Silvertone1696 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Should be another competitive weight class...here's my take. Mat 1 #1 Zach Donaldson (33-2) Crown Point Vs Trisden Gross (31-9) North White Ryan Glasen (28-12) Munster Vs #3 Devin Childers (39-2) Tippecanoe Valley What a terrible draw for both ranked wrestlers as this is much more suited for a semifinal or even a final. Childers 6-3 loss to Joey Bailey for the Rochester title is looms large now that CP champ Donaldson is likely opposite him for a chance at the semis and a state berth. Childers did have a nice 9-3 win over #9 Rishod Cotton of SB Clay. Mat 2 #2 Blake Strawsma (36-2) Benton Central Vs Denver Smith (17-24) Kankakee Valley #9 Rishod Cotton (38-7) SB Clay Vs Justin Johnson (20-16) Merrillville Logan champ Blake Strawsma looks to be the beast of this group as he will likely face Cotton, A third place finisher at Rochester. Justin Johnson will not be a pushover though for Cotton and I wonder about an upset alert here from Johnson as he wrestled very well in the Calumet title match losing just 5-3. Mat 3 #4 Tyler Joseph (25-6) Portage Vs #6 Austen Laughlin (42-6) SB Riley Dee Collins (21-13) Michigan City Vs #10 Clay Jones (37-5) Lafayette Jefferson Ouch is all I can say for Tyler Joseph, the Calumet champ who got a tough opener against Laughlin who fell to fourth after a 16-7 loss to Cotton in the 3rd place match of the loaded Rochester regional. Chalk this up as another possible 4 over 1 upset, but I like Joseph to escape this tough opener and steal the whole group. Clay Jones could prove to an obstacle if Joseph escapes Laughlin but ultimately I'm impressed with the Joseph victory over Donaldson and giving him the nod. Mat 4 Joey Bailey (38-3) Bremen Vs Robert Edwards (20-8) Hammond Morton #7 Jarrett Carden (39-1) Cass Vs Jake Cummens (24-20) Valparaiso This should be a very interesting group, with Rochester champ Joey Bailey leading the way and wrestling well having been Childers 6-3 for that title. It should be noted however that his first round opponent Robert Edwards took out #8 Sergio Castellanos in the Calumet regional so Edwards does have upset potential. Opposite Bailey for a semifinal berth will likely be Jarrett Carden, who is starting to face some stiffer competition at this juncture of the playoffs. Carden was upset in the semis by Clay Jones at the Logan regional via pin in 3:52 and also had a tough 3rd place match winning 7-5 over upstart Trisden Gross. Mat 1 v 2 and 3 v 4 My four state berths 1. Zach Donaldson 2. Tyler Joseph 3. Blake Strawsma 4. Joey Bailey I like Donaldson to take this one home although he will likely be tested by Strawsma in the semis before wrestling DAC rival Joseph for a fourth time with Donaldson winning all three. I would've loved to see Joseph and Strawsma wrestle I think that would've been a great semifinal. With that win over Childers, Bailey cannot be counted out against Joseph and or Strawsma but I believe it plays out as above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvertone1696 Posted February 10, 2015 Author Share Posted February 10, 2015 A 138 pound reply...here's my take. Mat 1 #6 Cameron Beam (12-0) Penn Vs Colton Tanber (14-13) LaPorte Austin Morgan (22-13) Lafayette McCutcheon Vs #8 Kasper McIntosh (27-7) Portage Rochester champ Cameron Beam heads a group that has no wrestlers in the top five and yet figures to have an exciting quarterfinal match if Beam and McIntosh win their openers. Beam was tested mightily in the Rochester title match beating Culver Community's Triston Rodriguez 8-7. McIntosh has some tough losses and three of those are to Crown Point's Riley Akers, though McIntosh has beaten Akers 8-4, while also splitting two matches with Chesterton's Diego Lemley. The Portage star was an 11-4 runner up to top ranked and state #4 Clarence Johnson of Merrillville. I like Beam to take the group but he will need to be in top form. Mat 2 #3 Riley Akers (31-2) Crown Point Vs Myles Krintz (29-11) Culver Military Academy Bryan Tate (25-8) Hammond Morton Vs #10 Cody Widner (39-6) Twin Lakes This group has a decisive favorite in Crown Point champ Akers, who won an 11-5 decision over Diego Lemley to take that title. Akers only losses are to Duneland conference foes McIntosh and Clarence Johnson with the latter match a 13-4 defeat. His opponent will be the winner of Tate/Widner, two wrestlers who appear to be on their game. Tate knocked out Jacy Leon of Hobart for 3rd place with a 5-4 victory while Widner wrestled admirably losing 8-7 to Cole Lukaska of Benton Central for the Logan title. I'm going with Tate here, maybe a little region bias is clouding my judgment hard to say. I like Akers to move on in this group. Mat 3 #2 Cole Lukaszka (39-1) Benton Central Vs #7 Jacy Leon (26-11) Hobart Jared Rafferty (26-18) Valparaiso Vs #4 Triston Rodriguez (35-2) Culver Community A travesty of a draw for at least two wrestlers and Logansport champ Lukaszka has a tough match right off the bat with Leon to boot. Lukaszka has just two losses this year both coming to 132 #7 state ranked Nick Ellis of Indianapolis Roncalli. Rodriguez is also a very talented wrestler and was runner up at Rochester to Beam. Rodriguez's only loss aside from Beam this season is to Myles Krintz in a 5-3 decision. By comparison Lukaszka knocked off Krintz 4-1. With the stakes being so high it should be a great quarterfinal between the two rural school wrestlers. Mat 4 #1 Clarence Johnson (35-1) Merrillville Vs Matt Grammer (37-6) Lafayette Jefferson Tarvis Evans (29-8) SB Adams Vs #5 Diego Lemley (30-8) Chesterton Calumet champ Johnson is a clear favorite in this bracket, but anytime you face a wrestler with 37 wins as Grammer has you'll want to bring your A game. Johnson's only loss this season came to Warren Central's stud 132 pounder Matthew McKinney via 2-1 decision. Diego Lemley, the runner up to Akers at CP by an 11-5 decision, is likely to get the chance to somehow upset Johnson. I give Tarvis Evans credit though, knocking #9 Josh Heckathorn out of the tournament at the Rochester and also defeating Krintz 5-0 for 3rd. He has upset potential so Lemley must wrestle well. I like Johnson to take the group. Mat 1 v 2 and 3 v 4 My four state berths 1. Clarence Johnson 2. Cameron Beam 3. Riley Akers 4. Cole Lukaszka Well a veritable meat grinder for these top four but I think the battle is for most the 2, 3, and 4 spots as I like Johnson above the field but Cameron Beam is intriguing and beat a good wrestler in Rodriguez. Akers/Beam should be a great match as well and I wouldn't be shocked if Akers pulled it out and got another shot at Johnson after falling in a 13-4 decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NICfan Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 At 132, I like Laughlin as long as he comes out how he's capable. He had a rough regional but he's been pretty much lights out. The only reason he's ranked 6th in the semistate and not first is two loses from Olsen of SBA (whose only losses came at the Al smith). I've seen Laughlin a lot and if he wrestles like he has been before regionals, he's my pick. This could be a lot like last year at 132, where the 32 lbers from rochester spent the year beating on each other and come out to make a statement at ss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddcc Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Zach Donaldson and Childers meet over the summer at Nationals. Childers did pin Donaldson but none of that matters it is who shows up the day of the tournament! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ontherise219 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Yea that would not shock me either Bailey was a ticket rounder 2 years ago Laughlin a SQ last year cotton very tough and Childers is tough to wrestle and was a SQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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