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Manage articlesHigh School News6232010 Evansville Semi-State Preview
The 2010 Evansville Semi-State looks to have some top notch wrestling this Saturday. Â There are a total of 74 top 20 ranked wrestlers, 27 returning state qualifiers, of which 12 are returning State Placers.
103
First round matches to watch:
Devon Orben (10)(Columbus North)(32-10) vs. Austin Pettijohn (11)(Franklin)(24-17)
Anthony Sparks (12)(Greenwood)(25-10) vs. Kayne Pike (10)(Bloomington South)(32-6)
#18 Luke Schroeder (11)(Southwestern)(42-3) vs. Tyler Ruble (11)(North Putnam)(30-4)
Evan Vibbert (11)(Evansville Mater Dei) vs. Matthew Lahue (10)(Corydon)(25-5)
Likely ticket round matches are:
#8 Dylan Hall (12)(Evansville Harrison)(46-2) vs. Devon Orben (10)(Columbus North)(32-10)
#20 Alonzo Shepherd (10)(Jeffersonville)(43-4) vs. Kayne Pike (10)(Bloomington South)(32-6)
#18 Luke Schroeder (11)(Southwestern)(42-3) vs. Matthew Lahue (10)(Corydon)(25-5)
Anthony Schoettle (9)(Center Grove)(36-7) vs. #9 Gideon Vanhook (10)(Evansville Reitz)(34-6)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#8 Dylan Hall (12)(Evansville Harrison)(46-2)(state qualifier at 103 ’09, ’08)
#20 Alonzo Shepherd (10)(Jeffersonville)(43-4)(semi-state qualifier)
#18 Luke Schroeder (11)(Southwestern)(42-3)(semi-state qualifier)
#9 Gideon Vanhook (10)(Evansville Reitz)(34-6)
112
First round matches to watch:
Clint Plake (12)(Center Grove)(34-10) vs. #17 Logan Wedding (9)(Evansville Memorial)(37-5)
#18 Luke Welch (9)(Castle)(33-7) vs. Brayden Montgomery (9)(Danville)(40-3)
#4 Cody Kendle (11)(Pike Central)(31-4) vs. Robby Taylor (11)(Madison)(35-9)
Likely ticket round matches:
#20 Jacob Boomsma (11)(Bloomington South)(31-6) vs. #17 Logan Wedding (9)(Memorial)(37-5)
Curtis Smith (12)(Jeffersonville)(41-8) vs. #18 Luke Welch (9)(Castle)(33-7)
#3 Dusty Kief (11)(Franklin)(29-3) vs. #16 Cody Kendle (11)(Pike Central)(31-4)
Bryan Kuhn (12)(Evansville Reitz)(39-0) vs. Steven Reiker (11)(Columbus East)(36-8)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#20 Jacob Boomsma (11)(Bloomington South)(31-6)(state qualifier at)
Curtis Smith (12)(Jeffersonville)(41-8)(semi-state qualifier ’09, ’08, ’07)
#4 Dusty Kief (11)(Franklin)(29-3)(state 2nd at 103 ’09)
#3 Bryan Kuhn (12)(Evansville Reitz)(39-0)(5th at 103 ’09)
119
First round matches to watch:
Devon Miller (12)(Jeffersonville)(43-4) vs. #18 Jordan Legan (12)(Center Grove)(25-9)
Likely ticket round matches:
#7 Neal Malloy (9)(Danville)(37-2) vs. Jake Lannert (10)(Mater Dei)(31-8)
Devon Miller (12)(Jeffersonville)(43-4) vs. #10 Alex Griesemer (11)(Princeton)(34-5)
#17 Trevor Moody (10)(Evansville Reitz)(41-1) vs. #9 Derek Fisher (12)(Martinsville)(29-3)
Baron Reiker (11)(Columbus East)(38-6) vs. Cameron Williams (12)(Franklin)(28-11)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#7 Neal Malloy (9)(Danville)(37-2)
#10 Alex Griesemer (11)(Princeton)(34-5)(state qualifier)
#9 Derek Fisher (12)(Martinsville)(29-3)(7th in state at 112 in ‘09)
Baron Reiker (11)(Columbus East)(38-6)(semi-state qualifier)
125
First round matches to watch:
#10 Jordan Judy (10)(Danville)(40-3) vs. Michael Brown (11)(Castle)(34-6)
#5 Ethan Raley (11)(Indian Creek)(30-1) vs. #19 Zach Henderson (11)(Mater Dei)(32-6)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#11 Dakota Case (11)(Terre Haute South)(31-6) vs. #10 Jordan Judy (10)(Danville)(40-3)
Kaleb Chambers (11)(Jasper)(33-7) vs. Grant Collicot (12)(Plainfield)(29-10)
#5 Ethan Raley (11)(Indian Creek)(30-1) vs. Derek Lunsford (11)(Pike Central)(29-9)
Andrew Sulawske (12)(Evansville North)(37-5) vs. Zach Reiker (11)(Columbus East)(39-8)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#11 Dakota Case (11)(Terre Haute South)(31-6)
Kaleb Chambers(11)(Jasper)(33-7)
#5 Ethan Raley (11)(Indian Creek)(30-1)(state champ at 103 in ’08, state qualifier at 112 in ’09)
Andrew Sulawske (12)(Evansville North)(37-5)(semi-state qualifier)
130
First round matches to watch:
Spencer Boyd (11)(Bloomington South)(27-11) vs. #15 Derek Bratton (12)(Martinsville)(28-9)
#18 Aaron Witt (12)(Floyd Central)(31-6) vs. Quinn Schroeder (11)(Mater Dei)(33-5)
Likely Ticket round matches:
Tim Martin (12)(New Albany)(35-5) vs. #15 Derek Bratton (12)(Martinsville)(28-9)
Jacob Meliff (12)(North Posey)(30-7) vs. #17 Kaleb Heald (11)(Cascade)(34-4)
#6 Luke Schofield (12)(Franklin)(34-4) vs. Jordan Mann (11)(Castle)(26-16)
#14 Shawn Miracle (12)(Bloomington North)(35-1) vs. QuinnSchroeder (11)(Mater Dei)(33-5)
Likely State Qualifiers:
Tim Martin (12)(New Albany)(35-5)(state qualifier)
Jacob Meliff (12)(North Posey)(30-7)(semi-state qualifier)
#6 Luke Schofield (12)(Franklin)(34-4)(state qualifier)
#14 Shawn Miracle (12)(Bloomington North)(35-1)(semi-state qualifier)
135
First round matches to watch:
#19 Blake Rueger (10)(Evansville Reitz)(39-1) vs. Caden McGaha ()(Columbus North)(25-8)
#18 Matt Rassbach (12)(Avon)(30-1) vs. Tom Denny (12)(Floyd Central)(25-9)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#1 Brannigan Barlow (12)(Bloomington South)(36-1) vs. Chris Oaks (12)(Brownsburg)(30-10)
#19 Blake Reuger (10)(Evansville Reitz)(39-1) vs. #17 Cole Van Horn (11)(Franklin)(29-7)
#12 Renaldo Weekley (11)(Jeffersonville)(42-6) vs. Jordan Jansen (11)(Terre Haute South)(25-4)
#18 Matt Rassbach (12)(Avon)(30-1) vs. Andrew Konrath (11)(Mt. Vernon)(36-6)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#1 Brannigan Barlow (12)(Bloomington South)(36-1)(state qualifier)
#19 Blake Rueger (10)(Evansville Reitz)(39-1)(state qualifier)
#12 Renaldo Weekley (11)(Jeffersonville)(42-6)(semi-state qualifier)
#18 Matt Rassbach (12)(Avon)(30-1)
140
First round matches to watch:
Larry Rickman (12)(New Albany)(38-3) vs. Ethan Farmer (10)(Bloomington South)(21-6)
Tyler Raben (11)(Mater Dei)(29-9) vs. Austin Bowman (10)(Franklin)(31-10)
Likely Ticket round matches:
Larry Rickman (12)(New Albany)(38-3) vs. #5 Quayle Bealmear (12)(Tri-West)(33-2)
#16 Jeremy Salyers (12)(Edgewood)(45-2) vs. Blaine Hall (12)(Avon)(26-6)
Tyler Raben (11)(Mater Dei)(29-9) vs. Â #4 PJ Montgomery (11)(Terre Haute South)(34-3)
#3 Matt Milton (12)(Center Grove)(37-2) vs. Zach Adams (10)(Madison)(36-8)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#5 Quayle Bealmear (12)(Tri-West)(33-2)(state qualifier)
#16 Jeremy Salyers (12)(Edgewood)(45-2)(semi-state qualifier)
#4 PJ Montgomery(11)(Terre Haute South)(34-3)(state qualifier)
#3 Matt Milton (12)(Center Grove)(37-2)(6th in state at 103 in ’08)
145
First round matches to watch:
#16 Marcus Waddell (12)(Columbus North)(31-3) vs. #14 Corey Voegel (12)(Evansville Reitz)(34-8)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#7 Ben Moberly (12)(Floyd Central)(35-2) vs. Sam Horrocks (11)(Bloomington South)(27-11)
#15 Danny Waters (12)(Greenwood)(36-3) vs. #3 John Sims (11)(Mater Dei)(27-6)
#16 Marcus Waddell (12)(Columbus North)(31-3) vs. Josh Sampson (12)(New Washington)(41-1)
#2 Doug Welch (11)(Castle)(41-0) vs. Dalton Clements (11)(Monrovia)(22-6)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#7 Ben Mobery (12)(Floyd Central)(35-2)(semi-state qualifier)
#3 John Sims (11)(Evansville Mater Dei)(27-6)(4th at state in ’09, 6th at state in ’08)
#16 Marcus Waddell (12)(Columbus North)(31-3)(semi-state qualifier)
#2 Doug Welch (11)(Castle)(41-0)(5th at state in ’09)
152
First round matches to watch:
Gabe Holt (11)(Columbus North)(31-7) vs. #12 Joey Juliano (10)(Mooresville)(28-6)
#10 Dustin Parrish (11)(Plainfield)(31-3) vs. Ben Farmer (11)(Bloomington South)(20-11)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#2 Chad Welch (11)(Castle)(40-0) vs. #12 Joey Juliano (10)(Mooresville)(28-6)
Jacob Golembeski (12)(Providence)(34-5) vs. #10 Dustin Parrish (11)(Plainfield)(31-3)
#6 Quincey Richey (10)(Brown County)(30-0) vs. Tyler Rickenbaugh (11)(Heritage Hills)(36-6)
#14 Sean Mappes (10)(Center Grove)(32-4) vs. Blake Marshall (11)(Mt. Vernon)(40-4)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#2 Chad Welch (12)(Castle)(40-0)(state qualifier)
#10 Dustin Parrish (11)(Plainfield)(31-3)
#6 Quincy Richey (10)(Brown County)(30-0)(8th in state at 130 in ‘09)
#14 Sean Mappes (10)(Center Grove)(32-4)
160
First round matches to watch:
#10 Trey Reese (11)(Indian Creek)(32-0) vs. #18 Dalton Brandenstein (10)(Mater Dei)(27-8)
Caleb Smith (12)(Princeton)(33-7) vs. #6 Ryan Kolb (12)(Tri-West)(34-1)
Likely Ticket round matches:
Corey Weikel (12)(Castle)(35-5) vs. #8 Holden Fudurich ()(Sullivan)(30-3)
#10 Trey Reese (11)(Indian Creek)(32-0) vs. Andrew Jones (12)(Jasper)(33-8)
Drew Songer (12)(Southridge)(38-4) vs. #6 Ryan Kolb (12)(Tri-West)(34-1)
#19 Terry Terrell (12)(Bloomington South)(31-5) vs. Jesse Vermillion (11)(Greencastle)(30-11)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#8 Holden Fudurich (12)(Sullivan)(30-3)(state qualifier)
#10 Trey Reese (11)(Indian Creek)(32-0)(semi-state qualifier)
#6 Ryan Kolb (12)(Tri-West)(34-1)
#19 Terry Terrell (12)(Bloomington South)(31-5)(state qualifier)
171
First round matches to watch:
#3 Jeff Weiss (12)(Heritage Hills)(42-1) vs. Jacob Underwood (10)(Martinsville)(30-7)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#5 Cole Brandt (12)(Avon)(30-2) vs. Eaton Asher (12)(Madison)(32-10)
#3 Jeff Weiss (12)(Heritage Hills)(42-1) vs. Corey Kopitzke (12)(Jennings County)(37-8)
#15 Garrett Goldman (11)(Bloomington North)(29-2) vs. #9 Josh Boots (11)(Mater Dei)(38-2)
#7 Caleb Browner (12)(Jeffersonville)(46-2) vs. #2 Drake Stein (11)(Princeton)(36-2)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#5 Cole Brandt (12)(Avon)(30-2)(state qualifier)
#3 Jeff Weiss (12)(Heritage Hills)(42-1)(7th at state in ’09)
#9 Josh Boots (11)(Evansville Mater Dei)(38-2)(semi-state qualifier)
#2 Drake Stein (11)(Princeton)(36-2)(8th at state in ’09)
189
First round matches to watch:
Craig Voges (12)(Forest Park)(40-3) vs. #18 Jarrett Brownfield (12)(Columbus North)(22-3)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#19 Darren Eads (12)(Bloomington South)(30-7) vs. #11 Patrick Price (12)(North Posey)(31-4)
Craig Voges (12)(Forest Park)(40-3) vs. #13 Ryan Sandwith (11)(Memorial)(32-8)
#7 Todd Hacker (12)(Mooresville)(30-3) vs. Iyan Bass (10)(Jennings County)(34-4)
#6 Alex Rosebrock (12)(Castle)(38-2) vs. Joe Tucker (11)(Jasper)(31-7)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#11 Patrick Price (12)(North Posey)(31-4)(semi-state qualifier)
#13 Ryan Sandwith (11)(Evansville Memorial)(32-8)(semi-state qualifier)
#7 Todd Hacker (12)(Mooresville)(30-3)
#6 Alex Rosebrock (12)(Castle)(38-2)(semi-state qualifier)
215
First round matches to watch:
#11 Jake VanDeventer (12)(Bloomington North)(29-4) vs. Justin VanWinkle (11)(Mater Dei)(29-9)
#16 Travis Daugherty (12)(Castle)(24-12) vs. David Knight (11)(Terre Haute South)(38-2)
Jimmy Pratt (11)(Jeffersonville)(37-9) vs. Quincy Pirtle (11)(Avon)(22-9)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#4 Dylan Froehlich (12)(Tell City)(42-0) vs. Hunter Manning (12)(Pike Central)(28-8)
#11 Jake VanDeventer (12)(Bloomington North)(29-4) vs. Keith Knura (10)(Franklin)(29-9)
#10 Evan Wooding (12)(Mooresville)(33-0) vs. #16 Travis Daugherty (12)(Castle)(24-12)
Jimmy Pratt (11)(Jeffersonville)(37-9) vs. Mark Collett (11)(Jennings County)(37-6)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#4 ranked Dylan Froehlich (12)(Tell City)(42-0)(semi-state qualifier)
#11 ranked Jake VanDeventer (12)(Bloomington North)(29-4)
#10 ranked Evan Wooding (12)(Mooresville)(33-0)
Jimmy Pratt (11)(Jeffersonville)(37-9)
285
First round matches to watch:
#13 Zach Wimpleberg (12)(Reitz)(33-7) vs. Taylor Hoke (12)(New Albany)(35-7)
Likely Ticket round matches:
#11 James Caum (12)(Jennings County)(41-2) vs. Neil Hammelman (12)(Evansville Mater Dei)(30-8)
#18 Zack Vandemen  (12)(Whiteland)(27-5) vs. #13 Zach Wimpleberg (12)(Evansville Reitz)(41-2)
#5 Tyler Daugherty (12)(Castle)(38-2) vs. #16 Jake Stevenson (11)(Indian Creek)(25-8)
#6 Tyler Jenkins (12)(Jasper)(37-2) vs. Chris Hurst (12)(South Putnam)(33-2)
Likely State Qualifiers:
#11 James Caum (12)(Jennings County)(41-2)(semi-state qualifier)
#18 Zack Vandemen (12)(Whiteland)(27-5)
#5 Tyler Daugherty (12)(Castle)(38-2)(semi-state qualifier)
#6 Tyler Jenkins (12)(Jasper)(37-2)
High School News5432010 Woodlan(Fort Wayne) Semi-State Preview
Bobby Cox and company made things quite interesting this week with the decision to let the Randolph County wrestlers back into the tournament at the semi-state level. These additions will add 14 rat-tail matches to start the day. I hope to see the fans cheer these wrestlers on as they get a second chance this week. The Fort Wayne Semi-State is going to be very exciting with numerous great ticket-round matches. Look for the action to be hot and heavy from the beginning until the end. Thirteen wrestlers head to Fort Wayne with unblemished records on the season. They include three wrestlers from Team State Finalists Yorktown, Derek Bevans, Devon Jackson and Ross Janney. Other undefeated wrestlers include Tony Lovejoy of Bishop Luers, Brock Norton of Carroll, Austin Waite of Maconaquah, Josh Martin of Randolph Southern, Josh Ehr of South Adams, Zac McCray of Garrett, Travis Thatcher of Bellmont, Jackson Bratcher of Eastbrook, Dylan Green of Kokomo and Korey Eck of Concordia.
103lbs
Last year this weight class failed to win a match at Conseco, but it does not look like that will happen this year. The field here is very tough from top to bottom. Leading the way in Peru Senior Shannon Garrettson. He will be challenged by Chaz Busz of Whitko and Brock Bevans of Yorktown.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Chaz Busz- Whitko vs. Cody Walburn- Adams Central
King of the Hill
Shannon Garrettson- Peru
Other State Streeters
Chaz Busz- Whitko
Brock Bevans- Yorktown
Danny Hamm- Prairie Heights
112
This is another weight class that failed to have a placer at the state finals last year. This weight will also have many great matches. Early on keep your eyes on the Gonzales vs. Que match. Both were state qualifiers last year, with Gonzales being the semi-state champion at this weight class. Logan Randle of Huntington North will also be a wrestler to watch after dealing New Castle's Brendan Campbell his first high school loss.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Steven Gonzales- Delta vs. Abraham Que- Elkhart Central
Logan Randle- Huntington North vs. Derek Roe- Adams Central
Nick Crume- Jimtown vs. Alex Richman- Heritage
King of the Hill
Steven Gonzales- Delta
Other State Streeters
Logan Randle- Huntington North
Jordan Gilbert- Whitko
Nick Crume- Jimtown
119
Tony Lovejoy won a semi-state title at 125lbs last year, but has decided to drop to 119lbs for his chance at a state title this year. He will be challenged by former state placer Steven Ross, but Ross has to get by Northwestern's Matt Miller first.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Sebastian Eckert-Huntington North vs. Phillip Gerber- Bluffton
Eckert/Gerber vs. Alex Troy- Snider
Steven Ross- Concord vs. Matt Miller- Northwestern
King of the Hill
Tony Lovejoy- Bishop Luers
Other State Streeters
Alex Troy- Snider
Andy Franklin- Homestead
Steven Ross- Concord
125
Yorktown's Derek Bevans has been nothing less than impressive this season as he looks to return to the state finals for a fourth time. His main competition is Travis Barroquillo of Prairie Heights whom he defeated earlier in the year. Barroquillo has to be thinking he is living in the twilight zone as he will most likely face an Armantrout in the ticket-round for the second straight year.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Kirs Workman- Taylor vs. Lucas Willms- Fremont
Workman/Willms vs. Bobby Perry- Bluffton
Travis Barroquillo- Prairie Heights vs. Jordan Armantrout- Muncie South
King of the Hill
Derek Bevans- Yorktown
Other State Streeters
Travis Barroquillo- Prairie Heights
Bobby Perry- Bluffton
Dylan LeTourneau- Whitko
130
Devon Jackson of Yorktown has blown through his competition all year long and looks to continue to do so. The other spots in the top four at semi-state are not so easy to pick. Carlin Horman of Bellmont looks to play spoiler as he will be in the toughest quarter bracket with Collin Crume of Jimtown and state placer Dan Rothgeb of Whitko. That quarter bracket alone will be fun to watch play out.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Collin Crume- Jimtown vs. Carlin Hormann- Bellmont
Crume/Hormann vs. Dan Rothgeb- Whitko
Tucker Smith- Homestead vs. Drake Meska- Jay County
King of the Hill
Devon Jackson- Yorktown
Other State Streeters
Dan Rothgeb- Whitko
Darin Fiechter- Southern Wells
Tucker Smith- Homestead
135
This is the weight class many have been waiting for all year long. Will Brock Norton defend his semi-state title or will Yorktown's Andrew Hiestand take it from him? Or will Norton even get a ticket to state with a ticket-round match with NHC nemesis Brooks Faurote looming? Is it Saturday yet, because this will be quite a fun weight to watch.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Brock Norton- Carroll vs. Brooks Faurote- Bellmont
Andrew Hiestand- Yorktown vs. Cody Zink- Woodlan
King of the Hill
Brock Norton- Carroll
Other State Streeters
Andrew Hiestand- Yorktown
Jeremy Hill- Jimtown
Cam Matteson- Elkhart Memorial
140
This weight class is lead by Leo's Justin Beck who qualified for state in this weight last year. He cannot overlook Randolph Southern's undefeated Josh Martin though. Martin will not have an easy go at it as he will have arguably the toughest quarter bracket.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Justin Beck- Leo vs. Ryan Ntende- Goshen
King of the Hill
Justin Beck- Leo
Other State Streeters
Josh Martin- Randolph Southern
Jarod Swartz- Adams Central
Wade Thiel- North Side
145
Just like 135lbs, this weight will be very exciting to play out. Every match here is very important and no one in this weight class can be overlooked. From top to bottom, you have a possible ACAC title rematch between undefeated Josh Ehr and Bryce Schendel of Garrett. Next up is a possible match between returning state placer Dalton Sparks of Peru and Jordan Venderley of Bishop Dwenger. Moving to the bottom bracket you have Reece Lefever of Carroll and Cody Harper of Yorktown in an interesting match-up. The last quarter bracket will be interesting too, as the first round pits two NHC rivals against eachother. Levy Francois defeated Tanner Boman just a few weeks ago, but Boman is coming off sectional and regional titles. Neither of those two can overlook Huntington North's Brant Hiple either. You might need some oxygen to catch your breath after this weight class!
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Josh Ehr- South Adams vs. Bryce Schendel- Garrett
Dalton Sparks- Peru vs. Jordan Venderley- Bishop Dwenger
Reece Lefever- Carroll vs. Cody Harper- Yorktown
Tanner Boman-Dekalb vs. Levy Francois- New Haven
Boman/Francois vs. Brant Hiple- Huntington North
King of the Hill
Josh Ehr- South Adams
Other State Streeters
Jordan Venderley- Bishop Dwenger
Reece Lefever- Carroll
Brant Hiple- Huntington North
152
Returning state placer Zach Corpe of Elkhart Memorial is the class of the field here. His stiffest competition will come from East Noble's Jimmy LaRowe who will have to battle it out with a tough Nick Duke in the ticket round. Other than that, keep your eyes on Garrett Weber of Leo who is always exciting to watch.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
John Malan- Bellmont vs. Zack Zurbrugg- New Haven
Nick Duke- Marion vs. Jimmy LaRowe- East Noble
King of the Hill
Zach Corpe- Elkhart Memorial
Other State Streeters
Garrett Weber- Leo
Jimmy LaRowe- East Noble
John Mahlan- Bellmont
160
This weight class looks to be fairly cut and dry with four wrestlers heads and shoulders above the rest. Thankfully, the bracket gods separated these four wrestlers. Leading the way is undefeated Zac McCray of Garrett. He will look to make his first state finals appearance. Following closely is arch nemesis Conner Lefever of Carroll and Bellmont's Ryley Hankenson. Zeke Lloyd of Marion had a close match with Lefever earlier in the year and could set up an interesting semi-final match.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Zeke Lloyd- Marion vs. Cody Conrad- Heritage
King of the Hill
Zac McCray- Garrett
Other State Streeters
Conner Lefever- Carroll
Ryley Hankenson- Bellmont
Zeke Lloyd- Marion
171
There are lots of landmines in this weight class. Look no further than Austin Striggle's match-up with undefeated Jackson Bratcher. Bratcher is the favorite, but he cannot overlook the super-sophomore. Other wrestlers to watch are Churubusco's Jordan Hamilton and Trent Castner of Yorktown.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Jackson Bratcher- Eastbrook vs. Austin Striggle- Whitko
Logan Counterman- Prairie Heights vs. Logan Raypole- Carroll
Trent Castner- Yorktown vs. JB Singer- Goshen
King of the Hill
Jackson Bratcher- Eastbrook
Other State Streeters
Jordan Hamilton- Churubusco
Trent Castner- Yorktown
Logan Counterman- Prairie Heights
189
This is another interesting weight class with some very fine competitors. Leading the way is Bellmont's Travis Thatcher who is undefeated on the season. He cannot overlook the Scotts, Taylor of Heritage and Darryn of Marion. Taylor Scott beat Darryn Scott earlier in the season.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Taylor Scott- Heritage vs. Carson Sappington- Elkhart Memorial
Brandon Dillenbeck- Goshen vs. Peter Waikel- Bishop Dwenger
King of the Hill
Travis Thatcher- Bellmont
Other State Streeters
Taylor Scott- Heritage
Darryn Scott- Marion
Brandon Dillenbeck- Goshen
215
This weight class will get a jumpstart with three pig-tail matches. After that we get into the mix right away. Returning state qualifier Dylan Green will get tested from the get-go by either Adam Chalfant or Matt James. If you see Scott Neff of Yorktown you will think he belongs on the basketball court, but he has proved himself on the wrestling mat with impressive wins last week at Jay County.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Taylor Grubb- Prairie Heights vs. Seth Biberstine- Southern Wells
Andrew Chalfant- Winchester vs. Matt James- Jay County
Chalfant/James vs. Dylan Green- Kokomo
Scott Neff- Yorktown vs. Shane Hendrickson- Elkhart Memorial
King of the Hill
Dylan Green- Kokomo
Other State Streeters
Scott Neff- Yorktown
Seth Biberstine- Southern Wells
Andrew Bultemeier- Bellmont
285
Not many people will leave before the heavyweights are done this year. This weight class has two undefeated wrestlers along with two others that entered the state tournament undefeated. Great match-ups include undefeated Korey Eck of Concordia and Bellmont's Mighty Mouse Daniel Meyer in the ticket round. Also, do not overlook Jay County fourth place finisher Elijah Justice of Blackford.
Early Round Bracket Buster Matches
Korey Eck- Concordia vs. Daniel Meyer- Bellmont
Jacob Clark- Goshen vs. Elijah Justice- Blackford
Evan Floyd- Northwestern vs. Ross Janney- Yorktown
King of the Hill
Ross Janney- Yorktown
Other State Streeters
Jacob Clark- Goshen
Jim West- South Adams
Korey Eck- Concordia
High School News1374IHSWCA Update from Cale Hoover
2/8/10
IHSWCA Members and Wrestling Community:
I believe the time has come for me to address several situations that have occurred over the past few weeks. We have seen blatant weight loss program violations, the integrity of our state tournament put in jeopardy, a weigh-in controversy, and sadly kids being eliminated from our tournament series without an opportunity to compete.
The coaches association sits squarely in the middle of these controversies and we will stay strong and lead through these times. I am disappointed and upset that things have come to this, but I will work and do what I can to make things right. I obviously can make no promises, but we are working with the IHSAA.
Coaches are obligated to help wrestlers develop into outstanding citizens and responsible adults. Winning of course is fun and great, but it is a byproduct of doing things right. I cringe when I hear stories of defaulting matches trying to get a better match-up the next week. We need to be mentors and role models for our wrestlers. Coaches, we must do a better job of following the weight loss program whether we like it or not. We will be working to make the system more user friendly, but we have people who knowingly violate the program.
The situation at the Jay County Regional is unacceptable to me. This event should not have taken place. I will not cast blame because many factors went into the decision. We are working to try to give the student-athletes involved their opportunity. I can make no promises, but I hope a solution can be reached that is fair.
Finally, I have heard and been told the IHSWCA does not care about small schools. I will repeat this until everyone listens and believes. I love wrestling and I care about all schools and wrestlers. I wrestled at Central Noble HS where the largest team we finished with in my four years had nine wrestlers. We won two dual meets in four years! After my junior year, our AD went to the school board and recommended the program be dropped. It was saved with a fight from the community, and I went on to wrestle at Purdue for two years. I came up short on my dream of being a state champion, but wrestling has taught me many lessons that have helped me get to where I am at today.
The wrestling community must stick together stay the course in these tough times. If we ever want to improve our sport through the IHSAA we must conduct ourselves in a professional and ethical manner and stop making decisions that put wrestling in the crosshairs of the governing body.
Sincerely
Cale Hoover
IHSWCA President
Head Coach, Center Grove HS
High School News8192010 IHSAA Semi-State Brackets
Date: Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010.
Admission: $6 (Final session only); $9 (Season ticket).
Advancement: The top four place winners in each weight class advance to the state finals.
1. Merrillville (at Merrillville H.S.), 9 am CT
Feeder Regionals: Calumet, LaPorte, Logansport, Rochester.
2. Woodlan (at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum), 9 am
Feeder Regionals: Carroll (Fort Wayne), Goshen, Jay County, Peru.
3. New Castle (at New Castle H.S.), 9 am
Feeder Regionals: North Montgomery, Pendleton Heights, Perry Meridian, Richmond.
4. Evansville Reitz (at Roberts Stadium), 9 am CT
Feeder Regionals: Bloomington South, Castle, Jeffersonville, Mooresville.
High School News1697Toe to Joe with IHSAA Assistant Commissioner Bobby Cox
What do feel the state of wrestling is in the state of Indiana?
Currently our participation numbers are steady. I have not seen a dramatic decrease or increase over the past few years. With that said I have concerns regarding the health and safety of our student athletes and issues related to competition.
What can be improved with the sport of wrestling in the state?
It is my belief that student athletes who participate in wrestling are no different than their counterparts in other sports. Students wish to participate in front of their peers, their parents and fans that support their efforts. All day individual tournaments where the fans and even the participants have little idea of the status of the meet throughout the day do nothing to grow the sport of wrestling. While the notion of a student wrestling 40-50 bouts throughout a season in a collection of individual tournaments may be attractive from an experience and development standpoint, it decreases general interest and attention from the common sports fan. I firmly believe in our society today, if coaches want to increase the numbers of wrestlers on their squads, they have to demonstrate that while wrestling is a very demanding sport, it can be fun and rewarding. Part of that is the concept that those kids will compete in front of a large gathering of fans, parents, classmates and peers and be recognized for their efforts.
What is your athletic background - playing/coaching?
In high school I participated in track and cross country at Carmel High School with moderate success. I continued my running career at Butler University competing in long distance events such as the 5,000 and 10,000 meter runs. I was fortunate to have two outstanding coaches during my running days in Chuck Koeppen at Carmel and Stan Lyons at Butler. I began teaching and coaching in 1979. I taught health, physical education and driver's education and I coached cross country, basketball and track and field. After 11 years in those roles, I became an athletic director. I served as an athletic administrator at the middle school and high school levels for 10 years.
How he became involved with IHSAA?
I was the athletic director at Carmel High School when Bob Gardner announced that he was resigning as Commissioner to become the Chief Operating Officer for the National Federation. Blake Ress was an Assistant Commissioner at the time and was appointed as the new Commissioner in April of 2000. I received an application for the vacated Assistant Commissioner's position and decided that I would apply for the position. Prior to that as the A.D. at Carmel, we hosted the state softball tournament for several years and one year the state cross country meet along with various sectionals and regional events. Through the hosting of those events, I developed some relationships with the staff at the Association and a basic understanding of what the Association was about.
What is the function of IHSAA?
Our purpose as written in our by-laws is to encourage, regulate and give direction to wholesome amateur interschool athletic competition between the schools who are members of the Corporation.
What are your responsibilities with the IHSAA?
My primary responsibilities are the administration of five of the IHSAA's 20 sports. Those sports are football, wrestling, boys' track and field, girls' track and field and boys' golf. Additionally, I rule on approximately 1200 student transfers annually, oversee the insurance programs of the Association, oversee the coach education program for the Association, serve as the staff liaison to the Indiana Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association and sit ex-officio on the Commission on Sports Medicine which is an outreach of the Indiana State Medical Association. I have served a four year term as a member of the NFHS Coach Education Committee and currently sit on the NFHS football rules committee, serving as the Chairman of the Research subcommittee. Finally, anything else the Commissioner deems necessary.
What are your general views on wrestling as a sport (what it teaches kids)?
Of all sports the IHSAA sponsors, I believe that wrestling is the most demanding activity we offer. There is no question as to the value wrestling provides to the students that participate in the sport. All the commonly known attributes such as dedication, hard work, sacrifice, teamwork, mental discipline and physical development are easily observed. Wrestling, not unlike our other sports also provides the opportunity to teach sportsmanship and a sense of fair play. These tenants must stand at the forefront if we are to continue our pursuit of education based athletics.
What are your views on weight management plans since adoption (any bugs to still work out?)?
The IHSAA weight management plan has been in existence now for 10 years. It is hard to believe it has been that long. Generally, I am pleased with the fact we have implemented the program and how it has developed over time. With that being said I believe I need to ramp up my efforts in education for our coaches. Coaching as well as athletic administration experiences a great deal of turnover. I would estimate that over half of the head wrestling coaching positions in our state has changed over the last ten years. That turnover causes a need for focused communication with coaches regarding the provisions of our weight management program. I believe that the vast majority of coaches are making honest efforts to adhere to the principles of the program. I also believe that we still have a few individuals associated with wrestling that see weight management as a nuisance and dismiss it. Those individuals are doing their student athletes a grave disservice and are out of touch with today's sport.
What is the importance of relationship between IHSAA and coach's associations?
With all our coaches' associations, I believe the relationship between the IHSAA and those groups are important. The coaches' associations should be representing the desires of their constituents and have the ability to articulate those aspirations to the IHSAA staff and Executive Committee.
What is in store for the future of high school athletics (pay to play??)?
I have serious concerns regarding the future of education based interscholastic athletics. I phrase it in that manner because I believe that high school athletics will still be around, it just might not be in the style that educators can live with. The budget cuts that school corporations are facing span across all areas of programming and it appears that interscholastic athletics sits squarely in the crosshairs. When programming is cut, that reduces opportunities for young people to gain experiences that might not be enjoyed otherwise. In my opinion, student athletes, parents and coaches along with athletic administrators need to speak loudly and clearly in their local communities to the values of athletics and what those experiences provide outside the traditional classroom. If school boards fail to see the positive values provided by interscholastic athletics, I believe those programs are in jeopardy.
Wrestlebacks: Why do you think the coaches have been pushing so hard for them and what is preventing them from being passed?
My sense is that coaches push for wrestlebacks for a couple of primary reasons. Initially, it is part of the wrestling culture and those matches occur throughout the regular season. Many wrestling coaches would like the IHSAA tournament series to mirror some of those regular season events. Additionally, coaches feel that in some situations, a wrestler could get caught in a move during a bout and lose when in their mind the losing wrestler was really the best wrestler and should have the opportunity to "wrestle back" to a better position. The IHSAA individual tournament series is about determining a state champion in 14 weight classes. Adding wrestlebacks is nothing more than adding matches to an already long program to determine something that is already being determined. When the individual tournament concludes at Conseco on Saturday night, I believe we have accomplished our goal in identifying the best wrestler in 14 weight classes. Finally, wrestlebacks have been proposed on no less than three separate occasions to the Executive Committee and there has been no support from the Committee to entertain this proposal.
What would have to happen for Indiana to sanction women's wrestling like a few other states do?
Our current by-laws require that for a sport to be offered, 50% of the membership must be participating in that sport during the same season and a championship tournament series proposed by the Commissioner. Girls' Wrestling would be the sport and 206 schools would have to field females in their current wrestling programs for there to be any consideration.
Who have been your favorite wrestlers to watch at the state finals?
There have been many. It is always interesting to me to see how kids develop throughout their careers and how they handle success. I really enjoyed watching Alex Tsirtsis from Griffith in how he simply dominated his opponents. I admired Blake Maurer from Evansville Mater Dei not only because of his wrestling prowess but the fact he was a great three sport athlete. I watched him play football and his 4 x 800 meter relay team made the state finals his senior year. Not bad for a 171 pounder. Reece Humphrey from Lawrence North was entertaining and good. His patented back flip after a big victory probably prompted the NFHS wrestling rules committee to outlaw that stunt. Finally I really liked Angel Escobedo from Griffith because he seemed so humble and humility is an endearing trait.
High School News406Jeffersonville Regional Preview
The Jeffersonville Regional looks to have some very competitive wrestling this Saturday. There are a total of 7 top 20 ranked wrestlers, 2 returning state qualifiers, and 22 returning semi-state qualifiers.
103
Jeff Sophomore Alonzo Shepherd (39-4)(semi-state qualifier), #20 in the state, is the defending champ and will likely have a rematch of last years finals with Corydon sophomore Matthew Lahue (22-4)(semi-state qualifier). Shepherd won their Sectional final 9-0 last week. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Caleb Happel of Floyd Central (27-7) and Adam Concannon of Mitchell (27-7).
112
Jeff Senior Curtis Smith (37-8)(3X semi-state qualifier), will be looking for his 4th Regional Crown and will likely have State Qualifier, and 16th ranked, Cody Kendle of Pike Central (29-3) in the finals. Smith won last years finals match over Kendle by 1. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Kyle Eckert of Jasper (31-7) and Zach Thomas of Floyd Central (21-15).
119
Jeff Senior Devon Miller (39-4)(semi-state qualifier), will likely meet up with Justin Olinger (26-12) of Forest Park. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Brady Meenach of New Washington (26-12) and Justin Wolf of Charlestown (21-10).
125
Jaspers Kaleb Chambers (30-7)(semi-state qualifier) will likely meet Corydon senior, Dustin Springer (23-3) in the finals. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Jordan Hedinger of Forest Part (29-8) and Derek Lunsford of Pike Central (27-8).
130
There will be a semi final rematch of last weeks Jeff sectional between New Albany’s senior Tim Martin (32-5)(State qualifier) and Floyd Centrals Aaron Witte (29-5)(semi-state qualifier). Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Shawn Simpson of Jeffersonville (31-14) and Cody Byrer of North Knox (24-4)(semi-state qualifier).
135
Jeffersonville junior Renaldo Weekley (39-5)(semi-state qualifier), #12 in the state, will be a heavy favorite. He will likely face the winner of Floyd Centrals Tom Denny (24-7) and Southridge’s Bryce Jones (28-10)(semi-state qualifier). Other likely semi-state qualifier is Lane Massingham of New Washington (35-6).
140
Jasper’s Adam Harder (33-6)(semi-state qualifier) will likely meet New Albany’s Lawrence Rickman (35-3)(semi-state qualifier) in the finals. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Drew Denny of Floyd Central (29-8) and Taylor Newcomb of Charlestown (26-6)(semi-state qualifier).
145
There is a likely repeat match of last weeks Jeffersonville Sectional finals between Floyd Central senior Ben Moberly (32-2)(semi-state qualifier), #7 in the state, and undefeated New Washington senior Josh Sampson (39-0)(semi-state qualifier). Sampson edged Moberly 2-0 in their first meeting. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Ross Schenk of Jasper (30-7) and Cory Ingram of Southridge (21-9)(semi-state qualifier).
152
Providence senior Jacob Golembeski (semi-state qualifier) will likely meet Mitchell’s Andrew Wise (15-5) in the finals. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Nick Ackerman of Jasper (26-13) and Angus Stetter of Southridge (26-14)(semi-state qualifier).
160
Drew Songer (35-4)(semi-state qualifier) of Southridge will be the favorite. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Brandon Marlin of Jeffersonville (31-14), Jacob Hall of Charlestown (25-11), and Andrew Jones of Jasper (31-7).
171
Jeffersonville senior Caleb Browner (43-1)(semi-state qualifier), #7 ranked in the state, will likely meet Jasper’s Cody Kreilein (29-7) in the finals. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Garrett Shephard of Paoli (29-12) and Ethan Bowen of Charlestown (19-11).
189
Forest Park’s Craig Vogues (37-3)(semi-state qualifier) will be the favorite and will likely have Jeffersonville junior Nelson Bowen(25-11) in the finals. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Joe Tucker (29-6) of Jasper and William Faith of New Albany(21-13).
215
The finals match will likely be Jeffersonville junior Jimmy Pratt (33-9) and Pike Central’s Hunter Manning (26-7). Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Corydon’s Ryan DeWitt (22-3) and Mitchells Trevor Phillips (28-8).
285
Jasper’s Tyler Jenkins (34-2)(semi-state qualifier) #6 ranking in the state, will be the heavy favorite and will likely have New Albany senior Taylor Hoke(32-6)(semi-state qualifier) in the finals. Other likely semi-state qualifiers are Jeffersonville’s Elijah Curtley (25-12) and Southridge’s John Veatch (26-10).
High School News5652010 Team State Finals Bracket
On Thursday the IHSAA announced the team state draw to the public. Many great matches could occur early on including a possible #1 vs. #2 in the first round between Mishawaka and Crown Point. Mishawaka won the first match-up 42-12 at the Traicoff Inviational. Other great potential first round match-ups include a rematch of Perry Meridian and Cathedral that went down to the last match just last week. Conference rivals New Palestine and Yorktown could also hook up in a pivotal first round match. The three headed monster out of the south Mater Dei, Castle and Reitz will all slug it out for a team state berth and go up against the Peru Team Regional champion which right now McCutcheon is the favorite. Most of the team regional pairings stayed the same, but a few changed. Peru, Seymour and Jasper Team Regionals all will have different match-ups in the first round than they had last year.
Click here for the team state bracket that will be updated throughout the tournament
High School News429Goshen Regional Preview
103lbs
Top Dawg: Danny Hamm- Prairie Heights
Onward to the Coliseum
Will Nelson- West Noble
Nico Hensely- Angola
Matt Frane- Dekalb
This weight class is a toss-up from beginning to the end. Bryce Hershberger came out of nowhere to win the Elkhart Memorial Sectional, while Danny Hamm avenged a conference finals loss at Westview. All of the first round matches are very interesting and could conceivably go either way. This could be a sweep for the Westview sectional, however.
112lbs
Top Dawg: Nick Crume- Jimtown
Onward to the Coliseum
Abraham Que- Elkhart Central
Brett Martz- Fairfield
Jonathan Weimer- West Noble
Last week Jimtown freshman sensation Nick Crume upended returning state qualifier Abraham Que for the second time this season. The two will meet again in the semi-finals this week, but Que will have to go through a tough Alex Mix of Dekalb in the first round.
119lbs
Top Dawg: Steven Ross- Concord
Onward to the Coliseum
Kaleb Jackson- East Noble
Gary Houser- Northridge
Zach Slough- Jimtown
Former state placer and two-time state qualifier Steven Ross of the mighty Concord Minutemen leads the way at 119lbs. He cannot overlook East Noble’s Kaleb Jackson who has had some close matches with many of the better wrestlers in the area. The 2vs. 3 match-ups in the first round will be interesting as all the competitors are very evenly matched.
125lbs
Top Dawg: Travis Barroquillo- Prairie Heights
Onward to the Coliseum
Kevin Kelly- Elkhart Memorial
Bryson Nesbit- East Noble
Lucas Willms- Fremont
Two-time regional champion, Barroquillo is looking for his third straight crown in Redskin country. He has been on a mission since not qualifying for state last season. He has beaten all the top competitors in the regional at least once this season except Northwood’s Zach Rhymer. Rymer will have a tough match with East Noble’s Bryson Nesbitt in the first round.
130lbs
Top Dawg: Collin Crume- Jimtown
Onward to the Coliseum
Lucas Riecke- East Noble
Logan Hayes- Prairie Heights
Tommy Poynter- Dekalb
This will be yet another hotly contested weight class. Three wrestlers are all capable of coming home as the champion with Collin Crume of Jimtown being the leading contender. Others that will challenge him are Lucas Riecke of East Noble and Tommy Poynter of Dekalb.
135lbs
Top Dawg: Jeremy Hill- Jimtown
Onward to the Coliseum
Taylor Grimes- East Noble
Cam Matteson- Elkhart Memorial
Adam Steele- Prairie Heights
The leader of the pack here is undefeated Jeremy Hill of Jimtown. Hill has blitzed through his competitors this season and will look to do the same at regional. He will likely have a rematch with Elkhart Memorial’s Cam Matteson in the finals this week.
140lbs
Top Dawg: Ryan Ntende- Goshen
Onward to the Coliseum
Travis Gaff- Dekalb
Matt Hill- Jimtown
Doug Rush- West Noble
From top to bottom this is a very good weight class. There are four wrestlers here with a shot at the title this week. All of them can beat eachother, so this will be quite an interesting weight to watch. Leading the way is Goshen’s Ryan Ntende, but he cannot overlook Doug Rush of West Noble, Matt Hill of Jimtown or Travis Gaff of Dekalb.
145lbs
Top Dawg: Tanner Boman- Dekalb
Onward to the Coliseum
Andrew Stegelmann- Goshen
Brock Bateman- Lakeland
Alberto Rios- Elkhart Memorial
This looks to be a three horse race with Boman leading out of the gate. Boman avenged an earlier loss to Bateman in the sectional finals last week. Both Bateman and Boman cannot overlook Goshen’s Stegelmann who will have home mat advantage.
152lbs
Top Dawg: Zack Corpe- Elkhart Memorial
Onward to the Coliseum
Chris Hogendobler- Concord
Jimmy LaRowe- East Noble
Aaron Mason- Dekalb
Zack Corpe is the headliner in this weight, but he will be pushed by East Noble’s Jimmy LaRowe. Both wrestlers have lost to Munster’s Alex Surma earlier in the season. Look for those two to duke it out in the finals in an exciting match.
160lbs
Top Dawg: Franciso Garcia- Goshen
Onward to the Coliseum
Ryan Chandler- Prairie Heights
Tanner Adams- Jimtown
Jacob Rupright- West Noble
This weight class is also a toss-up from the beginning to the end. Francisco Garcia of Goshen could end up winning it, but could also lose in the first round. Tanner Adams of Jimtown will have a tough match with Tyler Rimmel of Central Noble, while an NECC rivalry match occurs between Adam Kolakowski of Fairfield and Jake Rupright of West Noble.
171lbs
Top Dawg: JB Singer- Goshen
Onward to the Coliseum
Logan Counterman- Prairie Heights
Brandon Weinkauf- Jimtown
Alex Hostetler- Fairfield
This weight class is also very competitive from top to bottom. JB Singer of Goshen looks to be the favorite, but he cannot overlook Hostetler or Counterman if he wants to be the regional champ.
189lbs
Top Dawg: Brandon Dillenbeck- Goshen
Onward to the Coliseum
Carson Sappington- Elkhart Memorial
Chris Smith- Lakeland
Jordan Bontrager- Fairfield
Dillenbeck won the sectional title in the third meeting between him and Elkhart Memorial’s Cason Sappington in the past two weeks. Sappington is leading the series 2-1 and will look to avenge his loss from last week. Sappington cannot over look Lakeland’s Chris Smith if he wants a rematch with Dillenbeck.
215lbs
Top Dawg: Taylor Grubb- Prairie Heights
Onward to the Coliseum
Shane Hendrickson- Elkhart Memorial
Dalton Lepley- Dekalb
Brandon Daniels- Goshen
Taylor Grubb of Prairie Heights and Shane Hendrickson of Elkhart Memorial are the two favorites in this weight. As long as not monumental upsets occur the finals match between these two will be very competitive.
285lbs
Top Dawg: Jacob Clark- Goshen
Onward to the Coliseum
Gabe Zimmerly- Westview
Eric Forest- Jimtown
Dominique Stauffer- Elkhart Central
There are many quality big guys coming to Goshen. Hometown favorite Jacob Clark will look to win his second straight regional title this week, but will be challenged along the way from Gabe Zimmerly of Westview or Eric Forest of Jimtown. Clark is not exciting to watch, but he gets the job done.
High School News373Pendleton Heights Regional Preview 2010
103
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #7 Mike Venezia, 28-2, Cathedral
2. Tyler Elmore, 34-5, Hamilton Heights
3. Riley Newkirk, 31-8, Lawrence Central
4. Alex Sparks, 23-9, Lawrence North
Outlook: This is a bit of a tossup after Venezia. Elmore, Newkirk, Sparks, Alexandria's Nick Naselroad (32-9) and Pendleton Heights' Zach Wise (34-5) are all capable of advancing. In the end, I think the tough schedules wrestled by Lawrence Central and Lawrence North propel Newkirk and Sparks into the next round. Elmore had better not look too far past opening round opponent Antonio Perez of Manual (27-4).
112
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #10 Mason Todd, 37-1, Pendleton Heights
2. #9 Brian Harvey, 32-3, Cathedral
3. #8 Dominique Price, 29-3, Arsenal Tech
4. Robert Boston, 23-4, Lawrence North
Outlook: This is a remarkably loaded field, featuring 3 top-10 wrestlers, and each match, including the opening round matches, should be very competitive. North Central's Kieno Scott (23-11) is a tough first opponent for Mason Todd and Alexandria's Luke Blanton (35-5) could send Boston home. Todd, Harvey and Price are all very close in ability and results, so any of the three could win this weight, but perhaps more importantly, one of the three will finish 3rd or 4th, making getting through New Castle even more treacherous. Last year at this regional at 103, it was 1) Harvey, 2) Price, 3) Todd and 4) Boston. One of the premier regional weight classes in the state, without a doubt.
119
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #1 Brandon Nelson, 33-1, Lawrence North
2. Andre Butts, 24-12, Lawrence Central
3. Levi Lanning, 32-7, Alexandria
4. John Hummel, 21-13, Cathedral
Outlook: Nelsen should cruise here. After the Lawrence North standout, it's pretty wide open. I like Andre to steal some of his brother's postseason magic from a year ago and snare a second place finish. Lanning is very capable of finishing second here. Tri Central's Austin Anderson (25-4) could knock off Hummel.
125
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #13 Jordan Johnson, 24-11, Lawrence North
2. Justin Eshelman, 34-4, Pendleton Heights
3. #18 Charlie McGinley, 32-5, Arsenal Tech
4. Alex Collignon, 26-10, Cathedral
Outlook: '09 semistate qualifier Johnson is the favorite, but Eshelman and McGinley are formidable opponents and could provide a surprise at this weight. A possible McGinley/Eshelman matchup could be a good one; the same is true for the opening round match between Alexandria's Josh Blanton (25-6) and Collignon.
130
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #10 John Stringfield, 32-3, Cathedral
2. Greg Bell, 24-8, Lawrence North
3. Eli Walker, 38-3, Alexandria
4. Tyler Gadient, 24-9, Noblesville
Outlook: Stringfield, Bell and Gadient are all returing semistate qualifiers. Stringfield is the favorite, but Walker is a very impressive freshman coming off of an oustanding sectionals performance. Chatard's Matt Barkley (32-8)/Gadient and Anderson's Michael Achenbach (25-5)/Bell should be excellent opening round matches.
135
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #2 Mason Berryman, 26-0, Anderson Highland
2. #14 Matt Rattay, 25-8, Lawrence North
3. Keegan Pyke, 34-3, Tri Central
4. Charlie Smith, 32-7, North Central
Outlook: Berryman's domain. Beyond the talented Scots wrestler, look for fireworks from Pyke/Rattay. Some great opening round matches here: Pyke (34-3)/ Tech's Dominick Duff (32-6) and Alexandria's Jon Blanton (35-6) / Smith.
140
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. Haydon Buck, 30-2, Tri Central
2. #20 Tiandre Edwards, 27-7, North Central
3. Zach Long, 29-7, Elwood
4. Braydon Alley, 24-9, Hamilton Heights
Outlook: A fairly wide open field here, with the formidable Buck leading the way. Buck and Alley are returning semistate qualifiers. Scecina's Joseph Doucleff (27-8)/Alley and Noblesville's Wayne Specht (18-5)/Edwards are very solid opening matches.
145
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. Montrail Johnson, 39-0, Tri Central
2. Chris Lucas, 33-5, Chatard
3. Clint Nicholson, 21-11, Pendleton Heights
4. Max Hamm, 21-15, Cathedral
Outlook: Johnson and Lucas should cruise to the finals. It's a very unpredictable weight class past those two. Tipton's senior Justin Pore (28-10) might give Lucas a very tough match if he's overlooked. Noblesville's Alex Bowers (27-12) is capable of the upset in his clash with Hamm.
152
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #1 Sam Bennett, 31-0, Anderson Highland
2. Mike Taylor, 32-7, Lawrence Central
3. #17 Austin Neibarger, 31-4, Cathedral
4. Charlie Orzeske, 26-11, North Central
Outlook: Bennett will be pushed, with tough potential matches with Neibarger and Taylor, but he should prevail to sew up a top seed at New Castle and beyond. Tri Central's senior Cody Byrd (32-5) could surprise talented frosh Neibarger, but Cathedral's schedule and Neibarger's talent make me pretty skeptical.
160
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #2 Tyler Willis, 33-1, Cathedral
2. #13 Quinton Brooks, 30-6, Lawrence North
3. Dylan Gregg, 25-4, Anderson
3. Cole Kelly, 31-10, North Central
Outlook: What you talkin' about, Willis? He's talking about earning his first regional title (he was upset by North Central's Komilov last year) en route to his march to Conseco. Willis is number 2 in the state for a reason and will land the top seed at New Castle. Brooks is a pretty clear second best and will be positioned well at semistate.
171
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #17 Mike Smith, 32-1, North Central
2. #11 Kevin Moats, 36-2, Tipton
3. Anthony Bill, 27-3, Chatard
4. Casey Devlin, 17-10, Cathedral
Outlook: This is a very top-heavy weight class and a difficult one to handicap. Bill, Moats and Smith are all returning state qualifiers, with Moats actually placing higher at New Castle last year than Smith and Duckworth. Should be a dogfight for first, second and third. The senior Devlin vs. Alexandria's senior Aaron Taylor (34-7) should be a great battle for the final advancement spot.
189
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. Ibragim Komilov, 15-1, North Central
2. Austin Enghauser, 26-9, Lawrence Central
3. Derrick Holpuch, 28-10, Noblesville
4. William Carter, 36-12, Howe
Outlook: The long, tall Komilov should reign here. He had a great regionals performance last year, knocking off Tyler Willis before ultimately falling to Matt Todd in the finals. He should lock up a number one seed for New Castle, with Enghauser second best. Not the deepest weight of the day.
215
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #17 Jake Buchanan, 28-3, Cathedral
2. Kyle Smitherman,34-4, Pendleton Heights
3. #13 Arthur Wright,30-3, Arsenal Tech
4. Kevin Gaughan, 34-9, North Central
Outlook: Buchanan and Smitherman both advanced to New Castle last year and both should be able to duplicate that success this year. Wright looms as a very tough semis match for Buchanan, but he's battle-tested at heavyweight this year and should prevail. Lapel's J.R. Smart (26-4)Â had the misfortune to draw Wright, or else he might be moving on.
285
Punching a ticket to New Castle:
1. #14 Willie Henson, 32-2, North Central
2. Eric Thigpen, 18-4, Lawrence Central
3. Wesley Stokes, 16-6, Cathedral
4. Damien Stone, 15-8, Arsenal Tech
Outlook: Henson should follow in last year's standout Ethan Cuevas' shoes and bring home a regional title to North Central. Returning semistate qualifier Thigpen is solidly second here. It's pretty unpredictable past the first two.
High School News403Jay County Regional Preview
The Jay County Regional will once again be highlighted by two teams: Yorktown and Bellmont. With two first round matches and six possible finals matches looming, this regional could very well have the feeling of a dual meet. These two teams will battle it out Wednesday, and I am sure that the intensity from Wednesday will carry over to Saturday for both of these teams. Even though Yorktown and Bellmont will dominate this Saturday, there will be other schools that will have a say so in some of the weight classes. There will be 16 ranked wrestlers competing in this regional with all weight classes but 152 having at least one ranked wrestler. Heavyweight leads the way with three ranked wrestlers: #3 Ross Janney (Yorktown) #4 Jim West (South Adams) and    #7 Daniel Meyer (Bellmont).
103: Favorite – Cody Walburn of Adams Central
This weight class is led by two wrestlers: Cody Walburn (Adams Central) and Brock Bevans (Yorktown). Ben Fiechter (Southern Wells) is not to be overlooked either, because if Bevans is focusing on Walburn then he might have to wait until next week to get a chance to wrestle him.
Top four in alphabetical order: Bevans, Cox, Fiechter, Walburn
112: Favorite – Stevie Gonzales of Delta
There will be little, if any drama, in this weight class when deciding the champion. However, this weight class has the possibility of having three great first round matches that could all possible be classified as pick’em matches. It will not be out of the question for the Delta Sectional to have a clean sweep at this weight class, but at the same time Jay County could take three of the top four spots as well. Do not miss the first round of this weight class, because it may be some of the most competitive matches of the day in the weight class,
Top four in alphabetical order: Bryant, Gonzales, Phillips, Roe
119: Favorite – Phillip Gerber of Bluffton
This weight class is full of talented underclassmen. Leading the way is sophomore Phillip Gerber (Bluffton) and freshman Isaiah Bradley (Muncie Southside). Gerber, due to owning a win over Bradley, has to be considered the favorite in this weight class. This weight class has four wrestlers with the talent and ability to win this weight: Bradley, Gerber, Batt (South Adams), and Anderson (Yorktown). Anderson and Batt have the toughest road to winning the title because they face each other the first round, and then will most likely face Gerber in the semifinals. Waiting on that winner will probably be Bradley. We may get to see a rematch from the ECIC finals between Bradley and Gerber or we may get to see a rematch of the sectional finals between Bradley and Anderson. I am sure though that Batt and the other wrestlers in the weight class will have something different to say about that.
Top four in alphabetical order: Anderson, Bradley, Gerber, Keuneke
125: Favorite – Derek Bevans of Yorktown
The top four in this weight class have distinguished themselves over the other half. Bevans, ranked third in the latest poll, leads the way in this weight class with a perfect 42-0 record. He will await the winner of the Perry (Bluffton) v. Armantrout (Muncie Southside) semifinal. Perry and Armantrout met last year in regional and this year at the ECIC, with Perry pulling out close wins both times. This looks to be another exciting match for these two wrestlers.
Top four in alphabetical order: Armantrout, Bevans, Perry, Striker
130: Favorite – Devon Jackson of Yorktown
Devon Jackson is the second of three consecutive STUDS that Yorktown will place in the finals. Jackson, who is also ranked third, brings an unblemished record of 41-0 into the regional. This weight class will give us a rematch of last weeks upset when Hormann (Bellmont) looks to prove it was not an upset as he will face Fiechter (Southern Wells).
Top four in alphabetical order: Fiechter, Hormann, Jackson, Meska
135: Favorite – Andrew Hiestand of Yorktown
The third consecutive third ranked wrestler for Yorktown, Andrew Hiestand, will lead a talented group of wrestlers. Faurote (Bellmont) is the only wrestler here that will give Hiestand a challenge this week. Placements for this weight are crucial because next weeks semistate is a meat grinder at 135!
Top four in alphabetical order: Faurote, Harry, Hiestand, Schultz
140: Favorite – Josh Martin of Randolph Southern
This weight will be highlighted by two really good first round matchups: Busse (Bellmont) vs. Rench (Yorktown) and Burnfield (South Adams) vs. Quinn (Wes-Del).A finals match up of Schwartz and Martin looks to provide a lot of excitement.
Top four in alphabetical order: Burnfield, Martin, Rench, Schwartz
145: Favorite – Josh Ehr of South Adams
Josh Ehr is the top dog in this weight class. Harper (Yorktown) is no slouch and will be up for the challenge. Ehr must first be able to get passed Heuchan (Muncie Central) who has been known to put many talented wrestlers on their back.
Top four in alphabetical order: Boyd, Ehr, Harper, Heuchan
152: Favorite – John Mahlan of Bellmont
This weight class is arguably the most wide open with no clear cut favorite. Mahlan, Jones (Southern Wells) and Smith (Yorktown) will all have their eyes on the title. Reed (Muncie Southside) and Simmons (Winchester0 have a great shot at pulling a first round upset. This will be a fun weight class to watch because anything can and will happen.
Top four in alphabetical order: Jones, Mahlan, Simmons, Smith
160: Favorite – Ryley Hankenson of Bellmont
This weight class is down a bit at this year’s regional. Hankenson is the clear cut favorite with the other three spots up in the air. If you sit through the excitement of the 152 weight class, don’t leave because the first round at 160 will be just as exciting with no obvious favorites in any match other than Hankenson’s.
Top four in alphabetical order: Fuller, Hankenson, Higgins, Holcomb
171: Favorite – Trent Castner of Yorktown
Castner is a slight favorite at this weight class over Stebing (Bellmont). Hopefully these two will battle it out Wednesday and give us a preview of what to expect on Saturday. The Taylor (South Adams) and Mock (Winchester) will be a very competitive match.
Top four in alphabetical order: Castner, Pointer, Taylor, Stebing
189: Favorite – Travis Thatcher of Bellmont
This will be another finals match up between Bellmont and Yorktown as Thatcher and Brown (Yorktown) are the top two wrestlers in this weight class. Two first round matches worth watching will be that of Miller (Southern Wells) vs. Crabtree (Muncie Southside) and Garringer (Jay County) vs. Folkner (Wes-Del).
Top four in alphabetical order: Brown, Crabtree, Folkner, Thatcher
215: Favorite – Seth Biberstine of Southern Wells
This weight class has four wrestlers with a legit shot at winning the regional. The semifinal match ups will be great and the winner of this weight class will have to have a very solid day of wrestling. Chalfant (Winchester) Bultemeir (Bellmont) and James (Jay County) all are capable o winning this Saturday, and we can not sleep on Neff from Yorktown either.
Top four in alphabetical order: Biberstine, Bultemeir, Chalfant, James
HW: Favorite – Ross Janney of Yorktown
Ross Janney leads a very talented and highly ranked HW class at the Jay County Regional. Three wrestlers in this weight class are ranked in the top seven of the latest indianamat rankings. Throw in the Justice (Blackford) win over West (South Adams) last week and this weight class becomes very interesting. The semifinals will be fun to watch and will both be on the same level as the wrestling that will happen in the finals match. Meyer (Bellmont) and Janney may give us a preview On Wednesday, but they both got a lot of work to do before they get to the finals.
Top four in alphabetical order: Janney, Justice, Meyer, West
High School News697Calumet Regional Preview
103
After finishing 4th in the state at 103 last year, #3 Zach Stevens of Merrillville will be looking to cap off his senior season with a Calumet Regional championship on Saturday. He will be the class of the field and should find himself in a rematch of last week’s Sectional final with #12 Collin Slagle of Griffith for the championship.
Movin’ On:
#3 Zach Stevens- Merrillville
#12 Collin Slagle- Griffith
Santo Marciano- Munster
Roland Jordan- Hammond
112
Arguably the deepest weight class of any Regional in the whole state this Saturday, 112 alone will be worth the $6 price of admission. This weight class contains 4 state ranked wrestlers and 1 unranked former state medalist. #2 Kyle Ayersman of Lake Central leads the way and should capture his second straight Calumet Regional crown. In one of the toughest win-or-go-home matches in the state, #13 Brian Orzechowicz of Griffith squares off with last year’s 8th place finisher at 103, unranked Aurelio Medina of Munster. Orzechowicz won the first matchup 3-1.
Movin’ On:
#2 Kyle Ayersman- Lake Central
#6 Adam Garcia- Merrillville
#13 Brian Orzechowicz- Griffith
#14 Danny Rodriguez- Highland
119
#8 Marc Escobedo of Lake Central is the favorite to capture his first Calumet Regional title on Saturday, though he will be challenged in the final by DAC rival #11 Al Padilla of Merrillville. Escobedo narrowly escaped with a victory in their first matchup of the season 5-4, so look for a very exciting rematch.
Movin’ On:
#8 Marc Escobedo- Lake Central
#11 Al Padilla- Merrillville
Shawn Siokos- Griffith
Connor Cecil- Munster
125
4th ranked Anthony Napules of Merrillville should cruise to a Calumet Regional title this Saturday and will likely be met in the finals by Lake County Tournament Runner-Up Bryan Smith of Lake Central.
Movin’ On:
#4 Anthony Napules- Merrillville
Bryan Smith- Lake Central
Patrick Manning- Hobart
Jeremy Camacho- Highland
130
8th ranked senior Mike Clark of Calumet headlines the field at 130 this Saturday and appears to be the heavy favorite to capture his first Regional title. He should be met in the finals by Al Smith placewinner Frankie Valdivia of Merrillville. In a closer than expected win-or-go-home match, look for East Chicago Central Sectional Champion Darius Flores of Munster to barely sneak by River Forest senior JW Yanez.
Movin’ On:
#8 Mike Clark- Calumet
Frankie Valdivia- Merrillville
Darius Flores- Munster
Bob Gallardo- Hobart
135
Look for #9 Bradley Wartman to make it 3 individual Regional titles for the Lake Central Indians. He will likely be met in the finals by DAC rival Xavier Ponce of Merrillville. Clint Boelt of Munster and Zach Schraven of Calumet looks to be an interesting first round matchup.
Movin’ On:
#9 Bradley Wartman- Lake Central
Xavier Ponce- Merrillville
Clint Boelt- Munster
Tom Camacho- Hobart
140
The state’s top-ranked wrestler, Frankie Porras of Hobart, will cruise through this weight class. He will meet #5 Victor Rodriguez of East Chicago Central in a Lake County Final rematch in which Porras won the first match decisively. Luke Smith of Munster and Eddie Deluna of Merrillville is a win-or-go-home matchup in the first round between two Al Smith placewinners.
Movin’ On:
#1 Frankie Porras- Hobart
#5 Victor Rodriguez- East Chicago Central
Luke Smith- Munster
Mike Greer- Calumet
145
The road to the Calumet Regional title will go through #4 Alex Surma of Munster, as he is the heavy favorite. He should be met in the finals by the “Grim Reaperâ€, Jack Hammons of Lake Station. Lake County Champion Matt Beck of Griffith is this weight’s 3rd best wrestler.
Movin’ On:
#4 Alex Surma- Munster
Jack Hammons- Lake Station
Matt Beck- Griffith
Javier Avalos- Merrillville
152
This weight class is absolutely up for grabs with two relatively unknown wrestlers, Adrian Guttierez of Munster and Nicholas Hill of Gary West Side, battling it out for the title on Saturday. Hill looks to be the best chance in awhile for the Gary schools to end their state qualifier draught.
Movin’ On:
Adrian Guttierez- Munster
Nicholas Hill- Gary West Side
Eddie Jennings- Calumet
Victor Nzeata- Merrillville
160
If you thought 152 was up for grabs, then you must consider 160 an absolute crapshoot. East Chicago Central Sectional Champion, Justin Slosser of Munster, comes in sporting a 9-5 record, and Calumet Sectional Champion, Zachary Sandefur of Merrillville, comes in with a record of 12-7. This is truly anyone’s weight to win, and this Regional Champion will likely not qualify for Conseco.
Movin’ On:
Justin Slosser- Munster
Zachary Sandefur- Merrillville
Tony Rodriguez- Hobart
Aaron Lewis- Lew Wallace
171
Merrillville’s Jeremy Wengel is a returning semi-state qualifier who wrestled up at 189 last year. He is at his best weight now and appears to be peaking at the right time after some early season missteps. Peco is another wrestler moving down in weight and should be the runner up.
Movin On:
Jeremy Wengel- Merrillville
Joe Peco- Hobart
Eric Johnson- Highland
Seth Basler- Lake Central
189
Calumet’s burly Nate Fowler is the clear favorite at 189 and looks to continue his outstaning senior campaign. Anything short of a trip to Indy would likely be a disappointment for the Warrior grappler.
Movin’ On:
#8 Nate Fowler- Calumet
Cal Posey- Hobart
Rich Pennington- River Forest
Jordan Al-Akel- Highland
215
The trend of weight classes that are strong at the top continues where Munster’s big Jack Seaman looks to anchor a regional championship to go along with his sectional title. It will be difficult for any other 215 in this weight class to get through Merrillville Semi-State.
Movin’ On:
#20 Jack Seaman- Munster
Justin Perez- Calumet
John Anderson- Hammond Morton
Michael Nickson- Merrillville
285
No one at the Calumet Regional should seriously challenge the state’s top heavyweight, Merrillville’s James Travis. He will have to wait until next week where a host of challengers who have wrestled close matches with Travis await.
Movin’ On:
#1 James Travis- Merrillville
Pat Biancardi- Lake Central
Tyler Kerrick- Munster
Tyler Van Lul- Calumet
High School News487Carroll Regional Preview
Carroll High School will once again be the host of regional wrestling action. The atmosphere at the Carroll gym is great with all the fans right on top of the action. During big matches the crowd is very loud to the point of making it hard for the referee to hear the buzzer. Look for some great match-ups once again this week with some top kids in the state battling it out for a ticket to the War Memorial Coliseum next week. Some of the best weight classes include 145lbs and 119lbs where three state ranked wrestlers will go toe to toe for the second straight week. At 135lbs, 160lbs and 171lbs there will be two ranked wrestlers that could potentially meet in the finals.
103lbs
Top Dawg- Chas Busz- Whitko
Other tickets to the Coliseum
Andrew Bowman- Homestead
Kris McKinley- Northrop
August Novy- Garrett
The Lowdown
This weight will be dominated by Busz of Whitko who comes in with only one loss. McKinley vs. Nino will be a rematch of the SAC finals where McKinley won by fall. Novy will be attempting to avenge a loss just a few weeks ago where he was pinned while leading 16-12.
First Round Match(es) to Watch
Kris McKinley- Northrop vs. Jose Nino- Elmhurst
August Novy- Garrett vs. Tommie Lockett- Harding
112lbs
Top Dawg- Jordan Gilbert- Whitko
Other tickets to the Coliseum
Alex Richman- Heritage
Derek Kissinger- Columbia City
Tim Burns- Bishop Dwenger
The Lowdown
Two matches highlighting the first round here are repeat conference title matches from the SAC and NHC. Kody George of Homestead will look for revenge on Derek Kissinger of Columbia City, while James Johnson of South Side will look to avenge his loss to Tim Burns of Bishop Dwenger.  Jordan Gilbert is looking for his seconhd regional championship after finishing 3rd last year at the same weight class and winning 103lbs as a freshman.
First Round Match(es) to Watch
Tim Burns- Bishop Dwenger vs. James Johnson- South Side
Kody George- Homestead vs. Derek Kissinger- Columbia City
119lbs
Top Dawg- Tony Lovejoy- Bishop Luers
Other tickets to the Coliseum
Alex Troy- Snider
Andy Franklin- Homestead
Austun McCray- Garrett
The Lowdown
Two-time state placer Tony Lovejoy will continue his march back to Conseco with the same foes he met last week providing the stiffest competition. The first round match-up between Franklin and LeTourneau will be first wrestled on Wednesday night at Team Regional.
First Round Match(es) to Watch
Austun McCray- Garrett vs. Ali Al-Timeem- Elmhurst
Austin LeTourneau- Whitko vs. Andy Franklin- Homestead
125lbs
Top Dawg- Dylan LeTourneau- Whitko
Other tickets to the Coliseum
Cedric Morrison- Harding
Logan Lee- Garrett
Tony Elkins- Snider
The Lowdown
Dylan LeTourneau will continue the Whitko dominance of the lighter weights. An interesting match-up between Logan Lee of Garrett and Keelan Rushing of Homestead lingers in the first round. They faced off last year in the same round with Rushing coming out the winner in overtime.
First Round Match(es) to Watch
Logan Lee- Garrett vs. Keelan Rushing- Homestead
Tony Elkins- Snider vs. Jason Nicodemus- Churubusco
130lbs
Top Dawg- Daniel Rothgeb
Other tickets to the Coliseum
Tucker Smith- Homestead
Brayden Moreau- Garrett
Mitchell Peaks- New Haven
The Lowdown
Daniel Rothgeb of Whitko placed at state last year, but finished third in the regional behind Tucker Smith and Tony Lovejoy. Smith beat him in the semi-finals, but this year they will most likely meet in the finals.
First Round Match(es) to Watch
Mitchell Peaks- New Haven vs. Michael Nix- Bishop Dwenger
135lbs
Top Dawg- Brock Norton- Carroll
Other tickets to the Coliseum
Cody Zink- Woodlan
Cody Bays- Whitko
Corey Botts- Leo
The Lowdown
The Zink vs. Norton match will be highly anticipated. Both come in with lots of credentials and Zink will be looking for revenge from a loss about a month ago.
First Round Match(es) to Watch
None
140lbs
Top Dawg- Justin Beck- Leo
Other tickets to the Coliseum
Wade Thiel- North Side
Shea Novy- Garrett
Nate Bloomfield- New Haven
The Lowdown
Returning state qualifier Justin Beck will look to win his second straight regional title at 140lbs. There are many wrestlers with some very good records in this weight class and after Beck, it will come down to who comes to wrestle on Saturday as to where they place.
First Round Match(es) to Watch
AJ Herron- Churubusco vs. Nate Bloomfield- New Haven
145lbs
Top Dawg- Reece Lefever- Carroll
Other tickets to the Coliseum
Bryce Schendel- Garrett
Jordan Venderley- Bishop Dwenger
Levy Francious- New Haven
The Lowdown
Garrett’s Bryce Schendel will be going through déjà vu this Saturday having to wrestle two wrestlers that he is 1-1 against this year and had to beat to win a sectional championship last week. The LeFever vs. Schendel match came down to the last second and expect the next one to be the same way.
First Round Match(es) to Watch
Jordan Venderley- Bishop Dwenger vs. Trevon Carr- Harding
152lbs
Top Dawg- Garrett Weber- Leo
Other tickets to the Coliseum
Zack Zurbrugg- New Haven
Jon Timmerman- Carroll
Jordan Nicodemus- Churubusco
The Lowdown
This is another weight class with a lot of very good wrestlers and is a crap shoot when determining who will advance to the Coliseum. Zack Zurbrugg cannot overlook his first opponent Cord Feasby or he may be going home early.
First Round Match(es) to Watch
Cord Feasby- Whitko vs. Zack Zurbrugg- New Haven
160lbs
Top Dawg- Zac McCray- Garrett
Other tickets to the Coliseum
Conner LeFever- Carroll
Alex Brenneke- Woodlan
Cody Conrad- Heritage
The Lowdown
Zac McCray of Garrett will look for his second straight regional title on Saturday and will possibly have to go through familiar foe Conner LeFever of Carroll. Last week’s match was a one point decision in favor of McCray, but you can never count out a LeFever. Look for three ACAC wrestlers to make the semi-finals.
First Round Match(es) to Watch
Alex Brenneke- Woodlan vs. Jon Porter- Northrop
171lbs
Top Dawg- Jordan Hamilton- Churubusco
Other tickets to the Coliseum
Austin Striggle- Whitko
Tyler Unsicker- Heritage
Logan Raypole- Carroll
The Lowdown
Returning state qualifier Jordan Hamilton looks to be the class of the field after downing Austin Striggle in the sectional finals. Unsicker lost a two point match to Striggle earlier in the year, so look for that semi-final match to be very good.
First Round Match(es) to Watch
Logan Raypole- Carroll vs. Jamal Turner- Elmhurst
189lbs
Top Dawg- Taylor Scott- Heritage
Other tickets to the Coliseum
Redrecus McCurrie- Wayne
Peter Waikel- Bishop Dwenger
Braxton Siddons- Churubusco
The Lowdown
This is another weight class that will be very fun to watch. McCurrie is looking for revenge against the Railroader Austin Gibson after losing in the first round to another Railroader last year. Nolan Wilson of Harding comes in with 13 losses, but is someone that could pull an upset or two.
First Round Match(es) to Watch
Nolan Wilson- Harding vs. Braxton Siddons- Churubusco
Austin Gibson- Garrett vs. Redrecus McCurrie- Wayne
215lbs
Top Dawg- Brad Mills- Homestead
Other tickets to the Coliseum
Isaac Evans- Bishop Dwenger
Moe Talamantes- Northrop
Theo Coursen-Carr- South Side
The Lowdown
This will be a fun weight class to watch after the first round. Every wrestler in the weight has a great shot at finishing on top of the podium. Brad Mills of Homestead will look to finish on top of the podium after finishing 3rd last year.
First Round Match(es) to Watch
Theo Coursen-Carr- South Side vs. Gage Andis- Carroll
285lbs
Top Dawg- Korey Eck- Concordia
Other tickets to the Coliseum
Tony Bobay- Bishop Dwenger
Josh Mitchell- Heritage
Drake Brainard- Whitko
The Lowdown
Undefeated Korey Eck of Concordia will look to stay undefeated this week. He will have to go through some familiar opponents that would love nothing more than to deal him his first loss of the season.
First Round Match(es) to Watch
Tony Bobay- Bishop Dwenger vs. Vernie Starks- South Side
High School News289Rochester Individual Regional
It's all about individual advancement at this point and Mishawaka should lead the chage and qualify 13 to Merrillville. Sectional rival Penn should make a strong showing as well and should qualify 12 to the Semi-State next Saturday.
103
Warsaw’s Jarred Brooks continues a stellar sophomore campaign by winning this weight class. He should be tested somewhat by a trio of Michiana wrestlers including sectional champ Sammy Ferdig of Adams, Grant Martsoff of Mishawaka, and Sarah Hildebrandt of Penn. Hildebrandt looks to be the first female semi-state qualifier in Indiana history.
On to ‘Da Region
1. Brooks-Warsaw
2. Ferdig – Adams
3. Hildebrandt – Penn
4. Martsoff – Mishawaka
112
A Mishawaka sweep is likely at 112 as all four placers appear to be superior to their Plymouth Sectional counterparts. Only two wresters from Plymouth have winning records.
On to ‘Da Region
1. Beck – Mishawaka
2. Varner – Penn
3. Sailors – Riley
4. Gleuckert – Clay
119
Alex Gregory of Penn should continue to dominate in his march to Indy. His toughest competition this weekend will come from his sectional rivals Layten Binion and Josh Olsen. Culver Community’s Dalton Overmyer should round out the top four.
On to ‘Da Region
1. Gregory – Penn
2. Binion – Mishawaka
3. Olsen – Adams
4. Overmyer – Culver Community
125
The top three are pretty well defined at 125 with Mishawaka’s Taylor Wisler, Clay’s Mitch Hartman, and Penn’s Tyler Chapple proving to be a step ahead of the field. The only drama might be a first round match up between Riley’s Javier Martinez and Culver Community’s Ian Randolph.
On to ‘ Da Region
1. Wisler – Mishawaka
2. Hartman – Clay
3. Chapple – Penn
4. Randolph – Culver Community
130
Mishawaka’s under appreciated Nick Schrader will likely battle Penn’s tough freshman Trevor Manspeaker in the finals again this Saturday. Look for Bremen’s Justin Bogart and Rochester’s Jacob Schroder to repeat last week’s exciting finals match in the consolation finals this week.
On to ‘Da Region
1. Schrader – Mishawaka
2. Manspeaker – Penn
3. Schroder – Rochester
4. Bogart – Bremen
135
Possibly the most evenly matched finals could occur at 135. The likely match-up would pit 7th ranked Matt Guerra of Mishawaka against 8th ranked Bobby Marcuccilli of Wawasee. Flip a coin here. An interesting first round match-up between Tippy Valley’s Austin Nelson and Penn’s Grant Anglemyer will determine a trip to Merrillville.
On to ‘Da Region
1. Guerra – Mishawaka
2. Marcucculli – Wawasee
3. Kolat – Riley
4. Anglemyer – Penn
140
Warsaw breaks to the front of the pack for a second time at 140. Paul Manbu has put together an impressive 34-3 record this season and will look to make it 37-3 if he defeats the winner of Darius Stevens of Triton and Anthony Eddy of Mishawaka. Penn’s Ben Sokol should also qualify for semi-state.
On to ‘Da Region
1. Manbu – Warsaw
2. Eddy – Mishawaka
3. Stevens – Triton
4. Sokol – Penn
145
South Bend Clay’s Laquan Lunford will look to continue his magical season where he has yet to be defeated. He will likely meet up with Plymouth’s Chase Lewandowski in the finals. They have already wrestled one close match at the Rochester Invite early in January.
On to ‘Da Region
1. Lunford – Clay
2. Lewandowski – Plymouth
3. Davenport – Penn
4. Canacci – CMA
152
The exciting and acrobatic Ryan Stahl is the clear favorite at 152. His finals opponent is not quite as clear. Tippy Valley’s Isaac Yoder is undefeated but has not wrestled nearly the schedule that his likely semi final opponent, Michael Hummer has. South Bend Adams’ Dorian Stroud should also qualify for Merrillville.
On to ‘Da Region
1. Stahl – Mishawaka
2. Hummer – Penn
3. Yoder – Valley
4. Stroud – Adams
160
The battle of the White’s is likely to continue in the finals at 160. In the sectional, Mishawaka’s Alex White defeated Washington’s Malcolm White, 8-4. Look for Penn’s Austin Kunze to place third and CMA’s Cameron Crowell to take the last birth to Mishawaka.
On to ‘Da Region
1. Alex White - Mishawaka
2. Malcolm White – Washington
3. Kunze – Penn
4. Crowell – CMA
171
This may be the deepest weight at the Regional as it is full of quality wrestlers. Andy Wiseman of Penn is probably the slight favorite but at least five other quality wrestlers could challenge for a title.
On to ‘Da Region
1. Wiseman – Penn
2. Morin – Mishawaka
3. Molebash – Culver Community
4. Senff – Triton
189
Another deep class awaits fans at Rochester at 189. Riley’s Timmy Buckingham is seasoned and very tough. Culver Community has a promising freshman in Matthew Hurford who comes in hot after winning conference and sectional titles. Others likely to advance are Triton’s Brock Vermillion and Plymouth’s Scott Barry.
On to ‘Da Region
1. Buckingham – Riley
2. Hurford – Culver Community
3. Vermillion – Triton
4. Barry – Plymouth
215
The Mishawaka Sectional was a true meatgrinder at 215. All four competitors were ranked in the state at the end of the season. Look for the same four to advance on to Merrillville.
On to ‘Da Region
1. Lentz – Mishawaka
2. Reagan – Penn
3. McDaniel – Washington
4. Gallegos – Clay
285
The upper weights appear to be particularly deep at both sectionals which will make for an exciting Saturday in Rochester. Travis Thomas of Mishawaka is the clear favorite and Plymouth’s Damon Howe has established himself as the second best heavy in the other class. The other two spot will be fought out between about four other tough competitors.
On to ‘Da Region
1. Thomas – Mishawaka
2. Howe – Plymouth
3. Harvey – Culver Community
4. Hall - Bremen