The Class of 2011 in Indiana is not deep with superstars, but is deep on solid wrestlers. Four of the wrestlers, Eric Roach, Josh and Justin Kieffer and Jon Sims, are all looking for their fourth state medal this year. The class of 2011 in Indiana is also very unique with three sets of twins and a set of triplets that will all be in the running for state placements. The most highly regarded of the twins, Josh and Justin Kieffer already have six state medals between them. Chad and Doug Welch have both recently verbally committed to Purdue University have placed three times while qualifying for state five times total. The last set of twins, Reece and Conner Lefever of Fort Wayne Carroll, qualified for state last year with Conner placing 8th after upsetting the previous year’s state runner-up in the first round. The Rieker triplets from Columbus East will also try to have multiples at the state finals in 2011 after the middle twin, Baron, qualified for state last year.
1.      Eric Roach- Crown Point
Projected 2011 Weight: 152lbs
Projected College Weight: 149lbs
Freshman- 41-4, 2nd Place 130lbs
Sophomore- 43-2 4th Place 135lbs
Junior- 42-0, 1st Place 140lbs
Career- 126-6
2X USAW Preseason Nationals Champion
FloNationals Champion
4th NHSCA Sophomore Nationals
1st NHSCA Freshman Nationals
Verbally Committed to Indiana University
Eric Roach has the best pedigree of the wrestlers in the class of 2011. He has three top 4 finishes and captured the state title at 145lbs this past season. Roach is extremely aggressive and smooth on his feet. Using a wide range of takedowns he captured the inaugural FloNationals championship this past spring.
2.      Drake Stein- Princeton
Projected 2011 Weight: 171lbs
Projected College Weight: 184lbs
Freshman-31-8, 140lbs
Sophomore-46-3, 8th Place 152lbs
Junior- 44-2, 1st Place 171lbs
Career- 121-13
2nd USAW Junior Greco-Roman Nationals
8th USAW Cadet Greco-Roman Nationals
Drake Stein has had a tremendous amount of success while wrestling higher weights his entire career. After qualifying for semi-state as a freshman he burst onto the scene as a sophomore going undefeated until the state finals when an injury in the quarterfinals dropped him to 8th place. In the 2010 season he captured the state championship over perennial favorite Michael Duckworth, then went on to finish 2nd at Fargo in Greco-roman.
3.      Ethan Raley- Indian Creek
Projected 2011 Weight: 135lbs
Projected College Weight: 141lbs
Freshman- 33-0, 1st Place 103lbs
Sophomore- 31-2, State Qualifier 119lbs
Junior- 37-2, 2nd Place 125lbs
Career- 101-4
7th NHSCA Junior Nationals
Ethan Raley is the third and last state champion in the class of 2011. As a freshman, Raley went undefeated en route to a title at 103lbs. As a sophomore he did not match the same success, but rebounded as a junior to finish runner-up to nationally ranked Brandon Wright. He followed up his state finish with a 7th place finish at the NHSCA Junior Nationals.
4.      Josh Kieffer- Roncalli
Projected 2011 Weight: 125lbs
Projected College Weight: 133lbs
Freshman- 38-5, 5th Place 103lbs
Sophomore-44-5, 2nd Place 112lbs
Junior- 40-4, 4th Place 119lbs
Career- 122-14
The Kieffers are the first set of twins we will talk about. Josh Kieffer has had just a tad more success than his brother in finishing in the top 5 three times. In 2009, he lost in overtime in the state finals. Both Kieffers have had success at the Brute Scholastic Duals the past couple seasons, defeating some top notch competitors.
5.      Justin Kieffer- Roncalli
Projected 2011 Weight: 135lbs
Projected College Weight: 141lbs
Freshman-36-9, 7th Place 112lbs
Sophomore-46-4, 7th Place 119lbs
Junior- 38-4, 4th Place 125lbs
Career- 120-17
Justin Kieffer has three state medals to his credit with his highest finish of 4th place this past season.  This past season he had one win over state champion Brandon Wright at regionals.
6.      Doug Welch- Castle
Projected 2011 Weight: 152lbs
Projected College Weight: 149lbs
Freshman-37-5, 125lbs
Sophomore- 45-4, 5th Place 135lbs
Junior- 50-1, 2nd Place 145lbs
Career- 132-11
Verbally Committed to Purdue University
The Welch twins, ranked 6th and 8th are the second set of twins that are ranked in the top 10. Doug has steadily improved during his career with two state placements including a runner-up finish this past season.
7.      Jackson Bratcher- Eastbrook
Projected 2011 Weight: 171lbs
Projected College Weight: 174lbs
Freshman-37-1, 152lbs
Sophomore-32-3, State Qualifier 160lbs
Junior- 38-1, 3rd Place 171lbs
Career- 107-7
4th FloNationals
Sandwiched in between the Welch twins is Jackson Bratcher of Eastbrook. Like Drake Stein, Bratcher has had a lot of success early in an upper weight class. As a freshman he was undefeated going into semi-state, but lost in the ticket round to state. As a sophomore he broke through and qualified for state, but this past season was his coming out party with a 3rd place finish in the state finals. After his state finals finish he placed 4th at FloNationals.
8.      Chad Welch- Castle
Projected 2011 Weight: 160lbs
Projected College Weight: 157lbs
Freshman- 37-7, State Qualifier 135lbs
Sophomore- 40-6, State Qualifier 140lbs
Junior- 50-1, 34d Place 152lbs
Career- 127-15
Verbally Committed to Purdue University
Chad Welch has qualified for the state tournament three times, but only has one state medal to show for it. He had a banner year this past season, only losing to state champion Sammy Bennett in the ultimate tie-breaker in the semi-finals. Both Welches have recently verbally committed to continue their education and wrestling career at Purdue University.
9.      Jon Sims- Evansville Mater Dei
Projected 2011 Weight: 152lbs
Projected College Weight: 149lbs
Freshman-36-11, 6th Place 125lbs
Sophomore-38-3, 4th Place 140lbs
Junior-  33-8, 5th Place 145lbs
Career- 112-19
5th NHSCA Sophomore Nationals
Jon Sims is the picture of consistency at the state finals. He has three medals to show for his trips to state, but his highest finish is 4th place in 2009. Sims probably would have finished higher this past season if he did not run into Eric Roach in the quarterfinals, thus limiting him to only finishing as high as 5th place.
10.  Aaron Stevenson- Indian Creek
Projected 2011 Weight: 189lbs
Projected College Weight: 197lbs
Freshman- 10-1
Sophomore- 45-1, 3rd Place 189lbs
Junior- 14-0
Career- 69-2
Aaron Stevenson is one of the most unknown, but good wrestlers in the state of Indiana. In his only full year of wrestling he finished in third place with only one loss. This past season he was undefeated until he was sidelined late in the season with an injury that kept him out of the state tournament series.
Honorable Mention
Luke Schroeder- Southwestern(Hanover)
Projected 2011 Weight: 112lbs
Projected College Weight: 125lbs
Daniel Meyer- Bellmont
Projected 2011 Weight: 285lbs
Projected College Weight: 197lbs
Josh Boots- Evansville Mater Dei
Projected 2011 Weight: 171lbs
Projected College Weight: 174lbs
PJ Montgomery- Terre Haute South
Projected 2011 Weight: 152lbs
Projected College Weight: 149lbs
Cody Kendle- Pike Central
Projected 2011 Weight: 112lbs
Projected College Weight: 125lbs
Steven Gonzales- Delta
Projected 2011 Weight: 119lbs
Projected College Weight: 125lbs
Travis Barroquillo- Prairie Heights
Projected 2011 Weight: 130lbs
Projected College Weight: 133lbs
Conner Lefever- Carroll(Fort Wayne)
Projected 2011 Weight: 160lbs
Projected College Weight: 165lbs
Reece Lefever- Carroll(Fort Wayne)
Projected 2011 Weight: 152lbs
Projected College Weight: 157lbs
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