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Article: Who do you want in your corner at state? 2022 Version


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Winning is easy, well not that easy, but winning consistently is much, much harder. One of our more controversial articles of state week is "who do you want in your corner?" This was conjured up when we wanted to know which coaches had the most success on Friday night. After that we moved to the quarter-finals and of course semi-finals and the championship match. With our system of one and done on Friday the data is easy to decipher on which coaches have the most success. The numbers are staggering for certain coaches. We also understand fully that this isn't just a one man show, many of the top head coaches will divide and conquer and have top assistants in the corner for specific individuals. 

 

Take the data as you want, but it is always a great conversation starter during this week.

 

Click here for all of the data

Current coaches with 10+ state qualifiers from 1992-2019

Coach Qualifiers Placers Friday % Current School
Sean McGinley 114 88 77.19% Indianapolis Cathedral
Darrick Snyder 97 72 74.23% Brownsburg
Chris Cooper 36 26 72.22% Columbus East
Maurice Swain 17 12 70.59% Center Grove
Branden Lorek 30 21 70.00% Crown Point
Joshua Holden 19 13 68.42% Greenfield-Central
Matt Schoettle 34 23 67.65% Perry Meridian
David Maldonado 84 56 66.67% Merrillville
Jim Tonte 111 70 63.06% Franklin Community
Greg Schaefer 84 52 61.90% Evansville Mater Dei
Frank Bumgardner 12 7 58.33% Wawasee
Bill Flatt 23 13 56.52% South Bend Riley
Tony Abbott 32 18 56.25% Cowan
Dan Briggs 22 12 54.55% Carroll (Fort Wayne)
Ed Pendoski 74 40 54.05% Carmel
Gabe Cook 10 5 50.00% Terre Haute South
Mike Runyon 20 10 50.00% Bloomington South
Randy Kearby 34 17 50.00% Wabash
Phil Smith 10 5 50.00% Westfield
Bob Harmon 57 28 49.12% Castle
Chad Shepherd 25 12 48.00% Western
Brandon Sisson 17 8 47.06% Floyd Central
Jim Pickard 43 20 46.51% Goshen
Eric Myers 26 12 46.15% Jay County
Lou Silverman 37 17 45.95% North Central
Louie Kuzdas 27 12 44.44% LaPorte
Clint Gard 16 7 43.75% Rochester
Scott Ferguson 38 16 42.11% Evansville Reitz
Brad Harper 72 29 40.28% Penn
Dan Mikesell 15 6 40.00% Mooresville
Danny Struck 20 8 40.00% Jeffersonville
James Linn 10 4 40.00% New Haven
Larry Mattingly 33 13 39.39% Evansville Memorial
Andy Hobbs 41 16 39.02% Peru
Tony Currie 13 5 38.46% Adams Central
Dean Branstetter 13 5 38.46% Attica
Jamie Welliever 13 5 38.46% Southmont
Brett Smith 11 4 36.36% Prairie Heights
Doug Smoker 20 7 35.00% Eastside
Dave Cloud 25 8 32.00% Pendleton Heights
Andrew King 26 8 30.77% Oak Hill
Tim Alcorn 10 3 30.00% Mount Vernon (Posey)
Blane Culp 14 4 28.57% Columbia City
Jim Wadkins 21 6 28.57% Calumet
Doug Deters 13 3 23.08% Franklin County
Steven Sandefer 13 3 23.08% Mishawaka
Sam Riesen 10 2 20.00% East Noble
Nick Kraus 16 3 18.75% Garrett
Tom Miller 18 2 11.11% Lafayette Jefferson

 

All coaches with 10+ state qualifiers from 1992-2019

Coach Qualifiers Placers Friday %
Wiley Craft 11 10 90.91%
Todd Kendrick 13 11 84.62%
Wade McClurg 17 14 82.35%
Travis Walls 26 21 80.77%
Dan Gelarden 15 12 80.00%
Brett Crousore 39 31 79.49%
Nick Petrov 24 19 79.17%
Sean McGinley 114 88 77.19%
Perry Summitt 13 10 76.92%
Brian Weaver 12 9 75.00%
Darrick Snyder 97 72 74.23%
Justin Smith 11 8 72.73%
Rod Wartman 11 8 72.73%
Chris Cooper 36 26 72.22%
Maurice Swain 17 12 70.59%
Keith Grant 10 7 70.00%
Branden Lorek 30 21 70.00%
Al Smith 20 14 70.00%
Alan Goddard 10 7 70.00%
Joshua Holden 19 13 68.42%
Mike Atwood 19 13 68.42%
Paul Nicodemus 19 13 68.42%
Mike Goebel 102 69 67.65%
Matt Schoettle 34 23 67.65%
David Maldonado 84 56 66.67%
Paul Voigt 15 10 66.67%
Kevin Blundell 12 8 66.67%
Robert Emerick 27 18 66.67%
Duboris Dickerson 12 8 66.67%
Bill Kelly 26 17 65.38%
Lance Ellis 17 11 64.71%
Zach Errett 28 18 64.29%
Lance Rhodes 28 18 64.29%
Chad Red 25 16 64.00%
Kevin Troy 30 19 63.33%
Matthew Behling 19 12 63.16%
Jim Tonte 111 70 63.06%
Brian Seltzer 40 25 62.50%
Greg Schaefer 84 52 61.90%
Jack Grimaldi 13 8 61.54%
Russel Feigert 39 24 61.54%
Rob Willman 18 11 61.11%
Bob Jarrett 10 6 60.00%
John Kopnisky 10 6 60.00%
Kevin King 15 9 60.00%
Brent Faurote 107 64 59.81%
Dave Thompson 24 14 58.33%
Frank Bumgardner 12 7 58.33%
Royce Deckard 64 37 57.81%
Steve Balash 47 27 57.45%
Bob Read 21 12 57.14%
Keith Hoffar 28 16 57.14%
Kyle Poyer 28 16 57.14%
Trent McCormick 100 57 57.00%
Bob Hasseman 67 38 56.72%
Bill Flatt 23 13 56.52%
Bobby Howard 16 9 56.25%
Tony Abbott 32 18 56.25%
Lance Beehler 18 10 55.56%
Danny Williams 20 11 55.00%
Larry Tharp 20 11 55.00%
Dan Briggs 22 12 54.55%
Jim Nicholson 11 6 54.55%
Clarence Warthan 22 12 54.55%
John Cook 11 6 54.55%
Jamie Wingler 11 6 54.55%
Jason Warthan 11 6 54.55%
Ed Pendoski 74 40 54.05%
Israel Blevins 37 20 54.05%
Jake Harreld 13 7 53.85%
Mike Ester 26 14 53.85%
Chris Joll 60 32 53.33%
Bob Brennan 15 8 53.33%
Scott Vlink 72 38 52.78%
Jared Williams 40 21 52.50%
Rex Peckinpaugh 67 35 52.24%
Andy Simon 33 17 51.52%
Mark Kerrn 35 18 51.43%
Leroy Vega 43 22 51.16%
Gabe Cook 10 5 50.00%
Mark Bruner 12 6 50.00%
Mark Kirchgassner 12 6 50.00%
Mike Runyon 20 10 50.00%
Randy Kearby 34 17 50.00%
Phil Smith 10 5 50.00%
Jim Ledbetter 28 14 50.00%
Todd Sacksteder 20 10 50.00%
Scott Dehart 14 7 50.00%
Christopher Kern 10 5 50.00%
Bob Harmon 57 28 49.12%
Henry Wilk 37 18 48.65%
Chad Shepherd 25 12 48.00%
Dennis Lewis 25 12 48.00%
T. Howard Jones Jr. 21 10 47.62%
Terry O'Neill 19 9 47.37%
Brandon Sisson 17 8 47.06%
Ryan Wells 15 7 46.67%
Jim Pickard 43 20 46.51%
Cale Hoover 26 12 46.15%
Chris Campbell 13 6 46.15%
Eric Myers 26 12 46.15%
Rod Williams 13 6 46.15%
Lou Silverman 37 17 45.95%
Tony Boley 22 10 45.45%
Louie Kuzdas 27 12 44.44%
Scott Schwarz 25 11 44.00%
Clint Gard 16 7 43.75%
Rick Stenftenagel 14 6 42.86%
Eric Highley 19 8 42.11%
Scott Ferguson 38 16 42.11%
Ed Fox 12 5 41.67%
David Caple 12 5 41.67%
Mark Scott 17 7 41.18%
Al Hartman 32 13 40.63%
Brad Harper 72 29 40.28%
Scott Raypole 15 6 40.00%
Dan Mikesell 15 6 40.00%
Danny Struck 20 8 40.00%
Ryan Landis 10 4 40.00%
Mark Line 20 8 40.00%
James Binkley 10 4 40.00%
James Linn 10 4 40.00%
Gene Backes 10 4 40.00%
Murray Miller 10 4 40.00%
Steve Wewe 10 4 40.00%
Kevin Taylor 10 4 40.00%
Larry Mattingly 33 13 39.39%
Steve Pugliese 23 9 39.13%
Andy Hobbs 41 16 39.02%
Tony Currie 13 5 38.46%
Dean Branstetter 13 5 38.46%
Jamie Welliever 13 5 38.46%
Greg Gastineau 13 5 38.46%
Steve VanderAa 16 6 37.50%
Brett Smith 11 4 36.36%
Gary Fox 11 4 36.36%
Gary Schliessman 11 4 36.36%
Tony Grater 11 4 36.36%
Tony Starks 11 4 36.36%
Derek Bocock 14 5 35.71%
Matt Koontz 14 5 35.71%
Jim HIttler 14 5 35.71%
Doug Smoker 20 7 35.00%
Paul Gunsett 20 7 35.00%
Barry Humble 18 6 33.33%
Josh Dommer 15 5 33.33%
Dave Cloud 25 8 32.00%
David Errett 16 5 31.25%
Robert Freije 16 5 31.25%
Andrew King 26 8 30.77%
Randy Pursley 13 4 30.77%
Chuck Fleshman 10 3 30.00%
Tim Alcorn 10 3 30.00%
John Bennett 10 3 30.00%
Lonnie Chamberlain 10 3 30.00%
Blane Culp 14 4 28.57%
Jim Wadkins 21 6 28.57%
George Gardner 15 4 26.67%
Eric Burres 12 3 25.00%
Doug Deters 13 3 23.08%
Ken Houston 13 3 23.08%
Steven Sandefer 13 3 23.08%
Nicholas Eckert 13 3 23.08%
Kevin Wilkinson 10 2 20.00%
Sam Riesen 10 2 20.00%
Nick Kraus 16 3 18.75%
Denny Schwartz 16 3 18.75%
Scott VanDerAa 15 2 13.33%
Tom Miller 18 2 11.11%
Tim Sloffer 12 1 8.33%
Doug Schultz 13 1 7.69%

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For me, I am going to go with the following

dave fleming been there done that with all of the top three here

ed pendowski

Andy st. laurent

Cary house. I know him personally and would love to have had him as a coach for my son.

 

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Brian Seltzer= He walked it in the rooms and banged with the boys and he got his kids to reach their peaks and peak at the right times.  He also was very effective at having kids ready to be state-level tough in their first year of varsity wrestling. Great program builder and maintainer.

Steve Balash= Hobart always has several state placers in the basket year after year.  Helped get graduated kids to come back and coach with him.  Has the respect of every coach and kid in the Region for all of the above reasons and because he himself was a five-star human being.

Bill Kelly= His coaching and wrestler development unequivocally played a revolutionary role in how tough and successful Region wrestling is to this very day.  The coaching and wrestler tree that can be traced back to him is astounding.

 

 

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In no particular order, Greg Schaefer/Mike Goebel/ Randy Helfrich.

 

Greg has breathed new life into this ancient program. As with any great coach Greg is charismatic, driven, selfless and knowledgeable. Greg wrestled in the Big 10 for Indiana University and is a theology/religion teacher at Mater Dei. There are numerous qualities I passed over to get the list filed down to a few, but to watch Greg handle wrestlers and turn them into young men is truly admirable, to tell you the truth, the word selfless is not a strong enough description to truly explain Greg's passion for the sport and love for his wrestlers. With one State Title under his belt and the dedication Greg has for this program the chances of his title count staying at a "straight number" are pretty slim.

 

Mike Goebel is one of if not THE best motivator in Indiana. On top of this his ability to out strategize any coach is phenomenal. From a distance Goebel's motivation may seem mean or angry but in reality he is squeezing every ounce of effort and drive out of his athletes. Mike ALWAYS had, and still has honor and respect at the forefront of competition. If one of his wrestlers got slammed he would return to the center of the mat and he would NOT be taking any victories in any such manor. On top of all of this, his State Titles and dual meet records speak for themselves. Goebel is still coaching football and teaching at Mater Dei, he and his team took a trip to the State Finals this year. They missed their mark for a championship but will be in the mix next year with some key positions returning.

 

Did someone say technique? Randy Helfrich was the precision tuned chassis, steering, and and suspension surrounding the powerful motor that Goebel was in the wrestling room. Every night was a clinic, every step, every nuance and every trick in the book of every move taught with exact timing and purpose. Chain wrestling and groups of moves taught from the same position, 3 moves from one position, always giving his wrestlers options to choose from in nearly every position imaginable. Most wrestling programs don't give their reserve team too much thought, guess who was in the corner for nearly every reserve match and tournament over Randy's tenior? You guessed it, Randy Helfrich, and on top of this his record as a reserve coach is SPOTLESS.

 

Indiana has seen many good wrestling coaches through the years, but the list is pretty slim for any coaches that would join the ranks of these three genlemen.

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On 2/17/2022 at 8:31 PM, busstogate said:

Brian Seltzer= He walked it in the rooms and banged with the boys and he got his kids to reach their peaks and peak at the right times.  He also was very effective at having kids ready to be state-level tough in their first year of varsity wrestling. Great program builder and maintainer.

Steve Balash= Hobart always has several state placers in the basket year after year.  Helped get graduated kids to come back and coach with him.  Has the respect of every coach and kid in the Region for all of the above reasons and because he himself was a five-star human being.

Bill Kelly= His coaching and wrestler development unequivocally played a revolutionary role in how tough and successful Region wrestling is to this very day.  The coaching and wrestler tree that can be traced back to him is astounding.

 

 

I will second you on Steve Balash, God rest his soul.  I had the blessing of being coached by him in 3 sports and he was the finest example of how to live life as a man of integrity, honor and class. You absolutely nailed it, a 5 star human being for certain.  I can not begin to contemplate how many young men and women he positively impacted in his 50 plus years coaching and teaching.   You simply couldn’t ask for a better corner man….for your whole life!  

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