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2024 State Finals #WAYL2
This might be the single most important article to help you in the pick'ems... or more likely confuse you more! We have amassed as many of the losses as possible for all the 224 state qualifiers. This year's qualifiers have 978 losses with 623 or 63.7% to other state qualifiers. With some of the teams traveling out of state we also have 162 losses to out of state wrestlers. We have 11 wrestlers enter the fray on Friday with an unblemished record that will be pushed to the limit. 
 
As always if you can help with the missing data it is greatly appreciated.
 
Random Stats
Most losses to state qualifiers
Joseph Hamilton and Griffin Van Tichelt- 9
Dillon Graham, Zach Huckaby, Silas Frye, and Trey Dunning- 8
 
Most wins over state qualifiers
Clinton Shepherd- 11
Waylon Cressell, Revin Dickman, Jake Hockaday- 10
Nathan Rioux, Evan Roudebush, Gavin Jendreas, and Reese Courtney- 9
 
Non-State Qualifiers with the most wins over state qualifiers
Jacob McClure, Seer Godwise, and Will Kennedy- 5
John Orman, Abrum Swathwood, Dominic Brown, Brennan Leonard, Guillermo Rivera, and Isaac Campbell- 4
 
Undefeated Wrestlers
106    Mason Jones- Lake Central
106    Jensen Boyd- Delta
113    Ayden Bollinger- Delta
132    Hayden DeMarco- Chesterton
132    Jackson Bradley- Cowan
132    Tylin Thrine- New Castle
138    Tony Wood- Jay County
144    Easton Doster- New Haven
175    Aidan Costello- Hobart
190    Noah Weaver- Rossville
285    Juan Cruz- Bluffton
 
Records by Weight Class
106: 551-70 88.73%
113: 526-83 86.37%
120: 507-80 86.37%
126: 533-84 86.39%
132: 541-83 86.70%
138: 554-63 89.79%
144: 560-64 89.74%
150: 548-55 90.88%
157: 543-65 89.31%
165: 544-77 87.60%
175: 503-59 89.50%
190: 530-72 88.04%
215: 585-59 90.84%
285: 511-64 88.87%
 
#WAYL2
Who are your losses to?
 
Key
*- State Qualifier
(Losses/ State Qualifier Losses/ State Qualifier Wins)
106lbs
Mason Jones- Lake Central(0/0/6): 
Jensen Boyd- Delta(0/0/3): 
Peyton Schoettle- Roncalli(1/0/5): Isaac Campbell
Rex Moore- Manchester(1/1/2): Julianna Ocampo*
Heather Crull- Northeastern(1/1/1): Peyton Schoettle*
Royce Malone- Monrovia(2/2/5): Jensen Boyd*, Peyton Schoettle*
Julianna Ocampo- New Haven(2/1/1): Abrum Swathwood, Jensen Boyd*
Alonzo Chantea- Plymouth(3/2/4): John Bissmeyer*, Justus Thrasher, Teigan Newell*
Talon Jessup- Columbus East(3/3/2): Mason Jones*, Royce Malone(2)*
Mason Goelz- Avon(5/2/5): Braxton Corbett (Union County), Eli Ogle, Isaac Campbell, Royce Malone*, Talon Jessup*
Grant Holloway- Rochester(6/5/0): Alonzo Chantea(3)*, Brody Blevins, Mason Jones*, Rex Moore*
Caleb Morrow- Indianapolis Lutheran(6/4/0): ???, Blake Getz*, Heather Crull*, Hruai Lian, John Bissmeyer*, Peyton Schoettle*
Charlie Fleshman- Central Noble(6/2/0): Brock McCartney, Griffin Byrum, Ian Berry, Jaxsen Jean, Jensen Boyd*, Rex Moore*
Teigan Newell- Crown Point(9/3/1): Alonzo Chantea*, Caleb Noble (Warren Township), Cash Mays, Dealon Britt (Bishop McCort), Jaden Torres (Arrowhead Union), Kavel Moore (Mount Carmel), Mason Jones(2)*, Mason Katschor (Dundee)
John Bissmeyer- Indianapolis Cathedral(11/7/2): Eli Ogle, , Justus Thrasher(2), Mason Goelz(2)*, Mason Jones(2)*, Nick Lawrensen (Dublin Coffman), Peyton Schoettle(2)*, Talon Jessup*
Joseph Hamilton- Center Grove(14/9/0): ???, Brennan Leonard, Eli Ogle, Gavin Lewis*, Isaac Campbell, Mason Goelz(3)*, Nathan Reyes(2)*, Royce Malone(2)*, Sully Frazier*, Tyler Tun
113lbs
Ayden Bollinger- Delta(0/0/3): 
Jalen Sawyer-May- Kokomo(1/1/1): Ayden Bollinger*
Revin Dickman- Brownsburg(2/0/10): Ayden Smith (Notre Dame), Davis Motyka (Wyoming Seminary (PA)
Bradyn Volz- Eastern Hancock(2/2/1): Blake Getz*, Jett McGuire*
Blake Getz- Roncalli(3/2/4): Caleb Schaefer*, Cameron Meier, Gavin Ash*
Brady Harper- Penn(4/2/2): Caleb Halfacre, Gavin Lewis(2)*, Owen Bunton
Kaleb Salazar- Wawasee(4/1/2): , Abrum Swathwood(2), Connor Bayliss, Jalen Sawyer-May*
Nathan Rioux- Avon(5/5/9): Revin Dickman(5)*
Gavin Lewis- Crown Point(5/1/5): Chase Walker (Cleveland), Cole Welte (Skutt Catholic), Hunter Taylor (Liberty), Justin Williamson (Mount Carmel), Revin Dickman*
Caleb Schaefer- Evansville Mater Dei(6/5/3): Nathan Rioux(4)*, Revin Dickman*, Wyatt Ulrey
Mario Orueta- Lake Central(7/4/1): Brady Harper*, Connor Bayliss, Gavin Lewis*, Nathan Reyes(2)*, , Owen Bunton(2)
Gavin Ash- Monrovia(7/4/1): , , Brennan Leonard(3), Caleb Schaefer*, Kaleb Salazar*, Revin Dickman(2)*
Beck Doughty- Rensselaer Central(7/4/0): , ???(2), Caleb Halfacre, Gavin Lewis*, Karrington Cooper(2)*, Mario Orueta*
Sully Frazier- Zionsville(8/6/1): Abrum Swathwood, Blake Getz*, Caleb Schaefer*, Nathan Reyes(2)*, Nathan Rioux(2)*, Roman Valera (Trinity)
Nathan Reyes- Indianapolis Cathedral(10/6/6): Blake Getz*, Brady Harper*, Bradyn Volz*, Connor Bayliss, Dylan Wills, Isaac Campbell, Nathan Rioux(2)*, Revin Dickman*, Spencer Shore (St. Paris Graham)
Karrington Cooper- New Haven(12/2/2): ???, Ayden Bollinger*, Blake Byerley, Brayden Juday, Chase Kline, Deacon Rhodes, Jason Prough, Kaleb Salazar*, Kameron Baker, Kealen Fuller, Kennith Sellers, Will Franze
120lbs
Ty Henderson- Evansville Mater Dei(1/1/4): Isaac Ash*
Tanner Tishner- Western(2/2/3): Charlie Larocca*, Gavin Jendreas*
Gavin Jendreas- Crown Point(3/0/9): Isaiah Jones (Bixby), Keanu Dillard (Bethlehem Catholic), Lincoln Sledzianowski (Bishop McCort)
Seth Aubin- Hobart(3/3/4): Cameron Woods*, Gavin Jendreas(2)*
Chayce Yant- Fishers(3/1/3): Guillermo Rivera, Gunner Butt*, Preston Haines
Isaac Ash- Monrovia(3/3/2): Charlie Larocca(3)*
Adrian Origel- North Newton(4/4/0): Cameron Woods*, Gavin Jendreas(2)*, Seth Aubin*
Jett McGuire- Greenfield-Central(5/4/6): Chayce Yant*, Nathan Rioux*, Richard Rogers(2)*, Wesley Harbert
Charlie LaRocca- Center Grove(5/3/5): Devon Harrison (Liberty), Gavin Jendreas*, Nathan Desmond (Wyoming Seminary (PA), Seth Aubin*, Ty Henderson*
Tommy Frazier- Zionsville(5/4/1): Chayce Yant*, Jett McGuire*, John Orman, Richard Rogers*, Ty Henderson*
Hunter Douglas- Norwell(6/3/2): ???, Henry Faurote*, Jordan Korreckt, Kaid Jackson*, Tanner Tishner*, Timmy Rocha
Kaid Jackson- Delta(7/5/3): Ezra Fye, Henry Faurote(2)*, Isaac Ash*, Jayden Owsley, Jett McGuire(2)*
Richard Rogers- Franklin Central(7/5/3): Anthony Kessinger*, Chase Kline, Chayce Yant*, Jett McGuire*, John Orman, Kaid Jackson*, Tommy Frazier*
Cameron Woods- Portage(7/4/3): Aiden Dallinger, Gavin Jendreas(3)*, Josh Kite, Maximus Quiroz, Seth Aubin*
Anthony Kessinger- Floyd Central(9/4/1): Bradley Ruckman (Civic Memorial), Charlie Larocca*, Jett McGuire*, , John Orman(2), Ryan Taylor, Ty Henderson(2)*, Walter Hagedorn
Henry Faurote- Bellmont(10/6/3): Ayden Bollinger*, Berke Eisenhauer, Cameron Woods*, Hunter Douglas(2)*, Jason Prough, Kaid Jackson*, Ryan Bos, Sean Harris, Tanner Tishner*
126lbs
Layne Horn- Rochester(1/1/2): Landon Hawkins*
Isaiah Schaefer- Evansville Mater Dei(2/0/6): , Jayden Raney (Union County)(2)
Bradin Daniels- Union City(2/1/3): Cody Rowles*, Jason Shuey
Neal Mosier- Delta(3/3/4): Bradin Daniels*, Cody Rowles*, Drew Waldon*
LT Hawkins- Crown Point(4/0/7): Andrew Binni (Canon-McMillan), , Jackson Blum (Lowell)(2), Seth Mendoza (Mt. Carmel)
Eli Broady- Mount Vernon (Fortville)(4/3/5): Dominic Brown, Gunner Butt*, Landon Hawkins*, Neal Mosier*
Peter Nguyen- Guerin Catholic(4/4/0): Gavin Bragg(2)*, Gunner Butt*, Neal Mosier*
Luke Rioux- Avon(5/5/8): Braylon Reynolds*, Isaiah Schaefer(4)*
Gunner Butt- New Palestine(5/3/4): Dominic Brown, Elijah Broady(2)*, Neal Mosier*, Peyton Richards
Matthew Maldonado- Merrillville(5/3/1): Chance Woods (Evergreen Park), Dominic Brown, Elijah Broady*, Landon Hawkins(2)*
Drew Waldon- Dekalb(5/2/1): Cody Rowles*, Nolan Butcher, Roman Cordoba (Napoleon), Seth Aubin*, Trevor Wilcox (Otsego)
Fynn Douglas- Floyd Central(7/4/0): Ayden Campbell, Braylon Reynolds*, Caleb Scott (Civic Memorial), Luke Rioux(3)*, Terry Easley
Gavin Bragg- Indianapolis Cathedral(8/4/3): Dominic Brown, Elijah Broady*, Landen Haines, Landon Evans (Ryle), Landon Hawkins*, Logan Dean (Bethel-Tate), Luke Rioux(2)*
Dylan Bennett- Penn(9/6/0): Dawson Brimmer (Clyde), Elijah Broady*, Gavin Bragg*, Gunner Butt*, Jason Shuey, Layne Horn(2)*, Matthew Maldonado*, Rowdy Benner (Great Crossing)
Cody Rowles- Jay County(10/7/4): Bradin Daniels(2)*, Brason Schortgen, Corbin Kimmel (Wayne), Dylan Fernandez*, Isaac Kuhn*, Neal Mosier*, Sam Mosier, Tanner Tishner*, Tye Linser*
Braylon Reynolds- Brownsburg(10/7/2): Christian Belford (Edmond North), Isaiah Schaefer(2)*, Landon Hawkins(2)*, Luke Rioux(3)*, , Seth Mendoza (Mt. Carmel)(2)
132lbs
Hayden DeMarco- Chesterton(0/0/8): 
Jackson Bradley- Cowan(0/0/5): 
Tylin Thrine- New Castle(0/0/3): 
Jake Hockaday- Brownsburg(2/0/10): Mason Gibson (Bishop McCort), Mathew Botello (Wyoming Seminary (PA)
Jack Davis- Indianapolis Bishop Chatard(3/2/5): Cameron Volz, Tylin Thrine(2)*
Tye Linser- Western(3/2/5): Angelo Vargo, Carter Fielden*, Jackson Bradley*
Hayden Fritz- West Central(3/2/2): Hayden Demarco*, Jackson Bradley*, Sol Siburcrist
Eddie Goss- Center Grove(5/4/5): Dillon Campbell (Legacy Christian Academy), Hayden Demarco*, Jake Hockaday(3)*
Carter Fielden- Garrett(5/3/3): Brayden Clauser, Guillermo Rivera, Hayden Demarco(2)*, Jackson Bradley*
Isaac Kuhn- Hamilton Heights(6/6/3): Cole Vandygriff*, Jack Davis(3)*, Tye Linser(2)*
Keith Parker- Ben Davis(6/5/3): Donald Bowie, Jake Hockaday(2)*, Quinten Schoeff(3)*
Cole Vandygriff- New Palestine(7/3/1): ???, Angelo Vargo, , Cameron Volz(2), Jack Davis(2)*, Tylin Thrine*
Quinten Schoeff- Avon(8/7/3): Eddie Goss(3)*, Jake Hockaday(3)*, Jordyn Raney (Union County), Keith Parker*
Cole Stuffel- Yorktown(10/6/0): ???, Carter Fielden*, Cody Rowles*, Gauge Clark, Jackson Bradley*, Keith Parker(2)*, , Sam Mosier(2), Tye Linser*
Sontonio Sessa- Crown Point(12/6/1): Ben Davino (St. Charles East), Carter Fielden*, Eddie Goss*, Evan Stanley (Mt. Carmel), , Guillermo Rivera(2), Hayden Demarco(3)*, Jake Hockaday*, Logan Dawson (Lowell), Thomas Silva (Hononegah)
Dylan Fernandez- Harrison (WL)(13/7/1): ???, Alex Heineman, Caleb Mattingly, Eddie Goss*, Hayden Fritz(2)*, Isaac Kuhn(2)*, Jackson Ingram, Kaleb Caliz, Sonny Sessa*, Tye Linser*, Wesley Murphy
138lbs
Tony Wood- Jay County(0/0/3): 
Kyrel Leavell- Warren Central(1/1/5): Clinton Shepherd*
Gavyn Whitehead- New Castle(1/1/3): Kyrel Leavell*
Luke Reid- Valparaiso(2/2/3): Clinton Shepherd(2)*
Justice Thornton- Columbus North(2/2/2): Brady Ison*, Zar Walker*
Wesley Smith- Plymouth(2/2/2): Clinton Shepherd(2)*
Chase Stephens- Tell City(2/2/1): Brady Ison*, Jake Hockaday*
Clinton Shepherd- Crown Point(3/0/11): Bo Bassett (Bishop McCort), Chance Ruble (Seckman), Walker Turley (St Christopher`s School)
Linkin Carter- Eastside(3/3/1): Hayden Demarco*, Tony Wood(2)*
Jaylen Covington- Pendleton Heights(4/1/1): Evan Smith, Justin Boone, Kyrel Leavell*, Peyton Hornsby, Teyon Leonard
Cameron Dews- Elkhart(5/4/1): Caleb Kirkpatrick, Jackson Bradley*, Kyrel Leavell*, Tony Wood*, William Vander Luitgaren*
Brady Ison- Brownsburg(6/2/2): Clinton Shepherd(2)*, Hunter Hollingsworth (Edmond North), Mathew Hart (Baylor School), Trevor Boone (Lowell), Wyatt Medlin (Washington Community)
Taiden Chambers- West Noble(6/3/0): Brody Hagewood*, Cam Dews*, Ethan Fike, Jaylyn Pugh, Linkin Carter*, Matthew Senn
Blake Jones- Lawrence North(7/4/1): ???, Gavyn Whitehead*, Jaylen Covington*, Justin Boone, Kyrel Leavell(2)*, Peyton Hornsby
Josh England- LaPorte(9/6/0): Caleb Kirkpatrick, Clinton Shepherd(2)*, Kendi Quoi, Luke Reid(3)*, Lynkyn Ratcliff, Wesley Smith*
William Vander Luitgaren- Center Grove(10/7/1): Blake Jones*, Camden Baumann, Chase Stephens*, Clinton Shepherd(2)*, Justice Thornton(2)*, Peyton Hornsby, Seth Syra, Wesley Smith*
144lbs
Easton Doster- New Haven(0/0/4): 
Zar Walker- Mishawaka(1/1/7): Christian Arberry*
Jeffrey Huyvaert- New Prairie(1/1/3): Zar Walker*
Branson Weaver- Owen Valley(1/1/1): Parker Reynolds*
Reese Courtney- Center Grove(2/0/9): Jackson Tucker (Hillsboro), Lucan O`Brien (St. Edward)
Christian Arberry- Warren Central(2/2/7): Reese Courtney(2)*
Marlone Kirksy- Merrillville(3/2/2): Christian Arberry*, Michael Ortega, Zar Walker*
Marlin Williams- Southmont(3/3/1): Bryce Doss*, Christian Arberry*, Colton Bollenbacher*
Colt Bollenbacher- South Adams(4/3/3): Easton Doster*, Gavyn Whitehead(2)*, Oshea Phillips
Emilio Liscano- Oak Hill(4/4/0): Brody Hagewood*, Colton Bollenbacher*, Easton Doster*, Jeffrey Huyvaert*
Brody Hagewood- Prairie Heights(5/5/2): Colton Bollenbacher*, Dillon Graham*, Easton Doster(2)*, Zar Walker*
Avery Stanley- Rensselaer Central(5/3/0): , Jack Todd(2), Jeffrey Huyvaert*, Marlone Kirksy(2)*
Parker Reynolds- Brownsburg(6/2/1): Blake Cosby (Dundee), Jayden Colon (St. Charles East), Reese Courtney(2)*, Sam Herring (Bishop McCort), Tyson Sherlock (Gilman School)
Gabe Rose- Switzerland County(7/2/0): ???, Branson Weaver*, , , Caleb Cooper(3), Nate Miller, Reese Courtney*
Dillon Graham- Indianapolis Cathedral(10/8/2): Christian Arberry(2)*, Jeffrey Huyvaert*, Omar Ayoub (Dublin Coffman), Reese Courtney(3)*, Rider Trumble (Ryle), Zar Walker(2)*
Bryce Doss- New Palestine(10/5/1): Christian Arberry(2)*, Dillon Graham*, Jack Todd, Kameron Mikesell, Kannon Zuber, Reese Courtney*, Sam Bustamante, William May, Zar Walker*
150lbs
Christopher Bohn- Munster(1/1/5): Wesley Harper*
Hunter May- Floyd Central(1/1/1): Wyatt Krejsa*
Wyatt Krejsa- Center Grove(2/0/5): Gianni Maldonado (Lake Gibson), Vince Bouzakis (Wyoming Seminary (PA)
Wesley Harper- Penn(2/1/4): Isreal Petite (Nordonia), Wyatt Krejsa*
Carson Fettig- Hamilton Heights(2/1/2): Braden Getz*, Wyatt Davis
Luke Teusch- Huntington North(2/1/2): Jayden Jett*, Rylee Biddle
Braden Getz- Roncalli(3/1/4): Aaron Durham, Ayden Lehman (Trinity), Jessie Franklin, Moses Stevenson*
Tyler Vanover- Evansville Mater Dei(3/2/2): Hunter May*, Tommy Gibbs, Wyatt Krejsa*
Aidan Elkins- New Haven(3/2/2): Brock Hagewood*, Luke Teusch*, Rylee Biddle
Jayden Jett- Cowan(3/1/1): Aidan Elkins*, Jacob Weaver, Wyatt Davis
Brock Hagewood- Prairie Heights(4/3/2): Aidan Elkins*, Evan Cruz, Luke Teusch*, Wesley Harper*
Moses Stevenson- Franklin Central(5/3/2): Braden Getz(2)*, Christopher Bohn*, Michael Neidigh, Tommy Gibbs
Kaptur Nowaczyk- Crown Point(5/2/1): Christopher Bohn*, Malachi Rider (Nixa), Max Stein (Faith Christian Academy), Tommy Gibbs, Wyatt Krejsa*
Alex Smith- Heritage Hills(5/3/0): , ???(2), Tyler Vanover(2)*, Wyatt Krejsa*
Mason Adams- Western Boone(6/3/0): , ???(2), Carson Fettig*, Marlin Williams*, Moses Stevenson*, Rylee Biddle
Chase Kasprzak- Lake Central(8/6/0): Brock Hagewood*, Caydn Smith, Christopher Bohn(2)*, Evan Cruz, Kaptur Nowaczyk*, Wesley Harper(2)*
157lbs
Mitchell Betz- Western(1/1/6): Adrian Pellot*
Adrian Pellot- Merrillville(1/1/5): *
Beau Brabender- Mishawaka(1/1/5): Adrian Pellot*
Gavin Davis- Bellmont(1/1/2): Mitchell Betz*
Asher Ratliff- Columbus North(2/2/4): Beau Brabender*, Silas Stits*
Anthony Cashman- Warren Central(3/3/7): Beau Brabender(2)*, Silas Foster*, Silas Stits*
Silas Foster- Purdue Polytechnic(3/3/2): Aidan Kincaide*, Anthony Cashman II(2)*
Javon Frost- Delphi(3/3/0): Beau Brabender*, Carson Fettig*, Griffin Van Tichelt*
Teegan Clouse- West Noble(4/3/1): Ben Barker, Christopher Bohn*, Michael Cain*, Mitchell Betz*
Mason Day- Brownsburg(5/1/6): Asher Ratliff*, Devon Magro (Bishop McCort), Jared Boone (Lowell), Jeremy Ginter (Whitmer), Max Stein (Faith Christian Academy)
Aidan Kincaide- Noblesville(5/5/3): Anthony Cashman II*, Braden Getz*, Mason Day*, Michael Cain*, Xavier Smith*
Cael Hickok- Bloomington North(5/3/0): Asher Ratliff*, Evan Hamblin, Mason Day*, Shawn Raymon, Silas Stits*
Silas Stits- Center Grove(7/5/5): Adrian Pellot*, Anthony Cashman II*, Asher Ratliff*, Devon Magro (Bishop McCort), Edmund Enright (Mt. Carmel), Mason Day*, Mitchell Betz*
Michael Cain- Hamilton Heights(7/7/2): Aidan Kincaide(2)*, Anthony Cashman II*, Isaac Sinks(2)*, Mitchell Betz*, Silas Foster*
Kévon Russell- Fort Wayne Snider(7/7/0): Asher Ratliff*, Beau Brabender*, Gavin Davis(2)*, Mitchell Betz*, Silas Stits*, Teegan Clouse*
Griffin VanTichelt- Crown Point(10/9/1): Adrian Pellot(2)*, Anthony Cashman II(2)*, Mason Day(3)*, Mitchell Betz*, Silas Stits*, Trey Parker (Dundee)
165lbs
Waylon Cressell- Warren Central(1/1/10): Anthony Rinehart*
Isaac Sinks- Harrison (WL)(1/1/3): Anthony Rinehart*
Brant Beck- Rochester(1/1/3): Anthony Rinehart*
Evan Roudebush- Bloomington South(2/1/9): Bryce Griffin(Civic Memorial), Waylon Cressell*
Kaeb Stebbins- Delta(2/2/4): Duke Myers(2)*
Anthony Rinehart- Crown Point(3/0/6): Joe Sealey (Wyoming Seminary (PA), Logan Fowler (Cleveland), Nick Singer (Faith Christian Academy)
Duke Myers- Bellmont(3/3/4): Anthony Rinehart*, Evan Roudebush*, Kaeb Stebbins*
Xavier Smith- Fishers(3/2/4): Evan Roudebush*, Michael Mavros, Waylon Cressell*
Oliver Hallett- Indian Creek(3/3/1): Bray Emerine*, Coy Bender*, Evan Roudebush*
Levi Abbott- Cowan(6/6/2): Brant Beck(2)*, Duke Myers*, Kaeb Stebbins(3)*
Ethan Smith- Fort Wayne Snider(6/3/0): Duke Myers*, Emilio Tirado*, Jackson Haston, Levi Abbott*, , Will Kennedy(2)
Coy Bender- Terre Haute South(7/6/2): Evan Roudebush(4)*, Gage Eckels, Jesse Derringer*, Levi Abbott*
Zach Huckaby- Perry Meridian(7/8/1): Anthony Rinehart*, James Dozier*, Jesse Derringer*, Oliver Hallett*, Waylon Cressell(4)*
Jesse Derringer- Brownsburg(9/3/2): Aidan White*, Bryce Kohler (St. Paris Graham), Evan Roudebush*, Kole Katschor (Dundee), Nick Singer (Faith Christian Academy), Owen McMullen (Bishop McCort), Royce Lopez (Warren), William Henckel (Blair Academy), Xavier Smith*
James Dozier- Roncalli(10/7/1): ???, Brenton Russell*, Coy Bender*, Jake Dowdy (Union County), Michael White(2)*, Waylon Cressell*, Will Kennedy, Xavier Smith*, Zach Huckaby*
Emilio Tirado- Lake Central(14/5/1): Anthony Rinehart*, Brant Beck*, Lucas Anderson, Cory Fuller, Evan Roudebush*, Gabino Perez (Brother Rice), Hunter Sopkowski, Isaac Sinks*, Marques Young(2), Michael Mavros, , Will Kennedy(2), Xavier Smith*
175lbs
Aidan Costello- Hobart(0/0/5): 
Bray Emerine- Floyd Central(1/1/8): Waylon Cressell*
Brenton Russell- Warren Central(1/1/7): Chase Leech*
Zymarion Hollyfield- Penn(1/2/1): Aidan Costello(2)*
Ethan Popp- Harrison (WL)(1/1/1): Zymarion Hollyfield*
Braxton Russell- Delta(2/2/4): Chase Leech*, Cooper McCloy*
Chase Leech- Garrett(2/2/3): Aidan Costello*, Michael White*
Laish Detwiler- Goshen(2/1/1): Chase Leech*, Mason Kobelt
Kyle Harden- Indianapolis Cathedral(2/1/1): Jean Cirosil (Arsenal Tech), Michael White*
Ethan Farnell- Maconaquah(3/2/0): Braxton Russell*, Evan Miller, Laish Detwiler*
Noah Clouser- Center Grove(4/2/3): Aidan Costello*, Bray Emerine*, Nathan Taylor (Green Farms Academy), Westin Hoffschneider (Ponderosa)
Cooper McCloy- Terre Haute South(5/3/2): ???, Bray Emerine(2)*, James Hastings, Noah Clouser*
Michael White- Lawrence North(7/5/5): ???, Bray Emerine*, Brenton Russell(3)*, Seer Godwise, Waylon Cressell*
Noah Sumner- Martinsville(7/6/0): Braxton Russell*, Bray Emerine(2)*, Cooper McCloy*, Noah Clouser(2)*, Seer Godwise
Aidan White- Crown Point(9/3/1): Aidan Costello*, Brenton Russell*, , Cameron Crisp(2), Colin Kelley (Mount Carmel), Ethan Popp*, Hudson Rogers (Meridian), Peyton Westpfahl (Liberty), Seer Godwise
Silas Frye- Greenfield-Central(12/8/0): Braxton Russell(2)*, Bray Emerine*, Brenton Russell(2)*, Crew Farrell, Kyle Harden*, Michael White*, Seer Godwise(2), Tyler Lake, Waylon Cressell*
190lbs
Noah Weaver- Rossville(0/0/4): 
Kenneth Bisping- Lowell(1/1/6): Luke Penola*
Elias Cressell- Wabash(1/0/2): Austin Ringeisen
Luke Penola- Zionsville(2/2/2): Noah Weaver(2)*
Eli Coolman- Leo(2/1/1): Elias Cressell*, Mickey Daring
Vincent Freeman- Penn(3/1/5): Gage Yackee (Toledo St. Johns), Kenneth Bisping*, Xander Myers (Liberty Center)
Gunner Henry- Brownsburg(3/0/4): Chett Mannier (St Paris Graham), Leimana Fager (Corner Canyon), Matthew Kowalski (Springboro)
Noah Terry- Tell City(3/2/2): Gunner Henry(2)*, Lane Kiser (Trinity)
Kaden McConnell- Center Grove(4/2/2): Danny Zmorowski (Lake Catholic), Gunner Henry(2)*, Noah Onkst (McDonogh School)
Collin Casad- Terre Haute South(4/4/0): Kaden McConnell*, Noah Terry(2)*, Noah Weaver*
Donovan Blair- Wawasee(5/3/5): Austin Reading, Eli Coolman*, Keith Miller*, Kenneth Bisping*, Mickey Daring
Aleksandar Tatum- Hobart(6/5/1): Colin Whetsel*, De'Aris Beason, Kenneth Bisping(3)*, Vinny Freeman*
Colin Whetsel- New Palestine(7/1/2): ???, Caleb Evans, , Clay Guenin(2), Connor Leins, Jaylen Young, Noah Weaver*
Keith Miller- Northwood(9/7/2): Austin Reading, Breckan Maran, Donovan Blair(4)*, Elias Cressell*, Trey Dunning(2)*
Trey Dunning- Mishawaka(11/8/2): Aleksandar Tatum*, , Colin Weiand(2), Donovan Blair*, Keith Miller*, Kellen Fellure, Kenneth Bisping*, Vinny Freeman(4)*
Nathan Shafer- New Castle(11/2/0): , , , ???(4), Breck Bohman, Colin Whetsel*, Harry Boshears, Jacob Smith, Jaylon Van Slyke, Juaquin Flores, Luke Penola*
215lbs
Travis Henke- Northridge(1/0/3): Kameron Kauffman
Julante Hinton- Fort Wayne Northrop(1/1/2): Keagan Martin*
Cole Chicione- McCutcheon(1/1/2): Will Clark*
Wyatt Woodall- Southmont(1/1/1): Jackson Weingart*
Keagan Martin- Bellmont(2/2/3): Travis Henke*, Will Clark*
Alex Deming- Rochester(2/2/2): Cole Chicoine*, Jayden Bartoszek*
Will Clark- Crown Point(3/0/8): Kai Calcutt (Loyola Academy), Michael Calcagno (IC Catholic Prep), Michael Mocco (Cardinal Gibbons)
Brandon Johnson- Lawrence North(3/2/3): Devin Kendrex*, Jackson Weingart*, Shaun Glass
Landon Terry- Tell City(4/3/3): Caden Brewer(2)*, Parker Hart*, Tyson Ruhe
Caden Brewer- Brownsburg(5/3/5): Jackson Weingart*, Jason Singer (Faith Christian Academy), Rune Lawrence (Frazier ), Will Clark(2)*
Jackson Weingart- Indianapolis Cathedral(5/2/3): Andrew Troy, Kaden McConnell*, Kameron Kauffman, Will Clark*, Wyatt Walker (Edgewood)
Jayden Bartoszek- Hanover Central(5/5/1): Cole Chicoine*, Devin Kendrex*, Will Clark(3)*
Preston Duffy- Manchester(5/5/0): Alex Deming(2)*, Julante Hinton(2)*, Travis Henke*
Devin Kendrex- Mount Vernon (Fortville)(6/5/2): Brandon Johnson(3)*, Kameron Kauffman, Keagan Martin*, Wyatt Woodall*
Parker Hart- Heritage Hills(7/5/1): Aiden Beadles*, Brayden Rouse, Caden Brewer*, Keagan Martin*, Landon Terry(2)*, Tyson Ruhe
Aiden Beadles- South Putnam(8/3/1): , ???(2), Aidan Hinchee, Bryce Hann (Danville), Caden Brewer(2)*, Dominick Mercer, Landon Terry*
285lbs
Juan Cruz- Bluffton(0/0/2): 
Nate Johnson- Center Grove(1/1/7): Paul Clark*
Brady Beck- Rochester(1/1/4): Paul Clark*
Austin Hastings- Noblesville(2/1/2): Collin Foy, Hosia Smith*
Aramis McNutt- Highland(2/2/0): Anthony Popi*, Brady Beck*
Isaiah Coolman- Leo(3/2/5): Ethan Dodson*, Juan Cruz*, Makel Adaji(Penn)
Paul Clark- Crown Point(3/0/4): Aidan Fockler (Massillon Perry), Sampson Stillwell (St Micheal the Archangel), Spencer Lanosga (Jesuit New Orleans)
Hayden Smith- Heritage Hills(3/2/0): ???, Justin Brown*, Nate Johnson*
Justin Brown- Floyd Central(4/3/2): Carter Guillaume (St. Xavier), Hosia Smith*, Joseph Orisadare*, Nate Johnson*
Max Amberger- Batesville(4/2/0): Austin Hastings*, Levi DeGroat, Michael Henderson, Perris Green*
Anthony Popi- Plymouth(6/6/2): Brady Beck(3)*, Nate Johnson*, Paul Clark*, Travis Henke*
James Hartleroad- Dekalb(6/4/1): Ethan Dodson*, Isaac Lehman(Napoleon), Isaiah Coolman(3)*, Terry Henion
Hosia Smith- Indianapolis Cathedral(7/4/4): Austin Hastings*, Ethan Dodson*, , Jacob McClure(2), Nate Johnson*, Paul Clark*, Tyler Schott
Ethan Dodson- Fort Wayne Snider(7/6/3): Anthony Popi*, Isaiah Coolman(2)*, James Hartleroad*, Juan Cruz*, Nate Johnson*, William Glesing
Perris Green- Warren Central(7/1/1): Aiden Padgett, Brayden Flener, Hosia Smith*, , Jacob McClure(2), Maximus Forrester, Tyric Hinton
Oluwagbenga Orisadare- Avon(8/4/1): ???, Hosia Smith*, Jacob McClure, Justin Brown*, Maximus Forrester, Nate Johnson(2)*, Tyler Schott

2768 5
#Wrestling Wednesday Feature: Purdue Ready for NCAA Championships
Brought to you by EI Sports
 

By JEREMY HINES
jerhines@cinergymetro.net
 
When Tony Ersland took the job as Purdue University’s head wrestling coach he knew it would be a challenge to compete in arguably the toughest wrestling conference in the country. He embraced the challenge.
 
Ersland’s Boilermakers finished the season ranked in the top 25 in the country. Purdue finished with a dual record of 10-8 overall and 3-6 in the Big Ten. Eight Boilermaker wrestlers will compete in the NCAA National Championships this week, starting Thursday.
 
“There were a lot of positives for us this year,” Ersland said. “This was my first year in the program with the kids. We set the foundation for how we are going to operate. Overall, I’m happy with the progress we made this year.
 
Ersland comes to Purdue from Nebraska, where he was an assistant coach for the past eight seasons. He has coached several top wrestlers, including Craig Brester who was a two-time NCAA finalist and a Big 12 champion.
 
“Craig is one athlete who is near and dear to my heart,” Ersland said. “He started out as a walk on at the University of Nebraska. Then he became a two time All-American. He’s the type of athlete that makes coaching worthwhile. He poured his heart and soul into wrestling. He was a special wrestler, and his work is what made him that way.”
 
Purdue’s Danny Sabatello, Brandon Nelsen, Nick Lawrence, Doug Welch, Patrick Robinson, Chad Welch, Patrick Kissel and Braden Atwood will all be competing in the NCAA Championships.
 
“Our goal is to have national champions and All-Americans,” Ersland said. “That’s the mindset we are going in with. We want to go in and perform at a high level. We’ve wrestled outstanding competition all year long. The Big Ten is a brutal grind. It’s like SEC football. We’ve had four out of the top five teams in the country in the Big Ten.
 
“It’s extremely competitive. It’s tougher sometimes to win in the conference than it is in a national bracket. There are no illusions going into the national tournament. You know exactly what you need to do.”
 
Ersland likes the quality of wrestlers he has been able to look at in Indiana. He feels that there is great talent in the state.
 
“Purdue is in the middle of a great wrestling state,” Ersland said. “Indiana turns out a lot of good talent and we want to see those wrestlers stay at home. We don’t want the Jason Tsirtsis out there to look elsewhere.”
 
When asked about Indiana’s high school tournament format, Ersland said he prefers to keep a one-class system.
 
“Personally I like the one class tournament,” Ersland said. “I can understand a two class format as well. But as far as evaluating talent, I really enjoy the one class. You don’t end up with a watered down system.
 
“I think Michigan’s system sort of waters it down. They have four classes and that’s too many. One or two tops is the way to go.”
 
Ersland is married to wife Carolyn. They have twin sons, Jaxon and Mason.
 
“They will always have a wrestling partner,” Ersland said of his sons. “My hope is that they will fall in love with the sport as much as I have. But right now they are just four years old. They love to come to practice and watch the guys roll around. I try to get them in bed, but sometimes they just want to stay up and watch wrestling on T.V.”
 
The NCAA championships begin at noon on Thursday in St. Louis.

2764 43
#Wrestling Wednesday: Faulkens opens up about wrestling
By STEVE KRAH
stvkrh905@gmail.com
 
Robert Faulkens is the face of wrestling at the Indiana High School Athletic Association office.
 
As an assistant commissioner, he administers IHSAA wrestling (as well as football and boys and girls track and field).
 
Faulkens, who also sits on several National Federation of State High School Associations committees, oversees an annual online rules meeting for IHSAA wrestling officials and coaches.
 
He also likes to take advantage of face-to-face opportunities, like the recent St. Joseph Valley Officials Association gathering in Granger. There, Faulkens got a chance to address a roomful of mat referees and area coaching staffs.
 
Faulkens, who defines his job as someone who must be equitable to all 4,000 wrestlers and all 309 programs in Indiana and not just the elite, covered many topics and had a dialogue with those in attendance. Much of the discussion were on areas relating to participation.
 
“Wrestling’s been in a decline for about four or five years,” Faulkens said of dropping participation numbers.
 
He said the only thing propping up participation in Indiana is girls wrestling, which had about 300 competing on boys squads throughout the state last season. It’s a number too low to make it a separate sport. But if the numbers continue to rise it could happen in the future.
 
“My guess is we’re eight or 10 years from pulling girls out and making it a separate sport,” Faulkens said. “the number of teams that have girls wrestling is very small. There are pockets of girls wrestling (currently, Lafayette Jeff and Crispus Attucks each have more than a dozen girls in their programs). Either you have them or you don’t. Very rarely do you have one girl wrestling. Normally you have four or five.”
 
Faulkens sits on the national rules writing committee for the National Federation. The committee met last April and considered and approved a new two-piece uniform with a tight shirt and shorts. The rules regulators at the next level turned down the proposal, saying there was no uniformity in the specifications nor was there time to approve the change by October.
 
“In April (2017), we’ll probably do it all over again and have to be more specific,” Faulkens said. “I think we’re about three years away (from the two-piece uniform).”
 
What’s wrong with the singlet?
 
“Kids are not wresting because they are a little bit embarrassed to wear the singlet,” Faukens said. “Participation numbers have dropped and that’s one of the reasons kids have decided they don’t want to wrestle.”
 
What are some of the other reasons?
 
The long weekend events have become a grind to many young athletes.
 
Faulkens noted that there no joy in spending all day on a Saturday and losing five times and wrestling all of six minutes.
 
“Why as a high school kid would I give up seven weekends to not have fun?,” Faulkens said.
 
Many schools have schedules made up mostly of Saturday super duals or tournaments. The suggestion has been made from some in Indiana to increase the number of weeknight dual meets.
 
Another reason is parents don’t want their kids to wrestle because they equate the sport with brawling.
 
“They see wrestling as MMA or as Ultimate Fight Club,” Faulkens said. “As scholastic wrestlers we’re trying to distance ourselves from those two entities because of the negative connotation.”
 
That’s why he resists calling the lower part of the two-piece uniform “fight” shorts.
 
Faulkens talked about the relationship between football and wrestling — a natural partnership in some communities, but not in all places.
 
He is a fan of multi-sport participation.
 
“Those schools that share kids among sports are normally the ones who are successful over a long period of time,” Faulkens said. “We have some hard-headed football coaches that believe a kid should just play football in the fall and lift weights in the winter and spring.
 
“It goes against everything we know about kids. They need to do different sports at different times of the year. If they do the same thing all the time, they risk burnout and injury. Those two things are not good for any kid.”
 
The assistant commissioner noted that 75 percent of the teams in the IHSAA football state championships have athletes who participate in another sport.
 
At schools where wrestling coaches are having a hard time getting football players (or those specializing in one sport) to join their teams, Faulkens said their must be a conversation between the coach and their athletic director and and principal.
 
Faulkens pointed out the differences in the gridiron and mat, noting that football is anaerobic and wrestling is aerobic “and never the twain shall meet.”
 
“If you try to get a kid to go from quick bursts and a lot of rest to a sport that’s a continual expenditure of energy, it’s very difficult,” Faulkens said. “Wrestling is not an easy sport. We’ve got a group of kids that don’t want to work that hard. They really don’t. They’re going to take the path of least resistance. It’s just the mindset of our kids.”
 
While many will argue that more mat time is always a good thing, Faulkens sees a trend coming from his involvement with the National Federation’s sports medicine advisory committee that calls for a reduction in the number of matches.
 
“What we know is that at a certain point, there’s no return on improvement,” Faulkens said. “It’s likely that in a few years the maximum number of regular-season matches allowed per wrestler will be 25.”
 
This will mean an adjustment in how schedules are made. There may not be as many two-day super duals with teams competing eight to 10 times in a weekend, knowing that they may be getting close to the maximum in a very short time period.
 
A point of emphasis for Faulkens at each online rules meeting is the importance of being vigilant against infectious skin diseases.
 
“Don’t share razors or soap and wash yourself everyday and wash your mats,” Faulkens said.
 
Faulkens said showering after each practice and competition is suggested. But if coaches can’t enforce that they should at least have a bucket of antibacterial wipes for exposed skin when wrestlers get off the mat.
 
Ideally, checking for skin lesions would be a daily occurrence, but every athlete should be checked at least once a week.
 
A year ago, Faulkens said 70 schools had cases of infectious skin disease on their teams and five schools reported five or more cases.
 
“Parents are not going to stand for it,” Faulkens said. “If you get a MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection) in your room, that’s going to cost the parents $40,000. If they don’t have insurance, chances are they are not going to get the treatment that they need.”
 
Faulkens notes that though he may come across as harsh when making his points about matters like this and with the proper administration of the weight management system (he got the athletic directors and athletic trainers involved four years ago), there’s a method to his madness.
 
“We can’t lose wrestling because we can’t lose the lessons that wrestling gives us,” Faulkens said. “As coaches, you are in control of that.”
 
As for the state of the sport as Faulkens heads into his seventh state tournament series, he likes what he sees.
 
“We’re in good shape,” Faulkens said. “I love where we’re are in wrestling in the state of Indiana. I really do.
 
“My job is to do what’s best for everybody.”

2758 4
2014 Mater Dei Holiday Classic Preview
By John Johnson
 
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water....
 
As 2013 was regarded as the toughest field in the 29th year of the event, this season's edition of the Mater Dei Holiday Classic provides a triple threat to fans: High-end talent, top teams and exceptionally deep weight classes.
 
Chad Red of New Palestine, Nick Lee of Mater Dei and Paul Konrath of Mt. Vernon return to the Classic with gold from Fargo. Lee bested the trio, as he earned the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the North Dakota summer extravaganza.
 
Eight wrestlers enter Mater Dei's gym with a top state ranking, while four more are ranked second. 29 additional grapplers tout a top-ten ranking.
 
Kentucky offers a veritable who's who from the Bluegrass state. Always-tough Union County is ranked #1, while St. Xavier is ranked third, followed by Trinity, who is ranked fourth.
 
The hosts sport Indiana's top ranking, while Franklin is ranked ninth, Avon is tenth and New Palestine is eleventh.
 
Belleville West is the lone representative from Illinois. Ranked 22nd in the 3A (large school) division, do not be fooled by Belleville's won-loss records. Belleville wrestles a brutal December schedule. Their wrestlers consistently place above their seeds and act as spoilers.
 
While Mater Dei is the returning team champion and a favorite to repeat, the race for the top slots will be a wild scramble. Upsets, wrestling to a seed and scoring bonus points will be crucial in the final team standings. Eight teams have a legitimate shot at one of the top two spots.
 
106- Union County's Saul Ervin brings his top Kentucky ranking to the Classic and will look to jump from last years' third place performance to the top of the podium. New Pal's Cameron Diep and St. Xavier's Konner Kraeszig will likely come through the other side of the bracket.
Spoiler Alert! Avon's Mason Miranda.
 
113- Mt. Vernon's Paul Konrath is the returning Classic champion and Indiana runner-up; look for him to repeat. Ranked wrestlers in New Pal's Alec White, Mater Dei's Kyle Luigs, Floyd Central's Tristan Sellmer, St. Xavier's Austin Cook and Union County's Micah Ervin populate this incredibly deep bracket. There will not be a dull moment at 113 pounds. Good luck seeding this one!
 
120- Will Egli and Paul Konrath earned the tournament's Most Outstanding Match award in 2013. Egli and Bryce Scheffer, Union County's returning State Champion, will likely lock horns in the final. Both are dynamic, wide-open wrestlers. One might find the top match of the finals at 120 pounds.
Spoiler Alert! New Pal's Eugene Starks. Starks is strong and physical. Coach Chad Red will have him ready to roll.
 
126- CJ Red owns two Indiana state titles and has yet to lose a high school match. Look for a rematch of the 2013 Holiday Classic final between Red and Mater Dei's Alex Johnson.
Spoiler Alert! Trinity's Danten Rice. Rice is tough and is wrestling very well.
 
132- Mater Dei's Nick Lee is the overwhelming favorite to repeat his 2013 title performance. Trinity's Keegan Duncan and Union County's Chance Oxford will wrestle for the right to meet Lee in the
final on December 30.
 
138- Joe Lee headlines at 138 pounds. Lee will likely earn the number-one seed. As it was in 2013, 138 is very deep. New Palestine's Jared Timberman, St. Xavier's Dallas Miles and Steven Matheny from Trinity are potential semi-finalists. Time your breaks around this weight class; every match should be good.
Potential Spoilers- Mt. Vernon's Austin Bethel is a race car. On any given day, Bethel can beat virtually anyone. Avon's Quinn Harris and New Albany's Hunter Castleberry. Harris is a worker; do not be surprised to see him defeat a higher seed. Castleberry is dangerous. Overlook him at your peril.
 
145- Mater Dei's Blake Jourdan and Trinity's Hudson Heidorf are the prohibitive favorites as finalists. Heidorf is ranked number one in Kentucky, while Jourdan is ranked sixth in Indiana. Both are very exciting. All of the elements exist for a thrilling final. Franklin's veteran Shane Wilkerson and Union County's Tim Pike will also compete for spots on the podium.
Potential Spoilers- Watch for Belleville's Nate Smalling. If you are planning your breaks, lump 145 in with 138There are too many physical, quick and risk-taking wrestlers in this weight for upsets not to happen. Don't blink or you might miss it.
 
152- Out of staters write the script at 152 pounds. Belleville West's Nick Foster sports a three-ranking in Illinois, while Trinity's Ben Barton and Union County's Jackson Oxford are ranked second and third, respectively. New Albany's Tre Lynch will be also reaching for a high medal placement.
Spoiler Alert! Look for a break out performance by Franklin sophomore Burk Van Horn.
 
160- Mater Dei's Ashton Forzley beat New Pal's Nick Brickens in the consolation semifinal in 2013. Look for a 2014 rematch for the gold. Depending upon the seeding, one of the two will have to get past St. Xavier's very tough Nathan Haddad.
 
170- Returning State Champion, Jacob Stevenson of Franklin sees his primary competitor as Kentucky's returning State Champ, St. Xavier's Dominic Lampe. Avon's Brendon Helm is no underdog; he lost to Stevenson in the 2013 final 8-6 and will look for revenge.
Spoiler Alert! Evansville Memorial's Noah Huelsing. Huelsing has a big motor will never say "die."
 
182- Trinity's Tyler Frankrone is the returning State Champion. The seeding is crucial as Avon's Evan Elmore, Mater Dei's Sam Bassemier and St. Xavier's Elijah Allgeir will compete for the other slot in the final.
 
195- Lucas Miozza of Trinity and Cole Sherman of Union County headline this group. 195 has the lightest credentials of any of the weight classes. A solid wrestler that puts together a couple of good days of wrestling should find himself wearing the gold.
 
220- Gunnar Larson of Avon finished second at the 2013 Classic to eventual State Champion, Conner Tolley of Franklin. Tolley has graduated and Larson is the next man up. Joseph Green of St. Xavier and Connor Sherman of Union County look to be factors.
Spoiler Alert! Tristan Choate of Mt. Vernon. Choate is wrestling well; it will be no surprise for him to perform.
 
285- The weight class formerly known as "heavyweight" should be...big. Franklin's Quinn York beat Union County's Raynel "Ray-Ray" Brown for the title last year; the two could also dance for the top spot in 2014.
Potential Spoilers- Who wants to bet against Avon's Brett Henson, Trinity's Landon Carolla, Mater Dei's Adrian Butler or Belleville West's Rickey Nelson? I didn't think so.
 
Hook's Predictions for the Big Winners:
The Coaches- The Holiday Classic's hospitality room has the reputation of some of the best food available in southern Indiana. Burgoo (ask any Evansville resident what it is), bar-b-q and Frank Schaefer's home-grown buffalo bratwursts headline the menu. Be jealous.
Fans Not Married to Chain Hotels- Le Merigot is a boutique hotel on the Tropicana property. Shop around and you can get a deal. You will not be disappointed.
Fans Not Married to Chain Restaurants- A strong arm can hit the Hilltop Inn with a rock from Mater Dei's parking lot. Frosty beverages and brain sandwiches led the Hilltop to be voted the "Manliest Restaurant in America." For carryout, Marx's Bar-B-Q is next door to the Hilltop; Tony Marx is the man. If you want pizza, Turoni's is a don't-miss. Go to Dilegge's for Italian and the Gerst Haus for authentic German cuisine. If you are an early riser, visit Hagedorn's Tavern on Franklin Street for a great breakfast and a fishbowl of beer. Trust me, everybody does it.
People That Do Not Like to Drive a Lot When They are in Evansville- All of these recommendations are within ten minutes of Mater Dei.
Hook's Predictions for the Big Losers:
People who Stay/Shop/Visit the East Side- The Lloyd "Expressway" is under construction. You have been warned. If you ignore this advice, expect to be late and in a bad mood.
Those Who do not Bring a Stadium Bleacher Chair- Have you ever been to Mater Dei's gym?
Last Tidbit for 2014- The bathrooms are at the top corners of the gym, above the bleachers.

2747 4 1
2019 State Finals by the Numbers
Overall
Rankings are always a heated debate amongst wrestling fans. Over the years we have always locked our rankings before sectional and let them ride throughout the state series. Every year we lose kids due to unforeseen circumstances and even the death draws at semi-state. However, they always prove to be quite accurate. This year we had the most ranked wrestlers in 175 or just under 78% in our final rankings. On top of that 206 of the wrestlers were in our state or semi-state rankings. Here is a breakdown by weight and highlight matches to watch on Friday night.
2019- 175
2018- 179
2017- 169
2016- 175
2015- 172
2014- 171
2013- 171
2012- 170
2011- 157
2010- 159
2009- 143
106lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14
Unranked qualifiers:
Chris Newman- Mt. Vernon
Dominic Skees- Lafayette Central Catholic
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#5 Stephen Roberson- Crown Point vs. #11 Isaac Ruble- Bellmont
#3 Alec Freeman- Evansville Mater Dei vs. #9 Elijah Anthony- Frankfort
#16 Alex Ocampo- Central Noble vs. #6 Malik Hall- Merrillville
#2 Brennen Cernus- Culver Academies vs. #20 Aidan Sprague- East Noble
#7 Carlton Perry- Warren Central vs. #8 Logan Miller- Brownsburg
#12 Blaze Garcia- Avon vs. #4 Suhas Chundi- Carmel
113lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Harper Dedman- Oak Hill
Jake Armstrong- Winamac Community.
Landon Bertch- Bluffton
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#12 Preston Teusch- Huntington North vs. #14 Jacob Simone- Hamilton Southeastern
#9 Gavinn Alstott- Floyd Central vs. #7 Martin Cruz- Merrillville
#2 Zeke Seltzer- Indianapolis Cathedral vs. #16 Jett Boots- Angola
#4 Giovanni Diaz- Wheeler vs. #17 Kamariyon Nelson- Brownsburg
#1 Jacob Moran- Portage vs. #5 Cole Ross- Evansville Mater Dei

120lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14
Unranked qualifiers:
John Robinson- Delta
Logan Galbraith- North Central
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#19 Beau Humphrey- FW Snider vs. #8 Trey Finnearty- Culver Academies
#4 Brayden Lowery- Roncalli vs. #11 Tyler Conley- Avon
#16 Jace Alexander- Wawasee vs. #17 Kade Zadylak- Norwell
#2 Blake Boarman- Evansville Mater Dei vs. #10 Chris Stewart- Warren Central
#12 Evan Beasley- Northridge vs. #14 Ty Haskins- Portage
#5 Carson Eldred- Westfield vs. #6 Kysen Montgomery- Brownsburg
126lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Brendon Mark- Mishawaka
Hayden Shepherd- Western
Jared Brown- Pendleton Heights
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#9 Chase Wilkerson- Mt. Vernon (Fortville) vs. #16 JJ Conway- Floyd Central
#3 Hunter Watts- Jimtown vs. #15 Evan Burge- McCutcheon
#12 Kane Egli- Evansville Mater Dei vs. #7 Logan Wagner- Zionsville
#6 Lukasz Walendzak- Indianapolis Cathedral vs. #14 Cade Meier- Bloomington South
#5 Brock Peele- Portage vs. #2 Brayden Curtis- Yorktown
132lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Aundre Beatty- Warren Central
Eli Hickman- Rensselaer Central
Hunter Brown- Cambridge City Lincoln
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#4 Geremia Brooks- Wawasee vs. #11 Clay Egli- Evansville Mater Dei
#13 Seth Johnson- North Montgomery vs. #17 Logan Mosser- Adams Central
#7 Logan Boe- Plainfield vs. #16 Reese Rodriguez- Hammond Morton
#2 Alec Viduya- Roncalli vs. #15 Owen Krider- Carroll (FW)
#10 Ricky Hegedus- Portage vs. #9 Drake Campbell- Brownsburg
138lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12
Unranked qualifiers:
AJ Poindexter- Harrison (WL)
Cameron Worley- Lafayette Jefferson
Gabe Weeks- Mishawaka
Treyton Mucker- Tell City
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#1 Cayden Rooks- Columbus East vs. #20 William Fiechter- Southern Wells
#3 Conner Gimson- Jimtown vs. #8 Drew Kreitzer- Brownsburg
#4 Braxton Alexander- Wawasee vs. #5 Gabe Phillips- Centerville
#15 Jaden Reynolds- Avon vs. #11 Dylan Goudy- Western
145lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14
Unranked qualifiers:
Kade Law- Columbus East
Scottie Saylor- Carroll (FW)
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#8 Jacob Burford- Crown Point vs. #5 Antwaun Graves- Warren Central
#20 Terrell Leavell- Lawrence Central vs. #10 Jacob Maldonado- Merrillville
#3 Alex Mosconi- Indianapolis Cathedral vs. #13 Jeffrey Harper- Penn
#7 Jonathan Kervin- Floyd Central vs. #11 Jake Jenkins- Homestead
#6 Jorden Douglass- Attica vs. #4 Aiden Warren- Perry Meridian
#14 Ryan Rasler- Prairie Heights vs. #12 LJ Burdon- Plainfield
152lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12
Unranked qualifiers:
Cody McCune- Huntington North
Isaiah Mohmed- Wheeler
Mathew Mangus- Zionsville
Noah Hollendonner- Crown Point
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#3 Cooper Noehre- Greenfield-Central vs. #15 Ellisston Ross- Bloomington South
#10 Cole Cervantes- Griffith vs. #11 Eric Hiestand- Yorktown
#7 Nathan Conley- Avon vs. #2 Elliott Rodgers- Indianapolis Cathedral
#9 Sam Fair- Perry Meridian vs. #5 Jake Schoenegge- Columbus East
160lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 11
Unranked qualifiers:
Abel Verbeek- Lowell
Braden Welch- Culver Academies
Drew Sailors- Rochester Community
Gabe Sollars- Evansville Mater Dei
Jaymiere Johnson- Hammond Gavit
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#6 Jackson Pettigrew- Columbia City vs. #18 Hayden Lohrey- Shenandoah
#2 Jordan Slivka- Indianapolis Cathedral vs. #19 Joe Parrish- Homestead
#11 Jon Ruble- Bellmont vs. #12 Jake Lowe- North Montgomery
170lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14
Unranked qualifiers:
Bryce Buckley- Eastern (Greentown)
Delton Moore- Manchester
Jason Streck- Merrillville
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#11 Kyle Saez- Westfield vs. #6 Macartney Parkinson- Evansville Mater Dei
#7 Derek Blubaugh- Bloomington South vs. #10 Logan Hart- Carmel
#5 Elijah Mahan- Roncalli vs. #14 Thierry Jean-Baptiste- Brownsburg
#16 Colin Kwiatkowski- Valparaiso vs. #18 Zane Gilbreath- Rochester Community
#1 Nick South- Columbus East vs. #13 Josh Lowe- North Montgomery
182lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Austin Leech- Garrett
Jacob Combs- Hagerstown
Zachary Flynn- Jasper
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#7 Mason Winner- Jay County vs. #19 Devontay Moore- North Central (Indpls.)
#17 Noah Perez- LaPorte vs. #3 Levon Bellemy- Edgewood
#1 Carson Brewer- Avon vs. #15 Noah Brown- Penn
#14 JD Farrell- Fishers vs. #6 Jake Lone- NorthWood
#5 Evan Bates- Chesterton vs. #9 Trizton Carson- Danville Community
195lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13
Unranked qualifiers:
Chandler Chapman- Jay County
Griffin Stine- Martinsville
Kyle Krummen- East Central
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#9 KJ Roudebush- Tipton vs. #17 Dakari Kenny- Pike
#5 Nick Willham- Greenwood Community vs. #12 Austin Lane- Perry Meridian
#2 Ewan Donovan- Hebron vs. #8 Stewart Mossholder- Oak Hill
#7 Cale Gray- Norwell vs. #18 Ethan Potosky- Crown Point
220lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 10
Unranked qualifiers:
Christian Graft- Huntington North
Cullen Browning- Northeastern
Damari Dancy- Portage
Grant Johnson- New Prairie
Josh Howell- Terre Haute South Vigo
Reese Wicker- Churubusco
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#6 Joey Kidwell- West Lafayette vs. #4 Kyle Cornwell- Elwood Community
#3 Andrew Irick- Hamilton Southeastern vs. #10 Drew Bailey- Merrillville
#13 Will Stewart- South Spencer vs. #9 Jayden Elwood- Leo
285lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 11
Unranked qualifiers:
Aidian Rea- Heritage Hills
AJ Jones- Madison-Grant
Logan Swallow- Monroe Central
Matthew Munoz- Jeffersonville
Sam Jones- Perry Meridian
Vince Yoder- Fairfield
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#1 Jamichael Watts- North Central vs. #19 Anthony Atria- Merrillville
#17 Crae Kunkleman- Hamilton Southeastern vs. #2 Yehezquel DeVault- Penn
#18 Will Crider- Harrison (WL) vs. #10 John Harris- Roncalli
First round match-ups of unranked wrestlers:
Matthew Munoz- Jeffersonville vs. Vince Yoder- Fairfield

2739 14
2023 IHSAA State Finals Schedule
Per
https://www.ihsaa.org/sports/boys/wrestling/2022-23-tournament?round=state-finals
 
Friday, Feb. 17, 2023
Session 1
Gates open at 12:30 pm ET
Parade of Champions at 1:30 pm ET
First Round Weight Classes 106 - 145 begin at 2 pm ET 
First Round Weight Classes 152 - 285 begin at 5:30 pm ET
 
Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023
Session 2
Gates open at 8 am ET 
Quarterfinals begin at 9 am ET with Semifinals to follow
Fieldhouse cleared of all spectators following Semifinals
Session 3 
Gates open at 3:30 pm ET
Consolations at 4:30 pm ET with State Championships to follow at 7:30 pm ET

2721
Karl Hungus Among Us Traicoff Recap
Cavemen Pass Mid-Season Test
CALUMET: Some of Indiana's best wrestling programs as well as fifty ranked individuals took their annual migration northwest to '˜da region' to participate in a sixteen team mid-season meat grinder of a wrestling tournament. The Chris Traicoff Memorial Invitational held yesterday in the Calumet Fieldhouse lived up to its billing as the "Premier dual meet tournament in the state of Indiana." The competition was so tough that a defending state and national champion (Cathedral's Brandon Wright) ended his day with a 3-2 record. The day was surely grueling for all involved, but that is just the type of atmosphere in which the Mishawaka Cavemen seem to thrive as they aced this semester exam by going 5-0 on the day, defeating Crown Point 39-28 in round 5.
 
The format for the Traicoff had top seeds (Mishawaka, Crown Point, Cathedral, and Lawrence North) meeting in round robin action after each dispatched their first two round opponents. Although the top four teams separated themselves fairly easily, that did not mean there were not some upsets of note in the early going.
 
Most notably was young #13 ranked 103 pounder Brian Harvey of Cathedral defeating second ranked Dustin Keif of Franklin 8-4. With the score 2-2 after the first period, Harvey rode Keif the entire 2nd period. Keif chose the optional start for the third period, giving Harvey a slim 3-2 lead. On their feet, Harvey caught Keif in a firemans dump that became a 5 point move when Harvey held Keif in nearfall position. Keif reversed Harvey late in the third to provide the final score (8-4). Another upset occurred at the 145 lb. class where #10 ranked Chris Almarez of Highland relied on strong leg work to protect his 4-2 lead, riding #3 Gavin McGinley of Cathedral for nearly all of the third period. McGinley finally did shake himself free with 15 seconds remaining in the third, but last year's 3rd place finisher at state did not have enough time to attempt a solid takedown, ensuring a 4-3 victory for Amarez. One final minor upset occurred at 189, where Portage's Kyle Keith turned Mishawaka's #13 Dustin Boyd in the third period to earn a hard fought 5-4 victory.
 
The first set of duals in the winner's bracket had Lawrence North taking on Mishawaka and Crown Point brawling with Cathedral. The Irish had early momentum when #3 Gavin McGinley stacked up #12 Nick Bruno for the fall midway through the second period. Cathedral earned a major decision at 152 to take an early 10-0 lead. CP's senior leader #2 Mark Myers righted the Bulldog ship by snatching two takedowns and utilizing a tight crossface ride for most of the match to defeat #11 Tyler Willis of Cathedral. A turning point for Crown Point occurred at 215 where the Bulldog's Jim Bakalik came back from a 4-2 deficit to wear down Cathedral's Jake Buchanan. Bakalik obviously filled up the gas tank before leaving as he hustled and scrambled his way to a 7-4 victory. In another battle of ranked opponents, Cathedral's #13 Brain Harvey defeated his second ranked opponent, #10 Cameron Halsted, 1-0. In a marquee match-up at 125, defending state champ and second ranked Brandon Wright of Cathedral squared off against Indiana wrestling royalty, freshman #3 Jason Tsirtsis of Crown Point. In the first period Tsirtsis used a snap down, duck under to a single in which he finished nicely. Tsirtsis led 2-0 after one period. Wright came back to tie the match with a lightning quick switch on the whistle to begin the second period. Tsirtsis then escaped to take a narrow 3-2 lead heading into the third. Tsirtsis extended his lead to 5-2 in the third before giving up a takedown to narrow the score to 5-4. Tsirtsis escaped to finish off the scoring at 6-4. Not to be outdone, Cathedral's #4 John Grey staged a thrilling overtime victory over #9 Dallas Schurg, 3-2. At 135 Crown Point's #1 Eric Roach was very impressive in turning #9 Dominic Corsano with a variety of tilts and wings to earn a technical fall at 16-0. Roach's victory sealed the team victory as well, 29-22.
 
In the match-up of Mishawaka and Lawrence North, the Caveman used their depth to rest a couple of their starters in defeating the Wildcats, 38-25. The only contest matching ranked wrestlers had #7 Bryce Grimes of LN utilizing a number of low singles and double leg takedowns to defeat #13 Joey Smith, 10-2.
 
Second round highlights included #11 Tyler Willis of Cathedral winning an entertaining match over Richard Morin of Mishawaka. #3 Anthony Hawkins of Crown Point gave up a 3 point lead to #2 Brandon Nelson of Lawrence North in the third only to cut Nelson in the thirty second overtime period and then take down Nelson to win. #1 Josh Harper of Mishawaka wrestled his first match of the day against the Irish's #4 John Grey and showed no rust in a dominating 16-0 technical fall. In marquee match-up number 2, freshman Jason Tsirtsis had another opportunity to defeat a defending state champ when he squared off with #1 Cashe Quiroga. The first period was scoreless, Tsirtsis escaped and as they were on their feet Quiroga locked up and threw an upper body toss to take the lead 2-1. Tsirtsis escaped in the second to even the match 2-2. In the third Quiroga escaped, and deftly countered numerous takedown attempts to win 3-2. Finally, in another bout matching up two heavy hitters, #1 Steve Sandefer of Mishawaka utilized a slick ankle pick to defeat #2 Tony McGinley by the score of 3-2. Coincidently, this was exactly the same margin Sandefer had in his victory over McGinley in last years state semi-final match. Second round match scores in the championship bracket: MHS 29 CATH 23, CP 42 LN 13.
 
The championship match pitted the top two seeds, #1 Mishawaka versus #2 Crown Point in a battle where 19 ranked wrestlers would pound it out on the mat to see who would be an early favorite to take home the team hardware in February. The match started at 160 and CP's #2 Mark Myers used 3 takedowns and a nearfall to post a major decision against Richard Morin. #13 Joey Smith gutted out a tough 8-5 victory over CP's Jeremy Kooi. Smith was wrestling on a knee that he tweaked earlier in the day and was visibly in pain through much of the match but was able to ignore it enough to earn 3 team points for the Cavemen. At 189, #1 ranked Marcus Shrewsbury of Crown Point capped of a phenomenal day in which he was never really tested by turning #13 Dustin Boyd with an arm bar and collecting a pin in 1:55. Mishawaka took control of the match with victories at 215, 285 and 103. Most surprising of these was Mishawaka's 103 Taylor Wisler running a wing and pinning the Bulldog's #10 Cameron Halstead just :59 into the first period. Wisler, a relative unknown statewide, will no doubt be force to reckoned with come February. At 112, CP's #3 Anthony Hawkins garnered his second exciting overtime victory, defeating the pesky Paul Beck 7-6. The Cavemen's #16 Matt Guerra posted a minor upset by defeating #10 Josh Mannes 6-4. Guerra is not flashy but is extremely tough on his feet and he has improved his mat wrestling from a year ago. #3 Jason Tsirtsis was up next for the Bulldogs and he used a rock solid front headlock to secure 3 takedowns on Mishawaka's Nick Schrader through two periods. Schrader fought gamely to stay off his back but succumbed to hard half nelson and was pinned at 4:32. A relatively fresh Josh Harper of Mishawaka was slick on his takedown of #9 Dallas Schurg, threw legs and utilized a physical power half to turn and pin Schurg in 1:32. At 135, CP's #1 Eric Roach battled to a 5-2 victory. Next up was defending state champ Mishawaka's #1 Steve Sandefer. He put on a front headlock takedown clinic in a major decision victory over #14 Josh Flamme. Sandefer's victory secured the team title for the Cavemen. The Cavemen split the last two matches with Mishawaka's Alex White defeating #12 Nich Bruno 6-3 and Crown Point's Jeremy Pogorzelski receiving an injury default over # 16 Tim Forte making the final score 39-28.
 
It should be noted that the Traicoff Invite not only pits numerous first-class Indiana high school wrestlers in action but also was an opportunity to see a set of first-class referees work. Men like Chuck Barnett, Mike Faulkner, Dan McCartney, Jim Hoover, Barry Woodward, Bart Welch, Chris Conlisk, Tim Servies, Craig Bultemeier, and 21 Traicoff veteran Mike Golando work awfully hard multiple nights of the week and give up their weekends to provide outstanding officiating for our Indiana wrestlers. On a final note, a special thanks to Jim Wadkins and the staff of the Traicoff for running this event that provides us fans with such great entertainment. My only suggestion is to switch the high school to a power grid different then the one that Y2CJ41 uses. When he turns on his computer, it has been known to cause brown outs throughout the Midwest. (You had to be there to get that lame attempt at a joke)
 
 

2720
Top 10 Stories in Indiana Wrestling for 2015
By Chad Hollenbaugh
Senior Writer
 
1.KINGSMEN CROWNED – Coach Brad Harper’s gang from Granger brought the big trophy north for the first time in school history. Penn had previously been runner-up in 1971 and 1997. Perry Meridian and Cathedral had a four-year stranglehold on the state title prior Penn’s victory over Mater Dei. The Kingsmen used the big points scored by champions Chase Osborn (182) and Kobe Woods (220) to score over half their team points. State runner-up Drew Hildebrandt (113), as well as 5th place seniors Joey Mammolenti (170) and Cory Christman (285) added to the Penn’s tally. Not only did Penn win a team state title but they also got a 30+ year monkey off the school’s back by producing two individual state champs.
2.JUNIOR JUGGERNAUT – A magnificent seven juniors finished the year on top of the podium at Banker’s Life and four other juniors wrestled under the lights. The talent level in this class is, in a word, outstanding and a huge number of juniors have signed to wrestle at Division One schools. 2016 might be the year of Red but there will be several of his classmates making headlines right beside him.
 
3.LEFEVER FEVER IN HERSHEY, PA. – The trio of brothers from Wabash College gained national recognition with their exploits at the D3 nationals. Sophomore Riley Lefever defended his national championship with a controlled victory over Wartburg’s Devin Peterson. Riley’s win came on the heels of older brother’s win in the 174 pound weight class. Senior Conner Lefever had to endure a long review of his winning score but it came out in his favor. The third brother to wrestle in the finals was Conner’s twin brother, Reece. While Reece did not bring home the gold, his 2nd place finish was his third All-American performance and helped lead the Little Giants to a third place team finish. This was the first time in NCAA history that three brothers were in the NCAA finals.
 
4.FORTE CLAIMS FIRST MR. GORILLA AWARD – Mishawaka’s Tommy Forte capped an outstanding senior campaign with the inaugural Mr. Gorilla title, which goes to the state’s outstanding senior wrestler. Forte was dominant in his senior year with a 37-0 record. He also ran his scholastic record to an impressive 150-5. Currently Forte is 8-2 in his redshirt season at the University of Buffalo.
 
5.TONTE MOVES TO WARREN CENTRAL – The state’s most accomplished active coach leaves a powerhouse program that he built at Perry Meridian (3 state titles and 3 runner up finishes) to take over for Danny Williams on the east side of Indy. Warren was already a top ten program under Williams so it is not a surprise that Tonte already has this season’s Warrior team at the top of the polls as the calendar turns to 2016.
 
6.REECE HUMPHREY’S YEAR TO REMEMBER – Former Lawrence North three time state champ Reece Humphrey had an outstanding year on the senior world freestyle circuit. Hump won a couple of international events, made the world team and had a 12th place finish at the Worlds in Las Vegas. Wrestling up at the Olympic weight class of 65 kg will be challenging because of the logjam of talent. Getting through Brent Metcalf, Jordan Oliver, Logan Stieber, Jimmy Kennedy will be no small feat in order to make the Rio Olympic squad.
 
7.INDIANA’S GOT TALENT – The junior class of studs have lead to an unprecedented number of division one scholarships being offered to Indiana’s best. Headlining the parade is New Palestine’s Chad Red, who will take his talents west to Lincoln, Nebraska to wrestle for the Cornhuskers. The opportunity to learn from world team members Jordon Burroughs and James Green was too much to pass up. Other top talent that will be leaving the state include Jacob Covaciu (Wisconsin), Brock Hudkins (Northern Illinois), Drew Hildabrandt (Central Michigan) and Drew Hughes (Michigan State). Studs that will stay in state include Blake Rypel (Indiana), Kobe Woods and Shawn Streck (Purdue).
 
8.RYPEL DOMINATES IN SUPER 32 FINAL – Indianapolis Cathedral senior Blake Rypel took his talents to a national stage this fall when he traveled to North Carolina to compete in the Super 32 preseason tournament. Acknowledged as the nation’s premier preseason tournament, Rypel’s win cemented his national reputation as an elite upper weight. The big mystery now seems to be what weight class Blake will land as he attempts to win his second state title. Other Indiana placers included Drew Hughes 4th, Brayton Lee 5th, and Joe Lee and Evan Ellis 8th.
 
9.RED PROVES HE’S #1 – Chad Red left no doubt as to who is the top 132 pound wrestler in the USA was when he defeated two of his rivals in the Flo Wrestling’s “Who’s Number 1” event in October. He started off the event by beating the fourth ranked wrestler, Taylor Lamont of Utah, 5-2. Red then closed out the evening by defeating second ranked Luke Pletcher of Pennsylvania with a wild scramble in overtime. The debate may never be settled on who is the greatest ever to come out of Indiana, but Chad Red will always be part of that discussion.
 
10. INDIANA INVITED TO PITTSBURGH WRESTLING CLASSIC (FORMALLY THE DAPPER DAN) – In probably the biggest story of the year, the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic formally invited Indiana to participate as a team against an all-star team from western Pennsylvania. Many former Hoosier stars have participated individually in the “Rose Bowl of Wrestling”. Steven Bradley (1998), Blake Mauer and Alex Tsirtsis (2004), Jason Tsirtsis and Jared Brooks (2012) and Stevan Micic (2014) have all won as part of the all-star event but now the entire state will be represented by our top 13. The invite is a huge badge of honor for the coaches and athletes that have earned this invite.

2714
#WrestleLikeAGirl with Jeremy Hines: Campbell sisters utilize the power of Mom
By JEREMY HINES
Thehines7@gmail.com
 
Twin sisters Cailin and Catie Campbell wanted to follow in their brother’s footsteps and take up wrestling. Their dad, Brian, wasn’t too keen on the idea.
 
Brian had been around the sport for a long time. He even coached wrestling for several years. But the idea of his daughters taking up the sport was not one he wanted to consider.
 
So, Cailin and Catie did what any young girl does when their dad says no. They went to their mom.
 
“At first I think my dad just wanted to be done with coaching and wanted his daughters to do more girly things,” Catie said. “We were like, oh no, we’re wrestling. Mom convinced him to let us.”
 
Cailin is glad her mom stepped up.
 
“I just don’t think dad wanted us to get hurt,” Cailin said. “He didn’t know if we would be able to keep up with the guys. But mom said to let us do the sports we want to do and told him he might be surprised how it turns out.
 
It has turned out quite well.
 
The Campbell sisters are both two-time Indiana High School Girls Wrestling state champions. They both have claimed varsity roster spots on the North Montgomery high school team. In fact, not only are they varsity wrestlers, they are the ones leading much of the drills in practices.
 
“They are both just very determined,” first-year North Montgomery coach Mike Boesch said. “They are great workers. They are very coachable. Anything I bring up, they try. It’s great to have people like them on a team. They are great leaders. They lead us in warmups and before the matches. They have made my job so much easier.”
 
In a slight twist of irony, Brian Campbell was Boesch’s first wrestling coach when he started in the sport back in fourth grade at Clinton Prairie.
 
“It’s cool that now I get to coach his kids for their senior year,” Boesch said.
 
Catie was the first sister to win a state title. In 2019 she earned the top spot in the 126-pound class. Cailin finished second at 120 pounds.
 
In 2020 it was Cailin’s turn to win a title. She won the 120 -pound class. Catie finished second at 132.
 
Last year the twins finally went home with a title at the same time. Cailin again won the 120-pound class and Catie took top honors at 126 pounds.
 
“State last year was my favorite wrestling memory so far,” Catie said. “Not only did I win, but so did my sister and several of my friends.”
 
The two have made a lot of friends through the sport and really love going to the girls tournaments. They see the sport growing and they have a lot of younger girls asking them questions about wrestling and showing interest in getting involved.
 
“I see a huge difference in girls wrestling now even to where it was my freshman year,” Cailin said. “My freshman year at girls regional I only had to wrestle twice. Now the classes are stacked, and it’s grown three to four times since then. There are so many more girls that are trying out for wrestling, and it makes me really happy.
 
“I think the stereotypes are going away and opportunities are being presented in the state of Indiana. It’s way more welcoming than it was. More girls are willing to give it a try now.”
 
The sisters have the same goal for this season. They both want to go out on top in the girl state meet and they both want to get better in the sport.
 
“My main goal is to just get to my full potential and be the best I can,” Catie said. “The accomplishments aren’t as important as getting a really good experience out of it.”
 
The journey has certainly not been easy for either girl. Their dad’s fears about the sport had merit in their case. Catie broke a vertebra in her back last season and had to take time off to recover. Cailin tore three ligaments in her shoulder and has developed arthritis in the same shoulder and must wear a brace. Still, their love for the sport outweighs the toll it has taken on their bodies.
 
“Wrestling makes people really disciplined,” Catie said. “It’s a mental sport and it’s very rewarding once you put the work into it.”
 
Although the two have similar styles on the mat, they have different moves they prefer.
 
“We have different specialties,” Cailin said. “Catie is really good at the fireman’s carry. She hits it just about whenever she wants to. My bread and butter is a slide-by or an elbow pass to a low single.”
 
Coach Boesch has four girls on his team this year at North Montgomery. Three will likely fill spots on the varsity roster. He also has some girls-only meets planned for the season.
 
“They are really excited about the meet at Lebanon this weekend,” Boesch said of his female wrestlers. “That gives them their first look at some of the other girls around the state this season. I’m really hoping I can help them win their third titles this year. I don’t know how much I can teach them that they don’t already know.”
 
The sisters are both considering wrestling after high school, but they are uncertain where they will attend college at this point.
 
“Outside of wrestling they are just great kids,” Boesch said. “They are doing everything they need to in school and they are just all-around great people.”

2712
Evansville Central Sectional Preview
Regarded as one of the tougher sectionals in Hoosier land, the 2015 Central sectional will provide spectators with exciting match-ups, colorful coaches...and the inevitable upsets. Cobbling together pieces of five counties and four conferences, the Evansville Central sectional produces first-time match-ups and seeding anomalies.
 
Gibson Southern, fresh off another PAC team title while claiming six individual champions, looks to challenge Greg Schaefer's Mater Dei Wildcats for supremacy on the North side.
 
106- North Posey's first-year coach, Cody Moll, is charged with reviving the Viking program. In Poseyville, they are excited about their number-one seed, freshman Levi Miller (SS#7). On the other side of the bracket, Princeton's Kyler McKinney is riding high after a Big 8 title he earned last Saturday. Look for an exciting semifinal match between McKinney and Mater Dei's SIAC runner-up, Nolan Weidner. The winner should see Miller in the final.
 
113- 113 is loaded! Princeton's Luke Dunn wrestled a brutal schedule, won the Big 8 and did not receive a seed. Dunn's quarterfinal match with Central's Carson Willis should be fun to watch. Should Willis get by Dunn, he will likely meet Mater Dei's Kyle Luigs in the semifinal, their third meeting of the year. Excitement punctuated their SIAC title match; this one could be very good, as well. Gibson Southern's Logan Dilbeck will put his 33 wins against Pike Central's Dylan Jones, in the other semifinal.
 
120- Mater Dei's one-seed, Will Egli, is clear to the semis, where he should meet Tecumseh's Zach Graham. At the bottom half of the bracket, Gibson Southern's Christian Pellacer, the PAC champion, will face North's Dawson Matherly in a very competitive race. The winner will likely meet Egli for all the marbles on First Avenue.
 
126- Mater Dei senior Alex Johnson has a third sectional title in his sights. To do so, he will need a win in the semis against Central's Connor Willis or Gibson Southern's PAC champion, Michael Polen. Two-seed Nick Burke of North has put up 31 wins on the year and will battle Dalton Ashby of Wood Memorial for the other spot in the final.
 
132- Mater Dei's #1-ranked sophomore, Nick Lee, will continue to terrorize his opponents at the Central sectional. Gibson Southern's Hunter Baehl (#6SS) counts this sectional as his fourth; he should be in the medal mix. Princeton's Chase Wilson will meet the two-seed, North's Josh Elpers, in the other semifinal.
 
138- Third-ranked freshman, Joe Lee, should dance with fifth-ranked Kyle Todrank of Gibson Southern in the marquee match of the 2015 Central sectional. These two are very familiar with one another; if you like this match-up, you are in luck...you may see it three or four more times. You can guarantee that Greg Schaefer and Blake Maurer's respective brain trusts are working overtime on this one!
 
145- Mater Dei one-seed, junior Blake Jourdan, was upset in the championship match of the 2014 sectional. The remembrance of that loss will sharpen his focus for the week ahead. Central's two-seed, Hunter McCormick, will face PAC champ, Gibson Southern's Kaleb Greenwell, for the other slot in the final.
 
152- Central's Isaiah Kemper sent shockwaves throughout the Indiana wrestling community when he dropped to 152. Currently ranked second, Kemper anticipates a deep run in the state tournament. Following graduated senior's Brendon Kelly's state title, Central coach Mike Lapadat may be coaching under the lights again in February.
 
Graham Dougan, Princeton's freshly-crowned Big 8 champ, will square off with Pike Central's Colton O'Neal in the bottom of the bracket for a shot at the title. Mater Dei's Mitch Lehman and North's Logan Matherly will also contend for a high vantage point on the podium.
 
160- Top-seeded Tristan McDaniel of Tecumseh has been a cornerstone of coach Aaron Chambers' line-up, which landed a 2015 Team State bid. Mater Dei senior Nick Buedel is 22-4 and should meet McDaniel in the final. Proceed with caution, as Julius Malone of Vincennes Lincoln was the Big 8 champ, while Pike Central's Jaylon Owens has 31 wins on the season. Malone and Owens would love to be spoilers.
 
170- Mater Dei's Ashton Forzley, a 2x state qualifier, has strung together another great season and earned the top-seed. In the bracket's lower half, North's Justin Naylor and Wood Memorial's Louis Hoover will compete in what should be an exciting semifinal. The winner will meet Forzley for bragging rights.
 
182- Outside the glare of the spotlight on Mater Dei's light and middle weights, underrated senior Sam Bassemier has compiled a 23-1 record and intends to garner his second sectional bracket board. Tecumseh's Jeremy McKinley has piled up 38 wins and won the PAC tourney last Saturday. He will match up with North's Ty Winchell for the right to wrestle Bassemier.
 
195- Who can beat Tecumseh's 11th-ranked Adam Lytle? So far, no one. However, do not be fooled by the ten losses on Central's Gabe Patterson's record. Patterson is tough and should give Lytle a tussle in the semifinal. Senior Chase Anslinger is riding high in his maiden varsity season at Mater Dei. He should meet Vincennes Lincoln's very solid Nic Dellion in the bottom bracket's semifinal.
 
220- Question: Who trains daily with the most successful sibling duo in Indiana history? Answer: Gibson Southern's sixth-ranked Cory Klem. With only three prep losses, four state titles and a third-place finish between Blake and Dane Maurer, you can wager that Klem has been stress-tested.
 
Second question: Name a quarterback that wrestles and competes in the 220-pound division.
 
Answer: The only one I know of is Mater Dei's Kurtis Wilderman. Wilderman has turned in a rock-solid season against tough competition and has won some big matches for the Wildcats. You will get your money's worth out of a Klem/Wilderman final. Look for Central's Caleb Hart to also find high ground on the podium.
 
285- Boasting a 34-1 record, Tecumseh's Colton Dossett gets the top-seed in the big boy division. Mater Dei's SIAC champ, Adrian Butler, will face the two-seed, Pike Central's Bryce Manning, for the right to tangle with Dossett in the final. Central's Jordan Libby will also figure into the medal race.
 
Best Quarterfinal Match- 126: Gibson Southern's Michael Polen vs. Central's Connor Willis. Both have significant skills and are looking to gather some momentum. Each views this as a big match.
 
Best Semifinal Matches- 132: Josh Elpers of North vs. Chase Wilson of Princeton. Wilson has a Bo Henry title and 35 wins next to his name. Elpers counters with a formidable offense that will be on display against Wilson. 145: Central's Hunter McCormick vs. Gibson Southern's Kaleb Greenwell. Both are 4-year starters and have center mat experience. This bout has regional and semi state implications; expect a superb effort. 195: Vincennes Lincoln's Nic Dellion vs. Mater Dei's Chase Anslinger. Dellion beat Anslinger on December 27. Anslinger returned the favor on December 28. Either would relish an opportunity to be the first to put a blemish on Lytle's record. In order to do so, one has to win the semifinal match.
 
Best Championship Matches- 113: No doubt exists that Mater Dei's Will Egli has warned his classmate, the fourth-ranked Kyle Luigs, about Gibson Southern's 12th-ranked junior, Logan Dilbeck. In 2014, Egli escaped with a hard-fought, 3-1, sectional victory over Dilbeck. Dilbeck and Luigs are athletic and flashy; this one should be a slobber knocker. 160: Tecumseh's Tristan McDaniel vs. Mater Dei's Nick Buedel. Buedel is very tall, strong and believes in scoring a lot of points. McDaniel is very tall, strong and believes in scoring a lot of points. See where this is going?
 
Team- Folks in Fort Branch are thrilled with coach Blake Maurer's elevation of the Gibson Southern program. The Titans qualified for Team State and, if things go well, will have a couple of grapplers on the podium at Banker's Life. However, Gibson Southern is compelled to share sectional mats with the Mater Dei Wildcats. Look for the 1300 Harmony Way crew to take home their 39th consecutive sectional championship. The 13-4 Central Bears also see opportunity. Properly motivated, the Bears have a shot at knocking Gibson Southern out of the bridesmaid position. The Tecumseh Braves and DG Asay's North Huskies have veteran teams; they will also look for a high finish.
 
Hook's Recommendations
· Get up early and have breakfast at the Pie Pan. After your omelet, have a piece of pumpkin or pecan pie...that's what it is there for!
· After wrestling is complete, head about a mile north for a protein download at Wolf's Bar-B-Q buffet. Los Bravos is a great choice for family Mexican fare. If you like sushi or hibachi, Fujiyama offers the best value for Japanese cuisine in the city. It is Mrs. Hook's favorite place to eat. Banzai!
· Watch out for parking lot scourges. Three years ago, someone backed into my HUV (Hook Utility Vehicle) and damaged it. No note!
· Founded in 1854, Evansville Central It is the oldest high school in continuous operation west of the Allegheny Mountains. Revel in the history!

2712 2 1
2020 IndianaMat Media Guide
2710
Manchester Black and Gold capture SMC title
NORTH MANCHESTER, IND. – Paced by four individual weight class champions, Manchester University gave the home crowd at the 2015 Spartan Mat Classic plenty to cheer about Saturday, Jan. 10.
Freshman 125-pounder Ruben Rodriguez, Jr., (Hammond, Ind.) and junior 141-pounderJosh Juarez (South Bend, Ind.) rolled through their round-robins with unblemished marks. Sophomore 174-pounder Dylan Lauffer (Fairfield, Ohio) and junior heavyweight Dustin Kult (Lafayette, Ind.) each worked their way through traditional brackets for championships.
The Spartans posted 131 points, besting the five team field competing inside Stauffer-Wolfe Arena by 43.5 points. Wabash College placed second (87.5 points), and Ohio Northern University was close behind in third (72 points).
Lauffer, en route to Outstanding Wrestler honors, picked up his team-leading eighth fall in the semifinals after registering a 7-0 shutout in the first round. In the championship, against Heidelberg College of Ohio's Patrick Brown, he led from the start, piling up 10 points as part of a 10-4 decision. The three wins moved his season record to 17-11. Kult, also capturing three victories, registered a major decision and fall to match up with Ohio Northern's Greg Biben in the final. After working to a 2-2 tie over the regulation seven minutes, Kult, improving to 8-5, brought the MU crowd to its feet with an overtime takedown on the edge of the mat for a 4-2 victory, marking his second invitational title of the season. Rodriguez, Jr., marching towards leveling his season record (8-9), pieced together a decision, fall and injury default, while Juarez, moving over .500 (8-7), reeled off a technical fall, major decision and decision.
MU continues traditional tournament competition Saturday, Jan. 17. They travel to Elmhurst College of Illinois for the Al Hanke Invitational.
NOTES: Freshmen Chase Wilson and Matt Ruddick just missed adding to the home squad's individual champion total. Wilson, a native of Peru, Ind., went 3-1 in the 133-pound robin, with a hard-fought 4-2 loss to Wabash's Jacob Cottey sending him to second. Ruddick, a native of Seymour, Ind., and the second seed at 165, roared into the finals with a fall and major decision before Heidelberg's Myles Wright caught him for a first period pin.

2710 3
#WrestlingWednesday with Jeremy Hines: Baylor driven to succeed
By JEREMY HINES
Thehines7@gmail.com
 
Muhammad Ali once said, “Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.”
 
Milan sophomore Matthew Baylor has that will. It’s what drives him on and off the mat.
 
“Matthew is a very smart student and wrestler,” Milan coach Adrian Wilburn said. “he’s methodical and he doesn’t do anything that he hasn’t thought out already in his mind. His greatest strength is his brain. He outthinks his opponents.
 
“He is better than average with his speed and strength, but what gets him to the next level is his intelligence.”
 
Last year Baylor was trailing Wawasee’s Kaleb Salazar in the Friday night round at state. He was outmuscled and found himself trailing 6-2.  But Baylor wasn’t ready to throw in the towel.
 
“I thought about how there aren’t many kids from my school that had ever made it as far as I had,” Baylor said. “I didn’t want it to end there. I just decided to wrestle my match and give it everything I had.”
 
It worked. Baylor went on to win the match 11-7 and became only the second Milan grappler to ever place at state. He finished 8th at 106 pounds and completed his freshman campaign with a 48-4 record.
 
He had the distinction of going up against fan favorite, Northeastern’s talented female wrestler Heather Crull in the Richmond regional last season. He won the match 9-3.
 
“That match was a little stressful because I was the guy everyone seemed to want to lose,” Baylor said. “I knew Heather was a really good wrestler and I had to be cautious against her.”
 
Currently Baylor is ranked No. 5 at 113 pounds. His goal this season is to climb higher on the podium than he did last year.
 
“I have worked really hard in the offseason, and I want to climb the podium,” Baylor said. “Last year it was nerve racking as a freshman. When I qualified for state, it was a feeling I’ll never forget. It was hard to believe. The thrill, the energy. I had confidence before, but it was something special that has led me to working even harder for this season.”
 
Baylor is successful in whatever he puts his mind to. He played football up until eighth grade, and according to coach Wilburn, he was very good at it. He played on the defensive line and weighed around 100 pounds. That didn’t matter to Baylor. He would use his smarts and his speed to outmaneuver the linemen across from him and more often than not make the tackle.
 
In the classroom he has a 3.9 grade point average. He also devotes time helping out younger wrestlers in the Milan program – particularly his brother Mason.
 
“I’ve got a younger brother and my coach will try to take credit for how good he is, but I’m the one that coaches him the most,” Baylor joked. “He’s a special little wrestler. Every match he has I’m right there with him. That’s one of my favorite things about wrestling. I like this sport a lot and I hate to admit it, but he is going to be better than me. But it’s really a thrill to get to watch him.”
 
Coach Wilburn believes Milan can be a force to be reckoned with in the small school division at team state for the next few years.
 
“We were hoping to get voted in this year for team state,” Wilburn said. “We were hoping to get voted in last year, too. I haven’t had a senior in four years and I don’t have any seniors this year. We’re hoping for big things out of this team.”

2707 3 3
2022 Fargo Team Rosters and Breakdown
Breakdown on each division coming soon!

2676 5 2
2020 New Castle Semi-State Preview
This may be the toughest New Castle Semi State I have ever seen.  There will be 20 or more ranked wrestlers staying home next week.  As always, brutal ticket round match ups with two top 10 ranked wrestlers.  5 #1 Ranked Wrestlers in the tournament.
 
106
State Ranked Wrestlers
#3 Suhas Chundi- Carmel
#5 Bryce Lowery- Roncalli
#7 Josh Johnson- Cardinal Ritter
#9 Evan Dickey- Cathedral
#19 Romello Williams- Anderson
 
Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers
#6 Keaton Morton- Perry Meridian
#7 Nathan Smith- Southport
#8 Garrett Condo- Milan
 
Potential Match-ups
#5 Bryce Lowery vs #19 Romelo Williams ticket round
Lowery has been on fire in his freshman campaign and is looking to take his first trip to state with his older brother.
 
#9 Evan Dickey vs #6ss Keaton Morton
These two have not wrestled this year.  Morton has an awkward style that could give Dickey issues, but Dickey has experience on the floor at New Castle.
 
#3 Suhas Chundi vs #7ss Nathan Smith
Chundi has been here before and the podium at state and it looks like he should have a return trip.
 
#7 Johnson vs #5 Lowery
Rematch from sectionals in the semi finals.
 
#9 Dickey vs #3 Chundi 
Semi-finals
 
#3 Chundi vs #5 Lowery
Finals
 
1st Round Picks
Johnson over Condo (4 over 1)
Rodriguez over Vest
Lowery over Hale
Williams over Coffman
Dickey over Cornelius
Morton over Holcomb
Chundi over Fye
Smith over Lengerich
 
Tickets Punched
Lowery, Chundi, Dickey, Johnson
 
Alpha Dogs
Lowery and Chundi
 
113
State Ranked Wrestlers
#1 Alex Cottey- Perry Meridian
#4 Elijah Anthony- Frankfort
#8 Blake Wolf- East Central
#10 Marquarias Wilburn- Warren Central
#11 Logan Carrender LN
#12 Brac Hooper Carmel
#14 Kody Glithero
 
Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers
#8 Griffin Ingalls Fishers
 
Potential Match-ups
#11 Carrender vs #4 Anthony ticket round
Anthony has had two incredible seasons so far, but Senior Carrender will be a tough out.  His style is awkward and he is extremely strong.  Anthony knocked him off in ticket round last year.
 
#8 Wolf vs #8ss Ingalls first round
Haven’t seen much about this match-up.  Ingalls has a win over Wilburn and has been competitive all year.  Winner has the privilege of #1 Alex Cottey in the ticket round. 
 
#10 Wilburn vs #12 Hooper ticket round.
These two have had 2 opportunities to wrestle but it hasn’t happened yet.  Wilburn has beat Carrender twice which Hooper lost to in a major decision.  Hooper pinned Ingalls who beat Wilburn early in the year.
 
#14 Glithero vs #4 Anthony Semis
Glithero is coming off a huge win over Alex Cottey and Anthony is coming off two straight losses to Hooper.  Should be a good one.
 
1st Round Picks
Glithero over Ellingwood
Driver over Necessary
Carrender over Bullock
Anthony over Gardner
Wolf over Ingalls
Cottey over Reese
Hooper over Marker
Wilburn over Reyes
 
Tickets Punched
Cottey, Glithero, Anthony, Wilburn
 
Alpha Dog
Alex Cottey
 
120
State Ranked Wrestlers
#1 Zeke Seltzer- Cathedral
#4 Carson Eldred- Westfield
#7 Christian White- New Palestine
#10 Anthony Hughes- Lawrence North
#13 Carleton Perry- Warren Central
#14 Jacob Simone- Hamilton Southeastern
#19 Brevan Thrine- New Castle
 
Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers
#6 Antonio Jefferson LC
 
Potential Match-ups
#1 Seltzer vs #14 Simone. 
Two state place winners do battle to see who gets a chance to go back to Bankers Life.  Simone had Eldred on the ropes last week and doesn’t want to end his career at New Castle.
 
#6SS Jefferson vs Thrine first round
Thrine has had an amazing freshman campaign with his only loss coming by major to Christian White.  Jefferson has been here before and lost the last two years.  Senior versus freshman.
 
Winner gets #7 Christian White
White would be the favorite over Thrine.  Jefferson may pull the second 4 over 1 here and make the ticket round even crazier.
 
#13 Perry vs #10 Hughes
These two have wrestled several times over the years with Hughes taking the last one at MIC.  Perry is coming off back to back wins over White as well as wins over Glithero and Jefferson who have defeated Hughes.  But Hughes tech falled AJ Gunn from Carmel who has a win over Perry. 
 
#1 Seltzer vs #7 White semis.
#4 Eldred vs #10/#13 Hughes/White 
 
1st Round Picks
Seltzer over Myers
Simone over Haggerty
Jefferson over Thrine
White over Pritchett
Eldred over Thang
Dietz over Schneider
Perry over Farling
Hughes over Bray
 
Tickets Punched
Seltzer, Eldred, Perry, White
 
Alpha Dog
Zeke Seltzer
 
126
State Ranked Wrestlers
#5 Brayden Lowery Roncalli
#6 David Pierson- Warren Central
#16 Luke Gonzalez- Cathedral
#19 Cameron Toole- Lebanon
#20 Joey Langeman- Carmel
 
Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers
#7 Jeremiah Henderson- Lawrence North
 
Potential Match-ups
#19 Toole vs Brandon first round
Brandon took Pierson down at regionals and is a very hard nosed wrestler.  Wouldn’t be surprised to see an upset here.  Followed with a ticket round with either super frosh Searcy from East Central or Jeremiah Henderson who has had an up and down year but is dangerous.
 
#5 Lowery vs #16 Gonzalez ticket round
Gonzalez has kept matches close with elite level guys all year and had a great Al Smith.  Lowery shouldn’t overlook him.
 
#20 Langeman vs Dennison
Dennison has had a great year at 33-1, but I suspect Carmel will have Langeman ready.
 
#5 Lowery vs #6 Pierson Finals
Lowery won at Marion County 1-0.  Should be another great battle.
 
1st Round Picks
Toole over Ashton
Searcy over Henderson
Lowery over Drilik
Gonzalez over Maitland
Otto over Johnson
Pierson over Lauy
Dennison over Bertram
Langeman over Vinson
 
Tickets Punched
Lowery, Pierson, Toole, Langeman
 
Alpha Dog
Brayden Lowery
 
132
State Ranked Wrestlers
#2 Matt Koontz- Perry Meridian
#7 Aundre Beatty- Warren Central
#9 Andrew Wilson- Cathedral
#10 Luke Goodwin- Southport
#12 Sebastian Bryant- North Central
#16 Jared Brown- Pendleton Heights
#17 Sam Slivka- Roncalli
 
Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers
#8 Hudson Harreld- Zionsville
 
Potential Match-ups
#7 Beatty vs #16 Brown ticket round. 
Two state qualifiers battling it out to see who goes to the Bank.  Beatty had a great regional beating both #2 Koontz 7-0 and #17 Slivka to take home the title.
 
#10 Goodwin vs Frazier.  4 over 1 potential here. 
Goodwin had a brutal regional with Beatty, Koontz, Slivka and himself.  He has a win over Frazier over the summer.  Winner gets #9 Wilson to punch a ticket.  Wilson only has 7 matches this season due to injury but has been to state before.
 
#8ss Harreld vs #17 Slivka ticket round. 
Slivka was a regional champion year that didn’t make it to state.  Look for him to punch a ticket.
 
#12 Bryant vs #2 Koontz ticket round. 
This is the premier ticket round match as both of these kids should be placers.  Bryant has dominated since dropping to 132 with his only loss being Beatty.
 
1st Round Picks
Beatty over Lonneman
Brown over Merkel
Goodwin over Frazier
Wilson over Lloyd
Harreld over Bustamante
Slivka over Sherwood
Bryant over Barrett
Koontz over Walston
 
Tickets Punched
Beatty, Koontz, Goodwin, Slivka
 
Alpha Dog
Aundre Beatty
 
138
State Ranked Wrestlers
#2 Logan Bailey- Cathedral
#4 Logan Wagner- Zionsville
#7 Brendan Mattingly- Carmel
#8 Jevian Ross- Warren Central
#14 Dylan Dorman- Greenfield-Central
 
Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers
 
#6 David Page- Roncalli
#8 Max Naselroad- Alexandria
 
Potential Match-ups
#2 Bailey vs #8 Ross. 
Brutal matchup of two kids that both should place at state.  Both wrestlers have lost in the ticket round twice in their careers.  Bailey lost to Beatty from Warren Central last year and Seth Johnson as a freshman.  Ross has lost to Wilkerson and Caleb Oliver.  Should be some fireworks In this one.
 
#2Bailey/#8 Ross vs #7 Mattingly Semis
 
#4 Wagner waiting in finals
 
1st Round Picks
Walsh over Morgan
Mattingly over Johnson
Bailey over Miles
Ross over Lemieux
Dorman over Smith
Lawson over Crouch
Wagner over Page
Naselroad over Euson
 
Tickets Punched
Bailey, Wagner, Mattingly, Dorman
 
Alpha Dogs
Logan Bailey
 
145
State Ranked Wrestlers
#1 Alec Viduya- Roncalli
#6 Chris Wilkerson- Mount Vernon
#7 Jajuan Anderson- Warren Central
#9 Jeff Dunasky- Guerin Catholic
#13 Jake Shafer- Carmel
#14 Gabe Phillips- Centerville
#14 Reece Luhmann- Hamilton Southeastern
#17 Garrett Stewart- Cathedral
 
Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers
#8 Brady Mckivitz- Perry Meridian
 
Potential Match-ups
#9 Dunasky vs #7 Anderson ticket round. 
This should be a great ticket round matchup.  Dunasky is trying to be Guerins first ever state qualifier.  He lost to Warren Centrals Antwaun Graves last year in the ticket round.  Anderson has wins over Luhmann, Mckivitz, Stewart, Shafer, and Wilkerson.
 
#8ss Mckivitz vs #14 Phillips first round. 
Mckivitz has had a solid season with some solid wins and some losses in Perrys brutal schedule.  Luhmann is waiting in the wings for the winner for a ranked ticket round matchup.
 
#17 Stewart vs #13 Shafer first round. 
Stewart is a huge 145 but has taken a lot of losses.  Wolf had a great regional tournament overturning some losses from earlier in the year. 
 
#1 Viduya vs #6 Wilkerson ticket round. 
This is another brutal ticket round that leaves behind a projected state place winner.  Viduya has been on a different level this year.
 
1st Round Picks
Dunasky over McDonald
Anderson over Bohan
Luhmann over Nixon
Phillips over McKivitz
Wolf over Taylor
Shafer over Stewart
Viduya over Linkel
Wilkerson over Lindamood
 
Tickets Punched
Viduya, Anderson, Luhmann, Shafer
 
Alpha Dog
Alec Viduya
 
152
State Ranked wrestlers
#1 Brice Coleman- Warren Central
#3 Bryer Hall- East Central
#6 Tyce Frejie- Roncalli
#10 Shane Bates- Zionsville
#18 Aidan Alford- Mount Vernon
 
Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers
#4 Noah Baker- Perry Meridian
#7 Tyler Jones- Lawrence Central
#8 Tyler Vredeveld- Centerville
 
Potential Match-ups
#4ss Baker vs #18 Alford first round. 
Bake'rs match count is not indicative of his skill.  Should be a great match followed with a ticket round date with #10 Bates.
 
#3 Hall vs #6 Frejie ticket round. 
This is a huge matchup.  Hall is trying to get back to state after losing to Leavell last year in the ticket round.  Frejie has been to the show several times and doesn’t want to end his career at New Castle. 
 
#1 Coleman vs #8ss Vredeveld. 
Centerville's only loss this year is to Bryer Hall in the Regional finals.  Coleman is looking to make his first trip to state after losing to Rodgers in the ticket round last year.
 
#3Hall/#6 Frejie vs #1 Coleman Finals
 
1st Round Picks
Bates over Foster
Baker over Alford
Hall over Ginella
Frejie over Urasky
Jones over Wills
Mobley over McLaren
Coleman over Lemaster
Vredeveld over Fox
 
Tickets Punched
Coleman, Hall, Bates, Jones
 
Alpha Dog
Brice Coleman
 
160
State Ranked Wrestlers
#3 Elliott Rodgers- Cathedral
#4 Cooper Noehre- Greenfield Central
#12 Dante Akins- Indianapolis Lutheran
#14 Damon Mcclain- Warren Central
#15 Andrew Roth- Lawrenceburg
#20 Luke Davis- Zionsville
 
Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers
#7 Josh Moore- Southport
#8 Max Hayes- Mount Vernon
 
Potential Match-ups
This weight is pretty spread out on the top ranked wrestlers.
 
#8SS Max Hayes vs #14 Damon McClain first round. 
Hayes has been a tough wrestler for years. McClain has been wrestling well winning the Marion County and MIC tournaments. 
 
#14 McClain vs #20 Davis ticket round. 
Davis is coming off a great Regional tournament and is rewarded with the higher ranked McClain in ticket round.
 
#15 Roth vs #12 Akins. 
Akins has to get through a very tough Goodner first from the Deaf school.  He pinned Hayes last week.  I could be wrong, but Akins might be the first state qualifier for Lutheran.
 
#3 Rodgers vs #4 Noehre in semis to rematch the state finals from last year. 
Their matchup earlier this year ended with a crazy funk roll from Rodgers for the win late in the third.
 
1st Round Picks
Rodgers over Moore
Williamson over Carr
Noehre over Butterfield
Mitchell over Lowe
Davis over Payne
McClain over Hayes
Roth over Weakley
Akins over Goodner
 
Tickets Punched
Noehre, McClain, Rodgers, Akins
 
Alpha Dogs
Cooper Noehre and Elliott Rodgers
 
170
State Ranked Wrestlers
#7 Tyler Wagner- Cathedral
#8 Bradley Harrington- North Central
#9 Gabe Davin Carmel
#15 Tytus Ragle- New Castle
 
Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers
#3 Jajuan Dale- Perry Meridian
#6 Chase Poynter- Zionsville
#7 Ronan Hiner- Hamilton Southeastern
#8 Ty Welliever- Southmont
 
Potential Match-ups
#4SS Dale vs #8SS Welliever first round. 
Winner gets #8 Harrington in the ticket round.  Harrington is a huge 170 after making the drop from 182 earlier in the year. 
 
#9 Davin vs #15 Ragle ticket round. 
Really tough ticket round for Ragle who was winning in Regional finals before getting thrown and pinned. 
 
#6SS Poynter vs Mpole. 
Mpole is an unbelievable athlete with a great story of how he came to the United States.  Winner has Malson/Bishop in ticket round.
 
#7 Wagner vs #7ss Hiner. 
These two have wrestled each other their whole lives.  Don’t expect Hiner to get blown out, he may even steal this ticket from Cathedral.
 
1st Round Picks
Dale over Welliever
Harrington over Calderon
Davin over Mosconi
Ragle over Rice
Bishop over Malson
Mpole over Poynter
Wagner over Rullman
Hiner over Ortel
 
Tickets Punched
Harrington, Wagner, Davin, Mpole
 
Alpha Dog
Bradley Harrington
 
182
State Ranked Wrestlers
#4 Aidan Warren- Perry Meridian
#6 Johnny Parker- Cathedral
#12 Hayden Filipovich- Indianapolis Lutheran
#13 Garret Sharp- Carmel
#16 Kole Viel- East Central
#18 Dawson McCloud- North Montgomery
#20 Gavin Keesee- Franklin Central
 
Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers
#7 Riley Woodall- Southmont
 
Potential Match-ups
#18 McCloud vs Myers. 
McCloud has had a great season is looking to continue it against the Iron Bear’s son.  Ticket round matchup vs Filipovich who is also trying to get Lutheran to Bankers Life.
 
#4 Warren vs #7SS Woodall. 
Warren has two trips to state in two attempts.  Woodall is trying to match his brothers Middle School State Title last weekend.
 
#16 Viel vs #20 Keesee first round
Followed by a matchup with #13 Sharp in the ticket round.  This quarter bracket is brutal with 3 ranked wrestlers.
 
1st Round Picks
Mccloud over Myers
Filipovich over Lawler
Parker over Broom
Sullivan over Orcutt
Warren over Mcgill
Woodall over Gillespie
Viel over Keesee
Sharp over hanson
 
Tickets Punched
Warren, Parker, Filipovich, Sharp
 
Alpha Dog
Aidan Warren
 
195
State Ranked Wrestlers
#1 Silas Allred- Shenandoah
#3 JD Farrell-cFishers
#4 Kyle Krummen- East Central
#9 Zach White- Carmel
#12 Excell Brooks- Lawrence North
 
Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers
#5 Jacob Huffman- Cathedral
#6 Jeff McClure- Perry Meridian
#7 Isiah Martin- Brebuf Jesuit
#8 Richard Clevenger- New Palestine
 
Potential Match-ups
Other than Silas, this weight had 2 unranked regional champions and is wide open.
 
#3 Farrell vs #12 Brooks ticket round. 
Farrell has had a great season including taking Silas down at Connersville.  Brooks is incredibly athletic and is a tough matchup for anyone.
 
#8SS Clevenger vs #4 Krummen
Clevenger has had a great junior campaign including winning the brutal Perry Meridian regional.  Krummen just took his first loss to Allred last weekend.
 
White vs McCloud
Rematch from earlier in the year where White took a 7-5 decision home.  Followed by a matchup with Jacob Huffman from Cathedral.  I predict the winner of the first round match will knock out the Pendleton regional champ.
 
#3 Farrell vs #1 Allred
Rematch from Spartan Classic in finals.
 
1st Round Picks
Farrell over Beard
Brooks over Orcutt
Clevenger over Arvin
Krummen over Martin
Huffman over Shaffer
White tossup McCloud
Allred over Lovell
McClure over Dreher
 
Tickets Punched
Allred, Farrell, Krummen, (White or McCloud)
 
Alpha Dog
Silas Allred
 
220
State Ranked Wrestlers
#2 Drew Webster- North Montgomery
#10 Deshawn Young- Franklin Central
#12 David Guhl- Cathedral
#16 Alex Hernandez- Warren Central
 
Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers
#6 Parker Smitley- Mount Vernon
#7 Cameron Brown- New Castle
#8 Justin Stephens- Pendleton Heights
 
Potential Match-ups
A lot of great matchups first and second round.  Most of the top dogs are separated until semi finals though.  Taylor and Van Beynen should be good.  Young and Smitley.
 
#2 Webster vs #12 Guhl ticket round. 
Webster has been on fire this year.  Guhl got a very unfortunate draw for having such a great season.
 
#16 Hernandez vs #7SS Brown. 
These two have wrestled 4 times this season.  Brown won the first one with Hernandez winning the next 3.  Should be a great first round matchup with winner getting Blaine Pierce from Richmond to go to the Bank.
 
1st Round Picks
Stephens over Lewis
Van Beynen over Taylor
Young over Smitley
Shafer over Arvin
Webster over Rowlett
Guhl over Goodall
Pierce over Schilling
Hernandez over Brown
 
Tickets Punched
Webster, Young, Hernandez, Van Beynen
 
Alpha Dog 
Drew Webster
 
285
State Ranked Wrestlers
#2 Andrew Irick- Hamilton Southeastern
#5 Holder Parsons- Cathedral
#6 Cade Campbell- Pendleton Heights
#9 Antone Alexander- Franklin Central
#12 Dennis Hubbard- Warren Central
 
Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers
#6 Kolt Keller CC
#7 Josh Berger NE
 
Potential Match-ups
#6SS Keller vs #7SS Berger- First Round
Followed up with a match-up with #9 Antone Alexander. 
 
#2 Irick vs #6 Campbell- Ticket Round 
These two have wrestled a few times this year with Irick coming out ahead both times.  Brutal draw for Campbell in his senior campaign.
 
#2 Irick vs #5 Parsons- Finals
 
1st Round picks
Keller over Berger
Alexander over Anderson
Irick over Pandoli
Campbell over Keevers
Hubbard over Snyder
McDaniel over Myers
Parsons over Jackson
Goodall over Platonov
 
Tickets Punched
Irick, Parsons, Hubbard, Alexander
 
Alpha Dogs
Andrew Irick and Holden Parsons

2667
Sabatello Wins Roadrunner Open
Complete Results // TrackWrestling
 
FRESNO, Calif. - Eleven Purdue wrestlers placed at the Roadrunner Open, highlighted by a championship outing from Danny Sabatello (133) and a runner-up performance from Nick Lawrence (141), Sunday inside Selland Arena. The Boilermakers additionally earned a pair of third-place finishes, one fourth and three fifth- and sixth-place finishes. Together the 13 grapplers in action posted a 54-18 record at the event, while winning 25 of their 54 matches via bonus points (4 TF, 6 MD, 15 F).
 
After receiving a first-round bye, Sabatello went on an offensive tear by winning back-to-back bonus point matches. The redshirt junior began the day by building a 10-0 lead on Jack Hogan of Peninsula Grapplers before pinning him early in the second period (3:39). He then disposed of Appalachian State's Vito Pasone with a 13-3 major decision.
 
A first-period takedown and penalty point, combined with 1:07 of riding time gave Sabatello a 4-1 decision over Ian Nickell of Cal State Bakersfield to move into the finals for a battle against Joey Palmer. Sabatello shut his unattached opponent out, 6-0, behind takedowns in the first and third periods, an escape in the final period and racked up 2:51 of riding time. With a 4-0 mark on the day, the Long Grove, Ill., native pushed his season record to 7-1.
 
Like Sabatello, Lawrence went on an offensive tear in his first two matches at 141 pounds. The redshirt senior took down his first two opponents a dozen times in a 13-4 major decision of Peter Russo, who was wrestling unattached, and a 20-5 technical fall of Cal State Bakersfield's Adrian Panduro. Lawrence needed just 5:33 for the tech fall, his first since Feb. 2, 2013.
 
In the quarterfinals, Lawrence scored a 7-1 decision of Appalachian State's Mike Longo with a single takedown in each period and had an escape to start the second period. Even though Troy Heilmann of North Carolina held the riding time advantage (1:23), Lawrence defeated the Tar Heel 3-2 thanks to an early takedown and escape in the second. He went up against another North Carolina opponent in the title match, 14th-ranked Joey Ward, and suffered a 5-2 loss. Ward took the Boilermaker down twice and escaped in the second to win the match. With a 4-1 outing, Lawrence's season mark moved to 8-3.
 
Fellow redshirt senior Brandon Nelsen took third at 149 pounds while moving up the Purdue wrestling history charts. Nelsen pinned his first two opponents, Daniel Avalos of Fresno State Wrestling Club and San Francisco State's Dylan Furtado, in 2:25 and 3:27, respectively, to get into the semifinals. He then 7-2 decision to Stanford's Garrett Schaner, but fell to Illinois' Kyle Langenderfer, 8-4, in the semifinals.
 
He picked up where he left off in the consolation semifinals, taking just 90 seconds to stick AJ Fierro of Cal State Bakersfield. The third pin of the day lifted his career total to 28 and moved him in to the No. 6 spot in program history. Nelsen collided with teammate Alex Griffin in the third-place match, with a first-period takedown and an escape in the second serving as the deciding factor in a 3-1 decision for the veteran. The Indianapolis, Ind., native now owns a record of 9-2 with five of his nine victories coming by way of fall.
 
Pat Robinson captured third-place honors 165 pounds with an exclamation point, pinning Nick Kee of Appalachian State in 3:41. To get there, he first held off Justin Lozano of Peninsula Grapplers for a 10-8 decision and followed with a 5-3 win over Menlo's Eric Lopez.
 
Neither Robinson nor No. 14 Jim Wilson of Stanford scored in the first period of their semifinal matchup. Wilson got on the board with an escape to start the second period and Robinson struck with the takedown. Wilson eluded Robinson's hold and tied the bout at 2-2 with two minutes to go. Starting the third period from bottom, Robinson took a 3-2 edge with an escape, but it didn't hold as Wilson got the decisive takedown and the 4-3 win.
 
In the consolation semifinals, the redshirt senior edged North Carolina's Ethan Ramos, 9-7. Robinson holds a 5-1 record after his season-opening weekend in California.
 
Three other Purdue wrestlers registered multiple pins. The first of Chad Welch's two pins was a dramatic one as he upset No. 20 John Michael Staudenmayer of North Carolina with the horn sounding at the end of the first period. He pinned the Tar Heel again in 6:54 to place fifth at 174 pounds.
 
In the 184-pound wrestlebacks, Patrick Kissel stuck unattached wrestler Dylan Bollinger in 4:44 and followed with a 39-second fall of Appalachian State's Dominick Vetell. The 39-second pin is the fastest of the redshirt senior's career. Kissel (9-3) placed fifth.
 
Ninth-ranked Braden Atwood used 3:27 to pin Andrew Teats of Sierra (1:09) and Marcus Haughian of Grand Canyon (2:18). The two falls by the redshirt senior pushed his career total to 26 and now ranks ninth all-time in program history.
ROADRUNNER OPEN PLACEWINNERS 133 // Danny Sabatello // 1st 133 // Kyle Ayersman // 5th 141 // Nick Lawrence // 2nd 149 // Brandon Nelsen // 3rd 149 // Alex Griffin 4th 157 // Doug Welch // 6th 165 // Pat Robinson // 3rd 174 // Chad Welch // 5th 184 // Patrick Kissel // 5th 197 // Braden Atwood // 6th 285// Tyler Kral // 6th The Purdue wrestling team will host Indiana Tech and No. 17 Northern Iowa in its first home duals of the season inside Holloway Gymnasium on Nov. 23. Action starts at 1 p.m. ET with the Boilermakers taking on Indiana Tech, followed by Northern Iowa at 2:30 p.m. Northern Iowa and Indiana Tech will also dual at 4 p.m.
 
2622 2 9
Bulldog Breakdown: Key Pieces Help Elevate Brownsburg Wrestling Under Snyder
By Anna Kayser
If you’ve been an unfamiliar passerby in the town of Brownsburg, Ind. over the past seven years, one of the first things that might catch your eye are the purple street signs – deep purple markers adorned with a bulldog, two on each corner if you’re lucky.
 
At least, that’s what I noticed as I drove through the small – but not too small – suburb of Indianapolis en route to the fourth official practice of the 2022-23 IHSAA wrestling season, with no prior knowledge other than what was scribbled on the notepad next to me.
 
One thing I hadn’t taken note of prior to passing the “Welcome to Brownsburg” sign on Highway 139, and something that might give any other small-town Midwesterner the same familiar wave of recognition: The residents of this town about 30 minutes northwest of downtown Indy live and breathe Brownsburg High School athletics.
 
The 2021-22 Brownsburg wrestling team was nothing to snub at. The Bulldogs went 18-1 in duals and extended their program-record streak to eight consecutive Hoosier Crossroads Conference championships. Jake Hockaday led the lineup with the first state title by a freshman in school history, continuing Brownsburg’s reign of crowning one champion each year since 2016. More on him later – I promise.
 
But that was last year, and while the result is indicative of the journey to get to where they are now, it’s not the full story. What better place to begin than at the beginning – when the Bulldog wrestling program transitioned from a bottom-of-the-barrel finish to an HCC Championship in two years, to an IHSAA State Championship in four.
 
“Regardless of what it is, I have high expectations,” Brownsburg Community School Corporation Superintendent Dr. Jim Snapp said. “My experience has been if you want to have a state contending team, you [hire a coach] who has done it before.”
 
After beginning his head coaching career at Mishawaka High School – a time in which he led the program to three consecutive top-two finishes and a pair of championships in 2008 and 2010 – Darrick Snyder found himself as the subject of a coaching inquiry almost 150 miles dead south of the place where he was a Northern Indiana Conference champion and state place winner.
 
From Snyder’s point of view, there were a number of perks to coming to Brownsburg. And when his wife asked him about the wrestling team’s recent lack of success, he saw the potential to upgrade the team to something special.
 
“Yeah – but there’s no reason [for that lack of success],” he said. “All the pieces are there.”
 
Immediately, things began to shift. During Snyder’s first two seasons, the Bulldog program went 36-12 in duals and was crowned 2015 HCC Champions. Of course, that success comes not entirely from the corner but from the center of the mat itself – it’s a combination of what happens behind the scenes and the performances under the spotlight.
 
That first piece of the puzzle, the one that is encapsulated in the public eye each time the mats are rolled out: The athletes.
 
The success of that 2015 team was boasted by a pair of wrestlers that took center stage on the IHSAA State podium come February – Ty Mills (106), Brownsburg’s first finalist since Mark Meunier’s title in 1977, and Nathan Walton (170). As four-year place winners at the state tournament, they were two of four key athletes named by Snapp as being difference-makers in raising the heights of the program.
 
None was more instrumental under Snyder’s tutelage, however, than All-American and two-time NCAA Division I Championships qualifier Brayton Lee, Minnesota’s current starting 157-pounder. A leader that, without Snyder’s drive to create a pipeline from younger levels into a high school program the town could be proud of, might never have donned the purple Bulldog in the first place.
 
“[My family] knew that [Snyder] was a good coach and had a lot of success, but we weren’t that familiar with him,” Lee said. “We went to Brownsburg for a high school tournament to meet up with him when I was in middle school, and we just talked. He was just supportive and said that he would help me to become the best wrestler I can possibly be. We were really excited about Snyder, he pretty much sold us [on where the Brownsburg program would go].”
 
Not only is building the high school program a key part in escalating success, but also what feeds into it. The implementation and management of a strong program for middle school students ensures that development and love for the sport occurs at a younger age.
 
“We were fortunate enough to get some kids [like Lee] that came here because of him, and he’s worked on [building up] the middle school program – kids want to come here, kids want to stay here,” Snapp said. So, we’ve got this interaction of developing the feeder program and kids that, if they’re going to wrestle in the Indianapolis area, they [want] to come to Brownsburg.”
 
With two established wrestling academies nearby – Contender’s Wrestling Academy in Brownsburg and Red Cobra Wrestling in Avon – growth through both the school program and external coaching elevates athletes even higher.
 
Lee, a product of Red Cobra, was a good example of how development can skyrocket through that extra effort and help outside of a school program. What the Bulldogs standout star lacked early on, however, was the team aspect.
 
“It was definitely different, just because I had never been on a team before – I had just wrestled on my own,” Lee said. “I had grown up going to our very intense wrestling club and on both sides, practices were tough. I appreciated and respected that. [Snyder] was always making us do lots of tough stuff intertwined with wrestling.”
 
Prior to Lee’s first of three IHSAA state titles in 2016 – a year in which he, along with five other state placers, led the charge on Brownsburg’s IHSWCA Dual State championship and IHSAA state runner-up finishes – the Bulldogs had only crowned two individual champions in school history.
 
“We were always focused on the next day,” Lee said. “The first time I won, it was awesome, and I was grateful for it – but there was always a team aspect. I wanted to win with our team, and that idea of winning definitely pushed us. I think me winning helped bring other guys along. Knowing I was kind of a leader, knowing that my success was inspiring other guys on the Brownsburg wrestling team made me want to keep pushing.”
 
For Lee’s career specifically, the results of the drive to win as a team came quickly. His second title at 145 pounds saw seven Bulldogs on the IHSAA podium and a franchise-high three finalists – Mills and Blake Mulkey included as runners-up – to lead Brownsburg to its first IHSAA state championship in school history.
 
That influx of high-performing athletes jumpstarted Brownsburg’s rise to the top of high school wrestling in central Indiana.
 
“You put those kids together – we had a core of four, good kids – and Darrick coached up other kids around them,” Snapp said. “That started [a stretch] of us winning the conference every year for the last eight years, we’re in the strongest athletic conference in the state of Indiana. Our wrestling team has dominated. It hasn’t even been close.”
 
The second piece to the puzzle, where Snapp, the administration and coaching staff as a whole come into play, is the support Snyder continues to have behind him.
 
The best example? The wrestling room at Brownsburg High School, built during Snyder’s reign as head coach and designed by Snapp to help raise the standard of the program and accommodate the growing numbers of the extracurricular.
 
“I knew I was going to have [Snapp’s] support on just simple things,” Snyder said. “My first year here, I wanted to take a fan bus to individual state… and I was told no [by the athletic director]. I said, ‘This is a really important to the program. These guys need to watch this event, it’s incredible.’
 
“I called Jim, and every year [since], just like most teams, we get to take a team bus to state.”
 
The backing from Snapp and the administration is a means to an end in shifting the culture not just in the Brownsburg wrestling room, but in the town that loves its high school athletics.
 
“That first year, there wasn’t really anyone there for the kid that was wrestling [at state]. When you win, you want to look up and see a bunch of purple and sit with those people between rounds,” Snyder said. “We’ve really tried to change that around, anything like that.”
 
It also extends to the actual competition and helping those wrestlers reach the mats at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
 
In order to develop the athletes coming to Brownsburg or growing through school programs the Bulldogs support, the level of competition needed to continuously be raised.
 
“When I first got here, no program did any overnights or anything out of state,” Snyder said. “I went to [the athletic director] and told [them], ‘I’ve got to get out of Indianapolis’ – I was tired of wrestling the same teams over and over again, and then we got to the point that there weren’t many teams in our area that would be competitive.”
 
This upcoming season, the Bulldogs’ schedule includes the Walsh Jesuit Ironman Wrestling Tournament from and the Crown Point Invitational – Crown Point defeated Brownsburg 178-105 in the 2022 finals, setting an IHSAA record for the largest margin of victory by a team champion by over 20 points – on back-to-back weekends in December.
 
That elevation in competition level allows wrestlers to face some of their biggest challenges early and prepares them for high-pressure situations come February.
 
“I always tell [our guys] that our schedule is not meant for them to go undefeated,” Snyder said. “If you do, that’s great, but we’ve set up a schedule where we’re going to take some losses. That took administrative support to be willing to allow us to do overnights, to allow us to go out of state.”
 
Pushing athletes beyond their comfort zone to prepare them for future career hurdles is a common theme in Snyder’s coaching style, something that is on record in helping wrestlers reach their full potential.
 
And, well, maybe no one can attest to that better than a Big Ten starter.
 
“I think just his competitiveness and him pushing us every day helped me,” Lee said. “He helped push me past my comfort zone a little but more than maybe I would myself, and that’s really the main purpose of a coach. Snyder knew I wanted to be great, and he helped me move into a little bit more uncomfortable territories which is important for any athlete, especially when you’re trying to go to the next level.”

2583 1
2022 State Finals by the Numbers
Overall
The rankings have been a staple of IndianaMat since day one. We have always prided ourselves in having accurate rankings throughout the season. This year Mike upped his game and went to 20 ranked wrestlers in November and December. Then in January upped it to the top 25. With 25 ranked wrestlers he was able to include a lot of what was previously on our watch list. This gave recognition to many more hard-working athletes. As with last year, there was quite a bit of uncertainty surrounding the season and we have made it this far with the rankings continuing to hold strong.
 
As always, we locked the rankings before sectional and let them ride. We do not update them based on draws or state series victories. This year Mike has outdone himself with 190 of the 224 wrestlers being ranked. For the first time ever, we had a perfect weight class! At 152lbs every state qualifier was ranked in the state. Another first this year is there are no Friday matches that do not include at least one ranked wrestler. In total, 78 of the 112 matches on Friday are between two ranked wrestlers.
 
We have our every popular brackets that are new and improved that include state and semi-state rankings in them. This year we have two sets, one with just state rankings and one with both semi-state and state rankings. 
 
Click here for the Info Center with links to download the brackets
 
Season by season ranked wrestlers advancing to state
*Note Mike Reiser took over the rankings in 2012
2022- 190
2021- 186
2020- 180
2019- 175
2018- 179
2017- 169
2016- 175
2015- 172
2014- 171
2013- 171
2012- 170
2011- 157
2010- 159
2009- 143
 
106lbs
*As of Wednesday Donnie Feeler has been replaced by Cameron Meier in this weight class
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Seth Aubin (Hobart) 
Cameron Meier (Bloomington South)
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#1 Jake Hockaday (Brownsburg) vs. #21 Tamir Halevi (Carmel)
#2 Jeffrey Bailey (River Forest) vs. #15 Ayden Bollinger (Delta)
#11 Julianna O'campo (New Haven) vs. #4 Gavin Jendreas (Crown Point)
#16 Heather Crull (Northeastern) vs. #5 Luke Rioux (Avon)
#6 Isaiah Schaefer (EV.  Mater Dei) vs. #13 Oliver Wilson (North Central)
#7 E'Shawn Tolbert (Portage) vs. #9 Levi Johns (Bluffton) 
 
113lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Bowen Keith (Cowan)
Peter Nguyen (Guerin Catholic)
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#2 Evan Dickey (Cathedral) vs. #17 Dylan Bennett (Penn)
#7 Easton Doster (New Haven) vs. #4 Evan Seng (EV.  Mater Dei)
#14 Eddie Goss (Center Grove) vs. #5 Tanner Tishner (Western)
#6 Jackson Heaston (Indian Creek) vs. #13 Wyatt Davis (Rochester)
#10 Trevor Schammert (Hobart) vs. #18 Braden Getz (Roncalli)
#12 Johnny Cortez (Lake Central) vs. #16 Gavin Thompson (Carmel)

120lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Dominic McFeeley (Cascade)
Guillermo Rivera (Lake Central)
Jared Dunn (Princeton)
Jayden Lewis (New Prairie)
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#2 Lane Gilbert (Sullivan) vs. #24 Elliott Cornewell (FW Bishop Dwenger)
#7 Noah Lykins (Columbus East) vs. #19 Neal Mosier (Delta)
#9 Christopher Bohn (Munster) vs. #13 Braxton Vest (Westfield) 
#10 Aden Reyes (Cathedral) vs. #5 Hayden DeMarco (Chesterton)
 
126lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Gavin Cook (Adams Central)
Keegan Schlabach (Lakeland)
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#1 Logan Frazier (Crown Point) vs. #11 Keaton Morton (Perry Meridian)
#3 Aidan Sprague (East Noble) vs. #16 Michael Tharpe (Center Grove)
#5 Kamariyon Nelson (Castle) vs. #7 Tony Wood (Jay County)
#6 Blake Wolf (East Central) vs. #17 Beau Brabender (Mishawaka)
#12 Isaac Ward (Carmel) vs. #25 David Maldonado (Merrillville)
#14 Griffin Ingalls (Fishers) vs. #2 Matteo Vargo (Penn)
 
132lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13 
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Bryce Denton (Penn)
Eli Brooks (Whiteland)
Mason Stanley (Rensselaer Central)
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#2 Brady Ison (Brownsburg) vs. #6 Elijah Anthony (Frankfort)
#3 Cheaney Schoeff (Avon) vs. #11 Michael Major (Carmel)
#4 Anthony Bahl (Crown Point) vs. #24 Jasper Graber (Northridge)
#8 Brevan Thrine (New Castle) vs. #9 Wyatt Krejsa (Center Grove)
#10 Landon Bertsch (Bluffton) vs. #12 Zar Walker (Mishawaka)
 
138lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Allan Maggard (Columbia City)
Evan Roudebush (Bloomington South)
Ike O'Neill (Westfield)
Lucas Clement (Merrillville) 
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#2 Cole Solomey (Kankakee Valley) vs. #5 Cash Turner (Edgewood)
#8 Carson Johnson (Mt.  Vernon (Fortville)) vs. #16 Cameron Clark (Jay County)
#11 Dillon Tuttle (Delta) vs. #12 Luke Gonzalez (Cathedral)
#18 Wesley Harper (Penn) vs. #4 Gavin Garcia (Brownsburg)
 
145lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 11
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Brayden Baker (Garrett)
Denny Wendling (Frontier)
Gunnar Krause (Knox)
Nate Lommock (Terre Haute South)
Nayl Sbay (Carmel)
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#4 Brody Arthur (Oak Hill) vs. #6 Nick Tattini (Crown Point)
#7 Blaze Garcia (Brownsburg) vs. #11 Brac Hooper (Zionsville)
#9 Rider Searcy (East Central) vs. #13 Anfernee Oliver (Ben Davis)
 
152lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 16
 
Unranked qualifiers:
None
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#1 Sam Goin (Crown Point) vs. #12 Corbin Walston (Lawrenceburg)
#2 Anthony Rinehart (Zionsville) vs. #20 Kenneth Bisping (Lowell)
#3 Delaney Ruhlman (Bloomington South) vs. #23 Austin Brickey (Carroll (FW))
#5 Hunter May (EV.  Mater Dei) vs. #4 Alex Currie (Adams Central)
#6 Tyler Jones (Warren Central) vs. #15 Tristen Hood (Harrison (WL))
#7 Kody Glithero (Roncalli) vs. #22 Aidan Costello (Hobart)
#10 Nick Cicciarelli (Brownsburg) vs. #17 Chase Leech (Garrett)
#13 Mitchell Betz (Western) vs. #14 Tyce DuPont (Tell City)
 
160lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 15
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Zachary Huckaby (Perry Meridian)
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#1 J Conway (Floyd Central) vs. #22 Bradey Pittman (Plymouth)
#2 Kade Law (Columbus East) vs. #7 AJ Steenbeke (Penn)
#3 Cody Goodwin (Crown Point) vs. #9 Chris Newman (Mt. Vernon (Posey))
#4 Landon Boe (Avon) vs. #19 Caleb Carter (Merrillville)
#8 Duke Myers (Bellmont) vs. #17 Chase Wagner (Zionsville)
#11 Leo Calderon (Centerville) vs. #23 Jared Landez (Carroll (FW))
#13 Kaden Lone (NorthWood) vs. #16 Charlie Euson (East Central)
 
170lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Braxton Russell (Delta)
Ethan Popp (Harrison (WL))
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#1 Brody Baumann (EV.  Mater Dei) vs. #16 Anthony Cashman (Warren Central)
#2 Codei Khawaja (Floyd Central) vs. #12 JJ Braun (Cathedral)
#5 Landon Buchanan (Jimtown) vs. #17 Jesse Herrera (Highland)
#6 Benjamin Phillips (Charlestown) vs. #7 Ryan Cast (Hamilton Southeastern)
#8 Eli Johnson (Norwell) vs. #22 Isaac Valdez (Mishawaka)
#9 Aiden Farmer (EV.  Memorial) vs. #25 Clifton Johnson (North Central)
 
182lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 11
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Alex Rose (Terre Haute South)
David Nash (East Central)
Jaquan East (Kokomo)
Kooper Kinsler (Delphi)
Trey Tobias (NorthWood)
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#2 Orlando Cruz (Crown Point) vs. #20 Tommy Hannon (Bishop Chatard)
#5 Hunter Page (Monroe Central) vs. #9 Gunner Henry (Brownsburg)
#6 Jake Sues (Lake Central) vs. #10 Luke Hansen (Roncalli)
 
195lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 15
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Armen Koltookian (Concord)
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#1 Gabe Sollars (EV.  Mater Dei) vs. #19 Jackson Ingenito (Daleville)
#2 John Purdy (Castle) vs. #8 Jacob Behm (Fremont)
#3 Connor Barket (West Lafayette) vs. #24 Ryan Bovard (East Central)
#4 Wyatt Willman (North Posey) vs. #14 Alex Deming (Rochester)
#5 Aataevon Jordan (Franklin Central) vs. #9 Christian Chavez (Mishawaka)
#6 Will Clark (Crown Point) vs. #18 Ronin Hammond (Perry Meridian)
#7 Gage DeMarco (Chesterton) vs. #17 Max Broom (Hamilton Southeastern)
 
220lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Jackson Weingart (Cathedral)
Justin Lewis (Roncalli)
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#1 Christian Carroll (New Prairie) vs. #24 Royce Deckard III (Center Grove)
#2 Nathan Critchfield (EV.  Mater Dei) vs. #15 Jordan Cree (Rensselaer Central)
#3 Juan Grange (Penn) vs. #7 Kelton Farmer (EV.  Memorial)
#4 Blake Heyerly (Adams Central) vs. #16 Jacob Long (Noblesville)
#5 Tommy Morrill (Columbus East) vs. #10 Paul Clark (Crown Point)
#17 Chance Harris (FW Concordia) vs. #22 Devin Kendrex (Mt.  Vernon (Fortville))
 
285lbs
Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14
 
Unranked qualifiers:
Josh Clark (New Haven)
Liam Begley (Crown Point)
 
First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:
#2 Hunter Whitenack (New Prairie) vs. #8 Nate Johnson (Center Grove)
#5 Jacob Johnson (Franklin Community) vs. #14 Theodore Sparks (Merrillville)
#6 Mihail Platonov (Westfield) vs. #20 Ian Clifford (Columbia City)
#7 Ashton Hartwell (Columbus East) vs. #15 Trey White (Portage)
#9 Makhi Watts (North Central) vs. #13 Brayden Jellison (Elkhart)
#10 Marshall Fishback (Rochester) vs. #17 Hunter Brahnam (Frankton)
 

2561 4 7
February Madness
By Andrew Oberlin
 
It’s that time of year again here in Indiana, February Madness, and I’m not talking about basketball. There is a very strong community of diehard wrestlers, fans, and coaches in Indiana for whom late January and early February is a time of excitement, anxiety, and sleepless nights. Those involved know what is at stake this time of year and for many it has been a 13 year journey . I’m going to attempt to give you some insight. In my humble opinion, Indiana’s state wrestling tournament is the toughest in the nation for a wrestler to punch a ticket through to the Indiana high school state because of the number of wrestlers in the state, the single class system for wrestling, and the lack of wrestlebacks. Indiana competes well at the national level and is one of only 5 states that has a single class for their state tournament. Furthermore, Indiana is the only state that doesn’t have wrestlebacks in their State High School Tournament.
 
There are a lot of wrestlers in Indiana. This year, Indiana has nearly 10,000 USA Wrestling (USAW) cardholders, which earns us the rank of 5th in the nation for the number of USAW participants. USAW is the largest national organization that governs folkstyle, freestyle, and Greco-Roman wrestling in the United States; it is a separate entity from the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA). This figure doesn’t  include the middle school and high school wrestlers who do not compete in USAW events. In addition, the number of wrestlers in Indiana continues to grow as girls wrestling gains popularity. 
 
Seedings and Wrestlebacks
At most top-level tournaments, wrestlers are seeded so that the best wrestlers don’t face each other early in the tournament. Seeding is not an exact science, and many times decisions are based on opinions. Whoever is seeding the tournament can use things such as results of past head-to-head matches, common opponents, or individual win-loss records to determine placement. 
 
Head-to-head is the best way to seed a tournament but many times head-to-head matches haven’t taken place, so organizers look for a common opponent and how each wrestler did against that opponent. This can be a valid way to seed, but does not always take body type and wrestling styles into account.  Individual win-loss records are generally given the least consideration when seeding wrestlers because schedules and levels of competition vary greatly. There is no perfect way to seed wrestlers.
 
Wrestlebacks allow a wrestler to prove a seeding wrong or provide a second chance to overcome a mistake.   Wrestlebacks are done at almost every tournament wrestlers will participate in from the time they are 5 all the way through college; however, because of Gene Hackman and the movie Hoosiers, Indiana is only concerned with crowning the state champion and our state wrestling tournament does accomplish that. I kid about the movie Hoosiers... kind of. 
 
To be clear, my point is not to go on a rant about why Indiana needs to have wrestlebacks (which I strongly believe we do). That is a battle the coaches association and wrestling community has fought ad nauseam for decades and at this point it just doesn’t look like it is going to happen. I am explaining the factors that go into the emotions our wrestlers, coaches, and fans experience every year at this time.
 
Indiana High School State Wrestling Tournament Format
To understand the passion that goes on at the state tournament, one must  understand what it took to get there. Many wrestlers in Indiana start their wrestling journeys between the ages of 5 and 8. They likely had thousands of hours of year-round training and more than 500 youth matches. High school wrestlers survived the gauntlet of youth wrestling and continued intense training into high school... This requires a lot of blood (literally), sweat, and tears on the part of the wrestlers, their families, and their coaches. By the time a wrestler is in high school, there is an entire support system that is emotionally invested in that wrestler’s career. There are  only 14 state champions out of thousands of high school wrestlers, so the majority of wrestlers will not end their careers reaching their ultimate goal.
 
If you understand how our Indiana state wrestling tournament is run, you can skip this part. There are 315 schools in the state that participate in wrestling. The state tournament is 4 weeks long. Competitions take place each Saturday during the first 3 weeks and on Friday and Saturday during the 4th week. Week 1 is sectionals which consists of 8 to 10 teams with 14 weight classes. Week 2 is regionals which combine the top wrestlers from 2 sectionals. Week 3 is a semi-state which combines the top wrestlers from 4 regionals. Week 4  is a state which combines the top wrestlers from 4 semi-states. Sectionals is the only part of the tournament that uses the seeding process. After sectionals everything else is based on how the wrestler placed the week before. For regionals the first place sectional winners wrestle the 4th place winners from the opposite sectional. Second place sectional winners wrestle 3rd place sectional winners. Since there are no wrestle backs if a wrestler loses the first round of regionals they are done for the season. If a wrestler wins at regionals they advance to semi-state. Things start to get tricky at semi-state.. With 4 regionals feeding into semi-state there are a total of 16 wrestlers in each weight class and 4 different regional champs for each weight class. It’s the same formula as regionals with 1st place wrestling 4th and 2nd place wrestling third but since the pool of wrestlers has expanded match-ups are drawn at random every year. To advance from semi-state to state a wrestler must win their first two matches. For every semi-state mini bracket of 1st through 4th place regional placers only one wrestler will continue to state by winning their first two matches. The state finals are Friday and Saturday of week 4. The same type of formula used for semi-state is applied to state. At state Friday night the walk of champions takes place where they announce all the schools that have a wrestler represented at the meet. Wrestlers all wrestle once on Friday; if they don’t win that match they are done and do not advance to wrestle on Saturday.
 
Here is an example random Semi-State bracket that could be used:

 
February
I hear the term March Madness all the time when they talk about the NCAA basketball tournament. For me it pales in comparison to the February Madness that happens right here in Indiana during our high school wrestling state tournament. If you have the opportunity to watch any part of the 4 week state tournament know that with every win and loss, especially when the wrestler is a senior,  you are seeing the hopes and dreams of a small community either being fulfilled or coming to end after thousands of hours of hard work. In the end winning doesn’t care about you and neither does wrestling, but those that have been part of a wrestler’s journey do and that is what matters. If you truly know what wrestling is about you know the wrestler has become a better person because of it and that is something to be proud of.  
 
I wish you all the best during this post season and know that wrestling is training for the life that follows.
 
 
Indiana wrestling has been a part of my life for over 35 years. I had my high school dreams come to end without reaching my ultimate goal. I have now coached for 27 years and I have been a part of this walk and moment more times than I can remember. The photo below captures it all, a wrestler and part of his support system walking off the mat for the last time while coming to terms with the finality of it. 
 

 
Austin Farris, the wrestler in this photo, first stepped on a wrestling mat at 4 years old with his father by his side. This is a picture of Austin walking back to the bleachers for the last time in his high school career after losing a close match. Dee Farris, his father and coach, has his hand on Austin’s back; following behind the father and son are coaches that have been with Austin on his journey since he was young.
 
 

2558 4
2017 New Castle Semi-State Preview
106
 
Six state-ranked competitors will do battle in the opening weight, including #2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. The other ranked wrestler is Al Smith champ, #12 Gabe Smith of Lawrence Central. Smith will have to find a way to get past #5 Brayden Lowery of PM to punch his ticket. Perhaps even nastier is the bottom portion of the bracket, where #6 Logan Bailey of Cathedral and #2 Seth Johnson of North Montgomery should meet in the ticket round. #3 Brendan Mattingly of Carmel and #4 Andrew Black of Shenandoah have slightly less brutal potential paths to the state finals. This is one of the most loaded weights at New Castle. Legitimately, 5 or 6 different wrestlers could stand atop the podium at the end of the day.
 
Last year's champ: Keyuan Murphy, Warren Central
 
Potential matchups:
#5 Lowery vs. #12 Smith (Ticket round) – A couple of stud freshmen should vie for state advancement. Lowery beat Smith comfortably earlier in the year.
#4 Black vs. Josh Vaughn, Franklin Central(Ticket round) – Black is clearly one of the favorites at this weight, but he still must get by a tough senior and returning semistate qualifier.
#2 Johnson vs. #6 Bailey (Ticket round) – This could be one of the early matches of the day, as Johnson was unbeaten until regionals and the baby-faced assassin Bailey is peaking and looking better and better each week.
#3 Mattingly/ #5 Lowery vs. #4 Black/ #2 Johnson/ #6 Bailey (Finals) – There are several combinations of these 5 who could wind up competing for the coveted #1 seed at state. Quite obviously, the semifinals and 3rd place match will be huge for the individuals and a handful of teams.
 
1st round picks:
Mattingly over Slivka
Hadley over Lonneman
Lowery over Luhmann
Smith over Lee
Black over Harshbarger
Vaughn over Eldred
Bailey over Vredeveld
Johnson over Stewart
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Mattingly, Bailey, Lowery, Black
 
The Alpha Dog:
Brendan Mattingly
 
113
 
Five more state-ranked athletes will lace 'em up at 113. Despite the big loss of #5 Sammy Fair, this is still a very tough and deep weight. #3 Skylour Turner of Warren Central--3X state placer, #2 Alec Viduya of Roncalli--0 losses to anyone he will face going forward, and #7 Gavin Rose of Greenfield-Central--returning state qualifier, are joined by tough seniors #13 Nick Brady of Noblesville and #16 Kody Conaway of Beech Grove. Viduya appears to be improving as the season progresses, and has to be considered the favorite.
 
Last year's champ: Alec White, New Palestine
 
Feature matchups:
 
#13 Brady vs. #3 Turner (Ticket round) – Assuming Turner gets by 3X semistate qualifier Reid Hutson of Westfield, he should face a big, strong 113 lber who has been nearly flawless in the postseason thus far. While it's hard to bet against the Millers senior, it's even harder to bet against Turner booking another weekend date at Banker's Life.
Kyle Holman, Carmel vs. #16 Conaway (Opening round) – Holman initially looked to face #7 Rose, and then Pike freshman KeShon Edmunds, and finally wound up with a ranked senior in Conaway. The winner of this match should be in the driver's seat in the ticket round.
#7 Rose vs. #3 Turner (Semifinal round) – These two faced off in the 3rd place match of regionals, with the senior Turner winning a squeaker 4-3.
 
1st round picks:
Owens over Williams
Rose over Surber
Brady over Condo
Turner over Hutson
Viduya over Moseley
Seymour over Sollars
Holman over Conaway
Oliver over Joya
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Viduya, Turner, Rose, Holman
 
The Alpha Dog:
Alec Viduya
 
120
 
One of the most wide open weights of the day features 4 ranked wrestlers. Only #13 Lukasz Walendzak has advanced beyond semistate among this group. #12 Sunny Nier of Perry Meridian is a hungry senior and returning ticket-rounder. Regional champ #15 Carter Noehre of Greenfield-Central has had an outstanding season and has a convincing win over likely ticket round opponent Reid Seymour of Chatard. #18 Tyce Freije is another nasty Roncalli freshman, and looks to join Viduya at BLF.
 
Last year's champ: Dylan Culp, Warren Central
 
Feature matchups:
 
#13 Walendzak vs. #12 Nier (Ticket round) – This is just one of those unfortunate matches that we see at each semistate every year. Nier majored Walendzak earlier this season. Walendzak's teammate Slivka edged Nier in the ticket round last year. Will Irish eyes be smiling at 120? Or will the Falcon reach the crest in the form of a state advancement? Tune in.
 
#15 Noehre / Dominic Pecoraro, Carmel vs. #18 Frieje / #13 Walendzak / #12 Nier (Semifinals, Finals)– There isn't a lot of consensus regarding a favorite at this weight, and any of these 5 could be competing in the finals.
 
1st round picks:
Noehre over Boggs
Seymour over Hall
Ragle over Wilkerson
Pecoraro over Pettiford
Greene over Vaughn
Freije over Walsh
Walendzak over Forbes
Nier over Taylor
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Noehre, Freije, Walendzak, Pecoraro
 
The Alpha Dog:
Carter Noehre
 
126
 
Five ranked athletes grace this weight class, including 2X state placer and 3X qualifier #5 Alec White of New Palestine, the defending semistate champion at 113. Right behind him is #6 Jordan Slivka of Cathedral, 3rd place state finisher last season and runner-up in OT to White at semistate last year. #9 Adam Jerde of Carmel has been close to breaking through, but this is his last and best shot. #17 Dylan Culp of Warren Central is a returning state placer and semistate champ, but will have to get by Slivka for a chance at returning to BLF. Lastly, #13 Dallas Pugsley of Shenandoah has had an outstanding season and comes into New Castle with a regional crown. Pugsley was a ticket-rounder last year and should have a date with former state qualifier Alexander Strueder of Fishers in the ticket round.
 
Last year's champ: Breyden Bailey, Cathedral
 
Feature matchups:
 
#6 Slivka vs. #17 Culp (Ticket round) – Two returning state placewinners should meet in the ticket round. Culp really put it all together at semistate last year, besting another state placer in Ethan Smiley in the championship match. He will need to do it again this year to get past the tough Irish sophomore, and he appears to be heating up, as he took White to OT at regionals. First things first for Culp--he has to get by returning ticket rounder Garrett Walton of South Dearborn.
 
#13 Pugsley vs. Alexander Strueder (Ticket round) – Strueder very nearly made a return trip to The Fieldhouse last year, losing in UTB to Gavin Rose in the ticket round. He'll have his work cut out for him again this year, as Pugsley has a number of big wins this season.
 
#6 Slivka vs. #5 White (Finals) – This could be a repeat of last year's 113 championship, won by the Purdue recruit White in OT. If they each navigate the minefield in front of them to meet again, look for a tight match that could go either way.
 
1st round picks:
Slivka over Garcia
Culp over Walton
Jerde over Miles
McMillan over Negangard
Pugsley over Evans
Strueder over Long
White over Deal
Harrington over Gobeyn
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
White, Slivka, Jerde, Pugsley
 
The Alpha Dog:
Alec White
 
132
 
132 is a deep weight class, led by 6 ranked wrestlers including Cathedral's #2 Breyden Bailey (#12 nationally, 3X state 3rd place finisher). Returning state placer #5 Ethan Smiley of Beech Grove and former state qualifier and semistate champion #9 Cainan Schaefer of South Dearborn bring unbeaten records into this weekend. #10 Zak Bowling of Lebanon won a solid regional last week and seeks to finish his HS career with a bang. #14 Jack Servies of Perry Meridian is one of many Falcons with a great shot to advance to state. Servies was denied in the ticket round last year by Bailey, by a mere 3-0 decision. #15 Hayden Lohrey of Shenandoah is yet another returning state qualifier, but he has the misfortune of drawing Bailey in the ticket round. Last year's 132 competition featured All-World Chad Red, Jr. winning another semistate title, but perhaps more importantly, DJ Brookbank of Perry Meridian caught fire and upset Zach Melloh in the ticket round. Could that be an omen of upsets to come this year at 132?
 
Last year's champ: Chad Red, Jr., New Palestine
 
Feature matchups:
 
#5 Smiley vs. Azariah Ellis, Zionsville / Elijah Phillips, Centerville (Ticket round) – While Smiley is a strong favorite to advance, he gets an experienced, long and crafty Dheontae Unseld of LN in his opening match. Should he win that match, either a tough senior in Ellis or a returning semistate qualifier in Phillips awaits.
 
#10 Bowling/ Stevie Browning, Franklin County vs. Chris Loy, Hamilton Heights/ #14 Servies, Perry Meridian (Ticket round) – Bowling has had a very strong season and enters the fray as a regional champion. Bowling beat Loy in the opening round of semistate last year before dropping a ticket match to state place Joel McGhee of Warren Central by 8-4 decision. Browning was also a ticket rounder, pinning LC's Jesus Mancera before losing to Red. Loy and Servies could provide fireworks, with Servies coming in hot, losing to Smiley by a razor thin margin in OT at regionals. Bowling and Servies is likely a 50/50 match.
 
1st round picks:
Bailey over Hiatt
Lohrey over Douglass
Smiley over Unseld
Ellis over Phillips
Bowling over Browning
Servies over Loy
Schaefer over Tunstill
Wright over Avey
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Bailey, Schaefer, Smiley, Bowling
 
The Alpha Dog:
Breyden Bailey
 
138
 
Another 6 ranked athletes populate another tough bracket. Leading the charge is former 4th place state finisher #2 Zach Melloh of Cathedral. The tough Irish junior has wins this year over a relative who's who at 138. #6 Riley White also has some very impressive wins this season and has a very solid shot at advancing to state this year. #10 Brooks Davis of Perry Meridian also has some nice wins, and has been competitive with some of the best in the state at 138. #13 Kody Wagner of Zionsville was a semistate qualifier last year and is part of an impressive group of Eagles grapplers competing this weekend. #17 Jesus Mancera of Lawrence Central is as battle-tested as they come and is capable of surprising this weekend. Rounding out the ranked wrestlers is #18 Bailey Moore, Connersville champion this year and ticket rounder last year. While Melloh is a fairly prohibitive favorite, the battle for positions 2-4 should be ferocious and possibly unexpected.
 
Last year's champ: Evan Eldred, Westfield
 
Feature matchups:
 
#13 Wagner vs. #10 Davis (Ticket round) – Wagner's reward for winning his regional is a ticket round match with Davis. Zionsville wrestles a very tough schedule, but it's unlikely that any team in central Indiana has had a more difficult schedule than Perry. Davis is the slight favorite, but Wagners at Zionsville have had a lot of success in past postseasons.
#18 Moore vs. #17 Mancera (Ticket round) – Mancera owns a win over Moore this season, but this one is anyone's match. The winner has a solid shot at a 2 seed at state.
Ryan Surguy, Shenandoah vs. #6 White (Ticket round) – While White is a solid favorite on paper, Surguy is a strong sleeper pick at this weight and in this potential match. The Shenandoah senior is a returning semistate qualifier, and White is a returning ticket rounder.
 
1st round picks:
Wagner over Gardfrey
Davis over Redd
Melloh over Lowe
Humbert over Noehre
Moore over Otto
Mancera over Estes
Surguy over Keener
White over Ball
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Melloh, Surguy, Wagner, Mancera
 
The Alpha Dog:
Zach Melloh
 
145
 
This is another relatively wide open weight class, lacking a consensus favorite. #4 Clayton Cowan of Hamilton Heights, a returning state qualifier, faces a particularly nasty potential ticket match. Waiting for him is #9 Kain Rust of Perry Meridian, a semistate qualifier last year. Rust has had a particularly impressive senior campaign thus far, with numerous wins against 'name' opponents. #13 Antwaun Graves of Warren Central beat Rust in the regional finals, avenging an earlier loss to the Falcons' 145. He's a sly pick to win this weight. Rounding out the ranked competitors is returning state qualifier and undefeated regional champion #15 Boone Welliever of Southmont.
 
Last year's champ: Jordan Vaughn, Franklin Central
 
Feature matchups:
 
Mike Humbert, Franklin County vs. Darian Padgett, North Central / Beau Wilbrandt, Fishers (Ticket round) – Humbert, a returning semistate qualifier, could have his hands full with Chad Rothwell of Southport, a semistate qualifier last year at 160!, in his opening round match. If he gets by Rothwell, the winner of Wilbrandt and Padgett awaits. Both are seniors with 10 losses, but each is dangerous and capable of advancing. Wilbrandt is also a returning semistate qualifier.
 
#4 Cowan vs. #9 Rust (Ticket round) – Certainly one of the rougher ticket matches of the day, each senior will be ready to brawl when the whistle blows. This could be one of the best matches of the day and could greatly impact the team race.
 
#13 Graves vs. #4 Cowan / #9 Rust or #15 Welliever (Finals) – While Graves appears to have a slightly less treacherous path to the finals, the survivor of Cowan/Rust/Welliever may be pretty tired upon reaching the finals. This is a hard one to handicap.
 
1st round picks:
Humbert over Rothwell
Padgett over Wilbrandt
Graves over Wills
Rodgers over Sauder
Cowan over Williamson
Rust over Roth
Welliever over Lane
Gosnell over Fletcher
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Welliever, Graves, Rust, Padgett
 
The Alpha Dog:
Boone Welliever, Southmont
 
152
 
Returning 7th place state finisher #2 Noah Warren of Perry Meridian leads a solid group at 152. #7 Jack Eiteljorge of Carmel is a returning ticket rounder and has just one loss all season, to 160 lb Gleason Mappes of Center Grove. He can go with the big boys. #11 Andrew Negangard of East Central was a ticket rounder last year as well. This year, he's a one-loss senior with a favorable draw. #18 Cody Klettheimer of Frankton and #19 Tucker Coffman of Union County meet in one of the roughest opening round matches of the day. The winner likely faces Eiteljorge. There are no free lunches at semistate, unless you're allowed in the hospitality room. Last year, regional runner-up Trent Pruitt parlayed a hot day at semistate into a state title the following weekend.
 
Last year's champ: Trent Pruitt, Warren Central
 
Feature matchups:
 
#18 Klettheimer vs. #19 Coffman (Opening round) – Each is a returning semistate qualifier and precocious sophomore. As mentioned earlier, the winner must get through Eiteljorge to advance.
#11 Negangard vs. Walter Ballinger, Beech Grove (Ticket round) – Negangard comes in as a solid favorite, but Ballinger won't be a pushover. Negangard must also get by senior Alex Johnson of Pendleton Heights to advance to a potential match with the game senior Ballinger.
David Kitko, Noblesville vs. Sam Gobeyn, Zionsville (Ticket round) – While the win/loss record of each wrestler doesn't jump off the page, the reality is that one of the two will likely advance to BLF. Kitko, like many Noblesville wrestlers under Coach Knotts, is formidable with Greco throws. Gobeyn, like his fellow Eagles, has been through the gauntlet all season.
#7 Eiteljorge vs. #2 Warren (Semifinals round) – Both should punch a golden ticket, but each has designs on a top seed at state, which means this match takes on extreme importance individually, as well as for the team race. Warren is the favorite, but Coaches Pendowski and Geter will have a solid gameplan at the ready for Eye-tul-hor-hay.
#2 Warren / #7 Eiteljorge vs. #11 Negangard (Finals) – Each member of this trio is capable of a tough run at Banker's Life. Warren is the favorite, but Negangard could be a fly in the Perry ointment.
 
1st round picks:
Warren over Bischoff
Despain over Hines
Eiteljorge over Rebein
Coffman over Klettheimer
Negangard over Johnson
Ballinger over Wagner
Kitko over Webster
Gobeyn over Smith
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Warren, Negangard, Eiteljorge, Gobeyn
 
The Alpha Dog:
Noah Warren
 
160
 
This stacked weight is led by 2X state placer #2 Alston Bane of Richmond, an undefeated senior. However, he's far from alone at the top, as #3 Laine Frazee of Fountain Central, an 8th place finisher last year, #4 Christian Warren of Perry, another undefeated senior, and #9 Dru Berkebile of Frankton, a 2X state qualifier and former 5th place state finisher, lead the field. #19 Elijah Mahan of Roncalli is one of three sophomores in the bracket, and has been impressive all season long. Expect a tight match between Mahan and Bane if Mahan can get by the gritty Sam Hauke of North Central in his opening match. There are 4 grapplers here with a legit shot at the strap on Saturday.
 
Last year's champ: Noah Warren, Perry Meridian
 
Feature matchups:
 
#4 Warren vs. #3 Frazee (Ticket round) – Just brutal. Frazee was upset by Westfield's Justin Miller in UTB at regionals, which led to this draw of death. Warren has done nothing but win in this, his final season. Frazee's only loss at semistate last year was a one point decision to Bane. This is essentially a pick 'em, and the winner is fully capable of winning the weight.
 
#9 Berkebile vs. Justin Miller, Westfield (Ticket round) – Ignore Miller's record, as he has shown throughout his career that he has the ability to elevate his game when necessary. Berkebile is a proven commodity, but he could have his hands full with Miller, who is solid in all aspects and positions. Berkebile had better not overlook Southport's senior Brett Wright in his opening match.
 
#2 Bane vs. #19 Mahan (Ticket round) – It's tough to bet against the highly proven Bane, unless the opponent is Batman. Mahan will be a force the next two years, and he could give the senior all he wants.
 
Matthew Wertz, Zionsville / Ryan Mitts, East Central vs. JT Lazzara, Guerin / Drake Tackett, Mount Vernon (Ticket round) – No rankings to speak of among this group, but Wertz comes in with momentum as the regional champ. All 4 are seniors and will be fighting tooth and nail.
 
1st round picks:
Warren over Booker
Frazee over Gee
Berkebile over Wright
Miller over Massey
Bane over Davis
Mahan over Hauke
Wertz over Mitts
Lazzara over Tackett
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Bane, Warren, Berkebile, Wertz
 
The Alpha Dog:
Alston Bane
 
170
 
While just four ranked wrestlers will be competing at 170 on Saturday, among them are a returning state placer, a former state qualifier, an Al Smith champ and a freshman wunderkind. #2 Tanner Webster of North Montgomery was a 6th place finisher at state last season, but was defeated at regional by #3 Thomas Penola of Zionsville, an impressive Al Smith champ earlier this season. Snake-bitten #9 Jake Ruberg of Lawrenceburg impressed the state with a state qualification as a freshman, but has battled injuries and tough semistate draws since then. The freshman everyone is buzzing about is #4 Silas Allred, the undefeated stud from Shenandoah. Some folks think he's going to keep a clean sheet through semistate, but nothing will come easy for him or any of the other favorites.
 
Last year's champ: Ricky Samuels, Lawrence North
 
Feature matchups:
 
#4 Allred vs. Joe Mazero, HSE / Cameron Amos, Perry Meridian (Ticket round) – Allred's first real test at semistate should come in his ticket match. Mazero is perpetually underrated and was a ticket rounder last year. He's wrestled a high level of competition. The same is true of Amos.
#3 Penola vs. #9 Ruberg (Ticket round) – This is another of the ticket round matches that screams for wrestlebacks. Tough draw for both--the loser could easily place at state. Penola has been on the roll of all rolls this season. He has wins over #2, #5, #6 and #7 this year, among many more game opponents.
#2 Webster / #4 Allred vs. #3 Penola / #9 Ruberg (Finals) – There are a lot of different ways this could play out. Will Webster avenge his loss to Penola after besting the stout freshman in the semis? Will the stout freshman show the rest of the state that he is a legitimate state title threat by knocking off the #2 and #3 wrestlers in the state? Will Penola continue his unearthly momentum and head to BLF as a top seed? Or will the unlucky senior Ruberg spoil Penola's plans en route to a finals matchup with Webster or Allred?
 
1st round picks:
Murry over Simmons
Webster over Acevedo
Allred over Todd
Mazero over Amos
Penola over Willis
Ruberg over Najem
Lowe over Hart
Miller over Orschell
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Webster, Penola, Allred, Lowe
 
The Alpha Dog:
Tanner Webster
 
182
 
With just 3 ranked wrestlers, this is probably the most wide open weight class at New Castle. Leading the way is former state qualifier #6 Evan Stambaugh of Lebanon, who comes in with just one loss all year. #9 Alec Jessop of HSE brings an impressive 20-2 record into the mix. #10 Cameron Simmons of Lawrence Central was a semistate qualifier last year. There are plenty of sleepers in the group, including Josue Hill of Zionsville, Jalen Allen of Perry Meridian, Sam Hansen of Roncalli and Jonah Rolfes of Lawrenceburg.
 
Last year's champ: Blake Rypel, Cathedral
 
Feature matchups:
 
#10 Simmons vs. Josue Hill, Zionsville (Ticket round) – Both grapplers were semistate qualifiers last year and, despite the ranking difference, there probably isn't much of a separation between these two battle-tested seniors. If Zionsville is going to figure in the team race, they need to win matches like this one.
#9 Jessop vs. Jalen Allen, Perry Meridian (Ticket round) – Allen is unranked despite a 34-4 senior campaign, and Jessop is a big, strong 182 generating a lot of buzz from knowledgeable spectators. Consider this one of the big team scoring matches of the ticket round.
#6 Stambaugh vs. Sam Hansen, Roncalli (Ticket round) – Like Allen, Hansen has an oustanding record at 37-4. Stambaugh was upended last year in the ticket round and had better not overlook the tough Rebels' junior.
Jonah Rolfes, Lawrenceburg vs. Bryce Sharp, Carmel (Opening round) – Sharp's 21-7 record isn't as spectacular as Rolfes' 41-4 record, but Carmel's schedule is much, much tougher. This is a 50/50 match.
#9 Jessop / Allen vs. #10 Simmons / Hill (Semifinals) – On paper, this should be Jessop vs. Simmons, but it's far from a lead pipe lock. All 4 seniors are hungry and capable. The winner of this nasty pool should face Stambaugh for the semistate title.
 
1st round picks:
Simmons over Sterrett
Hill over Bohman
Allen over Mills
Jessop over Thorp
Stambaugh over Mitts
Hansen over Morgan
Rolfes over Sharp
Baker over Keesee
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Jessop, Stambaugh, Simmons, Rolfes
 
The Alpha Dog:
Alec Jessop
 
195
 
This weight has to qualify as New Castle's main event. Warren Central's #1 in the state and 2X state runner-up Tristen Tonte (#17 in the USA per Intermat) and #2 Ben Stewart of Cathedral will almost certainly do battle, yet again, this time in the finals. This could be a preview of the state finals the following weekend. Stewart and Tonte were both beaten by decision by eventual state champ Jake Kleimola. Tonte is a 3X qualifier, and had a hand in Stewart's status of 1X state qualifier, as they met in the ticket round as freshmen (Stewart got Mason Parris in the ticket round the following year). Tonte got him again in the finals of last year's semistate, winning 1-0. Stewart is absolutely gigantic this season. Tonte is long and as slick as the day is long. This should be an incredible finals matchup. Joining the elite two as ranked competitors are #10 Liam Jagow of Westfield, who has had an incredible season, #11 Cole Slavens of North Montgomery, who has the misfortune of drawing Stewart in the ticket round (for the 2nd year in a row!), #12 Drew Williamson of Zionsville, who has just 3 losses and a regional title under his belt, and #14 John Owensby, who finished 4th at regionals, setting up a dynamic first round match with Williamson. Additionally, unranked David Delph of Frankton is 37-2 on the season and has some excellent upper weight practice partners in the Eagles' room.
 
Last year's champ: Tristen Tonte, Warren Central
 
Feature matchups:
 
#12 Williamson vs. #14 Owensby (Opening round) – Williamson got a big win over Jagow at regionals, giving him great momentum heading into his first match of the day. The Franklin Central senior had a rough regional experience, but was a semistate qualifier last year at 220, so he will be plenty dangerous. The winner will face the winner of Delp and John Rorig of Milan, both of whom have impressive records.
 
#2 Stewart vs. #11 Slavens (Ticket round) – This is one of those strange phenomena that happens at New Castle. For the 2nd year in a row, Slavens must beat Stewart to advance, which is a tall order for anyone. Stewart, who will attend Boston College on a football scholarship, absolutely manhandled his regional opponents. This is man-strength on display.
 
#1 Tonte vs. #2 Stewart (Finals) – The loser will likely get another crack at the victor next weekend at BLF. To this point, Tonte has a significant edge in the head-to-head series, but Stewart looks primed to execute a crackback. They don't come much bigger and better than this matchup.
 
1st round picks:
Williamson over Owensby
Delph over Rohrig
Tonte over Pigg
Sturm over Bynum
Stewart over Snipes
Slavens over Kenney
Tibbetts over Snyder
Jagow over Ruhana
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Tonte, Stewart, Jagow, Williamson
 
The Alpha Dog:
Tristen Tonte
 
220
 
Four ranked athletes, none of whom are seniors, will compete at 220 on Saturday. Leading the way is returning state champ and #1 Mason Parris of Lawrenceburg, a 2X state semifinalist and #3 in the country per Intermat. Parris is the biggest lock of the semistate, and might be the biggest lock at state as well. He's a unique, rare talent, as evidenced by his tremendous accomplishments in multiple sports. Joining Parris in the rankings are: #7 Jacob McClaine of Lebanon, who hasn't been beaten this year after falling in the ticket round last year, #10 Kyle Cornwell of Elwood, who has just one loss on the season and was also a ticket rounder last year, and #19 Landon Burton of New Palestine, who was a semistate qualifier at 195 last year. Watch out for sleepers Rilee Miller of Perry, Ryan Leslie of Noblesville, Darrione Gregory of LC, Joe Myren of HSE, Andy Guhl of Cathedral and Blake Ripperger of Franklin County. Yes, that's nearly the entire bracket.
 
Last year's champ: Mason Parris, Lawrenceburg
 
Feature matchups:
 
#10 Cornwell vs. Joe Myren, HSE (Ticket round) – Cornwell was impressive at regionals and already has two wins over Myren this year. That said, semistate produces upsets and Myren is very dangerous.
 
#19 Burton vs. Andy Guhl, Cathedral (Opening round) – It was a different Guhl last year that stormed through the semistate to take 2nd, but the similarities are obvious. The elder and younger Guhl are both large, athletic 220s and are as battle-tested as they come. The winner likely gets regional runner-up Blake Ripperger of Franklin County, a semistate qualifier last season.
 
1st round picks:
McClaine over Thomas
Miller over Leslie
Parris over Boleman
Gregory over Greene
Cornwell over Laws
Myren over Dick
Burton over Guhl
Ripperger over Mata
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Parris, Cornwell, McClaine, Burton
 
The Alpha Dog:
Mason Parris
 
285
 
Three ranked wrestlers, as well as a former state qualifier, lead the field at heavyweight in New Castle. Defending state runner-up #9 Robert Samuels of Lawrence North was a semistate champion last year and a state qualifier the year before. He is one of the smallest, most physically vascular and ripped heavyweights you will ever see. Strangely, he has struggled somewhat this year, dropping 5 matches and losing at regionals. Still, he was a two seed last year as well, and it worked out pretty well for him. He is still a strong candidate to finish high at state. #10 Elijah Bailey of North Central has had a phenomenal season, which includes a couple of impressive wins over Samuels. Look for them to lock horns yet again, this time in the semistate finals. #17 Peyton Wuerch of Mount Vernon faces returning state qualifier Austin Dollens of Westfield in the opening round for the 2nd year in a row. Dollens got him 3-0 last year and rolled all the way to state. Wuerch will be looking for payback. Unfortunately for each, the winner gets Samuels in the ticket round. Clark Minges of East Central is a former three time ticket rounder for Union County.
 
Last year's champ: Robert Samuels, Lawrence North
 
Feature matchups:
 
#17 Wuerch vs. Austin Dollens, Westfield (Opening round) – Dollens used his large frame and nimble feet to win a lot of close matches last year. He'll be seeking to repeat his performance from last year against Wuerch, and it will be interesting to see if Dollens holds an advantage with the big win last year, or if Wuerch is hungry and looking for payback. Again, it's slightly moot, as the winner gets Samuels to advance to BLF.
 
Jaden Powell, Speedway vs. Juggernaut Williams, Carmel (Opening round) – Both were semistate qualifiers last season, with Powell making it to the ticket round. Powell has the superior record, while Williams has the superior schedule.
 
Clark Minges, East Central / Marcus Stone, Elwood vs. Connor Bettis, Rockville / Steve Woolbright, Perry Meridian (Ticket round) – Minges, Bettis and Woolbright are all seniors with strong records and Stone is a big, agile heavyweight who could surprise. Look for Minges or Woolbright to lock up for a ticket.
 
#9 Samuels vs. #10 Bailey (Finals) – They met at sectionals and regionals, as well as during the regular season. They are both on the smaller, more agile side, although neither seems to be overpowered during matches against larger opponents. Each is capable of a strong state run, but each is also capable of getting knocked off by a beefier opponent on Friday night as well.
 
1st round picks:
Dollens over Wuerch
Samuels over Robinson
Powell over Williams
Selm over Obst
Minges over Stone
Woolbright over Bettis
Bailey over Wisner
Kunkelman over Roland
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Samuels, Bailey, Powell, Woolbright
 
The Alpha Dog:
Robert Samuels

2549 7
2019-2020 Genius Ratings
Here are Genius Ratings for the full season of 2019-20 in Indiana. Remember that they use the same baseline mathematical system that is used by mainstream sports websites' "computer ratings" and by Las Vegas in determining point spreads. These ratings consider every dual and tournament in the IndianaMat database for the whole year, with the exception of some specific early-season results for teams that played football late. The difference in rating between two teams represents roughly the expected point spread if those two teams wrestled a dual. Multiply that same point spread by 3 to estimate the favored team's expected gap in a tournament. 
 
 
Rank Team Rating SoS SoS Rank 1 Evansville Mater Dei 114.90 59.04 15 2 Indianapolis Cathedral 109.74 59.53 12 3 Brownsburg 104.74 61.47 4 4 Warren Central 99.62 56.94 18 5 Carmel 98.96 64.37 3 6 Crown Point 96.83 53.17 29 7 Chesterton 93.77 60.56 8 8 Perry Meridian 89.21 61.13 5 9 Mishawaka 86.07 60.12 9 10 East Central 85.79 29.73 176 11 Northridge 82.95 40.58 104 12 Franklin Community 79.75 53.90 25 13 Harrison (WL) 78.15 44.73 76 14 Roncalli 77.93 49.60 51 15 Avon 77.23 70.59 1 16 Hobart 75.64 49.57 52 17 Carroll(Fort Wayne) 73.08 52.12 33 18 Mount Vernon (Fortville) 73.01 41.29 97 19 Westfield 72.42 53.50 27 20 North Posey 71.99 36.92 125 21 Merrillville 71.96 51.20 39 22 Garrett 71.48 42.63 91 23 Columbus East 71.38 58.28 16 24 Bellmont 70.64 52.12 32 25 Penn 69.63 56.48 19 26 Terre Haute South 69.54 32.70 160 27 Hamilton Southeastern 67.50 50.10 47 28 Zionsville 67.32 59.09 14 29 Columbia City 66.90 48.57 56 30 Portage 66.42 50.05 48 31 Oak Hill 66.40 25.92 215 32 Center Grove 65.20 56.22 22 33 Franklin Central 63.75 52.09 34 34 Norwell 61.98 43.72 83 35 Western 61.91 37.26 121 36 Greenfield-Central 61.23 52.07 35 37 Jimtown 61.15 41.20 98 38 Lake Central 60.18 56.25 21 39 Bloomington South 58.92 65.54 2 40 Wawasee 58.53 47.98 61 41 Floyd Central 58.30 50.72 41 42 Mount Vernon (Posey) 58.27 32.28 163 43 Greencastle 57.82 23.68 243 44 Kokomo 57.80 26.68 207 45 Centerville 56.63 12.03 305 46 Fishers 56.35 38.97 111 47 South Bend Riley 54.42 48.84 55 48 Edgewood 54.38 42.64 90 49 Castle 54.11 46.82 66 50 Plymouth 53.83 50.19 45 51 New Prairie 53.47 16.20 285 52 Southport 52.71 27.42 201 53 LaPorte 52.60 60.58 7 54 New Palestine 52.46 48.14 59 55 Goshen 52.09 56.10 23 56 Peru 51.90 40.71 102 57 Evansville Memorial 51.69 52.03 36 58 Homestead 51.44 34.51 140 59 Mooresville 51.30 53.58 26 60 Fort Wayne Snider 51.26 48.31 58 61 Bluffton 51.15 22.13 255 62 NorthWood 50.71 41.63 96 63 Delta 50.62 40.96 101 64 Wabash 49.87 37.27 120 65 Jeffersonville 49.65 59.69 11 66 Southmont 49.62 23.44 246 67 Plainfield 49.46 48.48 57 68 Martinsville 49.01 43.44 86 69 Lowell 49.01 49.98 49 70 Southridge 48.95 37.64 116 71 Ben Davis 48.79 43.73 82 72 North Central 48.49 51.87 38 73 Pendleton Heights 48.39 43.89 79 74 Monrovia 48.00 26.94 204 75 Warsaw 47.46 47.59 63 76 Tell City 47.39 37.79 115 77 Charlestown 47.19 40.19 106 78 McCutcheon 47.07 42.81 88 79 Valparaiso 47.04 50.75 40 80 Hamilton Heights 46.58 32.40 162 81 Lawrence North 46.37 45.86 72 82 Evansville Reitz 46.29 43.83 80 83 Leo 44.19 40.07 107 84 Frankton 43.99 21.36 260 85 Fairhaven 43.74 33.20 153 86 Maconaquah 43.48 21.50 259 87 Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger 43.34 33.99 144 88 Gibson Southern 43.32 54.91 24 89 Prairie Heights 43.32 41.06 100 90 Jasper 42.81 34.50 141 91 Boonville 42.55 22.07 257 92 Decatur Central 42.11 41.14 99 93 Terre Haute North 41.69 26.48 211 94 West Vigo 41.64 34.19 143 95 Huntington North 41.61 47.65 62 96 Alexandria 41.47 12.50 304 97 Churubusco 41.17 30.41 172 98 Adams Central 40.32 34.76 137 99 Tippecanoe Valley 39.72 16.86 282 100 Manchester 39.66 16.27 284 101 Cowan 39.35 14.01 298 102 Elkhart Central 38.69 46.78 67 103 Marion 38.56 17.76 273 104 Noblesville 38.53 49.61 50 105 Lawrenceburg 38.42 23.85 240 106 Anderson 38.04 29.22 182 107 Evansville Central 37.97 51.87 37 108 Eastside 37.72 28.13 190 109 Jennings County 37.70 43.50 85 110 Jay County 37.58 35.42 132 111 Rensselaer Central 37.13 14.05 296 112 Whiteland 37.11 34.71 138 113 Fremont 36.85 19.99 268 114 Winamac 36.00 10.13 306 115 Frankfort 35.64 22.30 254 116 DeKalb 35.07 31.68 167 117 Madison 34.88 6.23 309 118 Heritage Hills 34.62 47.05 65 119 Greenwood 34.57 48.10 60 120 Attica 33.35 19.38 269 121 Lebanon 33.29 50.42 44 122 Lafayette Jefferson 33.18 25.27 227 123 New Haven 32.94 37.16 122 124 Eastern (Greentown) 32.83 29.71 177 125 Milan 32.03 14.03 297 126 Sullivan 31.69 45.95 71 127 South Dearborn 31.54 39.98 108 128 East Noble 31.49 43.77 81 129 Rushville 31.39 27.70 194 130 Kankakee Valley 31.32 29.05 185 131 Northview 31.31 30.93 171 132 Elkhart Memorial 31.00 60.83 6 133 South Adams 30.96 24.14 237 134 Evansville North 30.72 59.72 10 135 South Bend Adams 30.56 57.48 17 136 Highland 30.36 26.14 213 137 Daleville 29.85 18.09 271 138 Hammond Gavit 29.80 46.21 69 139 West Noble 29.78 32.72 159 140 Bloomington North 29.44 42.20 93 141 Indianapolis Lutheran 29.09 36.17 130 142 Beech Grove 28.16 33.82 148 143 Concord 27.65 45.15 74 144 Indianapolis Scecina 27.48 25.81 218 145 Eastern (Pekin) 25.88 2.82 311 146 Lawrence Central 25.06 37.40 119 147 North Montgomery 24.72 43.62 84 148 Fort Wayne Concordia 24.71 23.39 247 149 Monroe Central 24.57 13.66 300 150 Richmond 23.93 33.00 155 151 Western Boone 23.70 17.66 274 152 South Vermillion 23.64 9.75 307 153 River Forest 23.62 25.31 226 154 Corydon Central 23.31 17.15 276 155 Southern Wells 23.19 21.25 261 156 Rochester 22.37 34.27 142 157 Indian Creek 22.37 49.43 53 158 Pike 21.97 27.22 202 159 North Newton 21.93 12.75 303 160 New Castle 21.71 39.58 109 161 Knightstown 21.63 13.83 299 162 Cascade 21.10 22.78 252 163 Madison-Grant 20.91 28.39 189 164 Seymour 20.60 50.14 46 165 John Glenn 20.22 17.09 277 166 Purdue Polytechnic 19.55 13.16 302 167 Brown County 19.42 38.41 114 168 Angola 19.31 42.82 87 169 Seeger 19.29 13.44 301 170 Lafayette Central Catholic 19.20 29.55 180 171 Northwestern 18.91 26.61 208 172 Sheridan 18.42 24.01 239 173 Owen Valley 18.22 36.79 126 174 Franklin County 18.11 45.08 75 175 Union City 18.07 26.52 210 176 Shenandoah 18.02 14.48 293 177 Cloverdale 17.87 17.52 275 178 Crawfordsville 17.48 32.75 158 179 Vincennes Lincoln 17.44 52.49 30 180 Twin Lakes 17.28 33.30 152 181 Triton Central 17.21 32.80 157 182 Lake Station Edison 17.18 37.14 123 183 Griffith 17.08 28.13 191 184 Calumet 16.66 31.09 169 185 LaVille 16.55 6.01 310 186 Hebron 15.73 20.24 265 187 West Lafayette 15.67 25.84 217 188 Guerin Catholic 15.47 31.71 166 189 Columbus North 15.21 53.34 28 190 Benton Central 15.04 15.42 287 191 Woodlan 14.90 28.98 186 192 Cass 14.32 16.91 280 193 Faith Christian 14.02 14.38 295 194 Pike Central 13.98 44.65 77 195 Culver Academies 13.94 56.31 20 196 Munster 13.36 31.90 165 197 Cambridge City Lincoln 12.68 29.61 178 198 Hanover Central 12.62 27.67 195 199 Danville 12.57 42.68 89 200 Connersville 12.48 24.68 233 201 Northfield 12.21 36.52 127 202 East Chicago Central 12.03 25.80 219 203 Evansville Harrison 11.91 23.10 251 204 Mississinewa 11.79 38.56 113 205 Fort Wayne South Side 11.54 20.35 264 206 Princeton 11.09 42.05 94 207 Wheeler 11.02 25.71 222 208 Lapel 11.01 22.74 253 209 Clinton Prairie 10.78 16.65 283 210 Carroll (Flora) 10.59 21.24 262 211 Illiana Christian 10.45 41.78 95 212 Tecumseh 9.65 50.45 43 213 New Albany 9.24 46.19 70 214 Shelbyville 9.16 40.30 105 215 Winchester 8.87 24.05 238 216 Batesville 8.65 33.83 147 217 South Bend Washington 8.64 27.56 200 218 Yorktown 8.43 35.47 131 219 Forest Park 8.15 49.15 54 220 Tri-Central 7.58 23.74 241 221 Bedford North Lawrence 7.40 33.31 151 222 Northeastern 7.12 26.11 214 223 South Spencer 6.79 45.29 73 224 Logansport 6.38 31.41 168 225 Fort Wayne Wayne 6.38 24.90 232 226 Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter 6.14 29.35 181 227 Lakeland 6.11 26.84 205 228 Indianapolis Arsenal Tech 4.98 23.20 250 229 Rossville 4.81 25.24 228 230 North Putnam 4.21 36.21 129 231 Southwestern (Hanover) 3.38 38.63 112 232 Speedway 3.09 37.60 118 233 Delphi 2.56 18.55 270 234 Tipton 1.98 32.81 156 235 Indiana Deaf 1.85 26.72 206 236 Brebeuf Jesuit 1.39 44.44 78 237 Fairfield 1.13 42.59 92 238 Muncie Central 1.05 26.29 212 239 Bremen 1.03 6.49 308 240 West Central 1.00 25.64 223 241 Covington 0.94 24.27 235 242 Fort Wayne Northrop 0.80 24.25 236 243 North Knox 0.75 59.25 13 244 Hammond Morton -0.51 29.85 174 245 Heritage -0.69 27.86 193 246 Fountain Central -0.69 23.60 245 247 South Bend Clay -0.81 35.24 133 248 Andrean -1.84 33.33 150 249 Union County -1.98 33.15 154 250 North Miami -2.02 26.57 209 251 Crawford County -2.12 28.68 188 252 Scottsburg -2.38 33.95 145 253 Greensburg -2.67 32.17 164 254 Gary West Side -3.55 25.39 224 255 Hagerstown -3.73 24.55 234 256 North White -3.79 25.33 225 257 Frontier -4.69 14.92 289 258 Boone Grove -4.76 28.84 187 259 South Newton -4.88 23.32 248 260 Paoli -4.96 25.13 230 261 Central Noble -5.23 40.66 103 262 Indianapolis Howe Academy -5.99 20.62 263 263 Blackford -6.27 29.58 179 264 Elwood -6.43 26.98 203 265 Wes-Del -7.11 27.61 197 266 Hammond Clark -7.60 17.06 278 267 Indianapolis Bishop Chatard -7.73 29.16 183 268 Clinton Central -7.92 36.96 124 269 Culver Community -8.26 15.86 286 270 Wapahani -8.90 25.74 221 271 Eastern Hancock -9.26 27.63 196 272 Hammond -9.53 29.98 173 273 West Washington -9.91 14.42 294 274 Fort Wayne North Side -10.04 32.70 161 275 Triton -10.06 20.20 266 276 Indianapolis Crispus Attucks -10.20 22.13 256 277 Southwood -11.33 33.95 146 278 North Judson -11.57 21.53 258 279 Borden -13.12 25.88 216 280 Michigan City -13.22 52.46 31 281 Providence Cristo Rey -13.22 34.98 134 282 Mitchell -13.53 29.07 184 283 Tri -13.74 27.59 199 284 Fort Wayne Bishop Luers -13.75 16.91 281 285 Salem -14.30 23.70 242 286 Tri-West -14.70 46.38 68 287 Washington -14.76 50.58 42 288 Westview -14.79 30.99 170 289 Eastbrook -15.06 37.62 117 290 Switzerland County -16.45 34.88 135 291 North Harrison -17.22 20.12 267 292 Whitko -17.69 25.23 229 293 South Putnam -18.79 33.58 149 294 Caston -19.26 14.53 292 295 Providence -19.49 28.11 192 296 Knox -19.54 25.79 220 297 Pioneer -21.72 15.23 288 298 South Bend St. Joseph -22.21 34.51 139 299 Taylor -22.70 36.45 128 300 Parke Heritage -22.72 17.85 272 301 Randolph Southern -23.39 17.00 279 302 New Washington -23.89 29.78 175 303 Indianapolis George Washington -26.12 14.68 291 304 Indianapolis Emmerich Manual -27.15 14.76 290 305 Whiting -28.32 24.93 231 306 Evansville Bosse -30.12 47.39 64 307 North Vermillion -33.36 23.64 244 308 Silver Creek -33.78 34.88 136 309 Mishawaka Marian -35.40 27.60 198 310 Victory College Prep -35.86 39.25 110 311 Tri County -42.03 23.22 249
2541 1 3
2019 Super 32 Preview
Over 40 of the best wrestlers from Indiana are heading to North Carolina to take on the Super 32 Challenge this weekend. If you have been living under a rock, this is the toughest high school tournament in the country and some brackets that feature over 150 wrestlers. You will see future NCAA All-Americans not place here and even potentially see some future NCAA Finals matches. Indiana’s representatives feature 35 guys that have qualified for state including five state champions.
History Lesson
Indiana has only had four grapplers take home a belt: Ethan Raley in 2010, Jared Brooks in 2011, Chad Red in 2014, and Blake Rypel in 2015. The first placer was in 2008 when Camden Eppert took 3rd. No Indiana native has placed three times in the high school division, but six wrestlers have placed twice(Blake Rypel, Chad Red, Jason Tsirtsis, Brayton Lee, Joe Lee, and Drew Hughes). Since 2015 Indiana has placed five wrestlers each year at the Super 32 with many others being a round or two from placing.
Click here for a listing of all the past Super 32 placers.
https://indianamat.com/index.php?/history/super32placers.html/
The Contenders
This tournament is deep, REALLY deep and placing here is a huge accomplishment. Some of the weights feature as many as 15 of the top 20 ranked kids so placing top 8 is an extreme accomplishment.
The top contender to bring back a belt is #2 ranked Jesse Mendez. He is fresh off an impressive performance at Who’s #1 and the favorite for a title. Potential match with his first opponent from Who’s #1, Ryan Jack, is off as he has pulled out. Jesse will still be challenged by the 13 others that are nationally ranked in this weight class.
State champ and the only returning Super 32 placer, Brayden Littell is going to look to finish higher than 8th this year. He has shown he can bang with the best and is not flying under the radar this year like he was last year. He’ll likely be seeded which should make his path a little easier to finish higher on the podium
Zeke Seltzer is rolling along this spring, summer, and fall with impressive performances throughout the off-season. He was runner-up at Fargo and then won a loaded weight class at this year’s IHPO. He is in the mix to make a deep run this year. The 120lbs weight class is one of the deepest there is, but he is battle tested and ready to do some damage in Greensboro.
Matt Lee is another one to watch from Indiana. While he will be forgoing the high school season he will be taking one more shot at placing at the Super 32. He has the tools to bring back a belt and could make his last high school event memorable with a title.
Under the Radar
Folks in Indiana know these names, but the following guys are ones I have a sneaky feeling will make deep runs and potentially place in this event. Every year Indiana has a few guys surprise everyone with great performances. Look no further than Nick South’s run to the finals last year or Brayden LIttell finishing 8th in a loaded weight.
Elliott Rodgers is someone we all know and know he’s as tough as they come, but nationally he isn’t as well known. Rodgers’ ability to ride is huge in an event with shortened periods on the first day and in the consolations. He also has a knack to find a way to win. Don’t be surprised to see him finishing high here.
Colton Drousias is an Indiana guy that wrestles in Illinois during the high school season. He has had national success placing at Fargo in 2018. He was a state champion in Illinois last year, so he has the tools to make the podium in Greensboro.
Evan Bates has a very good shot at bringing back some hardware. He burst onto the scene at Fargo placing in both styles after a 3rd place finish at state last year. He’s known now and should make a deep run at 195lbs. The upper weights are as loaded as ever, but usually do not field as deep of a field as the lower and middle weights.
Graham Calhoun has wrestled every where and always shown he is a contender at any tournament he enters. He has been in and out of the national rankings and beaten a lot of the best guys in the country. This could be his year to bring back a medal.
Five state runner-ups from this year all should have deep runs here. Alex Cottey, Alec Viduya, Blake Boarman, Ray Rioux, and Cooper Noehre are all solid grapplers that could make a surprise appearance on the podium. Cottey and Boarman have both had some national success and could surprise some people here. Rioux is an extremely dangerous wrestler that cannot be overlooked by the top guys. Viduya has been in the mix nationally and always wins matches at the big events. Noehre had a breakout season last year and is one that has the tools to place here.
Others to watch
There are many others than I’m gonna keep my eye on that may just find their way to day two and the podium after the dust has settled.
Alec Freeman and Eli Dickens from Mater Dei are both solid wrestlers that have shown they can compete with the best. Logan Bailey has had a fantastic off-season and his ability to ride and turn could pose a hazard for his opponents. Mason Winner had a good GFC this past weekend and like others he is good on the mat which can make a huge difference here. Brock Ellis has had national success and going to be down at 145lbs.
Some incoming freshmen to watch are Sam Goin of Crown Point, Christian Carroll of Penn, and Sergio Lemley who will go to Mount Carmel. They will have tough roads to hoe, but should be on the podium in Greensboro during their careers.
Where to Watch
You can watch the action starting on Saturday on FloWrestling.org. Brackets will be on Arena.FloWrestling.org. You can also check out @IndianaMat on Twitter for updates throughout the weekend.
Indiana also has many wrestlers in the elementary and middle school divisions that hit the mat on Sunday. You can find all the entries and other tournament information at Super32.com.
Indiana Entries
Weight Name School 106 Sam Goin Crown Point, IN 113 Alexzander Cottey Perry Meridian H.S. 113 Cole Ross Evansville Mater Dei 113 Sergio Lemley Mount Carmel 120 Braden Haines Brownsburg high school 120 Christian White New Palestine High School 120 Colton Drousias Chicago - Mount Carmel 120 David Pierson Warren Central High School 120 Giovanni Diaz Wheeler high school 120 Landon Bertsch Bluffton 120 Riley Bettich Crown Point High School 120 Zeke Seltzer Indianapolis Cathedral 126 Alecsander Freeman Mater Dei High School 126 Brayden Littell Center grove 126 Hayden Watson Center Grove High School 126 Kysen Montgomery Brownsburg 126 Stephen Roberson Jr Crown Point 132 Blake Boarman Evansville Mater Dei 132 Jesse Mendez Crown Point 132 Raymond Rioux Avon High School 138 Anthony Poindexter Jr. Harrison High School 138 Aundre' Beatty Warren Central High School 138 Drake Campbell Brownsburg 138 Logan Bailey Cathedral High School 145 Alec Viduya Roncalli 145 Brady Mckivitz Perry Meridian High School 145 Brock Ellis Chesterton High School 145 Jaden Reynolds Avon High School 145 Kailan Keith Ben Davis 152 Brice Coleman Warren Central High School 152 Matthew Lee Lee Homeschool 152 Nick Buchanan Coldwater 152 Tristen Hood Harrison (WL) 160 Christian Carroll Penn High School 160 Cooper Noehre Greenfield Central  160 Eli Dickens Mater Dei 160 Elliott Rodgers Indianapolis Cathedral 160 Isiah Levitz Prairie Heights 170 Graham Calhoun Plymouth 182 Joseph Walker Mishawaka High School 182 Mason Winner Jay County High School 195 Evan Bates Chesterton High School 195 Robert Bowman Mount carmel high schol  

2539 18
Who do you want in your corner at state? 2021 Version
Last year this article produced many comments and since it was so popular, let's bring it back. Over the course of the state finals we have seen the placers grow from 4 to 6 to 8. With the addition of the 7th place match came the dreaded Friday night do or die match. Coaches make a living on Friday night getting kids on the stand. Year after year we notice a lot of the same teams with wrestlers on the podium. However, how good are these coaches at getting kids on the stand, to the semi-finals, or even finals? Well, you neighborhood gorilla has crunched the data and has it for everyone to see. 
 
You can view all the data for both Friday and Saturday success
Click here to view
 
Current coaches with 10 or more qualifiers sorted by winning percentage.

Coach Total Qualifiers Total Placers Friday % Wade McClurg 15 13 86.67% Maurice Swain 13 10 76.92% Sean McGinley 108 83 76.85% Brian Weaver 12 9 75.00% Darrick Snyder 92 68 73.91% Chris Cooper 33 24 72.73% Matt Schoettle 25 17 68.00% David Maldonado 83 55 66.27% Jim Tonte 106 70 66.04% Joshua Holden 20 13 65.00% Kevin Blundell 11 7 63.64% Branden Lorek 22 14 63.64% Zach Errett 24 15 62.50% Frank Bumgardner 10 6 60.00% Greg Schaefer 77 46 59.74% Dan Briggs 19 11 57.89% Bill Flatt 23 13 56.52% Ed Pendoski 71 39 54.93% Tony Abbott 31 17 54.84% Eric Myers 23 12 52.17% Bob Harmon 58 29 50.00% Brandon Sisson 12 6 50.00% Randy Kearby 34 17 50.00% Chris Joll 55 26 47.27% Lou Silverman 36 17 47.22% Mike Runyon 17 8 47.06% Jim Pickard 41 19 46.34% Louie Kuzdas 25 11 44.00% Clint Gard 16 7 43.75% Brad Harper 64 27 42.19% Scott Ferguson 38 16 42.11% Rod Williams 12 5 41.67% Chad Shepherd 22 9 40.91% Steve Pugliese 22 9 40.91% Larry Mattingly 32 13 40.63% Brett Smith 10 4 40.00% Dan Mikesell 15 6 40.00% Brett Smith 10 4 40.00% Tony Currie 10 4 40.00% Tony Currie 10 4 40.00% Dave Cloud 28 11 39.29% Andy Hobbs 41 16 39.02% Danny Struck 18 7 38.89% Dean Branstetter 16 6 37.50% Paul Gunsett 17 6 35.29% Doug Smoker 20 7 35.00% Blane Culp 12 4 33.33% Jamie Welliever 12 4 33.33% Tim Alcorn 10 3 30.00% Jim Wadkins 22 6 27.27% Andrew King 23 6 26.09% Steven Sandefer 12 3 25.00% Steven Sandefer 12 3 25.00% Nick Kraus 14 3 21.43% Tom Miller 17 2 11.76%  
Current coaches with more than 10 qualifiers getting wrestlers to the semi-finals by winning percentage

Coach Current School Qual Placer Semi-Finalists Qual to Semis Wade McClurg Roncalli 15 13 10 66.67% Zach Errett Avon 24 15 11 45.83% Dan Briggs Carroll (Fort Wayne) 19 11 9 47.37% Matt Schoettle Perry Meridian 25 17 12 48.00% Sean McGinley Indianapolis Cathedral 108 83 56 51.85% Darrick Snyder Brownsburg 92 68 46 50.00% Steve Pugliese Tri-West 22 9 6 27.27% Jim Tonte Franklin Community 106 70 40 37.74% David Maldonado Merrillville 83 55 30 36.14% Bob Harmon Castle 58 29 18 31.03% Chris Cooper Columbus East 33 24 15 45.45% Steven Sandefer Mishawaka 12 3 2 16.67% Maurice Swain Center Grove 13 10 5 38.46% Joshua Holden Greenfield-Central 20 13 3 15.00% Chris Joll Chesterton 55 26 11 20.00% Greg Schaefer Evansville Mater Dei 77 46 26 33.77% Dave Cloud Pendleton Heights 28 11 6 21.43% Nick Kraus Garrett 14 3 3 21.43% Ed Pendoski Carmel 71 39 20 28.17% Branden Lorek Crown Point 22 14 6 27.27% Brad Harper Penn 64 27 10 15.63% Frank Bumgardner Wawasee 10 6 2 20.00% Tim Alcorn Mount Vernon (Posey) 10 3 2 20.00% Kevin Blundell Monrovia 11 7 2 18.18% Jim Wadkins Calumet 22 6 3 13.64% Randy Kearby Evansville Central 34 17 7 20.59% Brandon Sisson Floyd Central 12 6 3 25.00% Brian Weaver Elkhart Memorial 12 9 2 16.67% Rod Williams Leo 12 5 1 8.33% Andy Hobbs Peru 41 16 7 17.07% Dan Mikesell Mooresville 15 6 3 20.00% Paul Gunsett Bellmont 17 6 2 11.76% Lou Silverman North Central 36 17 5 13.89% Danny Struck Jeffersonville 18 7 2 11.11% Chad Shepherd Western 22 9 3 13.64% Bill Flatt South Bend Riley 23 13 8 34.78% Eric Myers Jay County 23 12 4 17.39% Tony Abbott Cowan 31 17 5 16.13% Larry Mattingly Evansville Memorial 32 13 3 9.38% Jim Pickard Goshen 41 19 5 12.20% Mike Runyon Bloomington South 17 8 3 17.65% Brett Smith Prairie Heights 10 4 1 10.00% Doug Smoker Eastside 20 7 2 10.00% Tony Currie Adams Central 10 4 1 10.00% Scott Ferguson Evansville Reitz 38 16 3 7.89% Dean Branstetter Attica 16 6 1 6.25% Louie Kuzdas LaPorte 25 11 1 4.00% Andrew King Oak Hill 23 6 0 0.00% Blane Culp Columbia City 12 4 0 0.00% Clint Gard Rochester 16 7 0 0.00% Tom Miller Lafayette Jefferson 17 2 0 0.00% Jamie Welliever Southmont 12 4 0 0.00%  
Current coaches with more than 10 qualifiers getting wrestlers to the finals by winning percentage

Coach Current School Qual Place Finalists Qual to Finals Wade McClurg Roncalli 15 13 5 33.33% Zach Errett Avon 24 15 8 33.33% Dan Briggs Carroll (Fort Wayne) 19 11 6 31.58% Matt Schoettle Perry Meridian 25 17 7 28.00% Sean McGinley Indianapolis Cathedral 108 83 29 26.85% Darrick Snyder Brownsburg 92 68 22 23.91% Steve Pugliese Tri-West 22 9 5 22.73% Jim Tonte Franklin Community 106 70 24 22.64% David Maldonado Merrillville 83 55 18 21.69% Bob Harmon Castle 58 29 11 18.97% Chris Cooper Columbus East 33 24 6 18.18% Steven Sandefer Mishawaka 12 3 2 16.67% Maurice Swain Center Grove 13 10 2 15.38% Joshua Holden Greenfield-Central 20 13 3 15.00% Chris Joll Chesterton 55 26 8 14.55% Greg Schaefer Evansville Mater Dei 77 46 11 14.29% Dave Cloud Pendleton Heights 28 11 4 14.29% Nick Kraus Garrett 14 3 2 14.29% Ed Pendoski Carmel 71 39 10 14.08% Branden Lorek Crown Point 22 14 3 13.64% Brad Harper Penn 64 27 7 10.94% Frank Bumgardner Wawasee 10 6 1 10.00% Tim Alcorn Mount Vernon (Posey) 10 3 1 10.00% Kevin Blundell Monrovia 11 7 1 9.09% Jim Wadkins Calumet 22 6 2 9.09% Randy Kearby Evansville Central 34 17 3 8.82% Brandon Sisson Floyd Central 12 6 1 8.33% Brian Weaver Elkhart Memorial 12 9 1 8.33% Rod Williams Leo 12 5 1 8.33% Andy Hobbs Peru 41 16 3 7.32% Dan Mikesell Mooresville 15 6 1 6.67% Paul Gunsett Bellmont 17 6 1 5.88% Lou Silverman North Central 36 17 2 5.56% Danny Struck Jeffersonville 18 7 1 5.56% Chad Shepherd Western 22 9 1 4.55% Bill Flatt South Bend Riley 23 13 1 4.35% Eric Myers Jay County 23 12 1 4.35% Tony Abbott Cowan 31 17 1 3.23% Larry Mattingly Evansville Memorial 32 13 1 3.13% Jim Pickard Goshen 41 19 1 2.44% Mike Runyon Bloomington South 17 8 0 0.00% Brett Smith Prairie Heights 10 4 0 0.00% Doug Smoker Eastside 20 7 0 0.00% Tony Currie Adams Central 10 4 0 0.00% Scott Ferguson Evansville Reitz 38 16 0 0.00% Dean Branstetter Attica 16 6 0 0.00% Louie Kuzdas LaPorte 25 11 0 0.00% Andrew King Oak Hill 23 6 0 0.00% Blane Culp Columbia City 12 4 0 0.00% Clint Gard Rochester 16 7 0 0.00% Tom Miller Lafayette Jefferson 17 2 0 0.00% Jamie Welliever Southmont 12 4 0 0.00%  
Current Coaches winning percentage under the lights with over 10 state qualifiers

Coach Current School Finalists Champs Lights Jim Wadkins Calumet 2 2 100.00% Bill Flatt South Bend Riley 1 1 100.00% Brandon Sisson Floyd Central 1 1 100.00% Larry Mattingly Evansville Memorial 1 1 100.00% Tony Abbott Cowan 1 1 100.00% Kevin Blundell Monrovia 1 1 100.00% Chris Cooper Columbus East 6 5 83.33% Steve Pugliese Tri-West 5 4 80.00% Bob Harmon Castle 11 8 72.73% Branden Lorek Crown Point 3 2 66.67% Wade McClurg Roncalli 5 3 60.00% Darrick Snyder Brownsburg 22 13 59.09% Greg Schaefer Evansville Mater Dei 11 6 54.55% Jim Tonte Franklin Community 24 12 50.00% David Maldonado Merrillville 18 9 50.00% Ed Pendoski Carmel 10 5 50.00% Chris Joll Chesterton 8 4 50.00% Zach Errett Avon 8 4 50.00% Dan Briggs Carroll (Fort Wayne) 6 3 50.00% Dave Cloud Pendleton Heights 4 2 50.00% Maurice Swain Center Grove 2 1 50.00% Steven Sandefer Mishawaka 2 1 50.00% Brad Harper Penn 7 3 42.86% Sean McGinley Indianapolis Cathedral 29 12 41.38% Joshua Holden Greenfield-Central 3 1 33.33% Matt Schoettle Perry Meridian 7 2 28.57% Andy Hobbs Peru 3 0 0.00% Randy Kearby Evansville Central 3 0 0.00% Lou Silverman North Central 2 0 0.00% Nick Kraus Garrett 2 0 0.00% Chad Shepherd Western 1 0 0.00% Dan Mikesell Mooresville 1 0 0.00% Danny Struck Jeffersonville 1 0 0.00% Eric Myers Jay County 1 0 0.00% Frank Bumgardner Wawasee 1 0 0.00% Jim Pickard Goshen 1 0 0.00% Tim Alcorn Mount Vernon (Posey) 1 0 0.00% Brian Weaver Elkhart Memorial 1 0 0.00% Paul Gunsett Bellmont 1 0 0.00% Rod Williams Leo 1 0 0.00%
2510 23
2019 Evansville Semi-State Preview
By JD Greathouse

Team Race at a Glance
This is a four team race between #1 Mater Dei, #3 Columbus East, #4 Avon, and #12 Brownsburg. Brownsburg sent 14, Mater Dei sent 14, Columbus East sent 14, and Avon sent 13, respectively. Whoever can get the most through, and whoever wins the team title this weekend could be considered the favorite to hoist up the IHSAA team trophy on the floor of Banker’s Life. It looks like Mater Dei has too much firepower down low for any of the other teams to match, however, a few upsets and everything could change. If Mater Dei doesn’t win semi-state this weekend, my crystal ball tells me its Avon.
Ranked Wrestlers Galore
The Ford Center will have 87 state-ranked individuals competing on the floor this weekend. That averages out to 6+ ranked kids per weight class. Did someone say early morning fireworks?
Undefeated Wrestlers
113 Cole Ross (Mater Dei)
120 Noah Gardner (Edgewood)
120 Brayden Littell (Center Grove)
120 Blake Boarman (Mater Dei)
145 Matthew Lee (Mater Dei)
170 Nick South (Columbus East)
182 Carson Brewer (Avon)
182 Levon Bellemy (Edgewood)
195 Will Nunn (Castle)
220 Jacob Bolte (Columbus East)

106
This weight class is relatively wide open with the exception of #3 Alec Freeman of Mater Dei being the heavy favorite to win out at the Ford Center. Two freshman in Logan Miller of Brownsburg and Blaze Garcia of Avon look to challenge the Mater Dei Wildcat. Miller lost a close one to Freeman earlier in the year, and Garcia/Freeman have yet to meet.
The Front Runners
#3/#1 Alec Freeman (Mater Dei)
#8/#2 Logan Miller (Brownsburg)
#3/#12 Blaze Garcia (Avon)
Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch
#3/12 Blaze Garcia (Avon) vs. -#5 Ayden Amento (Evansville Central) OR -/#6 Cole Gentry (Tell City)
Dark Horse(s)
Being relatively unknown and winning regionals, could Milanes pull something out of his back pocket and punch his ticket to #TheBank?
-/- Jainier Milanes (Jasper)
#BankBound Top 4
Although anything can happen in the Ford Center, there shouldn’t be too many wrenches thrown into the 106 bracket this weekend.
#3 Alec Freeman (Mater Dei)
#8 Logan Miller (Brownsburg)
#12 Blaze Garcia (Avon)
Chris Newman (Mt. Vernon Posey)
113
There’s an immense amount of young talent at this weight highlighted by #5 Cole Ross of Mater Dei. Five other competitors are worthy of challenging Ross, but only four will punch their ticket to Banker’s Life on Saturday. There’s two ticket round matches especially intriguing, and after KT Nelson topped Hayden Watson last weekend, who knows what could happen this weekend.
The Front Runners
#5/#1 Cole Ross (Mater Dei)
#6/#3 Ben Dalton (Monrovia)
#8/#4 Hayden Watson (Center Grove)
#9/#2 Gavin Alstott (Floyd Central)
Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch
Here are four state qualifier worthy competitors, and only two will advance. Ross and Castelluccio competed previously this year - Ross the 6-4 winner. Alstott and Watson have yet to compete against each other, but Watson has had more quality competition and better wins. Don’t get too comfortable as the roof could come down early when these guys take the mat.
#5/#1 Cole Ross (Mater Dei) vs. #19/#5 Nicolas Castelluccio (Bloomington South)
#9/#2 Gavin Alstott (Floyd Central) vs. #8/#4 Hayden Watson (Center Grove)
Dark Horse(s)
KT Nelson beat Hayden Watson last weekend in the Mooresville regional final, 6-2. With a very nice draw and Brownsburg wrestling especially well in the postseason it wouldn’t be surprising to see KT Nelson make the finals on Saturday.
#17/#6 KT Nelson (Brownsburg)
#BankBound Top 4
#5 Cole Ross (Mater Dei)
#8 Hayden Watson (Center Grove)
#17 KT Nelson (Brownsburg)
#6 Ben Dalton (Monrovia)
120
What. A. Bracket. 8 of the Top 20 will be here this weekend and the fireworks will start before you can even get in your seat! Conley vs. Scott and Casebolt vs. Montgomery all in round one? Blasphemy. Unfortunately, both Blake Boarman and Brayden Littell were thrown on to the same side of the bracket, so we may see a state finals match in the semifinals at the Ford Center    .
The Front Runners
#1/#2 Brayden Littell (Center Grove)
#2/#1 Blake Boarman (Mater Dei)
Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch
With two wrestlers who have proven themselves worthy of being on the podium next weekend, how could you not want to watch Casebolt vs. Montgomery right away? The winner could make the finals, and better yet, set themselves up for a run to the semifinals in Banker’s Life next weekend. The quarter bracket consisting of Gardner, Conley, and Scott is eye-opening as well as only one will emerge through the smoke and punch their ticket. Will two younger men dethrone Noah Gardner’s last chance at making it on the podium, or will Gardner prevail?
#9/#6 Noah Gardner (Edgewood) vs. #11/#4 Tyler Conley (Avon) OR #20/#7 Sam Scott (Heritage Hills)
#7/#5 Devin Casebolt (Castle) vs. #6/#3 Kysen Montgomery (Brownsburg)
Dark Horse(s)
With so much firepower in one weight, is there truly one dark horse at this weight? Look for Sam Scott to try and break through the first time and qualify for the state tournament.
#20/#7 Sam Scott (Heritage Hills)
#BankBound Top 4
#2 Blake Boarman (Mater Dei)
#6 Kysen Montgomery (Brownsburg)
#1 Brayden Littell (Center Grove)
#11 Tyler Conley (Avon)
126
With the Mooresville regional being loaded with talent, that set up some distasteful draws for this weekend. 6 of the Top 20 are in this bracket with this being Ray Rioux’s bracket to lose. Close behind are Kane Egli, Evan Lawhead, Cade Meier, and J Conway. Egli qualified two seasons ago at 113, and is the favorite to challenge Rioux in the finals.
The Front Runners
#4/#1 Ray Rioux (Avon)
Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch
The quarter bracket with #17 Jeremy Clark, Landon Boe, and #14 Cade Meier is a meat-grinder. Meier and Clark have split on the year, and most likely will wrestle in the ticket round. #16 J Conway beat Meier last week and will have to get through #10 Evan Lawhead to make it to The Bank.
#17/#6 Jeremy Clark (Columbus East) vs. #14/#4 Cade Meier (Bloomington South)
#16/#5 J Conway (Floyd Central) vs. #10/#3 Evan Lawhead (Brownsburg)
Dark Horse(s)
Not a dark horse perse, but J Conway could make the finals this weekend and set himself up to make the podium at Bankers Life as a freshman in a very difficult 126 bracket.
#16/#5 J Conway (Floyd Central)
#BankBound Top 4
#4 Ray Rioux (Avon)
#12 Kane Egli (Mater Dei)
#16 J Conway (Floyd Central)
#14 Cade Meier (Bloomington South)
132
Future Hoosier, Asa Garcia, has ran through in-state competition with his only loss coming in Ohio. Rumor has it coming from #TheCounty is that Asa keeps it rolling this weekend. The battle for second is a 5th place rematch from last year between Logan Boe and Drake Campbell. With a couple of terrible draws in each half of the bracket, this weight could fall apart on Saturday.
The Front Runners
#1/#1 Asa Garcia (Avon)
Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch
Not in the ticket round, but Clay Egli has been cursed with terribly tough first round / ticket round matches throughout the course of his high school career. The senior has yet to qualify for the state tournament. Although Boe is the heavy favorite, Logan Boe vs. Joey Gordon is also a good ticket round match to watch.
#11/#3 Clay Egli (Mater Dei) vs. #18/#5 Tyler Fuqua (Franklin Community)
#7/#2 Logan Boe (Danville) vs. #19/#6 Joey Gordon (Columbus East)
Dark Horse(s)
Joey Gordon has been wrestling tough, and if he can upset Logan Boe, he could make the finals.
#19/#6 Joey Gordon (Columbus East)
#BankBound Top 4
#1 Asa Garcia (Avon)
#9 Drake Campbell (Brownsburg)
#7 Logan Boe (Danville)
#11 Clay Egli (Mater Dei)
138
The top half of this bracket is loaded with four state-ranked wrestlers, and two interesting ticket round matches. The bottom half is relatively wide open with there being only two state ranked wrestlers. An Indiana commit, Cayden Rooks is looking to run through the competition as he has done at 138 all year.
The Front Runners
#1/#1 Cayden Rooks (Columbus East)
Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch
The Mooresville regional is subject to another tough ticket round match between #10 Blaine Mayer and #15 Jayden Reynolds. With #14 Justice Cash getting upset in tiebreakers by #19 Owen Sego, it set up yet another year of Cash getting the short end of the stick with #1 Cayden Rooks. With Cash capable of pulling things out of a hat, if anyone will derail Rooks chances of making it to The Bank, it’s Cash.
#10/#5 Blaine Meyer (Mater Dei) vs. #15/#4 Jayden Reynolds (Avon)
#1/#1 Cayden Rooks (Columbus East) vs. #14/#3 Justice Cash (Bloomington North)
Dark Horse(s)
With the bottom half of this bracket being wide open, and with a win over Justice Cash last week, I feel like we see more from #19 Owen Sego this weekend. If he doesn’t pull an upset over Kreitzer in the semifinals, it should be closer than we expect.
#19/#6 Owen Sego (Indian Creek)
#BankBound Top 4
#1 Cayden Rooks (Columbus East)
#8 Drew Kreitzer (Brownsburg)
#10 Blaine Mayer (Mater Dei)
#19 Owen Sego (Indian Creek)
145
Undefeated on the year, Matt Lee is on a tear and has beat up competition in both Michigan and Indiana. He will be tested by #7 Jonathan Kervin in the semifinals. Down low is a deep half bracket, with three people able to emerge from the smoke in the first quarter bracket. A tussle between #12 Burdon and #15 Fulks also looks to be in store on Saturday morning.
The Front Runners
#1/#1 Matt Lee (Mater Dei)
Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch
The quarter bracket with Law, Hartz, and Koontz is a meat-grinder, but after Koontz fell 5-4 to #7 Kervin last weekend, I am impressed with the Edgewood freshman and look for him to make it through. #12 Burdon vs. #15 Fulks will also be a treat for the fans, but unfortunately not the wrestlers, as both deserve to punch their ticket.
-/#7 Kade Law (Columbus East) vs. -/#6 Brooks Hartz (Castle) OR #18/#8 Matthew Koontz (Edgewood)
#12/#4 LJ Burdon (Plainfield) vs. #15/#2 Jordan Fulks (Boonville)
Dark Horse(s)
On paper Matthew Koontz isn’t a favorite, but as a very talented freshman, I think Koontz will make the finals on Saturday and turn some heads. The freshman had a great Fargo this summer, and after some fall-out at Roncalli is up two weight classes and wrestling at a comfortable weight where I think he will surprise both wrestlers and fans.
#18/#8 Matthew Koontz (Edgewood)
#BankBound Top 4
#1/#1 Matt Lee (Mater Dei)
#18/#8 Matthew Koontz (Edgewood)
#7/#3 Jonathan Kervin (Floyd Central)
#12/#4 LJ Burdon (Plainfield)
152
Eli Dickens is up a few weights from last year, and after having a successful preseason he has continued to climb the ladder. As impressive as he has been, Jake Schoenegge and Nathan Conley look to challenge him in the finals, but he must not overlook South senior Elliston Ross. Ross is incredibly funky, can score a lot of points, and is difficult to score on. This bracket should be interesting, and with a couple tough ticket round matches, definitely a bracket to look forward to.
The Front Runners
#1/#1 Eli Dickens (Mater Dei)
#5/#3 Jake Schoenegge (Columbus East)
Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch
Nathan Conley has had a solid year, but #18 Brad Springer of Southridge has as well and looks to upset the UIndy commit. Springer upset #12 Heckman last weekend in the Bloomington South regional semifinal. #5 Schoenegge and #12 Heckman is also a tough ticket round match. Conley and Schoenegge are both favorites, but with so much talent in the Evansville semi-state anything can happen.
#7/#2 Nathan Conley (Avon) vs. #18/#6 Brad Springer (Southridge)
#5/#3 Jake Schoenegge (Columbus East) vs. #12/#4 Austin Heckman (Edgewood)
Dark Horse(s)
After #18 Springer’s win over #12 Heckman, it would be interesting to see him keep it going. Similarly, the quarter bracket with #15 Ross, Scott, and Hall is as wide open of a quarter bracket as we have seen, and one of those two could potentially derail Ross’s plans of punching his ticket as a senior.
#18/#6 Brad Springer (Southridge)
-/- Devin Scott (Mooresville)
-/- Isaac Hall (Jeffersonville)
#BankBound Top 4
#1 Eli Dickens (Mater Dei)
#5 Jake Schoenegge (Columbus East)
#7 Nathan Conley (Avon)
#15 Elliston Ross (Bloomington South)
160
Seven ranked wrestlers in the Top 20 highlight this bracket. Peyton Pruett is the favorite this weekend, but a rematch from the first weekend between him and Tristan Ruhlman is blooming in the semifinals. Pruett won 4-3 last time, and both have been on a roll since then. All four quarter brackets feature either difficult first round matches or terrible ticket round draws. A very fun bracket to watch, and even more interesting to see how it plays out.
The Front Runners
#4/#1 Peyton Pruett (Center Grove)
#5/#2 Tristan Ruhlman (Bloomington South)
#7/#5 Clay Singleton (Gibson Southern)
Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch
Every single match at this weight is a match to watch, and as previously stated, all four quarter brackets have great first round and ticket round matches to watch. Don’t mind me as I write down four matches here. Sollars had a close match with Ruhlman earlier in the year, #4 vs. #7 in the ticket round, #8 vs. #15 in the ticket round, and a first round match between #20 and #17. This bracket is bonkers!
#5/#2 Tristan Ruhlman (Bloomington South) vs. -/#8 Gabe Sollars (Mater Dei)
#4/#1 Peyton Pruett (Center Grove) vs. #7/#5 Clay Singleton (Gibson Southern)
#8/#3 Robert Deters (Castle) vs. #15/#6 Tucker Schank (Southridge)
#20/- Gavyn Doane (North Knox) vs. #17/#4 Peyton Asbury (Brownsburg)
Dark Horse(s)
The upstart freshman, Gabe Sollars, has had close matches all year, including Ruhlman whom he has in the ticket round. Sollars is capable of pulling a string of upsets this weekend, but would anyone be surprised?
-/#8 Gabe Sollars (Mater Dei)
#BankBound Top 4
#5 Tristan Ruhlman (Bloomington South)
#8 Robert Deters (Castle)
#4 Peyton Pruett (Center Grove)
#17 Peyton Asbury (Brownsburg)
170
This bracket isn’t as exciting as 160, but once the semifinals roll around things will start getting interesting. Blubaugh, South, Jean-Baptist, and Parkinson are all expected to make the finals with relative ease. In a battle of college commits, UIndy commit Blubaugh and IU commit South are expected to throw down in what is probably the fifth time in the last calendar year. Parkinson is the favorite to make the finals out of the bottom half of the bracket.
The Front Runners
#1/#1 Nick South (Columbus East)
Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch
Nothing too intriguing, but a battle of ranked wrestlers goes down in the ticket round with Parkinson and McPike.
#6/#2 Macartney Parkinson (Mater Dei) vs. #19/#6 Brendan McPike (Terre Haute South Vigo)
Dark Horse(s)
No one here too capable of pulling upsets in my opinion, but as always, anything can happen.
#BankBound Top 4
#1 Nick South (Columbus East)
#6 Macartney Parkinson (Mater Dei)
#7 Derek Blubaugh (Bloomington South)
#14 Thierry Jean-Baptist (Brownsburg)
182
This bracket has five state ranked individuals, and a predicted matchup between #1 Carson Brewer and upstart Mustang Levon Bellemy awaits in the finals. Bellemy and Brewer both come in undefeated on the year, and both are contenders to win a state title. A tough ticket round match between #10 Kemper and #9 Carson awaits on the bottom half of the bracket.
The Front Runners
#1/#2 Carson Brewer (Avon)
#3/#1 Levon Bellemy (Edgewood)
Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch
With a combined three losses between the two, #10 Kemper and #9 Carson is an unfortunate matchup in the ticket round. Carson is a senior and this is his last go at making it on the floor of Banker’s Life, and Kemper looks to derail those plans. #11 Rodgers will be tested in the first round against 2018 state qualifier Presson. The winner of that match will challenge Brewer to punch their ticket.
#10/#4 McKinley Kemper (Evansville Central) vs. #9/#3 Trizton Carson (Danville)
#1/#2 Carson Brewer (Avon) vs. #11/#5 Phoenix Rodgers (Heritage Hills) OR -/- Wade Presson (Bloomington South)
Dark Horse(s)
With not one state ranked individual in the top quarter bracket, senior Will Nix looks to slide his way on the Bankers Life floor next weekend.
-/#6 Will Nix (Martinsville)
#BankBound Top 4
#3 Levon Bellemy (Edgewood)
#1 Carson Brewer (Avon)
#9 Trizon Carson (Danville)
Will Nix (Martinsville)
195
There are five ranked wrestlers in this bracket, but no ticket round matches expected to be especially intriguing. #4 Nunn and #5 Willham are expected to meet in the semifinals, with the winner to face either #16 Wampler or #17 Kenny / NR Carrier. This weight should be pretty chalky, but getting into the upperweights, anything can happen.
The Front Runners
#4/#1 Will Nunn (Castle)
#5/#2 Nick Willhalm (Greenwood)
Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch
In a battle of seniors, Carrier and Kenny duke it out in round one with the winner expected to punch their ticket, and challenge Wampler in the semifinals. Similarly, in a battle of state ranked individuals, Nunn and Hardy square off, although Nunn is considered the heavy favorite.
-/#4 Dylan Carrier (Evansville Central) vs. #17/- Dakari Kenny (Pike)
#4/#1 Will Nunn (Castle) vs. #19/#8 Destin Hardy (North Knox)
Dark Horse(s)
Stine has wrestled close matches all year, and will most likely wrestle Bloomington South transfer Nolan Wampler. Wampler has been relatively dominant, but as two seniors, I can see Stine potentially pulling an upset.
-/#7 Griffin Stine (Martinsville)
#BankBound Top 4
#4 Will Nunn (Castle)
#16 Nolan Wampler (Bloomington South)
#5 Nick Willham (Greenwood)
#17 Dakari Kenny (Pike)
220
Six state ranked grapplers headline this weight class with #1 Jacob Bolte the favorite to run through the Ford Center on Saturday. His biggest test will come early in the ticket round against #7 Micah Dodson, who fell to #12 Lawson Aiken last weekend. Three tough ticket round matches highlight this weight, so when the big boys come around make sure you stay in your seat and don’t go running to the bathroom.
The Front Runners
#1/#1 Jacob Bolte (Columbus East)
Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch
Fireworks are on deck in the ticket round as two people who should be on the podium in Bolte and Dodson wrestle in the ticket round, and then four other state worthy individuals duke it out in order to punch their ticket to #TheBank.
#13/#5 Will Stewart (South Spencer) vs. #11/#3 Jayden Williams (Avon)
#1/#1 Jacob Bolte (Columbus East) vs. #7/#2 Micah Dodson (Martinsville)
#12/#4 Lawson Aiken (Brownsburg) vs. #19/#6 Macray Robinson (Gibson Southern)
Dark Horse(s)
Josh Howell won regionals last week and does not have another state or semi-state ranked opponent in the ticket round. He’s the favorite to advance, and could potentially keep it close with the Aiken / Robinson winner.
-/#7 Josh Howell (Terre Haute South Vigo)
#BankBound Top 4
#1 Jacob Bolte (Columbus East)
#12 Lawson Aiken (Brownsburg)
#11 Jayden Williams (Avon)
Josh Howell (Terre Haute South Vigo)
285
Similar to 220, 6 ranked guys highlight this weight class, with a regional rematch between #3 Dorian Keys and #4 Muhammad Sidibe planned to go down in the finals. The bottom quarter bracket features three semi-state ranked grapplers, two of which are ranked in the state. The winner will test Keys in the semifinals. Adversely, Sidibe will be tested in the ticket round by #14 Haire. This is a great way to finish out the day as the big boys have great matches to watch all weekend.
The Front Runners
#3/#2 Dorian Keys (Brownsburg)
#4/#1 Muhammad Sidibe (Ben Davis)
Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch
Two ticket round tussles feature state ranked wrestlers looking to punch their tickets. Gentry vs. Kramer is a #16 vs. #20, and Haire vs. Sidibe is #14 vs. #4. Another one to not overlook is Biddle vs. Breivogel on the top quarter bracket. Upsets are brewing southwest and all you have to do is make the trip to the Ford Center!
#15/#8 Jack Biddle (Plainfield) vs. -/#7 Aaron Breivogel (Gibson Southern)
#14/#4 Allen Haire (Terre Haute South Vigo) vs. #4/#1 Muhammad Sidibe (Ben Davis)
#16/#3 Robbie Gentry (Mooresville) vs. #20/#6 Wyatt Kramer (Southridge)
Dark Horse(s)
Brevogel has been quiet this year, but the match between him and Biddle should send him to state. Breivogel lost 1-0 to Biddle previously this year. Should Brevogel derail Biddle’s plans to make it on the floor of Banker’s Life as a senior?
-/#7 Aaron Breivogel (Gibson Southern)
#BankBound Top 4
#3 Dorian Keys (Brownsburg)
#4 Muhammad Sidibe (Ben Davis
#20 Wyatt Kramer (Southridge)
Aaron Breivogel (Gibson Southern)

2507 6
Luke Blanton Takes Big 10 Wrestler of the Week Honors
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Big Ten Conference announced Tuesday the winner of this week's Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honor. Indiana sophomore Luke Blanton (149) picked up his first career weekly award.
 
Blanton had one of the best weekends of his young Indiana career. On December 11, at 20th-ranked Minnesota, Blanton came from behind to upset No. 10 Jake Short in the penultimate bout of the dual. Blanton was behind 6-4 after two periods, then surged ahead with an 11-4 third round in his favor. Blanton sealed the win with a clutch takedown and a two-point nearfall on the edge of the mat with 30 seconds remaining. The win also lifted Indiana to a 19-18 team win over Minnesota, their first Big Ten dual win since 2011.
 
On Sunday, December 13, the Hoosiers took on Eastern Michigan, a team on the brink of cracking the national top 25. Indiana battled to a hard-earned 25-9 win over the Eagles, highlighted by Blanton's win over No. 16 Nicholas Barber in the 149 lbs. bout. Blanton took the dual win on a 4-0 decision, in which the Hoosier displayed excellent defensive work.
 
With this award, Blanton becomes the first Hoosier this season to win the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honor. He's the first Hoosier to win the award since NCAA runner-up Taylor Walsh (December 31, 2014).
 
The pair of wins garnered national recognition for Blanton. He rose to the No. 20 spot in the latest Asics FloRankings, and sits at 29th in the latest Dual Impact Index polls.
 
After a strong 3-0 weekend, Indiana earned their first national rankings of the season. The Hoosiers are 20th in the latest InterMat team dual rankings, and 22nd in the USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll.
 
The Hoosiers return to action on Sunday, December 20, when they'll take part in the Reno Tournament of Champions in Reno, Nev.
 
2015-16 Wrestlers of the Week
Nov. 3 Nathan Tomasello, So., OSU
Nov. 10 Brett Pfarr, Jr., MINN
Nov. 17 Sammy Brooks, Jr., IOWA
Nov. 24 Bo Nickal, Fr., PSU
Dec. 1 Isaiah Martinez, So., ILL
Dec. 8 Micah Jordan, Fr., OSU
Dec. 15 Luke Blanton, So., IND