Jeff is gearing up for team regional

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February 04, 2009

 

By MATT CRESS

Matthew.Cress@newsandtribune.com

 

When Jeffersonville wrestling coach Danny Struck took a look at his team before Tuesday?s practice, he saw the most encouraging sign of all ? belief.

 

The Red Devils, newly-crowned sectional champions and also kings of the Hoosier Hills Conference, will be the underdog heading into tonight?s team regional at Jasper, but most teams are against Evansville Mater Dei.

 

But the message that Struck has gotten from his team since it toppled Floyd Central for the sectional title says otherwise.

 

?The thing that I?m most proud of is that they believe they are going to win,? said Struck. ?At the end of the season, you can always tell when you?re done. But we?ve had the best week of practice we?ve ever had going into the match. I don?t see that look saying, ?the season?s over.? It?s a big step for our program to believe we are going to the state finals.?

 

To advance to the state finals on Feb. 28 at Center Grove, the Devils will have to beat Southridge in the opening round of the regional. Third-ranked Mater Dei will meet No. 5 Castle in the other semifinal, with the winners meeting immediately after for the regional title.

 

Struck isn?t looking past Southridge, but it?s tough not to see the spectre of Mater Dei looming on the other side of the bracket. One of Indiana?s top wrestling schools for years, Mater Dei became a powerhouse under former coach Mike Goebel, who won 12 state championships during his 29 seasons.

 

Goebel stepped down as Wildcat boss two years ago, leaving a face familiar to Struck in Greg Schaefer.

 

?A lot of what I?ve learned about coaching came from him,? said Struck. ?He always looks for the positive.?

 

Jeff locked up with Mater Dei, Castle and perennial powerhouse Bloomington South in one meet earlier this season. While Jeff fell to both the Wildcats and the Knights, enough has changed to give the Devils some confidence entering the regional.

 

To make up the nine-point shortfall from the first go-around with Mater Dei, Jeff will need different results in several matches that went the other way. Four bouts were lost by two points or less, while three Jeff victories were likewise won by slim margins.

 

The key may be found in the form of Jimmy Pratt, a 215-pounder who lost by a single point in the first matchup with Mater Dei, but has won 20 matches since, or Brett Walker, who lost by a point against the Wildcats but won the 130-pound weight class at the sectional and finished the season 28-4.

 

?For a couple of kids, that was their first meet of the year,? said Struck. ?We really feel like we can turn some of these results around. If you weren?t there, you don?t realize how close it really was.?

 

If the Devils are fortunate enough to survive, they?ll match up with the winner of the Peru Regional, the only regional in the state that doesn?t contain a ranked team. That will make Jeff a favorite at Center Grove and make the belief stronger than ever.

 

?Hopefully, we?ll have many more chances as the history of the program goes on to make the state finals,? Struck said. ?But this may be our best chance to win it.?

 

 

 

The following local wrestlers will compete at Saturday?s Jeffersonville Regional. They advanced after finishing in the top four at last weekend?s sectional (sectional finishes are in parentheses):

 

103: Alonzo Shepherd, Jeffersonville (first); Logan Kelly, Floyd Central (third); Steven Guy, New Albany (fourth)

 

112: Curtis Smith, Jeffersonville (first); Justin Wolf, Charlestown (second); Zach Thomas, Floyd Central (third); Brandon Snyder, New Albany

 

119: Jeff Stotridge, Charlestown (first); Devon Miller, Jeffersonville (second); Nolan Vanhook, Floyd Central (fourth)

 

125: Eddie Duran, Charlestown (second); Tim Martin, New Albany (third); Renaldo Weekly, Jeffersonville (fourth)

 

130: Brett Walker, Jeffersonville (first); Omar Salguero, Providence (second); Aaron Witt, Floyd Central (third); Nestor Rodriguez, New Albany (fourth)

 

135: Garret Blackman, Floyd Central (second); Aaron May, Charlestown (third); Caleb Visser, Jeffersonville (fourth)

 

140: Daniel Murphy, Floyd Central (first); Ben Hughes, Providence (second);

 

Tyler Newcomb, Charlestown (third)

 

145: Taylor Newcomb, Charlestown (first); Ben Moberly, Floyd Central (second); Coty Hendrick, Jeffersonvlle (third); Larry Rickman, New Albany (fourth)

 

152: Ian Emerson, Floyd Central (first); Josh Sampson, New Washington (second); Alex Bailey, Jeffersonville (third); Steve Meyer, Providence (fourth)

 

160: Jacob Golembeski, Providence (first); Mark Daugherty, Charlestown (second); Zach Shallers, Floyd Central (third); Darnell Graham, Jeffersonville (fourth)

 

171: John McAndrew, Floyd Central (first); Caleb Browner, Jeffersonville (second); Stephen Martin, Charlestown (third); Joey Libretto, Providence (fourth)

 

189: Ethan Cook, Providence (first); Pat McKinney, Floyd Central (second); Nelson Bowen, Jeffersonville (third); Chase Nickles, Charlestown (fourth)

 

215: Tyler Tatgenhorst, Jeffersonville (first); Cody Davidson, Providence (second); Cameron Metzger, Charlestown (third)

 

285: Jon Clark, Jeffersonville (first); Ramsey Traughber, Floyd Central (second); Travis Aguirre, Charlestown (third); Taylor Hoke, New Albany (fourth)

 

 

 

BY THE NUMBERS

 

Sectional champion Jeffersonville heads the list of local schools with 13 qualifiers for the regional. Here is a look breakdown of other local schools:

 

FLOYD CENTRAL: 12

 

CHARLESTOWN: 11

 

PROVIDENCE: 7

 

NEW ALBANY: 6

 

NEW WASHINGTON: 1