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2722Manchester Black and Gold capture SMC title
NORTH MANCHESTER, IND. – Paced by four individual weight class champions, Manchester University gave the home crowd at the 2015 Spartan Mat Classic plenty to cheer about Saturday, Jan. 10.
Freshman 125-pounder Ruben Rodriguez, Jr., (Hammond, Ind.) and junior 141-pounderJosh Juarez (South Bend, Ind.) rolled through their round-robins with unblemished marks. Sophomore 174-pounder Dylan Lauffer (Fairfield, Ohio) and junior heavyweight Dustin Kult (Lafayette, Ind.) each worked their way through traditional brackets for championships.
The Spartans posted 131 points, besting the five team field competing inside Stauffer-Wolfe Arena by 43.5 points. Wabash College placed second (87.5 points), and Ohio Northern University was close behind in third (72 points).
Lauffer, en route to Outstanding Wrestler honors, picked up his team-leading eighth fall in the semifinals after registering a 7-0 shutout in the first round. In the championship, against Heidelberg College of Ohio's Patrick Brown, he led from the start, piling up 10 points as part of a 10-4 decision. The three wins moved his season record to 17-11. Kult, also capturing three victories, registered a major decision and fall to match up with Ohio Northern's Greg Biben in the final. After working to a 2-2 tie over the regulation seven minutes, Kult, improving to 8-5, brought the MU crowd to its feet with an overtime takedown on the edge of the mat for a 4-2 victory, marking his second invitational title of the season. Rodriguez, Jr., marching towards leveling his season record (8-9), pieced together a decision, fall and injury default, while Juarez, moving over .500 (8-7), reeled off a technical fall, major decision and decision.
MU continues traditional tournament competition Saturday, Jan. 17. They travel to Elmhurst College of Illinois for the Al Hanke Invitational.
NOTES: Freshmen Chase Wilson and Matt Ruddick just missed adding to the home squad's individual champion total. Wilson, a native of Peru, Ind., went 3-1 in the 133-pound robin, with a hard-fought 4-2 loss to Wabash's Jacob Cottey sending him to second. Ruddick, a native of Seymour, Ind., and the second seed at 165, roared into the finals with a fall and major decision before Heidelberg's Myles Wright caught him for a first period pin.
1536SIAC Preview
The youth movement is real in the SIAC as five favorites are freshmen or sophomores. 15 wrestlers in the field boast state rankings and an additional 12 hold semi state rankings.
106- Freshman sensation Baxter Annakin has thrilled the folks in Paradise with his 12th state ranking and number one seed in the SIAC tourney. Annakin seems likely to begin the post-season with an SIAC title. In his path is Mater Dei's two-seed, Nolan Weidner.
113- Mater Dei's sophomore Kyle Luigs is no longer under radar. Beating three ranked opponents at team state vaulted Luigs to a state ranking of fourth. Memorial's Seth Horty and Central's Carson Willis should battle it out for the other slot in the final.
120- Luig's classmate, Will Egli, begins his post season quest looking for a second SIAC championship. Ranked seventh, Egli has another year of seasoning under his belt and looks to be the best in the field. Kyle McBride (6th SS) and North's Dawson Matherly will lock horns for the other spot in the final.
126- The "Nick Lee Effect" is on display at 126. A 2014 SSQ, Central's Conner Willis could muster no better than a fourth-seed in this deep class. This has the attention of Mater Dei's top-seed, senior Alex Johnson. Willis always wrestles Johnson tough and will do so again in the semi final. Last Saturday, Castle's Braedon Clopton and Reitz's Caleb Craig had a barnburner; expect a semifinal of the same magnitude on January 24.
132- Mater Dei's top-ranked sophomore, Nick Lee, has not been scored upon this year and brings his 18-0 record to the table. Expect him to meet North's Josh Elpers in the final.
138- Joe Lee gets the other end of big brother's effect, competing in the deepest weight class in the field. Leading Mater Dei in takedowns, Lee has built an impressive freshman portfolio, culminating with the top SIAC seed. Memorial's Johny Wargel has drifted in and out of the state rankings and should meet Lee in the semi final. Reitz's AJ Dixon and Castle's Austin Ramsey went to war last Saturday; seven days later, they will do it again in Paradise. The winner gets a slot in the final.
145- Returning SIAC champ, junior Blake Jourdan, is midway through a tremendous junior season with a 15-2 record. Bosse's four-seed, Nigel Buchannan meets Reitz's Tyler Kloenhamer in an interesting first-round bout. The winner will get Jourdan in the semi final. On the other side of the bracket is Castle senior Patrick Schnell and Central senior, Hunter McCormick. Schnell is the favorite to prevail in his semi final match-up with McCormick. Schnell is a proven veteran and is bent on evening the score after dropping an early-season decision to Jourdan.
152- Starting at running back last fall, Central's Isaiah Kemper ran the ball over 50 times against Reitz's vaunted defense. One-on-one on the wrestling mat is no big deal; Kemper will be in the final. Only a sophomore, Castle's Jacob Farmer (5th SS) is already a tested veteran. He will have a showdown with Mater Dei junior Mitch Lehman (7th SS) in the semifinal for the right to face Kemper for an SIAC title.
160- Turner Lockyear has met expectations and delivered a stellar senior campaign, rolling up 30 wins against only two setbacks. Mater Dei's Nick Buedel is a first-year starter. At the end of the day, expect Buedel and Lockyear to mix it up on the center mat.
170- Castle's Blake Jeffress has quietly put together at 22-win season resulting in his top seed. A 2x state qualifier, Mater Dei's Ashton Forzley should meet him in the final. This is my pick for the second-best championship match. North's Justin Naylor meets Memorial's Chris Voegel in the first round, in what should be a good race.
182- Mater Dei senior Sam Bassemier returns to this weight class and looks to a likely rematch of last year's final with Castle's Evan Dowell. This should be a humdinger as Bassemier puts his 12th state ranking on the line against Dowell's 4th SS ranking.
195- Chase Anslinger get the nod for the top-seed at 195. The Mater Dei senior will likely meet Memorial's Marcus Gahagen or Castle's Jake Lamar in the final. Lamar will need to be on his toes the first round. Reitz's Blake Huggins knows how to control the tempo and presents a formidable opponent.
220- LaTerrance Kyles is this year's standard-bearer for Coach Mark Mastison's Harrison Warriors. Kyles leads the entire field in wins with 43. Reitz's Adam Auten and North's Cody Smith will meet in the first round for a very competitive bout. Look for Mater Dei's Kurtis Wilderman to compete with Kyles for the top spot on the podium, my pick for the third-best final.
285- Mater Dei's Adrian Butler (7th SS) get the nod for the top-seed. Danger lurks, as Butler will likely meet Memorial's Will Page in the semi final. Page is very solid and quite capable of an upset. Central's Jordan Libby and Castle's Jake Kough will meet in the other semifinal in what should also be a very good match.
Best First Round Matches: 113 pounds, Reitz's Alec McNeely vs. Castle's Bailey Anderson. McNeely is better than his 13-15 record reflects and is capable of an upset. 145 pounds, Nigel Buchannan of Bosse vs. Tyler Kloenhamer of Reitz. Buchannan has put together a solid season, defeating Reitz's Jacob Pace before he moved to 152. Buchannan/Pace should be a good one!
Best Semifinal Match: 120 pounds, Castle's Kyle McBride vs. North's Dawson Matherly. McBride has put together a solid freshman campaign and seems poised for a break-out performance. Matherly brings a lot of athleticism, 28 wins and an early-season, 2-0 win over McBride. This one is a coin toss.
Best Final: 160 will be a study in contrast. Castle's Turner Lockyear is calculating and rock-solid.
Mater Dei's Nick Buedel is unpredictable and can be wild. Look for a high-scoring, very entertaining affair.
Team- Mater Dei will place a large percentage of their roster en route to a team title, followed closely by Castle. Central and Memorial will battle for third. Reitz is in a position for some upsets. If they perform, they can crack the top four.
Hook and Half's Recommendations: #1- Castle's parking lot can be cold and windy, so park on the south side of the building. It is a short walk to an entrance door. #2- Castle gets an A plus for serving up pizza slices as big as your face. #3- Thank the Castle folks for hosting. They know what they are doing and keep things moving. #4- If you are a Reitz, Central, Mater Dei or North fan, do not be at the intersection of Highway 41 and the Lloyd. I realize it is Saturday; do not chance it. #5- Find WrestleMan or BlueBolt and engage them in an insane wrestling conversation. No, wait. I recommend that you DO NOT do that.
2721Evansville Central Sectional Preview
Regarded as one of the tougher sectionals in Hoosier land, the 2015 Central sectional will provide spectators with exciting match-ups, colorful coaches...and the inevitable upsets. Cobbling together pieces of five counties and four conferences, the Evansville Central sectional produces first-time match-ups and seeding anomalies.
Gibson Southern, fresh off another PAC team title while claiming six individual champions, looks to challenge Greg Schaefer's Mater Dei Wildcats for supremacy on the North side.
106- North Posey's first-year coach, Cody Moll, is charged with reviving the Viking program. In Poseyville, they are excited about their number-one seed, freshman Levi Miller (SS#7). On the other side of the bracket, Princeton's Kyler McKinney is riding high after a Big 8 title he earned last Saturday. Look for an exciting semifinal match between McKinney and Mater Dei's SIAC runner-up, Nolan Weidner. The winner should see Miller in the final.
113- 113 is loaded! Princeton's Luke Dunn wrestled a brutal schedule, won the Big 8 and did not receive a seed. Dunn's quarterfinal match with Central's Carson Willis should be fun to watch. Should Willis get by Dunn, he will likely meet Mater Dei's Kyle Luigs in the semifinal, their third meeting of the year. Excitement punctuated their SIAC title match; this one could be very good, as well. Gibson Southern's Logan Dilbeck will put his 33 wins against Pike Central's Dylan Jones, in the other semifinal.
120- Mater Dei's one-seed, Will Egli, is clear to the semis, where he should meet Tecumseh's Zach Graham. At the bottom half of the bracket, Gibson Southern's Christian Pellacer, the PAC champion, will face North's Dawson Matherly in a very competitive race. The winner will likely meet Egli for all the marbles on First Avenue.
126- Mater Dei senior Alex Johnson has a third sectional title in his sights. To do so, he will need a win in the semis against Central's Connor Willis or Gibson Southern's PAC champion, Michael Polen. Two-seed Nick Burke of North has put up 31 wins on the year and will battle Dalton Ashby of Wood Memorial for the other spot in the final.
132- Mater Dei's #1-ranked sophomore, Nick Lee, will continue to terrorize his opponents at the Central sectional. Gibson Southern's Hunter Baehl (#6SS) counts this sectional as his fourth; he should be in the medal mix. Princeton's Chase Wilson will meet the two-seed, North's Josh Elpers, in the other semifinal.
138- Third-ranked freshman, Joe Lee, should dance with fifth-ranked Kyle Todrank of Gibson Southern in the marquee match of the 2015 Central sectional. These two are very familiar with one another; if you like this match-up, you are in luck...you may see it three or four more times. You can guarantee that Greg Schaefer and Blake Maurer's respective brain trusts are working overtime on this one!
145- Mater Dei one-seed, junior Blake Jourdan, was upset in the championship match of the 2014 sectional. The remembrance of that loss will sharpen his focus for the week ahead. Central's two-seed, Hunter McCormick, will face PAC champ, Gibson Southern's Kaleb Greenwell, for the other slot in the final.
152- Central's Isaiah Kemper sent shockwaves throughout the Indiana wrestling community when he dropped to 152. Currently ranked second, Kemper anticipates a deep run in the state tournament. Following graduated senior's Brendon Kelly's state title, Central coach Mike Lapadat may be coaching under the lights again in February.
Graham Dougan, Princeton's freshly-crowned Big 8 champ, will square off with Pike Central's Colton O'Neal in the bottom of the bracket for a shot at the title. Mater Dei's Mitch Lehman and North's Logan Matherly will also contend for a high vantage point on the podium.
160- Top-seeded Tristan McDaniel of Tecumseh has been a cornerstone of coach Aaron Chambers' line-up, which landed a 2015 Team State bid. Mater Dei senior Nick Buedel is 22-4 and should meet McDaniel in the final. Proceed with caution, as Julius Malone of Vincennes Lincoln was the Big 8 champ, while Pike Central's Jaylon Owens has 31 wins on the season. Malone and Owens would love to be spoilers.
170- Mater Dei's Ashton Forzley, a 2x state qualifier, has strung together another great season and earned the top-seed. In the bracket's lower half, North's Justin Naylor and Wood Memorial's Louis Hoover will compete in what should be an exciting semifinal. The winner will meet Forzley for bragging rights.
182- Outside the glare of the spotlight on Mater Dei's light and middle weights, underrated senior Sam Bassemier has compiled a 23-1 record and intends to garner his second sectional bracket board. Tecumseh's Jeremy McKinley has piled up 38 wins and won the PAC tourney last Saturday. He will match up with North's Ty Winchell for the right to wrestle Bassemier.
195- Who can beat Tecumseh's 11th-ranked Adam Lytle? So far, no one. However, do not be fooled by the ten losses on Central's Gabe Patterson's record. Patterson is tough and should give Lytle a tussle in the semifinal. Senior Chase Anslinger is riding high in his maiden varsity season at Mater Dei. He should meet Vincennes Lincoln's very solid Nic Dellion in the bottom bracket's semifinal.
220- Question: Who trains daily with the most successful sibling duo in Indiana history? Answer: Gibson Southern's sixth-ranked Cory Klem. With only three prep losses, four state titles and a third-place finish between Blake and Dane Maurer, you can wager that Klem has been stress-tested.
Second question: Name a quarterback that wrestles and competes in the 220-pound division.
Answer: The only one I know of is Mater Dei's Kurtis Wilderman. Wilderman has turned in a rock-solid season against tough competition and has won some big matches for the Wildcats. You will get your money's worth out of a Klem/Wilderman final. Look for Central's Caleb Hart to also find high ground on the podium.
285- Boasting a 34-1 record, Tecumseh's Colton Dossett gets the top-seed in the big boy division. Mater Dei's SIAC champ, Adrian Butler, will face the two-seed, Pike Central's Bryce Manning, for the right to tangle with Dossett in the final. Central's Jordan Libby will also figure into the medal race.
Best Quarterfinal Match- 126: Gibson Southern's Michael Polen vs. Central's Connor Willis. Both have significant skills and are looking to gather some momentum. Each views this as a big match.
Best Semifinal Matches- 132: Josh Elpers of North vs. Chase Wilson of Princeton. Wilson has a Bo Henry title and 35 wins next to his name. Elpers counters with a formidable offense that will be on display against Wilson. 145: Central's Hunter McCormick vs. Gibson Southern's Kaleb Greenwell. Both are 4-year starters and have center mat experience. This bout has regional and semi state implications; expect a superb effort. 195: Vincennes Lincoln's Nic Dellion vs. Mater Dei's Chase Anslinger. Dellion beat Anslinger on December 27. Anslinger returned the favor on December 28. Either would relish an opportunity to be the first to put a blemish on Lytle's record. In order to do so, one has to win the semifinal match.
Best Championship Matches- 113: No doubt exists that Mater Dei's Will Egli has warned his classmate, the fourth-ranked Kyle Luigs, about Gibson Southern's 12th-ranked junior, Logan Dilbeck. In 2014, Egli escaped with a hard-fought, 3-1, sectional victory over Dilbeck. Dilbeck and Luigs are athletic and flashy; this one should be a slobber knocker. 160: Tecumseh's Tristan McDaniel vs. Mater Dei's Nick Buedel. Buedel is very tall, strong and believes in scoring a lot of points. McDaniel is very tall, strong and believes in scoring a lot of points. See where this is going?
Team- Folks in Fort Branch are thrilled with coach Blake Maurer's elevation of the Gibson Southern program. The Titans qualified for Team State and, if things go well, will have a couple of grapplers on the podium at Banker's Life. However, Gibson Southern is compelled to share sectional mats with the Mater Dei Wildcats. Look for the 1300 Harmony Way crew to take home their 39th consecutive sectional championship. The 13-4 Central Bears also see opportunity. Properly motivated, the Bears have a shot at knocking Gibson Southern out of the bridesmaid position. The Tecumseh Braves and DG Asay's North Huskies have veteran teams; they will also look for a high finish.
Hook's Recommendations
· Get up early and have breakfast at the Pie Pan. After your omelet, have a piece of pumpkin or pecan pie...that's what it is there for!
· After wrestling is complete, head about a mile north for a protein download at Wolf's Bar-B-Q buffet. Los Bravos is a great choice for family Mexican fare. If you like sushi or hibachi, Fujiyama offers the best value for Japanese cuisine in the city. It is Mrs. Hook's favorite place to eat. Banzai!
· Watch out for parking lot scourges. Three years ago, someone backed into my HUV (Hook Utility Vehicle) and damaged it. No note!
· Founded in 1854, Evansville Central It is the oldest high school in continuous operation west of the Allegheny Mountains. Revel in the history!
1857Castle Regional Preview
In the Evansville and Central sectionals, the big names rolled, while several upstarts made their presence known. The Castle regional--traditionally one of the toughest in the state--will feature a host of nail-biting first-round matches, semifinals and championship bouts.
106- Castle's Baxter Annakin bounded to a sectional title and is the favorite for a regional championship. In semifinal action, North Posey's Levi Miller will see the winner of the Harley Gorman (Mt. Vernon) and Kyler McKinney (Princeton) bout.
113- Southern Indiana wrestling fans breathed a sigh of relief when Mt. Vernon's Paul Konrath returned to action after a potential season-ending injury at the Big 8 championship. Konrath should see Mater Dei's Kyle Luigs in the semifinal. Logan Dilbeck of Gibson Southern will likely fill the other slot in the final. The trio also holds the top three rankings in the Evansville semi state. Don't be surprised to see them go at it again at the Ford Center.
120- After a two-month injury recovery, Reitz's Tyler Ferguson returned to action on Saturday. With only one match under his belt, Ferguson was sharp and mopped up the field. Mater Dei sophomore Will Egli has produced another stellar season and hopes to improve upon his fifth-place finish from the 2014 state tournament. Expect the duo to butt heads on the center mat.
126- Mater Dei's Alex Johnson looks to capture his third regional title. In order to do so, he will need to get past the winner of the Caleb Craig (Reitz) and Michael Polen (Gibson Southern) match. Craig and Polen are both very solid and will produce an interesting dust-up. The other side of the bracket will also be competitive, as Castle's 32-7 Braedon Clopton and North's 34-4 Nick Burke will meet for a title shot opportunity.
132- In his last six matches, Mater Dei's Nick Lee has spent less than six minutes on the mat. Ranked number-one in the state, expect Lee's rampage to continue. Mt. Vernon's Austin Bethel and Princeton's Chase Wilson should meet for a rematch of their Big 8 championship bout. The winner will meet Lee for the title.
138- A couple of weeks ago, southern Indiana 138-pounders began to re-think their weight class choice. There are five, top-shelf grapplers here; only four will advance. Gibson Southern's fifth-ranked Kyle Todrank will see Memorial's Johny Wargel in the first round. Both are seniors; one of them will see their high school career end here. Mater Dei's third-ranked freshman, Joe Lee, will likely meet Reitz's AJ Dixon in one semifinal. The Todrank/Wargel winner will meet Castle's ninth-ranked sectional champ, Austin Ramsey, in the other semifinal. Do not miss a match at 138!
145- Fifth-ranked Blake Jourdan of Mater Dei and Castle's tenth-ranked Patrick Schnell headline this very competitive weight class. Both are dynamic. Expect another exciting match. Memorial's Chance Williams, Central's Hunter McCormick and Mt. Vernon's Peyton Whoberry will fight it out to earn a semistate berth.
152- With a title this Saturday, Central's Isaiah Kemper will have earned three consecutive regional championships. Ranked second, Kemper will likely realize the accomplishment. On the other side of the bracket, Pike Central's Colton O'Neal and Castle's Jacob Farmer will meet. The winner gets Kemper in the final. Heritage Hills' Cordell Miller and Mater Dei's Mitch Lehman will also be in the medal hunt.
160- Populated by wrestlers who are defined by action, this class give the fans something for which to cheer. Castle's veteran senior Turner Lockyear has put up 37 wins on the season, in addition to SIAC and sectional titles. Lockyear's Warrick county rival, Tecumseh's Tristan McDaniel, scorched the field at Central. A senior, McDaniel looks poised for a post-season run. Do not overlook Tell City's Elliot Brown or Mater Dei's Nick Buedel, as both are capable of big wins and upsets.
170- 170 is a very balanced class, possessing three individuals with the potential to win. The toughest road belongs to Mater Dei's Ashton Forzley and Memorial's Noah Huelsing, as they will meet in the semifinal. Forzley, with a pair of state qualifications, is a big-match wrestler. Huelsing counters with a sizable gas tank and an early-season win over Forzley. Castle's Blake Jeffress, who finished second to Forzley at the SIAC meet, will inhabit the other slot in the final.
182- Mater Dei's 182-pound senior, Sam Bassemier, has wrestled a brutal schedule en route to a 26-1 record and continues to slide in the rankings, ending the season at 14th. On Saturday afternoon, expect to see him on the center mat. After this coming weekend, Tecumseh's Jeremy McKinley will no longer be off the radar. Expect him to give Mt. Vernon's Tyler DeKemper a very tough match. The winner earns a ticket to the final.
195- Beginning in the first round, when Central's Gabe Patterson meets the sectional champion, Jake LaMar of Castle, you will find many competitive matches at 195 pounds. Patterson, with his never-say-die attitude is likely the best fourth-place finisher in the field. Marcus Gahagen of Memorial will meet Tecumseh's Adam Lytle in another huge first round match. Gahagen has accumulated 21 wins against the backdrop of a tough schedule. Lytle suffered his first loss of the season at the Central sectional and will look for redemption. On the other side of the bracket, South Spencer's Keith Barclay will put his 38 wins against Vincennes Lincoln's Nic Dellion, the owner of 35 wins. The Barclay/Dellion winner will meet Mater Dei's Chase Anslinger in the semifinal. Try to pick 1-2-3-4!
220- If you have not seen Gibson Southern's Cory Klem, after Saturday, you will understand his sixth-ranking. Klem is up-tempo, strong and slick. He will be in the face off. Harrison's LaTerrance Kyles and Mater Dei's Kurtis Wilderman will dance in the bottom half of the bracket, in a rematch of their SIAC final. Mt. Vernon's Tristan Choate is formidable. He has spoiler potential and will look to maximize his regional performance.
285- Like 195, 285 has a number of potential champions. Mt. Vernon's Wade Ripple will square off with Tecumseh's Colton Dossett in the opening round. The duo has accounted for 53 wins against 12 losses. Pike Central's 24-2 Bryce Manning will meet Memorial's 27-11 Will Page, in another first-round barn burner. As sectional champs, Mater Dei's Adrian Butler and South Spencer's 42-7 RJ Shaw will also be in the hunt for a title.
Hook's Random Comments:
· Watch the Tecumseh fans. They are loud, rowdy and highly partisan. This tiny school provides the model of what wrestling fans should be!
· Hook's daugther, Hookticia, pointed out that Castle not only has huge slices of pizza, but offers baked potatoes "as big as your head."
· I love the intensity of Central's head coach, Mike Lapadat. How many calories does Lap burn on a typical Saturday? He is to coaching wrestling what James Brown was to show business.
· North Posey's coaches, Cody Moll and Sam Goebel, look lean and mean. I will wager, that with a week to cut, both could make weight.
I have been criticized for the fact that my previews are light on predictions. Since this is my last one of the year, I will go out on a limb.
These predictions are guaranteed.
· Mt Vernon's head coach, Tim Alcorn, will get very excited.
· At least once, in unison, the Mater Dei crowd will yell, "Two!"
· Castle will do an outstanding job of hosting.
· The Castle regional will produce a number of state placers...maybe a couple of champs.
· A Castle sectional vs. Central sectional post will be started on Indiana Mat.
"Your" welcome.
2081North Montgomery Regional Preview (Dingo style)
North Montgomery Regional Preview

106
#2 Klayton Anderson (#9 pre-season regional Indianamat ranking) is a very large, very long lightweight. He uses his frame to brutalize his opponents when he's on top. At the Zionsville sectional, he rode a game Alexander Strueder for what seemed like the entire match. Picture a praying mantis toying with its prey. There doesn't appear to be anyone in this regional quite on his level, and he won't be truly tested until New Castle. The true battle is for second place, which should come down to Grino vs. Strueder. While Strueder was impressive at sectionals, Grino has wrestled some of the very best in the weight class, is a returning semistate qualifier, and ranked opponents account for 4 of his 5 losses. I give the edge to Grino, with Strueder battling the lanky Mennen for 3rd.
See ya in New Castle:
1. #2 Klayton Anderson, HSE
2. Alex Grino, Southmont
3. Alexander Strueder, Fishers
4. Colton Mennen, Clinton Central
Grab yer popcorn:
Grino vs. Strueder should be very competitive. While Grino has the superior record against possibly tougher competition, Strueder impressed at Zionsville and appears to be peaking at the right time.
Upset alert:
Colton Mennen has the size to neutralize some of Anderson's natural advantage. He also sports a pretty impressive W/L record. Anderson is the heavy favorite, and rightfully so, but crazy things happen this time of year. That said, with Anderson's signficant high-level experience, not to mention his impressive skills, it's hard to picture him losing this weekend.
113
#7 Austin Holmes (#2 pre-season regional Indianamat ranking) leads the field at 113. Last year's 4th place state finisher at 113, Holmes has battled a 'who's who' of opponents this year, which accounts for his 3 losses. While this is a solid group, there's no one here who can truly push him. Two weight classes in, the Royals will almost certainly have two #1 seeds heading into New Castle. The battle for the other three spots is much more interesting. 4th seed Reid Hutson is a returning semistate qualifier, and he's faced Hubble a couple of times this year, winning both matchups. Carmel's Jerde impresssed at Zionsville, upending a very tough returning semistate qualifier in Ellis of Zionsville en route to a 2nd place finish. Look for a Jerde/Holmes rematch in the regional finals.
See ya in New Castle:
1. #7 Austin Holmes, HSE
2. Adam Jerde, Carmel
3. Azariah Ellis, Zionsville
4. Reid Hutson, Westfield
Grab yer popcorn:
Hutson vs. top-seed Evan Hubble of Southmont in a tough opening round match. Hutson has an edge with his semistate experience, in addition to the head-to-head advantage this season. Both have faced very formidable competition all season, and this could go either way.
Upset alert:
Holmes is safe, but look for 4 seed Hutson to battle tooth and nail with 1 seed Hubble.
120
Here's where things get interesting and pretty wide-open. #12 Zach McCoy and #13 Caleb Bocock (#6 pre-season regional Indianamat ranking) lead the parade at 120, but there are some very solid kids just below the top two. McCoy and Bocock have split two decision matchups, and this potential third one has some pretty significant implications. The winner has a big advantage at New Castle. Crum, Eiteljorge and Bobeyn would love to advance, but no one wants to be a 4 seed at New Castle.
See ya in New Castle:
1. #13 Caleb Bocock, Lebanon
2. #12 Zach McCoy, North Montgomery
3. Jack Eiteljorge, Carmel
4. Skylar Crum, Crawfordsville
Grab yer popcorn:
Bocock and McCoy should meet in what could be the match of the day. They know each other well, they're both talented and very well-coached, and they know how crucial a regional title is for State aspirations. Additionally, McCoy will be looking for atonement for last year's upset as a top seed to a 4 seed in his opening match.
Upset alert:
Eiteljorge had better not overlook his opening round opponent, Tanner Henry of Attica. While Attica clearly doesn't wrestle Carmel's schedule, a 29-3 record is impressive, no matter how you slice it. Similarly, #2 seed Skylar Crum might see a so-so record for Zionsville's Sam Gobeyn, but he's wrestled a very tough schedule and looked sharp this past Saturday. Lastly, McCoy's opening round match is with a 30+ win wrestler from the tough Fishers program, Caleb Wright.
126
This is definitely one of the strongest weight classes of the regional, led by #14 Boone Weliever (#10 pre-season regional Indianamat ranking) of Southmont and #17 Skyler Collins of Frankfort. Between them, they have 5 losses, and all are to top-10 ranked opponents. Not too far behind these two are the always tough Zachary Steele of Westfield and Morgan Pruitt of Carmel, who have split matches with each other during the season. Look for Weliever to edge Collins in a thriller. Steele and Pruitt are equally well-matched; on a hunch, I'm going with Steele.
See ya in New Castle:
1. #14 Boone Weliever, Southmont
2. #17 Skyler Collins, Frankfort
3. Zachary Steele, Westfield
4. Morgan Pruitt, Carmel
Grab yer popcorn:
Weliever and Collins could be dynamite if it pans out. If seeds hold, Steele and Pruitt will meet yet again, and they are evenly matched and extremely well 'coached up'--a Pendoski vs. O'Neill battle.
Upset alert:
Weliever has to get by Steele, and Collins has to beat Pruitt to make the seeds hold. It's very possible that either Steele or Pruitt, or both, could put a wrinkle in those plans. Additionally, Weliever's opening opponent is a very tough Kody Wagner of Zionsville (28-9).
132
On the heels of a loaded weight class, comes 'the' loaded weight class at North Montgomery. Hamilton Southeastern's #5 Jack Chastain (#1 pre-season regional Indianamat ranking) and Westfield's #6 Evan Eldred (#4 pre-season regional Indianamat ranking) lead the field by a significant amount. It would be a monumental upset if they don't meet in the finals. If they do, it will be their fourth matchup, with Chastain leading the season series 3-1. Look for Attica's Hayden Estes and either Fisher's Noah Scott or C-ville's Cameron Douglass to join the two big dogs in New Castle.
See ya in New Castle:
1. #5 Jack Chastain, HSE
2. #6 Evan Eldred, Westfield
3. Hayden Estes, Attica
4. Noah Scott, Fishers
Grab yer popcorn:
Without a doubt, the feature matchup is last year's 5th place finisher Chastain, who very nearly upset Zach Davis, versus Fargo All-American Eldred. Both won regional titles last season, and each excels at wrestling his type of match. For the freestyle standout Eldred, that means pushing the action on his feet and trying to minimize Chastain's advantage on the mat. For Chastain, that means using his long body to excellent effect defensively on his feet, and making life difficult for opponents on the mat. While Chastain will be the favorite, Eldred has shown he can beat anyone, including Chastain.
Upset alert:
Estes could be tested by the 15-20 Cole Wilson of Zionsville, who is peaking despite his record.
138
#6 Keegan Stansberry is undefeated and will be a strong favorite to end Saturday with a still-spotless record. He is, seed-wise, most likely to face Southmont's Connor Moore, but don't overlook returning semistate qualifier Sam Kern of Zionsville, despite a mediocre W/L record. Jerrod Smith of Carmel and Alex Haddock of Fountain Central should be an interesting match to determine the fourth member of the New Castle quartet.
See ya in New Castle:
1. #6 Keegan Stansberry, HSE
2. Sam Kern, Zionsville
3. Connor Moore, Southmont
4. Jerrod Smith, Carmel
Grab yer popcorn:
Moore vs. Kern should be a great match. Moore sports a lofty 32-5 record against some pretty formidable opponents, while Kern has a 12-10 mark, also against some very tough competition. Smith vs. Haddock should be very interesting as well.
Upset alert:
Kern beating Moore would be an upset, although not a major one. Kern must first get by 27-5 Cody Parker of Attica, a senior who has been here before.
145
While lacking some of the heavy hitters of the previous few weight classes, 145 is a very tough weight from top to bottom. Leading the way, rankings-wise, is #17 Mason Gaines of Fishers. Awaiting Gaines in the semis, is the very tough Wayne Highfield of Southmont (29-3!!), and, on the other side of the bracket, a tough senior in Fountain Central's Collin Strange, the sectional champ.
See ya in New Castle:
1. #17 Mason Gaines, Fishers
2. Collin Strange, Fountain Central
3. Wayne Highfield, Southmont
4. Matt Kern, Zionsville
Grab yer popcorn:
There are several intriguing matchups at this weight. Gaines/Highfield could easily be a worth regional finals matchup. This matchup is a legitimate toss-up. The winner of that slugfest gets Strange, who must get by the tough Eagle senior Kern in the semis.
Upset alert:
You can't call Highfield over Gaines a real upset, but Kern is plenty capable of stealing the show and upsetting the top seed Strange en route to a finals berth.
152
The competition is tough and deep at 152, led by state #6 Kellen VanCamp (#5 pre-season regional Indianamat ranking) of Lebanon and #20 Tanner Webster of North Montgomery. However, the foursome of Nic Blondeel of Attica (27-6), Corbin Gregg of HSE (31-10), Fountain Central's Laine Frazee (35-3) and Carmel's Sam Bublick (17-11) should provide some formidable competition for the two favorites and each other.
See ya in New Castle:
1. #6 Kellen VanCamp, Lebanon
2. #20 Tanner Webster, North Montgomery
3. Corbin Gregg, HSE
4. Laine Frazee, FC
Grab yer popcorn:
Despite meeting already a couple of times this year, with the returning state qualifier VanCamp coming out on top, the Tiger senior and Webster aren't light years apart. Webster actually finished ahead of VanCamp at last year's regional. HSE's Gregg is peaking, and shouldn't be overlooked by anyone, including Webster.
Upset alert:
Despite a so-so record, Carmel's Sam Bublick is a Pendoski product and is capable of beating Frazee and moving on to New Castle.
160
#14 Jesse Archer of North Montgomery somehow competed at 195 last season and was successful. This year, he's 35-0 and on a roll. He appears to have a leg up on returning semistate qualifier Evan Stambaugh, as evidenced by his win by fall earlier this year. Similarly, Stambaugh appears to be a very solid 2nd best here, as he really controlled his opposition at the Zionsville sectional.
See ya in New Castle:
1. #14 Jesse Archer, North Montgomery
2. Evan Stambaugh, Lebanon
3. Nick Fox, Carmel
4. Jack Banks, Zionsville
Grab yer popcorn:
Although Archer is the clear favorite, it will be interesting to see how he handles Stambaugh in a rematch, as Stambaugh has shown that he steps it up in the postseason.
Upset alert:
Banks kept it very close with Stambaugh last weekend, and it's within the realm of possibility that he could knock off the 1 seed.
170
Two ranked wrestlers, #18 Alex Ragains of Frankfort and #19 Spencer Irick of HSE, join the always tough Zach Worm of Southmont and Drew Williamson of Zville to form an extremely tough quartet at North Montgomery. Of these top 4 studs, only Worm made it to New Castle last year. This year, however, Ragains and Irick have traded wins with each other, and they each own wins over Worm. Even more confusing, Williamson owns a win over Irick this year. In short, take your local favorite and call it a day in what appears to be a 'whoever is on their game' type of weight class.
See ya in New Castle:
1. #19 Spencer Irick, HSE
2. #18 Alex Ragains, Frankfort
3. Drew Williamson, Zionsville
4. Zach Worm, Southmont
Grab yer popcorn:
Great matchups abound in this weight class, starting with opening round tilts between Ragains and 30-5 senior Matthew McMasters of Fountain Central, as well as Williamson and 33-6 Koby Wray of North Montgomery. From there, it only gets hairier--Worm vs. Ragains, Williamson vs. Irick, capped off with the winners meeting in the finals...whoever wins this weight class will be battle-tested heading into New Castle.
Upset alert:
Despite an average W/L record, Westfield's Liam Jagow was extremely competitive against tough competition at Zionsville. He very nearly took out Williamson, and Worm had better be on his toes against the ever-improving 'Rocks sophomore.
182
From top to bottom, this is probably the best weight class overall at North Montgomery. Leading the way are state #6 Jonathan Morales (#3 pre-season regional Indianamat ranking) of WeBo, #7 Robert Manns (#7 pre-season regional Indianamat ranking) of Crawfordsville, 30-1 senior and returning semistate qualifier Tanner Smith of South Vermillion and returning semistate qualifier Griffin Steffy (#8 pre-season regional Indianamat ranking) of Lebanon. That doesn't even include the very tough Freedom Mak-Dawson of Fishers and 31-3 senior Austin Hoover of Sheridan. While returning state placer Morales is the favorite, there are landmines aplenty in this field, most notably Manns, who dropped down from 195 last season and has split wins with Morales this season.
See ya in New Castle:
1. #6 Jonathan Morales, Western Boone
2. #7 Robert Manns, Crawfordsville
3. Griffin Steffey, Lebanon
4. Tanner Smith, South Vermillion
Grab yer popcorn:
Almost every match falls into this category, but Manns vs. Morales is a special matchup of state-caliber studs.
Upset alert:
Freedom Mak-Dawson is an awfully tough opening match for Tanner Smith. I would put Hoover in the 'very dangerous' class against anyone but Manns or Morales. Smith is capable of giving Morales a tough match, and the same is true of Steffey vs. Manns.
195
#10 Scott Fuller of Zville and #11 Eric Hipple of Carmel lead the way at 195. Look for Westfield's Nick Schaeffer to join either North Mont's Cole Slavens or HSE's Kolby Ferris in advancing to New Castle.
See ya in New Castle:
1. #11 Eric Hipple, Carmel
2. #10 Scott Fuller, Zionsville
3. Nick Schaeffer, Westfield
4. Kolby Ferris, HSE
Grab yer popcorn:
Hipple vs. Fuller yet again...these two are very evenly matched and know each other well. Fuller didn't look especially sharp last weekend, but he still managed a solid second. Ferris vs. Slavens should be an old-fashioned slobber-knocker, with the top-seed sophomore Slavens battling the 4th seeded junior. Showing just how small the margin is between victory and defeat, Ferris lost two 1 point matches to finish 4th at Zionsville.
Upset alert:
By seeding, Ferris over Slavens is an upset. However, Ferris is legit and can go with about anyone in the regional. Fuller had better not overlook returning regional qualifier Austin Eup of South Vermillion, as he sports a sterling 28-4 record.
220
#13 Erik Hart of Lebanon is a pretty strong favorite here, with #11 Matthew Penola of Zville unable to participate in the postseason. Hart dominated his sectional, and has a good shot at doing it again at the regional level. Penola's backup, Grant Grayson, impressively finished 3rd at sectionals and has a legit shot at advancing to New Castle. Look for Jimmy Ford of HSE and Caleb Martin of Southmont to join Hart and Grayson at semistate.
See ya in New Castle:
1. #13 Erik Hart, Lebanon
2. Jimmy Ford, HSE
3. Caleb Martin, Southmont
4. Grant Grayson, Zionsville
Grab yer popcorn:
Ford vs. Martin should be a rugged battle: both are seniors, both are extremely battle-tested and each wrestled well last weekend.
Upset alert:
Grayson, despite being mostly a seasonal backup and sporting a sub-.500 record, has a very solid shot vs. Garrett Reynolds of Covington. Ford has a very tough opening match vs. South Vermillion's Evan Piper. Jacob Eidson of Sheridan was competitive the entire day at Zionsville and could give Martin a tough match.
285
#14 Michael Smith of Lebanon is the lone ranked heavyweight in the regional. However, Zionsville's Drew Hobick outlasted the Tigers' big man in OT to take the sectional title. Look for sectional champ Nathan Bean of C-ville and the peaking Deshawn Williams of Carmel to join the Boone County duo in qualifying for semistate.
See ya in New Castle:
1. #14 Michael Smith, Lebanon
2. Drew Hobick, Zionsville
3. Nathan Bean, Crawfordsville
4. Deshawn Williams, Carmel
Grab yer popcorn:
Smith and Hobick have split matches this year, and while they are quite friendly with each other before and after the match, they go at each other tooth and nail. I think it's Smith's turn to return the favor to Hobick. Bean could give Smith some troubles in the semis.
Upset alert:
Westfield's Austin Dollens upset the favored Chakiry of Fishers to make it out of sectionals, and has the ability to pull an upset over Bean.
2826Jay County Regional Preview
Jay County Regional spectators should be in for a day of top-notch wrestling as seventeen state ranked wrestlers toe the line this Saturday. Along with the seventeen ranked state ranked wrestlers, there are PLENTY more wrestlers ranked in the Fort Wayne Semi-State rankings.
106: The excitement starts early as the day should start off with two state ranked wrestlers toeing the line for the championship. South Adams freshman Wyatt Miller (#19) will face Yorktown’s freshman Christian Hunt (#8), there are only 3 losses between the two wrestlers. Other wrestlers looking to advance on are Adam Central’s Nick Liter, Union City’s Max Harris, and Muncie Central’s Brandon Wills.
113: Fans don’t have to wait to the finals for excitement in this weight class as there should be two great semi-final match ups. All eyes will be on Yorktown’s Josh Stephenson (#13) as he battles Bellmont’s Mason Mendez (#20). On the other side of the bracket we should see South Adams' Briar Goodwin battle Adams Central’s Anthony Mosser, who has been red hot lately. After that action expect more in an anticipated final.
120: South Adams' (#2) Sawyer Miller leads the field in yet another very competitive weight class. Expect a nail bitter in the semis as Jon Becker of Bellmont battles the powerful freshmen of Yorktown, Colt Rutter.
126: Only three points separated these two hammers last time they met up. Look for a finals match of Bellmont’s Daniel Gunsett and Yorktown’s Remington Hiestand. The next spots will be for whoever is on.
132: They’ve met twice, and they will probably meet again. Yorktown’s Jacob Stephenson (#16) will look to avenge two earlier losses to Delta’s Sage Coy (#14). My hopes are high for this one. Dallas Dudelston of Jay County will look to continue his hot streak and finish a strong third.
138: Wrestlers won’t be laughing after wrestling Brad Laughlin. The Tiger is currently ranked 7th in state. Laughlin not finishing first would be a GIANT upset, second through fourth is up for grabs.
145: Adam Central’s Bates has been atop the podium the past two weeks, but to get there again he will have his hands full, really, really full. The terrific Tiger Cael McCormick has only suffered one loss this season and is currently ranked 2nd in the state. Also look for an intense 3rd and 4th place match between two seniors, Bellmont’s Joe Becker and Southern Well’s Daniel Beeks.
152: This weight class could be as unpredictable as Indiana’s weather and as even as the number two. Yorktown’s Dru Berkebile, Bellmont’s Brad Busse, and the Raider’s TC Perry are all title competitors. Throw Jay County’s Tyler Leonard in the mix and you have an interesting weight class.
160: He is currently unbeaten, but Delta’s Jacob Gray (#13) will be tested, not once, but maybe twice this Saturday. Adams Central’s Luke Liter has shown he can score on the best and will battle Gray in the semis. The winner will take on 10th ranked Bryce Baumgartner of Bellmont.
170: Oh boy, thinking about this finals match already has me on the edge of my seat. A battle of two top ten ranked grapplers. Yorktown’s Dillon Jackson (#4) will look to avenge an early season loss to Adam Central’s Kaine Luginbill (#7). This is a match between two highly explosive wrestlers. Look for Bellmont’s Brett Baker to be in the mix.
182: Another weight class loaded with solid wrestlers, this weight class could simply come down to who is on this Saturday. At the head of the class is, Y-Town’s Hunter Hiestand, Jay County’s Andy Kohler. Close behind are Union City’s Charlie Baron, and Daleville’s Corbin Maddox.
195: Currently ranked 3rd in the state, if anyone scores a point on Yorktown’s Myron Howard-Anderson I will call that an upset. The next best are Bellmont’s Carter Friedt and Delta’s Scottie Evans.
220: Another highly competitive weight class, 220 should be a fun one. Lead by Winchester’s Dustyn Hangen, the senior only has a one loss on the season. Union City’s Jesus Ulloa and Yorktown’s Noah little (who isn’t very little) will look to give him all he can handle.
285: Spectators better make sure they don’t leave early, as some of the better heavies in the Fort Wayne Semi-State will battle it out. Currently ranked 19th in the state, Adam Central’s Isiah Bollenbacher will be tested by Yorktown’s small, but powerful Dax Hiestand. Bollenbacher will also be tested in the semi’s by Kaiser Phillips of Monroe Central, the senior is currently 29-4.
4380Carroll Regional Preview
Link to the brackets
http://www.trackwrestling.com/predefinedtournaments/VerifyPassword.jsp?tournamentId=146555009
Team Race
This could be the easiest prediction of the whole regional, the host Chargers will keep the regional faceplate for the third straight year. They bring in 13 wrestlers with 11 of them having a higher “seed,†while the next biggest contingents are Leo and Huntington North with 9 and Columbia City and Snider with 8. Baring any catastrophic event the team race will be well and decided after the first round.
106lbs
SAC rivals Geoffrey Davis of Wayne and Ben Streeter of North Side are on a collision path once again. Davis won the SAC title match 13-6, but this one is more important as it will make the path to state a little easier. Get to the Carroll Fieldhouse early on Saturday as the 2 vs. 3 match-ups at this weight will be great with freshman Joe Just of Carroll going against sophomore gage Malott of Bishop Luers and a battle of freshmen between Leo’s Sam Richard and Garrett’s Brayden Shearer.
113lbs
Jack Franklin won a regional title last year at 106lbs and comes in with only one blemish on his record. He looks to be the favorite, while Carroll Sectional champion Joel Byman will need to navigate the rest of the field to meet him for the fifth time this year.
120lbs
This is probably the most anticipated weight class of the regional with three ranked wrestlers battling it out. Eddie Loraine, Hunter Langeloh, and Ben Cauffman all know the importance of being a regional champion in order to make the trip to the state finals. All three also are exciting and fun to watch, which will make for some high scoring matches. Dylan Demarco vs. Kyle Rothgeb will be a good first round match to keep your eye on.
126lbs
This is a weight you don’t want to miss either. Owen Doster is having a great season so far, but he cannot overlook solid opponents like Brandon Miller, Kobe Raypole, Drake Rhodes or Nik Hoot. Don’t be deceived by Rhodes’ 12 losses, he had a close 3-2 match with Doster just last week.
132llbs
This weight will be led by Columbia City senior Kyle Egolf. After having an injury shortened junior year, he has been on top of his game this year with only two losses. He could face a solid Ryan Shaffer of New Haven in the finals or another NHC nemesis Joel Arney of the host Chargers.
138lbs
While the Carroll sectional had a surprised 3 seed win the crown last week, at New Haven Isaac Eicher made quick work of his competition. He comes into the Carroll Fieldhouse without a loss for the second straight year. He will have some formidable foes looking to be the first to knock him off including super turtle Chase Downing and a pair of NHC rivals Nathan Smith of Columbia City and Joe Israbian of Carroll.
145lbs
Tanner Shipley is looking for his second regional title this year after finishing second as a junior. He will need to be on top of his game from the start. The bottom half of the bracket will be fun to watch as there should be good matches from the start of the day. Kyle Leland of Homestead has had a great second half of the season and North Side’s Logan Capps won a solid weight at the Carroll sectional last week.
152lbs
Carroll’s Josh Garman is looking for his second straight regional title at this weight and comes in without a loss. He could run into a solid Archer in Nate Garcia or NHC and sectional foe Cross Dietrich in the finals. Dietrich has a tough first round match against last year’s 145lbs regional runner-up Bailey Shockome of Huntington North.
160lbs
This weight is led by Bulldog Nick Potter who comes in battle tested. He will have to get through Carroll sectional champion Erick Loe if he wants to bring back a championship. One first round match to watch is Snider’s Jamison Stiebeling against Eastside’s Gage Delong. Don’t be surprised if the winner of this match ends up in the finals either.
170lbs
The Carroll sectional was stacked at this weight and it should show on Saturday. Cadet superstar Zach Davis comes in without a blemish on his record, but needed an extra stanza to get by Churubusco’s Caleb Partin. Don’t sleep on red hot Jacob Lay of Homestead who won sectional with a losing record out of the three seed.
182lbs
This will be one of the better weights to watch in the first round with three good matches that are all toss-ups. First Homestead’s Wyatt Clem cannot overlook Beck Davis of Garrett, who has shown he can battle with the better kids at the weight. Wally Grinager of Leo and Stephan Nix of Bishop Dwenger will square off in a match that is too close to call. Lastly, Russell Davies of Snider will battle Whitko’s Zach Baughman in the first round. If everything plays out by the seeds, you could see the 3rd match in four weeks between Carroll’s Kayne Duncan and Clem in the finals.
195lbs
The highlight of this weight could be Davis vs. Dunten III. So far Dunten has won two nailbiters in both the dual and sectional matches. However, neither can overlook the likes of returning state qualifier Tristin Anglin or guys like Mikey Rivera and Trevor Thomas.
220lbs
Blake Davis of Garrett seems to be the top wrestler here, but was pushed hard last week by Carroll’s Ammon Carr. This weight has many potential landmines as everyone comes in with solid records. Woodlan’s Edwin Barberena is a wildcard as he comes in relatively unknown with only three losses. Also you cannot overlook Layne Emery from Huntington North who won the New Haven sectional.
285lbs
The top three wrestlers at this weight come in with a combined 6 losses. This weight will feature a few size disadvantages as Columbia City’s Drew Cummings tips the scales at around 280lbs, while Bishop Luers’ Daemen Williams is around the 220 mark. Snider’s Matt Swartz is right in between and can wrestle with the best. This weight will be very interesting to watch as we will see the different styles and body types collide.
87562015 New Castle Semi-State Preview
New Castle: The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat
A long, grinding season has transpired, leading a horde of battle-tested young men into the historic New Castle Chrysler Fieldhouse for what promises to be a very exciting (and stressful) day of competition. Not joining us are some of last year's non-graduated standouts, like Jake Ruberg (#5 pre-season) of Lawrenceburg (injury), Bryant White (#10 pre-season) of Anderson (concentration on football?), Chatard's (pre-season #5) Noah Schrader (top-50 in the country in rugby), Trevor Lonneman (ticket-rounder last year) of Milan (injury) and Matthew Penola (#10 pre-season) of Zionsville (injury)...Not to mention pre-season top-20's Chapman Luster of Franklin Central and Nick Brickens of New Palestine and ticket rounder Garrett Wilson of Perry Meridian. I mention these competitors just to illustrate how difficult it is to make it to the semistate level, much less the ticket round and beyond. Impressively, at least one New Castle competitor is ranked in the top-5 in every weight class. As usual, some weight classes are stronger than others, and some are dominated by standouts operating on a higher level than their opponents. Falling into this latter category are studs like Chad Red, Jr of New Palestine, the two-time reigning state champ, Blake Rypel, last year's runner-up denied a title by an eyelash, returning state champ Tommy Cash of Lawrence North and four-year standout Brandon James of Perry Meridian. Not surprisingly, three of these four forces of nature carry some seriously impressive national rankings. As usual, some truly excellent wrestlers will get clipped by the numbers game, leaving likely State place-winners at home for the State Finals. The team race should come down to Perry Meridian (13 entrants!!), Lawrence North (12), Warren Central (11), Cathedral, Hamilton Southeastern and possibly even New Palestine.
106
Five ranked wrestlers grace the field at 106, led by state #2 Klayton Anderson, a tough move-in from Missouri. Anderson's lone loss this year is up a weight class and he was in firm control during the first two rounds of the postseason. He is very long and is nasty on top. He wrestles with maturity and good mat-sense, although occasionally he can get a little high when riding. While he should be tested here (like a possible ticket match with PM's Sunny Nier), he appears to be at the head of the class. Who will join him is far less clear, as there are a handful of really tough opening round and ticket round matches that go in different directions. Cainan Schaefer has to get by a very dangerous Josh Vaughn to set up a ticket match with the surging Alexander Strueder. Cameron Diep avenged his lone loss of the season with a regional title, getting by Keyuan Murphy. Diep looks pretty well positioned to advance to Bankers Life, and he has a shot to do it as a #1 or #2 seed. If seeds hold, #7 David Bryant and #18 Keyuan Murphy should do battle for a coveted golden ticket. That could be one of the matches of the day.
Last year's champ: Breyden Bailey, Cathedral
Ranked wrestlers:
#2 Klayton Anderson, Hamilton Southeastern
#4 Cameron Diep, New Palestine
#7 David Bryant, Hamilton Heights
#17 Cainan Schaefer, South Dearborn
#18 Keyuan Murphy, Warren Central
Feature matchups:
#7 Bryant vs. #18 Murphy (Ticket round) – Two beastly juniors could meet up in a show-stopper. Bryant has a sterling W/L record and Murphy has wrestled the nightmarish schedule. Looking for an advantage? If it's not Murphy's tougher schedule, it might be Bryant's experience, as he wrestled in the ticket round last season for Pendleton Heights. Another possible edge? Bryant competed up at 113 quite a bit this season and is a healthy sized 106.
#17 Schaefer vs. Alexander Strueder, Fishers (Ticket round) – Like Bryant, Schaefer also has ticket round experience, as he lost by decision in his first attempt last year. Strueder isn't ranked and doesn't have a record that jumps out at you, but he passed the eye test at sectionals and regionals, and should be able to give Schaefer a difficult time of it.
#2 Anderson vs. Sunny Nier, Perry Meridian (Ticket round) – Anderson is a big favorite on paper, but Perry wrestlers know a thing or two about 'upsets' this time of year. It doesn't hurt that Diep is 31-4 against pretty rugged competition.
#2 Anderson vs. #4 Diep (Finals) – If these two favorites meet, it should make for a very interesting match. Both of these youngsters have state championship aspirations, and they should find quite a challenge in each other.
1st round picks:
Schaefer over Vaughn
Strueder over Young
Diep over Markley
Grino over Hobson
Bryant over Mennen
Murphy over Mantor
Anderson over Spinale
Nier over Deloney
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Anderson, Diep, Murphy, Schaefer
The Alpha Dog:
Klayton Anderson
113
Five more state-ranked wrestlers will lace 'em up at 113. Three top-7 wrestlers are favorites here to reach the semistate final four. #5 White, #6 Turner and #7 Holmes are all returning state place-winners, and it would be a massive upset if one of those three didn't walk away with the semistate title. If anyone has the ammo to pull it off, it's likely Beech Grove's Ethan Smiley, who has shown that he can hang with the big boys at this weight. Of the Big 3 at this weight, regional champ Holmes might have the roughest path to the semis, as he has #14 Owens lurking in the ticket round. This should be a very competitive class both at New Castle and at State.
Last year's champ: Cornelius Elliott, II, Perry Meridian
Ranked wrestlers:
#5 Alec White, New Palestine
#6 Skylour Turner, Cathedral
#7 Austin Holmes, Hamilton Southeastern
#10 Ethan Smiley, Beech Grove
#14 Erik Owens, Warren Central
Feature matchups:
#10 Smiley vs. Trevor Ragle, New Castle (Ticket round) – Assuming these two can avoid first round upsets, we should have a battle of two super-frosh competing for the all-important state berth. Smiley is ranked, but Ragle comes in as regional champ and Coach Peckinpaugh has produced more than his fair share of state qualifiers. Will the home-mat advantage tilt the edge in Ragle's favor?
#7 Holmes vs. #14 Owens (Ticket round) – Holmes was my pick to win the semistate last year and he fell short in the finals, but he made up for it with a strong run at State. Owens presents a formidable challenge, as he's wrestled a 'who's who' at 113 and won't be intimidated by Holmes.
#5 White vs. #6 Turner (Semifinal round) – Yikes! I'm sure these two were hoping to avoid each other until the finals, but here we are. Both have wrestled elite level schedules, and yet they have only 5 losses combined. This is close to a pick 'em, with White a very slight favorite.
#5 White/#6 Turner vs. #7 Holmes/#10 Smiley (Finals) – Clearly there is a lot of variability here, but let's go by rankings and seeds and say Holmes vs. White. Holmes owns a narrow win over his Dragon rival earlier this year, and this one could go down in OT. On nothing but a hunch, I'm taking Holmes.
1st round picks:
White over Unseld
Ellis over Black
Turner over Servies
Jerde over Walton
Ragle over Hutson
Smiley over Lowe
Holmes over Weber
Owens over Barrantes
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Holmes, White, Turner, Smiley
The Alpha Dog:
Austin Holmes
120
Despite having only 4 ranked wrestlers participating, partially due to the unfortunate absence of sectional champ Eugene Starks of New Palestine, this is no weak group at New Castle. Defending semistate champ Breyden Bailey leads a top-heavy field at 120. Bailey has managed to navigate the entire season unscathed, which is pretty remarkable considering Cathedral's schedule. However, the two closest matches for Bailey all season, including one that required OT, were against returning semistate champ Cornelious Elliott. Look for another donnybrook between these two in the finals, as any other outcome would be a monumental upset. Who will join them is a pretty wide-open topic, but Caleb Bocock looks nicely situated to return to Bankers Life, and Alston Jenkinson is a slight favorite to round out the quartet. Highly ranked (and deservedly so) Zach McCoy drew a very unfavorable path to the state Finals, as he must find a way to figure out the riddle that is Bailey in order to wrestle another weekend.
Last year's champ: Chad Red, Jr., New Palestine
Ranked wrestlers:
#1 Breyden Bailey, Cathedral
#3 Cornelious Elliott, II, Perry Meridian
#12 Zach McCoy, North Montgomery
#13 Caleb Bocock, Lebanon
Feature matchups:
#1 Bailey vs. #12 McCoy (Ticket round) – I don't think either wrestler is wild about this matchup. While Bailey has seamlessly transitioned to 120 from 106, McCoy has had a great season as well, and presents some physical obstacles for his foes with his long frame and tough defense on his feet. While Bailey is the obvious favorite as the state's current #1, McCoy is a senior and will fight tooth and nail to pull the upset.
Jack Eiteljorge, Carmel vs. Dameion Rutledge, Southport (Opening round) – While Eiteljorge's record doesn't stand out, a closer look at his results shows that he has gone toe-to-toe with his elite foes all season, and owns a win over McCoy, among others. Rutledge is a tough senior, coming off of an impressive run at regionals, but I wouldn't be astounded if Eiteljorge pulled a couple of upsets on Saturday. The Pendoski-led freshman is a solid darkhorse pick to work his way to Bankers Life.
#3 Elliott vs. Isaac Castro, Lawrence North (Ticket round) – Assuming the seeds hold, Elliott has a legitimate hurdle in Castro waiting for him in the ticket round. While they've met already this season, with Elliott winning by fall, Castro has faced some tough competition all year and will be a tough out for the Perry senior.
#1 Bailey vs. #3 Elliott (Finals) – If this match takes place, which it should, it should be one of the top 2 or 3 matches of the entire day. While Bailey has come out on top in their prior meetings this season, Elliott has a lengthy resume of big-time wins in pressure situations. When two wrestlers are so closely matched, it's very tough for the same wrestler to win over and over again. That said, I'll go with Bailey in an exciting squeaker, possibly OT.
1st round picks:
Bailey over Browning
McCoy over Culp
Jenkinson over Fetters
Eiteljorge over Rutledge
Bocock over McMillian
Surguy over Manns
Elliott over Crum
Castro over Plunkett
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Bailey, Elliott, Bocock, Jenkinson
The Alpha Dog:
Breyden Bailey
126
Like last year, there are 7 ranked wrestlers at this weight class in New Castle, even with #13 Dalton Hair of Franklin Central getting knocked out at regionals. While this is an extraordinarily deep and tough bracket, the #1 126er in the country rules this roost, to the chagrin of the others in the class. Chad Red is well on his way to cementing his status as one of Indiana's best of alltime, and he should be able to control the action again on Saturday. The real suspense is figuring out who will join him on the podium. Almost every match in every round features a pair of dangerous wrestlers, and the bracket could play out in many different ways. In short, your guess is as good as mine, past Red, that is.
Last year's champ: Jack Chastain, Hamilton Southeastern
Ranked wrestlers:
#1 Chad Red, Jr., New Palestine (Nationally, #1 in the USA @126 The Open Mat, #2 AWN, #3 Intermat)
#6 Ngun Uk, Perry Meridian
#7 Zach Melloh, Cathedral
#9 Joel McGhee, Warren Central
#14 Boone Welliever, Southmont
#15 Taylor Wright, Greenfield-Central
#17 Skyler Collins, Frankfort
Feature matchups:
#14 Welliever vs. #9 McGhee (Opening round) – Ouch! Whoever comes out of the top foursome in this bracket, which includes the tough Southmont soph and the dangerous Warrior junior, will have earned his spot, to say the least. While I don't believe these 2 have met this year, Welliever edged Wright, who edged McGhee....which means almost nothing. Grab yer popcorn.
#14 Welliever/#9 McGhee vs. Kylan Seats, North Central (Ticket round) – It just doesn't get any easier for the winner of Welliever and McGhee, as the likely ticket round opponent will be the surging senior Seats. Seats' record isn't flashy, but his postseason performance thus far is very impressive, and it's a pick 'em among these three. Take your favorite here and hold on to your seat.
Johnny Loos, Franklin County vs. Dakota Cole, Elwood (Opening round) – While these two don't get the state-wide accolades of some of the others in this group, each of these two competitors were ticket rounders last year. Cole impressively upset a regional champ en route to his ticket match, and Loos has one lone loss all season. The winner of this melee will likely be facing Uk to try to earn a state berth.
#15 Wright vs. #17 Collins (Opening round) – Another vicious opening round slobber-knocker here, as ranked opponents Wright and Collins meet up for the privilege of facing Melloh in the ticket round. Both have faced tough competition, with Wright possessing perhaps a couple more quality wins than Collins, but it's close...too close to call. This bracket is ludicrous.
#7 Melloh vs. #17 Collins/#15 Wright (Ticket round) – No rest for the weary, as the survivor of the Wright/Collins battle will have to get by the nasty Irish freshman Melloh. While Melloh is the likely favorite, both Collins and Wright have significant experience advantages over the freshman. Will the experience factor matter at all, or does Cathedral's rough schedule even the odds? Tune in.
1st round picks:
McGhee over Welliever
Seats over Bundy
Red over Pruitt
O'Neal over Phillips
Loos over Cole
Uk over Steele
Melloh over Handley
Wright over Collins
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Red, Uk, Melloh, McGhee
The Alpha Dog:
Chad Red, Jr.
132
A number of tough wrestlers populate this bracket, and, truthfully, up to a half-dozen wrestlers have a legitimate shot at catching fire and winning the weight. Obviously, this makes prognosticating very difficult, as there are very few obvious favorites in any round at this weight. Jack Chastain, a semistate champ a year ago, will have to get by the highest ranked wrestler in the bunch, Matt McKinney, just to punch his ticket. Fargo All-American Evan Eldred, who was 'gifted' Brandon James in his ticket match last year, has to get by a 2 loss Perry Meridian senior stud, Jordan Napier, again, just to punch his ticket. Top seed Nick Smith must get by seventh ranked Nick Ellis just to make it to the ticket round. This weight is among the most confounding and unpredictable, but no matter what, when the smoke clears, there will be four tough wrestlers advancing on to Bankers Life.
Last year's champ: Deondre Wilson, Warren Central
Ranked wrestlers:
#4 Matthew McKinney, Warren Central
#5 Jack Chastain, Hamilton Southeastern
#6 Evan Eldred, Westfield
#7 Nick Ellis, Roncalli
#9 Jordan Napier, Perry Meridian
#18 Jordan Vaughn, Franklin Central
Feature matchups:
#7 Ellis vs. Nick Smith, Lawrence North (Opening round) – Ellis has had a strong year, but he stumbled a bit in his regional, whereas Smith has had a slightly uneven season, missing time with injury and taking a little while to get into full beast mode. Smith made up for lost time by winning his regional, and comes into this bout with a lot of confidence. Smith was a ticket rounder last year, while Ellis dropped his opening semistate match to Chastain. This is one of many, many matches at New Castle that could go either way.
#18 Vaughn vs. David Kitko, Noblesville (Opening round) – Vaughn managed a 3rd place showing in a strong regional, while Kitko finished 2nd in a slightly weaker regional. Between the two, they have only 6 losses all year, and while Kitko has missed some time on the mat this year, he appears to be rounding into shape at the right time. Vaughn will be favored, but Kitko could surprise. Both are returning semistate qualifiers.
#9 Napier vs. #6 Eldred (Ticket round) – This is great for the fans at New Castle, but a bummer for the semistate in the overall, Bankers Life-scheme of things. These are truly excellent wrestlers who each deserve a crack at the State field. Unfortunately, it's Thunderdome time--two men enter, one man leaves. In recent years, Perry wrestlers have been awfully tough to beat in these 50/50 matchups at semistate, but Coach O'Neill's biggest gun is hungry to return to Bankers Life after missing out last year. This match's outcome could be a big factor in the overall seeding for the entire weight class entering the State meet.
#4 McKinney vs. #5 Chastain (Ticket round) – Fate is certainly fickle, as McKinney looked to be on the verge of a regional title. Within the span of a couple of seconds, the Central Indiana wrestling world was turned upside down by an unfortunate spladle, and we are both blessed and cursed with this unreal ticket round match. Chastain is a returning semistate champ and state placer, and very nearly knocked off super-stud Zach Davis at state. McKinney has been snake-bitten a little bit in his first three years, but has all the tools to make a deep run at state, if he can get by Chastain. Both are battle-tested, both are very talented and possess strong defensive abilities. This is as good or better than most of the potential finals matchups we will see at New Castle...but what a bummer for the loser.
1st round picks:
Smith over Ellis
Buck over Estes
Napier over Lazzara
Eldred over Pace
Chastain over Lane
McKinney over Stewart
Bowers over Douglass
Vaughn over Kitko
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Chastain, Eldred, Smith, Vaughn
The Alpha Dog:
Jack Chastain
138
While six ranked wrestlers are among the field on Saturday at 138, the spotlight will be on #1 Brandon James and defending semistate and state champion, #2 Tommy Cash. I don't know if there are any other potential #1 vs. #2 matchups at any of the other semistates, but this one is about as good as Indiana high school wrestling gets. In fact, there's a very good shot that we will see the match one more time, under the lights at Bankers Life. James, an Old Dominion recruit, is highly decorated nationally, while Cash has been clutch as clutch can be in-state. A little overshadowed by the massive specter of these two senior standouts is undefeated senior Keegan Stansberry. He has looked as strong as you would expect from someone who is 34-0 while wrestling the difficult Royals' schedule. Joining these three impressive seniors could be Nathan Boggs, who will have to get by either Connor Moore or Zach Simpson to advance and join the illustrious New Castle 138 State Club.
Last year's champ: Tommy Cash, Lawrence North
Ranked wrestlers:
#1 Brandon James, Perry Meridian (Nationally, #9 @138 Intermat, #9 AWN, #11 TOM)
#2 Tommy Cash, Lawrence North
#6 Keegan Stansberry, Hamilton Southeastern
#8 Adam Timberman, New Palestine
#15 Nathan Boggs, South Dearborn
Feature matchups:
#15 Boggs vs. Zach Simpson, Triton Central/Connor Moore, Southmont (Ticket round) – Boggs must first get by a 34-12 Tyler Hoel of Elwood. I'm sure Boggs hasn't forgotten that he was upset by an Elwood wrestler, Dakota Cole, in the opening round last year as a top seed. Assuming he does get by Hoel, he will have a tough ticket match with either the senior Simpson or the junior Moore. Boggs is a slight favorite over either of them, but this quartet could provide one of those 'surprise' state qualifiers.
#2 Cash vs. #9 Timberman (Ticket round) – Is it just me, or do the New Castle seeding gods seem especially vicious this year? While every year provides some exciting but painful ticket matches, this is one of what seems like an inordinate number of high-profile, borderline wasteful ticket round matches at New Castle. I know it's a random draw, but it seems like a lot of the very best kids in the semistate are doomed to be spectators at Bankers Life. Ok, I'm done ranting, but I think Cash has a little too much for the very tough Timberman. I will be shocked if anything prevents a Cash/James showdown in the finals.
#2 Cash vs. #1 James (Finals) – Fargo All-American and three-time state placer James is looking for gold this year, and it's hard to see anyone at 138 who can stop him....besides Tommy Cash. While James soundly beat Cash earlier this year, there's no doubt that Cash will be ready for the Perry standout in the finals. While each wants to win this weekend, they know that the biggest match is lurking a week later, and it's very possible it will be one of the most anticipated of all the state finals' matches. I give James a slight advantage, but I can see Cash closing the margin significantly.
1st round picks:
Boggs over Hoel
Moore over Simpson
Cash over Hawk
Timberman over Smith
James over Kern
Smith over Marsh
Stansberry over Waugh
White over Negangard
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
James, Cash, Stansberry, Boggs
The Alpha Dog:
Brandon James
145
Two former state qualifiers, Smiley and Pruitt, lead a solid and deep group at 145. Like 132, there are a number of possible champions, including Pruitt, Smiley, Warren and Bane. Pruitt had a superior performance at last year's semistate: fall, fall, fall, loss to Cash by 1 point. It's that bit of history, plus his impressive regional title, that puts him at the top of the class for me. However, the freshman Warren seems to be peaking, Smiley has wrestled everyone and their mother for 4 years, and Bane and Oyler are wild-cards of a sort in this field. I'm often wrong, but I'll be surprised if the champ doesn't come out of the Perry Meridian regional.
Last year's champ: Cody LeCount, Perry Meridian
Ranked wrestlers:
#4 Evan Smiley, Beech Grove
#6 Trent Pruitt, Warren Central
#8 Noah Warren, Perry Meridian
#12 Adam Oyler, Lawrenceburg
#17 Mason Gaines, Fishers
#18 Alston Bane, Richmond
Feature matchups:
#6 Pruitt vs. Clayton Cowan, Hamilton Heights/Matt Kern, Zionsville (Ticket round) – While I expect Kern to be the matchup in this scenario, he's had a bit of an up and down senior year. When he's on, he's dangerous, and Pruitt would be well served not to overlook him in a potential ticket match.
#18 Bane vs. Stephen Kitko, Noblesville (Ticket round) – Kitko has to get by 28-6 Collin Strange, but if he pulls that off, he is a very tough out for the sophomore Bane. Kitko has been in this position before. In fact, last year, he was a ticket rounder. He will be desperate to cap his career with a state berth, so this match could provide an upset if Kitko is on his A game.
#17 Gaines vs. #8 Warren (Ticket round) – Yet another nasty ticket match, this time featuring a seasoned senior and a hungry freshman. Warren has more big wins this year, but Gaines has looked pretty dominant thus far in the postseason.
Derrick Motley, North Central vs. Wayne Highfield, Southmont (Opening round) – Motley appears to have hit the gas in the postseason, while Highfield was not at his best at regionals. Highfield has been in a lot of big matches during his four years, and is more than capable of pulling the 'upset' over Motley.
#4 Smiley vs. #12 Oyler (Opening round) – Smiley is a tough nut to crack, and isn't easy pickings for anyone at this weight. Oyler would've really benefitted from winning his regional, as, even if he can somehow get by Smiley, he still has Motley or Highfield waiting in the ticket round. Senior vs. senior, #12 vs. #4. I like Smiley by a close margin.
#6 Pruitt vs. #18 Bane (Semifinal round) – Assuming seeds hold, which admittedly is pretty risky, these two studs will meet to decide one finalist. Each youngster enters semistate with just 2 losses and at least 35 wins. Pruitt looked very comfortable here last year, while Bane came up just short of a scarce freshman state qualification in a middle weight. I think Pruitt's experience and superior schedule pays off against the coach's son Bane.
#4 Smiley vs. #8 Warren (Semifinal round) – Warren must get by the tough senior Gaines, and Smiley has two really tough obstacles to overcome to make this matchup a reality. Warren really seemed to handle Smiley last weekend, and the senior must bounce back with verve to pay Warren back.
#6 Pruitt/#18 Bane vs. #4 Smiley/#8 Warren – Yes, I know this weight class is getting ridiculous, with basically every other match a 'feature matchup'. However, a neutral observer would be forced to admit that this is an intriguing set of competitors and potential matchups. Personally, I think it will be Pruitt vs. Warren for the coveted #1 seed heading into Bankers Life. I think Pruitt finally gets his semistate crown, although it's not tough to envision the super-frosh making a statement and heading to state on a roll.
1st round picks:
Pruitt over Burelison
Kern over Cowan
Bane over Stocker
Kitko over Strange
Gaines over Shade
Warren over Lane
Motley over Highfield
Smiley over Oyler
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Pruitt, Warren, Smiley, Bane
The Alpha Dog:
Trent Pruitt
152
Just like last year, this is one of the most wide-open weight classes at New Castle. While there are five ranked wrestlers here (#17 Travis Gibson of Greenfield-Central was upset at regionals), there doesn't seem to be a clear-cut favorite, although in another weird New Castle twist, the two highest rated wrestlers would meet in the semis and not the finals. While the winner of Johnson/VanCamp would appear to be a substantial favorite in the finals, the other two qualification spots are pretty wide-open.
Last year's champ: Chance Brown, Southmont
Ranked wrestlers:
#5 Brett Johnson, Perry Meridian
#6 Kellen VanCamp, Lebanon
#14 Derek Noon, Noblesville
#19 Dominic Herrick, Warren Central
#20 Tanner Webster, North Montgomery
Feature matchups:
#5 Johnson vs. Isaiah Michaels, Centerville (Ticket round) – Obviously, Johnson is the favorite, with his single loss, state qualification experience and overall Perry Meridian pedigree, but Michaels is a very impressive 38-2. It would be understandable for Johnson to be looking ahead to a matchup with #6 VanCamp, but that could be dangerous against the Centerville junior.
#19 Herrick vs. #20 Webster (Opening round) – Deja vu, all over again. These two met last season in the opening round, with Webster the 2 seed and Herrick the 3 seed. Herrick came out on top by decision, but fell just short in his subsequent ticket match. It was close last year, and I expect it to be close again this year. The winner isn't through the woods, though, as one-loss Derek Noon awaits in the ticket round.
Tarpeh Walker, Pike vs. Corbin Gregg, Hamilton Southeastern (Opening round) – This isn't a match that jumps off the page, like some of the other matches featuring two opponents with gaudy W/L records. However, Walker was very competitive in the first two rounds of the postseason against some pretty tough customers, and Gregg is sneaky-good. The winner of this one could certainly pull a ticket round 'upset'.
#14 Noon vs. #19 Herrick/#20 Webster (Ticket round) – Two of these three ranked studs are going home, but in Noon's case, it's his last go-round. Will that senior desperation propel him to the breakthrough ticket win he's been working for?
Charlie Hill, Lawrenceburg vs. Walker/Gregg (Ticket round) – These 3 are pretty evenly matched, but Hill is a slight favorite with his past postseason success and his regional championship.
#5 Johnson vs. #6 VanCamp (Semifinal round) – This is clearly the biggest match of the entire bracket, and it's unfortunate that it should take place in the semis. Let's look at the numerous similarities: both have one loss, both are ranked in the top-6, both have been to Bankers Life, both have wrestled a tough schedule. As I see it, the one difference is Johnson has a few more high quality wins. The winner of this match should be the top seed heading into the State meet.
1st round picks:
VanCamp over Johnson
Carrender over Espedilla
Johnson over Frazee
Michaels over Bagwell
Noon over Doherty
Herrick over Webster
Hill over Steele
Gregg over Walker
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Johnson, Noon, VanCamp, Hill
The Alpha Dog:
Brett Johnson
160
Another weight class, another 5 ranked competitors. While there are a number of toss-up matches in other weight classes, there is a real sense of the unknown at this weight class, outside of the rock-steady Colton Gonzalez. 3 of the ranked wrestlers in this group lost their regionals to unranked opponents, with Briggeman and Archer finishing 3rd, and Young finishing a disappointing 4th. However, year in and out, we see wrestlers 'soil the proverbial bed' at regionals, and come back with a vengeance at semistate. While Gonzalez is as close to a lock as there is at this weight, the other 3 spots are very much up for grabs.
Last year's champ: Vinny Corsaro, Cathedral
Ranked wrestlers:
#4 Colton Gonzalez, Connersville
#8 Ethan Briggeman, Ritter
#14 Jesse Archer, North Montgomery
#16 Travis Gooding, Pendleton Heights
#19 DeRon Young, Franklin Central
Feature matchups:
#16 Gooding vs. #19 Young (Opening round) – The result of this match may depend on whether we see the sectional version of Young or the regional version of Young. That's not a knock on Gooding, who has impressed all season, and especially at regionals. This is a pick 'em.
#16 Gooding/#19 Young vs. #14 Archer/Jarrod Waterman, Eastern Hancock (Ticket round) – These 4 comprise a very tough, very competitive quadrant of the bracket. All but Waterman are seniors, all have at least 33 wins and no more than 5 losses. It's a question of who wants it the most and who is 'working their stuff' at the highest level on Saturday.
Dezmen Goddard, Warren Central/Mason Jones, Lawrence Central vs. Brandon Manning, South Dearborn/Nick Fox, Carmel (Ticket round) – This is another tough, very evenly matched foursome. Goddard is the hottest of the four, coming in with a hard-earned regional title, but each of the other three has the ability to win two matches on Saturday. Fox and Manning should be a dogfight, as Manning was ranked in the preseason and Fox is better than his record indicates.
Evan Stambaugh, Lebanon/Billy Decker, New Castle vs. Isaac Ray, Hamilton Heights/Garrett Milner, Perry Meridian (Ticket round) – There simply are no 'easy outs' in this bracket, as evidenced by this additional brutal group of four. Stambaugh looked great en route to his regional title, but he's been up and down at times this season. Milner beat the ranked Young at regionals, and finished above the ranked Briggeman. Decker comes from strong wrestling bloodlines and will have the home crowd in his favor. Isaac Ray has the best record of the four.
#4 Gonzalez vs. #8 Briggeman (Ticket round) – The unfortunate reality here is that a very highly ranked senior will go home. Briggeman has had a great career, but has been shut out of Bankers Life. Gonzalez, impressively a semistate runner-up and state placer last season at 170, might be too much for the Ritter standout to break that trend.
1st round picks:
Gooding over Young
Archer over Waterman
Goddard over Jones
Fox over Manning
Stambaugh over Decker
Milner over Ray
Gonzalez over Banks
Briggeman over Turner
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Gonzalez, Goddard, Archer, Milner
The Alpha Dog:
Colton Gonzalez
170
Ben Harvey and Cameron Jones appear to be the two to beat at 170. Three additional ranked wrestlers will attempt to do just that, including regional champs Cameron Nuckols and Zach Worm. While Harvey and Jones have state title pedigrees, it remains to be seen what the rest of the field is really capable of.
Last year's champ: Jeffery Scott, Clinton Central
Ranked wrestlers:
#2 Ben Harvey, Cathedral
#6 Cameron Jones, Lawrence North
#8 Cameron Nuckols, Greenfield-Central
#18 Alex Ragains, Frankfort
#19 Spencer Irick, Hamilton Southeastern
Feature matchups:
#8 Nuckols vs. #18 Ragains (Opening round) – Nuckols made the move down from 182 last season, which ended at semistate, and it seems to have paid off handsomely for him. The 8th-ranked senior has a tough opener against a fellow ranked 170 in Ragains. Nuckols is the favorite, but he'd better not overlook the Hot Dog junior, who has wins this season over Worm, Irick and Wray, among other notables.
#8 Nuckols/#18 Ragains vs. #6 Jones (Ticket round) – For whatever reason, this type of rough ticket match is the norm this year at New Castle. Assuming seeds play out, Nuckols and Jones will go toe-to-toe for the elusive Golden Ticket. For a meaningless bit of 'comparison', Jones beat Dillon Jackson and Jackson edged Nuckols earlier this year. This is essentially a pick 'em, and an unfortunate end to the season for two of these three.
#19 Irick vs. Anthony Bear, Triton Central (Ticket round) – Though not currently ranked, Bear has spent time on that list, and is a returning semistate qualifier. Irick has been a bit up and down, but has also been competing against some pretty tough competition the last few weeks. If Irick is on, he should win. If not, Bear may 'maul' him. Deep analysis, I know.
#2 Harvey vs. #6 Jones (Final round) – These two are thinking big picture--namely, seeding at Bankers Life the following weekend. Harvey is as consistent and well-rounded as they come. Only an upset loss on Friday night last year kept him from being on the brink of becoming a four-time state placer. Jones, on the other hand, has more peaks and valleys than Harvey. He is exceedingly dangerous, as Dillon Jackson can attest. He also lost a 2-1 match to top-ranked Dylan Lydy. Harvey has to be the favorite, but Jones is lurking and capable.
1st round picks:
Nuckols over Ragains
Jones over Grubb
Worm over Marion
Simmons over Bowling
Orcutt over Hertenstein
Irick over Bear
Harvey over Roach
Wray over Wilson
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Harvey, Jones, Irick, Worm
The Alpha Dog:
Ben Harvey
182
This, to me, is one of the most intriguing weight classes at New Castle. There are 3 undefeated wrestlers here (all regional champs, obviously), and the other regional champ is returning state placer Jonathan Morales. At the very least, 2 'O's' must go, and it could be 3 if Morales, Stewart or Manns catches fire. By another metric, this semistate features the #4, #5, #6, #7 and #8 wrestlers in the state. In case you're counting, that's 5 of the top-8. There are four spots open. Sigh, there are no easy roads to Bankers Life.
Last year's champ: Blake Rypel, Cathedral
Ranked wrestlers:
#4 Conner James, Roncalli
#5 Mason Parris, Lawrenceburg
#6 Jonathan Morales, Western Boone
#7 Robert Manns, Crawfordsville
#8 Spencer McCool, Pendleton Heights
#12 Ben Stewart, Cathedral
Feature matchups:
#8 McCool vs. #7 Manns (Opening round) – Last year at New Castle, McCool dropped a one point ticket round match and Manns a two point ticket round match. This year, only one will even get the opportunity to get to the ticket round, as they meet in another agonizing early round New Castle matchup. It's unfortunate that they're both seniors, but it is what it is, and I'm sure they will both come out guns blazing. The winner has a nice shot to advance to state.
#4 James vs. Griffin Steffy, Lebanon/Ricky Samuels, Lawrence North (Ticket round) – James was my top pick at New Castle's 152 last year and was upended in the ticket round in a big upset. I'm sure he's agonized over that loss all year, and will be trying to take care of business this year. He's been pretty dominant this season, even more so than last year, en route to a spotless 41-0 record. Moving up 30 pounds should allow him to be a little less impacted by weight cutting, which should improve his gastank compared with last season. Steffy is no pushover; despite a fair number of losses, he's a goer and a battler and is fully capable of giving James his first loss if he's not on his toes. The exact same is true of Samuels.
#5 Parris vs. #12 Stewart/Tanner Smith, South Vermillion (Ticket round) – Parris has been a revelation this year as a freshman, not only going undefeated thus far, but winning with bonus points and falls. The scary thing for the rest of the semistate is that he's only going to get better. He will have a large task waiting for him in the ticket round in the form of the Irish's Stewart, a ticket rounder last year or Smith, a semistate qualifier last season. Stewart especially will give a heat check for Parris. If he can win impressively over Stewart, he might take the title on Saturday.
#6 Morales/#8 McCool-#7 Manns vs. #4 James/#5 Parris-#12 Stewart (Finals) – This unique weight class, with literally half of the best 12 in the state, should provide some high quality matches in the semis and finals. It's really impossible to predict who comes out between McCool/Morales/Manns/Parris/James/Stewart, and all I've done is taken a wild stab at it.
1st round picks:
Morales over Trammell
Knox-Abbott over Orschell
McCool over Manns
Hoots over Clark
James over Bugni
Steffy over Samuels
Parris over Kaiser
Stewart over Smith
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
James, McCool, Morales, Parris
The Alpha Dog:
Conner James
195
Junior Blake Rypel has been so successful thus far in his career, it seems like he's been around for 4 or 5 years. Unfortunately for his opponents, he has one more year to go after this one. A strong favorite to win it all at 195, Rypel should be in control at semistate. Rypel is very slick for a person his size, and he's been pinning his foes at a high rate this year. The race for 2nd is led by returning state qualifier Tristen Tonte, and the battles for spots 3 and 4 should be vicious and unpredictable.
Last year's champ: Brian Wagner, New Palestine
Ranked wrestlers:
#1 Blake Rypel, Cathedral (Nationally #10 @ 195 Intermat, #11 AWN)
#4 Tristen Tonte, Perry Meridian
#6 Jake Cavins, Milan
#10 Scott Fuller, Zionsville
#11 Sam Hipple, Carmel
#13 Justin Stone, Lawrence Central
Feature matchups:
#11 Hipple vs. #6 Cavins (Ticket round) – Both big men were semistate qualifiers a year ago, but fell just short of nabbing a ticket. Hipple, Ed Pendoski's big gun, is rock-solid with positioning and defense and will not beat himself. He has a solid gastank and has faced a tougher level of competition this year than Cavins. That said, Cavins is the higher ranked wrestler and is, therefore, technically favored. Cavins must first deal with returning semistate qualifier Josh Torres of Franklin Central.
Will Amberger, Batesville vs. #10 Fuller (Ticket round) – Amberger was a semistate qualifier last year, losing to Tonte in his opening match. Fuller is another in a very long line of studly Zionsville upperweights. Fuller looked better at sectional than he did at regional, but he may be due for a bounce-back effort against Amberger.
#4 Tonte vs. #13 Stone/Nick Schaeffer, Westfield (Ticket round) – Tonte was impressive as a freshman, making it all the way to Bankers Life. He's clearly taken a step forward this season, as evidenced by his near-spotless 37-1 record. Schaeffer has been a little bit up and down, but clearly has it within him to spring an upset over Stone, a returning semistate qualifier. Tonte should have enough for either eventuality.
1st round picks:
Rypel over Slavens
Burton over Guintini
Hipple over Mayfield
Cavins over Torres
Amberger over Smith
Fuller over Haire
Tonte over Mosley
Stone over Schaeffer
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Rypel, Tonte, Hipple, Fuller
The Alpha Dog:
Blake Rypel
220
Five of the top-20 are represented by this year's New Castle field at 220 (could've been six if not for the late-season injury to #11 Matthew Penola), led by #3 Courvoisie Morrow, who has wrestled a murderer's row at 220. There's some real parity after Morrow and Erik Hart, led by Grable, Cooper, Stephens and Guhl. As in past seasons, this is not among the very strongest weight classes at New Castle, although it is still plenty formidable.
Last year's champ: Dylan Faulkenburg, Ritter
Ranked wrestlers:
#3 Courvoisie Morrow, Warren Central
#13 Erik Hart, Lebanon
#15 Ryan Guhl, Cathedral
#17 Noah Grable, New Palestine
#19 Jacob Cooper, Triton Central
Feature matchups:
#19 Cooper vs. Josh Stephens, Pendleton Heights (Opening round) – This is a really tough match to handicap, as they have roughly similar records against roughly similar competition. Cooper came into New Castle last year as a 4 seed and upset a top seed, ultimately dropping a very close ticket match. The winner gets an even bigger test in the one-loss Hart.
#15 Guhl vs. Blake Schjoll, Perry Meridian (Opening round) – It's a little unusual to see a Perry wrestler with a 25-4 record and still unranked, but Schjoll was 4th best in his regional, whereas Guhl was regional champ. While Guhl is favored, Perry's staff is likely devising a plan to neutralize the Irish wrestler as we speak.
#13 Hart vs. #19 Cooper/Stephens (Ticket round) – Hart has been nearly flawless all season, save for one match against the now-injured Penola. While Hart will be favored against either senior wrestler, he will certainly have his work cut out for him.
#13 Hart vs. #3 Morrow (Finals) – Morrow has faced elite level competition all season long, and has managed to come out on top in all but two matches. Hart has a golden record, but he can't say he's faced the same sort of challenges. Hart will find out where he stands in the overall state picture after this match, if it takes place.
1st round picks:
Hart over Clouse
Cooper over Stephens
Miller over Reynolds
Grable over Ogorek
Guhl over Schjoll
Martin over Dishman
Morrow over Lucas
Ford over Neff
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Morrow, Hart, Guhl, Grable
The Alpha Dog:
Courvoisie Morrow
285
Returning state qualifier Nate Trawick is a solid favorite over the other 4 ranked wrestlers and the rest of the field at 285. The Richmond football standout has had a pretty dominating season thus far, dropping only one match and avenging that loss. He should win this weight, although he will be tested in the ticket round by IndianaMat Hoosier Preseason Open champion Chris Ridle of Perry Meridian. Jasion Brogan looks like a solid bet for 2nd, and the 3rd and 4th slots are pretty wide open.
Last year's champ: Wesley Bernard, Cathedral
Ranked wrestlers:
#3 Nate Trawick, Richmond
#8 Jasion Brogan, Warren Central
#11 Anthony Jackson, Pike
#14 Michael Smith, Lebanon
#19 Chris Ridle, Perry Meridian
Feature matchups:
#8 Brogan vs. Clark Minges, Union County/Zach Saylor, Anderson (Ticket round) – While Brogan has had the superior regular season, Minges was one win away from state last year as a freshman. He upset a favored, higher seeded opponent from Indianapolis. Hmm...Probably not this year. If it's Saylor, also a semistate qualifier last year as a sophomore, the chances are a little more remote of pulling the upset.
#19 Ridle vs. #3 Trawick (Ticket round) – This is a very intriguing ticket bout, but Trawick is just so physically dominant. He'll have to make a big mistake that Ridle capitalizes on in order to drop this one.
#11 Jackson vs. #14 Smith (Opening round) – Smith has had a fine season, but seems to have a matchup problem with Hobick. Jackson has also had a fine season, but has had the misfortune of facing Stormin' Norman Oglesby more than once. Smith is a very nimble heavy, and if he can avoid being put on his back, he could pull this one out with a superior gastank.
1st round picks:
Hobick over Ewers
Phifer over Smith
Brogan over Bean
Minges over Saylor
Trawick over Kessler
Ridle over Williams
Samuels over Selm
Smith over Jackson
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Trawick, Brogan, Hobick, Smith
The Alpha Dog:
Nate Trawick
24422015 Evansville Semi-State Pick'ems
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31462015 New Castle Semi-State Pick'ems
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30702015 Merrillville Semi-State Pick'ems
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55812015 State Finals: Information Center
State Finals Hashtag: #INStateFinals15
Site: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, 125 S. Pennsylvania St., Indianapolis | Website
Admission: $8 per session or $20 both days.
Match Results: TrackWrestling.com
Friday, Feb. 20, 2015
First Round | 6 pm ET.
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015
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)
Video via TrackWrestling's Trackcast
$5 fee to watch all weekend
TrackWrestling Link
Streaming and Broadcast Information
State Finals Pick’ems
Takedown and Release
Rankings by the Numbers
State Finals Preview
50642015 State Finals: Rankings by the Numbers
Overall
We hear the saying “rankings don’t matter†all the time, however our IndianaMat rankings have been spot on over the years. Remember that our rankings are finalized before sectional, so they do not take into account the draws at regional or semi-state. This year’s preseason magazine had an astounding 166 wrestlers ranked that made the state finals! Remember, this takes into account incoming freshmen, kids that move out of state, injuries to top wrestlers, and other reasons for top wrestlers not wrestling this year. Here are the previous year’s and how many ranked kids made the state finals.
2015- 172
2014- 171
2013- 171
2012- 170
2011- 157
2010- 159
2009- 143
106lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Ben Streeter- Fort Wayne North Side
Jon Anderson- Lafayette Jefferson
Levi Miller- North Posey
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#3 Graham Rooks- Columbus East vs. #15 Kory Cavanaugh- Penn
#8 Christian Hunt- Yorktown vs. #2 Klayton Anderson- Hamilton Southeastern
#17 Cainan Schaefer- South Dearborn vs. #16 Tanner DeMien- Northwood
#19 Geoffrey Davis- Fort Wayne Wayne vs. #4 Cameron Diep- New Palestine
#5 Tylor Triana- Hobart vs. #9 Mason Miranda- Avon
113lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Anthony Mosser- Adams Central
Jabin Wright- Kokomo
Kadin Poe- Decatur Central
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#11 Rickie Rodriguez- Hammond Morton vs. #16 Jacob Skaggs- Avon
#1 Garrett Pepple- East Noble vs. #10 Ethan Smiley- Beech Grove
#4 Kyle Luigs- Evansville Mater Dei vs. #17 Dustin Miller- Lafayette Jefferson
#2 Paul Konrath- Mt. Vernon vs. #9 Michael DeLaPeña- Merrillville
#5 Alec White- New Palestine vs. #8 Blake Glogouski- Fairfield
120lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 15
Unranked qualifiers:
Dameion Rutledge- Southport
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#9 Kyle Hatch- Warsaw vs. #14 Isaac Gomez- Plainfield
#1 Breyden Bailey- Indianapolis Cathedral vs. #11 Eddie Loraine- Leo
#7 Tyler Ferguson- Evansville F.J. Reitz vs. #4 Jeremiah Reitz- Griffith
#5 Brock Hudkins- Danville vs. #19 Ryan Hardesty- Mishawaka
#15 Hunter Langeloh- Columbia City vs. #3 Cornelious Elliot II- Perry Meridian
#6 Brendan Black- Hobart vs. #8 Will Egli- Evansville Mater Dei
#13 Caleb Bocock- Lebanon vs. #16 Ben Cauffman- Carroll (Fort Wayne)
126lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Chris Diaz- Hammond Clark
David Lewis- Terre Haute South
Kobe Raypole- Carroll (Fort Wayne)
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#7 Zach Melloh- Indianapolis Cathedral vs. #16 Chayce Young- Madison
#1 Chad Red- New Palestine vs. #5 Alex Johnson- Evansville Mater Dei
#12 Daniel Gunsett- Bellmont vs. #11 Branden Truver- Lake Central
#3 Elliott Molloy- Danville vs. #9 Joel McGhee- Warren Central
#4 Jason Crary- Munster vs. #8 Owen Doster- New Haven
132lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12
Unranked qualifiers:
Austen Laughlin- South Bend Riley
Cale McCoy- Northview
Fernando Luevano- West Noble
Jarrett Carden- Cass
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#3 Connor Knapp- East Noble vs. #11 Austin Bethel- Mt. Vernon
#8 Griffin Schermer- Bloomington South vs. #12 Kyle Egolf- Columbia City
#5 Jack Chastain- Hamilton Southeastern vs. #10 Zach Donaldson- Crown Point
#17 Blake Strawsma- Benton Central vs. #7 Nick Ellis- Roncalli
138lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Alan Dixon- Evansville F.J. Reitz
Connor Moore- Southmont
Kasper McIntosh- Portage
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#4 Clarence Johnson- Merrillville vs. #18 Jay Franko- Jimtown
#6 Keegan Stansberry- Hamilton Southeastern vs. #5 Kyle Todrank- Gibson Southern
#10 Isaac Eicher- Leo vs. #14 Riley Akers- Crown Point
#1 Brandon James- Perry Meridian vs. #19 Hunter Castleberry- New Albany
#17 Triston Rodriguez- Culver Community vs. #7 Brad Laughlin- Yorktown
145lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14
Unranked qualifiers:
Daylan Schurg- Crown Point
Tanner Shipley- Huntington North
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#6 Trent Pruitt- Warren Central vs. #19 Doug Levitz- Prairie Heights
#15 Bryant Haynes- Charlestown vs. #1 Jacob Covaciu- Merrillville
#2 Cael McCormick- Yorktown vs. #18 Alston Bane- Richmond
#14 Tavonte` Malone- South Bend Adams vs. #5 Blake Jourdan- Evansville Mater Dei
#4 Evan Smiley- Beech Grove vs. #7 Tony Vaughn- Elkhart Memorial
#3 Steven Lawrence- Portage vs. #10 Patrick Schnell- Castle
152lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 11
Unranked qualifiers:
Corbin Gregg- Hamilton Southeastern
Dru Berkebile- Yorktown
Gleason Mappes- Center Grove
Isaiah Michaels- Centerville
Marquis Schieber- Jimtown
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#2 Isaiah Kemper- Evansville Central vs. #13 Mike Krzyston- Andrean
#7 Elijah Dunn- Indian Creek vs. #4 Jarod Swank- Penn
#6 Kellen VanCamp- Lebanon vs. #12 Peyton Sturgill- Peru
#16 Kodie Christenson- Lake Central vs. #10 Cayden Whitaker- Martinsville
160lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 11
Unranked qualifiers:
Dezmen Goddard- Warren Central
Evan Stambaugh- Lebanon
Jordan Rader- Peru
Kody Caudle- Danville
Tristan Goering- South Bend Riley
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#11 Jacob Weimer- East Noble vs. #12 Tristen McDaniel- Tecumseh
#2 Gabe Koontz- Edgewood vs. #10 Bryce Baumgartner- Bellmont
#14 Jesse Archer- North Montgomery vs. #3 Darden Schurg- Crown Point
#7 Adam Dodson- John Glenn vs. #8 Ethan Briggeman- Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter
170lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 11
Unranked qualifiers:
Ben Norton- LaVille
Blake Jeffress- Castle
Brett Baker- Bellmont
Zach Davis- Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran
Zach Worm- Southmont
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#9 Nathan Walton- Brownsburg vs. #10 Hunter Mote- Delphi
#4 Dillon Jackson- Yorktown vs. #19 Spencer Irick- Hamilton Southeastern
#17 Ismael Cornejo- Portage vs. #5 Jacob Stevenson- Franklin Community
182lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Andy Kohler- Jay County
Caleb Hoots- New Castle
Gage Garpow- Winamac
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#2 Corey Hinkle- Western vs. #20 Ryan Hammond- Whiteland
#4 Conner James- Roncalli vs. #3 Andrew Davison- Chesterton
#5 Mason Parris- Lawrenceburg vs. #9 Jake Kleimola- Lake Central
#13 Hunter Hiestand- Yorktown vs. #10 Kyle Shaffer- South Putnam
#17 Matt Hayes- Providence vs. #16 David Eli- Elkhart Memorial
195lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 11
Unranked qualifiers:
Carter Friedt- Bellmont
Christian Redmond- Jennings County
Jake LaMar- Castle
Justin Akers- Crown Point
Scottie Evans- Delta
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#11 Sam Hipple- Carmel vs. #16 Tanner Bradley- Mishawaka
#9 Matt Hedrick- Portage vs. #4 Tristen Tonte- Perry Meridian
#5 Nick Fowler- Calumet vs. #10 Scott Fuller- Zionsville
#17 Bo Davis- Garrett vs. #18 Garrison Lee- Monrovia
220lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Blake Davis- Garrett
Dustyn Hangen- Winchester
Tristin Choate- Mt. Vernon
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#2 Eliseo Guerra- Elkhart Central vs. #18 Braden Majewski- Portage
#9 Kasha Wilder- Ben Davis vs. #13 Erik Hart- Lebanon
#15 Ryan Guhl- Indianapolis Cathedral vs. #10 Clayton Scroggs- Martinsville
#5 Gunnar Larson- Avon vs. #17 Noah Grable- New Palestine
#7 Seth Meyer- Harrison (West Lafayette) vs. #8 Evan Ellis- Eastern (Greentown)
285lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 9
Unranked qualifiers:
Brendan Sutton- Jennings County
Dax Hiestand- Yorktown
Drew Cummings- Columbia City
Drew Hobick- Zionsville
Evan Beech- North Miami
Jordan Shafer- Rochester
Robert Samuels- Lawrence North
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#7 Quinn York- Franklin Community vs. #8 Jasion Brogan- Warren Central
23332015 IHSWCA Vice Presidential Candidate Greg Ratliff
1. Tell us what your background in wrestling is as a coach and as a competitor.
I have been wrestling since the 6th grade. I got cut from the basketball team and my PE teacher/ wrestling coach Rod Dorsey made sure I got involved with wrestling. I wrestled for 4 years at Franklin Community High School and graduated in 2001. During my last two years of college at IU, I got involved in coaching at the school I student taught at, Mooresville High School. I have coached 2 years at Mooresville (assistant), 1 year at Franklin Community (assistant), 1 year at Benjamin Rush Middle School (head), and 7 years at Edgewood High School (3 assistant and 4 head)
2. Why did you decide to run for office in the coaches association?
I want to be involved with the association because it is an opportunity for me to help improve our sport. Wrestling fans are passionate and often very giving of time, energy and support to help improve the sport. I would like to help be an extension of that for our sport.
3. What does the IHSWCA do well?
The IHSWCA always has our sport’s best interest in mind. I know they have many good ideas and there are many people that give tons of time to make the association work. I like the way they have focused on bringing back the old team state and improving it.
4. What can the IHSWCA improve on?
I believe that we can probably work more on communicating with our members and the voices of our sport. It sounds like there has also already been a movement to start to incorporate a little more technology like virtual meetings.
5. What do you think you can bring to the association as the VP and eventually president?
I am always open minded and trying to find ways to improve things. I am not a guy that is stuck in his ways. I am all for incorporating technology to our process of doing things. I do a good job of promotion and building enthusiasm. I also feel that one of strong suits is to pay attention to small details and do some gritty and detailed work.
6. Who was most influential in your life both as an athlete and coach?
I have had many influential people in my life and try to take little pieces of information from every coaching person I have been involved with. There is no doubt in my mind though, that I would have never got involved with wrestling from a professional stand point had it not been for my high school coach Bob Hasseman. I loved being around the sport. I couldn’t get enough of it. I always thought that Hasseman had the best job in the world. He got to watch kids play sports all day, hang out in a weight-room, and then be around wrestling. That sounded like nothing but fun. It’s probably a good thing I didn’t know reality beforehand. I always felt that I wanted to help people reach their potential like Coach Hassemen was doing on a daily basis.
7. How would you go about recruiting more coaches to be members of the association?
I think that coaches need to know why they should join. What is in it for them? I think there needs to be more email communication with the coaches on how to register.
8. What makes Indiana high school wrestling so great?
Wrestling is the greatest sport for many of those reasons that we often use to sell kids to join our sport; discipline, hard work and all of the other life lessons. Indiana is so great in particular because of the state tournament itself. It really is the best state finals of any sport in our state. I have had many people who attended their first wrestling event at the state finals and were absolutely impressed with the whole presentation.
9. What other experiences outside of wrestling do you believe would help you in this position?
My experiences as a Physical Education and Health teacher have helped me become a better leader and to manage situations and people effectively.
10. What issue(s) do you feel the coaches association should address?
I think we need to continue to address the team state tournament and making it an actual portion of the state tournament series.
I like the idea of coaches having a singular stat/ match reporting such as trackwrestling. Football and basketball games are all reported in some capacity. It would be nice if wrestling matches weren’t so secretive.
I like the idea of wrestle- back to determine a true top 4 at semi-state so we are less concerned with someone getting a bad draw. I also would like to see wrestle-backs to 3rd at the state tournament.
I also think we need to look at the number of Saturday matches that we are currently participating in. As a coach I’m not going to get rid of those currently because I want my wrestlers to get as many opportunities as everyone else. That being said, Saturday 5 way dual meets make it hard for the casual observer to come watch. We want our sport to grow, but I have a hard time asking students to come sit in a gym for 8 hours.
11. How would you improve communication between the IHSWCA and wrestling coaches?
Communication doesn’t have to be anything crazy. It appears that there has already been a message board created to allow for communication on Indianamat. I think that we need to have an email database with all wrestling coaches that allows to communicate issues to them and hear their thoughts. Using technology such as surveymonkey is a great way to help find out pressing issues to our coaches as well.
12. How does the IHSWCA become an association that is well respected by the IHSAA?
I cannot speak on the current standing with the IHSAA, but being well respected is all about creating relationships with people. We need to take a civil approach to dealing with them and make sure they understand we are not just attacking them.
13. In what direction do you see the IHSWCA Team State going?
I believe the IHSWCA is currently doing the best they can within the parameters they are given. It obviously would be best if they qualifiers were based on the current year, but I also understand that we are currently not able to do that. Out of the whole mess of losing team state, a much improved team state was created. I like that team state is classed into the right amount of groups. Other positives are that it is in one singular venue on one day and all teams get at least 3 matches so that each place is determined 1-12. I think the future has to have some sort of in-season qualifier or something based on in-season rankings. That means that it can’t take up points on the schedule though.
18612015 IHSWCA Vice Presidential Candidate Mark Line
1. Tell us what your background in wrestling is as a coach and as a competitor.
HS: Columbia City
Collegiate: Anderson (Hoosier-Buckeye Collegiate Conference Champion/NAIA qualifier)
University of Indianapolis
Coaching: Craig MS (Lawrence Twp. 3 yrs)
Knox HS/MS (1 yr)
North Newton HS (3 yrs as volunteer)
Boone Grove HS (2 yrs)
Ben Franklin MS/Valparaiso HS (2 yrs volunteer)
Valparaiso HS (2 yrs)
20 year IHSWCA Member and current Crown Point Regional Rep
2. Why did you decide to run for office in the coaches association?
To work with the Coaches throughout the state to help improve and advance wrestling in Indiana
3. What does the IHSWCA do well?
Clinics/Team State/Attempts to communicate desires to the IHSAA
4. What can the IHSWCA improve on?
Continue to grow membership
5. What do you think you can bring to the association as the VP and eventually president?
Desire to grow the Association and to try to communicate our desires to and work with the
IHSAA to incorporate them
6. Who was most influential in your life both as an athlete and coach?
My Father and Coach Don Armstrong (Columbia City)
7. How would you go about recruiting more coaches to be members of the association?
Email AD's, so they can pass it to their coach and then follow up with them, to encourage
Coaches to include their MS Coaches as well
8. What makes Indiana high school wrestling so great?
The State Tournament Series, the number of schools represented throughout and schools
of all sizes
9. What other experiences outside of wrestling do you believe would help you in this position?
I believe in negotiating in the business world will help prepare me in trying to negotiate and work
with the IHSAA on our proposals
10. What issue(s) do you feel the coaches association should address?
Wrestle-backs/ possibly modification of the scoring in the tournament
11. How would you improve communication between the IHSWCA and wrestling coaches?
Mass email and/or postings on IndianaMat.com
12. How does the IHSWCA become an association that is well respected by the IHSAA?
By continued growth (membership); open forum with members and the IHSAA
13. In what direction do you see the IHSWCA Team State going?
I would like to see it remain
4185Wrestling Wednesday: Humphrey Ready for World Title
Photo by Tony Rotundo/Wrestlers are Warriors
By JEREMY HINES
jerhines@cinergymetro.net
When Reece Humphrey was in sixth grade he told his dad he wanted to try wrestling. He remembers his dad, Jim, having a big smile on his face when he learned the news.
Soon Jim started showing up to Reece’s practices. Then he started running the practices. Reece thought his dad running practice was a little odd, until he found out that his dad was a World silver medalist and a two time Olympic wrestling coach.
“I didn’t go out for wrestling because of my dad,†Reece said. “I didn’t even know about his career. I went out for wrestling because my friends talked me into it.â€
Now, over a decade later, Reece wrestles for a living. He is the United States’ top 61kg freestyle grappler and will represent his country at the World Championships this week in Las Vegas.
Reece grew up in Indiana, where he was a three-time state champion representing Lawrence North High School. He then went to Ohio State where he earned All-American honors twice with the Buckeyes.
“I remember back in high school, a state championship meant everything to me,†Humphrey said. “Then in college I wanted to be an NCAA champion. I ended up finishing second. But now, the ultimate goal is to win the World Championships, and I really feel like this is my year to do it.â€
Humphrey advanced to the Worlds by beating Daniel Dennis 12-1, 4-1 in the qualifying round.
Now, at 29, he’s the second oldest member on the US team. Humphrey is joined by Tony Ramos (57kg), Brent Metcalf (65kg), James Green (70kg), Jordan Burroughs (74kg), Jake Herbert (86kg), Kyle Snyder (97kg) and Tervel Diagnev (125kg).
“I’ve been practicing twice a day, 11 times a week all year long for this,†Humphrey said. “I love what I do. Wrestling is 24-7 for me.â€
Humphrey has cut nearly 30 pounds to get down to his competition weight.
“That’s all I’m thinking about every second,†Humphrey said. “I’m on a strict diet. Making this weight is very tough for me. I’m pretty lean around 160 pounds.â€
His class, 61kg, is 134 pounds.
This time at the World Championships Humphrey feels it is his time to take gold.
“The first time I competed at World I didn’t know what to expect,†he said. “The second time I lost a close one to a two-time medalist. Now I know how to train, how to prepare. The competition is on home soil and I’m so ready to go out and do this.â€
Humphrey feels this is his last chance to win a World medal.
“I’m anxious, nervous and excited,†he said. “I feel the pressure, but I love it. You don’t get that many shots at winning a world title. You have to take each one seriously. This really could be my last chance. I want to go out on top.â€
Reece is proud of the fact he grew up in Indiana.
“Indiana isn’t known as one of the best wrestling states,†he said. “But when I was wrestling we had about 10 really tough kids that did really well at nationals. Angel Escobedo is my training partner. He was a four-time champ from Indiana.â€
Humphrey teaches at a lot of camps throughout the state as a way of giving back.
“I do a lot of camps,†he said. “I plan on opening a club (in Ohio, where he currently resides) when I’m done with the Olympics in Rio. I’m all around the country doing camps. I have no weekends, ever. But I love working with the kids and spreading my knowledge. It’s my way of giving back to the sport that has given me so many opportunities.â€
Wrestling allows Reece to be able to spend a lot of time with his family. He and his wife Meredith have two children – Parker, 4 and Reace, 3.
“I am fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time at home with the kids,†Reace said. “And when they start school I’ll be retired. I get to be a huge part of their life.â€
This has been one of Humphrey’s most successful wrestling years so far. He won the US Open, made the world team and is now competing for a title.
“Aleksander Bogomoev (Russia) is very tough,†Humphrey said of the top ranked 61kg grappler. “But I feel like I can go out and compete with anyone right now. I’m at the top of my game.â€
5072Where are they now with Brad Traviola
Wrestler’s Name: Brad Traviolia
High School: Wawasee
College: Northwestern University
Talk a little about your high school wrestling experience:
Coach Rich Welborn had developed Wawasee into a very respectable wrestling program by the time I reached high school. Our team annually had high expectations. I was part of a group of kids from our area that competed in freestyle competition throughout the spring and summer months from a fairly early age - which I believe was a first for Wawasee. This additional time spent wrestling paid off as Wawasee had a nice run of sectional and regional championships and several state place winners.
What other sports did you play/enjoy in high school?
Football. The Wawasee Warriors were state runners-up in Class 3A in 1985. This was the first year in which the state championship format included all teams. Our team was barely over .500 during the regular season but we got hot during the playoffs and made a run all the way to the state finals. It was great fun being part of that experience and playing in the Hoosier Dome.
Memories of your state championship:
I recall feeling a sense of relief more than anything else. I lost in the semi-finals as a junior and I put a lot of pressure on myself to finish my senior year on top. I think for any state champion the accomplishment serves as a validation of the time, effort and commitment put forth by that individual or team.
Summer wrestling & summer camp experiences:
As part of the Indiana junior freestyle team I attended a week-long training camp at Doug Blubaugh’s “Top of the World Camp†in Bloomington. My parents almost turned around and took me home after arriving and seeing dogs running all over the wrestling mats, the “swimming facility†(an overgrown pond), and several coaching staff members clearing land around the camp with heavy construction equipment in between wrestling sessions. I’m glad I stayed because I learned the front-headlock from one of the very best.
College wrestling experiences:
Northwestern was a great fit for me. The campus was close (3 hours drive) but not too close to home. My teammates became my extended family. The camaraderie among my teammates was so important because the hardest part about jumping from high school to college for me was adapting to the high level of competition every day in the practice room. Taking fourth place as a team at the 1990 NCAA Wrestling Championships was definitely the highlight.
National & international experiences:
While I competed in a few national freestyle tournaments I never really got into it. High school was great in that football served as a nice break from wrestling and vice versa. After my freshman year of college I didn’t want to see a wrestling mat for months.
Favorite practice partner & why? (High school or college)
I was fortunate to have great practice partners in both high school and college. At Wawasee I practiced every day with Lance Lantz who won a state championship at 167 lbs. our senior year. There is no substitute for facing top level competition every day. At Northwestern the talent level was incredible and being a middle weight I found it beneficial to practice with both smaller, quicker guys, as well as, heavier, stronger teammates so I could work on different parts of my style depending my opponents’ strengths and weaknesses.
Who was your toughest opponent and why?
One of the toughest had to be David Lee of Wisconsin (1989 NCAA Champion at 167 lbs.). He was one of the few opponents that I don’t know whether I could have beaten even on a good day.
Most memorable match?
One match that I think about from time to time is an early round match against Marty Morgan of Minnesota at the 1989 NCAA Championships. This was the fourth time I wrestled Marty that year and he had won two of the previous three. I wrestled one of the best matches of my career this time and won our final bout decidedly. The ironic part about it, and probably the reason I think about the match occasionally, is that I lost my next two matches and came up just short of earning All-America honors. Marty went on to eventually earn 6th place while only losing to the same two individuals I did. He just met them later in the brackets because I won our match! So let that be a lesson for all of the youngsters out there - keep your intensity up at all times, especially after a big win!
What were your main sources of motivation as a wrestler?
I just wanted to be the best.
What impact has wrestling had on your life?
Like many people, sports provided me opportunities to learn from both my successes and failures. The incredible demands of wrestling are what helped me develop my work ethic and my ability to dedicate myself to a goal. Wrestling provided me an education and eventually employment as a coach at Northwestern. It absolutely opened the door for me to continue my career in college athletics.
What are you duties with the Big Ten and NCAA?
I’m the Deputy Commissioner of the Big Ten and serve as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the conference. My responsibilities include managing the day-to-day operations of the conference office.
I also serve on the NCAA Wrestling Committee. The committee reviews the rules and policies that govern collegiate wrestling and can recommend changes that it feels are in the best interest of the sport.
Where do you see college wrestling in 20 years?
My optimistic outlook foresees the number of Division I programs staying around 85. I believe that we will continue to see a growth of programs at the Division II and Division III levels. It is my hope that the NCAA will eventually sanction a dual meet championship and that will help re-energize the regular season. If wrestling has a chance to reach a broader fan base it will be through the dual meet format.
Views on class wrestling based on school enrollment (A big debate within the state of Indiana):
I must admit that I carry a rather silly sense of additional pride knowing that I won a single-class state championship. A little bit of bragging rights when trash-talking with teammates from other states. However after having seen the benefits that a class system provides, both in promotional value for the sport and a better student-athlete experience, I can’t really argue against it.
Any last words you would like wrestling fans of Indiana to know?
It’s great to see more and more quality wrestlers coming out of the state.
2800Best of Brand Award for Indiana
The Best of Brand Awards were designed to help grow the sport of wrestling by honoring programs who are marketing themselves effectively via social media. Starting in 2011, the program has grown to include more than 150 college programs and 150 high school programs. At the high school level, we have recently expanded to include awards programs specifically for states and Indiana was one of the first chosen.
With that being said, we are currently looking to get as many high school programs involved in the programs as possible. The first part of the competition we are currently accepting registration for is the Gold Standard category. This is the most prestigious award that tracks program presence on social media. If you are interested in learning more about the program, visit the link below.
To register, click on the link below and fill out the form. We will start tracking for this award November 15th and programs who register earliest will get the highest priority. Thanks so much for your efforts to help grow your program and wrestling!
Learn About Awards Program: http://www.nwcaonline.com/nwcawebsite/best-of-brand-awards
Registration Link: http://goo.gl/forms/RYLDwLDgIi
2007Ancilla Announces New Wrestling Program
By Kaylee M. King
DONALDSON, IN – Ancilla College is proud to announce that they will be adding wrestling to the 2016-17 school year sports lineup and have appointed Steve VanDerAa as head coach.
VanDerAa was the head wrestling coach at Winamac High School for 20 years and finished with a record of 404-96. He won 14 conference titles, a regional title and nine sectional titles. He also had numerous state qualifiers and placers. VanDerAa proudly coached a two-time state champion who went on to wrestle for Purdue.
He also coached Team Indiana in the National Tournament and coached a National Champion and a National Runner-Up. One of the athletes he coached would then go on to later become an NCAA Champion as well.
Along with his team accolades, VanDerAa was the recipient of coach of the year for the conference 14 times and was inducted into the Indiana Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in 2009.
“What a tremendous opportunity it is to have someone of Steve’s experience and expertise recruiting and managing our new wrestling program,†said Ancilla Athletic Director Gene Reese.
“I am excited about the chance to help these athletes compete at the next level,†remarked VanDerAa. “As I begin recruiting, I am searching for wrestlers that have a passion for and a strong desire to continue in this great sport.â€
VanDerAa, who is also an Instructor of Criminal Justice at the college, received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Bob Jones University and his Master of Arts from Grace College.
About Ancilla College
Ancilla College (www.ancilla.edu), part of The Center at Donaldson, offers 18 associate degrees and 14 athletic programs. Since 1937, the college has been a sponsored ministry of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ. It is a small, private, liberal arts school in Donaldson, Indiana. It is located two miles south of U.S. 30 on Union Road near Plymouth, Indiana.
For more information on Ancilla go to this link
http://www.ancillachargers.com/sport/0/17.php
2228Purdue’s Chad Welch Takes Second in Las Vegas
Dec. 6, 2015
Complete Purdue Results / Tournament Central / Complete Tournament Results
#BoilerNotes
• Chad Welch was Purdue's first Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Wrestling Invitational finalist since Logan Brown at 197 pounds in 2010.
• Since 2002, six Boilermakers have advanced to the finals ... C. Welch becomes the 26th Purdue wrestler to have placed in the tournament ... the last 165-pounder to place for Purdue was Luke Manuel with a fourth-place finish in 2008.
• This was the fifth title match appearance of C. Welch's career and second of the season ... was the 165-pound runner-up wrestling unattached at the Michigan State Open.
• Nine of C. Welch's 13 wins this season are with bonus points (4 MD, 1 TF, 4 F) ... he has already matched career season-high marks in major decisions and pins ... in 15 matches wrestled, he has only given up five takedowns.
LAS VEGAS -- Purdue's Chad Welch closed out the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Wrestling Invitational on Saturday with a runner-up performance at 165 pounds. The Boilermakers finished the two-day tournament in the Cashman Center with 52 points to place 15th.
C. Welch, the tournament's No. 10 seed, suffered a 5-3 loss in the title match to top-seeded Isaac Jordan of Wisconsin. Jordan took C. Welch down in the first and made the most of a neutral start in the second. His fifth point came by way of 2:40 riding time. All three of the redshirt senior's points came on escapes, one in each period.
In his semifinal match, a first period takedown proved to be the winner for C. Welch in a 2-1 upset of third-seeded Clark Glass of Oklahoma. C. Welch held off a shot by the Sooner by getting hold of an ankle, to which he leveraged to turn Glass' hips and flatten him out on the mat. A few moments later he came around, gaining control and earning the two. Riding time ran in the Boilermakers' favor for 58 seconds to close out the period.
The score held at 2-0 through the second as Glass took a neutral start. His lone point came via riding time accumulated in the third with C. Welch on bottom.
During his tournament run, the two-time NCAA qualifier defeated the second-, third- and seventh-seeded wrestlers, all while lifting his season record to 13-2. C. Welch, who is currently unranked, pinned No. 4 Cooper Moore of UNI, decisioned No. 9 Glass and major decisioned No. 13 Seth Thomas of Oregon State. His now has a trio of wins over top-10 opponents in his career.
Markus Scheidel of Columbia denied Doug Welch from moving forward in the 157 wrestlebacks, dealing the second-seeded Boilermaker a 9-4 tournament-ending loss. Scheidel, the No. 9 seed, built an 8-1 lead through five minutes with a pair of takedowns, a reversal and a two-point nearfall. D. Welch escaped in the third and followed with a takedown, but it was too little too late.
The redshirt senior's record stands at 7-3 after a 2-2 showing at the tournament.
At 149 pounds, ninth-seeded Alex Griffin medically forfeited a consolation match to seventh-seeded Matt Kraus of Arizona State.
Missouri captured the team title with 154 points, followed by Cornell (113), Minnesota (105), Oklahoma (102) and Ohio State (96.5) to round out the top five.
The Boilermakers will be inactive until the end of the month when they travel to Evanston, Illinois, for the Ken Craft Midlands Championships Dec. 29 to 30.
2724Top 10 Stories in Indiana Wrestling for 2015
By Chad Hollenbaugh
Senior Writer
1.KINGSMEN CROWNED – Coach Brad Harper’s gang from Granger brought the big trophy north for the first time in school history. Penn had previously been runner-up in 1971 and 1997. Perry Meridian and Cathedral had a four-year stranglehold on the state title prior Penn’s victory over Mater Dei. The Kingsmen used the big points scored by champions Chase Osborn (182) and Kobe Woods (220) to score over half their team points. State runner-up Drew Hildebrandt (113), as well as 5th place seniors Joey Mammolenti (170) and Cory Christman (285) added to the Penn’s tally. Not only did Penn win a team state title but they also got a 30+ year monkey off the school’s back by producing two individual state champs.
2.JUNIOR JUGGERNAUT – A magnificent seven juniors finished the year on top of the podium at Banker’s Life and four other juniors wrestled under the lights. The talent level in this class is, in a word, outstanding and a huge number of juniors have signed to wrestle at Division One schools. 2016 might be the year of Red but there will be several of his classmates making headlines right beside him.
3.LEFEVER FEVER IN HERSHEY, PA. – The trio of brothers from Wabash College gained national recognition with their exploits at the D3 nationals. Sophomore Riley Lefever defended his national championship with a controlled victory over Wartburg’s Devin Peterson. Riley’s win came on the heels of older brother’s win in the 174 pound weight class. Senior Conner Lefever had to endure a long review of his winning score but it came out in his favor. The third brother to wrestle in the finals was Conner’s twin brother, Reece. While Reece did not bring home the gold, his 2nd place finish was his third All-American performance and helped lead the Little Giants to a third place team finish. This was the first time in NCAA history that three brothers were in the NCAA finals.
4.FORTE CLAIMS FIRST MR. GORILLA AWARD – Mishawaka’s Tommy Forte capped an outstanding senior campaign with the inaugural Mr. Gorilla title, which goes to the state’s outstanding senior wrestler. Forte was dominant in his senior year with a 37-0 record. He also ran his scholastic record to an impressive 150-5. Currently Forte is 8-2 in his redshirt season at the University of Buffalo.
5.TONTE MOVES TO WARREN CENTRAL – The state’s most accomplished active coach leaves a powerhouse program that he built at Perry Meridian (3 state titles and 3 runner up finishes) to take over for Danny Williams on the east side of Indy. Warren was already a top ten program under Williams so it is not a surprise that Tonte already has this season’s Warrior team at the top of the polls as the calendar turns to 2016.
6.REECE HUMPHREY’S YEAR TO REMEMBER – Former Lawrence North three time state champ Reece Humphrey had an outstanding year on the senior world freestyle circuit. Hump won a couple of international events, made the world team and had a 12th place finish at the Worlds in Las Vegas. Wrestling up at the Olympic weight class of 65 kg will be challenging because of the logjam of talent. Getting through Brent Metcalf, Jordan Oliver, Logan Stieber, Jimmy Kennedy will be no small feat in order to make the Rio Olympic squad.
7.INDIANA’S GOT TALENT – The junior class of studs have lead to an unprecedented number of division one scholarships being offered to Indiana’s best. Headlining the parade is New Palestine’s Chad Red, who will take his talents west to Lincoln, Nebraska to wrestle for the Cornhuskers. The opportunity to learn from world team members Jordon Burroughs and James Green was too much to pass up. Other top talent that will be leaving the state include Jacob Covaciu (Wisconsin), Brock Hudkins (Northern Illinois), Drew Hildabrandt (Central Michigan) and Drew Hughes (Michigan State). Studs that will stay in state include Blake Rypel (Indiana), Kobe Woods and Shawn Streck (Purdue).
8.RYPEL DOMINATES IN SUPER 32 FINAL – Indianapolis Cathedral senior Blake Rypel took his talents to a national stage this fall when he traveled to North Carolina to compete in the Super 32 preseason tournament. Acknowledged as the nation’s premier preseason tournament, Rypel’s win cemented his national reputation as an elite upper weight. The big mystery now seems to be what weight class Blake will land as he attempts to win his second state title. Other Indiana placers included Drew Hughes 4th, Brayton Lee 5th, and Joe Lee and Evan Ellis 8th.
9.RED PROVES HE’S #1 – Chad Red left no doubt as to who is the top 132 pound wrestler in the USA was when he defeated two of his rivals in the Flo Wrestling’s “Who’s Number 1†event in October. He started off the event by beating the fourth ranked wrestler, Taylor Lamont of Utah, 5-2. Red then closed out the evening by defeating second ranked Luke Pletcher of Pennsylvania with a wild scramble in overtime. The debate may never be settled on who is the greatest ever to come out of Indiana, but Chad Red will always be part of that discussion.
10. INDIANA INVITED TO PITTSBURGH WRESTLING CLASSIC (FORMALLY THE DAPPER DAN) – In probably the biggest story of the year, the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic formally invited Indiana to participate as a team against an all-star team from western Pennsylvania. Many former Hoosier stars have participated individually in the “Rose Bowl of Wrestlingâ€. Steven Bradley (1998), Blake Mauer and Alex Tsirtsis (2004), Jason Tsirtsis and Jared Brooks (2012) and Stevan Micic (2014) have all won as part of the all-star event but now the entire state will be represented by our top 13. The invite is a huge badge of honor for the coaches and athletes that have earned this invite.
3252Bulldogs, Braves, and Panthers...OH MY!
By STEVE KRAH
A bunch of happy Bulldogs, Braves and Panthers left Fort Wayne’s Memorial Coliseum Saturday, Jan. 2.
Brownsburg (Class 3A), Bellmont (2A) and Prairie Heights (1A) each earned Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association State Duals titles before a record crowd of 2,331 in the fourth annual event.
For the second straight year, there were 12 teams in each division.
Coach Darrick Snider watched his Brownsburg team take down Warren Central 34-24 in the 3A final after taking down Perry Meridian 36-22 in the semifinals. Warren Central advanced to the championship by beating semifinal foe Evansville Mater Dei 36-19.
“Wow, it’s really been an emotional day,†Snyder said. “We felt like we belonged. We felt like we could wrestle anyone. We had a lot of people questioning whether we could compete with the top teams in the state. I’ve got a great group of kids who have worked hard.â€
Snyder took over a program that had finished near the bottom of its conference and turned it into a championship team.
“We have turned the Titanic around,†Snyder said. “I have awesome support from my team and from my superintendent who was here all day. “We break on ‘state champions’ everyday from our 5 year-olds all the way to the high school program, we don’t break on ‘state runner-up.’ We’re here to win it. I have incredible respect for every team and every coach here, especially those last couple programs.â€
Brownsburg moved to 12-0.
Coach Paul Gunsett’s Bellmont squad topped Jimtown 46-23 for the 2A crown after a 54-14 win against North Montgomery in the semifinals. With a dramatic 31-30 semifinals triumph, Jimtown handed Yorktown its first State Duals loss in four years.
Gunsett, in his first season as Braves head coach after 22 years as an assistant, talked about unfinished business.
“Since we finished second (in 2A) last year, our goal was to come back here and win the whole thing,†Gunsett said. “We had the core of our team back and every opportunity to do it. That was our focus.â€
Gunsett’s team won its title just two days after the grueling two-day Al Smith Classic at Mishawaka.
“Our kids came here ready to fight and ready to wrestle,†Gunsett said. “They were prepared today. They knew what was on the line.
“We had excellent senior leadership.â€
Bellmont improved to 15-1.
Jimtown coach Mark Kerrn talked about his squad’s determination.
“They are typical Jimtown Jimmies — no quit in them ever,†Kerrn said of his young lineup. “We had five freshmen in our lineup today (including Brayden Curtis who helped Jimtown edge Yorktown by taking the final match to overtime and avoid giving up a major decision or higher). It’s awesome. That took a lot of courage. Some other guys, we were just throwing in there into different weight classes. We had guys 10 and 15 pounds underweight today. They didn’t care, they just kept stepping up and battling. That’s what they do.â€
The next-to-last match against Yorktown, saw Jimtown heavyweight Nick Mammolenti rally for a 4-3 overtime victory.
Coach Brett Smith’s Prairie Heights club walked off with the 1A hardware by besting Southmont 39-29. In the 1A semifinals, Prairie Heights bettered Adams Central 45-19 and Southmont downed Monrovia 34-30.
Prairie Heights had enjoyed runner-up and fourth-place finishes at the State Duals and now takes a title back to Brushy Prairie.
The Panthers went 30-3 in the 2014-15 and improved to 28-0 in 2015-16 with Saturday’s title-taking performance.
“These kids have been together since eighth grade,†Panthers coach Brett Smith said. “They’ve just bought into everything we’ve been doing. The kids are hungry. We were close to Yorktown last year. We were close to Lafayette Harrison. The kids have been really positive and upbeat.â€
IHSWCA STATE DUALS
(At Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne)
Class 3A
Championship
BROWNSBURG 34, WARREN CENTRAL 24
106 — Ty Mills (BR) pinned Keyuan Murphy 1:11. 113 — Skylour Turner (WC) pinned Nick Weaver :56. 120 — Blake Mulkey (BR) dec. Dylan Culp 6-0. 126 — Joel McGhee (WC) dec. Ryan Bigelow 7-4. 132 — Connor Allen (BR) dec. Tim Wright 9-4. 138 — Brayton Lee (BR) pinned Marcus Scott :33. 145 — Matthew McKinney (WC) dec. Troy Owen 6-4.
152 — Trent Pruitt (WC) pinned Quienton Ingram 1:29. 160 — Dominic Herrick (WC) dec. Arkee Glover 6-3. 170 — Nathan Walton (BR) pinned Dezmen Goddard :31. 182 — CJ Damler (BR) maj. dec. Devon Blount 12-3. 195 — Tristen Tonte (WC) dec. Anthony Cicciarelli 9-2. 220 — Isaac McCormick (BR) dec. Cornelius Knox-Abbott 5-3. Hwt — Rickie Clark (BR) dec. Jasion Brogan 2-1.
Third Place
PERRY MERIDIAN 45, EVANSVILLE MATER DEI 18
106 — Sam Fair (PM) dec. Clay Egli 4-2. 113 — Blaine Mayer (MD) dec. Kolton Overley 14-8. 120 — Kyle Luigs (MD) pinned David Clayton 2:42. 126 — Jack Servies (PM) maj. dec. Joe Happe 11-3. 132 — DJ Brookbank (PM) pinned Kyle Embry1:31. 138 — Wyatt Montgomery (MD) dec. Logan Hurley 2-0 (ot). 145 — Kain Rust (PM) pinned Zach Wagner 2:59.
152 — Brett Johnson (PM) maj. dec. Mitch Lehman 11-1. 160 — Noah Warren (PM) pinned Blake Chandler :58. 170 — Christian Warren (PM) pinned Hunter Carr :49. 182 — Rodrigo Diaz (PM) maj. dec. Robbie Helfrich 11-3. 195 — Kurtis Wilderman (MD) dec. Anthony Ruhana 4-2. 220 — Michael Boots (MD) dec. Matt McClosky 6-5. Hwt — Steve Woolbright (PM) pinned Austin Fleck 3:05.
Class 2A
Championship
BELLMONT 46, JIMTOWN 23
106 — Hunter Watts (Jimtown) over DeAundre James 2:21. 113 — Hunter Whitman (Jimtown) over Jon Ruble 2-0. 120 — Mason Mendez (BE) pinned Matt Gimson 11-4. 126 — Jon Becker (BE) pinned Connor Gimson 2:40. 132 — Daniel Gunsett (BE) pinned Greden Kelley :44. 138 — Gavin Siefring (BE) maj. dec. Cole Watson 11-2. 145 — Kenny Kerrn (J) maj. dec. Grant Guitierez 15-1.
152 — Matt Laughlin (BE) pinned Tyler Norment 5:03. 160 — Tony Busse (BE) pinned Dalton Heintzberger :57. 170 — Bryce Baumgartner (BE) pinned Aaron Martinez :46. 182 — Caleb Hankenson (BE) pinned Ben Davis :49. 195 — Jarod Hayes (J) maj. dec. Jarron Gerwig 10-0. 220 — Drew Butler (BE) dec. Caleb Fowler 9-6. Hwt — Nick Mammolenti (J) pinned Braiden Shaw 4:18.
Third Place
YORK TOWN 38, NORTH MONTGOMERY 24
106 — Zachary Todd (Y) dec. Seth Johnson 9-2. 113 — Brayden Curtis (Y) dec. Tucker Moseley 5-2. 120 — Josh Stephenson (Y) dec. Corwyn Hall 9-7. 126 — Christian Hunt (Y) pinned Gavyn Warren 2:58. 132 — Brady Miller (NM) dec. Alex Barr 5-3. 138 — Riley Morehouse (NM) dec. Alara Boyd 5-3 (ot). 145 — Colt Rutter (Y) maj. dec. Cade Groves 11-2.
152 — Cael McCormick (Y) pinned Micah Wray 1:07. 160 — Brad Laughlin (Y) maj. dec. Alec Rossittis 16-5. 170 — 170
Tanner Webster (NM) pinned Jacob Morris 3:53. 182 — Isaac Fruits (NM) pinned Corbin Allen no time reported. 195 — Cole Slavens (NM) pinned Bryce Kidd 1:23. 220 — Kelly Watson (Y) dec. Jarrett Brown 8-2. Hwt —Joey Pier (Y) pinned Kevin Pierce 2:45.
Class 1A
Championship
PRAIRIE HEIGHTS 39, SOUTHMONT 29
106 — Alex Grino (S) pinned Caleb Shaffer 1:25. 113 — Evan Hubble (S) pinned Blake Hoyer 1:01. 120 — Dimetrie Lauy (S) dec. Zeke Rowdon 11-7. 126 — Ryan Rasler (PH) dec. Kyle McManus 4-3. 132 — Boone Welliever (S) pinned Alex Steele :50. 138 — Riley Rasler (PH) dec. Connor Moore 6-4. 145 — Dakota Ball (S) tech. fall Zane Rowdon 19-3.
152 — Doug Levitz (PH) pinned Peyton Long 1:12. 160 — Jed Levtiz (PH) pinned Josh Weir :56. 170 — Brady Johnson (PH) pinned Scott Madison :50. 182 — Joey Blakeley (PH) pinned Zach Worm 1:00. 195 — Bailey Thompson (PH) dec. Austin Williams 8-2. 220 — Mason Cody (S) dec. Codey Shafer 4-3. Hwt — Braxton Amos (PH) pinned Elijah Price :23.
Third Place
MONROVIA 39, ADAMS CENTRAL 27
106 — Brycen Denny (M) dec.Logan Mosse 3-0. 113 — Parker Bates (AC) by forfeit. 120 — Chuck Capps (M) dec. Nick Liter 4-2. 126 — Austin Clark (M) dec. Anthony Mosser 7-4. 132 — Logan Macklin (AC) pinned Jonathon Smallwood 1:46. 138 — Gabe Schwaller (AC) pinned Logan McPeak 3:03. 145 — Ivan Wray (M) pinned Trevor Free 2:59.
152 — Ethan Stock (M) dec. Hunter Bates 2-1. 160 — Elijah Stock (M) dec. Brant Thieme 4-0. 170 — Ryan Ashley (AC) dec. Zach Boles 4-0. 182 — Aaron Cravens (M) pinned Skylar Douglas 2:12. 195 — Garrison Lee (M) pinned Chandler Schumm1:02. 220 — Dristin McCubbins (M) pinned Nash Brunner :19. Hwt — Dylan Schumm (AC) pinned Riley McCubbins 3:34.
A — 2,331 (tournament record).
1714Karl's Komments on the Rochester Regional
Take 'em as gospel or take 'em with a grain of salt but here they are:
106 – A potential Mishawaka sectional sweep here with Penn’s junior Kory Cavanaugh leading the way for the flyweights. South Bend Adams frosh Vincent Calhoun will likely meet Cavanaugh in the finals for a second week in a row. I like St. Joe’s Matt Cysewski in a close one over Culver Military’s Spencer Penrose in the 3rd/4th match.
113 – Penn’s Austin Slates is clearly the top dog at 113. The Best match in the bracket might be the semi final battle between Wawasee’s freshman, Braxton Alexander and Adams’ Joey Zahl. Alexander was very impressive in winning the Plymouth sectional title and Zahl is a proven tough competitor. Culver Academy should get their 2nd semistate qualifier in junior Robert White.
120 – A strong class for the Plymouth Sectional with a trio of former semistate qualifiers looking to return to the region. CMA’s Adam Davis, Triton’s Malachi Greene, and Plymouth’s Zane DeVault all have enough firepower to make the trip to East Chicago but all three together might be needed to slay Penn’s mighty Drew Hildebrandt. Hildebrandt has gone wire to wire as the state’s top ranked 120 pound wrestler.
126 – The fab four out of the Mishawaka sectional stand a great chance of moving on to East Chicago. Mishawaka’s Ryan Hardesty has put together an excellent senior season and won last week versus rival Jarrett Selis of Penn. An all Catholic clash will probably make up the 3rd place match with St. Joe’s Jared Kazmierczak and Marian’s Nick Blasko.
132 – The Green will be mean at 132. South Bend Washington’s Tondrew Tyler comes in with an excellent 38-1 record and a state ranking of 14th. His likely finals opponent, Tristin Ponsler of Wawasee has been under the radar all season but has state level talent. I like Mishawaka’s Preston Risner and Rochester’s gritty senior Aaron Orr to move on as 3rd and 4th place finishers.
138 – This should be a fun weight class to keep an eye on this Saturday. Warsaw’s Kyle Hatch is the clear favorite based on his two state medals but he should be challenged by Clay’s exciting Rishod Cotton in the semis. Penn’s Trace Manspeaker squeaked a victory out over Cotton last week and it set him up well in the regional bracket. I like CMA’s Steven Muthart to be the fourth to move on.
145 – I may be biased but I think this is the strongest weight class at the Rochester regional. Two state qualifiers are here in Riley’s Austin Laughlin and Culver’s Triston Rodriguez along with a senior from Penn that has beaten both of them in Cameron Beam. I like Plymouth’s Bodie Neidig to be the fourth qualifier. This regional will create some bad draws for the other regionals at East Chicago.
152 – If 145 is not the strongest class then 152 might be. The top five here are all excellent and someone will be ending their season much sooner then they would have liked. The first round tilt between Bremen’s Alex Bollenbacher and South Bend Adams’ Tavris Evans will be a slobber knocker. Penn’s Denzyl Prentice would love a rematch with rival Kassius Breathitt of Riley but first must overcome the ‘rastlin’ Rockie’, Micah Calhoun of Plymouth.
160 – These middle weight classes at Rochester will be worth the price of admission and the rivalry between Adams’ Tavonte Malone and Penn’s Jarod Swank will highlight this division. Both are serious threats to be on the podium in a couple of week at Banker’s Life. With Triton’s Gage Waddle added into the mix, there are three legitimate studs at 160.
170 – South Bend Riley’s Tristan Goering is the clear favorite here. He has followed up last year’s magical post season run (finishing 4th in the state) with an outstanding junior campaign. No serious challengers to the junior Wildcat have emerged in the regional area.
182 – A trio of grapplers have separated themselves from the rest of the field in the 182 weight class. Austin Faulkner won a pair of tight matches last Saturday to put himself in a great position this weekend. He has the easier path to the finals where he will probably meet either conference rival, Mason Cao of Clay or Jeremy Splix of Plymouth. Young Max Chaffee will likely be the fourth qualifier.
195 – Wide open would the way to describe the 195 pound class at Rochester. Penn’s Cedrick Vakalahi and Plymouth’s Nate LaFree are the likely finalists but no wrestlers in this weight class have particularly distinguished themselves this season and upsets could likely occur here.
220 – The big boys should provide some entertaining wrestling for the fans at Rochester. State champion and Purdue recruit, Kobe Woods is the headliner but there are four other studs that have state level talent. One will be heading home. Bremen’s Tyler Moser has put together an excellent 34-2 record and a sectional championship. Marian’s Patrick Ernst and Culver Academy’s Simon Griffith will square off in a great first round match. Warsaw’s Andrew Brock is the other likely qualifier.
285 – South Bend Washington’s Isaiah McWilliams is the favorite here with his 36-3 record and sectional championship. On the other side of the bracket is Rochester’s big man, Dan ‘#TRUCK’ Clark, along with an interesting match up between St. Joe’s veteran Michael Koebel and Culver’s young Alecks McBee. Will Vakalahi, the undersized Penn heavyweight is the other likely semistate qualifier here.
1862North Montgomery Regional Preview
North Montgomery Regional Preview
106
Heading to New Castle:
1. #18 Strueder, Fishers
2. Grino, Southmont
3. Gobeyn, Zionsville
4. Mennen, Clinton Central
Notes: Strueder and Grino met in the regional semis last year, with the Fishers state qualifier winning 7-4. Grino has only one loss all year, to Monrovia’s Denny. Gobeyn is not far from the top-2, and could pull an ‘upset’ or two.
Upset alert: Nothing really stands out as a likely candidate in the first round. Gobeyn could spoil the party for Strueder and Grino.
113
Heading to New Castle:
1. Hutson, Westfield
2. Moseley, North Montgomery
3. Pecoraro, Carmel
4. Hubble, Southmont
Notes: Last year, Hutson upset top-seed Hubble, which gave the Zionsville sectional four regional placers at this weight. From the hunter to the hunted, Hutson has his work cut out for him at a fairly wide open weight. Moseley is a tough senior, and has as good a shot as Hutson or anyone else to finish on top. Hubble comes in with less momentum than last year, and he’ll have to work hard to beat HSE’s Forbes.
Upset alert: Forbes, or Attica’s senior Haas could surprise and advance to New Castle.
120
Heading to New Castle:
1. Bocock, Lebanon
2. Jerde, Carmel
3. Ellis, Zionsville
4. Garcia, HSE
Notes: Bocock boat-raced the competition as Frankfort last week and is a strong favorite at North Montgomery. Seeger’s Acton was a sectional champ last week in dominant fashion and has a stellar record, but Garcia is much tougher than his record would indicate and their match should be very competitive.
Upset alert: Garcia has a very solid shot of beating Acton.
126
Heading to New Castle:
1. #4 Holmes, HSE
2. #18 Hiestand, Carmel
3. Bowling, Lebanon
4. Eads, Attica
Notes: Holmes is an excellent wrestler and he’s having another superb season. He is head and shoulders above this field. Hiestand is inexperienced, but talented, and I think his talent will see him through to a 2nd place finish. Eads has a phenomenal record and was impressive at sectionals, but he will be pushed by Westfield’s Robinson in his opening match.
Upset alert: Robinson is a dangerous 4 seed for Eads. Southmont’s McManus is a senior dropping down from 132, and he could stop Hiestand’s momentum before it even starts.
132
Heading to New Castle:
1. #16 Welliever, Southmont
2. #18 Collins, Frankfort
3. Steele, Westfield
4. Wagner, Zionsville
Notes: This is simply an outstanding weight class. At least four different wrestlers could win the weight, and it essentially boils down to whose day it is on Saturday. At Frankfort, there were a lot of very close matches, and it’s likely that we’ll see the same thing here. Welliever edged Collins in the regional finals last year.
Upset alert: State-ranked Collins had better not overlook Attica’s Henry, as he sports a 29-3 record.
138
Heading to New Castle:
1. #3 Eldred, Westfield
2. #15 Moore, Southmont
3. Smith, Carmel
4. Estes, Attica
Notes: Moore and Eldred should meet in the finals, provided Smith doesn’t trip up Moore in the semis. Eldred is a returning state placer and Fargo All-American, but Moore is a returning state qualifier, so this is no walk in the part for the Shamrock senior. Smith has been a giant-killer lately. Estes finished 3rd at regionals last year, and battled Moore to a 2-0 decision loss at sectionals.
Upset alert: Smith could present trouble for Moore.
145
Heading to New Castle:
1. Eiteljorge, Carmel
2. Wilbrandt, Fishers
3. Brown, North Vermillion
4. Coffman, Lebanon
Notes: This is a pretty wide open weight past Eiteljorge. There are very few sure things in this bracket.
Upset alert: It’s hard to call anything short of Eiteljorge losing a big upset, but Wilson of Zionsville could knock off the sectional champ Brown.
152
Heading to New Castle:
1. Ferris, HSE
2. Blondeel, Attica
3. Miller, Westfield
4. Long, Southmont
Notes: Blondeel dominated sectionals and could give Ferris a tight match, if he doesn’t beat him outright. Miller is peaking and could provide trouble for Blondeel and Ferris potentially. Ferris is battle tested against some of the best in the state but isn’t a huge point scorer, so we could see some close matches this weekend.
Upset alert: Watch out for Miller, who is a different wrestler now than he was earlier in the season. Zville’s Banks could knock off Long.
160
Heading to New Castle:
1. #12 Frazee, Fountain Central
2. Bublick, Carmel
3. Penola, Zionsville
4. Jessop, HSE
Notes: Frazee is undefeated and wiped up the field at Crawfordsville last weekend. He knocked Bublick out in the opening round of regionals last year. Penola and Jessop are good wrestlers, but maybe a tick below Bublick and a few ticks below Frazee.
Upset alert: The two 1-seeds had better not look past their opening matches. Frazee gets WeBo senior Scott and Bublick gets Turkey Run senior Uplinger.
170
Heading to New Castle:
1. #20 Stambaugh, Lebanon
2. Jagow, Westfield
3. #15 Webster, North Montgomery
4. Mazero, HSE
Notes: Wow! This is a filthy bracket, and starts off with a bang. #15 Webster and #19 Ragains of Frankfort meet in the opening round. All the heavy hitters in this weight have wins over highly regarded foes this year, and another really tough guy, Pedigo of WeBo, didn’t survive sectionals. The unranked Jagow beat Stambaugh and Ragains in clutch overtime performances at Frankfort last weekend—quite a day for the unheralded Shamrock stud. Stambaugh, Jagow, Ragains and Webster could all win the weight, and I’m picking Stambaugh because he got red-hot in the postseason last year.
Upset alert: Ragains could easily take out Webster and win the weight. My advice-take your pick and grab some popcorn.
182
Heading to New Castle:
1. #9 Worm, Southmont
2. #16 Irick, HSE
3. Hill, Zionsville
4. Fruits, North Montgomery
Notes: Worm and Irick were each state qualifiers last year and are the clear favorites at 182 this year. Their potential finals match could be one of the best of the day. Hill and Fruits could be a donnybrook.
Upset alert: Westfield senior Trompen over North Montgomery’s Fruits. Trompen is battle-tested and is wrestling his best right now.
195
Heading to New Castle:
1. #8 Fox, Carmel
2. #10 Ferris, HSE
3. #13 Slavens, North Montgomery
4. #18 Schaeffer, Westfield
Notes: This is a nasty weight class, as four competitors in the top-18 will be vying for the strap. While Fox has to be the favorite based on the impressive season he’s had thus far, Ferris has shown he can go with the elite of the weight class…but then again, Slavens and Schaeffer can say the same thing. Like several of the other top-end weight classes at North Montgomery, we could have 4 different potential champs here. Take your pick.
Upset alert: While Ferris could knock off Fox, Slavens might make that situation moot by beating Ferris himself. In fact, Slavens knocked Ferris out of regionals last year. However, to get the opportunity to face Ferris, Slavens has to beat the surging stud Williamson of Zville, which is far from a given.
220
Heading to New Castle:
1. #8 Hipple, Carmel
2. #16 Fuller, Zionsville
3. #17 McClaine, Lebanon
4. Eup, South Vermillion
Notes: Hipple caught fire in the postseason last year en route to a high finish at state. Fuller was a state qualifier, but has missed some time this year. McClaine has wins over ranked opponents and is a dangerous semis opponent for Hipple.
Upset alert: Sophomore Williams of Southmont is a tough opening match for Fuller.
285
Heading to New Castle:
1. Phelps, Covington
2. Williams, Carmel
3. Chastain, HSE
4. Dollens, Westfield
Notes: While perhaps not the most loaded field at North Montgomery, this should be one of the most competitive. One-loss senior Phelps pinned his way through sectionals. Williams was a semistate qualifier last year and is better than his so-so record would indicate. Chastain and Dollens are pretty evenly matched, and it’s basically a pick ‘em between these two.
Upset alert: Bettis of South Vermillion pinned three opponents at sectionals and could do the same to returning regional qualifier Dollens. Also, Chastain faces a 30-win senior in Pierce of North Montgomery. Neither of these potential wins by Crawfordsville sectional HWTs would be huge upsets.
4203Karl Komments on the State Finals
106 - I have it on good authority that Indiana Mudflap is a fan of the lil’ guys on the mats. He says he will be eating some hot wings before invading Banker’s Life but I can guarantee he will be there for the fireworks on display as four, count ‘em, four ranked wrestlers will tangling in the first two matches. Returning state runner up Ty Mills of Brownsburg is the top ranked kid in the bracket and he should get by 16th ranked Gavin Rose of Greenfield Central. Mills will then rest up for Saturday morning where he face off against the winner of one of the premier Friday night tilts. Northwood’s Tanner DeMien is ranked fifth and is a returning 7th place finisher from last year. He will square off with Crown Point’s super frosh Jacob Moran. Moran does a nice impression of Jared Brooks with his athleticism and leg attacks and I feel he will be too much for the Panther.
In the second quarter bracket, Warren Central’s powerful Keyuan Murphy is a strong favorite after his championship run at New Castle. He should get by Castle’s Devon Casebolt on Friday night. The other match features Wheeler’s Jose Diaz and Jimtown’s Hunter Watts. Diaz has impressed region rats with his goer mentality and he has become his school’s first state qualifier. Jimtown’s mighty mite Watts frankly did not look like a state qualifier earlier in the season. A great day at team state has seemed to jump start his season and he has been on a nice run. Another great match up.
In the third quarter bracket there are another four ranked wrestlers and two legitimate threats to win a state championship. Fourth ranked Kory Cavanaugh of Penn has state experience and has been rock solid all season. He will likely see nemesis Sam Fair of Perry Meridian. Fair has two razor thin wins over Cavanaugh. This will be a great Saturday morning tussle. Set your alarms and don’t miss this one.
The final quarter bracket is completely wide open in my mind. Cathedral’s Lukasz Walendzak has wins over some of the best 106ers in the state. Walendzak will face Avon’s ace, Asa Garcia. Garcia is the author of one of the bigger upsets of the semi state weekend when he dashed the dreams of top ranked Cayden Rooks in Evansville. The other tilt features Yorktown’s #7 ranked Brayton Curtis, who won the Ft. Wayne semi state, and Trey McCartney who was impressive at East Chicago.
113 – This class is probably not as wide open as the 106ers because of the dominance shown by Lowell Red Devil Colton Cummings. Cummings has shredded everyone put in his path this season with a lethal combination of leg attacks and pinning power. A potential #1 versus #2 is possible in this class as New Palestine’s overshadowed Alec White is poised on the other side of the bracket. White is a three time qualifier and former medalist. White must first survive a brutal quarter bracket that also features seniors 14th ranked Geoffrey Davis of Ft. Wayne Wayne HS, #7 Austin Slates of Penn and frosh #10 Alex Mosconi of Indian Creek. The bottom quarter bracket features super hot grapplers, Colin Poynter of Portage and Nick Weaver of Brownsburg. Poynter vs. Weaver should be outstanding if they meet on Saturday morning.
In that top half, Colton Cummings looms large but he will still need to survive a Saturday morning clash with #3 Skylour Turner of Warren Central and a semi final match with a largely unknown group of wrestlers.
120 - All the top contenders are in the bracket and most of the top names are split in the opposite sides of the bracket. Fifteen of the sixteen state street spots are taken by ranked wrestlers. An impressive display by IndianaMat’s rankit ngs guy. At the top of the bracket, we have one of the most unheralded semi state champs in Brownsburg’s Blake Mulkey. The Bulldog sophomore has an unblemished record but is only ranked 7th. I look for him to win Friday night over Bellmont’s Mason Mendez and then advancing past Beech Grove’s Ethan Smiley on Saturday morning.
The battle to meet Mulkey in the semi’s will be fought by some studs who have a ton of state experience. Columbia City’s fourth ranked Hunter Langeloh, Lebanon’s tenth ranked Caleb Bocock and Griffith’s second ranked Jeremiah Reitz all have multiple years of experience on the floor at Banker’s Life. The projected matchup between Langeloh and Reitz is state final quality wrestling on Saturday morning. Indiana wrestling fans are the winners here.
Top ranked Drew Hildebrandt tops the next quarter bracket but the Kingsman will have no easy road as the winner of the Friday night match up between fifth ranked Blake Glogouski of Fairfield and sixth ranked Kyle Luigs of Mater Dei awaits last year’s state runner up.
The final set of four contains New Castle champ Dylan Culp of Warren Central and third ranked Graham Rooks of Columbus East. The depth of quality wrestling at 120 is quite impressive and this is a weight class that will provide great matches from the beginning.
126 - Danville’s Brock Hudkins will look to defend his state title this year and comes into the tournament with an unblemished 43-0 record. The Northern Illinois bound senior will have to top fifth ranked Joel McGhee of Warren Central on Saturday morning and fourth ranked IU bound Austin Holmes of Hamilton Southeastern in the afternoon to make a return to the match under the lights. I like Hudkins chances to do just that.
The other side of the bracket has both the second and third ranked wrestlers and if they hold chalk, Portage’s Gaige Torres and Cathedral’s Breyden Bailey should battle for the right to wrestle Hudkins. Torres versus Bailey should be one of the better semi final matches as they wrestle almost opposite styles. It will be the funky always exciting style of Bailey matched up with the classic in your face toughness of Torres. The top four kids in the state with one in each quarter bracket, what more could wrestling fans ask for.
132 - Ali versus Frazier, Red Sox versus Yankees, Michigan versus Ohio State, Chad Red versus Nick Lee. It has been the most talked about match up in the state over the past two years and it appears that we are all going to see the greatest match up ever in the state finals this year at 132.
In one corner you have a returning champ in Mater Dei’s Nick Lee. Lee has shown he is afraid of no one as he squared off against Steven Micic in his freshman year. Lee won a title last year and then followed it up with an impressive spring and summer. He ended up his summer with a scholarship offer to Penn State and top ten national ranking.
In the other corner you have New Palestine’s incredible Chad Red. All he has done is beat everyone put in front of him over the past three years, not only in the state of Indiana but also in the entire country. A fourth state title and an unblemished high school record are what Red puts on the line. The Nebraska recruit is so fun to watch and I, like many, have been dreaming about the potential scrambles these two studs will get into on Saturday night.
138 - It has been 150 plus years since those in the north have had to worry about an invasion by Lee but now Indianapolis will have two worry about three Lee’s all coming for Evansville semi state. Nick was the first Lee at 132 and at 138, we see top ranked Brayton Lee of Brownsburg. Brayton is another Bulldog with an perfect record who will be the odds on favorite to win Brownsburg a state title. Lee has exorcised the ghosts of last year’s shocking defeat in the ticket round with a dominating performance last week. The talented sophomore will likely see Westfield’s Evan Eldred in the semi’s. The Shamrock senior’s only loss on the season is a narrow 5-3 loss to…..Brownsburg’s Brayton Lee.
On the other side of the bracket, all eyes will be on the quarter final match up between second ranked Sage Coy of Delta and fourth ranked Matt McKinney of Warren Central. The winner of this match up will likely be under the lights.
145 – The third Lee is sophomore Joe Lee of Mater Dei. The younger brother of Nick wrestled under the lights last year and seemed poised to join his brother on top of the podium until Tommy Cash struck with an excellent counter to secure the win. This season looked to be all about Joe until suffering a pair of defeats to New Palestine’s Jared Timberman and Mount Vernon’s Austin Bethel. So what we have is a weight class that is wide open with four or five wrestlers that can make a legitimate run for the crown.
The top half of the bracket looks like an absolute meat grinder. Top ranked Brad Laughlin of Yorktown has one blemish on his record and that was at 160 pounds. He must overcome 2nd ranked Timberman, or 3rd ranked Lee, or 6th ranked Triston Rodriguez of Culver to wrestle Saturday night. No easy task.
On the other side of the bracket we have returning state runner up Jordan Vaughn of Franklin Central and Kasper McIntosh of Portage who come in as semi state champs. But for these two to reach the semis, they must beat Jimtown’s Kenny Kernn and Leo’s Isaac Eicher respectively. Eicher has a state medal on his resume and Kernn has been nothing short of dominant since midseason. I predict a lot of maroon and gold under the lights.
152 – No one named Lee is contending at 152 but a similar bracket has been built with one side looking significantly deeper than the other. The bottom half contains #1 BAM Lawrence of Portage, #2 Cael McCormick of Yorktown, #4 Dru Berkebile of Frankton and #5 and #6 Elijah Dunn of Indian Creek and Brett Johnson of Perry Meridian. Can you say meat grinder? I like McCormick and BAM to survive but honestly would not be surprised if any of the other three ranked wrestlers to get to the semis because of the depth at this weight class.
At the other end, the bracket gods smiled down on Trent Pruitt. The third ranked Warren Central junior has a stacked quarter bracket with a tough Friday night tilt with Mater Dei senior Mitch Lehman. Pruitt will face the winner of a likely Denzyl Prentice/Andrew Herrin match up that looks to be a donnybrook. Both are coming off excellent semi states where Herrin throttled the field at Evansville and Prentice looked as good as he ever has, giving Lawrence a great match in the finals.
160 – Speaking of bracket gods, they were not too kind at 160 as #1 Jacob Covaciu and #2 Alston Bane were both bracketed on the same side. However, Bane’s Batman last week, Noah Warren of Perry Meridian won the New Castle semi state and put himself in a position to wrestle under the lights on Saturday night. Warren has only one blemish on his record and that was to Jarod Swank of Penn at team state. For Warren to get to the semis he might need to avenge his loss to Swank and then also defeat either the Fort Wayne champ Josh Garman or the ultra talented Tavonte Malone of South Bend Adams.
The other side of the bracket has top ranked and Wisconsin bound Jacob Covaciu of Merrillville. I honestly don’t think he will be seriously challenged until he reaches the finals. 12th ranked Laine Frazee of Fountain Central and Jed Levitz of Prairie Heights is an interesting battle Friday night between a couple of small school studs. Upset Alert: Bellmont’s Tony Busse will be focused and ready to knock of the 2nd ranked Alston Bane of Richmond.
170 – This is another weight class where one side of the bracket appears to be a little top heavy. The first quarter bracket contains four ranked grapplers including the 2nd and 3rd ranked Nathan Walton of Brownsburg and Jacob Gray of Delta. Walton is one of the most exciting wrestlers in the state to watch and his match up with Tristan Goering of South Bend Riley will be filled with all kinds of fireworks. Wait for this match to be done before you get your 3rd Shave Ice. Three unranked wrestlers will try to slay “Dragon†Drew Hughes. “Winter is coming†for any of Hughes opponents. He probably won’t be challenged by anyone in the state this year.
On the other side, semi state champs Ricky Samuels and Bryce Baumgartner thanked the bracket gods and both have a shot to wrestle under the spotlight. These two are by no means shoe ins as Thomas ‘Launcher’ Dull and super soph Kameron Fuller will look to make a name for themselves statewide.
182 – You win some and you lose some when you randomly draw brackets. Not being able to see the potential match between nationally ranked Big Ten recruits Andrew Davison and Blake Rypel is a shame but let’s not dwell on that and just enjoy this battle between Davison, the undefeated junior from Chesterton and Rypel, the undefeated senior from Cathedral. Davison has committed to Michigan and Rypel to IU. Hopefully they will match up down the road as well.
A couple of other wrestlers look to crash the party. They include Lawrence North’s 3rd ranked Cameron Jones, 4th ranked David Eli, 6th ranked CJ Damler of Brownsburgh and 7th ranked Isaac James of Lowell. James is my pick to click in this half of the bracket. No real reason, just a feeling I have after watching him last weekend.
195 – I see at least five potential state champs in the 195 pound class. This makes this bracket incredibly hard to predict but incredibly fun to watch. The top quarter bracket features semi state champ Jake Kleimola of Lake Central. Kleimola is ranked 6th and will face the winner of Carmel’s Nick Fox and Brownsburg’s Isaac McCormick. These two suburban Indy studs have met earlier in the season with the Greyhound winning a narrow 3-1 match.
The second group of four has Fort Wayne semi-state champ Corbin Maddox of Daleville. The Broncos are the third smallest school to send a wrestler to Banker’s Life and he will have a tough road to get through Cedrick Vakalahi of Penn and second ranked Ben Stewart of Indy Cathedral.
In the bottom half, Kurtis Wilderman appears to have a relatively clear path to the semi finals but might have to beat the talented Damari Embery of South Newton (the second smallest school to qualify a finalist) to reach the semis.
The bottom four includes three ranked wrestlers but ‘T Squared’ Triston Tonte is the clear favorite due to his experience, talent and coaching.
220 – Ahhhh…… after a few weight classes where the top two were located on the same side of the bracket, we have a match up where two national ranked big men are poised to wrestle under the lights. But this weight class features more than just the big two. All four semi state champs are undefeated and three of them are non seniors. This is good news for the future.
In the top half of the bracket, the semi state champs Mason Parris of Lawrenceburg and Evan Ellis of Eastern (Greentown) are a combined 90-0. Parris is ranked 2nd in the state and 19th in the country. Ellis will be looking to make his bones on Saturday afternoon.
The bottom half of the bracket features 3rd ranked Gunnar Larson of Avon. It seems like he has been around forever but he is still just a junior and comes into the state finals with a 39-0 record with a semi state crown to his name. He is likely to face returning state champ, Kobe Woods of Penn. Woods record is spotless at 33-0. Some have questioned if Kobe is as sharp as he needs to be to win this weight class. I would expect the senior to be ready to rock and roll this weekend.
285 – Shawn Streck has been an absolute joy to watch perform the past four years. In many people’s minds he is the finest heavyweight wrestler the state has ever produced. He is the best I have seen in the past 15 years. Unfortunately for 2nd ranked Cory Klem of Gibson Southern that he is in the same quarter bracket as Streck.
In a race for second, 6th ranked Robert Samuels of Lawrence North and 5th ranked Sean Galligar of Columbus East appear poised to match up in the semi finals for a shot to take on the big Pirate in the finals. Samuels would present a nice style contrast whereby Galligar might be able to match Streck for pure strength.
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