High School News

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377
2012 Cadet Freestyle Preview
Last 5 Years All-Americans




2007
84
7th
Cody Phillips


2007
119
6th
Ryan Stahl


2007
215
5th
Chaz Brock


2007
285
1st
Joe Arthur


2007
285
4th
Jonathan Clark


2008
119
4th
Jason Tsirtsis


2008
119
1st
Brandon Wright


2008
135
8th
Frankie Porras


2008
145
6th
Sean McMurray


2008
152
8th
Zac McCray


2008
171
5th
Braden Atwood


2009
105
7th
Mason Todd


2009
112
8th
Brenden Campbell


2009
130
2nd
Jason Tsirtsis


2010
189
1st
Mitch Sliga


2011
98
1st
Stevan Micic


2011
98
8th
Jacob Cottey


2011
112
8th
Brandon James


2011
189
1st
Mitch Sliga


2011
285
5th
Wesley Bernard


Last year Indiana brought home five All-Americans including two National Champions in Cadet Freestyle.  Two of those All-Americans return to Fargo with goals of bringing home some more hardware.  Leading the way is defending National Champion Stevan Micic.  Micic ran through the field at 98lbs last year and continued that hot streak through the IHSAA season and into this spring.  His unbeaten streak was halted in June when he lost to Tommy Thorn at FILA Cadet Nationals.  If Thorn is in Fargo, look for another barnburner of a match and do not be surprised to see Micic get revenge.  Brandon James returns to Fargo looking to improve on his 8th place performance last year.  He placed 3rd this year as a freshman with only one loss to state champion Jarred Brooks.
 
There are numerous other cadets to keep an eye out for this year.  Cody LeCount is making his Fargo debut this year and looking to make a big impact nationally.  In the state of Indiana he only has two career losses along with a runner-up finish this year.  All three Cadet Greco-Roman All-Americans are looking for a Fargo double.  Sage Coy, Gavin Jolley-Little and Conner Tolley all had impressive showings in the Greco portion of the tournament.  Drew Hildebrandt and Jose Champagne both had disappointing runs in Greco, which should lead to them wrestling with a chip in their shoulder during freestyle.  Two freshman state placers round out the Indiana wrestlers to watch.  Robert Steveson placed 5th this year during the IHSAA season and was a Folkstyle Nationals runner-up.  He is no stranger to national success, so don't be surprised to see him on the raised platform on Friday.  Ben Harvey placed 7th this year and is no stranger to national level competition.




Name
Weight
State Credentials
National Credentials


Drew Hildebrandt
88

7-1 Cadet Duals, 4th USAW Folkstyle Nationals


Blake Glogouski
94




Tyler Denney
94




Demonte Dawkins
100




Griffin Schermer
106




Sage Coy
113

2012 Cadet Greco 8th


Stevan Micic
113
2012 State Champion, 2011 3rd
2011 Cadet Freestyle National Champion, 2012 FILA Cadet Runner-up, 8-0 Junior Duals


Christopher Diaz
113




Reid Eckert
113




Tony Vaughn
113




Benjamin Harvey
120
2012 7th



Brandon James
120
2012 3rd
2011 Cadet Freestyle 8th


Austin Ward
126




Kellen VanCamp
126




Tyler Fleener
126




Jarrod Hemmings
126




Cody LeCount
132
2012 2nd



Evan Smiley
132




Jose Champagne
132
2012 ISWA Triple Crown
6-2 Cadet Duals, Super 32 MS Champion


Justin Atkinson
132




Ruger Kerstiens
138




Joey Mammolenti
145




Connor Armuth
145




Dylan Lydy
152




Damon Buxton
160




Robert Steveson
170
2012 5th
Folkstyle Nationals Runner-up


James Malone
170




Matthew Simmons
195




Andrew Smith
195




Carson Popp
220




Connor Tolley
220

2012 FILA Cadet 4th, 2012 Cadet Greco 2nd


Gavin Jolley-Little
285

Folkstyle Nationals Champion, Cadet Greco 6th, 7-1 Cadet Duals



377
2012 Cadet Greco-Roman Preview
Past 5 Years All-Americans




2007
105
6th
Luke Schofield


2007
160
7th
Mark Myers


2007
171
4th
Damon Jones


2007
215
5th
Chaz Brock


2007
285
7th
Jonathan Clark


2008
130
6th
Tony Lovejoy


2008
152
8th
Drake Stein


2008
160
4th
Cameron Vlahos


2008
285
6th
Mark Collett


2009
152
7th
Sean Mappes


2010
189
1st
Mitch Sliga


2011
189
1st
Mitch Sliga


2011
285
8th
Wesley Bernard


Last year Indiana had two Cadet Greco-Roman All-Americans, but both wrestlers have moved up to the Junior division. This year will see some new blood in the mix with hopes of finishing on top of the podium. Leading the way is ISWA Triple Crown winner Jose Champagne. He went 6-2 at the Cadet Duals and is regarded by many as one of the top incoming freshmen in the nation. Sage Coy is also a top incoming freshman making his first appearance in North Dakota. He went 7-1 at the Cadet Duals and has numerous state and national accolades. Grizzly Cub Connor Tolley is coming off an impressive 4th place at FILA Cadet Nationals in June and looking to improve on that performance. The Hildebrandt name is no stranger to success at Fargo and Drew Hildebrandt would love to follow in big sister's footsteps and claim a national title. USAW Folkstyle National Champion Gavin Jolley-Little will look to secure the second leg of a triple crown at heavyweight. Tyler Fleener had a solid Cadet Duals going 5-3 for the tournament.




Name
Weight
State Credentials
National Credentials


Drew Hildebrandt
88

7-1 Cadet Duals, 4th USAW Folkstyle Nationals


Tyler Denney
94




Sage Coy
106

7-1 Cadet Duals


Griffin Schermer
106




Reid Eckert
113




Quinn Harris
120




Tyler Fleener
120

5-3 Cadet Duals


Jarrod Hemmings
126




Austin Ward
126




Jose Champagne
132

6-2 Cadet Duals, Super 32 MS Champion


Ruger Kerstiens
138




Joey Mammolenti
145




Damon Buxton
160




Stone Neese
170




James Malone
170




Carson Popp
220




Connor Tolley
220

4th FILA Cadet


Isaiah Jones
285




Gavin Jolly-Little
285

1st USAW Folkstyle Nationals



1127
2012 Conference Tournament Brackets
Hoosier Crossroads Conference
Teams: Avon, Brownsburg, Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern, Harrison (West Lafayette), Lafayette Jefferson, Mccutcheon, Noblesville, Westfield, Zionsville
 
Southern Indiana Wrestling Conference
Teams: Christian Academy, Crawford County, Charlestown, Eastern (Pekin), Forest Park, Milan, Mitchell, New Washington, Paoli, Providence, Salem, Scottsburg, Southwestern, Switzerland County
 
Hoosier Conference
Teams: Benton Central, Delphi, Rensselaer Central, Twin Lakes, Central Catholic, Tipton, and West Lafayette.
 
Sagmore
Team Scores
Teams: Crawfordsville, Danville, Frankfort, Lebanon, North Montgomery, Southmont, Tri-West Hendricks, Western Boone
 
Conference Indiana
Teams: Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Columbus North, Franklin Central, Lawrence Central, Perry Meridian, Pike, Southport
 
Hoosier Heritage Conference
Teams: Delta, Greenfield-Central, Mt. Vernon (Fortville), New Palestine, Pendleton Heights, Rushville, Shelbyville, Yorktown.
 
Duneland Athletic Conference
Teams: Chesterton, Crown Point, Lake Central, Laporte, Merrillville, Michigan City, Portage, Valparaiso.
 
Allen County Athletic Conference
Teams: Adams Central, Bluffton, Garrett, Heritage, Leo, South Adams, Southern Wells, Woodlan.
 
North East Corner Conference
Teams: Angola, Central Noble, Churubusco, Eastside, Fairfield, Fremont, Lakeland, Prairie Heights, West Noble, Westview.
 
Western Indiana Conference
Teams: Brown County, Edgewood, Northview, Owen Valley, South Vermillion, Sullivan, West Vigo.
 
Northern State Conference
Teams: Bremen, Culver Community, Glenn, Jimtown, Knox, Laville, New Prairie, Triton.
 
Northern Lakes Conference
Teams: Concord, Elkhart Memorial, Goshen, Northridge, Northwood, Plymouth, Warsaw, Wawasee.
 
Summit Athletic Conference
Team Scores
Teams: Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, Fort Wayne Concordia, Fort Wayne North Side, Fort Wayne Northrop, Fort Wayne Snider, Fort Wayne South Side, Fort Wayne Wayne.

427
2012 Evansville Semi-State Preview
Evansville Semi-State Preview
 
While fans from the Merrillville Semi-State surely will reign in the complaints early next week, this Saturday wrestlers from the Evansville Semi-State will come to compete at a premier venue in Ford Arena. Each wrestler looks to punch their ticket and create their own history, being the first ever State Qualifiers out of this new location, leaving Roberts Stadium as a distant memory.
 
106
106 looks to be a competitive weight class with returning State Qualifiers in Terrence Kennedy of Floyd Central and Damon Kuhn of Evansville Reitz with Kennedy having a tough way to go in the ticket round. With only one upperclassman you should expect to see these names in the upcoming years as well.
 
Best Ticket Round Match:
Terrence Kennedy (35-1 Floyd Central) vs. Jacob Brown (39-1 Castle)
 
Ticket Punchers:
1. Damon Kuhn (40-2 Reitz)
2. Terrence Kennedy (35-1 Floyd Central)
3. Hunter Fox (37-2 Cascade)
4. DJ Smith (29-4 Franklin)
 
113
At 113 it is a two horse race between Bailey Lahue (37-2 Corydon Central) and Anthony Schoettle (37-1 Center Grove) after that it’s a crapshoot for the remaining two spots at Bankers Life Field house, with many tough and battle tested wrestlers gunning for a state finals appearance.
 
Best Ticket Round Match:
Alex Johnson (30-8 Evansville Mater Dei) vs. Cory O’neal (36-4 Southwestern)
 
Ticket Punchers:
1. Bailey Lahue (37-2 Corydon Central)
2. Anthony Schoettle (37-1 Center Grove)
3. Josh Davis (34-9 Reitz)
4. Cory O’neal (36-4 Southwestern)
 
120
Possibly the toughest weight class in the Semi-State, 120 returns four State Qualifiers from a year ago in Luke Welch (40-0 Castle), IU Commit Alonzo Shepherd(44-3 Jeffersonville), Skyler Lykins(25-9 Franklin) and Blake Johns (34-8 Reitz). This weight class should hold a lot of matches that will be remembered for years to come.
 
Best Ticket Round Match:
Alonzo Shepherd (44-3 Jefffersonville) vs. Austin Spray (38-3 Southwestern)
 
Ticket Punchers:
1. Luke Welch (40-0 Castle)
2. Blake Johns (34-8 Reitz).
3. Alonzo Shepherd (44-3 Jeffersonville)
4. Sam Goebel (12-6 Mater Dei)
 
126
126 seems to be another weight that will likely be dominated by a few wrestlers. Returning SQ’s Gideon Vanhook (25-3 Reitz) and Logan Wedding ( 39-3 Ev. Memorial) look to be the front-runners of the weight, with Josh Pierre(27-7 Mater Dei) also in the thick of things, but with a very tough way to go.
 
Best Ticket Round Match:
Zach Batts(23-2 Cascade) vs. Josh Pierre(27-7 Mater Dei)
 
Ticket Punchers:
1. Gideon Vanhook (25-3 Reitz)
2. Logan Wedding ( 39-3 Ev. Memorial)
3. Zach Batts(23-2 Cascade)
4. Devin Broukal (35-6 Bloomington South)
 
132
With the second, fourth, twelfth, and fifteenth ranked wrestlers in the state at 132, fireworks are bound to happen. This weight to me is probably one of the most exciting to watch at Ford Arena this weekend. Look forward to the semi-finals match (assuming it takes place) between Danville’s 38-0 Junior Neal Molloy and 40-1 Senior from Evansville Reitz, Trevor Moody.
 
Best Ticket Round Match:
Conner Montgomery (18-1 Jennings County) vs. Tyler Hupp (27-4 Indian Creek)
 
Ticket Punchers:
1. Neal Molloy (38-0 Danville)
2. Tre Marler (29-1 Floyd Central)
3. Trevor Moody (40-1 Reitz)
4. Tyler Hupp (27-4 Indian Creek)
 
138
138 is possibly the most wide open weight with wrestlers that have losses to each other throughout the year. Jake Lannert is coming off of a 4th place finish from a year ago, yet has a tough way to go to get close to repeating that accomplishment, with a couple of very tough wrestlers standing in his way including Jennings County’s Jordan Gast and Danvilles Jordan Judy.
 
Best Ticket Round Match:
Jordan Gast (38-3 Jennings County) vs. Jake Lannert (36-2 Mater Dei)
 
Ticket Punchers:
1. Jordan Judy (36-4 Danville)
2. Brenden Kelley (38-4 Ev. Central)
3. Jordan Gast (38-3 Jennings County)
4. Gage Kelly (41-5 Scottsburg)
 
145
Maybe I put the cart before the horse when saying 138 was the most wide open weight. 145 is BY FAR the most unpredictable weight in the Evansville Semi State. With none of these wrestlers being household names in Indiana wrestling, look to see some fresh faces at Bankers Life Field house next weekend.
 
Best Ticket Round Match:
Brian Hayhurst (35-6 Ev. Memorial) vs. Tim Schuler (39-7 Columbus East)
 
Ticket Punchers:
1. Brian Hayhurst (35-6 Ev. Memorial)
2. Brayden Montgomery (13-2 Danville)
3. Alex Bassemier (32-6 Mater Dei)
4. Chase Singleton (27-7 Gibson Southern)
 
152
152 is a weight jam-packed with wrestlers that are well-deserving of a State Finals appearance. Many of these wrestlers are not only accomplished in high school wrestling but also recognizable from the Freestyle and Greco ranks. This weight also has one of the best (or worst depending how you look at it) ticket round matches in the state with the potential to see second ranked and once beaten Senior, Blake Rueger of Reitz High School wrestling eighth ranked Senior hailing from Bloomington High School South, Ethan Farmer.
 
Best Ticket Round Match:
Blake Rueger(40-1 Reitz) vs. Ethan Farmer (39-2 Bloomington South)
 
Ticket Punchers:
1. Blake Rueger(40-1 Reitz)
2. Quincy Richey (36-0 Brown County)
3. Colt Burnette (39-1 Mitchell)
4. Zach Adams (33-6 Madison)
 
160
At 160 you’ll see the studs pull away with the top 3 places. Jacob Underwood (37-1 Martinsville), Swade Oser (51-0 Heritage Hills) and Tsali Lough are a class above everyone else at this weight. The Oser and Underwood semi finals match looks to be one that could potentially be a placement match next weekend.
 
Best Ticket Round Match:
Casey Abell (34-6 Forest Park) vs. Brock Warner (35-6 Center Grove)
 
Ticket Punchers:
1. Swade Oser (51-0 Heritage Hills)
2. Tsali Lough (40-2 Terre Haute South)
3. Jacob Underwood (37-1 Martinsville)
4. Brock Warner (35-6 Center Grove)
 
170
170 is a relatively even field with a ton of talented wrestlers such as Clayton Fiddler of Bloomington South, Austin Warren of Castle, Brandon Marlin of Jeffersonville and Austin Bowman of Franklin, just to name a few; vying for a spot to wrestle Friday night. There is one stand-out however, in Sean Mappes (38-0 Center Grove). From watching him in past off seasons and looking at this years results the kid seems to have all the tools to be wrestling under the lights next weekend with hopes of capturing the State Title at 170.
 
Best Ticket Round Match:
Clayton Fiddler (36-5 Bloomington South) vs. Aaron King (38-4 Reitz)
 
Ticket Punchers:
1. Sean Mappes (38-0 Center Grove).
2. Clayton Fiddler (36-5 Bloomington South)
3. Austin Warren (37-3 Castle)
4. Brandon Marlin (40-5 Jeffersonville)
 
182
182 is also one of those weights that all wrestlers seem to have a shot at taking. The only undefeated wrestler, Dalton Brandenstein of Mater Dei, has had close matches with some of the wrestlers in this bracket.
 
Best Ticket Round Match:
Jackson Randall (31-5 Floyd Central) vs. Gabe Konerding (47-5 Heritage Hills)
 
Ticket Punchers:
1. Dalton Brandenstein (39-0 Mater Dei)
2. Dakota Thacker (36-5 Bloomington South)
3. Brock Wathen (36-2 Jennings County)
4. Gabe Konerding (47-5 Heritage Hills)
 
195
At 195 it is a one man show with Dane Maurer running through Ford Arena like a Mustang.(had to drop a car reference somewhere) I expect to see Dalton Halbig in the finals with the younger Maurer ,but not really having any say in what is going to happen. We’ll see though as that is why they wrestle it out.
 
Best Ticket Round Match:
Elijah Curtley (32-3 Jeffersonville) vs. Benjamin Bird (28-3 West Vigo)
 
Ticket Punchers:
1. Dane Maurer (38-0 Mater Dei)
2. Dalton Halbig (36-4 Princeton)
3. Elijah Curtley (32-3 Jeffersonville)
4. Dylan Jones (26-4 Avon)
 
220
About this time is where everyone begins to stand up, stretch and head for the concession stands, but for this weight, I would advise against it. 220 has the second, fifth, eighth, ninth and fourteenth ranked wrestlers in the state. This is one of those weights that true wrestling fans are losing sleep over the anticipation of seeing.
 
Best Ticket Round Match: (actually it’s a first round match)
5th ranked Iyan Bass(41-0 Jennings County) vs 9th ranked Mason Schnarr (28-5 Reitz)
 
Ticket Punchers:
1. Keith Knura (31-0 Indian Creek)
2. Iyan Bass(41-0 Jennings County)
3. Jared Boehm (50-1 Heritage Hills)
4. Aaron See (38-4 Northview)
 
285
The same idea applies for 285 as it did for 220. You get to watch possibly the most exciting heavyweight in the state go to work. Kaden Suter is as strong as any heavy weight in the state and as quick and agile as a 126 pounder. He will have his work cut out for him however, as he should meet 13th ranked Nathan Wright of Mater Dei in the semi finals..
 
Best Ticket Round Match:
Trevor Phillips (37-0 Mitchell) vs. Winner of Breen/Snyder
 
Ticket Punchers:
1. Kaden Suter (39-0 Martinsville)
2. Trevor Phillips (37-0 Mitchell)
3. Nathan Wright (36-1 Mater Dei)
4. Jesse Hohl (35-7 Ev. Central)
 
There is the Evansville Semi-State preview; sorry if there are any errors as I did it on short notice. I hope everyone makes it to Ford Arena to watch some very exciting wrestling and to see which wrestlers make history as the first State Qualifiers in our new venue.
 
Best of luck this weekend,
 
Grenadier2012

388
2012 Fargo Coverage
Where: Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota
When: July 14th-21st
What: USAW Freestyle and Greco-Roman nationals for cadet, junior and women’s age groups
 
Schedule
 
TheMat.com Video Coverage
 
Follow IndianaMat's Twitter for updates all week long
Follow @Indiana_Mat

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Daily Recaps
Miracle Leads Three Cadet Women's All-Americans
Trio of Cadets Earn All-American Honors
Cadet Greco Wraps Up and Juniors Battle Through Day One
Miracle Takes Junior Title While Johnson and Mappes Take 7th
Nine Cadets Battle Through Day One
Junior Freestyle Day 1 Recap
Four Cadets Still Undefeated
Cadets Place 9th in Freestyle
Winfield Leads Three Junior All-Americans

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

Results
Cadet Womens Freestyle July 14
Junior Womens Freestyle July 17
Cadet Greco-Roman July 15-16
Cadet Freestyle July 18-20
Junior Greco-Roman July 16-17
Junior Freestyle July 19-21

Pictures
Click here for pictures on the IndianaMat.com Facebook Fan Page

All-Americans
Cadet Womens Freestyle
Kayla Miracle- 3rd
Courtney Grey- 4th
Brooke Bunch- 7th
 
Cadet Greco-Roman
Conner Tolley- 2nd
Gavan Jolley-Little- 6th
Sage Coy- 8th

 
Junior Greco-Roman
Kirk Johnson- 7th
Sean Mappes- 7th
 
Junior Womens Freestyle
Kayla Miracle- National Champion
 
Cadet Freestyle
Cody LeCount- 2nd
Stevan Micic- 3rd
Robert Steveson- 3rd
Gavan Jolley-Little- 4th
Conner Tolley- 5th
Brandon James- 6th
Jose Champagne- 8th
 
Junior Freestyle
Donte Winfield- 2nd
Neal Molloy- 5th
Jared McKinley- 6th

745
2012 Fort Wayne Semi-State Preview
106lbs

Head of the Class: Hayden Lee- Garrett
State Streeters: Sawyer Miller- South Adams, Connor Knapp- East Noble, Alan Mock- North Miami

 
The Skinny:
The little Railroader that could, Hayden Lee, leads the field in this weight class. He has defeated Miller twice this season by identical 4-0 scores and also defeated Knapp 4-2. Knapp and Miller are definitely capable of pulling of the mild upset if Lee does not come ready to wrestle.
 
Early Round Key Matches:
Tyler Rigney- Muncie South vs. Seth Lloyd- Marion
Ben Cauffman- Carroll vs. Delawence Gayfield- Concord
Knapp vs. Rigney/Lloyd winner
 
113lbs

Head of the Class: Schuyler Phillips- Yorktown
State Streeters: Forrest Glogouski- Fairfield, Matt Frane- Dekalb, LJ Moser- South Adams
 
The Skinny:
Returning state qualifier Schuyler Phillips has quietly put together an impressive season. He comes in with only one loss to a super stud out of Michigan. He could be tested early on in the ticket round by Cody Flickinger of Elkhart Memorial and in the semi-finals and finals.
 
Early Round Key Matches:
Matt Frane- Dekalb vs. Sam Lovejoy- Bishop Luers
Cody Flickinger- Elkhart Memorial vs. Schuyler Phillips- Yorktown
 
120lbs

Head of the Class: Zach Krumlauf- Dekalb
State Streeters: Cody Walburn- Adams Central, Brock Bevans- Yorktown, Bobby Keuneke- Bellmont
 
The Skinny:
This is a wide open weight class that will could shape up a multitude of ways after the dust has settled. Zach Krumlauf of Dekalb leads the way, but he will have to get by Brock Bevans of Yorktown in the semi-finals. Bevans and Krumlauf wrestled last year at semi-state and state at 103lbs, but Krumlauf will have the size advantage this time. In the other half of the bracket there could be the third Adams County throwdown between Keuneke and Walburn where Keuneke has won both matches so far this year.
 
Early Round Key Matches:
Bobby Keuneke- Bellmont vs. Kegan Kern- Peru
Cody Walburn- Adams Central vs. Erique Early- Snider
 
126lbs

Head of the Class: Nick Crume- Jimtown
State Streeters: Chandler Carroll- Yorktown, Kalib Jackson- East Noble, Mason Meling- Snider
 
The Skinny:
The bracket gods separated Crume and Carroll which will make for a great finals matchup between the two former state 3rd place finishers. Both Crume and Carroll have been battle tested this year, so look for a great match in the finals.
 
Early Round Key Matches:
Mason Meling- Snider vs. Benjamin Fiechter- Southern Wells
Kalib Jackson- East Noble vs. Gabe Flores- Marion
 
132lbs

Head of the Class: Todd Batt- South Adams
State Streeters: Derek Roe- Adams Central, Kody George- Homestead, Jared Wilson- Snider
 
The Skinny:
This weight will be one of the most exciting weights to watch all day long with four returning state qualifiers along with Al Smith 2nd and 3rd place finishers and a Connersville 2nd place finisher in the field. We could also see round three of another Adams County throwdown in the finals between Batt and Roe, but that is only if they make it that far. There are many sleepers in the field here and no wrestler should be overlooked.
 
Early Round Key Matches:
Todd Batt- South Adams vs. Tylor Willms- Fremont
Jared Wilson- Snider vs. Alex Mix- Dekalb
Evan Loe- Peru vs. AJ Grim- West Noble
Loe/Grim winner vs. Derek Roe- Adams Central
Trevor Echartea- Elkhart Central vs. Kody George- Homestead
 
138lbs

Head of the Class: Devon Jackson- Yorktown
State Streeters: Michael Nix- Bishop Dwenger, Kyle Jolas- Huntington North, Lucas Riecke- East Noble
 
The Skinny:
This is another great weight class, the only difference is there is a clear cut favorite and the other three positions are up for grabs. Two-time state runner-up and Purdue signee, Devon Jackson, leads the field here with an unblemished record. He has taken an undefeated record into the finals the past two years, only to come up short. There are three other state qualifiers in the field, but none are going to have an easy road to getting back to state street.
 
Early Round Key Matches:
Kyle Jolas- Huntington North vs. Ronnie Bogle- Elkhart Memorial
Lucas Riecke- East Noble vs. Brayden Moreau- Garrett
 
145lbs

Head of the Class: Brooks Faurote- Bellmont
State Streeters: Cody Zink- Woodlan, Sebastian Eckert- Huntington North, Levi McKee- North Miami
 
The Skinny:
This is another weight class where the bracket gods separated arguably the top two wrestlers. Faurote has been lights out all season long and will look to continue a deep Brave tradition with a semi-state championship. He will be challenged by Cody Zink of Woodlan has had as many semi-state heartbreaks as any wrestler ever.
 
Early Round Key Matches:
Levi McKee- North Miami vs. Conner Brummett- Dekalb
Rhett Hiestand- Yorktown vs. Sebastian Eckert- Huntington North
 
152lbs

Head of the Class: Isaiah Bradley- Muncie South
State Streeters: Dewey Melcher- Bellmont, Zeke Schultz- Adams Central, Frank Martin- Homestead
 
The Skinny:
The top quarter bracket of this weight is absolutely stacked with two former state qualifiers facing off in the first round in Zeke Schultz of Adams Central and Carter Delaney of Bishop Dwenger. The winner gets to wrestle Zach Beebe of Angola who has quietly had a great season. Isaiah Bradley of Muncie South looks to be the head of the class here, but he will be challenged all day long including in the ticket round against Al Smith champion Ryan Ntende.
 
Early Round Key Matches:
Carter Delaney- Bishop Dwenger vs. Zeke Schultz- Adams Central
Delaney/Schultz winner vs. Zach Beebe- Angola
Isaiah Bradley- Muncie South vs. Ryan Ntende- Goshen
 
160lbs

Head of the Class: Jesse Goodnight- Kokomo
State Streeters: Isaac Stuery- Leo, Casey Adams- Jimtown, Brian Dick- Maconaquah
 
The Skinny:
This weight class will have four great ticket round match-ups with no wrestler a lock to punch their ticket to state. Goodnight is the favorite here, but will be challenged by Riley Lefever of Carroll. Steury will be pushed by Aaron Mason of Dekalb, Dick will have a tough foe in Chantz Luginbill of Adams Central and finally Adams will be challenged by Kyle Walters of Union City.
 
Early Round Key Matches:
Jesse Goodnight- Kokomo vs. Riley Lefever- Carroll
Isaac Steury- Leo vs. Aaron Mason- Dekalb
Brian Dick- Maconaquah vs. Chantz Luginbill- Adams Central
Casey Adams- Jimtown vs. Kyle Walters- Union City
 
170lbs

Head of the Class: Tanner Adams- Jimtown
State Streeters: Anthony Linnear- North Side, Garrett Weber- Leo, Blake Rodenbeck- East Noble
 
The Skinny:
If you wrestle this weight class 10 times, you are bound to get 10 different results. Tanner Adams looks to be the head of the class here, but do not count out Linnear or Weber to pull out a minor upset. Linnear is big, strong and athletic and finished 3rd at Connersville, while Adams won an equally tough weight at the Al Smith. The darkhorse is Weber who is the only wrestler in this weight with state experience.
 
Early Round Key Matches:
Blake Rodenbeck- East Noble vs. Jake Reed- Muncie South
Tanner Adams- Jimtown vs. Kody Jones- Concordia
 
182lbs

Head of the Class: Brad Busse- Bellmont
State Streeters: Cody Conrad- Heritage, Ben Pfister- Adams Central, Jake Wiechmann- Western
 
The Skinny:
This weight class could easily be dominated by the ACAC conference with a potential of three state qualifier from this tough small school conference. Busse has had three barn burners with Pfister, but he may get to avoid seeing him for the third straight week if Conrad defeats Pfister again. All four ticket round matches will be good ones with some great wrestlers in each quarter bracket.
 
Early Round Key Matches:
Carson Volheim- Elkhart Central vs. Ben Pfister- Adams Central
Cody Conrad- Heritage vs. Corey Crabtree- Muncie South
Jake Wiechmann- Western vs. Trevon Carr- Leo
Brad Busse- Bellmont vs. Ben Evans- Bishop Dwenger
 
195lbs

Head of the Class: Spencer Raypole- Carroll
State Streeters: Ben Baker- Bellmont, Austin Gibson- Garrett, Bo Butler- Kokomo
 
The Skinny:
This weight will also be a fun one with four wrestlers leading the way that are extremely close to each other. Raypole and Baker have split matches this year, while Gibson has five of his six losses to both Raypole and Baker by a combined total of eight points. You cannot count out Bo Butler of Kokomo who comes into the coliseum undefeated.
 
Early Round Key Matches:
Bo Butler- Kokomo vs. Kyle Garringer- Jay County
Austin Gibson- Garrett vs. Tieshawn Johnson- Elkhart Memorial
 
220lbs

Head of the Class: Seth Biberstine- Southern Wells
State Streeters: Chase Spears- Elkhart Memorial, Cameron Colby- Kokomo, Nolan Wilson- Leo
 
The Skinny:
Two undefeated wrestlers highlight this weight class in returning state placer Colby and Biberstine. Biberstine did not wrestle last year due to injury, but has absolutely dominated everyone in his path this year. The bottom half of the bracket lacks any undefeated wrestlers, but will consist of some great matches.
 
Early Round Key Matches:
Cameron Colby- Kokomo vs. Travis Carunchia- Garrett
Isaac Birch- Bellmont vs. Chase Spears- Elkhart Memorial
 
285lbs

Head of the Class: Dominique Stauffer- Elkhart Central
State Streeters: Ta-Quan Walker- North Side, Eric Hemmelgarn- Jay County, Jimmy Ulerick- Maconaquah
 
The Skinny:
Do not leave until this weight is finishes as from top to bottom this could be the most competitive weight in Fort Wayne. This weight class features nine wrestlers with less than five losses on the year, with most of them to each other. Two returning state qualifiers also highlight this weight class, but neither have an easy path to return to state. Dominique Stauffer looks to be the favorite with a hungry pack of wolves nipping at his heals.
 
Early Round Key Matches:
Ta’Quan Walker- North Side vs. Brandon Daniels- Goshen
Andrew Amos- Angola vs. Jimmy Ulerick- Maconaquah
Amos/Ulerick winner vs. Kyle Short- Norwell
Andrew Mason- Huntington North vs. Eric Hemmelgarn- Jay County
Dominique Stauffer- Elkhart Central vs. Matt Beard- Eastside

1269
2012 IHSAA Regional Brackets
Date: Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012.
Admission: $6.
Advancement: The top four place winners in each weight class advance to the semi-state tournament.

1.    Calumet, 9 am CT
Feeder Sectionals: Calumet, East Chicago Central.

2.    Crown Point, 9 am CT
Feeder Sectionals: Crown Point, LaPorte.

3.    Rochester, 9 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Mishawaka, Plymouth.

4.    Logansport, 9:30 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Lafayette Jefferson, Twin Lakes.

5.    Goshen, 9:30 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Elkhart Memorial, Westview.

6.    Carroll (Fort Wayne), 9 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Carroll (Fort Wayne), New Haven.

7.    Peru, 8:30 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Oak Hill, Peru.

8.    Jay County, 8:30 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Delta, Jay County.

9.    North Montgomery, 9 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Crawfordsville, Zionsville.

10.  Pendleton Heights, 9 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Hamilton Heights, Lawrence Central.

11.  Perry Meridian, 9 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Indianapolis Washington, Shelbyville.

12.  Richmond, 8 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Tri, Franklin County.

13.  Mooresville, 9 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Avon, Mooresville.

14.  Bloomington South, 9:30 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Jennings County, Northview.

15.  Jeffersonville, 9 am ET
Feeder Sectionals: Jeffersonville, Southridge.

16.  Castle, 9 am CT
Feeder Sectionals: Castle, Evansville Central.



1827
2012 IHSAA Semi-State Brackets
Date: Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012.
Admission: $6 (Final session only); $10 (Season ticket).
Advancement: The top four place winners in each weight class advance to the state finals.

1.    Merrillville, 9 am CT
Feeder Regionals: Calumet, Crown Point, Logansport, Rochester.

2.    Fort Wayne Snider (at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum), 9 am ET
Feeder Regionals: Carroll (Fort Wayne), Goshen, Jay County, Peru.

3.    New Castle, 9 am ET
Feeder Regionals: North Montgomery, Pendleton Heights, Perry Meridian, Richmond.

4.    Evansville Reitz (at Ford Arena), 9 am CT
Feeder Regionals: Bloomington South, Castle, Jeffersonville, Mooresville.



382
2012 Junior Freestyle Preview
Past 5 Years All-Americans




2007
105
5th
Camden Eppert


2007
125
7th
Jeremiah Edwards


2007
130
8th
Eric Galka


2007
152
3rd
Andrew Howe


2008
105
4th
Brandon Nelsen


2008
112
4th
Camden Eppert


2008
119
7th
Justin Brooks


2008
130
7th
Chris Head


2008
160
1st
Andrew Howe


2009
119
5th
Camden Eppert


2009
130
1st
Cashe’ Quiroga


2009
145
8th
Ryan Stahl


2010
135
3rd
Jason Tsirtsis


2011
112
2nd
Jarred Brooks


2011
130
5th
Jared McKinley


2011
145
1st
Jason Tsirtsis


This year's Junior Freestyle team is relatively young compared to the recent years, but it does not lack the firepower.  Leading the way is Mitch Sliga who in recent years has been collecting stop signs like it is going out of style.  He has NEVER lost at Fargo and added a FILA Cadet Freestyle title just over a month ago to his resume.  He will be representing the USA in Baku, Azerbaijan in August, but first has some business to attend to in Fargo,  North Dakota.  Jared McKinley is coming back one more time to Fargo with a chip on his shoulder after a 5th place finish last year.  He was dominant during the high school season and looks to do the same in Fargo.  Other returning All-Americans include two Greco All-Americans in Sean Mappes and Kirk Johnson.  After a long Greco tournament they only had one day to recharge their batteries to gear up for freestyle.  Jacob Cottey came home with an 8th place plaque last year as a cadet and looks to bring home a bigger one this year as a junior.
 
Another Perry Meridian Falcon to watch is Donte Winfield.  He had success last year at Fargo, but came up short.  There are many state placers looking to make an impact this year at Fargo.  The pride of New Paris, Forrest Glogouski, is looking to do well after placing 6th this year.  State runner-up Vinny Corsaro is making his second trip to Fargo and looking for a spot on the podium.  Do not forget about Tommy Forte who beat one of the top wrestlers in the country in Anthony Valencia at the Junior Duals.  He is no stranger to national level competition.  Lastly, but lost leastly, Danville Warrior and state champion Neal Molloy is making another appearance in Fargo.  He placed 3rd at FloNationals this spring and a deep run in this tournament will put him high on a lot of college coach's radar.
 
 




Name
Weight
State Credentials
National Credentials


Jacob Cottey
106
2012 6th
Cadet Freestyle 8th


Jake Chadwick
113




Adam Boles
120




Forrest Glogouski
120
2012 6th



Quinn Harris
120




Dominique Shelby
126




Anders Douglass
126

Central Regionals 3rd


Zack Runyon
126




Max Buckley
132




Trevor Burlison
132




Jared McKinley
132
2012 1st, 2011 1st, 2010 4th
Junior Freestyle 5th


John Cimmerman
138




Tommy Forte
138
2012 3rd
7-1 Junior Duals


Neal Molloy
138
2012 5th, 2011 1st
FloNationals 3rd


Sammy Ferdig
145




Vinny Corsaro
145
2012 2nd, 2011 6th


Josh Juarez
145




Riley McClurg
152




Matthew Ruddick
152




Kirk Johnson
160
2012 3rd, 2011 4th, 2010 4th
2012 Junior Greco 7th, 2011 Junior Greco 8th, 2012 FloNationals 7th


Brent McCreary
160




Austin Neibarger
160
2010 8th



Chase Hack
160




Sean Mappes
170
2012 1st
2012 Junior Greco 7th, 2011 USAW Folkstyle Nationals 4th,2010 Cadet Greco 7th


Paul Matthews
170




Riley Lefever
170

Central Regionals Greco 2nd, Junior Duals 5-3


Dominique Robinson
182




Dalton Halbig
195




Mitch Sliga
195
2012 1st, 2011 3rd, 2010 3rd
FILA Cadet 1st, Cadet Freestyle 1st(twice), Cadet Greco 1st(twice)


Jacob Barclay
220




Donte Winfield
285





331
2012 Junior Greco-Roman Preview
Past 5 Years All-Americans




Year
Weight
Place
Name


2008
130
7th
D’Marcus Spencer


2008
215
6th
George Malone


2010
189
2nd
Drake Stein


2011
160
8th
Kirk Johnson


2011
171
8th
Conner Lefever


With only five All-Americans in the past five years, Indiana is looking to improve on their showing in the Junior Greco-Roman championships.  This year's team is highlighted by two former All-Americans, which will increase the chances of having multiple All-Americans like last year.  Leading the way is 2011 160lbs All-American Kirk Johnson from Perry Meridian.  Johnson has a methodical style that makes it very difficult to score on.  Another wrestler to watch is 2009 Cadet Greco-Roman All-American Sean Mappes.  Mappes won a state title this year and will look to continue his streak.  He has been within a match or two of placing the past two years.  Two other wrestlers have seen success at the regional level in Riley Lefever and Anders Douglass.  Lefever placed second at Central Regionals in Greco and also had a 5-3 record at the Junior Duals.  He will try to continue the Lefever legacy and finish with some hardware like his older brother Conner did last year.  Douglass finished 3rd at the Central Regionals in Greco this year and has steadily improved over the past couple years.  Two others to watch are state qualifiers Brent McCreary and Dalton Halbig.




Name
Weight
State Credentials
National Credentials


Adam Boles
120




Dominique Shelby
120




Anders Douglass
126

Central Regionals 3rd


John Cimmerman
138




Sammy Ferdig
145




Josh Juarez
145




Matthew Ruddick
152




Kirk Johnson
160
2012- 3rd, 2011- 4th, 2010- 4th
2011 Junior Greco 8th, 2012 FloNationals 7th


Brent McCreary
160
 2012 State Qualifier



Chase Hack
160




Sean Mappes
170
2012 State Champion
2011 USAW Folkstyle Nationals 4th,2010 Cadet Greco 7th


Paul Matthews
170




Riley Lefever
170

Central Regionals Greco 2nd, Junior Duals 5-3


Dalton Halbig
195
2012 State Qualifier




508
2012 Merrillville Semi-State Preview
MERRILLVILLE SEMI-STATE PREVIEW
 
Saturday's Merrillville semi-state always guarantees fans two things. First, you will see some of best, most physical wrestling in the state and second, you will see this wrestling in one of the most uncomfortable, stifling venues imaginable.
 
The wrestling action is what draws the fans to the Pirates' Cove and this year is no different. Crown Point, Merrillville and Penn are the top teams at this years semi state. All three teams can qualify a half dozen or so state streeters.
 
Crown Point's Jason Tsirtsis is the semi-state's top individual story as he continues his march to become a four time state champion like his older brother. A classy kid and brutal technician on the mat. Slightly overshadowed by Tsirtsis has been the brilliant career of Lake Central's Kyle Ayersman. He will be gunning for a fourth semi-state crown and chance to when his third state title next week.
 
106
 
Hanover Central's Steven Micic is the clear favorite of the lightweights. He has been nothing short of dominant. Merrillville mighty mite, Michael Garza is on the same side of the bracket but is probably second best in this field. Penn's solid and steady Zach Davis looks to make a return trip to Indy and Culver Academy's Kayla Miracle got the golden ticket with her draw and stands a great chance of qualifying even after her fourth place finish at regional.
 
Best ticket round matches: Eric Peek (Portage) vs. Davis (Penn)
Garza (Merrillville) vs. Jake Sincovics (Mishawaka)
 
Cashing Their Check to Banker's Life
1.Micic – Hanover Central
2.Davis – Penn
3.Garza – Merrillville
4.Miracle – Culver Academy
 
ontherise219's Picks to Click
1.Micic – Hanover Central
2.Peek - Portage
3.Garza – Merrillville
4.Miracle – Culver Academy
 
113
 
Another case where the semi-state's top two grapplers appear to be on the same side of the bracket. Warsaw's Jared Brooks has yet to be tested this year and is the state and country's top ranked 113 pounder. Crown Point restocks their supply of Shurg's every year it seems and young Darden Shurg has had an outstanding season thus far, racking of a 34-1 record.
 
Best ticket round match – Sheldon Corcoran (Logansport) vs. Greg Newman (Wawasee)
 
Cashing Their Check to Banker's Life
1.Brooks – Warsaw
2.Adam Brodie – Merrillville
3.Shurg – Crown Point
4.Newman - Wawasee
 
ontherise219's Picks to Click
1.Brooks – Warsaw
2.Adam Brodie – Merrillville
3.Shurg – Crown Point
4.Newman - Wawasee
 
120
 
The 120 weight class is headlined by another wrestler from Hanover Central, senior Paul Petrov. He seems to wrestling his best right now and will likely meet Twin Lakes super soph, Blake Denton in the semi finals. I expect the other side of the bracket to hold chalk with Penn's Jacob Davis and Merrillville's Adam Garcia earning a free trip to Indy next week.
 
Best ticket round Match: Alec Weise (Benton Central) vs. Davis (Penn)
 
Cashing Their Check to Banker's Life
1.Petrov – Hanover Central
2.Garcia – Merrillville
3.Davis – Penn
4.Denton – Twin Lakes
 
ontherise219's Picks to Click
1.Petrov – Hanover Central
2.Garcia – Merrillville
3.Denton – Twin Lakes
4.Davis – Penn
 
126
 
Lake Central's stud Kyle Ayersman should cruise through this bracket. He makes it look easy against even the this semi-state has to offer. In the quest for the other three tickets to Indy, I detect a strong region smell.
 
Best ticket round match: Grant Martsoff (Mishawaka) vs. Trevor Burlison (Crown Point)
Dalton Overmyer (Winamac) vs. Aaron Ayala (Hobart)
 
Cashing Their Check to Banker's Life
1.Ayersman – Lake Central
2.Ayala – Hobart
3.Julian Torres – Portage
4.Burlison – Crown Point
 
ontherise219's Picks to Click
1.Ayersman – Lake Central
2.Ayala – Hobart
3.Torres – Portage
4.Martsoff - Mishawaka
 
132
 
Finally a weight class without a clear cut favorite. Rochester regional rivals, Anthony McHugh and Tommy Forte head line this bracket and are odds on favorites to have a repeat under the spotlight at Merrillville. A boatload of interesting early round matches will keep wrestling fans on the edges of their seats.
 
Best ticket round matches: Alex Mavros (Lowell) vs. Patrick Manning (Hobart)
Spence/Johnson winner (Portage/Clay) vs. Cody Alderman (Delphi)
 
Cashing Their Check at Banker's Life
1.Forte – Mishawaka
2.McHugh – Culver Academy
3.Alderman - Delphi
4.Mavros - Lowell
 
ontherise219's Picks to Click
1.Forte – Mishawaka
2.McHugh – Culver Academy
3.Alderman – Delphi
4.Mavros - Lowell
 
138
 
Two closely matched Northern Indiana Conference rivals along with an interloper from south of Lafayette will bring fireworks to the 138 pound weight class. At the top of the bracket, returning state placer Mitch Hartman appears poised to make another trip to Indy. Undefeated Alex Griffin of McCutcheon is the class of the second group of four. On the bottom half of the bracket, I look for Mishawaka sophomore Tristin Macri and a suprise state qualifier in Rensselaer's Jeffrey Martin.
 
Best ticket round match: Jeffrey Martin (Renssalaer) vs. Tony Vasquez (Hobart)
 
Cashing Their Check at Banker's Life
1.Hartman – SB Clay
2.Macri - Mishawaka
3.Griffin - McCutcheion
4.Martin - Rensselaer
 
ontherise219's Picks to Click
1.Macri – Mishawaka
2.Hartman – SB Clay
3.Griffin – McCutcheon
4.Roach - Portage
 
145
 
Jason Tsirtsis is the runaway favorite in the class for the second year in a row. Unfortunately, the second and third best wrestlers in this semistate are in the same quarter bracket. The winner of the Charlie Mavros/Trevor Manspeaker match will likely have the honor of meeting Tsirtsis in the finals. The other two slots for Indy are wide open.
 
Best ticket round match: Mavros (Lowell) vs. Manspeaker (Penn)
 
Cashing Their Check at Banker's Life
1.Jason Tsirtsis – Crown Point
2.Mavros – Lowell
3.Zach Thorn – Portage
4.Lane Smous - Mishawaka
 
ontherise219's Picks to Click
1.Tsirtsis – Crown Point
2.Mavros – Hanover Central
3.Katsaforas – Chesterton
4.Thorn – Portage
 
152
 
A rare semi-state title might be headed south to Lafayette. Lafayette Jeff's battle hardened Adrian Brown appears to have the strongest resume at the 152 class. Look for him to meet the streaking Chris Katsaforos from Chesterton in the finals. The class wrestling another week should be rounded out by Danny Ginter of Penn and Kenny Hughes of Lowell.
 
Best ticket round match: Hughes (Lowell) vs Zach Sandefer (Merrillville)
Espinoza (Logansport) vs Ginter (Penn)
 
Cashing Their Check at Banker's Life
1.Adrian Brown – Lafayette Jeff
2.Chris Katsafaros – Chesterton
3.Kenny Hughes – Lowell
4.Danny Ginter – Penn
 
ontherise219's Picks to Click
1.Brown – Lafayette Jeff
2.Katsaforas – Chesterton
3.Hughes – Lowell
4.Maldanado – Highland
 
160
 
Look for outstanding frosh Scotty Sopko to crash the regional championship party at the 160 pound class. It could be an all freshmen finals if Sopko can get by Crown Point's tough as nails, Dusty Schurg for a chance to meet perhaps the state's most impressive freshman, Bobby Stevenson of Merrillville.
 
Best ticket round matches: Kelly Kolat (South Bend Washington) vs Graham Redweik (Caston)
 
Cashing Their Check at Banker's Life
1.Stevenson – Merrillville
2.Schurg – Crown Point
3.Sopko - Hobart
4.Redweik - Caston
 
ontherise219's Picks to Click
1.Stevenson – Merrillville
2.Schurg – Crown Point
3.Sopko – Hobart
4.Kolat – South Bend Washington
 
170
 
Who has a shot at wrestling on the floor in Indy? Your guess is as good as mine at 170. About ten grapplers look like that have a shot in this wide open bracket. Lowell's Jeremy Crocker is probably the favorite but he has been beaten by Merrillville's Darryl Peppers. Picking this weight class is a true crap shoot.
 
Best ticket round matches: Ethan Dale (McCutcheon) vs. Mike Anderson (South Bend Riley)
Dwight Hunter (South Bend Clay) vs. Tony Rodriguez (Hobart)
 
Cashing Their Check to Banker's Life
1.Crocker (Lowell)
2.Peppers (Merrillville)
3.Rodriguez (Hobart)
4.Anderson (South Bend Riley)
 
ontherise219's Picks to Click
1.Dale – McCutcheon
2.Crocker – Lowell
3.Peppers – Merrillville
4.Rodriguez - Hobart
 
182
 
Purdue recruit and returning 3rd place finisher at 171, Tanner Lynde of Delphi will enter the semi state as a clear favorite. His biggest test to date might come in the semi finals where he will likely face Culver Community's Matt Hurford. Munster's much improved Dominic Fimbianti and Crown Point's freshman Morgan Kral look to round out the state qualifiers.
 
Best ticket round matches: Christian Winkle (Twin Lakes) vs. Morgan Kral(Crown Point)
 
Cashing Their Check to Banker's Life
1.Lynde - Delphi
2.Fimbianti - Munster
3.Hurford – Culver Community
4.Kral – Crown Point
 
ontherise219's Picks to Click
1.Lynde – Delphi
2.Fimbianti – Munster
3.Hurford – Culver
4.Winkle – Twin Lakes
 
195
 
One man stands about the crowd at 195 and that man is Merrillville's Kourtney Berry. Berry had a coming out party last year and placed 5th in the state at 189. He has battled a knee injury this season and hasn't wrestled a full schedule but veteran coach David Maldanado knows how to have his wrestlers peak and conditioning is rarely an issue with a Pirate grappler. South Bend Adams Alex Skipper has state experience in this field and will likely meet Berry in the finals.
 
Best ticket round match: Skipper (Mishawaka) vs. Jacob Ricks (Benton Central)
 
Cashing Their Check at Banker's Life
1.Berry – Merrillville
2.Skipper – South Bend Adams
3.Jaylin Allen – South Bend Clay
4.Matt Langbehn – Crown Point
 
ontherise219's Picks to Click
1.Berry – Merrillville
2.Skipper – South Bend Adams
3.Allen – South Bend Clay
4.Langbehn – Crown Point
 
220
 
This just might be the deepest and most entertaining weight class of the day. Studs are all over this sixteen man bracket. Veteran stars along with a very promising sophomore will make this class must see wrestling. South Bend Clay's 'Hard Workin' Joe Gallegos looks to have the easiest road to Indy but must beat the winner of a probable match-up of Dustin Kult (McCutcheon) and Michael Nickson of Merrillville. On the other side of the bracket, super-soph Gelen Robinson, must navigate by once-beaten Brandon Schultheiss of Twin Lakes to reach Indy. The final ticket will go the winner of a likely match up of Penn's Devin Reagan and Crown Point's returning state placer, Tyler Kral.
 
Best ticket round match: Kult(McCutcheon) vs. Nickson(Merrillville)
Robinson (Lake Central) vs Schultheiss (Twin Lakes)
Reagan (Penn) vs Kral (Crown Point)
 
Cashing Their Check at Banker's Life
1.Gallegos – SB Clay
2.Robinson – Lake Central
3.Kral – Crown Point
4.Kult – McCutcheon
 
ontherise219's Picks to Click
1.Robinson – Lake Central
2.Gallegos – South Bend Clay
3.Kral – Crown Point
4.Nickson – Merrillville
 
285
 
The Rochester regional has been a hotbed of heavyweights the past couple of years and this year looks to be no different. The top four at Rochester all have excellent shots at making the trip to Indy. Bremen's Abe Hall looks to be the surest bet in this field. Rochester runner-up, Kade Maggert has probably the toughest draw and must beat McCutcheon senior Blake Ford in the ticket round. Wawasee's seasoned Dmitri Kaplanis must topple once-beaten Fabian Durant of Hammond Morton and South Bend Riley's Marcus “Bull†Dozier will have to defeat Crown Point's Josh Swope.
 
Best ticket round match: Blake Ford(McCutcheon) vs. Kade Maggert (Penn)
Swope (Crown Point) vs. Dozier (South Bend Riley)
Fabian Durant (Hammond Morton) vs. Kaplanis (Wawasee)
 
Cashing Their Check at Banker's Life
1.Hall - Bremen
2.Maggert – Penn
3.Kaplanis - Wawasee
4.Dozier – Riley
 
ontherise219's Picks to Click
1.Hall – Bremen
2.Maggert – Penn
3.Kaplanis – Wawasee
4.Dozier - Riley

435
2012 New Castle Semi-State Preview
New Castle Semi-State 2011-2012
 
The largest high school gymnasium in the entire country is the setting this Saturday for an entire day (and a good deal of the night) of fierce competition. New Castle has been steady in terms of strength and depth for the past decade, and this year’s talent level appears to be stronger than in many recent years (although perhaps not as deep as last year’s group). There are roughly a half-dozen strong state championship contenders (not to mention an equal number of nationally ranked studs) and not a lot of weak weights. The strongest classes are 113 (eight ranked wrestlers, 7 of the state’s top 14), 120 (seven ranked wrestlers, all in the top 15, including two nationally ranked wrestlers) and 160 (three top-5 wrestlers, including #1 and #2). The deepest weight classes are 138 (seven ranked wrestlers and a stacked bracket all around), 145 (eight ranked wrestlers and a handful of other really tough kids) and 152 (eight ranked wrestlers, including #1 Connor Mullins, plus four other 30+ win competitors). The least regarded weight class is 182, which features only two ranked wrestlers.
 
Without further adieu.....
 
106
 
Nathan Boston, barring injury, weight issues or disqualification, will almost certainly be the day’s first champion. Five ranked wrestlers (#13 Jack Chastain was upset in sectional competition) and one non-ranked, one-loss senior are included in this top-heavy bracket. Like last year, Boston has toyed with most opponents and I don't expect anyone here to push him too strongly. He’s highly ranked nationally by virtually every ranking entity because he has fared well against other states’ best wrestlers and dominated most of his in-state competition. He has still yet to taste defeat in his high school career, and is a strong favorite to earn another state title. Although there are only five ranked competitors at this weight, each is ranked in the top 11 and at least two of these top-11 kids won’t advance. Brutal.
 
Last year's champ: Nathan Boston, Lawrence North
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 3/4, 75%
 
Ranked wrestlers:
 
#1 Nathan Boston, Lawrence North (nationally, #4 The Open Mat, #6 InterMat, #& WIN Magazine, #4 AWN)
#3 Tommy Cash, New Palestine
#5 Preston Mantel, Zionsville
#9 C.J. Whitten, Ben Davis
#11 Jacob Cottey, Perry Meridian
 
Epic matchups:
 
Kevin Condo, Franklin County vs. Kellen Van Camp, Lebanon (ticket round) - Provided each wrestler can win his opening match (Condo should have his hands full with Roncalli’s Vance Ellis), this ticket puncher should be a doozy. The senior Condo has lost only once all year and Van Camp comes from a strong Lebanon lineage. Condo very nearly took out state qualifier Antonio Perez last year at New Castle, losing 3-2.
 
#9 Whitten vs. #1 Boston, (ticket round) – This match is a little bit unfortunate. Whitten is a senior returning state qualifier and an excellent competitor. However, his way back to state is barred by one of Indiana’s finest wrestlers at any weight. A Whitten win would likely be considered the upset of the entire year.
 
#5 Mantel vs. #11 Cottey (ticket round) – These two faced off last year in the first round, with Cottey winning the battle by fall in a slight upset. Unfortunately for him, Cottey drew Boston in the ticket round, so there was no state berth for the Falcon wrestler last year. This year’s match should be one of the highlights of the ticket round and it’s tough to say who will advance. Will Mantel get revenge or will Cottey win another huge match with the Eagle standout?
 
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Condo, Cash, Mantel and Boston
 
The Alpha Dog:
Nathan Boston
 
113
 
As with 106, there is a very strong favorite in this weight class, although freshman Brandon James isn’t quite the mortal lock that Boston is. Unlike 106, there are eight ranked wrestlers here, or half the entire field. While James should win his first semistate title, the other three spots in the state finals should be hotly contested. There are no easy spots here, and there is a high likelihood of some upsets. The way the draws came out, at least a few ranked kids will be done for the season before 10 am.
 
Last year's champ: Mason Todd, Pendleton Heights
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 4/4, 100%
 
Ranked wrestlers:
 
#2 Brandon James, Perry Meridian
#6 Riley Newkirk, Lawrence Central
#8 Ben Harvey, Cathedral
#9 Deondre Wilson, Arsenal Tech
#12 AJ Belden, Westfield
#13 Barry McGinley, Roncalli
#14 Taylor Fee, New Palestine
#18 Ryan Bean, Crawfordsville
Epic matchups:
 
#12 Belden vs. #9 Wilson (1st round) - The winner likely gets the always tough Ben Harvey, but, first things first, this is a dynamite 1st round matchup. Wilson, the IPS standout, was a somewhat surprising 4th place finisher at the Perry Meridian regional last week, although the field he faced was pretty outstanding. Belden has always been in the mix his entire high school career, but he lacks a defining victory to this point. Both kids got a tough draw, but that’s the norm at semistate. The winner is capable of beating Harvey, but beating James is probably a little bit out of reach.
 
#12 Belden/ #9 Wilson vs. #8 Harvey (ticket round) – Harvey already owns wins over Belden (3-0) and Wilson (6-5 in 3OT). Both Belden and Wilson compete hard in every match and are seldom beaten badly by anyone. In short, any of these three could be the ticket-taker in this section of the bracket. Expect close, exciting matches. Will the standout freshman defeat one of these more experienced opponents yet again?
 
#13 McGinley vs. #18 Bean (1st round) – Two ranked, very tough kids face off in an early morning tilt. McGinley has had some ups (big win over Fee) and downs (10 losses wrestling a tough schedule) this year, but his size is tough for many of his opponents. Bean is a senior with just two losses on the season and is a kid who has improved substantially each year of his career.
 
#13 McGinley/#18 Bean vs. #6 Newkirk (ticket round) – Newkirk will be a solid favorite, as he already owns a win this season over McGinley and a handful of other ranked opponents. The winner of McGinley/Bean will have his hands full with the standout junior from Lawrence Central.
 
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Harvey, Fee, Newkirk and Boston
 
The Alpha Dog:
Brandon James
 
120
 
Another New Castle weight class, another seven ranked wrestlers. Two nationally renowned studs lead the way in a pretty stacked weight class. Defending state champ and Brute Scholastic Duals Most Outstanding Wrestler Mason Todd is a slight favorite here, on the strength of a razor thin 2-1 win over Campbell. Todd had his hands full with Sparks last week at Pendleton, so that bears watching. Past the big two, the weight is wide open for two other wrestlers to punch their tickets. At least 3 top-15 ranked wrestlers will not advance to the state finals.
 
Last year's champ: Brenden Campbell, New Castle
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 2/4, 50%
 
Ranked wrestlers:
 
#1 Mason Todd, Pendleton Heights (nationally, #11 The Open Mat, #8 InterMat, #14 WIN Magazine, #5 AWN)
#3 Brenden Campbell, New Castle (nationally, #15 InterMat)
#6 Andrice Martin, Franklin Central
#7 Alex Sparks, Lawrence North
#10 Aidan Kenny, Perry Meridian
#14 Evan Smiley, Cathedral
#15 Jordan Lile, Fishers
 
Epic matchups:
 
#14 Smiley vs. #10 Kenney (1st round) – These two have already battled once this year, with Kenney winning a tight decision. Both of these kids have wrestled some of the cream of Indiana’s crop and aren’t intimidated by anyone. Although Kenney has had a little more success over the course of the season, this one is a pick ‘em. Unfortunately for both wrestlers, Campbell will be waiting for them in a ticket match.
 
David Ramirez, Warren Central vs. #7 Sparks (1st round) – Don’t let Ramirez’ record and lack of a state ranking fool you—he’s wrestled a brutal schedule and is capable of winning his first two matches. These two split their two matches this season and both were close. Sparks is coming off a huge performance vs. defending state champion Mason Todd, a contest that saw him put the Arabian wrestler on his back and nearly get a fall. Sparks is a bit more consistent, but Ramirez is a senior and is dangerous.
 
Ramirez/#7 Sparks vs. #15 Lile (ticket round) – Lile and Sparks were each one match away from qualifying from state last year. Lile beat a tough Chandler Moore of Southmont to win his regional. Ramirez was controlled by Kenney en route to a third place finish and Sparks went toe to toe with Todd for a runner-up finish. These three should be pretty evenly matched and any of them could come out on top of their portion of the bracket.
 
#3 Campbell vs. #1 Todd (championship round) – This match alone is worth the price of admission if it takes place as anticipated. Last year’s New Castle semistate saw Mason Todd beat Phillips in a slight upset, Curtis Anderson beat Willis and Montrail Johnson beat Mullins. Will this year’s version bring more top seeds falling to defeat? Campbell certainly has the ammo to beat Todd or anyone in the state, for that matter, but Todd has been unreal the past two seasons and doesn’t take any matches off.
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Martin, Lile, Campbell and Todd
 
The Alpha Dog:
Mason Todd
 
126
 
Cody Phillips, aka Pocket Hercules, moves up in weight and will be looking to come out on top of a field featuring 5 ranked wrestlers, including 4 in the top 10. The Union County standout is attempting to become a three time state champion and another semistate title could greatly help him at Bankers Life the following weekend. Undefeated Cody LeCount could be his stiffest competition, as the Perry Meridian sophomore has been dominant this season and seeks to remove the bad taste in his mouth from last year’s ticket round loss to Dominique Price of Tech. Boston and Gettinger are each former state qualifiers looking to get back to the promised land.
 
Last year's champ: Jared McKinley
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 4/4, 100%
 
Ranked wrestlers:
#2 Cody Phillips, Union County (nationally #6 @120 AWN)
#4 Cody LeCount, Perry Meridian
#8 Robert Boston, Lawrence North
#10 Tom Gettinger, Connersville
#19 Corbin O’Neal, Tri-Central
 
Epic matchups:
 
#8 Boston vs. #10 Gettinger (ticket round) – Two upperclassmen with state experience square up for a huge ticket round match. Gettinger has a tough opening round match with Caldwell-Velez, but he will be favored to advance to face the Lawrence North senior Boston. Gettinger beat Taylor Fee in his opening round match and then lost a heartbreaker to Hamilton Southeastern’s Mitch Snyder in last year’s ticket round. The winner of this match has a nice path to the finals, which could go a long way towards a state placement the following weekend.
 
Lincoln Kyle, Alexandria vs. Clayton Campbell, Lebanon (1st round) – Kyle dropped his opening match at last year’s semistate to Brenden Campbell, while the Lebanon Tiger wrestler Campbell won his first round match and lost his ticket round match to Alexandria’s Luke Blanton by decision 6-0. These are both tough kids and either kid could win this one. Unfortunately, LeCount lurks for the winner in the ticket round.
 
#4 LeCount vs. #2 Phillips (semifinals) – While Philllips is the undefeated, two-time state champion senior and will be the favorite if these two lock up, don’t count out LeCount (no pun intended). The talented sophomore has been a notch above all of his opposition this season and is hungry for a state title, which will almost certainly require a win over Phillips. The winner of this match will almost certainly win the weight class and lock up a one seed at Bankers Life.
 
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Watson, LeCount, Boston and Phillips
 
The Alpha Dog:
Cody Phillips
 
132
 
Another state #1, defending state champ and nationally ranked gladiator heads the field at 132. While this is a deep and talented field, it would be a monumental upset if anyone beat McKinley. The Southside Butcher should put his stamp on this field and lock up a 1-seed at state. However, the battles for second through 4th should be very interesting and wide open. While there are only four ranked kids at this weight, make no mistake—guys like Hugo Perez (lost ticket round match 12-7 to Boston last year), Garrett Port (lost 9-2 to Dan Barrett at New Castle last year), Mitch Snyder (state qualifier last year), Austin Fuller (lost to C. McGinley at New Castle last year), Brant Larson (lost to McKinley at New Castle last year) and Michael Steele are all state caliber kids.
 
Last year's champ: Brian Harvey, Cathedral
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 2/4, 50%
 
Ranked wrestlers:
 
#1 Jared McKinley, Perry Meridian (nationally, #9 The Open Mat, #11 InterMat, #11 WIN Magazine, #11 AWN)
#3 Luke Blanton, Alexandria
#7 Levi Moss, Ben Davis
#16 Nick Borta, North Montgomery
 
Epic matchups:
 
Mitch Snyder, Hamilton Southeastern vs. #7 Moss (1st round) – This is a really tough first round match for each kid. Moss is a two time state qualifier and a fourth place finisher last season. Snyder qualified for state last year and has been a vital cog in the excellent Hamilton Southeastern lineup all year. Moss pinned Snyder when they met earlier this year, and is coming off a regional runner-up finish that saw him compete with defending state champion McKinley to the tune of a 3-1 loss. Snyder pinned #16 Borta last week, so he’s wrestling at a high level right now, too.
 
Snyder/#7 Moss vs. #3 Blanton (semifinal round) – Blanton followed up a fourth place finish at last year’s semistate with a remarkable run at the state finals, which included a huge upset of Mishawaka’s Layton Binion. He’s backed it up this season with an undefeated campaign to this point. This should be a great semis match, regardless of who advances to face Blanton (assuming he can get by the very tough Michael Steele of Westfield).
 
 
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Blanton, Perez, Moss and McKinley
 
The Alpha Dog:
Jared McKinley
 
138
 
Seven ranked wrestlers and no clear-cut favorite mark the 138 weight class. Literally, a half-dozen wrestlers could be crowned champion. Bova and Farrell are former state placers, so they are the slight favorites of the weight class. That said, these two split their two matches this season, so it’s difficult to say who would win if they manage to make the finals and face off again. In addition to the minimum of three ranked wrestlers who will not advance, non-ranked kids like Drake Gunning of Westfield (33-5), Jake McCoy of Franklin County (38-3, beat Jackson Bennett of HSE at last year’s semistate), Shenandoah’s Chandler Hale (31-7, lost a 3-0 decision to state qualifier Nick Ader at last year’s semistate) and Southmont’s Dan Barrett (27-6, lost a ticket round match vs. McKinley last year) supply evidence that this is one of the deepest weight classes at New Castle.
 
Last year's champ: Justin Kieffer, Roncalli
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 2/4, 50%
 
Ranked wrestlers:
 
#4 Nick Bova, Perry Meridian
#6 Josh Farrell, Greenfield Central
#8 Robbie Elsea, New Palestine
#13 Michael Venezia, Cathedral
#18 Collin Campbell, Lebanon
#19 Cody Handley, Northeastern
#20 Josh Blanton, Alexandria
 
Epic matchups:
 
Chandler Hale, Shenandoah vs. Dan Barrett, Southmont (1st round) – Each kid was pretty close to punching a ticket last year to the big show. Barrett has wrestled a little tougher schedule and will be a slight favorite. The winner will likely face Farrell in a tough ticket round match.
 
#18 Campbell vs. #4 Bova (ticket round) – Bova is a returning state placer and has been pretty impressive all year. He has a remarkable knack of winning tight matches against tough competition. Speaking of tough competition, Campbell was a 2-1 loser to Ader in 2OT in his ticket round match last season. He is tough to score on, has pinned Venezia and won decisions vs. McCoy and Handley this year. Lebanon wrestles a surprisingly tough schedule, too, so he won’t be overwhelmed by facing a stud from the top-ranked team in the state. This should be a phenomenal match.
 
#8 Elsea vs. #20 Blanton (1st round) – This battle of ranked wrestlers will face off for the right to battle Cody Handley for a state finals berth. Blanton is a senior who was upset at regionals last year and will be looking for redemption. Elsea was beaten in his opening round match by Handley last year.
 
#8 Elsea/#20 Blanton vs. #19 Handley (ticket round) – Handley owns a win over Blanton this season and beat Elsea at New Castle last year, ultimately falling in his ticket round match with Brian Harvey in a very, very close contest. Any of these three could advance to Bankers Life.
 
#13 Venezia vs. #6 Farrell (semifinal round) – Farrell beat Venezia in OT already this year, but Venezia is a tough senior who has always competed at the highest levels, falling just short of the state finals his first three years. Although Farrell is a two-time state placer and a pinner, Venezia is a grinder and is definitely capable of pulling the mild upset.
 
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Venezia, Bova, Handley and Farrell
 
The Alpha Dog:
Josh Farrell
 
145
 
This weight is absolutely stacked with depth. Although there isn’t a clear favorite, there are 8 ranked wrestlers (not including defending state qualifier Cody House) vying for the strap. Basically, the winner of this weight class will be whoever is hot throughout the day, and it’s quite possible that if you held the semistate on five different days, you might get five different winners. That said, the unpredictability of this weight class makes it exciting. I picked Davenport because he was hot last weekend and he has to beat a tough ranked wrestler in Lough just to punch his ticket. It’s not a stretch to say that Corsaro, House, Lough, Tatom, McClurg or Blanton could just as easily win the weight as Davenport.
 
Last year's champ: Matt Rattay, Lawrence North
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 2/4, 50%
 
Ranked wrestlers:
 
#4 John Tatom, Hamilton Southeastern
#5 Vincent Corsaro, Cathedral
#8 Jon Blanton, Alexandria
#10 Clayton Davenport, Ben Davis
#11 Riley McClurg, Perry Meridian
#12 Graham Lough, North Montgomery
#14 Nick Ulrey, New Palestine
#18 Kyle Nardi, Lapel
 
Epic matchups:
 
Cody House, Connersville vs. #5 Corsaro (ticket round) – Both kids qualified for state last year, with Corsaro finishing a strong 6th. House is a tough senior who beat the always tough Jordan Johnson of LN last year at New Castle. Corsaro missed a bit of time this season and appears to be working his way back into top form. Even with Corsaro’s earlier 7-1 win over House earlier this season, this one could go either way. Both young men have tough first round matchups—Corsaro faces Southport’s Brian Boucher (38-9) and House battles Westfield’s Lucas Rooney (36-12).
 
#10 Davenport vs. #12 Lough (ticket round) – Davenport was riding high last season coming into semistate competition and fell to Alexandria’s Eli Walker in the opening round. Davenport comes into this year’s semistate as a regional champion (won a 5-1 decision over McClurg in OT) looking to make it to the state finals. Lough was injured in last week’s championship match vs. Tatom.
 
#4 Tatom vs. #11 McClurg/#18 Nardi (ticket round) – Tatom is wrestling very well right now and is as likely as anyone to win the weight class. However, either Lapel’s tough Nardi or PM’s McClurg could put a stop to those plans in this high powered ticket round match. McClurg beat Nardi last year 8-1, so he’s the likely opponent for Tatom.
 
#14 Ulrey vs. #8 Blanton (1st round) – Another terrific opening round match in this wide-open, stacked weight class, this is a battle of the Dragon vs. the Tiger. Both have brothers who are or were highly successful and both lost first round matchups at New Castle last season, Ulrey falling 11-3 to Matt Rattay and Blanton dropping a heartbreaker to Riedling in a last second flurry. The winner of this tough tussle gets either regional champ Nolan Feller of Franklin County (lost last season’s ticket round match to New Castle champ Kameron James) or Alex Thomas of South Vermillion (beat last season’s state qualifier Jared Lawson of Frankfort).
 
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Corsaro, Tatom, Blanton and Davenport
 
The Alpha Dog:
John Tatom
 
152
 
Connor Mullins is yet another nationally regarded beast in this semistate. Mullins has done it all in Indiana….except for capturing that elusive state title. He’s a strong favorite at New Castle to win another semistate title (although he was upset by Montrail Johnson last year) and lock up an important #1 seed at Bankers Life. Seven other ranked wrestlers will do their best to slow him down, but Mullins is as close to a lock as it gets. Like many other weights here, slots 2-4 are wide open and difficult to predict.
 
Last year's champ: Kameron James, Pike
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 3/4, 75%
 
Ranked wrestlers:
 
#1 Connor Mullins, New Castle (nationally, #18 InterMat)
#5 Austin McCloskey, Western Boone
#10 Kyle Riedling, Warren Central
#11 Tre Spencer, Pike
#16 Adam Kern, Zionsville
#17 Logan Zielinski, Roncalli
#18 Gino Gillum, Cathedral
#19 Jackson Bennett, Hamilton Southeastern
 
Epic matchups:
 
#18 Gillum vs. #19 Bennett (ticket round) – They have faced off twice this year, with each kid winning once. They are very evenly matched, but Gillum faces a four seed in his first match, so it’s possible that he might be slightly fresher for the ticket match. Bennett has to first beat a very tough Austin Rose (28-7) of Greenfield Central.
 
#5 McCloskey vs. #17 Zielinski (1st round) – McCloskey has been on fire this season (just one loss all year, a close decision to 2X state placer Blake Rueger) and will be looking to erase the memory of his scary match last season with Justin Kieffer. Kieffer accidentally slammed the Western Boone standout on his head and he was unable to continue. Zielinski lost by fall to Noblesville’s Wayne Specht in his opening round match at New Castle last season, but he has beaten Gillum this year. He will test McCloskey at the very least. The winner will likely face the very tough Johnny Slivka of Shenandoah, who gave Carmel’s Grant Scurria a tough match at semistate last year.
 
#10 Riedling vs. #16 Kern (1st round match) – Two former state qualifiers square up in this opening round match. Riedling is coming off an impressive regional championship and will seek to move past last year’s unfortunate match vs. Scurria. It appeared that Riedling might have had the fall vs. Scurria and the referee simply didn’t have the angle to see it. Whatever the case, Riedling had to settle for a clutch win vs. Blanton in his opening round match. Riedling is a pinner, too, so Kern will have to be cautious vs. the Warrior wrestler. Kern caught fire last year and will have to do it again this year if he wants to return to Bankers Life. Kern finished a surprising fourth at regionals, losing by fall to Clinton Central’s Jeffery Scott in the third place match. Kern beat Connersville’s Jordan Maple and Noblesville’s Wayne Specht to advance to state.
 
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Bennett, McCloskey, Riedling and Mullins
 
The Alpha Dog:
Connor Mullins
 
160
 
Three top-five wrestlers occupy this very deep, very tough weight class. The clear class of this weight are #1 Harvey, #2 Johnson and #5 Neibarger. Three time state placer Harvey edged Johnson in OT during their dual earlier this year and Harvey also edged Neibarger in a very intense match at team regionals. I think Neibarger can beat Harvey, but it’s hard to see him beating South Dearborn’s Jimmy Shaw, Harvey and Johnson in one day. Therefore, I think it will come down to Harvey and Johnson, and whoever wins will likely have to eke out a very close match. While there are only five ranked grapplers in this weight class, there are some tough unranked kids as well: regional champ Shaw (32-8), the always tough Danny Rojas (35-9) of Roncalli and Westfield’s Logan Floor (38-10), also a regional champ.
 
Last year's champ: Kirk Johnson, Perry Meridian
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 4/4, 100%
 
Ranked wrestlers:
 
#1 Brian Harvey, Cathedral
#2 Kirk Johnson, Perry Meridian
#5 Austin Neibarger, Hamilton Southeastern
#16 Clint Nicholson, Pendleton Heights
#17 Connor Robinson, New Palestine
 
Epic matchups:
 
#17 Robinson vs. #5 Neibarger (1st round) – Neibarger is a former state placer and can roll with the best in the weight class. Robinson racked up a 43-7 record this season wrestling a tough schedule. Robinson gave Kirk Johnson all he wanted last week, losing a tight 5-3 decision.
 
#17 Robinson/#5 Neibarger vs. #1 Harvey (semifinal round) – Neibarger was upset by Floor last week and will need to be sharper to finally get past Harvey. The Royal wrestler very nearly did the deed at team regionals but Harvey held him off. Harvey had better not look past Rojas.
 
Logan Floor, Westfield vs. #16 Nicholson (ticket match) – This is just too close to call. Both are excellent, upperclassmen wrestlers who are well coached and have been close to the big show in the past. Nicholson has some pretty phenomenal balance and can impress when fighting off single legs. Floor knocked off the very tough Neibarger last week.
 
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Neibarger, Harvey, Nicholson and Johnson
 
The Alpha Dog:
Kirk Johnson
 
170
 
Tyler Willis is one of the better part-time wrestlers in recent Indiana history. His quickness is impressive and he’s become a very intuitive wrestler over the course of his high school career. However, the target on his back is large this season, as evidenced by a number of close matches against his toughest competition. The most recent nail-biter was against Irick at team regionals. Although Willis is a solid favorite to win his weight, there are at three to four kids here who are capable of pulling the upset, as Curtis Anderson did last year. Five former state qualifiers and six wrestlers currently ranked reside at this weight.
 
Last year's champ: Curtis Anderson, Carmel
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 3/4, 75%
 
Ranked wrestlers:
 
#1 Tyler Willis, Cathedral (nationally, #17 The Open Mat, #14 InterMat)
#6 Jake Masengale, Perry Meridian
#8 Jon Decker, New Castle
#9 Dezmen McGinley, Greenfield Central
#10 Matt Irick, Hamilton Southeastern
#18 Joe Ardizzone, Roncalli
 
Epic matchups:
 
#1 Willis vs. #9 McGinley (ticket round) – I doubt either kid is too excited to possibly see the other in the ticket round. McGinley has been a tough foe for Willis this year and is a former state qualifier and certainly benefitted from competing for Team Indiana at the Scholastic Duals. However, it’s tough to bet against Willis—he’s a three time state placer and an elite athlete.
 
#8 Decker vs. #18 Ardizzone (ticket round) – Decker is a former state qualifier and has also given Willis a tough match this year. Ardizzone has a knack for keeping his matches close and I would expect this to come down to the wire, provided the Rebel wrestler can get past the underrated Phillip Centofante (23-9) of Zionsville.
 
#10 Irick vs. #6 Masengale (semifinal round) – Masengale has wrestled just about every elite wrestler at 170 and won them all, except for one sub-standard (for him, anyway) match against top-ranked Willis. Irick gave Willis fits at team regional and, like Masengale, is a former state qualifier. This should be a fantastic match, if both wrestlers advance to this point.
 
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Irick, Masengale, Decker and Willis
 
The Alpha Dog:
Tyler Willis
 
182
 
This weight class is easily the lowest rated weight class at New Castle—only two ranked wrestlers are present in the bracket, as a few highly regarded kids didn’t advance through regionals. One of those two ranked competitors is former state qualifier Lukas Schaeffer. Schaeffer, who has committed to the Naval Academy like New Castle’s Brenden Campbell, is a legitimate state title contender and should win the weight. This weight is very wide open after Schaeffer and it will be very interesting to see how things shake out.
 
Last year's champ: Nick Manning, South Dearborn
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 4/4, 100%
 
Ranked wrestlers:
 
#2 Lukas Schaeffer, Westfield
#10 C.J. Martin, Perry Meridian
 
Epic matchups:
 
Zach Hutchison, East Central vs. #10 Martin (semifinal round) – It’s by no means a lock that this match will take place, as Hutchison will have to get by a 30+ win opponent (Southport’s Matt Miller, 31-9) and then the winner of Tipton’s Nate Hein (37-6) and Southmont’s stout senior Dennie Brown (22-7). Martin will have to beat the winner of Hamilton Southeastern’s Levi Pearson (13-4) and Anderson’s Zachary Chism (31-8). Hutchison is a returning semistate qualifier.
 
Hutchison/#10 Martin vs. #2 Schaeffer (championship round) – If either Hutchison or Martin advances to face Schaeffer, it will be interesting to see how the Shamrock wrestler responds to being firmly challenged. Westfield always wrestles a tough schedule and Schaeffer is undefeated for a reason, but this is a very murky weight class, so surprises are almost a certainty.
 
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Jehn, Hutchison, Martin and Schaeffer
 
The Alpha Dog:
Lukas Schaeffer
 
195
 
This weight is all Mitch Sliga's. Sliga is hungry for a state title to accompany his four Fargo titles. He is unlikely to be challenged too severely until his appearance the following weekend at Bankers Life. Past Sliga, the field is wide open and features just three other ranked wrestlers. The rankings issue is a little misleading, though; there are seven non-ranked wrestlers with 30+ wins and ten non-ranked wrestlers with 25+ wins.
 
Last year's champ: Mitch Sliga, Fishers
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 4/4, 100%
 
Ranked wrestlers:
 
#1 Mitch Sliga, Fishers (#10 nationally, The Open Mat, #9 InterMat, #20 WIN Magazine, #6 AWN)
#6 Ian Early, Greenfield Central
#17 Dyrek Chowning, Warren Central
#19 Devante Ash, Perry Meridian
 
Epic matchup:
 
Taylor DeLong, Westfield vs. #19 Ash (ticket round) –.DeLong is an absolute brawler—a tough, strong kid who pounds, pummels and frustrates his opponents. He’s parlayed those traits into a 41-8 record against tough competition, and several of those losses are to Sliga. In short, he’s very underrated and his record is misleading. Ash has also wrestled a brutal schedule and his long frame can be problematic for his foes as well.
 
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Chowning, DeLong, Early and Sliga
 
The Alpha Dog:
Mitch Sliga
 
220
 
Five ranked wrestlers will battle it out with the rest of their opponents at this weight class. None of them are strong favorites and this is among the most wide-open weight classes at New Castle. The winner will be the wrestler who catches fire. Last week, the hottest wrestler was Pike’s Justin Sanders, who knocked off higher rated opponents in Naughton and Gearlds. This hasn’t been a deep or strong weight class at New Castle in recent years.
 
Last year's champ: Logan Cooper, Perry Meridian
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 1/4, 25%
 
Ranked wrestlers:
 
#11 Austin Gearlds, Greenfield Central
#13 Jaylan Douglass, North Central
#15 Levi Kinney, Cathedral
#17 Jordan Naughton, Perry Meridian
#20 Justin Sanders, Pike
 
Epic matchups:
 
Alex Lindemann, Milan vs. #13 Douglass (ticket round) – For this match to take place, Douglass will have to get by the very game Jordan Phillips (27-5) of Southmont. Lindemann won his regional over returning semistate qualifier Blake Babcock (30-4) of Centerville.
 
Jacob Aven, Zionsville vs. #11 Gearlds (ticket round) – The sophomore Aven had a very impressive regional performance, giving up just two points in three matches en route to the title. Gearlds has had a number of big wins this year, but was majored by Sanders in the regional title match, after winning in OT against Franklin Central’s Tyler Wilson. It’s very possible he will regain his form from the regular season and win the semistate crown.
 
#15 Kinney vs. #17 Naughton (ticket round) – Assuming each wrestler can win tough opening round matches, they will meet up again in the ticket round. Kinney won their first battle in OT. Like Gearlds, both of these young men are capable of winning the weight.
 
 
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Douglass, Gearlds, Kinney and Sanders
 
The Alpha Dog:
Justin Sanders
 
285
 
There are six ranked wrestlers in the field, and two more returning semistate qualifiers. This is a pretty solid bracket, led by #4 Bernard and #5 Winfield. In addition to the six ranked competitors, there are seven additional wrestlers with 25 or more wins. There could be some surprises here, as this is often an unpredictable weight class. Fargo All-American Bernard and the tank Winfield are likely among the very best heavies in the state; their first match was a war of attrition won by the savvy Bernard.
 
 
Last year's champ: Willie Henson, North Central
Last year's Dingo Pack picks: 3/4, 75%
 
Ranked wrestlers:
#4 Wesley Bernard, Cathedral
#5 Donte Winfield, Perry Meridian
#9 Hayden Janney, Hamilton Southeastern
#14 Larry Carter, Warren Central
#16 Richard Brown, East Central
#17 Joe Garland, Rushville
 
Epic matchups:
 
#9 Janney vs. Jake Beasley, Frankton (ticket round) – Janney is a very solid wrestler and can hang with just about anyone. Janney lost a squeaker in OT to eventual state placer Willie Henson last year. Beasley is an active, athletic heavy who is capable of pulling a big upset or two. He’ll have his work cut out for him to get by returning semistate qualifier Dillen Swango (33-12) of Greensburg.
 
#5 Winfield vs. #16 Brown (ticket round) – Brown is a quality heavyweight, and was one match away from making it to state last year. Winfield is just about impossible to score on. By the same token, his offense is limited, but that recipe brought Jeremiah Harvey a state title last year.
 
#17 Garland vs. #14 Carter (ticket round) – Two ranked, big guys get after it here. Carter needs to be careful in his opening match vs. Southmont’s Chandler Burkhart (27-5).
 
#4 Bernard vs. #5 Winfield (championship round) – This will be a great match if it takes place. Neither kid gives an inch and each wrestler waits for his opponent to make a mistake. Bernard is pretty equally difficult to score on as Winfield and hasn’t lost in a while. This will be a tough field for both kids to navigate through, but they are the best of the bunch.
 
Dingo's Pack picks to advance:
Beasley, Winfield, Carter and Bernard
 
The Alpha Dog:
Wesley Bernard

396
2012 Pick'ems Results
[table id=57 /]

448
2012 Rochester Preview
ROCHESTER REGIONAL PREVIEW
 
The weather appears like it will cooperate this year at regionals unlike last year where snow caused all kinds of problems with practices. What hasn't changed is that the Penn Kingsmen are the big story as they qualified 13 wrestlers to regional. Seven sectional champions from the tough as nails Mishawaka sectional will lead Coach Harper's grapplers on their march to Indy.
 
While the Plymouth sectional can not match the team firepower of their neighbors to the north, this sectional does boast some very highly rated individuals in top ranked Jarred Brooks of Warsaw, 2nd ranked Abe Hall of Bremen and third ranked Matt Hurford of Culver Community.
 
Another reason to focus on the Rochester regional will be to see if Culver Military's Kayla Miracle can avenge her only loss of the season.(Zach Davis of Penn). A good showing at the regional level always helps those that want to qualify for the the Big Show.
 
106
 
Penn's 19th ranked Zach Davis has fashioned a solid 31-8 record, wrestling one of the toughest schedules in the state. He appears to wrestling his best at tournament time by avenging an earlier loss to Mishawaka's Jake Sinkovics in dominating fashion, 7-0. Culver Military's 20th ranked Kayla Miracle comes in as the Plymouth sectional champ but will likely have to slay a murderer's row of tough lightweights in order to be a regional champ. Her only loss on the season is to Davis.
 
Best 1st round Matches: Jacob Hartman (South Bend Clay) vs. Tyler Felton (Bremen)
Kayla Miracle (Culver Military) vs. Daniel Olsen (South Bend Adams)
 
Not Packing a Cooler
1.Davis – Penn
2.Sinkovics – Mishawaka
3.Hartman – South Bend Clay
4.Miracle – Culver Military
 
113
 
The nations top ranked 113 pound wrestler, Jarred Brooks of Warsaw headlines this weight class and honestly should not be tested. Penn's senior Taylor Hart will likely meet Brooks in the finals. Others looking for trips to Merrillville include Wawasee's Greg Newman and Riley's Antwan Wordlaw.
 
Best 1st round match – Wordlaw (Riley) vs. Betts (Culver Community)
 
Not Packing a Cooler
1.Brooks – Warsaw
2.Hart - Penn
3.Wordlaw - Riley
4.Newman - Wawasee
 
120
 
The second Davis brother looks to add the 2nd regional crown for the Kingsman. Davis has an outstanding 30-5 record. He will likely face the scrappy Jose Rodriguez of Bremen in the finals. Rodriguez got a late start to the season but has gone 21-2 this year. Mishawaka's Mitch Emmons and St. Joe's Mark Rymsza will likely round out the semi state qualifiers.
 
Best first round Match: Mark Rymsza (SB St. Joe) vs. Devin Childers (Tippy Valley)
 
Not Packing a Cooler
1.Davis – Penn
2.Rodriguez – Bremen
3.Emmons – Mishawaka
4.Rymsza – SB St. Joe
 
126
 
The Mishawaka sectional flexes it's muscle at 126 and should garner all four berths to Merrillville. South Bend Riley's Josh Juarez seems to be peaking at tournament time with his upset victory over 9th ranked Grant Martsolf. These two should meet again in the regional finals unless Penn's Tommy Varner can knock off Martsoff.
 
Best first round match: Tommy Varner (Penn) vs. Dylan Shumaker (Bremen)
 
Not Packing a Cooler
1.Martsoff – Mishawaka
2.Juarez – Riley
3.Varner – Penn
4.Glueckart – Clay
 
132
 
One of the best finals matches of the day could be at this weight class where Mishawaka's 5th ranked freshman, Tommy Forte will likely battle Culver Military's 8th ranked Anthony McHugh. Both were dominant in earning sectional crowns. Look for the other two tickets to Merrillville to be punched by Clay's Chris Johnson, Culver Community's Ian Randolph or Washington's Derek Fowler.
 
Best first round match: Chris Johnson (SB Clay) vs. Ian Randolph (Culver Community)
 
Not Packing a Cooler
1.McHugh – Culver Military
2.Forte – Mishawaka
3.Fowler – SB Washington
4.Johnson – SB Clay
 
138
 
Another rematch of the Mishawaka sectional finals is highly likely at 138. In a fairly shocking upset, Mishawaka's 10th ranked Tristin Macri upended 3rd ranked Mitch Hartman of South Bend Clay. Hartman has a history of being able to make the proper adjustments week to week. Wawasee's Kyle Clevenger and Washington's William Howell-Bey should round out the quartet moving on to Merrillville.
 
Best first round match: Tommy Varner (Penn) vs. Kyle Clevenger (Wawasee)
 
Not Packing a Cooler
1.Hartman – Clay
2.Macri – Mishawaka
3.Clevenger – Wawasee
4.Howell-Bey – Washington
 
145
 
The power in this weight class definitely comes from the Mishawaka sectional. Only two winning records were in the Plymouth bracket. Trevor Manspeaker has separated himself from the field in route to an outstanding 29-4 record. The junior from Penn is not flashy but is rarely out of position and knows how to pick his moments in a match.
 
Best first round match: Lane Smous (Mishawaka) vs. Pascal Brun (Culver Military)
 
Not Packing a Cooler
1.Manspeaker – Penn
2.Ullrey – SB Riley
3.Smous – Mishawaka
4.White – SB Washington
 
152
 
Danny Ginter of Penn will look to earn his second consecutive regional title. He will likely meet rival Kyle Jones of Mishawaka or Edmund Hogan of Culver Military.
 
Best first round match: Ryan Lindsey (Wawasee) vs. Victor Navarro (Riley)
 
Not Packing a Cooler
1.Ginter – Penn
2.Hogan – Culver Military
3.Jones – Mishawaka
4.Navarro - Riley
 
160
 
Mishawaka's Clint Proctor was not even in the starting lineup at the start of the season and now he is a sectional champ. Proctor has a motor that keeps him in most matches. The power again is from the Mishawaka sectional, look for them to lock up all four semi state qualifying slots.
 
Best first round matches: Chase Hack (Riley) vs. Trent Bauters (Tippy Valley)
 
Not Packing a Cooler
1.Stasiak – Penn
2.Kolat – Washington
3.Proctor – Mishawaka
4.Hack – Riley
 
170
 
Mishawaka sectional power continues to flex its muscle at the 170 class. Mike Anderson of South Bend Riley has come off the injured reserve list to top the field at Mishawaka. The field at Plymouth is not particularly strong and all four berths to Merrillville will likely come from the north.
 
Best first round match: Dwight Hunter (SB Clay) vs. Keaton Bell (Tippy Valley)
 
Not Packing a Cooler
1.Anderson – SB Riley
2.Hunter – SB Clay
3.David Stevens – Penn
4.Ryan Jankowski – SB St. Joe
 
182
 
Culver Community's Matt Hurford is favorite at 182. The junior already has two regional crowns to his name. He will likely face South Bend Riley's Tyler Crain in the finals. Crain has been wrestling very sharp of late. Brian Clark of Wawasee and Thomas Demel of Penn will likely round out the 182s traveling to the region next week.
 
Best first round matches: Tyler Schmidt (Clay) vs. Brian Clark(Wawasee)
 
Not Packing a Cooler
1.Hurford – Culver Community
2.Tyler Crain - Riley
3.Brian Clark - Wawasee
4.Demel - Penn
 
195
 
South Bend Adams' Alex Skipper has forged an outstanding 36-1 record this season. A state qualifier last year, Skipper looks to return this year. He will likely run into rival Jaylin Allen of Clay in the finals again this week. Dominique Avila and Plymouth's Jacob Seagraves will likely meet in the battle for third place.
 
Best first round match: Jacob Seagraves (Plymouth) vs. Robert Deering (Mishawaka Marian)
 
Not Packing a Cooler
1.Skipper (Adams)
2.Allen (Clay)
3.Seagraves (Plymouth)
4.Avila (Riley)
 
220
 
Penn's Devin Reagan and Clay's “Hard Workin†Joe Gallegos are the class of the 220 field. They should meet in the finals at Rochester to contine their rivalry. Plymouth's DeAndre Pickford and Adams' Kenan Boyd will likely meet in the 3rd /4th place match.
 
Best first round match: Chad Eppley (Wawasee) vs. Kenan Boyd (SB Adams)
 
Not Packing a Cooler
1.Reagan (Penn)
2.Gallegos (Clay)
3.Pickford (Plymouth)
4.Boyd (Adams)
 
285
 
The big boys will keep the fans in their seats again this year as 4 of the top heavyweights in the state headline. Second ranked Abe Hall of Bremen was severly tested in his sectional finals victory over Dmitri Kaplanis of Wawasee. Sixth ranked Kade Maggart of Penn owns two narrow victorys over rival Marcus Dozier of Riley. I look for the rankings to hold chalk.
 
Best first round match: Kali Boyd (SB Adams) vs. Dmitri Kaplanis (Wawasee)
 
Not Packing a Cooler
1.Hall – Bremen
2.Maggart – Penn
3.Dozier – Riley
4.Kaplanis - Wawasee

1914
2012 Sectional Brackets
Date: Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012.
Admission: $5.
Advancement: The top four place winners in each weight class advance to the regional tournament. Also, the championship team in the individual sectional tournament advances to the regional round of the team tournament.
 
1. East Chicago Central (10), 9 am CT
East Chicago Central, Hammond, Hammond Bishop Noll, Hammond Clark, Hammond Gavit, Hammond Morton, Highland, Lake Central, Munster, Whiting.
 
2. Calumet (9), 9 am CT
Calumet, Gary Roosevelt, Gary Wallace, Gary West Side, Griffith, Hobart, Lake Station Edison, Merrillville, River Forest.
 
3. Crown Point (9), 9 am CT
Andrean, Boone Grove, Crown Point, Hanover Central, Hebron, Kankakee Valley, Lowell, North Newton, Valparaiso.
 
4. LaPorte (8), 9 am CT
Chesterton, Glenn, Knox, LaPorte, Michigan City, New Prairie, North Judson, Portage.
 
5. Mishawaka (9), 9 am ET
LaVille, Mishawaka, Mishawaka Marian, Penn, South Bend Adams, South Bend Clay, South Bend Riley, South Bend St. Joseph’s, South Bend Washington.
 
6. Plymouth (9), 9 am ET
Bremen, Culver Academies, Culver Community, Plymouth, Rochester, Tippecanoe Valley, Triton, Warsaw, Wawasee.
 
7. Twin Lakes (11), 9:30 am ET
Cass, Caston, Frontier, Logansport, North White, Pioneer, Rensselaer Central, South Newton, Twin Lakes, West Central, Winamac.
 
8. Lafayette Jefferson (10), 8:30 am ET
Benton Central, Carroll (Flora), Delphi, Harrison (West Lafayette), Lafayette Central Catholic, Lafayette Jefferson, McCutcheon, Rossville, Seeger, West Lafayette.
 
9. Elkhart Memorial (8), 9 am ET
Concord, Elkhart Central, Elkhart Memorial, Fairfield, Goshen, Jimtown, Northridge, NorthWood.
 
10. Westview (10), 9 am ET
Angola, Central Noble, DeKalb, East Noble, Fremont, Howe Military, Lakeland, Prairie Heights, West Noble, Westview.
 
11. Carroll (Fort Wayne) (10), 8 am ET
Carroll (Fort Wayne), Churubusco, Columbia City, Eastside, Garrett, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Fort Wayne North Side, Fort Wayne Northrop, Leo, Whitko.
 
12. New Haven (9), 8:30 am ET
Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran, Fort Wayne Snider, Fort Wayne South Side, Fort Wayne Wayne, Heritage, Homestead, New Haven, Woodlan.
 
13. Peru (8), 8:30 am ET
Huntington North, Maconaquah, Manchester, North Miami, Northfield, Peru, Southwood, Wabash.
 
14. Oak Hill (10), 9 am ET
Eastbrook, Eastern (Greentown), Kokomo, Madison-Grant, Marion, Mississinewa, Northwestern, Oak Hill, Taylor, Western.
 
15. Jay County (9), 8:30 am ET
Adams Central, Bellmont, Blackford, Bluffton, Jay County, Norwell, South Adams, Southern Wells, Union City.
 
16. Delta (10), 9 am ET
Daleville, Delta, Monroe Central, Muncie Central, Muncie Southside, Randolph Southern, Wapahani, Wes-Del, Winchester, Yorktown.
 
17. Crawfordsville (10), 9 am ET
Attica, Covington, Crawfordsville, Fountain Central, North Montgomery, North Vermillion, Rockville, South Vermillion, Southmont, Turkey Run.
 
18. Zionsville (11), 8:30 am ET
Carmel, Clinton Central, Clinton Prairie, Fishers, Frankfort, Hamilton Southeastern, Lebanon, Sheridan, Western Boone, Westfield, Zionsville.
 
19. Hamilton Heights (11), 8 am ET
Alexandria, Anderson, Elwood, Frankton, Guerin Catholic, Hamilton Heights, Lapel, Noblesville, Pendleton Heights, Tipton, Tri-Central.
 
20. Lawrence Central (11), 8:30 am ET
*TrackWrestling link
Indiana School for the Deaf, Indianapolis Arlington, Indianapolis Bishop Chatard, Indianapolis Broad Ripple, Indianapolis Cathedral, Indianapolis Howe Academy, Indianapolis Manual, Indianapolis Scecina, Lawrence Central, Lawrence North, North Central (Indianapolis).
 
21. Indianapolis Washington (12), 9 am ET
*TrackWrestling link
Ben Davis, Brebeuf Jesuit, Indianapolis Arsenal Technical, Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter, Indianapolis Crispus Attucks, Indianapolis Northwest, Indianapolis Washington, Park Tudor, Perry Meridian, Pike, Southport, Speedway.
 
22. Shelbyville (11), 9 am ET
*TrackWrestling link
Beech Grove, Eastern Hancock, Franklin Central, Greenfield-Central, Indianapolis Marshall, Mount Vernon (Fortville), New Palestine, Roncalli, Shelbyville, Triton Central, Warren Central.
 
23. Tri (11), 9 am ET
Blue River Valley, Cambridge City Lincoln, Centerville, Hagerstown, Knightstown, New Castle, Northeastern, Richmond, Rushville, Shenandoah, Tri.
 
24. Franklin County (10), 8 am ET
Batesville, Connersville, East Central, Franklin County, Greensburg, Lawrenceburg, Milan, Oldenburg Academy, South Dearborn, Union County.
 
25. Avon (9), 8:30 am ET
Avon, Brownsburg, Cascade, Cloverdale, Danville, Greencastle, North Putnam, South Putnam, Tri-West Hendricks.
 
26. Mooresville (10), 9 am ET
Center Grove, Decatur Central, Franklin, Greenwood, Indian Creek, Martinsville, Monrovia, Mooresville, Plainfield, Whiteland.
 
27. Northview (9), 8:30 am ET
Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Edgewood, Northview, Owen Valley, Sullivan, Terre Haute North, Terre Haute South, West Vigo.
 
28. Jennings County (10), 9 am ET
Bedford North Lawrence, Brown County, Columbus East, Columbus North, Jennings County, Madison, Seymour, Scottsburg, Southwestern (Hanover), Switzerland County.
 
29. Jeffersonville (10), 9 am ET
Charlestown, Christian Academy of Indiana, Corydon Central, Eastern (Pekin), Floyd Central, Jeffersonville, New Albany, New Washington, Providence, Salem.
 
30. Southridge (10), 9 am ET
Crawford County, Forest Park, Jasper, Mitchell, North Knox, Paoli, Pike Central, Southridge, Vincennes Lincoln, Washington.
 
31. Castle (9), 9 am CT
Boonville, Castle, Gibson Southern, Heritage Hills, Princeton, South Spencer, Tecumseh, Tell City, Wood Memorial.
 
32. Evansville Central (9), 9 am CT
Evansville Bosse, Evansville Central, Evansville Harrison, Evansville Mater Dei, Evansville Memorial, Evansville North, Evansville Reitz, Mount Vernon, North Posey.

417
2012 State Finals Preview Magazine!
IndianaMat State Finals Preview 2012



By Joe Caprino in IndianaMat.com Magazines

34 pages, published 13 FEB 2012



IndianaMat.com's Wrestling State Finals Preview Magazine




1071
2012 Team State Bracket
[embed width=640" height="770]http://indianamat.com/stuff/teambracket12.pdf[/embed]

359
2012 Women's Freestyle Preview
Past 5 Years All-Americans




2007
153
8th 
Frances Sherman


2007
165
5th 
Shelby Broockerd


2008
124
6th 
Becky Cissell


2008
139
7th 
Demi Strub


2009
109
4th 
Sarah Hildebrandt


2009
139
6th 
Demi Strub


2010
109
2nd 
Sarah Hildebrandt


2010
139
2nd 
Demi Strub


2011
108(Cadet)
1st
Kayla Miracle


2011
112
8th 
Gibby Paxton


2011
112
2nd 
Kayla Miracle


2011
121
1st
Sarah Hildebrandt


2011
159
3rd
Demi Strub


This year is another small group on the women's side, but they do not lack experience or credentials. Leading the way is Kayla Miracle. Her resume is as long as a seven year old's Christmas list. This year she became the first female to qualify for the IHSAA state finals along with winning the Body Bar FILA Cadet age division in May. Kayla participated in the Cadet World Championships last year along with winning a Cadet National Title and finishing second in the Junior division at Fargo. Another returning All-American is Gibby Paxton. She was 8th last year and looks to improve on that finish. Brooke Bunch will look to bring home some hardware in her second trip to Fargo. First timers Courtney Grey and Lindsey Prozanski are looking to continue the trend of very good women's wrestlers from Indiana on the national stage.
 




Name
Division
Weight
Credentials


Brooke Bunch
Cadet
101
ISWA Freestyle State Champion


Courtney Gray
Cadet/Junior
115/117



Kayla Miracle
Cadet/Junior
124/121
2012 Body Bar Champion, IHSAA State Qualifier, 2011 Cadet National Champion, 2011 Junior Runner-up


Gibby Paxton
Junior
105
2011 JUnior 8th Place


Lindsey Prozanski
Cadet
101
ISWA Freestyle State Champion



441
2012 Year in Review
This past year was filled with a lot of great stories in the sport of wrestling. Here is a recap of the top ten stories from the year in no particular order.
 
1. Miracle to state
Kayla Miracle became the first female to qualify for state in Indiana. She did so the hard way by finishing 4th at regional then won her first two matches to qualify for state. At state she suffered a 4-0 loss to Hayden Lee of Garrett to end her run.
 
2. Miracle and Sliga place at Worlds
Mitch Sliga and Kayla Miracle both wrestled in the FILA Cadet World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan in August.  Both made it to the semi-finals and were guaranteed spots on the awards stand. Sliga dropped his semi-final bout and finished 5th in the world. Miracle made it to the finals and dropped her match to a tough wrestler from Japan.
 
3. Tsirtsis wins his fourth state title
Jason Tsirtsis of Crown Point became the 8th four-time state champion in Indiana history. He defeated Cathedral’s Vinny Corsaro in the finals to cap his history four year run. On top of that he also duplicated the feat of his older brother Alex in claiming four state titles.
 
4. Big time coaching changes
This past offseason saw a lot of coaching changes as usual, but this year it involved a lot of big name coaches.  Elkhart Memorial’s Brian Seltzer moved south to Indianapolis to take over the head coaching job at Lawrence North. Former Portage coach and CIA founder Ed Pendoski took over the Carmel program. Former four-time state champion Blake Maurer took over the Gibson Southern job after being an assistant at his alma mater Mater Dei. Finally, Bryce Hasseman made his return to Indiana to take over perennial powerhouse Mishawaka.
 
5. IndianaMat makes it 4 years
IndianaMat celebrated their fourth birthday in 2012. It is astonishing how the website has grown over the years and the following it has throughout the state. With over 9 million page views and 150,000 unique visitors over the past year the site will only continue to grow.
 
6. IHSWCA Team State
The IHSAA announced an end to the team state competition after the 2012 season. However, the IHSWCA took the reins and created a new IHSWCA Team State Duals with three classes. The event was a hit with Adams Central winning 1A, Yorktown winning 2A and Perry Meridian winning 3A.
 
7. Olympic Team Trails with Indiana representation
With 2012 being an Olympic year that meant that there would be an Olympic Team Trials. This year with a capacity crowd on hand we saw quite a few Indiana natives in the event.  Sarah Hildebrandt wrestled in the women’s division. She went 0-2 but lost two close matches and the experience will lead to her being a contender for the 2016 Olympic team. In men’s freestyle Angel Escobedo, Reece Humphrey, Andrew Howe and Bryce Hassemen all came up short of their goals of making the team. Howe made the finals, but was defeated by the eventual Olympic Champion Jordan Burroughs in the first bout. He ended up being injured in that bout and could not continue. Escobedo and Hasseman both has rough draws and did not make the finals. Finally, due to an injury Reece Humphrey did not actually wrestle-off until June for his spot. He lost to eventual bronze medalist Coleman Scott. The good news is it looks as if all but Hasseman are going to be making the push for the 2016 games.
 
8. Perry dominates for the second year in a row
After coming up short numerous times Perry Meridian and Coach Jim Tonte captured their second straight state title. This time is was even more dominant than in 2011. To add insult to injury it looks as if Perry Meridian will be running the streak to three in 2013.
 
9. Tsirtsis and Brooks at Dapper Dan
Jason Tsirtsis and Jarred Brooks became the fourth and fifth Indiana natives to be invited to wrestle in the prestigious Dapper Dan dual meet. Both were ranked #1 at the end of the season in various polls and at the Dapper Dan wrestled two top wrestlers from Pennsylvania. Brooks won 8-5 over Billy Rappo. Tsirtsis won 13-4 over Zach Beitz in his match. Both wins helped propel Team USA to a 34-9 victory over Team Pennsylvania. The two wins also keep Indiana’s record in the Dapper Dan Classic perfect at 5-0.
 
10. Barroquillo wrestles in the All-Star Classic
Travis Barroquillo of Indiana Tech was invited this fall to participate in the NWCA All-Star Classic in Washington DC. He wrestled Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sam Shames in the event in early November. Barroquillo defeated Shames 8-2. He was the fifth Indiana native to wrestle in the event. Barroquillo joined the likes of Leroy Vega, Will Hill, Reece Humphrey and Alan Grammer as Indiana natives to participate in the event.

360
2012/2013 Genius Ratings Potential
From the desk of Maligned:
Most data through December 8 matches is included.  All ratings should be taken very lightly until more connections can be made between schools. Especially any school with less than five in the "competitions" column should be considered quite inaccurate at this point. Also, we're still filtering out some post-football results that may accidentally be here and shouldn't.
 
Remember that POTENTIAL is based on point results only (not wins and losses) and is a much stronger predictor of future success than is a wins/losses based rating.
 
No strength of schedule data is included at this point because it is a virtually useless calculation until more matches are wrestled.
 
Enjoy!
 
For more information on the Genius Ratings click this link
http://www.indianamat.com/genius-ratings-version-2-0/2011/01/
 
*Hint: Click the table headings to sort by the different columns or use the search to narrow your search by class, sectional or conference.
 
[table id=10 /]

1402
2012/2013 Regular Season Tournament Brackets
John Hurrle Memorial
 
Jeff Classic
 
Twin Lakes Invite
 
Hamilton County Championship
 
Indianapolis City Championship
 
Marion County Championship
 
Crown Point Carnahan Invitational
 
Hendricks County Championship
 
Columbus East Invitational
 
IHSWCA Team State
 
Mooresville Holiday Classic
 
East Central Indiana Classic
 
Al Smith Invitational
Al Smith Team Scores
 
Connersville Spartan Classic
 
Mater Dei Holiday Classic
 
Ben Davis Giant Super 16
 
Garrett Invitational
 
Goshen Invite
 
Concordia Wild Bill Invite
 
Woodlan Invite

414
2013 Al Smith Pre-Seeds
Here is a listing of our predictions of the Al Smith seeding. Please note this is based off rankings and information we have had access to and is not necessarily how the seeds will be played out.
 
[table id=48 /]

756
2013 Cadet Freestyle Preview
Past 5 Years All-Americans




Year
Weight
Place
Name


2008
119
4th
Jason Tsirtsis


2008
119
1st
Brandon Wright


2008
135
8th
Frankie Porras


2008
145
6th
Sean McMurray


2008
152
8th
Zac McCray


2008
171
5th
Braden Atwood


2009
105
7th
Mason Todd


2009
112
8th
Brenden Campbell


2009
130
2nd
Jason Tsirtsis


2010
189
1st
Mitch Sliga


2011
98
1st
Stevan Micic


2011
98
8th
Jacob Cottey


2011
112
8th
Brandon James


2011
189
1st
Mitch Sliga


2011
285
5th
Wesley Bernard


2012
132
2nd
Cody LeCount


2012
113
3rd
Stevan Micic


2012
170
3rd
Robert Steveson


2012
285
4th
Gavan Jolley-Little


2012
220
5th
Connor Tolley


2012
120
6th
Brandon James


2012
132
8th
Jose Champagne


Coming off a 4th place finish at the Cadet National Duals in freestyle Team Indiana is looking to bring back a lot of hardware after the dust settles in Fargo. This year's team will feature five wrestlers who were on the floor at Banker's Life Fieldhouse this year along with three others that have had national success. Leading the way will be Shawn Streck and CJ Red. Both wrestlers finished an impressive 4th in the Greco-Roman portion and were undefeated at the cadet duals.  Another wrestler to watch is incoming freshman Nick Lee.  Lee was super impressive at the FILA Cadet Nationals(ages 15-17) finishing second in an extremely deep field.
 
Another Mater Dei wrestler to watch is Will Egli who started the week out well with an 8th place finish and looks to improve upon that in freestyle. State placer Drew Hildebrandt will contend for a spot on the podium at a more natural weight of 100lbs after placing 8th at 106lbs during the season.  Jacob Cavins and Randy Scott are both hoping to be on the podium after placing in Greco-Roman.




Name
Weight
State Credentials
National Credentials


Drew Hildebrandt
100
2013 State 8th
4-3 Cadet Duals


Will Egli
106

2013 Greco-Roman 8th,4-3 Cadet Dual



Austin Laughlin
106




Austin Slates
106




Caleb Bocock
113
2013 State Qualifier



CJ Red
113
2013 State Champion
2013 Greco-Roman 4th,7-0 Cadet Duals



Matt Mckinney
120

2013 State Qualifier


Noah Warren
120




Jack Chastain
126




Brett Johnson
126
2013 State Qualifier



Nick Ellis
126




Nick Lee
126

2013 FILA Cadet 2nd,7-0 Cadet Duals



Alston Bane
132




Bryant Haynes
132




Evan Eldred
132




Jacob Hendrich
138




Anthony Williams
138




Blake Jourdan
138




Thomas Dull
145




RZ Teague
145




Kellen Vancamp
145




Kyle Spurr
152




Ben Stewart
152




Dylan Lydy
170




Tristan Tonte
170




Bristan Dial
182




Jonathan Morales
182




Jacob Cavins
195

2013 Greco-Roman 7th


Randy Scott
195

2013 Greco-Roman 2nd,4-3 Cadet Duals



Shawn Streck
285
2013 State 7th
2013 Greco-Roman 4th,7-0 Cadet Duals




586
2013 Cadet Greco-Roman Preview
Past 5 Years All-Americans




Year
Weight
Place
Name


2008
130
6th
Tony Lovejoy


2008
152
8th
Drake Stein


2008
160
4th
Cameron Vlahos


2008
285
6th
Mark Collett


2009
152
7th
Sean Mappes


2010
189
1st
Mitch Sliga


2011
189
1st
Mitch Sliga


2011
285
8th
Wesley Bernard


2012
220
2nd
Connor Tolley


2012
285
6th
Gavan Jolley-Little


2012
106
8th
Sage Coy


Twenty-two wrestlers will hit the mats on Sunday and Monday to battle it out for Cadet Greco-Roman supremacy. This year's cadet team has a good mixture of experience and inexperienced wrestlers.  Leading the way will be a quartet of young studs from the Hoosier state.  Sage Coy returns after placing 8th here last year and is looking for a higher spot on the podium.  State champion CJ Red will look to bring home some hardware after going 5-2 at the cadet duals.  Shawn Streck has had an outstanding year as a freshman placing at state and going undefeated in both styles at the cadet duals. He will be a heavy medal contender. State placer Drew Hildebrandt will be at 100lbs after going 6-1 at the cadet duals. Others to keep an eye out for are state qualifiers Caleb Bocock and Brett Johnson. Others that had good cadet dual records include Will Egli, Thomas Dull and Randy Scott.  Lastly, Jacob Cavins will be one to watch after winning Central Regionals.




Name
Weight
State Credentials
National Credentials


Drew Hildebrandt
100
2013 State 8th
6-1 Cadet Duals


Will Egli
106

5-2 Cadet Duals


Austin Laughlin
106




Austin Slates
106




Caleb Bocock
113
2013 State Qualifier



CJ Red
113
2013 State Champion
5-2 Cadet Duals


Sage Coy
120

2012 8th Cadet Greco


Jack Chastain
126
2013 State Qualifier



Brett Johnson
126
2013 State Qualifier



Alston Bane
132




Bryant Haynes
132




Jacob Hendrich
138




Kain Rust
138




Anthony Williams
138




Thomas Dull
145

4-3 Cadet Duals


Stephan Kitko
145




Kyle Spurr
152




Dylan Lydy
170




Jermy McKinley
170




Jacob Cavins
195

Central Regional Champion


Randy Scott
195

4-3 Cadet Duals


Shawn Streck
285
2013 State 7th
7-0 Cadet Duals



1551
2013 Conference Tournament Brackets
Hoosier Hills: Bedford North Lawrence, Columbus East, Floyd Central, Jeffersonville, Jennings County, Madison, New Albany, Seymour.
Team Scores
 
Southern Indiana Wrestling Conference: Christian Academy, Charlestown, Crawford County, Eastern(Pekin), Forest Park, Milan, Mitchell, New Washington, Providence, Paoli, Salem, Scottsburg. Southwestern, Switzerland County
 
Hoosier Crossroads Conference: Avon, Brownsburg, Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern, Harrison (West Lafayette), Lafayette Jefferson, McCutcheon, Noblesville, Westfield, Zionsville.
 
Sagamore: Crawfordsville, Danville, Frankfort, Lebanon, North Montgomery, Southmont, Tri-West Hendricks, Western Boone.
 
Mid-State: Decatur Central, Franklin Community, Greenwood, Martinsville, Mooresville, Plainfield, Whiteland.
 
Hoosier: Benton Central, Delphi, Lafayette Central Catholic, Rensselaer Central, Sheridan, Tipton, Twin Lakes, West Lafayette.
 
Allen County: Adams Central, Bluffton, Garrett, Heritage, Leo, South Adams, Southern Wells, Woodlan.
 
Metropolitan: Ben Davis, Carmel, Center Grove, Lawrence North, North Central (Indianapolis), Terre Haute North, Terre Haute South, Warren Central.
 
North Central: Anderson, Huntington North, Kokomo, Logansport, Marion, Muncie Central, New Castle, Richmond.
 
Summit: Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, Fort Wayne Concordia, Fort Wayne North Side, Fort Wayne Northrop, Fort Wayne Snider, Fort Wayne South Side, Fort Wayne Wayne.
 
Indianapolis Public Schools: Indianapolis Arlington, Indianapolis Arsenal Technical, Indianapolis Broad Ripple, Indianapolis Emmerich Manual, Indianapolis George Washington, Indianapolis Howe Academy, Indianapolis Northwest.
 
Northern State: Bremen, Culver Community, Glenn, Jimtown, Knox, Laville, New Prairie, Triton.
 
Northeast Corner: Angola, Central Noble, Churubusco, Eastside, Fairfield, Fremont, Lakeland, Prairie Heights, West Noble, Westview.
 
Northeast Hoosier: Bellmont, Carroll (Fort Wayne), Columbia City, Dekalb, East Noble, Homestead, New Haven, Norwell.
 
Mid-Indiana:
Team Scores Cass, Eastern (Greentown), Hamilton Heights, Maconaquah, Northwestern, Peru, Taylor, Western.
 
Western Indiana: Brown County, Edgewood, Northview, Owen Valley, South Vermillion, Sullivan, West Vigo.
 
Great Lakes Athletic: Hammond, Hammond Clark, Hammond Gavit, Hammond Morton.
 
Eastern Indiana: Batesville, East Central, Franklin County, Greensburg, Lawrenceburg, South Dearborn.
 
Three Rivers: Manchester, North Miami, Northfield, Rochester, Southwood, Tippecanoe Valley, Wabash, Whitko.
 
Central Indiana: Alexandria, Blackford, Eastbrook, Elwood, Frankton, Madison-Grant, Mississinewa, Oak Hill.