High School News

865 articles in this category

572
Pound for Pound Rankings 1/5/2009
IndianaMat.com Pound for Pound Rankings 1/5/2009
1. Cashe Quiroga
2. Sean McMurray
3. Josh Harper
4. Jason Tsirtsis
5. Eric Roach
6. Marcus Shrwesbury
6. Brandon Wright
8. Steven Sandefer
9. Camden Eppert
10. Briar Runyan
 
Honorable Mention
Braden Atwood
Justin Brooks
Kyle Mosier
Michael Duckworth
Adam Chalfant
Kyle Ayersman
Ethan Raley
Mark Meyers
Anthony Hawkins
 
Discuss this on the messageboard

714
Toe to Joe with Steven Sandefer
[caption id=attachment_209" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Mishawaka's Steven Sandefer][/caption]
 
One of this week's two Toe to Joe's is with reigning 140lbs state champion Steven Sandefer of Mishawaka.  He is coming off a great week after winning the Al Smith Invitational, which included two pins in 8 seconds and 14 seconds.
 
1. How did you get started wrestling and how many years have you been wrestling?
When a kid on my little league baseball team(Jeremiah Maggart) got me started.  I have been wrestling for nine years.
 
2. What other interests/hobbies/sports do you participate in outside of wrestling?
I did play football until this year and I play rugby.

3. Who is the toughest wrestler you have faced and why?
Marshall Peppleman of Central Dauphin, PA, the kid is a stud!
 
4. Describe what it was like to win a team state title last year after finishing runner-up the previous year.
It felt pretty awesome, like we finally set things right.  It was a big relief!
 
5. What sport is your favorite and why?
Wrestling, it has taken me the farthest in life and paid for my college.
 
6. What is the most memorable match you have wrestled and why?
Winning my first state title my first year wrestling at Greco state.  I had to pin or tech my opponent to win and I ended up teching him.
 
7. You're in the third period in the state finals and down by one point with 30 seconds left and on your feet, what move are you going to hit to bring home the championship?
I'll take whatever he gives me, I'll keep pressuring him until he makes a mistake.
 
8. Who is the most influential person in your life? Why?
My dad, he has taught me a lot and has guided me through life and put me in the best position for college wrestling.
 
9. Do you have any superstitions or routines when it comes to wrestling?
My shoes have to feel perfect.  I might adjust them a few times.
 
10. What makes wrestling so great?
It's an individual and team sport.  You get to find out how tough you really are mentally and push the wrestlers around you.

939
Toe to Joe with Josh Harper
[caption id=attachment_215" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Mishawaka's Josh Harper][/caption]
 
The second Toe to Joe this week is with three-time state champion Josh Harper of Mishawaka.  Harper is looking to become only the eighth four-time state champion in Indiana history this season.
 
1. How did you get started wrestling and how many years have you been wrestling?
My brother wrestled so I joined a club in Springfield, Illinois in second grade.
 
2. What other interests/hobbies/sports do you participate in outside of wrestling?
I'm in Stay In Bounds and I love having fun with friends.
 
3. Who is the toughest wrestler you have faced and why?
Tough question, probably Frankie Porras or Cashe Quiroga because I wrestle them a lot.
 
4. Looking forward to college, what excites you the most about wrestling for Michigan State and in the Big 10?
DI, toughest conference, everyone is good, its true competition
 
5. What state title is the one you cherish the most?
Winning my freshman year
 
6. What is the most memorable match you have wrestled and why?
Pinning John Sims to seal the win for our Team State title.
 
7. You're in the third period in the state finals going for title #4 and down by one point with 30 seconds left and on your feet, what move are you going to hit to bring home title #4?
Tough question, I have a go-to move from a lot of different ties.  It depends on who I'm wrestling I suppose.
 
8. Who is the most influential person in your life? Why?
Probably LeRoy Vega.  My friends and family have played a big role in who I am today as well.
 
9. Do you have any superstitions or routines when it comes to wrestling?
I like to get relaxes before my match so my head is clear.  I always have some song in my head the entire time I'm wrestling.
 
10. What makes wrestling so great?
It's one on one, no excuses.  There is no one to blame but yourself.  Plus, chicks dig wrestlers, but most of all it's that burning desire to compete to win.

511
Wrestler of the Week 12/21 - 1/3/2009
IndianaMat.com's

Wrestler of the Week 12/21 – 1/3/2009
[caption id=attachment_218" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Evansville Mater Dei's Jon Sims][/caption]

Evansville Mater Dei Sophomore
John Sims
Sims was 5-0 at the Evansville Mater Dei Holliday Classic including a win over defending Kentucky State Champion Luke Ervin of Union County, Kentucky.  Sims is 22-1 on the season with his lone loss coming at the Glenn Sample Classic in Cincinnati, Ohio to Tommy Sasfy of Reynoldsburg, OH.  Sims has a 2.96 GPA and has defeated state qualifier and #12 ranked Chad Welch of Castle on the season.

Honorable Mention:
New Castle SS– 103 pound freshman Cody Phillips from Union County won the Connersville Spartan Classic  and was named MOW by defeating then #1 Brian Kuhn from Evansville Reitz, # 11 Brian Harvey of Cathedral and # 13 Mason Todd of Pendleton Heights.
Fort Wayne SS– 215 pound senior Billy Baker from Bellmont won the Al Smith by beating then #3 Christian Lentz of Mishawaka and #2 Nathan Cleveland of Lowell.
Merrillville SS– 135 pound senior Johnny Dillon from Hobart won the Al Smith by defeating 3 time state placer and then #2 ranked Taylor March of East Noble.

603
Indianamat.com Team Rankings 1/6/09
Full Rankings and Breakdowns can be found here:
 
1. Mishawaka (11-0)
2. Perry Meridian (8-0)
3. Evansville Mater Dei (6-0)
4. Crown Point (7-1)
5. Cathedral (9-2)
6. Bellmont (11-0)
7. Merrillville (8-1)
8. Evansville Reitz (17-0)
9. Portage (18-3)
10. Carmel (4-2)
11. Lawrence North (9-4)
12. Castle (6-1)
13. Yorktown (15-0)
14. New Palestine (20-3)
15. Penn (7-1)
16. Center Grove (15-0)
17. Elkhart Memorial (10-0)
18. South Bend Riley (6-1)
19. New Castle (28-4)
20. Westfield (28-3)
 
Honorable Mention: Franklin, East Central, Warren Central, Avon, Roncalli, Pendleton Heights.

443
If at first they don't succeed.....Trine tries again
From the edge of the mat....
 
In just four short years, Trine University, located in Angola, Indiana in the extreme northeast corner of the state, has gone from fledgling program to nationally respected, ranked program.
 
Much of the credit has to go to head coach Dan Callahan, former head coach of Fremont High School. Callahan and his staff, which includes former multi-X state qualifier and team state champ Mike Ester  (formerly of Fort Wayne Snider High School) have rapidly created a national contender at the NCAA Division 3 level.
 
Trine, currently ranked 23rd in the country and recently ranked 22nd, has a roster littered with former Indiana state contenders, qualifiers and state placers.  While there are too many Hoosier wrestlers to name, some of the notables include :


Senior 149 lber and former state 4th place finisher Kyle Pittman (130 lbs., 2004-05, Greensburg HS)
Senior 141 lber  and former state 8th place finisher Bryan Wight (112 lbs., 2004-05, Homestead HS)
Junior 133 lber and former state 6th place finisher Thomas Pompei (125 lbs., 2005-06, Hamilton Southeastern HS).
Freshman 157 lber and former state 5th place finisher Kyle Long (152 lbs., 2007-08, South Bend Washington HS)
Junior 174 lber and former state 3rd place finisher Nick Kraus (171 lbs., 2005-06 New Prairie HS)
Freshman 125 lber and former state 8th place finisher Brandon Harvey (119 lbs., 2007-08, Elkhart Memorial HS)
Kraus and Pompei were NCAA regional runners-up last year.
 
Additionally, Trine's roster features several former state qualifiers:


Tye Bowman, Clinton Central HS
Justin Wight, Homestead HS
Zach Leffel, Peru HS
Kyle Marsh, West Noble HS
Max Begovich, New Palestine HS
Also contributing to Trine's success is former Indiana standout George Markou (Peru HS). The rest of the team features a ton of other former Indiana wrestlers, as well as wrestlers from Michigan, Illinois and Ohio.
 
Trine is coming off of a couple of tough results vs. elite programs on January 8th, falling to 13th ranked Elmhurst and 28th ranked Lakeland. Still, an off night doesn't begin to diminish Trine's season, which includes a huge win over then-16th ranked Olivet in November.
 
While still in it's infancy as a program, I wouldn't bet against Coach Callahan's crew in the near future. One of the great outcomes of Trine's emergence has been the creation of another excellent place for Indiana's finest high school wrestlers to continue to wrestle at the collegiate level. Expect to see many familiar names and faces on Trine's roster in the coming seasons.
 
On a different topic, the following Indiana wrestlers are ranked in D1:

Intermat rankings:
125 #1 Angel Escobedo IU
133 #8 Reece Humphrey OSU
141 #1 Alex Tsirtsis Iowa
141 #19 Andrae Hernandez IU
157 #11 Kurt Kinser IU
165 #14 Andrew Howe Wisconsin
184 #13 Alex Dolly UNI
 

RevWrestling rankings:
125 #2 Escobedo
133 #9 Humphrey
141 #2 Tsirtsis
157 #19 Matt CoughlinIU
165 #8 Howe
 

AWN rankings:
125 #1 Escobedo
133 #7 Humphrey
141 #1 Tsirtsis
157 #10 Kinser IU
165 #9 Howe
 

WIN rankings:
125 #1 Escobedo
133 #8 Humphrey
141 #2 Tsirtsis
165 #10 Howe

512
Tyler Fleener Youth"Wrestler of the Week" 01-10-09
Tyler Fleener
12 yrs old/7th Grader
Perry Meridian Middle School
 
Tyler is currently 3-0, with wins over wrestlers from Gray Middle school of Ohio, Trinity Middle of Kentucky, and Elder of Cincinnati after bumping up a weight class to fill a whole in the line up. Perry won the tournament by 90 pts. He is a leader in the classroom and the practice room. He was a triple crown champ as a first year midget in 2005 and a ISWA Multiple State Champ and Place winner. Tyler is wrestling the 80 lb weight class this year. Keep up the good work Tyler!

578
Cavemen Survive Another Gauntlet
-- 5-0 at Bellmont Invite
 
Nobody would accuse the Mishawaka Cavemen of dodging the competition in their bid to repeat as team state champions for 2009. By looking at their schedule alone, everyone would get a pretty clear picture of whether Mishawaka would be the force they were last year.
The regular season schedule is now nearly complete. Saturday, the Cavemen defeated sixth ranked Bellmont 38-21, downed #2 Perry Meridian 29-25 along with defeating Whitko, Bloomington South and Evansville Memorial to run their season dual record to 16-0.
It does appear that Mishawaka is poised to make a strong run in defense of its state championship as they have faced nearly half of the states top twenty teams and beaten them all. If the schedule were not enough, the Cavemen have also had to battle injuries and ineligibilities that has left nearly a third of their projected preseason varsity line up either not wrestling or wrestling at something less then 100%. Rather then make excuses and wonder about 'what could have been', coach Darrick Snyder has used these hurdles as opportunities, not obstacles, for other wrestlers to step up and contribute against some of the state's best.
Saturday it was 152 pound backup, Marty Friedman who came up huge for the Cavemen. Subbing for an ailing, Tim Forte, Friedman scored a key win over #8 Blake Wood to help Mishawaka stay undefeated on the season. This was the swing match in a dual that saw Josh Harper get pinned in a tight cradle early in the second period and the Cavemen give up six uncontested points by forfeiting at the 103 lb. weight class.
It surely will be interesting to see if Mishawaka can stay healthy enough through the individual series to make it two straight or whether the likes of Mater Dei, Yorktown, Crown Point, Cathedral or Perry Meridian will be able to come up with the formula to defeat these resiliant Cavemen.

MATCH SUMMARIES - #1 Mishawaka 38 - #6 Bellmont 21The match-ups between state champ Josh Harper of Mishawaka and state placer Will Sheets along with top ranked Billy Baker of the Braves squaring off against #7 Christain Lentz highlighted this battle of longtime state powers.
With Mishawaka holding an early 8-3 lead, Baker scored an first period takedown by dumping a single. Lentz escaped late in the period to narrow the score 2-1 at the end of the first period.
In the second Lentz escaped early to tie the score at two until Baker was able to work a front headlock into a snap down position and was able to get behind the burly Lentz to take a 4-2 lead. Lentz was able to escape before the end of the period and the score was 4-3 at the end of the second period.
Baker chose down, quickly escaped and finished a third takedown midway through the third period, extending his lead to 7-3. Lentz made a flurry late, garnered an escape and takedown to narrow the lead to 7-6. The Caveman was forced to cut Baker and attempt a takedown to tie the match but Baker was able to counter and score, ending the match 10-6.
In the second battle of ranked wrestlers, #1 Josh Harper decisioned #6 Will Sheets of Bellmont, 8-2. Harper had a minor scare as he got a tad high riding with legs and Sheets sucked him under. Sheets was unable to hold him and only got a reversal.

#2 Perry Meridian 37 - #6 Bellmont 24
Bellmont started fast with wins at 215 and HWT. At 215 #1 Billy Baker rode #5 Chris Schafer the entire 2nd period and then escaped in the third, added a late takedown to take the win 3-0. AT HWT, tiny Daniel Meyer, who doesn't look like he weighs over 200 lbs muscled Devin Schafer to his back to collect a pin in 23 seconds. Just like that the Braves had a 9-0 lead and momentum.
Perry's line-up is too strong to let momentum build and just like a number one starter is expected to end a losing streak in baseball, the Falcon's young stud, Jared McKinley made short work of Bellmont's Blake Adams, pinning him with a cradle to cut the difference to three points.
Bellmont regained the momentum by picking up three close decisions at 112, 119, and 125. The Braves led 18-6 after six matches. Next up for Perry was #4 ranked Samson Cook who cut the lead to 18-12 with a pin in 1:02.
Sticking with the baseball analogies, Cook's pin was just the start of the Falcon's 'murderer's row' from classes 130 to 160. #8 Chris Goodwin @ 135, #10 Jacob Tonte @ 140, and #7 Jacob Taseff @ 145 all collect first period pins to swing the meet score to 30-18 in the Falcon's favor.
#14 Tyler Baker of Bellmont was able to momentarily stop the bleeding with his narrow 3-2 victory over #8 Blake Wood. At 160, Perry's #9 Chris Hudgins overcame two defeats earlier in the day to major John Mahlan, and 171 Jordan Robinson decisioned Grant Melcher to put the match out of reach at 37-21.

#1 Mishawaka 29 - #2 Bellmont 25Both Mishawaka's coach Darrick Snyder, and Perry Meridian's coach Jim Tonte issued promises earlier in the week. Tonte said that he thought his team was overrated but still could could contend for a state title. Snyder only promise was that his grapplers would handle both winning and losing in a better fashion than they did last year. It turned out that Snyder was correct, the Cavemen had no issues with attitude, and Tonte was wrong, the Falcon do not appear to be overrated at all.
Mishawaka started off hot, Dustin Boyd secured a decision on Perry freshman Andre Richards 4-0 and #7 Christain Lentz scored a minor upset with his 3-0 win over #5 Chris Schafer. Lentz rides with legs as well any big man in the state and used the hook to control Schafer the entire 2nd period, despite many strong scramble attempts by Schafer. Lentz was able to get off bottom in the third and finished a low double leg takedown to take the win.
Junior HWT Caveman, Travis Thomas kept things rolling for his team when he bundled up Devin Schafer in a crossface butcher to secure a pin with 20 seconds left in the first period. At 103 Perry's Jared McKinley took a forfeit to narrow the score to 12-6.
At 112 and 119, Mishawaka got rolling again with Paul Beck picking up a major decision and Matt Guerra defeated Jason Simmons 7-1 to stretch the Caveman lead to 19-6. Perry rebounded at 125 when freshman Kirk Johnson defeated Nick Schrader 8-3.
The score was 19-9 when 130 lb. wrestlers Samson Cook and Josh Harper took to the mat. Number one versus number four in the state, it had the makings for a great matchup. Harper gained the early advantage by using a wrist tie to pass Cook and get the initial takedown. Harper then rode Cook for the remainder of the period. Cook had choice to start the second and took the top position. The long armed senior proceeded to hook up a crossface cradle on Harper. The Mishawaka faithful probably were not to worried as Harper had fought off a similar cradle attempt by Cashe Quiorga at the Al Smith meet 10 days ago. It was not to be however as Cook turned Harper with surprising ease and garnered the pin.
The Falcons cut the lead to 19-18 when eighth ranked 135 lber. Chris Goodwin defeated gritty Aaaron Mersich 7-4. In a most entertaining contest, returning state champ Steven Sandefer avoided enough close calls and headlocks that came from all angles to major Jacob Tonte 22-13. This stretched the team score to 23-18. At 145, Jacob Taseff nullified Sandefer's major with one of his own defeating Alex White of Mishawaka 14-5.
Down by one point, the Perry fans had to be feeling good as they had favored wrestlers at the next two weight classes. At 152, Mishawaka backup, Marty Friedman took eighth ranked Blake Wood to overtime and was able to finish a takedown to win 3-1. Mishawaka's Dick Morin followed up Friedman's inspiring win with a minor upset of ninth ranked Cory Hudgins, 5-2. This put the Cavemen up 29-22 with one match left. Jordan Robinson narrowed the team score to 29-25 with his decision over Mishawaka's Drew Childress.

418
After the dust has settled....
[caption id=" align="alignleft" width="118" caption="The Juggernaut in action][/caption]
 
From the edge of the mat, your faithful narrator Dingo here with a look at the Good, the Great and the Ugly for Indiana wrestlers competing at the Cliff Keen National Duals at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa this past weekend.
 
The Good
 
 The Good starts with a young Juggernaut living in Madison, Wisconsin continuing to show just Howe good he is, even as a true freshman. Although Wisconsin's stay in the tourney was relatively brief, consisting of just 3 matches, Howe has shown that youth will be served this year at 165. Howe started off the Duals with a clutch 7-6 decision win over perennial contender Tyler Sherfey of Boise State. Some of you might remember Sherfey as the villain from Washington state who spoiled Alex Tsirtsis' bid for a Senior Nationals title with (literally) a last second takedown. Howe was one of only four victorious Badgers' wrestlers versus Boise State. Andrew helped Wisconsin avoid Indiana's fate (0 for 2 BBQ...more on that in a minute), as his 8-6 win over IU's Fightin' Paul Young was pivotal in the outcome of the dual. Simpy put, if Howe loses that match, Wisconsin loses to IU. The Juggernaut from Cedar Lake finished his tourney by beating a very solid Scott Glasser of Minnesota 6-3. In short, Howe beat everyone placed in front of him, joining top-10-ranked teammates Kyle Ruschell and Zach Tanelli as the only Badgers to win all three matches.
 
[caption id=" align="alignleft" width="124" caption="Alexander the Great][/caption]
 
Also falling under the category of The Good was the performance of Alexander Tsirtsis. Perhaps still smarting from his loss to Tanelli in the championship match at the Midlands, Alex joined Howe in beating everyone in front of him. Unlike Howe, Tsirtsis beat four opponents. First on the menu was Wyoming's Cole Dallasera;  tech fall victory, 16-1. Next--Minnesota's 8th ranked (Intermat) Mike Thorn; another Tsirtsis nail-biter, a 2-1 decision win. Alex didn't take his foot off the gas versus Nebraska's Curtis Salazar, earning another decision, this time by a 7-2 count. T-shirts finished the weekend as one of only four Hawkeyes to win all 4 of their matches. Alex wrapped up his fantastic day with a 10-2 major decision over Cornell's Corey Manson. Tsirtsis is continuing what has been a masterful season thus far.  He has a lot of close matches, as he has for his entire collegiate career, but this year he's winning nearly all of them.
 
[caption id=" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Dolly is BACK!][/caption]
 
One last dose of The Good....this one from a guy who went 0-2 at the Duals. I've admitted before that I'm a big Alex Dolly fan, but all biases aside, it's great to see the gritty, gutty senior from Mishawaka back in action. Dolly lost his first match by an 11-2 score to reigning national champ Mike Pucillo of Ohio State. Alex dropped his second and last match to Michigan's Anthony Biondo by fall. I'm sure those weren't results that pleased Alex, but his past history has shown that he peaks at Nationals. With a much shortened season this year, that trend may be in jeopardy, but I wouldn't be surprised by a late season roll by Dolly. It's just great that he's back wrestling for the Panthers.
 
 
 
 

The Great
 
[caption id=" align="alignleft" width="600" caption="HUMP nosed viper][/caption]
 
Under almost any other situation, Tsirtsis and Howe would belong here. However, Reece Humphrey won the Most Outstanding Wrestler award at the duals. He did so in spectacular fashion, downing Intermat's #2, #4 and #17 ranked 133 pounders. Reece's undefeated weekend began with a pin of UNI's Josh Baldridge. Hump was just getting started, as he followed up the fall with a dominant 10-3 decision victory over All-American Mike Grey of Cornell. At this point, the rout was on, and Humphrey next added a 19-7  major decision over Missouri's Taylor Crane. Next up was Reece's biggest win of the season, and one of the biggest of his career--a 6-4 win over Boise State's 2nd ranked Andrew Hochstrasser. Not content with an already very impressive performance, Hump capped off his weekend with a huge 5-4 decision over last year's 125 lb. national runner-up and current 4th-ranked 133 lber, Jayson Ness of Minnesota. Reece got out to an early lead and held on to beat the extremely dangerous Ness, a notorious pinner. Hump finished as one of four Bucks to win all of their matches. This is a prime example of Humphrey's improved conditioning coming into play this season. With his march through some of the elite competitors in his weight class, Reece has put himself in a position that might see him with a high seed at Big 10s and Nationals. It's conceivable that Hump might join Tsirtsis and Escobedo as Hoosiers ranked #1 in their weight class this season. It is unknown whether or not the former Lawrence North standout busted out some of his dance moves after his huge performance, but who could blame him if he did?

OK, now for The Ugly

 
[caption id=" align="alignleft" width="136" caption="IU][/caption]
 

I hate to go negative, especially against my beloved Hoosiers. However, this has been a strange season in Bloomington. The season, which has featured some puzzling individual losses by IU veterans and a poor Midlands performance (Scott Kelly excluded), took another tough turn at the Duals, as IU was blanked 35-0 by an admittedly very strong Iowa State team in the opening round of action. It's baffling that a team as talented as IU could be completely shutout, even against an elite team like ISU. To their credit, the Hoosiers fought back hard in their consolation match against Wisconsin, losing a tight one to the Badgers. For the record, I can't criticize a bunged-up Angel Escobedo for losing to a very tough Tyler Clark of Iowa State. Like all IU wrestling fans, I'm hoping against hope that his shoulder holds up adequately through Big 10s and Nationals. Otherwise, this could be a disappointing season for the former Griffith stud.
Speaking of former Griffith studs, Andrae Hernandez continues to struggle at his new weight. While his first round battle with Nick Gallick was a fairly encouraging 4-2 loss, his 13-4 major decision setback to Tanelli was a continuation of what has been a very, very rough season for the former All-American. This performance on the heels of a poor Midlands performance has this IU fan wondering--What, exactly, is eating Andrae Hernandez this year?
 
[caption id=" align="alignleft" width="129" caption="What's eating Andrae Hernandez?][/caption]
 


While on the subject of former IU All-Americans who would just as soon forget this season to this point, there was a Matt Coughlin sighting at the Duals. Coughlin went 1-1, losing a tight 3-1 decision to #5 Cyler Sanderson of ISU and beating Wisconsin's Ben Jordan 3-2. It was nice to see that Matt was back in action, as Coughlin was supplanted this season by Kurt Kinser. It's a shame that two of IU's finest wrestlers are in the same weight class, and it would be great if both could somehow participate at Nationals. I know I'm not the only IU fan with his fingers crossed for the rest of the season. The talent is there, the experience is there....the word snake-bitten comes to mind as a description of the season thus far.
 
[caption id=" align="alignleft" width="124" caption="Ouch! Snakebitten like IU!][/caption]
 


Despite IU's struggles this season, this has been a stellar season for Indiana wrestlers. Tsirtsis and Escobedo have spent many weeks as the men to beat in their weight classes, and it's possible that Humphrey might ascend to that position as well. Hump and Tsirtsis appear to have excellent chances to obtain valuable high seeds at Big 10s and Nationals; it kind of goes without saying that Escobedo could conceivably run the table if his shoulder holds up. Howe and Kinser are beating elite wrestlers at their respective weights and are extremely capable of becoming All-Americans this season. Guys like Hernandez, Dolly, Navy's Casey Caldwell, Walpole, Young, PU's Chris Kasten and Nick Corpe and Northern Illinois' Bryan Deutsch
have all had excellent moments this season and might be darkhorses when the postseason rolls around. Combined with the success Indiana's high school wrestlers had this past offseason, this is one of the stronger seasons for Indiana wrestling that I can remember. I can't wait to see how this all plays out.
 
[caption id=" align="alignleft" width="127" caption="Indiana darkhorses][/caption]
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Well, this dingo is tired.  
[caption id=" align="alignnone" width="124" caption="One tired dingo][/caption]
 
See you all next time at the edge of the mat.

559
Hoosier Hills Conference Brackets
Click here for the Hoosier Hills Conference brackets
 
Teams include: Bedford North Lawrence, Columbus East, Floyd Central, Jeffersonville, Jennings County, Madison, New Albany, Seymour

501
Mid-States Conference Brackets
Click here for the final Mid-States Conference brackets
 
Click here for the final team scores
 
Teams include: Decatur Central, Franklin, Greenwood, Martinsville, Mooresville, Plainfield, and Whiteland

479
Wrestler of the Week 1/5 - 1/10/2009
IndianaMat.com

Wrestler of the Week 1/5 - 1/10/2009


 
 
[caption id=attachment_273" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Perry Meridian's Sampson Cook][/caption]
 


Perry Meridian Senior
Sampson Cook
Cook was undefeated at the Bellmont Super Duals including a win by fall over then #1 ranked and 3 time state champion Josh Harper from Mishawaka.  Cook, a state qualifier last season, is currently 16-1 on the season and has moved to #2 in the rankings after his performance this past week.  Cook's lone loss came to the hands of IndianaMat Pound for Pound #1 Cashe Quiroga at the Marion County Tournament.  Cook's future plans include joining the United States Marine Corps.


 

Honorable Mention:
Fort Wayne SS -  145 pound senior Jordan Dulaney from Yorktown.  Dulaney was undefeated at the Franklin Super 6 this past Saturday including a win over Seyka of Holt, Michigan.
 
Evansville SS -  119 pound senior Alex Johns from Evansville Reitz.  Johns won the Lafayette 5 Star Classic in Lexington, KY and was named most outstanding wrestler while defeating 2 time Kentucky State Champion Matt Zarth of Lexington Henry Clay.
 
Merrillville SS - 119 pound junior John Petrov from Hanover Central won the Lake County Tournament while beating Al Smith champion and now #11 Jake Lamb of Lowell in the championship match.

515
Toe to Joe with Joe Arthur
[caption id=attachment_268" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Bloomington North's Joe Arthur][/caption]
 
This week's Toe to Joe is more of a Joe to Joe with Joe Arthur of Bloomington North High School.  Arthur was a Cadet National Champion in 2007 in the heavyweight division.
 
1. How did you get started wrestling and how many years have you been wrestling?
My father introduced me to wrestling. My father is BEST friends with Joe Van Deventer, father of the legendary Heath Van Deventer. Joe told My Dad that I should give it a try. I was always bigger than anyone my age and therefore I started on the mats throwing side headlocks when I was 4 years old.
 
2. What other interests/hobbies/sports do you participate in outside of wrestling?
I love football! And I also participated in track my freshman and sophomore years. My favorite thing to do in my spare time is hunting and fishing. I enjoy the outdoors very much. I also enjoy farming. There is nothing better then getting out on a BIG International Tractor and tilling up some land in southern Indiana.
 
3. Who is the toughest wrestler you have faced and why?
The toughest wrestler I have ever faced would be Atticus Disney from Kansas. Atticus gave my first defeat ever. Atticus is a redshirt freshman on a full ride scholarship to Minnesota.
 
4. What are your future plans after high school?
I plan to attend a 4-year school and either wrestle or play football, or both. I want to study some kind of Agriculture, or Criminal justice
 
5. What are more exciting matches to watch, the lightweights or the big guys and why?
I am a big guy so of course the big guys.  Not many of us cut weight so it all comes down to who has worked harder in the offseason, and during the season. And it is very exciting to see guys who look like they are not very mobile but really they are very agile!
 
6. What is the most memorable match you have wrestled and why?
My National championship match in Fargo, North Dakota is my favorite match yet. I really enjoy wrestling freestyle a lot. Being on that stage and everyone in the Dome watching you it was truly memorable, and something I will never forget. I can remember we were at St. Josephs College for the camp before we went to Fargo.  It was right after a practice and I was all hot and sweaty and I can remember looking in a mirror and asking myself are you the best freestyle heavyweight in the nation.  Automatically my mind said yes I believe you are and I really focused on that after I didn't all American in Greco. That was a turning point in my wrestling career.
 
7. You're in the third period in the state finals going for your first title and down by one point with 30 seconds left and on your feet, what move are you going to hit to bring home the title?
I would have to say foot sweep to a single and finish with a treetop.
 
8. Who is the most influential person in your life? Why?
My father because he just pushes me, and makes me understand how important certain things in life are.
 
9. Do you have any superstitions or routines when it comes to wrestling?
Yes I wear the exact pear of underwear and socks every weekend. I do wash them but it is a must have when I'm off to a meet. I just don't feel right without them!
 
10. What makes wrestling so great?
It is a ONE man sport. You have one goal go out and at the end of the match get your arm raised and you know you did what needed to be done. If you lose there is none else to blame but yourself

300
Indianamat.com Team Rankings 1/11/09
Full Rankings and Breakdowns can be found here:
 
1. Mishawaka (17-0)
2. Evansville Mater Dei (8-0)
3. Crown Point (11-1)
4. Cathedral (10-2)
5. Perry Meridian (14-1)
6. Merrillville (10-2)
7. Bellmont (16-2)
8. Evansville Reitz (20-0)
9. Portage (21-4)
10. Lawrence North (9-4)
11. Castle (7-1)
12. Yorktown (21-0)
13. New Palestine (23-4)
14. South Bend Riley (7-1)
15. Carmel (4-3)
16. Center Grove (16-0)
17. Penn (7-2)
18. Elkhart Memorial (11-0)
19. Warren Central (9-10)
20. Hamilton Heights (18-2)
 
Honorable Mention: Franklin, East Central, Avon, Roncalli, Pendleton Heights, New Castle, Westfield.

464
Woodlan Invitation Brackets
Click here for Woodlan Invitations brackets
 
Teams include: Bishop Luers, Bluffton, Churubusco, Elmhurst, Fremont, Greenville(Ohio), Leo, Wayne Trace(Ohio), and Woodlan

465
Hooser Conference Brackets
Click here for the Hoosier Conference brackets
 
Teams includ: Twin Lakes, Delphi, West Lafayette, Rensselaer, Tipton, Sheridan, and Benton Central

365
Hoosier Hills Showdown
This weekend will be the annual tournament for the Hoosier Hills Conference. There will be 96 wrestlers competing, but only 14 champions will stand tall. There are a few returning champions and runner ups, but there are a few standouts I HAVE to mention.
 
At 119lbs, New Albany junior Tim Martin is the #1 seed. He has only 3 losses on the season and he looks very strong. He was a champion last year and is in the driver's seat to come away with anther title. He was undefeated at the conference duals, so defending his title should not be a problem.
 
At 130lbs #1 seed Joe Reitman of Jennings County looks very strong at his new weight class, but Brett Walker of Jeffersonville, Aaron Witt of Floyd Central, and Nestor Rodriguez of New Albany look to knock off the senior for the HHC title.
 
At 140lbs, #16 ranked Luke Armand of Jennings County looks to take this weight class as he will have a little competition in Darien Tatgenhorst of Jeffersonville. He is the younger brother of senior 189 Tyler Tatgenhorst, a semi-state qualifier last year that was previously ranked.
 
Finally, Jonathan Clark of Jefferson will look to reclaim the HHC title he won as a sophomore.  Clark is currently ranked #3 in the state along with being a state qualifier last year. He looks tough this year and you will most likely see him at Conseco again.
 
In the HHC it all comes down to which team will win it all. Floyd Central has beaten every team heads-up, but can they do it in a tournament? The Jeffersonville Red Devils have came close to beating the #2 ranked team Evansville Mater Dei and have a record of 22-7 on the season. Can the Red Devils win it? We will see on Saturday which team will reign supreme. Good luck to all teams this weekend. And please bring your "A" game. Have a good weekend everyone!

406
Youth "Wrestler of the Week" 01-19-09
Isaiah Kemper
11 years old
6th grade Thompkins Middle School/Evansville Central
 
 Isaiah won the Fern Creek Annual Invitation going 4-0 in the 117 lb weight class, 15-2, Fall,7-5 OT and a 4-2 victory in the finals. Isaiah followed that up by placing 1st in the Princeton Folkstyle Open over the weekend going 3-0 with 3 falls. Congratulations from everyone at indianamat.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

418
Allen County Athletic Conference Brackets
Click here for the full program
 
Click here for brackets only
 
Teams include: Adams Central, Garrett, Leo, Woodlan, Southern Wells, South Adams, Heritage, and Bluffton.

507
Northern State Conference Brackets
Click here to view Northern State Conference brackets
 
Teams include: Bremen, Culver Community, Triton, Jimtown, John Glenn, LaVille, New Prairie and Knox

551
Wrestler of the Week 1/12 – 1/17/2009
IndianaMat

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

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

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

1232
38th Annual Allen County Athletic Conference Wrestling Tournament
Teams: Adams Central, Bluffton, Garrett, Heritage, Leo, South Adams, Southern Wells, Woodlan
 
The Allen County Athletic Conference(ACAC) is one of the premier small school wrestling conferences in the state.  The conference has many superb individuals along with some very talented teams this season.  The conference that features schools in 3A, 2A and 1A in football, only has four, yes four forfeits in the whole entire tournament.  Six of the eight teams have full line-ups, which will lead to a very competitive tournament.
 
During the regular season, the South Adams Starfires ran the table and beat everyone in the conference.  They beat both Garrett and Southern Wells by narrow four point margins.  The Starfires are also the defending tournament champions and will look to retain the title on their home floor.  They will find stiff challengers in the other seven teams who will aim to knock them off any chance they get.
 
103lbs
At 103lbs, the #1 seed is Todd Batt from South Adams.  He sports a superb 27-2 record on the season.  The #2 seed is Logan Buuck of Woodlan who has a record just under .500, beat the #3 seed Brandon Bennett of Heritage 7-3 earlier in the season.  The sleeper of the tournament could be Nate Hess of Adams Central.  He comes in with only nine matches under his belt, but he is a returning regional qualifier from last year.
 
112lbs
Phillip Gerber of Bluffton has the top seed at this weight class.  The freshman comes into the conference tournament with a 20-8 record and has beaten the #2 seed Gabe Sprunger of South Adams and #3 seed Michael Hirshy of Adams Central during the season.  Once again, there is no slouch at the #4 seed in Heritage's Alex Richman who comes into the tournament with a stellar 19-4 record.
 
119lbs
This weight class is going to be one of the most interesting of the day.  Bluffton gets their second #1 seed in a row with Bobby Perry and his 24-3 record taking the honors.  One of those losses however is to the #3 seed from Garrett, Logan Lee.  The #2 seed is Adams Central's Zeke Schultz.  Schultz and Lee did not wrestle during the dual and sport nearly identical records.  South Adams rounds out the top four seeds with Cajon Dailey taking the 4th seed.
 
125lbs
Returning ACAC champion Troy Fiechter claimed the top seed at this weight class.  Fiechter sports a superb record of 27-2 after bumping up from 112lbs last season.  He will have some tough wrestlers to go through this year to defend his title.  The #2 seed, John Striker of South Adams comes in with only three losses on the season, including one to Fiechter's brother Darin.  The #3 seed, Shea Novy of Garrett comes in with a 24-4 record.  Bluffton's Seth Higgins, wrestling at a more natural weight this year, took the 4th seed, but will face a tough Blake Thieme of Adams Central in the first round.
 
130lbs
This will be one of the best weight classes to watch on Saturday, with one returning state qualifier and two semi-state qualifiers battling it out for top honors.  As with his brother Troy, Darin Fiechter of Southern Wells is a defending champion and has the #1 seed.  Darin has only one blemish on his record, a loss to Andrew Heistand of Yorktown.  Second seed Jace German also sports just one blemish on his record, a 6-4 loss to Darin Fiechter.  The #3 seed is returning state qualifier Josh Ehr of South Adams.  While he has seven losses on the season, he has lost to some tough kids while wrestling 135lbs most of the season.  The #4 seed is the very talented freshman from Woodlan Cody Zink.
 
135lbs
This is another interesting weight class with some very tough wrestlers.  Earning the #1 seed is Matthew Gerber of Bluffton who has a 25-2 record on the season.  His two losses have come to Zach DeHaven of Evansville Memorial and Chris Goodwin of Perry Meridian.  The #2 seed is Garrett's Bryce Schendel.  Schendel only has one loss on the season and that is to Gerber.  Gerber will be looking to capture his second straight title, while Schendel will be going for his third title in three years.  While these two are the top contenders in this weight, they cannot overlook #3 seed Josh Morris of Southern Wells, #4 seed Taylor Isch of Adams Central or unseeded Jordan Buuck of Woodlan.
 
140lbs
Leo brings in back to back #1 seeds at 140lbs and 145lbs respectively.  The first is Justin Beck at 140lbs.  He has an outstanding 20-2 record on the season with his only losses to the top two seeds at 135lbs, Bryce Schendel of Garrett and Matt Gerber of Bluffton.  The #2 seed is Matt Kaehr of Adams Central who comes in with a 26-4 record on the season.  TJ Burnfield of South Adams has the third seed and comes in with a very impressive 25-5 record on the season.  The fourth seed is Garrett's Brayden Moreau who comes in with only three losses in limited action this year.
 
145lbs
Returning state qualifier and ACAC champion Cam Friend is the headliner in this weight class.  The tournament features seven wrestlers with only a single loss, but Friend is the only wrestler without a defeat this season while wrestling mostly 152lbs and 160lbs until just recently.  Garrett senior Nik Isham is the #2 seed, while Levi Jones of Southern Wells is the 3rd seed.  The 4th seed is Dustin Hunt of South Adams, who has only four losses in limited varsity action this year.
 
152lbs
Defending ACAC champion Zac McCray of Garrett is back at this weight class for the third straight year.  He comes into the tournament with a 23-5 record on the season and is looking to bring home his second ACAC title.  Chase Sprunger of South Adams is the second seed and will be looking to claim his second ACAC title also.  Sprunger won a title in 2006 as a sophomore, but was defeated in the finals last year.  Last year's runner-up, Jayme Schwartz of Woodlan is the third seed at this weight class.  The fourth seed is Leo's Caleb Eicher.
 
160lbs
Bluffton has yet another top seed, this time Josh Fiechter at 160lbs.  Fiechter comes in as the heavy favorite with a 23-5 slate on the season.  The second seed is Joe Taube of Garrett who has an 18-6 record on the season.  Ben Sowles of Woodlan who has the third seed with a 12-5 record will push Taube in the lower half bracket.  The fourth seed is Heritage's Dan Gibson.
 
171lbs
This is another weight class that will be fun to watch with two wrestlers having only one blemish on their record.  The top seed is Garrett's Luke Rieke with a 26-1 record.  Not to be outdone, Adams Central's Trey Schultz has a 21-1 record on the season.  Rieke was the runner-up last year at 171lbs, while Schultz won the title at 160lbs.  While those two wrestlers are very talented, they cannot overlook the #3 seed Matt Morrissey of Bluffton or #4 seed Brandon Biberstine of Southern Wells.  Tyler Unsicker of Heritage is unseeded, but could give fits to the seeded wrestlers, as he is 15-10 on the season.
 
189lbs
Heritage's lone #1 seed is Taylor Scott at 189lbs.  Scott comes in with 20 wins on the season against only three losses.  The second seed is Bluffton's Levi Mock who comes in with 21 wins himself.  The #3 seed is Garrett's Logan DeMarco, while Leo's Ben Meeks has the 4th seed.
 
215lbs
South Adams rounds out the last two weight classes with returning champions and #1 seeds.  The first is Jackson Werst at 215lbs, who comes in with a stellar 29-1 record on the season.  His only loss is to #4 seed Seth Biberstine of Southern Wells.  The second seed is Garrett's Geoff Getts, while Adams Central's Aden Feasel has the third seed.  Biberstine defeated Werst by major decision less than a week ago, but Biberstine lost to both Getts and Feasel earlier in the season.  On top of that Werst has defeated both Getts and Feasel.  If you are too confused to follow, just come to Berne on Saturday to see everything sort itself out!
 
285lbs
Finally, the last weight class is also one that has two top competitors.  South Adam's Jim West comes in as the defending champion and #1 seed with a 24-4 record on the season.  Joe Grueb of Woodlan is the second seed with only one loss on the season at 14-1.  The third seed is Leo's Nick McAbee and Alex Reinhard of Adams Central rounds out the top four seeds.  Not to be overlooked is Heritage's Josh Mitchel who has a 17-9 record on the year and is unseeded.
 
Team Race
Lovely Berne, Indiana and South Adams High School will play host to this great tournament.  The team championship race looks like a two-horse race with the host Starfires and Garrett Railroaders looking to lead the way.  Adams Central, Bluffton, Leo and Southern Wells each bring in their fair share of top seeds and could add some excitement to the team race.  Look for the team race to be hotly contested with all the teams potentially affecting the outcome.
 
IndianaMat.com Ranked Wrestlers
 
135lbs #10 Matt Gerber- Bluffton
135lbs #11 Bryce Schendel- Garrett
145lbs #11 Cam Friend- Leo
171lbs #9 Trey Schultz- Adams Central

878
Northeast Hoosier Conference Tournament
Northeast Hoosier Conference Tournament
Teams: Bellmont, Carroll, Columbia City, DeKalb, East Noble, Homestead, New Haven, Norwell
 
The Northeast Hoosier Conference (NHC) has annually been the best conference in the Northeast quarter of the state. The conference was especially successful last year, sending a total of fifteen wrestlers to the state finals. Bellmont returns two state placers from last year, Will Sheets (4th) at 130 and Tyler Baker (6th) at 152. East Noble returns Taylor March (3rd) at 135. Six different teams took multiple wrestlers to Conseco last year, and the conference looks to continue that history of success in the upcoming weeks.
 
NHC teams are split up into 4 different sectionals come tournament time. The NHC dominated those four sectionals last year, bringing home four titles and three runner-ups. The only team not to finish 1st or 2nd was Norwell, who was 3 points away from finishing 2nd at the Jay County Sectional to Bellmont.
 
In the dual portion of the season, Bellmont continued its' dominance in NHC Dual competition. Bellmont came into the season having only lost one dual meet (Nov '06 to Columbia City) since the conference formed in 1989. Bellmont swept through the competition with a 7-0 record. The Braves soundly defeated dual season runner-up Carroll 41-15 in December. BJ Faurote's squad got their toughest match from the Knights of East Noble at 40-23. With Bellmont being the clear favorite to secure their 19th NHC Tournament title in the last 20 years, Coach Faurote added, "I think it will probably be a race between us and Carroll for the top spot. Carroll is solid through most of the weight classes, with 6 guys seeded in one of the top two spots compared to seven for us." Head Coach of the host Norwell Knights John Heller agreed with Faurote, saying, "Carroll is more than likely second best in the conference. It is definitely one of the toughest conferences around." Heller pointed out an especially tough 130 weight class as a good example, "130 is really stacked. You've got a returning state placer (Will Sheets) as a number four seed, and he has been beaten by all three guys in front of him." Along with Bellmont and Carroll, Faurote predicted, "East Noble could be well represented in the final round with March and Krock, but they will really be hurt by losing Waring." Heller confirmed, saying, "East Noble will definitely be down without their 171." Both coaches were referring to #13 ranked Henry Waring from East Noble, who is out for the year because of a knee injury. Faurote and Heller also agreed that the teams finishing 3rd through 7th place in the dual portion of the schedule will be very competitive come Saturday. "Overall, it will be good entertainment and a good day of wrestling," said Heller.
 
Four wrestlers will be returning champions when they walk onto the mat in Ossian on Saturday. Andy Franklin of Homestead was the champion at 103 last year, Taylor March of East Noble was the champion at 125lbs, while a pair of Bakers from Bellmont, Tyler and Billy, took home titles at 145 and 189 respectively. Bellmont won the tournament with 233.5 points, besting New Haven's 174 points and Homestead's 150.
 
(All rankings quoted come from Indianamat. com)
 
103 lbs.
 
The #1 seed will be (15-2) Logan Ables from Carroll. Ables is currently ranked #8 in the Fort Wayne Semi-State. The #2 seed will be 16-5 Derek Kissinger from Columbia City. Andrew Bowman (HOM), Blake Adams (, and Tyler Miller (D) will also be in the mix for a spot in the finals.
 
112 lbs.
 
At 112, returning conference champ Andy Franklin, ranked 8th in the Semi-State, will be the #2 seed to Norwell's Brandon Tucker (21-4). Tucker spent most of the year at 119 before making the drop to 112. Faurote said of Tucker, "He has a good shot at making a run deep into the [state] tournament." Franklin was a match away from a ticket to the state finals, losing to eventual state runner-up Casey Kenney (Jay Co.) in the ticket round at the Coliseum last year. Look for Greg Sexton of DeKalb and Kalib Jackson of East Noble to battle for one of the top spots.
 
119 lbs.
 
Tommy Poynter of DeKalb will be the #1 seed at 119 lbs. Poynter won the seed by virtue of his 4-1 victory over promising freshman Brooks Faurote (20-6), son of the Bellmont Hall of Fame head coach.
 
125 lbs.
 
The 125 weight class is shaping up to be a battle between two wrestlers with stellar records. Tucker Smith of Homestead will be the #1 seed over (24-3) Tanner Bowman of Dekalb. Carlin Hormann of Bellmont may have something to say about that battle, as he lost a close match with Smith, 8-6, in the dual meet.
 
130 lbs.
 
130 promises to be worth the price of admission, even if the only matches you could see were between the top 4 seeds. Will Sheets is a three-time state qualifier, finishing 4th last year in a very good 125 pound class. Despite Sheets' past successes, he is seeded fourth for Saturday. Sheets comes in ranked 4th in the state at 125, where he will presumably drop after this weekend. The top seed will be #8 Brock Norton of Carroll, coming in with an unblemished record of 16-0. Coach Faurote said that he has been very impressed with Norton this year. "Norton has beaten some very quality kids already this year in Sheets and Egolf." Austin Egolf (CC) comes in at 11-1, losing only to Norton. Jimmy LaRowe (EN) will be the #3 seed after splitting matches with Sheets this year.
 
135 lbs.
 
#3 Taylor March (EN) will enter his fourth and final NHC conference tournament looking for his 4th conference championship. March has finished 2nd, 2nd, and 3rd at the state tournament the last three years and looks to be one of the favorites to stand at the top of the podium this year at Conseco. He will most definitely go down as one of the all-time NHC greats. Taylor has compiled an astounding 144-11 career record at East Noble. The #2 seed will be Nate Bloomfield (19-6) of New Haven. Look for Cody Ward (#5 in the SS) to challenge for a top spot.
 
140 lbs.
 
Bryce Krock (EN) will be the #1 seed at 140. Krock comes into the tournament with a record of 17-3. Reece Lefever of Carroll will be the #2 seed with a record of 11-3. Heller looks for one of his own, Justin Sprow, to make a solid run, "Sprow comes in unseeded, but only lost to the #1 seed 3-1 in the dual."
 
145 lbs.
 
Ryley Hankenson (17-6) of Bellmont will be the top seed at 145 lbs. Hankenson, a SS-Qualifier from a year ago as a freshman at 135, was unbeaten in conference action, including a 13-5 major decision of #2 seed Jon Timmerman (15-1) of Carroll. #4 Seed James Landis of Norwell was a SS-Qualifier a year ago.
 
152 lbs.
 
#10 Tyler Baker (22-3) of Bellmont comes in as a returning champion and three-time state qualifier, finishing 6th a year ago at 145. On the opposite side of the bracket, Wes Graves (16-4) of Columbia City will be the #2 seed.
 
160 lbs.
 
Bobby Natusch (H) will be the #1 seed with an 18-3 record. He is coming off a big win over previously state-ranked Trent Busse of Bellmont, who is the #3 seed. Busse was a match away from Conseco last year at 152. Busse has been out with an injury since that match, missing several matches for the Braves. Busse was also out for the dual meet against New Haven because of a death in the family. The Bulldogs' Matt Klemm picked up the #2 seed for Coach Barry Humble's squad.
 
171 lbs.
 
Presumed top seed Henry Waring (EN), ranked 13th in the state is out for the season with a knee injury. Replacing him in the top spot on the bracket will be Bellmont's Grant Melcher (20-6). Tyler Thomas (14-3) of Carroll will be the #2 seed.
 
189 lbs.
 
The conference will once again be missing a likely #1 seed as Bellmont's Andrew Bultemeier is out with an injury. Bultemeier defeated the #1 seed Kris Pappert (26-4) of New Haven in a very exciting match, at 285 nonetheless, 6-4 at the beginning of the year. Bellmont sub Travis Thatcher (9-2) has filled in nicely for Coach Faurote's Braves and will come in as the #2 seed.
 
215 lbs.
 
The state's top-ranked wrestler at 215 lbs. is Billy Baker (23-0) of Bellmont. Baker was a state qualifier two years ago at 189 and lost to eventual state champion Steve Stahl in the ticket round last year at the Coliseum. Baker is the favorite to go all the way this year, having already defeated three top-ranked wrestlers and this year's #1 seeded Heavyweight in the conference. The #2 seed will be Ben Russer of Carroll with a 14-3 record. Brad Mills (H) comes in rated 5th in the SS as the #3 seed. Shori Gerardot (CC) is also ranked in the SS (8th). He will be on Baker's half of the bracket as the #4 seed.
 
285 lbs.
 
The #1 seed at Heavyweight will be Trey Cahill of DeKalb. Cahill has a stellar 24-3 record, with one of those losses coming to #1 ranked (215) Billy Baker. Bellmont's Daniel Meyer, seemingly giving up weight to every opponent he faces, comes in as the #2 seed at 15-4. Meyer is coming off a big win over previously unbeaten #9 Dan Borkowski of Evansville Memorial.

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