Articles

By Anna Kayser
 
Eleven months after securing their respective tickets to become Rossville’s first IHSAA state wrestling qualifiers since head coach Thomas Lynch in 2002, brothers Noah and Jacob Weaver are working towards a new feat for their school’s record books.
 
The Weaver brothers are two of four total state qualifiers in school history. In a little over a month, in what could be their penultimate year donning the same school colors, Noah and Jacob will look to build on recent winter success to become the Hornets’ first state place winners.
 
“It’s definitely been a unique experience, being able to be alongside Jake and see his growth over time, just being able to be watching him during practice or drilling with him and being able to help him out,” Noah said. “It’s just this back-and-forth advice, feedback between each other. I really like it’s a really neat experience and it’s cool to have.”
 
It’s an “iron sharpens iron” mentality, Jacob said so himself, that drives the two family-oriented brothers to help each other succeed. Close in age with one school year between the two – Noah as the No. 4-ranked 190-pound wrestler as a junior and Jacob, a sophomore ranked No. 6 at 150 pounds (rankings by IndianaMat as of Dec. 27) – the two’s bond through wrestling extends far beyond just the Hornets’ wrestling room.
 
“I’ve always been Noah’s partner throughout all the years even though there’s a size difference,” Jacob said. “Iron sharpens iron, we’re both always trying to make each other better whether it comes to mindset, technique or just training. We always try to motivate each other because we know we can do better.”
 
As sons of former Purdue wrestler Matthew Weaver, getting into wrestling around 5-6 years old and sticking with it was always about their love for the sport. A skill difference in the beginning transferred into a size difference, fostering a teammate-like relationship of collaboration between the two.
 
Where there wasn’t direct competition on the mat – they have always and continued to be in each other’s corner at home, practice and official matches – they made up for in brotherly battles like comparing the number of takedowns in a single season.
 
“Initially, around elementary school, there wasn’t very much competition,” Noah said. “I didn’t really understand wrestling very well, and at that time Jacob had a much better grasp on the fundamentals and he was much more aggressive than me.
 
“We did still have the same goal to eventually become high school state champions.”
 
That goal might not be far off for the two. On Dec. 13 at the Clinton Prairie Invitational, both brothers took home first-place finishes. Noah recorded three consecutive pins for the title, and his six wins logged on IndianaMat in December were via fall. At the same tournament, Jacob tallied two pins, a major decision and a 9-7 title match victory over No. 17 Jayden Jett of Cowan.
 
Although their roles have changed for each other in tournaments from wrestling unattached to as a team, Jacob and Noah are always in each other’s corners.
 
“When we didn’t carry a team with us, Noah was just my teammate through that,” Jacob said. “We would always cheer on each other and try to work with each other. We’d always be a warmup partner, grilling partner, we were kind of bonded with each other no matter what weight we were at.
 
“Even though now when we go to tournaments there’s a 40-pound difference, we still make each other sweat and work hard.”
 
As workout and practice partners, the brothers continuously strive to grow through each other’s guidance.
 
“There have been a couple times when we’ve helped each other be our best,” Noah said. “[One time], we were getting a practice in at our house, and Jacob was just really struggling through it. It was just one of those off days. I was drilling with him and was just trying to encourage him and keep up his attitude. He just pushed through and got through the practice.”
 
Following the 2024-25 season, Noah and Jacob will go their separate ways – for a year, at least – as Noah heads to college and Jacob finishes out his high school career.
 
Regardless of where their futures take them, through wrestling or not, their relationship will continue to grow with the same teammate foundation it’s had since they were kids.
 
“Jacob and I are very family-oriented individuals… so I feel like depending on where we go to college, I don’t believe [our relationship with each other] will change too much,” Noah said. “If we do wrestle, we’ll still probably have that competitive spirit to see who could keep the highest GPA or who could score the most points. I feel like we’ll still keep that competitive spirit, but it’d still be friendly and loving.”
 
 

Joe is joined by Brandon Razo and they go over the girls semi-state brackets for this week. Lots of talk about growing girls wrestling and the big matches at semi-state.

Mike and Joe take a deep dive into the holiday tournament results. They discuss how the rankings will be affected by the upsets.

Bracket Release: January 1st, 2024 at 6pm EST
On WZBD
IndianaMat Facebook Live
IndianaMat YouTube Channel
 
Date: January 6th, 2024
 
Qualification Procedures
Click here to see the qualification procedures for teams participating
 
Qualification Leaderboard
Click here to see the leaderboard throughout the state series
 
Team State Pick'ems
Coming Soon
 
Locations 
1A- Rochester High School
2A- Jay County High School
3A- Franklin Community High School
4A- Brownsburg High School
 
Schedule
Weigh-ins 7:30am
Doors open 8:00am
Wrestling beings at 9:00am
 
Admission
$15- Adults and Students
Preschool and IHSWCA members FREE
 
Teams
1A Event Link
Adams Central, Bluffton, Cascade, Cowan, North Miami, Prairie Heights, Rochester, Southmont, Tell City, West Central
Vote-In: South Adams and Faith Christian
 
2A Event Link
Bellmont, Delta, Hamilton Heights, Heritage Hills, Jay County, Maconaquah, Monrovia, New Prairie, Wawasee, Western
Vote-In: Oak Hill and Rensselaer Central
 
3A Event Link
Columbus East, Dekalb, Fort Wayne Snider, Mishawaka, Roncalli, Terre Haute South
Vote In: East Noble, Floyd Central, Franklin Community, Greenfield-Central, Hobart, New Palestine
 
4A Event Link
Brownsburg, Center Grove, Crown Point, Indianapolis Cathedral, Perry Meridian, Warren Central
Vote In: Avon and  Evansville Mater Dei
 
TrackWrestling Link
****Including Streaming Info****
Streaming is through TrackWrestling/FloWrestling and cost is a yearly subscription of $150.
Click here to access the event on TrackWrestling
Click here for FloWrestling Streaming page
 
*Note: If you want a monthly subscription option you can subscribe to FloBowling and utilize that membership to watch wrestling or any other sports they offer. The cost is $30 per month for a monthly option.
 

Al Smith, Mooresville, Connersville, holiday tournament preview and of course we talk about more than just that!

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.”

Mike and Joe recap the week's events and preview the week ahead. They also do a deep dive into the team state selection process and talk about how it affects the seeding.

Rex Brewer and Dane Fuelling recap the week in wrestling, alont with interviews with South Adams Coach Robert Loshe, along with naming the remaining selections for Team State and speaking with those coaches as well.

Mike and Joe talk about a big week on the mat with many off-topic rants. Then we preview another big week of wrestling.

Rex Brewer and Dane Fuelling take a look back at the week in high school wrestling, and are joined this week by guests: Jacob Duncan of Southern Wells, and Brian Tun of Snider.

Ohio State Claims Wrestler of the Week Honor
The Buckeye posted a 5-0 record en route to the 141-pound title at the 2023 Cliff Keen Invitational
 
 
Wrestler of the Week
Jesse Mendez, Ohio State
141 pounds – So. – Crown Point, Ind. – Crown Point
 
Captured the 141-pound title at the 2023 Cliff Keen Invitational with a 5-0 record Earned the crown with three-consecutive wins over top 15 wrestlers in his weight class, including a major decision over No. 4 Brock Hardy of Nebraska Defeated No. 14 Vince Cornella of Cornell in the quarterfinals by technical fall (18-1), before winning the title match over No. 7 Ryan Jack of NC State by decision, 5-2 Last Ohio State Wrestler of the Week: Rocco Welsh (Nov. 8, 2023)  
  
2023-24 Big Ten Wrestler of the Week
Nov. 8: Rocco Welsh, Fr., OSU
Nov. 14: Shayne Van Ness, So., PSU/ Dean Hamiti, Jr., WIS
Nov. 22: Beau Bartlett, Sr., PSU/ Yaraslau Slavikouski, Gr., RU
Nov. 29: Gabe Arnold, Fr., IOWA
Dec. 6: Jesse Mendez, So., OSU

By JEREMY HINES
Thehines7@gmail.com
 
When Brady Byrd was young, he would wake up early, pack his wrestling gear in his parent’s vehicle and make the long journey to whatever tournament they could find. Often, hours later, he would return with a couple of losses to show for his effort.
 
“Brady started wrestling in fifth grade,” his father, Sean said. “Every tournament around us was at least an hour drive. Normally he would go 0-2. But he kept doing it and kept doing it. Sometimes he would even move up weight classes just to get matches.”
 
While the losses piled up, so did Byrd’s determination. If wrestling was easy, he might not have ever fallen in love with the sport. The losses helped build him into one of the best wrestlers in Washington High School history.
 
“That prepared me,” Brady said. “Not a lot of kids at this level have been on the losing side like I have. It took me a long time before I started to see success. For the longest time my worst sport was wrestling. Being on that losing side taught me to never shy away from anything. I was not going to quit just because I wasn’t good at it. That’s never a valid reason to quit. You have to get better. That’s the only option.”
 
Now, Byrd is the first Fargo double All-American to ever come out of the prestigious Maurer Caughlin Wrestling Club. Byrd finished third in freestyle this year and seventh in Greco-Roman. He is currently ranked No. 5 in the state at 106 pounds and has his sights set on taking the top of the platform at the state finals. He’s come a long way – but it was never easy.
 
“The biggest thing with Brady, is that a lot of guys see him now, succeeding and being a good wrestler,” Washington coach Aaron Cissell said. “But nobody looks deep enough to see all the struggles and tournaments where he would lose. He stuck with it. It’s all paying off now. He has overcome all of that and fought to be successful.”
 
Brady started wrestling 106 pounds as a freshman. At the time he weighed just 91 pounds. He’s always been a smaller guy. This, his senior season, is the first time he’s had to cut any weight at all. And even now, the cut is minimal.
 
Sean, his dad, was a state placer in high school.
 
“I placed seventh my senior year at 112 pounds,” Sean said. “Our styles are similar except that I was all heart and toughness and didn’t have technique. Brady is heart, toughness and has excellent technique.
 
“I was a Region guy who was coached by Hall of famer Walt Prochno Kankakee Valley. Brady wrestles the region style in southern Indiana - tough and gritty.”
 
Brady agrees that toughness and grit are keys to his success.
 
“The grit is what makes me successful,” Brady said. I’ve always had it. A lot of kids don’t like to wrestle me. I stay in their face and stay physical.”
 
Injuries have plagued Brady in his young career. He has suffered an ankle and a knee injury but has bounced back from both.
 
“Brady is the most determined and hardest working guy I’ve ever seen,” Cissell said. “He is tough in all areas.”
 
Brady owns Washington’s winning percentage record, but he wants to set the school’s win record and pin record this season. Both are well within his grasp. He also wants to become the third wrestler from his school to qualify for the state finals (Mark Kelsey did it in 1984 and Aaron Brower in 2003). He also wants to become the first Washington wrestler to place at state.
 
Brady also does whatever is necessary to help his team. Coaches have learned to rely on him with helping teach moves in a way the other wrestlers can understand.
 
“People really respect Brady,” Sean said. “So, when we are teaching moves, it’s better to have a Brady show them because he can speak their language and they really feed off of him.”
 
Brady would like to wrestle in college and even the Olympics one day. He has excellent grades and was named to the Academic All-State Team. Outside of wrestling Brady enjoys competitive bass fishing, hunting and playing pickle ball.
 
“Brady is the most determined kid you’ll ever meet,” Sean said. “He works hard at everything, and the work is finally starting to pay dividends.”
 
Brady has started this young season off with 15 consecutive wins. He hopes for much more as the year goes on. He loves the sport and enjoys working at it.
 
“Wrestling is one-on-one,” Brady said. “People call me crazy because I train so much. I don’t like relying on other people to win. I like relying on myself. What I put in is what I get out.”