High School News

865 articles in this category

317
Pound for Pound Rankings 1/28/2009
IndianaMat.com Pound for Pound Rankings 1/28/2009
1.  Cashe Quiroga
2.  Sean McMurray
3.  Eric Roach
4.  Jason Tsirtsis
5.  Josh Harper
6.  Brandon Wright
7.  Steven Sandefer
8.  Marcus Shrewsbury
9.  Justin Brooks
10. Michael Duckworth
10. Briar Runyan
10. Camden Eppert
 
Honorable Mention
Braden Atwood
Kyle Mosier
Daniel Young

478
Toe to Joe with Daniel Young
[caption id=attachment_444" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Young Family][/caption]
 
This week's Toe to Joe is with Culver Academies' Daniel Young.  Young placed third last year at 130lbs and is currently undefeated this season wrestling at 145lbs.
 
1. How did you get started wrestling and how many years have you been wrestling?
I've been wrestling since I was 4. I began wrestling because my four brothers before I wrestled and had been successful or were obtaining success.
 
2. What other interests/hobbies/sports do you participate in outside of wrestling?
I like to read and listen to music. I also like to hang out with friends, and I love being outside; whether it be in the city, country, or a body of water.
 
3. Who is the toughest wrestler you have faced and why?
Probably Riley Adamson. He beat me up pretty good, and when we were younger he was the strongest brute I had ever wrestled.
 
4. What are your plans for after high school?
As of right now I plan on wrestling for West-Point, attending law school and hopefully getting into politics.
 
5. Round robin between you and your brothers who wins?
Ah. That's a good one. As of right now I would have to say Paul. But a lot of people don't know I have 4 brothers, and back in the day my oldest brother Jacob was probably the best so far.
 
6. What is the most memorable match you have wrestled and why?
Well that's hard because taking third at state was memorable, not only because it was the first time I placed but also because it made me hungry for the next year; however, I would have to say the first time I beat Alex Surma was cool because the kid had beaten me up the last 100 times we wrestled before throughout our childhood.
 
7. What is your favorite movie and what makes it so great?
I would have to say The Boondock Saints because it was made after my brother Paul and me.
 
8. Who is the most influential person in your life? Why?
I don't think there is just one influential person in my life so it's hard to say. My family, especially my father without a doubt has influenced me my whole life. But the most influential people in my life at the moment are my brothers Paul and John-Thomas. Paul I look up to on a day-day basis, his influence inspires me to work harder and push through adversity; he truly is one of my heroes. John-Thomas influences my life because of how smart he is and the capacity in which I look up to him. We share a lot of similar aspirations which makes it easier for me to learn from his intelligence on and off the mat; really he could ask me anything and I would do it.
 
9. Do you have any superstitions or routines when it comes to wrestling?
Oh yeah, some are religious others are small but one thing is I have to wear the same clothes for dual meets and tournaments throughout the season.
 
10. What makes wrestling so great?
Wrestlers are a rare bread. I love being able to say that I wrestle because of how much hard work it is and how I know that no one goes through what we do in the sport. Wrestling in my mind has become an intellectual sport, constantly allowing improvement and the ability to achieve greatness.

633
Wrestler of the Week 1/19 – 1/24/2009
Co-Wrestlers of the Week 1/19 - 1/24/2009


 
 
[caption id=attachment_436" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Crown Point's Eric Roach][/caption]

Crown Point Sophomore
 

Eric Roach
Roach ranked #1 at 135 by IndianaMat, defeated Illinois 135 pound senior Matt Holmes of Lakes High School ranked #1 in Illinois AA 5-4. Roach went 3-0 against Illinois competition this past Saturday at Lake Forest High School of Illinois.  Roach  is 25-0 on the season and has quality wins against #5 Julian Brooks of Romeoville Illinois AAA, honorable mention Mike Murphy of Lincoln Way East High School Illinois and #13 Dominic Corsaro of Indianapolis Cathedral.  Eric is a Stagg High School champion, a Carnahan champion, went 5-0 at the Traicoff and a DAC champion.  Roach is also a USA Preseason National Champion  and and the High School Coaches Association 2008 Freshman National Champion and a 2008 Indiana State Runner-up at 130lbs.
 
[caption id=attachment_437" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Roncalli's Hunter Bartley][/caption]

Roncalli Freshman
Hunter Bartley
Hunter defeated 140 pound #2 ranked by IndianaMat Tony McGinley from Indianapolis Cathedral by fall.   He has Down Syndrome and is in the special needs program at school. He is the youngest of five children. He has two sisters, Meagan and Rachel, and two brothers, Tyler and Jake. He has been going to wrestling meets since he was three years old and he loves the sport. Since Hunter suffers from a heart condition and has a pacemaker, he is unable to compete in sports, but that didn't stop him from wearing a singlet, wrestling shoes, and head gear to every tournament. After watching Hunter, the wrestling communities at St. Jude (CYO), Roncalli, and Indy Southside Rebels decided to include Hunter in exhibition matches. He is undefeated, winning all his matches be fall (thanks to all of his gracious opponents)!! He has several tournament boards and a 1st place medal from the ISWA State Wrestling Tournament. Hunter can now add pinning second ranked Tony McGinley to his accomplishments (Thank You, Tony)! The coaches and Tony made Hunter's dream come true. If Roncalli or Indy Rebel's are wrestling, you will see Hunter sitting right there with his coaches and teammates.

Honorable Mention:
Fort Wayne SS -  135 pound senior Matt Gerber of Bluffton.  Gerber defeated #11 Bryce Schendel of Garrett 12-1 in the final of the ACAC tournament.
 
New Castle SS -  119 pound senior Camden Eppert of Anderson Highland.  Eppert won the Olympic Conference tournament with a 12-4 victory over #8 Casey Kenney of Jay County.
 
Evansville SS - 160 pound senior Dalton Jones of Avon.  Jones won the Hoosier Crossroads Conference tournament with wins over #5 Brad Farrell of Fishers and #7 at 171 RV Peter of Westfield.

513
From the edge of the mat....Hoosier wrestlers getting it done
It's your faithful narrator Dingo here for another round of updates on Indiana's finest wrestlers.



[caption id=" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="A warning for Reece's opponents][/caption]

 

Let's start with former Lawrence North standout Reece Humphrey. Reece has been nothing short of outstanding this season, and his list of accomplishments on the year keeps growing at a rapid pace.  On the heels of his exhilirating performance at the National Duals, Reece stormed past Hofstra's 9th ranked Lou Ruggirello 7-4, to keep his regular season record unblemished (Reece's loss to Navy's Joe Baker at the 2008 NWCA Classic doesn't count on his official record). His 'slam' of Ruggirello is garnering a lot of attention (Link to FLO-- http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/coverage/view_video/234547-sunday-brunch-ohio-state-vs-hofstra/129463-133-2-reece-humphrey-os-dec-9-lou-ruggirello-h-7-4 ), but Reece's control of the talented New Yorker is even more impressive. With MSU's Franklin Gomez's recent loss to Minnesota's Jayson Ness, Reece has joined Alex Tsirtsis and Angel Escobedo as Hoosier-bred wrestlers ranked number one in the entire nation at their weight class. It's hard to be much better than Hump has been this season. He's undefeated, minus the exhibition loss to Baker (Reece solidly beat Baker last season in Las Vegas). Humphrey controls his own fate regarding seeding for the Big 10s and NCAAs. His weight class is very tough and very deep, so it's unlikely that Reece will win out from here. Still, he's as likely as anyone in the weight class to win a national title. Hopefully, the world will be treated to some of Reece's break dancing on Saturday, March 21st.

[caption id=" align="alignleft" width="319" caption="A day at the office for Andrew Howe][/caption]

Blazing his own trail is Indiana's own Juggernaut, er Andrew Howe. Howe continues to confound much more experienced, physically mature opponents. This week's victim was Iowa's #3 ranked Ryan Morningstar, a junior. Howe survived double OT by a 4-3 count to eke out another impressive win against an elite upperclassman opponent. He followed that up with a dominant 16-5 boat race of senior Dom Marella of Northwestern. Howe somehow keeps improving as the season continues; a very rare trait for a true freshman at an upper weight. It's hard to expect a true freshman to finish as an All-American, but Howe has been so good that many observers feel that he will do just that in his debut collegiate season. One thing to watch for is Howe hitting the wall; the collegiate season is much more physically and mentally demanding than a high school season. If anyone can smash through the wall, it's the Juggernaut.

[caption id=" align="alignleft" width="310" caption="Alexander the Great][/caption]

Continuing the theme of Indiana wrestlers with #1 rankings this year, Alex Tsirtsis had a solid week of wrestling, although he suffered his second loss of the season as well. The loss was to Wisconsin's Zach Tanelli 5-1, and was the second defeat of Tsirtsis by Tanelli this season. Sandwiched around the loss to Tanelli were strong wins over Illinois' Ryan Prater (11-3 MD) and a 4-1 win over Oklahoma State's Jamal Parks. Parks is a stud, and we will be hearing his name a lot in the coming years. Alex looks to be in solid position for the postseason, and he's making a lot fewer mistakes this year. He's beaten just about everyone of note this year at 141, but the Big 10 is brutal and he will have to be mistake-free to take home that long desired national title. I like his chances, but, then again, I've always liked his chances, so take it for what it's worth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caption id=" align="alignleft" width="284" caption="Fallen Angel][/caption]

The third Hoosier wrestler to attain a #1 ranking this season, Angel Escobedo had a tough week, losing to Penn State's Brad Pataky 4-3. While much has been made of Angel's bunged-up shoulder, and there's no doubt that a fully healthy Angel is not likely to lose to the likes of Pataky, I still saw flashes of last year's national championship form. It seemed to me that Angel was pacing himself, especially after tweaking his knee early in the match during a Pataky takedown. I'm probably in the minority, but I don't see this loss, nor the one to ISU's Clark, as being all that bad. He's still going to get a strong seed, unless his injury gets worse and he collapses down the stretch. Plus, the losses remove the target from his head a little bit.  Like all Hoosier fans, I'm hoping that he can just get through the regular season and Big 10s healthy enough to make another run at a title. Just last year he won an NCAA title with a bunged-up shoulder, so it's very possible he can join IU's Joe Dubuque in winning back-to-back titles, no matter what the pundits are saying right now.

 

 

 

[caption id=" align="alignleft" width="433" caption="The Indiana Headhunter bags more victims][/caption]

IU's Kurt Kinser continues to impress. The Indiana Headhunter (thanks, MattM!) has pinned or teched his last 3 opponents. He has just two losses this season, including a fairly close loss to last year's national champion Jordan Leen of Cornell, to go along with his 13 wins, including a win over top-10 Matt Moley of Bloomsburg, a win over top-20 Matt Dragon of Penn and a pin of top-15 Jason Welch of Northwestern. Kinser capped his week off with a spectacular tech fall of Penn State's Colby Pisani 23-8. KK took Pisani down at will, but was unable to manage any back points, earning Kinser a slightly rare 4 point tech fall. IU is going to need Kinser badly down the stretch; Kurt is a bonus points wrestler and IU needs every point from here on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caption id=" align="alignleft" width="180" caption="IU Hoosiers][/caption]

Indiana and Purdue both performed very well this past week. Despite the stunning loss by Escobedo to Pataky, IU managed to tie Penn State for the first non-loss result vs. the Nittany Lions in IU's history. Huge performances by Kurt Kinser, Paul Young (a very impressive 4-1 winner over returning All-American Dan Vallimont), Trevor Perry (a key SV 3-1 win over #11 Quentin Wright), Matt Powless (a match-saving major over Clay Steadman) and Nathan Everhart (clutch 5-3 win over Cameron Wade) allowed IU to get off the schneid versus a pretty talented PSU squad. I thought Scott Kelly, Nick Walpole and Matt Ortega did a solid job, too, considering their very tough opponents. For the Hoosiers, this has been an up and down season thus far; the talent is there for a nice postseason run, but Andrae Hernandez must snap out of his funk and Paul Young must continue his season-long improvement, plus the  studs Escobedo and Kinser will have to score a lot of points. Regardless of how the season finishes for IU, they can savor this result versus Penn State. Well done, fellas.

 

[caption id=" align="alignleft" width="211" caption="Purdue Boilermakers][/caption]

 

Not to be outdone by the Hoosiers, Purdue followed IU's tie of Penn State with a tie of their own versus the Lions. Some highlights include Nick Corpe very nearly beating #11 Wright, losing 6-4 in Sudden Victory, and former Winamac HS wrestler Chris Kasten beating Wade 6-2 to clinch the tie.

Purdue has had a very good season and seems to be surging. While the clear stars of the team are Luke Manual and Jake Patascil, guys like Corpe, Kasten and Jason Martin are fully capable of getting hot and making a postseason run. Matt Hemry is also having a nice debut season. Purdue looks to continue their improvement with a deep class of elite Indiana recruits to join their very youthful roster. Watch out for the Boilers in a couple of years.

The following Indiana wrestlers are ranked in D1:
Intermat rankings:
125 #6 Angel Escobedo IU
133 #1 Reece Humphrey OSU
141 #2 Alex Tsirtsis Iowa
157 #12 Kurt Kinser IU
165 #10 Andrew Howe Wisconsin
184 #15 Alex Dolly UNI


RevWrestling rankings:
125 #6 Escobedo
133 #2 Humphrey
141 #2 Tsirtsis
165 #8 Howe


AWN rankings:
125 #5 Escobedo
133 #1 Humphrey
141 #3 Tsirtsis
157 #12 Kinser IU
165 #12 Howe


WIN rankings:
125 #7 Escobedo
133 #1 Humphrey
141 #2 Tsirtsis
157 #11 Kinser
165 #6 Howe
165 #20 Paul Young (IU)

 Lastly, I wanted to give a list of the W/L records for all D1 wrestlers from Indiana.
Alex Tsirtsis-Iowa- (18-2)
Alex Dolly-Northern Iowa- (4-3)
Jamal Lawrence-Northern Iowa- (9-8)
Casey Caldwell-Navy- (22-11)
Eric McGill-Cornell- (3-6)
Travis Dale-Cornell- (7-7)
Ian Hinton-MSU- (14-10)
Andrew Howe-Wisconsin- (15-4)
Eric Galka-Northwestern- (5-3)
Reece Humphrey-Ohio St. (19-0)
Garrett James-Northern Illinois- (0-3)
Brian Deutsch-Northern Illinois- (15-8)
Peter Deutsch-George Mason- (0-0)
Andrew Szymborski-VMI- (7-7)
Chandler Coffey-IU- (3-2)
Matt Coughlin-IU- (16-7)
Angel Escobedo-IU- (13-2)
Wesley Fike-IU- (4-6)
Andrae Hernandez-IU- (12-7)
Scott Kelly-IU- (15-14)
Kurt Kinser-IU- (13-2)
Justin Kuhn-IU- (11-8)
George Malone-IU- (10-8)
Seth Parker-IU- (6-3)
Matt Powless-IU- (15-8)
Cooper Samuels-IU- (7-6)
Kyle Samuels-IU- (2-3)
Christopher Tanner-IU- (1-6)
Nick Viterisi-IU- (10-8)
Nick Walpole-IU- (21-13)
Alex Warren-IU- (10-8)
Paul Young-IU- (23-7)
Tommy Churchard-PU- (0-0 RS)
Nick Corpe-PU- (9-6)
Brennan Cosgrove-PU- (0-0 RS)
Matt Fields-PU- (9-3)
Jake Fleckenstein-PU- (8-5)
David Goodman-PU- (0-0)
Matt Hemry-PU- (6-4)
Chris Kasten-PU- (17-7)
Orrin Kleinhenz-PU- (0-0)
Jason Martin-PU- (16-6)
Sam Patacsil-PU- (2-2)
George Petrov-PU- (0-0)
Roger Vukobratovich-PU- (10-4)
Ethan Winel-Tenn. Chattanooga- (8-10)
Wilson Williams-Del. St.- (3-7)
389
Youth "Wrestler of the Week" 01-25-09
Name: Isaiah Bradley
Age: 13 (8th grade)
Club/Middle School: Wilson Middle School (Muncie, IN)
Weeks Record: 4-0
 
Isaiah went 4-0 this week with wins over 4 quality middle school programs: Delta, East Jay, Blackhawk and Bellmont. He had 2 pins and 2 major decisions. Isaiah is currently undefeated on the season.
 
Isaiah not only wrestled this week, but he aslo served as the manager and score keeper as he helped to train the managers. He did this gladly, and actually caught a scoring error that the head table had made. Great job Isaiah and good luck the rest of the season. indianamat.com

571
NorthEast Corner Conference Brackets
Team Results
1 201.00 Prairie Heights
2 200.00 Angola
3 196.00 Fairfield
4 169.00 West Noble
5 168.50 Churubusco
6 142.50 Westview
7 131.00 Lakeland
8 92.00 Eastside
9 46.00 Central Noble
10 43.50 Fremont
Click here to view completed NECC brackets
 
 
Click here to view NECC brackets
 
Teams include: Angola, Central Noble, Churubusco, Eastside, Fairfield, Fremont, Hamilton, Lakeland, Prairie Heights, West Noble, Westview

503
Indianapolis Public Athletic Conference Brackets
Click here for IPAC brackets
 
Teams include: Indianapolis Arlington, Indianapolis Arsenal Technical, Indianapolis Broad Ripple, Indianapolis Manual, Indianapolis Northwest
 
***Note: I will get the full 103lbs weight class updated later.

543
Pocket Athletic Conference Brackets
Click here for PAC brackets
 
Teams include: Forest Park, Gibson Southern, Heritage Hills, North Posey, Pike Central, Southridge, South Spencer, Tecumseh, Tell City.

497
Hoosier Crossroads Conference Brackets
Click here for HCC brackets
 
Teams include: Avon, Brownsburg, Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern, Harrison (West Lafayette), Lafayette Jefferson, McCutcheon, Noblesville, Westfield, Zionsville.

467
Northwest Crossroads Conference Brackets
Click here for NCC brackets
 
Teams include: Andrean, Griffith, Highland, Hobart, Kankakee Valley, Lowell, Munster

428
North Central Confernce Brackets
Click here for NCC brackets
 
Teams include: Anderson, Huntington North, Kokomo, Logansport, Marion, Muncie Central, New Castle, Richmond

405
Three Rivers Conference Brackets
Click here for TRC brackets
 
Teams include: Manchester, Northfield, North Miami, Rochester, Southwood, Tippecanoe Valley, Wabash, Whitko

512
Southern Indiana Athletic Conference
Click here for SIAC brackets
 
Teams include: Castle, Evansville Bosse, Evansville Central, Evansville Harrison, Evansville Mater Dei, Evansville Memorial, Evansville North, Evansville Reitz.

1878
Where are they now? With Jeremy Hart
[caption id=attachment_377" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Former South Adams wrestler Jeremy Hart in action at Penn State][/caption]
 
By Corey Sparks
 
Wrestler Name: Jeremy Hart
 
High School: South Adams Jr.-Sr. High School, IN & State College High School, PA
 
College: Penn State University
 
First things first, who is Jeremy Hart and why has he been selected to be featured in the first article of "Where are they now?"  Jeremy Hart is one of the most driven individuals I have ever met.  I first met Jeremy as an elementary wrestler back in the early 90's.  The Gold Wrestling Club was in the beginning stages, and Jeremy's father, Brad Hart was one of the founders of the organization.
 
I returned to the South Adams Wrestling program in 1998.  The short and pudgy Jeremy Hart was now a freshman at South Adams and to my surprise, he had grown up.  I know that's what kids do, I always hated it when grandparents would say that, "Wow, kid...you have grown since the last time I seen you!"  Jeremy Hart had become a young man.  He worked harder as a freshman, then any other kid in the room.  There were juniors and seniors coming to us after practice once or twice a week asking, no begging us to talk to Jeremy about going 100% all the time from the start of practice to the end of practice.
 
Jeremy's passion for wrestling and to achieve greatness is why he was my choice for this first write up of "Where are they now!"
 
Interview by Corey Sparks, South Adams Wrestling
 
Talk a little about your High School Wrestling Experience:
 
[caption id=attachment_378" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Former South Adams wrestler Jeremy Hart in action at Penn State][/caption]
 
I wrestled my freshman season at South Adams. I had a decent season and record for a freshman, but fell short of my goal of winning a state title when I didn't even make it out of sectional. The loss my freshman year at sectional to Chad Bollenbacher from Adams Central stuck with me throughout my High School career and served as a great source of motivation.
 
Soon after my freshman year my family moved from Berne, IN to State College, PA. In State College I had access to resources like I never knew existed. At the outset I trained year round with a former Penn State wrestler and Olympian, Ken Chertow. At the beginning of my sophomore year at State High I began training with former Penn State wrestler, Chad Dubin. I really credit Ken and Chad for my high school success. Ken laid a foundation of good technique and taught me how to push myself. Chad developed my style and showed me the finer points of the sport.
 
I ended up placing in Pennsylvania AAA state three times in high school. As a sophomore I placed 7th. I was runner-up as a junior, losing to 4-2 to Rocky Mantella in the finals, and as a senior I placed third. I lost a 5-4 heartbreaker in the semifinals to Jake Herbert, giving up a takedown in the last 10 seconds of the match.
 
After high school I decided to attend Penn State University on a wrestling scholarship.
 
High School Wrestling in Indiana vs. Pennsylvania:
 
I think that Indiana has some great high school wrestling. However, I don't see it consistently producing the same quantity or quality of wrestlers as Pennsylvania. I think one of the big reasons for this is the strength and seriousness of the youth programs in Pennsylvania. Granted, Indiana has youth wrestling clubs. However, they're not the same as clubs that exist in PA like the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, Angry Fish, Ken Chertow's Olympian Wrestling School, and many others that bring the best wrestlers within a 100 mile radius together in one place to train. Additionally, these clubs are led by professional coaches; former NCAA wrestlers and All-Americans who have devoted their lives to developing young wrestlers into state and NCAA champions coach these clubs.  The proof is ultimately in the performance of the state's athletes at the highest levels of competition. Each year there are far more All-Americans at Fargo from PA than from IN, and PA always has more All-Americans at NCAA's. I think it all begins with the quality and seriousness of the feeder programs.
 
Views on Class Wrestling (A big debate within the State of Indiana, I just want to get your perspective since you were a part of both sides):
 
I think this debate must be analyzed according to the purposes of high school wrestling. At the end of the day, the purpose of high school wrestling is to develop character, hard work, and discipline in the boys who participate. The existence of a class structure has no bearing on the accomplishment of this aim. However, a secondary purpose of high school wrestling is to give the largest number of young men the opportunity to wrestle at a collegiate level, possibly with financial assistance for the fruits of their labor on the mat. This objective cuts toward a class system. The placement of a wrestler at the state tournament is a quality indicator for college coaches. It's not the only quality indicator, but it is an important one nonetheless. A state with a single class is doing an incredibly inefficient job at exposing the spectrum of quality of its wrestlers because, by definition, only eight wrestlers can place. Thus, a wrestler who may have placed in a smaller school division, or in a bigger school division, but failed to place in a single class structure may be denied exposure to college coaches which he would have had if he had competed in a class system. If the high schools in a state really wish to maximize the opportunities for their athlete's to compete at the collegiate level, they will ensure them maximum exposure. Sure, a single class system results in one state champion. That may give that individual something to brag about, but it does little for the overall good of wrestling in the state. When more wrestlers are exposed to colleges due to placement in the state tournament, more wrestlers wrestle in college. When more wrestlers wrestle in college, more college wrestlers populate the state from which they came. These wrestlers then become the coaches of the youth clubs and high schools sowing the knowledge gleaned from collegiate wrestling into younger wresters, and thus the entire level of wrestling in the state is raised. In short, classes are a good thing. Instead of eight placers per weight, you now have 16 or 24 depending on the number of classes. More exposure means more college wrestlers, more college wrestlers means better wrestling in the state.
 
I've gotten somewhat long-winded above, but that argument doesn't even take into account the non-wrestling benefits of class wrestling: increased revenue potential from the state tournaments, increased educational opportunities for those wrestlers who do get financial assistance to go to college, etc...
 
Summer Wrestling & Summer Camp Experiences:
 
I wrestled every summer all summer without exception. I was either at a camp or wrestling for a national team in Fargo. The saying is cliché, but true, "Summer wrestling makes winter champions."
 
National & International Experiences:
 
I competed nationally at Fargo twice as a Cadet and twice as a Junior. I was a Junior National All-American in freestyle in 2001. In college I wrestled FILA Junior Nationals, where I was an All-American, and University Nationals. I won one international tournament which was held in Puerto Rico.
 
D1 College Wrestling Experiences:
 
Wrestling at the D1 level is like nothing else I've ever experienced. It is truly not only a sport, but a way of life. Everything revolves around training and competing, and nearly every aspect of your life (My relationship with Jesus and my family still had priorty) gives way to the goal of being a national champion.
 
You compete against the best wrestlers in the country every match. Every single dual is like wrestling a state championship match.
 
What was it like to wrestle for Penn State?
 
Wrestling for Penn State was a dream come true. There is no program east of the Mississippi with the wrestling heritage that Penn State has. I was proud to wear the Blue and White, and I did my best to represent Penn State well. There is nothing like wrestling in front of 5,000 screaming fans at Rec Hall.
 
Favorite practice partner & why?
 
James Yonushonis. He was always one of the most intense guys in the room, and he never took the easy way out or did anything halfway. We got into fist fight at least once a week because our matches would be so physical and intense, but we pushed each other and made each other better.
 

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

 

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

433
Western Indiana Conference Brackets
Click here for WIC brackets
 
Click here for WIC info
 
Teams include: Brown County, Edgewood, Northview, Owen Valley, South Vermillion, Sullivan, West Vigo

423
Northeast Hoosier Conference Brackets
Click here for NHC brackets
 
Teams include: Bellmont, Columbia City, Dekalb, Homestead, East Noble, Carroll(Ft. Wayne), Norwell, New Haven

456
Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference
Click here for MIC brackets
 
Teams include: Ben Davis, Carmel, Center Grove, Lawrence North, North Central (Indianapolis), Terre Haute North, Terre Haute South, Warren Central

311
Indianamat.com Team Rankings 1/18
1. Mishawaka
2. Evansville Mater Dei
3. Crown Point
4. Cathedral
5. Perry Meridian
6. Merrillville
7. Castle
8. Yorktown
9. Bellmont
10. Portage
11. Lawrence North
12. Evansville Reitz
13. South Bend Riley
14. New Palestine
15. Carmel
16. Roncalli
17.Center Grove
18. Penn
19. Elkhart Memorial
20. Hamilton Heights

582
Trine’s Seniors Lead the Way on Senior Night
-Trine comes away with a close 21-18 victory against Indianapolis
 
Trine University came away with a 21-18 win over the Indianapolis Greyhounds in the first ever meeting between both teams.  Trine is still in the infancy of their program, but have matured at an accelerated pace under head coach Dan Callahan and assistant Mike Ester.  On Tuesday, the Thunder got two big wins from their seniors and added two forfeits to seal the victory over the visiting Greyhounds.
 
The match started out at 125lbs with Jimmy Nichols(Westfield, IN) utilizing 1:57 of riding time and an escape to come away with a narrow 2-1 victory over Brandon Harvey(Elkhart, IN).  Harvey had two near takedowns in the first period, but the veteran Nichols funked out of the attempts both times.  Harvey's only point came on a late stalling call, but it was not enough for the freshman to upset the senior.  Indianapolis was out to a 9-0 lead after a forfeit at the 133lbs weight class.
 
The 141lbs match featured two Northeast Hooser Conference products in former Homestead wrestler Bryan Wight of Trine and former Bellmont state champion Matt Irwin from Indianapolis.  After a scoreless first period Irwin was out quick to start the second period.  Irwin then finished a beautiful double leg to go up 3-0.  Wight escaped after the takedown and to start the third period, but could not garner any more points as Irwin squeaked out a close 3-2 decision.
 
Senior Kyle Pittman(Greensburg, IN) stepped out on the mat for Trine against Indianapolis' freshman David Lopez(Napanee, IN) at 149lbs.  Both wrestlers were of identical short and stocky builds which made for a very entertaining match with lots of scrambles and near takedowns.  Pittman scored a takedown with 22 seconds left and Lopez's late desperation scramble could only muster an escape point as time ran out.  The decision by Pittman closed the gap to 12-3 after four matches.
 
At 157lbs Indianapolis' Corey Fornal(Rochester, IN) squared off with Trine freshman George Markou(Peru, IN).   Fornal scored an early double leg and racked up 1:57 of riding time in the first period.  In the second period Markou rode Fornal for nearly the whole period, but a late escape extended Fornal's lead to 3-0.  To start the third period, Markou chose the top position and Fornal didn't waste time as he got an early reversal.  Fornal didn't let Markou escape his grip as he regained his riding time to come away with a 6-0 victory.
 
The 165lbs match was by far the most entertaining of the night as Indianapolis' Jacob Blackwell(Indianapolis, IN) barely got by Trine's Kyle Long(South Bend, IN).  After a scoreless first period, Blackwell put Long to his back for a three count, but Long rolled through and gained a reversal to tie things up at two.  Blackwell got a reversal 30 seconds into the third period and rode Long out until he got another reversal to tie things up.  The reversal was too little, too late as Blackwell had barely enough riding time to garner the extra point and the 5-4 victory.
 
Trine then utilized their experience in the next two weight classes as they had junior Nick Kraus(Rolling Prairie, IN) going to the mat at 174lbs and senior Louis Posa(Tecumseh, MI) at 184lbs.  Kraus got the ball rolling early executing a great single leg finish to start the scoring in the first period.  He later added a double leg to take a 4-1 lead in the first period over JT Jenkins(New Albany, IN).  Kraus then put the hurting on Jenkins with a backbow to score three nearfall and almost come away with the pin in the second period.  After two periods, Kraus had a 7-1 lead along with 2:46 of riding time.  In the third period Kraus got a takedown and then three nearfall and a near pin before letting Jenkins up again to go for the tech fall.  Jenkins held off the late throw attempts to save the team valuable points as Kraus won 15-2.
 
Nothing was more suiting for senior night than for the match to come down to Trine's all-time win leader Louis Posa.  Posa has racked up 94 wins on his career and could be the first(and only) Trine wrestler to eclipse the 100 win mark.  Posa has been a mainstay in the line-up since his freshman year and has steadily improved each year, including just barely missing out on going to nationals last year.  Posa sprinted out of the gate with three takedowns in the first period on Indianapolis' Kevin Smith(Boggstown, IN) including an absolutely amazing low single off the whistle that excited the crowd.  Posa got his fourth takedown of the match to stretch his lead to 8-3 in the second period.  Posa then reversed Smith in the third period before a late escape by Smith kept the match to a regular decision.  Posa's 11-4 victory made the team score 9-18, but two forfeits by Indianapolis at 197lbs and heavyweight made the final score 21-18 in favor of the home Thunder.
 
The crowd at Hershey Hall on the Trine campus was filled with many coaches and wrestlers from South Bend, Northwood, Northrop, Jimtown, Leo and many more area schools.  Many fans came out to watch some of the best small school college wrestling in the state.  With the state series just around the corner, there is nothing like going down memory lane watching some of the former high school stars at the collegiate level.
 
On a personal note, I want to say congratulations to the Trine seniors that were honored tonight.  Levi Mundy, Bryan Wight, Kyle Pittman, Cory Boyles and Louis Posa were a part of the first team in Trine(Tri-State) history and laid the foundation for a very exciting future.  I coached all of these great young men as freshman and saw the fire in their eyes as they stepped out on the mats as inexperienced freshmen at the collegiate level.  There is nothing better than seeing how they have matured into very good wrestlers and even more importantly, great young men.  Congratulations and good luck in the future to all of you.

879
Northeast Hoosier Conference Tournament
Northeast Hoosier Conference Tournament
Teams: Bellmont, Carroll, Columbia City, DeKalb, East Noble, Homestead, New Haven, Norwell
 
The Northeast Hoosier Conference (NHC) has annually been the best conference in the Northeast quarter of the state. The conference was especially successful last year, sending a total of fifteen wrestlers to the state finals. Bellmont returns two state placers from last year, Will Sheets (4th) at 130 and Tyler Baker (6th) at 152. East Noble returns Taylor March (3rd) at 135. Six different teams took multiple wrestlers to Conseco last year, and the conference looks to continue that history of success in the upcoming weeks.
 
NHC teams are split up into 4 different sectionals come tournament time. The NHC dominated those four sectionals last year, bringing home four titles and three runner-ups. The only team not to finish 1st or 2nd was Norwell, who was 3 points away from finishing 2nd at the Jay County Sectional to Bellmont.
 
In the dual portion of the season, Bellmont continued its' dominance in NHC Dual competition. Bellmont came into the season having only lost one dual meet (Nov '06 to Columbia City) since the conference formed in 1989. Bellmont swept through the competition with a 7-0 record. The Braves soundly defeated dual season runner-up Carroll 41-15 in December. BJ Faurote's squad got their toughest match from the Knights of East Noble at 40-23. With Bellmont being the clear favorite to secure their 19th NHC Tournament title in the last 20 years, Coach Faurote added, "I think it will probably be a race between us and Carroll for the top spot. Carroll is solid through most of the weight classes, with 6 guys seeded in one of the top two spots compared to seven for us." Head Coach of the host Norwell Knights John Heller agreed with Faurote, saying, "Carroll is more than likely second best in the conference. It is definitely one of the toughest conferences around." Heller pointed out an especially tough 130 weight class as a good example, "130 is really stacked. You've got a returning state placer (Will Sheets) as a number four seed, and he has been beaten by all three guys in front of him." Along with Bellmont and Carroll, Faurote predicted, "East Noble could be well represented in the final round with March and Krock, but they will really be hurt by losing Waring." Heller confirmed, saying, "East Noble will definitely be down without their 171." Both coaches were referring to #13 ranked Henry Waring from East Noble, who is out for the year because of a knee injury. Faurote and Heller also agreed that the teams finishing 3rd through 7th place in the dual portion of the schedule will be very competitive come Saturday. "Overall, it will be good entertainment and a good day of wrestling," said Heller.
 
Four wrestlers will be returning champions when they walk onto the mat in Ossian on Saturday. Andy Franklin of Homestead was the champion at 103 last year, Taylor March of East Noble was the champion at 125lbs, while a pair of Bakers from Bellmont, Tyler and Billy, took home titles at 145 and 189 respectively. Bellmont won the tournament with 233.5 points, besting New Haven's 174 points and Homestead's 150.
 
(All rankings quoted come from Indianamat. com)
 
103 lbs.
 
The #1 seed will be (15-2) Logan Ables from Carroll. Ables is currently ranked #8 in the Fort Wayne Semi-State. The #2 seed will be 16-5 Derek Kissinger from Columbia City. Andrew Bowman (HOM), Blake Adams (, and Tyler Miller (D) will also be in the mix for a spot in the finals.
 
112 lbs.
 
At 112, returning conference champ Andy Franklin, ranked 8th in the Semi-State, will be the #2 seed to Norwell's Brandon Tucker (21-4). Tucker spent most of the year at 119 before making the drop to 112. Faurote said of Tucker, "He has a good shot at making a run deep into the [state] tournament." Franklin was a match away from a ticket to the state finals, losing to eventual state runner-up Casey Kenney (Jay Co.) in the ticket round at the Coliseum last year. Look for Greg Sexton of DeKalb and Kalib Jackson of East Noble to battle for one of the top spots.
 
119 lbs.
 
Tommy Poynter of DeKalb will be the #1 seed at 119 lbs. Poynter won the seed by virtue of his 4-1 victory over promising freshman Brooks Faurote (20-6), son of the Bellmont Hall of Fame head coach.
 
125 lbs.
 
The 125 weight class is shaping up to be a battle between two wrestlers with stellar records. Tucker Smith of Homestead will be the #1 seed over (24-3) Tanner Bowman of Dekalb. Carlin Hormann of Bellmont may have something to say about that battle, as he lost a close match with Smith, 8-6, in the dual meet.
 
130 lbs.
 
130 promises to be worth the price of admission, even if the only matches you could see were between the top 4 seeds. Will Sheets is a three-time state qualifier, finishing 4th last year in a very good 125 pound class. Despite Sheets' past successes, he is seeded fourth for Saturday. Sheets comes in ranked 4th in the state at 125, where he will presumably drop after this weekend. The top seed will be #8 Brock Norton of Carroll, coming in with an unblemished record of 16-0. Coach Faurote said that he has been very impressed with Norton this year. "Norton has beaten some very quality kids already this year in Sheets and Egolf." Austin Egolf (CC) comes in at 11-1, losing only to Norton. Jimmy LaRowe (EN) will be the #3 seed after splitting matches with Sheets this year.
 
135 lbs.
 
#3 Taylor March (EN) will enter his fourth and final NHC conference tournament looking for his 4th conference championship. March has finished 2nd, 2nd, and 3rd at the state tournament the last three years and looks to be one of the favorites to stand at the top of the podium this year at Conseco. He will most definitely go down as one of the all-time NHC greats. Taylor has compiled an astounding 144-11 career record at East Noble. The #2 seed will be Nate Bloomfield (19-6) of New Haven. Look for Cody Ward (#5 in the SS) to challenge for a top spot.
 
140 lbs.
 
Bryce Krock (EN) will be the #1 seed at 140. Krock comes into the tournament with a record of 17-3. Reece Lefever of Carroll will be the #2 seed with a record of 11-3. Heller looks for one of his own, Justin Sprow, to make a solid run, "Sprow comes in unseeded, but only lost to the #1 seed 3-1 in the dual."
 
145 lbs.
 
Ryley Hankenson (17-6) of Bellmont will be the top seed at 145 lbs. Hankenson, a SS-Qualifier from a year ago as a freshman at 135, was unbeaten in conference action, including a 13-5 major decision of #2 seed Jon Timmerman (15-1) of Carroll. #4 Seed James Landis of Norwell was a SS-Qualifier a year ago.
 
152 lbs.
 
#10 Tyler Baker (22-3) of Bellmont comes in as a returning champion and three-time state qualifier, finishing 6th a year ago at 145. On the opposite side of the bracket, Wes Graves (16-4) of Columbia City will be the #2 seed.
 
160 lbs.
 
Bobby Natusch (H) will be the #1 seed with an 18-3 record. He is coming off a big win over previously state-ranked Trent Busse of Bellmont, who is the #3 seed. Busse was a match away from Conseco last year at 152. Busse has been out with an injury since that match, missing several matches for the Braves. Busse was also out for the dual meet against New Haven because of a death in the family. The Bulldogs' Matt Klemm picked up the #2 seed for Coach Barry Humble's squad.
 
171 lbs.
 
Presumed top seed Henry Waring (EN), ranked 13th in the state is out for the season with a knee injury. Replacing him in the top spot on the bracket will be Bellmont's Grant Melcher (20-6). Tyler Thomas (14-3) of Carroll will be the #2 seed.
 
189 lbs.
 
The conference will once again be missing a likely #1 seed as Bellmont's Andrew Bultemeier is out with an injury. Bultemeier defeated the #1 seed Kris Pappert (26-4) of New Haven in a very exciting match, at 285 nonetheless, 6-4 at the beginning of the year. Bellmont sub Travis Thatcher (9-2) has filled in nicely for Coach Faurote's Braves and will come in as the #2 seed.
 
215 lbs.
 
The state's top-ranked wrestler at 215 lbs. is Billy Baker (23-0) of Bellmont. Baker was a state qualifier two years ago at 189 and lost to eventual state champion Steve Stahl in the ticket round last year at the Coliseum. Baker is the favorite to go all the way this year, having already defeated three top-ranked wrestlers and this year's #1 seeded Heavyweight in the conference. The #2 seed will be Ben Russer of Carroll with a 14-3 record. Brad Mills (H) comes in rated 5th in the SS as the #3 seed. Shori Gerardot (CC) is also ranked in the SS (8th). He will be on Baker's half of the bracket as the #4 seed.
 
285 lbs.
 
The #1 seed at Heavyweight will be Trey Cahill of DeKalb. Cahill has a stellar 24-3 record, with one of those losses coming to #1 ranked (215) Billy Baker. Bellmont's Daniel Meyer, seemingly giving up weight to every opponent he faces, comes in as the #2 seed at 15-4. Meyer is coming off a big win over previously unbeaten #9 Dan Borkowski of Evansville Memorial.

1234
38th Annual Allen County Athletic Conference Wrestling Tournament
Teams: Adams Central, Bluffton, Garrett, Heritage, Leo, South Adams, Southern Wells, Woodlan
 
The Allen County Athletic Conference(ACAC) is one of the premier small school wrestling conferences in the state.  The conference has many superb individuals along with some very talented teams this season.  The conference that features schools in 3A, 2A and 1A in football, only has four, yes four forfeits in the whole entire tournament.  Six of the eight teams have full line-ups, which will lead to a very competitive tournament.
 
During the regular season, the South Adams Starfires ran the table and beat everyone in the conference.  They beat both Garrett and Southern Wells by narrow four point margins.  The Starfires are also the defending tournament champions and will look to retain the title on their home floor.  They will find stiff challengers in the other seven teams who will aim to knock them off any chance they get.
 
103lbs
At 103lbs, the #1 seed is Todd Batt from South Adams.  He sports a superb 27-2 record on the season.  The #2 seed is Logan Buuck of Woodlan who has a record just under .500, beat the #3 seed Brandon Bennett of Heritage 7-3 earlier in the season.  The sleeper of the tournament could be Nate Hess of Adams Central.  He comes in with only nine matches under his belt, but he is a returning regional qualifier from last year.
 
112lbs
Phillip Gerber of Bluffton has the top seed at this weight class.  The freshman comes into the conference tournament with a 20-8 record and has beaten the #2 seed Gabe Sprunger of South Adams and #3 seed Michael Hirshy of Adams Central during the season.  Once again, there is no slouch at the #4 seed in Heritage's Alex Richman who comes into the tournament with a stellar 19-4 record.
 
119lbs
This weight class is going to be one of the most interesting of the day.  Bluffton gets their second #1 seed in a row with Bobby Perry and his 24-3 record taking the honors.  One of those losses however is to the #3 seed from Garrett, Logan Lee.  The #2 seed is Adams Central's Zeke Schultz.  Schultz and Lee did not wrestle during the dual and sport nearly identical records.  South Adams rounds out the top four seeds with Cajon Dailey taking the 4th seed.
 
125lbs
Returning ACAC champion Troy Fiechter claimed the top seed at this weight class.  Fiechter sports a superb record of 27-2 after bumping up from 112lbs last season.  He will have some tough wrestlers to go through this year to defend his title.  The #2 seed, John Striker of South Adams comes in with only three losses on the season, including one to Fiechter's brother Darin.  The #3 seed, Shea Novy of Garrett comes in with a 24-4 record.  Bluffton's Seth Higgins, wrestling at a more natural weight this year, took the 4th seed, but will face a tough Blake Thieme of Adams Central in the first round.
 
130lbs
This will be one of the best weight classes to watch on Saturday, with one returning state qualifier and two semi-state qualifiers battling it out for top honors.  As with his brother Troy, Darin Fiechter of Southern Wells is a defending champion and has the #1 seed.  Darin has only one blemish on his record, a loss to Andrew Heistand of Yorktown.  Second seed Jace German also sports just one blemish on his record, a 6-4 loss to Darin Fiechter.  The #3 seed is returning state qualifier Josh Ehr of South Adams.  While he has seven losses on the season, he has lost to some tough kids while wrestling 135lbs most of the season.  The #4 seed is the very talented freshman from Woodlan Cody Zink.
 
135lbs
This is another interesting weight class with some very tough wrestlers.  Earning the #1 seed is Matthew Gerber of Bluffton who has a 25-2 record on the season.  His two losses have come to Zach DeHaven of Evansville Memorial and Chris Goodwin of Perry Meridian.  The #2 seed is Garrett's Bryce Schendel.  Schendel only has one loss on the season and that is to Gerber.  Gerber will be looking to capture his second straight title, while Schendel will be going for his third title in three years.  While these two are the top contenders in this weight, they cannot overlook #3 seed Josh Morris of Southern Wells, #4 seed Taylor Isch of Adams Central or unseeded Jordan Buuck of Woodlan.
 
140lbs
Leo brings in back to back #1 seeds at 140lbs and 145lbs respectively.  The first is Justin Beck at 140lbs.  He has an outstanding 20-2 record on the season with his only losses to the top two seeds at 135lbs, Bryce Schendel of Garrett and Matt Gerber of Bluffton.  The #2 seed is Matt Kaehr of Adams Central who comes in with a 26-4 record on the season.  TJ Burnfield of South Adams has the third seed and comes in with a very impressive 25-5 record on the season.  The fourth seed is Garrett's Brayden Moreau who comes in with only three losses in limited action this year.
 
145lbs
Returning state qualifier and ACAC champion Cam Friend is the headliner in this weight class.  The tournament features seven wrestlers with only a single loss, but Friend is the only wrestler without a defeat this season while wrestling mostly 152lbs and 160lbs until just recently.  Garrett senior Nik Isham is the #2 seed, while Levi Jones of Southern Wells is the 3rd seed.  The 4th seed is Dustin Hunt of South Adams, who has only four losses in limited varsity action this year.
 
152lbs
Defending ACAC champion Zac McCray of Garrett is back at this weight class for the third straight year.  He comes into the tournament with a 23-5 record on the season and is looking to bring home his second ACAC title.  Chase Sprunger of South Adams is the second seed and will be looking to claim his second ACAC title also.  Sprunger won a title in 2006 as a sophomore, but was defeated in the finals last year.  Last year's runner-up, Jayme Schwartz of Woodlan is the third seed at this weight class.  The fourth seed is Leo's Caleb Eicher.
 
160lbs
Bluffton has yet another top seed, this time Josh Fiechter at 160lbs.  Fiechter comes in as the heavy favorite with a 23-5 slate on the season.  The second seed is Joe Taube of Garrett who has an 18-6 record on the season.  Ben Sowles of Woodlan who has the third seed with a 12-5 record will push Taube in the lower half bracket.  The fourth seed is Heritage's Dan Gibson.
 
171lbs
This is another weight class that will be fun to watch with two wrestlers having only one blemish on their record.  The top seed is Garrett's Luke Rieke with a 26-1 record.  Not to be outdone, Adams Central's Trey Schultz has a 21-1 record on the season.  Rieke was the runner-up last year at 171lbs, while Schultz won the title at 160lbs.  While those two wrestlers are very talented, they cannot overlook the #3 seed Matt Morrissey of Bluffton or #4 seed Brandon Biberstine of Southern Wells.  Tyler Unsicker of Heritage is unseeded, but could give fits to the seeded wrestlers, as he is 15-10 on the season.
 
189lbs
Heritage's lone #1 seed is Taylor Scott at 189lbs.  Scott comes in with 20 wins on the season against only three losses.  The second seed is Bluffton's Levi Mock who comes in with 21 wins himself.  The #3 seed is Garrett's Logan DeMarco, while Leo's Ben Meeks has the 4th seed.
 
215lbs
South Adams rounds out the last two weight classes with returning champions and #1 seeds.  The first is Jackson Werst at 215lbs, who comes in with a stellar 29-1 record on the season.  His only loss is to #4 seed Seth Biberstine of Southern Wells.  The second seed is Garrett's Geoff Getts, while Adams Central's Aden Feasel has the third seed.  Biberstine defeated Werst by major decision less than a week ago, but Biberstine lost to both Getts and Feasel earlier in the season.  On top of that Werst has defeated both Getts and Feasel.  If you are too confused to follow, just come to Berne on Saturday to see everything sort itself out!
 
285lbs
Finally, the last weight class is also one that has two top competitors.  South Adam's Jim West comes in as the defending champion and #1 seed with a 24-4 record on the season.  Joe Grueb of Woodlan is the second seed with only one loss on the season at 14-1.  The third seed is Leo's Nick McAbee and Alex Reinhard of Adams Central rounds out the top four seeds.  Not to be overlooked is Heritage's Josh Mitchel who has a 17-9 record on the year and is unseeded.
 
Team Race
Lovely Berne, Indiana and South Adams High School will play host to this great tournament.  The team championship race looks like a two-horse race with the host Starfires and Garrett Railroaders looking to lead the way.  Adams Central, Bluffton, Leo and Southern Wells each bring in their fair share of top seeds and could add some excitement to the team race.  Look for the team race to be hotly contested with all the teams potentially affecting the outcome.
 
IndianaMat.com Ranked Wrestlers
 
135lbs #10 Matt Gerber- Bluffton
135lbs #11 Bryce Schendel- Garrett
145lbs #11 Cam Friend- Leo
171lbs #9 Trey Schultz- Adams Central

553
Wrestler of the Week 1/12 – 1/17/2009
IndianaMat

Wrestler of the Week 1/12 - 1/17/2009
[caption id=attachment_328" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Bloomington South's Brannigan Barlow][/caption]

Bloomington South Junior
Brannigan Barlow
Barlow won the Conference Indiana Tournament at 130 pounds.  Barlow beat then #2 Sampson Cook of Perry Meridian, who was named IndianaMat WOW last week, in the semi final 10-4.  Barlow then defeated #1 ranked D'Marcus Spencer of Pike 6-3 in the final.  Barlow is 27-4 on the season and has also logged wins against #9 Nick Odom of Warren Central, #15 Logan McWhorter of Columbus North and #4 at 125 Will Sheets of Bellmont.

Honorable Mention:
Fort Wayne SS -  215 pound senior Aris Allen of Fort Wayne North Side. Allen won the Goshen Invitational including defeating #3 ranked in Michigan D4 Travis Gump of Bronson, MI.
 
New Castle SS -  135 pound senior Chris Goodwin of Perry Meridian.  Goodwin was undefeated for the week while beating #13 Dominic Corsaro of Cathedral and then cruising through the Conference Indiana Tournament winning by tech fall in the final.
 
Merrillville SS - 125 freshman Jason Tsirtsis of Crown Point.  #2 Tsirtsis won the Duneland Conference Tournament defeating #3 Anthony Napules from Merrillville and #14 Luis Acuna from Portage.

511
Northern State Conference Brackets
Click here to view Northern State Conference brackets
 
Teams include: Bremen, Culver Community, Triton, Jimtown, John Glenn, LaVille, New Prairie and Knox

419
Allen County Athletic Conference Brackets
Click here for the full program
 
Click here for brackets only
 
Teams include: Adams Central, Garrett, Leo, Woodlan, Southern Wells, South Adams, Heritage, and Bluffton.

330
Northern States Conference Preview
No Clear Favorite in Northern States Race
- Jimtown, New Prairie appear strongest
 
The theme of the 2009 Northern States Conference wrestling tournament appears to be depth. The team that will take the crown will likely be the one that can place the most wrestlers in the most weight classes as no one team appears to be dominant.
Both Jimtown and New Prairie appear to have the depth necessary to carry themselves to a team title but Knox may have a say in the outcome as they will bring many outstanding grapplers to the clash Saturday at Jimtown High School. Following is a weight class breakdown of the meet:
 

103 –
 
Matt Lindsey of Triton brings a 21-1 record to Jimtown Saturday with his only loss coming to Jacob Schroeder of Rochester. Michael Wireman is the second seed with a 20-8 record.

112 –
 
This class appears to wide open as each of the seeded wrestlers beat one or more of the other seeds. LaVille’s Sean Webb (20-8) is the top seed, followed by Glenn’s Travis Mowery (15-8), Jimtown’s Zach Slough (14-6), and Knox’s Dakota Martin (17-10).

119 –
 
Knox’s ninth ranked Danny Bradley is the class of the field with his 25-0 record. Second seeded Kaleb McCallum of Glenn has bumped up to 119 late in the season and brings a 24-8 record to the table.

125 –
 
A two man battle looks to be waged here as number one seed Collin Crume (28-6) of Jimtown might face off with second seeded Kyle Hernandez of Knox (25-4) in the finals.

130 –
 
Another weight class where the top seeds all own victories over each other, this weight class seeds went based on winning percentage with Bremen’s Justin Bogart (23-5) earning the #1 seed, New Prairie’s Joe Zigler (25-7) at number two, Knox’s Devann Biddle (14-4) at three and Jimtown’s John Michael Moore (23-9) at four.

135 –
 
Jimtown’s returning semi-state qualifier Jeremy Hill (33-3) is the clear favorite here and he is the one seed, New Prairie’s Aaron Jeske (20-8) and LaVille’s Danny Kline (20-8) are the number two and three seeds respectively.

140 –
 
New Prairie’s dangerous Dillan Escobedo (15-13) earned the #1 seed based on victories over second seeded Darius Stevens (22-9) of Triton and #3 seed Matt Hill (20-11) of Jimtown.

145 –
 
Niles Goodman of New Prairie (20-9) is the one seed followed by LaVille’s Preston Pittman (15-12) and largely untested Mike Stout (10-4) of Culver.

152 –
 
Jordan Martin of New Prairie looks to be the class of the field with his 23-4 record. Knox’s Mike Hernandez (20-9) and Glenn’s Josh Dunbar (21-11) both look to challenge for a spot in the finals as the second and third seeds respectively.

160 –
 
A three man battle shapes up at 160 where top seeded Jimmy Krause (19-8) will battle New Prairie’s second seeded Ryan Balanow (23-6) and Triton’s third seed, Zach Clark (27-5).

171 –
 
This may be the deepest weight class of the meet. Jimtown’s Zach Spurgeon enters battle tested and as the top seed. Second seeded Robert Molebash of Culver owns a victory over state ranked Reece Farnham of Northridge and Knox’s Adam Winebrenner (3rd seed) has an outstanding 25-4 record. 4th seeded Dylan Senff (18-5), along with unseeded Jake Cornell (23-6) and New Prairie’s Jeff Jurczak (19-7) appear very capable of upsetting the big guns at this weight class. **NOTE: Triton’s eighth ranked state qualifier Blake Hoffer was injured last Saturday and is taking a week off to heal for sectionals.

189 –
 
Knox’s Alex Windbigler brings an outstanding 25-5 record to the top seed and he will be chased by New Prairie’s second seeded Eric Singleton (20-8).

215 –
 
New Prairie’s third ranked Kannon Keigley (31-1) is the clear favorite here. He has one loss on the season to Lowell’s second ranked Nathan Cleveland. Keigley has a win over highly regarded Christain Lentz of Mishawaka and will be looking at the conference meet as way to springboard him to a deep tournament run over the next month.

HWT –
 
John Glenn goliath Craig Fitzgerald (ranked second in the state) and Jimtown senior Zack Stone (ranked #15) appear to be class of this field. Fitzgerald, undefeated on the year, is the returning conference champ and placed 6th in the state last year. Stone is a semi-state qualifier from last year and placed 3rd at the Al Smith tournament. There was no head to head match-up as Stone was dinged up earlier in the year when Glenn and Jimtown matched up