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New Castle semistate preview (sorry for the lateness)

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Dingo Brigade State Qualifier

Dingo Brigade

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New Castle: Warren Central vs. the field??!!??

The Warriors are coming! The Warriors are coming! That’s right, Warren Central’s loaded squad is heading into New Castle with 14 semistate qualifiers. Not far behind are Perry Meridian (11 qualifiers), Carmel (9), Lawrence North (10), Cathedral (9) and Westfield (8). This year’s brackets seem especially cruel, as returning state placers and qualifiers will not be competing the following weekend at Banker’s Life. Additionally, #9 @ 195 Robert Clark of Southport, returning state placer #9 @120 Cameron Diep of New Palestine, #17 @120 David Clayton of Perry Meridian, #17 @ 145 Seth Rench of Frankton, and #19 @ 170 Alex Ragains of Frankfort weren’t able to grind through to New Castle this year. I see this year’s New Castle field as very similar to last year’s: lots of depth at numerous weights, but only a handful of very strong state title candidates. Chad Red, Jr., will be seeking his 4th semistate title, en route to a 4th state title, and Blake Rypel will be going after his 2nd straight state title. In addition to those two nationally ranked standouts, returning state runner-ups Jordan Vaughn and Tristen Tonte, as well as uber-prospect Mason Parris (3rd last year), lead a sizeable group of wrestlers with state experience. Only a small number of weight classes are paced by huge favorites—in short, there will be blood at New Castle, in the form of upsets and unfulfilled dreams. Look for Warren, Perry and Cathedral to duke it out for the team title. It’s one thing to have a ton of semistate participants and another thing to advance a ton of wrestlers to the state finals. In the end, Warren should have enough firepower to win the semistate, although it’s possible they will have zero state champions. This semistate should produce several really nasty three and four seeds for some other semistate on Friday night.

106

#3 Keyuan Murphy of Warren Central is the presumptive favorite among the field at 106, which includes six ranked wrestlers. Murphy qualified for state last year, but an injury allowed Fishers’ Alexander Strueder to participate in his place. Murphy is as physically strong as they come at 106, and is as battle-tested as they come as well. If he can minimize his mistakes, he will not only claim a semistate title, he just might wrestle under the lights.  Perry Meridian’s Sammy Fair has wrestled a similarly difficult schedule, and has beaten some of the heavy hitters at the weight, including Murphy. However, in order to have a shot at wrestling in the finals, he will have to win his ticket match against Shenandoah’s undefeated Andrew Black, which is far easier said than done. Another tough potential ticket match is Cathedral’s Lukasz Waldenzak versus Southmont senior Alex Grino. Strueder may have to beat Greenfield-Central’s Gavin Rose if he wants to wrestle the following Friday night.

Last year's champ: Cainan Schaefer, South Dearborn

Ranked wrestlers:

#2 Keyuan Murphy, Warren Central
#6 Sammy Fair, Perry Meridian
#12 Andrew Black, Shenandoah
#13 Lukasz Walendzak, Cathedral
#16 Gavin Rose, Greenfield-Central
#18 Alexander Strueder, Fishers

Feature matchups:

#13 Walendzak vs. Alex Grino, Southmont (Ticket round) – Walendzak has faced the gauntlet at 106 this year, and has more than held his own. This is an exciting freshman vs. senior match and could provide some fireworks.  Grino has been on the cusp before, and this is his last shot at state. Walendzak has some big wins this year and could add another scalp to his collection.

#6 Fair vs. #12 Black (Ticket round) – Fair has been one of the top 106s in the state this year, but Black has as well, he’s just done it a bit more out of the spotlight. Can Black pull a Cainan Schaefer-like 2015 performance out of his hat? One of the top ticket matches all day, in my opinion.

#18 Strueder vs. #16 Rose (Ticket round) – This is another tough ticket match at 106, and they appear evenly matched on paper. Of course, Rose has to get by regional runner-up Seymour of Chatard to make it to this potential match. A common opponent? Black, who majored Rose and decisioned Strueder.

#3 Murphy vs. #6 Fair (Finals) – These two have already battle it out multiple times this year, and this one is the biggest match so far. Murphy won the last battle, but each of these wrestlers knows how important a top seed is at state. This could be one of the better finals match-ups of the day.

1st round picks:
Murphy over Hadley
Johnson over Owens
Walendzak over Vaughn
Grino over Markley
Black over Mennen
Fair over Smith
Strueder over Stapleton
Rose over Seymour

Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Murphy, Fair, Walendzak, Strueder

The Alpha Dog:
Keyuan Murphy

113

Five more state-ranked wrestlers will lace 'em up at 113. Three top-4 wrestlers will compete for two spots at BLF.  Skylour Turner and Alec White are favored to duke it out again, just as they did in last year’s semistate semifinals, where Turner won by fall. They have given each other all of their losses this year, and this one is for the biggest stakes of all—positioning at the state finals. Standing in the way of another White/Turner rematch is last year’s semistate hero, Cainan Schaefer. In an unfortunate seeding scenario all too common in Indiana, either Schaefer or Turner will not be participating in the following round of the postseason, which is really unfortunate for the loser of that match. Three of these potential ticket matches, including Schaefer/Turner, should be excellent matches. Look for White and the Turner/Schaefer winner to make noise at state as well.

Last year's champ: Austin Holmes, Hamilton Southeastern

Ranked wrestlers:

#2 Alec White, New Palestine
#3 Skylour Turner, Warren Central
#4 Cainan Schaefer, South Dearborn
#12 Jordan Slivka, Cathedral
#13 Sunny Nier, Perry Meridian

Feature matchups:

#12 Slivka vs. #13 Nier (Ticket round) – Each of these guys have faced many of the top athletes at the weight, including each other more than once, and they have shown they are in the upper tier. They each own wins over the other. Another nasty bracket means one of these tough, deserving wrestlers won’t be advancing. Nier was a ticket rounder last year.

#4 Schaefer vs. #3 Turner (Ticket round) – Ho-hum, another draw that hurts the semistate as a whole. Schaefer has one loss all year, wrestling up a weight. Turner, last year’s semistate runner-up, has only lost this year to White. Turner is the favorite, based on his numerous postseason accomplishments, but Schaefer was undeniably brilliant at last year’s semistate, en route to winning 106.

Dominic Pecoraro, Carmel vs. Hayden Lohrey, Shenandoah (Ticket round) – The Greyhound junior came to life at regional, winning the weight and setting himself up nicely at New Castle. Lohrey was a runner-up to Schaefer and has a remarkable win/loss record and some tough practice partners.

#2 White vs. #3 Turner /#4 Schaefer (Finals) – Clearly there is a lot of variability here, but let's go by rankings and seeds and say Turner vs. White XXI. They’ve traded wins so far in the postseason…does that mean it’s Turner’s turn?

1st round picks:
Slivka over Taylor
Nier over Hubble
Schaefer over Pettiford
Turner over Moseley
Pecoraro over Peavler
Lohrey over Stollings
White over Hutson
Wilburn over Brady

Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
White, Turner, Nier, Pecoraro

The Alpha Dog:
Alec White

120

While this group lacks some of the top-end talent of some of the other weight classes, there are plenty of excellent, experienced grapplers competing for the semistate title, led by two-time state qualifier Caleb Bocock of Lebanon. Former state qualifier Ethan Smiley of Beech Grove and top-10 ranked Dylan Culp of Warren Central are likely the two biggest hurdles for the confident Bocock. A total of four ranked wrestlers will compete for the four golden tickets, and unlike some of the other weight classes here, there is one ranked competitor per quartet of the bracket. There could be some upsets at this weight.

Last year's champ: Breyden Bailey, Cathedral

Ranked wrestlers:

#8 Dylan Culp, Warren Central
#10 Caleb Bocock, Lebanon
#14 Ethan Smiley, Beech Grove
#20 Isaac Castro, Lawrence North
 

Feature matchups:

#20 Castro vs. Adam Jerde, Carmel/ Tras McMillian, Pike (Ticket round) – Both Jerde and Castro were ticket-rounders last year, but McMillian has one of the biggest upsets of the postseason thus far, an elimination win over returning state placer Cameron Diep of New Palestine. Jerde and Castro have split their matches this season, so this one is a pick ‘em, provided McMillian doesn’t spoil the rematch. Jerde and Castro both own wins over McMillan, who is #7 in the New Castle rankings.

#10 Bocock vs. #14 Smiley (Semifinal) – If seeds hold, these two should lock horns for a shot at a berth in the finals.  Bocock and Smiley have both been to BLF and came away empty-handed each time, largely a result of being 4 seeds at state.

#8 Culp vs. #10 Bocock (Finals) – Again, it’s not a given that favorites will advance, but if they do, the coach’s son Bocock will be competing in the final New Castle match of his HS career. Culp will be trying to keep pace with many of his teammates by competing at Banker’s Life.

1st round picks:
Bocock over Sharp
Lowe over Walton
Smiley over Shillings
Pugsley over Hobson
Ragle over Leavell
Culp over Acton
Castro over Plunkett
Jerde over McMillian

Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Bocock, Culp, Smiley, Castro

The Alpha Dog:
Caleb Bocock

126

Six state ranked athletes, as well as all 8 of the top-ranked New Castle semistate wrestlers, will battle it out at 126. Three of the top-5 in the state, all of whom are returning state placers, will be vying for the championship belt. Despite being the highest ranked in his bracket, Breyden Bailey will have to compete with 2 additional ranked opponents just to qualify for the state finals. A potential semis match of Bailey vs. Holmes could be one of the highlights of the day.

Last year's champ: Chad Red, Jr., New Palestine

Ranked wrestlers:

#2 Breyden Bailey, Cathedral
#4 Austin Holmes, Hamilton Southeastern
#5 Joel McGhee, Warren Central
#11 Johnny Loos, Franklin County
#16 Jack Servies, Perry Meridian
#18 Eric Hiestand, Carmel

Feature matchups:

#11 Loos vs. #5 McGhee (Semifinal round) – Loos is a two-time ticket rounder, including last year, where he fell to semistate runner-up Ngun Uk. McGhee parlayed his excellent performance at New Castle last year into a state placement. Loos is dangerous in this matchup, but McGhee has to be favored.

#2 Bailey vs. #4 Holmes (Semifinal round) – Both are two-time top-4 state placers and each is a strong candidate to wrestle under the lights the following weekend. Holmes is lightning quick, but Bailey is very difficult to score against and has had Holmes’ number thus far.

 

1st round picks:
Loos over Noehre
Robinson over Sikorski
McGhee over Craft
Loy over Bowling
Bailey over Hiestand
Servies over Purtha
Holmes over Unseld
Moore over Phillips

Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Bailey, McGhee, Holmes, Loos

The Alpha Dog:
Breyden Bailey

132

It’s a truly bittersweet and historic weekend, as Chad Red, Jr. will be lacing them up for the final time at New Castle. A unanimous #1-ranked wrestler in the entire country at 132, the biggest question is whether or not Red will pin all of his opponents, and if so, how quickly. He is as good as has ever come through this semistate and will be seeking his 4th semistate title. There 6 additional ranked competitors here, including returning state semifinalist Zach Melloh of Cathedral. From the New Castle semistate rankings, the top 7 are alive and will be competing on Saturday.

Last year's champ: Jordan Vaughn, Franklin Central

Ranked wrestlers:

#1 Chad Red, Jr., New Palestine
#6 Zach Melloh, Cathedral
#13 DJ Brookbank, Perry Meridian
#15 Tim Wright, Warren Central
#16 Boone Welliever, Southmont
#18 Skyler Collins, Frankfort
#20 Nick Smith, Lawrence North

Feature matchups:

#18 Collins vs. Javon Phillips, Centerville / #20 Smith (Ticket round) – All three of these wrestlers were semistate qualifiers last year, with Phillips making it to the ticket round. Smith has been a little up and down the past couple of years, partially due to injury issues, so he’s a bit of wildcard here. Collins has been ranked consistently the past two years and will try to end his career at BLF.

#6 Melloh vs. #13 Brookbank (Ticket round) – Brookbank, like all of his Perry mates, has faced a barrage of elite opponents this year, and at regionals, managed to not get pinned by Red, which is an accomplishment in itself this season. Melloh was lethal in the postseason last year and there’s no reason to bet against him this year. These two have met this season, with fairly close decisions in favor of Melloh.

#16 Welliever/ #15 Wright vs. Tony Flood, Pendleton Heights (Ticket round) – This is a really competitive portion of the bracket, and Welliever and Wright should be a very competitive match. Both juniors have quality wins this year against tough schedules. Flood has an outstanding 32-3 record and has a solid shot at advancing.

#1 Chad Red, Jr. vs. The Field (Ticket round) – Enjoy it. We won’t see his like again for a long, long time.

1st round picks:
Phillips over Smith
Collins over Diallo
Melloh over Bundy
Brookbank over Wagner
Red over Steele
Browning over Mancera
Welliever over Wright
Flood over Surguy

Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Red, Melloh, Welliever, Collins

The Alpha Dog:
Chad Red, Jr.

138

This is one of the ‘ugliest’ brackets at New Castle, as the four wrestlers at this weight with state experience and high rankings are all bunched into two portions of the bracket. While this means two of the best at this weight won’t be continuing after semistate, it opens up opportunities for lesser known competitors to make names for themselves. Expect one of the heavy hitters to win the weight: Eldred, McKinney, Ellis or Moore. This bracket makes a strong case for semistate wrestlebacks, but for now, we can do nothing but enjoy the great semistate matchups. The top two at this weight will be dangerous at state.

Last year's champ: Brandon James, Perry Meridian

Ranked wrestlers:

#3 Evan Eldred, Westfield
#4 Matthew McKinney, Warren Central
#6 Nick Ellis, Roncalli
#15 Connor Moore, Southmont

Feature matchups:

#4 McKinney vs. #15 Moore (Ticket round) – Each of these two has state experience and each has wrestled excellent competition. In short, they will be ready. Moore flew a little under the radar en route to winning his ticket match, while McKinney had another nasty ticket round draw last year.

#3 Eldred vs. #6 Ellis (Ticket round) – Eldred and Ellis met up last year in the semistate finals, where the Southside Strangler continued his run to the finals by headlocking Eldred. Both of these studs placed at state last year, making this one of the nastiest ticket matches at any semistate. While it’s good for the New Castle semistate fans in attendance, it definitely deprives the state finals of one tough competitor.

#3 Eldred/ #6 Ellis vs. #4 McKinney (Finals) –Three top 138s, two spots available. Eldred and Ellis have both placed at state, while McKinney has qualified twice. All three will be seeking high placement at state.

1st round picks:
Flood over Worden
Smith over Gosnell
McKinney over Dickenson
Moore over Fender
Eldred over Humbert
Ellis over Klettheimer
Lane over Estes
Hurley over White

Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Eldred, McKinney, Smith, Hurley

The Alpha Dog:
Evan Eldred

145

Five ranked wrestlers, including a state runner-up and the guy who beat Joe Lee this year, will compete for semistate glory on Saturday. A lot depends on Timberman’s health. When healthy, he is a thoroughbred on the mat, looking more like a man than most you’ll see at the high school level. Vaughn, last year’s runner-up at 132, is similarly gifted and dangerous.

Last year's champ: Trent Pruitt, Warren Central

Ranked wrestlers:

#2 Jared Timberman, New Palestine
#4 Jordan Vaughn, Franklin Central
#15 Andrew Negangard, East Central
#18 Nathan Boggs, South Dearborn
#20 Derrick Motley, North Central

Feature matchups:



#20 Motley vs. #18 Boggs/ Kain Rust, Perry Meridian (Ticket round) – Motley came up a bit short at semistate last year, but he’s plenty capable of a deep state run. Boggs and Rust should be a great match. Boggs was a ticket-rounder and Rust won’t be intimidated by anyone.

#15 Negangard vs. Clayton Cowan, Hamilton Heights (Ticket round) – Negangard is a returning ticket rounder and Cowan was a semistate qualifier, who has wrestled up against bigger competition for a portion of the season. One of them should get to the promised land.

#2 Timberman vs. #4 Vaughn (Finals) – Provided Timberman is close to fully healthy, this should be another marquee matchup. These two are very evenly matched and might be competing under the lights this year.

1st round picks:
Eiteljorge over Alberts
Timberman over Coffman
Motley over Wilson
Boggs over Rust
Vaughn over Buck
Wilbrandt over Bagwell
Negangard over Graves
Cowan over Groves

Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Vaughn, Timberman, Motley, Negangard

The Alpha Dog:
Jordan Vaughn

152

In my opinion, 152 provides the nastiest ticket matches of all the weights at New Castle. Each match provides large doses of intrigue and uncertainty. Two returning state placers, Pruitt and Berkebile, could meet up in a dynamic finals match. There is a ton of talent in this class, and there could be more than one upset looming on Saturday.

Last year's champ: Kellen VanCamp, Lebanon

Ranked wrestlers:

#3 Trent Pruitt, Warren Central
#4 Dru Berkebile, Frankton
#6 Brett Johnson, Perry Meridian
#14 Trezdon O’Neal, Hamilton Heights
#16 Eugene Starks, New Palestine

Feature matchups:

Jacob Ferris, HSE vs.  #16 Starks /Isaiah Michaels, Centerville (Ticket round) – This is a tough group to handicap. Ferris is a little up and down; when he’s on, he’s pretty impressive. Starks has been on the cusp of a breakthrough for the past couple of seasons and is hungry to make it to the big dance. Michaels was one of the real surprises at last year’s semistate, as he pinned PM’s Brett Johnson to make it to BLF.

Bryan Carrender, Lawrence North vs. #3 Pruitt (Ticket round) – While on paper, Pruitt is and should be a big favorite, make no mistake—Carrender has been wrestling extremely well. A returning ticket rounder, he won the Pendleton Heights regional over Berkebile and O’Neal, so he can beat the best in the semistate. This has danger written all over it for Pruitt, last year’s 5th place finisher at 145.

Jarod Waterman, Eastern Hancock vs. #4 Berkebile (Ticket round) – Each of these two has a tough opening match, but this could be an underrated ticket match. Berkebile has serious credentials, but has lost the past two weekends. Waterman has been dominant this year for tiny Eastern Hancock, and was a semistate qualifier at 160 last year.

#6 Johnson vs. #14 O’Neal (Ticket round) – Two tough seniors who have had some disappointment in the postseason. However, each is accomplished and has wins over state placers this year.

#6 Johnson/ #4 Berkebile vs. #3 Pruitt (Finals) – This could be one of the best finals matches of the day, if the favorites come through.

1st round picks:
Carrender over Banks
Pruitt over Marsh
Ferris over Johnson
Michaels over Starks
Waterman over Wright
Berkebile over Miller
Johnson over Humbert
O’Neal over Blondeel

Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Pruitt, Berkebile, Johnson, Ferris

The Alpha Dog:
Trent Pruitt

160

This tough weight class features what might be the single most unfortunate ticket match of the day: Noah Warren vs. Jake Ruberg. Each of these two studs was denied access to BLF for different reasons last year and the nasty luck continues for each of them this year. Similarly, Herrick and Bane, both state placers last year, meet up in another awful ticket match. The other two golden tickets are pretty wide open, although Frazee looks like a pretty safe bet for one of them.

Last year's champ: Dezmen Goddard, Warren Central

Ranked wrestlers:

#2 Alston Bane, Richmond
#3 Jake Ruberg, Lawrenceburg
#4 Noah Warren, Perry Meridian
#11 Dominic Herrick, Warren Central
#12 Laine Frazee, Fountain Central

Feature matchups:

#2 Bane vs. #11 Herrick (Ticket round) – Yuck. The New Castle semistate loses a returning state placer. Herrick is a senior, and this is a shame. Should be a great match, though.

#4 Warren vs. #3 Ruberg (Ticket round) – Double yuck. Something not right here, as both talented kids should be able to participate at Banker’s Life. Bummer.

Dezmen Goddard, Warren Central/Mason Jones, Lawrence Central vs. Brandon Manning, South Dearborn/Nick Fox, Carmel (Ticket round) – This is another tough, very evenly matched foursome. Goddard is the hottest of the four, coming in with a hard-earned regional title, but each of the other three has the ability to win two matches on Saturday. Fox and Manning should be a dogfight, as Manning was ranked in the preseason and Fox is better than his record indicates.

#2 Bane/ #11 Herrick vs. #4 Warren/ #3 Ruberg (Finals) – All of this blood-letting should culminate in one dandy of a finals matchup.

1st round picks:
Frazee over Babcock
Justice over Carson
Bane over Penola
Herrick over Hauke
Wilson over Rothwell
Bublick over Gee
Warren over Steele
Ruberg over Jessop

Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Bane, Warren, Frazee, Bublick

The Alpha Dog:
Alston Bane

170

Six wrestlers at 170 speak to the weight’s depth. While there isn’t a topnotch state champ candidate in the mix, there should be a ton of compelling matchups. Two returning state qualifiers are among the athletes competing for golden tickets.

Last year's champ: Ben Harvey, Cathedral

Ranked wrestlers:

#7 Ricky Samuels, Lawrence North
#11 Christian Warren, Perry Meridian
#13 Dezmen Goddard, Warren Central
#14 Charlie Hill, Lawrenceburg
#15 Tanner Webster, North Montgomery
#20 Evan Stambaugh, Lebanon

Feature matchups:

#20 Stambaugh vs. Steven Trammell, Lawrence Central (Ticket round) – Stambaugh was a state qualifier last year and Trammell was a semistate qualifier at 182.

#14 Hill vs. #15 Webster/ #11 Warren (Ticket round) – Three ranked wrestlers competing for 1 spot should create some great matches.

1st round picks:
Stambaugh over Willis
Trammell over Orcutt
Goddard over Jagow
Dilts over Mitts
Hill over Hertenstein
Webster over Warren
Samuels over Faith
Mazero over Lowe

Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Samuels, Stambaugh, Goddard, Webster

The Alpha Dog:
Ricky Samuels

182

The Parity Train comes to a halt at 182. Enter Blake Rypel, Intermat’s 5th in the nation at 182 and a returning state champ. Cam Jones is next in the pecking order, a returning 7th place finisher, but there is plenty of talent besides the top two. Worm, Hoots and Irick are all returning state qualifiers.

Last year's champ: Mason Parris, Lawrenceburg

Ranked wrestlers:

#1 Blake Rypel, Cathedral
#3 Cam Jones, Lawrence North
#9 Zach Worm, Southmont
#14 Caleb Hoots, New Castle
#15 Cameron Simmons, Lawrence Central
#16 Spencer Irick, Hamilton Southeastern

Feature matchups:

#15 Simmons vs. #9 Worm (Opening round) – Worm pinned Simmons in the ticket round last year at 170. Simmons has been dangerous this year, and Worm had 7 losses last season entering semistate, and yet he still qualified for state. Whoever wins this one will likely face WC’s Devon Blount.

#3 Jones vs. # 14 Hoots (Ticket round) – Jones has made some noise around the state this season, a year after placing at state. Hoots was impressive at semistate last year and will have the home crowd in his corner for this potential match.


1st round picks:
Blount over Walker
Worm over Simmons
Hoots over Diaz
Jones over Fruits
Irick over Bryant
Cecil over Bohman
Rypel over Hill
Torres over Rolfes

Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Rypel, Jones, Worm, Irick

The Alpha Dog:
Blake Rypel

195

Eight ranked wrestlers, including 3 of the top 4 and 5 of the top 10 in the state, help make this weight the deepest and likely the most difficult at New Castle. Defending state runner-up Tristen Tonte, undefeated Ben Stewart and Jake Cavins, and Carmel’s nasty Nick Fox make this a group that no other semistate is going to be excited to draw at state. A bunch of tough, highly regarded wrestlers are going home unhappy after Saturday.

Last year's champ: Blake Rypel, Cathedral

Ranked wrestlers:

#1 Tristen Tonte, Perry Meridian
#2 Ben Stewart, Cathedral
#4 Jake Cavins, Milan
#8 Nick Fox, Carmel
#10 Kolby Ferris, HSE
#13 Cole Slavens, North Montgomery
#16 Landon Burton, New Palestine
#18 Nick Schaeffer, Westfield

Feature matchups:

#10 Ferris vs. #4 Cavins (Ticket round) – Nasty ticket round matchup here, with each wrestler beating tough kids this season. Cavins was a ticket rounder last year, and ran into the Hipple buzzsaw. Can he get by a different Hamilton County foe this year?

#13 Slavens/ #16 Burton vs. #2 Stewart (Ticket round) – Stewart has had some tough luck at semistate the past two seasons, and will be looking to finally make it to BLF. He’ll have to work for it.

#1 Tonte vs. #2 Stewart (Finals) – #1 vs #2 for the semistate crown? Count me in. Tonte knocked Stewart out in the ticket round 2 years ago. Last year, it was Mason Parris in a tight one. Does Stewart advance and take it a step further with a one seed at state?

1st round picks:
Fox over Dullaghan
Leslie over Hertel
Tonte over Schaeffer
Haager over Boyer
Stewart over Ripperger
Slavens over Burton
Cavins over Gregory
Ferris over Smith

Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Tonte, Stewart, Cavins, Fox

The Alpha Dog:
Tristen Tonte

220

Seven ranked wrestlers are led by nationally ranked Mason Parris (3rd last year at 195) and returning state semifinalist Sam Hipple. Some excellent wrestlers, state-place caliber, will be eliminated at or before the ticket round. Lots of talent here.

Last year's champ: Courvoisier Morrow, Warren Central

Ranked wrestlers:
 
#2 Mason Parris, Lawrenceburg
#7 Walter Haire, North Central
#8 Sam Hipple, Carmel
#9 Ryan Guhl, Cathedral
#16 Scott Fuller, Zionsville
#17 Jacob McClaine, Lebanon
#20 Cornelius Knox-Abbott, Warren Central

Feature matchups:

#9 Guhl vs. #17 McClaine (Ticket round) – Guhl was somewhat overlooked heading into semistate last year, but parlayed his top-4 finish at New Castle into a 7th place finish at state. McClaine is a young gun with a man’s body. Watch out the next two years for this monster.

#2 Parris vs. #7 Haire (Ticket round) – Another unfortunate draw, with the indomitable Parris drawing the topnotch junior Haire, who owns a win over Hipple and others this season. I’m glad Haire has another year to make noise, because Parris is a big obstacle.

1st round picks:
Guhl over Owensby
McClaine over Thomas
Kaiser over Cornwell
Fuller over Clouse
Hipple over Quinn
Carr over Knox-Abbott
Parris over Mata
Haire over Wetli

Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Parris, Guhl, Hipple, Fuller

The Alpha Dog:
Mason Parris

285

Five ranked competitors, including three former state qualifiers, lead a pretty evenly matched group.

Last year's champ: Nate Trawick, Richmond

Ranked wrestlers:

#6 Robert Samuels, Lawrence North
#9 Jasion Brogan, Warren Central
#10 Ethan Bunce, Lawrence Central
#14 Chris Ridle, Perry Meridian
#20 Peyton Wuerch, Mount Vernon

Feature matchups:

#9 Brogan vs. #6 Samuels (Ticket round) – Yikes. Another nasty ticket match, this one could be the true finals match. One returning state placer is going home. Another bummer.

#19 Ridle vs. Dan Phifer, Tipton (Semifinals round) – Phifer has impressed thus far in the postseason, and was a ticket rounder last year, and Ridle was also a ticket rounder; he’ll be looking to finally break through to the state finals.

1st round picks:
Brogan over Martin
Samuels over Smith
Dollens over Wuerch
Bunce over Selm
Minges over Tull
Ridle over Williams
Phifer over Robinson
Powell over Pierce

Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Brogan, Phifer, Bunce, Ridle

The Alpha Dog:
Jasion Brogan

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