cathedral's Blake Rypel appear to have separated themselves from the field. Edgewood and St. Joe are not exactly wrestling powerhouses so I would give the coaching edge to Rypel who might be wrestling for team state title as well.
 
Projected Key Match Ups
 
Friday Night Fights – Nathan Warman vs. Myron Howard Anderson and Timothy Schoonveld vs. Michael Petrole. Warman of Perry Meridian versus Howard - Anderson of Yorktown is another Friday night match up of state title contending teams which will give it a little extra juice. Schoonveld and Petrole will match up two of the stronger athletes in this class.
 
Saturday Morning Slugfests – – Blake Rypel vs Jeffrey Wiseman and Corey Hinkle vs. Timothy Schoonveld. Cathedral and Penn are two other teams that have an eye on the big team trophy so Penn's staff will have a gameplan ready for Cathedral's Rypel. I have been extremely impressed with Penn's preparation of their wrestlers this post season. Hinkle comes in as the semi-state champ and is the decided favorite but the physicality that Schoonveld will bring might just be enough to propel the KV Kougar into the semis.
 
Semifinal Smackdown – Ryan Jankowski vs. Damien Chambers. Both of these studs have experience at Banker's Life as Jankowski was 6th last year and Chambers was a qualifier. Both are elite multi sport athletes. Jankowski is probably a little more unpredictable and this could either work for him or against him. Chambers has been under the radar all season but has big victories over numerous studs the past two seasons.
 
195 – This bracket looks extremely lopsided to me with the top half being a serious meat grinder. The entire bracket is filled with veteran toughness and young talent that his hitting its stride at the right time of the season. If New Palestine's vet Ryan Wagner can survive the minefield in front of him this weekend he deserves to be the champ. We will see this weekend if Wagner has been severely under ranked all season.
 
Projected Key Match Ups
 
Friday Night Fights – Morgan Kral vs. Randy Scott, Dakota Thacker vs. Kobe Woods and Jacob Aven vs. Kanez Omar. Friday night will be very fun at the 195 class with multiple key match ups. Kral of Crown Point will take on Scott of Mooresville. Kral is a tough physical match up with just about anyone in the state due to his 6'5” frame. Scott is the freestyle phenom who burst on the scene last summer. Two juniors to keep an eye on. Thacker and Woods might just be the premier Friday night battle in any weight class. Thacker is strong and seasoned with a Division 1 ride waiting for him at Indiana. Woods is a slick sophomore who surprised the Merrillville semi-state by qualifying last year. The last key battle in this class pits Purdue signee Jacob Aven against Fort Wayne Wayne big man Kanez Omar. Omar's only loss on the season was to top ranked Tieshawn Johnson.
 
Saturday Morning Slugfests – – Ryan Wagner vs. Kobe Woods and Tyler Scott vs. Kanez Omar. Wagner first test will be against the winner of Woods and Dakota Thacker. I project Woods to be man Wagner will be facing. Wagner's combo of strength and positioning will prove to be too much for the younger Woods. The second key match up pits Scott against the the super long Omar. Scott learned how to wrestle the long lanky types and this will serve him well against the Fort Wayne big man.
 
Semifinal Smackdowns – Tieshawn Johnson vs. Ryan Wagner and Katrell Moss vs. Tyler Scott. Johnson has been ranked #1 most of the season and has key wins over many top names. Wagner has more experience at this level where the pressure starts to mount. On the other side of bracket, Moss combines great strenth and athleticism in a difficult package to deal with. Scott is well coached and will come ready to do battle.
 
220 – “Outlined against the ruby red wrestling surface, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore their names are Death, Destruction, Pestilence and Famine. But those are aliases. Their real names are: Robinson, Miller, Tolley and Faulkenberg....” The four horsemen of Indiana wrestling inhabit the 220 class and might just make up the most intimidating group of big men the state has ever produced. Robinson is the returning state champ but there are those that claim its any one of the other three's turn to shine.
 
Projected Key Match Ups
 
Friday Night Fights – Gunnar Larson vs. Eliseo Guerra and Christain Warner vs. Seth Meyer. I will have my eye on Avon's Larson in his match up with the Elkhart Central big man. Larson appears to be the next in a long line of quality Oriole big men. I underestimated Lafayette Harrison's Meyer last week at semi-state so I want to take a closer look this week to see if he has the potential to make a run for the top next year. Zionsville's unknown Christian Warner will be his foe. One thing I do know about a Zionsville wrestler is that he will be extremely well coached.
 
Saturday Morning Slugfest – Connor Tolley vs. Christian Warner. The four top dogs are prohibitive favorites to make the semifinals but something tells me an unknown like Warner might have the combination of skill and coaching to give a big dog a scare. Tolley is no ordinary favorite, he is the 13th ranked 220 in the country.
 
Semifinal Smackdowns – Dylan Faulkenberg vs. Gelen Robinson and Connor Tolley vs. Fletcher Miller. Faulkenberg, the big man from small Cardinal Ritter High School, is the least well known of the four horsemen and that might be to his advantage. He has put together an impressive 99-1 record over the past two years but a narrow loss in ticket round at New Castle last year prevented him from making it to state. What more can be said about Robinson... I simply think he is the best athlete the state has produced in my 30 plus years of participating, watching and coaching high school sports. Tolley and Miller should be an old fashioned barnburner. The fans will certainly get a treat to watch finals quality matches during the afternoon.
 
[caption id=attachment_6280" align="alignright" width="199] Big Wes Bernard is one of the big dawgs looking for a title at heavyweight.[/caption]
 
285 – Onward to big boys. Unlike many wrestling fans, I really enjoy watching quality big man wrestling and this year's group of sixteen has plenty of quality. I do think that three heavyweights have clearly made themselves contenders for the crown. Cathedral's Wes Bernard has been around the block and is nationally decorated, Jay County's Eric Hemmelgarn owns a victory over last year's state champ, and Merrillville's young Shawn Streck was a medalist as a freshman, a rare feat indeed.
 
Projected Key Match Ups
 
Friday Night Fights – Nathon Trawick vs. John Duvall and Gavan Jolley-Little vs Darrius Connell. Trawick of Richmond and Duvall of West Lafayette will square off in a battle of Red Devils. Both are physical specimens that should lead to a high scoring affair. The second match up will be interesting to see if Jolley-Little can parlay some his freestyle success into a medal at the state level.
 
Saturday Morning Slugfest – 'Stormin' Norman Oglesby vs. Tyler Beeson. Oglesby is still just a junior who surprised the semi-state field at Evansville last year where he was the champ. A narrow lost to state runner up Joe Garland prevented the Purple Giant from medaling. If he can storm his way into the semi's I think he becomes a real threat for a state title in 2015.
 
Semifinal Smackdowns – Eric Hemmelgarn vs. Norman Oglesby and Wes Bernard vs. Shawn Streck. A great final four with this year's top two seniors battling it out with the top two underclassmen. Hemmelgarn will use his massive frame and height to try to neutralize the Ben Davis big boy and retain his state (#2) and national (#18) ranking. The other side of the bracket has Cathedral's top ranked Bernard facing off against Streck, who despite being just a sophomore will in no way back down from the Rutgers signee. I think Bernard's age and experience will be too much for Streck in this exciting battle.

433
2014 Pick'ems Results
Here they are fellas!
 
Scoring:
 
10 points for a wrestler placing(top 4 or 8)
-1 point for each placement they are off
 
Example:Your picks
1. Joe Caprino
2. Chad Hollenbaugh
3. Eric McGill
4. Mike Reiser
 
Outcome
1. Joe Caprino- 10 points
2. Stevan Micic- 0 points
3. Mike Reiser- 9 points
4. Chad Hollenbaugh- 8 points
 
If you have any disputes you know where to go
 
Click on the header of each category to sort by that column
 
[table id=56 /]

2160 14
2014 Mooresville Classic Preview
By Chad Hollenbaugh
IndianaMat Senior Writer
 
The holiday season has been known in the prep wrestling world as a time for high school teams to travel and seek out great competition. Sometimes this competition is close to home, and sometimes squads will travel to other parts of the state. Connersville and the Mishawaka Al Smith Invitational both have a statewide reputation for attracting teams from all over the state. The Mater Dei Holiday meet has a more regional draw but its line up of teams is very strong.
In recent years, a new player on the holiday tournament scene has developed south of Indianapolis. The Mooresville tournament now is at the level where it will attract both high school teams and fans throughout the state. Mooresville is now attracting teams from three of the four semi-states and may provide the top holiday individual match-up if Indianapolis Cathedral’s Blake Rypel and Mooresville’s Randy Scott make their way to the finals at Mooresville. This would be a battle between the #1 and #2 ranked 195 pounders. Both are Fargo All Americans and exciting, dynamic performers.
Yorktown is the clear frontrunner for team honors but the defending state champions, Indianapolis Cathedral should test the Tigers. Castle’s veteran coach, Bob Harmon, is not doubt interested to see how his young and talented Knights match up against some of the state’s best and don’t sleep on the Panthers from Jennings County.
 
106
The little guys will bring excitement as state ranked grapplers from three semi states will battle it out for top honors at Mooresville. Hamilton Heights fifth ranked junior David Bryant is the pre meet favorite but he will likely be challenged by Castle freshman Baxter Annakin, who is ranked 12th and fourteenth ranked Christian Hunt of Yorktown. Will the Husky veteran be able to navigate against wrestlers from two of the better programs in the state?
 
113
Returning state placer Skylour Turner of Indianapolis Cathedral is the big dog in the 113 class. The Cathedral sophomore placed eighth at state last year. A couple of ticket round 106ers from last season will make the trip south from the Fort Wayne semi state looking to test themselves. 15th ranked Josh Stephenson of Yorktown and junior Jack Franklin of Homestead should both challenge Turner. Thirteenth ranked Carson Willis of Evansville Central adds depth to this class.
 
120
The 120 pound class looks like it might provide some fireworks due to both the strength at the top and the depth throughout the bracket. Cathedral has another returning state placer here with Breyden Bailey. Bailey was one of the state’s elite 106 pounders last year when he placed 3rd in the state. He is up two weight classes this year and might run into fourteenth ranked Isaac Gomez from Plainfield. Several semi state ranked grapplers led by Gibson Southern’s Christian Pellacer.
 
126
Hamilton Height Husky Trezdon O’Neal and Evansville Central sophomore Conner Willis are the state ranked wrestlers at this weight. O’Neal comes into the Mooresville Invite ranked 14th in the state and Willis is currently slotted at number 12. Cathedral’s Zach Melloh and Yorktown’s Remo Hiestand are two wrestlers from tough programs that will push O’Neal and Willis. Terre Haute South’s David Lewis is the most likely Brave to perform well at Mooresville.
 
 
132
The Shamrocks of Westfield travel south of Indy for a nice warm up before wrestling in the team state duals. Their top wrestler, Evan Eldred will be the likely #1 seed at 132. He is currently ranked sixth in the state, was a Fargo All-American this past summer, and has a notable win over state placer Jack Chastain of Hamilton Southeastern. Looking to battle Eldred for Mooresville supremacy will be Yorktown senior Jacob Stephenson, currently ranked 11th in the state.
 
138
This class might be in the running for being the most competitive of the day. Hometown boy Mitch Anderson is a returning state qualifier that has yet to crack the state rankings this season.
The grappler he defeated to earn his trip to Bankers Life, Kyle Todrank of Gibson Southern is currently ranked sixth in the state. The fifth ranked Brad Laughlin of Yorktown will give the bracket a taste of the Tiger. Finally, Castle has yet another contender with semi state qualifier Austin Ramsey who comes in ranked thirteenth.
 
145
The top-heavy 145 class features two-time state placer Cael McCormick from Yorktown. McCormick keeps growing but still keeps winning and the Tiger is currently ranked third in the state. Ticket rounder Ethan Herrin of Jennings County is Hall of Fame coach T. Howard Jones top gun. Herrin is currently ranked fifth in the state. Castle’s Patrick Schnell qualified for state last year at 138 and is currently ranked #12.
 
152
The 152 class has the least amount of established talent in the bracket so it might just be the most unpredictable and interesting to keep an eye on. Jacob Farmer of Castle is the only state ranked wrestler in this bracket. He may have to face Martinsville Cayden Whitaker in the finals. This match-up might be a preview for the semi-state in February.
160
A highlight weight class at the Mooresville Invite, the 160 division could feature a finals match-up that will be repeated at the Evansville semi-state and state finals. Second ranked Gabe Koontz of Edgewood will make the short trip north to battle at Mooresville. Koontz was third in the state last year. His likely finals opponent is Isaiah Kemper of Evansville Central. Kemper is a two time state qualifier. Excellent depth in this weight class is provided by Hamilton Heights Isaac Ray, Martinsville’s Ethan Runyan, Castle’s Turner Lockyear and Jennings County’s Cole Chandler.
 
170
Not much depth here but the top two seeds could provide fireworks in the finals. Cathedral’s Ben Harvey had a disappointing state finals last year but is rolling through this season with possibly the state’s best win, a 4-2 decision over defending state champion, Jacob Stevenson of Franklin. Yorktown’s Dillon Jackson surprised many with his run to the semifinals last year at state and finished with a third place medal. Jackson has hit a couple of speed bumps this season and will look to get back on track with a win over Harvey.
 
182
The 182 weight class could be dominated by Yorktown’s Myron Howard-Anderson. He is currently ranked 2nd in the state and finished fourth at this weight class last in the state meet. He, however, has not been very active this season and might be dealing with injury. If that’s the case, this weight class is wide open with Bloomington North’s Hunter Dalton, Castle’s Evan Dowell, Jennings County Peyton Shepard and Homestead’s Wyatt Clem as contenders for the crown.
 
195
If there is one spotlight finals match-up that the entire state will keep an eye on, it is at 195. Top ranked Blake Rypel was a state runner-up last year, was a Fargo and Super 32 All American and currently is ranked 8th in the state by Flo and 11th by Intermat. His likely finals opponent will be hometown favorite Randy Scott. Scott finished third in the state last year and is also a former Fargo All American. On a busy day of wrestling state-wide, everyone will want to know the results of this brawl.
 
220
What the 220 class lacks in top end state level talent, it makes up for it with outstanding depth. Gibson Southern’s junior Cody Klem lost a narrow ticket round match to Franklin stud Conner Talley. Klem might be under ranked at 8th. Martinsville sophomore big man Clayton Scroggs is currently ranked tenth in the state. Depth is provided by Cathedral’s Ryan Guhl, Jennings County’s Brady Shepherd, Westfield’s Daryn Milton and Yorktown’s Noah Little.
 
285
The heavyweights have a trio of state ranked grapplers that will contend for top honors at Mooresville. The Quaker’s of Plainfield have a sophomore stud in seventh ranked Bryce Biddle. Greenwood will likely counter on the other side of the bracket with number 13 Gavin Fuqua. The top end of Jenniings County’s line up is in good hands with 16th ranked Brenden Sutton. Yorktown’s Dax Hiestand provides balance for the Tigers.

946
2014 Merrillville Semi-State Preview
106 – Much of the talk this season at 106 has been focused on the boys from Evansville but a couple of young lions from the region might have something to say about who's the best at this weight class next week. Griffith's Jeremiah Reitz is the odds on favorite and should have little difficulty navigating his quarter bracket. The second quarter bracket contains the most question marks. Senior Daniel Davis from Lafayette Harrison comes in with experience and a regional title. His ticket round match will either be Hanover Central's Issac Cortez who wrestled well at regionals or Warsaw's freshman Kyle Hatch. The bottom half of the bracket leads off with a barnburner between state placer Drew Hildebrandt of Penn versus super frosh Jack Tolin of Chesterton. The final quarter bracket should provide an entertaining ticket round match between Lowell's Colton Cummings and Merrillville's Michael DeLaPena.
 
Hungus' 4 on the Floor – Reitz, Cummings, Hildebrandt, Cortez
 
113 – This bracket appears to be well balanced through all four quarter brackets. Prior to this weekend, Munster's Jason Crary was the clear favorite. Michael Garza of Merrillville upset the freshman phenom at regional and making life difficult for others in his quarter bracket. I see South Bend Adams Austen Laughlin navigating a tough quarter bracket in defeating Rickie Rodriguez of Morton and regional champ Chris Trent of New Prairie. Crary's loss potentially gave him a tougher road to state but I feel he will handle Mishawaka's Jake Chadwick and the largely unknown Justin Porter of Logansport. It feels like Merrillville's Mike Garza has been around forever as a threat. The lil Pirate should not be distracted by the high top fade of South Bend Washington's Tondrew Tyler nor the grittiness of Valpo's Austin Line. The last quarter bracket should come down to a ticket round match between Penn's Austin Slates and Crown Point's Austin Torres. I see Austin as a winner.
 
Hungus' 4 on the Floor – Garza, Crary, Slates, Laughlin
 
120 – The top half of this bracket appears to be wide open with up to 5 grapplers legitimately trying to vie for 2 tickets to the state finals. I like Valpo's Tristan Dembowski to come from under the radar to qualify from the top quarter bracket. To do so, he must defeat '13 state qualifier Cody Allmon of Plymouth and most likely regional champ Cole Lukaszka. The second quarter bracket will probably feature the top ticket round match between Portage's Gaige Torres and South Bend Clay's Jake Hartman. The bottom half of the bracket appears to be dominated by Mishawaka's Jake Sinkovics. The tough Caveman will have the scrappy Zack Wells of LaPorte in round one and then tough Brendan Black of Hobart for the ticket to Indy. The final Indy slot will most likely come down to a tough ticket round battle between Crown Point's Daylan Schurg and Ruben Rodriguez.
 
Hungus' 4 on the Floor – Sinkovics, Torres, Schurg, Dembowski
 
126 – Unfortunately the bracket gods did the fans no favors at 126 when the placed Penn's Zack Davis and Hanover Central's two time state champ Stevan Micic on the same side of the bracket. The fans at Merrillville and a semi-state runner up from somewhere will not be happy. These two studs wrestled an awesome match under the lights in Indy last year are are the class of the field this year at Merrillville. The rest of the bracket features an interesting ticket round possibility between Merrillville's Clarence Johnson and Duneland Conference rival Riley Akers of Crown Point. I like Rochester's John Hunting to sneak through for the last ticket to Banker's Life.
 
Hungus' 4 on the Floor – Micic, Johnson, Davis, Hunting
132 – The Merrillville semi-state at 132 will be one of the most wide open of the day. McCutheon's Seth Carithers is another one of those athletes that has been seemingly around forever but has yet to break through at the state level. I look for him to qualify this year after a tough opener versus Triston Rodriquez. The second quarter bracket should feature a barnburner in the ticket round between Scott Warner of South Bend Riley and Zach Dondaldson of Crown Point. Calumet has their best chance to produce a state qualifier in a number of years with regional champ Alec Noworul. Waiting for him in the ticket round will be the winner of the Devin Childers/Walker Alderman match up. The final quarter bracket is loaded with solid kids. The top gun here should be regional champ Jacob Gross of Lowell.
 
Hungus' 4 on the Floor – Gross, Donaldson, Carithers, Childers
 
138 – A three horse race for the top spot at 138 appears to be developing. Drew Hughes of Lowell wrestled for a state championship last year and is on the bottom half of the bracket. Crown Point's Josh Fuqua and Merrillville's Jacob Covaciu both got the draw of death and will likely be facing each other in the ticket round. A shame as both young men deserve to wrestle in Indy. I am looking to a couple of dark horses to emerge in this bracket; Mishawaka Marian's Derek Glon was impressive at regionals and got a favorable draw. Senior Justin Atkinson of Benton Central is a pick to click at the bottom of the bracket. That bottom quarter looks extremely balanced and it wouldnt suprise me if any of the four earn a trip to Indy.
 
Hungus' 4 on the Floor – Hughes, Covaciu, Atkinson, Glon.
 
145 – This is one weight class that I don't anticipate a lot of drama. The four regional champs appear to be the favorites for the four slots in the state bracket. Crown Point regional champ Denton Schurg should coast into the semis as long as Ian McLuckey doesn't live up to his name. Returning state champ Tommy Forte might have a physical battle on his hands with his round one opponent Jaren Young. The third quarter bracket might contain the most potential ticket round match if both Isaac Rentes from Merrillville and Tommy Varner of Penn win their openers. At the bottom I like the Blonde Bomber out of Francesville, Parker Fritz. West Central has had some talented grapplers the past few years that have come up short at the semi-state level but I think Fritz is good enough to break through for the Trojans.
 
Hungus' 4 on the Floor – Forte, Rentes, Schurg, Fritz.
 
152 – Although not quite as epic as the Micic-Davis potential semifinals matchup, the 152 class will try to match it with a possible matchup between unbeaten Tristan Macri of Mishawaka and once beaten Darden Schurg of Crown Point. Macri and Schurg are clearly the top dogs in this weight class but one wrestler from the other side of the bracket will be the runner-up. I like senior Willie Armstrong from Merrillville to be the runner up. The last qualifying spot comes from the most balanced quarter bracket in the weight class. Alex Rinehart's experience as a two time state streeter should be enough to prevail.
 
Hungus' 4 on the Floor - Macri, Armstrong, Schurg, Reinhart
 
160 – The 160 pound class might be one of the deepest at Merrillville as many of the quarter brackets contain multiple contenders for a trip to Indy. The lead dog is undefeated Kennith Hughes from Lowell; he sports a sparkling 39-0 record and his section of the bracket is not as difficult as some of the others. Hughes is coming off a tight regional win over John Glenn's Adam Dodson. Dodson has an excellent 36-2 record and will likely face regional champ Jake Kleimola from Lake Central in a ticket round match up. The second quarter bracket could feature an entertaining ticket round match between junior studs Sawyer Hallas of Chesterton and Joey Mammolenti of Penn. The final quarter bracket is probably the deepest and any of the four wrestlers could realistically punch their ticket to state. Edmond Hogan is my pick to click.
 
Hungus' 4 on the Floor – Hughes, Mammolenti, Dodson, Hogan
 
170 – As difficult as it was to pick the 160 weight class, 170 seems a lot clearer to me. New Prairie's tough as nails Wade Young is wrestling his best at the right time of the year. What he lacks in technique, he more than makes up for it with toughness. Scotty Sopko has been there and done that. Already a 2 time state qualifier, Sopko won the Calumet regional and will likely face the winner of a great first round match up between Jade Doty and Michael Bates. Penn's Chase Osborn has quietly fashioned and outstanding 33-1 record and should cruise into the semis. Chesterton's Alex Katsafaros has run into the Wade Young hammer the past two weeks but possesses the skill and athleticism to hang with anyone in this semi-state.
 
Hungus' 4 on the Floor – Osborn, Young, Katsafaros, Sopko
 
182 – The 182 class features a couple of returning state placers in LaPorte's Mike Eldridge and South Bend St. Joe's Ryan Jankowski. Eldridge should be able to make a return trip to Indy if he can top Penn senior Jeff Wiseman for a second time this season. Jankowski is also a heavy favorite to return to Banker's Life but must deal with white hot wrestling of Chesterton's Jaycee Jensen. A third spot in Indy will likely be the winner of a potentially outstanding ticket round match between Merrillville's Matthew Hollins and Kankakee Valley's Tim Schoonveld. The final ticket looks to be a crap shoot but I will take a stab and say Calumet's Nick Fowler will be making the trip down I-65 with veteran coach Jim Watkins.
 
Hungus' 4 on the Floor – Jankowski, Eldridge, Schoonveld, Fowler
 
195 – Super soph Kobe Woods is my pick here. The youngster from Penn was very impressive last week at the Rochester regional and I think he is poised to become one of Indiana's elite upper weights. He will likely face off with Crown Point junior Morgan Kral in the semifinals. Kral is looking to avenge a disappointing semi-state in 2013 where he came into Merrillville with an unblemished record but was defeated in the ticket round. Also looking to avenge a disappointing 2013 semi-state is Hanover Central's Tyler Scott. Scott's regional title last week put him in a great position to qualify for state. Twin Lakes' Kevin Winkle is looking to match his older brother by qualifying for state in his senior year. Winkle must win two tough matches, the first with Knox' powerful Michael Sustaita.
 
Hungus' 4 on the Floor – Woods, Scott, Kral, Winkle
 
220 – It's the last go round for Lake Central's Gelen Robinson and the other 15 qualifiers in should provide little resistance for Mr. Robinson. The bigger questions are who will join Robinson in Indy. Stephen Potosky was the second best 220 in the Duneland conference and should navigate his quarter bracket and meet Robinson in the semis. On the top side of the bracket, I like another Kougar, Alex Berdine in a slight upset over regional champ and state qualifier Seth Meyer. Penn's big man, Clayton Stohler has fashioned an excellent senior season and will likely be Penn's seventh state qualifier for 2014.
 
Hungus' 4 on the Floor – Robinson, Stohler, Berdine, Potosky
 
285 – Although it rarely happens, I see all four regional champs punching their tickets to state this year. The clear front runner is super soph, Shawn Streck of Merrillville. There are probably only 4 or 5 heavies in the state that can hang with the Pirate big man. Streck will likely see Duneland conference rival Landon Blackburn of LaPorte in the semifinals. The one regional champ I see struggling to hold chalk is big John Duvall of West Lafayette. He will likely have his conditioning tested by a one loss Robert Yanez of River Forest. Big Caleb Coffel of Bremen is front runner in the final quarter bracket where he will likely face off with Valpo's Ian Suttles in the ticket round.
 
Hungus' 4 on the Floor – Streck, Duvall, Coffel, Blackburn

2764 4
2014 Mater Dei Holiday Classic Preview
By John Johnson
 
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water....
 
As 2013 was regarded as the toughest field in the 29th year of the event, this season's edition of the Mater Dei Holiday Classic provides a triple threat to fans: High-end talent, top teams and exceptionally deep weight classes.
 
Chad Red of New Palestine, Nick Lee of Mater Dei and Paul Konrath of Mt. Vernon return to the Classic with gold from Fargo. Lee bested the trio, as he earned the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the North Dakota summer extravaganza.
 
Eight wrestlers enter Mater Dei's gym with a top state ranking, while four more are ranked second. 29 additional grapplers tout a top-ten ranking.
 
Kentucky offers a veritable who's who from the Bluegrass state. Always-tough Union County is ranked #1, while St. Xavier is ranked third, followed by Trinity, who is ranked fourth.
 
The hosts sport Indiana's top ranking, while Franklin is ranked ninth, Avon is tenth and New Palestine is eleventh.
 
Belleville West is the lone representative from Illinois. Ranked 22nd in the 3A (large school) division, do not be fooled by Belleville's won-loss records. Belleville wrestles a brutal December schedule. Their wrestlers consistently place above their seeds and act as spoilers.
 
While Mater Dei is the returning team champion and a favorite to repeat, the race for the top slots will be a wild scramble. Upsets, wrestling to a seed and scoring bonus points will be crucial in the final team standings. Eight teams have a legitimate shot at one of the top two spots.
 
106- Union County's Saul Ervin brings his top Kentucky ranking to the Classic and will look to jump from last years' third place performance to the top of the podium. New Pal's Cameron Diep and St. Xavier's Konner Kraeszig will likely come through the other side of the bracket.
Spoiler Alert! Avon's Mason Miranda.
 
113- Mt. Vernon's Paul Konrath is the returning Classic champion and Indiana runner-up; look for him to repeat. Ranked wrestlers in New Pal's Alec White, Mater Dei's Kyle Luigs, Floyd Central's Tristan Sellmer, St. Xavier's Austin Cook and Union County's Micah Ervin populate this incredibly deep bracket. There will not be a dull moment at 113 pounds. Good luck seeding this one!
 
120- Will Egli and Paul Konrath earned the tournament's Most Outstanding Match award in 2013. Egli and Bryce Scheffer, Union County's returning State Champion, will likely lock horns in the final. Both are dynamic, wide-open wrestlers. One might find the top match of the finals at 120 pounds.
Spoiler Alert! New Pal's Eugene Starks. Starks is strong and physical. Coach Chad Red will have him ready to roll.
 
126- CJ Red owns two Indiana state titles and has yet to lose a high school match. Look for a rematch of the 2013 Holiday Classic final between Red and Mater Dei's Alex Johnson.
Spoiler Alert! Trinity's Danten Rice. Rice is tough and is wrestling very well.
 
132- Mater Dei's Nick Lee is the overwhelming favorite to repeat his 2013 title performance. Trinity's Keegan Duncan and Union County's Chance Oxford will wrestle for the right to meet Lee in the
final on December 30.
 
138- Joe Lee headlines at 138 pounds. Lee will likely earn the number-one seed. As it was in 2013, 138 is very deep. New Palestine's Jared Timberman, St. Xavier's Dallas Miles and Steven Matheny from Trinity are potential semi-finalists. Time your breaks around this weight class; every match should be good.
Potential Spoilers- Mt. Vernon's Austin Bethel is a race car. On any given day, Bethel can beat virtually anyone. Avon's Quinn Harris and New Albany's Hunter Castleberry. Harris is a worker; do not be surprised to see him defeat a higher seed. Castleberry is dangerous. Overlook him at your peril.
 
145- Mater Dei's Blake Jourdan and Trinity's Hudson Heidorf are the prohibitive favorites as finalists. Heidorf is ranked number one in Kentucky, while Jourdan is ranked sixth in Indiana. Both are very exciting. All of the elements exist for a thrilling final. Franklin's veteran Shane Wilkerson and Union County's Tim Pike will also compete for spots on the podium.
Potential Spoilers- Watch for Belleville's Nate Smalling. If you are planning your breaks, lump 145 in with 138There are too many physical, quick and risk-taking wrestlers in this weight for upsets not to happen. Don't blink or you might miss it.
 
152- Out of staters write the script at 152 pounds. Belleville West's Nick Foster sports a three-ranking in Illinois, while Trinity's Ben Barton and Union County's Jackson Oxford are ranked second and third, respectively. New Albany's Tre Lynch will be also reaching for a high medal placement.
Spoiler Alert! Look for a break out performance by Franklin sophomore Burk Van Horn.
 
160- Mater Dei's Ashton Forzley beat New Pal's Nick Brickens in the consolation semifinal in 2013. Look for a 2014 rematch for the gold. Depending upon the seeding, one of the two will have to get past St. Xavier's very tough Nathan Haddad.
 
170- Returning State Champion, Jacob Stevenson of Franklin sees his primary competitor as Kentucky's returning State Champ, St. Xavier's Dominic Lampe. Avon's Brendon Helm is no underdog; he lost to Stevenson in the 2013 final 8-6 and will look for revenge.
Spoiler Alert! Evansville Memorial's Noah Huelsing. Huelsing has a big motor will never say "die."
 
182- Trinity's Tyler Frankrone is the returning State Champion. The seeding is crucial as Avon's Evan Elmore, Mater Dei's Sam Bassemier and St. Xavier's Elijah Allgeir will compete for the other slot in the final.
 
195- Lucas Miozza of Trinity and Cole Sherman of Union County headline this group. 195 has the lightest credentials of any of the weight classes. A solid wrestler that puts together a couple of good days of wrestling should find himself wearing the gold.
 
220- Gunnar Larson of Avon finished second at the 2013 Classic to eventual State Champion, Conner Tolley of Franklin. Tolley has graduated and Larson is the next man up. Joseph Green of St. Xavier and Connor Sherman of Union County look to be factors.
Spoiler Alert! Tristan Choate of Mt. Vernon. Choate is wrestling well; it will be no surprise for him to perform.
 
285- The weight class formerly known as "heavyweight" should be...big. Franklin's Quinn York beat Union County's Raynel "Ray-Ray" Brown for the title last year; the two could also dance for the top spot in 2014.
Potential Spoilers- Who wants to bet against Avon's Brett Henson, Trinity's Landon Carolla, Mater Dei's Adrian Butler or Belleville West's Rickey Nelson? I didn't think so.
 
Hook's Predictions for the Big Winners:
The Coaches- The Holiday Classic's hospitality room has the reputation of some of the best food available in southern Indiana. Burgoo (ask any Evansville resident what it is), bar-b-q and Frank Schaefer's home-grown buffalo bratwursts headline the menu. Be jealous.
Fans Not Married to Chain Hotels- Le Merigot is a boutique hotel on the Tropicana property. Shop around and you can get a deal. You will not be disappointed.
Fans Not Married to Chain Restaurants- A strong arm can hit the Hilltop Inn with a rock from Mater Dei's parking lot. Frosty beverages and brain sandwiches led the Hilltop to be voted the "Manliest Restaurant in America." For carryout, Marx's Bar-B-Q is next door to the Hilltop; Tony Marx is the man. If you want pizza, Turoni's is a don't-miss. Go to Dilegge's for Italian and the Gerst Haus for authentic German cuisine. If you are an early riser, visit Hagedorn's Tavern on Franklin Street for a great breakfast and a fishbowl of beer. Trust me, everybody does it.
People That Do Not Like to Drive a Lot When They are in Evansville- All of these recommendations are within ten minutes of Mater Dei.
Hook's Predictions for the Big Losers:
People who Stay/Shop/Visit the East Side- The Lloyd "Expressway" is under construction. You have been warned. If you ignore this advice, expect to be late and in a bad mood.
Those Who do not Bring a Stadium Bleacher Chair- Have you ever been to Mater Dei's gym?
Last Tidbit for 2014- The bathrooms are at the top corners of the gym, above the bleachers.

724
2014 Junior Greco-Roman Preview
Last 5 Years All-Americans




2010
189
2nd
Drake Stein


2011
160
8th
Kirk Johnson


2011
171
8th
Conner Lefever


2012
160
7th
Kirk Johnson


2012
170
7th
Sean Mappes


Only 13 Juniors are taking the mat in Greco-Roman this year for Team Indiana. They do however have two returning Greco-Roman All-Americans and another two-time state placer with the potential to be on the podium. Greco specialist Sage Coy will look to make the podium for the third straight time after finishing 6th and 8th as a Cadet. He has been superb in Greco over the years and will be a favorite to wrestle deep into the tournament. Randy Scott had a breakout performance last year making the podium in both freestyle and Greco. He made the finals in Greco and finished 8th in freestyle. After a 3rd place finish at state this season look for his hot streak to continue. Garrett Pepple will be making his first trip to Fargo after two state runner-up finishes. He has also made the podium three times at USAW Folkstyle Nationals. This will be his first Greco tournament since capturing an ISWA title in 2012.




Name
Weight
State Credentials
National Credentials


Garrett Pepple
113
2014 State 2nd2013 State 2nd

2014 USAW Folkstyle 3rd2013 USAW Folkstyle 5th
2012 USAW Folkstyle 7th



Sage Coy
126

2013 Cadet Greco-Roman 6th2012 Cadet Greco-Roman 8th



William Bernard
132




Anthony Williams
138




Tyler Hoel
138




Andrew Herrin
145




Logan Hurley
145




Stephen Kitko
145




Bryant Haynes
152




Randy Scott
195
2014 State 3rd
2013 Cadet Greco-Roman 2nd2013 Cadet Freestyle 8th



Austin Cossel
220




Christian Redmond
220




Nick Joyner
285





1530
2014 Junior Freestyle Preview
Last 5 Years All-Americans
[table]
2009 119 5th Camden Eppert 2009 130 1st Cashe’ Quiroga 2009 145 8th Ryan Stahl 2010 135 3rd Jason Tsirtsis 2011 112 2nd Jarred Brooks 2011 130 5th Jared McKinley 2011 145 1st Jason Tsirtsis 2012 285 2nd Donte Winfield 2012 138 5th Neal Molloy 2012 132 6th Jared McKinley 2013 126 7th Brandon James 2013 152 6th Vinny Corsaro 2013 182 2nd Riley Lefever 2013 195 1st Mitch Sliga 2013 220 3rd Fletcher Miller 2013 285 4th Wes Bernard [/table]Last year the Junior Freestyle team brought home six All-Americans and a 5th place team finish. Two of those All-Americans return along with two from last year's Cadet group. Leading the way is three-time Fargo placer Brandon James. He has been money here as he placed 7th in a loaded weight class last year. Before that he placed 6th and 8th as a Cadet. The other returning Junior All-American is Fletcher Miller. He will look to finish his high school career off on Mat 1 this year after taking a 3rd place plaque home to Kokomo last year. Randy Scott and Dylan Lydy will both move up an age group and hope to repeat their performances from 2013. Both had breakout performances at Fargo last year with Lydy placing 4th and Scott finishing 8th.
 
Others with some national accolades that will look to make their first appearance on the Fargo podium include USAW Folkstyle runner-ups Drew Hildebrandt and Jacob Aven, along with USAW Folkstyle Natonals 3rd place finisher Garrett Pepple. All three will need to navigate the always tough minefield that Fargo presents. State placers Clarence Johnson, Ben Harvey, and Scottie Sopko will all be looking to wrestle deep into the tournament.
 
[table]
Name Weight State Credentials National Credentials Drew Hildebrandt 106 2014 State 6th2013 State 8th 2014 USAW Folkstyle 2nd Garrett Pepple 113 2014 State 2nd2013 State 2nd 2014 USAW Folkstyle 4th2013 USAW Folkstyle 5th2012 USAW Folkstyle 7th Christian Warren 120 [/td] Jack Franklin 120 Tyler Futrell 120 Brandon James 132 2014 State 2nd2013 State 5th2012 State 3rd 2013 Junior Freestyle 7th2012 Cadet Freestyle 6th2011 Cadet Freestyle 8th Clarence Johnson 132 2014 State 7th William Bernard 132 Anthony Williams 138 Kyle Todrank 138 Andrew Herrin 145 Dan Reed 145 Bryant Haynes 152 Kellen Van Camp 152 2014 State Qualifier Ben Harvey 160 2014 State Qualifier2013 State 3rd2012 State 7th Dylan Lydy 170 2014 FloNationals 4th2013 Cadet Freestyle 4th Scottie Sopko 170 2013 State Qualifier2012 State 8th Randy Scott 195 2014 State 3rd 2013 Cadet Greco-Roman 2nd2013 Cadet Freestyle 8th Jacob Aven 195 2013 State Qualifier2014 State Qualifier 2014 USAW Folkstyle 2nd2013 USAW Folkstyle 6th Austin Cossel 220 Christian Redmond 220 Fletcher Miller 220 2014 State 2nd2013 State 2nd 2014 USAW Folkstyle 1st2013 Junior Freestyle 3rd Nick Joyner 285 [td][/table]
3718
2014 IndianaMat Preview Magazine On Sale Now
IndianaMat 2014 Preview Magazine
By Joe Caprino in IndianaMat.com Magazines
40 pages, published 10/22/2014
2014 IndianaMat wrestling preview magazine with rankings, regional profiles, and more!
1340
2014 IHSAA State Finals Information Center
Site: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, 125 S. Pennsylvania St., Indianapolis | Website
Admission: $8 per session or $20 both days.
Match Results: TrackWrestling.com
 
Friday, Feb. 21, 2014
First Round | 6 pm ET.
 
Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014
Quarterfinals | 9:30 am ET with semifinals to follow.
Consolations | 5 pm ET.
Finals | 7:30 pm ET.
Important Links
 
TrackWrestling Link
 
IndianaMat brackets(with rankings)
 
IndianaMat MEGA Preview
 
State Finals Pick'ems
 
2014 State Finals: Rankings Breakdown
 
2014 State Finals: Team Race Breakdown
 
2014 State Finals: Expert Picks
Video Links
 
IHSAA First Round Mat 1
 
IHSAA First Round Mat 2
 
IHSAA First Round Mat 3
 
IHSAA First Round Mat 4
 
IHSAA Quarterfinals and Semi-Finals Mat 1
 
IHSAA Quarterfinals and Semi-Finals Mat 2
 
IHSAA Quarterfinals and Semi-Finals Mat 3
 
IHSAA Quarterfinals and Semi-Finals Mat 4
 
IHSAA Consolations Mat 1
 
IHSAA Consolations Mat 2
 
IHSAA Consolations Mat 3
 
IHSAA State Finals Championship

5369
2014 IHSAA Semi-State Brackets
Date: Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014.
Admission: $7 (Final session only); $10 (Season ticket).
Advancement: The top four place winners in each weight class advance to the state finals.
Match Results: TrackWrestling.com

1.    Merrillville | 8:30 am CT
IndianaMat Brackets
Preview by Chad Hollenbaugh
Pick'ems
Feeder Regionals: Calumet, Crown Point, Logansport, Rochester.

2.    Fort Wayne Snider (at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum) | 8:30 am ET
IndianaMat Brackets
Preview by Joe Caprino
Pick'ems
Berne Tri-Weekly Webcast
WZBD 92.7 FM Radiocast
Feeder Regionals: Carroll (Fort Wayne), Goshen, Jay County, Peru.

3.    New Castle | 9 am ET
IndianaMat Brackets
Preview by Cameron Drury
Pick'ems
Feeder Regionals: North Montgomery, Pendleton Heights, Perry Meridian, Richmond.

4.    Evansville Reitz (at Ford Center) | 9 am CT
IndianaMat Brackets
Preview by Dustin Bentz
Pick'ems
Feeder Regionals: Bloomington South, Castle, Jeffersonville, Mooresville.


4793
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.

3593
2014 IHSAA Regional Brackets
Date: Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014.
Admission: $7.
Advancement: The top four place winners in each weight class advance to the semi-state tournament.
Match Results: TrackWrestling.com

 
1.    Calumet | 9 am CT
Feeder Sectionals: Calumet, East Chicago Central.
 
2.    Crown Point | 9 am CT
IndianaMat Brackets
Feeder Sectionals: Crown Point, LaPorte.
 
3.    Rochester | 9 am ET
IndianaMat Brackets
Feeder Sectionals: Mishawaka, Plymouth.
 
4.    Logansport | 9:30 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Lafayette Jefferson, Twin Lakes.
 
5.    Goshen | 9:30 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Elkhart Memorial, Westview.
 
6.    Carroll (Fort Wayne) | 9 am ET
IndianaMat Brackets
Feeder Sectionals: Carroll (Fort Wayne), New Haven.
 
7.    Peru | 8:30 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Oak Hill, Peru.
 
8.    Jay County | 8:30 am ET
IndianaMat Brackets
Feeder Sectionals: Delta, Jay County.
 
9.    North Montgomery | 9 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Crawfordsville, Zionsville.
 
10.  Pendleton Heights | 9 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Hamilton Heights, Lawrence Central.
 
11.  Perry Meridian | 9 am ET
IndianaMat Brackets
Feeder Sectionals: Indianapolis Arsenal Technical, Shelbyville.
 
12.  Richmond | 9 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Tri, Franklin County.
 
13.  Mooresville | 7:30 am ET
IndianaMat Brackets
Feeder Sectionals: Avon, Mooresville.
 
14.  Bloomington South | 9 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Northview, Southridge.
 
15.  Jeffersonville | 9:30 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Jeffersonville, Jennings County.
 
16.  Castle | 9 am CT
Feeder Sectionals: Castle, Evansville Central.
 


804
2014 Fargo Coverage
Where: Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota
When: July 19th-26th
What: USAW Freestyle and Greco-Roman nationals for cadet, junior and women’s age groups and Phase II of the World Team Trials for non-Olympic weight classes
 
Schedule
 
FloWrestling Video Coverage
 
Follow IndianaMat’s Twitter for updates all week long
Follow @IndianaMat

!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
// ]]>

Daily Recaps
Cadet and Senior Women Start First Day at Fargo
Five Cadet Greco-Roman Wrestlers Survive First Day
Cavins and Woods Lead Team Indiana on Day 3
Miracle Makes One Last Fargo Podium Appearance
13 Cadets Alive After One Day of Freestyle
Fantastic Four Lead the Cadets on Day Six
Paul Konrath, Chad Red, and Nick Lee Finish on Top
Three All-Americans Lead Junior Freestyle

Previews
Women’s Freestyle
Cadet Greco-Roman
Cadet Freestyle
Junior Greco-Roman
Junior Freestyle

Results
Cadet Womens Freestyle July 19
Junior Womens Freestyle July 21-22
Cadet Greco-Roman July 20-21
Cadet Freestyle July 23-25
Junior Greco-Roman July 21-22
Junior Freestyle July 24-26

Senior World Team Trials
July 19th Women's 55kg and 60kg
Sarah Hildebrandt 55kg
Kayla Miracle 60kg
 
July 22nd Men's Greco-Roman 71kg and 80kg
 
July 24th Men's Freestyle 61kg and 70kg
Reece Humphrey 61kg
Jason Tsirtsis 70kg
 
Senior World Team Trials TrackWrestling link

Other Articles of Interest
Spencer repeats as women's freestyle champ in Fargo
Fargo Preview: Cadet Greco-Roman(Intermat Premium)
Fargo Preview: Junior Greco-Roman(Intermat Premium)
The Open Mat #Fargo2014 Coverage
 
 

All-Americans
Cadet Womens Freestyle
Mackenzie Turner 6th
 
Cadet Greco-Roman
Jacob Cavins 6th
Kobe Woods 7th
 
Junior Greco-Roman
None
 
Junior Womens Freestyle
Kayla Miracle 2nd
 
Cadet Freestyle
Paul Konrath 1st
Chad Red 1st
Nick Lee 1st
Kobe Woods 2nd
Evan Eldred 7th
 
Junior Freestyle
Drew Hildebrandt 2nd
Fletcher Miller 6th
Garrett Pepple 8th

793
2014 Cadet Greco-Roman Preview
Last 5 Years All-Americans




2009
152
7th
Sean Mappes


2010
189
1st
Mitch Sliga


2011
189
1st
Mitch Sliga


2011
285
8th
Wesley Bernard


2012
220
2nd
Connor Tolley


2012
285
6th
Gavan Jolley-Little


2012
106
8th
Sage Coy


2013
106
8th
Will Egli


2013
113
4th
Chad Red


2013
120
6th
Sage Coy


2013
195
7th
Jacob Cavins


2013
195
2nd
Randy Scott


2013
285
4th
Shawn Streck


Last year Team Indiana brought home six Greco-Roman All-Americans with an impressive performance. Two of those wrestlers will return this year in the Cadet age group. Chad Red coming off another undefeated year in scholastic wrestling will look to improve on his 4th place finish from last year. Also returning is Milan big guy Jacob Cavins after finishing 7th last year. Other top wrestlers that are looking to have a great tournament are state placers Gaige Torres, Steven "Bam" Lawrence, Jacob Covaciu, and Kobe Woods.  All four of those wrestlers placed at USAW Folkstyle Nationals. Kobe Woods will be eligible for the Triple Crown as he won Folkstyle Nationals. State qualifiers Brett Johnson and Austin Laughlin round out the top wrestlers for Team Indiana.




Name
Weight
State Credentials
National Credentials


Trevor Lindsey
106




Kadin Poe
113




Tim Gensimore
113




Austin Laughlin
120
2014 State Qualifier



Michael Polen
120




Miguel Prado
120




Tyler Futrell
120




Chad Red
126
2014 State Champion2013 State Champion

2014 FloNationals 4th2013 Cadet Greco-Roman 4th



Gaige Torres
126
2013 State 7th
2014 USAW Folkstyle 5th


Tondrew Tyler
126




Blake Green
132




David Kitko
138




Steven Lawrence
138
2014 State7th
2014 USAW Folkstyle 2nd


Brett Johnson
145
2013 State Qualifier



Cameron Amos
145




Jacob Covaciu
152
2014 State 2nd
2014 USAW Folkstyle 4th


Noah Cressell
152




Jacob Gray
160

2014 USAW Folkstyle 3rd


Jacob Hendrich
160




Alex Ragains
182




Ismael Cornejo
182




Cameron Wetli
195




Jacob Cavins
195

2014 USAW Folkstyle 2nd2013 Cadet Greco-Roman 7th



Kobe Woods
195
2014 State 6th2013 State Qualifier

2014 USAW Folkstyle 1st


Cory Heinrich
220




Noah Lucas
220




Brendan Sutton
285




Ethan Bunce
285





973
2014 Cadet Freestyle Preview
Last 5 Years All-Americans




2009
105
7th
Mason Todd


2009
112
8th
Brenden Campbell


2009
130
2nd
Jason Tsirtsis


2010
189
1st
Mitch Sliga


2011
98
1st
Stevan Micic


2011
98
8th
Jacob Cottey


2011
112
8th
Brandon James


2011
189
1st
Mitch Sliga


2011
285
5th
Wesley Bernard


2012
132
2nd
Cody LeCount


2012
113
3rd
Stevan Micic


2012
170
3rd
Robert Steveson


2012
285
4th
Gavan Jolley-Little


2012
220
5th
Connor Tolley


2012
120
6th
Brandon James


2012
132
8th
Jose Champagne


2013
126
3rd
Nick Lee


2013
170
4th
Dylan Lydy


2013
195
8th
Randy Scott


2013
285
3rd
Shawn Streck


Cadet Freestylers take the mat on Wednesday, the first of three days of action for them. This year’s team consists of 12 wrestlers with state experience along with two others sporting solid national credentials. Only one All-American from last year returns, Nick Lee who had an impressive first showing at Fargo placing third. He will be back looking to move up on the podium after finishing third at the state finals and runner-up at the FILA Cadet Nationals this spring. He will bring with him his younger brother Joe who had an impressive Cadet Duals going 6-2 in freestyle and 7-0 in Greco-Roman.
 
Another tough wrestler to watch is two time undefeated state champion Chad Red. He has all the tools to make a deep run after coming up a hair short last year. Paul Konrath has had a great spring of wrestling and will look to cap it off with a high placement at Fargo. State runner-up Jacob Covaciu will also be in the hunt for a berth on the podium after coming up one match short in Greco-Roman.
 
Both Kobe Woods and Jacob Cavins have both placed in folkstyle and Greco-Roman and will be looking to cap off their off season with the trifecta in freestyle. Others to watch include state placers: Alec White, Kyle Hatch, Gaige Torres, and Steven Lawrence.




Name
Weight
State Credentials
National Credentials


Alec White
100
2014 State 4th



Paul Konrath
106
2014 State 2nd
2014 USAW Folkstyle 1st


Tim Gensimore
106




Trevor Lindsey
106




Kadin Poe
113




Kyle Hatch
113
2014 State 8th



Austin Laughlin
120
2014 State Qualifier



Joe Lee
120




Michael Polen
120




Miguel Prado
120




Chad Red
126
2014 State Champion2013 State Champion

2014 FloNationals 4th2013 Cadet Greco-Roman 4th



Gaige Torres
126
2013 State 7th
2014 USAW Folkstyle 5th


Nick Lee
126
2014 State 3rd
2014 FILA Cadet Freestyle 2nd2013 Cadet Freestyle 3rd
2013 FILA Cadet Freestyle 2nd



Tondrew Tyler
126




Noah Warren
132




Cody Widner
138




Evan Eldred
138
2013 State Qualifier



Johnny Loos
138




Steven Lawrence
138
2014 State 7th
2014 USAW Folkstyle 2nd


Brett Johnson
145
2013 State Qualifier



Cameron Amos
145




Jacob Covaciu
152
2014 State 2nd
2014 USAW Folkstyle 4th


Noah Cressell
152




Stosh Sitkowski
152




Jacob Gray
160

2014 USAW Folkstyle 3rd


Jacob Hendrich
160




Alex Ragains
182




Ismael Cornejo
182




Cameron Wetli
195




Jacob Cavins
195

2014 Cadet Greco-Roman 6th2014 USAW Folkstyle 2nd
2013 Cadet Greco-Roman 7th



Kobe Woods
195
2014 State 6th2013 State Qualifier

2014 Cadet Greco-Roman 7th2014 USAW Folkstyle 1st



Cory Heinrich
220




Noah Lucas
220




Brendan Sutton
285





4102 28
2014 Al Smith Preview
By Chad Hollenbaugh
IndianaMat Senior Writer
 
The Al Smith Invite is considered the toughest regular season tournament in the state of Indiana and the 2014 edition should continue that tradition. Last year, the Penn Kingsmen were clicking on all cylinders and ran away with the crown by nearly 90 points. Penn placed in 13 of the 14 weight classes and were never seriously challenged. Five other programs in the IndianaMat Power Poll will be among those trying to topple the Kingsmen.
This year the Kingsmen are still considered the favorite but sickness and injuries have plagued Brad Harper’s squad and this fact might open the door to contenders like Merrillville, Warren Central, Lawrence North, and Bellmont.
Six champs from last years meet return this year and seven of the states top ranked wrestlers will be in action on the 30th and 31st. Number 1 headliners include Colton Cummings of Lowell at 106, Merrillville’s Jacob Covaciu at 145, hometown boy Tommy Forte at 152, Lowell’s Drew Hughes at 160, Penn’s Chase Osborn and Kobe Woods at 182 and 220 respectively, and finally Merrillville big man Shawn Streck at 285. This tournament is so nasty that a state champ is neither top ranked nor a defending champion. (Tommy Cash)
106
Top ranked Colton Cummings of Lowell appears to be on a collision course with #3 Tylor Triana of Hobart. Graham Rooks of Columbus East and Keyuan Murphy of Warren Central bring strength from the south. Tanner Demein of Northwood and Kyle Mockenstrum of Prairie Heights are potential dark horses.
113
Drew Hildebrandt of Penn is the likely number one see here. He has the resume to be considered the clear favorite. Keep an eye on Michael DeLaPena of Merrillville, he is possibly flying under the states radar but is no doubt improving daily in the Pirate room.
120
The states seventh ranked 120 pounder, Brenden Black of Hobart, returns to the same weight class after finishing fourth last year. He will be the likely number 1 seed. State placer, Kyle Hatch of Warsaw, will probably be on the other side of the bracket. Chesterton’s Jack Tolin, Penn’s Austin Slates, and Elkhart Memorial’s Marcus Meija add depth to this class. A possible spoiler might be junior Issac Castro of Lawrence North.
126
Munster’s third ranked Jason Crary is, in my mind, the clear favorite at 126. He was the champion last year at 113, appears to be healthy and has yet to be tested. A host of contenders will attempt to prove me wrong. #4 Elliot Malloy of Danville, #8 Branden Truver, and #10 Joel McGhee return as place winners in the same weight class. Bellmont mat men always seem to perform at Mishawaka and #11 Jon Becker is dangerous here.
132
A two-man race appears to be brewing at 132. Merrillville’s Clarence Johnson and Warren Central’s Matthew McKinney have nearly identical resumes and seeding them might come down to a flip of the coin. A second tier of contenders includes Daniel Gunsett of Bellmont and NIC rivals Daniel Olsen (SB Adams), Austen Laughlin (SB Riley) and Jarrett Selis (Penn). Those looking for a spoiler might keep an eye on Fernando Luevano of West Noble.
138
Defending state champion Tommy Cash of Lawrence North is the lead dog here. He should cruise to an Al Smith Title unless promising frosh Zach Fattore of Hobart shows he is ready for the big time. Jimtown senior Jay Franko wrestled in the finals last year at 126 and is the probable #2 seed.
145
Another top ranked wrestler, Merrillville’s Jacob Covaciu, headlines the 145 pound class. He is not, however, the clear favorite here. Fellow junior, Trent Pruitt of Warren Central defeated the purple Pirate at last year’s event. Pruitt enters with a state ranking of fifth. Elkhart Memorial’s dangerous Tony Vaughn adds depth to this class.
 
 
152 and 160
Both of these weight classes should be dominated by top ranked Tommy Forte at 152 and Drew Hughes at 160. Forte is a former state champ and Hughes has wrestled under the lights at Bankers Life. Both of these studs have an extensive national resume to back up their state credentials. At 152, Lake Central’s Kody Christenson and Penn’s Jarod Swank will try to find a chink in the Forte armor. Forte will be attempting to make history by becoming only the second wrestler to be a four time champ. (Bellmont’s Randy Baker) At 160, Bellmont’s Bryce Baumgartner appears to have the best shot a meeting Hughes in the finals.
170
If everything goes according to Hoyle, the 170 class might have the best finals match of the entire day. Scottie Sopko of Hobart and Joey Mammolenti of Penn have both been on the state’s radar for a number of years but neither has achieved their ultimate goals. These two warriors met three weeks ago and Sopko came away with a narrow 3-1 victory at the Harvest Classic. Whomever is the #2 seed had better not look too far ahead because Lawrence North junior Cameron Jones has the tools to knock of either of the two big dogs.
182
Penn’s top ranked Chase Osborn seems like he has been around for the past decade. That is a testament to the impact he has had on the Kingsmen program since his freshman year. He is a clear favorite here if he is healthy. Chesterton super sophomore Andrew Davison could make a huge splash with an upset here. He already has a convincing win over last year’s fifth place finisher at this weight, Jonathan Morales of Western Boone.
195
Five state ranked wrestlers will sprinkle the bracket at 195 but none of the five has separated themselves from the crowd. This might me the most wide open and unpredictable weight class in the meet. Sixth ranked Nick Fowler of Calumet is unbeaten on the season and eighth ranked Bo Davis of Garrett was a state qualifier last year. Three sport stud Tanner Bradley of Mishawaka will look to give the hometown fans something to cheer about.
220
Penn’s second top ranked wrestler, Kobe Woods, will likely earn the top seen at 220. He will be challenged by fourth ranked Courvoiser Morrow of Warren Central and Northern Lakes Conference rivals Kaleb Summers of Elkhart Memorial and Derek Paz of Goshen. Woods is the man to beat here.
285
Merrillville junior Shawn Streck has wrestled in the finals both years he has competed in the Al Smith. He was runner-up during his freshman campaign but dominated the field last year. Look for more of the same out of the big Pirate. Eighth ranked Cory Christman of Penn probably has the best chance of slowing down the Purple Hulk.

2278
2013/2014 Regular Season Tournaments
November 23, 2013
Lowell JV Tournament
 
December 7, 2013
 
Harvest Classic at Lake Central
 
Bloomington Invitational at Bloomington South
 
Brownsburg JV Invitational
 
December 14, 2013
 
Zionsville Eagle Inviational at Zionsville
 
December 21, 2013
 
Marion County Wrestling Tournament at Franklin Central
 
Carnahan Memorial Wrestling Tournament at Crown Point
 
Indianapolis City Championships at Shortridge Magnet
 
Jeffersonville Classic
 
Hendricks County Tournament
 
Bo Henry Invitational
 
Twin Lakes Invitational
 
Hamilton County Tournament
 
December 27 and 28, 2013
 
Al Smith Invitational at Mishawaka
 
Mooresville Holiday Tournament
 
Mater Dei Holiday Classic
 
Connersville Spartan Classic
 
Ben Davis Giant 16
 
East Central Indiana Classic at Jay County
 
January 4, 2014
 
IHSWCA Team State Finals at Westfield
 
Whitko Invitational
 
John McKee Memorial at Rochester
 
January 11, 2014
 
New Haven Invite
 
New Palestine Open
 
January 18, 2014
 
Garrett Invitational
 
Concordia Wild Bill Invitational
 
Goshen Invitational
 
January 25, 2014
 
Garry Burkhart Invitational at Hobart

2062
2013/2014 Conference Tournament Brackets
Allen County Athletic Conference at Garrett
 
Duneland Athletic Conference at Merrillville
 
Great Lakes Athletic Conference
 
Hoosier Conference at Benton Central
 
Hoosier Crossroads Conference
 
Hoosier Hills Conference
 
Indianapolis Public Schools Athletic Conference at George Washington
 
Metropolitan Conference at Warren Central
 
Mid Indiana Conference at Peru
 
NorthEast Corner Conference at Fairfield
 
Northeast Hoosier Conference at Bellmont
 
Northern Indiana Conference at Mishawaka
 
Northern State Conference
 
Sagmore Athletic Conference at North Montgomery
 
Summit Athletic Conference at Snider
 
Southern Indiana Athletic Conference at Castle
 
Southern Indiana Wrestling Conference at Southwestern(Hanover)
 
Three Rivers Conference

584
2013 Year in Review
This past year was filled with a lot of great stories in the sport of wrestling. Here is a recap of the top ten stories from the year in no particular order.
 
1. Angel and Reece on World Team
 
Two of the seven representatives on the World Team this year were former state champions. Angel Escobedo and Reece Humphrey both wrestled for Team USA in Budapest, Hungary. Escobedo placed 5th and narrowly missed a medal. Humphrey battled his way to the quarter-finals only to drop his match on a late push-out.
 
2. Howe is back
 
After what seemed like an eternity, Andrew Howe is back on the mat. He started the season out with a win at the All-Star Classic against the returning national runner-up and has already defeated the returning champion at Bedlam. He will look to cap his final NCAA season with another title.
 
3. 600 Wrestlers at the IHPO
 
In what started as a little wrestling tournament with 170 wrestlers on 4 mats has exploded to one of the best preseason tournaments in the country. This year there were over 600 wrestlers on 12 mats at Carroll High School. This year four wrestlers joined an exclusive club as being a two-time champion in Nathan Boston, Brendon Kelley, Austin McCloskey and Josh Alber.
 
4. Tsirtsis on Junior World Team
 
Jason Tsirtsis made his first World Team this year when he qualified for the FILA Junior World Team in May. He wrestled 66kg(145.5lbs) for Team USA in Sofia, Bulgaria in September. He won his first two matches before dropping his third match to his opponent from Iran. He ended up placing 7th in the tournament.
 
5. Micic on Cadet World Team
 
Stevan Micic made his first World Team in 2013 also, when he qualified for the FILA Cadet World Team. He wrestled in Zrenjanin, Serbia, which is actually where he still has family. He wrestled 54kg(119lbs) and dropped his first and only match to Nematdin Rahmanov of Azerbaijan.
 
6. Perry Takes Title #3
 
Perry Meridian brought their third straight title to the south side. After having a rough quarter-final round in which they lost three of seven matches they came back to take three individual titles with one runner-up. Yorktown kept it close throughout the day until the finals where Perry increased their lead to win by 40.5 points.
 
7. Six Collegiate All-Americans
 
While no Indiana natives earned All-American status at the Division I level, there were many others in the lower divisions. At the Division II level Alex Johns and Cameryn Brady lead the way with 5th and 7th place performances respectively. At the Division II level Reece Lefever placed 7th for the Wabash Little Giants. Finally, Indiana Tech came back from NAIA Nationals with two All-Americans in Travis Barroquillo and Kris McKinley. Trivia Question: What wrestling club did Lefever and Barroquillo wrestle for in high school?
 
8. Nick Lee makes an early mark
 
Mater Dei's Nick Lee had quite a year as he placed second at FILA Cadet Nationals and third at Fargo. This all as just an 8th grader. He even earned national recognition as being nationally ranked before his first freshman class.
 
9. Northwestern Nabs Third Straight Top Recruit
 
Northwestern has had a knack for snagging top recruits from around the country, but recently has just had to come to the Hoosier state to get top kids. In 2012 they brought in four-time state champion Jason Tsirtsis to the Wildcat program. Their 2013 class included another top recruit from the Hoosier state in two-time state champion Mitch Sliga. This year's class will include Hanover Central's Stevan Micic as he becomes the third straight top recruit to take his talents to Evanston.
 
10. Olympic Wrestling on the Brink of Extinction
 
During the week of the state finals this year we were dealt some devastating news that wrestling may be out of the Olympics. After FILA made some drastic changes in the structure of the organization and in the rules of the sport we still had to battle three other sports for one elusive spot in the games. In a vote on September 9th the fate of wrestling in the games was in the hands of the IOC board and their votes. The IOC voted wrestling back in the games and through a tumultuous seven months the wrestling community from around the world came together like never before.

626
2013 Women's Freestyle Preview
Last 5 Years All-Americans




Year
Weight
Place
Name


2008
124
6th
Becky Cissell


2008
139
7th
Demi Strub


2009
109
4th
Sarah Hildebrandt


2009
139
6th
Demi Strub


2010
109
2nd
Sarah Hildebrandt


2010
139
2nd
Demi Strub


2011
108(Cadet)
1st
Kayla Miracle


2011
112
8th
Gibby Paxton


2011
112
2nd
Kayla Miracle


2011
121
1st
Sarah Hildebrandt


2011
159
3rd
Demi Strub


2012
124(Cadet)
3rd
Kayla Miracle


2012
115(Cadet)
4th
Courtney Grey


2012
101(Cadet)
7th
Brook Bunch


2012
121
1st
Kayla Miracle


The return on investment for the Women's freestyle teams has been huge the past few years with Indiana bringing home 15 medals from Fargo in the women's freestyle division. This year is no different with four wrestlers slated to take the mat donning an Indiana singlet this year. However of the wrestlers you have superstar Kayla Miracle and returning All-American Courtney Grey. Lindsey Prozanski will be making her second straight trip to Fargo, while newcomer Maggie Wilson will be making her debut. Miracle will be pulling the mighty double off as she is flying in from Chile to compete at Fargo early in the week. Both Grey and Prozanski will be wrestling in the cadet and junior divisions with hopes of bringing home two medals. Good luck ladies!




Name
Division
Weight
Credentials


Courtney Grey
Cadet/Junior
124/125
2012 Fargo Cadet 4th


Lindsey Prozanski
Cadet/Junior
108/105



Kayla Miracle
Junior
121
2012 World FILA Cadet Runner-up2012 IHSAA State Qualifier



Maggie Wilson
Junior
125